The Hopkins County school district was named the winner of the Kentucky Board of Education’s (KBE’s) 2023 Kevin C. Brown Strategic Priority Award at its Feb. 7 regular meeting.

The district was recognized for its collaborative effort to identify characteristics important to all graduates, regardless of their career path. The new strategic plan, known as Hopkins County Future Ready – Characteristics of Successful Graduates, embeds the Future Ready characteristics into student goals. The strategic plan is the district’s version of a portrait of a graduate.

“We are thrilled that Hopkins County Schools has been honored with the Kevin C. Brown Award,” said Hopkins County Superintendent Amy Smith. “Our staff has taken the Future Ready Graduates initiative to heart and remains focused on instilling these valuable characteristics in all of our students. This is a true Team Hopkins effort! The way we have embedded this plan in daily instruction shows our dedication to our students and the community as a whole.”

The award is named for Kevin C. Brown, general counsel for Jefferson County Public Schools, who has held several prominent roles at KDE. Most recently he served as interim commissioner of education from December 2019 to September 2020, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During a visit to the district with a former commissioner, Brown said the "seeds were being planted" for this initiative. 

"This is not just happening in a silo within the district. This is completely a community effort," said Brown. "It really is, I think, a perfect example of this type of work."



“Hopkins County Schools are demonstrating the vision of United We Learn – Kentucky’s vision of the future of education – as they prepare today’s students for their future success by partnering with the community,” said Interim Education Commissioner Robin Fields Kinney. “On behalf of the board and the Kentucky Department of Education, we’re proud of the work being done to move education forward in Hopkins County.”

We were so excited to welcome school and community leaders on Feb. 15 for the first Community Leadership planning meeting! This was the first of a series of meetings that will create an action plan and strategies to put the Kentucky Community Schools Initiative into effect in Hopkins County Schools. 



The district was awarded a $1.5 million Community Schools Grant from the Prichard Committee to initiate this program. The grant will be split between Browning Springs Middle School and Madisonville North Hopkins High School. The initiative will help provide resources and support services for students and families, and expand partnerships within our community. The ultimate goal is to use the community schools model to boost student outcomes and contribute to the overall well-being of students and the community. 

The Hopkins County Future Ready initiative has focused this month on being an Effective Communicator. Throughout February, class projects and school initiatives have involved demonstrating clear digital, written, and verbal/nonverbal skills; active listening; making presentations; and learning soft skills.



Hopkins County Future Ready Graduates is one of the major initiatives that is part of the district’s new Strategic Plan. This is our version of Portrait of a Graduate. This initiative will significantly transform our schools and ensure that our students gain the characteristics needed to be successful after graduation.

The top 5 students in the Amazing Shake competition at each elementary school participated in the District Meet ‘n Greet last week. This district-wide event gives students a chance to demonstrate their skills as an Effective Communicator!



Twenty students will move ahead to the next round of competition, “Think on your Feet.” After that, 10 will advance to the “Dinner Etiquette” round. What a great way for students to learn about being an Effective Communicator, which is the Hopkins County Future Ready characteristic that we are emphasizing throughout February!

We are in the midst of a collaborative effort to promote public schools in our region. The campaign, “West Kentucky Public Schools Strong: Connected to Our Communities, Committed to Our Kids,” will highlight the strength, unity, and dedication of our region’s public schools. Watch for social media posts with the hashtag #WestKYPublicSchoolsStrong.

Sarah Todd

Sarah Todd, a CIA in the autism classroom at Hanson Elementary School, was presented with the Remember Your Why Award at the Feb. 20 Board of Education meeting. Ms. Sarah goes above and beyond to help her students. She greets her students getting off the bus in the morning, prepares the daily schedule, and works with students outside of the regular classroom setting. She shows up everyday with a smile on her face and loves her students!  You can always find Ms. Sarah sharing a hug or working with our Hanson Hunters!

Todd said that her “why” is “to see my kids learn and grow.”

Laughter rang out as students enjoyed the new playground at Hanson Elementary School! Rubber handicapped accessible pathways were recently installed at the site. The only step left is to concrete the sidewalk leading from the school to the playground. That is scheduled to be completed during spring break.

Madisonville North Hopkins is in the early stages of a project that will convert a 40-foot shipping container into a three-bay medical clinic that will be delivered to Liberia!

Any community groups or individuals interested in getting involved should reach out to agriculture teacher Brian Welch at brian.welch@hopkins.kyschools.us or the FFA program. Ag Math students have measured the official dimensions of the container and are designing how this will be built. Multiple classes and clubs are expected to work together on the “Freight Box Challenge.”

The project is through a partnership with Supplies Overseas and a continued partnership with Harbor Freight Tools for Schools.

Fifth graders at Jesse Stuart Elementary have been learning about African American history this month by doing a variety of research. They are reading daily from the book “28 Days - Moments in Black HIstory that Changed the World” as a group activity. Then, they research a person or event of their choice and let the teacher know when they are ready to make a quick presentation and video on what they have learned. Teacher Alaysha Scott said most students want to teach their classmates something new! Here are links to the videos that were completed first:

Madam CJ Walker

Daniel Hale Williams

Jackie Robinson

Misty Copeland

Ruby Bridges

Matthew Henson

The annual Operation Tech Center event gives 8th graders an in-depth look into the career pathways offered at Hopkins County Career and Technology Center. This gets kids thinking about possible careers and also helps them decide which electives to consider when they register for high school courses. 

Medicaid Nurse Aide students at Hopkins County Career & Technology Center practiced skills recently in preparation for the state exam in March. Samantha Gallimore’s 1st trimester group had a 100% pass rate!



This CTC career pathway prepares individuals for admission to a professional program in nursing and focuses on caring for residents in a long-term care facility.

Colors for Care 5K

Organizers of the Colors for Care 5K said that a donor will give $200 to the Family Resource Center at the elementary school that has the most sign-ups!

The LIFE event is organized by First United Bank in coordination with the Youth Service Centers at both high schools,

The Learning It First through Education (LIFE) event was held Feb. 16 at Madisonville North Hopkins. It gave more than 600 middle and high school students the chance to participate in a simulation while making real-world financial decisions. A similar program will be held in March at Hopkins County Central. We appreciate our community partners and volunteers who have come together to offer this opportunity for our students!  

Lunar New Year celebrations offered a fun way for some young HCS students to learn about life in other cultures! The entry of the year of the dragon also brought a chance for collaboration among teachers. Activities included watching a broadcast of festivities in Hong Kong, making lanterns as a craft, learning about traditional foods, and much more! 

Class parades featured a dragon built by Lukas Brewer, the son of Pride Elementary kindergarten teacher Ashley Brewer. Mrs. Brewer painted the head. These photos highlight activities in her class as well as Marco Rice’s kindergarten class at West Broadway Elementary and Cierra Hendricks’ 2nd grade class at Pride. 

What a great way to learn about the Lunar New Year and life in other countries! 

Our high school students showed some love – and creativity – by making Valentine’s boxes for younger students. Hopkins County Central High School art students made boxes that were distributed at Southside Elementary, while Madisonville North Hopkins Beta Club provided Valentine’s boxes for students at Pride Elementary School. We LOVE these projects!!

Dance teams from throughout Hopkins County Schools earned multiple State Championships during the KDCO State Competition on Saturday in Frankfort!

Hopkins County Central High Voltage won State Championships in the large hip hop and large pom divisions. High Voltage is also Grand Champion for receiving the highest average score of all high school teams!

Madisonville North Hopkins Maroon Magic won the State Championship in small game day and placed 3rd in small pom.

South Hopkins Middle School Dance Cats are State Champs in both small hip hop and small pom.

James Madison Middle School are state champs in medium pom and placed 2nd in medium hip hop.

Madisonville-North Hopkins captured the state championship in the 2024 Kentucky State Powerlifting Meet..The Maroons scored 97 team points to win this season’s Iron Cat Classic. 

The Browning Springs Middle School 8th grade boys basketball team finished as state runners-up in the Kentucky Basketball Commission State Championship! The team’s overall record was 28-1 for the year. In addition, Samari Pettus was named to the All Tournament Team.

Several swimmers have qualified to compete in the KHSAA State Swimming & Diving Championships! The Madisonville North Hopkins girls team is the Region Runners-up  and the boys team placed 3rd. The following swimmers advanced:

Madisonville North Hopkins High School: Sy Soriano, 500 free (region champ); Gavin Bunch, 50 free and 100 free; Boys 200 Free Relay - JD, Jude, Sy, and Gavin; Boys 400 Free Relay - JD, Reese, Sy, and Gavin; Emma Tagg, 50 free and 100 free; Adison Melton,  200 free and 500 free (region champ); Addison Howard, 200 IM and 100 Backstroke; Girls 200 Free Relay - Audrey T, Addison, Adison, and Emma (region champs); Girls 400 Free Relay - Audrey T, Addison, Adison, and Emma; Sy Soriano, 50 free; Reese Soriano, 100 back; Audrey Tate, 50 free and 100 free; and Katelynn Howard, 200 IM and 500 free.

Hopkins County Central High School: Alex Ray, 100 Butterfly.

The MNHHS girls 200 relay also qualified for the final round of the state competition.

March 4 - Board of Education Meeting, 5:30 p.m., Central Office

March 18 - Board of Education Meeting, 5:30 p.m., Central Office