By Amy Wallot amy.wallot@education.ky.gov Where can you go to get a haircut, dental screening and a new pair of shoes? For parents and students in Mercer County, Readi Fest provides an opportunity to check of many back-to-school needs in one place. This was the fourth year for the event, held at Mercer County High School. The goal is to remove [...]
By Amy Wallot amy.wallot@education.ky.gov I have covered many professional development opportunities this summer. What I heard over and over from the hosts and presenters was, “please contact me if you have any questions.” Please contact me. Over and over. Presenters offered their email address and phone numbers. They repeated that teachers could contact their universities or organizations for help, classroom [...]
By Amy Wallot amy.wallot@education.ky.gov Mental illness led Stephanie Cesare to some very, very dark places. But these days, things are looking brighter for her. Now, she is a cosmetology graduate of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Training Center and is already employed. Cesare gave the most candid speech I have heard at a commencement. She openly discussed her illness and [...]
By Amy Wallot amy.wallot@education.ky.gov There is something about being at a graduation that puts you in a great mood. I didn’t know any of the kids graduating during these commencement ceremonies, but I still had a huge smile on my face. There is just something about seeing them all so happy. Happy for a major milestone reached. Happy for the [...]
The end of the school year brings excitement and a bit of relief. For high school students, the relief comes after finished end-of-course exams. That’s what I came across as I visited Murray High School in the Murray Independent school district, a District of Distinction.
By Amy Wallot amy.wallot@education.ky.gov This was not the first time I have visited Auburn Elementary School. In 2013, I visited the Logan County school after it was named a National Blue Ribbon School. This time I was driving through the district and had some time to spare. It was near the end of the school day, so I followed a [...]
By Amy Wallot amy.wallot@education.ky.gov Buntings hung from the gymnasium stage and tables as 3rd, 4th and 5th-grade students filled the room. They listened as local historians and politicians gave their thoughts on the war and its importance in the area’s history. And they listened to a reading of Gen. Lee’s Order No. 9, his farewell address. It was all part [...]
Teachers from around the state celebrated their National Board Certification recently at the Capitol as the Class of 2014 was recognized.
Reciting a poem over a hundred years old, but with feelings still relevant today, Grant County High School sophomore Haley Bryan won the Kentucky Poetry Out Loud state competition. Her chosen poem in the final round was Revenge by Letitia Elizabeth Landon.
By Amy Wallot amy.wallot@education.ky.gov Wearing a crown and carrying a staff, both made of black construction paper, 4th-grade student James Smith brought Zeus, the king of the Greek gods, to life for his classmates. The skit was part of a presentation in Lauren Coomes’ 4th-grade class at Estes Elementary School (Owensboro Independent). Her students were reading The Lightning Thief, the [...]