Dennis Davis
The Mercer County school district continues to move in a positive direction through the leadership of Superintendent Dennis Davis. This Proficient school district has seen significant increases in college- and career-readiness in the past few years and higher student growth percentages at all levels in 2015.
The district has experienced unprecedented transition in the past 10 years since the merger of the Mercer County and Harrodsburg Independent school districts. Most recently, a 9th-grade wing was added to Mercer County Senior High School removing one transition for students and providing an opportunity to reconfigure the schools. With the exception of the Early Learning Center and several district programs, our 1st- through 12th-grade students now occupy one campus, allowing more collaboration between administrators, teachers and students throughout the year.
Mercer County has sought to develop strong partnerships with community leaders and the county Workforce Development Task Force as well as neighboring universities and technical schools. The district’s challenge is to ensure that students are prepared with the skills needed to be successful in the 21st century world of work.
One program in Mercer County that continues to expand is Project Lead the Way. The district’s high school program offers courses in engineering design, digital electronics, civil engineering and architecture. Students enrolled in these courses compete in VEX Robotics competitions and the Verizon App Challenge – which Mercer County won at the state level and came in 8th nationally in the 2013-14 school year. At the middle school level, students are provided the opportunity to design 3-D models, create green energy projects and build a robot. Most recently, the elementary school received a grant that allowed it to purchase two modules per grade level that five students experience in hands-on science as they are asked to problem-solve and then use real materials to build their solution and make it work. The district is very excited to spark students’ interest in engineering at the elementary level.
Mercer County is committed to improving the learning environment for all students so they can graduate college- and career-ready and prepared to succeed in a global economy.
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