8th Grade Parents,

The LCHS staff looks forward to having your children at the high school next year.  One of the first things that we need to take care of is the mandatory laptop training for parents.   Each student is issued a laptop at the high school and it is a very valuable resource in our classrooms.   This year we are going to do our laptop trainings on Tuesday, May 1st.   The first session will be from 6:00 to 7:00 and the second session will be from 7:00 to 8:00.   You only have to attend one session as the same material will be presented in both sessions.  The laptop trainings will be in the LCHS auditorium.

Sincerely,

Paul Mullins

LCHS Principal

Explore test results are through the roof in LaRue County Schools. We scored in the Top 11% in the state!  Math was 10th in the state!

Explore is a part of the ACT family of assessments. Explore is given at the 8th grade level and is a predictor for high school readiness. PLAN is given at the 10th grade level and is a predictor for ACT performance.  At the 11^th grade the ACT is given and is a predictor for college readiness. 

Congratulations goes out to the LaRue County Speech Team as they took 4th place in the Kentucky High School Speech League state competition this weekend.

James Reding took 3rd in Extemp Speaking and 3rd in Congressional Debate, and especially congratulate Chelsea Blair who is the 2012 STATE CHAMPION in oratory.

Call for Nominations

Governor Louie B. Nunn Kentucky Teacher Hall of Fame

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2013 class of inductees into the Louie B. Nunn Kentucky Teacher Hall of Fame.  The deadline is July 15, 2012.  Please refer to the following URL for information about the Hall of Fame and to obtain the nomination form:   http://www.wku.edu/kythf/

Inquiries and/or additional information may also be directed to Ms. Cathie Bryant, College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, Western Kentucky University, 1906 College Heights Blvd., #11030, Bowling Green, KY 42101-1030 or cathie.bryant@wku.edu (270-745-4664).

Hodgenville, KY – The National Beta Club announced today that Zachary Lee has been named a Beta Scholar which entitles him to a scholarship award of $1000.00.

Zachary, a senior at LaRue County High School, competed against more than 700 candidates nationwide for this honor.  Two hundred twenty-one scholarship recipients were chosen.  He plans to study electrical engineering in college.  He was recommended for this award by the local Beta Club sponsor, Rex Hanson and high school principal, Paul Mullins.

“This outstanding young person represents the true spirit of National Beta, having excelled not only academically, but in leadership and service to school and community as well,” said Mr. Ken Cline, executive director of the National Beta Club.

Zachary is the son of Marty and Teresa Lee.  His grandparents are Shirley Crawford and Sharon and Carl Howell, all of Hodgenville.

When asked how they felt about Zachary’s accomplishment, sponsor Rex Hanson said, “Zachary is very deserving.  In my first year of being Beta Club sponsor, I have been impressed with Zachary’s leadership and community service.”

LaRue County Schools is providing this questionnaire to gather information on how well we are communicating with parents. Please take a few minutes to complete the questionnaire.  Your feedback will be used to improve parent involvement activities.  Suggestions on how we can better help our students at home or at school are welcome.  Please complete by February 20th.

The questionnaire is available at the following:

                ALES - http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FVBKKHZ

                HES - http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FVPTMRD

                LCMS - http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/F7KPCNH

                LCHS - http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/F785NYM

by Mark Landon Smith
Presented by LCHS Drama

LCHS Auditorium

March 9^th and 10^th at 7:00

March 11 – Lunch Matinee at 1:00

Contact Katy Cecil for Tickets @ katy.cecil@larue.kyschools.us or 270-358-2210

Nine students traveled to Washington, DC to compete in the George Mason University Patriot Games Speech Tournament. Eight entries advanced to quarter finals: Curtis Milby in Prose, Poetry, and HI; Chelsea Blair in Prose; James Reding in Extemp; Kaitlyn Burden in Poetry; Brian Anderson in Declamation; and Alison Schurfeld in Declamation. Four advanced to semi-finals: Chelsea Blair in Prose; Curtis Milby in Poetry; James Reding in Congress; and Alison Schurfeld in Declamation. Curtis Milby advanced to the finals in Poetry and took 6th Place overall out of 170 competitors. 

District Facility Planning Committee

We are currently taking parent nominations from LCHS for this committee. Interested parties please contact the HS no later than 8:30am Monday November 21^st, 2011. The election for this position will take place on Monday November 21^st from 8:30am to 6:00pm in the school office area. LCHS phone number is 270-358-2210, email contact to be on the ballot paul.mullins@larue.kyschools.us  

LCHS Continues a Winning Season

Over the past two weekends, the LCHS speech team has competed in three different tournaments and managed to bring home several awards both individual and team, including four championships....

The LaRue County Cheerleaders competed in a National Qualifier event in Northern Alabama Saturday....

LCMS Flip Flops Reach Afghanistan

The LaRue County High School tennis boosters are selling LaRue County tumblers for $16 each. The tumblers are 24 oz, come with a blue travel lid, and have the LC Hawk logo.

LCHS Speech takes 5^th Place at Bardstown

LaRue Ranks 41^st out of 174 Districts in Kentucky

The LaRue County Public Schools’ test scores rank in the top 25% of all public schools in the state.  To access the complete report go to www.kasc.net

LARUE COUNTY READS

Let’s help our students start a successful new year by being a volunteer reading tutor with LaRue County Reads. 

The annual Kentucky State Junior Beta Convention took place in Louisville at the Galt House Hotel and the Kentucky International Convention Center on February 22-24^th.  There were over 5200 students in attendance at the convention.  LaRue County Middle School had over 120 students attend the convention along with their sponsors, Teresa Lee and Allison McDowell, and LCMS principal and State Beta Council Chair, Bob Bright.

The National Beta Club is the oldest and largest academic organization for teens in America.  The organization promotes leadership, student service projects and academic endeavors.

Seth DeVary, son of Gerald and Patti DeVary, was elected Kentucky Junior Beta Secretary.  He will serve a one year term in office and will travel to other states as an ambassador for Kentucky on the national level.  Seth will attend the Alabama state convention.  Seth is eligible to run for National Beta office in June in Greensboro, North Carolina.   He will also attend the Broyhill Leadership Academy in Gaffney, South Carolina in July.  The Broyhill Leadership Academy is sponsored by the National Beta Club in conjunction with Tomorrow’s America Foundation. BLC provides students with opportunities to set leadership goals, become a team player, maintain a positive mental attitude, communicate more effectively, cultivate positive relationships, and make sound moral choices. BLC is the premier leadership conference that offers so many years of experience, has a curriculum and activities designed specifically for young people, and allows students to make the leadership connection back to their home schools.

                LCHS Speech competed at the KCFL State Qualifier this past Saturday to earn spots on the Kentucky entry to the NCFL Grand National Tournament.  The national tournament will be held over the Memorial Day weekend in Baltimore, Maryland this May, and LaRue represents 6 of the 50 entries Kentucky will be taking, and two LCHS students earned top spots in the process.  Junior James Reding took 1^st at the qualifier in Congress for the third year in a row, and Freshman Brian Anderson won the Extemp championship.    

                Other students who will represent LCHS and Kentucky at the national tournament are Chelsea Blair, 4^th Place in Oratory; Curtis Milby, 4^th Place in Prose/Poetry, and Elijah Thomas and Alison Schurfeld, 6^th Place in Duo Interp.  “These national tournaments are unique in that when we go, we are all one large Kentucky team competing against the teams from the other states who come to the tournament.  The team is made up of students from several schools who compete on the state level to earn spots on the overall team,” explained Katy Blair Cecil, the team’s head coach.  “This young team has held their own, and definitely lived up to the legacy that their predecessors created. I am very pleased with our results.”  Last year at the 2011 Nationals Timmy Gibson, a 2011 graduate, took 3^rd Place in the nation in Prose/Poetry while Ian Mather advanced to semi-finals in Prose/Poetry, and Jeshua Logsdon and Angelia Whitlock advanced  to quarters in Duo.  Mather, Logsdon, and Whitlock are all 2011 graduates as well.   Cecil expects to have good results this year, “These students continue to impress me with their hard work and determination  – I can’t wait to see what they accomplish at Nationals.”

                Cecil attributes much of the increased success of the team to her husband and co-coach, Eric Cecil, and her assistant coach, Bill Thompson.  “Eric and Bill have spent a lot of their time this year focusing  on 0ratory, congress, and extemp, and those make up three of the five entries we will be taking to nationals.  We all have our strengths, and we have a great division of labor that has enabled us to improve the overall success of the team this year.”  Eric Cecil has coached several debate teams to the nationals over the past few years, but with the help of Thompson,  shifted the focus this year to include the extempers and orators, which has made the team much more well-rounded.  “We are continuing to win overall team awards this year because we have expanded our focus, and it has really worked out well for us,” asserts Mrs. Cecil.

The team also took 2^nd place overall in sweepstakes points for the second year in a row.  Out of 21 schools competing with the best of the best from their teams, this was a major accomplishment.  “The sweepstakes at this tournament is determined only by how many students you advance to finals, so it really levels the playing field among the teams, regardless of how many entries you bring,” explains Thompson. “You have to advance kids to finals to even have a shot, and LaRue has taken 2^nd the last two years, which means we have maintained out power and consistency, even with the loss of 11 seniors last year.”

Next weekend the team is off, as the drama program will be presenting its spring production of An Evening of Culture by Mark Landon Smith.  This play is a major fundraiser for the speech and drama program, and the proceeds fund their competition at the middle and high school state tournaments which are coming up later in March.   “I hope people will come out to the play to support this wonderful program – oh, and see a great show, of course!” says Mrs. Cecil.  Mrs. Cecil can be contacted at 270-358-2210 for ticket information.  Tickets are available at the door on Friday and Saturday nights’ shows, but must be purchased in advance for the dinner show on Sunday. 

(FRANKFORT, Ky.) – The Kentucky Department of Education and Ashland Inc. have selected 24 outstanding Kentucky educators as recipients of the 2012 Ashland Inc. Teacher Achievement Awards (TAA). These teachers will compete for the 2012 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Award, which will be announced next month.

Students from the 7^th grade Extreme Team are dressed to support the military as part of the ramp up for KPEP testing week.  Each day students dressed in a  costume based on the movie Hunger Games.  The students selected the book as  their KPREP theme and have decorated their hall according.  The teachers of the Extreme team are Ms. Hudson, Ms. McAllister, Ms. Childress, Ms. Boone and Ms. Caulk.  The students have read the series of the books  and have also attended a special showing of the film. 

     Rita Muratalla, KASA president elect and principal of Zoneton Middle School in Bullitt County, and Paul Mullins, KASA vice president and principal of LaRue County High School were recently interviewed for a special program airing on KET during education month. Both administrators represented KASA during the KET interview about valuing teachers in Kentucky schools.

“A valued teacher is invested in their students.  Students of invested teachers are intrinsically motivated; goal oriented and care about their own learning,” Muratalla says.

 Each interviewee was asked a series of questions, including:

·         What are the characteristics of a school that values teachers?

·         By doing things that help the teaching profession, how are student outcomes improved?

·         What problems in schools do teachers face that would not make them feel valued?

·          Without pay raises, how do we let teachers know we value them?  

Although the questions were centered on administrators valuing the teachers in their schools, Muratalla and Mullins were the only active administrators among those interviewed. Both administrators feel very strongly about valuing their teachers and in turn better serving the students.

“I see our teachers as the most influential and most important people in shaping the lives/ futures of our children in the commonwealth.  Their level of dedication and preparation, along with being on the front line and helping our students succeed each day, is crucial as we raise educational expectations in Kentucky.   As administrators, we need to support our staffs with resources, relevant professional development, and coaching/mentoring and to foster an atmosphere of collaboration while challenging everyone to reach new heights,” Mullins said.  

The program will air on April 23 at 9:00 pm ET on KET.  

The act of giving comes naturally for the students of LaRue County Middle School. Afghan children will soon reap the benefits of a donation of 705 flip flops. LCMS teacher, Seronia Hudson, in connection with a local battalion at Fort Knox will be shipping the shoes to solders in Afghanistan later this month. The Fort Knox battalion stationed in Afghanistan will distribute the shoes as part of an international good will effort to Afghan children. Temperatures can reach well over a hundred degrees making walking in the harsh climate and rocky terrain extremely difficult without shoes.

In today’s world, everyone needs to be digitally literate in order to succeed. Broadband adoption is important for our children’s education, our local economy, and our ability to find jobs and benefit from opportunities available online.  Comcast has launched Internet Essentials, a groundbreaking program that will help bridge the digital divide in our community.

Internet Essentials from Comcast will provide eligible families with affordable home Internet service ($9.95 per month), a low-cost computer ($149.99 plus taxes), and digital literacy training.  Families are eligible if they have a child receiving a free or reduced school lunch under the National School Lunch Program; have not subscribed to Comcast High-Speed Internet Service within the last 90 days; and do not have an overdue Comcast bill or unreturned equipment. 

To learn more, please visit www.InternetEssentials.com or call 1-855-846-8376. 

The Abraham Lincoln Elementary School SBDM council has selected Karen Downs to be the next principal at Abraham Lincoln Elementary School.  Ms. Downs has been principal of Clear Creek Elementary School in Shelby County for the past six (6) years.  She has also served as a Highly Skilled Educator for the Kentucky Department of Education for three (3) years, been a library media specialist at Spencer County for three (3) years, and taught elementary school at Magnolia Elementary School for eight (8) years.

The ALES SBDM principal selection members are Sam Sanders (superintendent & chair), Todd Rogers (teacher representative), Carlene Gibson (teacher representative), Pam Glaab (teacher representative), Farrah Pruitt (parent representative), and Summer Garris (parent representative).  The SBDM was impressed with the quality of the applicant pool.  There were twenty-three (23) applicants.  The committee utilized an on-line survey plus several paper/pen replies for a total of about 150 replies.  The top five (5) criteria from the survey was #1 supports and works with staff (3.91), #2 deals with issues or problems instead of avoiding them (3.86), #3 loyal to staff and school – will fight for them (3.81), #4 open to ideas and input of staff and will listen (3.77), and #5 friendly to parents and community members (3.75).

Superintendent Sam Sanders states, “Ms. Downs has a very strong and versatile education background.  Having served as an elementary principal for six years should be a big asset.  I believe students, parents, and the staff will like her.  She is a warm, caring person.  You can tell she is passionate about education and children.  This SBDM worked really hard at selecting the right principal.  I believe when you look at the criteria the staff, parents, and community wanted in a principal, Ms. Downs was a good choice”.

Ms. Downs is a 1979 graduate of LaRue County High School.  She holds a Bachelor of Science and Masters of Arts degree from Western Kentucky University.  Her parents, Woodrow and Kathleen Chelf, reside in Magnolia.  She is married to Ed Downs and they have three children – Will (32 yrs. old), Eddy (23 yrs. old) and Bryan (13 yrs. old).  Ms. Downs states, “I am honored to be selected for this position.  I look forward to working with the school community to continue the tradition of excellence at ALES.”

Ms. Downs’ duties as principal of Abraham Lincoln Elementary School will officially begin July 1, 2012.  There will be a reception for students, parents, and community members held before the start of the 2012-13 school year.  More information about the reception will come out at a later date.

Nine Area Students Advance to All State Chorus

Nine local elementary and middle school students recently received notification of their successful auditions for the 2012 Kentucky Music Educators Association’s Children’s All State Chorus. Of the nearly 660 Kentucky fifth and sixth grade students who auditioned, almost 600 had scores between the required 200 and 250 range making it more difficult than ever to become a part of the 200 member ensemble.

Each day, children rotate through four integrated modules that employ creative thinking to solve real-world challenges. Children learn vital 21st century life skills such as problem solving and teamwork through imaginative play.

In this summer's Envision program on the Abraham Lincoln Elementary Campus, children will experience different modules including Inventeureka, Action and Adventure Games, Magnetropolis, and I Can Invent: Balloon Burst. Children will spend their week visiting a imaginary island to study magnetism, taking a fantasy adventure on the Ci6000 Space Modulator Time Machine, inventing a balloon-bursting machine , and much more!

For more information on Camp Invention, contact Camp Director Kathy Ross at 234-3309 or visit Camp Invention's website at www.campinvention.org. The Dow Corning Foundation, one of the camp's regional sponsors, is providing some local partial scholarship money. For more information on these scholarships, contact Mrs. Ross as they are awarded on a first come, as needed basis.

Established in 1983, the program provides academic and personal growth through the balance of a strong liberal arts program with a full co-curricular and residential life experience. Students must complete an application and compete with others from across the state. Those selected attend the program free of charge.

To learn more about the Governor's Scholars Program visit http://gsp.ky.gov/

Graduation is at 8:00 pm on Friday, June 3^rd in the high school gymnasium.  Doors to the gym will open at 6:30 p.m.

Baccalaureate is at 5:00 pm on Sunday, May 22^nd in the high school gymnasium.