Message from Stu
Walking is just one of the lessons I’m learning at Cardinal Hill
Even though I am back at work, many of you know I am still in physical therapy to rebuild my strength and learn to walk again. It’s amazing to see the parallels between the strategies used by the specialists at Cardinal Hill and what we need to be doing to help our kids reach excellence:
- • Once I master a skill, the therapists turn up the heat and make it harder. Two to three weeks ago, I was walking with the help of a four footed cane. I walked into therapy beaming at how well I was getting around. The therapist commented how well I was doing, praised my progress and then took my four footed friend away and handed me a new cane with a single leg. No time to rest on my laurels – there was a new challenge waiting.
- • They will not allow me to take shortcuts or move forward if I’m making mistakes. About a week ago I told them that I was ready to throw away the cane and start to walk on my own. They said to go for it, and I did. After a few steps they stopped me and said that I was not yet ready and I needed more work before I could move on. They would not let me continue walking incorrectly, because it was not up to par with the standards they had set for me. Until I could progress at a high level, I was not going to move forward.
- • My therapists demand that I make progress as they teach me, or they intervene immediately. Just the other day I started to slow down and they intervened and put in new exercises to make sure that I would move forward. They started me on my newest interventions and I must say that they were hard!
Know an FCPS employee who has gone above and beyond to provide great customer service? Nominate them for a "Fred".
Doesn’t this sound like our kids in a classroom? We teach them, monitor them, and if they are falling behind we intervene. We do not allow them to move forward until we know they have mastered the material. We expect nothing but excellence and won’t compromise until the kids rise to the expectations we have set. My physical therapists also celebrate with me as I achieve breakthroughs, and we must do that with our kids too!
The time I spend in physical therapy is certainly reinforcing what we know works for our kids. As educators, we have a lot to learn from the therapists who are changing people’s lives every day, just as our teachers must change the lives of our kids every day!
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Students learn, have fun while competing
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ARTS CALENDAR: View our Arts Calendar that lists all current and future art events.
Sixty teams, representing 14 Fayette elementary schools and one neighborhood site, recently participated in the Academic Challenge Invitational competition. The event gives more students the opportunity to participate in an academic contest.
Richard Wilson, Sr.’s son competed as a member of the Greater New Hope Christian Center team that won first place in the primary division.
“It can be a stepping stone to the future,” he said. “It builds his self-esteem because he feels a sense of accomplishment.”
“I learned how to get along and how team work helps,” said third-grader Derrick Thomas, a Greater New Hope team member. “It was very exciting. All the other times we came in third or didn’t make it to the next round, but this year we won.”
Dixie Elementary took 10 teams to the competition.
“The more students participate, the more they get excited abut learning,” said Terry Watson, a guidance counselor at the school.
Dixie third-grader Tianna Alcorn agreed.
“The Academic Challenge is really fun,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if you win or lose. My team came in second. We were really close to winning. We were just down by one point. We’re going to study really hard so we can go to the top.”
View a complete list of winners and participants.
The Academic Challenge is sponsored by One Community, One Voice and the Fayette County Public Schools. The next competition will be held Feb. 24 at Tates Creek High School.
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Henry Clay student gets a shot at “Daily Double”
Fayette County may be poised to continue its streak of “Jeopardy!” champions. Stephen Fritz, a sophomore in Henry Clay High School’s Liberal Arts Academy, recently competed in the popular game show’s annual Teen Tournament. The show taped in January and will air at 7:30 p.m. on February 6 on Channel 27.
To qualify, Fritz took an online test in September and was randomly selected based on his score to move to the next round in Nashville. Once there, he tested again, interviewed, and participated in a short simulation of the game. Fifteen high school students nationwide were chosen to compete for the opportunity to be crowned teen champion – a title that includes bragging rights and a check for $75,000.
“I absolutely loved it,” Fritz said. “Everything about it was amazing. It wasn’t nearly as hard as people think it is.”
He can’t tell us if he won, but he did take home $5,000 for just appearing on the show.
“All I can say is I’ll be on February 6,” he said.
Henry Clay High School will host a viewing party to cheer Fritz on in the theater on the 6th. Doors open at 7:15 p.m. The party is open to the public.
Last year, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School junior Papa Chakravarthy won the tournament, becoming the third National Teen Champion from Fayette County. The district has also had a College Jeopardy! Champ.
TopFree screenings help detect vision problem
Hundreds of Kentucky’s children are at risk of losing their vision because of a medical condition commonly known as “Lazy Eye.” The good news is that this problem is treatable and can be easily corrected if identified early.
Parents of children under the age of 5 should talk to their day care providers or their child’s preschool to find out if free screenings are available through the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation’s KidSight program. If a problem is detected, parents are notified and referred to a doctor to determine the best treatment options. Children usually wear a patch over the “good” eye, which forces the “lazy” eye to work. As the eye strength increases, the patch is worn for a shorter length of time each day. Many children will need to wear glasses to help their vision; some may need surgery.
For more information on the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation call 1-800-232-5308.
Fayette County school employees are continuing our commitment to customer service. We call our employees who provide excellent customer service “Freds,” inspired by the book, “The Fred Factor” by Mark Sanborn about a very service-minded postman named Fred. Anyone can be a “Fred,” just by going above the call of duty in serving the public
If you spot a Fred, please call, write, send me an email, or fill out one of our on-line submission forms. Due to space requirements, we will post Fred Sightings as they are received. We will hold those that don’t appear this time and publish them in future editions of Stu’s News.
Positive attitude helps students stay motivated
Program shows commitment to helping kids learn
Members of Julius Marks Elementary School’s “Girls Love All Mathematics” Club learned the science of robotics from Dr. Judy Goldsmith, a computer science professor at the University of Kentucky. The club meets one Saturday a month and helps students hone their math skills while having fun. Read more about the club.
A shared enthusiasm for kids
A great way to start the day
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Getting it Right
A caption in the last edition of Stu’s News accompanying a photo of Kentucky First Lady Glenna Fletcher reading to students contained incorrect information. Ms. Fletcher was reading to students at Glendover Elementary as part of Scholastic’s Read for Life initiative, an annual reading campaign encouraging children all over the world to celebrate the joy of books by reading together. Ms. Fletcher is an alumna of Glendover. We regret and apologize for the error.
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Here are some fun and educational events coming up in the weeks ahead:
- Paul Laurence Dunbar High School’s Fine Arts Department will present Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella from Wednesday, Jan. 31 through Sunday, Feb. 4 in the school’s James R. Halley Theatre. Show times are 7:30 pm Wednesday through Friday and 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 3 and 4. Tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for students and seniors, and $6 for pre-Kindergarten children. Reservations are suggested and can be made by calling 223-3630.
- The top wheelchair basketball teams from across the United States and Canada will appear in Lexington during the 29th Annual Bluegrass Invitational Tournament. Games begin at 10 a.m. on Friday, Feb, 2, with tip off for the last game of the day at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, Feb. 3, games will begin at 8 a.m. and continue throughout the day. The last game begins at 7:30 p.m. Championship games will be played on Sunday, Feb. 4 beginning at 11:30 a.m. The event will be held in the University of Kentucky Seaton Center, located on the corner of University Drive and Complex Drive. The event is free and open to the public. For more information call 288-2916.
- Fayette County Public School employees and students are invited to attend a lecture by Ji-Li Jiang, author of Red Scarf Girl. Jiang’s presentation and discussion will focus on bridging the gap with China through cultural understanding. The event will take place on Friday, Feb. 2 from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Explorium of Lexington, located at 440 West Short Street. RSVP to Amy Galloway at amy.galloway@fayette.kyschools.us.
- The Henry Clay Jazz Band and Morton Middle School Advanced Band will perform with saxophonist Miles Osland on Monday, Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m. at the University of Kentucky Singletary Center for the Arts. The center is located at Rose Street and Euclid Avenue. The concert is free and open to the public.
Visitors filled the vestibule of the new Bryan Station High School during grand opening festivities on January 20.
Keep it Real contest winners announced
World War II veteran James Johnson, Sr., recently received his high school diploma from the Fayette Board of Education. Mr. Johnson bravely served in Korea in 1950 and did a brief tour in Germany in 1953 and was unable to complete his education. Mr. Johnson is a fine example for our students of what can be accomplished with hard work and determination – he started as a refuse collector with the city and retired as the Assistant Superintendent of Sewer Maintenance. He now works as a crossing guard for Squires Elementary.
Fayette County student filmmakers from Bryan Station, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and Henry Clay high schools took home several honors in the Third Annual Keep It Real Video/Internet Contest. Winners were recently announced during a special awards program at the Kentucky Theatre. View a complete list of Fayette County video winners.
With the exception of the People’s Choice category, winners were selected by a panel of judges. The People’s Choice awards were given to the entries receiving the most votes on the Keep It Real website. That award went to students at Bryan Station High. There were more than 685,000 hits to the website during the contest and more than 202,415 points were tallied in the video Web site voting. First place video winners will be shown on local television and the video selected as Best Picture will air locally on MTV, Comedy Central and ESPN during Super Bowl Week.
The Keep It Real campaign is a youth-driven community effort to educate young people concerning the risks involved in drinking alcohol. The guiding premise behind this campaign is that youth are more likely to understand the message when they help design it.
The campaign also includes a poster contest for middle school students. Although Fayette County did not have any winners in the statewide competition, district winners were Amber Martin from Jessie Clark Middle and Samantha Starbright Snider from Project Rebound. Honorable mentions went to Maria Kidd and Ellen Stone from Jessie Clark Middle, Thomas J. Coates III from Lexington Traditional Magnet, Wyatt Charles Franklin Nelson from Morton Middle and Christian Ian Isaacs and C. Isaiah Rice from Project Rebound.
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To the Henry Clay High School Debate Team for advancing from a field of 100 high schools to the Elite Eight in the Bickel and Brewer National Public Policy Forum debate competition. Participating team members were Mallory Morehead, Cal Staben, Roman Terentiev, Owen Wirth and Matt Zarth. This is the fifth year the team has participated in the competition and the second time they have advanced to the Elite Eight. Winners will be announced March 7. The team is coached by Laura Donovan.
Students, parents and staff at Ashland Elementary School learned self defense from Four Seasons Martial Arts Gym during the school’s recent Health Fair.
To Dixie Elementary School for being named the Community Partnerships for Protecting Children’s Education Partner of the Year for contributing in making their area safer for kids. The school’s “Eat Well, Think Well, Be Well” program, which provided a nutritious meal to parents and students before testing last April and also provided healthy lifestyle tips to improve academic achievement and overall wellness, was also named the partnership’s Program of the Year.
To Edythe J. Hayes Middle School for being featured as the February cover story in Teaching pre-K-8 magazine. The school was spotlighted for using technology to engage students.
To Katie Pepper’s second grade class at Veterans Park Elementary School for being named winners of the Ready, Set, Read program sponsored by Dermontti Dawson’s Pro Foundation and Lexington-area McDonald’s. The program encourages first and second grade classes in the Fayette County Public Schools to read six hours in six weeks. Ms. Pepper’s class read for the most minutes during the competition. This is the second year in a row her class has won the top prize – a class party.
Grant helps all children participate
Money is now available for children who need help paying for field trip and extracurricular activity costs, thanks to block grant funding provided the Community Action Council in partnership with the FCPS Equity Council.
Grants will be awarded at a minimum of $25 per child and a maximum of $300 per child for participation in fee-based activities that have academic instructional value. Awards may be partially or fully granted on a competitive basis at the discretion of Community Action Council. Available funding is limited. Funds must be used by June 30, 2007. To apply visit, http://www.fcps.net/equity/csbg.htm.
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Clothes Needed for Kids
The Lexington Woman’s Club Clothing Center outfits roughly 1,200 underprivileged Fayette County elementary school students each year. Donations are always welcome. You can contribute by dropping off used garments including shirts, sweaters, jeans and coats at your school. The Clothing Center will arrange to have the items picked up. For more information call Jeanne Bethel at 273-1826 or Jane Snarr at 223-5382.
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Unexpected attack dogs
The other day I was out for a walk when this dog came out of nowhere and started attacking me. He was barking real loud in my ear and barely gave me a chance to bark back. 
You see, this dog had these ideas that did not agree with mine and was very unreasonable about the way he expressed himself. I was pretty confused about this, so I went to dad to find out what to do. Dad said that the best thing to do was to sit still and all would be OK. He said that some dogs are just like that, and it is best to do what you believe is right and move on. He said I would just tire myself out trying to bark louder than the other dog. I told dad that I wanted to move on alright – I wanted to move on to that dogs ankles and bite them. Dad told me to settle down and be still and to concentrate on the things that are most important, like this treat he had for me. Treat? Yum! I’ve forgotten that bad dog already.
Bow wow…
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