(This link only works for teachers and staff. Please see the "For Parents" link at left on this page.)

This and other pages updated Jan. 27, 2012.

Upcoming events

Nominations being accepted now for parent representatives to superintendent search committee; election set for Jan. 31

Nominations for parent representative and minority parent representative to serve on the Ballard County Schools’ superintendent search committee will be accepted during regular school days through Monday, Jan. 30, at 4 p.m., in the front office at each school.

Voting will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 31, from 7 a.m.-4 p.m. at the elementary, middle and high schools. Parents wishing to vote after 4 p.m. may do so until 7 p.m. in the gym at Ballard Memorial High School. The One Call Now notification system was used, starting Jan. 25, to notify parents of the nominating and voting procedures, as well as postings on this website, local media outlets, and social media sites.

The superintendent screening committee will include the following: one Board of Education member, appointed by the board (Haskell Sheeks); one district principal, elected by the principals (Dana Rohrer, BCCTC); two district certified employees, elected by certified staff (Michele Chandler, BCES; and Amber Parker, BCMS); one district classified employee, elected by classified staff (Reta Renfrow, district technology coordinator); one district parent, and one district minority parent, elected by the parents, for a total of seven members.

Each body represented on the committee has held or will hold an election to determine its representative. The elected representatives are expected to attend all three search committee meetings to provide input. Meetings are scheduled for Feb. 2, Feb. 7 and Feb. 13. All meetings will be held at 5 p.m. at the district Board office at 3465 Paducah Road, Barlow.

For more information, please contact your child’s principal. The base telephone number is the same for all schools, 270-665-8400; extensions for the principals are 2201 for Ballard County Elementary, 2301 for Ballard County Middle and 2501 for Ballard Memorial High.

FAFSA workshops set in two locations this week

Workshops to help parents and high-school seniors complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form will be held in two locations this week, on Jan. 29 and Jan. 31.

The first is from 2-4 p.m. in Room 101 of Crounse Hall, the engineering building on the campus of West Kentucky Community and Technical College in Paducah. The event is part of the state-wide College Goal Sunday program.

The second is from 5:30-7 p.m. on Tuesday in the library at Midcontinent University, 99 E. Powell Road, Mayfield. Parents are asked to RSVP to 1-866-894-8878, ext. 357, if they plan to attend.

Students do not have to be enrolling at either of these schools for parents to attend the workshops.

A FAFSA form must be submitted in order to apply for federal and state student aid to attend any post-secondary institution. Students are encouraged to attend one of these events with a parent or guardian, and should bring their and their parents most recent IRS tax return and any other income and benefits information.

Admissions counselors at Midcontinent said two Kentucky state grant pools, for the College Access Program and Kentucky Tuition Grants (as much as $4,864 per year for eligible students) are expected to run out of money for this year early in the first quarter of 2012.

College Goal Sunday is sponsored by the Kentucky Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, and funded by the Lumina Foundation for Education, the YMCA and KnowHow2GoKY.org. For more information about the program, call 1-888-452-7322 toll-free.

For more information on the MCU event, please contact Selina Link or Karl Hatton at MCU at the number above, or email admissions@midcontinent.edu.

Scheduled fundraisers

(Click underlined type to follow link; scroll down page.)

Soccer Boosters at Pizza Inn, Jan. 30

FCCLA Beading to Beat Autism bracelet sales through Feb. 14

Baseball Boosters' bricks behind home plate, through Feb. 17

Project Graduation cookbook

BCES SchoolMall program

School calendar for 2011-12 year

The calendar for the 2011-12 school year is as follows:

There will be no school on Feb. 20 or March 16. Spring break is set for April 2-6, and the last day for students will be a half-day on May 18.

Director of Pupil Personnel Bob Wilson said that an addition to the calendar this year is designated make-up days for weather dismissals. Students will not have to make up time for the first weather day, but the second would change May 18, 2012, to a full day of instruction rather than a half-day. Other designated weather days, in order of their use, would be Feb. 20 (third weather day), March 16, May 21, May 23, May 24 and May 25 (eighth weather day).

State immunizations for 2011-12 include new requirements for kindergarten, sixth-graders

Students entering preschool, kindergarten, sixth grade, or transferring to Ballard County Schools for the 2011-12 school year must meet Kentucky’s health requirements. These regulations will be strictly enforced.

For the first time this year, kindergarten students will need a second varicella (chicken pox) injection before entering school. This provision became effective in February of this year.

Incoming sixth-graders also will need a second varicella (chicken pox) injection, as well as a vaccine for meningococcus. Students also will need a tetanus-diptheria-pertussis (TDaP) booster (a change that removes the exemption for boosters given within the last 5 years).

All students required to have a physical this year must use the new Kentucky School Medical Examination Form. Complete requirements for each grade level may be found here.

Parents will be asked to provide a Social Security number and a birth certificate for each child.

For more information, please contact Bob Wilson, district director of pupil personnel, at 665-8400, ext. 2014, or email bob.wilson@ballard.kyschools.us.

District, school report cards now online

The district and school report cards for Ballard County Schools are available now on the Kentucky Department of Education’s website at http://applications.education.ky.gov/schoolreportcardarchive/. They are dated 2009-2010, the most recent year for which the information is available.

News from around the district

Notice: Because of increased site traffic, the page has become increasingly slow to load. Stories on this section of the page will be posted for no more than one month. If you would like emailed or hard copies of the stories, please email julie.thomas@ballard.kyschools.us with your request. Thank you!

BCMS Energy Teams helping school, students reduce consumption

“Going green” seems to be the catchphrase of the age. There are green lighbulbs, green cars and green jobs. What about green tickets?

Students in Jennifer Solomon’s science classes at Ballard County Middle School spent last semester learning about various types of energy and thinking about ways energy could be conserved. An Energy Team was formed, with 16 eighth-graders taking the lead in producing a plan to encourage students and teachers at BCMS involved.

This semester, folks following the plan get a green ticket with their names up on a wall of fame. Students and teachers seen not following the plan will get a red ticket to the wall of shame. The grade level with the best record at the end of each month will receive a reward.

Solomon said the students monitored the school to see where energy was being wasted, and where it might be saved. They met with the school district’s director of transportation and facilities, Kerry Fulcher, and its food service director, Amber Hayes, to see what those divisions were doing.

Fulcher said that in 2011, Ballard County Schools reduced actual electricity energy invoices by $10,048 from 2010. The district has updated the central plant at the elementary school and the HVAC at the preschool, conducted a complete overhaul of the preschool's electrical infrastructure and improved efficiency at the middle and high schools.

The district's first solar panel will be installed soon to preheat water at the elementary school, and the central plant at the career and technical center also will be updated, among other measures.

Their final project was to complete a plan to help the middle school save energy. They held assemblies for all three grade levels at BCMS, discussing their findings with their peers and administrators. Those students presenting in the assemblies were Hannah Morrow, Brandt Marinelli, Cutler Phillippe, Jonathan Thompson, Molly Stokes, Morgan Sanders, Dustin Bowles, Hayden LeFevre, Matt Miller, Olivia Robison, Sara Meinschein, Staci Henderson, Carra Pearson and Holly Doom.

Here are some of the tips they gave about saving energy at school:

· Choose an energy monitor for each class.

· Turn off computer monitors and all appliances when not in use.

· Turn off lights when not in the room.

· If able to, use manual pencil sharpeners.

· Give students tips on saving energy.

· Turning off one set of classroom lights during planning periods.

Here are some of the tips they gave about saving energy at home:

· Unplug anything in outlets when they are not in use.

· Replace at least one incandescent light bulb with a LED or fluorescent light bulb.

· Turn faucet off when not in use.

· Keep thermostat at 65 to 72 degrees, and only adjust in two-degree intervals.

· Use Energy Star products.

· When buying appliances check yellow energy labels for the smallest amount of energy used annually.

The secondary goal is to have 200 students, teachers, and staff to sign a pledge to save energy at school and to do something in their home to save energy. “We also are applying for a grant through the National Energy Education Development Project to receive up to $300 to help with the cost of items to help our building save energy,” Solomon said.

By the end of the second week back at school, Solomon said that the hallway posters already were full of green tickets.

Students will continue to work with Fulcher to monitor energy usage at the school, to see if their plan is making a difference. Reports on their progress will be shared with the public.

Cutlines (please click thumbnails for larger images):

Students in Jennifer Solomon’s science classes at Ballard County Middle School are shown in these photos.

In the first photo, students are studying endothermic and exothermic reactions by mixing chemicals (vinegar and baking soda; vinegar and calcium chloride) to watch reactions and record the temperatures.

In the second photo, students were recording the bounce of balls made from different materials. Then they would change the temperature by using warm or cold water water, bounce the balls again, and record the changes.

In the third photo, students are studying circuits and motors.

In the fourth photo, students studied energy transfer by connecting an apple to a power source (battery) and determined how much voltage traveled through the fruit.

Kerry Fulcher, transportation and facilities director for Ballard County Schools, spoke with Solomon’s students on ways the district is conserving energy around campus. He also discussed ways the Energy Team could help BCMS conserve energy.

(BCMS photos)

Hack is BCCTC's first female state-certified welder

Ballard County Career and Technical Center has offered welding classes for six years, and teacher Kevin Chatellier says that in that time, over 100 students have received state certification.

“We have had several young woman in the program, with many using their new skills more in the art area than the industrial field. However, we’ve been notified that our first female student has been state-certified.”

Sophomore Alexis Hack is shown here with her Mig welding certificate. The nursing student first took welding because she was interested in blending melted steel and creating things, Chatellier said. “She told me that if she was going to be in here, she wanted to learn how to weld well enough to pass her state test,” he added.

Within a month of starting the class, Chatellier said Hack was welding proficiently enough to start testing. The required two specimens from her 1-inch test plate were sent to Frankfort for testing the quality and purity of weld near the end of last semester.  

The test plate passed, and her certification qualify her for state jobs welding structural steel anywhere in the state of Kentucky, Chatellier said. “I don’t think she is going to give up her dream of being a nurse, but Alexis has achieved something some men never will, and most assuredly has proven that a person can accomplish anything if she sets her mind to it.”

(BCCTC photo)

Ballard students participate in Elks Hoop Shoot; Shelley takes second place

Seven Ballard County students participated in the local Elks Club Hoop Shoot, held Jan. 7 at the Sports Plex in Paducah. Ballard County Middle School sixth-grader Leah Shelley took second place in the girls’ 12-13 age division.

Others participating were Ballard County Elementary School students Abigail Tyson and Brady Parrot in the 8-9 division; Kyra Berry and Erick Marinelli in the 10-11 division; Lance Colson in the 12-13 division; and BCMS student Daniel Myatt in the 12-13 division.

These students had won at their school level, which made them eligible to go on to local competition. “The students did an excellent job representing Ballard County Middle and Elementary schools,” said BCMS PE and health teacher Amber Parker and BCES PE/health teacher Donna Kinsey.

Cutlines (Please click thumbnails for larger photos):

BCES students Abigail Tyson and Brady Parrot participated in the 8-9 age division at the Elks Club Hoop Shoot.

BCES students Kyra Berry and Erick Marinelli participated in the 10-11 division.

From left, BCMS student Daniel Myatt participated in the 12-13 division, and BCES studentLance Colson participated in the 10-11 division. BCMS sixth-grader Leah Shelley won second place in the girls’ 10-11 age division.  

(BCS photos)

BCES names Students of the Week

Each week at Ballard County Elementary School, two students (one boy and one girl) from each grade will be selected and named Students of the Week. This means that these children have been utilizing the school’s Keys to Success: Respectful, Responsible and Ready. Throughout the week, the students will be rewarded by his/her teachers. Shown in the first photo, from left, BCES Students of the Week for Jan. 3-6 are Kori Martin, Tanner Heal, Izabella Hearn, Clayton Throgmorton, Ella Cate Downing, John Hamilton, (back row) Randi Jo Waldon, Jacob Griffin, Ella Waldon, Lance Reid, Alissa Kommer, Joseph Pegram.

Shown in the second photo, from left, BCES Students of the Week for Jan. 9-13 are Alona White, Aiden Norment, Hannah McManus, Andrew Dunnagan, Kaylee Cox, Lane Fondaw, (back row) Katelyn Sanderfer, Hunter Buchanan, Madison Nichols, Trevor Howard, Audrey Amos and Mason Purcell.

(BCS photos)

Family Focus, Wickliffe Masons help make Christmas merry for Ballard families

These are some of the sacks distributed on Dec. 17 to 150 Ballard County families as part of the annual Christmas food drive program. Wickliffe Masonic Lodge President Mark Womble is shown here with Ballard County Family Focus Director Kelly Wray. Collections of non-perishable items were taken at all Ballard County schools during the month of December for the program. Qualifying parents who participated in Family Focus’ Christmas assistance program also received gift cards to Kohl’s for each child. Generous community support allowed the program to serve 350 children this year, an increase of about 50 children from last year, Wray said.

(Family Focus photo)

BCES perfect attendance winner announced

Ballard County Elementary School student Savanna Elrod won the bicycle for perfect attendance for the second nine weeks of school. She is shown here with BCES Principal Phillip Harned. Elrod was among 126 students at BCES with perfect attendance. Student names are drawn at the end of each quarter; the gifts are provided by the Ballard County Board of Education. Family Focus also provides rewards for classrooms with the highest attendance every month.

(BCES photo)

Ballard football players honored at All-Conference banquet

Ballard Memorial High School senior football players Fontez Hill (left) and Nathan Myers were honored at the Western Kentucky Football Conference banquet, held Dec. 11 at Murray State University. Both were recognized by the conference as outstanding players; Myers was selected to the All-Conference team.

(BCS photo)

BCES students learn about the Bard

Gifted and talented students from the fourth and fifth grades at Ballard County Elementary School are shown here performing a scene from Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” Students breathed life into Shakespeare's text in this interactive workshop. An artist-educator lead students in building a foundation of acting skills, teamwork and understanding Shakespeare. Students were guided through the rehearsal process and built a performance piece with Shakespearean text.

 (BCES photo)

Ballard students qualify for state technology contest

(Please click thumbnails for larger images.) The following students competed at regional Student Technology Leadership Program at Murray State University on Dec. 13. All qualified to continue at the state STLP competition, to be held in Lexington in March. Bomber Sports – these students run the Ballard Memorial High School IHigh website, which broadcasts student sports and other activities live via the Internet. They are Jon Wissinger, JayBo Sadler and Sarah Naas. BMHS Lip Dub – these students created the BMHS lip dub video. They are Tori Bertram, Ian Wilson and Joe Gordon.

Apps in Education – these students created applications for Android phones to be used by students. They are Blake Stinson and Charley Phillippe. Project Wisdom - these Ballard County Elementary School Students participate in this character education program at BCES. They are Matt Mallory, Preston Reno, Mason Purcell and Parker Feezor.

(BCS photos)

BCMS rewards Operation Math winners

All students at Ballard County Middle School have been working on perfecting their multiplication tables through 12 as part of Operation Math. On Fridays, they recite them to teachers for weekly rewards. Students also have personal goals, and are entered into a drawing for reaching them. In this photo, winners of the first prize drawing are shown from left: Amelia Chenier, Emily Beubien, Tawnya Allee, Cavin Foster, Courtney Hill, and Tristen Lampkin.

(BCMS photo)

BCMS students put themselves in the other person's shoes

Students at Ballard County Middle School literally switched shoes with their classmates to drive home a lesson about the importance of empathy for another person’s situation. Classes were led by Judy Adams, a retired Ballard County Elementary School teacher, who now works for the Purchase Area Sexual Assault and Child Advocacy Center. She visited Amber Parker’s health and PE classes to discuss bullying and harassment. 

(BCMS photo)

Preschool makes Christmas cards for nursing home residents, soldiers

Amy Metcalf's classes

Susan Bodell's classes

(Please click thumbnails for larger images.) Students at Ballard County Preschool and Head Start have been making Christmas cards with a purpose. The the first two photos, students in Amy Metcalf’s classes are shown making Christmas cards for Life Care Nursing home residents and for the Hugs Project of Western Kentucky. The organization sends cards and packages to soldiers who are away from their families during the Christmas season. Students in Susan Bodell’s classes are shown in the other two photos, also making cards for soldiers for the Hugs Project. Bodell said that in class they were trying to emphasize the old adage about “It is better to give than to receive.”  

(BCPS photos)

Students visit WKCTC engineering complex

(Please click thumbnails for larger images.) Gifted and talented students from Ballard County Elementary and Middle schools recently visited West Kentucky Community and Technical College’s Emerging Technology center. While there, students participated in experiments about alternative energy sources. In the first photo, Sam Paul, Austin Higgins, Leah Shelley, Dillon Hollon, Jess Hedrick and Kameron Howle worked with Dr. Jeffrey Seay to learn about biofuels. Students measured the energy in peanuts, almonds and soybeans. In the second photo, Brandt Marinelli and Staci Henderson work on their design for a wind energy turbine. The experiment used a voltage meter to test the turbine’s efficiency, and was overseen by Torey Earle, the University of Kentucky Extension Service 4-H Agent at Large for Science, Engineering and Technology.

(Photos by Deena Crouch, WKCTC student recruitment and scholarship director)

November and December students of the month chosen at BCCTC

Each month, instructors at the Ballard County Career and Technical Center recognize one advanced and one introductory students in each of the programs offered at the school. In the business department, each teacher will select one student, for a total of four. Teachers nominate students from each area who are performing well in class, show improvement, and/or dedication to and leadership in his or her program. The honor is meant to be a reward for stand-out students.

Awardees for November for agriculture are Kevyn Ann Cunningham, advanced, Evan Lawrence, intro; for allied health are Shelbe Brown, advanced, and Lakyn Dunnigan, intro; for auto body are Kenny Poloski, advanced, Becca Smith, intro; for carpentry are Charley Phillippe, advanced, Tracy Armer, intro; for welding are Zach Moore, advanced, and James Hamilton, intro; and for business are Natalie Lawrence, Breezy Neeley, Logan Davis and McKenzie Parsons. (See November's student pictures here.)

Awardees for December for agriculture are Logan Lee, advanced, and Trevor Doom, intro; for allied health are Fontez Hill, advanced, and Sabrina Lovelace, intro; for auto body are Devan Walters, advanced, and Steven McGowan, intro; for carpentry are Cameron Peck and David Worley; for welding are Collin Cooper, advanced, and Alexis Hack, intro; and for business are Haley Bass, Autumn Cordell, Joe Gordon and Abbi Denton. (See December's student pictures here.)

 (BCCTC photos)

Chinese acrobats visit BCES

BCES students attended an assembly recently featuring the art of Chinese acrobatics. Along with the acrobatics, students were presented facts about Chinese culture, customs and school life. Coupled with an acrobat's immense athletic strength and impeccable balance and timing is the Asian philosophy of inner strength, which focuses the body and mind to work in perfect harmony. Each individual acrobat's physical and philosophical strength combined with that of his or her fellow members’ in magnificent displays of balancing, juggling, dance, comedy and magic. 

(BCES photo)

District shares decision-making process for weather delays, closures

Kerry Fulcher sat studying a small bank of computer monitors. Weather information was up on all four screens.

Fulcher is transportation director for Ballard County Schools, and any time severe weather conditions threaten, his job becomes more difficult. “Sometimes, it’s an easy decision. If we’ve got major snow or sleet before 10 p.m., and the temperature isn’t changing, that’s simple.”

Sometimes, despite all observation and forecast data, that decision isn’t easy at all. Take last Nov. 29, for example. Light snow was forecast south of here, with rising temperatures during the day. But Mother Nature threw everyone a curve. Temperature and precipitation conditions collided in just the right way, and anywhere from 2-4 inches of snow fell during morning drive time in Ballard County. Incoming westbound drivers said it seemed to “just stop” at the McCracken County line.

Nearly all of Ballard County’s bus students already were at school before the heaviest snowfall began, minutes before 8 a.m. Forecasts were for warmer temperatures in the afternoon, indicating that all should be well before school was dismissed in the afternoon. The result? One later preschool bus with only one student on board began to spin its tires in a roadway near Wickliffe. Bus maintenance personnel were monitoring their radios, as always, to help in case there were students who are inadvertently stranded.

There was one minor incident with a student driver and a parking lot post. Everyone else arrived without incident. Afternoon preschool was canceled, to allow extra time for the already-melting snow to clear off.

Just how a school district decides whether or not to call off classes can be a very complicated process. However, one caveat is always followed, says interim Superintendent Casey Allen: “The safety of our students and employees is our number-one concern.” Fulcher, Allen, bus driver-trainer Mike Wright and Director of Pupil Personnel Bob Wilson form their final decision on a dizzying array of other factors.

Of course, they check the forecasts – but not just the overview available on radio or television. They study the probability of precipitation and the timing of a forecast weather event. They look at the big picture (like the type of precipitation forecast) and the details – data like dewpoints, wind direction and speed, cloud cover, pressure gradients and areas of circulation.

Fulcher said he even looks at things like pavement temperatures, the amount and kind of treatment that county or state road workers have put down, even whether there will be time for custodians and maintenance workers to pre-treat the parking lots, sidewalks and other paved areas on campus.  

He and Allen stay in contact with administrators in other school districts in the path of forecast weather, even as far away as Illinois, Missouri and Arkansas. There are regular road condition updates from the Missouri, Kentucky and Ballard County road departments, as well as coordination with the Ballard County Sheriff and Emergency Management offices.

If the weather isn’t just forecast, but already here, these four take to the highways themselves. They check things like accumulation, drifting, and the potential for skids when braking or accelerating. “If there is snow or sleet, road conditions are personally checked by more than one person,” Allen said. Wright said bus drivers weigh in, too, on whether they think their routes are safe.

“We also have to take the human factor into consideration,” Wilson said. “We try to think about the abilities of our student drivers and what conditions our employees in surrounding areas might face if they’re coming to work.” The safety of parents who drive their children to school also is discussed, as well as what effect the final decision will have on ancillary parental responsibilities, like work and daycare, he said.

Even in events like last Tuesday, when roads were clear by 3 p.m., there are decisions to be made afterward. Temperatures were forecast to fall below freezing that night, so administrators were out as early as 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday, checking for the potential of icing or refreezing.

As soon as the decisions are made, the district has several pathways for letting parents and the public know, Allen said. The district always advises local media outlets of any schedule changes. Parents always are welcome to check WPSD-TV, WKYQ-FM, their related websites, and/or www.westkentuckystar.com for any delays, closings or dismissals.

This year, Ballard County Schools implemented a new automated messaging service, One Call Now, that allows it to contact all families within minutes. Most families already have received messages from administrators via phone, email or text messaging, letting them know about a school closing or other event.

“We can send these notifications even when school phone lines are not operational,” Allen said. However, schools must have updated phone numbers and email addresses for One Call Now to work effectively and efficiently.

In order to receive these notifications, the most important thing parents can do is verify the accuracy of their contact information as it is found in the district’s student data system, Infinite Campus. The One Call Now system will call any phone number the family chooses (home, work or cell), but those numbers will be updated nightly from IC. Parents even may opt-in to a free text messaging service instead of a voice call.

All parents with internet access are asked to log onto the IC parent portal, which may be found via the “For Parents” link on the left side of the district website (www.ballard.kyschools.us). Parents who do not already have access to their child’s Infinite Campus information are asked to please contact IC Administrator Jennifer Robinson via email at jennifer.robinson@ballard.kyschools.us, or by calling 665-8400, ext. 2003.

Parents without internet access, are asked to please call their school at 665-8400 (ext. 2100 for preschool, 2200 for elementary, 2300 for middle and 2500 for high school), during regular school hours to verify their information. One Call Now keeps all information confidential and secure. All data is password-protected on secure servers accessible only by school administration.

The district also has an account with School’s Out, an Internet provider of email and text messages to parents that lets them know immediately if school has been delayed or dismissed. (Please see detailed story at the bottom of this column.)

Allen named interim superintendent

 The Ballard County Board of Education named Casey Allen interim superintendent in a special called meeting Nov. 28 at the board office. The appointment runs through June 30, 2012.

Allen currently serves as the district’s supervisor of instruction. The superintendent’s post was left vacant by the death of Ed Adami last Friday. Mr. Adami had been in that post since 2004.

Allen was principal at Ballard County Middle School from 2003 until becoming supervisor of instruction in 2010. He is a 1990 graduate of Paducah Tilghman High School, and earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky in 1993. Allen also holds a master’s degree and professional certifications from Murray State University.

First-graders have a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

First-grade students at Ballard County Elementary School enjoyed a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving feast. The menu included popcorn, bread, oranges, bananas, apples and pumpkin pudding. The gathering concluded with Principal Phillip Harned reading a Thanksgiving story to the students.

(BCES photo)

BCES raises over $2,500 for telethon

Students at Ballard County Elementary School wore pajamas and crazy hair, sported team jerseys and patriotic colors to raise money for this year’s Telethon of Stars. The Student Council asks that students make a donation on the days they dressed up, and set a goal of $1,000. After only four days of collections, the students raised $2,558.90. Student council President Matt Mallory is shown here with his dad, WPSD anchor Mike Mallory (on the right), making the presentation of the money live on the air on Nov. 13. Other student council members are shown in the background.

(BCES photo)

BMHS FFA program in state Top 10 for academics

Students in last year’s Future Farmers of America program at Ballard Memorial High School met or exceeded either the schools’ average and/or the state’s average in the percentage of students scoring proficient or distinguished in all tested areas, and in the state’s top 10 of all agricultural education programs in the state for reading and writing.

An email from Brandon K. Davis, ag ed consultant and state FFA advisor, congratulated “your students, your Ag Ed program and you as a teacher.” Long-time ag teacher Mark Williams retired after the 2010-11 school year.

“We have always known that agriculture education is a key to the acquisition of technical knowledge, leadership development, and the skills needed in real-world application,” Davis’ email continued. “I firmly believe the enrollment and involvement in agriculture education courses and the FFA allows students to perform above the norm in their academic/core classes, and your data supports that.”

Overall scores at BMHS were above the state average in reading, writing, math, science and social studies last year.

BMHS honored in statewide surveys

Ballard Memorial High School has been selected as one of 49 honorable mentions regarding teaching conditions, school safety and student achievement in a statewide program based on the Teaching, Educating, Leading and Learning Kentucky survey, which was administered to all public school teachers and principals in March of this year.

There were 1,395 schools participating. Of those,1,245 met the 50-percent response rate that qualified them for this award, and for data to be made available to the public. “That puts BMHS in the top 4 percent of schools in the state among those in competition,” said Principal David Meinschein.

Student test scores from the 2010-11 school year were analyzed from those qualifying schools, and a cut-off point was set to ensure that successful schools were included in the next phase of selection. Next, those schools were examined for details regarding their survey results, as well as other criteria (such as school safety), using a rubric designed by the New Teacher Center and the TELL Kentucky advisory team. The NTC is a national non-profit organization dedicated to improving student learning by accelerating the effectiveness of teachers and school leaders.

Quarterfinal schools which met all of the minimum criteria for selection were narrowed by the advisory team to 49 exemplary schools across the state. From those 49 honorable mentions, one school in each of Kentucky’s State Board/Judicial Districts, two at-large schools and one area technology school were awarded Winners’ Circle honors at the 17^th annual Safe Schools, Successful Students conference held Nov. 7 in Louisville.

According to a press release from the Kentucky Department of Education, winning schools and honorable mentions will be used as examples of best practices for other schools across the state. “The intent of this work is to provide schools, districts and the state with data that can be used to enhance school improvement efforts,” the release said. “The Kentucky Board of Education is using the results of the 2011 TELL Kentucky Survey in policy discussions and has included a request for continuation of this initiative in its 2012-2014 biennial budget request. The Kentucky Department of Education also is using the findings to guide its assistance to persistently low-achieving schools.”

The Purchase area school named to the Winners’ Circle of working conditions and student achievement was Benton Middle School in Marshall County.

School, district and statewide results, as well as the New Teacher Center’s Preliminary Findings, Guides, and Tools for Using the Data, may be viewed at www.tellkentucky.org.

New mobile app allows parents, students to check Infinite Campus account

The student data system used in Ballard County Schools now has a mobile application. Infinite Campus has released a new application for Apple devices like the iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad called Infinite Campus Mobile Portal. Developed in collaboration with the Kentucky Department of Education, the app gives parents and students mobile access to the same IC Portal content they have may view via computer.

Apple iOS devices must have the 4.2.1 operating system (or later) in order to install the app. Unfortunately, the first generations of iPhone and iPod Touch are not supported.

The app contains a daily planner that lets students know exactly where they need to be and when; a summary and detailed attendance information; grades; a schedule; a detailed list of assignments (if used by their teachers); other notifications (as posted by the district or teachers, and subject to users’ individual preferences).

Parents or students must have an IC portal account in order to use the application. If you do not already have a portal account, please e-mail system administrator Jennifer Robinson at jennifer.robinson@ballard.kyschools.us to request a username and password.

Users must go Apple’s App Store to download the Infinite Campus Mobile Portal. Once downloaded, users may launch the app. They should go to their device’s “Settings” menu and enter this case-sensitive access code: CQFBJF. They click the “Go” button, and enter their individual IC usernames and passwords in the appropriate spaces, and select “Go Sign In.”

Ballard schools see improvements in test scores, still some miss NCLB targets

Every Ballard County school showed improvements in this year’s Kentucky Core Content Test scores in at least two subjects, with the district as a whole beating state averages in 13 of 15 areas. However, for the first time, Ballard failed to meet more than one Adequate Yearly Progress goal under the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

AYP determinations are based primarily on the KCCT scores in reading and mathematics. Schools are required to have specific percentages of students reaching proficiency or above in reading and mathematics each year and to meet other criteria in order to make AYP. The state of Kentucky’ has requested a waiver from NCLB requirements, but it has not been approved or denied yet.

Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday said, “Kentucky’s schools and districts continue to make progress; however, it is apparent that NCLB is broken when 152 school districts fail to meet AYP. This is a signal that the NCLB system is no longer fair, valid or reliable.

The district met eight of its 10 NCLB goals, but under the reporting guidelines, 80 percent is not good enough. “It’s an all-or-nothing measurement, so unfortunately, our district did not make AYP. That is a first for us,” said Ballard Instructional Supervisor Casey Allen. State data indicate that only 42.6 percent ‑ 489 ‑ of Kentucky's 1,148 accountable public schools made 100 percent AYP in the 2010-11 school year.

Ballard County Elementary school missed two targets of 10; Ballard County Middle School missed only one of 10. It was a first for both of those schools, as well, Allen said. Ballard Memorial High School also made 8 of 10 goals.

At Ballard County Elementary School, students made improvements over 2009-10 scores in science (78.3 percent scoring proficient or distinguished, 70.53 for state), social studies (55.0, 59.75 for state) and on-demand writing (62.0, 59.74 for state). They also bested state scores in reading (77.51, 76.0 for state). Their math score fell from 73.8 to 67.47 this year.

“Last year’s third-graders did very well in reading (88.24 percent proficient or distinguished) and math (83.53), and our fourth-graders improved in science by 9.2 percent,” said BCES Principal Phillip Harned. “We missed AYP by just a couple of percentage points in reading and math in our free and reduced lunch category.”

Harned said that with Kentucky’s new Common Core Standards as a benchmark, they brought in an expert in assessment before school started and have adopted several improvement strategies school-wide. “Our teachers are using new techniques in every subject, every day, to check our students for understanding and retention of the new Common Core Standards,” he said. “Teachers are able to review key concepts and vocabulary daily to ensure our students retain essential fundamentals.”

BCES also continues a school-wide writing program. Teacher Krystal Walker works with students in grades K-5 on writing skills that focus on the three types of writing. Walker also works with all teachers to give them age-appropriate activities to help students be successful at an early age, Harned said. “Our social studies scores are still too low at 4.75 percent below the state average,” he said. “We have shifted some staff to remedy the shortfall.”

Harned added, “We continue to purchase technology for our teachers and students to use to make learning more interactive and interesting. Four years ago, we only had one interactive white board; through lots of fundraisers, grants, and technology funds, we now have 34 SMART Boards that are used daily by our students. We also have purchased IPods, IPads and laptops for some of our teachers to use with small groups of students. We know that our students are using computers, game consoles and smartphones daily at home, so we have to keep pace with how they learn best and use the immediate feedback and success that technology provides.”

At Ballard County Middle School, student scores were better than state averages in reading (78.55, 69.9 for state), math (71.9, 65.11 for state), science (86.14, 64.04 for state) and social studies (67.54, 60.09 for state). BCMS Principal Kevin Estes said that represents a gain of 20.39 percent in science from last year, with teacher Amanda Farley helping students rank third among regional schools. Reading also was up 1 percent from last year.

On-demand writing scores fell from 42.2 last year to 38.6 this year, below the state average of 45.22. Estes said they also had created a writing position to focus on all grades and all writing. “Students will get specific writing instruction every year, and not just in language arts classes,” Estes said. “In the past, language arts classes focused on reading, sentence structure, writing techniques, etc. These classes still will focus on the same foundation, but the writing classes will focus on pre-writing, thought process, specific forms of writing, and other strategies to get students to put thoughts and ideas correctly on paper.”

He said much progress had been made in the free and reduced lunch student category, with over 60 percent meeting benchmarks. “We will continue the one-on-one relationships with teachers and students, increase rigor and relevance in course work, provide immediate and focused feedback to students, and foster student ownership in their learning,” he said.

Students also will be reading for meaning and writing across the curriculum, Estes continued. “We are making sure that students know the expectations and what it means to be good readers and writers. With this focus, students understand what they have read, whether it is a book or a question. Then they can develop a writing strategy and thought process to answer any questions.”

At Ballard Memorial High School, students beat state averages in every category, including reading (81.44, 65.91 state), math (51.06, 45.98 state), science (48.94, 41.37 state), social studies (47.87, 41.49 state) and on-demand writing (52.43, 40.89 state). New principal David Meinschein said those scores represented a gain of 11 percent over last year in reading, and an 18 percent gain in writing.

“The instructional plan at BMHS is focused on providing strong teaching and learning for all students,” he said. “We have several current initiatives for improvement. One is to align instruction around the new Common Core Standards and end-of-course exams which replace KCCT this year. Another is to focus academic enrichment time on preparing for ACT and end-of-course exams, as well as enrichment activities.”

Meinschein said two more initiatives focused on teaching, including redesign of learning teams to support Senate Bill 1, and focusing on formative assessment to create a framework for instruction. “The bottom line is that our focus is on creating an environment where we ensure all of our students are college- and career-ready,” he said.

In August of this year, the Kentucky Board of Education finalized its criteria for college and career readiness. To be considered college-ready, students must meet benchmarks on either the ACT, COMPASS or Kentucky Online Testing program scales. To be considered career-ready, students must meet benchmarks on either the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery or ACT WorkKeys, and benchmarks on one career technical requirement.

BMHS students scored 34 percent on the college- and career readiness scale, four points below the state average of 38 percent. Senate Bill 1 has set an improvement goal of 40 percent readiness at Ballard for 2010-11, and 67 percent by 2014-15.

Meinschein assumes duties as new principal at BMHS

Ballard Memorial High School’s new principal brings an interesting mix of the new and the old, the bold and the traditional.

David Meinschein is a Livingston County native whose career has taken him from Murray State University to the U.S. Army to Silicon Valley to the Clayton County, Ga., school system and back to Kentucky. “When we came here, we drove from one end of Ballard County to the other, and I knew this could be our home,” he said.

His entire 11 years in education were spent in two high schools in the same district in Georgia. Yet he’s moved his family to Ballard County – no small undertaking, considering that he and wife Mary have six school-aged children. The five older ones are enrolled in Ballard Schools: Emily, Caitlyn, Sara, Ezekiel and Daniel. Only Rebecca is young enough to remain at home.

“I believe in dedicating yourself to where you are,” Meinschein said. “I knew I could bring strong leadership…or I wouldn’t have left Georgia.”

Along with that leadership, he said one of his strengths would be helping to align Ballard’s instruction and curriculum to new standards mandated by Kentucky’s Senate Bill 1 goals. Although his career in education began as a science teacher, he also served as an instructional coach and assistant principal. “We want to provide students with educational opportunities that prepare them for the workplace, college or the military,” he said. “We want to be excellent in all that we do.”

Meinschein spent five years on active duty in the Army, serving with the 101^st Airborne and the 25^th Infantry divisions. He left as a captain and logistician in 1999. He worked as a business analyst and manager for a telecommunications company out of California’s famed Silicon Valley that provided the first DSL internet access in the country.

His military background has been evident in his first few weeks on the job here. He said the fact that Ballard’s high school was dedicated as a memorial to veterans is important. On opening day, sessions began with the Pledge of Allegiance, and staff heard the citation from Ballard County’s Medal of Honor recipient, Morris Crain.

The story is carved in the stone monument in front BMHS. Meinschein said the part about Crain holding a World War II bridgehead across the Moder River was particularly meaningful. The men used that hard-won bridgehead as a place from which they could move forward. “That struck a chord in me,” he said.

“I see that the community is steeped the school’s tradition,” he continued. “I want to uphold that grand tradition, and to strengthen it.”

Meinschein said that one of the best things he’s found about Ballard County so far is the people. “The people are so welcoming and inviting,” he said. “My family is very appreciative.” He said he was looking forward to growing with the community, and welcoming that community into the school that is at its heart. 

Food service begins accepting online payments for student, staff meals

Ballard County Schools has a new school nutrition director, and she already has added several new items to the schools’ “menus” – not only on the serving line, but in other areas, as well.

Amber Hayes unveiled a new online payment portal where parents can pay cafeteria bills, view student balances and cafeteria purchase, and even make online automatic payments.

“The website is www.myschoolbucks.com, and it is extremely user-friendly,” Hayes said. “I hope that this new payment system will help us to better serve our students and staff.”

To use the system, parents or guardians must first establish a user name and password. Next, a confirmation will be sent to an existing e-mail account. “You will be able to log in from there,” Hayes continued. There is an operational cost of $2 for each payment. “This is a fee that the banking system associated with this program charges, and there is no way for me to get around it,” she said. However, parents may still pay by check or cash as well.

For more information on the system, please click here or contact Hayes at 665-8400, ext. 2530, or email amber.hayes@ballard.kyschools.us.

Delay/dismissal notices now available via email, text message

Ballard County Schools has activated an account with School’s Out, an Internet provider of email and text messages to parents that lets them know immediately if school has been delayed or dismissed.

Sign-up for the email service is free; the company charges an annual fee of $19.95 for the text (SMS) message service. As soon as a determination to delay or dismiss classes has been made, administrators will enter a notification on the School’s Out site. Parents who are signed up for the service will be sent an email or text immediately. The notification also will be posted on the School’s Out site.

At this time, BCS intends to use the service for delays in start times, closings and early dismissals only.

To subscribe to the service, parents may visit www.schoolsout.com and click the “Sign Up!” button. To subscribe to the free email service, please look for a link under the “Price” box on the right side of the web page; filling out the boxes on the left side will lead directly to the paid text link.

A few minutes after the visitor enters a name and email address, the company will send a confirmation email. Subscribers then click a link in the email to complete the subscription service. Signing up for the text service is similar: Visitors enter their school name, phone and carrier, and the company texts a confirmation code to the phone.

Users may unsubscribe from either service at any time; however, the company’s terms of service say that they do not issue refunds for the text service. Text subscribers also are liable for any regular texting charges from their service providers.

School's Out was created in 1996 when a group of parents in Frederick, Md., were unable to find information on school dismissals during Hurricane Fran. The service now has nearly 300,000 email subscribers, and millions of page visits a year.

The district will continue to notify local media outlets of any schedule changes, as well. Parents always are welcome to check WPSD-TV, WKYQ-FM, their related websites, and/or www.westkentuckystar.com for any delays, closings or dismissals.