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ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE TOGETHER
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March 17, 2016
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Quick Links
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Board of Education Meetings
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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Congratulations to 1994 Boone County High School Graduate Susanne Gail Bosse-Hemingway. Susanne fought through a debilitating illness to graduate high school, attend college at Cincinnati Bible College and Cincinnati State, get married, become a mother and come back to her alma mater to work. Susanne battled late term Lyme Disease throughout her high school years that threatened several times to derail her education and her future. Susanne was determined to fight back and have a life. She now works for Boone County Schools at the Alternative Center for Education as a Secretary. While she still suffers from the debilitating effects of Lyme Disease, Susanne refuses to allow it to take over her life. Her parents, Manfred and Sue Bosse say she is a testimony to determination, accomplishment and success.
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The Boone County School District 5-year Strategic Plan is focused on "Career, College, and Life" readiness for all students. The plan was developed using the input of parents, educators, and other stakeholders collected at numerous community meetings. #Boone2020 is an exciting new social media campaign designed specifically to promote dialogue and transparency around the goals and details of the strategic plan. We want to engage in a two-way dialogue with you and give you opportunities to learn more about innovative teaching and learning going on in Boone County Schools. This week we take you to Ryle High School.
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Raider Achievement Program
Gone are the days of Home Room and Study Halls at Ryle High School. They were a waste of educational time and potential learning according to
Assistant Principal Nate Niemi. Replacing them is something called RAP 2.0. The Raider Achievement Program or RAP Session as it's also called. A RAP session takes study hall time and turns it into an opportunity to get tutored by teachers on core content such as English, Math, Science and Social Studies. Students needing help in certain subject areas have several opportunities from Tuesday through Friday of each week to sign up for a 35 to 45 minuted RAP session in what ever area they need or want help.
Maggie Woolf is a Junior at Ryle and on the Yearbook Committee. She uses RAP 2.0 for English help and time to work on the school yearbook. She says if it were not for RAP 2.0 she would have to come in on weekends and in the summer to work on the yearbook projects.
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| | Instructional Learning Team |
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Instructional Learning Team
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Nate Niemi says what makes RAP 2.0 such a success is that students have the ability to choose where they need the most help. Teachers find it beneficial because they can now meet with all students where ever they are in a subject matter. And Monday's are blocked off for the teachers to meet as an ILT (Instructional Learning Team) group.
Niemi says RAP 2.0 helps prevent students from falling through the cracks in certain subjects. Teachers can also select students to participate in certain workshops that they see are struggling with certain content.
Ryle Band members use RAP Sessions to work on music pieces they are strugglilng with under the guidance of Ryle's Director of Bands Bob Elliott. He monitors the band RAP sessions and also works with individual students needing help on pieces of music.
Another student, Kyle Mince a Junior at Ryle plays the saxophone. He likes to take advantage of Band Rap Sessions on Tuesday, Wednesday and Fridays and on Thursdays he gets precalculus assistance during RAP 2.0. Kyle says it definitely helps him understand the concepts more and helps prepare him for tests.
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SCHOOL BOARD NOTES
Parent Power Award
The Boone County Board of Education established the PARENT POWER Award to recognize parents who have a significant impact on the advancement, growth and development of Boone County Schools. Your engagement and involvement in your child's education has a substantial influence. Congratulations to the following parents:
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Ryle High School
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Tracy Fuchs, Kevin Gregory, Tyra LaVerne, Robin Erpenbeck, Dawn Murphy, Jodi McGinnnis, Doug Penix, Mark Hicks
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Conner High School
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Susan Batto, Shelley Groft
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Cooper High School
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Greg Simpson, Allison Langford, Matt Langford
| | Gray Middle School | Beth McIntire | | Jones Middle School | Tracy Stokes | | Erpenbeck Elementary | Stephanie Showell |
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Goodridge Elementary
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Amber Cranfield
| | Kelly Elementary | David Newman, Doug Ronnebaum, Deanna Stephens, Jon Skidmore, Debbie Skidmore | | Longbranch Elementary | Stephanie McDaniel, Ashlee Wolf | | North Pointe Elementary | R.J. Oliver | | Stephens Elementary | Paula McPeake, Steve Woods | | Thornwilde Elementary | Donna Brown, Wendy Mangold, Jen Peterson, Barb McGraw, Kelly Smith, Fatou Siuare, Eddie Thomas, Jeff Hartline, Larry Eads
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Break The Mold
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L to R: Amy Jo Blair, Russell Harden of Ryle High with Dr. Maria Brown
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Ms. Blair and Mr. Hardin are the developers of a class called Gross Motor Development at Ryle High. This class assists students with special needs with daily motor movements. 21 general education students are taking a year long unified arts elective to work with students with various disabilities. These students (who are on track to go into careers like teaching, nursing, therapy) are matched with a student with special needs to work with and develop that students motor skills, strength, and endurance through various physical activities. The general education peers, work by designing therapeutic work-outs to encourage strengthening and increased endurance training with the guidance and input of their teachers, Amy Jo Blair and Russell Hardin. Every week, the students change partners to allow for all the students to get exposure to all disabilities. Since the conception of this class, we have witnessed students with special needs who were not able to walk more than 100 feet walk to the outdoor tennis courts and back. Students afraid to come out of the classroom, now ride the school bus. Blair and Harden were nominated by, Julie Line, Boone County Physical Therapist, Melissa Kendall, Boone County Occupational Therapist, Lisa Ryle, Boone County Speech Language Pathologist and Matthew L. Turner, Principal.
2016 Kentucky High School Counselor of the Year
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| | Dawn Hinton & Dr. Maria Brown |
Mrs. Hinton, 16 year veteran of school counseling, began her counseling career at Conner High School. In 2008 she opened Cooper High School as the only school counselor and built a school counseling program that meets the needs of all Cooper graduates. She has taken our dual enrollment program from a handful of students to over 170 participants in a building of over 1200 students. In addition, she was a 2015 recipient of the Career Quest Counselor Award. This award is given to tristate high school counselors throughout our region who have positively impacted student achievement and success.
In addition, Mrs. Hinton is an Adjunct Professor for Xavier University's school counseling program.
A Boone County High School graduate and lifelong resident of Boone County, Mrs. Hinton resides in Union, Kentucky with her husband and two daughters.
PiBotics District High School Robotics Team
The students on the PiBotics District High School Robotics Team showcased three of their robots at the Boone County Board of Education meeting last week. They operated their demo robot which they began designing last school year and finished last month, demonstrated their practice bot which they designed and constructed during the months of Jan and Feb, and showed the competition bot which they constructed during the month of Feb and locked up (as required by the competition rules) in preparation for the competitions in Alabama and Ohio at the end of this month. Their demo robot showed how smoothly it moved in all directions on its mechanum wheels (a wheel that can move in any direction) and propelled tennis balls using a wheeled propulsion system. Their practice robot showed how it could traverse any terrain with its tank drive, used a motorized arm to lift a gate which it then traveled under, and used a pneumatically powered arm to grasp a bar 7' in the air and then raise itself 3' off the ground.
Under the direction and guidance of Beth Koch, District Robotics Coordinator, this team is unique in Boone County as it is the only program with student team members from all the district high schools. Currently, 25+ students are active members of the team, and we have financial sponsorship and technical mentors who work with the students on design, programming and construction from local industries including Bosch, Regal, Acramold, Duke, Mazak and ACE Machining.
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 ELEMENTARY
Erpenbeck Elementary 3rd graders raise $$ for cancer research
The Erpenbeck project is called the Power of One and was started by the five 3rd grade classes of Erpenbeck. The students learned about the story of a child named Alex Scott who raised one million dollars in her fight against childhood cancer before she died. Her fundraiser remains today and is called the Alex Lemonade Stand Foundation. Erpenbeck third graders created their own Lemonade Stand raising $3,140 for cancer research and presented the check last week. Each class was in charge of something to keep the project on track and make it a success. One class was in charge of advertisement, another was in charge of creating a website, a third class designed the lemonade stand, a fourth class was in charge of writing donation request letters and a fifth class was in charge of finding an ambassador. Third grade Teacher Toni Hook says this day was about making a difference, showing students and the community that there's power in one, that one person can make a difference.
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| | Peyton Richardson battling Leukemia skypes with students |
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Third grade Teacher Michelle Roland says a girl named Peyton Richardson was the choice of the students to be the ambassador of this campaign. The students Skyped with her Friday. Peyton is a middle school student living in Texas battling leukemia. Several students from each 3rd grade class at Erpenbeck had an opportunity to ask Peyton questions about her leukemia and she eagerly answered each one. She explained what leukemia is to the students (cancer of the blood) and how she found out she was sick and what her treatments are like. Because of her weakened immune system she is unable to attend school right now but she hopes to be returning to school in the fall. Peyton is looking forward to completing her cancer treatments in 2017 when she hopes to be cancer free.
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| | 5th grade teachers: Toni Hook, Michelle Roland, Ashley Moeller, Jessica Klosinski, Stacey Neuhaus |
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| | Check presentation to Assistant Superintendent Dr. Jim Detwiler |
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Kelly Elementary students donate to Rabbit Hash General Store
Following the devastating fire at the local General Store students at Kelly Elementary wanted to do something to help. They came up with an idea to conduct a fundraiser among themselves with a goal $500. In two weeks time the students doubled that and collected $1200! They invited Proprietor of the Rabbit Hash General Store Terry Markesberry, President of the Rabbit Hash Historical Society Don Clare and Rabbit Hash Border Collie Mayor Lucy Lou.
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| | L to R: Don Clare-Historical Society, Terrie Markesberry-Store Proprietor, Mayor Lucy Lou (the dog) |
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In the pictures above the students kept a diary during this time of what the old General Store meant to them. This will be given to the store proprietor for display. Students also solicited historical item donations to be displayed in the new General Store once it is rebuilt. Items donated included a 1947 Western Electric Rotary Phone that was in the family of Principal Kathleen Gutzwiller, a 48 star American Flag in use from 1912 to 1959, a National Washboard Company authentic washboard from 1923 and an old 3-in-1 Household Oil can from 1960.
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MIDDLE SCHOOL
Camp Ernst
17,000 pounds of water donated to the citizens of Flint Michigan
Seventh and eighth graders of teacher Susan Pastor-Richards class were learning about water and the impurities in water when they found out the water in the city of Flint Michigan is contaminated with lead. The students asked Mrs. Richards if they could collect bottled water as a service learning project. The campaign took on the name "Trailblazers Providing Hope." Before she knew it more than 17 thousand pounds of water was collected in just a few weeks. 504 cases of water and 231 jugs were collected by the students of Camp Ernst Middle School and even Saint Henry High School heard about the project and helped out donating cases and gallons of water. Kroger donated 50 cases and BB & T Bank donated 9 cases.
Susan Pastor-Richard says the project grew so big that they didn't have large enough transportation to get the water to Flint. So the word went out and two companies offered help. Ken Frolich, district manager of Aries Global Logistics heard about it from a friend who's child attends Camp Ernst and he involved Nick Bartlett co-owner of SPEARS Transfer & Expediting. Out of that came a semi-tractor trailer to be driven by a 74 year old Jill Friend who has spent her career, nearly 50 years driving semi's. Frolich and Bartlett who do business together share a business philosophy of wanting to teach students in the community about civic responsibility.
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| | L to R: Brianna Carr, Ashley Lightner and Kobe Turner |
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| | In the truck: Driver Jill Friend supervising the loading of her semi |
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| | Driver Jill Friend thanks two of Susan Pastor-Richards students who helped organize this drive. |
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The culmination of the project last Friday was to Skype (video chat) with the people of Flint, Michigan receiving the water telling them it's on the way!
Ken Frolich district manager of Aries Global Logistics, brought into the project by a co-worker who's child attends Camp Ernst. Nick Bartlett co-owner of SPEARS (trucking) Transfer & Expediting, both got involved . We want to contribute to the community, we do business together. Both companies have similar philospohys in growing the business w hile growing the community and teaching students in the community reaching out to kids and teaching civic responsibility.
RA Jones Middle School STEM Bike Club
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| | STEM Bike Club Instructor Greg Davis |
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RA Jones has started year two of their STEM Bike Club partnered with Time Warner Cable. 6th grade English teacher Greg Davis has returned to instruct the class. 16 select students are learning to build brand new bicycles donated to the club. The club starts off with lessons on bicycle safety and teaches the importance of each part of a bicycle. The project is dependent on volunteers from the community that come in and help mentor each student for an hour weekly while learning with the student to build a bicycle. Some of those volunteers have included Florence Police and Boone County Sheriff's Deputies as well as Jones Principal Tony Pastura. The selection process for participants included the students writing a letter to RA Jones school administors about why they would like to have a bicycle. Selection is also based on need.
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Youth Mental Health First Aid
Boone County Schools sponsored the training of 30 School community members to increase adult literacy on mental health for youth. Some of those being trained included Deputies, EMS Coordinators, Emergency Responders, School Psychologists, Family Resource Center Coordinators, Librarians and other members of the public.
Once trained our Youth Mental Health First Aid instructors will provide the community with Youth Mental Health First Aid, an 8-hour training certification course. The certification program introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems, builds understanding of their impact and overviews common treatments. Boone County Schools Executive Director of Student/Community Services Kathy Reutman says, 'We are thrilled to bring Mental Health First Aid to our community. This important community-wide effort goes a lot further than emergency intervention; it really helps people understand the shroud of fear and misjudgment facing individuals and families who experience mental illnesses and addiction. It will help rid this community of the associated stigma and move more and more people toward recovery."
Boone: AWARE, the implementation of the Now is The Time: Project AWARE-Community (NITT: Project AWARE-c) federal grant awarded to Boone County Schools in October, was held at the Boone County Public Library last week and is part of a national initiative to increase mental health literacy. |
 Superintendent Student Advisory Council
Delegate Assembly
It's come that time of year where the Student Advisory Council (SSAC) begins the selection process for who will be their next Student Representative to the Boone County Board of Education. Something new this year to the Delegate Assembly, a 5th candidate. Typically there are four candidates, one from each high school. This year Cameron Roundtree, a student at Boone County High School submitted his name as an Independent Candidate. Cameron does not sit on the Student Advisory Council. The other four delegates include Ethan Kohl from Boone County High, Lauren Reynolds from Conner High, Bradley Rodriguez from Cooper High and Cari Campbell from Ryle High. You can see each candidates campaign video by clicking here.
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| Independent Candidate
Cameron Roundtree, BCHS |
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| L to R: Lauren Reynolds CHS,
Ethan Kohl BCHS,
Bradley Rodriguez RCHS,
Cameron Roundtree BCHS,
Cari Campbell RHS |
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Mike Ford, Director of Pupil Personnel talks to the students the importance of this process especially during a presidential election year. Mr. Ford explains the Delegate Assembly process and the responsibilities of the delegates. He also outlines the kind of leadership qualities a Student Representative should have. He explains the campaign procedure and sums it up by telling the students they are literally living history.
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The SSAC election for 2016-2017 Student Representative is April 6th. |
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| | Mike Ford, Director of Pupil Personnel |
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Transportation Open House
The Transportation PBIS Committee hosted its 2nd Annual PBIS Open House on March 10, 2016. The event was a great opportunity for Drivers and Aides to share success stories as well as challenges faced day to day on the road. The Committee set up a variety of different stations such as "The Student Expectations Station, The Frustration Station" and "The Special Needs/Preschool Station" to provide opportunities to explore new ideas. Several schools were also in attendance which allowed for Drivers and Aides to ask questions and better understand PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) at the school level. The department also participated in Spirit Week leading up to the open house to raise support and awareness for student safety.
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 Boone County School Energy Teams Forming
The primary goals of our energy teams are to study how energy is used in each school and begin programs to reduce energy consumption. Our students are learning many valuable lessons about energy through hands-on activities. Our School Energy Teams are excited to increase awareness of energy efficient practices!
Click here to see what some of our schools are doing.
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 GED CHANGES PASSING SCORE
You may have earned your GED and not know it. If you took the GED and received a score of less than 150 but 145 or greater you have passed! In Kentucky the passing score for high school equivalency is moving from 150 to 145. Read more about it here. |
 KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION AND ORIENTATION
Parents, please click here if you have children who will be 5-years-old on or before October 1, 2016.
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 ALUMNI REGISTRATION
We would like to keep you up to date on things happening in the district since you graduated. If you are a graduate of the Boone County School District please click on Alumni Registration in the Quick Links block above on the left and sign up. |
 CAREER NEWS
We are looking for former graduates of Boone County Schools to tell us their stories of professional career success after graduating from this district. If you are one of those students or if you have a son or daughter with post college graduate successes that should be celebrated, please email your story and a j.peg-only picture of yourself or your former student to bcbe@boone.kyschools.us. Important: the subject line must read: For Alumni Spotlight. We will post it in the Alumni Spotlight section of this school district newsletter. |
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