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A newsletter from Nelson County School
Superintendent Anthony Orr

— Photo by Tony Alvey

Third- and fourth-graders in Kendra Faucett's class at Boston School hear me read Red Ranger Came Calling.

Belief can be a powerful ingredient

Belief can be infectious. Those who have it and are willing to share it can make a huge difference in the lives of others. Sometimes a good story can make ideas like that become more than a thought.

Earlier this month I had the pleasure of reading one of my favorite books to some of our students at Boston School. I read Red Ranger Came Calling by Berkeley Breathed. Some of you might remember that author from his days as the cartoonist behind Bloom County and Opus. I enjoyed the students' responses to both the pictures in the book and the humor of the language and story. As usual with Breathed's children's books, more is always involved than a funny tale.

The story of Red, a skeptical boy in the Great Depression, takes shape as he meets Saunder Clos, an ancient man rumored to be the real Santa. Although Red has been bitterly disappointed by the broken promises of others, he sees enough possibility in the old man that he decides to tell him what he wants for Christmas. Red's willingness to believe in the unlikely fulfills the wishes of both the boy and the man.

This is a good story not just for this time of year, but for all seasons. We in education are fortunate to work with children who believe in us as their guides and instructors. But we miss the point if we fail to believe in our students and their potential to change their lives and the world we all live in.

I see that belief all around me in our schools, but there is always plenty of room for more. I think I'll add that to my Christmas wish list – more belief in the students and adults in Nelson County Schools.

Setting the Bar High – Two more Nelson County teachers have been added to the ranks of National Board Certified Teachers (NBCT) – the highest certification a K-12 educator can earn. Congratulations to Helen Filiatreau and Trista Wheatley, who were among just 316 Kentucky teachers and 8,600 nationwide to achieve this elite designation this year, bringing the national total to just a little over 91,000. Simply put, given the huge number of teachers serving in schools and communities throughout this country, earning that certification is a huge accomplishment any way you stack it. Helen and Trista, both of whom teach at Foster Heights, are the latest to join four more teachers in this school district who have already achieved this distinction. These include Nancy Lane and Patrice Edelen, who also teach at Foster Heights; Dana Cull at Bloomfield Elementary School; and Peggy Stone, a retired teacher who still works part-time for the district. Earning the NBCT certification represents a lot of hard work and dedication. The certification is an advanced teaching credential that is hard to achieve but carries national stature for those that make the cut. This achievement says much about the quality, commitment and dedication of our teaching staff here in Nelson County. We're proud of all our teachers who are working hard every day for our kids. These particular teachers are setting the bar high and provide an excellent example for others to follow.

The Nelson County Board of Education regularly takes note of the many recent accomplishments of our staff and students. Here are just a few of the highlights heard during the November board meeting.

Communication awards – Nelson County School District brought home 15 awards in state competition from the annual OASIS Awards banquet recently in Lexington, sponsored by the Kentucky School Public Relations Association. The OASIS awards – Outstanding Achievement in School Information Services – recognizes communication and public relations efforts that took place in school districts throughout Kentucky during the 2009-10 school year. Communications Director Tom Dekle earned 10 individual awards, including five firsts and five seconds, in various writing and photography categories. The district’s webmaster, Bruce England, earned a first-place award for best website. Angie Chandler, a district psychologist, earned a first-place award for her work on the district’s Emergency Procedure Guide, an internal publication. Sara Beth Mattingly, a second-grade teacher at Foster Heights Elementary School, earned a second-place award in feature photography. The Communications Division as a whole received two second-place awards for the district’s pocket calendar and Web photo galleries.

Middle school track – Bloomfield Middle School track coach Matt Hoyes congratulated all BMS runners on a fantastic season. Following their outstanding regular season campaign, which was highlighted by conference championship wins by both the boys’ and girls’ teams, the middle school cross-country program (Bloomfield Middle as well as OKH Middle) competed at the state championships in Lexington Oct. 30.  The boys’ team placed 33rd in a race with 51 teams and 457 total athletes. The girls’ track team made program history placing tenth in the state. The school had special congratulations for Evelyn Tackett for her individual 13th-place finish out of nearly 400 competitors.

Forestry Day – Nine counties and 59 children participated in 4H Forestry Day. BMS student Maria Shields placed first overall, Jennifer Jackey second overall and Mariah Cobble fifth overall. Nelson County students took six of the top 10 places (1,2,3,5,7 and 10).  Maria also had two first-place finishes in individual categories and Jennifer received a first-place in tree measurement.

Robotics competition – Nelson County High School students Cody Hilderbrandt and Brian Petsy, coached by Charlie Cantrill, took the first-place trophy out of 14 teams and the award for most cost-effective robot at the Western Kentucky University robotics competition.

Distinguished band  – The NCHS Band of Pride earned a distinguished rating at the Class A Mid-States Championships and finished as Reserve Grand Champions. Twenty-eight bands from Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and Tennessee competed in Mid-States competition.

Hoops haven – The New Haven girls’ seventh-grade basketball team placed first in the NIT Conference Championship. The New Haven girls’ eighth-grade basketball team placed second in the NIT Conference Championship.  The New Haven Rams won the little league football Pumpkin Bowl. To honor these and other accomplishments, a KCTT Achievement wall has been constructed at the front entrance of The New Haven School.

Honors Band – Several Old Kentucky Home Middle School band students participated in the Eastern Kentucky University Honors Band in November in Richmond. Participants included Kaitly Dones, Taylor Gagne, Hunter Bradley, Ben Dekle, Brittany Schweinhart, Abby Evans, Chase Godbey, Taylor Edelen, Jacob Newton, Miranda Hiday and Kaylee Mattingly.

4H winners – Bloomfield Elementary School had three winners in the 4H Conservation Art Contest. They were DejaRele Edwards (fifth grade), Kayla Hutchins (fifth grade) and Mallory Terrell (third grade).

Help for those in need – Bloomfield Elementary School collected more than 150 canned food items to donate to Kimberly’s Kitchen, Chaplin, to help needy families in the area.

Boston celebrates talent – Boston School held its first annual teacher talent show to celebrate Red Ribbon Week. Students were able to watch as teachers sang, rapped, did the splits and danced.  The theme this year was “I believe in me to Bee drug-free.”

Boston winners – Boston School Students of the Month for November included Trisha Bottoms (primary), Marshall Hauschild (intermediate) and Ryan Wibbels (middle). Pam Johnson was Staff Member of the Month. Theresa Lowery was Boston Believe Bee winner. Attendance winners for the first quarter were the intermediate grades.

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