About 650 Fayette County public, private, and home-school students in grades 4-12 participated in the annual Kentucky American Water Science Fair, coordinated by Fayette County Public Schools. Among them was Thomas Cheal, a junior at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School and a science fair veteran. This year, Thomas consulted with a University of Kentucky bio-pharmacy professor on his project, which focused on transcription sites in cancer-causing genes. “It’s a good experience because I get to work with really cool people and do interesting stuff I otherwise wouldn’t be able to do,” Thomas said. The competitors also included a Glendover Elementary student competing from Ethiopia. After he and his family were called away the previous week, organizers allowed fifth-grader Brandon Wills to video chat with judges during the Feb. 6 science fair. 

Nearly 150 student projects received awards, including six with special recognition from KAW for achievement in water science and three winners of the Urban Environmental Award for good stewardship. 

“I had numerous comments from the judges on how impressed they were with projects,” said David Helm, a secondary instructional specialist in FCPS. “The absolute best part of the day was listening to the kids talk about their work, challenges, and discoveries. And to see the looks on their faces, it just lit the place up!” 

• Winners list: by category | by school 

The day also included Science Sensational, coordinated by Bluegrass GreenSource, with educational exhibits and demonstrations hosted by area organizations. “I hope they see how many interesting things there are to do in science and that their choices are endless,” said Rae Ann Gill of Bluegrass Community & Technical College. 

Next up

The Central Kentucky Regional Science and Engineering Fair is slated for March 5 at host Paul Laurence Dunbar High School.

The sixth-seeded boys’ bowling team from Henry Clay High School won the Region 7 championship Jan. 28 at Southland Lanes. The Paul Laurence Dunbar High boys and the top-seeded Bryan Station High girls were runners-up. All three teams advance to the KHSAA state bowling tournament.

In the individual Region 7 competition Jan. 29, Henry Clay’s Robert Borowski won the boys’ title and moves on to the state singles tournament, along with Bryan Station’s Maddie Horton from the girls’ side.

The boys’ Bowler of the Year honors went to Derian Koszenski of Dunbar. Robert and Derian were also named first-team all-conference, along with James Apo of Henry Clay. The boys’ second team included Lafayette’s Wes Scherr and Noah Arnold. Maddie made the girls’ first team, while Bryan Station’s Mallory Horton and Henry Clay’s Ashley Vires were named second-team all-conference.

Region 7 brackets and scores

A team from Southside Technical Center was runner-up in the annual Capital City Welding Classic in Frankfort. Avery Collins of Bryan Station, Aubrey Hedges of Tates Creek, and Jesus Rivera of Henry Clay high schools each received a $500 scholarship to Tulsa Welding School in Jacksonville, Fla., along with all the other participants.   

Students from nearly 20 schools around the state entered the Jan. 29 competition, which was sponsored by Tulsa, Lincoln Electric, and Scott Gross. “The welding prints and welding requirements are extremely challenging – very similar to what a student will see in the real world,” said Southside instructor Rob Mitchell. Awards went to individual welders and to three-member teams of seniors like Southside’s. 

For more about the welding program at Southside Tech, check out this FCPS video.

Lexmark International Inc. salutes outstanding K-12 educators in Central Kentucky for inspiring students in STEM studies (science, technology, engineering, math). The company’s Educating Excellence program recognizes deserving teachers with $1,000 awards presented quarterly during the academic year.

Fellow educators, administrators, students, and community members may nominate any innovative teacher in Fayette County Public Schools. To be eligible, a teacher must receive two separate nominations. Recommendations are accepted year-round, and once both are submitted, the nomination will stay active and the teacher remains eligible for a calendar year.

Nomination form

Previous winners

Five students from FCPS earned gold keys in the 2016 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, which qualifies them for the spring’s national competition. Congratulations to writers Kayla Beebout of Henry Clay High School, whose “Into the Woods” was saluted in the personal essay/memoir category; Gwendolyn Blair of Lafayette High for “A Song About September” in short story; Serena Dudee of Lafayette for “Dietary Privilege: A Response to Self-Righteous Vegans” in critical essay; and Joanna Slusarewicz of Paul Laurence Dunbar High for “To Sophie” in poetry. In the art division, Lafayette’s Zoe Felice earned a gold key for “Terrain.”

Fayette County art students compete in the Northern Kentucky, Southern Ohio, and Southeast Indiana Region. In other awards, Dunbar’s Jennifer Lee received a silver key for “Wreck” and honorable mention for “ROME.” Honorable mentions also went to Dunbar’s Megan Slusarewicz for “Rotting from the Inside Out” and “Salsa Dancing.”

In additional writing kudos, Kayla received a silver key in poetry for “In Memoriam” and honorable mentions for her poem “The Painter” and writing portfolio “Between Light and Darkness.” Serena earned silver keys for “Wildflowers” in poetry and “The Caribou Cave Creep” in science fiction/fantasy, while her journalism entry “The Bindi Isn’t Indie” got an honorable mention. Joanna’s poems “Dear God or Gods: Who Are You?” and “To Claudia (or Hoping to Find You at Our Joint Destination” both earned silver keys.

Several other young writers from Fayette County Public Schools also earned recognition in the Southeast Region at-large, which covers several states. Claire Kimani of Tates Creek Middle received honorable mention for the short story “Arachnids.” The following students are all from Lafayette High School:

• Leila Abou-Jaoude, personal essay/memoir, “Of My Limited Experience with Love,” silver key
• Kynnadie Bennett, poetry, “Camp Moments,” silver key; poetry, “Rules to Being a Girl,” honorable mention
• Constance Brown, dramatic script, “The Ride,” honorable mention
• Karlee Caswell, short story, “Night Terror, Light Terror,” honorable mention
• Meredith Cherry, personal essay/memoir, “Cream Soda,” silver key
• Katrin Flores, humor, “Dear Mr. Mayor,” silver key; critical essay, “‘Of Mice and Men’ and Life with a Disability during the Great Depression,” honorable mention
• Taleah Gipson, poetry, “A Rich Sound: A Collection of Poems,” silver key
• Mackenzie Haire, writing portfolio, “Bonds,” silver key
• Sarah Hall, science fiction/fantasy, “The Shed,” honorable mention; science fiction/fantasy, “The A.I. Revolution of March 13, 2079,” honorable mention
• Avery Logsdon, science fiction/fantasy, “Heaven,” silver key; humor, “Jaguar,” silver key
• Jenna Tinnell, flash fiction, “What It Means to Have a Family,” silver key
• Jamin Waite, dramatic script, “Let Me Breathe,” honorable mention

In the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards program, which dates to 1923, students in grades 7-12 submit entries in more than two dozen categories for a chance to win scholarships and have their works exhibited or published. The judges look for pieces that exemplify originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision. The awards are coordinated by the nonprofit Alliance for Young Artists & Writers.

Aime Mabika of Henry Clay High School has been named the Gatorade Kentucky Boys’ Soccer Player of the Year. He’s now a finalist for the national honor, which will be announced in May.

The 6-foot-6, 192-pound senior defender scored 12 goals and passed for four assists this past season, leading the Blue Devils (22-3-1) to the state championship game. Aime also anchored a defense that recorded 14 shutouts. An All-American selection by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, he was the Kentucky Soccer Coaches Association’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Aime, a native of Zambia, moved to the United States when he was 7 years old. He has maintained a weighted 4.08 GPA in the classroom, volunteered to help local students new to this country adjust to the culture, and donated his time to community-service initiatives through his church. Aime plans to play soccer for the University of Kentucky next year.

The Gatorade Player of the Year award honors top high school student-athletes in 12 varsity sports for their athletic excellence, academic achievement, and exemplary character. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade high school sports leadership team in partnership with USA TODAY High School Sports.

All-state teams

The Kentucky Boys' Soccer Coaches Association has announced its all-state teams for the 2015 season. Making the East's first team were Aime Mabika and Collin Rose of Henry Clay; Ricky Clemente and Travis Schuler of Paul Laurence Dunbar; and Cubaka Mutayongwa of Tates Creek High. The second team included Chris Hunt of Henry Clay.

The East's second team selected by the Kentucky Girls' Soccer Coaches Association included Katelyn Gentry of Bryan Station.

State championship recap

The Henry Clay boys' soccer team was runner-up in the 2015 KHSAA state championship, falling 3-0 to Covington Catholic on Nov. 7. The Blue Devils, who are coached by Tim Bernardi, were shut out for only the second time all season. They finished with a record of 23-3-1.

State's all-tournament team: Henry Clay's Collin Rose, Aime Mabika and Chris Hunt.

11th Region recap

The Henry Clay boys notched a 1-0 victory over Paul Laurence Dunbar for the 11th Region championship. Henry Macfarlan, a sophomore, scored the lone goal in the Oct. 24 finals at Capitol View Park in Frankfort. The win sent the Blue Devils to the state tournament for the first time in four years.

11th Region boys' all-tournament team: Colby Rose, Henry Clay (MVP); Nick Whitehouse, Henry Clay; Josh Strange, Henry Clay; Collins Rose, Henry Clay; Aime Mabika, Henry Clay; Travis Shuler, Dunbar; Justin Kelly, Dunbar; Ricky Clemente, Dunbar; Amir Simons-Miller, Dunbar.

District recaps

The Henry Clay girls’ soccer team secured their third consecutive 42^nd District title with a 5-0 victory over host Bryan Station on Oct. 15. The goals came from four players – Emily Cashman, Grace Whalen, Ashley Chindo, and Sara Ueland (two) – and Blue Devils defender Brett Edwards was named the tournament MVP.

On the boys’ side, Henry Clay picked up its sixth straight 42^nd District championship with a 2-0 win over Sayre. Josh Strange and Braxton Burton tallied the goals.

In the 43^rd District, Paul Laurence Dunbar edged Lexington Catholic 4-3 in penalty kicks, and Justin Kelly was named tournament MVP. Ricky Clemente scored the game-deciding PK as the Bulldogs took their sixth straight district title. Harrison Grabmeyer, Jack Sheroan and Javier Delgado also scored.

On the girls’ side, Dunbar fell to Lexington Catholic 4-0 in the Oct. 16 finals.

All the district winners and runners-up advanced to the 11^th Region tournament in Frankfort.

42^nd District girls’ all-tournament team: Amber McIntosh, Bryan Station; Katelyn Gentry, Bryan Station; Brittany Graham, Bryan Station; Ashley Chindo, Henry Clay; Sara Ueland, Henry Clay; Grace Whalen, Henry Clay.

42^nd District boys’ all-tournament team: Thomas Little, Bryan Station; Jaime Trujillo, Bryan Station; Braxton Burton, Henry Clay; Aime Mabika, Henry Clay; Collin Rose, Henry Clay; Josh Strange, Henry Clay.

43^rd District boys’ all-tournament team: Cameron Feldman, Lafayette; Jimmy Kaindu, Lafayette; Ricky Clemente, Dunbar; Harrison Grabmeyer, Dunbar; Justin Kelly, Dunbar; Caleb Norris, Dunbar; Nolan Adams, Tates Creek; Amadi Mubelela, Tates Creek.

-- Source: Herald-Leader

Paul Laurence Dunbar High School secured the boys’, girls’, and combined team championships in the Region 8 swim meet Feb. 13 at the Stivers Aquatic and Wellness Center in Barbourville. The combined team title was the Bulldog’s ninth consecutive. Madison Winstead, a senior who plans to swim for the University of Kentucky next year, was named the meet’s Outstanding Competitor on the girls’ side. Next up is the KHSAA state meet Feb. 27 at the University of Louisville.

Region 8 complete results

Top FCPS results

• Combined team standings: 1. Dunbar; 4. Tates Creek; 6. Lafayette; 7. Henry Clay.
• Boys’ teams: 1. Dunbar; 4. Henry Clay; 5. Lafayette; 7. Tates Creek.
• Girls’ teams: 1. Dunbar; 2. Tates Creek; 6. Lafayette; 8. Henry Clay.

Boys’ events

• 200 medley relay — 1. Dunbar (Hayden Janes, Chase Mattingtly, Andrew Sutphin, Brooks Marquette) 1:38.13.
• 200 freestyle — 2. Scotty Street, Henry Clay, 1:43.90.
• 200 individual medley — 2. Chase Mattingly, Dunbar, 1:55.24.
• 50 freestyle — 2. Andrew Freibert, Henry Clay, 21.81.
• 100 butterfly — 1. Landon Clark, Tates Creek, 50.24.
• 100 freestyle — 2. Brooks Marquette, Dunbar, 48.04.
• 500 freestyle — 1. Chase Mattingly, Dunbar, 4:38.54; 2. Scotty Street, Henry Clay, 4:43.78.
• 200 freestyle relay — 1. Dunbar (Hayden Janes, Chase Mattingly, Andrew Sutphin, Brooks Marquette) 1:28.71.
• 100 backstroke — 2. Landon Clark, Tates Creek, 51.89.
• 100 breaststroke — 2. Benjamin McKeown, Dunbar, 1:01.01.
• 400 freestyle relay — 1. Henry Clay (Matthew Street, Stone Poole, Scotty Street, Andrew Freibert) 3:15.42.

Girls’ events

• 200 medley relay — 1: Dunbar (Lanier Whitton, Madison Winstead, Lauren Denham, Taylor Conley) 1:47.66.
• 200 freestyle — 1. Rachel Klinker, Tates Creek, 1:51.87; 2. Lauren Denham, Dunbar, 1:52.93.
• 200 individual medley —2. Hannah Freibert, Henry Clay, 2:12.03.
• 50 freestyle — 1. Mallory Shake, Tates Creek, 24.07.
• 100 butterfly — 1. Madison Winstead, Dunbar, 55.09; 2. Lauren Denham, Dunbar, 57.10.
• 100 freestyle — 1. Mallory Shake, Tates Creek, 52.48; 2. Madi Brester, Lafayette, 54.04.
• 500 freestyle — 1. Rachel Klinker, Tates Creek, 4:56.08.
• 200 freestyle relay — 1. Tates Creek (Kailey Lewis, Whitney Powell, Rachel Klinker, Mallory Shake) 1:38.40; 2. Dunbar (Sarah Phillips, Taylor Colony, Cora Harter, Sahar Mohammadzadeh) 1:41.50.
• 100 backstroke — 1. Lanier Whitton, Dunbar, 59.16.
• 100 breaststroke — 1. Madison Winstead, Dunbar, 1:01.99; 2. Hannah Freibert, Henry Clay, 1:07.71.
• 400 freestyle relay — 1. Dunbar (Lauren Denham, Lanier Whitton, Sarah Phillips, Madison Winstead) 3:30.09; 2. Tates Creek (Kailey Lewis, Rachel Klinker, Whitney Powell, Mallory Shake) 3:33.22.

All-city meet recap

Dunbar topped the combined team standings in the all-city meet Dec. 12 at Transylvania University. The Bulldogs captured the boys’ team title, while Tates Creek High came away with the girls’ title.

Combined team standings — 1. Dunbar; 3. Lafayette; 4. Henry Clay; 5. Tates Creek; 8. Bryan Station.

Boys’ standings — 1. Dunbar; 3. Lafayette; 4. Henry Clay; 6. Tates Creek; 8. Bryan Station.

Girls’ standings — 1. Tates Creek; 2. Dunbar; 4. Henry Clay; 5. Lafayette; 8. Bryan Station.

Boys’ winners:

• 200 medley relay — Lafayette (Connor Hood, Kellen Casey, Christian Casey, Michael Lozovoy), 1:45.12
• 200 freestyle — Matthew Street, Henry Clay, 1:50.60
• 200 individual medley — Christian Casey, Lafayette, 2:04.18
• 50 freestyle — Andrew Freibert, Henry Clay, 22.15
• 1-meter diving — Jonah Dunn, Lafayette, 223.45
• 100 butterfly — Christian Casey, Lafayette, 54.66
• 100 freestyle — Brooks Marquette, Dunbar, 50.28
• 500 freestyle — Scott Street, Henry Clay, 4:53.24
• 200 freestyle relay — Henry Clay (Matthew Street, Stone Poole, Scott Street, Andrew Freibert), 1:32.92
• 100 breaststroke — Kellen Casey, Lafayette, 1:04.35
• 400 freestyle relay — Henry Clay (Matthew Street, Stone Poole, Scott Street, Andrew Freibert), 3:28.09

Girls’ winners:

• 200 medley relay — Dunbar (Lanier Whitton, Taylor Colony, Keriann Ferguson, Emily Bravard), 2:00.22
• 200 freestyle — Rachel Klinker, Tates Creek, 1:56.83
• 200 individual medley — Kailey Lewis, Tates Creek, 2:21.35
• 1-meter diving — Elana Ehl, Henry Clay, 270.30
• 100 butterfly — Lauren Denham, Dunbar, 1:00.29
• 100 freestyle — Abigail Wrightson, Lafayette, 59.40
• 500 freestyle — Rachel Klinker, Tates Creek, 5:08.92
• 200 freestyle relay — Tates Creek (Whitney Powell, Emma Ivey, Rachel Klinker, Kailey Lewis), 1:44.13
• 100 backstroke — Lanier Whitton, Dunbar, 1:03.51
• 100 breaststroke — Hannah Freibert, Henry Clay, 1:11.44
• 400 freestyle relay — Dunbar (Lanier Whitton, Emily Bravard, Cora Harter, Lauren Denham), 3:55.48

Did you know?

Dunbar’s Madison Winstead, who didn’t compete in the all-city meet, finished third in the 100 breaststroke at the Speedo Winter Junior Championships, a USA Swimming event.

Winburn Middle School outdistanced Tates Creek Middle in Region 15 of the 2016 Governor’s Cup, which concluded Feb. 13. The Governor’s Cup, which was founded in 1986 to promote classroom achievement, is Kentucky’s premier academic competition. A contest consists of five written assessment exams, composition (on-demand writing), future problem-solving, and quick recall (quiz bowl). 

FCPS team results in Region 15

• Overall: 1. Winburn; 2. Tates Creek; 3. Beaumont; 4. Morton; 5. Southern.
• Future problem-solving: 1. Winburn; T2. Beaumont and Morton.
• Quick recall: 1. Beaumont; 2. Winburn; 3. Tates Creek; 4. Morton.

Complete details and students’ scores: www.kaac.com/results

The middle grades and high school divisions of Governor’s Cup include district, regional, and state competition. Elementary students participate only in district and regional contests. This year’s middle school state finals are March 19-21 in Louisville.

Lexington Sister Cities has selected 41 students from Fayette County and surrounding areas for the 2016 summer exchange programs to Deauville, France; County Kildare, Ireland; Shinhidaka, Japan; and Newmarket, England. This program gives students the opportunity to travel and experience the everyday culture of another country. Participants also host their corresponding student in Lexington to share a Kentucky and U.S. experience. For questions, contact assistant director Sarah Martin at (859) 258-3137. 

More than half of the 2016 participants are from Fayette County Public Schools. 

• Bryan Station: Priscilla Portwood.
• Henry Clay: Shelby Amato, Isabel Bandoroff, Will Blitch, Anne Boggess, Alex Flora, Holden Hall, McKenna Helfenberger, Jack May, and Catherine Van Tatenhove.
• Lafayette: Caroline Ackerman, Caity Frederick, Nicole Gravitt, Lucy Morris, Gabrielle Petersen, Emily Putman, and John Toney.
• Paul Laurence Dunbar: Olivia Geveden, Eleanor Liu, Lauren Prather, and Emily Sallengs.
• Tates Creek: Eliana Shapere.
• STEAM Academy: Nell Adkins, and Logan Poindexter.

SCAPA at Bluegrass barreled through the junior division of the Kentucky High School Speech League’s 2016 Bluegrass Regional Tournament, and Henry Clay High School was runner-up in the senior division. The Feb. 6 contests enabled additional students to qualify for the state competition this spring. 

Four schools, including SCAPA, participated in this year’s junior regional. Morton Middle School took third place, followed by Beaumont Middle. These FCPS individual awards all went to SCAPA students: 

• Broadcast Announcing: Samantha Briggs, first place; Nicholas Skidmore, runner-up;
• Duo Acting: Josh Cunningham and Drew Newsome, first; Jacob Ernst and Tommy Flanigan, runners-up;
• Declamation: Angie Xiao, first; Yelena Bagdasaryan, runner-up;
• Extemporaneous Speaking: Nicholas Skidmore, first;
• Improvisational Duo: Josh Cunningham and Tommy Flanigan, first; Wenbo Fan and Hailey Cooke, runners-up;
• Impromptu: Nicholas Skidmore, first; Yelena Bagdasaryan, runner-up;
• Interpretation of Literature: Helena Schatzki, first; Isabelle Logsdon, runner-up;
• Poetry: Maren Bylund, first; Sophia Li, runner-up;
• Prose: Helena Schatzki, first; Tuesday Hadden, runner-up;
• Original Oratory: Angie Xiao, first; Niki Maleki, runner-up;
• Solo Acting: Deya Andreev, first; Josh Cunningham, runner-up;
• Storytelling: Yelena Bagdasaryan, first; Isabelle Logsdon, runner-up.

Six high schools, including Henry Clay, competed in the senior regional tournament. Paul Laurence Dunbar placed third, followed by Lafayette. Individual results from FCPS included: 

• Broadcasting: Jacob Young, Henry Clay, first place;
• Declamation: Sahar Mohammadzadeh, Dunbar, first;
• Dramatic Interpretation: Cooper Boss, Henry Clay, first;
• Extemporaneous Speaking: Amir Abou-Jaoude, Henry Clay, first; Austin Li, Dunbar, runner-up;
• Humorous Interpretation: Maddie Butler, Henry Clay, first;
• Impromptu: Rachael Gilbert, Henry Clay, first;
• Improvisational Duo: Emma Bellomy and Faith LoPiccolo, Henry Clay, runners-up;
• Oratory: Amir Abou-Jaoude, Henry Clay, first;
• Poetry: Paige Barricklow, Henry Clay, first; Laura Rogers, Lafayette, runner-up;
• Program Oral Interpretation: Laura Rogers, Lafayette, runner-up.

Sara Francis, who leads the orchestra at Edythe J. Hayes Middle School, has been named the 2016 Outstanding Director by the Kentucky chapter of the American String Teachers Association (KY ASTA). This honor goes to a K-12 ensemble director who has demonstrated excellence in teaching and leadership. An admirer had this to say in nominating Francis: “Sara is a fine musician and caring teacher. She consistently takes her students to a higher level, and they absolutely love her. Sara is just one of the best!” 

Francis has taught orchestra in Fayette County Public Schools for 14 years, including 10 at Hayes. Her Hayes groups have performed twice at the Kentucky Music Educators Association’s conference and at the National Orchestra Festival in 2014. She also leads the Hayes Fiddle Club and teaches strings at Athens-Chilesburg Elementary. 

“I am so honored and humbled to receive this affirmation from my colleagues,” Francis said after accepting the KY ASTA award at their annual luncheon meeting Feb. 5 in Louisville. “We are so fortunate in Kentucky to have a wonderful network of orchestra and strings teachers that not only are tremendous music educators, but also supportive, caring, genuinely awesome people. It’s an honor to be recognized by them.” 

Francis graduated from Transylvania University with a bachelor’s degree in applied music/music education and earned her master’s in music theory from Northwestern University. “I love teaching music because it engages students intellectually, creatively, emotionally, and spiritually,” she said. “It gives them a chance to see the correlation between hard work and success and how their efforts as an individual can affect a group collaboration.  While music is highly valuable for its own sake, music is also a powerful tool that can help students to build a sense of self and a sense of community.” 

The brass quintet of Bailey Goff, Carson Crovo, David Vest, Herman Bratcher, and Michael Haymes of Lafayette High School won first-place honors in the University of Kentucky’s 2016 BrassFest competition. The fourth annual BrassFest, which met last month in Grant County, is an educational workshop geared for high school musicians.

This is the first time that a Fayette County team has topped the quintet contest, which is sponsored by UK and Pickett Brass and Blackburn Trumpets in Lexington. Previous winners were from Virginia and Franklin County, Ky.

A Run for the Arts 5K is slated for next month at Coldstream Park off Newtown Pike. Proceeds will benefit students in grades 4 through 12 via the School for the Creative and Performing Arts (SCAPA), where youngsters develop talents in ballet, contemporary dance, drama, voice, band, strings, piano, visual arts, and literary arts. 

The run starts at 2 p.m. Sunday March 13. Visit the race website for more details, including registration and packet pick-up. 

• Brochure

Paul Laurence Dunbar High School was overall runner-up in Region 11 of the 2016 Governor’s Cup, which concluded Feb. 20. The Governor’s Cup, which was founded in 1986 to promote classroom achievement, is Kentucky’s premier academic competition. A contest consists of five written assessment exams, composition (on-demand writing), future problem-solving and quick recall (quiz bowl). 

FCPS team results in Region 11

• Overall standings: 2^nd Dunbar; 6^th Tates Creek.
• Future problem-solving: 1^st Dunbar; 2^nd Tates Creek.
• Quick recall: 3^rd Dunbar.

Complete details and students’ scores: www.kaac.com/results

The middle grades and high school divisions of Governor’s Cup include district, regional, and state competition. This year’s state finals are March 19-21 in Louisville. (Elementary students participate only in district and regional contests.)

Henry Clay High School band students entertained thousands of Walt Disney World Resort guests with their Feb. 12 performance at Disney Springs in Florida. Under the direction of William Kite, the concert band put on a musical spectacular that featured “Songs of Old Kentucky.” During their four-day stay, the 100 students in grades 9-12 also immersed themselves in movie magic during a Disney Performing Arts workshop called “You’re Instrumental,’’ rehearsing classic film scores at Epcot. 

Vocal, instrumental, and dance ensembles from around the world apply for Disney Performing Arts at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort. Once selected, they get the opportunity to perform for an international audience of theme-park guests.

Students from Henry Clay High School were the only Kentucky participants in this year’s North American Invitational Model United Nations (NAIMUN), which ran Feb. 11-14 in Washington, D.C. They toured the Capitol, visited the Library of Congress, met with Congressman Andy Barr and Sen. Mitch McConnell, and received an official briefing at embassy of the Republic of Cyprus. Three Henry Clay students also earned recognition in the 2016 essay contest: Donald Andrews as runner-up, Rebekah George in third place, and Young-Kyung Kim in fourth. 

NAIMUN included more than 3,000 high school delegates and 200 Georgetown University student staffers from the Foreign Service School. Critical thinking, leadership, and teamwork were crucial in this educational simulation, in which the teenagers practiced international relations skills as U.N. diplomats. For questions, contact Henry Clay social studies teacher Scott Brown.

A team of “mathletes” from Winburn Middle School won first place in the local MATHCOUNTS on Feb. 20 at the University of Kentucky, where 18 area schools participated in bee-style contests. The top-scoring individual and recipient of a full-tuition, four-year scholarship offer from UK and a $1,000 scholarship offer from Western Kentucky University was Jason Wang of Beaumont Middle School. Jason also received a $500 scholarship from Kentucky MATHCOUNTS.  

The top three teams move on to this spring’s state competition:

• Winburn – William Ding, Lohith Tummala, Dylan Li, and Lynn Ye;
• Beaumont – Jason Wang, David Manche, Mohammad Rashad, and Fernando Macchiavello;
• Tates Creek – David Vulakh, Nicholas Clevenger, Ashley Su, and Rohan Rauch.  

Several individuals from Fayette County Public Schools also advance: Joey Ilagan and Noah Katz of Tates Creek, Isaac Martin of SCAPA at Bluegrass, and Ayush Kumar and Brian She of Winburn. 

The state MATHCOUNTS is slated for March 12 at the Clarion Hotel in Lexington. There, the top four individual scorers will be offered full-tuition, four-year scholarships to UK or the University of Louisville, and will move on to the Raytheon MATHCOUNTS national competition May 8 in Washington, D.C. Students who place 5^th through 10^th at state will receive a tuition scholarship of $1,500 per year to either UK or U of L. 

The local contest was sponsored by the Kentucky Society of Professional Engineers’ Bluegrass Chapter, GRW Engineers, HDR Engineering, Palmer Engineering, Thelen Associates, UK, and WKU. Winners at participating FCPS schools included: Beaumont – Jason Wang; Carter G. Woodson – Caleb Mensah; Crawford – Michael Fraley; Edythe J. Hayes – Nathaniel Ainslie; Jessie Clark – Jonathan Goshima; Leestown – Hunter Abshire; LTMS – Caleb Hunley; Morton – Dong-Yun Kim; SCAPA – Isaac Martin; Southern – Roshawn Apreti; Tates Creek – David Vulakh; and Winburn – William Ding. 

For questions, contact Natalee Feese in FCPS.

Laura Roché Youngworth, a French teacher at Beaumont Middle School, received the 2016 SCOLT Teacher of the Year Award during the Southern Conference on Language Teaching’s annual conference Feb. 18-20 in Charlotte, N.C. Each state in the 13-member area could send its top language teacher to compete at the regional level. Roché, who uses her maiden name professionally, was selected on the basis of excellent teaching, strong contributions to world languages, letters of recommendation, and an interview. In the words of her recommenders, Roché’s “learning environment is alive and contagious! Students want to participate, students want to learn, and students want to reach her high expectations.” 

Roché and three other regional winners now advance to the national contest sponsored by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL). The National Language Teacher of the Year, who will be announced in November during the ACTFL convention in Boston, will serve as the spokesperson for language learning in 2017.   

Roché, who in her 24th year of teaching French, graduated from the University of Kentucky with a bachelor’s degree in English, French, and Secondary Education; she earned a masters and Rank I in Curriculum and Instruction. In 2014, she finished her doctorate in Administration and Instruction. Roché has taught for the past six years at Beaumont and is the world languages content lead for Fayette County Public Schools. She is also host of the monthly podcast series “Language Talk: KWLA” (Kentucky World Language Association). Her presentations and publications are numerous, ranging from methods for increasing student communication to helping teachers build language programs. Roché herself has been featured in Kentucky Alumni magazine and in Kentucky Teacher, a publication of the Kentucky Department of Education.

Several students from Paul Laurence Dunbar High School brought home first-place honors from the 75^th annual Kentucky Beta Club senior convention, which ran Jan. 24-26 in Louisville. Kudos go out to Cici Mao in Math Division I, Jennifer Lee in Onsite Pencil Drawing, Thirushan Wignakumar in Science Division II, and David Ma in Spanish Division I. Also, the Dunbar team was runner-up in Quiz Bowl with Thirushan, Zsombor Gal, Erin Markel, and Zainab Kahloon; and placed third in Sweepstakes. In other results from FCPS, Ashton Brown of Lafayette High School placed third in French.

At the state’s junior convention, which ran Feb. 18-19 at the Galt House, Kailie Settles of Edythe J. Hayes Middle School was runner-up in Poetry.

National Beta Club promotes the ideals of academic achievement, character, service and leadership. The 2016 national conventions are slated for late June in New Orleans.

Several sites in Fayette County Public Schools now provide free after-school meals for low-income students through the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), which is run by the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service. All children and youth attending qualified educational and enrichment activities can receive healthy food options via the At-Risk After-School Meals component. 

The participating sites include Breckinridge, Cardinal Valley, Deep Springs, Glendover, Harrison, James Lane Allen, Julius Marks, Mary Todd, Meadowthorpe, Millcreek, Northern, Squires, Tates Creek, William Wells Brown, and Yates elementary schools, Bryan Station Middle School, and Lexington Traditional Magnet School. 

Meals are served at no charge and are provided without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. To file a discrimination complaint, call (866) 632-9992 or download the form and email it to program.intake@usda.gov. 

For questions in FCPS, contact Child Nutrition director Michelle Coker.