Credit: KY State Parks
Learn about the history of mining or buy a few antiques at the Eastern Mining Collectors Association’s annual Spring Meet and Show at Carter Caves State Resort Park on Saturday, April 7.
Vendors from across the country will be at the show to sell, buy and trade mining artifacts used in the mining of coal, gold, silver and copper. The artifacts include lamps, mine signs, photos, posters and other items. Vendors can also identify and give free appraisals of mining-related items that you might have hidden in your attic, basement or barn.
The show is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, April 7. The show is free to the public. Contact Chris Hacker at 513-383-8954 or email smgcaver@gmail.com for more information.
Carter Caves State Resort Park is located at 344 Caveland Drive in Olive Hill. The park has a lodge with a restaurant, cottages and campground. Besides cave tours, activities include hiking, horseback riding, swimming, boating and fishing. For more information about the park, call 606-286-4411 or visit www.parks.ky.gov.
Directions to Carter Caves: From Interstate 64, Exit 161, take U.S. 60 east. Go approximately two miles and turn left on KY 182 north. The park entrance is three miles from the left turn onto KY 182 north. Look for the signs pointing to the show at the park entrance.
The newly-created “ECHO Mobile,” which brings outdoor nature play activity to neighborhoods throughout Louisville, has been hitting the road and the full schedule of stops for this spring and summer has been released.
Children and families will play with everything from musical instruments to materials for creating imaginative natural Louisville ECHO will be visiting local parks and community centers.
For the full ECHO schedule, please click here.
Class Act Federal Credit Union and the Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation will host dozens of talented kids at the Academic Challenge this weekend. The quick-recall tournament is set for this Saturday, March 24, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel Downtown. The tournament is coordinated by Jefferson County Public Schools is scheduled for 8 AM to 3 PM.
“The Academic Challenge event is a great way to showcase the academic achievements of not only our local students, but also our public schools,” said Jeff English, President of the KDF Foundation. “The competition continues to grow each year with more teams participating.”
The Class Act Federal Credit Union Academic Challenge is an opportunity for elementary students from all over the county to test their acumen by answering questions pertaining to math, science, social studies, language arts and humanities. This year’s competition will feature 12 teams from local elementary schools and 150 students.
“Class Act Federal Credit Union is a not for profit education-based financial cooperative, founded by a group of JCPS teachers in 1954,” said Pat Curran, SVP Marketing and Business Development, Class Act Federal Credit Union. “As part of our support for education in Kentucky, we are happy to support the Kentucky Derby Festival’s Academic Challenge.
The top three schools will be awarded trophies, with first through third also receiving monetary awards. It’s free for spectators. For more information contact Doug Wilham at douglas.wilham@jefferson.kyschools.us or (502) 485-3702.
The event is sponsored by Class Act Federal Credit Union and coordinated by Jefferson County Public Schools. It is a Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation event
Ashlee Kemper, a third-grade teacher at Cochran Elementary School, has been presented with the Excellence in Classroom and Educational Leadership (ExCEL) Award. Representatives from Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) and from the award sponsors — LG&E and KU and WHAS11 — honored the teacher on March 20 during a ceremony at the school.
“Mrs. Kemper is kind and patient, all the while setting extremely high expectations for all children and holding all children accountable,” said Principal Tim Foster. “Her presence on our faculty is one of the reasons we have been able to move our school forward. She is what all principals pray for.”
Kemper is the past recipient of several educational awards, including Student Teacher of the Year at the University of Louisville and the 2014 Hilliard Lyons Teacher of the Year. In addition, she serves as a teacher leader at the school and is an active participant in her professional learning community.
“Ashlee knows her students very well, and because of this knowledge she is able to assist students in setting goals in all content areas and then helping them achieve those goals,” said Susan Spencer, a goal clarity coach at Cochran. “Through her knowledge and relationship building with her students she is able to set a tone of community in her classroom like no other.”
As part of LG&E and KU’s commitment to supporting education across the communities it serves, Kemper and other ExCEL Award winning teachers each receive a $1,000 instructional grant from the company.
Six Marion C. Moore School students recently earned top honors at the third annual Kentucky ProStart Invitational, a high school competition focused on restaurant management and culinary arts.
Teams representing high schools and educational centers from across the state traveled to Shepherdsville on March 10 to compete in the event, hosted by the Kentucky Restaurant Association Education Foundation.
Moore students Ambur Crawford and Jaylan Taylor finished first in the management portion of the competition for their concept called “On the Fly,” an airport restaurant that serves soul food. The management competition challenges students to demonstrate their knowledge of the industry by developing a restaurant proposal, delivering a verbal presentation and applying critical thinking skills to challenges that restaurant managers face in day-to-day operations.
Students Viviana Hernandez, Zulmara Suarez, Jose Fonseca and Jonathon Soeder earned a second-place finish in the culinary portion of the competition, which challenges students to execute perfect knife cuts, develop a three-course meal in one hour (using only two butane burners), and cost-out the meal for menu pricing. Students are evaluated by industry professional on their sanitation, teamwork, organization and taste.
“The competition is an outstanding opportunity for high school students to demonstrate the skills they’ve learned through the ProStart program,” said Stacy Roof, Kentucky Restaurant Association president and CEO. “ProStart students are learning to form a career path from their passion for the culinary arts. This competition represents the culmination of countless hours of preparation throughout the school year.”
Moore is one of 12 high schools participating in the Academies of Louisville initiative, which shifts away from traditional techniques and allows students to connect what they’re learning in the classroom to the real world through a subject that interests them. Academies at Moore include the Freshman Academy; Health Sciences Academy; Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Academy; and Community Academy, which includes culinary and food services.
ProStart is a nationwide, two-year high school program that unites the classroom and industry to develop the best and brightest talent into tomorrow’s restaurant and foodservice leaders.
Thirteen seniors from Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) have been awarded the 2018 Vogt Educational & Leadership Scholarship, which recognizes the students for their academic achievements and leadership in and out of the classroom. The students will be celebrated for their accomplishments during the annual awards luncheon, being held at noon on Monday, March 19 at The Olmsted, 3701 Frankfort Ave.
Prior to his death in 1999, Henry V. Heuser Sr. established the endowed scholarship fund at the Community Foundation of Louisville to provide $10,000 college scholarships annually to remarkable JCPS high school seniors. This special award honors exceptional students throughout Jefferson County who have demonstrated high standards of scholarship, leadership, character and citizenship. Including this year, more than $2.9 million has been awarded to 291 students.
Henry V. Heuser Jr. will host the annual awards luncheon to present the scholarships. He will be joined by Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, JCPS Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio, JCPS principals, more than 100 business and community leaders, and several university and college presidents from the region who have contributed additional scholarship incentives if the awardees attend their colleges.
Student winners are selected based on SAT/ACT scores and cumulative GPAs, as well as demonstrated community and campus leadership, participation in extracurricular activities, and recommendations from principals and community leaders.
The 2018 Vogt Educational & Leadership Scholarship recipients are:
Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes on Thursday recognized educators and community leaders for their work to promote civic education and engagement in Kentucky. She held a ceremony at Rupp Arena during the Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Boys’ Sweet 16 and honored an individual from each KHSAA region and a statewide recipient.
“Right now, teachers and educators are routinely being disrespected by the Governor and members of the General Assembly,” said Grimes. “And while the men and women who make positive impacts in the lives of our young people and inspire their growth are being insulted, at the same time, resources are being cut from education. Today, I expressed to these leaders that they are valued and the work they do is crucial to the future of our Commonwealth. They pour their energy into the success of Kentucky’s youth and deserve not only respect but accolades. Our Civic Education Leadership Award honors their outstanding work.”
The Kentucky Outstanding Civic Education Leadership Award program recognizes teachers, school administrators, legislators and community leaders who have made notable contributions toward promoting or implementing civic learning to prepare students to be active and engaged in their communities.
Eric Sexton of Edmonton (Region 4) received the 2018 award. He organizes leadership government sessions for local middle and high school students, which provides them first-hand experience with state government in Frankfort and meetings with their state legislators. Sexton regularly helps organize high school voter registration and education drives. As a career/college coordinator in Metcalfe County, Sexton oversaw a 20 percent increase in college-bound graduates. He received a $1,000 award to be used toward resources for his civic programs.
The 16 regional finalists are:
Each regional finalist received a $250 award for their civic education programs.
The Secretary of State’s office’s partners with Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts, which judges the nominations, and Kentucky Department of Education to present this award annually.