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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.
More than 75,000 trucking professionals and representatives will park in Louisville March 22-24 for the Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS), the largest annual heavy-duty trucking industry event in the world.
The Kentucky Exposition Center has hosted MATS every year since 1972, and the show brings $26 million in economic impact to the Louisville region.
This industry-only event accommodates the entire trucking industry in one venue, so professionals can see new products and services; test drive new trucks and technology; connect with suppliers, distributors and customers; and stay up-to-date with changes in the industry.
More than 1,000 exhibitors will showcase everything from engines to electronics, tools to tires and sealants to sleeper cabs – plus a large number of recruiters will be in attendance. Numerous seminars offer educational opportunities for companies, fleets and trucking professionals.
For more information, visit www.truckingshow.com.
Louisville Metro Senior Nutrition Program announced its support and participation in the 16th annual March for Meals – the month-long, nationwide celebration of Meals on Wheels and the homebound and vulnerable seniors who rely on this vital safety net.
“The services that we provide the seniors of Louisville are critical and the need is rapidly increasing,” said Faith Aeilts, program manager for the city’s Senior Nutrition Program, part of Louisville Metro Office of Resilience and Community Services. “Together, we can keep seniors living independently, healthier at home and feeling more connected to their community as they age.”
The Senior Nutrition Program works year-round to help seniors stay healthy by providing hot, nutritious meals. Through the Meals on Wheels program, hundreds of volunteers helped deliver over 100,000 hot noontime meals last year to qualified individuals. Another 90,000 meals were served to active seniors at more than 20 congregate meal sites, which offer seniors an opportunity for a nutritious lunch, socialization and activities.
“This March, hundreds of local Meals on Wheels programs will rally their communities to build the support that will enable them to deliver nutritious meals, friendly visits and safety checks to America’s most at-risk seniors all year long,” said Ellie Hollander, President and CEO of Meals on Wheels America. “With the demand for Meals on Wheels increasing along with our country’s senior population, we need to ensure that seniors are not forgotten.”
To spotlight important services provided by the Senior Nutrition Program and to help recruit volunteers, Mayor Greg Fischer, six Louisville Metro Council members and other local leaders will help deliver meals to homebound seniors during March. This Week, March 19 – 23, the following individuals will deliver meals: Council Members Jessica Green (District 1), Barbara Sexton Smith (District 4), Brandon Coan (District 8), Bill Hollander (District 9), Pat Mulvihill (District 10), and Vicki Aubrey Welch (District 13) along with Becky Peak, Mayor of the City of Plantation.
Mayor Fischer will deliver meals on March 22 in the Buechel area. Resilience and Community Services Director Gena Redmon and Chief Resilience Officer Eric Friedlander will also be participating this month as well.
The Senior Nutrition Program seeks volunteers all year long to help in a variety of capacities, including packaging and serving meals at one of the congregate sites, and delivering meals to homebound clients. For more information about volunteering, call (502) 574-6420. Volunteer drivers are especially needed for routes in the west and south ends of Louisville. To make a financial donation to Meals on Wheels, click here for Louisville Metro’s secure on-line donation form.
Meals on Wheels is available to qualified seniors in Jefferson County, 60 years or older, who are homebound with no one available to help prepare meals. Seniors who would like to receive Meals on Wheels can call (502) 574-6325 to begin the qualification process. The senior congregate sites for more active seniors, 60 and older, can be found by calling the same number above or by visiting https://louisvilleky.gov/government/resilience-and-community-services/senior-nutrition-program. Sites require a one-day advanced reservation.
Mayor Greg Fischer announced today the kickoff of Louisville’s participation in National Youth Violence Prevention Week, a campaign to boost violence prevention awareness and strategies for youth, parents, teachers, school personnel and community members.
From March 19 to March 23, nearly 100 activities, trainings, art projects and anti-violence campaigns will be held by Louisville schools and other youth-serving organizations throughout the community. Activities were identified by 40 young leaders convened for planning sessions and will center on violence prevention strategies such as knowing the signs of violence to prevent it before it happens, promoting respect and tolerance, being an upstander, resolving conflicts peacefully and uniting in action.
The week is a partnership among Mayor Fischer’s Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods, Jefferson County Public Schools, Cities United, Metro United Way, Peace Education, Centerstone, Muhammad Ali Center, Center for Women and Families, Louisville Metro Police and other groups, and part of a national initiative organized by Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE), an initiative of Newtown, Connecticut-based group Sandy Hook Promise.
“Teaching young people strategies to prevent youth violence before it starts is another building block toward our goal to create a compassionate city where every youth feels safe and has the opportunity to reach their full potential,” Mayor Fischer said. “This week shows the important role young people can have, and want to have, in making their communities safer.”
“As superintendent, I’m so proud of the positive steps our students and staff are taking to promote inclusion and reduce violence, not just this week but throughout the year,” said Dr. Marty Pollio, superintendent of Jefferson County Public Schools. “Safety is our highest priority, and it’s profoundly rewarding to see this next generation of leaders taking up that mantle to model, by word and deed, what needs to be done to make their schools and communities safer.”
According to SAVE, 60 percent of American children are exposed to violence, crime or abuse in their homes, schools or communities. The issue of youth violence prevention has once again come under a national spotlight following school shootings in Parkland, Fla. and Marshall County, Ky. Recently, students from across the United States, including Louisville, walked out of schools to recognize victims of shootings and call for measures to reduce school violence.
National Youth Violence Prevention Week is just one of the efforts coordinated by the Office of Safe and Health Neighborhoods, created by Mayor Fischer in 2013 and charged with helping create a city of safe neighborhoods, where everyone is supported, free of violence, and prepared for lifelong success. Throughout the week, participants will be using the social media hashtags #LouYVPW and #NYVPW.
Media wishing to visit school activities on March 19 for b-roll or reporting may consider the following:
Carter Traditional Elementary, 3600 Bohne Ave, Louisville, KY 40211, is partnering with the Junior League of Louisville for a ‘Painting a Pathway for Peace’ activity until 3 p.m. on the 19th. All students and staff will paint pebbles throughout the day as a symbol of working together for a common goal; the colored pebbles will then be used to fill in a pathway in the school’s courtyard as a visual reminder of the project.
At Kammerer Middle School, 7315 Wesboro Road, students in various grades will be displaying posters and chain links with non-violence themes in the hallways, and airing student-made public service announcements about peace and inclusion throughout the day.
After a successful inaugural event last year that saw more than 1,000 children attend, Louisville Parks and Recreation is hosting an Easter Egg Hunt at Riverside, the Farnsley-Moremen Landing on Saturday, March 24.
The event will begin at 10 a.m., and five age groups will participate in this year’s hunt:
- Ages 10-12: 10:30 – 11 a.m.
- Ages 8-10: 11-11:30 a.m.
- Ages 7-9: 11:30 a.m. – noon
- Ages 4-6: Noon-12:30 p.m.
- Ages 1-3: 1:30 – 2 p.m.
The cost to participate in the event is $2 per child. Music, crafts and food trucks will all be on site at Riverside on March 24 for additional entertainment options.
“There’s no prettier area during the spring to have an event than Riverside,” said Seve Ghose, Director of Parks and Recreation. “We had a successful first year. The children had fun, and we’re looking forward to seeing their smiling faces back at Riverside again on March 24.”
For more information, visit www.riverside-landing.org.
Churchill Downs announced Champions Day presented by Twinspires.com, a new Derby Week event that will take place at the racetrack on Tuesday, May 1, 2018. Champions Day will delight Kentucky Derby fans by celebrating the greatest moments in the sport’s history and honoring its legendary jockeys and trainers. Gates open at 11:00 a.m., first post at 12:45 p.m. Tickets start at $10 at www.KentuckyDerbyWeek.com.
In addition to a full day of live Thoroughbred races, this must-see event for any racing fan will offer guests the opportunity to meet famed Derby and Oaks-winning jockeys and trainers. These horse racing legends will be in the Plaza and Paddock from 12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Guests can purchase a collectible poster for the jockeys and trainers to sign. Proceeds from the poster sales will benefit the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.
Featured jockeys include Pat Day, winner of the Kentucky Oaks in 1988 and 2000 and the Kentucky Derby in 1992; Gary Stevens, winner of the Kentucky Oaks in 1986 and 1999 and the Kentucky Derby in 1988, 1995, and 1997; and Craig Perret who won the 1990 Kentucky Derby. Hall of Famers D. Wayne Lukas, a four-time Kentucky Derby winner in 1988, 1995, 1996 and 1999, and Carl Nafzger, who trained the 1990 and 2007 Kentucky Derby winners, will be two of several featured trainers.
Champions Day guests are invited to learn from the best in the business at the Advanced Insider Handicapping Seminar presented by Twinspires.com in the Aristides Lounge from 12:00 p.m. – 12:40 p.m. “At the Races” host Steve Byk and clocker and bloodstock agent, Gary Young, will share their expertise on Derby Week handicapping. Two of the most respected handicappers in the game, Byk’s “At the Races” is Thoroughbred racing’s longest running and best known daily radio news magazine, while horses recommended by Young have accounted for three Breeders Cup and 17 Grade I races.
Derby history enthusiasts will especially enjoy the Big Board on Champions Day as it brings Kentucky Derby history to life. The Kentucky Derby Museum and Churchill Downs have curated captivating oral history, fascinating trivia and archived footage of the sport’s most sensational moments to share throughout the day.
Fans who want to take advantage of everything that Champions Day and Tuesday of Derby Week have to offer can purchase the “Ultimate Champions Experience.” This $250 special ticket package includes:
- “Inside The Vault” tour at the Kentucky Derby Museum with its curators to visit rare racing artifacts not currently on display to the public
- A seat in the Stakes Room Veranda during Champions Day
- An exclusive meet and greet with legendary jockeys and trainers·
- All day access to the Kentucky Derby Museum
The First 20 guests to purchase Ultimate Champions Experience tickets will receive one admission pass to the Derby Post Draw at 11:00 a.m. on Champions Day. www.KentuckyDerbyWeek.com.
