Thursday January 22, 2026
Local Connection
Weather
Traffic
@LouisvilleDispatch
@LouisvilleDisp
Subscribe
A Pleasure Ridge Park High School student, alumnus and teacher have earned a prestigious media award by the Ohio Valley Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS).
Sophomore Laquan Richardson and Class of 2017 graduate Jailen Leavell, along with teacher Mary Dunn, recently received a Student Production Award for their video news story titled English Conversation Club. The piece highlights an outreach program in Louisville aimed at connecting the city’s immigrants with volunteers.
The Student Production Award competition received entries from colleges, universities and high schools across the chapter’s four-state region. Industry professionals judged and critiqued the entries, which showcased a wide range of talent from these future broadcasters and media producers.
“The work of our region’s students continues to impress the professionals who judge their submissions,” said Leslie Blackston-Favors, High School Student Awards Chairman for the Ohio Valley Chapter. Richardson, Leavell and Dunn will officially accept their award during the chapter’s annual Emmy® Awards Gala in August.
Breckinridge-Franklin Elementary School student Carymnn Blakely is a National Braille Challenge champion. The 8-year-old recently earned first place at the competition in the apprentice category, which included first- and second-graders. Carmynn’s mother, Rebecca Brown, and teacher Deanna Lefan traveled with Carmynn to watch her compete in the contest, which was hosted by the Braille Institute in Los Angeles.
“It was wonderful news to learn that Carmynn had won,” said Breckinridge-Franklin Principal Cathy Bosemer. “We are so proud of her!”
Fifty students from the U.S. and Canada participated in the national competition. The contest included spelling, reading comprehension and proofreading. Congrats, Carmynn!
Photo: JCPS
Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) has kicked off its Summer Food Service Program, offering free nutritionally balanced meals to children and teens to help prevent the nutritional ‘summer slide.’ The free breakfasts and lunches are available Monday through Friday at 127 sites throughout the summer.
“We know that making sure young people maintain a healthy diet is a key factor in how much they retain of what they’ve learned,” JCPS Superintendent Dr. Donna Hargens said. “The summer food program helps ensure that a nutritious meal is readily available throughout the county, and at locations that make it easy for young people to access.”
The program operates at open sites—which serve meals to any child on a first-come, first-served basis—and at certain camps and summer programs. Participants can also get a meal at the JCPS Bus Stop Café, a converted school bus that travels to sites where young people typically gather, such as parks and pools. The program is open to anyone age 18 or under, regardless of whether they attend a JCPS school.
“JCPS is proud to sponsor the USDA Summer Food Service Program,” JCPS Nutrition Services Director Julia Bauscher said. “This program helps all children in Jefferson County have a healthy, fun summer. We hope that children will join us for summer meals at one of our 120-plus sites!”
Families can find a site near them by texting “FOOD” to 877877, checking the school menu section of the JCPS mobile app or by visiting JCPS.Nutrislice.com.
Last year, JCPS served 104,689 breakfasts and 178,121 lunches throughout the summer as part of its free Summer Food Service Program. The program is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
More than 1,600 educators from across Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) will convene at the Kentucky Exposition Center over the next three days for the inaugural JCPS Deeper Learning Symposium—a powerful new summer conference led by educators and focused on innovative ideas in JCPS.
The JCPS Deeper Learning Symposium, held June 7-9, will feature nationally prominent keynote speakers as well as a number of JCPS teachers and educators as presenters. JCPS Superintendent Dr. Donna Hargens will welcome attendees at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday in the South Hall. Dr. Marty Pollio will also help kick off the symposium as a featured presenter with a session on deeper learning in action in JCPS at 10 a.m. The sessions are open to members of the media.
The symposium will focus on the district’s vision to create personalized, deeper learning for every student and professional—a key goal of the Vision 2020 strategic plan. Deeper learning is grounded in helping students develop the social, emotional and intellectual knowledge, skills, capacities and dispositions to thrive in school and beyond by cultivating:
- Caring, constructive learning relationships;
- Meaningful, personalized, real-world learning experiences;
- And supportive, equity-focused learning environments.
Six Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) District schools rank among the top public high schools in Kentucky and earned national recognition in the 2017 U.S. News and World Reports high school rankings.
“This is another example of the personalized deeper learning experience that JCPS provides to each student, and an affirmation of the positive impact that our strategic plan, Vision 2020, is having across the district,” said Superintendent Dr. Donna Hargens.
DuPont Manual High School is ranked the top public high school in the state, and earned a gold medal ranking from the publication. That’s followed by the J. Graham Brown School at No. 7; Louisville Male High School at No. 12; Atherton High School at No. 15; Waggener High School at No. 43; and Butler Traditional High School at No. 59.
Brown, Male and Atherton also earned silver medal recognition as high-performing schools based on college readiness, and Waggener and Butler earned bronze medal status as high-performing schools based on state exam performance.
For a full list of the Kentucky rankings, click here.
The Jefferson County Board of Education (JCBE) announced the selection of Dr. Martin “Marty” Pollio to serve as acting superintendent of the Jefferson County Public School (JCPS) District. Dr. Pollio will officially assume the post on July 2.
“Dr. Pollio is the right person at the right time to steer this district—providing stability and direction while giving the board time to name a superintendent,” said Board Chair Chris Brady. “Dr. Pollio has a proven track record of turning around struggling schools, increasing student achievement and helping create and implement career pathways. He’s a proven leader who is respected by his peers and has the skills needed to continue moving our district forward.”
Dr. Pollio began his career with JCPS in 1997 as a social studies teacher at Shawnee High School. He went on to serve as a teacher and assistant principal at Waggener High School before taking the helm as principal of Jeffersontown High School from 2007–2015. Dr. Pollio is currently the principal of Doss High School and is taking a leave of absence from that position while he serves the district as acting superintendent.
“For 20 years, I’ve dedicated my career to serving the students of JCPS,” Dr. Pollio said. “It is an honor to serve as the acting superintendent, and I appreciate the work of the district’s 15,000 employees who make learning possible every day. I will work to build a positive culture and climate by creating healthy learning environments in each school that empower teachers to keep our focus on the most important people we serve—our students.”
Dr. Pollio received his undergraduate degree from Indiana University and his master’s degree from Eastern Kentucky University. He earned his doctorate from the University of Louisville in 2012.
The board will continue its search for a permanent superintendent. The process is expected to take at least six months.
More than a dozen students from the Jefferson County Public School (JCPS) District recently earned top honors at the SkillsUSA state championships in Louisville. Students from nine JCPS high schools competed in the annual competition, which gives students from across Kentucky the opportunity to demonstrate their skills and expertise in a variety of in-demand career areas. SkillsUSA Kentucky is a partnership of students, teachers and industry representatives working together to ensure the state has a skilled workforce.
JCPS students brought home a total of 17 awards in categories that included Heavy Equipment Training, Automotive Refinishing Technology, Computer Programming and Technical Drafting. The students are enrolled in career-theme schools in JCPS, where they invest time developing marketable skills in high-demand fields.
Winners from JCPS include:
- Skylar Sample, Fairdale, Heavy Equipment (First)
- Curtis Simmons, Fairdale, Heavy Equipment (Second)
- William Propes, Fairdale, Heavy Equipment (Third)
- Kaylyn Wade, Pleasure Ridge Park, Photo Art Display (First)
- Abigail Stewart, Pleasure Ridge Park, Advertising Design (First)
- Rawan Saleh, Fern Creek, Advertising Design (Second)
- Sean Riggle, Southern, Automotive Refinishing Technology (First)
- Aaron Araujo, Southern, Collision Repair Technology (First)
- Iosef Casas, Fern Creek, Computer Programming (First)
- Breagan Craig, Fern Creek, Computer Programming (Second)
- Kaylyn Wade, Pleasure Ridge Park, Photography (First)
- Patrick Cleary, Pleasure Ridge Park, Photography (Third)
- Justin Schneider, Jeffersontown, Technical Drafting (Second)
- Daniel Berry, Jeffersontown, Technical Drafting (Third)
- Collin Bradley, Roderick Coleman and Tyler Zickel, Southern, Community Service (First)
- Skylar Sample, Fairdale, Extemporaneous Speaking (First)
- Jameir Kirkpatrick, Iroquois, Prepared Speech (Second)
First-place winners will have the opportunity to compete in the national SkillsUSA championship in June, which is being at the Kentucky Expo Center. More than 16,000 people — including students, teachers and business partners — are expected to participate in the weeklong event.
