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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.
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:
- Franklin Alongi, Atherton High School
- Brian Knapp, Ballard High School
- Randi House, Butler Traditional High School
- Nora Alshimary, Brown School
- Madison Sneve, DuPont Manual High School
- Jovita Devasia, Eastern High School
- Patrick Ryan, Fern Creek High School
- David Do, Fairdale High School
- Rachel Roberts, Jeffersontown High School
- Kaylee Coleman, Louisville Male High School
- Madison Shely, Marion C. Moore School
- Ryan Finley, Southern High School
- Oliver Kratholm, Waggener High School
Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio tonight announced a new task force to reimagine and reshape the district’s alternative school programs.
“It’s time to rethink how we deliver services to our most at-risk students—ensuring that we’re providing them a quality education, relevant and career-focused opportunities and the comprehensive support services they need to thrive both in school and at home,” Dr. Pollio said.
The new model would establish separate programs and facilities for middle and high school students. Additionally, it would focus on providing career-focused opportunities to students by linking them to Academies of Louisville programming and providing a more personalized learning experience. This would allow students to make progress at the appropriate pace, instead of being confined by the restraints of a particular schedule structure.
“Currently, they’re all on traditional schedules, which is particularly challenging for students in an alternative-school setting, who are often behind,” said assistant superintendent Dr. Katy Zeitz, who oversees alternative schools and will serve as the task force chair. “Our goal is to reconnect and provide support to some of our most disenfranchised students. The task force will brainstorm and consider options, think through research-based programming and best practice strategies that work best for at-risk students and help vet new programs for JCPS.”
Dr. Zeitz is working closely with the JCPS Office of Diversity, Equity and Poverty Programs (DEP) to identify and select individuals within the district and community who can provide expertise and insight into relevant practices with at-risk and court-involved youth.
“Our task is: how do we build a situation that is safe and relevant, but also meets the social and emotional needs of students who have experienced the kinds of violence and trauma that some of our kids have seen?” Dr. Zeitz said. “We want to provide more wrap-around and therapeutic supports to students, and collaborate and partner with other city efforts around response to trauma, violence prevention and safe and healthy neighborhoods.”
The group will convene for the first time this spring. Pending any needed approvals from the Jefferson County Board of Education, changes to the district’s alternative school programs would be effective with the 2019-20 school year.
3-day summit to train educators on restorative intervention strategies
Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) and Spalding University are teaming up to host a three-day summit to highlight and train educators on restorative justice practices.
The Restorative Justice Practices Training Summit, being held March 14-16 at Spalding, will educate school administrators, teachers, staff and school resource officers about the methods of restorative practice, a social science that seeks to manage conflict and tensions by repairing harm and restoring relationships.
“Restorative practice has been a valuable tool in guiding how we respond to conflict and misbehavior in the classroom while emphasizing safety and accountability,” JCPS Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio said. “Our ultimate goal is to utilize these strategies to decrease referrals and improve school attendance.”
JCPS has turned to intervention strategies such as restorative practice and Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports in recent years to proactively manage student behavior. The district implemented a restorative practice pilot at 10 schools this fall, with another eight schools to be added in the 2018-19 school year. Preliminary data indicate that restorative practice elementary and high schools were outperforming the district on suspension incidents, suspension days and in-school suspensions, while two of the three middle schools in the pilot have shown recent improvements in the suspension data.
“We look forward to hosting JCPS leaders and resource officers on our campus to learn more about restorative practices,” Spalding President Tori Murden McClure said. “At Spalding, we’ve made restorative practices a priority and believe they are a thoughtful, compassionate way to manage conflicts and build community. Spalding has implemented restorative techniques and methods on our campus to help find solutions and understanding in a range of settings.”
The first day of the conference is designed for professionals who work in K-12 educational settings and are interesting in finds ways to implement restorative practice in their schools.
School resource officers will take part in the second and third days of the conference, which will include training and offer examples on how to utilize authority in restorative ways. The focus will be on fostering positive relationships with students and how to implement talking circles – controlled group conversations designed to promote dialogue about difficult topics and offer all parties equal time to talk freely in a safe setting.
In some cases, restorative practices are also being used as an alternative to the traditional criminal justice system in Louisville. With restorative practices, the offender and victim volunteer to participate together to express what harm has been done, who is responsible for repairing that harm and how can that harm be repaired, according to Restorative Justice Louisville, whose offices are located on Spalding’s campus.
The International Institute of Restorative Practices and local law enforcement agencies will all be partners in the training. In addition, JCPS Behavior Support Systems Department Coordinator Naomi Brahim and resource teachers Angel Jackson and Ronzell Smith will present, along with Spalding Director of Forensic Psychology and Restorative Studies Dr. Ida Dickie and forensic psychology graduate student Mariya Leyderman.
The conference is being held at Spalding University’s College Street Building, 812 Second St.
Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio announced today that Kymberly “Kym” Rice has been named the new principal of the Academy @ Shawnee. Rice will begin leading the school on March 19.
“Kym is a tireless leader who is passionate about providing educational supports for students and ensuring that every child is engaged and feels a sense of belonging,” Dr. Pollio said. “She has a proven record of successful school turnaround work, and I know that great things are in store for Shawnee as she engages with families, staff and stakeholders to reimagine the opportunities available for students.”
Rice currently serves as the principal for Western Middle School for the Arts (WMSFA), where she’s worked to transform the instruction, expectations, culture and climate over the past five years. Staff and coworkers describe her as a tireless advocate for students.
“It was a difficult decision to leave WMSFA where we’ve had tremendous success, but those who know me best know that my work is a calling, and I feel led to impact the lives of even more students at Shawnee,” Rice said. “I look forward to partnering with the Shawnee community to create a new map for improvement and growth at this historic institution.”
Before leading WMSFA, Rice worked as a turnaround expert for the Kentucky Department of Education.
In Rice’s absence, assistant superintendent Michelle Dillard will work alongside retired administrator Betty Graham to oversee day-to-day operations at WMSFA until the end of the year. A new principal will be named this summer.
Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) will open the application period for prospective charter schools on April 16 when it releases its Request for Charter School Applications (RFCSA). The 60-day application period, for schools looking to open in the 2019/20 school year, will run through June 15.
Potential applicants are encouraged to take advantage of technical assistance opportunities offered by JCPS throughout the application period. Each application will be reviewed based on its merit against the rubric published in the RFCSA. There is no incentive in submitting an application early.
The Jefferson County RFCSA will include the Kentucky Charter School Application as well as additional questions specific to community needs in Jefferson County. In addition, the RFCSA will include more information about the form, format and information required for the completion of the application.
Cassie Blausey, director of school choice for JCPS, said the district must move forward with the application process even though state funding has not yet been determined. “Charter school legislation was passed during the 2017 legislative session. As a result, all local school boards are automatically charter school authorizers and required to comply with the legislation,” she said. “The RFCSA is the board’s action to comply with the legislation.”
Potential applicants are encouraged to contact Blausey at cassiopia.blausey@jefferson.kyschools.us, or at (502) 485-3138, for more information.
Ashley Scholle, a fourth grade language arts and social studies teacher at Audubon Traditional 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 6 during a ceremony at the school.
“Ms. Scholle is a wonderful fourth grade teacher who models integrity, respect, creativity and accountability,” said Audubon Principal Tiffany Marshall. “She is a leader in the building who supports the students inside and outside of the classroom. Students know they have to learn, and are willing to be challenged to reach their potential.”
Scholle dedicates extensive time and energy to her students and school community outside the classroom as well. She has been involved in numerous initiatives, including the Reading Content Specialist Team and Visual and Performing Arts Program Review Committee, teaches Extended Learning and serves as Quick Recall Coach.
“Mrs. Scholle has a passion for teaching and helping students realize their full potential by creating a safe and engaging learning environment that inspires students to work at higher levels,” said Robin Divine, a counselor at Audubon. “She inspires students to participate in her classroom and they always feel safe to ask questions to further their knowledge.”
As part of LG&E and KU’s commitment to supporting education across the communities it serves, Scholle and other ExCEL Award winning teachers each receive a $1,000 instructional grant from the company.
