The First Degree
The response was enthusiastic to the KSBA Board of Directors’ inaugural First Degree College Scholarship Program, designed to help students who will be the first in their immediate family to pursue postsecondary education.
A total of 126 of the state’s 174 school boards submitted the names of 231 high school seniors for the two $2,500 scholarships. That breaks down to 122 female students and 109 males who were eligible to win the grants.
Selection was made by blind draw during the Dec. 6 meeting of the KSBA board. The names will be kept under wraps until the recipients are officially announced and introduced at the Feb. 4 luncheon general session during the association’s annual conference, Feb. 3-5 in Louisville.
The scholarships will be paid directly to any two- or four-year college or university upon receipt of a copy of a letter of acceptance to the selected students. The scholarship may be used at any accredited postsecondary institution, in state or out.
Financial support for the scholarships is being provided this year by the Kentucky School Plant Management Association, Towing and Recovery Association of Kentucky and Codell Construction.
Battle star
Energy-reduction efforts at Northern Elementary School in Scott County placed it at the top of all Kentucky schools that participated in the 2011 Energy Star National Building Competition: Battle of the Buildings. The contest is sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Northern Elementary reduced its energy use by 28.55 percent through a variety of strategies, including getting the entire staff and students involved in saving energy, and doing major lighting retrofits throughout the school. The savings for this year was $18,725. In addition to its first-place finish in the state, Northern was fifth nationally in K-12 schools and 13th among the 245 buildings in the competition.
Top superintendent
Jessamine County Schools Superintendent Lu Young is the Kentucky Association of School Administrators’ Superintendent of the Year. Pictured at left with Jo Ann Rohrback, a Jessamine County school board member who nominated her for the award, she was recognized at the Kentucky Association of School Superintendents’ winter conference in December.
Young worked her way up in the district from teacher to the top job. Under her leadership, the district has seen a dramatic drop in its dropout rate, along with higher reading and math scores and increased graduation rate.
“Lu is a superintendent who is leading the way for education in Kentucky,” Rohrback said in her letter of nomination.
Young’s community involvement includes the local United Way and Rotary Club; she also is president-elect of the chamber of commerce.
In her field, Young serves as one of two Kentucky representatives on the American Association of School Administrators Governing Board and chairs the Kentucky School Curriculum Assessment and Accountability Council, among other groups she serves.