Religion and Education
Live Web cast
Education Department hosts show from Madison County
David Couch, associate commissioner for the Office of Education Technology in the Kentucky Department of Education, hosted his monthly Web cast live Tuesday from the Madison County Technology Center.
His special guests for the month included Madison County Schools Superintendent Tommy Floyd, Madison County Schools Board of Education Chairperson Becky Coyle and Madison County Schools Technology Director Charlene McGee.
“We are very proud to have you in our district today,” Floyd told Couch. “It’s always an honor to get to show off our district on the state stage.”
Couch talked with the three Madison County representatives about the integration of technology into the instructional practices throughout the district. The focus of his questioning was about the Dual Credit program which operates through distance learning technology, the district’s use of Turning Technologies, an instant assessment tool for teachers, and TransFinder, a software program that features bus routing and online field trip requests.
“Technology and education are no longer two separate subjects,” Floyd said. “The more we know and understand how to join the two together, the better equipped we are to serve our students.”
McGee agreed, adding that one fuels the need for the other and together they are helping Madison County students succeed at higher rates.
“We let instructional needs guide what the district does with its technology,” McGee said. “We generally get requests from teachers or principals saying they would like to accomplish this goal, what technology is available to help support their efforts.”
Madison County Schools is fortunate to have access to a great deal of technology, Couch said.
“A district can’t get as far as (Madison County has) without the full support of the Board of Education,” Couch said.
“We are presented with data that supports a need for technology,” Coyle said about the board. “When there is a need for something and data to support it, it is easy for the board to let the district move ahead with a purchase.”
The Web Cast also featured discussion about several education bills that are being considered by the Kentucky General Assembly, in particular those education bills that also affect technology.
Before closing discussions, the panel also touched briefly on the state’s budget situation and how the federal stimulus package might impact technology in Kentucky.
“If we receive the money we are anticipating, we will be able to continue to supply districts across the state with some of the current software packages that we are currently subscribing to, like Encyclomedia,” Couch said.
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New school board member appointed
Mona Isaacs has been appointed to fill the vacant school board position for Madison County Schools.
Isaacs, who is the associate vice president for information technology at Eastern Kentucky University, was one of two candidates to submit her name for the position held by Glyn Green.
Green announced his resignation at the end of the June meeting, citing personal reasons.
Terry Holliday, Kentucky’s commissioner of education, appointed Isaacs to the position on Monday. -
County schools seeking physical education grant
Madison County Schools has applied for a grant that would provide all 17 schools the opportunity to participate in PE4Life.
The 2010 PEP Grant is part of the Carol M. White Physical Education Program and will award grants between $100,000 to $750,000, with the average grant being $427,000, according to the PE4Life website.
Grant winners are expected to be announced in September. -
EKU faculty invited to literary festival
Eastern Kentucky University Professor of English Sherry Robinson and Foundation Professor Emeritus of English Dorothy Sutton have been invited to The Southern Festival of Books: A Celebration of the Written Word, a three-day literary festival presented by Humanities Tennessee.
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KECSAC presents conference on alternative strategies for educating students at-risk
The Kentucky Educational Collaborative for State Agency Children (KECSAC) will host the ninth annual Alternative Strategies for Educating Students At-Risk Conference July 27-29 at Eastern Kentucky University.
The conference, in the Perkins Building, is designed to provide educators and administrators who work with students at risk the skills, resources and inspiration necessary to meet the various challenges that they face daily. -
Program aims to help families adjust to school
Madison County Schools is hoping to help make the transition to kindergarten easier.
JUMPSTART 2010 is a pair of informational sessions for parents and their children who are entering kindergarten in the fall.
Sessions will be conducted from 5 to 7 p.m. on Monday at Madison Central High School and from 5 to 7 p.m. on July 29 at Madison Southern High School. -
Schools announce new administrative hires
Madison County School District will begin a new school year with some changes to the district-level administration.
Former Elementary Supervisor Marvin Welch has been promoted to assistant superintendent and chief operating officer for the district.
Former Madison Central High School Principal Gina Lakes was hired as professional development coordinator. -
Former BCS principal heads Bluegrass Christian
Will Bondurant, former principal of Berea Community School’s middle and high schools, is the new administrator of Bluegrass Christian School in Richmond.
A native of Fulton, Bondurant, 71, takes to place of Nora Thompson, who passed away in March after leading Bluegrass Christian for nine of the school’s 16 years. -
Healthy hearts, spiritual minds
Pastor Jonas Hill of Crossroads Fellowship Church has found a way to teach the Bible through sports, while giving the county’s youth a place to have fun and learn to be healthy.
The Sports Blast Day Camp, a two-week free camp focuses each day on a different athletic event.
Around 100 kids are participating in the camp, Hill said. -
EKU students, faculty to make presentation at UN event
Eight Eastern Kentucky University students and two faculty members will make a joint presentation on human trafficking at the United Nations Youth Global Village this summer in Mexico.
The group, representing EKU’s Women and Gender Studies Program, will present its research and prevention campaign during the international event in Leon on Aug. 24-27. -
County breaks ground on new school
Jerry Farris Mundy grew up a stone’s throw from where bulldozers and tractors are beginning construction on a new project.
On Tuesday, she joined about 25 other family members as well as officials from Madison County Schools for a groundbreaking ceremony for Farristown Middle School, named in honor of the Farris family and the area of Berea known as Farristown. - More Religion and Education Headlines
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New school board member appointed
