Volume 10 Issue 14 March 21 2013 - Owensboro Public Schools

___________________________________________________________________________
March 21, 2013 Volume 10 Issue 14
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
News from Owensboro Public Schools
ENJOY A SAFE & RELAXING
SPRING BREAK!
March 29 – April 5, 2013
Next issue of STEP-In will be April 11
___________________________________________________________________________
CONGRATULATIONS TO OHS ROSE CURTAIN PLAYERS
AND DIRECTOR CAROLYN GREER WHO TOOK TOP
HONORS IN SOUTHEASTERN U.S. THEATRE
COMPETITION
Owensboro High School drama teacher Carolyn Greer is accustomed to
staying behind the scenes as she directs her students and the Rose Curtain
Players. But, it was center stage for her on March 9 at the Southeastern
Theatre Conference Convention (SETC) held at the Kentucky Center for the
Arts in Louisville. She was named “Best Director” from among all the
participants at the conference, which drew more than 500 high school
students and drama teachers from ten southeastern states.
Last November at the Kentucky Theatre Association One-
Act Play competition, the Rose Curtain Players earned the
right to represent Kentucky and perform Among Friends &
Clutter by Lindsay Price at the Southeastern conference by
being named first runner-up. Competing against 16 other
schools this past weekend, the Rose Curtain Players were
the winners of the “High School One-Act Competition.”
The troupe received “superior” ratings from the three judges
and junior Helen Merritt and senior Jonah Clark were selected as “All-Star Cast
members.”
1

Cast members included: Helen Merritt, Hadley Rouse, Maddie Brasher-Evans, Kelsey
Reese, Jonah Clark, Will Van Winkle, John Thomas Priar, Joseph Hunt
Crew members were: JoCarol Bunch, Keith Woosley, Brie Greer, Anna Caroline Brake,
Navji Dixon, and Erin Rouse.
Playwright Lindsay Price gave high praise to OPS thespians in an article posted at:
http://www.theatrefolk.com/blog/a-standingovation/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theatrefolk+%28The
+Theatrefolk+Weblog%29
While at the conference, students attended workshops, presentations and performances.
“Four OHS students auditioned for over 100 colleges, receiving over 140 callbacks among
them,” Greer explained. She presented a workshop with David Balthrop, head of theatre
department at Murray State University, on creating partnerships between college and high
school programs.
___________________________________________________________________________
SCREENING COMMITTEE COMPLETE
The Owensboro Independent Board of Education completed the process of establishing a
superintendent screening committee with the election of a minority parent. Curtis Shelton
was elected by the parents of the district on March 12 th to fill the last position on the seven
member superintendent screening committee. He has a child enrolled in third grade in the
Owensboro Independent School District.
According to Phil Eason, Senior Education Consultant for the Kentucky Association of
School Administrators, who is assisting the Owensboro Independent School Board with its
superintendent search, said the screening committee is now complete. It is includes: two
teachers, Gina Davis and Ryan Williams, who were elected by the teachers; one board of
education member, John Blaney, who was appointed by the board chairman; one principal,
Steve Bratcher , elected by the principals of the district;, Char Rhoads a parent elected by the
presidents of the parent-teacher organizations of the school district; Curtis Shelton, the
minority parent who was elected by the parents; and one classified employee, Jennie Hatcher,
who was elected by the classified employees of the school district.
“Kentucky Revised Statute 160.352 is very clear on how a screening committee shall be
established, and who will serve on it,” said Eason. “This screening committee meets the
legal requirements. It’s also an excellent representation of all the stakeholders of this district.
So, we are very pleased at this point.”
Eason said the committee members will receive training on their specific role in this process,
but it’s important for the public to be aware of the narrow parameters in which this
committee operates. The committee does not recruit candidates. It does not accept
recommendations on candidates, and it does not promote candidates. “The screening
committee’s responsibility is to screen the applications, guided by the position criteria
established by the board, using a clearly defined and objective process,” said Eason. “The
members work as a group and will recommend a list of candidates to the board as a group.”
According to Eason, the seven member committee will receive all the applications and start
the screening process on March 21st.
“Prior to appointing a new superintendent, the Owensboro Independent Board of Education
will consider the finalists recommended by the screening committee,” said Eason.
“However, the board is not required to appoint a superintendent from the committee’s
2

ecommended candidates. Ultimately, the board has the legal authority and responsibility to
appoint the superintendent.”
The Owensboro Independent Board of Education’s goal is to appoint a superintendent by
May 7, 2013 with duties to begin July 1, 2013. For further information and/or provide input
as to the qualities of the next superintendent contact Phil Eason at phil.eason@gmail.com.
Questions or clarification contact Mr. Phil Eason at 270.799.1256.
___________________________________________________________________________
ANNUAL FINE ARTS
FESTIVAL CONTINUES
Tuesday, March 26 –
7:00 p.m. – Drama at OHS
Wednesday, March 27 –
7:00 p.m. – Dance
Thursday, March 28 – Dance
9:15 a.m. & 12:00 p.m. -
OPS ART EXHIBIT IN RIVERPARK
LOBBY through MARCH 27
All performances are free and open to the public. March 27 th and 28 th performances
Pictured above - Choir night on March 18 th are at the RiverPark Center.
___________________________________________________________________________
OHS UPCOMING EVENTS
Thursday, March 21: Baseball – JV/V vs. Hancock Co. (Home); 5:00 p.m.
Softball – V/JV vs. Muhlenberg County (Away); 5:30 p.m.
Friday, March 8: Baseball – Freshman vs. Owensboro Catholic (Home); 4:30 p.m.
Softball – V/JV vs. Ohio Co. (Home); 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 9: Baseball – Freshman vs. McLean Co. (Away); 5:00 p.m.
Baseball – Varsity vs. Seneca at Grayson Co.; 1:30 p.m.
Baseball – Varsity vs. Grayson Co. at Grayson Co.; 4:00 p.m.
Softball – Freshman vs. Muhlenberg Co. (Away); 9:00 a.m.
Track – Boys’/Girls’ Colonel Classic at Henderson Co.
Red Steel Band at RiverPark (Play at intermission during OSO Concert); 6:00 p.m.
OHS Intramural Basketball, North Gym; 10:00 a.m.
Other OHS Upcoming Events:
March 25 – Prism Concert for Grades 3-4 at OHS Auditorium; 9:15 a.m.
Chamber Music Recital in Black Box
Baseball – Freshman vs. Henderson Co. (Home); 5:30 p.m.
Baseball – Varsity vs. McLean Co. (Away); 5:00 p.m.
Softball – V/JV vs. Hancock Co. (Home); 5:30 p.m.
Tennis – Boys’/Girls’ vs. Hancock Co. @ Moreland/KWC; 4:15 p.m.
3

March 26 – Drama – FINE ARTS FESTIVAL – Drama @ OHS Auditorium
Softball – Freshman vs. Daviess Co. (Away); 5:30 p.m.
Tennis – Boys’/Girls’ vs. Muhlenberg Co. @ Muhlenberg Co. H.S.; 4:30 p.m.
March 27 – Baseball – Freshman vs. Apollo (Home); 4:30 p.m.
Dance – FINE ARTS FESTIVAL – Dance @ RiverPark Center
Tennis – Boys’/Girls’ vs. Christian Co. @ OMS/Moreland; 4:30 p.m.
NEWS FOR SENIORS’ PARENTS:
March 21 and 28 are KHEAA FAFSA Follow-up
Days at OHS. Cassie Clark will be here to help
students make corrections to their completed
FAFSA forms from 10:00-2:00 each day.
BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION
The junior class at Owensboro High
School sponsored a Box Top Drive to
be donated to Cravens Elementary. They collected over
1,000 Box Tops. Pictured is Mrs. Miller's junior AP
English class that collected the most box tops.
OHS KUNA News
Congratulations to the OHS students on their outstanding
performance at KUNA. They were named a finalist for the
Global Village display. The OHS traditional Burmese hut was
named Outstanding Cultural Display for the entire conference!
Senior, Josh Hicks proudly accepted this award on behalf of our delegation. Our dramatic
International Stage Performance, which featured Madison Stuart, Liz Gordon, Lookmee
Mora, Kelsey Reese, Carmela Kelley and Anna Caroline Brake was not only named
Outstanding Performance but it also was selected by the Executive Director of the Y to be
featured on their promotional video! Their proposal about Burmese Citizenship received an
award for Proposal of Excellence and was written and defended by Martha Hughes,
Chandler Thompson, and Mary Lewe. Mary Lewe was also named Outstanding
Ambassador and Madison Stuart was named Outstanding United Nations Security Council
Member. OHS was selected as a Delegation of Excellence!
OHS FUTURE BUSINESS LEADERS OF AMERICA
Congratulations to the following students who will be moving on to represent OHS at the
FBLA state conference in Louisville: Maurice Hanley – 3 rd place Accounting I, Austin
Jones – 2 nd place Cyber Security, Phillip Lanz – 1 st place Sports Management, Ryan
Morales - 1 st place Electronic Career Portfolio, Glenda Wright – 3 rd place Public Speaking.
OHS BUSINESS FIELD TRIP
Students from Ms. Mann’s Introduction to Business Class
toured Kimberly Clark on Tuesday, March 19. They were
taken on a thorough tour of the facility and learned quite a
lot about the paper products industry. They met with
Human Resources, several team leaders and even the Plant
Manager came to talk to the students and answer questions.
What a valuable learning opportunity for these students.
4

News from Owensboro Middle School
OMS ACADEMIC TEAM EXCELS AT GOVERNOR’S CUP
Congratulations to the OMS Academic
Team for representing our school well
and bringing home some major
hardware at the Governor's Cup State Finals
competition March 16-18. Whitley McGovern (at right
with Gov. Beshear) placed 6th in the state in written
composition (out of more than 130 competitors). Ryan
Schwartz tied for 12th in mathematics.
The Future
Problem Solving
team placed 9th in
the state. This was the first time in school history
that the OMS team has placed in the top 10 at
state finals. Team members are (pictured at left):
Abigail North, Whitley McGovern, Gov. Beshear,
Emma Hillis, & Anna Kate Schertzinger.
Coaches are Ms. Harrington, Mr. Hart, Mr. Hinson,
& Ms. Lamb.
OMS STUDENT SERVES AS LEGISLATIVE PAGE
Chloe Rafferty, 6th grader from OMS South, had the
honor of being Kentucky State Senator, Joe Bowen's
Legislative Page on February 28 th . Chloe spent the day
on the Kentucky Senate Chamber floor learning the
legislative process from Senator Bowen. The OMS-
South Family Resource Center recommended Chloe
for the FRYSC Legislative Page day. The FRYSC
Coalition selects young students who represent
leadership qualities to participate and learn of the
governmental process from across the entire state.
OMS KUNA NEWS
The OMS KUNA delegation’s proposal passed overwhelmingly in the General Assembly
March 10-12! Many students lined up to speak in favor of the OMS proposal and almost
every country voted yes. Alyssa Beck & Nick Brake gave an excellent presentation and got
a huge round of applause. What an awesome accomplishment!
OMS REPORT CARDS
The OMS 3rd grading term ended March 8 th . Report cards have already gone home.
Congratulations to the 261 students who earned all A’s and B’s for the 3 rd term, 173 of which
had all A’s. All Honor Roll students will be honored at a special luncheon in March. In
addition, 216 students had perfect attendance. OMS faculty and staff say “Well done!”
5

FEBRUARY OMS STUDENTS OF THE MONTH
SOUTH CAMPUS
Back row left to right: Taylor Brown,
Alex Keller, Jaquala Hayden, Chante
Ware, Kristen Evans, Morgan Garrity,
Courtney Keesler, Jaylen Barnett
Front row left to right: Jordan Neal,
Grayson McFarland, Michael Ashley,
Savannah Gatton, Alexis LaFoy, Blake
McClain
NORTH CAMPUS
Front row from left to right- Back row from left
to right- Michael Sorrels, Luc Bowman, Bree
Sommerville, Mason Nash, Zoe Alsup,
Tequila Willis, Kaci Hall
Front row from left to right-Aaron Dawson,
Kiana Johnson, Nell Keeley, Destiny
Dudgeon, Dakota M. Lindsey, Dalton Edgell
OMS EVENTS IN MARCH
Friday, March 22 nd - N & S Campuses - Spring Pictures- only PREPAID orders
Saturday, March 23 rd - OMS Garage Sale - North Gym
State Mathcounts - Lexington
Monday, March 25 th - 12:00-4:00 - 7 th Grade Band-KMEA Madisonville;
Tuesday, March 26 th - 7:45-12:00 – 8 th Grade Band- KMEA in Madisonville
3:00 - Track at OMS
7:00 p.m. – Fine Arts Fair Drama – OHS Auditorium
Wednesday, March 27 th -
Thursday, March 28 th
7:00 p.m. – Fine Arts Fair Dance at River Park Center;
School Day – Fine Arts Fair Daytime Dance
South Campus attends - 8:15- 10:15
North Campus attends - 11:15-1:15
2:30-7:00 - Cheerleading Tryouts
News from Cravens Elementary School
CRAVENS WOWS AT THE FINE ARTS
(left - 1 st place by Marshall Dixon 4 th Grade,
Mrs. Strong’s class)
(right - 1 st place by Trey Hinton, 4 th grade,
Mrs. Payne’s class)
Cravens’ Elementary students did a fantastic job at
the OPS Fine Arts festival in the art contest. The
Fine Arts judges examined the OPS district’s
budding artists based on specific qualifying characteristics and awarded 1 st , 2 nd , and 3 rd place
ribbons. Cravens students’ pieces won three - 3 rd place awards; three - 2 nd place awards and
two - 1 st place awards (pictured above.) Congratulations to all of our artists!
6

CRAVENS HONOR ROLL
Cravens is SUPER proud of our 3 rd quarter all A’s and all A/B honor roll for 3 rd and 4 th
Grades. We had 91 students make all A’s and B’s in the 3 rd and 4 th grades and 14 make all
A’s in both grades. Today (March 21 st ) the honor roll students will be treated with a reward
movie and special treat and on Friday March 22 nd , students who made all A’s will attend a
special luncheon to celebrate their achievement.
TO CATCH A LEPRECHAUN…
Mrs. Harrison’s third graders created leprechaun traps as a
culminating activity after learning about simple machines.
News from Estes Elementary School
ESTES PTO MEETING
There will be a PTO meeting on Thursday, March 21 st , at 3:30 p.m. Everyone is invited to
attend.
SWEETS AND TREATS
The Estes PTO is sponsoring a “Sweets and Treats” sale on Friday, March 22.
Look for more information to come home with your child.
ESTES AWARDS ASSEMBLY
The 3 rd quarter awards assembly is scheduled for Monday, March 25 th , at
1:45 p.m. in the Estes gym. Everyone is invited to attend as we honor and
recognize our students for their hard work and effort during the 3 rd quarter.
ESTES GRADE LEVEL NEWS
Kindergarten: The kindergarten students are busy learning about the characteristics of
spring and what it takes to make things grow. Ms. McCarty’s class has planted
a variety of seeds and is experimenting with different types of soil, amounts of
water and sunlight to see their effect on growing plants. Kindergarten students
are gearing up for an egg hunt on March 28 th and a Kindergarten Block Party.
1 st grade: The 1 st grade classes continue to work hard. They have finished with
questioning and are ready to begin inferring this week in reading. They have
done a lot of research about penguins. Ask your child about his/her schema
on penguins. You will be amazed! The 1 st grade Accelerated Reader board is
up and prizes are being given out for the points the students have earned.
Your child can receive a prize when they reach 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40,
45, and 50+ points. Please encourage your child to continue reading.
3 rd grade: The 3 rd graders are busy, busy bees! In reading and writing, the students are
working hard to complete their author studies. In math they are working on finding the area
and perimeter. In science, they are working on simple machines.
4 th grade: The 4 th grade students in Mr. Magill’s math classes are working on place value
with decimals as well as starting to work with area and perimeter. In Ms. Deming’s reading
classes, students are studying folk and fairy tales and theme. In Mrs. Gaddis’ class, the
students are working on writing creative dialogue and “putting SAID to bed” as well as using
quotation marks correctly.
7

News from Foust Elementary School
3 RD GRADE STUDENTS
INSPIRED BY FAMOUS ARTIST
Students in Mrs. Spaulding’s class
were inspired by the famous artist
Mondarin. Students Christian Rojas
and DarTin Bang made two great
canvases using different colors of duct
tape. Mrs. Julie White worked with
the students on the special art project.
by Christian Rojas These pieces are part of the art display by DarTin Bang
at the Riverpark Center during the Fine Arts Festival.
FOUST DRUMLINE PERFORMS
Foust Drumline performed at Family Reading Night this
week. Members John Brown, Chad Shaver, Cole
Covington, Justice Lowery, Javonte McHenry, and
KyiLea Thurston are pictured at left.
OTHER NEWS FOR FOUST PARENTS…
Awards Assembly for the 3 rd grading period will be held on Thursday, March 28 th ,
at 1:45. Make plans now to attend and join us as we recognize our students.
Foust Feet will perform at the RiverPark Center as part of the OPS Fine Arts Festival
on Wednesday, March 27 th , at 7:00 p.m. This concert is FREE to the public.
News from Newton Parrish Elementary School
FINE ARTS FESTIVAL
While the first week of the Fine Arts Festival is past, you still have the chance to see Newton
Parrish 4 th graders perform! Join us at the Riverpark Center Wednesday, March 27 th , at 7
p.m. for DANCE! You will be amazed and thoroughly entertained by the talent throughout
all the Owensboro Public Schools.
TO SPRING BREAK AND BEYOND!
Spring Break will be a great time to rest, relax, play… and then take a deep breath and be
ready for the very busy last weeks of school. Here is a sampling of upcoming events:
4 th grade visits OMS South on April 9
MAP testing, DRA testing, and K-PREP testing
BOGO (buy one, get one free) Bookfair – April 15-19
Exciting field trips – P1 to Evansville Children’s Museum and P2 to Louisville Zoo
Summer Reading Kickoff & Mexican Fiesta
8

N. PARRISH CORE ESSENTIAL FOR MARCH
HONESTY: Choosing to be truthful in whatever you say and do.
News from Sutton Elementary School
SUTTON NIGHT AT McDONALD’S
Pack up the family, invite the neighbors and join us for Sutton Night at
McDonald’s (Wesleyan Park Plaza) on Tuesday, March 26 th , between
4:00-7:00 p.m. A percentage of the sales during these hours will be
donated to the Sutton PTO to help support many of the activities in our
school.
“IT’S DANCING WITH THE STARS” AT SUTTON
The annual OPS Fine Arts Dance Festival, “Dancing With the Stars,”
is scheduled for Wednesday, March 27 th , at the River Park Center at
7:00 p.m. Sutton second grade students will take us back into the
“80’s” with a modern dance choreographed to Whitney Houston’s “I
Wanna Dance with Somebody.” Please come see our adorable little dancers take the stage in
Cannon Hall, as we support the Arts in our schools. Admission is free and it is sure to be an
enjoyable evening for the entire family.
STLP STATE COMPETITION
Congratulations to Fletcher Barr and Carter Rose for being selected to
participate in the Student Technology Leadership Program’s state
competition. Fletcher was chosen for his multi-media content project,
“Information about Leonardo DaVinci,” and Carter was also selected for
a multi-media content project entitled, “Five Easy Steps to Create a
Paracord.” We would also like to commend Kyle Reese, Arden Fincher and Emma North
for their participation in the program. We are very proud of all of their hard work.
News from Hager Preschool
MATH NIGHT
Thursday, March 14 th , Mrs.
Lenora and Mrs. Lana’s
class presented math night
for parents and children.
Cravens Math Specialist
Vicki Shelton taught math
games to the crowd of 60
plus. The children showed
off their skills and greatly
impressed parents and staff.
Thank you all for coming
and we especially
appreciate Vicki for
demonstrating strategies for
9

strengthening preschoolers’ numeracy skills. Great job, Mrs. Lenora, Mrs. Jamie, Ms.
Chequero, Mrs. Lana, Ms. Carroll and Ms. Jane for putting on such a great event.
I CAN TRAINING
If you participated in one of the four training sessions at Audubon Area Head Start in
September 2012, we want you & your family to come and CELEBRATE how you have used
the I CAN handbook to provide better health care for your children and family.
The CELEBRATION will be held on Thursday evening, March 21 st , at the St. Joseph &
Paul Catholic Church Community Center, across the street from the Mudd’s Furniture
parking lot, located on E. 4 th Street. The program and dinner will begin at 5:30 p.m. and end
by 7:30. Old Hickory will cater the meal with chicken, mashed potatoes, macaroni & cheese,
drinks and dessert.
___________________________________________________________________________
STEP-IN REPORTERS:
Cravens Elementary – Shannon Rafferty; Estes Elementary – Kristy Lovett;
Foust Elementary – Steve Bridgmon, Newton Parrish Elementary – Patti Moore;
Sutton Elementary – Mary Meyer; Owensboro Middle School – Karen Crisp; Owensboro
High School – Jeff Hauke; Hager Preschool – Jeffrey Johnson; Health News – Gay Lynn
Lile; District News - Julie Ellis & Janet Suwanski, Editor – Janet Suwanski
Step-In (Schools That Embrace Parent INvolvement) is an e-newsletter sent out approximately
every two weeks for OPS parents, family members, employees, and anyone who is interested in
learning more about our schools. Read about the exciting events, accomplishments and activities
of our students and staff. Keep up-to-date on news throughout our school district. Give us
feedback, ideas and suggestions. We're here to serve the students of Owensboro Public Schools -
Every Student, Every Day! To provide feedback or get additional information, email
Janet.Suwanski@owensboro.kyschools.us or call 270-686-1000.
Have you joined our mailing list? It’s free! To ensure that you continue to receive STEP-In, please subscribe
by logging on to the OPS home page at www.owensboro.kyschools.us and select “Subscribe to STEP-IN” under
Quick Links and complete the subscription form. As a subscriber, you will receive this e-newsletter, “news
flash” special bulletins about school closings, etc. To be removed from our mailing list or unsubscribe, please
follow the same procedure above and click on “unsubscribe.”
**For detailed information regarding school events visit
http://www.owensboro.kyschools.us/calendarix/calendar.php or contact the school.
NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY
The Owensboro Board of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, religion, or marital status in
providing educational opportunities, activities, or employment practices in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (revised 1992), and the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990 and provide, upon request by qualified disabled individuals, reasonable accommodations including auxiliary aids and service
necessary to afford individuals with a disability an equal opportunity to participate. For more information contact Dr. Larry Vick, Superintendent, at the
Owensboro Board of Education, 450 Griffith Avenue, Owensboro, Kentucky 42301 or phone (270) 686-1000.
10