Awards/Recognition
■ Julia Beard, a fourth-grade student at Stonewall Elementary School, has won a bookmark design contest as part of the Lexington Legends/Chick-fil-A "Hit the Books" reading incentive program. She received a Legends prize pack, including Legends merchandise, a framed Hit the Books poster featuring her artwork, and a free membership in the 2010 Little Legends Kids Club. Beard also will be invited to throw a ceremonial first pitch at a designated Legends game for her school.
Three local students received honorable mention for their designs: Baylen Stewart, a third-grader at Sandersville Elementary; Timothy Hosley, a fifth-grader at Collins Lane Elementary in Frankfort; and Madison Gullett, a fifth-grader at Saffell Street Elementary in Lawrenceburg.
■ The Princeton Review has again named Centre College as a national best value. Centre appears on the Review's 100 Best Value Colleges for 2010. It is the only Kentucky institution on the list. In addition, Forbes magazine has named Centre College as the best college in the South.
■ Four Eastern Kentucky University psychology students will present their work at the 45th annual Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Symposium in St. Petersburg, Fla., in March. Undergraduate psychology majors Joshua Hager of Lexington, Alex Burton of Lancaster and Katibeth Lybrand of Richmond will present a cross-cultural examination of ethnicity and MMPI results.
■ Edythe J. Hayes Middle School was the cheer grand champion and Morton Jazz was the dance grand champion at the annual Fayette County Middle School Cheer and Dance Showcase, Jan. 23 at Bryan Station High School. Tates Creek Middle won the spirit award for cheering, and Leestown Middle won the spirit award for dance. In addition, more than 350 students were recognized for academic achievement (having a grade-point average between 3.0 and 4.0).
Cheerleading results: Sideline/timeout: first, Bryan Station Middle School, coached by Judy Smith and Kathryn Raitiere; second, Tates Creek Middle, coached by Tesha Livingston; third, Morton's "B" Squad, coached by Carla Trisko and Britney Miller. Level 3: first, Beaumont, coached by Amanda King; second, Jessie Clark, coached by Katie Harper; third, Lexington Traditional Magnet School, coached by Marilee Applegate, Megan Applegate and Bretta Hotchula. Level 5: first, Edythe J. Hayes, coached by Deedra Murphy/Ashlee Hyde; second, Morton "A" Team, coached by Carla Trisko and Britney Miller.
Dance results: Step: first, Bryan Station Middle, coached by Judy Smith and Kathryn Raitiere; second, Beaumont, coached by Darnetta Sanders. Pom: first, LTMS, coached by Marilee Applegate, Megan Applegate and Bretta Hotchula; second, Beaumont, coached by Emily Rector; third, Crawford, coached by Ashley Delaney. Jazz: first, Morton, coached by Christina Herrington; second, Southern Middle, coached by Cassie Peyton. Hip hop: first, Leestown, coached by Lisa Dykes and Jason Thompson; second, Tates Creek Middle, coached by Lauren Fields; third, Edythe J. Hayes, coached by LeeAnn Hall.
■ Philip Landfield, professor and chair in the Department of Molecular and Biomedical Pharmacology at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, was named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. For his research in neuroscience and brain aging, Landfield was selected after anonymous nomination by three fellows. Fewer than 20 people in Kentucky have been named AAAS Fellows.
■ Courtney Fisk at the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research has been named to the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers class of 2010 New Faces of ASABE. Fisk is one of 16 ASABE members age 30 or younger who have distinguished themselves with outstanding early-career achievements. Fisk holds bachelor's and master's degrees in biosystems and agricultural engineering from the University of Kentucky, where she is pursuing a master's in business administration.
■ Teams from Paul Laurence Dunbar High School excelled in the Dorman Academic Challenge, one of the nation's largest annual academic tournaments.
Dunbar's Idrees Kahloon, Orshi Hegyl, Grant Boggess and Vania Ma placed first in the junior varsity division. The varsity group placed second behind Greenville's Southside A team, which ranks among the country's top 20. The varsity team included Helen Fu, Hussain Siddiki, Michael Halwes and Samuel Dong. The tournament was Jan. 23 in Spartanburg, S.C. Dunbar's JV team also won the Kentucky Thoroughbred League's Quick Recall Championship and Overall Academic League Championship, Jan. 21 at George Rogers Clark High School in Winchester.
The team included Hussain Siddiki, Grant Boggess, Vania Ma, Idrees Kahloon, Michael Halwes, Orshi Hegyl, Samuel Dong, Bryant Su, Leia Wedlund, Mike Yang, Jessie Li and Hasanki Warnakula.
■ Berea College president Larry D. Shinn has been awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Centre College. Shinn, a religion scholar and author and editor of six books on world religions, has been president of Berea College since 1994.
■ Four University of Kentucky doctoral students recently received $1,500 fellowships from the UK Association of Emeriti Faculty. The four awardees were honored at the association's luncheon meeting Feb. 9. Heather Chacon, English, began her doctoral work in 2007, focusing her research on disease in 19th-century literature. Patti Meyer, anthropology, is in her fourth year of study. She is researching transnational and local strategies in the use of immigrant workers to provide health care to elderly people in Genoa, Italy. Kausalya Shenoy, biology, began her doctoral studies in 2004. She is researching the effects of endocrine-disrupting pesticides on male mating signals and behavior in vertebrates. Erin Walker, music, has earned a doctorate in musical arts in percussion and is working toward a doctorate in musicology. She is the only UK student to pursue doctorates in two fields of music.
■ The University of Kentucky College of Education and former UK basketball great Kyle Macy are accepting submissions for the 2010 Teachers Who Made a Difference program. The program, in its 12th year, gives people an opportunity to thank the teachers, principals, college professors or other educators who have inspired and motivated them to succeed. Last year, the program recognized more than 150 educators. Honorees can be from anywhere and do not have to be affiliated with UK; however, organizers ask that nominators limit nominations to one teacher a year. To honor a teacher, go to the UK College of Education's Web site, www.education.uky.edu/Community/TWMAD, and complete the online form by March 8.
■ Winburn, Lexington Traditional Magnet School and Beaumont middle schools dominated their respective fields in district-level competition for the 2010 Governor's Cup Jan. 23. The Governor's Cup was founded in 1986 to promote, reward and recognize outstanding academic achievement.
Top students in District 56 (all from Winburn): math: first, Valerie Sarge, second, Matthew Wu, third, Kathleen Yang; science: first, Chloe Cao, second, Ryan Blood; social studies: first Chloe Cao, second, Daniel Ma, third, Connor Langley; language arts: first, Sydney Smith, second, Jeremy Robison, third, Kathleen Yang; arts and humanities: first, Athena Kern, third, Daniel Ma; composition: first, Athena Kern, second, Sydney Smith; future problem-solving (team): first, Winburn; quick recall (team): first, Winburn.
In District 57: math: first, Will Walters and Eric Xiong, LTMS (tie); third, Hank Russell, LTMS; science: first, Will Walters, LTMS; second, Joseph Schneider, Morton; third, Elliott Beach, LTMS; social studies: first, Eric Xiong, LTMS; second, Hiatt Allen, LTMS; third, Drew Sorenson, Edythe J. Hayes; language arts: first, Alice Li, LTMS; second, Monisha Rekhraj, LTMS; arts and humanities: first, Grace Goulson, LTMS; second, Angela Maske, LTMS; third, Hiatt Allen, LTMS; composition: first, Alice Li, LTMS; second, Mariah Mowbray, Morton; third, Trevor Kennedy, Edythe J. Hayes; future problem-solving (team): first, Morton; second, LTMS; quick recall (team): first, LTMS; second, Morton.
In District 58: math: first, Elaine Lin, Beaumont; second, Alex Lucas, Beaumont; third, Vincent Cao, Beaumont; science: first, Haani Husain, Beaumont; second, George Simpson, Beaumont; third, Vincent Cao, Beaumont; social studies: first, Brandon Bell, Beaumont; second, Zach Thornton, Jessie M. Clark; third, Haani Husain, Beaumont; language arts: first, Elaine Lin, Beaumont; second, Alex Lucas, Beaumont; third, Celine Chea, Jessie M. Clark; arts and humanities: first, Sarah Knox, Jessie M. Clark; second, Kyra Seevers, Beaumont; composition: second, Ellinor Tai, Beaumont; third, Linda Zhang, Beaumont; future problem-solving (team): second, Beaumont; quick recall (team): first, Beaumont; third, Jessie M. Clark; Hume Sportsmanship Award: Jessie M. Clark.
The middle school regional contests are Feb. 13, and the state competition is March 15.
Miscellaneous
■ Qualified high school juniors and seniors in the Eastern Kentucky University service region can take at least one free EKU course each fall or spring semester in the university's EKU Now! program. The EKU Now! program combines features of the university's previous Dual Credit and Jump Start program to encourage high school students to consider higher education and introduce them to a university classroom experience. For more information about the program, call (859) 622-6532 or go to www.eku.edu/now.
The Eastern Kentucky University Department of Music will host the High School Honors Band Clinic, Feb. 18-20. The three-day event will bring in about 500 of the region's best young musicians. A free public performance will conclude the clinic at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 20 in Brock Auditorium.
■ Laura Beth Griffith, a senior at Centre College, is helping to organize a book drive to promote literacy among Habitat for Humanity homeowners in Danville and Boyle County. The donated books will be given to families in the community along with bookshelves built by Centre students. Griffith is an executive committee member for Centre Action Reaches Everyone, the campus umbrella volunteer service organization. Griffith is the daughter of Richard and Mary Beth Griffith of Lexington and is a graduate of Dunbar High School.
