Lawson named elementary teacher of the year; DeVore wins Fayette County Spelling Bee

Awards/honors

▪ The Kentucky Music Educators Association has chosen Lisse Lawson of Rosa Parks Elementary as the state’s Elementary Teacher of the Year. Lawson is in year 13 as a general music teacher and chorus director at Rosa Parks. Overall, she has taught 24 years in Fayette, Bourbon and Jessamine counties.

▪ Ashley DeVore a seventh-grade home-school student, won the Fayette County Spelling Bee, sponsored by Fayette County Farm Bureau, on Feb. 6.

Ashley competed against 71 other youth in grades 4 through 8 from public, private, parochial and home schools across Fayette County. She won a trophy and $75.

Second place was awarded to Sadie Bograd, an eighth-grader at Winburn Middle School. Third place went to Meredith Adkins, a fourth-grader from Athens-Chilesburg Elementary. Both received medallions and cash prizes.

Ashley will represent Fayette County at the Kentucky Derby Festival State Spelling Bee on March 11 in Louisville.

▪ Two musicians from Fayette County Public Schools have been chosen to participate in Music for All’s 2017 Honor Band of America. Emily Cooper, a sophomore at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School who plays clarinet, and Ntinyari Miriti, a senior at Lafayette High School who plays bassoon, will join other youth to perform this spring in Indianapolis.

The Honor Band of America is part of the Music for All National Festival. Band members are selected by recorded audition and evaluated by leading music educators. The ensemble, which includes students from 26 states representing 66 high schools, will be in concert at 8 p.m. March 11 at Clowes Memorial Hall on the campus of Butler University.

▪ Family, Career and Community Leaders of America club members from four Fayette schools earned accolades in the Region 15 STAR contests (Students Taking Action with Recognition) on Jan. 28 in Frankfort. The group is for students taking family and consumer sciences courses. Its members develop leadership through community service and design career projects for competitive — events.

The Region 15 results included the following from Fayette County Public Schools:

Beaumont Middle School

First place: Sports Nutrition — Allison Clabes and Annie Boling

First: Entrepreneurship — Kristen Derringer, Katelyn Fields and Amber Koenig

First: Focus on Children — Kate Hazelwood and Sydney Montgomery

First: Food Innovations — Logan Justice and Jackson Snodsmith

First: Illustrated Talk — Khushi Arora

First: Parliamentary Procedure — Hattie Maloney, Allie Barnes, Caroline Devine, Ava Gleckler, Menna Shakir, Ella Williams and Lauren Alexander

Second: Life Event Planning — Kendal Taylor

Bryan Station High School

First place: Food Innovations — Kalein Jones

Henry Clay High School

First: Interior Design — Keegan Thomas and Shelby Coleman

First: Career Investigations — Tatianna Hudson

Tates Creek High School

Second place: Focus on Children — Ellee Sidebottom and Alyssa Phillips

Fourth: Job Interview — Anthony Jarrell

This year’s state conference will run March 20-22 in Louisville, and the national conference is July 2-6 in Nashville.

▪ Nominations are being sought for Midway University’s Pinkerton Vision Award, which honors someone who has had an impact on women’s lives or has served as a strong role model for women.

The award will be given as part of the university’s 2017 Spotlight Awards, which will be at 6 p.m. May 25 in the Piper Dining Hall on the Midway campus. The evening will include dinner, a keynote speaker and award presentations, including the Pinkerton Award and the Midway University Legacy Award.

To make a nomination, purchase tickets, become a sponsor or learn more about the awards dinner, go to Midway.edu/spotlight or call 859-846-5300. For a copy of the award nomination form, go to Orgsync.com/117326/forms/184654.

▪ The Lexington Sister Cities Commission has selected three dozen applicants from across Fayette County for its summer 2017 student exchange programs to Deauville, France; County Kildare, Ireland; and Shinhidaka, Japan. The program gives students the opportunity to travel and experience the everyday culture of another country. Participants also host a corresponding student in Lexington to share a Kentucky and U.S. experience.

Bryan Station High School: Katie Kincard

Henry Clay High: Elizabeth Brown, Katie Chen, Emily Crum, Danielle Dutton, Caili Harris, Paul Kamer, Richie Lane, Julia Meadors, Megan Meadors, Clara Meyer, Merrick Moore, Ellie Phillips, Olivia Walls-Poucel and Nick Walters

Jessie Clark Middle: Demetrius Cherry

Lafayette High: Julia Clements, Jack Cornett, Laurie Davis, Brianna Gausepohl, Machlie Lamartiniere, Neleh Longworth, Alyssa Nguyen and Toby Rasmussen

Morton Middle: Chloe Ertel

Paul Laurence Dunbar High: Mariana Arias, Olivia Boyd and Emma Draper

Sayre: Gregory Kimmerer, Caroline Parker and Maya Pemble

STEAM Academy: Peyton King

Tates Creek High: Cole Cincinelli and Dominic Robinette

Trinity Christian Academy: Isaac Smith and Zachary Kirkendall

Scholarship opportunities

▪ The 16th District PTA is accepting scholarship applications from students in the class of 2017. The awards are based on financial need, academic achievement and contributions to the community through extracurricular activities. Recent awards have been $1,000; the minimum amount awarded is $500.

A scholarship goes to one senior at each of the five high schools. (Students in other academic programs may apply through their home school.) An additional scholarship is earmarked for a senior with special needs.

Go to Bgcf.org/learn/scholarships for criteria and details or to apply. The deadline is March 15.

▪ The Kentucky Society of Certified Public Accountants is accepting applications for its Educational Foundation scholarships through Feb. 20.

Students studying accounting at Kentucky-based colleges and universities are eligible to apply for the scholarships, which range from $1,000 to $2,500. For more information, criteria or an online application, go to Bit.ly/kycpascholarships or call 502-266-5272 or 1-800-292-1754.

▪ The Kentucky Society of Certified Public Accountants is taking applications for its tuition-free summer business camp program for high school sophomores, juniors and seniors.

BASE Camp will be held June 11-15 at Bellarmine University’s campus in Louisville. Selected students will stay on campus and learn the basics of business and accounting in a hands-on, interactive format.

Tuition, housing, materials, meals, books, tours and activities at the camp are provided free to selected participants. The only costs are a nonrefundable application fee and, if accepted, a transportation fee. Students who cannot afford these fees may request a scholarship to cover the cost at Kycpa.org.

Applications must be postmarked by Feb. 28. For more information, go to Bit.ly/KyCPABASECamp or call 502-266-5272 or 1-800-292-1754.

▪ Applications are being accepted for Kentucky American Water’s 2017 Ripple Effect Scholarship Program. The program offers $500 scholarships to high school seniors who demonstrate strong academic performance and a commitment to environmental stewardship.

Students in the company’s 12-county service area (Bourbon, Clark, Fayette, Franklin, Gallatin, Grant, Harrison, Jessamine, Nicholas, Owen, Scott and Woodford counties) are eligible. Information about the scholarship program is being distributed to area high schools and can also be found at Kentuckyamwater.com. The deadline to apply is April 7.

This story was originally published February 13, 2017 at 10:46 AM with the headline "Lawson named elementary teacher of the year; DeVore wins Fayette County Spelling Bee."