Three inducted into the University of Kentucky School of Human Environmental Sciences Hall of Fame
Awards/honors
▪ The 2018 National Merit semifinalists include 11 seniors from Fayette County private schools. They are among 16,000 high school seniors who will compete for $32 million in awards next spring.
Lexington Catholic: John M. Ang, Connor R. Greenwell, Spencer M. Kriss and Catherine M. Vazzana
Lexington Christian Academy: Colten D. Crager and Jacob A. Thornsberry
Sayre School: Ramzi H. Hamdalla, Gregory P. Kimmerer and Edward F. Morris
Trinity Christian Academy: Noah C. Edwards-Thro and Benjamin A. Waters
▪ Cherie Lynn Mingus, Marsha Herndon Purcell and Retia Scott Walker have been inducted into the University of Kentucky School of Human Environmental Sciences Hall of Fame. The school is part of the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, and each year it honors those who have positively affected their profession, communities and the school.
Mingus, a 1976 graduate, began her 37-year teaching career in Hardin County. Purcell received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UK in 1973 and 1975. She spent 34 years with the American Farm Bureau Federation. Walker has worked as a higher education administrator at Texas Women’s University, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and UK.
Meetings
Bluegrass Retired Teachers' Association will meet at 11:30 a.m. Oct. 11 at Bracktown Baptist Church, 3016 Bracktown Road. Topic: legislation. Cost is $16. Mail registration to Anna Mack, 112 Hamilton Park, Lexington, Ky. 40504.
Miscellaneous
▪ To support kindergarten readiness and improve the opportunities for children to achieve success later in life, Fayette County Public Schools has announced a new initiative: “First 5 Lex — Read, Talk and Play, from Cradle to Kindergarten.”
The First 5 Lex initiative gives families and caregivers access to information about early learning and connects them to age-appropriate activities and experiences that will support their child’s development.
First 5 Lex offers:
▪ A book, “I Love You Like Sunshine,” to be distributed during 2-week-old check-ups in partnership with Reach Out and Read.
▪ Libraries, placed in small businesses, family-service agencies, community centers and laundromats.
▪ Activity centers at Kroger grocery stores.
▪ A First 5 Lex app for iPhone and Android devices that allows families to find daily read, talk and play activities.
▪ Training and materials provided through the Fayette County Public Schools Early Childhood Summit, and made available through the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood’s Quality Improvement Grant, to support child-care providers as they seek to read, talk and play with preschoolers.
▪ Learning opportunities to empower families as they find out more about early childhood development. Two examples are the United Way Born Learning Academy and the Fayette County Public Schools Family University series.
▪ A publicity campaign to ensure that Lexington families are aware of the importance of engaging with their children.
This story was originally published October 3, 2017 at 6:34 AM with the headline "Three inducted into the University of Kentucky School of Human Environmental Sciences Hall of Fame."