Congratulations to these RCMS 7th grade students who qualified for state recognition as part of the Duke University Talent Identification program.  

Ryan Martin, Cameron Coy, Caleb Ballinger, Tiffany Fain, and Madelyn Bullen showed a high achievement score on one of the four areas of the ACT as part of the program.

8th Graders Study Molecular Bonding

Students in 8th grade Science BRAVO have been studying molecular bonding - with spice drops and toothpicks! Hailey Harper and Kayla Shafer show off their model.

Drug Forum Held for RCMS 8th Graders

The RCMS Unite Club would like to thank the community members who participated in a drug forum at RCMS. The group gave our 8th graders some very useful information in guiding their future. Pictured in the front row are the Unite Club officers: Tiffany Fain, Caleb Ballinger, Caroline Coguer, Abby Bray, Jackson Cromer and Erin Thompson. Pictured in the back row is the great community members who sat on the forum: Jeremy Bartley, Darrin Allen, Carlos Cameron, Katie Wood, Shannon Franklin, James Miller and Dr. David Bullock.

Kick Butts Poster Contest

In coordination with Kick Butts Day on March 21st, RCMS held a poster contest to promote being tobacco free. These students were winners and received Wal-Mart gift cards for their efforts. The winners in 7th Grade were 1st place Maggie Franklin, 2nd Place Cassie Poynter, 3rd Place Hannah Howard, 6th grade 1st Place Michelle Mink and 3rd Place winner Kristin Halcomb, 8th grade 2nd place winner Cierra Neal, 2nd Place 6th grade winner Lindsay Newcomb, Honorable Mention Joy Frith, 8th grade 3rd Place Eric Bullock and 1st place Kamryn Brinegar, Honorable Mentions Logan Bond and Darrell Morgan. Thanks to Gear-Up and Rockcastle Regional Hospital for helping to sponsor the event!

Congratulations RCMS Student YMCA!

Congratulations to the Student YMCA on the great job they did at the Kentucky United Nations Assembly. They are pictured here with their Delegation of Excellence Award.

Front: James Clay Ballinger who received an Outstanding Ambassador award, David Gabbard, Michaela Hurt, and Rikki Lay. Middle: Caleb Ballinger, Caroline Coguer, Jackson Cromer, Laney Poynter, Samarah Lovins, Lindsey King, and Cassie Poynter. Back: Makenzie King, Brad Taylor, Callie Carpenter, Hannah Howard, and Emily Childress.
A proposal to protect indigenous people groups was presented by Cassie, James Clay, Caleb, and Jackson and was passed in the UN Summit.

Good work by Brad as a member of the Leadership Team, Emily on her campaign for Secretary General, Laney as a security council member, Lindsey as a parliamentarian and Michaela as a member of the Media Corp at KUNA. Caroline, Makenzie, Michaela, and Lindsey also did excellent representing their country in dance on the International Stage.

7th Grade BRAVO Bridge Breaking Ceremony

Madelyn, Logan, and Dylan's group finished in 4th place.

The group finished 2nd overall, with 2nd place in appearance, 3rd place in budget, and 2nd in weight held.

Lucas Jones and Ryan Martin came in 1st place in bridge appearance and weight bridge held, and 2nd place in budget, bringing them to an overall 1st place finish!

This group had a great time building!

RCMS girls' track team win the Mason-Dixon Games Indoor State Championship

The RCMS girls' track team won the Mason-Dixon Games Indoor State Championship title this past Friday in Louisville defeating runner-up St. Gabriel 77-36. This made their 4th straight indoor state title and their 6th overall. Several girls won events and many placed in the top 5.

Sierra Mercer won the 400-meter dash state title and Ashley McKinney finished as state runner-up. Jennifer Mercer won the 55-meter dash state title and Nikki McGuire finished as state runner-up. Tori Phillips placed 3rd, Shelby Convery 4th, and Michaela Barron 5th. Katelynn Hensley won the long jump state championship and Mikaela Sadler finished as state runner-up. Nikki McGuire placed 3rd, Ashley McKinney 4th, and Taylor Bullock 5th. Hailey Harper finished as state runner-up in shot put and Taylar Bartlett placed 4th. Lanna Prewitt had personal best performances in the 1500 and 800-meter runs. Jordyn Powell, Alysa Goodman, Michelle Mink, and Chelsea Helton also ran very well for RCMS. The girls' 800-meter relay team of Jennifer Mercer, Arie-anna Lawson, Katelynn Hensley, and Mikaela Sadler won the relay state title and sealed the state championship team title for RCMS.

The ten were selected based on data from the Teaching, Educating, Leading and Learning (TELL) Kentucky survey, which was administered to all public school teachers and principals in March of this year.

Each school received a certificate, plaque and 4’ x 6’ school banner. Schools recognized as being in the Winners’ Circle of working conditions and student achievement are:

• North Jackson Elementary (Barren Co.)
• North Middletown Elementary (Bourbon Co.)
• South Heights Elementary (Henderson Co.)
• Lowe Elementary (Jefferson Co.)
• Adairville Elementary (Logan Co.)
• Benton Middle (Marshall Co.)
• North Oldham High (Oldham Co.)
• Bevins Elementary (Pike Co.)
• Pulaski County Area Technology Center
• Rockcastle County Middle

The ten were selected in a four-phase process. In Phase I, schools that reached the minimum 50 percent survey response rate threshold were identified. In Phase II, student test scores from the 2010-11 school year were analyzed, and a cut-off point was set to ensure that successful schools continued to the next phase of selection. In Phase III, schools were examined for details regarding their TELL Kentucky results, as well as other criteria (such as school safety), using a rubric designed by the New Teacher Center and the TELL Kentucky Advisory Team. Phase IV schools met all of the minimum criteria for selection, and the Advisory Team reviewed these to select 49 exemplary schools across the state.

From the 49 Honorable Mentions, one school in each of Kentucky’s State Board/Judicial Districts, two at-large schools and one area technology school were awarded the Winners’ Circle honors. Winning schools and Honorable Mentions will be used as examples of best practices for other schools across the state.

In March 2011, Gov. Steve Beshear and Education Commissioner Terry Holliday provided the opportunity for educators to share information about the conditions in their schools and the supports needed to do their jobs well. The TELL Kentucky survey was administered by the New Teacher Center, a national non-profit dedicated to improving student learning by accelerating the effectiveness of teachers and school leaders.

Kentucky set a first-time record for response rate, with 80 percent participation from teachers and principals. Of the 1,395 schools participating, 1,245 met the 50 percent response rate necessary for data to be made available.
School, district and statewide results, as well as the New Teacher Center’s Preliminary Findings, Guides, and Tools for Using the Data, can be viewed at www.tellkentucky.org.

The intent of this work is to provide schools, districts and the state with data that can be used to enhance school improvement efforts. The Kentucky Board of Education is using the results of the 2011 TELL Kentucky Survey in policy discussions and has included a request for continuation of this initiative in its 2012-2014 biennial budget request. The Kentucky Department of Education also is using the findings to guide its assistance to persistently low-achieving schools.