Home | Parent to Parent | Calendar | Success is Public Knowledge

September 2008

Sisters honored for science research
Ballard High students Kristin and Ashley Fields were the Kentucky winners of the 2008 Stockholm Junior Water Prize, one of the most prestigious awards for high school science projects.

The competition is open to projects aimed at enhancing the quality of life through improvement of water quality, treatment, or management. Ashley and Kristin earned the award for “Got Mercury? A Two-Year Spectrophotometric Analysis of Fish Tissue Utilizing Diphenylcarbazone.”

The sisters developed their own protocol for testing mercury levels in canned tuna and fresh fish, including catfish from the Ohio River, bass from an Indiana pond, and fish sold in local markets. Ashley and Kristin found that bottom-feeding fish have the highest mercury concentrations. They recommend eating Ohio River fish no more than once a month and only if the fish is less than 26 inches long. They also say you should eat chunk light tuna no more than once a week and albacore tuna no more than once a month.

State winners in the Stockholm Junior Water Prize receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the national competition. It was held this summer in Orlando and included a visit to SeaWorld and to the Kennedy Space Center. Kristin, a recent graduate of Ballard, and Ashley, who started her junior year at the school this fall, also have won awards at local, regional, and state science fairs, and their research earned them four-year scholarships to the University of Louisville (U of L).

Track and tennis teams won state championships
The boys’ track team at Louisville Male High and the girls’ team at Ballard High took the top spots in the AAA division at the 2008 Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) State Track and Field Championships, which were held in late May. The girls’ team at Butler Traditional High earned a second-place trophy.

Male High student Justin Green, who won the 100-, 200-, and 400-meter events at the state championship, was named the 2008 State Athlete of the Year by the Kentucky Track and Cross Country Coaches Association. The association also named Male’s coach, Jason Neuss, the 2008 Coach of the Year. With 28 state championships, the boys’ track team at Male has won more titles than any other school in Kentucky.

The boys’ tennis team at duPont Manual High took the top spot at the regional and state KHSAA tennis tournaments. This is the first time in 26 years that a JCPS school has won the regional tennis competition, and it’s the first time a JCPS school has won the state championship since 1995.

• Emma Merideth, a first grader last year at Jeffersontown Elementary, received a first-place award in the Grades K-2 Division of The Extra Degree, a statewide writing contest. Emma received a $100 gift certificate, and she was invited to read her work at KASA’s 39th Annual Conference, which was held in July at the Galt House Hotel.
• Luz Tur-Sinai Gozal, an eighth grader last year at Meyzeek Middle, received a third-place award in the Grades 6-8 Division of the contest.

A panel of judges selected the winning entries based on the Kentucky Writing Scoring Guide. Students were encouraged to write about a teacher or other adult who inspired them to strive for academic excellence. The contest is designed to complement the writing portfolios that Kentucky students are required to complete, and it gives students an audience and purpose for their writing. For more information, visit www.kasa.org/2008conference/2008_student_writing_winners.html.

PTAs earned state awards
The following 2008 Kentucky PTA awards were presented to JCPS staff members and to PTAs at district schools.

• Outstanding Programs and Projects: Hite Elementary (Pioneer Day), Dunn Elementary (Parent, Student Involvement), and Middletown Elementary (Math Education)
• Outstanding Volunteer Participation: Middletown Elementary
• Outstanding Local Unit Newsletter: duPont Manual High
• Outstanding Local Unit Website: duPont Manual High and Chancey Elementary
• Outstanding Educator: duPont Manual High teacher Wes Curtis and St. Matthews Elementary Principal Joe Leffert
• Outstanding Classified Personnel: Anne Jackel at St. Matthews Elementary and Lisa Stevenson at duPont Manual High
• Paul Mason Legislative Advocate for Children Award: Deputy to the Superintendent Marty Bell