School board to announce leader tonight
The Franklin County Board of Education will meet in special session today at 7 p.m. at Central Office, 916 E. Main St.
The lone agenda item is to approve appointment of the new superintendent.
Watch www.state-journal.com for the latest.
Academy for history, social studies teachers
The Kentucky Historical Society and Kentucky Department of Education will sponsor a Literacy Leaders Academy for history and social studies teachers June 19-21 at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History.
This is a competitive opportunity where teachers must submit an application, commit to the academy for a year and agree to teach what they learn to colleagues back in their districts. Travel, two nights of lodging and all meals (except for dinner on June 20) for the three-day event will be provided or reimbursed. Teachers will also receive education materials at no charge. Sessions will include information on how to use the Library of Congress website to locate primary sources, an introduction to the National History Day program and a mock project design, tips to build visual literacy skills, a social studies literacy lesson workshop and more.
The academy will continue with two webinar sessions in the fall, a webinar session in early spring 2013 and another in-person, one-day session in Frankfort in the spring.
Only 24 teachers will be selected to participate. The deadline to apply is May 28. Contact Charles Hall at charles.hall2@education.ky.gov for more information. The event is being paid for through a $20,000 grant from the Midwest Regional Center for Teaching with Primary Sources.
Buecker recognized for music support
Franklin County Public Schools Superintendent Harrie Buecker received the 2012 Kentucky Music Educators Association Administrator of the Year award at a conference earlier this year.
Buecker is “steadfast in her philosophy of the importance of integrating the arts into the educational experiences for all students,” the organization noted in a press release announcing the award.
She made revisions to the district’s school allocation formula in order to ensure that music, art, and physical education teachers were included in school staffing for all elementary schools, according to the release. Buecker received the award Sunday at the Franklin County High School year-end band concert at the Frankfort Convention Center.
Clean-up day at Frankfort State Hospital
Kentucky Protection & Advocacy, an agency that promotes the rights of those with disabilities, is organizing a clean-up day at Frankfort State Hospital and School Cemetery, located at the intersection of Glenn’s Creek Road and Cold Harbor Drive, starting 4 p.m. Thursday.
Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities and Kentucky Self-Advocates for Freedom Inc. are also involved in the joint project.
The cemetery serves as a final resting place for those with mental and developmental disabilities who lived at Frankfort State Hospital and School, which operated from 1860 to 1972.
Many were buried in graves marked unknown.
Parking will be available across the street from the cemetery and the Cabinet for Health and Family Services parking lot.
FIS to discuss Old YMCA parking
The Frankfort Independent Board of Education will meet Thursday at 6 p.m. at Central Office, 506 W. Second St., room 207.
Agenda items include reports from food services and Harshaw Trane, managers of the district’s energy performance contract, approval of supplemental duty stipends, a tentative budget for the upcoming school year and the CEO for Second Street School.
The board will also approve a letter of support for the conversion of the Old YMCA into a boutique hotel. Owner John Gray asked the board last week to consider leasing or selling some property to him for hotel parking.
The board will also meet in closed session to discuss the purchase or sale of property.
New provost selected for KSU
After a nationwide search, Kentucky State University President Mary Evans Sias has announced the selection of Dr. Joel Thierstein as the institution’s new provost and vice president for academic affairs, effective Aug. 1.
Sias said Thierstein, who was an associate provost at Rice University, would bring a wealth of knowledge and experience on many levels in higher education to KSU.
“Dr. Thierstein understands Kentucky State University’s continued aspiration toward distinction in all areas,” Sias said in a press release.
Thierstein joins KSU after nearly 20 years of experience in higher education. He has held positions as associate provost of innovative scholarly communication at Rice University and as senior adviser and counsel to the undersecretary at U.S. Department of Education.
Thierstein also has deep ties to both Kentucky and KSU.
“His relationship with KSU began when his father taught in the music department,” Sias said.
“He has since been involved in the business and arts communities in Kentucky, and I understand he has returned to the state quite often through the years.”
Dr. Thierstein has a J.D. degree and a Ph.D. in mass communications from Syracuse University.
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