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Calloway County Middle School band students received numerous individual honors from the Kentucky Music Educators Association First District.

Tyler Sebby-Mallet 1

Wesley Suiter-Alto Sax 2

Riley McNeely-Tenor Sax 3

Emma Slayden-Percussion 3

Ryland Boggess-Percussion 4

Samantha Dickinson-Trumpet 7

Kannon Bruce-Horn 8

Ella Martin-Clarinet 13

Kyla Caylor-Clarinet 1st Alternate

Hayden Loveless - Trombone 2nd Alternate

Calloway County High School's Laker Band received numerous individual honors from the Kentucky Music Educators Association First District.

First District Concert Band:

Idaly Alverado - Clarinet 1

Nathaniel Fowler - Bassoon 1

Bryson Barger - Euphonium 2

Audrey Tabers - Trumpet 3

Johnny Shouse - French Horn 5

Jasmine Hornbuckle - Clarinet 11

Jackson Fox - 1st Alternate Percussion

First District Symphonic Band:

Sam Rudy - Snare 5

Morgan Armstrong - Flute 5

Nathaniel Fowler - 1st Alternate Bassoon

Bryson Barger - 1st Alternate Euphonium

Aang Conner - 2nd Alternate Snare

Calloway County High School senior John Morgan Knight has been named the Area Technology Center November Student of the Month by the Rotary Club of Murray.

Knight has earned a 3.7 grade point average while in high school.  At ATC, he is a standout student in both carpentry and welding. ATC carpentry teacher Brian Provine says Knight has a great deal of talent in addition to his superb work ethic. He is a leader in a project to replace the soccer dugouts at CCHS’s Nix Field.

Outside of the classroom, Knight is in the SkillsUSA club and was also on the CCHS Laker golf team. 

After graduation in May, Knight plans to attend North American Lineman Training Center in McEwen, TN to be an electrical lineman.

Knight is the son of Shane and Monica Knight.

Eight choir students from Calloway County High School were chosen by independent audition to participate in the 2023 Quad State Honor Choir sponsored by the music department at Murray State University.  More than 250 singers from five states rehearsed in Lovett Auditorium on November 5 and 6 culminating in a performance of Mark Hayes' "Gloria."  Pictured left to right are (front) Julie Parker, Emma Martin, and Emily Rogers, (back) Eli Williams, A.J. Koerner, and Dr. Bradley Almquist, Director of Choral Activities at MSU.   Not pictured are Kylee Carter, Landon Carter, and Samuel Cecil.  

Calloway County Middle School Academic Team recently competed in the mid-season tournament hosted by the West Kentucky Academic Association or WKAA.  The tournament included 16 middle schools from all around Region One of Kentucky. After a great day of competition, the Lakers walked away with several individual accomplishments and the overall championship title.  

Along with the overall championship, students were awarded medals in all areas of competition!  In the area of science, the Lakers placed five students in the top ten with Ava Bogard claiming the championship, followed by Ella Martin in second place, Theodore Perlow in fourth, Hayden Loveless in sixth, and Collin Naber in seventh place. The Lakers had four students in the top ten in the area of mathematics with Ava Bogard claiming second place and Mason Riley in fourth place, followed by Emilio Gomez and Kyler McKeel.  In the area of social studies, four Lakers cracked the top ten scores with Tyler Saalwaechter claiming the championship, followed by Molly Pierce as runner-up, Theodore Perlow in third place, and Mason Falwell in eighth place.  The Lakers had six students in the top ten of fine arts with Ella Martin being named the champion, Hayden Gilbert as runner-up, followed by Ella Finley, McKenna Hopgood, Katee McKeel, and Ellie Johnson.  The Lakers also broke the top ten in Language Arts with Collin Naber claiming the championship, Hillary Bohannon coming in runner-up, followed by Tyler Sebby, Aaliyah Byrley, and Leah Hughes.    

In the team event of Quick Recall, the Lakers brought home the championship while remaining undefeated for the tournament. The Lakers won all four of their pool games to place them as the first seed in the round of sixteen.  The Lakers then won all three of the single elimination games to bring home the trophy.  The Quick Recall team is composed of Ella Martin, Hillary Bohannon, Molly Pierce, Ava Bogard, Mason Riley, Tyler Saalwaechter, and Tyler Sebby.   In addition, the Laker JV Quick Recall Team also competed in the varsity tournament on Friday.  The JV team finished their day claiming the fourth place trophy! The JV team members are Hayden Gilbert, Kyler McKeel, Mason Falwell, Collin Naber, and Theodore Perlow.

Southwest Calloway Elementary School's academic team finished second overall at the Heather Price Invitational Tournament in Paducah on November 18.

The team also finished first overall in Quick Recall with members Madison Purdy, Gunnar Champion, Emmitt Champion, Ethan Pervine, and Jesse Childress. 

Another quick recall team finished third overall with members Kinley Brown, Hannady Loveless, Azlyn Rose, Liam Morris, Alexis Kimball, and Blakelyn Gilbert.

Numerous students placed in the individual competitions. In math, Ryder Wallace finished 2nd, Daniel Briedwell finished 5th, and JR Wade finished 9th. In science, Gunnar Champion was 1st, Grace Munoz finished 2nd, and Kinley Brown placed 8th. In social studies, Emmitt Champion placed 3rd and Liam Morris was 10th. In language arts, Madison Purdy was 1st, Azlyn Rose finished 8th, and Anna Grace Pearson placed 9th. In arts and humanities, Isla Gupton placed 3rd, Ethan Pervine finished 4th, and Blakelyn Gilbert finished 7th.

East Calloway Elementary School's academic team finished third overall at the Heather Price Memorial Invitational in Paducah on November 18. 

The quick recall team finished fourth overall. Several students also placed in the overall competitions: Gus Russell (ELA), Noelle Raspberry (ELA), Trevor Manier (math), Brooklynn Powell (math), Ayden Wilson (history), Odin Beatty (history), Naomi Dean (history), and Ava Akers (arts).

The team is coached by Megan Milliken.

Calloway County High School senior Jude Bazzell has been named the November Student of the Month by the Rotary Club of Murray. 

Bazzell sports a 4.0 grade point average and an ACT score of 27, putting him in line to be a valedictorian in May at graduation. He received CCHS academic awards in Biology in 2021 and in English in 2021 and 2022. He is enrolled in three dual credit courses as a senior.

Bazzell also shines in athletics and clubs outside the classroom. He was a standout soccer player for CCHS for five years, earning numerous district and regional honors, including All Region First Team in 2023. He also has played tennis and ran track for the Lakers. He is an active member of the Future Business Leaders of America, Future Farmers of America, and Unified Champion Schools. 

In the community, Bazzell volunteers at West Fork Baptist Church, running the audio and video for services and helping with youth groups. He has been involved with clothing and school supply drives and worked with groups on tornado relief in Mayfield. He also volunteers to coach youth soccer.

After graduating in May, Bazzell is currently undecided, but plans to attend Murray State or enroll in a trade school. He is the son of Micah and Lauren Bazzell.

Calloway County High School graduates Savannah Pittman and Bella Swain recently received the American Future Farmers of America (FFA) Degree during the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis in November. The American FFA Degree is the highest degree an FFA member can earn, with fewer than one percent of members achieving the honor. 

Pittman and Swain are both enrolled as students at Murray State. Pittman is studying agriculture, and Swain is studying nursing.

They earned the American FFA Degree through years of FFA involvement, leadership, community service, and hours worked in their Supervised Agriculture Experience.  Swain raised cattle and sheep, while Pittman raised fruit and vegetables on their families’ farms.

Both students were CCHS Distinguished Honor Graduates in the class of 2022.

East Calloway Elementary School's Marian Cosgrove has been named the November Laker Champion for Kids. The Laker Champion for Kids is awarded each month to a Laker staff member who goes above and beyond for students and colleagues.

Cosgrove, or "OC" as her students call her, is the school resource officer at East and also leads the D.A.R.E. program for students in all three Calloway County elementary schools.

“She is the epitome of a Champion for Kids," said East principal Monica Williams. "While safety is the number one priority for her, she also spends her day building relationships with Lakers at all three elementary schools.  It is not unusual to see her interacting with students in the hallway, eating lunch with groups in the cafeteria, and volunteering to read to classes."

"When students were asked to describe her, many said she was nice, caring, and brave. If you’re having a bad day, she’ll tell you a joke and blow pink bubbles that she hides in her vest."

Cosgrove was nominated for the award by Southwest teacher Mallory Bybee. Bybee wrote, "When she sees a child having a hard time, she goes out of her way to develop a relationship with that student and truly become a champion for that child."

Director of Pupil Personnel Josh McKeel is also impressed with Cosgrove's dedication to her students.

“She goes above and beyond each day to protect, serve, and love our students," said McKeel. "She is always willing to help regardless of the task and excels at building relationships with our students and staff.  Her efforts to bring the D.A.R.E program back to our elementary schools has provide our students with skills to make positive, healthy decisions.”

Kentucky School Report Card data for the 22-23 school year was released on October 31, showing Calloway County as one of the premier school districts in the state.

The Lakers maintained or increased student achievement data in all areas.

You can view complete results online at the Kentucky School Report Card.

Congrats to our students, teachers, staff, and parents on a job well done!

Calloway County High School's girls' cross-country team finished sixth overall in the 2023 KHSAA State Cross Country meet on October 29 in Lexington. The Lady Lakers finished just 3 points shy of placing in the top 5 and was the best finish in modern school history.

Sophomore Valya Carlisle led the way with a 14th place finish out of 226 runners, earning KHSAA All-State honors. Senior Reese Settle was 19th and sophomore Sadie Lilly was 21st to form the highest finishing trio in CCHS history. Carlisle becomes the 3rd Lady Laker to earn KHSAA All-State honors over the last four seasons, joining Settle in 2022 and Ainsley Smith in 2020.

The boys' team finished 14th overall in the state, led by junior Ashton Robinson who finished 71st of 262 competitors.

 Calloway County High School senior Karsyn Tucker has been named the October Student of the Month by the Rotary Club of Murray. 

With a 4.0 grade point average, Tucker is a standout student both in and out of the classroom and will graduate in May with 30 hours of college credit. She received the Commonwealth Honors Academy scholarship after attending CHA last summer. She is an intern with Special Olympics Kentucky and a Leadership Tomorrow alum. Additionally, she is a member of the National Honors Society and Unified Champion Schools. 

She is the president of the CCHS Future Business Leaders of America chapter, Student Council and the Beta Club. While competing for FBLA, Tucker has won both Regionals and State competition twice and has represented CCHS at nationals for two years running.

After graduating in May, Tucker plans to attend Murray State to major in nonprofit leadership. She is the daughter of Kassia and Brian Tucker.

Calloway County High School senior Preslee Phillips was recently selected as one of only 5 students in the state of Kentucky to participate in the Auburn Veterinarian Student Mentorship Program, sponsored by the Kentucky Junior Cattlemen's Association.

Through this program, Preslee will be paired with a college of veterinary medicine student in a mentoring relationship. In addition, she will meet and work alongside faculty from Auburn's School of Veterinary Medicine as well as veterinarians from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, USDA APHIS Veterinary Services.  

Preslee is active in the CCHS Future Farmers of America chapter and plans to study veterinary medicine after high school. Her Supervised Agriculture Experience (SAE) is also Veterinary Science due to her work with two local veterinary clinics. She also works alongside her grandfather on their family's beef farm. 

Preslee is the daughter of Jonathan and Mandy Phillips.

Calloway County High School freshman Divine Ezinma recently received “Grand Recognition” from Western Kentucky University as a part of the Talent Identification Program of Kentucky. “Grand Recognition” is the highest honor given and is for students whose composite ACT score was 29 or higher.

The Talent Identification Program of Kentucky (TIP-KY) offers above-level testing to assess where students are academically in order for educators and families to guide students to relevant resources, appropriate enrichment programming, and other services that will challenge and encourage growth.

“The Center for Gifted Studies has been engaged in a talent search for a long time, and now it is our pleasure to fill the void created by the closure of Duke TIP with TIP-KY,” said Dr. Julia Roberts, Mahurin Professor of Gifted Studies and Executive Director of The Center for Gifted Studies and The Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science. 

In addition to being a standout student, Divine also is on the CCHS academic team and robotics team. After high school, his current plans are to attend college and to become a medical doctor.

Calloway County Middle School custodian Russell Turner has been named the October Laker Champion for Kids. The Laker Champion for Kids is awarded each month to a Laker staff member who goes above and beyond for students and colleagues.

Turner was nominated by numerous faculty and staff members at CCMS.

“I'm not sure I've met someone else who could match his tireless work ethic,” wrote CCMS teacher Sally Barnes. "The time he has committed to this school is immeasurable. He worked when he knew he would not be paid. He worked overtime shifts at the middle school only to continue his day giving more time to the high school. He has never complained, never shied away from a task, and never forgotten to smile to all those he encounters, even in the most daunting situations. CCMS has been blessed beyond measure to have someone who takes such pride in our space.”

Turner also works closely with CCMS assistant principal David Carmichael.

“He is an amazing guy,” says Carmichael. “Often, I’ve seen him come up on a weekend – unpaid – just to work on a few things that he wants to fix or make look better before the new week starts. He takes such pride in his work and is eager to help in any way he can. This summer, some of our current students were guiding the new 6th graders around the school at our Smooth Sailing event. When they got to his door, one said,‘This is Mr. Russell’s office. He’s our head custodian, one of the nicest and coolest guys here.’ This just goes to show the impact he makes in our building. We are so blessed to have him.”

Calloway County High School senior Matthew Jones recently traveled to Washington, D.C. to represent Kentucky at the SkillsUSA Washington Leadership Training in September. Jones traveled with ATC teacher and SkillsUSA sponsor Ron Thompson from the Murray/Calloway Area Technology Center.

The four-day SkillsUSA Washington Leadership Training Institute conference provided students an opportunity to grow in their professionalism, communication and leadership skills, which they apply during their visits to Congress. Delegations talked to elected officials or their staff members about their education paths and CTE training programs, the value of career and technical education and the benefits of their SkillsUSA participation. They explained how today's workplace requires employees with career readiness skills, and that SkillsUSA develops these skills in students of all ages and backgrounds.

The conference focused on advanced communications skills including development of a SkillsUSA Framework story to share during their visits with elected officials. This year's conference included training for students and advisors on personal and workplace skills; a tour of Washington, D.C., monuments and museums; and a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery.

SkillsUSA is one of the nation's largest individual membership organizations for career and technical students and its programs are integrated into the CTE curriculum. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the average high school graduation rate for students concentrating in CTE programs is 94% compared to an average national freshman graduation rate of 85%. CTE also helps create a trained pipeline of future workers to support a strong American economy and global competitiveness.

Pictured are Thompson, Jones, and Lily Jones (Henderson County) and Jeff Jones (Henderson County)

Calloway County High School sophomore Amber Wu recently scored a perfect 36 composite score on The ACT Test. The ACT Test is a nationwide college entrance test given to college-bound high school students. One quarter of one percent of test takers achieve this incredible score on The ACT Test.

The test is normally reserved for juniors and seniors, but Wu took the test in hopes of being accepted into The Gatton Academy at Western Kentucky University for her junior and senior years of high school. 

“I kind of wanted to get it over with the first time, and I knew I wouldn’t be happy with something other than a 36,” said Wu, who used Princeton Review textbooks this summer to help prepare for the exam.

Wu, 15, will have plenty of options for college and career in the future. She says her “dream school” is Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA, but the school is still very expensive. For her career, right now she is interested in aero-physics and hopes to one day work for NASA.

Wu credits her parents for contributing to her academic success, but her natural gifts are equally matched by her work ethic. Wu said during the pandemic, she would study math at home for 3-4 hours each day. Her mother is an English professor at Murray State, and her father has a Doctorate in computer science and is also talented in physics.

“It’s really nice to have both of those influences in my life,” said Wu about her talented parents.

Wu took Honors Algebra 2 at CCHS while she was in middle school and took Pre-Calculus as a freshman. After a placement exam at Murray State, she enrolled in Calculus 2 at MSU for dual credit at CCHS.

“I’m really grateful that [CCHS] let me go so far,” she said.

Wu has been an all-star on academic teams in her time at Calloway. She was a standout on the CCHS team her freshman year and finished first in Kentucky in math her eighth grade year at CCMS.

In addition to the academic team, Wu also participates in the speech team, Future Business Leaders of America, Beta Club, and tennis. She also hopes to start a math club at CCHS. 

Wu also has an interest in the arts as a member of the CCHS art club. She plans to apply for the Governor’s School for the Arts for the summer of 2024.

Calloway County High School senior Micah Koenecke was named the Area Technology Center September Student of the Month by the Rotary Club of Murray.

Koenecke is a standout student at CCHS and ATC. His specialty at ATC is automotive tech, but he also has taken carpentry and welding classes. This year as a senior, Koenecke has a work cooperative where he takes classes in the morning and spends his afternoons working at Kentucky Lake Boatworks. He works 20-25 hours each week in addition to his school schedule.

Outside of the classroom, Koenecke is a leader in the Skills USA club at ATC, where as a junior he was the regional champion and finished second in the state in the automotive competition. He was also the top competitor on the CCHS Laker Golf team.

After graduation in May, Koenecke hopes to attend West Kentucky Community and Technical College where he can earn certifications in welding, heavy diesel, and/or automotive tech.

Micah is the son of BJ and Heather Koenecke.

Calloway County High School Future Farmers of America Land Judging team won the regional championship on September 26 during a competition at Murray State University.

The team moves on to compete for a state championship on November 9 in Hardinsburg.

Pictured (L to R) are Cooper Housden, Preslee Phillips, Aiden Grooms, and Nick Caldwell. The team is coached by Dr. Jacob Falwell.

Four Calloway County schools have been recognized as “America’s Healthiest Schools” by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, one of the nation’s preeminent children’s health organizations. East Calloway Elementary, North Calloway Elementary, Southwest Calloway Elementary, and Calloway County High School all received this honor.

For the 2022-23 school year, 781 schools across 36 states earned this designation. Each school was recognized for implementing best practices in one of nine topic areas, based on criteria in Healthier Generation’s Thriving Schools Integrated Assessment. Southwest Calloway Elementary was recognized in four of these topic areas.

Healthier Generation’s signature recognition program honors schools’ extraordinary efforts to advance the cycle of achievement in whole child health equity for students, staff, and families while grappling with pandemic-related learning loss, high rates of vaping and nicotine addiction, a youth mental health crisis, and other challenges. As honorees of the recognition program, schools reinforce their central role as powerful agents of impact and change for their community at-large. 

On October 13 and 14, Healthier Generation will gather school representatives in Washington, D.C. for the America’s Healthiest Schools Leaders Summit to honor awardees and this year’s Corporate Hero, Kohl’s, for prioritizing the whole health needs of staff and students. More than 450 teachers, administrators, and thought leaders in health will come together to network, share best practices, and recognize the achievements of these distinguished schools. 

“We are proud of our schools for receiving this honor,” said Superintendent Tres Settle. “Our staff works hard to make our schools healthy and safe places for students to thrive, and I am excited to see them recognized for their hard work.”

Calloway County High School senior Aiden Grooms has been named the September Student of the Month by the Rotary Club of Murray. 

Grooms is a standout student in and out of the classroom.  He holds a 4.0 GPA and scored 31 on the ACT. He is also a 2023 Kentucky Governor’s Scholar. Outside the classroom, he is a member of the National Honor Society, Future Farmers of America, and Future Business Leaders of America. He also runs cross country and track and participated in the school’s Special Olympics UCS program. Grooms is also responsible for chartering the Interact Club at CCHS, a student branch of the Rotary Club of Murray.

Outside of school, Grooms is active in his youth group at church and plays guitar in his church band. He is also a part of the local antique tractor club and recently restored an antique tractor for display at the Kentucky State Fair. 

After graduating in May, Grooms plans to attend Murray State to major in either agriculture or engineering. In his career, he hopes to design equipment for Case International or John Deere.

Aiden is the son of Jonathan and Daisy Grooms.

Calloway County Middle School’s Future Problem Solving Coach, Whitney Pile, was honored on Friday, September 15^th as one of the newest inductees to the KAAC coveted Academic Team Hall of Fame.

The Kentucky Association for Academic Competition awards luncheon was held at the Galt House during the annual state academic team coaches’ conference.  Coaches selected for the Hall of Fame must have accomplished noteworthy achievements that further academic competition on a local, regional, and/or statewide level, according to the KAAC criteria used for consideration of this honor.

Whitney has been the FPS coach at Calloway County Middle School for the past 20 years. She is a registered nurse and currently serves as the Health Services Coordinator for the Murray Head Start program. She serves expectant moms and children ages 0 to 5 amongst the counties located in Western Kentucky.  During her coaching tenure, her FPS teams have won an amazing 18 District Governor’s Cup championships, 10 Regional Governor’s Cup championships along with 7 Regional Runners-Up. In addition, her FPS Lakers have placed 8 times in the top ten of the state of Kentucky, along with 6 top three finishes and a state championship.  Whitney has also guided 8 teams to the International FPS Conference tournament, where her teams represent Kentucky as they play against other teams from the USA and around twenty-two other countries.  Recently, one of Whitney’s teams placed ninth overall in the entire world at this competition.

Over the past 20 years, Whitney and her husband, Scott, have helped to make the academic program into a life-changing team for countless of students; moreover, they have strived to not just create a positive team experience for both current students and alumni of the program, but also foster an “academic team family” approach.  Whtiney has also had many amazing assistant coaches that have helped to make the Laker program into one of the most successful programs in the state of Kentucky. Her induction into the hall of fame is an award for “everyone” who has touched the Laker academic team program. 

Whitney and her husband, Scott, have been married for 19 years and they have two sons--Connor and Bryce.  Whitney is an avid baseball, basketball, and tennis spectator, as she cheers her boys on during their athletic events!  In addition, her older son, Connor, is on his high school’s academic team where he competes in science, fine arts, and quick recall. 

Calloway County High School nurse Erin Garland has been named the September Laker Champion for Kids. Garland also serves as the district's health coordinator. The Laker Champion for Kids is awarded each month to a Laker staff member who goes above and beyond for students and colleagues.

Garland was nominated by CCHS counselor Kim Rydecki.

“She stepped into a role that was much needed in our district," said Rydecki. "She has assumed many responsibilities as a result of her position with a level of grace that is not surprising if you are familiar with her fantastic personality. She has exceeded and surpassed all expectations of a career that has incredible responsibilities and accountability. She makes a point to help each and every student and staff member that she encounters. She heals more than just physical wounds and pain. She supports, loves, cares, nurtures those with any need whether it is emotional or physical. She is dedicated to serving her students, so that they know a safe place can be found in schools. The level of care provided by her sets a standard that can only be defined as a champion for all.”

Garland works with numerous people throughout our district, including Ryan Marchetti, who serves as the Director of PD/PR.

“She is incredibly dedicated to our students," said Marchetti. "She took a health leadership position in a tough time during the pandemic and worked with her schools and the other nurses incredibly well. She dealt with health issues in her own family over the last couple of years, and it never kept her away for long. She keeps showing up for her school, her colleagues, and her students. She is a vital asset to our district and is deserving of this recognition.”

Calloway County High School Future Farmers of America students recently traveled to Louisville to compete in the Kentucky State Fair. Numerous students placed in various competitions. The group is posing on a 1942 Farmall tractor recently restored by FFA students Aiden Grooms and Noah Fulton.

Results from the competitions:

Nursery - 3^rd in state

Jacee McKeel

Ellie Falwell

Dakotah Pittman

Tate Weatherly

Floriculture - 6^th in state

Annabelle Mohler

Ally Coles

Jaycee Crouch

Sayde Lowe

Meats Judging - 9^th in state

Jacob Akin

Patience Puckett

Elijah Rudolph

Sayde Lowe

Welding

Tyler Ward

Noah Fulton

Claire Blankenship

Josh Walker

Wildlife

Luke Johnson

Fulton Manning

Tyler Ward

Addison Kough

Land Judging with 4H (using FFA members) - 3^rd in state

Nick Caldwell 3^rd high individual

Jacob Akin

Cooper Housden

Aiden Grooms

Junior Land Judging with 4H (trained by FFA members)

Collin Naber 2^nd high individual

Benson Weber

Kyler McKeel

Mason Falwell

Calloway County Schools has recognized Laura Crouse as its August Laker Champion for Kids.  Crouse is a district-wide counselor assisting schools and families of students with disabilities. The Laker Champion for Kids is awarded each month to a Laker staff member who goes above and beyond for students and colleagues.

This month’s champion was nominated by Director of Special Education Lynsey Smith.

“She goes above and beyond in all areas across our district," said Smith. "Most days, she will be found taking notes during ARCs, guiding and mentoring teachers, and helping students and parents navigate postsecondary decisions. Outside of her daily tasks, she also voluntarily helped at Southwest after the passing of Ms. Murdock. She has counseled students, kept records straight, and conducted many meetings. She is an advocate for our students and an asset to Calloway County Schools.”

CCHS principal Steve Smith has worked with Crouse for two decades in the district.

“A true Laker-4-Life," said Smith. "This person is what we all aspire to be in the field of education, a difference maker who puts kids first. With a positive attitude and a generous spirit, she has spent her entire career looking for ways to help teachers, students, parents, and our school in general.  She has served our district as a teacher, a guidance counselor, and an ARC chairperson.  As a counselor at CCHS, she filled many roles with the direct professionalism of a school official, while adding the personal touch of a surrogate mother figure to many students who needed it, showing compassion, understanding and even tough love when it was needed." 

"Anyone who has ever worked with her will certainly agree that you will not find a better coworker, mentor or friend.  We are so blessed to have her as a part of Laker Nation!”

Calloway County Middle School counselor Mindy Rose has been selected for the Kentucky Department of Education School Counselor Advisory Council. This council helps connect Kentucky school counselors with KDE staff to discuss educational priorities that meet the needs of all children.

Calloway County High School teacher Ashley Fritsche (right) received the 2023 Outstanding Business Teacher award from her colleagues at the Kentucky Business Education Association. The award is for a KBEA member who shows sincere concern for the academic well-being of students, fosters a desire for learning in students, shows personal interest in their students, displays an enthusiasm for teaching, and shows professionalism through continued involvement in business education activities.

Calloway County High School teacher Cassidy McAllister was recently named the winner of the "Teacher Turn the Key Award" by the Kentucky Association of Agricultural Educators. The Turn the Key program is for new agricultural educators focusing on professional development to support teacher retention. McAllister will be entering her second year at teaching at CCHS. 

Southwest Calloway Elementary School counselor Mandi Murdock was chosen as the 2023 Educator of the Year by the Murray-Calloway County Chamber of Commerce. She touched the lives and hearts of hundreds of students and colleagues over her career before her passing in January, 2023. Her husband, Kyle, accepted the award on her behalf at the annual Chamber awards banquet on July 14 in front of her family, colleagues, and other friends and community members.

Calloway County High School Future Farmers of America received the 2023 Agriculture Award during the Murray-Calloway County Chamber of Commerce annual banquet on July 14. CCHS FFA is sponsored by Jacob Falwell, Cassie Miller, and Cassidy McAllister.

Calloway County Schools are excited to welcome back our students for the 23-24 school year!

Calloway County Preschool

July 18 - 8am-4:30pm - Packet Pickup - Parents of accepted students need to attend.

August 1 - 5pm-7pm - Open House

August 9 - First Day of Little Laker Harbour

August 17 - First Day of Preschool

Calloway County High School has hired Jonah Brannon as the new Laker varsity baseball head coach. Brannon replaces Travis Turner, who resigned after leading the Lakers for seven seasons. 

Brannon has served on the Laker baseball staff for two seasons as a varsity assistant and the head middle school coach. He also played for the Lakers in high school, along with playing college baseball at Murray State for four seasons.

Brannon plans to bring with him a passion for the game of baseball and a whole-person development attitude, focused on developing student-athletes as students, persons, players and eventual professionals, paving the way for life-success beyond graduation and baseball. 

“I am very appreciative of the Calloway County Schools administration for this awesome opportunity to become head baseball coach for the Laker baseball program,” said Brannon. “We have a proud past to uphold and an exciting future to mold. I would like to thank all of my former coaches for investing in me as a person first and foremost. They have all contributed in making me the man I am today. Special thanks to Coach Travis Turner for giving me the opportunity to come back home a couple years ago to Calloway County to begin my coaching career. We have a great group of talented players, but more than that, a great group of young men. I am very excited about helping develop them to their max potential on the field and leading them to be great young men off of it.” 

Brannon holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in agriculture and is employed as an instructor and a manager of the Arboretum/Pullen Farm at Murray State University. He and his wife Katie have a 4 month old son, Ramsey.

Calloway County Schools are excited to welcome back our students for the 23-24 school year!

Calloway County High School

July 11 - 8am-3pm - New Student Registration

Schedule Pickups in Library - Online registration completed before arrival, pay fees, complete health form, meet with counselors

July 25 - 11am-6pm - Seniors and Freshmen 

July 26 - 11am-6pm - Sophomores and Juniors

July 27 - 8-11am and 12-2pm - New Students and anyone unable to attend July 25/26

August 3 - 6-7:30pm - Back to School Night and Freshman Orientation 

August 9 - First Day of School

Calloway County Schools are excited to welcome back our students for the 23-24 school year!

North Calloway Elementary School

July 17 - 11am-6:30pm - Registration

July 18 - 7:30am-3:30pm - Registration

July 24-26 - 8:30am-11am - Kindergarten Camp - Registration deadline is July 17

July 31 - Times TBD - Back to School Night for 3rd, 4th, & 5th graders

August 1 - Times TBD - Back to School Night for 1st and 2nd graders

August 3 - Times TBD - Back to School Night for Kindergarten

August 9 - First Day of School

Southwest Calloway Elementary School

July 24 - 7am-2:30pm - Registration

July 25 - 11am-5:30pm - Registration

July 26-27 - 8:30am-11:30am - Kindergarten Camp - Registration deadline is July 21

July 31 - 5pm - Back to School Night for 3rd, 4th, & 5th graders

August 1 - 5pm - Back to School Night for 1st and 2nd graders

August 3 - 5pm - Back to School Night for Kindergarten

August 9 - First Day of School

East Calloway Elementary School

July 18 - 10:30am-6:30pm - Registration

July 31 - 5pm-6:30pm - Back to School Night for 3rd, 4th, & 5th graders

August 1 - 5pm-6:30pm - Back to School Night for 1st and 2nd graders

August 2 - 9am-12pm - Kindergarten Camp - Register by calling 762-7329

August 3 - 5pm-6:30pm - Back to School Night for Kindergarten

August 9 - First Day of School

Calloway County Schools are excited to welcome back our students for the 23-24 school year!

Calloway County Middle School

July 18 - 12pm-7pm - Registration (pay school fees, fill out health form, pick up schedule, get locker)

August 3 - 5pm-7pm - Back to School Night (meet the teachers, find classrooms, try lockers)

August 4 - Smooth Sailing Camp for 6th graders - Register through CCMS FRYSC

August 9 - First Day of School

Calloway County Middle School student Faith McCafferty recently competed in the National Speech and Debate Tournament in Phoenix, AZ. She competed against hundreds of students from across the country, earning quarterfinalist honors placing her in the top 24 in the nation. She is the daughter of Ryan and Jennifer McCafferty.

Calloway County High School Future Farmers of America recently attended the Kentucky State FFA Convention in Lexington. CCHS students joined nearly 2,500 other Kentucky FFA members at the convention competing in various events.

Savannah Pittman, a 2022 CCHS graduate, was awarded the state championship in Diversified Crop Entrepreneurship and finished state runner-up in Fruit Production. CCHS’s Parliamentary Procedure team, consisting of Isaac Martin, Lillie Thorn, Westin Tolley, Ginni Mikulcik, Nick Caldwell, Elizabeth Lanier, and Jacee McKeel finished as the state runner-up. Ginni Mikulcik finished in third place in Nursery Operations, and Cooper Housden took third in Public Speaking. Jacee McKeel won a $1000 cash prize in the Shark Tank event.

Eight recent CCHS graduates received the State FFA Degree, the highest degree a state can bestow upon members. Emma Arnett, Caden Brooks, Luke Hale, Trace Johnson, Isaac Martin, Ginni Mikulcik, Lillie Thorn, and Westin Tolley all received this honor.

This is the nineteenth consecutive year CCHS has produced a state champion at the convention. The school has produced 75 FFA state championships in 48 different areas over that same period.

CCVLA Graduation pictures are available to view and download in this shared Google folder.

Calloway County High School has hired Kirsten Collins to be the new head girls’ basketball coach for the 2023-24 season. Collins has served as an assistant for Lady Laker basketball for five seasons. She replaces David Brown, who resigned after one season.

Collins was previously the head girls’ basketball coach at Hickman County for two seasons before coaching in Calloway County. She played basketball in college at Brescia University in Owensboro and in high school at Mayfield. 

Collins is a math teacher at Calloway County Middle School. Collins and her husband, Eli, have two sons, Coe and Nox.

“I have been coaching and working with many of these girls since they were in elementary school,” said Collins. “I am excited for the opportunity to not only continue to watch them grow on the court but lead them in that growth. This is a great group of girls, both on and off the court, with a ton of talent and I am proud to be their head coach. I can't wait to get in the gym with them, start working out, build our foundation, and prepare for the season."

East Calloway Elementary students (L to R) Lilah Hill, Leah Fiske, and MaKaylenn Hargis all recently placed in the Murray Woman's Club Art Contest. Hargis won first place in printmaking and second place in drawing. Hill was second place in drawing, and Fiske was third place in painting.

Calloway County High School Boys' and Girls' track teams both won the team Regional Championships at their meet on May 22 at CCHS. The girls' team was the outright champion winning with a score of 212, beating the second place team with 117. The boys' team shared the championship with Paducah Tilghman.

East Calloway Elementary students recently traveled to Lexington to compete in the Greenpower Electric Go Cart races in Lexington.  Fourteen students spent this year learning, building, and assembling the car as a part of a grant through the University of Kentucky. Pictured left to right are Lincoln Green, Odin Beatty, Emery Ryan, Daisy Parrish, Patience Hunt (below), and East teacher and club sponsor Aymee Herndon.

Calloway County Middle School had two students finish in the top two spots in the Kentucky Business Education Keyboarding contest. Jillian Stovall (right) finished first with 89 words per minute and won a $50 Amazon gift card. Jadyn Stark (left) finished second with 86 words per minute earning a $25 Amazon gift card. 

Calloway County High School senior Isaac Martin was named The Murray Bank and Murray Ledger & Times Student of the Year. Martin received a $1000 scholarship and CCHS also received $1000 as a part of the award.

Martin graduates in May and plans to attend Murray State University to major in chemical engineering. He is the son of Jarrod and Sarah Martin. 

The full story can be found on the Murray Ledger & Times website.

Calloway County Middle School girls' soccer team won the regional championship after defeating Lone Oak 6-0 at Jim Nix Soccer Complex at Calloway County High School on May 3.

The team finished the season 15-0-1, scoring 59 goals and allowing only 2. In addition to winning the regional tournament, the Lady Lakers were also the district tournament and regular season champions. The team had 14 shutouts in their 16 games.

The Lady Lakers are coached by Tim Stark, Kristine Provine, and Bradley Dawson.

Calloway County High School senior Luke Freyburger has been named the Murray-Calloway County Area Technology Center Student of the Year. Freyburger was honored at the annual regional banquet at Marshall County High School on April 27. The event is sponsored by The Associated General Contractors of Western Kentucky, and Freyburger received at $500 prize as a part of the award.

Freyburger is a machine tool student at ATC. After graduation in May, Freyburger plans to attend West Kentucky Community and Technical College in Paducah to become a CNC machinist. He is the son of Joe and Julie Freyburger.

The full awards ceremony and all other winners are visible on the WPSD Local 6 website.

Pictured are Freyburger and ATC machine tool teacher Taylor Caldwell.

C.J. Dial has been named the Laker Champion for Kids for the month of May. Dial works as math teacher at Calloway County High School.  The Laker Champion for Kids is awarded each month to a Laker staff member who goes above and beyond for students and colleagues.

“He is a self-starter who continually looks for ways to put our students out front and get the most out of their experience at CCHS," said CCHS principal Steve Smith. "And besides being an outstanding math teacher, he is the epitome of a 'school person.'  He is a tech liaison for our school; he started the Technical Math class. He takes student-athletes to the elementary schools to read to the students, and he does this on his planning time. He operates the sound system for us at pep rallies and events, and he serves as an SBDM member. Because of his work ethic, many talents, and generous spirit, he is respected by students, staff and administration. We are fortunate to have him at CCHS, and he is a true Laker-4-Life.”

Dial was nominated by East Calloway Elementary teacher Ashley Dial, who is also his wife.

"He is a hardworking and dedicated teacher," said Mrs. Dial. "He has an awesome rapport with not only his students, but students across the high school and district. He is always willing to help students whenever it is needed. He is accommodating and empathetic. If a student needs help at 8:00pm, he doesn't think twice about providing assistance and feedback in order to help students be successful. His students and coworkers love him. He is a definite asset to our school district.

Pictured (L to R) are Superintendent Tres Settle, CJ Dial, and CCHS principal Steve Smith

Calloway County High School students Brooklyn Swatzell (left) and Aubrey Naber (right) have earned bids to the Future Problem Solving International Conference in June at University of Massachusetts - Amherst where they will compete alongside students from 40 other nations. They recently competed at Governor’s Cup State competition in the area of individual Future Problem Solving, predicting challenges and solutions to issues surrounding consumerism in a “throw away society." Naber, a freshman, placed 3^rd overall in Middle Grades FPS, while Swatzell, a sophomore, earned 6^th place. Senior Drake Calhoon also earned 8^th place in the High School division. Future Problem Solving is a part of the CCHS academic team. The Laker FPS team is coached by Erica Gray and Cassidy McAllister.

North Calloway Elementary School teacher Noraa Ransey was named the Outstanding Elementary Educator at the 38th Annual Harry M. Sparks Lecture presented by Murray State's College of Education and Human Services on April 25.

Ransey is in her 18th year in education and is currently a 1st grade teacher at NCES. Ransey was named the 2020 Teacher of the Year by the Kentucky Education Association, and the 2021 Educator of the Year by the Murray-Calloway County Chamber of Commerce. Ransey is a National Board Certified Teacher and has been active in numerous national and state groups and committees, including the National Board DEI standards committee, the Kentucky Commissioner's Advisory Council, Kentucky Reading Association, Kentucky Academy of Technology Education, Kentucky Education Association, and the National Education Association. She has two degrees from Murray State and is a mother of five.

"North Elementary is very proud of our Noraa Ransey for being named the Outstanding Elementary Educator," said North Elementary principal Melinda Hendley. "Ms. Ransey is distinguished in her field and finds ways to share her fire with both students and other educators.  Noraa continues to be self-motivated to push herself to grow professionally at the local, state and national levels.  Ms. Ransey loves her students, school and community and always strives to be a positive light with those that she meets." 

"We are blessed in Calloway County with some of the best stakeholders," said Ransey. "My team works tirelessly to create experience for our students. We have many parents and community members that make all our dreams of being the best teacher we can come true. Whether we need a banker to show up and tell us about a job or a coat for a kid that has a need someone is always a phone call away. I am beyond thankful to be an educator in Calloway County."

Eight Calloway County High School juniors were selected to participate in the 2023 Governor's Scholars Program (GSP).  

The Governor’s Scholars Program is a summer residential program for outstanding high school students in Kentucky who are rising seniors. The Program originated in 1983 as a result of Kentucky leaders’ concern that the state’s “best and brightest” were leaving the Commonwealth to pursue educational and career opportunities elsewhere without fully understanding the potential of their talents at home. Students who are selected attend the Program without charge. In the spirit of partnership, the Office of the Governor, the Kentucky State Legislature, and private enterprise come together to provide the financial support for the Program.

In order to participate in the Program, students must be nominated by their high schools and then compete on a state-wide level. Selection for the program is highly competitive, with an application process similar to that of prestigious colleges and universities. In addition to an academic profile that includes difficulty of course load, GPA, and at least one standardized test score, the application requires an outline of all extracurricular activities, a history of volunteer service, and a list of job positions held. A Teacher recommendation which includes both a quantitative evaluation and qualitative descriptions of the student’s performance and potential; as well as a Community Recommendation which shows how a student performs in a community setting beyond the high school are also required. The final component of the application is an original writing entry.

CCHS students selected were (L to R) Amelia Slaton (alternate), Aiden Grooms, Olivia Anderson, Jasmine Hornbuckle, Taylor Frantz, Jacob Akin, Sydney Lasley, and Caleb Darnell.

Calloway County High School junior Kelley Turner has been accepted for Murray State University's Commonwealth Honors Academy. Kelley is the daughter of Ricky and Angie Turner.

The Commonwealth Honors Academy is a three-week academic enrichment experience held every June on Murray State University’s main campus. Students live and learn with their peers and teachers from the area as they take college-level honors courses, take field trips that enrich classroom experiences, attend speakers and listen to professional artists perform and talk about their work, and participate in social and personal growth seminars.

Students that attend CHA receive six hours of tuition-free, transferable university credit. Students also receive an in-state full tuition scholarship with a 3.5 high school GPA and a minimum 25 ACT Composite score. Each student will be assigned to an Interdisciplinary Humanities and Fine Arts (IDHFA) course and to one elective in Business, Science, Education, Health Sciences, Humanities and Fine Arts, Social Science, Communications, or Engineering.

Calloway County High School sophomore Ezra Foote has been selected to attend the Governor's School for Entrepreneurs (GSE) this summer at Northern Kentucky University. Ezra is the son of Paul and Louise Foote.

The Governor's School for Entrepreneurs (GSE) identifies and enables Kentucky high school students to become the Commonwealth's next generation of entrepreneurs. Through the three-week residential experience, GSE participants from throughout the Commonwealth are introduced to Kentucky's most successful entrepreneurs and fastest growing businesses, equipped with the tools and skills to create and build their own businesses, and matched with complementary skilled peers to develop business plans and product or service prototypes. The annual GSE intensive program culminates in a pitch competition attended by a large audience representing Kentucky's entrepreneurial ecosystem.

GSE’s leadership recognized that teens in Kentucky were not being given dynamic opportunities to learn about entrepreneurship and put their ideas into action. For many communities in Kentucky, efforts focused on human capital -- meaning entrepreneurship education initiatives aimed at changing the mindset and capacity of young people -- may be the best hope of changing outcomes and improving living standards.

On April 17-19, 2023, 76 members and advisers from Future Business Leaders of America at CCHS and CCMS traveled to Louisville, KY to attend the 2023 Kentucky FBLA State Leadership Conference.  Laker FBLA was recognized for meeting the 2022-2023 State Goals, achieving the Commonwealth Award of Merit, participating in the State Project for 2022-2023, participating in the Local Leadership Challenges, and completing the Reporter’s Quill.

Students were able to attend workshops on topics such as leadership, mental health, jobs in IT, financial literacy, etc. 

The following are the results from the competitions that took place while in Louisville. 

Calloway County High School Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapter won the overall championship at the 71st annual Murray State University FFA Field Day on April 19.  CCHS FFA has finished first or second in this event for 20 straight years. This is their first championship since 2016, and the 18th championship in school history.   A total of 59 students competed in both team and individual contests contributing to the team win. With 80 teams representing 69 schools from Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee, CCHS was still able to place in the top 10 at every event at Field Day.

Championship Teams:

• Nursery and Landscaping (43 straight years as top team in Kentucky), team members:  Isaac Martin (1st place individual), Kaylee Tharp (3rd place Individual), Jaycee Crouch, and Elizabeth Morrow
• Floriculture, team members:  Ginni Mikulcik (1st place individual), Ally Coles, Annabelle Mohler, Mattie Overbey
• Tobacco Judging, team members:  Ethan Carson (2nd place individual), Kolt Bazzell, Kierstyn Carraway, Aidan Clinton, Ellie Falwell, Cooper Housden, Wyatt Robbins, Tate Weatherly

Championship Individuals:

• Tractor Driving:  Luke Hale
• Tool Identification:  Jake Davenport

Runner-up Teams:

• Land Judging, team members:  Jacob Akin (2nd place individual), Fulton Manning, Addison Schumacher, and Lillie Thorn
• Welding, team members:  Tyler Ward (2nd place individual), Claire Blankenship, Caedmon Hanes, and Josh Walker

Runner-up Individual:

• Auctioneering:  Luke Johnson

3rd Place Team:

• Ag Mechanics, team members:  Noah Fulton, Bae Lawrence, Jonathan Therrien, and Corbin Watters

3rd Place Individuals: 

• Weed Identification:  Elizabeth Lanier
• Horsemanship:  Addison Pervine

4th Place Individuals:

• Horsemanship:  Caden Brooks
• Horsemanship:  Paige Pendergrass
• Mig Welding:  Logan Ramsey

5th Place teams:

• Poultry Judging, team members:  Emma Arnett, Aiden Grooms, Jacee McKeel, and Patience Puckett
• Vet Science, team members:  Grace Barnes, Olivia Bone, Kenzie Dukes, Payton Duncan, Emily Garner, Jayna Garner, Abby Hathcock, Jessi James, Quinlyn Moore, Dakotah Pittman, and Trey Ward

7th Place team:

• Livestock Judging, Addison Kough, Sayde Lowe, Sayler Lowe, and Preslee Phillips

Calloway County High School senior Enas Abo Al Haija has been named the April Student of the Month by the Murray Rotary Club. 

Abo Al Haija is on track to be a CCHS valedictorian in May and scored 30 on the ACT. She is also Microsoft Office certified, and has passed the Marketing, Family and Consumer Sciences, and Administrative Office End of Program assessments. She was also a member of Leadership Tomorrow in her junior year. She has also won numerous outstanding student awards while at CCHS.

Outside of the classroom, she is an active member of the Future Business Leaders of America, earning first place in the state in Marketing in 2023 and numerous regional competition awards. She also volunteers at FBLA events, including the “Princess and Superhero Breakfast” three times. She is also an active member of BETA Club, National Honor Society, Rotary Interact, and Spanish Club. She also recently won the local Rotary club speech contest in February.

After graduating in May, Abo Al Haija plans to attend Oregon State University to major in chemistry. She also intends to enroll in medical school to become a dermatologist. She is the daughter of Rasha Khalil and Adnan Abo Al Haija.

Pictured (L to R) are CCHS principal Steve Smith, Abo Al Haija, Rotarian Warren Edminster

 East Calloway Elementary School students recently received honors for the Kentucky Junior Duck Stamp contest.

Ayden Wilson, 4^th grader, won first place for his conservation statement in the KY JR Duck Stamp contest. He received $100.00 as well as other gifts.

Bailee Stone, 3^rd grader, and Lilah Hill ,5^th grader,  received honorable mention for their KY JR Duck Stamp artwork.

Calloway County High School sophomore Elizabeth Lanier has been selected for The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science at Western Kentucky University. Ninety-nine students in Kentucky were selected for this prestigious honor, marking The Gatton Academy's 18th incoming class. Students at The Gatton Academy will complete their junior and senior years of high school living in Florence Schneider Hall at WKU.  At the end of their two-year course of study, students will graduate from high school with a minimum of 60 college credit hours.

At Calloway County, Lanier is a successful speech writer earning several regional and state titles since the sixth grade. She also enjoys competing on her school’s Academic Team, FFA and FBLA. She is a founding member of the CCHS Interact Club, and this year she was appointed to the Board of Directors for Playhouse in the Park. Elizabeth is also an active member of her church’s youth group. She is the daughter of Alan and Catherine Lanier.

Applicants were evaluated based on ACT/SAT scores, high school grades, awards and accomplishments, extracurricular activities, responses to essay and short answer questions, and recommendation forms. In addition to these criteria, candidates were invited to interview with WKU faculty members, community leaders from across the Commonwealth, and Gatton Academy alumni. Students from 46 counties make up the Class of 2025. 

“Each year we are reminded Kentucky is filled with remarkable students seeking advanced coursework and challenge in their education," said the Director of The Gatton Academy, Dr. Lynette Breedlove. “The Class of 2025 are an inspiring group who have been supported and encouraged by many people in their local schools, districts, and communities.”

The mission of The Gatton Academy is to provide a residential program on the campus of Western Kentucky University for bright, highly motivated Kentucky high school students who have demonstrated interests in pursuing advanced careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Students enhance their creativity, curiosity, reasoning ability, and self-discipline through the companionship of peers, university courses, faculty-led research, and study abroad, preparing them for leadership roles in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Moreover, The Gatton Academy assists in preparing Kentucky to compete in a knowledge-based economy by increasing the number of scientists and engineers with ties to the state.

The Gatton Academy provides a rich living and learning environment designed specifically for academically talented adolescent students that features clubs, organizations, and community service. Additionally, students are able to participate in advanced research with WKU faculty members. Research conducted during students’ time at The Gatton Academy has been honored in the nationally competitive Regeneron Science Talent Search, Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, and published in scientific journals. Study abroad opportunities allow students to participate in global learning experiences in locations such as Costa Rica and England.

The Gatton Academy is Kentucky’s first state-supported, two-year residential program for high school students with interests in advanced science and math careers and is one of only 15 such programs in the nation. The Gatton Academy is a recipient of the 2022 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award from Insight Into Diversity Magazine and the Innovation Partnership Award from the National Consortium for Secondary STEM Schools.

North Calloway Elementary, Southwest Calloway Elementary, and Murray-Calloway County Area Technology Center all received $5,000 STEM Classroom Grants from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).  The program, sponsored by the TVA in partnership with Bicentennial Volunteers Incorporated (BVI, a TVA retiree organization), is designed to fund science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning projects in classrooms and schools in the TVA service area. 238 schools were chosen for grants out of approximately 500 applications.

“The Tennessee Valley Authority understands that excellence in education is the key to our future,” said TVA STEM Education Manager Rachel Crickmar. “We want to work directly with teachers to support initiatives that advance STEM activities in the classroom to develop a talent pipeline for TVA and its customers."

The schools plan to use the grant money in various ways, all to improve STEM education for their students. North Calloway plans to enhance their STEM materials in their media center. Southwest Calloway plans to construct a butterfly garden with various plants. Murray-Calloway ATC will purchase advanced technology for their machine tool program.

Representatives from TVA and the West Kentucky Rural Electrical Cooperative visited the schools on April 12 to tour the schools, discuss the grant programs, and visit with teachers and students.

The Tennessee Valley Authority is a corporate agency of the United States that provides electricity for business customers and local power companies serving nearly 10 million people in parts of seven southeastern states. TVA provides flood control, navigation and land management for the Tennessee River system and assists local power companies and state and local governments with economic development and job creation.

Pictured (L to R) are Brent Powell (TVA), Scotty Sholar (TVA), Jodie Hansen (WKRECC), Dan Hicks (ATC), Taylor Caldwell (ATC), and Wade White (TVA)

North Calloway Elementary, Southwest Calloway Elementary, and Murray-Calloway County Area Technology Center all received $5,000 STEM Classroom Grants from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).  The program, sponsored by the TVA in partnership with Bicentennial Volunteers Incorporated (BVI, a TVA retiree organization), is designed to fund science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning projects in classrooms and schools in the TVA service area. 238 schools were chosen for grants out of approximately 500 applications.

“The Tennessee Valley Authority understands that excellence in education is the key to our future,” said TVA STEM Education Manager Rachel Crickmar. “We want to work directly with teachers to support initiatives that advance STEM activities in the classroom to develop a talent pipeline for TVA and its customers."

The schools plan to use the grant money in various ways, all to improve STEM education for their students. North Calloway plans to enhance their STEM materials in their media center. Southwest Calloway plans to construct a butterfly garden with various plants. Murray-Calloway ATC will purchase advanced technology for their machine tool program.

Representatives from TVA and the West Kentucky Rural Electrical Cooperative visited the schools on April 12 to tour the schools, discuss the grant programs, and visit with teachers and students.

The Tennessee Valley Authority is a corporate agency of the United States that provides electricity for business customers and local power companies serving nearly 10 million people in parts of seven southeastern states. TVA provides flood control, navigation and land management for the Tennessee River system and assists local power companies and state and local governments with economic development and job creation.

Pictured (L to R back row) are Scotty Sholar (TVA), Mark Mallory (Southwest), Jodie Hansen (WKRECC), Brent Powell (TVA), Wade White (TVA). Pictured in the front row are the Southwest Elementary Student Council.

North Calloway Elementary, Southwest Calloway Elementary, and Murray-Calloway County Area Technology Center all received $5,000 STEM Classroom Grants from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).  The program, sponsored by the TVA in partnership with Bicentennial Volunteers Incorporated (BVI, a TVA retiree organization), is designed to fund science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning projects in classrooms and schools in the TVA service area. 238 schools were chosen for grants out of approximately 500 applications.

“The Tennessee Valley Authority understands that excellence in education is the key to our future,” said TVA STEM Education Manager Rachel Crickmar. “We want to work directly with teachers to support initiatives that advance STEM activities in the classroom to develop a talent pipeline for TVA and its customers."

The schools plan to use the grant money in various ways, all to improve STEM education for their students. North Calloway plans to enhance their STEM materials in their media center. Southwest Calloway plans to construct a butterfly garden with various plants. Murray-Calloway ATC will purchase advanced technology for their machine tool program.

Representatives from TVA and the West Kentucky Rural Electrical Cooperative visited the schools on April 12 to tour the schools, discuss the grant programs, and visit with teachers and students.

The Tennessee Valley Authority is a corporate agency of the United States that provides electricity for business customers and local power companies serving nearly 10 million people in parts of seven southeastern states. TVA provides flood control, navigation and land management for the Tennessee River system and assists local power companies and state and local governments with economic development and job creation.

Pictured (L to R) are Josh Tubbs (TVA), Brent Powell (TVA), Jodie Hansen (WKRECC), Laken Falwell (North), Scotty Sholar (TVA), and Wade White (TVA)

Scott Pile has been named the Laker Champion for Kids for the month of April. Pile works as science teacher at Calloway County Middle School.  The Laker Champion for Kids is awarded each month to a Laker staff member who goes above and beyond for students and colleagues.

“He is a phenomenal teacher who gives 110% to his students,” says CCMS principal Jodi Butler. “He makes learning science something students love to do.  He keeps students engaged all the time with interesting projects and he presents the material in a way that keeps kids wanting to learn more.  You will also find him still on the job many nights and weekends as he leads numerous academic team groups.  The successes of the CCMS academic teams are unrivaled largely due to his dedication.  We are very thankful to have him here at CCMS.”

Pile was nominated by CCMS guidance counselor Mindy Rose, who wrote:

“He works tirelessly for kids, whether it be to enhance the education of our gifted and talented kids, to help students turn into leaders, or just teaching in a manner that is academic, enthusiastic, and inspiring. He gives to others in a way that inspires so many to do the same.”

Pictured (L to R) are CCMS principal Jodi Butler, Scott Pile, and Superintendent Tres Settle

The Calloway County High School FFA Chapter continued their winning tradition at the Purchase Region FFA Day on Thursday, March 30 at Murray State University.  CCHS FFA has a record 35 students qualified for state competition after being named Regional Champion during this school year. Emma Arnett served as the Regional Vice-President, and Sayde Lowe was installed as the Purchase Region President for the 2023-2024 school year.  In addition to that, Arnett and fellow senior Westin Tolley were interviewed for finalists in the Regional Star Contests. 

CCHS qualified the most students in the region for state competition. The Kentucky State FFA Convention is in June in Rupp Arena in Lexington.

The Parliamentary Procedure Team was also named Regional Champion and the team qualified for the State contest.  Team members were:  Isaac Martin, Lillie Thorn, Westin Tolley, Nick Caldwell, Ginni Mikulcik, Elizabeth Lanier, Jacee McKeel, Ellie Falwell, and Cooper Housden.

State Convention Qualifiers:

Elizabeth Lanier, Prepared Public Speaking

Ginni Mikulcik, Greenhouse Public Speaking

Cooper Housden, Crop Public Speaking

Aiden Grooms, Ag Mechanics Public Speaking

Jayden Phillips, Turf and Lawn Public Speaking

Kaylee Tharp, Floral Public Speaking

Jacee McKeel, Fruit and Vegetable Public Speaking

Lillie Thorn, Beef Quiz Bowl

The following students also placed at FFA Day:

The Conduct of Meetings Team, members included:  Addison Kough, Trey Ward, Dakotah Pittman, Luke Johnson, Sayler Lowe, Wyatt Robbins, and Quinlyn Moore

The Record Keeping Team, members included:  Payton Duncan, Elijah Rudolph, Sayler Lowe, and Wyatt Robbins

Jacob Akin, Swine Public Speaking

Emma Arnett, Poultry Public Speaking

Nick Caldwell, AIC

Ally Coles, Goat Public Speaking

Sayde Lowe, Beef Public Speaking

Isaac Martin, Extemporaneous Public Speaking

Annabelle Mohler, Small Animal Public Speaking

Trey Ward, FFA Quiz

Nine students in the Murray-Calloway County Area Technology Center Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA) club competed in Louisville on March 23 at the State Leadership Conference. The Public Health team of (L to R) CCHS students Molly Clark, Addie Larson, Delaney McClure, Callie Tipton, and Murray High student Kelly Parr won first in their category, qualifying them to compete in the International Leadership Conference in Dallas, TX this summer. The HOSA club at Murray-Calloway ATC is led by pre-nursing instructor Nicole Vaughan.

Two CCHS Seniors were awarded the Presidential Fellowship at Murray State University. Presidential Fellowships cover the cost of tuition, on-campus housing, and a meal plan. In order for the fellowship to be renewed yearly, recipients must maintain a 3.2 cumulative GPA, full-time status, participate in the Honors College, and participate in research in the appropriate academic discipline.

Cesar Villeda is the president of the senior class as well as an officer in Beta club and the Student Council. He is on track to be a valedictorian, and he is also a member of the academic team, FBLA, tennis team, cross country team, and FFA. He was a 2022 Governor’s Scholar at the Morehead State campus and 2021-22 alumni of Leadership Tomorrow. He plans on majoring in economics and eventually working in local government.

Sydney Naber is involved in tennis, track, soccer, FBLA, BETA, NHS, student government, Leadership Tomorrow, and the Spanish Club. She is currently on the road to becoming a Bio Pre-Med major with aspirations of attending medical school to become a radiologist. Her goal is to work for a local hospital stay in our local region upon graduating from medical school.

Calloway County Middle School MathCOUNTS team competed at the state championship tournament held at the University of Kentucky on March 25, finishing eighth overall.  The tournament consisted of teams and individuals from around the state that scored well enough in chapter competitions to qualify for a chance to compete for the state math title. The Lakers qualified for this event by winning the regional championship, which allowed them to represent the Kentucky Lakes Chapter. The members of this team are Sean Williams, Maya Munoz, Emerson Herndon, and Ava Bogard. The Laker MathCOUNTS team is coached by Dan Thompson. 

Calloway County Conservation District recently held their awards banquet where numerous Laker students won several awards.

Writing Contest:

Kaylee Tharpe, 2nd at CCHS and 3rd in District

Hillary Bohannon, 1st at CCMS and 1st in District

Elizabeth Lanier, 1st at CCHS and 2nd in District

Art contest:

Emry Munoz, 1st place at Southwest Elementary

Cooper Wheatley, 1st place at North Elementary

Abbigail Christopher, 1st place at East Elementary

Calloway County High School sophomore Hunter Williams was recently named the AGC of Western Kentucky Technical Center Student of the Week. Williams takes carpentry and electrical classes at the Area Technology Center and was recently featured in the Paducah Sun. He is pictured with his carpentry instructor Brian Provine.

You can read the full article in the Paducah Sun right here. 

Calloway County High School chess team finished 11th in the state tournament in Shepherdsville on March 25. This is the inaugural season for Laker chess, and they were one of four teams in the region to qualify for state. Pictured (L to R) are Micah Patton, Prem Patel, Nicolas Murrell, and AJ Koerner. The team is coached by Angela Hoback.

Calloway County High School senior Rebecca Grosz has been named the Area Technology Center's March Student of the Month by the Murray Rotary Club. 

Grosz takes machine tool classes at the Area Technology Center and is an officer for the Skills USA club.At CCHS, Grosz has a 4.0 grade point average and is on track to be an honor graduate in May. She has been a member of the archery team, academic team, Beta Club, and Leadership Tomorrow.

Outside of school, Grosz is a member of Elm Grove Baptist Church, currently serving as a mission leader of Elm Grove Youth. She is the daughter of Robet and Paula Grosz.

After high school, she plans to attend Murray State University and major in Manufacturing Engineering Technology to become a production engineer.

Calloway County High School Future Farmers of America chapter recently entered the Purchase Region FFA Competition, entering a total of 34 applications - 17 more than any other school in the region. Many students won individual regional honors and qualified for state competition and recognition. Fifteen students were regional champions, along with 12 regional runner-up finishes.

Emma Arnett was selected as a state officer candidate for the Purchase Region. Sayde Lowe was elected Regional President for the 2023-24 school year, and Westin Tolley and Emma Arnett were selected as finalists for Regional Stars.

The full list of CCHS applications are below.

On March 17^th through March 20^th the Calloway County Middle School Academic Team traveled to Louisville, Kentucky to compete in the KAAC academic team state tournament against students from all around the state.  The season started with 328 other hopeful middle school teams working toward the goal of a state championship. After three days of competition, the Lakers brought home several recognitions and trophies, including being named the fourth-place academic team for the entire state of Kentucky.

The first team recognition was for the CCMS quick recall team.  They began pool play on Sunday against 40 other quick recall teams that qualified for the state tournament.  In pool play, the Lakers went undefeated by winning all four games, which qualified them for the “Smart Sixteen” on Monday. In the first round of the Smart Sixteen, the Lakers defeated Campbell County.  They followed that performance with a defeat of Royal Springs in the Elite Eight and a defeat of South Warren in the Final Four.  The Lakers found themselves in a historic position as they competed in front of huge crowds in the final championship game.  After a wonderful performance, the Lakers were narrowly defeated by South Laurel by four questions, which gave them state runner up!  The Laker QR team finished the season 29—1 with three tournament championships and a state runner-up trophy. The quick recall team consists of Maya Munoz, Sean Williams, Riley Hudson, Aiden Hooper, Mariana Hughes, Lillie Russell, Divine Ezinma, Sarah Doyle, Ella Martin, Molly Pierce, and Ava Bogard. 

The second team recognition was the Laker Future Problem Solving team being named third place in the state! The FPS team composed of Mariana Hughes, Addison Finley, Sarah Doyle, Hillary Bohannon, and Elle Rekow took third place over 40 other teams that qualified for the state tournament. This finish now qualifies the Lakers for the International Future Problem Solving championship tournament, which will be held at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. 

The individual recognitions were awarded to students who placed in the top 10 of the state for their individual tested area.  The first recognition went to Maya Munoz who was named the state champion in general knowledge!  She was followed by Ella Martin in fourth place and Aiden Hooper in seventh place.  Sean Williams was the sixth-place finisher in the state in the area of individual quick recall.  The Lakers had two others reach the semifinal rounds in the area of individual quick recall—Maya Munoz and Ava Bogard. The Lakers also had Maya Munoz claiming third place in Fine Arts, and Aiden Hooper coming in eighth place in the area of science.   Other team members contributing to the tournament success were Hayden Gilbert and Collin Naber.

The Laker team was joined on stage by Governor Beshear who presented the trophies to the students in front of thousands of competitors and spectators.

Calloway County High School Laker archery team competed in the Kentucky NASP State Championship in Louisville on March 18. Twenty-four students competed at the event, with the Laker team finishing 26th in the state in bullseye shooting and 15th in the state in 3D shooting out of 149 teams.

Nathan Deitz scored 293/300 in 3D shooting, earning male state runner-up in the event. He also shot 291/300 in bullseye shooting, placing him 15th in the state.

Bella Thomas scored 289/300 in bullseye shooting which placed her 13th in Kentucky among females.

Calloway County High School senior Gracie Friedrich has been named the March Student of the Month by the Murray Rotary Club. 

Friedrich is an outstanding student and currently holds at 4.0 grade point average. She has been named a Governor’s Scholar and the outstanding Spanish student. She is a member of Leadership Tomorrow and won first place in a state-wide creative writing contest.

Outside of the classroom, Friedrich is active in numerous clubs and groups. She is active in the student council, Future Farmers of America, Health Occupation Students of America, Beta Club, and Spanish club. She is also a member of Educators Rising and serves as a student representative on the school’s health committee. 

Friedrich is also a remarkable volleyball player and completed her senior season in the fall. She was named the CCHS volleyball MVP and named to the all-district team in 2022. She has been named to the KHSAA Academic All-State team four times.

In the community, Friedrich is a member of The Journey Church. She also tutors students in Spanish and math, along with playing for a local club volleyball team.

After graduating in May, Friedrich plans to attend Lindsey Wilson College to pursue a degree in nursing. She is the daughter of Rob and Kristie Friedrich.

Calloway County High School Speech Team traveled to Northern Kentucky University this weekend to compete in the Kentucky High School Speech League State tournament and placed 8th out of 42 high schools.  Twelve CCHS students comprised 22 entries and advanced 6 entries to semi-finals and 3 entries to quarter finals. Sophomore Sarah Gardner advanced to the final round in prose and placed 6th in the state.  

Semifinalists (top 12 in the state) included Vayla Carlisle and Brilee Garland in duo interpretation, Vayla Carlisle in humorous interpretation, Elizabeth Lanier in informative speaking, Sarah Gardner in poetry and Kylee Carter in prose. Quarter finalists (top 24 in the state) included William Dunnaway in broadcasting, Elizabeth Lanier in impromptu, and Vayla Carlisle and Brilee Garland in improvisational duo.   

Additionally, Coach Jennifer Dunnaway was named the Kentucky High School Speech League Coach of the Year.  Dunnaway was nominated for the award by coaches in the region.  The winner is voted upon by coaches representing the 42 schools that attended the tournament.   

These students also represented Calloway and contributed to the team's success: Quinlyn Moore, Gracie Fike, Amber Wu, Landon Carter, Madison Moore, and Whitney Potter.  Miranda Wilson and Breeanna Maupin are the assistant coaches for the CCHS Speech Team.   

Calloway County Preschool cafeteria manager Christina Marvin was recognized as a School Breakfast Champion in a campaign between No Kid Hungry Kentucky and The Dairy Alliance. The effort celebrates and highlights leaders across the Commonwealth who go above and beyond to make breakfast happen for Kentucky students.

"She prides herself on her job," said Megan Adams, Calloway County Schools food service director. "She puts in extra effort and extra time when not even asked to better enhance her school and department."

"Christina works tirelessly every day to ensure not only that her preschool nutrition department is ran smoothly, but Christina is the first to always ask if help is needed anywhere in the district if schools are working short. Christina goes above and beyond keeping her meals relevant and meals that kids are interested in and enjoy. She is always up to date on SNA news and guidelines. She is always bringing new ideas, new info, and new products to the table to be discussed. She is diligent on every aspect of her job. She is very resourceful and very detail oriented. Christina leaves no rock unturned. Christina is a joy to work with and a joy to her little kiddos in the preschool. She is the most deserving person I know.”

Pictured (L to R) are Food Service assistant Tonya Williams, Calloway County Preschool principal Leisha Barlow, Calloway County Superintendent Tres Settle, Marvin, and Adams

Calloway Co. High School Chess Team recently placed third in the regional tournament in Livingston County. This advances them to the state competition March 25 in Shepherdsville. Micah Patton placed fourth overall. Members include: Micah Patton, Bo Stom, Nicolas Murrell, and Prem Patel.

Murray State University Department of History recently hosted the Western Kentucky History Competition.  The competition is open to all area middle school teams, and it consists of two divisions: United States History and World History.  Calloway Middle fielded a team in each division of the competition.  At the conclusion of the event, Calloway County Middle School was named the 2023 US History Champion and the 2023 World History Runner-Up in the middle grades division.

Along with the team awards, the Lakers also received some special individual recognitions. Mariana Hughes was named the individual champion in US History, while Molly Pierce claimed the third-place award, and Mason Falwell finished in fourth place in that division.  The World History competition found Ella Martin being named the individual runner-up while Collin Naber finished in fourth place.

The US History Team consisted of Emerson Herndon, Divine Ezinma, Sean Williams, Mariana Hughes, Mason Falwell, Aiden Hooper, Molly Pierce, and Maya Munoz.  The World History Team consisted of Ava Bogard, Ella Martin, Kyler McKeel, Collin Naber, Theodore Perlow, Mason Riley, Tyler Saalwaechter, and Tyler Sebby.

Southwest Calloway Elementary's Academic Team won the Regional Governor's Cup competition on March 4 at Central Elementary in Graves County. Southwest competed against schools and students from around the region who qualified for the competition through their district tournaments.

Numerous students contributed to the victory. The Future Problem Solving team finished first and consisted of Ryan Poole, Aiden Crawford, Ashlyn Sebby, and Dean Vernon. Grace Munoz finished first place in science, and Madison Purdy finished first in Language Arts. Elijah Craft took home second place in science, and Ella Finley was second in arts and humanities. Ryan Poole also earned points for the team by placing fourth in language arts.

Southwest's team is coached by Amy Whisman and Eden Boyd.

Stacy Jones has been named the Laker Champion for Kids for the month of March. Jones works as an instructional assistant and the site technology coordinator at Southwest Calloway Elementary School.  The Laker Champion for Kids is awarded each month to a Laker staff member who goes above and beyond for students and colleagues.

"She loves working with the students and is often seen talking with them as she makes her rounds in the cafeteria," said Southwest principal Mark Mallory. "She is dedicated to the students and staff here at Southwest."

"When not helping in the library, she is either in the cafeteria as the lunch monitor or helping teachers out with any tech issues as the STC for the building. She also teaches a programming class to our fourth and fifth graders on Fridays. On top of all that, she also works with students throughout the day doing social lessons. She is a dependable, hard worker. Always willing to help, if she doesn't have the right fix, she makes sure she finds someone that can help."

Jones was nominated by Southwest teacher Mallory Bybee.

"She wears many hats in our building," wrote Bybee. "In any given day you can find her checking out books, cleaning lunch tables, fixing technology problems, and more. She has a great rapport with her students and is a wonderful asset to our staff. She is a great choice for the Laker Champion for Kids."

Pictured (L to R) are Mallory, Jones, Superintendent Tres Settle 

On Monday, February 27, 91 members of CCHS Laker FBLA attended the Region 1 Leadership Conference at Murray State University. Our students placed in many events (full list below). In addition to individual placements, Laker FBLA was named the second largest chapter in Region 1 with 185 members. Our nominee for Business Person of the Year, Tim Stark from The Murray Bank, won Region 1 Business Person of the Year and will now be up for Kentucky FBLA Business Person of the Year. In addition, we had two students elected to regional officer positions. Cooper Housden will be the Region 1 Parliamentarian and Tret Ward will be the Region 1 Secretary for the 2023-2024 school year.

All winners have qualified for the FBLA State Leadership Conference April 17-19, 2023 in Louisville, KY.

Accounting 1 - Nick Caldwell - 1st
Advertising - Aubrey Naber - 1st
Business Calculations - Amber Wu - 1st
Business Ethics - Brie Lucas - 1st
Computer Applications - Hannah Nix - 1st
Computer Problem Solving - Connor Dickinson - 1st
Data Analysis - Lily Ohage and Addi Pervine - 1st
Economics - Cate Anderson - 1st
Electronic Career Portfolio - Abby Mott - 1st
Hospitality and Event Management - Karsyn Tucker - 1st
Human Resources Management - Cuyler McDaniel - 1st
International Business - Zack Akin, Connor Pile, and Jose Tapia-Sosa - 1st
Introduction to Business Communication - Kaylee Tharp - 1st
Introduction to Business Concepts - Ezra Foote - 1st
Introduction to FBLA - Jasmine Zetterberg - 1st
Introduction to Financial Math - Gary Rogers - 1st
Introduction to Parliamentary Procedure - Elizabeth Lanier - 1st
Job Interview - Sidney Lasley - 1st
Journalism - Madison Morris - 1st
Local Chapter Name Tag - Emerson Grogan - 1st
Political Science - Cesar Villeda - 1st
Public Service Announcement - Summer Flowers, Adison Harpole and Kaylee Morris - 1st
Publication Design - Caleb Johnson and Gracie Turner - 1st
Social Media Strategies - Emma Arnett, Kenzie Dick, and Aidan Poston - 1st
Sports and Entertainment Management - Trace Johnson, Savannah Scott and Zak Stark - 1st
Word Processing - Maronda Sheridan - 1st
Business Law - Levi Dunnaway - 2nd
Help Desk - Kilona McClure - 2nd
Impromptu Speaking - Sarah Gardner - 2nd
Insurance and Risk Management - Landon Carter - 2nd
Introduction to Business Presentation - Olivia Perkins and Brooklyn Swatzell - 2nd
Marketing - Enas Abo Al Haija, Sophie Hendley and Addi Schumacher - 2nd
Parliamentary Procedure - Aiden Grooms, Lillie Thorn, Cooper Housden and Westin Tolley - 2nd
Sales Presentation - Daniel Puckett and Zack Johnson - 2nd
Spreadsheet Applications - Andrew Adams - 2nd
Accounting 2 - Morgan Armstrong - 3rd
Business Communications - Emma Bess - 3rd
Client Service - Sydney Naber - 3rd
Cyber Security - Trey Ward - 3rd
E-Business - Olivia Lane and Brooklynn Smith - 3rd
Entrepreneurship - Vayla Carlisle, Sadie Lilly, and Dakotah Pittman - 3rd
Introduction to Event Planning - Bailee Grogan, Lucy King, Madison Rushing - 3rd
Introduction to Public Speaking - Brilee Garland - 3rd
Network Infrastructures - Najera Smith - 3rd

Calloway County High School junior Bryson Dennis was recently named the AGC of Western Kentucky Technical Center Student of the Week. Dennis's accomplishments were noted in a feature article in the Paducah Sun.

Dennis (right) is pictured above with his electrical instructor Ron Thompson (left) at the Area Technology Center.

On February 25th, twenty students from Calloway County Middle School Academic Team traveled to Freedom Middle School in Franklin, TN to compete in both the Regional Science and History Bee tournaments.  They were able to advance to this level based on successful completion of an online qualifier earlier this school year.  The Tennessee Winter Regional is sponsored by the International Academic Competitions organization.

In the Science Bee portion of the tournament, the Lakers brought home several medals and distinctions. In the 8th grade division, the Lakers had four team members make the championship round of seven students.  Aiden Hooper brought home the runner-up trophy as well as an invitation to the national competition.  Also receiving invitations to nationals were Sarah Doyle, Divine Ezinma, and Lillie Russell.  The seventh-grade division had Ella Martin claiming the championship with Hayden Loveless coming in with second place.  These two ladies also received an invitation to nationals.   In the sixth-grade division, the Lakers had a clean sweep with Theodore Perlow being named the champion, Ava Bogard in second and Collin Naber in third place.   These three students also received invitations to the national tournament.  The Science Bee team is composed of Collin Naber, Theodore Perlow, Ava Bogard, Ella Martin, Hayden Loveless, Mirielle Gupton, William Lanier, Sarah Doyle, Divine Ezinma, Lillie Russell, and Aiden Hooper.

In the History Bee portion of the tournament, the Lakers also brought home numerous medals and championship distinction.  In the 8th grade division, the Lakers brought home the runner-up trophy secured by Aiden Hooper.  Aiden received an invitation to the national tournament as well as Sean Williams in this division. The seventh-grade division saw Molly Pierce finishing as runner-up and Tyler Saalwaechter claiming third place and invitations to the national tournament.  In the sixth-grade division, Mason Falwell, Kyler McKeel, and Theodore Perlow all made the final round and received invitations to the national tournament.  The Lakers also had one student compete in the Geography Bee, Kyler McKeel, who brought home the championship trophy in the sixth-grade division! The History Bee team is composed of Theodore Perlow, Mason Falwell, Grayson McManus, Kyler McKeel, Emilio Gomez, Mason Riley, Tyler Saalwaechter, Molly Pierce, Mariana Hughes, Sean Williams and Aiden Hooper.

 The Calloway County Middle School Speech Team traveled to Lexington this weekend to compete in the Kentucky High School Speech League Junior division State Tournament and placed 2nd of twenty-two schools! The team advanced 8 entries to finals (top 6 in the state) including Faith McCafferty who was the state champion in storytelling. The team also advanced 16 entries to semi-finals (top 12 in the state). Eighth grader Addy Lusk was chosen as the KHSSL Blyton Book award winner for 2023. This is an award given to one outstanding 8th grader in Kentucky who has excelled at and promoted speech in their school and community.

Finalists at the state tournament included Faith McCafferty who was champion in storytelling and 2nd in prose, Addy Lusk who placed 2nd in extemporaneous speaking and 6th in declamation, Courtney Hargrove who placed 5th in oratory and 6th in dramatic interpretation, Hayden Gilbert who placed 6th in impromptu and the duo acting team of Julianne Rudy and Reagan Rice who placed 6th.

Semi-finalists included Ella Burkeen in declamation, Ofellia Feezor in dramatic interpretation, Courtney Hargrove and Caden Bumpus in duo acting, Amanda Ezinma in impromptu and oratory, Addy Lusk in impromptu, Charlotte Haws in poetry and Kannon Bruce in storytelling.

Non-advancing students who also contributed to the team's success included: Hunter Ringstaff, Parker Morris, Leah Hughes, Tyler Sadler, McKenna Hopgood, Sam Elliott, Aliyah Byrley, Allyson Turner, Meghan Scott-Duncan, and Ava Moore. The team is coached by Jennifer Dunnaway, Scott Bonneau and Kaydee Sevilla.

The Calloway County High School Science Bowl teams competed on Friday, February 24, 2023 in the 15^th annual Department of Energy Regional Science Bowl on the UK-Paducah Campus. The annual event tests students’ knowledge of biology, chemistry, physics, geology, space, energy, and math. The Lakers competed against teams from Western Kentucky and Southern Illinois in the all-day event, where the winner advances to the National Science Bowl in Washington, DC.

Calloway Team 1 ended the day with a close loss to McCracken County, taking 2^nd place overall and winning $1000 for the school. The Laker team led by Isaac Martin, captain, Ethan Cain, Amber Wu, Elizabeth Lanier, and Aary Patel defeated Marshall 2 (108-12), Graves 1 (126-18), and Graves 2 (168-14) in morning pool play. The afternoon bracket placed the Lakers against Graves 1 again, winning 90-12 in the semifinals.  The Lakers drew a tough set of questions in the final round, taking their only loss of the day to the Mustangs (20-38).

Calloway Team 2 went 2-1 in morning pool play, defeating Livingston and Ballard and taking their only loss to McCracken, the event champions.  Calloway 2 was led by Connor Pile, Brayan Ventura, Tommy Gomez, Max Chapman and Sam Houston.

Pictured L to R: April Ladd (DOE), Aary Patel, Ethan Cain, Isaac Martin, Elizabeth Lanier, Amber Wu, Erica Gray

Members from Laker Band travelled last week to Murray State to perform in the 75^th Annual Quad State Honor Band. Students auditioned into one of 4 ensembles Thursday night, rehearsed all day Friday, and performed a concert Saturday afternoon. We are incredibly proud of our Laker Band musicians!

Laker Band members who qualified for the honor were Hannah Nix, Lee Gore, Abby Kay, Bryson Barger, Ella Tucker, Sam Rudy, Carrie Beane, Lydia Crawford, Kaylee Kernell, Zuri Conner, Ryan Edmonson, Annabelle Mohler, Victor Clayton, and Jackson Roberts.

Calloway County High School choir members Eli Williams, Kylee Carter, and Landon Carter (L to R above) were chosen for participation in the 2023 Kentucky Music Educators Association All-State Choirs which rehearsed and performed as part of the 65^th annual KMEA Conference February 8-11 in Louisville.  Students are chosen as members of the KMEA All-State Choruses as a result of rigorous auditions held each fall.  They sang in the KMEA SATB Chorus, the KJHC SSAA Chorus, and the KMEA TTBB Chorus respectively.  All are members of the Concert Choir at CCHS under the direction of Mark Dycus. 

The Kentucky Music Educators Association is an organization of over 1,200 in-service music educators representing music education interests from early childhood through adulthood and some 200 pre-service music educators currently preparing to teach music in Kentucky’s colleges and universities.  KMEA seeks to improve the quality of music education in Kentucky and works in cooperation with those educational agencies and organizations that share like interests.  KMEA is affiliated with the National Association for Music Education. 

Five students from the Murray/Calloway County Area Technology Center advanced to the SkillsUSA State Conference in Louisville in April after competing in the Region 1 competition. AGC of West KY in McCracken Co. hosted the SkillsUSA Region 1 competitions at their facility on February 23. Schools competing were Murray/Calloway Co. ATC, Marshall Co. CTC, Mayfield High School, Mayfield/Graves Co. ATC, and Paducah ATC.

Calloway County High School students Anyston Hart, Matthew Jones, and Samantha Ferguson represented their school well. Ferguson received a first place award in Pin Design and a second place award in Talent Single. Matthew Jones placed first in Welding Sculpture.

Calloway County High School Robotics Teamrecently competed in the FIRST Tech Challenge State Championship at the University of Kentucky.

This event was the capstone of three events this season. Students played the game "Power Play" with their custom designed robots against teams from Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Arkansas, and Alabama.

Taylor Frantz, Kiliko Sparrowhawk, Wes Higgins received the "Design Award" for their robot.

Members of the CCHS Robotics Team are Taylor Frantz, Kiliko Sparrowhawk, Wes Higgins, Aary Patel, Jackson Roberts, Izzy Shimm, Lilly Ohage, Miles Edwards, Jack Williams, Caleb Darnell, Kerrigan McManus, Amelia Slaton, and Daven Lewis. CCHS Robotics Team is led by CCHS teacher Jeff Slaton.

Calloway County Middle School MathCOUNTS Team competed on Saturday, February 18^th   at the Kentucky Lake Chapter regional competition.  The tournament was held at WKCTC located in Paducah, Kentucky and was open to schools from across the region.  At the conclusion of the tournament, the Laker team gathered both team and individual recognition!

 After three rounds of math competition, the Lakers received an overall score worthy of placing them as the championship team in the Kentucky Lake Regional!  This qualifies the team for the state championship to be held in Lexington, Kentucky later in March.  The members of the advancing team are Sean Williams, Maya Munoz, Emerson Herndon, and Ava Bogard. The Lakers also received some more special recognition as Sean Williams was the second highest scoring individual in the entire tournament.  In addition, the tournament concluded with a countdown round, which is a single elimination competition for the top twelve scoring individuals.  The Laker Team had four members that qualified for this part of the tournament…Sean Williams, Ava Bogard, Divine Ezinma and Tyler Sebby. The competitions are head-to-head, where students answer math questions in a quick recall format.  After the countdown round was finished, Tyler Sebby came in fourth place and Sean Williams claimed the championship!

The Laker MathCOUNTS team is composed of Sean Williams, Maya Munoz, Emerson Herndon, Ava Bogard, Emilio Gomez, Ella Martin, Faith McCafferty, Tyler Sebby, Mason Riley, Riley Hudson, Divine Ezinma, and Will Lanier.

The CCHS Academic Team earned Runners Up at the KAAC Governor’s Cup Regional tournament held at Paducah Tilghman on Saturday, February 18th.  The contest featured district winners from 15 schools across western Kentucky, with the Lakers earning 43 total points, behind McCracken County’s 58.  Graves County and Paducah Tilghman finished off the top four with 11 and 6 points, respectively.

The 2022 State Champion Laker Future Problem Solving Team earned first place in the regional competition. Drake Calhoon, Sidney Lasley, Brooklyn Swatzell, and Vayla Carlisle wrote the championship booklet examining issues with the robotic workforce and will compete at Governor’s Cup State on March 17th, 2023.

The Laker Quick Recall team came in second as members Isaac Martin, Ethan Cain, Cesar Villeda and Ellie Whisman defeated Paducah Tilghman (46-8), Caldwell County (31-4), and Graves County (48-17) before being defeated by McCracken. The Lakers were assisted by Amber Wu, Ezra Foote, Connor Pile, Taylor Frantz, Kaylee Tharp, Nathaniel Fowler, and Addi Pervine. The Quick Recall team advances to state.

Several individuals also advance to state in content area assessment:

Arts and Humanities: Ellie Whisman 3rd and Connor Pile 5th

Language Arts: Ellie Whisman 2nd, Aubrey Naber 5th

Math: Amber Wu 1st (Regional Champion)

Science: Isaac Martin 4th, Ethan Cain 5th

Social Studies: Cesar Villeda 3rd, Ezra Foote 5th

Composition: Drake Calhoon 1st (Regional Champion), Vayla Carlisle 2^nd

Ellie Whisman and Cesar Villeda are both ranked on the top 10 leaderboard in Language Arts and Social Studies, respectively. 

Several Lakers were names to the Paducah Sun all district and all region teams. All-District honors go to Amber Wu, Drake Calhoon, Cesar Villeda, Ellie Whisman, Ethan Cain, and Isaac Martin. All-Region honors go to Amber Wu, Drake Calhoon, and Ellie Whisman.

The Lakers are coached by Erica Gray, Lane Springer, Margaret Richter, Dan Thompson, Cassidy McAllister, and Jayden Morris.

Front row L to R: Taylor Frantz, Kaylee Tharp, Ellie Whisman, Elizabeth Lanier, Addi Pervine

Back row L to R: Aubrey Naber, Ethan Cain, Cesar Villeda, Isaac Martin, Ezra Foote, Amber Wu, Nathaniel Fowler

CCMS Robotics team recently competed in the state First Lego League robotics tournament at Northern Kentucky University.  The team earned the right to represent the Western Kentucky region by placing 3^rd amongst 26 competing teams in January at the regional competition.  They also placed 2^nd in the region in their innovation project design.  This allowed them the opportunity to compete at the state tournament amongst the top 24 teams in the state (out of approximately 200) in early February.

The team competed in both a robotics portion of the event in which they designed and programmed an autonomous robot to complete various challenges and presented an innovation project to judges, consisting of both a solar powered truck and boat and a wind powered car. 

The CCMS Robotics team is coached by Jessi Giles and JT Hearn. 

Calloway County High School senior Ginni Mikulcik has been named the Murray Rotary Club's February Student of the Month. 

Ginni is a remarkable academic with a 4.0 grade point average and an ACT composite score of 30 and is on track to be a Valedictorian upon graduation in May. She has won numerous academic awards at CCHS in world history, agriculture, Spanish, earth and space science, engineering and design, mathematics, English, and art. She was a Governor’s Scholar in 2022 and is a current member of Leadership Tomorrow.

Ginni also participates in numerous clubs and activities outside of the classroom. In athletics, she has been a part of the CCHS soccer and track and field teams. She is an active member of the CCHS FFA, where she has won numerous awards and has served as committee chairman, sentinel, and treasurer. She has also been a part of the CCHS academic team, BETA club, Spanish club, art club, and the National Art Honors Society. She was also a part of an engineering team who built an electric guitar, winning first place at MSU’s E-Day.

In the community, Ginni is active with her youth group at St. Leo’s Catholic Church. She also has volunteered in numerous ways as a part of the CCHS Beta club.

After graduation in May, Ginni plans to attend Murray State University and major in social work with a minor in horticulture. She is the daughter of David and Stacey Mikulcik.

Calloway County High School students competed in the Skills USA Auto Tech Regional Competition with students from the Paducah Innovation Hub on February 10 at the Murray-Calloway Area Technology Center. CCHS junior Micah Koenecke took first place and CCHS senior Dylan Price took second, qualifying both of them for the Skills USA Kentucky Conference in Louisville in April. CCHS junior Levi Powell also took 5th place in the competition.

Cory Polsgrove, Auto Tech Instructor at PIB, and Mitchell McNutt, Auto Tech Instructor MCCATC, worked together developing the regional competition. They wish to thank all the following businesses and people who help with prizes and judging: Lydia and Jordan at NAPA ATP in Murray for donating prizes for the winners; Jim “Thumper” Gilson from Toyota of Murray for helping setup and judging. Judges: Mike Miller, Office of Career and Technical Education; Ashley Weathers, Buck's Body Shop; Jonathan Dick, 2022 Auto Tech graduate and WKCTCS student; Bryan Beane, BB's Auto Repair; Bob Gunn, WKCTCS Automotive Instructor; and Eric Sills, WKCTCS Diesel Technology Instructor. Our timekeeper James Weathers, Centrifugal Technologies, Inc. and Selena McNutt entering the judges scores.

Three Calloway County Laker faculty members were recently recognized by the Murray State Alumni Association as part of the "Top 22 Under 40" Class of 2023.

Ashley Fritsche is a four time graduate of Murray State with a B.S. in Marketing (‘06), a Teaching Certificate in Business and Marketing (‘08), a MA Teacher Leadership (‘12) and Ed.S. in Education (‘19). For the past 14 years Fritsche has served as one of the Business and Marketing teachers at Calloway County High School. In addition to being in the classroom, she also serves as a Site-Based Decision-Making Council member and secretary, is a prom sponsor, assists with the Interact club and is a sponsor for FBLA. Outside of the classroom, Fritsche seeks to help the Kentucky Department of Education enhance Business Education throughout the state by serving as communications publicist for the Kentucky Business Education Association, which is a group of 200 Business and Marketing teachers and stakeholders from Kentucky, and as a KDE-appointed NTI lead teacher, through which Fritsche helps to train new teachers both in the classroom and in their roles as FBLA advisors. Growing up as a Racer has impacted Fritsche throughout her own educational journey and helped to guide the education she provides for her students.

As a three time graduate of Murray State, Mark Mallory received a bachelors in English/Secondary Education ('08), a master’s in Secondary Education ('13) and another master’s in Education Administration ('15). He is currently the principal of Southwest Calloway Elementary School in Calloway County, Ky., where he has served for five years. Mallory serves as a member of Calloway County’s Playhouse in the Park board of directors and as a member of the education committee, as well as serving as a KASA ambassador for the Murray area. Mallory also stage-managed the production of the Penguin Project Presents: High School Musical. The Penguin Project is a program that pairs students with special needs with a mentor to put on a theatrical production. His wife, Heidi, is also a Murray State graduate and guidance counselor at Murray Middle School. They have two sons, Henry and Maxwell, who also attend Southwest Elementary.

Mary Grace Starks is a two-time graduate of Murray State University, earning a B.S. in Communication Disorders (‘12) and an M.S., in Speech-Language Pathology (‘14). Early in her professional career she found her passion for serving individuals with complex communication needs, while also educating families, teachers, and community stakeholders on how to best support those individual communication needs. Starks currently serves as Publications Chair for the Kentucky Speech-Language Hearing Association (KSHA) and is also a member of the KSHA social media committee. In each of those roles, Starks seeks to create content and notify KSHA members about the significant advocacy efforts to maintain and educate community members on communication development and a variety of communication disorders. Starks also currently serves as the speech-language pathologist for children and their families at the Calloway County Preschool/Head Start in Murray, KY.

 Calloway County Middle School Speech team won their 20^th consecutive regional championship on Saturday.  
 
Ten CCMS entries won first place in their events including Parker Morris in broadcasting, Addy Lusk in declamation, impromptu and extemporaneous speaking, Courtney Hargrove in dramatic interpretation, Faith McCafferty in prose and storytelling, Charlotte Haws in poetry, the duo acting team of Courtney Hargrove and Caden Bumpus and the improv team of Reagan Rice and Julianne Rudy.  
 
Eleven CCMS entries were regional runners-up including Kannon Bruce in broadcasting, Ella Burkeen in declamation, Leah Hughes in dramatic interpretation, Tyler Sadler in extemp, Sam Elliott in humorous interpretation, Courtney Hargrove in oratory, Meghan Scott-Duncan in poetry, Ava Moore in prose, Parker Morris in storytelling, and the duo acting team of Reagan Rice and Julianne Rudy.

The CCMS Speech Team is coached by Jennifer Dunnaway, Scott Bonneau and Kaydee Sevilla.

 On Friday, February 10^th the Calloway Middle Science Bowl Teams competed against 13 teams from three states at the regional competition sponsored by the United States Department of Energy.  The students participated in a quick recall formatted competition containing advanced questions in the areas of science and mathematics.  At the conclusion of a long day, the Calloway Laker team claimed the championship trophy!

The Calloway Laker Team composed of Aiden Hooper, Sarah Doyle, Lillie Russell, Ella Martin and Ava Bogard are the regional science bowl champions!  They went undefeated throughout the tournament on their way to the title.  This win now sends the Laker team to Washington D.C. to compete in the National Science Bowl where they will face teams from around the country.  The Lakers will represent the state of Kentucky at this national competition!  This marks the seventh time the Lakers have had the distinction of representing Kentucky at the national tournament sponsored by the United States Department of Energy.

The Calloway Team #2 composed of Will Lanier, Divine Ezinma, Hayden Loveless, Mirielle Gupton and Collin Naber also did an amazing job representing Calloway County Middle School. This team was just one win away from forcing a playoff game to enter the final four of the competition.

Southwest Calloway Elementary's academic team won the Governor's Cup district championship on February 11 in a tournament held at East Calloway Elementary. The team now advances to the regional competition. Southwest finished first in future problem solving and second in quick recall, along with having numerous students place in the individual competitions. The team is coached by Eden Boyd and Amy Whisman.

Individual Tests:

Mathematics:

Elijah Craft- 3rd

Dean Vernon- 4th

Daniel Briedwell- 6th

Science:

Grace Munos- 1st

Elijah Craft- 2nd

Gunnar Champion- 4th

Social Studies:

Braxton Cossey- 4th

Language arts:

Madison Purdy- 1st

Ryan Poole-3rd

Arts and Humanities:

Katee McKeel- 1st

Ellie Johnson- 2nd

Ella Finley- 3rd

Composition:

Abigail Gardner- 5th

 The Calloway County High School speech team competed in the Kentucky High School Speech League regional tournament Saturday and placed 2^nd. The team qualified twelve students and 27 entries for the state tournament. Tournament champions included Elizabeth Lanier in humorous interpretation and informative speaking as well as Sarah Gardner in program oral interpretation. Runners-up included Levi Dunnaway in broadcasting, Quinlyn Moore in declamation and Vayla Carlisle in humorous interpretation.  

The team will next compete at the Kentucky High School Speech League State Tournament at Northern Kentucky University on March 9^th – 10^th. The team is coached by Jennifer Dunnaway, Miranda Wilson and Breeanna Maupin.  

Congrats to our CCHS math team on winning first place at Murray State's Math Day 2023!

In addition to winning the Top School prize, the Green Team of Cesar Villeda, Bo Stom, Connor Pile, & Gary Rogers placed first in the team competition.

Individual honors in the Upper Division went to Freshman Amber Wu (1st), Senior Cesar Villeda (3rd), Senior Ethan Cain (5th). Villeda & Cain also received money and scholarship awards from the MSU Math Department.

Individual honors in the Lower Division went to Sophomore Elizabeth Lanier (1st), Sophomore Gary Rogers (2nd), and Freshman Aubrey Naber (4th).

Michael Haven has been named the February Laker Champion for Kids. Haven works as the network support manager district-wide in the technology department. The Laker Champion for Kids is awarded each month to a Laker staff member who goes above and beyond for students and colleagues. 

Haven was nominated by food service assistant Tonya Williams who wrote:

“He always goes above and beyond for the technology needs of the staff and students. He is always eager to help in a timely manner, is knowledgeable, positive, and uplifting in all situations. Technology is such a vital part of our daily operation in food service serving kids and when something doesn’t work, he is always our first call when we need help. We appreciate everything he does for us.”

Director of Technology Stephen Conner appreciates Haven's work within the schools and his department."

"In returning home to become the new IT Director for Calloway, he has been a valuable asset in the success of my transition," said Conner. "This award not only recognizes his outstanding contributions to the Calloway County Schools IT department, but his unwavering commitment of providing a safe and enriching online experience for all the students.  The Champion for Kids award shows his remarkable dedication and passion for his work and recognizes that one’s effort to go above and beyond to help our students achieve their academic goals does not go unnoticed.”

Pictured (L to R) are Conner, Haven, and Superintendent Tres Settle

The Calloway County Middle School Academic Team competed in the regional Governor’s Cup tournament on February 4^th at Lone Oak Middle School.  After a great competition amongst fifteen schools in the first region, the Lakers were named regional champions for an amazing fourteenth time in the past fifteen years!  The Lakers totaled 68.5 team points, followed by Lone Oak Middle in second with 25.16 points, and Heath Middle in third place with 14 points. 

Along with the overall championship, many students were awarded medals in the different areas of competition!  In the area of science, the Lakers claimed the top three spots with Aiden Hooper claiming the regional championship, followed by Ella Martin in second and Sarah Doyle in third place.   The Lakers also claimed the top three spots in fine arts with Maya Munoz being named regional champion, Ella Martin coming in as regional runner-up and Hayden Gilbert in third place. The Lakers claimed two spots in mathematics with Ava Bogard claiming regional runner-up followed by Sean Williams in fourth place. The area of social studies had three students medaling with Molly Pierce taking first place, followed by Mariana Hughes and Sean Williams tying for third place. The Lakers had Maya Munoz claiming the language arts championship, followed by Collin Naber in the second-place spot and Hillary Bohannon coming in fourth place. Finally rounding out the written assessment competition, Hillary Bohannon claimed fourth place and Elle Rekow claimed sixth place in composition.

In the team events, the Lakers claimed the championship in both Future Problem Solving and Quick Recall.  The quick recall team has a current season record of 22 wins and 0 losses with three tournament championships. The Quick Recall team is composed of Maya Munoz, Aiden Hooper, Sean Williams. Mariana Hughes, Lillie Russell, Divine Ezinma, Riley Hudson, Sarah Doyle, Ella Martin, Molly Pierce, and Ava Bogard.  The champion Future Problem Solving team is composed of Sarah Doyle, Addison Finley, Mariana Hughes, Hillary Bohannon and Elle Rekow.   

The Lakers had some special recognition from the regional tournament as their scores currently rank them amongst the state leaders.  Maya Munoz had two finishes in the top ten of the state with a fine arts score as 1^st in the state and a language arts score of 3^rd place in the state. In addition, Collin Naber is ranked seventh in the state in the area of language arts, while Ella Martin is ranked 6^th in fine arts.  The Lakers are now setting their sights on the state tournament later in March!

 During a special presentation between games at the Crosstown Classic, The Murray Bank proudly presented each school superintendent with a donation in the amount of $16,400. These donations were made on behalf of all The Murray Bank Spirit Debit Card holders.

“At The Murray Bank, we are committed to making a meaningful and positive contribution to the individuals, families, businesses and schools within our community,” said Tim Stark, Vice-President of Marketing at The Murray Bank. “Our community loves to show their school spirit and we are happy to give them a way to do it. This year’s donation is the second largest in Spirit Card history!”

With this year’s donation, The Murray Bank Spirit Debit Card donation totals over $248,000, with over $124,000 going to each school since 2009 when the program started.

“On behalf of the stakeholders in the Murray Independent School District, I wish to express my gratitude to The Murray Bank for funds provided to our respective schools through their Spirit Card’s,” said Coy Sammons, Murray Independent School District Superintendent. “Financial assistance from community organizations and businesses, enable this school district to accomplish far more than it otherwise could have.”

“In these increasingly difficult financial times for Kentucky Schools, The Murray Bank Spirit Card donations allow Calloway County Schools to continue offering students both extra-curricular and co-curricular opportunities that would not be possible without this great partnership,” said Tres Settle, Calloway County School District Superintendent. “We are indeed blessed to have the support of The Murray Bank and remain honored by the investment that The Murray Bank customers and leadership continue to make in the children of this great community.”

The Murray Bank offers two Spirit Debit Cards, a Laker card and a Tiger card. Each Spirit Card features the logo of the school of choice on the face of the card. Customers of The Murray Bank can choose which school themed card they would like to carry and with each swipe of their Spirit Debit Card, The Murray Bank will make a donation directly to the school districts.

To get more information on how you can get a Spirit Debit Card and start helping your school, contact one of the Customer Service Representatives at The Murray Bank by calling (270) 753-5625, or by stopping by one of their three offices.

Calloway County High School senior Ulysses Henry has been named the Murray Rotary Club's January ATC Student of the Month. 

Henry is an electrical technology student at the Murray-Calloway County Area Technology Center. He was nominated for the award by his electrical instructor, Ron Thompson.

“Ulysses is never in a bad mood. He comes to class every day with a good attitude and works well with other students,” said Thompson. It doesn’t matter who I have him working with, he works well with them. Ulysses has good mechanical skills. He is always learning and picks up things easily.”

Henry is also a part of the Skills USA club at ATC. In his time at ATC, Henry has also acquired carpentry and auto tech skills in other classes. Henry works part-time at a restaurant in Aurora in addition to his studies at CCHS and ATC. He is the grandson of Paul and Rhonda Timmons.

After graduation in May, Henry plans to work full time in electrical technology or construction.

Calloway County High School Academic Team earned its 13^th consecutive KAAC Governor's Cup District Championship on Saturday, January 21, 2023. The Lakers took 1^st place in Quick Recall, 1^st place in Future Problem Solving, and earned 73 total points across eight events. Murray High earned 2^nd place with 22 points, edging out Graves County with 20.5 points. Mayfield rounded out the top four with 4.5 points.

In Quick Recall, the Lakers went undefeated, scoring 141 total points in three matches, first defeating Mayfield 48-3, Graves County 41-9 in round 2, and defeating Graves County again 52-15 in round 4 of the double elimination tournament.  Seniors Isaac Martin, Ellie Whisman, Ethan Cain, and Cesar Villeda were assisted by Amber Wu, Nathaniel Fowler, Taylor Frantz, Ezra Foote, Kaylee Tharp, Connor Pile, and Addi Pervine and will advance to Regionals. 

The Future Problem Solving team of Drake Calhoon, Sidney Lasley, Brooklyn Swatzell, and Vayla Carlisle, wrote the award-winning booklet on Digital Realities and will advance to Regionals.

In individual events, the following Lakers earned points toward the overall team score and advance to regionals.

Arts & Humanities:

2nd: Ellie Whisman and Connor Pile (tie)

5th: Addi Pervine

Language Arts:

1st: Ellie Whisman

2nd: Kaylee Tharp

3rd: Aubrey Naber

Math:

1st : Amber Wu

3rd: Ethan Cain

Science:

1st: Isaac Martin

3rd: Ethan Cain

4^{th :}Elizabeth Lanier

Social Studies:

1st: Cesar Villeda

2nd: Ezra Foote

4th: Nathaniel Fowler

English Composition

2nd: Drake Calhoon

3rd: Sydney Naber

5th: Vayla Carlisle

Pictured:

Front L to R: Taylor Frantz, Drake Calhoon, Addi Pervine, Ellie Whisman, Kaylee Tharp

Middle L to R: Ethan Cain, Sydney Naber, Sidney Lasley, Amber Wu, Vayla Carlisle, Aubrey Naber

Back L to R: Connor Pile, Ezra Foote, Isaac Martin, Cesar Villeda, Nathaniel Fowler

Calloway advances to Regionals, which will be held at Paducah Tilghman on Monday, February 13^th and Saturday, February 18th, 2023. The Lakers are coached by Erica Gray, Lane Springer, Margaret Richter, Dan Thompson, Cassidy McAllister, and Jayden Morris. 

Purpose Church of Murray visited East Calloway Elementary School on Monday, January 23 to personally deliver a new pair of shoes to every student. Students learned the news during their weekly Monday morning meeting in the gym, and members of the church stayed to make sure shoes were delivered and sized for students.

Thank you to Purpose Church for this awesome donation for our students! 

Calloway County High School senior Hannah Nix has been named the Murray Rotary Club's January Student of the Month. 

Hannah is an impressive student and holds a 4.0 GPA. She has completed the CCHS Business Administration pathway and is a member of Future Business Leaders of America, National Beta Club, Student Council, Educators Rising, and Leadership Tomorrow. She placed 4th in the state in FBLA in Computer Applications.

Hannah is a standout drum major and soloist in the CCHS Laker Band. She has been first chair in the KMEA All-District Symphonic Band for the last three years. She also has been a KMEA All-State Band member for those three years.

Hannah is the daughter of John Warren and Melanie Nix. In her spare time, she volunteers calling bingo at the Murray Calloway County Senior Citizens Center.

After graduation, Hannah plans to attend Murray State to major in music education to become a music teacher or band director.

 Pictured are Rotarian Yvette Pyle, Nix, CCHS principal Steve Smith

Calloway County Middle School Academic Team competed in the District Governors Cup tournament on Saturday, January 14^th.  After a great day of competition among the Lakers, Murray Middle, North Marshall and South Marshall Middle, the Lakers were named district champions for the fifteenth consecutive year.  The Lakers totaled 82 team points, followed by Murray Middle with 23.5 team points. 

Along with the overall championship, students were awarded medals in all areas of competition!  In the area of science, the Lakers swept the top three places with Aiden Hooper being named champion, Ella Martin as runner-up, and Sarah Doyle claiming third place.  The Lakers also claimed the top three spots in language arts with Maya Munoz being named champion, Collin Naber in second, followed by Hillary Bohannon in third.  In the area of social studies, the Lakers once again claimed the top spots with Mariana Hughes claiming the championship, followed by Molly Pierce in second and Sean Williams in third place.  The area of fine arts saw the top places going to the Lakers with Maya Munoz in first place, followed by Ella Martin in second and Hayden Gilbert in third place. Sean Williams claimed the championship in mathematics with Ava Bogard following in second place and Riley Hudson in fourth place. Finally, the composition competition had Elle Rekow taking the championship, with Hillary Bohannon in fourth place.

In written assessment, the Lakers had some scores that brought special recognition across the state! Maya Munoz’s fine arts score placed her as the second highest scoring individual in the state, and her language arts score finished as the fifth highest in Kentucky.  In science, Aiden Hooper’s score placed 7^th in the state while Ella Martin’s score finished as the 9^th highest score in the state.  These academic team scores are amongst over 250 middle schools that participate in the district tournament. Impressive!

In the team events, the Lakers claimed the championship in both Future Problem Solving and Quick Recall.  The Future Problem Solving team is composed of Sarah Doyle, Mariana Hughes, Addison Finley, Hillary Bohannon, and Elle Rekow.  The Quick Recall team is composed of Maya Munoz, Mariana Hughes, Aiden Hooper, Sean Williams, Lillie Russell, Divine Ezinma, Sarah Doyle, Riley Hudson, Ella Martin and Ava Bogard. 

The Lakers are now setting their sights on the regional tournament in a couple of weeks.

Calloway County High School Academic Team earned runners up recognition at the 2023 President's Cup tournament held at MSU-Paducah campus on Friday, January 13th, 2023.

Calloway A (Varsity) earned 2^nd place in Quick Recall and 2^nd place overall, while Calloway B (Junior Varsity) earned 4^th place in Quick Recall and 3^rd place overall. 

Calloway A Quick Recall had a strong day on the buzzers, defeating Mayfield B (39-3), Ballard (33-2), Graves (30-20), Marshall A (37-8), and Murray High (36-5) before taking their only loss of the day to champions McCracken County  (17-24).  Seniors Isaac Martin, Ethan Cain, Ellie Whisman, and Cesar Villeda were assisted by Taylor Frantz and Ezra Foote.

Calloway B Quick Recall fared very well with two separate wins over Graves (32-13) and (25-20) and a defeat over Crittenden B, taking their only losses to McCracken (16-32) and Murray High (19-23). Nathaniel Fowler, Amber Wu, Aubrey Naber, Kaylee Tharp, Addi Pervine, Tommy Gomez, and Brayan Ventura led the Calloway B squad. 

The Laker Academic team had several students earn top 10 recognition in President's Cup written testing:

Math

Amber Wu 3^rd (tie)

Drake Calhoon 3^rd (tie)

Science

Isaac Martin 2nd

Ethan Cain 3^rd (tie)

Connor Pile 3^rd (tie)

Elizabeth Lanier 10th

Social Studies

Cesar Villeda 1st

Grant Todd 5th

Ezra Foote 7^th (tie)

Levi Dunnaway 7^th (tie)

Arts & Humanities

Connor Pile 2nd

Ellie Whisman 4th

Addi Pervine 8th

Nathaniel Fowler 9th

Language Arts

Ellie Whisman 3rd

Kaylee Tharp 5th

Aubrey Naber 7th

Amber Wu 9th

Pictured L to R

Front: Nathaniel Fowler, Ellie Whisman

Middle row: Aubrey Naber, Brayan Ventura, Amber Wu, Kaylee Tharp, Addi Pervine, Taylor Frantz

Back row: Ezra Foote, Ethan Cain, Cesar Villeda, Isaac Martin, Tommy Gomez

The Lakers are coached by Erica Gray, Lane Springer, Margaret Richter, Dan Thompson, Cassidy McAllister, and Jayden Morris.

Calloway County High School Speech Team competed at Paducah Tilghman High School on January 14 and placed second out of four teams. The team had five tournament champions including Elizabeth Lanier in humorous interpretation, impromptu and informative speaking; the improvisational duo team of Landon Carter and Levi Dunnaway and Sarah Gardner in program oral interpretation.

In broadcasting, Levi Dunnaway placed 2nd and Quinlyn Moore placed 4th. Quinlyn also placed 3rd in declamation. In extemporaneous speaking, Amber Wu placed 3rd and Levi Dunnaway placed 4th. In humorous interpretation, Madison Morris placed 4th. In impromptu, Landon Carter placed 3rd and Gracie Fike placed 4th. In prose, Sarah Gardner placed 3rd and Kylee Carter placed 4th. In poetry, Sarah Gardner placed 3rd and Whitney Potter placed 5th. In program oral interpretation, Landon Carter placed 3rd.

The team is coached by Jennifer Dunnaway, Miranda Wilson and Breeanna Maupin.

Carrie Duffy has been named the January Laker Champion for Kids. Duffy works as an instructional assistant at Calloway County Preschool. The Laker Champion for Kids is awarded each month to a Laker staff member who goes above and beyond for students and colleagues.

Duffy was nominated by CCPS principal Leisha Barlow, who wrote: 

“She is a tireless worker who goes above and beyond for the kids and parents at CCPS. She is always willing to help out and has a quiet, calm spirit about her. Besides her work in the classroom, she has subbed as a bus monitor and custodian for the school. Additionally, she translates for children and parents who speak Spanish which helps bridge the communication gap enabling us to meet the needs of all of our families."

CCPS teacher Gwenda Wilhelm is also impressed with Duffy's abilities at CCPS.

“It did not take long to know that we had found someone with a heart for educating students when she was hired," said Wilhelm. "When she walks into our classroom, each students face lights up knowing that she is going to make sure she acknowledges every single student in the room. She is constantly listening, learning, and observing teachers and students. She steps up to help without being asked and uses the teachable moment to help students learn and grow. She’s encouraging, always has a smile on her face, and a true Laker for Life. When we had an immediate need for a janitor in the building, she took over the job, keeping the building looking immaculate in just half the hours. Ms. Carrie takes pride in her work and will do anything assigned to her with a smile on her face.”

Pictured (L to R) are Director of PD/PR Ryan Marchetti, Superintendent Tres Settle, Duffy, Barlow, Wilhelm

Ramona Freeman has been named a 2021 School Nutrition Champion by The Dairy Alliance. Freeman is a cafeteria manager at Calloway County Middle School and is in her 20th year working in the kitchen at the school.

Freeman received a plaque from The Dairy Alliance, along with a letter apologizing for the delayed notification. In the letter, she is thanked for her "contribution to ensuring school meals are a vital part of every student's education."

Freeman was nominated by former Calloway County Director of Food Service Pat Lane, who wrote, "Ramona works to help our students. She doesn't back away from a challenge. She is always on the front line. Constantly working on meal components, delivery challenges, or employee issues. She is amazing!"

Calloway County Director of Food Service Megan Adams believes Freeman is deserving of the award.

“Ramona is a dedicated and hardworking employee," Adams said. She is always open to new ideas and always responds with a positive 'We will try it!'  She never hesitates to go above and beyond on anything. We are so lucky to have her and her dedication to her students, kitchen, and staff of Calloway County Middle School. She has been with the school for 20 years and we hope we have her for many more! She is an asset to Calloway County Schools!”

Pictured (L to R) are food service assistant Tonya Williams, Adams, Freeman, Lane, and Superintendent Tres Settle.

Calloway County Middle School Speech Team placed 1^st at the Murray Middle Tournament on January 7. The team had 7 tournament champions including: Courtney Hargrove in dramatic interpretation and oratory, Addy Lusk in extemporaneous speaking and impromptu, Faith McCafferty in prose and storytelling and the improvisational duo team of Charlotte Haws and Ava Moore.  

In broadcasting, Hunter Ringstaff placed 5^th and Colin Naber placed 4^th. In declamation, Ella Burkeen placed 3^rd. In dramatic interpretation, Leah Hughes placed 2^nd and McKenna Hopgood placed 4^th. In duo acting, the team of Courtney Hargrove and Caden Bumpus placed 2^nd while the team of Addy Lusk and Hunter Ringstaff placed 4^th. The duo acting team of Serenity Byrley and Ofellia Feezor placed 5^th. In extemporaneous speaking, Caden Bumpus placed 2^nd, Tyler Sadler placed 3^rd and McKinley Marshall placed 5^th. In impromptu, Amanda Ezinma placed 5^th and Hayden Gilbert placed 6^th. The improvisational team of Kannon Bruce and Parker Morris placed 6^th. Liberty Fitch placed 2^nd in oratory and Amanda Ezinma placed 3^rd. In poetry, Zoey Joyner placed 3^rd, Charlotte Haws placed 4^th and Ally Turner placed 6^th. In storytelling, Kannon Bruce placed 2^nd, Kensley Hutson placed 4^th and Aaliyah Byrley placed 5^th.  

The CCMS Speech Team is coached by Jennifer Dunnaway, Scott Bonneau and Kaydee Sevilla.  

Calloway County High School senior Daniel Puckett has been named the Murray Rotary Club's December Student of the Month. 

Daniel is projected to be a valedictorian as he has maintained a 4.0 GPA and has a 31 ACT composite score. He has earned class awards in Honors Chemistry, English, and Geometry.

Daniel is an excellent student at CCHS in and out of the classroom. In addition to his remarkable academics, Daniel is a standout runner on the CCHS cross country and track teams. He is the CCHS record holder in the 3200m run at 9:57 and was named to the Class AA All-State Team. He finished ninth in the state cross country meet in October.

In addition to his academics and athletics, Daniel is also an active member of the Future Business Leaders of America. He also regularly volunteers and works at the Coldwater Church of Christ.

After graduating from CCHS in May, Daniel is undecided on which school he will attend, but intends to major in engineering. He also plans to attend the Memphis School of Preaching after graduating from college. After school, he wants to be a preacher - like his father. 

Daniel is the son of Luke and Amber Puckett of Dexter.

Calloway County High School teacher Katy Walls has been named a 2022 McDonald's Outstanding Educator during a presentation at CCHS on December 15. She was presented the award by McDonald's area supervisor Conrad Love and restaurant manager Tim Clements.

McDonald's started this award program three years ago to celebrate educators for exhibiting the ultimate dedication to their students and going the extra mile to contribute to the improvement of education. Walls was one of four in the western Kentucky and southern Illinois region chosen for the award out of over 600 nominees.

Walls teaches English to students with learning and behavioral disabilities at CCHS. She is in her 22nd year of education.

"Thank you so much to McDonald’s for this award," said Walls. "I am humbled to receive so many nominations from the community. I love my job and am blessed to work for amazing administrators. My incredible students and great co-workers make it fun to go to work every day."

"It was an honor to recognize Ms. Walls", said McDonald's owner/operator Mike Love.  "The way she motivates her students and treats each individual student with care is inspiring. She truly is an outstanding educator."

CCHS principal Steve Smith believes Walls is very deserving of the award.

"Ms. Walls is an enthusiastic and spirited teacher who puts kids first," Smith said. "During her tenure at CCHS, she has served in a variety of roles outside the classroom, which makes her an excellent 'school person.'  I taught side-by-side with Katy in the classroom for years, and I can personally attest to the fine job she does with our students. It’s no wonder she received 16 separate nominations from her peers for this award.  We are proud to call her a Laker-4-Life."

Michael Wright, an instructional assistant at the Calloway County Day Treatment Center (DTC), was honored with the 2022-2023 Kentucky Education Support Staff Professional (KESSP) Award on Dec. 12. He is one of two honorees in Kentucky and received his award in a surprise ceremony on December 12. Pictured are KDE commissioner Jason Glass, Wright, Lt. Governor Jacqueline Coleman, and Calloway County superintendent Tres Settle.

For the full article on Mr. Wright's accomplishment, check out the official KDE article on Kentucky Teacher.

Calloway County Board of Education member Mitch Ryan leads the non-profit group "Season's Readings" which gifts books to Kindergarten students at all Calloway County and Murray schools. Mr. Ryan's group lets students pick books of their own interest and gifts each student a bag with the books they have chosen. Mr. Ryan, along with CCHS students and Mr. Settle, visited East Calloway Elementary on December 9. Mr. Ryan plans to visit North on December 12 and Southwest on December 16.

Calloway County Middle School Sixth Grade Laker Academic Team brought home their 15^th championship in the past sixteen years at the Academic Showcase.  The event was sponsored by the Kentucky Association of Academic Competition and was hosted by Graves County Central Elementary, as it consisted of six other teams from around the region.

After a long day of competition, the Lakers posted an amazing team score of 103 points, while Graves County Central Elementary finished as runners-up with a total of 20 points. 

In the written assessments, the Lakers brought home hardware in every competition and a first-place medal in each area!  In Science, the Lakers claimed the top three spots as Ava Bogard finished in first place, followed by Collin Naber in second place, and Theodore Perlow in third place.  The Lakers also claimed the top three medalists in Social Studies where Mason Falwell was named champion, followed by Kyler McKeel in second place, and Theodore Perlow in third place.  The area of Mathematics had Ava Bogard claiming the championship with Emilio Gomez finishing in third place, and Kyler McKeel finishing in fifth place.  In Language Arts, the Lakers had Collin Naber claim the championship with Leah Hughes finishing in second place.  The Lakers had three students medal in Fine Arts with Hayden Gilbert claiming the championship, followed by Lorynn Russell and Mckenna Hopgood in a tie for third place.   The Lakers also had success in composition with Leah Hughes being named champion, followed by Hayden Gilbert in fifth place, and Aubrey Cain in sixth place.  In addition, the Quick Recall team won the championship going undefeated throughout the tournament!  The Quick Recall team includes Ava Bogard, Hayden Gilbert, Kyler McKeel, Theodore Perlow, Collin Naber, and Mason Falwell.  Other competing members for the Lakers include Jacquelyn Lira, Greyson McManus, Emma Lanier, Cash Pittman, and Logan Buck.

A few individuals of the Laker Team brought home some special state recognition from the weekend.  Ava Bogard’s science score was the highest in the state while her math score was the fifth highest score in Kentucky.  Collin Naber also had two top ten finishes as he placed third in the state in science and fourth in the state in language arts.  Theodore Perlow also had a top score in state as he placed eighth in science. This is an impressive accomplishment since there are 218 total schools that compete in the sixth-grade showcase!

Kady Arant was recently named the December Laker Champion for Kids. Arant works in payroll at the Calloway County BOE central office and is the head coach of CCHS softball and volleyball teams. The Laker Champion for Kids is awarded each month to a Laker staff member who goes above and beyond for students and colleagues.

Arant was nominated by Ryan Marchetti, who wrote:

"She is not only phenomenal in our finance department, but she is helpful to everyone in our office. She is an incredible softball coach and has led that team for many seasons. What especially makes her a champion was her willingness to take on the volleyball head coaching position this fall. She accepted the position, gathered support, and her kids had a great season when they really needed someone to step up. She took on this role only because she knew the kids and she wanted to make a great experience for them. And she did all of this while pregnant. Now, she is training someone else to do her job before she's out because she wants to keep things moving in our district. She is a rock star and deserves this recognition."

Pictured L to R: CCSD Director of Finance April Lax, Kady Arant, CCSD Assistant Superintendent Brian Wilmurth  

Calloway County High School senior Josh Darnell has been named the Area Technology Center November Student of the Month by the Murray Rotary Club.

Darnell's trade at ATC is in automotive technology, where as a junior he passed the ASE Student Automotive Maintenance and Light Repair industry certification. As a senior, Darnell qualified for a work cooperative and works four hours each day at Ed's Wheel Alignment in Murray, where he is receiving high marks for his work ethic and initiative.

"Josh is very polite and considerate to others and works well with other classmates," said ATC automotive instructor Mitchell McNutt. "He demonstrates good mechanical knowledge and the ability to repair and replace faulty parts."

After graduating from CCHS in May, Darnell plans to continue his work as a full-time mechanic. 

In his free time, Darnell enjoys motocross and mountain biking. He is the son of Christie Fryer of Murray.

Pictured (L to R) are ATC principal Dan Hicks, Josh Darnell, and Murray Rotary Club President-Elect Warren Edminster.

East Calloway Elementary second grade student Nick Frame submitted artwork that was selected for the Arts for All Kentucky exhibit, which will travel throughout Kentucky in 2023. Nick's artwork was a watercolor painting entitled "Hands" and is one of only 30 works in the entire state chosen for the exhibit.

Calloway County Middle School Academic Team recently finished first in the mid-season tournament hosted by the West Kentucky Academic Association (WKAA). The tournament included 16 middle schools from all around Region One in Kentucky. After a great day of competition, the Lakers walked away with several individual accomplishments and the overall championship title.  

Along with the overall championship, students were awarded medals in all areas of competition!  In the area of science, the Lakers placed six students in the top ten with Ella Martin claiming the championship, followed by Aiden Hooper and Lillie Russell tying for second place, and Sarah Doyle in fourth place.  The Lakers had five students in the top ten in the area of mathematics with Ava Bogard and Riley Hudson medaling in a tie for fourth place. In the area of social studies, five Lakers cracked the top ten scores with Molly Pierce finishing as runner-up, followed by Tyler Saalwaechter in third, and Mariana Hughes and Sean Williams being tied for fifth place. The Lakers had three students in the top ten of fine arts with Maya Munoz being named the champion followed by Ella Martin in third place.  Three Lakers also broke the top ten in Language Arts with Maya Munoz claiming another championship, and Addi Finley coming in fifth place.    

In the team event of Quick Recall, the Lakers brought home the championship while remaining undefeated for the tournament. The Lakers won all three of their pool games to place them as a first seed in the round of sixteen.  The Lakers then won all four of the single elimination games to bring home the trophy.  The Quick Recall team is composed of Maya Munoz, Sean Williams, Mariana Hughes, Aiden Hooper, Riley Hudson, Sarah Doyle, and Divine Ezinma.   In addition, the Laker JV Quick Recall Team also competed in the varsity tournament on Friday.  The JV team won their pool play bracket and was narrowly defeated in the elite eight round.  They finished the day with a record of four wins and only one loss. The JV team members are Hillary Bohannon, Tyler Sebby, Mason Riley, Ella Martin, Molly Pierce, Evan Falwell, and Ava Bogard.

 Five students from the choral program at Calloway County High School recently participated in the MSU Music Department Quad-State High School Honor Choir on the campus of Murray State University.  Chosen by independent audition, they joined more than 200 other singers from five states in presenting a concert of music from the Romantic era in Lovett Auditorium.  Pictured above left to right are, front row, Riot Boggess and Dr. Bradley Almquist, director of Choral Activities at MSU and the Quad-State Honor Choir; back row, Emma Martin, Olivia Lane, and Kylee Carter.  Not pictured is Julia Parker. 

Calloway County High School senior Cesar Villeda has been named the Murray Rotary Club's November Student of the Month. 

Cesar is projected to be a valedictorian as he has maintained a 4.0 GPA and has a 32 ACT composite score. He has earned class awards in Honors Integrated Social Studies, Honors World History, Earth and Space Science, Accounting I, Honors U.S. History, Pre-Calculus, and AP Chemistry. He was also selected as a Governor’s Scholar at Morehead State University where he had the focus area of philosophy.

Cesar is involved at CCHS where he has been elected as a class officer for the past four years, and he has served as class president since his sophomore year. He has also served as a Student Council officer for three years, and he is now the Senior Vice President of the club. Cesar has been a varsity member of the academic team all four years of high school—earning numerous awards in social studies, math, and quick recall. He is also a four-year member of FBLA in which he has competed in International Business—winning the region the past three years as well as claiming state runner-up in 2021. Additionally, he is a member of FFA, the Chemistry Team, the Laker Pep Club, the Tennis team, and the Cross Country Team. Cesar is a 2021-2022 alum of Leadership Tomorrow.

Cesar is involved in the community as a two-year Beta Club officer. He volunteers around the community in events such as charity races and elementary school events. Every morning, he interns at the Calloway County Courthouse Annex under Judge Kenny Imes and Deputy Judge Gina Winchester.

After graduating in May, Cesar is undecided about which college to attend, but is considering Murray State and Louisville. He wants to major in economics and with a minor in political science, history, or statistics. He is unsure of his career plans, but wants to continue to contribute to local government.

Cesar is the son of Javier and Carolina Villeda.

Fourteen members of the Calloway County Schools tech team were recognized with the Stilwell Award by the Kentucky Department of Education. Jody Rose from the Office of Education Technology presented the team with their awards at the board of education meeting on November 10.

The Stilwell Award is named after the late William "Bill" E. Stilwell, a longtime faculty member of the University of Kentucky’s College of Education who worked diligently throughout his career to improve Kentucky K-12 educators’ access to modern technology.

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) is recognizing about 2,400 key education technology staff from Kentucky’s K-12 school districts and KDE's Office of Education Technology (OET) for their dedication and support of education technology during the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020 to March 2022 by selecting them as recipients of the 2020-2022 Stilwell Award.

This award’s two-year time frame recognizes the unique circumstances that came from the pandemic and the crucial role technology staff and faculty played in supporting the Kentucky educational system.

“During those 24 months, Kentucky K-12 education technology staff not only survived but thrived in providing quality EdTech enabled products and services to Kentucky K-12 students, teachers and staff, across this entire state, amongst all the sudden demands, uncertainty and intensity going on during that timeframe,” said David Couch, associate commissioner in KDE’s Office of Education Technology.

Calloway County tech team members who received the award are: Melissa Spiceland, Emily Hearn, Mitch Hultman, Angie Jones, Aymee Herndon, Melissa Bouland, Laken Falwell, Stacy Jones, CJ Dial, Kim Barrett, Michael Haven, Pat Kilby, Eric Payton, and Stephen Conner.

Calloway County High School Laker Chemistry Team took first place at the 52^nd Annual Murray State Chemistry Scholarship Tournament on Thursday, November 10, 2022.  The Lakers, made up of seniors Ethan Cain, Isaac Martin, Kerrigan McManus, and Cesar Villeda, placed first among fifteen teams from three states, including schools from southern Illinois, northwest Tennessee, and western Kentucky.  The Lakers walked away with $500 in cash and $1600 in scholarships.

The Lakers competed in the Upper Division level of competition, which was reserved for students who were enrolled or had finished second-year chemistry.  Cesar Villeda took 3^rd place in individual placement, earning $100 cash and a $600 scholarship to MSU, while Isaac Martin earned the top spot among all students at the tournament, earning $200 in cash and $1000 in MSU scholarships.  The Lakers also took the championship in team events, earning $200 for the school. Marshall County, KY earned 2^nd place; Marion, IL came in 3^rd place, and Union County, KY took 4^th place. 

The Lakers are coached by Erica Gray.

Rena Pivoras was recently named the November Laker Champion for Kids. Pivoras is a cook in the East Calloway Elementary cafeteria. The Laker Champion for Kids is awarded each month to a Laker staff member who goes above and beyond for students and colleagues.

Pivoras was nominated by Alyson Adams, who wrote:

“She goes above and beyond for the kids at East by taking an interest in each student and making the cafeteria fun and festive with her infectious personality, themed bulletin boards, spirit day participation and decorating skills. She spreads joy across the district with her classroom visits as the Tooth Fairy, and her spot-on impression of Chris Farley’s Lunch Lady character in a food service training. I have seen social media posts where parents proclaim that she is their child’s favorite person at school.
Districtwide she is an avid band booster parent and can be found helping with all events. She has been a big help at past project graduation events, even when she doesn’t have a child graduating.”

“She brings an energy to every room she enters," said Director of Food Service Megan Adams. She is both admired by her fellow staff and students. She puts a lot of effort into her student relationships and has a great way of talking and associating with the students in the cafeteria. She is the master behind our fun bulletin boards at East in the cafeteria! You’ll always catch her enjoying dress up days or holidays! She is a valued member of our team, and we are thankful for her continued service to our kitchen and students of East Calloway Elementary.”

Pictured are Megan Adams, Pivoras, East principal Monica Boggess, and Director of PD/PR Ryan Marchetti.

Southwest Calloway Elementary student Ava Lee was named the winner of the Calloway County Bicentennial Coloring Contest. Her detailed work coloring the historic "Old Post Office" in Murray was the winning selection in the county-wide contest. She was awarded spending cash from members of the Murray-Calloway Chamber of Commerce. The contest was headed by Randy and Jeanetta McCallon.

Other Calloway County winners included:

East: Abbigail Christopher, Anniston Canerdy

North: Parker Cook, Eliza Hall

Southwest: Adilyn Morrison

Calloway County Lakers cross country teams ran in the KHSAA Class AA State Championship in Paris, KY on October 29 competing against over 40 schools and 480 runners from across Kentucky.

The Laker Men started out the day with a 9th place finish overall for the 2nd straight year. This marks the 3rd year in a row for the Lakers finishing in the Top 10. Senior Daniel Puckett placed 9th individually, earning the highest finish of his career at the state meet with a 16:36. He earned KHSAA All-State honors for his finish. This is his 3rd year being named to the KHSAA All-State Team. Senior Landon McCartney ran a 17:10, finishing 16th overall. Senior Dominic Cashion came in 46th, giving the Lakers three runners in the Top 50 for the 2nd year in a row.

The Lady Lakers finished in 13th place as a team, led by Junior Reese Settle’s 13th place finish, earning KHSAA All-State honors. Settle ran the 5K race finishing with a 20:16, setting a new school record for the Kentucky State Meet at the Bourbon County XC Course. Freshman Sadie Lilly came in 62nd overall at 22:19, with 8th graders Bella Norsworthy and Angie Emery both coming in the Top 100.

Calloway County High School senior Sydney Naber has been named the Murray Rotary Club's October Student of the Month. 

Sydney has a 4.0 GPA, scored a 32 on the ACT, and on track to be a valedictorian at CCHS. She is a Microsoft Award recipient, AP Chemistry Award recipient, and an attendee of the Governor's Scholar Program at Morehead State University this past summer. Sydney's extra-curricular activities at Calloway County High School include being a member of Calloway County Varsity Soccer team made it to 2A State this year; a member of Calloway County Track team. She has been regional champion in 300 hurdles and 4x400 and has set several school records on relay teams in high school. Sydney is a member of the CCHS Tennis team, with where she went to regionals last year. She is also a member of the CCHS Future Business Leaders of America, serving as reporter and placed fourth in state in Customer Service Competition. She is a member of Student Council, serving as class reporter. She is a member of the BETA club; Spanish Club, serving as reporter; and a member of Academic Team and KY YMCA. Sydney volunteers her time at Journey Church through the large group weekly meetings and as a volunteer leader for Kindergarten through Fifth Grade youth groups. 

After graduating from CCHS in May, Sydney plans attend the University of Kentucky to major in biology to begin her education as a medical student. After UK, she plans to attend medical school to become a radiologist. 

Sydney is the daughter of Casey and Jessica Naber.

Kentucky Department of Education recently released data showing Calloway County Schools ranking among the best in the state.

Congratulations to our students and teachers on a job well done!

Full story in Murray Ledger & Times

Explore all data on Kentucky School Report Card 

Jennifer Dunnaway has been named the Laker Champion for Kids for the month of October. The award is for Laker faculty and staff members who go above and beyond for their students and colleagues.

Dunnaway is an eighth grade social studies teacher at Calloway County Middle School. She is also the speech team coach for CCMS and CCHS. She was nominated by CCHS teacher Miranda Wilson, who wrote:

“She is a champion in every sense of the word. She has spent countless hours as a champion for students on the Speech Team. Some join because they love giving speeches, but most join just because they her. I have personally been inspired by her enthusiasm and dedication to the youth of Calloway County (both in and out of school). She brings fun and positivity to her classroom each day and encourages each student to be his or her best self. She deserves the title of Laker Champion for Kids because she loves our school, loves our community, and loves our kids, and shows this in not only her words, but most importantly, her actions.”

CCMS teacher TJ Hargrove also thinks highly of this month's Champion.

“She always goes above and beyond to champion students of Laker Nation.  Whether it’s dressing up for Civil War days, staying hours a week for speech practice, planning field trips, modifying assignments to reach each student, or designing countless activities to engage all students, she always has students’ best interest in mind.  She’s a team player always willing to help her colleagues and I couldn’t ask for a better Social Studies partner to work with.”

Calloway County High School senior Ethan King has been named the Area Technology Center's September Student of the Month by the Murray Rotary Club.

Ethan is a culinary arts student at the ATC and is in his third year in the program. He was an instrumental part of the ATC's pop up restaurant event in April and is leading another restaurant event in October. He is also a member of the Skills USA club at ATC.

In his spare time, Ethan works in the kitchen at The Cookout restaurant in Murray. He also spends time working on cars and refining his skills in the kitchen. His culinary specialty is Italian dishes.

Ethan is the son of Anthony and Nikki Davenport of Almo. After graduation from CCHS in May, Ethan plans to attend Sullivan University in Louisville to study culinary arts to become a chef.

Calloway County Middle School sixth grader Collin Naber was selected for STEM Squad at WKCTC's Challenger Learning Center as a part of a grant from NASA. Collin is the son of Casey and Jessica Naber.

The CLC, one of only 21 organizations across the nation to win an award from a new NASA grant program, received $23,614 to offer unique STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) opportunities to the Squad over the next 12 months.

NASA's Community Anchor Award grant is designed to help informal education community resources like the CLC implement authentic NASA STEM experiences while reinforcing the CLC's identity as a vital community resource.

"We are privileged to be one of only 21 NASA Community Anchor Award grants in the nation. The student members will learn so much about the many facets of NASA and its missions," said Mellisa Duncan, CLC director. "We look forward to spending a whole year getting to know 30 students who will be the next generation of citizens to pursue STEM careers!"

CLC's "STEM Squad" of fifth-seventh graders will experience various STEM-themed learning opportunities through monthly "STEM Squad Summits," a summer project, and a trip to Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala. At the end of the project, students will participate in a community experience-sharing session and be encouraged to continue their engagement through the formation of an alumni group. This alumni group will be able to volunteer and serve the CLC in different capacities.

The students chosen completed an application that included an essay portion and reference letter from non-family members. Each essay was scored by four people: WKCTC/CLC staff, Paducah Junior College, Inc. board members and community members using a common rubric.

"All the essays were amazing. It was so hard to narrow down the applications," said Duncan, adding, "each had heartfelt reasons why that person should be chosen."

CCHS Academic Team Head Coach Erica Gray was inducted into the Kentucky Association for Academic Competition (KAAC) Coach’s Hall of Fame on September 23. KAAC recognizes individuals who have gone above and beyond to provide a brighter future for Kentucky students through Hall of Fame recognition. Coaches, administrators, or officials who have accomplished noteworthy achievements that further academic competition on a local, regional, or statewide level can be inducted into the KAAC Hall of Fame. The 2022 inductees include Gray, Brian Sullivan from Henderson County High School, and the late Mary Ann Beshear Miller from the Kentucky Department of Education.

Gray has served as an Academic Team head coach for 16 years, the last 15 at CCHS, where her teams have earned 12 consecutive District championships, three Regional championships, seven Regional runners up titles, multiple State top 10 finishes, including a 2022 Future Problem Solving State championship. The Lakers have made numerous appearances at national and international competitions, including the Department of Energy National Science Bowl, PACE, and Future Problem Solving International Conference. Gray teaches chemistry at CCHS and is married to Dr. Chip Gray of Murray. They have two daughters, Claire and Laurel.

Calloway County Middle School eighth grade students attend the inaugural SPARK event created by the Murray Works Foundation as a part of the Murray-Calloway Chamber of Commerce. The event was held in the CFSB Center at MSU on September 21.

Businesses from around the region along with colleges from Murray State and WKCTC gave students hands-on experiences in an attempt to "spark" a career interest for them. 

Ethan Cain has been named the CCHS Rotary Student of the Month for September by the Murray Rotary Club.

Ethan is a senior at Calloway County High School who has recently attended the Governor's Scholar Program this past summer. Ethan has kept a 4.0 GPA throughout high school and is on track to be Valedictorian of the graduating class of 2023. He has achieved a score of 34 on the ACT and is currently a member of the Calloway Academic Team, the Calloway Robotics Team, and the Calloway Tennis Team. Last year, he participated in the Calloway Leadership Tomorrow Program.

On the academic team, Ethan has earned awards at the district and regional levels, as well as qualifying for state many times in the subject areas of mathematics and science. This previous year, Ethan was the regional champion in KAAC science written testing. In addition, he has qualified for the U.S Department of Energy's National Science Bowl twice and has placed first in the KBEA state keyboarding contest five years in a row.

Ethan Cain is the son of Scott and Wendy Cain. After high school, Ethan plans to major in biomedical engineering on a Pre-Med track. He is currently undecided on what college he will be attending.

The CCHS Academic Team began their season on Monday night with a trip across our northern border to Carbondale, IL to compete as defending champions in the WSIU Scholastic Hi-Q tournament, which is televised on WSIU and aired on its website www.wsiu.org.  The 32-team, single elimination tournament is in its 31^st year and hosts high schools from across Illinois, Kentucky, and Indiana.

The varsity quick recall team, made of Ellie Whisman, Cesar Villeda, Ethan Cain, and captain Isaac Martin (pictured L to R), drew first time competitors Alton Fortitude in the first game of the new season. In an evenly matched first half, where the score was 65-60 after the first 8 questions, the Lakers were able to pull away in the second half to secure a 450-245 win, earning an advance to the 3^rd match.

The Lakers observed the second match between Effingham and Cisne, where the evenly matched teams ended with a 150-130 win for Effingham.

In the third match of the evening, the Lakers had knocked the cobwebs off their buzzers and came out of the starting gate ready to score.  At the end of the first half, the Lakers had a dominating lead of 330-35.  A difficult lightning round yielded them 60 more points before starting the second half, where they did not back down.  At the end of the 24-question tossup/bonus match, the final score read 730-85, with the Lakers easily securing an advance to the quarterfinals in November.

The Lakers are coached by Erica Gray, Lane Springer, Margaret Richter, and Dan Thompson.

Calloway County High School FFA recently had members compete in the 2022 Kentucky State Fair, including two students who are state champions.

Junior Sayde Lowe was Grand Champion with her project entry in Grass Hay division. Senior Emma Arnett placed first and was named state champion in the Floriculture contest. CCHS FFA now has 74 state champions over the past 18 years.

Additionally, both the Agriculture Mechanics and Floriculture Team finished as the State Runner-up.  The Meats Judging Team placed 5^th in the state, and Tyler Ward and Fulton Manning performed well in the 4-H Land Judging Contest as a warm-up to the FFA contest next month.  Finally, Cooper Housden, Ellie Falwell, and Sayde Lowe entered tobacco, hay, wheat, and/or soybean displays. 

Calloway County High School teacher Lane Springer has been selected to participate in an initiative by the University of Kentucky to enhance Kentucky K-12 Holocaust education. Springer is a history teacher in her second year at CCHS and was one of 20 teachers from the state selected for the project.

The initiative is funded by a grant from the Jewish Heritage Fund for Excellence. Springer received extensive training during the summer and on-going training throughout the school year on best practice in teaching the Holocaust. Springer will be a leader in the region and will train other history teachers during this initiative.

Instructional materials created by Kentucky teachers through the UK Holocaust Initiative will be professionally peer-reviewed and then shared freely on the Initiative’s website.

“UK faculty will use their expert knowledge to empower Kentucky teachers with extensive middle and high school classroom experience and expertise by educating and collaborating with them and their peers. Through these multiple layers of collaborative work, we will create networks of experts at the local level and a sustainable model for educational excellence,” Project Co-Director Janice Fernheimer explains.

Maria Vincent has been named the September Laker Champion for Kids.

Maria is the guidance secretary at CCHS is loved by her students and our teachers.

She was nominated by CCHS nurse Erin Garland who wrote, “She goes above and beyond to ensure that each student is taken care of not only with their schedules and day to day issues, but she truly cares about each student and their well-being. She greets everyone with a smile on her face and if ever in need of a hug, she is your person. Simply put, she champions alongside each student, staff member and person she comes into contact with. I can't think of a better person that embodies the word CHAMPION.”

The Champion for Kids award recognizes a Laker staff member that goes above and beyond for kids, is always willing to step up and help their colleagues, and someone we are always proud to call a Laker.

Congrats to CCMS teacher Kevin Suiter! Mr. Suiter was named the 2022 KMEA First District Middle School Teacher of the Year. Suiter is pictured with CCHS band director Nick Calcamuggio and CCMS principal Jodi Butler.

"Kevin Suiter is an extremely dedicated teacher," said Butler. "He works tirelessly both in and out of school to be sure his students have opportunities to excel.  Congratulations to Mr. Suiter for receiving this award.  It is definitely well-deserved."

We are excited to welcome back our students! First day of preschool is Monday, August 22! 

Michelle Hansen was named the inaugural Laker Champion for Kids for August during a ceremony for all faculty and staff at CCHS on Opening Day. Hansen is the FRYSC coordinator at North and East. She is pictured with the Laker Championship Belt along with Superintendent Tres Settle.

The Champion for Kids award recognizes a Laker staff member that goes above and beyond for kids, is always willing to step up and help their colleagues, and someone we are always proud to call a Laker.

Hansen was nominated by East principal Monica Boggess who wrote, "Our students are blessed to have her. She is always willing to stop whatever she is doing to meet the needs of our students and families. Our families look to her for support and trust her intentions when it comes to their needs. She is invaluable to our schools."

Southwest Calloway Elementary teacher Yvonna Hooper was named the 2022 Educator of the Year by the Murray-Calloway Chamber of Commerce. She received her award on July 15 at the Chamber's annual dinner.