English Teacher

Tales of young love, of laughter and heartbreak, the magic of a first kiss, fantasy and hard reality - these are the things great stories are made of, and in a Valentine's Day essay contest offered by the Clark County Public Library, George Rogers Clark High School students shared theirs. Some are true, some fictitious, some are about themselves, some about others they know. Three librarians - Renee Bush, Misty Strain and Cara White - read and judged the essays. Linda Ormsby, an English teacher at GRC, facilitated the contest, which involved students from 17 classes.

Johnson-Davis Brenda W. Johnson of Danville and Mr. and Mrs. Tom Johnson of Stanford announce the engagement of their daughter, Claudette E. Johnson, to Skates B. Davis, son of Wayne and Margaret Davis of Indianapolis. Johnson is a 2000 graduate of Boyle County High School, a 2004 graduate of Western Kentucky University and a 2006 graduate of University of Louisville. She is an English teacher at Male High School in Louisville. Davis is a 1997 graduate of Scottsville-Allen County High School and a 2001 graduate of Western Kentucky University.

Anne Louise McMurtry Sharp, 93, died Saturday, Feb. 16, in the home of her late grandfather, W. J. Reynolds, where she was also born March 4, 1919. She was the daughter of the late John Fulton and Alice Reynolds McMurtry, and widow of Tommy D. Sharp, who died in 1973. She was a member of Saint Luke Catholic Church and in the early years was an organist. She was a talented pianist and a noted historian, and had been very involved in the D.A.R. Mrs. Sharp was also a former librarian and English teacher, having received her master degrees from the University of Kentucky.

It used to be so simple. In order to properly participate in literature discussions during English class, students had no choice but to read the source material and develop their own interpretations of the text. And when it came time to commit said analyses to paper, students utilized the tool of the English language. And then came the Internet. And then cell phones. For all their benefits, those tools tend to have an adverse effect on English class. The disjointed, confusing lingo teenagers use to text message one another requires a dictionary of its own to decipher, and that lexicon, with terms and acronyms like "LOL" (Laugh Out Loud)

A first-year teacher at West Jessamine High School hopes the launch of a school newspaper will fuel students' passion for writing the same way his school paper pushed him toward a variety of careers. English teacher Charlie Cox is sponsoring Colt Nation, which he hopes will become West's first regular newspaper. The first issue of the monthly publication is expected before winter break. Cox attended Boyle County High School and worked on the newspaper there before attending Western Kentucky University.

Dear Editor: It seems like just yesterday that I was a senior at Boyle County High School. Actually, it's been about 11 years, and I am already in my fifth year as an English teacher at BCHS. Consequently, I have realized that even though the school has made many wonderful advances and improvements, I can honestly say that some things haven't changed all that much. Taco Salad Thursdays are still everybody's favorite lunch days, Mr. Camic is still one of the "coolest" teachers, and seniors still look forward to Project Graduation.

FRANKFORT ? James Carrier, a teacher at McKinney Elementary School, was one of nine teachers from around the state ? three elementary school teachers, three middle school teachers and three high school teachers ? who were named finalists for the Kentucky Teacher of the Year award. On Friday, the teachers were announced. The teacher of the year was Durell "Butch" Hamm, an English teacher at Larry A. Ryle High School in Boone County. Carrier, a second-grade teacher at McKinney Elementary, was in contention for the Elementary Teacher of the Year award along with Jan Vaughn Horn of Shearer Elementary in Clark County, who won the award, and Phyllis Ray of Central Elementary in Graves County.

LIBERTY - Ten young women will compete for the title of Miss Casey County at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the high school. The event kicks off the annual Casey County Apple Festival. The pageant is sponsored annually by the Liberty Kiwanis Club and is for Casey residents only. Contestants, listed by age, parents and school, are: Bridget C. Atwood, 20, daughter of J.C. and Karen Atwood, Liberty, and a student at University of Kentucky. She plans to be a pharmaceutical sales representative.

For Mae Renner, community service is its own reward. So she was surprised and a bit bemused last week when she was named Citizen of the Year by the Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce. "It's humbling," Ms. Renner said. "She has been active in just about every area of service in Lincoln County," said award presenter Jonathan Baker of the law firm Rankin and Baker. Indeed, it's difficult to find a community-service organization that Ms. Renner has not served. She is a mentor with the Big Brother, Big Sister Program, active with the planning of the Lincoln County Fair, has chaired the Lincoln County Relay for Life for the past 10 years, has been treasurer for the Junior Miss pageant, is a past director and chairperson of the Chamber of Commerce, is secretary of the Logan's Fort Foundation, and treasurer of the Fort Logan Hospital Capital Funds Campaign.

East Jessamine High teacher Erika Webb was named the top teacher in the state Tuesday when she received the Kentucky Teacher of the Year award in Frankfort. Webb, an English teacher, received Jessamine County’s high school Excel-lence in Education award for the 2008-2009 school year to qualify for the state award. She was named one of nine semifinalists earlier this month. Webb received $10,000 and a commemorative crystal-glass bowl, and the Kentucky Department of Education will provide a sabbatical or suitable alternative.

Anne Louise McMurtry Sharp, 93, died Saturday, Feb. 16, in the home of her late grandfather, W. J. Reynolds, where she was also born March 4, 1919. She was the daughter of the late John Fulton and Alice Reynolds McMurtry, and widow of Tommy D. Sharp, who died in 1973. She was a member of Saint Luke Catholic Church and in the early years was an organist. She was a talented pianist and a noted historian, and had been very involved in the D.A.R. Mrs. Sharp was also a former librarian and English teacher, having received her master degrees from the University of Kentucky.

A first-year teacher at West Jessamine High School hopes the launch of a school newspaper will fuel students' passion for writing the same way his school paper pushed him toward a variety of careers. English teacher Charlie Cox is sponsoring Colt Nation, which he hopes will become West's first regular newspaper. The first issue of the monthly publication is expected before winter break. Cox attended Boyle County High School and worked on the newspaper there before attending Western Kentucky University.

National Teacher Appreciation Week, May 7-11, provides a great opportunity for us to celebrate and thank amazing teachers in Jessamine County and all across the nation. It may come as no surprise, but when I was asked to share some personal remarks about my favorite teacher to commemorate the occasion, it was really hard for me to whittle down my list to write about only one.    I was one of those kids who loved school and, yes, I loved my teachers. In fact, I would be hard-pressed to write about a teacher I didn't like.

Winter won’t last forever To the Sun: It’s in the 40s outside, the sun is shining, and I just moved back to Winchester from Florida two years ago. I took the weather for granted when I lived there. The first month after I moved, I kind of had second thoughts about moving back north. At my age, the cold weather can take its toll on an old man. Sitting in the swing on my front porch, while the was sun shining, I reflected on a story my brother Gene told me about when he was an apprentice at the McCormick shop here in Winchester.

East Jessamine High teacher Erika Webb was named the top teacher in the state Tuesday when she received the Kentucky Teacher of the Year award in Frankfort. Webb, an English teacher, received Jessamine County’s high school Excel-lence in Education award for the 2008-2009 school year to qualify for the state award. She was named one of nine semifinalists earlier this month. Webb received $10,000 and a commemorative crystal-glass bowl, and the Kentucky Department of Education will provide a sabbatical or suitable alternative.

FRANKFORT ? James Carrier, a teacher at McKinney Elementary School, was one of nine teachers from around the state ? three elementary school teachers, three middle school teachers and three high school teachers ? who were named finalists for the Kentucky Teacher of the Year award. On Friday, the teachers were announced. The teacher of the year was Durell "Butch" Hamm, an English teacher at Larry A. Ryle High School in Boone County. Carrier, a second-grade teacher at McKinney Elementary, was in contention for the Elementary Teacher of the Year award along with Jan Vaughn Horn of Shearer Elementary in Clark County, who won the award, and Phyllis Ray of Central Elementary in Graves County.

FRANKFORT ? A Shearer Elementary School teacher has been named Kentucky's Elementary School Teacher of the Year. Jan Vaughn Horn, a fifth-grade language arts teacher at Shearer, fell short of the overall goal of Ashland Inc. Teacher of the Year for 2010, but won the elementary category. The top award went to Durell "Butch" Hamm, an English teacher at Larry A. Ryle High School in Boone County. The other winner was Melissa Evans, a seventh-grade science teacher at Corbin Middle School in the Corbin Independent school district, who was named 2010 Middle School Teacher of the Year.

FRANKFORT, Ky. ? A Shearer Elementary School teacher has been named Kentucky's Elementary School Teacher of the Year. Jan Vaughn Horn, a fifth-grade language arts teacher at Shearer, fell short of the overall goal of Ashland Inc. Teacher of the Year for 2010, but won the elementary category. The top award went to Durell "Butch" Hamm, an English teacher at Larry A. Ryle High School in Boone County. The other winner was Melissa Evans, a seventh-grade science teacher at Corbin Middle School in the Corbin Independent school district, who was named 2010 Middle School Teacher of the Year.

It used to be so simple. In order to properly participate in literature discussions during English class, students had no choice but to read the source material and develop their own interpretations of the text. And when it came time to commit said analyses to paper, students utilized the tool of the English language. And then came the Internet. And then cell phones. For all their benefits, those tools tend to have an adverse effect on English class. The disjointed, confusing lingo teenagers use to text message one another requires a dictionary of its own to decipher, and that lexicon, with terms and acronyms like "LOL" (Laugh Out Loud)