Beech Tree News Network

The Butler County Board of Education met in a regular meeting on Tuesday evening at the Butler County Elementary School at 6:30 p.m. Among the topics discussed were Project Prom and BCHS graduation dates.
The meeting was called to order, and past minutes approved before the Superintendent’s Report was given. Superintendent Howard went over several topics, including last week’s United Way Meeting, stating: “It’s a great step in the right direction, at least discussing some of these issues and looking for ways to solve them. Chad Tyree mentioned how important a good work force development is… We’ve been working on soft skills for the past two or three years… letting kids know this is what’s accepted when you go in to an interview…. [and] how to fill out a resume…. We’ll definitely be looking for avenues to erase some of these barriers.”
Superintendent Howard later mentioned an upcoming visit from the Department of Forestry in regards to a section of woods behind the high school. There had been a discussion of whether or not to harvest timber from that lot while a neighboring lot was harvesting. The move could raise up to $25,000, but according to Howard, the trees are more valuable where they are: “It’s not a lot of money [compared to] what we deal with… I have a lot of questions about erosion…. [and] once you cut it, it’s gone. I think it’s important for me to maintain the aesthetic of our campus.”
According to Chad Tyree, Boy Scout Tristan Elmore had constructed a marked nature trail in the area last year.  The decision is being pushed to the May meeting.
Under the Consent Agenda, there were discussions of whether or not to approve the addition of a Special Education teaching position. The position has been in place as part time, and motion was approved to create a full time position in the upcoming school year. They also approved the donation of $3,000 to Project Prom, and set May 29 as the date for high school graduation. Last day for students is May 28th.
Rebecca Tyree questioned whether placing Gideon’s in the schools could be done, as in the past. The answer, according to Superintendent Howard: “It can’t be done with elementary level anymore.” He went on to say “We can do it [in the middle schools]…. There are very, very strict guidelines…. It’s a shame we’ve come to that point. He also stated “We would check the [KSBA] policy…. I want to make sure that we follow everything we need to follow to protect the school district. There were some nasty letters last year written to all of school districts in Kentucky.”
Amy Hood made a comment regarding the issue: “The other thing that we have to remember is… those guidelines are in place for any group that wants to do the same thing. We have to recognize that if we allow one group then if there’s another group that approaches… we have to be welcome and respectful of all. [The guideline is not] focused on Gideons.”
When asked if she thought the opportunity should be given to other religions, Tyree’s answer was “Yes.” She stated her reasoning stemmed from both a religious and open knowledge standpoint: “I’ve spoken with various members of the community, and there seems to be an interest. She went on to say, “Not that it would be forced upon them….  I feel like students should be allowed the opportunity to pick up a Bible if they so choose.”

Several students were recognized earlier in the meeting for receiving awards at various competitions, including the BCMS Bridge Building Team Regional Team Championship at the 20th Annual WKU/SkyTeach/GRREC Regional Bridge Building Competition.
Winners include:
Kobe Annis - 1st Place
Maggie Dotson– 2nd Place
Shelby McKinney – 3rd Place
Taylor Burden – 4th Place
Cole McElwain– 5th Place
Hunter McKee – 6th Place
Hannah Gill – 7th Place
Samuel Rice – 8th Place
Naasia Cook – 9th Place
Carson Carroll – 10th Place.
Other winners include BCMS Student Trevor Cardwell, placing 1st in Architectural Design at the competition, and BCMS Student Kaylee VanMeter placing 2nd.
In the 2014 Conservation Writing Contest, we had BCMS Students Mattie Wells in 1st Place, Samuel Rice in 2nd Place, and Emily Tyree in 3rd Place.

In the WKU History Contest we had BCMS Student Alex Rich in 2nd Place, with David Qui in 3rd.
BCMS Band Students Candice Smith, Claire Coleman, Sarah Belcher, Breanna Gidcumb, Rowan Hunsicker, Haley Drake, Taylor Burden, Mattie McKinney, Haley McKee, Annie Locke, Samantha Henderson, Emma Easley, and Kailie Beasley earned the Distinguished Rating for the KMEA Solos and Ensembles Festival. The 7th-8th Grade BCMS Band also earned Straight Distinguished Ratings.

In the 2015 STLP State Competition, we had BCMS Students Mattie Wells in 1st Place for ePublishing, Jessica Reauchle in 3rd Place for Original Photo, Jessilynn Embry in 4th Place for Graphic Design, Trevor Cardwell in 4th Place for Manipulated Image, Erin Tyree and Hailley Daniel in 4th Place for Technical Writing, and Jessilynn Embry again with an Honorable Mention in the Digital Art category.

Story and photos by J. Harris, Beech Tree News