Beech Tree News Network

At Tuesday night’s Butler County Board of Education meeting at Butler County High School, the Board recognized a host of student achievements, found a way to save money on insurance for the coming fiscal year, and heard a report from a BCHS coach on the impact of his Wellness program on students.
 
While not all those receiving honors were present, the BCHS Media Room was filled with students accepting recognition by the Board.  BCHS students Tristan Elmore, Tyler Johnson, Chanda Hampton, and Kayley Jarboe were recognized for making the Governor’s Scholar Program; BCHS student Sierra Fields was recognized for being a regional winner of the Forcht Bank/KHSAA Sportsmanship Recognition Program, and BCHS student Haley Adkins was recognized for being a University of Kentucky Rising Scholar.
 
Several members of the BCHS Bridge Building Team were honored for their performance.  The team was recognized for its 1st place finish at the 18th annual BRIMS Regional Bridge Building Championship, along with Tristan Elmore for placing 1st, Tyler Johnson 2nd, Kayla Spurgeon 3rd, Catona Dockery 4th, Tiffany Saltsman 7th, Isaiah Arnold 9th, and Maddie Moore for winning the Architectural Design Trophy.  Tristan Elmore and Tyler Johnson received recognition for finishing 31st and 37th, respectively, at the IIT International Bridge Building Contest in Chicago.
 
The high school FCCLA received multiple Board honors, starting with recognition for State FCCLA Gold Honor Roll Status.  Both the Senior Division and Junior Division FCCLA Parliamentary Procedure Teams finished 1st at State FCCLA, and each team will go compete at National FCCLA.  Senior team members Haley Adkins, Kortney Barbier, Callie Dockery, Matthew Embry, Jacob Mudd, Kassie Phelps, and Molly Sanders were recognized, as were Junior team members Shelby Austin, Caitlin Coleman, Erica Daugherty, Haley Ford, and Delania Payton.  Other State FCCLA recognitions went to Rachel Rose (State FCCLA Scholarship Alternate) and Payton Howard (State FCCLA Power of One).  For 2012 National FCCLA honors, Audrey Porter was recognized for winning a silver medal in Teach and Train, and Allison Kurfiss, Bailey Hunt, and Rachel Johnson were honored for their silver medals in Focus on Children.
 
The BCHS Band was recognized for receiving Distinguished Ratings at both the Elizabethtown and Bowling Green district band festivals.  The BCHS Wind Ensemble was honored for its Distinguished Rating at the Bowling Green District Band Festival, and the BCHS Symphonic Band was recognized for receiving Straight Distinguished Ratings at the KMEA State Concert Band Festival for the first time in school history.  The BCMS 6th Grade Band and 7th/8th Grade Band each were recognized for their Distinguished Ratings at the KMEA Band Festival.  The BCMS Choir was honored for receiving a Proficient Rating at the KMEA Choral Festival, and BCMS students Cole Johnson, Hannah Logan, and Bonnie West were recognized for achieving Distinguished Ratings in Individual Solos at the KMEA Solo and Ensemble Competition.
 
The BCHS Rocket Team 2 was recognized for placing 32nd out of 735 teams at Team America Rocketry Challenge 2013.  After this final recognition, Superintendent Scott Howard remarked that while some people dwell on one or two students doing negative things, there are “hundreds of kids that do great things.”  Howard’s statement got a standing ovation from the crowd.
 
Brian Bivens, a coach with the BCHS football team, reported on his Wellness program to the Board.  The program uses a points system to make student athletes eligible for the upcoming game and gives incentives for positive behavior; Bivens said that rigorous physical activity is correlated with better standardized test scores.  Bivens reported that since the implementation of the Wellness program, student GPAs have increased, suspensions have sharply decreased, and absences have decreased among underclassmen.
 
The Board considered the school system’s FY 2014 insurance bids.  Howard proposed accepting bids from Ohio Casualty for property insurance, fleet insurance, and general liability insurance but changing workers compensation to KEMI; that move would save the system $5,000.  The Board approved those bids.  Also, the Board approved renewing student accident and student athletic insurance with Roberts Insurance; Howard said that dropping student accident coverage was considered but rejected, and Roberts had the preferred bid among those received by the school system.
 
The Board approved raising school meal prices to comply with the Healthy, Hungry Free Kids Act of 2010.  Howard said that the Act will require the school system to raise the meal price over a 10-year period to $2.63, but the Board raised the meal price to $1.85 for the upcoming school year.
 
The Board approved a revised FY 2014 Code of Acceptable Behavior and Discipline after a brief discussion.  Curriculum Coordinator Vonda Jennings told the Board there had been some question about whether knives under two inches long were allowed for students.  Jennings said knives were prohibited and that the consequence of having a knife two inches or longer were greater than having a knife under two inches.  Howard stated that vocational students often use knives in the course of their work and that the issue will need to be addressed in the future.