Atherton student earns perfect SAT score

Wesley Krueger, a senior at Atherton High, achieved a perfect score of 2400 on the SAT college admissions exam. The SAT includes tests in writing, math, and critical thinking. Each test is scored on a scale of 200 to 800.

Of the 1.5 million seniors who took the SAT in 2009, only 297 got a perfect score. Because Wesley took it in June before he started his senior year, his score will be included in the national data that will be released in August 2010.

At Atherton, Wesley is the historian of the school’s chapter of the National Honor Society. He’s a member of the school’s French Scrabble Team and the Track Team. He competes in shot put. Wesley is considering studying business or law in college.

Educators earn creativity awards

The following JCPS educators were honored during the second annual Creativity and Entrepreneurship Awards Ceremony, which was held in the fall at the Kentucky Center. The Gheens Institute for Innovation and the Gheens Foundation, Inc., hosted the event in collaboration with the IDEA Festival. The winners received monetary awards to sustain their programs or projects.

• Malissia Bell, a library media specialist at Brandeis Elementary, and Meg Wilson, a Brandeis computer teacher, developed Race to 500, a student book and podcasting project.

• Diane H. Taylor, a duPont Manual High Spanish teacher, and students in her Advanced Conversational Spanish course developed the Hawthorne Elementary Teaching Internship Program.

• Meyzeek Middle Principal Chris Burba, Meyzeek robotics teacher Victoria Johnston, the school’s Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) president Kim Wells, and the Academy @ Shawnee Principal Dr. Keith Look created a middle school robotics elective.

• Julie Scoskie, director of Adult and Continuing Education, and Tony Newberry, president and chief executive officer at Jefferson Community and Technical College (JCTC), developed a new curriculum that bridges gaps between basic adult education and postsecondary education.

• Jana Hickey, eLearning specialist; Cary Petersen, Information Technology executive director; Donna Hedges, Computer Operations liaison; and Michelle Ezedi and Carolyn Heckmann, Education Technology resource teachers, helped create JCPS Online and a think tank of eMentors who meet monthly to focus on ways to improve online learning.

Teacher named to “20 to Watch” list

Lisa Johnson, a technology resource teacher in the JCPS Computer Education Support Department, has been recognized as 1 of “20 to Watch” by the National School Boards Association’s (NSBA’s) Technology Leadership Network.

The “20 to Watch” provides national recognition for promising leaders in education technology. Johnson was recognized for her outstanding work and commitment in promoting and implementing technology initiatives that enhance teaching and learning for JCPS students. She was formally recognized at NSBA’s Technology and Learning Conference, which was held in the fall in Denver. She will be featured in NSBA education technology publications.

Geography teacher receives national recognition

Allison Hunt, a teacher at duPont Manual High, received the 2009 Distinguished Teacher Award from the National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE). This award recognizes elementary, middle, and high school teachers for outstanding contributions and dedication to the field.

Hunt has taught Advanced Placement Human Geography since 2003. She has been a reader for the Advanced Placement exam since 2006, and she served as a table leader during the 2008 and 2009 readings.

Hunt was formally recognized at a special ceremony during the NCGE annual meeting, which was held in San Juan, Puerto Rico. During the last school year, Hunt received the Kentucky Outstanding Social Studies Teacher of the Year Award from the Kentucky Council of Social Studies. And she was one of only four teachers selected from schools throughout the United States to receive the 2008 C-SPAN fellowship.