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(FRANKFORT, KY) – The Kentucky Department of Education announced that 31 Kentucky high schools, including Greenwood and South Warren High, have received the prestigious College Success Award from GreatSchools.org, the nation’s leading nonprofit school information site. Now in its sixth year, the recognition honors public high schools that excel at preparing students to enroll and succeed in college, as determined by available data in each state.

Kentucky’s recipients are among 1,436 winners in 19 states that have demonstrated successful track records of graduating students who enroll in two- or four-year colleges, are ready for college-level coursework and persist on to their second year. College readiness is crucial for high school students’ future success as companies still overwhelmingly hire candidates with a college degree.

“We want to provide vibrant learning experiences for all our students, which means we are ‘All In’ when it comes to making sure every student is equipped to succeed after high school,” said Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher. “For many, that means pursuing a postsecondary education. Our College Success Award-winning schools are models of excellence both within the Commonwealth and across the nation, underscoring our commitment to keeping students at the forefront of what we do each day.”

The College Success Award is possible because Kentucky is leading the nation in both collecting and transparently sharing information on how students perform after high school, which is valuable information for families, educators, and policymakers.

“We applaud Kentucky for prioritizing a high-quality public education that puts students on the path to bright futures,” said Jon Deane, CEO of GreatSchools. “It’s inspiring to see how entire school communities — students, teachers, and families — can work together in pursuit of a common goal: success for all. Congratulations to these 31 schools for receiving the College Success Award as proof of their hard work and dedication.”

The Warren County Public Schools district announces the November Golden Apple Awards winners with tremendous pride! Manesha Spear from South Warren Middle School, Amy Spears from South Warren High School, Deputy Jamie Luttrell from South Warren High School and Lisa Oberst from Rivendell come highly recommended by their co-workers, supervisors, and parent communities. 

 

The Golden Apple Awards program is a Warren County Public Schools staff recognition initiative. The monthly awards are given to those who go above and beyond their job requirements, demonstrating a commitment to their job, district, students, and fellow employees. 

 

The winners of the Golden Apple Awards receive a unique, handmade award created by glass artist William VanTassel. The program is made possible thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, as well as Tim Kanaly and Gary Force Honda.

 

The Golden Apple Awards program is made possible by the support of the following corporate sponsors: Gary Force Honda, Rafferty's, Double Dogs, and Montana Grille.

 

The Warren County Public Schools district announces the October 2024 Golden Apple Awards winners with tremendous pride! Julie Boyer from Briarwood Elementary, Monica Hamilton from Alvaton Elementary, Holly Whittinghill from Greenwood High School and Cassie McKinney from Drakes Creek Middle School come highly recommended by their co-workers, supervisors, and parent communities. 

 

The Golden Apple Awards program is a Warren County Public Schools staff recognition initiative. The monthly awards are given to those who go above and beyond their job requirements, demonstrating a commitment to their job, district, students, and fellow employees. 

 

The Golden Apple Award winners receive a unique, handmade award created by glass artist William VanTassel. The program is made possible thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, as well as Tim Kanaly and Gary Force Honda.

 

The Golden Apple Awards program is made possible by the support of the following corporate sponsors: Gary Force Honda, Rafferty's, Double Dogs, and Montana Grille.

 

(FRANKFORT, KY) – Meredith Rozanski, executive vice president of operations for the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce, was presented with the Kentucky Board of Education’s (KBE’s) Kelly Award for Business and Education Partnership at its Oct. 8 meeting.

“I am honored to receive the Kelly Award for Business and Education Partnership,” Rozanski said. “I have been blessed with the opportunity to work closely with Bowling Green Independent Schools and Warren County Public Schools for over a decade. It’s inspiring to see such leadership and teamwork focused on providing exceptional opportunities for students, and I am excited to see our community partnership continue to grow.”

The Kelly Award honors Joseph W. Kelly, who served as a member of KBE from 1989 until 1998 and provided exceptional leadership as its chair for seven years. Kelly’s expertise was instrumental in the fundamental early years of implementing Kentucky’s nationally recognized school improvement efforts.

“We are pleased to present this award to recognize the importance of business and education working together,” said Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher. “These partnerships show that business leaders like Meredith are ‘All In’ on supporting our students and helping move education forward in the Commonwealth.”

Rozanski was nominated for the award by Bowling Green Independent Superintendent Gary Fields and Warren County Superintendent Rob Clayton.

“Meredith’s exceptional leadership has made a lasting impact on the economic and educational landscape of southcentral Kentucky,” Fields said in his nomination letter.

Rozanski developed and currently leads the annual South Central Kentucky Learning About Unique and New Careers Here (SCK LAUNCH) program, an initiative that’s become a national model for workforce development. The program is a partnership between the Bowling Green Area Chamber Foundation, Bowling Green Independent Schools, Warren County Public Schools and local businesses to ensure future graduates succeed in their careers.

As part of the program, Rozanski brought together a panel of educators and local business leaders to formulate a profile of the ideal high school graduate. She also established the SCK LAUNCH experience with regional employers to provide 8th-grade students with an off-campus event to explore careers in various workforce sectors.

The first event in 2016 attracted 1,800 students and has grown to 3,500 students from regional school districts, Clayton said in his nomination letter.

“Meredith’s ability to bring together stakeholders from education, business and government sectors has been instrumental in the success of SCK LAUNCH,” Fields said. “Her leadership style fosters a sense of community and shared purpose, creating a strong network of support for students and employers alike. Meredith’s dedication to these partnerships has laid the foundation for sustainable economic growth and workforce development in the region.”

Rozanski’s work supporting FranklinCovey Education’s Leader in Me program in area schools led to Warren County Schools recording Kentucky’s first Lighthouse School in 2014 and the first Legacy School in 2023, Clayton said. The district currently has 13 schools with Lighthouse designation and three schools that have achieved the highest Legacy certification, “the most of any district in the world,” said Clayton.

The levels of recognition offered through the Leader in Me program are based on the school’s implementation and sustained growth in leadership practices. A Lighthouse School has demonstrated a strong leadership culture, student empowerment and effective teaching practices. A Legacy School has maintained Lighthouse Certification for at least eight years while exhibiting innovation and sustaining growth within most of the Lighthouse criteria.

Rozanski also has increased the number of chamber-led college and career learning experiences available to Bowling Green Independent and Warren County high school students. Students were offered 8,900 college and career learning experiences from the chamber during the past year. Rozanski has grown an annual hiring event, which she started, to connect high school seniors with various employers for on-site interviews and a career shadowing. What started as 10 events impacting 300 students has grown to 46 events impacting 916 students.

“Her commitment to developing a talent pipeline for employers is unmatched, resulting in a nearly 20% increase in the number of students in our district graduating transition-ready over the past five years,” Clayton said.

He also commended Rozanski’s role over the past two years arranging meetings between business leaders and a planning team of educators to develop ideas for the new IMPACT Center for Leadership. According to Clayton, Warren County Schools is developing an “unprecedented leadership and innovation center grounded in project-based learning for middle and high school students in high-need career pathways such as medical arts, engineering, teaching and more.” The IMPACT Center for Leadership will have embedded leadership instruction across all career pathways, while collaborating with business partners to provide cutting-edge opportunities.

“Meredith’s innovative vision to provide a framework for public and private partners to collaborate in providing students learning opportunities while developing the future workforce has permeated our community in a way that will have a lasting impact on thousands of students and hundreds of employers,” Clayton said.

The Kelly Award is given by the KBE in the fall of each year to a Kentucky businessperson or business who has partnered with a public school or district to provide outstanding leadership that promotes school improvement and student success.

Criteria for the award includes:

• Creating or sustaining strategic partnership between a business and school or district that leads to improved student outcomes, including but not limited to, postsecondary success and workforce outcomes; and
• Significant contribution to a school or a district that leads or will likely lead to increased or improved educational opportunities or improved educational, postsecondary or workforce outcomes for students.