Boone County’s “Making the Most of High School” is parent-friendly idea

It's great for students, too

Even though I hear constant dialog from Kentucky educators about how they are reaching out to parents, we still hear about disconnects between parents and schools.

So, it was a real pleasure to attend the Boone County Public Schools’ "Making the Most of High School" parent event last Saturday.

The event was kicked off by Kentucky State Senator John Schickel and Boone County Superintended Randy Poe, and it was loaded with 35 different breakout sessions for parents and students that covered a tremendous range of topics.

Here is a partial listing of the breakout sessions assembled by Superintendent Poe and his enthusiastic Boone County staff. This will give you an idea of the huge range of subjects covered. You can see the full list by clicking the “Read more” link below.



• MATHEMATICS, THE PIVOTAL CLASS – How parents can help their kids master math

• NOT MY KID – Informing parents about drug issues

• BUILDING YOUR RESUME IN HIGH SCHOOL – Aimed at getting into college and beyond

• COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS – How to get the $$$$

• FINANCING YOUR FUTURE EDUCATION – Understanding the KEES scholarship and other programs

• DEMYSTIFYING THE COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS – What parent and student doesn’t need this help?

• DUAL ENROLLMENT IN HIGH SCHOOL – How to balance attending both high school classes and college classes while still in high school

• I HATE THIS RIDE, LET ME OFF: THE EMOTIONS OF HIGH SCHOOL – They could charge double for this one!

• SPORTS ELIGIBILITY IN HIGH SCHOOL AND THE NACAA CLEARINGHOUSE – Must know for high school athletes

• EDUCATION OF GIFTED STUDENTS IN BOONE COUNTY SCHOOLS – For the parent who has one, this is gold

• HIGH SCHOOL AND BEYOND FOR EXCEPTIONAL STUDENTS – Boone didn’t overlook the special needs kids, either!

Dr. Anna Marie Tracy from the Boone County Schools says that teachers and other staff donated their time to the event, and the costs were covered by private industry donations, making this a very efficient "bang for the buck" program.

I hope a lot more school districts are doing something similar for parents. If your school district isn’t, why not download the topic listings for your school system by clicking the “Read more” link or by just e-mailing them the link to this blog.

And, if you are a Boone County parent who didn't come to this conference, you really missed out on a great opportunity. I hope you will be there next year, because your kids deserve no less.



Full, alphabetical listing of Boone County’s “Making the Most of High School” Breakout Sessions

BELONGING AND JOINING AT BOONE COUNTY’S HIGH SCHOOLS – There is more than classrooms in our high schools, and these custom-tailored programs (one for each high school in the district) tell parents and students about the neat extra curricular “stuff” available

BLOGS, WIKIs, PODCASTS AND OTHER WEB TOOLS – How Boone County is training the kid who someday may be doing my job!

BOONE AREA TECHNOLOGY CENTER – What it offers to students starting in the eighth grade and in high school

BROWN MACKIE COLLEGE – Information about this careers oriented school

BUILDING YOUR RESUME IN HIGH SCHOOL – Aimed at getting into college and beyond

CAREERS IN ENERGY AND GREEN TECHNOLOGY – From the BC Area Technology
Center, more about non-college career options

COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS – How to get the $$$$

COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGES – What is out there for students who don’t want to go to full university programs

COURSE SELECTION AP/HONORS/REGULAR – Helping parents understand this often confusing array of course offerings

DEMYSTIFYING THE COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS – What parent and student doesn’t need this help?

DUAL ENROLLMENT IN HIGH SCHOOL – How to balance attending both high school classes and college classes while still in high school

EDUCATION OF GIFTED STUDENTS IN BOONE COUNTY SCHOOLS – For the parent who has one, this is gold

EXPLORE, PLAN AND ACT – What are these tests, and what do parents and students need to know about them

FINANCING YOUR FUTURE EDUCATION – Understanding the KEES scholarship and other programs

GATTON ACADEMY – Information on getting into this highly selective resident high school on the Western Kentucky Campus, which any student in Kentucky can qualify to do

GOVERNOR’S SCHOLARS PROGRAM, OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME – About the program and how to qualify

HIGH SCHOOL AND BEYOND FOR EXCEPTIONAL STUDENTS – Boone didn’t overlook the special needs kids, either!

I HATE THIS RIDE, LET ME OFF: THE EMOTIONS OF HIGH SCHOOL – They could charge double for this one!

IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ON CHANGE AND THINKING FOR THE 21ST CENTURY – How technology is changing the educational environment

INDIVIDUAL LEARNING PLAN – All kids get one, and this tells parents how to make the most of it

MATHEMATICS, THE PIVOTAL CLASS – How parents can help their kids master math

NO PASS/NO DRIVE – How to prepare kids for this new reality

NOT MY KID – Informing parents about drug issues

OVERCOMING PROCRASTINATION AND CREATING ORGANIZATION – What kid doesn’t need this one?

SOFT SKILLS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY – CLASSROOM CUSTOMER SERVICE – More about learning skills for students

SPORTS ELIGIBILITY IN HIGH SCHOOL AND THE NACAA CLEARINGHOUSE – Must know for high school athletes

STEM CAREERS – Careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and how to prepare for them

STUDY SKILLS FOR HIGH SCHOOL SUCCESS

TAKING THE MYSTERY OUT OF PAYING FOR COLLEGE – All sorts of strategies and some pitfalls, too

THE COMMONWEALTH DIPLOMA, WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOUR COLLEGE CAREER – Information about this advanced level high school diploma

THE LATINO STUDENT CONNECTION – Kentucky doesn’t have many Latinos statewide at this point, but there is a growing community in Boone County. This special program reaches out to those parents

TWO MILLION MINUTES – A viewing of this documentary on questions parents and students face

UNDERSTANDING THE PSAT AND THE NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP – Parents of top performers were definitely not overlooked

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE COLLEGE AND CAREER READY – More about what kids really get under their belt during the high school years

WORKFORCE SKILLS EMPLOYERS ARE LOOKING FOR IN THE 21ST CENTURY – Learning to do the last century’s jobs won’t prepare today’s students to have a happy and productive life


To learn more about this event, contact Dr. Anna Marie Tracy, Boone County Schools, at annamarie.tracy@boone.kyschools.us.