Kentucky Department of Education

In this issue

*Free online AP exam review

*Black History Month

*Lincoln Bicentennial

*Kentucky public libraries get high marks

*National Youth Storytelling Showcase

Feb. 1, 2008

Free online AP exam review

Kentucky Virtual High School (KVHS) is again offering an online Advanced Placement exam review free of charge to students attending school in Kentucky. Schools can register for the online review by identifying one contact person for the school who will receive instructions and be responsible for enrolling students in the AP Exam Review. For more information, contact Kari Welch at kari.welch@education.ky.gov, or call toll free at (866) 432-0008.

 

Black History Month

Black History Month originally centered on the February birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.

Now that February is here, Americans will be honoring the rich African American culture as well as the brave acts of Rosa Parks, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and many others during the civil rights movement.

Take some time this month to talk to your children about this significant part of our history and the impact many people have made on the African American culture.

Remember, however, to include discussions on important black Kentuckians like Muhammed Ali, Whitney Young, Jr. and Georgia Davis Powers.

 

Online resources about great black Kentuckians

The Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives (KDLA) has an informative and enlightening collection of online resources on Kentucky African American history. Among the information KDLA provides are:

• biographies
• history timelines
• historical places
• state and national historical documents
• state African American census data
• genealogical resources and
• other PDF documents

To access this information, click here.

 

Gallery of Great Black Kentuckians

The Kentucky Commission on Human Rights Gallery of 42 Great Black Kentuckians is a poster series designed to introduce students, educators and the public to the achievements of some of Kentucky’s outstanding black citizens of the past and present.

The first poster, printed in the 1970, was of Dr. Thomas T. Wendell, a pioneer in the care of Kentucky’s mentally ill. There are currently 42 posters in the gallery series. To go to the gallery, click here.

 

To read about famous African American icons not affiliated with Kentucky, click here.

 

February Museum Theatre Special

This year’s Black History Month comes to life in museum theatre performances at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History in Frankfort.

Schools visiting during the month of February can enrich their museum tours by meeting a character from the pages of history. These 15-minute plays combine social studies and arts and humanities curriculum in a unique and entertaining format that students and teachers are sure to enjoy.

Theatre presentations are free with admission, but reservations are required.

On Wednesdays in February, meet Mattie Eleanor Lewis, a young Kentuckian growing up amidst the struggle for civil rights in Nothing New for Easter: Shopping for Civil Rights. On Thursdays and Fridays, Bound for Freedom: The Story of Frontier Slave Monk Estill, will be presented. Students will discover the challenges of frontier life with an enslaved man who fought his way to freedom.

To learn more about the KHS Museum Theatre program, click here or e-mail Greg Hardison at greg.hardison@ky.gov.

To book a tour of the museums, call (502) 564-1792 or click here.

 

Lincoln Bicentennial

The Lincoln Bicentennial Commemoration kicks off Feb. 12 in Hodgenville with its inaugural event. President George Bush has been invited to help launch the two-year commemoration. The inaugural event is free and open to the public.

Other noteworthy invited guests include Gov. Steve Beshear, actor Sam Waterston and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin.

The highly anticipated HistoryMobile, sponsored by the Kentucky Historical Society, also will make its debut. For more information about the inaugural event, click here.

There are several upcoming Lincoln events planned all over Kentucky including:

• “Journey to Freedom” performance, Feb. 9, in Elizabethtown
• Lexington Abraham Lincoln Gala, Feb. 10
• National Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration, Feb. 11, in Louisville
• Unveiling of the Lincoln Heritage Trail, Feb. 12, in Hodgenville
• Premiere of KET’s Kentucky Life Special on Lincoln’s Kentucky Story, March 1
• “Beyond the Log Cabin: Abraham Lincoln and Kentucky,” Kentucky state exhibition for the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial at the Thomas D. Clark Kentucky History Center in Frankfort
• Unveiling of the new Lincoln statue by renowned Kentucky sculptor Ed Hamilton at Louisville Waterfront Park

For a complete list of Kentucky events, click here to access the Lincoln Bicentennial calendar.

 

Check out your local public library

Have you been to your local public library lately? If not, maybe it’s time to go check it out.

The Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives (KDLA) recently reported that Kentuckians are very pleased with their public libraries. In fact, a recent state survey shows that public libraries rank as the most highly regarded local government service entity.

This independent survey by the University of Kentucky Survey Research Center found more than 95 percent of state residents feel public libraries are a good tax dollar investment. The telephone survey polled citizens in all 120 Kentucky counties.

This research indicated nine out of every 10 Kentuckians view public libraries as a “key educational asset in the community.”

More than two million Kentuckians have public library cards, according to Wayne Onkst, state librarian and commissioner of KDLA. There are 116 public libraries in the state.

Community libraries also provide computer access, free Internet service and computer training. In 2006, more than 31,500 Kentuckians received computer training in the state’s public libraries according to KDLA.

 

National Youth Storytelling Showcase

Three Kentucky school children will represent Kentucky Feb. 6-9 in the National Youth Storytelling Showcase in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Bath County Middle School students Jordan Sallee and Brackon Curtis make up one of four tandem teams in the competition while Emilee Seaman of Central City will compete in the high school division.
This is the first time Kentucky has been represented in the national competition. The event is part of the Smoky Mountain Storytelling Festival.

 

Links in this issue

 

AP online exam review

http://education.ky.gov/KYVSAssets/APExam/
online_exam_review_2008.doc

 

Kentucky Black history resources

http://www.kdla.ky.gov/researchlinks/blackhistory.htm

http://www.kchr.ky.gov/about/gallergreatblack.htm

 

KHS Museum Theatre program

http://history.ky.gov/sub.php?pageid=28&sectionid=9

 

Lincoln Bicentennial

http://kylincoln.org/default.htm

http://www.nps.gov/abli/bicentennial-commencement-event.htm

http://kentucky.gov/EventCal/Calendar.aspx?CS.CIDS=80&CS.LM=2&CS.ST=80&VTS=MG%2cL&VS1.S=L&VS1.MMV=1&VS1.M=2&VS1.
Y=2008&VS1.SD=0&VS2.S=&VS2.D=0&VS2.
M=2&VS2.Y=2008&VS2.F=AE&VS2.DTP=M&VS2.PNO=0

 

Public libraries

www.publiclibraries.com/kentucky.htm

 

National Youth Storytelling Showcase

http://www.nationalyouthstorytellingshowcase.org/home

 

   
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