Union County |
 |
 |
Union County Education Advocacy Team Action GroupsThese are community groups, and all are invited to join!
Follow the link to view Union County's survey results from the Rally 4 Education and the Community Action Cycle teams can use to provide structure for community action. For more information about supporting education excellence in Union County, please contact Amy Hutchison at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 270.952.4114, or Northwest Kentucky Forward office at (877) 434-3766.
News Release- by: Malinda Beauchamp Union County Superintendent honored as the 2010 Berea College Outstanding Young Alumnus Union County Public Schools Superintendent, Josh Powell, was honored during ceremonies at Berea College's Homecoming on November 12, 2010. Powell, a 1997 graduate of Berea College, was named the 2010 Outstanding Young Alumnus. Powell received this honor due to his proven success in turning around two low-performing school districts and also because of the great success he has shown in improving African American student achievement. Powell has attributed his education and experiences at Berea College as being one of the keys to his success with African Americans. He has great pride in the fact that Berea College was the first college in Kentucky to open its doors to African American students and has expressed great appreciation for the diverse education he experienced while at Berea. Berea President, Larry Shinn, presented the award to Powell "in recognition of outstanding leadership and exemplary service". "Throughout his career, Josh Powell has exemplified Berea College's mission of learning, labor, and service," said Shinn. "At Berea, the expectation for excellence in student learning is a principle that Josh has carried forward in his life's work with teachers, students, and parents - so that students are provided the best opportunity to achieve their potential. We are very proud of Josh and his current accomplishments, and know he will build upon them." Berea Alumni Council President Elect, Larry Woods, said that he was very excited that Powell was selected for the highly prestigious Young Alumnus award. "Josh is very worthy of this award. He is direct, has great vision, high expectations, and moves quickly-he will not waste time for kids," said Woods. "It is apparent that kids' education is the most important thing in his life." Matt Schmidt, fellow Berea alum, spoke of the deep sense of gratitude that he knows Powell has toward Berea. "Due in part to his Berea education, Josh, in his career as a school superintendent and his day-to-day decisions, measures success by the opportunities that he can create for other people," said Schmidt. "He makes every decision about what is best for kids-about what is going to happen for them and about making a better life for them through education." Powell credited his success to his education at Berea College. "I would not be where I am in my life without Berea College," said Powell. "In my view, the mission of Berea is to create leaders who go out and change a large portion of the world. I take that very seriously and feel that being a leader is not a choice when you attend Berea College, but an obligation. It is how you give back for all that they do for you." "Berea College provides opportunities for people who otherwise would not be able to attend college; however, a Berea education is so much more than that," said Powell. "One cannot graduate Berea without a little bit of humility, being gracious in your beliefs, and feeling a profound depth of gratitude for what you have learned and experienced. A Berea education prepares students to be thinkers, leaders, and servants. The teachers at Berea are top-notch and the student body is extremely diverse. I feel fortunate that events in my life led me to Berea and that my experiences there have shaped me and given me a foundation upon which I can build." The leader in the field of education in Kentucky, Commissioner of Education Dr. Terry Holliday, extended his congratulations to Powell. "Congratulations to Superintendent Josh Powell for recognition as 2010 Berea College Outstanding Young Alumnus," said Holliday. "Josh exhibits the focus on the achievement of ALL students that is necessary if Kentucky is to continue improvement of the K-12 education system. I am very proud of the strong improvements shown by Union County Schools. The improvements in student learning outcomes are a result of high community expectations, strong leadership, excellent teachers, and hard working students." Originally from Trimble County, Kentucky, Powell is beginning his fifth year as a Kentucky superintendent, the youngest at a public school system in Kentucky. Twice he has been named the KASA Administrator of the Year in 2007 and 2009 and is a two-time nominee for American Association of School Administrator's (AASA) Superintendent of the Year. Beginning his administrative career at Cloverport Independent, Powell led the district from a state ranking of 165th out of 175 school districts to a ranking of 9th in three years. In his two years as Union County superintendent, Powell led the district to the 2009 highest academic gain in the state, a 90-spot jump in state rankings--from 161st to 71st, and met all NCLB goals at the district's two Tier schools. Featured in numerous state education magazines and major state-wide newspapers, Powell was recently a panelist at the School Improvement Summit in Washington, D.C., where he shared the stage with other national leaders engaged in the work of successful, sustainable school improvement. Powell holds a B.A. from Berea College, an M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Western Kentucky University, and has nearly completed his PhD in Educational Leadership from the University of Louisville. |