Lone Oak Middle Gets Before, After-School Grant

Here are highlights from Thursday evening's McCracken County School Board meeting:

Lone Oak Middle is the latest school to be awarded a 21st Century Community Learning Center grant from the Kentucky Department of Education for the establishment of free before- and after-school enrichment programs for students. LOMS joins Heath Elementary, Heath Middle, Reidland Intermediate, Reidland Middle and McCracken County High School in offering the program.

The $675,000 grant will be dispersed as $150,000 per year for three years, and $125,000 and $100,000 in years four and five. Schools getting the grants must work with a community partner, so Lone Oak Middle will work with the McCracken County Cooperative Extension and 4- H Office to ensure the school's new program is a success.

The Baptist Health Foundation has awarded McCracken County Schools $10,000 for the purchase of five new automated electronic defibrillators (AED's) and replacement parts for the district's existing 19 AED's.

For some time now, MCPS has been in need of five additional AED's  for after-school locations, since access is limited to the AED's inside main school buildings when they are locked. MCPS currently has 19 AED's throughout the district, 15 of which will need new shock pads or batteries within the next year. Baptist Health's gift will allow the district to ensure this potentially life-saving technology is available to students and community members at all times in all school buildings, and ensure that technology stays up-to- date.

The high school was recently awarded $50,000 from the Kentucky Department of Education to fund the completion of a new career pathway in energy technology engineering. This will include the addition of a new Project Lead the Way Engineering class, "Environmental Sustainability," as well as enhancements to the PLTW Engineering Design and Development senior capstone course and a partnership with the UK College of Engineering to mentor students as they work on energy-related senior projects. The new class will be available to students beginning with the 2018-19 school year.