FCS Unscripted
Sharing information about, and the stories behind, #Every1 in Franklin County Schools in Frankfort, Kentucky.
FCS Unscripted
Excitement for the New School Year: Insights from the Summer Administrative Retreat
What if you could unlock the secrets to a thriving school year, straight from the minds of our passionate Franklin County Schools administrators? Get ready to be inspired as we chat with leaders who are buzzing with excitement and innovative ideas for the 2024 academic season. Starting with Megan Barton and Brittany Beach from Hearn Elementary, you'll hear about their dynamic plans to engage students and strengthen community connections. Sarah Vivian and Ashley Scott from the Academy share their eagerness to support students and build new partnerships, while Adam Nance shines a light on unique pathways to graduation at Future Forward and William Cofield High School, emphasizing the importance of removing barriers for student success.
Ever wondered what keeps our middle school leaders motivated and ready for another year? Principal Enoch Welch, Assistant Principal Joey Thacker, and CIA/Dean Taylor Ricketts from Bondurant Middle School reflect on their goals and the continuity they hope to build from last year. Their perspectives offer a glimpse into the positive and engaging learning environment they are dedicated to fostering. And for a lighter twist, you’ll discover fun facts about their favorite movies and foods, adding a personal touch to their professional insights.
As we wrap up this episode, we extend our heartfelt thanks to you, our listeners, for your continued support and enthusiasm. Stay connected with FCS Unscripted by subscribing and following for weekly updates, information, and interviews. Celebrate the collaborative spirit of OneTeamFCS, and join us in showcasing the wonderful students and staff who make our community vibrant. Here's to an exciting year ahead!
Welcome to FCS Unscripted. A new podcast for One Team, fcs, where we look at the stories behind every one in Franklin County Schools. All right, everyone, we are coming to you from the 2024 retreat for Franklin County Schools. Coming to you from the 2024 retreat for Franklin County Schools. This is Superintendent Kopp and I'm going to be joined throughout the course of this podcast from multiple administrators. I'm so happy right now to have Megan Barton, who is the principal at Hearn Elementary School, and Brittany Beach, who is the CIA dean at Hearn Elementary School. So you guys just tell us what you're excited about for the upcoming school year.
Speaker 2:We are super excited about seeing our kiddos. We have some great goals set for them getting out in the community, making some connections, going beyond our school and just making a difference in the lives of kids, academically, socially emotionally.
Speaker 3:All those great things Awesome, brittany, can you add to that. I can't wait to see their faces. I have missed them this summer and, like Barton said, we've got a lot of great things that we're ready to roll out, getting back into our hives and building those communities. So we're just so excited for this year.
Speaker 1:Oh, I am too. It's going to be a great year. I'll ask you just one fun fact per person. Okay, okay, one fun fact, megan Barton, what is your favorite movie of all time?
Speaker 2:Well, since I don't watch movies, but my favorite movie of all time that I have watched is Jerry Maguire.
Speaker 1:Oh, nice Love Jerry Maguire. Oh nice Love Jerry Maguire. Show me the money, Show me the money.
Speaker 3:All right.
Speaker 1:Brittany Beach favorite movie.
Speaker 3:Mine is probably Sweet Home Alabama.
Speaker 1:Awesome Reese Witherspoon right.
Speaker 3:Oh absolutely.
Speaker 2:You sort of look like her.
Speaker 1:I love it All. Right, that's Hearn Elementary. We'll be coming to you with another group here in just a bit. Thank you so much, really appreciate you Thank you. We've got Sarah Vivian, the principal at the Academy. We have Ashley Scott, the guidance counselor at the Academy, so welcome, first of all.
Speaker 5:Welcome, thank you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so talk to me about what you're most excited about for this upcoming school year.
Speaker 6:First and foremost, I'm just excited to have students back in the building to be interacting with students and families.
Speaker 1:Awesome, Ashley. What do you think?
Speaker 5:Yeah, absolutely, to be able to support our families and reach out to new community members, and partnerships that will help our students be successful.
Speaker 1:I love it, Adam. What about you?
Speaker 3:So Future Forward and Cofield are both unique programs for our district. I'm most looking forward to meeting all of our new students and creating those individual paths to graduation and that's the most important thing, and we're talking today in the retreat.
Speaker 1:something that we haven't mentioned yet on this podcast is the word yes, and that is our focus for the year. We're trying to remove barriers for student success and student opportunities, so I know we're all excited about that. Uh, one quick, fun, fun fact question then. Then you're off the hot seat, okay, and you're all going to answer one question, and that question is what is your favorite food? Adam nance. Favorite food, adam Nance. Ice cream oh yeah, I love it you and my wife Yep completely, Sarah Vivian.
Speaker 8:Anything Italian.
Speaker 1:Nice Ashley.
Speaker 9:Chips and queso.
Speaker 1:I love chips and queso. Great answer. You are off the hot seat. Thank you for joining us. We appreciate it. Thank you All right, we are now joined by the Bondurant Middle School administrative team, starting off with Enoch Welch, who is the principal. Say hi, hello there, and we've got Joey Thacker, assistant principal.
Speaker 10:Hello.
Speaker 1:And we have Taylor Ricketts, who is the new CIA dean. Welcome.
Speaker 6:Hi, thank you.
Speaker 1:All right. So we've been asking folks, we've been talking about the word yes and how excited we are for the start of the school year. So, Mr Welch, what are you most excited about for the start of the school year?
Speaker 11:Well, I'm just super excited to get our second year under our belt and kind of make this thing our own. You know, we're just really proud to be back on the west side of Frankfort and just how excited to be in a place where I started my career and the chance to give back and and when we say yes, we're, yes, we will awesome.
Speaker 1:I love it, mr thacker I think, continuity for me.
Speaker 10:you know the I'm anxious to see what the kids retain in terms of our mission. You know what we want to accomplish for those kids at bondred Middle and, more than anything else, I'm anxious to see how our staff grows too, because they've worked really, really hard and we've assembled a great staff for the last two years, so I'm anxious to see how that continuity transforms.
Speaker 1:Awesome Taylor.
Speaker 6:I'm super excited to be back in a school building with kids and working with these two gentlemen. It was an honor and a blessing being there March, april-ish and kind of rolling on, so they bring all the humor and even keel that I need, so I'm very excited I love it, I love it.
Speaker 1:So this is a great team that you have here, mr Welch, and I'm really excited about what Bondred's going to do this year and where Bondred's going to go. But we're going to end this with a fun fact, and that fun fact that I'm going to ask each of you, starting with Mr Welch, what is your favorite all-time television show or streaming show?
Speaker 11:Favorite all-time television show, Yep man. I could have given you a movie.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 11:Television show.
Speaker 1:Yeah, movie was already asked earlier, so Okay, a movie yeah.
Speaker 11:Television show yeah. Movie was already asked earlier. So Okay, television show. You know, I think, america's greatest hero from, or greatest American hero from, the 1980s. I was just addicted to that show as a kid.
Speaker 1:I have never had that answer before. That's a first. Awesome, I love it.
Speaker 3:Believe it or not.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, mr Thacker.
Speaker 10:I'm probably an Andy Griffith guy. Andy Griffith is yeah, I'll probably have all those memorized over the years.
Speaker 1:Who's your favorite character on Andy Griffith? Just for fun, oh, barney for sure. Yeah, barney's the man. I've got a Barney tie that I wear. It's got one bullet on it and it's got a picture of him on there and it's got a picture of him on there.
Speaker 11:Floyd and Otis are underrated.
Speaker 1:Ernest T Bass. For the short amount of time, pretty good. All right, taylor, I know you have no idea what we're talking about.
Speaker 6:I know, I was just playing it off my lap. Homework. Yeah, I guess I need to watch some shows. I'm going to say Parks and Rec.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, my wife and I just started watching that.
Speaker 6:Never seen. Oh yeah, my wife and I just started watching that.
Speaker 1:I've never seen it before. Yes, awesome. Well, you are off the hot seat, guys. Thank you so much, and, gail, we sure appreciate you. We're so excited for the school year. Thank you All right. We are now joined by the administrative staff at Franklin County High School, starting with the principal, mr Chris Tracy. Welcome, thank you. Assistant Principal Nick Sheridan. Hello. Assistant Principal Jennifer Donnelly. Hello. Assistant Principal Megan Sloan. Hello, we are so excited that you guys are here with us and got a quick question. We're talking a lot about the word yes today, yes and how. That's our focus for the year. We're going to focus on being able to say yes to our students for opportunities, removing barriers. Bearing that in mind, what are you most excited about for the start of the school year?
Speaker 13:I enjoy getting the kids back after summer and seeing how they've grown, not just physically but mature-wise, being more mature at the end of the summer. Some of them we get to see through summer school doing that, so that's why I like more than any of it.
Speaker 1:I love it, mr Sheridan.
Speaker 9:I'm excited with our new facilities that are coming. We have an auxiliary gym. That's coming to see the development, the challenges that that's going to bring. Also, the great opportunities that that's going to bring. We'll have new locker rooms we found out today by October that's really, really exciting coming into this school year.
Speaker 1:Awesome, megan.
Speaker 9:I'm really excited to meet the new students coming in and start to build those relationships and foster that, with new kids coming in, cool Jennifer.
Speaker 5:I'm excited to see our faculty back and kind of invigorated after summer break. And I know at the end of the year you know we're all surviving, but we come back after summer break. And I know at the end of the year you know we're all surviving, but we come back after summer and we're ready to roll and so I can't wait to see what they're doing in the classrooms.
Speaker 1:I love it. I love it. I agree wholeheartedly. Now one quick fun fact and then you'll get off the hot seat. Chris Tracy, you're all going to have the same question, by the way. I just get the first one. First one what is your favorite fast food restaurant?
Speaker 13:I will just go out. I'll go with the traditional McDonald's. Anymore, I get a kid's Happy Meal at McDonald's with a Diet Coke, a large Diet Coke.
Speaker 1:Well, there you go, that's it. Hey, you be you man, I like it, nick.
Speaker 9:I'd probably say Cane's, because I really like chicken tenders. That sauce is drinkable. You got it.
Speaker 1:Yep, I really like chicken tenders. That sauce is drinkable. You got it? Yep, all right, megan.
Speaker 12:I would probably have to say Chipotle.
Speaker 1:Oh.
Speaker 12:That's a good one.
Speaker 1:That is a good one, and I hear we might be getting one of those, by the way.
Speaker 8:I know Versailles just got one of those yeah.
Speaker 1:I keep hearing rumors that that's going to come, jennifer.
Speaker 5:Well, to be different and say something different, I guess I'll say Chick-fil-A, that's my kid's favorite. So that's where we go.
Speaker 1:As long as you don't go there on Sundays, right Correct?
Speaker 12:Yeah, you're going to be hungry if you try to go there on.
Speaker 1:Sundays Jimmy John's.
Speaker 12:I thought she would go Jimmy John's, jimmy John's, I do enjoy Jimmy John's as well.
Speaker 13:Jimmy.
Speaker 1:John's.
Speaker 5:Jimmy John's.
Speaker 1:Guys, thank you so much. We're so excited for the start of school year. Franklin County go Flyers. Good call Thanks for having us.
Speaker 9:Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 1:I am very excited now to be joined by the administrative staff at Peaks Mill Elementary. We have a new principal at Peaks Mill this year, Mr Nick Barton. He is joining us Welcome.
Speaker 14:Thank you so much. I'm excited to start the new school year.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. And then we have Lane Allen, the CIA dean. Welcome, lane, thank you. So what are you guys most excited about to start this school year? Nick, start us off.
Speaker 14:I mean, obviously I'm going to a new school, so I'm very excited to meet the staff, students and start interacting with our everyday activities as far as school goes. So I'm very excited about a new adventure. I'm coming from a preschool, kindergarten school to first through fifth grade school, so a lot of changes for me, a lot of new adventures, but I have a great partner in Lane that has really helped me transition, welcomed me in with open arms and every single person at Peaks Mill has made me feel welcome and I'm just very excited about getting started.
Speaker 1:Awesome. I love it Lane. What would you add to that?
Speaker 12:Just to add you know we are one big family at Peaks Mill and we're excited to welcome Nick into that family and I guess we're really excited to see the kids back in the building. It's been a good summer but we're ready to get them back and get started.
Speaker 1:I love it. So fun fact time. I'm varying up the fun facts, so each of you are going to ask or answer just one fun fact question. It will be the same one, but Nick has to start us off. And by the way, in case you hear it really loud, they're playing a game of giant Jenga in the corner over there and they're getting ready to have the Jenga thing tumble.
Speaker 14:It looks very intense over there. I don't know what's going on.
Speaker 1:So all right, Nick Barton, what is your all-time favorite? Candy or candy bar, Mr Good.
Speaker 14:Bar Mr Good Bar wow, boom, right off the bat.
Speaker 12:I don't think I've ever had one of those oh, it's excellent.
Speaker 14:If you like peanuts and chocolate, that's your thing alright, that's me.
Speaker 1:What about you?
Speaker 12:I will go with the Reese cup, that's a classic, that's a hard one to dispute solid, traditional, two good answers.
Speaker 1:you guys are now off the hot seat. I hope you have a fantastic year at Peaks Mill, excited to have you here, thank you, thank you. I am now joined by three. I hope you have a fantastic year at Peaks Mill, excited to have you here. Thank you, thank you. All right, I am now joined by three of our wonderful elementary principals. First of all, stacey Rutledge at Bridgeport Elementary, welcome.
Speaker 4:Hello.
Speaker 1:And Lynette McKinney, who is our newest principal at ELV Welcome, thank you so much. And of course, we have Christy Drury from Westridge Elementary Welcome, thank you. So, christy, we're going to start with you. What are you most excited about for the start of this school year?
Speaker 5:I'm excited about getting in there and, you know, just taking off running and I have, you know, built those relationships with the staff and know the kids and just being able to hit the ground running and, you know, starting our new ELA curriculum. I think that's going to we're going to see some great positive results from that.
Speaker 1:I love it. Ms McKinney, starting out as the new principal at ELV, what are you most excited about?
Speaker 8:Yeah, I'm really excited to be at ELV as a new principal. I'm really excited to get to work with the younger kids again. For the past four years I've been in middle school, so to kind of go back to my roots, I'm very excited about that. I'm really excited to get to know all the staff at ELV. We've already started working, and working really hard, to implement some new things there. So I'm just truly excited about being at ELV with the staff and the students.
Speaker 1:I love it. And Ms Rutledge, starting your eighth year as the principal at Bridgeport Elementary yes, so tell me, what are you most excited about?
Speaker 4:So the beginning of the year is definitely one of my favorites. I love all the excitement from both you know family, students and teachers. So it's always an exciting time and we had a great couple of years. It's always an exciting time and we had a great couple of years, and so we're looking forward to really building on that and just continuing the momentum that we've built.
Speaker 1:I love it. And, by the way, there's the giant Jenga game going on over in the corner. We mentioned it in the last round. The thing is getting taller and taller and it still hasn't fallen.
Speaker 7:So it's pretty impressive. It's pretty intense over there, in case you hear the screaming in the background.
Speaker 1:So now it's fun fact time. I'm going to ask you all the same fun fact question. You only get one and it'll be simple, but I'm going to start with you, ms Rattledge. Okay, what is your all-time favorite breakfast cereal? Lucky Charms, boom.
Speaker 8:You can't do much better than Lucky Charms, right? Yep, all right, miss McKenna. Well, you're going to think that I'm kind of crazy, but I love Cheerios. I've loved Cheerios since I've been a little girl and I still eat them to this day. I have to add Splenda now instead of sugar, but I love Cheerios.
Speaker 1:That's a very healthy cereal. I eat Cheerios as well, yep and Grape N nuts, by the way, I like some grape nuts. All right, christy.
Speaker 5:I'm going with honey nut Cheerios. I have to have the honey nuts.
Speaker 1:You have a little sweetness in there, right? Yep, listen, we are so excited for the start of the school year. Thank you all for what you do. We're excited for you getting started, lynette, and for other two principals here. You know we're going to have a great year, so thank you so much for being here.
Speaker 5:Thank you.
Speaker 13:All right.
Speaker 1:We are now joined by the administrative team from Collins Lane Elementary, so excited to welcome the principal, beth Logno, hello, hello. And Amanda Atkins, the CIA dean, hello, all right. So, guys, we've been talking a lot today about the word yes and about the excitement for the school year. What are you most excited about for the start of the school year?
Speaker 8:I am most excited I mean, of course, number one, to have our kiddos back in the building, but also just for creating opportunities for our kids.
Speaker 1:I love it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I love it, amanda what would you add to that? I think I'm most excited also about getting our kids back. Amanda. What would you add to that? I think I'm most excited also about getting our kids back, but also them seeing what new pieces we have on the horizon for them and getting our staff excited about that and then bringing that down to our students.
Speaker 1:Cool, and I know that our staff are excited to come back too, maybe a little more excited in a few weeks. Right now they're still a little on summer, you know, and that's fine, that's fine. Fun fact before I let you go, we've got to do one fun fact, okay, and we're going to start with you, beth, the fun fact question for Collins Lane Elementary what is your? I'm sorry, not what. Who is your favorite actor or actress?
Speaker 8:Ooh, that is a tough one, so this one's going to be pretty funny, but I really do like the Rock. Oh, dwayne Johnson.
Speaker 1:I do. That's fair. Yeah, that's fair. What do you like about the Rock?
Speaker 8:I tend to enjoy any movie that he's in.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I liked him when he was a wrestler, you know, back in the day.
Speaker 13:See, I didn't watch it, but shit Did you smoke yeah?
Speaker 1:Amanda, who for you.
Speaker 12:Julia Roberts.
Speaker 1:Really yes. What's your favorite? Julia Roberts.
Speaker 3:Probably Pretty Woman, although I love all of her movies, awesome.
Speaker 1:Yeah Well, you're off the hot seat. Great job. We're so excited for you and it's going to be a great year. Thank you for joining us.
Speaker 8:Thanks.
Speaker 1:All right, all right. We are now joined by the administrative staff from Elkhorn Elementary School, principal Andy Bradley. Welcome.
Speaker 15:Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:And CIA Dean Natasha Thacker, welcome.
Speaker 6:Thank you.
Speaker 1:We're thrilled to have you guys here. So we've been talking a lot today with all the other principals and assistant principals and deans about what are you most excited about in terms of the school you're starting. So, Andy Bradley, what are you most excited about I?
Speaker 15:think for me it's. Every year is a new and exciting year, especially starting out the year off, seeing all the kids' faces and excited to be back in school. Starting out the year off, seeing all the kids faces and excited to be back in school. I know parents are excited to have them come back to school, but we're just as excited to have them in the school, seeing their faces in classrooms, learning. That's. That's what I look forward to most. Awesome, tasha. What do you think?
Speaker 8:pretty much same here I'm. I'm really excited to get to see the kids miss them all summer.
Speaker 12:Um and excited for the upcoming school year.
Speaker 8:Having our staff all together, we didn't have to hire many new teachers this year, so we're excited about that.
Speaker 1:That's awesome all, right, before I let you go, gotta do a fun fact, and that fun fact is we're gonna start with mr bradley. What is your all-time favorite dessert?
Speaker 15:oh my goodness, it's probably going to have to be. Oh gosh, it's probably going to have to be Reese's Peanut Butter.
Speaker 1:Pie. That is very specific Awesome.
Speaker 2:I've never had it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, all right, reese's Peanut.
Speaker 12:Butter.
Speaker 1:Pie. All right, Natasha, what do you think?
Speaker 12:For me it would be Toasted Coconut.
Speaker 1:Cream Pie oh see, I'm a pie guy. Versus cake, I'll eat anything if I'm going to look at it, but pie I love pie all day, all night. Listen, thanks, guys. We're so excited for the start of school year. Thank you for joining us today.
Speaker 15:Thank you very much, thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:All right, all right, all right. We are now joined by three essential members of our central office staff. We've got our director of technology, stella Pollard, welcome.
Speaker 12:Thank you.
Speaker 1:We've got Charles Lewis, who is our director of college and career readiness See, I always mess that up, so that's why I just pointed to you to say it and we have the executive assistant to the superintendent, rebecca Roberts. Welcome, thank you, fancy, fancy, fancy. So we've been talking today a lot about the word yes and about, you know, removing barriers for students. So, bearing that in mind, what are you guys most excited about for the start of the school year? We'll start with you, stella.
Speaker 12:I'm excited to see our kids come back to the schools In the summer week. In my position I get to work all summer long preparing the buildings and getting everything ready for the kids to come back, and the schools feel so sad without them. I miss them so much. So my favorite thing on the first day of school is seeing the smiles of our kids.
Speaker 1:Awesome.
Speaker 16:I love it. Mr Lewis, yeah, I kind of echo Stella's comments. Since moving to central office, from leaving Franklin County High School as principal, one of my favorite things is that first few days of school and being in the different schools and seeing the kids come in and the excitement. You're like, oh, look at my new shoes, look at my new backpack. You think I'm fast in my new shoes. Those kind of things, especially being a high school background, seeing the little kids and how excited they are. And then, conversely with the middle and high school, they're excited but they try to hide it but then as soon as they're on the bus or walk in the hallways they have a hard time doing that. So I just love the excitement. Like Stella said, I love it, rebecca.
Speaker 7:I'm more of a behind-the-scenes, so I think I'm looking forward to being able to help people that call and reach out for help, or connecting them to the person they need to be connected to, or finding them a resource or just helping them solve a problem they may have Awesome.
Speaker 1:So, before I let you go, we're going to do a fun fact, and the fun fact I'm going to make it hopefully a little easy on you, and that fun fact really can be answered two ways who is your favorite musical group of all time? Or what is your favorite style of music? We'll start with you, stella.
Speaker 12:My favorite musical group is the Dixie Chicks. Oh, all right, and now?
Speaker 1:they call themselves the Chicks right.
Speaker 12:The Chicks. You're right, I've got to fix myself.
Speaker 1:I don't. I mean, I understand all those things Me too. They didn't name themselves to be controversial or anything.
Speaker 12:The 90s country though.
Speaker 16:I was surprised. I thought you would have went with the Possum.
Speaker 12:Well, it was in a group. I would have said George Jones, if it was Singer.
Speaker 1:Well, okay, it could be Singer.
Speaker 12:Oh, definitely George Jones number one.
Speaker 16:Yeah, George Jones, For me it's Pearl Jam. Hands down. I when yeah, Georgetown.
Speaker 1:For me it's Pearl Jam hands down. I know it Hands down. Yeah, yeah, You've got a license plate, I've got a license plate.
Speaker 16:It's on the sticker. When we flew into Seattle back in November, like one of the first things was like we need to go to the third floor of the airport because they did a. There's like a not quite easy.
Speaker 7:How many times have you seen them play I?
Speaker 16:don't know 10 or 12. I've got a bunch of posters at the house and t-shirts like I have a whole uh drawer. That's like pearls in t-shirts, some from concerts I went to and others so like that's when awesome rebecca this is the worst question for me.
Speaker 7:I can't just pick one. Um, lately, let's see, lately it's been probably jason isbell and his ex-wife, now amanda. So yeah, I really like amanda shires awesome, awesome.
Speaker 1:Well, you guys are off the hot seat, all right off the hook, thank you appreciate you let's have a great year.
Speaker 9:All right Thanks.
Speaker 1:Well, that wraps it up for this week's episode of FCS Unscripted. Thank you for listening in and I encourage you to subscribe and follow this weekly podcast where we will share updates, information and interviews with hashtag everyone the wonderful students and staff who make up One Team, fcs. Have a great week everybody.