December 2023

Welcome to Connections, Hopkins County Schools' parent/community newsletter!

Hopkins County Board of Education has approved the school calendar for the 2024-2025 school year on second reading. The calendar is posted on the district website at www.hopkins.kyschools.us/schoolcalendar.

Students involved in the concert choir and a saxophone quartet from Hopkins County Central recently traveled to Evansville to perform holiday tunes that were recorded for a Christmas Day TV special.

 “It was great making music with the sax quartet,” said sophomore Lunati Adams. “Getting the chance to show our region the talented musicians we have at Central was a great way to start the Christmas season.”

Junior Marc Oglesby said, “It was amazing to get the time to work with such talented musicians, and to have fun celebrating the holidays.”

The recordings will be part of “A TriState Christmas,” which will air on WEHT and WTVW. The special will feature student musicians from Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois.

The Hopkins County Central High School Concert Choir is under the direction of Kelly Oliver. The band is under the direction of John Grace, and assistant band directors are David Moss and Josh Johnson. 

“This was a great experience,” said choir member Abigail Keown, a junior. “I have never been on television before, and to see how things are done behind the scenes has opened my eyes to different paths I can take after I graduate.”

“A TriState Christmas” will air from 5-7 a.m. on WEHT ABC 25 and from 7-9 a.m. on WTVW CW 7 on Christmas Day. An hour-long condensed version will air at noon on WEHT ABC 25. The entire two-hour special will be posted at www.tristatehomepage.com.

Kindergartners entering Pride Elementary on Dec. 7 received golden tickets offering a memorable journey on the Polar Express. The annual event at the school brings the well-loved story to life.

This year’s event, however, offered a little extra enchantment.

The conductor, storybook reader, hot chocolate dancers, and snack servers were all making a return trip. They are now seniors at Madisonville North Hopkins, but in 2011, they were kindergarten students who took the school’s initial magical ride on the Polar Express. This is the first time that older students have come back to assist with the event.

One teen made sure artificial “snow” fell while Chase Brummer as the conductor greeted each of the younger students.

“I love to help give what I experienced back to the new kindergartners,” Brummer said. “I remember it was very real. I remember getting my ticket and coming in. There was a decorated train in the lobby. We all sat down and listened to our reader read ‘The Polar Express.’ I remember coming in and seeing the teachers dance the hot chocolate dance for us. It was a lot of fun.”

Then, he added, “We got a little bell at the end that we got to take home. That was really neat.”

Last night, each of the participating seniors received a commemorative “Polar Express” ornament with the years 2011-2023 on it.

During this year’s event, Connor Brock helped make hot chocolate and serve the cookies. He was wearing a Superman T-shirt, reminiscent of the Superman PJs he wore to the event when he was in kindergarten.

“I remember being so excited … I just thought it was the coolest thing,” he said. “When asked to help, I didn’t hesitate. As soon as somebody asked me, I said, ‘I’m all for it.’”

Sydney Browning returned as a hot chocolate dancer. Her aunt, Debrina Duvall, is the Family Resource Center coordinator at the school, so Browning helped by recruiting the high school volunteers.

“I remember how magical the lobby was set up,” Browning said. “Then, the hot chocolate dancers. I remember that. I danced when I was younger, so it was just good memories.”

“I’m glad we all got to come back,” she added.

The teens loved sharing the fun with a new generation of Pride students.

After visiting with Santa, each kindergartner received a small packet of reindeer food as they headed home and, of course, a bell.

The magic continues.

Our AMAZING participants in the Madisonville Christmas Parade took the theme “Christmas Around the World” to heart!! Congratulations to everyone who took part! Three of our schools shared the Best Float honors, with Southside Elementary winning 1st place, Jesse Stuart receiving 1st runner-up and Hopkins County Career & Technology Center with 2nd runner-up. Our Transportation Department joined in the fun by decorating a school bus in Grinchly style!

Musical memories were made recently during several special performances by school choir groups at Glema Mahr Center for the Arts. James Madison Middle School Choirs presented “Winter Songs,” followed by the Madisonville North Hopkins and Hopkins County Central Joint Choral Programs’ presentation, “Glow.”

On Dec. 12, James Madison Middle School’s 6th grade band and the combined 7th and 8th grade band performed a winter concert at Glema Mahr Center for the Arts. This was followed by the Madisonville North Hopkins band concert.

We want to give one more shout out to everyone involved in the production of the musical “Elf” at Glema Mahr Center for the Arts!! There was a sell-out crowd for Friday’s performance of the Joint High School Production! The last time that happened for a school production was in 2017 for “The Little Mermaid.” Great job! 

With the start of the 2nd trimester, we ask you to partner with us to emphasize the importance of your student’s school attendance! An Attendance Postcard to help you keep track of absences and the use of parent notes is being sent home with each student on Friday. As always, please keep your child home from school if they are sick.

The beginning of the trimester is the perfect time to put a new focus on attendance. It’s not too late to turn things around if your child's attendance is off-track. You can see your child’s Attendance Profile in your IC Parent Portal account. This document was also sent directly to you through Parent Square.

Please help us reduce chronic absenteeism. Good attendance means students stay engaged in learning, pass important courses, and stay on track for graduation!

Three HCS students received a big surprise when they were presented with Perfect Attendance Rewards! One student name from each level (elementary, middle, and high) was drawn from all students with perfect attendance to receive the award sponsored by Noon Kiwanis Club of Madisonville.

The reward winners for first trimester are Colin Shoulders of Grapevine Elementary School, Tyler Dudley of Browning Springs Middle School, and Gabrielle Hampton of Madisonville North Hopkins High School. Each received a $100 check from the Kiwanis Club, with cornhole sets presented by community donors given to the middle and high school winners, and an air hockey set for the elementary winner.

Perfect Attendance Reward winners will also be drawn for the second and third trimesters. We encourage our students to have good attendance!!

Two Family Resource Youth Services Center coordinators were honored at the Board of Education meeting on Dec. 11 for their integral role in Hopkins County Schools joining the Prichard Committee’s transformative Kentucky Community Schools initiative!

Randall Campbell, coordinator of the Madisonville North Hopkins M-Brace YSC, and Zach Evans, coordinator of the Browning Springs Middle School YSC, wrote the grant application that resulted in the district being selected for the program and being awarded $1.5 million over five years.

None of this would be possible without the two of them spearheading this effort, said Hopkins County Schools Superintendent Amy Smith. Along with Campbell and Evans, Director of the Community Schools Grant Wendy Gamblin was also recognized. The grant will provide funds for the expansion of programs at MNHHS and BSMS as well as the Community Director position. Gamblin will work closely with the FRYSCs and the community to provide resources and support services for students and families. 

Hopkins County Schools sent several leaders to the Kentucky Community Schools Initiative Onboarding Conference in Lexington. This program was made available to Browning Springs Middle School and Madisonville North Hopkins High School along with a $1.5 million grant from the Prichard Committee.



Those attending were Assistant Superintendent Dr. Damon Fleming, Director of Pupil Personnel Dr. April Devine, parent representative Shannon Kincaid, MNHHS Principal Adam Harris, BSMS Youth Services Center coordinator Zach Evans, parent representative and MNHHS guidance counselor Suzanne Duncan, Director of the Community Schools Grant Wendy Gamblin, community partner representative Laura Faulk, and MNHHS M-Brace Youth Services Center coordinator Randall Campbell. Local representatives are pictured with Stacie Moses, the community schools state coach. The planning phase for the grant will begin in January.

Michael Griffin has been selected as principal of Browning Springs Middle School. He has served as assistant principal of the school since July 2021.

“I would like to thank our Site Based Decision Making Council and Mrs. Smith for this opportunity,” Griffin said. “The Springs has held a special place in my heart since I joined the staff 8 years ago, and I look forward to continuing to lead our Bears to excellence.”

His previous roles in Hopkins County Schools include working as curriculum coordinator, math teacher, and athletic director at Browning Springs. He has also coached middle school academic teams and a middle school baseball team.

For more details, please go to https://bit.ly/3sXXLom.

December Focus:

Responsible & Accountable

For December, the focus for the Hopkins County Future Ready initiative is being Responsible and Accountable. This includes being trustworthy, committed, financially literate, empathetic, and a good listener. It also involves taking pride in your work, having a responsible digital footprint, and taking ownership of your actions.

We invite businesses and community members to partner with us to develop Responsible and Accountable graduates.

Hopkins County Future Ready Graduates is one of the major initiatives that is part of the district’s new Strategic Plan. This is our version of Portrait of a Graduate. This initiative will significantly transform our schools and ensure that our students gain the characteristics needed to be successful after graduation. 

Fifth graders turned their attention to the economics of building their Christmas lists recently during social studies classes at West Broadway Elementary School.

“Our budget is $200,” said Peyton, one of the students. “It’s easy, but hard at the same time. It’s very different because you don’t think about the budget. Usually, you just write down things.”

Teacher Keaton Frazer said this assignment provides a review of economics. It also encourages students to focus on the Hopkins County Future Ready characteristic for December – being Responsible & Accountable.

“We just decided to talk about producers and consumers and opportunity costs,” Frazer said. “They’re making their Christmas lists and we’re going to share it out to parents. They’ve had a lot of fun with it and they’ve put some thought into it.” Students have to keep up with their $200 budget, provide a link to each item, list the price, and tell why they want it. Some are also decorating their lists before they are sent to their parents.

Kenslie, another student, mentioned that families may decide to not go on a vacation and instead spend the money on Christmas gifts. That is an example of an opportunity cost.

“Opportunity cost is basically when you give up something that you want for another thing,” Peyton explained.

Judd said the project has been “pretty fun.” Kobe, who was working to decorate his list, said he stuck closely to the requirements. “My budget was $200, so I got things that were close to $200,” he said. “My total was $199.62.”

Several recent projects at Jesse Stuart Elementary School emphasized students being Responsible & Accountable. That’s the characteristic from the Hopkins County Future Ready initiative that HCS is focusing on for December.



• Teachers conferenced with students to set individual growth goals in reading and math for the MAP test. This teaches students take responsibility and show accountability for their learning. Students who met their goal could choose a reward, which was provided by PTA.
• The Fifth-Grader Leaders have been busily assembling, promoting, selling, and delivering candy grams. Students and staff are encouraged to send a candy gram as an act of kindness to spread Christmas cheer.
• Students from the Career & Technology Center modeled being Responsible & Accountable as they helped the younger students shop for friends and family at the JSES Penguin Patch (Santa’s Workshop).

Members of the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council recently took part in leadership activities and started making plans for the year! The activities were led by Dr. Dan Costellow, general education services director at the Green River Educational Cooperative. He shared his journey with the students and applied it to coaching, co-curricular activities, and citizenship. The students on the council are working with their principals to determine a community project that they will do as a school. We look forward to sharing more about each project as plans move forward!

Congratulations to Hopkins County Central High Voltage dance team! They placed 3rd in Hip Hop at the 2023 KHSAA State Championship.