A Message from
Superintendent
John R. Williamson

Dear Model Families,

Today, we began celebrating the Class of 2024 with Model's annual College Commitment Day! I am proud to say this class of 57 Seniors plans on taking their talents to 17 different colleges across the nation, and we are excited for 22 Seniors to attend our very own EKU. I am looking forward to celebrating this outstanding class more as graduation nears!

It was great to hear from so many of you yesterday in celebration of the great news that the future new Model facility is officially fully funded. This is an exciting milestone, and I look forward to sharing more updates with you as planning develops. If you missed the announcement in your email, you can see it here.

We were honored to have the Kentucky Department of Education join us this week, including Commissioner Robin Kinney, to celebrate our students and their learning at the Academic Showcases and Senior Research projects. It was also wonderful to see so many of you in attendance for the showcases and presentations; thank you for supporting our students!

Over the next few weeks, there are several exciting end-of-year activities, programs, and ceremonies to show our students how proud we are of them and their hard work this year. For your convenience, you will find a list of dates for all end-of-year events below. As we near the end of the year, let's encourage our students to finish their academic studies strong!

Thank you for choosing Model for your child's education.

Sincerely,

Save the Dates: End-of-Year Events

• Educator Appreciation Week: May 6-9
• No School for Students: Friday, May 10
• Kentucky State Assessments: May 6-17 (see all assessment info here)
• Class of 2024 Recognition Banquet: Thursday, May 16, 6:00 p.m.
•  Secondary Awards: Friday, May 17, @ Keen Johnson
  • Grades 7-8, 9:00 a.m.
  • Grades 9-11, 1:00 p.m.
• Junior/Senior Prom: Saturday, May 18
• Grandparents' and Grandfriends' Breakfast (Grades K-3): Friday, May 17, 8:00-9:00 a.m.
• Elementary Field Day: Monday, May 20
• Kindergarten Kiss Your Brain: Wednesday, May 22, 6:00 p.m.
• Final Exams: Tuesday, May 21-Wednesday, May 22 (schedule)
• Senior Walk: Thursday, May 23, 8:30 a.m.
• Secondary Field Day: Thursday, May 23, 9:00 a.m.
• Last Day of School (dismiss at 12:55 p.m.): Thursday, May 23
• Graduation and Commencement Ceremony: Friday, May 23, 7:00 p.m.

Educator Appreciation Week is May 6-9; Thank You Notes Are Needed!

Write a short thank-you note to one or more of Model's faculty and/or staff to have it delivered to them during Educator Appreciation Week on May 6-9. Send your thanks or tell us the great things you notice our faculty and staff doing! To send a submission, go to this link on our website. 

If there is a teacher in your life who always brightens your day or goes above and beyond to make sure you feel included, or, parents, if there is a staff member who makes your child feel special or is always there to help, we invite you to tell Model educators how much they mean to you. We want to hear from students, parents, and the community!

Class of 2024 Celebrates College Decisions

57 Seniors, 17 different colleges and universities across the country, and one big day of celebration! The Class of 2024 had an eventful College Commitment Day today on Friday, April 26, and we could not be more proud of them for wanting to take their talents into higher education!

Among the Class of 2024, 22 students are attending EKU, 13 attending the University of Kentucky, and three attending Transylvania University. Four students will also attend schools in the Commonwealth: Murray State University, Morehead State University, University of Louisville, and Northern Kentucky University. Six students chose an out-of-state institution, such as Dartmouth College, Washington and Lee University, and Samford University to name a few.

Celebrating Student Success: A Glance at Academic Showcases

We were thrilled to see many Model families at the Elementary and Secondary Academic Showcases. A big thank you to all who joined us to celebrate our K-12 scholars! 

From innovative science projects to Senior pop-up shops to historical museums, and from career and author studies to balloon-powered cars and mathematical catapults, we could not be prouder of our students for their outstanding presentations and projects! Their work truly showcases the dedication and excellence that define Model Laboratory Schools' world-class education.

Capstone Culmination: Seniors Share Research

The Seniors wrapped up their research presentations and projects this week, marking another milestone on their journey toward earning their diplomas. The Senior Research Project and Capstone is a cornerstone of Model's World-Class Education, offering students the chance to integrate their expertise across different academic fields with their personal interests. Completing this endeavor is a significant achievement, considering the year-long dedication to research, product development, and data collection. Congratulations on a year's worth of hard work!

Additionally, a big thank you to all the EKU faculty members who served as mentors throughout the year and attended the presentations. Your guidance and support have been invaluable!"

Kentucky State Assessments Begin Monday, May 6

Beginning Monday, May 6, Grades 3-8 and 10-11 are required to take the state assessments over the course of the next two weeks (May 6-23) in various subjects. To best prepare your child to do their best on the Kentucky State Assessments,

• Encourage them to approach the testing with a positive attitude
• Make sure they have a good night’s sleep the night before
• Ensure they eat a good, healthy breakfast the morning of testing

Thank you, Kentucky Department of Education!

Our students hosted a showcase on Monday so our KDE guests could understand what a world-class education means by highlighting their academic talents through projects and presentations. KDE had the opportunity to gain firsthand insight into the innovative approaches we're implementing to support student success and achieve academic excellence.

We are immensely grateful for the opportunity to share our vision for education with Commissioner Robin Kinney and KDE and to highlight the incredible work happening within our school community. Thank you to KDE for visiting, and thank you to our extraordinary students who led discussions and presented projects!

Kentucky Writers' Day

Did you know that April 24 is Kentucky Writers' Day? Our grade 3 students learned all about Kentucky Writers on Wednesday, including current Poet Laureate Silas House, George Ella Lyon, and Robert Penn Warren, among others.

Ms. Emanuel's and Ms. Kinsman's classes hosted Eastern Kentucky University English professor Jacqueline Hamilton as a way to educate the students about the impact of Kentucky writers and to develop them as writers, too. In fact, Professor Hamilton will return before the end of the school year to work with students on writing a future book titled "M is for Model." 

Professor Hamilton also directs Why We Write, which is an organization that hosts camps for writing and theatre. To learn more and for contact information, click here. 

Madison County Art Expo

Last week, Model students exhibited work at the Madison County Arts Expo at the EKU Center for the Arts, a county-wide celebration of student artists. We wanted to praise some of our students who were individually recognized for their work, and, additionally, we had three overall winners from the entire county on display!
 
Individual Model Awards
On a school level, the following artists received recognition for their excellence: 

Model Elementary School
1st Place:  Lily-Drew Chaffins (Grade 2)
2nd Place:  Ruby Tackett (Grade 5)
3rd Place:  Mathew Mayer (Grade 5)
 
Model Middle School
1st Place:  Mila Marcum ('30)
2nd Place:  Avnita Sherigar ('29)
3rd Place:  Morgan Long ('29)
 
Model High School
1st Place:  Rebecca Smith ('24)
2nd Place:  Daniel Viohl ('24)
3rd Place:  Haley Kim ('27)
 
Overall Awards
Jurors selected first, second, and third place overall winners from each school level from all schools in Madison County, and we had three students recognized for their excellence: 

1st Place Overall Elementary School:  Lily-Drew Chaffins (Grade 2)
3rd Place Overall Middle School:  Mila Marcum ('30)
3rd Place Overall High School:  Rebecca Smith ('24)
 

Model Art Show at Thrivent

We appreciate Thrivent and Rachel Hooker for inviting Model to feature K-12 student artists in an art show throughout April. Thank you, Thrivent, for supporting our students and their talents! You can click here to learn more about this local Richmond business. Also, thank you to all of the families who stopped by to view the show!

Kindergarten

• Maggie Lloyd
• Griffin Smith

First Grade

• Willow Campbell
• Graham McIntyre
• Sophia McFaddin

Second Grade

• Emerson Stevens
• Ian Hoven
• Elliot Orttenburger
• Elyana Wells
• Camden Voyner
• Lila Koher
• Lavinia Kitts
• Aila Schorsch
• Kinsley Shelton

Third Grade

• Anishka Sherigar
• Maylee Baker
• Keeden Day
• Henderson McCardle
• Greta Maynard
• Reid Finn
• Bo Luxon
• Ezra Schneider
• Harper Henton
• Shannah Zeng
• Noah Spurlock
• Ames Gabbard
• Nora Maynard
• Dillon James Fitzgerald
• PJ Tudor
• Mia Lewellen
• Jeanette Cardona
• Avrie Veatch
• Jonah Kasiak
• Jacob Johnson
• Flora Barker
• Moriah Niccum
• Remington Arnold

Fourth Grade

• Etta Mohler
• Will Stumbo
• Amelia Reljac
• Zoe Clark
• Nicholas Boni
• Adelyn Muncy

Fifth Grade

• Alexis Reeves
• Miriam Edwards
• Maya Collins
• Eden Trimble
• Posy Holt
• Riley Lynch
• Scarlett Wilson
• Davis Abney
• Ava Craig

Sixth Grade

• Mila Marcum
• Potter Miller
• Addie Palm
• Lucas Mayo

Seventh Grade

• Amelia King
• Savannah Martin
• Ari Carter
• Delaney Brown
• Avnita Sherigar
• Abbey Zeng
• Elise Wygant
• Morgan Long
• Lillian Dale
• Tucker Meeks
• Tate Tatum
• Claire Phillips

Eighth Grade

• Katie Fitzsimons
• Alex Burge
• Ninth Grade
• Ruth Higgs
• Haley Kim
• Sylvia From
• John Henson

Twelfth Grade

• Maddie Corman
• Hope Richardson
• Alana Newbill

Search Committee Interest

Parent input is invaluable, and we want to make sure you have the opportunity to help make decisions at Model Lab. We are always looking for parents to serve on search/interview committees, so if you are interested in serving at any point please fill out this form.

Grade 4 Goes to 4-H Camp

Algebra Classes Create Catapults

Project Graduation Golf Scramble

The Class of 2024 Project Graduation is looking for sponsors/teams for their upcoming Golf Tournament!

Purchase Your 2023-24 Yearbook! 

If you wish to purchase a 2023-2024 yearbook, visit https://www.balfour.com/kentucky/richmond/model-laboratory-school. Reminder: yearbooks are not delivered until Summer 2024 and distribution information will be provided then.

If you have any questions, contact Rachel Cornelius at rachel.cornelius@eku.edu.