Winning schools in their categories were Veterans Park Elementary, Montessori High School of Kentucky and Sayre School.
Wise Recycling, Baker Iron and Metal, Phinix LLC, and the LFUCG Division of Waste Management contributed monetary prizes to reward the schools. The schools that collected and recycled the highest number of cans per student in their respective categories received $1,000; the six schools that collected the most cans regardless of their size received $600 each (Lexington Universal Academy, Meadowthorpe Elementary, Cardinal Valley Elementary, Christ the King School, Wellington Elementary). The schools were also paid by the pound for the cans they recycled through Wise Recycling and Baker Iron and Metal.
Runners to “mount” Fifth Third Bank building
for charity fitness contest
On January 28, hundreds of “runners” will take to the stairs of the Fifth Third Bank building in downtown Lexington for the Urban Mountain Challenge, a fitness event presented by WLEX for charity that challenges participants to climb the building’s 30 floors.
This year, the limit on the number of participants will be capped at approximately 500. Climbers will be grouped by their abilities (fast/medium/ slow/ walker) and started at 15-second intervals. Water stations will be staged on floors 7, 12, 19, 25 and 30. Medical staff will be present on those floors and an EMS ambulance and team will be located just outside the building.
On the 30th floor, participants will be given the chance to catch their breath, enjoy the view of the city, and then ride to the ground floor via the elevators. A staging area will be set up in the front of the building to house refreshments, light snacks and the awards ceremony.
The event will begin at 8 a.m. Early registration material must be received by Jan. 17 for a discounted fee. For more information, or to register online, visit www.downtownlex.com.
Mary Queen nabs prestigious national honor from department of education
Mary Queen of the Holy Rosary School celebrated being awarded national Blue Ribbon status by the U.S. Department of Education in a ceremony in early December.
On Sept. 15, the education department designated Mary Queen as a 2011 Blue Ribbon School, one of just 49 private schools in the country to earn the distinction this year. The award is the most prestigious national award given by the department of education, according to a press release. Mary Queen principal Rebecca Brown and school librarian Betsy Tibe formally received the award in Washington, D.C., in mid-November.
Blue Ribbon distinction is reserved for high performing schools. Mary Queen students’ scores on the 2011 Terra Nova standardized test placed their school among the highest performing schools in the nation in reading and mathematics; students scored in the 90th percentile.
“This award speaks well of our students, faculty and staff, and emphasizes the quality of education that Mary Queen provides every day in a Catholic, Christ-centered environment,” Brown said.
