Greenup County School District -

A new principal has been named at McKell Middle! Robert Ward has officially accepted the role as principal, as Mr. Ailster will be retiring. Mr. Ward has spent his entire career here at GC, beginning in 2016, and has served as assistant principal for the past 3 years. Believe it or not, this highly regarded educator almost didn’t end up in our field at all. Robert began working for 7UP at 18 years old. He worked his way through college, and remained there after graduating and earning his teaching degree. At that time, there were not many available teaching positions in this part of the state, so Robert began to substitute teach while still working at 7UP. “For about a 3 year period, I worked 7 days a week,” Robert told us. In fact, Robert was about to give up his dream of becoming a teacher. After being with 7UP for some time, they offered to pay for his Master’s degree to keep him there. Robert’s upbeat demeanor turned serious when he recalled, “I was 60 days away from not renewing my teaching certificate and staying with 7UP when Greenup County gave me a chance.” As they say, the rest is history! Mr. Ward was an instant favorite – a passionate history buff with a knack for connecting and energizing students! We had to admit that it would have been much easier to have given up on the dream before he came to GC. We asked Mr. Ward what helped him hold onto hope for so long. He answered… “Because I wanted to the opportunity to change lives.” Needless to say, we appreciate Mr. Ward and are excited for his upcoming chapter! Between his persistence and dedication, we have no doubt that he will be a leader at McKell Middle who will oversee wonderful things happening for students! Congratulations!! #BelieveInGC

The quarter finals of the regional tennis tournament is tonight!! Our tennis team is having a fantastic year! The 12 you see at the bottom all qualified to compete at the regional tournament, and 3 have moved on to the quarter finals this evening!! Please help us root on Logan Stambaugh, Ava Dupuy, and Tyson Sammons!! If they advance today, they also earn a spot at State!! Their coach, Ms. Pauley, was eager to praise the team for their hard work this year!! We also applaud all the 1st year players who tried something new, are having fun, and are helping propel this growing program! #BelieveInGC

Congratulations, Addi Hogsten!! Addi has been accepted to the PEPP Program at the University of Pikeville College of Medicine!! Each year, around 25 high school students who express the goal of becoming a medical doctor are accepted to attend this summer program. They learn in labs, attend lectures, and volunteer in local hospitals to deepen their understanding and desire to serve in this field. Addi told us that her goal is to become a Radiologist. When we asked why she wanted that to be her medical focus, she replied, "I want to help people to detect things early." Addi continued, "I feel called to do that." We have to mention that she thanked us 3 separate times for recognizing her after we took her picture. How you make people feel is important, so it makes us happy to think of what a kind-hearted doctor will be serving the community one day! Congratulations, Musketeer! We hope you enjoy this awesome experience! #BelieveInGC

This week is also Substitute Teacher Appreciation Week!! We have an amazing team of subs who make all the difference, keeping our classrooms learning while teachers take a day off sick! From college students earning extra pay, those seeking a flexible schedule, to retirees who still want to be part of a team — our sub staff is diverse and wonderful!! Here's a snippet from a post that Misty Lacy, one of our substitutes, posted one day... "If you’ve ever considered subbing, just do it. Be on the same schedule as your kids/grandkids. It’s flexible. You can truly make a difference in ways you wouldn’t even think of. There’s a place for substitute teachers and aides. I wish I started sooner 💚" Thank you to all of the Substitute Teachers in GC! We, and the staff who rely on you, appreciate you greatly!! #BelieveInGC 📷Pictured here is retired teacher and GC sub, Carrie Glass!!

Today is the start of Teacher Appreciation Week, with tomorrow being Teacher Appreciation Day! We hope you'll help us celebrate and uplift them! Hopefully, you'll encourage your student to tell their teachers what they appreciate about them! If you'd take a second to read this, we hope to remind you of how special these folks are. We struggled with what quote to include but settled on the one you see, as it seemed to go well with the chalkboard theme! Another great quote, though, is, "A good teacher is like a candle — it consumes itself to light the way for others." The vast majority of educators truly do consume themselves, in so many ways, for the sake of their students. In fact, sometimes we have to remind them to take moments for themselves. They purchase classroom decorations out of their own pockets, spend countless hours outside of school preparing, have their hearts invested in their students' success, and so much more. There's only one reason that people are dedicated to education... because they care about young people and want to make a difference. Thank you to our teachers, aides, and every staff member who finds ways to teach kids!! We appreciate you!! #BelieveInGC

Here's what's going on this week! Featured this week is the fast running and high jumping Greenup County Track team!! #BelieveInGC

It's the perfect time to celebrate our foodservice crew on "School Lunch Hero Day"!! As we type this, they are currently in the process of serving roughly 3,000 meals!! Yes — that is each and every day between breakfast and lunch!! These wonderful folks are truly passionate about the phrase, "no child hungry". They are joyful in their task of making sure that no student has to worry about learning on an empty stomach. Thank you all! We appreciate you! #BelieveInGC

Happy Principal's Day to these extremely dedicated men and women!! It's difficult to convey the amount of time, effort, and heart that goes into running a school — their jobs never stop! We are so appreciative of our principals for all they do to lead our schools! We hope that all of you are showered with appreciation and enjoy a wonderful day! #BelieveInGC

Thank you to our incredible Occupational Therapists!! Their unique knowledge does so much to help our students with their fine motor skills, and it makes a tremendous impact on their lives!! Please help us thank Sarah Lloyd and Tracy Wireman for their dedication, creativity, and compassion!! We're wrapping up Occupational Therapist Appreciation Month, but we appreciate these ladies every single day!! #BelieveInGC

There's a lot going on this week!! Don't forget about the free sports physicals on Tuesday for your student athletes!! This will take place at GCHS from noon - 2:00pm, and is for students age 13 to 19. This week features Greenup County Baseball! #BelieveInGC

Congratulations to Officer Elliott Gollihue!! He has been named "Rookie of the Year" in the state of Kentucky for school resource officers (SRO)! Officer Gollihue is currently completing his first "full" year as an SRO at GC, serving the schools at the east end of our district. Prior to becoming a school resource officer, Gollihue retired from the military and the Kentucky State Police! He served in the Army Reserves from 1985-2012, completing 2 combat deployments during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He also served in the Kentucky State police from 1993-2012. Through the "Troops to Teachers" program, Gollihue became a high school teacher for the following 10 years. Joining GC as a school resource officer in October of 2023, Gollihue says, "It's my favorite job I've ever had." When we asked why, Gollihue said it's the job's mixture of law enforcement and teaching. "I know it sounds cliche, but you can really make an impact on kids. What better role can you serve than that?" Congrats on your well-deserved award, Officer Gollihue! We are so thankful that you're a part of our Musketeer family, and are extremely grateful for all you do! #BelieveInGC

To the folks at our front offices and behind the scenes who hold it all together... Happy Administrative Professionals Day!! These ladies hold so much knowledge that it's hard to convey just how valuable they are!! We hope you all feel appreciated on this special day!! #BelieveInGC

Today is Bus Driver Appreciation Day!! Help us thank this hardworking crew of drivers and monitors who are about to head out for their afternoon routes!! We appreciate them every single day... but today is their special day to shine!! Thank you all!! #BelieveInGC

UK King’s Daughters Orthopedics and Sports Medicine is graciously offering free sports physicals for student athletes ages 13 to 19! They will be at Greenup County High School on Tuesday, April 29 from noon to 2 p.m. ⚠️Very important⚠️ Parents/guardians must have this form filled out and signed with pen prior to arrival, although they do not have to be present. Forms are available at KingsDaughtersHealth.com/SportsPhysicals Physicals will be performed by athletic trainers and orthopedic staff. No appointment is needed. For more information, call (606) 327-0036 or (740) 351-0980. Makeup days will be available: • 9 a.m. to noon Friday, July 11 at King’s Daughters Pavilion, 2000 Ashland Drive, Russell • 9 to 11 a.m. Friday, July 18 at KDMS Portsmouth Orthopedics, 1729 Kinneys Lane, Suite 102 Thank you UK King's Daughters for providing this to our student athletes!! We're sure families will be grateful for this convenience! #BelieveInGC

Please help us congratulate Dawson Webb for placing 1st in Phlebotomy at the HOSA State Conference!! He is certainly going to make a big impact in healthcare one day!! This skill is one that can make a big difference in a patient's day, and we're proud of Dawson for becoming so skilled already! Big shoutout to our amazing Nurse Instructors at the ATC who make all this learning possible! Congrats, Musketeer!! #BelieveInGC

Help us congratulate these Musketeers for being named 2025 Governor's Scholars (GSP)!! Jayden Snider, Ty Logan, and Maria Moresea were selected amongst thousands of outstanding young Kentuckians who applied! Shoutout to Maria Moreasea, who was selected for the Governor's School for the Arts (GSA) as well!! She will have to decide between the two programs, but is leaning toward attending GSA. Her goal is to become a sports broadcaster — with ESPN being her dream! She feels that GSA will be a fantastic opportunity in working toward her goal! Jayden and Ty both have dreams of becoming physicians, and GSP will allow them to deep dive and get a jump start into their studies! All 3 students will attend their programs at a Kentucky college for several weeks this summer and will also receive scholarships as a result! We have no doubt these students will represent GC well, and serve as shining examples of our next generation of leaders in Kentucky! Congrats, Musketeers! We're so proud of you!! #BelieveInGC

That's a wrap on 8th grade meetings! We've met with every 8th grade student about their upcoming move to the high school and it's been great! We've had the opportunity to help students dig deep about what they might be interested in exploring. We've shared in their excitement and have also had the opportunity to reassure some students who were nervous. Most importantly, we want to help our students thrive and love their experience! We hope these meetings will help them do just that! #BelieveInGC

It's Assistant Principal Appreciation Week! If you see one of these Musketeers this week, give them a "thanks" for all they do!! A principal will tell you that, logistically, assistant principals are the glue that holds the school together!! They are vital support for all members of a school team! Thank you, assistant principals!! #BelieveInGC

Here is this week's schedule, although we'll see day by day how water levels affect things. We hope everyone is safe and well! #BelieveInGC