The Kentucky Board of Education (KBE’s) on Wednesday announced NKY’sSquare 1 President Keith Schneider and Bluegrass Community Health Center (BCHC) as recipients of the Kelly Award for Partnerships in Business and Education.
The Kelly Award recognizes Joseph W. Kelly, who served as a member of KBE from 1989 to 1998 and for his outstanding leadership as president for seven years. He was a strong leader in the foundational early stages of implementing Kentucky’s nationally recognized school improvement efforts.
The award is presented each fall to a Kentucky businessman or company who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in partnering with a public school or school district to promote school improvement and student success.
Award criteria include:
• Build or maintain strategic partnerships between businesses and schools or school districts that lead to improved student outcomes, including, but not limited to, post-secondary success and workforce outcomes.and
• Significant contributions to a school or school district that result or are likely to result in increased or improved educational opportunities or improved educational, higher education, or workforce outcomes for students.
“We are pleased to present this award to recognize the importance of business and education working together,” said Interim Chair Robin Kinney. “These partnerships have tremendous benefits in advancing education in the commonwealth.”
Keith Schneider
Mr. Schneider is passionate about “inspiring aspiring entrepreneurs to dream big,” and has helped more than 2,400 students in the tri-state region by educating and inspiring these emerging entrepreneurs. said his nominator, Stephanie Leighton, corporate/university liaison and program director at Beachwood Independent. development.
Beechwood Independent is located in Kenton County in northern Kentucky.
“I’m honored to run an organization that helps Kentucky’s amazing teachers positively impact the lives of our youth,” said Schneider. “Receiving the Kelly Award from educators who are making a difference every day is an honor. I feel really humbled.”
The experience Schneider provides Beechwood Independent School students is “intense, but real-world, and exactly what students need to prepare for life outside the protected walls of the classroom.” “It’s something that exists,” Leighton said.
Schneider encourages students to take ideas, research them, grow them and take them to market, she said. He tailors the level of training to the grade level of his students, teaching younger students startup skills and encouraging middle school students to learn their strengths. Along with Beechwood teacher Michelle Stamper, he mentors older students, especially those enrolled in business and entrepreneurship classes, to explore careers in business.
Schneider has invited other local business leaders from Fort Mitchell and the Greater Cincinnati area to “mentor the students and provide honest and encouraging feedback to help young entrepreneurs grow their ideas,” Leighton said. said.
Square 1 has partnered with Thomas More University and U.S. Bank to launch an entrepreneurial competition called the NEXT High School Final Pitch. The contest allows young entrepreneurs from local schools to present their ideas in a “Shark Tank” style contest. Participation can lead to ‘lucrative’ scholarship offers.
In 2022, three Beechwood students won a competition with an idea based on a personal pop-up tent, each receiving a full scholarship to Thomas More.
“When you walk down the halls of Beechwood School with Keith Schneider, you’ll hear students calling his name,” Leighton said. “They know him here and trust him. The best part is that Keith is known and trusted in many other school districts as well. He is a leader in the mission. He built a company with the same philosophy and lives it every day, and his impact on schools and local businesses will be felt for decades to come.”
Bluegrass Community Health Center
BCHC responded to the call by partnering with the Clark County School District to provide a much-needed clinic that not only serves students, but also includes staff and the community.
“The collaboration between Clark County Public Schools and the Bluegrass Community Health Center is a powerful collaboration that fosters the health of our students and staff,” said Clark County Superintendent Dustin Howard. “Together, we have created healthier, happier communities where knowledge and care are intertwined to enable personal growth while breaking down equity barriers around availability. It’s a big win-win for society, parents and students.”
Two years ago, Christie Bush, a candidate for the award and Clark County’s civil service director, faced delays in attendance because sick students were often unable to see a doctor for weeks. .
She knew that the sooner students received medical care, the sooner they could return to school. She contacted BCHC in Lexington, and the school and health center began working on a partnership to remove barriers to prompt medical care and provide immunizations and health screenings for students.
When the partnership was formed, the school system provided building space and the clinic provided equipment and staff.
“We agreed to start small and serve students first,” Bush said. “We’ve since added more staff. Now we serve communities throughout Clark County.”
The clinic’s staff are working “better than ever” and its services continue to grow. President Bush said BCHC wants to make mobile health care more accessible to families. They called for the creation of a full-time mobile unit on school buses. The school is considering surplus buses to make that possible.
BCHC also wants to extend clinic hours to provide before-school vaccinations and after-school health screenings. The continued growth of this service requires more space, so the district is looking for a location to expand the clinic.
“For 22 years, Bluegrass Community Health Center has provided quality, accessible health care to the people of the Central Kentucky region,” said Dr. Steve Wrightson, CEO of the Health Center. Masu. “Serving the needs of our community is a key component of BCHC’s mission, which is why our partnership with Clark County Public Schools will improve vaccination rates, address medical and mental health issues, and We were able to provide preventive and acute health care services to children and teens, their families, school staff and teachers, and the Clark County community.”
“Words truly cannot express the partnership we have achieved over the last two years,” President Bush said. “I can’t think of any other organization that has had a greater impact on our school district, our students, our staff’s families, and our community.”
Kentucky Department of Education