FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT
Bill Walter
Director of Public Relations
270.651.3787
Bill.Walter@barren.kyschools.us
FOR MORE INFORMATION
CONTACT
Amanda Wright
BAVEL Director
270.651.3787
Amanda.Wright@barren.kyschools.us
BARREN ACADEMY HOSTS TWO GRADUATION RECEPTIONS
(GLASGOW, KENTUCKY) – June 4, 2011 – Twenty two students received high school
diplomas this year from BAVEL, the Barren Academy of Virtual and Expanded
Learning, which held the first of its two high school graduation receptions last Thursday
afternoon in Glasgow at the South Central Bank Operations Center community room.
The second reception will take place on Monday, June 6, 2011 at the Boone County
Public Library in Burlington, Kentucky.
The class of 2011 graduates represented four school districts across the state of
Kentucky including Barren, Henry, Edmonson and Boone. This year, the high school had
over 95 students from eighteen Kentucky school districts enrolled, with that number
continuing to grow each year.
“BAVEL is perhaps better known across the state and throughout the nation than
it is right here in our community,” said Amanda Wright, BAVEL Director. “The school
has gained attention through presentations at the National School Boards Association
Visit www.barren.k12.ky.us/files to see all press releases
1
conference in Phoenix, AZ, the Transforming Education in Kentucky Task Force meeting
in Frankfort, KY and the High Schools that Work conference in Louisville, KY. We have
enjoyed tremendous growth and exposure this year and all indications are that we will
continue to grow in the future.”
BAVEL, which is fully accredited by the Kentucky Department of Education to
grant diplomas to its graduates, is in its seventh year of operation. According to Wright,
all the teachers are fully certified to teach the classes offered, which includes everything
from physical education and foreign language to numerous high level science and math
classes. The school has recently expanded their course offerings to include both oncampus and virtual dual credit courses through Western Kentucky University and Murray
State University.
“Online learning is a challenging but rewarding task,” said Wright. “It requires
the student to be disciplined and motivated. Students must be proficient in computer
skills and must be polished in business communication as email and telephone are the
primary ways for a student to communicate with their teachers.”
Graduating senior Shaylin McGuire was named the Valedictorian of this year’s
graduating class. McGuire is graduating with a 4.0 GPA and plans to take a year off to
pursue her singing career before pursuing post-secondary education the following year.
Graduating senior Branson Redford was named the Salutatorian. Redford plans to
attend the Bowling Green Technical College to pursue Automotive Technology.
Twelve of the twenty-two graduates attended the Barren County reception, along
with their families, friends, school administrators and other officials. Another eight
students are expected to attend the Boone County reception next week.
Speaking to this year’s graduating class, Kentucky Virtual High School teacher
Dr. Lucinda Sanders inspired students to believe in themselves and pursue postsecondary education. She spoke of their hard work and dedication, and commended them
on being successful in an innovative environment that teaches them 21st century skills
and prepares them for their future.
“This innovative program is not slowing down.” Wright said. “BAVEL has
recently been designated as a Model School by the International Center for Leadership in
Education and has been also invited by the Kentucky Department of Education to be an
Visit www.barren.k12.ky.us/files to see all press releases
2
affiliate of select districts across the state that comprises Next Generation Innovation
districts. We are excited to be partnering with virtual stakeholder such as iNACOL and
Florida Virtual Schools and look forward to seeing what the future holds for BAVEL.”
Anyone interested in finding out more about this unique high school opportunity,
may obtain additional information by visiting the school’s website at www.BAVEL.org
or contacting Wright directly by telephone at 270-670-3739 or by email at
amanda.wright@barren.kyschools.us.
##
Visit www.barren.k12.ky.us/files to see all press releases
3