The December Book Fair earned $546.51 in free books for our library and $366.28 in cash! We were able to get books for every grade! Thanks to Keri Monroe and Brenda von Schlutter for heading this up.

The Athletic Department's annual fruit sale was also a big money-maker. We sold over $8,700 in fruit. And we couldn't have done it without the organizational skills of Cheryl Lesher and Keri Monroe. Thanks!

The PTO spotlights a student each week. Students' pictures are posted in the front hallway, along with a personal profile. First semester students honored were: Matthew Hawthorne, Ashley Robinson, Matt Langley, Jessica von Schlutter, MacKenzi Groft, Joshua Fritts, Kent Baird, Savannah Wilson, Victoria Brockmeyer, LeAnn Swallom, Lindsey Sapp, Samantha Hagar.

To Ms. Judy Combest, our new French teacher. Ms. Combest, a 1970 graduate of the University of Kentucky, is married and has three children and one grandchild. Her hobbies include gardening, and the homemakers' club. She is very active in the van ministry at her church, the Russell Cave Road Baptist Church, and enjoys spending time with her family and caring part-time for her granddaughter. She also has many pets!

Mrs. Combest said that she "felt the positive environment immediately upon interviewing at Blue Grass Baptist School. I enjoy, working with children, and I'm very excited to be here among teachers and children in an atmosphere conducive to learning, with God's blessing."

We are working toward our students participating in the Fayette County Teen Court Program. Students ages 13-17 volunteer to function as prosecutors, defense attorneys, clerks, bailiffs, and jurors in a sentencing court for juveniles found guilty of misdemeanors. Training sessions are required and we'll pass on the information as we receive it. This promises to be an excellent opportunity for students to experience the court system in action.

(All meetings begin promptly at 7 p.m.)

The January 23 PTO meeting has been canceled. Watch for news about the February meeting. It looks like it will be exciting–we'll get to check out all the Science Fair exhibits!

Kroger and Meijer's gift certificates are available anytime in the office. Use the certificates just like cash. It helps our school and doesn't cost an extra penny! Also, keep saving Meijer's receipts.

The PTO purchased six televisions, six VCR's, 12 mounts, one video camera, two CD players, two CD/DVD players, and a vacuum pump (for our science lab) at our December meeting. And during our winter break, Mr. Waltermire and Randall Smith, father of two elementary students here at BGBS, got everything mounted and ready to use! Thank you guys for installing these for us! Thank you PTO for all you do to make Blue Grass a better school!

Many parents signed up to join the PTO and to help with different activities here at Blue Grass. It's not too late to join...just come at 7 p.m. to the Tuesday, September 26 meeting! Work with us to promote our school!

Congratulations to John Askew for his success in last fall's National Merit Scholarship qualifying test. Over one million students nationwide took the test in hopes of being named a National Merit Scholar for college purposes. John's score is in the top five percent and he is still in the competition for this prestigious honor. Way to go John!

Starting in January, the fifth grade began participating in the D.A.R.E. program (Drug Abuse Resistance Education). This program is designed to warn the students of the evils of drugs, as well as providing them with various life skills. They are taught ways to avoid situations, positive alternatives, stress relievers, and were honored to have three excellent role models from the high school. (Thanks, guys!) Officer Elizabeth Pugh did a great job passing these valuable lessons on to the students.

The program requires each student to write an essay before they can graduate. Each year, one essay is chosen to represent the school and several awards/honors are given to the writer. The student is honored at the D.A.R.E. graduation ceremony, receives a medal, a $50 savings bond, and attends a luncheon with all the other essay winners from Lexington. This year's winner...Joshua von Schlutter. Way to go, Josh!

Go surfing: For up-to-date information on federal and state programs, see http://www.fafsa.ed.gov, http://www.firn.edu/doe or http://www.ed.gov/. For student aid or to use scholarship databases: http://www.fastweb.com, http://www.cashe.com or http://www.srnexpress.com.

Scholarship essays: Pick a topic you can use for several applications. Ask one of your teachers to give you tips and to check your essay for grammar and spelling. <

p>Transcripts: Go by the office and get a copy of yours from Mrs. Jufer. Have copies on hand so you can quickly respond to scholarship offers.