[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Page 11718]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                TRIBUTE TO PIKEVILLE INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise to recognize and congratulate 
the Pikeville Independent Schools system in Pikeville, KY, on the 
occasion of its 100th anniversary. Under the leadership of 
Superintendent Jerry Green, it is one of the best public school systems 
in the Commonwealth.
  Before the founding of Pikeville Independent Schools, in the early 
20th century, the region contained only a scattering of small, one-room 
schoolhouses. In 1915, the first public high school in Pike County 
opened under the system's first superintendent, Tobias J. Kendrick. 
There were approximately 150 students and 9 teachers and 
administrators. Courses taught included geometry, advanced algebra, 
physics, German, rhetoric, and 4 years of Latin. The first senior class 
contained only one graduate, a man named Vernon Stump.
  Today, Pikeville Independent Schools includes Pikeville Elementary 
and Pikeville Junior High/High School. The district boasts some 1,280 
students from preschool to the 12th grade, and all go by the nickname 
``Pikeville Panthers.'' Both Pikeville Elementary and Pikeville High 
are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and 
the school district has been chosen as one of only 17 Kentucky school 
districts to receive the What Parents Want Award.
  Pikeville Independent Schools is constantly evaluating and creating 
programs to serve the needs of the students in the district. Pikeville 
Elementary, which serves preschool through grade 6, features full-time 
humanities teachers for art, music, and band. It has transition 
programs for both new students entering preschool and exiting students 
graduating into the seventh grade. It has many volunteer programs, and 
Pikeville Elementary volunteers log an average of 3,000 volunteer hours 
per year. It features a fully equipped science lab, an active and 
supportive parent-teacher organization, small class sizes, and 
individual instruction and tutoring.
  Pikeville High School, which serves grades 7 through 12, offers its 
students 8 honors courses and 10 advanced placement courses, as well as 
unlimited opportunities for students to earn dual credit at the 
University of Pikeville. Currently, 45 percent of Pikeville High 
juniors and seniors are taking one or more dual credit courses through 
the university.
  Pikeville High offers five vocational school programs and four career 
majors--business management, business technology, web development and 
administration, and information support services. A wide variety of 
extracurricular activities are available, including Key Club, Pep Club, 
Future Business Leaders of America, and the National Honor Society, 
just to name a few.
  Pikeville Independent Schools ranks second in the State for college 
and career readiness. The district's juniors place sixth in the State 
on the ACT test composite score. And the high school placed in the 97th 
percentile this past year among all schools in the State. The 
district's graduation rate for the 2012-2013 school year was over 96 
percent. Athletics and artistic achievement are also highly valued in 
the district, and Pikeville Independent Schools have a long tradition 
of outstanding music groups, basketball, and football teams.
  For 100 years, Pikeville Independent Schools has excelled at its 
mission to prepare students to become productive, contributing, 
valuable members of society who have pride in their school and their 
community. Kentucky is proud of the Pikeville Independent Schools 
system, and I congratulate the many men and women who work there for 
their service. I wish them the very best as they embark on a new 
century of representing the very best of Kentucky public education.

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