Marley Cobb, a fifth-grader in Mrs. Marshall’s class at Eastern Elementary School, was selected as the county winner in the 2019-2020 Grandparent of the Year essay contest sponsored by AARP Kentucky and the Kentucky Retired Teachers Association (KRTA). Marley wrote about her grandmother, Marjorie Wainscott.

Students from across the state submitted essays answering why “My Grandparent Should be the AARP Kentucky Grandparent of the Year” to their fifth grade teachers, who then selected a school winner. As a county winner, Marley received a framed certificate and her essay will be entered into district competition against other surrounding county winners. District winners will then go on to compete in the state finals. In a recognition ceremony the “Grandparent of the Year” and student are honored at the annual KRTA Convention in Louisville in April. The state winner also received a cash award of $100.

In addition to student health, Henry County Public Schools also takes the wellness of our staff very seriously.

In conjunction with our new wellness program, the Health Services Department recently invited the Henry County Health Department into the district to perform biometric screenings for all HCPS employees. Staff members had important health screenings that included their blood pressure, height/weight, blood sugar, cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

The service was completely free, and staff members received immediate results and confidential counseling regarding their results. Nearly 180 employees district-wide took advantage of this program and can use this valuable information to help manage their overall health and well-being.

A huge thank you to the North Central District Health Department for coming in and providing these valuable screenings.

Jacob Kommer had just turned 40 and he was miserable. He weighed 360 pounds, took nine different medications, and he was a spectator watching his own life pass him by.

But in January of 2019, Kommer, a teacher in the Henry County Public Schools’ Center for Educational Options (CEO), decided once and for all to lose the weight and change his life. In the past year, Kommer lost 125 pounds, cut his prescriptions in half and gained a completely new outlook on life.

“There were a lot of things that went into motivating me to get me started,” Kommer said. “There was an alumni football game at my high school. I was in such bad shape, there was no way I could have even attempted to practice with them. That was one of the first reasons.”