By Olivia Jackson                     

Boyle County’s FFA has decided to take on an exciting new project. The Boyle County Fiscal Court recently voted to offer the high school club an opportunity to plant and maintain the landscaping and agricultural needs of the Constitution Square Historic Site. The elected officials reached out to Boyle in hopes of keeping the work local while also supporting the school system.

FFA sponsors and agriculture teachers Matt Anderson and Ashlin Kendrick will lead this project along with the help of many dedicated students. 

Kendrick spoke in detail about her plan for the group’s upcoming role in the project. “FFA will grow the flowers with the greenhouse class. Hopefully, we will have a service day where we get to plant them and we also have a group of FFA students who will, throughout the summer, go there to maintain them.

“We will also be working with our landscaping class who have already begun to do some designing,” said Kendrick. “FFA will be doing all the components of the landscape!” 

The bidding process secured the position for the organization. “We went through a process of starting a bid for the county, and then we presented it in front of the judge (County Judge-Executive Howard Hunt) and the magistrates who voted on it,” Kendrick further explained.

It was a priority of the group to be able to serve their community in this capacity. Their successful pursuit resulted in a county decision to donate $2,694.90 to the FFA organization for their work. 

Kendrick is excited about winning the bid which will “allow the students to be able to plant and care for everything from summer to fall”.

 The price appears to be worth it as the FFA club leaders talk in excitement about their participation. Landry Woodrum, club president, acknowledges the many benefits this project will generate. “We’re familiar with horticulture, and I’m excited for our members to get a chance to get real-world experience working with landscaping and especially working with the city of Danville.”

Anderson is also looking forward to the opportunity as he shared his satisfaction with what the project has to offer his students. “It’s a great opportunity for students to have practical experience and promote our organization to the community. We’re very excited about that.”

 

Brummett spreads continuous positivity

By Daniel McQuerry

Author Ian Wallace’s famous quote, “Why are you trying so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out,” is a mindset that comes naturally to one Boyle County senior. 

Gentry Brummett is the amazing young man owning that outlook, standing out among his peers because of his very humble and caring nature.

Surprisingly, Brummett’s experience with the Boyle County School system has been relatively recent. While being raised in the county, he attended Danville Christian Academy for seven years, later attending the Lexington Latin School for two more.

Brummett began attending Boyle his sophomore year, which according to him was challenging but one of the best decisions he ever made. The transition gave him, “an opportunity to mold and adapt and meet new people,” Brummett shared.

His willingness to adapt allowed Brummett to quickly connect with other students. “I love people. I love to talk to people and build relationships,” he says. 

The ability to build relationships has helped Brummett not only be successful in the classroom but on the basketball court as well, where he excels as a leader.

His teammates and coaches rely on his guidance, which Brummett embraces. “It comes with a lot of responsibility, but it is also a really great feeling knowing you’re needed and you’re important to the team.”

A few weeks ago on senior night, the Rebel Arena crowd went wild when Brummett started his first game of the season. The fans were not the only ones thrilled, his teammates were just as excited. Senior teammate Grant Hotchkiss described, “It was awesome for us three seniors (Karson Thompson as well) to be out there together. I’m thankful to have him, he is like a brother to me.”

Head Coach Dennie Webb is also thankful to have him. “Gentry is one of the most consistent players we have when it comes to effort. Gentry’s attitude and selflessness is what makes him a great teammate,” said Webb.

Brummett also has the opportunity to spread his positivity to teammates in another realm of athletics, track and field, where he competes in the 4 x 800 relay.

Along with his track teammates in 2019, Brummett achieved what few high school athletes are able to do, win a state title. “That is my greatest accomplishment here in high school and the one I’m the most proud of,” he explains with a smile.

Soon after the track season ended, several individual honors came Brummett’s way. He was awarded the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s Triple Threat Award for being active in three varsity sports (including golf), and he was also recognized as an Academic All-State Award recipient for his excellence in the classroom. 

Always staying humble, Brummett gives all the praise for his success in his life to his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. “It is impossible to do it without the Lord,” he shares.

Brummett’s relationship with God is not kept secret, and he enjoys sharing what his Savior constantly does for him. 

The excitement Brummett experiences is always shared in a bible study group that meets every Sunday night. Their leader, Shannon Colwick, sees great leadership qualities from Brummett. “Gentry’s faith helps him as a leader because he knows that his worth is in Christ and not in athletics or anything else,” shared Colwick.

Ultimately, while the world tries so hard to fit in, Brummett’s strong faith and humbleness makes him truly stand out. 

“Being more like Christ is what I strive to do from day to day. That is my main goal and nothing else can compare to that.” 

 

Boyle county teens win soil conservation essay contest 

By Riley Coulter

On February 18, the Boyle County Soil Conservation District held their annual banquet, recognizing their local essay and art contest winners. This year’s essay winners were all from Boyle County High School. Senior Katie Sparks placed first, sophomore Kailey Young placed second, and junior Sarah Smith rounded out the top placements for Boyle taking third. 

This year’s essay topic was “Things That Fly,” and Sparks approached the topic with sentimentality. “I live really close to my grandparents, and when I was younger, I would always go over there in the summer and we would sit on the porch and have campfires,” said Sparks. 

“I have a very strong memory of hearing a particular bird while outside and my grandmother would tell me it was a whippoorwill,” explained Sparks. “I based the introduction of my essay off of this and wrote about whippoorwills because they had a meaningful value to me.” 

The Boyle County Soil Conservation District proudly sponsors their contest annually, encouraging all students of all grade levels to participate.