A five-member team of educators from Shenandoah Valley High School in Pennsylvania visited Lewis County High School as part of PAGE 1 (Pennsylvania Achievement Gap Effort), a new educational program in their state. 

PAGE 1 is a three-year effort spearheaded by the Pennsylvania State Board of Education in partnership with the Pennsylvania Association of Intermediate Units in response to the "No Child Left Behind" initiative and the achievement gap in Pennsylvania schools. 

An achievement gap exists when groups of students with relatively equal ability fail to achieve at the same levels in school, with one group far exceeding the achievement level of the other. 

Some common gaps are between girls and boys, students above and below the poverty line, and between ethnic groups. The primary factors which appear to make the critical difference in the strength of student performance in schools are teacher quality, curriculum, time and support, and the belief that all students can achieve to high standards and that the achievement gap can be closed. 

Community leadership teams, such as the five educators who visited LCH last week, are assigned to each of the 16 participating schools. 

LCHS students involved as ambassadors in the two-day event were Josh Duncan, Jared Wells, Tess Hobbs, Aaron Caskey, Liz Walsh, Jamie Carpenter and Tim Wright. They served as guides to the visiting team, answered questions and gave tours. LCHS students Chase Plummer and Corry Eveland filmed the two-day event for the school paper and a presentation for their media class. 

LCHS was chosen to participate in PAGE 1 because of its similarity in test scores and demographics to Shenandoah Valley High School and succeeding in closing the achievement gap. The educators who visited had high praise for all they observed and believe the experience was better than reading a book to get the information.

The Lewis County School and Agricultural Fair Board met last week at the office of board treasurer Roger Bivens. 

The big item on the agenda was the hiring of a new amusement company. After meeting with the SMATA Company at the State Fair Board Convention in Louisville in early January, board members Dean Osborne, Roger Bivens, Westy Adams and Gary Kidwell gave a report to the board. 

This is the same company that was at the Tollesboro Lions Club Fair last year and will be there again this year. 

After hearing the report, the board voted 10-0 to give the company a one-year contract. The company will provide 13 rides, have uniformed workers, and provide excellent lighting. 

Activities discussed were bringing back the athletic events on Tuesday at the football stadium, a county-wide gospel sing on Wednesday at the main grandstand, a four-wheeler pull or race on Thursday and Friday, and an antique car show on Saturday morning at the middle school. The annual parade will be at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday morning and the fair will end with its big horse show on Saturday night. 

Dates for the fair will be September 13-17.

Governor Ernie Fletcher has announced the early release of $291,809 in County Road Aid to Lewis County. 

"Many areas of the Commonwealth have been hit hard by the December snow storm and the January flooding," Fletcher stated. "The inclement weather has taken its toll on many roads and stretched city and county road department funds to the limit. The early release of these funds will allow Lewis County to start repairing roads and bridges damaged by snow, ice and high waters." 

Since November 2004, Governor Fletcher has directed an estimated $60 million to county and city governments from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet's Department for Intergovernmental Programs. 

The early release represents $28 million from the County Road Aid fund to those eligible counties in the County Aid co-op, and $5 million from the Municipal Road Aid fund to those eligible communities in the Municipal Aid co-op. The funds being released by Governor Fletcher to Lewis County, which is 35 percent of their total allotment, were originally scheduled to become available to eligible city and county governments in March 2005. 

"Through the leadership and vision of Governor Fletcher to provide a safe and reliable transportation system for all our citizens, the announcement is further proof of our commitment to improving the highway infrastructure in Lewis County," said Maxwell Clay Bailey, Secretary, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. 

"Governor Fletcher is to be commended for his decision to release these funds early to help Lewis County deal with storm related damage now instead of waiting until March." 

All counties and cities in Kentucky are eligible to participate in the County Road Aid co-op and Municipal Aid co-op. Those county and city governments that do sign an agreement with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet that stipulates the money will be used for manpower and materials to repair and improve roads and bridges maintained by county and city governments. 

The participating counties and cities receive 60 percent of their allotted funds in August, 30 percent in March and 10 percent at the end of each fiscal year. Non-participating county and city governments receive their funds monthly from the Governor’s Office for Local Development, or GOLD. 

The money for the County Road Aid co-op and Municipal Road Aid co-op funds comes from the collection of the motor fuels tax in Kentucky. Approximately half of the motor fuels tax is mandated by law to be used specifically for improvements and maintenance of Kentucky’s city streets, county roads, and secondary state roads.