Hey there! My name is Charles Clark and I am currently the principal at Fairview High School. FHS is a 7th-12th grade school located in Westwood, Kentucky. For those that may not be familiar with the area, we are a small part of Ashland, located in Boyd County in the northeastern corner of the state.
In my time actively involved with KEDC I have had the privilege of being involved in two different grants. I began in the Achieve Grant prior to being transitioned into the EPIC Grant this year. Thanks to both grants I have gained numerous resources to share within my building, many of which we use in our PLC’s, lesson planning, and stations in which we teach. These resources are more than just Social Studies resources, they are resources that we use in Math, Science, Social Studies, Language Arts, CTE programs, Music and many more. Thankfully, Jackie Rogers has done an excellent job of exposing me to resources and presenters as an administrator that facilitates learning for all of my staff in the building not just my social studies teachers, two of which are involved with the grants as well.
One of the major resources that we have now moved on from, were resources from the Kentucky Writing Project. We adapted lessons and completely changed how we approach writing in our building, subcontracting two different writing coaches thanks to being led to their program through KEDC. Our state test scores have increased dramatically and through the work that we have done and currently have in place we look for it to continue to do so in the coming years.
Another resource that our social studies teachers use is Active Classroom. This is the primary curriculum for our students grade 7-12. We supplement with other resources but it is the baseline for the teaching that we currently do.
Finally, through the immersion trips and summer institute, along with the presentations and opportunities throughout the year, I feel I have gained valuable resources through the grants. Our teachers use them consistently and there is not a faculty meeting or PLC that goes by that one of those resources are not referenced. I look forward to the remainder of the year, and hopefully years to come in the grants. I’ve grown as an administrator and led my building more effectively as a result of being involved with Achieve and EPIC!
Charles Clark
Fairview High School
Fairview Independent School District
Grades 7-12
