Stewart Home & School occupies the historic campus of the old Kentucky Military Institute and its adjoining 850 acres of serene rural farmland in Frankfort, Kentucky. The campus provides a beautiful setting for its current and beautiful purpose. Now on the National Register of Historic Places, the school offers a one-of-a-kind community where those with intellectual disabilities are truly appreciated and respected. Stewart Home currently serves 340 adolescent and adult students who are from 38 different states and 5 different countries. Students have the opportunity to work, go to school, participate in a range of extracurricular and athletic activities, and live life to its fullest!
When Dr. John Quincy Adams Stewart founded Stewart Home & School in 1893 on the campus of his own school, the Kentucky Military Institute, people with intellectual disabilities were often denied an educational opportunity in the public schools. He was a pioneer in the field of special education as he set about to institute a school for people of all ages to be given that opportunity. Over its 126-year history, Stewart Home & School has been owned and directed by five successive generations of the Stewart family. Dr. John Poague Stewart, of the fourth generation, led the school for over 58 years with love, devotion, service, and the continuation of his families’ legacy. Today, Dr. John D. Stewart, Jean Ann Stewart Banker, Cathy Stewart Brown, and Charles W. Stewart, continue the tradition of the school’s remarkable past and extend its dynamic mission into the future. The school continues to provide a campus community for individuals who want to continue to learn and who need a very special educational environment in which to maximize their potential.
View a Video About Stewart Home & School Here
Seventy-seven regional stakeholders, elected officials, planning commissioners and planning directors met at the Regional Land Use Partnership Summit at the U.K. Hilary J. Boone Center on December 5 and the take-away was a myriad of strategies and action items to begin to develop a strategic plan for the partnership focusing on communication and collaboration between cities, counties, agencies and organizations.
A Vision Statement for the Plan was also thoroughly vetted at the summit and will be released early in 2020.
The Regional Land Use Partnership (RLUP) which was organized and is managed by a collaboration through Bluegrass Tomorrow, the Bluegrass Area Development District, the Bluegrass Land Conservancy, Fayette Alliance, Woodford Forward and Farm Bureau, has created great momentum in a the form of a mutually agreed upon resolution, which contains land use principles of agreement, and has been passed by LFUCG, Bourbon County Fiscal Court, the Lexington/Jessamine Metropolitan Planning Organization, the City of Midway, the Scott County Planning Commission, and a myriad of others in the works.
The Strategic Plan will be discussed, vetted and drafted by the RLUP committee in the first quarter of 2020.
Mary Berry founder and CEO of the Berry Center, and daughter of Wendell Berry, was the keynote speaker, and focused on advocating for farmers, land-conserving communities, and healthy regional economies. A series of TED talks on Advocacy, Food, Growth and Housing featured David Tomes developer of the Norton Commons, Ashton Potter Wright of Bluegrass Farm to Table and Brittany Rothemeier of the Fayette Alliance.
Local, State and National Perspectives on land use planning were provide by Billy Van Pelt of American Farmland Trust, Tom Hutchenson from Atalo Holdings on the hemp industry, and Chris Woodall of LFUCG Division of Planning.
The Bluegrass Higher Education Consortium has announced that 58 Fellows have completed its sixth Bluegrass Academic Leadership Academy recently at Kentucky State University, announced the chair of the consortium President M. Christopher Brown II of Kentucky State University.
The Academic Leadership Academy is a presidential initiative, led by the 12 presidents represented in the consortium, to build future academic leaders in the Bluegrass Region. 265 Fellows have now completed the program in six years. The purpose of the academy is to encourage faculty and staff to consider leadership career paths and to provide guidance in developing the skills that are requisites for effective institutional leadership to ensure a sound and successful future for their institution and the Bluegrass Region. This year, through a partnership with the Council on Postsecondary Education, the academy was made available to all of the public universities in the state outside of the Bluegrass Region footprint, and Murray State, the University of Louisville, Northern Kentucky University and several campuses of the Kentucky Community & Technical College System also participated.
The 58 faculty and professional staff from our Kentucky colleges and universities who completed the curriculum as fellows in the Class of 2019 are: Lewis Willian of Asbury University; Mia Brown, Randolph Cullum and Shannon Hankins of Ashland Community & Technical College; Shannon Phelps of Berea College; Laura Lynch and David Sturgill of Bluegrass Community & Technical College; Candace Wentz and John Harney of Centre College; Dominic Ashby, Joseph Carucci, Stacey Korson, James Maples and Derek Paulsen of Eastern Kentucky University;
Stashia Emanuel, Shuo Han Walter Malone III, Nikki McZee, Candace Raglin and Jamar Simmons of Kentucky State University; Jennifer Robinson and Brian Weldon of Midway University; Flint Harrelson, Michele Paynter Paise, Daryl Privott, Sherif Rashad and Lexius Yarbrough of Morehead State University; Susan Contreras Bloomdahl, Dina Byrers; Maeve Lewis McCarthy, Drew Seib, Melony Shemberger of Murray State University; Matthew Albritton, Joe Cress, Vanessa Hunn, Cecile Marczinski, Julie Moses and Carolyn Noe of Northern Kentucky University;
Jamie Cress, Tiffany Evans, Ian Hester and Anchalee Steele of Sullivan University; Jennifer Bird-Pollan, Brian Lee, Y. Charles Lu, Gia Mudd-Martin, Gitanjali Pinto-Sinai, Steven Schwarze, Asha Shenoi, and Sarah Wackerbarth of the University of Kentucky; Lynn Boyd, Meg Hancock, Amy Higdon, Thomas Rockaway, Michelle Rodems and Beth Willey of the University of Louisville.
The fellows participate in two full days of training where university presidents, vice presidents, provosts, deans and other key academic leaders present keynote addresses, panels and workshops. The final session was highlighted by keynote presentations by President Jay Box of KCTCS, and a popular opening keynote panel discussion with Presidents Christopher Brown of Kentucky State University and John Roush of Centre College.
Fellows also complete a research project for their specific institution between the spring and fall sessions. Completed Campus Projects were presented in four concurrent sessions at the final session at Kentucky State. Those presented were: Asbury successfully engaging incoming students, Ashland Community & Technical College “Connect: Establishing a Protocol for High Quality, Online Advising;” Bluegrass Community & Technical College “Community Resource Innovation;” Berea College …”Building a Peer Health Education Program;” Centre College… “Digital Badging;”
Eastern Kentucky University “The Impact of Advising Models on Student Success;” Kentucky State University “Mentorship/First Year Students;” Midway University “Inquiry-based Faculty Development on Assessment;” Morehead State University “Eagles of All Cultures” to involve all faculty and staff in cultural competencies; Murray State University “Recognizing and Supporting Faculty;” Northern Kentucky University “Provost’s Leadership Fellowship: Professional Development;” Sullivan University “Smashing Barriers: Strategies to Address Retention and Engagement;” University of Louisville “Program-level Advisory Boards: Best Practices for Recruiting… Employer Feedback, Financial Support and Community Engagements,” and the University of Kentucky “University of Kentucky Abbreviations and Acronyms” centralized access.
The Bluegrass Higher Education Consortium and the Academic Leadership Academy is managed by Bluegrass Tomorrow. Member institutions include: Asbury University, Berea College, Bluegrass Community and Technical College, Centre College, Eastern Kentucky University, Georgetown College, Midway University; Morehead State University, Kentucky State University, Sullivan University, Transylvania University, and the University of Kentucky.
As an outgrowth of the Regional Land Use Partnership, Bluegrass Tomorrow is beginning to offer its expertise to other communities on smart growth principles, and worked with the City of Danville Planning & Zoning and Mayor Mike Perros to facilitate and plan a conference planning for growth, economic development and farmland preservation at Centre College on November 1.
A standing room only crowd of over 100 Boyle County citizens attended this professional conference which focused on providing a unique opportunity to learn more and be part of the process to boldly grow Boyle County in a sustainable, planned manner, discussing strategies to help explore new opportunities for economic development, reimagining downtown Danville, and preserving agriculture.
The event was highlighted by keynote speaker Holly Wiedemann of AU Associates, noted for adaptive reuse projects across Kentucky that have been catalysts for vibrancy in smaller cities and rural communities and opportunities for residential and commercial accelerators.
Dr. Ned Crankshaw of the University of Kentucky Dept. of Landscape Architecture opened the conference with a overview of the principles of smart growth, which was followed by a panel discussion moderated by the American Farmland Trust’s Billy Van Pelt. Panelists included David Tomes developer of Norton Commons, Clint Quarles from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, and Brian Howard Owensboro Planning Director.
Two Concurrent Session periods included choices on Rural Downtown Revitalization, Housing Options, Transportation and Farmland Considerations, Infill Development in Surburan Areas, County-wide Development: Balancing Small Business and Industry Needs, and Reimagining Downtown Danville. As Downtown Danville is at the beginning of the process of a new downtown master plan, this session was popular and timely.
Report outs and discussion from the concurrent sessions led to facilitated discussion on setting priorities.
IdeaFestival Student Day at Morehead State University was one of the best yet, hosting 430 regional middle and high school students and perhaps the best Career Maker Faire to date.
The Career Maker Faire, which is one half of the program, was unique in that exhibitors truly embraced the “Maker” creative concept, giving students the opportunity to see, touch, feel, hear, a more experiential event.
Over 40 exhibitors participated in the faire with Kentucky Utilities/LG&E stealing the show with the most popular exhibit which featured two poles and electrical infrastructure necessary for a technician/linesman to understand. The Morehead Craft Academy boasted numerous experiences including virtual reality, a rover challenge, a rubics cube competition and more.
The STEM, Manufacturing & Business Cluster featured the BCTC Advanced Manufacturing program, Morehead State Space Science Center, Messer Construction, and East Kentucky Power among others.
Eastern Kentucky University brought several academic programs including the College of Business & Technology, the College of Health Services and the College of Justice and Safety.
Asbury University proudly displayed its Communications program, Midway University its Equine Program and the liberal arts programs at Georgetown College. Health Services and Human Services were also well represented by BCTC, MSU and EKU.
In the TED-style talks program Connor Tilford dazzled the audience with his performance at the piano and his talk “Dream Big-You Never Know Where it Will Take You,” and Beth Price gave an inspiring keynote talk “Theatre Made Me.”
This was the second IdeaFestival Student Day program of the year, following the April event at the University of Kentucky for approximately 400 Fayette County high school juniors, featuring renowned Space Shuttle Astronaut Story Musgrave with the keynote. In April 2020, IF Student Day is being planned for Kentucky State University.
Robert Clay, founder and CEO of Three Chimney’s Farm for decades, was joined by several former Bluegrass Tomorrow Board Members from the first decade of the organization, when he was awarded the Bluegrass Legacy Vision Award at the 30th Anniversary Celebration of the Bluegrass on October 10 at Fasig-Tipton. The Bluegrass Legacy Award is one of Bluegrass Tomorrow’s most prestigious Vision Awards and is presented for life-long service and dedication to the Bluegrass Region. He was presented the award by his long-time farm manager at Three Chimneys, Dan Rosenberg.
Clay, who was Bluegrass Tomorrow’s first President for 10 years, was joined at the 30th Anniversary Celebration reunion from the original Board of Directors from 1989-1999: Alex Warren, first Chair of Bluegrass Tomorrow-then President of Toyota (who also made comments), Joe Graves first secretary, Buckner Woodford first treasurer; Board Members: Bill Hamilton, Hank Graddy, Tim Kelly, Farra Alford, Helen Alexander. First Executive Director Jean Ward Scott was also in attendance.
All former Chairs of Bluegrass Tomorrow were also present and were introduced including Ben Fister, Bob Hewett, Nelson Maynard, Larry Jones, Kathy Plomin, and current chair Claude Christensen. Chef Ouita Michel also made comments and catered the delicious farm to table meal. She was recognized for winning the Josephine Abercrombie Vision Award two years ago, as she was not able to attend that event.
Robert N. Clay is President CEO of Clay Holding Co, and past president/CEO & Founder of Three Chimney’s Farm in Midway, which he established with his wife Blythe in 1972. One of the founding fathers and first chairman of Bluegrass Tomorrow in 1989, Robert was also a driving force in the creation of the Bluegrass Conservancy and served on its original Board of Directors. He was also integrally involved in the development of the Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) program which began in discussions at Bluegrass Tomorrow and the Bluegrass Conservancy. Since the Vision Awards did not begin until the second decade of Bluegrass Tomorrow in 2001, Robert has never been honored with a Vision Award. The Vision Awards Committee thought it appropriate, in our 30th Anniversary year, that he be presented with The Bluegrass Legacy Award.
Widely known as one of the world’s preeminent horse farms, Three Chimneys has been home to a number of famous horses including U.S. Triple Crown champion Seattle Slew, U.S. Filly Triple Crown champion Chris Evert, as well as Silver Cham, Chief’s Crown, Genuine Risk, Point Given, Slew o’ Gold, Capote, Smarty Jones, and Big Brown. Always on the cutting edge, Three Chimneys was the first thoroughbred breeding farm to advertise on the Internet. Robert has also been chair of the Lexington School, member of the Jockey Club, the Keeneland Association Advisory Board, and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association Board of Directors, among many others.
Fittingly, the event took place in the Seattle Slew Room at Fasig-Tipton, historically one of Three Chimney’s most important sires. Over 200 attended the event, and the fund-raiser raised over $14,000 for Bluegrass Tomorrow.
Who Should Exhibit at the IF Bluegrass Career Maker Faire: Anyone looking for new employees or students!
Colleges Universities (including specific academic programs and admissions) Businesses, Manufacturers, Workforce Training schools and organizations, Technical Training Schools, Advanced Manufacturing, Entrepreneurial Incubators & Companies, Creative & Arts Organizations, STEM businesses & organizations, more.
Why Should You Exhibit at the IF Bluegrass Career Maker Faire: An exciting of networking and relationship building serving regional students.
We want students to have an “Ah Ha” the light bulb comes on, experience when they see your innovative hands-on exhibit. We want them to say: “I didn’t know about that.”, “That’s So Cool.”, “That’s where I want to go to school.”, “That’s what I want to be.”.
If you are a non-profit or an educational organization assistance is available to help navigate costs. It matters that you are in the room and we want to help! Please contact Rob Rumpke if you need to discuss this further. 859-351-2447 or rob@bluegrasstomorrow.org.
How Will The Exhibit Hall Be Set-up and What Will The Experience Look Like:
Exhibitors are placed into “Career Clusters” or groupings of popular Career Pathways identified by student self-assessments.
What Will My Career Cluster Look Like?
All students will attend the Career Maker Faire during the day, split in two 500 student groups. They will move in groups of approximately 40 students (the busload they came in on) spending about 10 minutes per choice Career Cluster. Each student will visit a minimum of 5 clusters during that day.
You will be joined by 6-10 other industry & higher ed representatives in your Career Cluster.
A 6-ft table will be provided with electricity (if needed) for each industry & higher ed representative.
Your Career Cluster’s location at Morehead State will be assigned by Tuesday November 5, 2019
What Should I Expect At My Career Cluster?
Students will be encouraged to come prepared with questions and naturally move among representatives to stimulate organic conversation and casual dialogue between current and future professionals in your field/students in your program.
We encourage exhibitors to be creative, providing something to do, see, feel, touch, smell, provide an experience, a demonstration. Career “speed dating” concepts will be utilized, sending students to you in groups of 30-40 at a time. Half of the Students in attendance will experience the Maker Faire, while others are listening to TED-style speakers in another part of campus. It will all be coordinated depending on arrival and departures of buses. You must come self-contained. We will provide a table & two chairs per exhibitor.
Be a Regional Land Use Champion
Support Our Regional Land Use Planning Initiative!
In Partnership with: Bluegrass Land Conservancy / Bluegrass Area Development District / Woodford Forward / Fayette Alliance
The Bluegrass Regional Land Use Committee, which was continued after a successful “Conversation with the Region on Land Use Planning” event last fall, has continued its work and has now developed draft principles of agreement and Vision Statement for the Region. The number one and two principles that have been adopted:
— There is a fundamental need for land-use planning in the Bluegrass Region.
— There is a fundamental need for better communication in the region between planning agencies, cities, counties….
Support This Unprecedented Effort by being a Bluegrass Land Use Champion! Regional Land Use Champion Levels of Investment:
Bluegrass Visionary Champion $5,000.00
Sustaining Champion $2,500.00
Bluegrass Land Use Champion $1,000.00
Bluegrass Land Use Planning Partner $750.00
Bluegrass Land Use Planning Supporter $500.00
Bluegrass Visionary Champion: $5,000
For the Regional Land Use Planning Initiative & Bluegrass Forever Green Series (BGFG) 2018-19 for one calendar year.
Logo and company name used on all promotion, e-news dissemination, and public relations for all series events as corporate partner. Also, table of 8 at BGFG events.
Also includes: Partnership Trustee in Bluegrass Tomorrow’s Vision Society with all benefits which are accorded with that level of investment.
Partnership Trustee
Partnership Trustee status listing and logo on all Bluegrass Tomorrow printed materials, power points, e-news dissemination web site, at all meetings, speaking engagements, events and public communications during the pledge period.
Logo on all event signage and power points for major events throughout the year.
One preferred table, and recognition, at annual meetings and Vision Awards Breakfast.
Full Page ad in all printed programs and publications, including the Vision Report Magazine, throughout the pledge period.
Partnership Trustee status listing on home page of Bluegrass Tomorrow web-site.
Sustaining Champion: $2,500
For Regional Land-Use Planning Initiative and Bluegrass Forever Green Series 2018-19 for one calendar year.
Logo and company name used on all promotion, e-news dissemination, and public relations for the series, meetings & events.
Also Includes: Vision Trustee in Bluegrass Tomorrow’s Vision Society with all benefits which are accorded with that level of investment.
Vision Trustee
Vision Society Trustee status listing on all Bluegrass Tomorrow printed materials, power points, e-news dissemination, at all meetings, speaking engagements, events and public communications during the calendar year.
Listing on all event signage for major events throughout the year, including our Vision Awards Breakfast and major Bluegrass Higher Education Presidents Summit and Luncheon events.
One preferred table, and recognition, at BGFG Luncheon or other major event.
Half-page ad in Vision Report Magazine and other BGT programs.
Bluegrass Land Use Planning Champion: $1,000
Company logo on e-mails, e-news, website and all other collateral materials, related to the Regional Land Use Planning Initiative & BGFG Series for one calendar year.
Quarter page ad in Vision Report Magazine which be distributed on site and to all Bluegrass Tomorrow donors and stakeholders. Will be utilized for other key events throughout the year.
Bluegrass Land Use Planning Partner: $750
Company logo on e-mails, e-news, website and all other collateral materials related to the Regional Land Use Planning Initiative & BGFG Series for one calendar year.
Quarter page in in Vision Report Magazine which will be distributed on site and to all Bluegrass Tomorrow donors and stakeholders. Will be utilized for other key events throughout the year.
Bluegrass Land Use Planning Supporter: $500strong>
Company logo on e-mails, e-news, website and collateral materials related to the Regional Land Use Planning Initiative & BGFG Series for one calendar year.
Listing in Vision Report Magazine.
The Working Group has been persistent in working on principles of agreement that will lead to continued discussion and collaboration toward a tangible partnership in regional Land Use Planning. There has never been a better time to get involved in Land Use Planning in our Region
Mr. Herbert Miller – Columbia Gas
The Josephine Abercrombie Vision Award is a top honor for Bluegrass Tomorrow. It is not only presented to one who has made a great impact on the region, but also one who improves the quality of life in the Central Kentucky, Bluegrass Region.
Herb Miller of Columbia Gas has been one of the great leaders in the Bluegrass Region over the last two decades, working in everthing from the Partnership for Workforce Development where he won that organization’s first Legacy Award, to his work on the preservation of the Old Fayette County Courthouse, and if you look at all of the great names that have won the Abercrombie Award, and our Legacy Award, you would agree we’re entering Herb into the Bluegrass Tomorrow Hall of Fame.
Herb has had such a profound impact on workforce development, low income families, K-12 and higher education, historic preservation, transportation, economic development, farmland preservation, and human services. He has touched all of the values of Bluegrass tomorrow.
