Goats from Kentucky State University are back on the 64-acre Goshen Campus! Our School has had goats eating the invasive plants in the 13-acre forested area for about 5 years. They absolutely love honeysuckle, rose flora, blackberry, and a few other plants but those three we have in abundance. They have made a huge difference in our forest, so much so that we are able to have a cross-country course this fall throughout the forest! Kentucky State University has been our partner for 4 out of the 5 years and has brought so much more to our campus in addition to the goats. From them we have regular drone pictures of the change in the canopy of our forest, help with a reforestation plan and maintenance, and many more resources that we have taken advantage of such as our 7-acres of native grasses and wildflowers. Because of our work together, KSU has learned that it is possible for them to assist other park systems and businesses such as West 6th Brewery. Goats offer a wonderful way to approach land management without pesticides, something that is more and more important as the days come. With our goats will be an Alpaca; she is just as much of a guard as an Anatolian or Great Pyrenees dog. We need a guard animal because of the coyotes. They typically don't wander too far unless they are out of food, and we move the fence when food (invasive plants) gets sparse, approximately every 6-10 days, depending. Goats are food motivated, and we want them to eat [...]

Watch Now! Joanne Brock, a teacher at St. Francis School, has organized the annual run for the roaches - the slowest 2 minutes in sports with the famous madagascar hissing cockroaches, the class pets of her 2nd grade class. “It’s a big day…the most exciting day in second grade. Students look forward to this day from their first day in Kindergarten. Our bow-ties are made and our fascinators are ready.” The track is set and the conditions are set for a fast run. There will be a bonus blue carpet turf stake with Covid-19, Delta, and Omicron, Dr. Anthony Roach-y, and Get Your Booster. Thursday’s post positions are as follows: We Don’t Talk About Roach-O Hissy Fit Governor Andy Roachear Kick Cancer in the Roach Frida Kahlroach Spongebob Roachpants Roachie the Riveter You’ve Been Rick Roached (sired by Roach Astley) Hugs and Hisses UnappROACHable BaRoach Obama Irish I Was A Roach War Roach Eagle Diary of a Wimpy Roach Karen

On Wednesday we celebrated the return of the Run for the Roses in Goshen! We were thrilled to welcome grandparents back on campus for our Preschool Grandparents' Day Derby Race and Tea in the morning. Our youngest jockeys paraded around the front of the School before racing their handmade horses and filling little bellies with cookies and lemonade! Our 1st and 2nd graders kicked off our afternoon festivities by parading on bikes, scooters, and even a few hoverboards before the Junior Kindergarten Pegasus Parade, six adorable Kindergarten Derby races, and the infamous 8th Grade Victory Lap. Grandparents, parents, teachers, and students delighted in once again being spectators at the fastest 15 minutes in racing history. Though it was chilly and the track was wet, this did not stop our enthusiastic jockeys from keeping their eyes on the prize. Congratulations to all of our preschoolers and kindergarten students on an exciting day at the track! We hope everyone has a wonderful Derby weekend! You can enjoy more Preschool Derby photos here and Kindergarten Derby photos here.

Last Saturday a record number of St. Francis School students participated in the National History Day State Competition at the University of Kentucky. While merely qualifying for the state competition is an incredible undertaking and impressive achievement, seven of our eight Wvyern competitors actually placed in the competition! Congratulations to the following students: Neel Dutta - 2nd place Elementary Individual Exhibit (Daytona 500) Hayden Harralson - 3rd place Junior Documentary (When Was First Contact? An Exploration Into Alien Conspiracies) Arden Lin - 1st place Elementary Paper (The History of Russia and Ukraine) Ethan Monyhan - 3rd place Junior Individual Exhibit (Does The U.S Care About the Laws of War?) Jack Norris - 3rd place Junior Paper (The History and Use of the “Big Lie” In Nazi Germany and the 2020 Presidential Election) Nolan Schmitt - 1st place Elementary Individual Exhibit (PT Barnum) Wilson Shoemaker - 3rd place Elementary Individual Exhibit (Stan Lee) Vivian Schnuerle also had a strong showing in the Junior Documentary category with her documentary on The Influence of Failed Diplomacy on the Hippie Movement. Throughout the entire NHD experience, these students exemplified every one of our Core Values. All the participants are incredibly motivated to start work next year with the goal of going to Nationals. Special thanks to Tom Skaggs, all the parents, students, and everyone who supported this group on this journey. 

Hallelujah! Bravo to the cast, crew, and production team of Sister Act JR. who "raised their voices" and wowed four large crowds with dynamic performances of singing and dancing nuns, shady gangsters, and plenty of comedy and drama. There was even an appearance by the "Pope!" Live musicals are back and Sister Act JR. was a show that won't soon be forgotten by all who attended.

Wow! 7th grader William Boardman completed The Big Turtle 50 Miler Trail Run this past weekend. The race takes place on an out and back course that runs from downtown Morehead to the northern terminus of the Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail and back. This race will give you a little bit of everything: rolling meadows, steep climbs and descents, rugged terrain, creek crossings, fast forest roads, and amazing spring views of the surrounding Appalachian foothills. It was incredibly hot and no leaves yet on the trees meant zero shade. William passed all the aid stations in plenty of time to avoid being cut and finished 60th out of 80 with a time of 14:47:28. That’s strong considering there are no slouches taking on the 50Mile. Congratulations, William!