A Small Town School Embraces a Big Vision
A determined superintendent looks to transform student lives in his rural Kentucky hometown.
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Go to My Saved Content.When 42-year-old Buddy Berry鈥攚hose family has lived in rural Eminence, Kentucky, for generations鈥攖ook the reins of the Eminence Independent School District in 2010, he found his hometown district and its single school in a state of crisis.
鈥淪even years ago, the future of an Eminence student was pretty bleak,鈥� said Berry, reflecting on this small community of 2,500 about 30 miles from Louisville.聽鈥淥ur school was rundown; enrollment was declining; test scores had dropped. We needed to do something drastic in order to transform the school.鈥�
One of his first acts when he took on the superintendent鈥檚 job was to interview students to find how things could be improved. Students indicated that they felt trapped in an outmoded system. They wanted more access to technology and more choice in learning. And they wanted more challenging coursework that led to better job opportunities in the town of Eminence鈥攁nd beyond.
Never one to shrink from a challenge鈥擝erry took the superintendent鈥檚 job without any formal experience as an administrator鈥攈e responded to the feedback by leading his district through a dramatic turnaround.
Eminence students now learn in a highly collaborative, internet-connected workspace that feels more like a modern tech office than a typical high school. Students are given access to cutting-edge tools like laser cutters and 3D printers that turn dreams into working prototypes, and community projects immerse them in authentic, real-world problem solving. New programs send high school students outside of their comfort zones, exposing some to college before they graduate.
Families have flooded back to the school鈥攅nrollment has increased from 605 students in 2010 to around 900 today. The school is also seeing significant academic improvements. For the last three years, 100 percent of students have met the College and Career Readiness state standards, and 99.5 percent of early college program participants are on track to earn a college degree or have already done so.
But for Berry, real success is measured in the lives of the students themselves: 鈥淭o watch that transformation in their lives and to know they have a different outlook...that鈥檚 the metric of success. That鈥檚 the power of the transformed life.鈥�
A New Space to Learn
To give students access to more technology and personalized learning opportunities, Berry knew he had to transform the students鈥� learning environment.
鈥淲e were doing 21st-century learning in a 19th-century building,鈥� he explained. 鈥淚t was really important that we created a facility that matched our philosophy.鈥�
Though the community was strapped financially, Berry went to residents to ask for help, gaining support for a nickel tax measure to fund a new $6 million, 30,000-square-foot school building known as the EDhub.
Inspired by Silicon Valley鈥檚 tech industry and Disney World鈥檚 Epcot park, the EDhub features eight makerspaces鈥攕uch as robotics and design thinking labs鈥攁nd a library where students can borrow power tools to build any creation they dream up. The building鈥檚 circular shape, many windows, and moveable walls breathe a sense of openness and community into the building.
When students become experts in the use of specific technologies, they earn micro-credentials in skills like using 3D printers or power saws. Credentialed students then have the opportunity to teach their fellow classmates and adults. 聽
鈥淪tudents don鈥檛 just check out books. They check out tools. There鈥檚 hydroponics. There鈥檚 robots. The resources kids have鈥攊t鈥檚 almost limitless,鈥� said Kerri Holder, who teaches a K鈥�8 engineering class called Project Lead the Way.
A Path to the Future
When Berry started as the Eminence superintendent, only 20 percent of the school鈥檚 high school graduates were earning college degrees. Although many Eminence students were graduating from high school academically prepared for college, most were not attending or were dropping out early, leaving few options besides a factory job in town.
鈥淜ids would go [to college], maybe spend a semester, maybe two, and then all of sudden they鈥檙e back in town,鈥� said Thom Coffee, Eminence鈥檚 assistant superintendent. 鈥淭hey can do the work.... But they needed a support network.鈥�
In response, Eminence administrators sought a partnership with Bellarmine University in nearby Louisville. With the university鈥檚 support, they established an early college program at the high school, which provides students an opportunity to experience college and college-level work while earning credits that give them a head start in post-secondary education.
In their first year in the program, participating students attend required courses with their high school peers taught by a Bellarmine professor. In year two, they take elective classes alongside other Bellarmine college students to give them a chance to sample subjects of interest.
The district pays dramatically reduced college tuition costs for the students, and provides individualized college counseling to help them adjust to college coursework.聽Of the 250 students who have participated in the program, 249 are either still enrolled or have successfully graduated.
An Opportunity to Give Back
To create meaningful learning experiences, Eminence students are given class time to work on community projects that blend academics with service learning. Students identify a problem or issue in their community and find a way to address it.
Often, students don鈥檛 have to look far to find problems worth solving.
For a recent project, special education teacher Kelli Meadows helped students design and build a mobility device for a classmate with special needs who struggled to walk the distance between classrooms. To make the device both functional and cool, students incorporated a hoverboard and a beach chair. They also sold advertisements to local businesses to subsidize the costs.
鈥淚t makes me feel good inside because I鈥檓 doing something good. No one gets left out,鈥� said Harrison, a fourth grader, of his work on the project.
The project wasn鈥檛 just fun: It required students to apply their understanding of math and engineering, while also learning persistence and compassion for others.
鈥淭his taught them more than I ever could in a 30-minute lecture,鈥� said Meadows. 鈥淏ecause our students participate in meaningful projects, they are able to think outside of the box. They learn empathy and realize their dreams may become a reality.鈥�
Beyond Eminence
In less than a decade, the community of Eminence has transformed its only public school into a showcase of 21st-century learning. 聽
The dramatic turnaround has meant rethinking everything from instructional strategies and hiring practices to physical facilities and access to technology. Although inspiration has come from as far away as Disney World and Silicon Valley, the Eminence success story depends on local solutions and innovation.
For the students and the town, the success has given new hope for a future in Eminence and beyond.
鈥淲e鈥檝e implemented some really good programs to try to inspire those kids to take that next step鈥� said Sherry Curtsinger, elementary assistant principal for Eminence Independent Schools.
She sums up the school鈥檚 empowering message to children in two words: 鈥淵ou can,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou can be that first child [in your family] to go to college. Look at all the things you鈥檝e done and you鈥檝e learned here at Eminence.鈥�