In 1996, the Daviess County Public Schools district, through community and constituency collaboration, designed a bold and innovative project that could fundamentally change the way students are educated in the future.  Based upon the current research that solidifies the concept that brain development plays an integral role in learning, a committee set out to devise curricula to enhance students’ learning capacities.  From their findings and curriculum strategies, the DCPS board unanimously approved the implementation of Graduation 2010 for the fall of 1997.

          Graduation 2010 maps out a 13 year program of studies for all students in our district, with particular emphasis on entering kindergartners and children in the primary grades.  The eight components of the program are: the arts, music, foreign language, reading, critical thinking, health and emotional health, parental involvement, and community involvement. 

          In Daviess County, we believe that the Graduation 2010 Program enhances the core curriculum as well as cultivates creativity, discipline and teamwork skills that today’s students must have to succeed in life.  We feel that we are creating the right environment in which a child can learn and we are providing the best possible education as we prepare them for the 21st century.

Marilyn H. Mills

Educational Programming Coordinator

Graduation 2010

Graduation 2010 is the vision of the future for our children in Daviess County. The kindergarten students who entered school in 1997-98 will graduate in the year 2010. Graduation 2010 is the initiative that will map out the 13-year program of studies for children in our district. It is based upon the current research that we can increase student learning by enhancing the development of the brain through various means.

Many students from the Daviess County Public Schools are currently competing successfully at the national level in the academic arena while others are in need of these same opportunities. Knowing that we have outstanding students, teachers, staff, leaders, and community support we believe we must strive even further to expand the achievement levels of our students. We must set our goals higher than where we are now and Graduation 2010 will help us do that.

We believe that by enhancing the development of the brain, student achievement will soar. Our focus will be to create ways to enhance this development by such activities as, but not limited to:

Every student entering the Daviess County Schools learning to play the piano and being exposed to intense music instruction. The research is clear that there is a direct correlation between learning music and high academic achievement. By learning music, pathways in the brain are formed that will be utilized for other complex thinking and learning.

Every student learning a foreign language in the primary grades. In addition to it being much easier to learn a foreign language at a younger age, new pathways in the brain are also developed when a student learns a foreign language.

Every student will master the basics before exiting the primary grades. It is like geese flying in a flock; when one falls behind, two go back to bring him back up to speed. It is the same with our children; we cannot allow any of them to fall behind.

All primary students will experience dance, theatre and the visual arts taught by professional artists. They will attend a performance at the RiverPark Center.

Community support will be provided for every child to ensure his or her success. We have partnered with the community so that the children will have the greatest opportunity to succeed.

Every child will learn critical thinking skills. Again, by means such as teaching children to play chess, pathways in the brain will be developed which will help students to think critically.

Nursing services provided at every school.

We now have a piano keyboard lab in every elementary school and middle school. Our music teachers have been trained to utilize these labs and our students are currently learning to read and play music.

We received a federal grant that provides reading coaches in every elementary school (this is the Americorps program that President Clinton talked about). These coaches, along with community volunteers, are working one on one with students who need help in reading. It is important to know that the classroom teacher is the person who teaches our students to read and the coaches are there to provide one on one tutoring for those in need.

A business adopts an incoming class of kindergarten students. Owensboro Mercy Health Systems has adopted the class of 2010 and is committed to staying with them for thirteen years. OMHS will be just like adoptive parents as they will work along with us to ensure that every child in the class of 2010 is successful. The Lipton Company has adopted the Class of 2011; Kentucky Wesleyan College has adopted the Class of 2012; The RiverPark Center has adopted the Class of 2013. Our hope is that each year, a business in Owensboro will adopt the new incoming class of kindergarten students, thus allowing every class in the future to have the additional community support needed for success.

There will be benefits from Graduation 2010 for those students who are already enrolled in school. Good examples are the piano keyboard labs, the arts, foreign language, chess, and the reading coaches. All students will have opportunities to be a part of these programs.

The Hager Foundation has provided a grant for the elementary foreign language program. Our hope is to fund the entire Graduation 2010 project through outside sources and believe that this will occur. However, if this is not possible, the Daviess County Board of Education is committed to this project for the benefit of our children. Our Community Involvement committee is currently working to secure outside funding through national foundations.

What if Graduation 2010 does not work?

Of course we believe that Graduation 2010 will work, but if for some unforeseen reason it doesn't, the worst that could happen is that students will have learned piano, foreign language, chess, and been exposed to art forms.