History-Making First Year for Model DECA! Model DECA traveled to Louisville this week to compete against 1,300 students at the Kentucky DECA State Career Development Conference and returned with three State Champion titles. In an extraordinary accomplishment, every Model competitor advanced to the Top 5 finals and earned a state medal—an outstanding milestone for Model’s first year as a DECA chapter!
🥇 Aiden Flynn ('27) — 1st Place, Automotive Services Marketing
🥇 David Tofan ('27) & Matthew Marks ('27) — 1st Place, Entrepreneurship Team Decision Making
🥇 Tobias Sowders ('27) — 1st Place, Marketing Cluster Exam; his score also earned a certification from the American Marketing Association.
🏅 Whitley Combs ('27) & Alice Schneider ('27) — Top 5 Finalists, Business Law and Ethics Team Decision Making
👏 A special shoutout to Mrs. Haley McCoy, Model’s Business & Marketing Instructor and DECA Sponsor, for leading the program to such an impressive start in her first year at Model. Mrs. McCoy shared that having every Model student place in the finals is an amazing feat for a first-year chapter and truly raises the bar for Kentucky DECA.
By performing so well at the state level, these students have earned the opportunity to represent Kentucky at the International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Atlanta in April. Congratulations to these students for representing Model with excellence!
The Model Patriots are entering the 11th Region Tournament tonight, and we need all Patriot fans to fill the stands! All tickets must be purchased digitally at model.eku.edu/regiontickets.
6:15 p.m. on Wednesday, March 4, 2026 | Model Patriots vs. Great Crossing Warhawks | Baptist Health Arena at Alumni Coliseum
Congratulations to our Elementary and High School Academic Teams on outstanding performances at the Governor’s Cup Region Tournaments!
High School Academic Team (Feb. 21)
The Quick Recall team of Logan Combs (’29), Caleb Crispin (’29), Mark Edwards (’28), Roan Hoskins (’28), Ethan Little (’28), Bea McCoy (’29), and Kate Whitlock (’29) finished fourth overall at Regionals.
Special congratulations to Caleb Crispin (’29), runner-up in Social Studies content assessments, who advances to the State competition in March!
Kudos to coaches Laura Dedic and Tyger Williams on a strong 2026 season!
Elementary Academic Team (Feb. 28)
4th Place Overall
2nd Place – Future Problem Solving
Katherine Hume Sportsmanship Award
Individual Honors:
Composition – 3rd: Dakota P. (Grade 5)
Language Arts – 3rd: Anishka S. (Grade 5); 5th: Ian H. (Grade 5)
We’re so proud of these students and grateful for coaches Anne Calloway Dacci, Jessie Spears, and Sarah Willoughby for leading the way!
Congratulations to our Varsity Boys Basketball team on finishing district play as the 2026 44th District Runners-Up! 🏀👏 Next stop: the 11th Region Tournament. Let’s pack the stands and show up loud for our Patriots! Details 👇
Wednesday, March 4, 2026
6:15 p.m.
Opponent: Great Crossing
EKU's Baptist Health Arena at Alumni Coliseum
💰🏆 STATE CHAMPIONS! 🏆💰 Congratulations to Model’s Personal Finance Team for earning First Place in the Middle School Division at the Kentucky Personal Finance Challenge State Competition today at Northern Kentucky University. Team members: Jahnu Shrivastana (‘31), Davis Abney (‘31), Dawson Abney (‘32), Blye Baker (‘30) A special thank you to their dedicated coaches, Dr. Maggie Abney and Mrs. Jana Mayer, for guiding this team all the way to the top!
The Kentucky Personal Finance Challenge (KYPFC) is a rigorous academic competition that allows students to demonstrate and apply real-world financial knowledge in a competitive setting, preparing them to make smart financial decisions for life. Our students aren’t just learning about the future—they’re mastering it.
🏀 REWRITING HISTORY 🏀 The Model Patriots are headed to the District Championship for the first since 2015. 💪🏻 Let’s show up and show out as the boys take on the Madison Central Indians for the 44th District title — and it’s a NAVY OUT!
Baptist Health Arena at Alumni Coliseum | Thursday, February 26 | 8:00 p.m.
Calling all Model student artists & graphic designers! Here’s your chance to see YOUR design on a Model-branded T-shirt sold in the Patriot Shoppe!
Deadline: Friday, March 20, 2026 | Up to 3 entries per person | Open to all Model students and employees | Submit at model.eku.edu/tshirtdesign.
All designs must follow Model branding guidelines.
Two winners announced on Tuesday, March 24 | Winners receive a Patriot Shoppe swag bag
Questions? Contact Morgan.Campbell@eku.edu or stop by the Snack Shack.
Kindness was blooming all across campus last week 💐💙 Our Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) students celebrated Random Acts of Kindness Day by venturing within Model and beyond to spread joy throughout the entire campus. With flowers and sweet treats in hand, they surprised faculty, staff, and students—delivering smiles everywhere they went. Our youngest students proved that you’re never too small to make a big difference. 🥰
We look forward to seeing all those smiles on Friday! Spring Picture Day is this Friday, February 27.
Grades PreK - 6: Individual portrait photos will be taken and available for families to view and purchase online after Picture Day. Proofs will be sent via email.
Grades 7 - 11: Individual photos for grades 7-11 are OPTIONAL and every student will NOT have their photo taken.
These photos are not for the yearbook and are only if families want to purchase them.
Any newly enrolled student, however, will be called to have their photo taken.
If you would like your student to have their photo taken, please discuss this with them in advance so they know to participate when their grade is called.
Reminders
Photos may be head-to-toe, so help your student choose an outfit they feel confident in from top to bottom.
Please help your child arrive at school on time and limit any absences or check-outs (if you want to purchase a photo) as Picture Day begins promptly at 8:00 a.m. and will continue through 11:30 a.m. There will not be a retake day for Spring Picture Day.
If you have specific questions regarding your photo order and proofs after Picture Day, email info@tripleplaypro.com.
It’s District Tournament time! 🏀🔥 Our Patriots tip off postseason play on Monday, February 23, at EKU Alumni Coliseum as both varsity teams take on Berea Community!
Game Schedule:
🏀 Varsity Girls vs. Berea – 6:30 p.m.
🏀 Varsity Boys vs. Berea – 8:00 p.m.
🎟 Tickets: $8 at the door
Let’s pack the Coliseum with navy and maroon and cheer on our Patriots as they begin their district run—see you Monday night!
DISTRICT CHAMPS: Congratulations to our Elementary Academic Team on their big win this month at the 87th District KAAC Governor's Cup competition! The team earned first place overall after also winning Quick Recall and Future Problem Solving. We are incredibly proud of these students for continuing our tradition of academic excellence. Join us in congratulating them and wishing them luck in the regional competition next week!
Quick Recall – 1st
Future Problem Solvers – 1st
Mathematics: Keeden Day – 3rd
Science: Weston Kitts – 1st; Carley Jones – 2nd
Composition: Dakota Parton – 3rd; Carley Jones – 4th; Shannah Zeng – 5th
Language Arts: Ian Hoven – 1st; Anishka Sherigar – 5th
Arts & Humanities: Henderson McCardle – 2nd; Dakota Parton – 3rd; Arevia Gump – 4th
The sun’ll come out… at auditions for our next production: ☀️ Annie JR.! ☀️ You’ll be on Easy Street if you don’t wait until Tomorrow to sign up. Be sure to read all the audition information and prepare your music and lines at model.eku.edu/annieauditions—otherwise, it might be a Hard-Knock Life. This schoolwide production is open to students in grades 4-12 of all experience levels, and we encourage everyone to come out… because We Think You’re Gonna Like It Here. 😁
Just make sure to show up Fully Dressed with a Smile! 🎭🌟
CLASS OF 2026: In case you missed today's Senior Newsletter, read important senior information here ➡︎ model.eku.edu/classof2026
From Model Laboratory Schools to Colgate University, Model alumna Hannah Richards (’22) is making the impossible possible! 🎓✨ At Colgate University she’s pursuing economics with a global perspective, researching inclusivity and accessibility for deaf communities, and embracing opportunities that push boundaries and expand her impact. 🧠🌍 Read the feature here.
We want to wish Model Archery good luck tomorrow as they compete at the All A State Tournament on Friday and Saturday. We will be cheering you on to bring home another All A State title!
The Model Patriots hit the target once again at the All A Region Tournament as they were crowned the archery All A Region Champions for the fourth year in-a-row with a team score of 3304.
The Patriots also brought home individual hardware:
Ricky Marlow ('26) – 1st place (male)
Addy Webster ('27) – 2nd place (female)
Drake Ingram ('29) – 2nd place (male)
Jaxten Wilson ('28) – 5th place (male)
All A Region Championship Team members: Addy Webster, Ricky Marlow, Drake Ingram, Jaxten Wilson, Eli Lay, Ruth Rogers, Jayden Pham, Emma Witt, Ethan Witt, Avnita Sherigar, Annabelle Bobbitt, Brooke Rentfrow, Blye Baker, Rachel Hart, Lillian Dale, Paityn Shoopman, Durand Waterbury, Eli Barker, Aaron Jenkins, Ellery Cogdill, Max Fronczek, Connor Fitzgerald, AJ Leach, Avery Barnett
📬 The newest edition of the Parent Newsletter (2/17/26) is in your inboxes and available at model.eku.edu/newsletter.
Today, we recognize Officer Dotson for his dedication to keeping Model a safe, welcoming place for all!👮♂️💙 Although the official day of recognition fell during our long weekend, we made sure to celebrate him today—but we’re grateful for him every single day. Thank you for protecting our school, building meaningful relationships with students, and making a positive impact across our campus. We are thankful for all that you do!
Last week, we were excited to welcome our rising 9th Grade and new secondary students! Students and families received course catalogs, connected with our Counseling Center, and met with faculty to explore the many course offerings available at Model. From core academics to electives and hands-on learning experiences, the opportunities ahead are part of what makes a Model education truly world-class. Thank you to everyone who joined us to learn more about the Model experience. We loved meeting our future Patriots and can’t wait to see all that you’ll accomplish at Model! 🤩
Interested in joining the Model Family? Learn more and apply today at model.eku.edu/enroll.
REMINDER: No school for students on Monday, February 16, 2026, in observance of Presidents' Day.