🍂 HAPPY FALL BREAK! 🍁 Model Laboratory Schools and offices will be closed Monday, October 6 - Friday, October 10, 2025. We look forward to welcoming everyone back on Monday, October 13.
📚 Reminder for Dual Credit students: Eastern Kentucky University is only closed Monday and Tuesday. Students should attend class Wednesday through Friday, unless prior arrangements have been made with their professors.
Wishing everyone a safe and restful break!
📚🎥🧶 From circuits to storytelling to spinning yarn, our classrooms are full of creativity, curiosity, and hands-on learning at every level!
📖 In Mrs. Whitley Marcum’s secondary English class, students are developing personal narratives through “I Believe” statements and understanding how to develop multimedia presentations. As part of their “Challenges of a Hero” unit, each student created a Google Slides presentation about a hero of their choice and is presenting their work to the class.
🔌 In Mrs. Revis and Ms. Mullins’ fourth grade creativity class, students took their science lesson to the next level by creating video tutorials about how to build a circuit. They collaborated in Google Docs to write their scripts, filmed with the camera app, and used iMovie to edit their final videos—combining STEM skills with media and communication.
🧵 In Mrs. Willoughby’s third grade class, students have been reading about family traditions and how they connect us to different cultures. After one student’s grandparent—who is the resident yarn spinner at the 18th-century Fort Boonesborough historical site—offered to visit, the class had a hands-on history lesson in traditional yarn making. Each student used a spindle to spin their own yarn and take home a piece of living history.
📸 Say cheese! Picture Day is Thursday, October 2!
📅 Who’s up:
• Grades 1-11 – Individual Portraits
• Grades 1-6 – Class Photos
✅ Photos will be used for the 2025-26 yearbook, school communications, and official school records.
This year:
• Choose from new custom backdrops when ordering
• No clothing color restrictions!
• Take a closeup for the yearbook + a half or full-body shot to purchase
🖼 After Picture Day, a link will be emailed to parent/guardian addresses for photo viewing and purchase.
❓Questions? Email info@tripleplaypro.com
⚖️🌍 Model’s Mock Trial team competed in the prestigious Yale Bulldog Invitational Virtual Mock Trial Competition—an international event that brought together top teams from around the world! Our students dedicated more than 25 hours on campus between Saturday and Sunday, preparing and competing in intense rounds that challenged their critical thinking, teamwork, and courtroom skills.
👏 Great job to Jenny Taliaferro (’26), Teddy Mott (’26), Jules Combs (’26), Aaron Jenkins (’27), Bea McCoy (’29), Avnita Sherigar (’29), Colin Wangler (’29), Jiwoo Kim (’27), and Youngwoo Kim (’26). Also a big thank-you to coaches Brian McCoy, J.D. and Haley McCoy for their guidance and support!
Way to represent Model on the global stage! 🌎⚖️
🎶 The band is back! 🎶 From beginners picking up their instruments for the first time to returning students sharpening their skills, the band has spent the first month of school getting into the rhythm—literally!
These behind-the-scenes photos from Mr. Sokolowski offer a glimpse into the energy and focus as students in grades 4-12 began learning new pieces this month.
🎭🎨🎶 Last week was National Arts in Education Week, and Model Laboratory Schools is proud to support the arts in every form. From visual art and media arts to chorus, theatre, orchestra, and band, students have rich opportunities to create, perform, and design across all grade levels.
Save the dates!
🎺🎷 Band Winter Concert: Thursday, December 11 at 6:00 p.m. in O’Donnell Auditorium (Whitlock Building)
🎤 Chorus Concert: Thursday, October 16 at 6:00 p.m. in Model’s auditorium
🎻 Orchestra Concert: Thursday, October 30 at 6:00 p.m. in O’Donnell Auditorium (Whitlock Building)
You won’t want to miss these performances!
We can’t wait to welcome our special guests on Friday, October 3, 2025, from 8:00-11:00 a.m. for a morning filled with smiles, classroom visits, and donuts with their favorite students! 🍩😁 Grandparents and Grand-Friends, be sure to sign up so you don’t miss this sweet tradition.
📅 Reminder: Friday, September 26, is the last day to register! ➡️ Registration Link
Check out Model faculty member Dr. Melanie Smith's latest achievement! 🤩 After being named the 2025 Southern District Health Educator of the Year by SHAPE America and the KySHAPE Health Teacher of the Year, Dr. Melanie Smith was invited to contribute to a national health education blog. Dr. Smith provided tips for interdisciplinary learning and how her classroom is collaborative environment. She highlighted the collaborative work happening here at Model Lab between her health classroom and Mrs. Angela Hardin's English class. Model is proud to have quality educators leading our students! 👩🏫💡 Read the blog here.
Term 1 Midterm grades for students in grades 4-12 are available to view online in your Infinite Campus Parent Portal account. If you have any questions regarding the posted grade or assignments, contact your teacher directly.
Contact modelcounseling@eku.edu only for Infinite Campus assistance.
📰📪 Did you catch last week's Parent Newsletter in your inbox? If not, read it here: model.eku.edu/newsletter.
Our 6th Grade Academy spent Friday putting their problem-solving and leadership skills to the test—and having a blast while doing it! While visiting the EKU Student Recreation Center, students scaled the largest indoor climbing center on a Kentucky college campus and engaged in team-building activities. From conquering climbing walls to working together in new ways, this hands-on experience pushed them to grow, support one another, and step outside their comfort zones. A great day of fun and hands-on learning just across the street!
From civic engagement to community service and career exploration, our students have been learning and leading in meaningful ways:
📜 Constitution Day was celebrated schoolwide with a door decorating contest! Students explored the importance of our nation’s founding document through creativity and collaboration.
🎉 Congratulations to our winners:
Elementary: Mrs. Dacci, Mrs. Spata, Mrs. Willoughby
Secondary: Mrs. Saylor & Mrs. Gentry, Mrs. Herbst, Ms. Williams
🎥 In honor of September 11, Mrs. Marcum’s class participated in a thoughtful lesson exploring real-life stories like The Man in the Red Bandana. Students reflected on unity, resilience, and the emotional impact of media in today's world.
🧥 Mrs. Herbst’s class took their first Community-Based Instruction (CBI) trip of the year, delivering hundreds of donated clothing items from Tykes & Teens Consignment to a local clothing bank. Along the way, they practiced job readiness skills and gave back to students in need.
💼 In Business & Marketing, students welcomed Kentucky DECA President Reagan Morgan for an inspiring classroom visit. The impact was immediate—Model is officially starting its own DECA chapter!
🎶 And to end the week on a high note, Abhijay Ghimire shared his talent by providing live music in the Snack Shack on Friday—creating a fun and welcoming atmosphere for everyone passing through.
We’re proud of the meaningful work happening inside and outside the classroom.
Please join us in celebrating the life and legacy of Mr. Rodney Rhodus—either in person or online. We also welcome you to share a memory or photo on our Facebook page, or tag us (@ekumodel) in your posts or stories as we reflect together on his lasting impact.
SERVICE ARRANGEMENTS
Visitation - Friday, September 19, 2025 | 3:00-6:00 p.m.
Celebration of Life - Saturday, September 20, 2025 | 1:00-4:00 p.m.
The service will begin at 1:00 p.m. and is open for all to attend. Guests are welcome to come and go as needed.
Light refreshments (finger foods, appetizers, and drinks) will be available throughout.
There will be an open invitation for anyone to share memories, stories, poetry, music, or interpretive dance in honor of Mr. Rhodus.
The service will be livestreamed and available via Mr. Rhodus’ obituary page at cpcfh.com.
📍Madison Hills Christian Church, 960 Red House Road, Richmond, KY 40475
Yesterday, we celebrated Information Technology Professionals Day for our rockstar Director of Technology, Tim Hoover!
Thank you, Mr. Hoover, for being the calm in the tech storm and the power behind our platforms. Real heroes don’t wear capes…they reset passwords, update devices, and fix the printer. To the man behind the monitors, the fixer of our frozen screens, the unsung hero of Wi-Fi woes, TIM HOOVER, Director of Technology. From all of us here at Model, we appreciate you more than you know (even when we forget our passwords... again).
Blasting Schedule Notification: As part of the Model Laboratory School construction project, controlled blasting will continue for approximately five more weeks on weekdays (M-F) at two times daily: between 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 4:00-5:00 p.m.
Students and staff may hear or feel the blasts, but please be assured that all safety measures are in place and the activity is closely monitored by professionals. Safety spotters, warning signals, and inspections before and after each blast help ensure everyone’s safety.
We will notify families if any blasting needs to occur outside the scheduled times.
The Model community suffered a great loss yesterday with the passing of Mr. Rodney Rhodus—beloved teacher, mentor, colleague, and pillar of our school for more than three decades.
For 33 years, Mr. Rhodus poured his heart, wisdom, and passion into Model, teaching generations of students to love literature, to write with meaning, and to think deeply. Alongside his wife, Mrs. Liese Rhodus, who taught here for 32 years, they became known lovingly as “The Rhodi,” shaping the lives of nearly every Model graduate over the past 30 years.
Mr. Rhodus brought creativity, thoughtfulness, and an unmistakable spark to everything he did, whether it was celebrating Gatsby Day with the Junior class, surprising students by donning a kilt, dressing in character while teaching, or guiding young writers to find their voice. His classroom was a place where literature came alive and where students knew they were seen, challenged, and cared for.
He was more than a teacher. He was a mentor, a leader, an author, a writer, a storyteller, a scholar, a colleague, and a friend. His influence reaches far beyond the walls of our school.
To Mrs. Rhodus and the Rhodus family—we send our deepest love and condolences. To the thousands of students who learned under his guidance—may you carry forward not only his spirit of curiosity, but also his great sense of humor, warmth, and wisdom. And to Mr. Rhodus—thank you. We will miss you dearly, and we will never forget you.
🎨 Watercolor & Wellness 💪 Freshman students in Dr. Melanie Smith's Health class combined art, data, and wellness education in an interdisciplinary project exploring the many dimensions of health. As part of their exploration, students created personal wellness wheels, analyzed trends through data, and are now preparing to pitch their own mock wellness policies to address real needs within a school community. This is what hands-on, whole-student learning looks like at Model. 🏫📚🖌️🧑🎓
It's that time of year again! Governor's School For The Arts is looking for current Kentucky high school sophomores and juniors with skill in their artform, passion for creativity, an open mind, collaborative spirit, and an eagerness for learning. Does this sound like you or a student you know? If so, apply for GSA this fall! Please click here to learn more or see Mrs. Jana Mayer in the Counseling Office.
🚗 If you are taking your permit test, please reach out to modelcounseling@eku.edu or see Stephanie Clark in the Counseling Office at least 48 hours in advance for the School Compliance Form.
🦋 𝙈𝙧𝙨. 𝙈𝙖𝙮’𝙨 𝙈𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙨 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙡𝙮! On the first day of their butterfly project, Kindergarteners placed caterpillars and milkweed into their classroom habitat—beginning an up-close journey through the monarch butterfly life cycle. Ms. June Settle, a retiree of EKU’s College of STEM and Center for Environmental Education, visited the class to teach students about monarchs and how to care for them. She’ll guide the Monarchs all the way through to the big release day, which we’ll share with you, too! Model Lab is committed to experiential learning, and this hands-on science experience brings learning to life with one of nature’s most magical transformations. 🌱🦋✨ Watch our Reel recap here!
