Latest news with #LaCount
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Two D51 teachers named semifinalists for Colorado Teacher of the Year
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) — On Thursday, the Colorado Department of Education announced the 2026 Colorado Teacher of the Year. Out of the 22 educators named as semifinalists, two are educators from District 51: Liz Fitzgerald from Mesa View Elementary School and Stephanie LaCount from Grand Junction High School. Fitzgerald is a first-grade teacher at Mesa View Elementary School in Grand Junction. She has been an educator for 17 years, and her honors include FIRST Inspire the Future Honoree and Outstanding Coach Award from the National FIRST Lego League. According to her semifinalist bio, she 'wants to create a safe place for students like her teachers did for her.' LaCount is an English Language Arts teacher at Grand Junction High School and has been an educator for 19 years. She has won awards such as the City of Fruita Teacher Appreciation award in 2020 and the KREX Golden Apple Award in 2018. According to her semifinalist bio, 'one of her goals as a teacher is to give students the power of self-acceptance.' Fitzgerald and LaCount were chosen from a pool of 419 applicants representing 106 school districts statewide. The pool of applicants had increased by 375% compared to the prior year. The Colorado Teacher of the Year program honors K-12 educators who have made an impact on their students, schools and communities. The selection process mirrors the standards of the national Teacher of the Year program. The semifinalist selection consisted of a review committee of over 40 people, including Colorado Teacher of the Year winners, Colorado Department of Education staff, representatives from the Boettcher Foundation and the lead sponsor of the Colorado Teacher of the Year program. 'We're proud to see educators from District 51 recognized among this year's semifinalists,' saidDr. Brian Hill, Superintendent of Mesa County Valley School District 51. 'We appreciate the workall of our teachers do each and every day to support our students, and we're cheering on and Ms. LeCount as they move forward in the process!' The semifinalists will move on to the next stage of the selection process, which includes additional essay questions from the teachers, and the finalists will be announced in September. The 2026 Colorado Teacher of the Year will be named in October. 'These semifinalists reflect the dedication, passion, and innovation that great teaching requires,' said Boettcher Foundation Vice President of Grants and Programs Tiffany Anderson. 'We're honored to serve as lead sponsor for a program that shines a spotlight on educators who are shaping Colorado's future, and we look forward to celebrating all they've accomplished.' The educator chosen as Colorado's Teacher of the Year represents over 55,000 educators across the state, will receive national recognition in Washington, D.C. and will earn a $5,000 award from the Boettcher Foundation. Individuals can learn more about the program and the other semifinalists on the Colorado Department of Education's website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Illness causes 16 school closures across Ohio, Kentucky
At least 16 schools across southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky closed in the past couple of weeks due to high levels of illness among students. And this year's hospital admissions for flu exceeds the past three years of admissions – in Kentucky and nationwide – said Skip Tate, spokesperson for the Northern Kentucky Health Department. In Ohio, Hamilton County has seen 202 hospitalizations from the flu, accounting for 6% of all flu-related hospitalizations in the state during the 2024-25 season. Norovirus, COVID-19 and common colds have also been circulating, according to Greg Kesterman, county health commissioner. "Flu has just really exploded in the area," said Dr. John LaCount, a pediatrician with St. Elizabeth Physicians based in Florence, Kentucky. "We had six doctors working yesterday in the office," he said, "and each of us probably had five or six kids come in that had flu." LaCount thinks that the usual post-holiday swell in flu cases was delayed when schools closed due to the snow. "This is probably one of the worst years I've seen," he said. Newport Independent Schools will remain closed and transition to nontraditional instruction through Wednesday due to flu and stomach bug among students, according to a Facebook post made by the school district. St. Clement School in St. Bernard and Adams County Ohio Valley Schools were closed Monday and re-opened today, school administrators confirmed to The Enquirer on Tuesday. Calvary Christian School, a private school in Covington, is back to in-person instruction this week after closing between Wednesday and Friday last week due to the flu, an administrator told The Enquirer. Middletown Christian Schools and Union Day Therapeutic School, in Butler County, closed Friday and also re-opened this week. Are you worried about your child catching the flu? LaCount has advice: If your child is feeling sick, make sure they stay home. Get vaccinated as soon as possible. The vaccine takes from five to seven days to become effective. Masking is an option that helps protect your child against infected droplets. Make sure your child is washing their hands frequently and thoroughly. Remember, you can't get the flu from the vaccine, LaCount said. "It's not a live virus, so there's no risk to them of getting flu from it." The flu vaccine is a proactive way to help prevent you and others from winding up in the emergency room, LaCount said, pointing to "extremely long" wait times in emergency rooms at this time of year. No flu-related pediatric mortalities in Ohio or Kentucky have yet been reported for this flu season. Last year, five children in Ohio and one child in Kentucky died from the flu. Click here to find a pharmacy where you can get vaccinated. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Flu hospital admissions in Kentucky peak as schools close from flu
