Highlighting America’s 100 Best Communities for Young People
The 100 Best Communities for Young People competition honors outstanding efforts on behalf of young people by multiple sectors of communities. In cities, suburbs, small towns and counties across the country, this annual competition is leading communities to assess their efforts, work more effectively together for young people, and share best practices. Each week one of the 2007 100 Best Communities will be highlighted in the America’s Promise Bulletin and on our web site.
Mt. Sterling, Kentucky
By Christopher Epps
Known throughout the state as the “Gateway” between the Bluegrass of central Kentucky and the Appalachian Mountains of eastern Kentucky, Mt. Sterling truly provides a gateway for its young residents to learn and respect the rural and agricultural origins of the community while receiving ample exposure to a bright economic future built on a new industrial foundation. From the careful preservation of historical buildings downtown to its successful industrial parks and construction of a new community center, people in Mt. Sterling are proud of their recently vibrant city.
While everybody benefits from the revitalization process, young people in this community are among the biggest winners. Through Council of the Arts Programming at the new regional arts center, every child is offered an opportunity to be exposed to and participate in art, theater and musical activities throughout the year. To ensure that community support for school enrichment programming stays strong, supporters of the arts run Art Rocks, a weeklong campaign culminating in an auction featuring 28, one-of-a-kind rocking chairs designed and painted by students. The chairs, displayed in 16 local businesses, are visual advertisements for maintaining quality arts, sports and academic after-school programming.
Consistent annual growth and improvement earned Mt. Sterling’s Montgomery County the designation as a Growth District, creating increases in operating and capital improvement funds. Several public leaders including the major, school superintendent and the health department director, and others, created a core policy support for this community’s young people. To date, the group of 20 leaders has worked to earmark two local taxes to fund projects that directly benefit youth—a restaurant tax providing funding for youth recreation programs and a tax that supports the $22 million renovation of Montgomery County’s middle and high schools.
Experiencing an influx of Hispanic residents and migrant workers over the last decade, Mt. Sterling created programs to support its changing community. Young people benefit from PrimeTime, a library-based reading program facilitated by a translator and ESL courses sponsored three nights weekly by Adult Education while Hispanic Tool Boxes containing culturally relevant materials are provided for community volunteers and professionals. In addition, the town enjoys an annual Arts-Language-and-Cultural Festival, as well as regular Hispanic arts education, Spanish language instruction at all grade levels, and faith- and school-based mentoring programs for Hispanics.
Other initiatives of this 2005 100 Best winner that led Mt. Sterling to earn recognition again in 2007 include:
At-Risk Student Database
was designed to identify, track and serve schools’ at-risk student population. A template is used to calculate the total number of at-risk factors, generate alphabetical lists of at-risk students with customization of parameters, and track services provided to avoid duplication of efforts and ensure accountability. The school board evaluates coordination, provision and completion of services by viewing generated reports.
Back to School Extravaganza
(BTSE) is an annual event that unites 40 youth-centered service organizations and businesses annually before the school year begins. The extravaganza, a free event targeting youth from preschool-12th grade and their parents, increases awareness of and participation in programs for youth. BTSE is hosted at the community center to accommodate sponsoring organization's booths and a wide variety of youth-oriented entertainment. Participants include childcare providers, district food service, family resource centers, ESL services, Big Brothers-Big Sisters and many other organizations that aid the youth and their families.
The Migrant Coalition
, sponsored by the extension office, health department, and Mary Chiles Hospital, collaborates to help migrant families maintain healthy lives, navigate complex health care systems and feel welcomed in the community. Outside of the coalition’s services, the extension office has cultivated community leadership among local minorities by inviting them to participate in Leadership Montgomery County.