Garrard County High School

We’re excited to announce that the 25/26 Dance Season Clinic and Tryouts will be held next week! Clinics will take place on April 28th and 29th from 3:30 to 5:30 PM in the Garrard County High School cafeteria, with tryouts scheduled for April 30th during the same time and location. The clinic and tryouts are open to all current 6th through 11th graders. All participants must have an up-to-date sports physical in order to attend. To register, please complete the form at https://forms.gle/zZzFkc6ZFrS2BcsEA or scan the QR code on the flyer. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Aaliyah Harvey at aaliyah.harvey@garrard.kyschools.us.

Applications for the 2025–26 Garrard County Learning Academy (GCLA) are now open! Students who are interested in applying must submit their application by the end of the day on April 30, 2025. Any applications submitted after this deadline will not be reviewed, and students who miss the deadline will not be eligible to participate in GCLA during the 2025–26 school year. Click the link below to apply: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScog-RGC-S7x44lDOPgBSSuRKbIEZD2j8Vh8UBjoWrf_Zbn9w/viewform?usp=dialog

Cheer Tryouts for the 2025-2026 GCHS Squad! 📣 Cheer clinics will be held on April 21st, 22nd, and 23rd from 3:30 to 5:30PM at the Garrard County High School gym. Attendance at all three clinic days is required in order to be prepared for tryouts, which will take place on Thursday, April 24th from 3:30 to 6:30 PM, also at the GCHS gym. All participants must have a current sports physical on file to be eligible to participate. Check the flyer for more details!

Get ready for a night of fun, competition, and plenty of laughs at our Teachers vs. Students Donkey Basketball Game sponsored by the FFA! Join us on April 15 at 7:30PM in the gym at Garrard County High School. Tickets are on sale now in the cafeteria for $9, or you can purchase them at the gate on game day for $13. Children 5 and under get in free! Please note that this event is contracted through Dairyland Donkey Basketball LLC, so Gold Cards and free passes will not be accepted. Don’t miss out—come cheer on your favorite team and enjoy the excitement! 🏀🐴

Although KYTC and Kentucky State Police websites could have duplicate information and links, the website for KYTC is www.drive.ky.gov. By clicking on the Graduated Driver Licensing Program link, it will have all the steps and information needed in order for a teen to apply for their permit, intermediate license, and their full unrestricted license. This site is also where teens can go to schedule an appointment once they have completed all necessary steps and are ready to apply for a full unrestricted license. If there are questions, you/teens/parents can call your local regional office or their KYTC Frankfort office at 502/564-1257 from 8:00am to 4:30pm eastern time on Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. Any updates to the Graduated Driver Licensing Program can be found on this website. The website for the Kentucky State Police Driver Testing Branch is https://www.kentuckystatepolice.ky.gov/driver-testing and where additional information and how to schedule appointments to take the permit test and intermediate test can be found (the scheduling link is also on the KYTC website). For our office, Kentucky Safe Driver, teens must have either their permit or intermediate license to enroll in our Alive at 25 class to satisfy a graduated driver license requirement. The class can be taken any time between the day they get their permit to the day the are eligible to apply for their full unrestricted license but must be taken before they can obtain a full unrestricted license. Our website is www.kentuckysafedriver.com and we offer free in-person and Zoom Alive at 25 classes. We are working with KYTC and KSP and have limited information at this time but know both agencies are diligently working on the logistics of adding 15-year-olds. Thank you! Ms. Fisher, CPM Alive at 25 Program Manager Kentucky Safe Driver 502/699-2295

Congratulations to our Garrard County High School Youth Salute participants: Abagail Fathergill, Zoe Tuggle, Abigail Travis, Taylor Bailey, Angie Gallegos, and Eva Elleman! 👏

Congratulations to Elizabeth Tillette for winning the Spirit of KY Barrel Head Design for the KYAEA Bluegrass Region! She is one of only 12 juried student artists showcasing at the National Art Education Association Conference in Louisville.👏🎨 Her artwork will also be displayed at the State Capitol before returning home to GCHS!

Congratulations to Kayma Galloway, Jillian Long, and Ashlyn Scott for representing Garrard in the 39th annual Bluegrass Regional High School Art Exhibit at EKU! Special shoutout to Kayma Galloway for placing 3rd in Printmaking and 4th in Mixed Media! The exhibit runs through March 28th- check out our student's work! Congratulations!👏

Leadership in action! 👏 Abagail Bailey, Abigail Travis, Lori Burkhead, Yesenia Davis, and Sam Fielder represented Garrard County Schools at the 2025 Youth Ambassador Leadership Conference, gaining valuable skills and inspiration to make a difference in their communities.

GCHS had a great time at their second Y-Club conference, the Kentucky United Nations Assembly, where they represented Croatia in a mock-United Nations summit. Students proposed new UN resolutions, debated, and voted to either veto or pass these resolutions. The conference was an awesome opportunity for students to research and engage with global crisis' and issues, as well as develop valuable leadership skills, connecting and developing relationships with students from all over the state! From left to right: Zayne Graham, Connor Hurt, Claire Weaver, Olivia Denny, Emorie Martin, Katie Sharp, Kinslee White, and Ace Alexander.

Our Garrard County High School and Garrard Middle School JAG students had a great day at the Capitol for JAG Day! They met with representatives to share the impact of JAG programs in Garrard County and express their gratitude for the continued support. Thank you for investing in our students’ futures!🇺🇸🎓

Congratulations to Mr. Chris Vance on being recently honored at the KMEA Conference for 30 years of dedicated service to music education—all of which have been spent in Garrard County! His impact on our community and GC students is truly appreciated!👏🎶

Congratulations to Hailey Condon on being named the DAR Good Citizen for Garrard County High School!👏

Congratulations to GCHS junior, Madison Durham! 👏🎶 Madison has made it to the final round of the Governor’s School for the Arts auditions for Vocal Music! She will take the next step in this process with a live audition in March. GSA is a highly competitive program that offers 10th and 11th graders a three-week immersive arts experience in the summer, along with incredible scholarship opportunities. We are so proud of Madison and wish her the best in the next round!

Congratulations to our students for being named 1st Place State Winners in the 2024-2025 Kentucky State Daughters of the American Revolution Junior American Contest! Their submissions, including stamp designs, banners, photographs, and more, showcased their talent and creativity. We are proud of their achievement! 👏

Welcome to the GC family, Ms. NaKay Murray! We are excited to have Ms. Murray join us as a Business & Marketing teacher! A Somerset native and Eastern Kentucky University graduate, she has a passion for business and FBLA that started in high school and continues to grow. When she’s not in the classroom, she loves reading, watching scary movies, and spending time with her Great Dane, Zeus! We can’t wait for her to bring her enthusiasm and expertise to our students. Welcome to the Golden Lion family, Ms. Murray! 🦁

Welcome to the GCHS family, Mrs. Carrie Elleman! 🦁👏 We are thrilled to have Mrs. Elleman join us for the 2025-2026 school year! With 20 years of experience working with students with disabilities and a strong connection to Garrard County, she brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to our team. A University of Kentucky, Georgetown College, and University of Louisville graduate, Mrs. Elleman is dedicated to supporting students and helping them succeed. She and her family are proud supporters of the GC Lions, and we can’t wait to see the impact she’ll make at GCHS! A little about Mrs. Elleman: She graduated with a BA in Psychology from the University of Kentucky, a Masters in Learning and Behavior Disorders from Georgetown College and a Masters and Rank 1 in Moderate and Severe Disabilities from the University of Louisville. Her husband, Jon, is a graduate of GCHS and a business owner and coach here in the community. They have three children; Hayden (19), Eva (17) and Grayson (13). They love spending time outdoors and are avid sports fans, especially of the GC Lions and Centre Colonels!

Happy National School Resource Officer Day! 🚔 A huge thank you to Deputy Dave for his dedication to keeping our school safe and building positive relationships with our students. We appreciate all you do for our GCS community! #nationalsroappreciationday

📢 Calling All 10th-12th Grade Student Leaders! Join us for the Kentucky’s Sixth Congressional District Youth Ambassador Leadership Conference at the University of Kentucky Gatton College of Business and Economics! The Kentucky’s Sixth Congressional District Youth Ambassador Leadership Conference will take place on Saturday, March 8, 2025, from 7:45 AM to 12:30 PM at the University of Kentucky’s Gatton College of Business and Economics. This non-partisan, educational experience provides high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors in the Sixth Congressional District with a unique opportunity to hear directly from Kentucky leaders while also serving as ambassadors for their schools. Applications are open until February 20, 2025, and can be found at barr.house.gov.

🗓Save the Date! Garrard County High School Project Graduation is hosting a Mother/Son, Father/Daughter Dance on February 28th from 6:30-8:30PM in the GCHS Cafeteria! Tickets are $12 per couple and $4 for each additional child, with concessions and pictures available for purchase. Any special person can bring an elementary child, and no one will be left out or turned away. Check the flyer for more details!