Our June 4th Community Book Club Selection is "Bluegrass: A True Story of Murder in Kentucky!"
Request your FREE copy here and we will email when it is available for pickup: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfaMwyU_47JtdP8sDU4ITMrkA-pFtinCKpTrzvTjmo_mUJLuA/viewform?usp=dialog
A shocking investigation into a true crime that tore a town apart—the violent murder of a young coed in Kentucky, the innocent boy who was jailed for the crime, and a small Southern community filled with haunting, unforgettable characters.
Katie Autry was a foster child from a tiny village in Kentucky; a little awkward, but always with the biggest smile on her high school cheerleading squad. In September 2002, she matriculated as a freshman at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, majoring in the dental program. She worked days at the smoothie shop, nights at the local strip club, and fell in love with a football player who wouldn’t date her. On the morning of May 4, 2003, Katie Autry was raped, stabbed, sprayed with hairspray, and set on fire in her own dormitory room.
In telling the true story of this shocking crime, William Van Meter describes the devastation of not one but three families. Two young men are jailed for the crime: DNA evidence places Stephen Soules, an unemployed, mixed-race high school dropout, at the scene; and Lucas Goodrum, a twenty-one-year-old pot dealer with an ex-wife, a girlfriend still in high school, and a history of domestic abuse, is held by an ever-changing confession. The friends of the suspects and the foster and birth families of the victim form complex and warring social nets that are cast across town. And a small southern community, populated by eccentrics of every socioeconomic class, from dirt-poor to millionaire, responds to the horror.
With the keen eye of a talented young journalist returning to his southern roots, Van Meter paints a vivid portrait of the town, the characters who fill it, and the simmering class conflicts that made an injustice like this not only possible, but inevitable. Like Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Bluegrass is redolent with atmosphere, dark tension, and lush landscapes.
Request your FREE copy here and we will email when it is available for pickup: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfaMwyU_47JtdP8sDU4ITMrkA-pFtinCKpTrzvTjmo_mUJLuA/viewform?usp=dialog
A shocking investigation into a true crime that tore a town apart—the violent murder of a young coed in Kentucky, the innocent boy who was jailed for the crime, and a small Southern community filled with haunting, unforgettable characters.
Katie Autry was a foster child from a tiny village in Kentucky; a little awkward, but always with the biggest smile on her high school cheerleading squad. In September 2002, she matriculated as a freshman at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, majoring in the dental program. She worked days at the smoothie shop, nights at the local strip club, and fell in love with a football player who wouldn’t date her. On the morning of May 4, 2003, Katie Autry was raped, stabbed, sprayed with hairspray, and set on fire in her own dormitory room.
In telling the true story of this shocking crime, William Van Meter describes the devastation of not one but three families. Two young men are jailed for the crime: DNA evidence places Stephen Soules, an unemployed, mixed-race high school dropout, at the scene; and Lucas Goodrum, a twenty-one-year-old pot dealer with an ex-wife, a girlfriend still in high school, and a history of domestic abuse, is held by an ever-changing confession. The friends of the suspects and the foster and birth families of the victim form complex and warring social nets that are cast across town. And a small southern community, populated by eccentrics of every socioeconomic class, from dirt-poor to millionaire, responds to the horror.
With the keen eye of a talented young journalist returning to his southern roots, Van Meter paints a vivid portrait of the town, the characters who fill it, and the simmering class conflicts that made an injustice like this not only possible, but inevitable. Like Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Bluegrass is redolent with atmosphere, dark tension, and lush landscapes.
Adults of 8th graders through 11th graders, check out this opportunity for your child to attend Scrubs Camp:
https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.surveymonkey.com%2Fr%2Fscrubscamp2026&data=05%7C02%7Cjaime.grace%40kctcs.edu%7Cfe9692ab84db46e26b3008de957c97ba%7Cf2e339511ec44c72b2bfa4f4671d64af%7C0%7C0%7C639112559545012526%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=pKtOp6d%2Flh6ipdI%2BpmA9Z4xGiYxTLlIlW2%2Bq90ofxvA%3D&reserved=0
https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.surveymonkey.com%2Fr%2Fscrubscamp2026&data=05%7C02%7Cjaime.grace%40kctcs.edu%7Cfe9692ab84db46e26b3008de957c97ba%7Cf2e339511ec44c72b2bfa4f4671d64af%7C0%7C0%7C639112559545012526%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=pKtOp6d%2Flh6ipdI%2BpmA9Z4xGiYxTLlIlW2%2Bq90ofxvA%3D&reserved=0
Students in Biomedical Science: Human Body Systems class (7th period) used EKG sensors to record their heart's electrical activity.
Students in Biomedical Science: Human Body Systems class (6th period) used EKG sensors to record their heart's electrical activity.
📚 Join Us for Community Book Club! 📚
We’re excited to invite everyone to our Community Book Club meeting tomorrow at 6:00 PM in the PHS Library!
This month’s selection, They All Fall the Same, will spark great conversation—and we’re taking it to the next level…
✨ We will have the incredible opportunity to meet the author, Wes Browne, in person! ✨
Come ready to discuss, ask questions, and enjoy an evening celebrating reading and community. We hope to see you there!
#CommunityBookClub #PHSReads #MeetTheAuthor
Because Paintsville High School uses Dave Ramsey’s Personal Finance curriculum for our students' financial literacy course, our school community has access to FREE live online financial courses!
Take advantage of this great opportunity to build your financial knowledge and skills.
👉 Click here to view this month’s course offerings and register:
https://events.zoom.us/ev/AiwVtJdhvPpcpGYJzGCnSYfFU6EVm9r1GkWhdYVlgbyWENAoKGg3~AsTVxipKKbNiyjBNhPkyR1PYt2oE9T9H4PcIZjtXSkp1jFrIevz11kJCOA
Feel free to share with family and friends!
Take advantage of this great opportunity to build your financial knowledge and skills.
👉 Click here to view this month’s course offerings and register:
https://events.zoom.us/ev/AiwVtJdhvPpcpGYJzGCnSYfFU6EVm9r1GkWhdYVlgbyWENAoKGg3~AsTVxipKKbNiyjBNhPkyR1PYt2oE9T9H4PcIZjtXSkp1jFrIevz11kJCOA
Feel free to share with family and friends!
April lunch menu!
Paintsville High School is proud to announce that sophomore Olivia Sorrell has been selected as a 2026 Rogers Scholar! 🎉 Olivia is among an elite group of students from across Eastern and Southern Kentucky chosen for the prestigious Rogers Scholars program through the Center for Rural Development. This highly competitive program is designed for outstanding sophomores who demonstrate strong leadership potential and a commitment to their communities. As a Rogers Scholar, Olivia will participate in an intensive, week-long summer experience focused on leadership development, teamwork, and career exploration in fields such as healthcare, engineering, and entrepreneurship.  In addition to gaining valuable real-world skills and connections, Rogers Scholars become eligible for exclusive college scholarship opportunities at participating universities—opening doors for future success.  We are incredibly proud of Olivia for this outstanding achievement and know she will represent Paintsville with excellence! #TigerPride #RogersScholars #FutureLeader
We are so very proud to celebrate Paintsville Junior High 8th grader, Kadie Jarrell, on her acceptance into the prestigious Rogers Explorers program!
Rogers Explorers provides an incredible opportunity for Kentucky students to spend a week on a college campus, where they engage in hands-on learning, career exploration, and leadership development. Through this experience, students build confidence, develop communication and teamwork skills, and connect with peers from across the state—all while getting a glimpse of college life.
Kadie’s selection reflects her hard work, character, and potential as a future leader. We can’t wait to see all she accomplishes through this amazing opportunity!
Congratulations, Kadie—we are so proud of you! 🎉
🚀 Big congratulations to PHS Junior Heidi Vanhoose on her acceptance into the prestigious SpaceTrek 2026 program at Morehead State University!
SpaceTrek is a highly selective, two-week residential summer program focused on space systems engineering, where students work alongside experts to design and carry out real-world aerospace missions.
Heidi will have the incredible opportunity to engage in hands-on STEM experiences, collaborate with peers, and explore future careers in aerospace and engineering during this immersive program held on MSU’s campus this summer.
We are so proud of Heidi for representing Paintsville High School and taking her talents to new heights—literally! 🌟✈️
#TigerPride #PHSExcellence #STEM #SpaceTrek #FutureEngineer
Our Community Book Club selection to be discussed at our May 7th meeting will be "A Dark Room in Glitter Ball City." You are welcome to download an e-version but if you'd like a FREE paper copy, please fill out this short request form by March 27th. It will be available to pick up on April 9 (or earlier) in the PHS office.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfaMwyU_47JtdP8sDU4ITMrkA-pFtinCKpTrzvTjmo_mUJLuA/viewform
About the Book:
The inspiration for HBO's Murder in Glitter Ball City
This true crime saga—with an eccentric Southern backdrop—introduces the reader to the story of a murder in a crumbling Louisville mansion and the decades of secrets and corruption that live within the old house’s walls.
On June 18, 2010, police discover a body buried in the wine cellar of a Victorian mansion in Old Louisville. James Carroll, shot and stabbed the year before, has lain for 7 months in a plastic storage bin—his temporary coffin. Homeowner Jeffrey Mundt and his boyfriend, Joseph Banis, point the finger at each other in what locals dub The Pink Triangle Murder.
On the surface, this killing appears to be a crime of passion, a sordid love tryst gone wrong in a creepy old house. But as author David Dominé sits in on the trials, a deeper story emerges: the struggle between hope for a better future on the one hand and the privilege and power of the status quo on the other.
As the court testimony devolves into he-said/he-said contradictions, David draws on the confidences of neighbors and other acquaintances within the city's vibrant community to piece together the details of the case. While uncovering the many past lives of the mansion itself, he enters a murky underworld of gossip, neighborhood scandal, and intrigue.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfaMwyU_47JtdP8sDU4ITMrkA-pFtinCKpTrzvTjmo_mUJLuA/viewform
About the Book:
The inspiration for HBO's Murder in Glitter Ball City
This true crime saga—with an eccentric Southern backdrop—introduces the reader to the story of a murder in a crumbling Louisville mansion and the decades of secrets and corruption that live within the old house’s walls.
On June 18, 2010, police discover a body buried in the wine cellar of a Victorian mansion in Old Louisville. James Carroll, shot and stabbed the year before, has lain for 7 months in a plastic storage bin—his temporary coffin. Homeowner Jeffrey Mundt and his boyfriend, Joseph Banis, point the finger at each other in what locals dub The Pink Triangle Murder.
On the surface, this killing appears to be a crime of passion, a sordid love tryst gone wrong in a creepy old house. But as author David Dominé sits in on the trials, a deeper story emerges: the struggle between hope for a better future on the one hand and the privilege and power of the status quo on the other.
As the court testimony devolves into he-said/he-said contradictions, David draws on the confidences of neighbors and other acquaintances within the city's vibrant community to piece together the details of the case. While uncovering the many past lives of the mansion itself, he enters a murky underworld of gossip, neighborhood scandal, and intrigue.
PES’s Critical Needs teacher, Mrs. Rachael Spradlin, partnered with PHS’s 3-D Printing Class for a truly meaningful project!
Our talented high school students designed and created tactile communication tiles to support Mrs. Spradlin’s students. These 3-D printed tiles feature raised symbols and textures to help students communicate their wants, needs, emotions, and daily activities through touch.
The tiles are durable and thoughtfully designed to meet individual student needs — promoting independence and confident participation in the classroom.
We are so proud of this collaboration between PES and PHS. It’s a wonderful example of students using real-world STEM skills to make a real difference right here in our district. 💙
#DistrictPride #StudentSuccess #STEMinAction
PHS is proud of our math team! 📊
Amanda Baker and Eryn Workman are representing us at the Kentucky Center for Mathematics Conference in Lexington. They’re learning innovative instructional strategies, problem-based learning techniques, and new ways to use data to strengthen student achievement in math.
We are grateful for educators who continue to grow so they can bring their best back to our classrooms!
Amanda Baker and Eryn Workman are representing us at the Kentucky Center for Mathematics Conference in Lexington. They’re learning innovative instructional strategies, problem-based learning techniques, and new ways to use data to strengthen student achievement in math.
We are grateful for educators who continue to grow so they can bring their best back to our classrooms!
Our Clay’s Quilt discussion is tonight at 6:00 PM! 📚
We’re so looking forward to gathering again for great conversation, snacks, and a little time to connect.
Join us in the PHS Library at 6:00 PM. Childcare is provided — we hope to see you there! Park in the 3rd street lot and enter through the double doors by the main office.
We’re so looking forward to gathering again for great conversation, snacks, and a little time to connect.
Join us in the PHS Library at 6:00 PM. Childcare is provided — we hope to see you there! Park in the 3rd street lot and enter through the double doors by the main office.
🎉 Eighth Graders--FREE PSAT 8/9 Math Review Session – March 11! 🎉
8th graders are invited to attend a FREE review session for the PSAT 8/9. There will be food, drinks, and prizes! Any 8th grader who increases their PSAT 8/9 math score by 70 points from last year or meets the 430 benchmark will receive a $50 check so make sure to attend the review session!
📌 See the flyer for full details.
📣 PSAT 8/9 – March 12 📣
Our 8th grade students will be taking the PSAT 8/9 on March 12. This is a great opportunity for students to show their growth and academic progress!
💰 Incentive Opportunity:
Any 8th grader who increases their Math score by 70 points from last year OR earns a 430 Math benchmark score will receive a $50 check!
This incentive is made possible through funding from our 6th–8th grade math teachers’ participation in the Access to Algebra program. We are proud of the hard work our teachers and students have put in, and we’re excited to reward student growth and achievement!
Let’s get prepared, stay focused, and show what you’ve learned! 💪📚
8th graders are invited to attend a FREE review session for the PSAT 8/9. There will be food, drinks, and prizes! Any 8th grader who increases their PSAT 8/9 math score by 70 points from last year or meets the 430 benchmark will receive a $50 check so make sure to attend the review session!
📌 See the flyer for full details.
📣 PSAT 8/9 – March 12 📣
Our 8th grade students will be taking the PSAT 8/9 on March 12. This is a great opportunity for students to show their growth and academic progress!
💰 Incentive Opportunity:
Any 8th grader who increases their Math score by 70 points from last year OR earns a 430 Math benchmark score will receive a $50 check!
This incentive is made possible through funding from our 6th–8th grade math teachers’ participation in the Access to Algebra program. We are proud of the hard work our teachers and students have put in, and we’re excited to reward student growth and achievement!
Let’s get prepared, stay focused, and show what you’ve learned! 💪📚
April's Community Book Club selection "They All Fall the Same" by central KY author Wes Browne and the discussion guide will be available for pickup from 6-7:45 pm on Thursday, March 4th in the PHS library. Anyone who is unable to grab the book at that time can stop by the PHS office during normal school hours of 8am to 3pm from Friday on. Our discussion meeting will be April 9 at 6pm!
FREE copies were ordered for these folks who responded to the interest form. If you didn't get to respond for a free copy, you are welcome to download the ebook or order your own and participate in our April 9th discussion meeting:
M. Bell
D. Burchett
C. Salyer
M. Stambaugh
J. Copley
N. Crum
S Belhasen
A. Hignite
N. Caudill
J. Stepp
A. King
R. Arms
J. Delong
C. Messer
A. Lemaster
A. Conley
K. Reed
L. Murray
S. Woods
P. Thomas
C. Reed
N. Hill
L. Moore
J. Luster
K. Tackett
FREE copies were ordered for these folks who responded to the interest form. If you didn't get to respond for a free copy, you are welcome to download the ebook or order your own and participate in our April 9th discussion meeting:
M. Bell
D. Burchett
C. Salyer
M. Stambaugh
J. Copley
N. Crum
S Belhasen
A. Hignite
N. Caudill
J. Stepp
A. King
R. Arms
J. Delong
C. Messer
A. Lemaster
A. Conley
K. Reed
L. Murray
S. Woods
P. Thomas
C. Reed
N. Hill
L. Moore
J. Luster
K. Tackett
We are happy to welcome back our Clay's Quilt book club members for our discussion, snacks, and fun this Thursday at 6pm in the PHS library! Child care will be provided and we will use this book club guide: https://www.readinggroupguides.com/reviews/clays-quilt/guide
🚌 School Bus Driver Appreciation Day – February 22, 2026 🚌
Today, we celebrate the dedicated individuals who safely transport our students each day — our wonderful school bus drivers! They ensure our students arrive safely and help start and end the school day on a positive note.
Their commitment to safety and reliability for our kids does not go unnoticed. We are incredibly thankful for the important role they play in supporting our school community.
If you see one of our drivers, be sure to let them know how much they are appreciated!
#SchoolBusDriverAppreciationDay #ThankYouDrivers
Today, we celebrate the dedicated individuals who safely transport our students each day — our wonderful school bus drivers! They ensure our students arrive safely and help start and end the school day on a positive note.
Their commitment to safety and reliability for our kids does not go unnoticed. We are incredibly thankful for the important role they play in supporting our school community.
If you see one of our drivers, be sure to let them know how much they are appreciated!
#SchoolBusDriverAppreciationDay #ThankYouDrivers
Paintsville High School students attended the Morehead State University Nursing Department Nursing Showcase today! Students participated in a variety of interactive learning stations, including Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), staple removal, vital signs assessment, heart and lung sounds, empathy bellies, and drunk goggles.
It was a hands-on, engaging experience that gave our students a closer look at careers in nursing and healthcare. Thank you to MSU for providing such an informative and impactful day! 💙🩺
Part 4
