Union College News Release 8-5-05: Lay Teacher Dena Cole Selected as State Consultant

Lay Teacher Dena Cole Selected as State Consultant

The Knox County School District announced this week that Dena Cole, a teacher at Lay Elementary, has been selected as the new State Middle School Writing Consultant by the Kentucky Department of Education. Cole will begin her new job on September 1st after beginning the school year in Knox County.

Dena Cole is the daughter of Helen and the late Earsel Cole of Hammond and is a 1984 graduate of Knox Central. She holds her bachelors and masters degrees and Rank I certification from Union College and has taught in the county schools for the past 14 years in a variety of capacities, including teaching reading and writing at both Dewitt Elementary and Lay Elementary. Most recently she has been Lay's writing resource teacher for the 4th and 7th grades.

Among her many achievements, Ms. Cole is a National Board Certified Teacher; co-director of the Mountain Writing Project; professional development trainer in conferencing and units of study; developer of standards-based units; trained National Board Certified Teacher Mentor; and is skilled in curriculum alignment and grant writing. She has served as cluster leader at the District and school levels and as the building assessment coordinator at Lay School.

Cole's selection as the State Middle School Writing Consultant is being filled in accordance with a 3-year memorandum of agreement between the State KDE and Knox County Schools. Technically, she remains an employee of the Knox County Board of Education and will be able to return there after her tenure.

Asked about her new job's duties and responsibilities, Cole noted that among other things, she will provide technical assistance, training and professional development to educators across the state in the area of writing/literacy. She will be based in Frankfort and serve on a writing team consisting of the State Elementary and High School Writing Consultants.

"Basically, they expect me to start right in on the job," Cole told a reporter in a recent interview. "That's why they look at all the skills of applicants. However, there's a wonderful support system in the Department of Education. I know it's going to be a challenge, but it's something I wanted to do and I had already spoken to Mr. Sprinkles (the principal at Lay) about applying for a state position."

"I really loved the classroom," Cole noted. "It's just that I was pushed to do so many other things that it led to the development of my skills so that essentially I was out of the classroom."

"How I got all this experience was when I was teaching in the fourth grade, I was asked to be the district cluster leader, and I felt like I needed to push myself to be able to lead those teachers in new techniques in the classrooms. I then went hunting for it, and that's when I started with Mountain Writing Project led by Dr. Charles Whitaker of Eastern Kentucky University and acquired some skills that really helped me and pushed me to helping teachers."

The Knox County Public Schools wish the best to Dena Cole in her new position at the state level. "Our District has been fortunate to have a staff member of Dena Cole's professional caliber," said Supt. Michael Jay Jones. "Students, their families and Dena's colleagues all benefited from her hard work and dedication. We wish her much success in her new job in Frankfort."