Sean Reeder, Henry County Public Schools (HCPS) psychologist, said he knew he didn’t want to be a teacher, but that he wanted to find a way to invest in future generations as many had invested in him during his education.

“At any point in my educational career from elementary school through college, I can name specific teachers, counselors, principals, etc. that invested, encouraged, and pushed me to make it to the next level. Without those individuals, I do not believe I would be the person I am today,” Reeder said. “I had an interest in psychology from a high school class so when I took psychology courses in college and as I learned more about the field of school psychology, it seemed like an appropriate fit.”

Six years after taking on the role of school psychologist for HCPS, Reeder’s choice was validated when he earned the 2019 Regional Best Practice Award for the Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative (OVEC) through the Kentucky Association for Psychology in the Schools. OVEC is comprised of 15 districts, and Reeder recently represented the organization as its regional winner and as one of the eight regional candidates for the state award. Reeder said that he was both humbled and surprised to learn of his award.

The Henry County High School Marching Band recently wrapped up one of its most successful competition seasons in recent history. At the final competition, the Mid-States Band Association Championships, the Wildcats earned a spot in the finals by placing tenth in a group of 27 bands after preliminaries, then moved up into eighth place after finals. The band also placed fifth in the category of music performance, fourth in percussion and third in color guard – all to the absolute delight of the members and staff.

“It was a huge deal for the kids to end our season on such a high note,” said Color Guard Director Johnathan Rogers. “To compete in Mid-States for the first time and be a finalist group and then improve on the performance that night? We were on cloud nine.”

“The kids really stepped up and had their best performance of the year despite the weather,” added Assistant Director Andy Edelen, making note of the cold and rainy conditions on the day of competition. “I've been impressed by their hunger and drive to get better throughout the season.”

Director Chip Anderson points to the band’s dedication and hours of hard work as primary factors to the successful season.