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Mr. Underwood is Taylor County Schools' nominee for the statewide SRO of the Year award and will represent us well at the state level!
Officer Underwood has decades of experience in law enforcement and the military. He has served in the Kentucky National Guard, worked for the Kentucky State Police, and worked for the Taylor County Sheriff's Department. We are so fortunate to have an individual with his experience keeping our students and staff safe.
After receiving his award, Officer Underwood shared with the board plans to continue supporting and improving campus safety, including bringing on a K-9 officer and collaborating with other local law enforcement agencies on an advanced camera system.
Congratulations, Mr. Underwood!
Expect greatness from Taylor County Schools!
The announcement was made during a special-called board meeting on Tuesday, April 15, 2025. Mr. Braden will officially assume the role of superintendent on July 1, 2025.
Mr. Braden has an impressive background in education, having served the students and families of Graves County for the past 23 years. He worked at the district level as the Director of Pupil Personnel and previously served as principal of Sedalia Elementary for sixteen years. Before becoming an administrator, he taught in the classroom at the elementary level.
Mr. Braden earned his Master of Arts in Education and School Administration from Murray State University and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education.
Mr. Braden and his wife, Whitney, have been married since 2002 and they have two daughters, Madisyn and Makenna.
“Being selected as the next Superintendent of Taylor County Schools is a great honor and one I don’t take lightly,” said Mr. Braden. “I’m looking forward to getting to know the students, staff, parents, and community. As a team, we will continue to set high expectations and work together to help all students succeed.”
David Hall, Taylor County Schools Board Chairman said, “We look forward to new ideas borne from his fresh perspective, as well as to be a spark of fresh inspiration from those ready and waiting to continue academic growth at all levels as he sinks his roots into our winning culture of the highest expectations for all that we undertake.”
Mr. Hall also said, “As the next Superintendent of Taylor County Schools Mr. Braden will embody the ‘CAN DO’ servant leadership that every district wants at the helm. All who meet him will be blessed by his humility and his desire to whistle while he works. He is passionate about intently listening while effectively leading and is itching to begin rolling up his sleeves and collaborating every day while leading Taylor County Schools. Together, as a district, we always strive for greatness in academics, agriculture arts and music, and athletics. Robert will help us to lead in the next chapters and to fulfill our promise of winning at all things with humble grace.”
We are excited for our stakeholders to join us in welcoming Mr. Braden to our district and community and we are honored that he will soon be embarking on a journey with his family to make our community their home. Mr. Hall said, “We introduce him as we welcome his family with the feeling as if his spirit was always born to walk among us.”
Plans for a meet and greet will be announced at a later time.
Expect greatness from Taylor County Schools!
Instead of spending their junior and senior years in traditional high schools, students enroll in The Gatton Academy and live in a uniquely dedicated Gatton Academy residence hall.
Taking courses offered by WKU, their classmates are fellow Gatton Academy students and WKU undergraduate students. At the end of two years, Gatton Academy students will have earned between sixty and seventy-two college credit hours in addition to completing high school. Academy graduates may choose to stay at WKU or transfer to other universities to complete their bachelor's degrees.
After hearing about The Gatton Academy from his math teacher, Mr. Long, Ismail set out to take challenging courses, get more involved in extracurricular activities, and signed up for the ACT in order to prepare for the application process. When asked what he is most looking forward to about attending, he said he is "really excited about being able to pursue higher level math and science" and is looking forward to the research opportunities. Ismail explained he is also "eager to be surrounded by like-minded (and at the same time, diverse) individuals who share my passions."
While he doesn't know what his future plans are, Ismail is hoping that The Gatton Academy will give him the opportunity to explore many new things because "it will allow me to learn and do things I wouldn't be able to at a normal [high] school." Students who attend The Gatton Academy can participate in their home school's extracurricular activities; Ismail "plans on still participating in TCHS clubs and activities, especially Academic Team" and joked that it would be "unfair if Gatton had their own [Academic Team]."
The entire staff at Taylor County Schools is proud of and ecstatic for Ismail to embark on this journey!
Expect greatness from Taylor County High School students!!
Instead of spending their junior and senior years in traditional high schools, students enroll in The Gatton Academy and live in a uniquely dedicated Gatton Academy residence hall.
Taking courses offered by WKU, their classmates are fellow Gatton Academy students and WKU undergraduate students. At the end of two years, Gatton Academy students will have earned between sixty and seventy-two college credit hours in addition to completing high school. Academy graduates may choose to stay at WKU or transfer to other universities to complete their bachelor's degrees.
After hearing about The Gatton Academy from his math teacher, Mr. Long, Ismail set out to take challenging courses, get more involved in extracurricular activities, and signed up for the ACT in order to prepare for the application process. When asked what he is most looking forward to about attending, he said he is "really excited about being able to pursue higher level math and science" and is looking forward to the research opportunities. Ismail explained he is also "eager to be surrounded by like-minded (and at the same time, diverse) individuals who share my passions."
While he doesn't know what his future plans are, Ismail is hoping that The Gatton Academy will give him the opportunity to explore many new things because "it will allow me to learn and do things I wouldn't be able to at a normal [high] school." Students who attend The Gatton Academy can participate in their home school's extracurricular activities; Ismail "plans on still participating in TCHS clubs and activities, especially Academic Team" and joked that it would be "unfair if Gatton had their own [Academic Team]."
The entire staff at Taylor County Schools is proud of and ecstatic for Ismail to embark on this journey!
Expect greatness from Taylor County High School students!!
Students will attend school on Friday, April 18, AND Friday, April 25, 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 3:00 𝑷𝑴. Students will follow the normal Monday through Thursday schedule on both of these Fridays.
The last day of school will now be Thursday, May 22, 2025, for all students. Graduation dates and activities will NOT change.
With the changes listed above, our students will meet the required instructional time set forth by the Kentucky Department of Education, the same as we do each year.