Our Affiliated Project: Jones Fork Elementary School in Mousie, Kentucky

facts about Jones Fork Elementary School:

  • Grades served: Preschool – eighth grade
  • Average enrollment: 185 students
  • Facility description: The original school building now houses the school library. The 1964 addition comprises classrooms, a computer lab and a combined gym/cafeteria.
  • School curriculum: The instruction conforms to the requirements of the Kentucky Core Content.
  • Special Education: Special Education teacher, speech therapy, physical therapy for those in need. Gifted and talented classes are also offered.
  • FRYSC: Our sponsorship program at Jones Fork Elementary School operates through the Family Resource Youth Services Center. “Working to strengthen families,” the FRYSC is an integral part of the school’s outreach to both its students and their families.
  • Nutrition: A nutritious breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack are served daily. Seventy-eight percent of students enrolled at Jones Fork Elementary qualify for the Federal Free and Reduced-Price Meals program.
  • School activities: Basketball, volleyball, cheerleading, STLP, speech and academic teams are offered.

Jones Fork Elementary School is located in Knott County, Kentucky. This region of Kentucky, which features majestic mountains and quiet river valleys, has been home to generations of hardworking coal miners and close-knit families. With the collapse of the coal industry, the region’s poverty and unemployment rates have skyrocketed. For many young boys and girls of this community — who often go without meals on the weekends or shiver in the cold at night during the harsh Appalachian winters — Jones Fork Elementary School serves as a beacon of hope.

The school began as a one-room schoolhouse and was expanded in 1964 to accommodate more children and has been working since then to overcome the common socioeconomic problems that plague Knott County (such as adult illiteracy, school absenteeism, child obesity, and substance abuse). The staff and faculty at the school and the attached Family Resource Youth Services Center (FRYSC) provide educational support for both students and their parents. The combination of a well-rounded academic program and supportive teachers gives these young minds the opportunity for a brighter future.