The DeKalb County Board of Education Tuesday night adopted a resolution of appreciation honoring professional services staff.
The resolution states ” Whereas, special services critical to the success of children in our schools are provided by professionals who join the efforts of our teaching and administrative staff to help us meet the unique needs of each child; and
Whereas, these professionals including school nurses, guidance counselors, school resource officers, psychologists, speech therapists and others offer an invaluable contribution toward the well being, health and safety of students so that they can learn and grow in a safe and nurturing environment; and
Whereas, our professional service staff helps to build an environment that transitions students from youthful dependence to responsible independence; and
Whereas, this board, our staff and the community rely on these individuals to help guide students in making wise decisions that help them develop and enjoy a healthy lifestyle and practice good citizenship and responsibility; and
Whereas, the Board of Education wishes to honor the commitment and service of special services professionals in our schools and the valuable contribution they make in our schools every day;
Now, therefore, be it resolved, that the DeKalb County Board of Education hereby establishes March 11th,2010 as Professional Services Appreciation Day in all DeKalb County Schools; and
Be it further resolved that, the board expresses heartfelt appreciation and thanks to all who provide special professional services in our school system and encourages each school and community to recognize these individuals on this day for the vital role they play in the success of our school system and in the lives of students.”
In other business the board adopted a policy regarding the selection of a student representative on the board.
The school board may make changes to the policy in a few months after the Tennessee School Boards Association finalizes a proposed policy on the issue..
The proposed policy states that “The DeKalb County Board of Education may select one high school student representative to serve in an advisory position to the Board. This student shall be designated by the DeKalb County High School Principal to serve for one school year. The student representative shall serve without compensation.
Some responsibilities of the DeKalb County Student Representative are as follows:
1.Attend the monthly meeting of the DeKalb County Board of Education
2. Communicate needs including questions, concerns, problems, updates, and suggestions to the Board of Education.
3.Help design a banner for the DeKalb County School System for the TSBA Fall Conference, as per TSBA guidelines, to be presented at the October School Board Meeting.
4.Attend the annual Student Congress on Policies in Education (SCOPE) Conference if funding is available.
DCHS student Megan Sullivan is the current Student Representative on the board.
In his monthly update on personnel, Director Mark Willoughby announced that the following have been employed as substitute teachers: Tayla Turner, Cathleen Humphrey, Amanda Trapp, Meredith Lewis, Kelly Merriman, and Linda Dean.
Retirement/Resignations:
Sharon Anderson, teacher at Smithville Elementary School- retired
Dwayne Cornelius, bus driver
Murinna Herman, custodian at DeKalb Middle School
Jerry Herman, custodian at DeKalb County High School
Leave of Absence:
Tera Mooneyham, Educational Assistant at Smithville Elementary, leave as requested
Linda Parris, teacher at DeKalb County High School, leave as requested
Jenny Elrod, teacher at DeKalb Middle School, leave as requested
Transfers:
LeAnn Frasier, transferred to Library Assistant at Smithville Elementary/Northside Elementary
Neal Brown, transferred to full time bus driver
DCHS Principal Kathy Hendrix briefly reminded parents listening on the radio about the parent teacher conference at DCHS on Thursday, March 11th from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.. Hendrix added that report cards were sent home Tuesday, March 9th so parents are advised to check them.
Board Vice Chairman Kenny Rhody, who presided over Tuesday night’s meeting, thanked those involved in organizing the Project Graduation radiothon last Friday including DCHS teacher Chris Vance, parents Donna Mathis, Kelly Garrett, and Melinda Willoughby, among many others including WJLE. The radiothon raised over $5,300.
Sixth district member Bruce Parsley also commended the DCHS girls basketball team and coach Joe Pat Cope on their success this season, making it as far as the region tournament.
DeKalb West Principal Danny Parkerson, in a brief report to the board, mentioned that the DeKalb West baseball season is now underway, the last game having been played Monday night in Smithville in a loss to Walter J. Baird. He says the team is currently 1-1. Parkerson says the West School is hosting the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) accreditation review committee this week. “We’re learning things from them and they’re taking away things that we do at our school.”
“I’ve had the privilege in the last six weeks of having a principal from one of the Cannon County schools and a school from White County come and visit our school, wanting to see some of the things we’ve been successful for regarding test scores. So academically and athletically we’re on track.”
Sabrina Farler, Assistant Principal at DeKalb Middle School, updated the board on activities at her school. “We had seventeen students about two weeks ago, who went to the History Day Project. They went to the regional and we had seventeen winners. They will be competing at the state level on April 17th. In the exhibit board area we had two different groups. One group placed second including Travis Ferrell, Chase Hoke, and Devin Summers. The third place group included Katelyn Jones and Brittany Wilkerson. In another category, the drama area, the first place group included Lauren Craig, Josh Davidson, Lauren Reed, and Ashley Barnes. We also got second place in this category with Karem Bain, Kelsey Evins, Elizabeth Mason, and Shauna Taylor. We had someone write an essay and he placed third, Jordan Wilkins. We had three who did a documentary and placed third, Cori Jennings, Taylor Cantrell, and Taneah Cantrell.. We also had a student represent DeKalb County at the spelling bee at Belmont University last week and she did a fabulous job. We’re getting geared up for TCAP in about a month.”
Dee Anna Persinger, School Health Coordinator addressed the board about the recent H1N1 clinic. “DeKalb County gave more vaccinations than any of the counties that the Upper Cumberland Regional Health Office worked with. Approximately 400 (vaccinations) were given. We have a tentative date set for April for the second dose. That’ll be about another 100 students who’ll need to receive the second dose. Coordinated School Health sponsored another successful diabetes education class tonight (Tuesday) with the partnership of the hospital and our registered dietician. That is free to the community and it was very successful. We hope to do it again in the fall. There was a diabetic supply representative there tonight who gave out free meters, test supplies, and educational materials to anyone who needed or wanted those. The registered dietician will also be at the high school tomorrow (Wednesday) and we invite you to come from 2:00 p.m. until 2:45 p.m. She will talk to all of our athletic teams about sports nutrition.”
In other business, the school board granted the DCHS Junior Class request for permission to have the prom off campus on April 23rd at Stones River Country Club from 8:00 p.m. until 11:30 p.m..
The board granted permission for the Tigerette Softball Team to participate in the Middle Tennessee Softball Coaches Association Tournament in Clarksville on March 26th. It’s an overnight trip.
Permission was granted for 24 FFA students to attend the state convention in Gatlinburg March 28th-April 1st during spring break.
The board gave permission for 20 FBLA students at DCHS to attend the regional competitions at Cumberland University on March 11th. Permission was also granted for 35 FBLA students to attend the state leadership conference April 18-21 in Chattanooga.
The school board approved executive action taken authorizing the construction of dugouts at the DeKalb West baseball field. Funding for the project was provided by sponsors.
The board also approved a request for a school bus to transport 4-H students to State 4-H Congress. The event will be held March 28th through April 1st in Nashville.
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