School Board: Teachers, employees recognized; schools to see new faces in leadership next year
Kelly Cook and Linda Rowh took top honors during award presentations at Tuesday night’s meeting of the Pulaski County School Board.
Several teachers and school employees were recognized during the evening, and personnel changes were approved that will result in a number of new faces at different schools next year.
The board also approved funding for a student-led effort to reduce the use of nicotine devices by county students.
Cook, a teacher at Dublin Middle School, was named the county’s Teacher of the Year. Cook was one of eight teachers who had been named tops at their respective schools.
The other seven top teachers were:
Heather Dawson, Critzer Elementary;
Summer Cox Chong, Dublin Elementary;
Christine Bailey, Pulaski Elementary;
Kim Duncan, Riverlawn Elementary;
Erin Hagar, Snowville Elementary;
Amanda Price, Pulaski Middle, and
Phillip Bird, Pulaski County High.
Rowh, who works at Pulaski Elementary School as a para-professional, was selected as the school system’s top employee. She was one of eight employees who had been named tops at their individual schools.
The other seven top employees were:
Terri Pratt, Critzer Elementary;
Debbie Griffith, Dublin Elementary;
Missie Reese, Riverlawn Elementary;
Cherish Stone, Snowville Elementary;
Cara Smythers, Dublin Middle;
Tina Blevins, Pulaski Middle, and
Carl Baker, Pulaski County High.
In other school personnel developments, Adam Joyce has been named as the first principal of Pulaski County Middle School. Currently principal at Dublin Middle where he has worked for the past five years, Joyce will move next school year to the top job at Pulaski Middle.
In a statement released Wednesday morning on the school system’s Facebook page, it was noted the move to PMS will provide Joyce “the opportunity to establish a working relationship with faculty and staff members from both schools prior to the opening of PCMS. During the upcoming school year Mr. Joyce will be in charge of leading the consolidation effort by coordinating joint faculty meetings, planning collaborative middle school professional development sessions, building a master schedule for PCMS, and overseeing the eventual move from both current middle schools.”
William Atwood, currently leading the school system’s Endeavor program, will replace Joyce at Dublin Middle for the year.
Other changes include:
- Cassie Puckett replacing Nancy Dillon as Assistant Principal at Pulaski Middle.
- Anthony Kidd will become Assistant Principal and replace Atwood at Endeavor.
- Assistant Principal Mike Price will move to an itinerant position between Pulaski and Critzer elementary schools.
- Assistant Principal Angie Clevinger will move to an itinerant position between Riverlawn and Dublin elementary schools.
- Tyler Lundy has been named new band director at Pulaski County High School, replacing Matthew Warnock who resigned.
The School Board heard a presentation from students in Ms. Jenny Anderson’s Criminal Justice class at PCHS on their plan for decreasing student use of nicotine devices.
The students’ plan will involve presentations in each school next year on the dangers of using electronic cigarettes.
Electronic cigarettes simulate the experience of smoking a cigarette. It works by heating a liquid which generates an aerosol, or “vapor,” that is inhaled by the user – commonly referred to as vaping.
According to their presentation, vaping is a growing menace among school students, as early as elementary grades.
The School Board approved a $500 appropriation for use by the students to assist them in the production of campaign materials they will use in their presentations.
By MIKE WILLIAMS, The Patriot