Wayne County Schools - Wayne County Board of Education

July 2014 – Issue 7
Wayne County Schools
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SUMMER EDITION
Wayne County voters approve bond proposal,
Construction scheduled to start in the fall
Wayne County voters
approved the $18 million bond
measure proposed by the
Wayne County Board of
Education in the May 13
Primary Election.
The results were 4,192 for
and 3,265 against.
The passage of the bond
means Wayne County will
receive an additional $18
million from the West Virginia
School Building Authority to
help construct a new CeredoKenova Elementary, Crum
PK8 and provide renovations
to Wayne High School.
Wayne County Schools
also will pitch in $6.2 toward
the total cost of $42.2 million.
Following board approval in
June, the next step is for bond
counsel to put the bonds out for
bid in late August or early
September, at which time, the
board of education will vote on
which bid – usually the one
with the lowest interest rate –
to accept.
Bonds will not be sold if
rates are higher than 6.5
percent. Tax increase estimates,
based on that rate, are online at
wayneschoolswv.org.
Once bonds are sold, the
published rates will reflect the
actual interest rate.
Projects
Wayne HS: Construction is expected to
start in the fall to add classrooms and
restrooms, new entrance and office complex
and enclose the open concourse that exists
between buildings. Estimated completion
time is eight months.
Ceredo-Kenova Elementary: The
first phase of the project is the demolition
of the former C-K High School, which will
likely take place this summer. Construction
on the new school would start in spring
2015. The school would open in August
2017.
Crum PK8: Wayne County School Board
members still must work with the
community to determine a location, but
construction needs to start in spring 2015 so
it will be ready to open in August 2017.
Inside:
High school students to receive laptop devices,
page 2
Busy summer: maintenance, school and
feeding, page 3
Meet the new board members, page 4
Prichard/Tolsia collaborate on Chicken Coop
project, page 5
SVHS CTE Center honored, page 6
Teachers complete program, page 6
Superintendent Lynn Hurt agreed to remain at the helm as interim
superintendent, starting July 1. It’s a one-year contract, but she said
she’ll step down when the superintendent search is completed after
the three new board members take office in July and join
incumbents Joann Hurley and Vickey Boyd.
Page 1
Elementary schools host kindergarten transition
camp, page 7
Students, staff attend national events, page 7
Wayne County Schools – Issue 7 – July 2014
Wayne County investing in one-to-one technology
Wayne County Schools is making a major
investment in technology, spending about
$600,000 for nearly 1,300 tablets – one for
every ninth- and 10th-grade student.
The devices will be used primarily for Math
I and II courses, with the curriculum and all
worksheets downloaded onto the devices.
Students will then be able to complete work or
review text from anywhere, without the need
for Internet access.
Superintendent Lynn Hurt and Board
President Joann Hurley expressed excitement
with the transition, which will negate the need
to print about 2 million pages of curriculum
and worksheets for students. More importantly,
it provides education using a medium students
are comfortable with.
Teachers have questions, but they also are
looking forward to the changes that will take
place in their classrooms.
“It’s exciting to move into new tech-based
curriculum,” said Courtney Parsons, who
teaches Math II at Spring Valley High School.
“It’s taking us to newer types of learning,
which is going to be great for the kids.”
The tablets come with detachable keyboards
and include a tracking unit and pre-loaded
Internet filter to meet State Policy for student
computing. The cost also includes an extended
warranty to cover most problems which might
occur with normal use.
Orientations for students and parents have
been scheduled in late July for each high
school. The orientations will include an
overview of the transition, use of the devices
and expectations of students. Students and
parents will be required to sign an “Acceptable
Use” policy and the “1:1: Notebook Use
Acceptance Form.”
The devices will be returned at the end of
the school year to be serviced and then returned
to the student the following school year.
Wayne County Schools plans to purchase
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devices for incoming freshmen each year.
The orientation schedule includes July 28,
Wayne; July 29, Spring Valley; and July 31,
Tolsia. Incoming freshmen will report at 5
p.m., and sophomores will report at 7 p.m.
Though the initial phase of this project
includes Math I and II, the ultimate goal is
for core subject curricula content to be
available on these devices, thus saving
money via textbook purchases or extensive
printing and reducing the burden on students
having to carry several pounds of textbooks
each day.
The current Math I and II curriculum was
designed by Wayne County math teachers to
better align with the state standards.
Orientation Schedule
Wayne High:
Monday, July 28
Spring Valley:
Tuesday, July 29
Tolsia High:
Thursday, July 31
5 p.m. for freshmen
7 p.m. for sophomores
*Parents/guardians must attend
Wayne County Schools – Issue 7 – July 2014
Summer Feeding Across the County
Prichard is one of several W.Va. Success Schools named a
High
Progress
RewardSchools
School, identified
as those
in the top
Wayne
County
hosted
a Summer
10 percent of schools ranked by growth in the state’s
Feeding
Program
at schools throughout the
Accountability
Index.
county.
Community members 18 years of age and
younger, regardless of economic status,
were able to get breakfast or lunch at no
cost. The program ran through July 3.
Students make up classes in Summer School
About 100 Wayne County high school
students and a few middle school students
dedicated their time in June and early July to
recover credit in summer school.
Students attended half-day sessions four
days a week for five weeks at Tolsia High
School, Vinson Middle and Wayne Middle to
recover credit in such classes as math, English
and science.
Wayne County uses PLATO, an online
program that allows students to work at their
own pace, to make up the classes they earned
D’s and F’s in. Students could test out after
reaching certain milestones.
Summer Maintenance Taking Place at Schools
Summer maintenance is taking
place across the county, including
roofs at Prichard, Genoa and
Dunlow elementary schools,
covered walkway at East Lynn
Elementary and interior/exterior
painting at Ceredo-Kenova Middle
School, among others.
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Wayne County Schools Newsletter – Issue 7 – July 2014
Meet the New School Board Members
Lois Little – Butler District
Lives in: Fort Gay
Career: Retired as executive
secretary from Wayne County
BOE after 33 years of service.
She is married with two
children, a step-daughter and
two granddaughters.
Johnita Jackson – Union District
Lives in: Wayne
Career: Retired as executive
secretary to the superintendent
and 34 years of service.
She is married with two
daughters, a son and three
grandchildren.
Trey Morrone – Ceredo District
Lives in: Kenova
Career: Practicing attorney for
past 26 years, substitute teacher
in Wayne County for 10 years,
former city attorney and mayor
of Kenova.
He is married and has three
children.
Saying Good-Bye … Adkins, Pennington, Dean take part in final BOE Meeting
Three of the members of the Wayne County Board
of Education bid farewell after the June 17 meeting.
Rob Pennington, the vice president of the board,
Darik Adkins and Christopher Dean did not seek reelection this year. Pennington and Adkins each
served four-year terms, while Dean was appointed in
the fall of 2012, following the resignation of former
board president Katie Carey.
They all expressed feelings of satisfaction for the
work that's been accomplished, especially after the
2012 bond proposal was overwhelmingly defeated by
voters.
Not only did a second bond receive approval from
voters on May 13, 2014, but they cited other major
decisions they hope have a positive impact on the
students of Wayne County. That included recent
approval to purchase nearly 1,300 tablet devices for
all freshmen and sophomores, and the June 17 vote
to provide free breakfast and lunch to students
throughout the county.
Page 4
Christopher Dean, Darik Adkins and Rob
Pennington (back row from left) served their
final meeting on June 17, with Superintendent
Lynn Hurt (left), board member Vickey Boyd
and board president Joann Hurley.
Wayne County Schools Newsletter – Issue 7 – July 2014
Prichard-Tolsia Partnership Results in
Chicken Coop Project
It was a fun-filled, dress-down day at
Prichard Elementary as the school’s new
chicken coop was dedicated during an
afternoon ceremony in May.
The event included speeches by
Principal Stephanie McCloud and several
students; Superintendent Lynn Hurt; and
Tolsia High carpentry instructor Hugh
Roberts, whose students built the coop.
McCloud and her students told the
crowd, which included central office
personnel, parents and local officials,
about how the school worked together
on the student-led project.
Following the speakers, students took
the 28 recently-hatched chickens on a
parade from the school to the new coop;
then painted the coop and built nesting
boxes with the Tolsia students.
McCloud said credit goes completely
to the students, who had the idea,
conducted the research, built model
chicken coops and watched over the
incubator until the chicks hatched.
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Wayne County Schools Newsletter – Issue 7 – July 2014
Spring Valley High School CTE Center honored by WVDE
Spring Valley High School and its Career and
Technical Education Center was honored by the West
Virginia Department of Education on May 7.
The school was named a Premier Career
Technical Site, based on exemplary student
achievement levels in all measurable career technical
education categories. It’s one of only three in the
state out more than 40 CTE centers to receive the
award.
Kathy D’Antoni, the Associate Superintendent of
Schools for West Virginia, presented the award
during an assembly in the school’s auditorium.
“You’re receiving the award because of the
students,” she said during the assembly, which was
attended by all the CTE students. “You understand
why it’s important to get an education.”
The award also included a $1,000 check to be
used for the CTE center.
Spring Valley Principal Steve Morris said the
state recognition means a lot for the school,
considering how poorly rated the CTE program was
when he came on board seven years ago.
He said the quick turnaround was aided by Sandra
Pertee, the director of Career and Technical
Education for Wayne County Schools, and Clinton
Burch, who was the CTE principal at Spring Valley
before taking a position with the West Virginia Department
of Education in 2012.
“You went from last to first in the state,” Morris said to a
thunderous applause from the students. Pertee told the
students how proud she is of them, saying they’ve brought a
lot of pride and respect to Spring Valley High School and
Wayne County.
“You are a model for others to follow,” she said.
Two recognized for completion of Transition to Teaching program
Two Wayne County teachers
were recognized at the June 3
board meeting for completing
the state’s Transition to
Teaching pilot program.
Abigail Maynard and Bruce
Justice were among the first
group in West Virginia to
complete the intense, two-year
program. Justice is a special
education teacher at Crum
Middle School, and Maynard
will be teaching general science
at Spring Valley High School
after spending the past two
years at Wayne Middle School.
The Title II, federallyfunded programs aims at
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helping college graduates into
the classroom. But participants
must meet high standards,
including the Praxis test and
additional hours of professional
development. But the state
provides mentoring and
support.
Twenty-two counties and
106 participants took part in the
pilot program.
For more information about
West Virginia’s Transition to
Teaching program, visit
http://wvde.state.wv.us/transitio
ntoteaching/.
Wayne County Schools Newsletter – Issue 7 – July 2014
Elementary Schools Host Kindergarten Transition Camps
Several Wayne County
elementary schools are
hosting kindergarten
transition camps this
summer, leading up to
the start of the 2014-2015
school year on Aug. 5.
The June camps
included Wayne,
Kellogg, Kenova and
Genoa.
In July, Fort Gay PK8,
Buffalo and Lavalette
elementary schools also
will host the programs,
held in partnership with
Playmates Child
Development Centers.
Tammy Thompson, a
kindergarten teacher at
Kellogg Elementary, who
led a Kinder College
class again this summer,
said it truly makes a
difference.
“It’s a wonderful
experience for them
because it gets them
used to the building and
routines,” Thompson said.
“And it helps us get to
know the kids.”
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Even parents got
into the act. At
Kenova’s Kinder
College, parent
workshops were held,
providing fun activities
and tips for helping
their child transition
well to kindergarten.
That included
coloring piggy banks
as a way to talk with
their kids about
counting money.
Wayne County Schools – Issue 7 – July 2014
Wayne County schools raise funds for
American Heart Association
Schools in Wayne County raised more than $36,000 during
the 2013-2014 school year through Jump Rope for Heart and
Hoops for Heart events.
Because of the participation, Wayne County schools
earned $1,700 in U.S. Games gift certificates for physical
education equipment. Schools also received jump ropes,
jump rope skills kits and basketball.
All of the school received education kits, which contain
lesson plans and posters.
Here’s a roundup of the money each school raised this
past year.
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Buffalo Elementary: $7,590.58
Ceredo Elementary: $450
Ceredo-Kenova Middle: $2,058
Crum Middle: $121.86
Dunlow Elementary: $522
Fort Gay PK8: $2,785.55
Genoa Elementary: $150
Kellogg Elementary: $7,529.17
Kenova Elementary: $2,551.25
Prichard Elementary: $1,509
Spring Valley High: $2,246.15
Vinson Middle: $1,722
Wayne Elementary: $2,209
Wayne High: $893.50
Wayne Middle: $4,113.02
A retirement luncheon was held June 19 for four central office administrators who have
given more than 100 years of service to Wayne County Schools during their collective
careers. Superintendent Lynn Hurt signed a one-year interim contract and will stay until the
new board hired a new superintendent.
Kevin Smith, the director of secondary schools and Dinah Ledbetter, director of professional
personnel (right), will finish their careers on July 31. Debbie Russell (second from right),
finished June 30, after a career that saw her finish at the director of elementary education.
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Wayne County Schools – Issue 7 – July 2014
Wayne ES teacher takes part in Haiti mission trip
Wayne Elementary teacher Stacey
Wells brought a new dynamic to her
classroom after returning from a weeklong mission trip to Haiti.
Wells, a 13-year veteran in the school
system, went on the trip in early May with
members of Redemption Church in
Huntington. They volunteered at an
orphanage and worked with children in
the area.
“I have a heart for missions and reaching the nations,” the
kindergarten teacher said. “When I read scripture and sing the
songs, I say, yes, I want to be the hands and feet.”
Because of her experience, Wells was called upon to
develop lesson plans for a Vacation Bible School and assign
roles to the other members of the mission team.
In addition to children’s worship music, Wells also made a
copy of the educational songs she uses in her classroom so the
children there – who are learning English in the missionsupported school – could build their vocabulary and use the
language.
Wells prays the mission team made a difference in the
week they were there, admitting that it certainly impacted her.
She said the Haitian government does not support schools; that
it’s typically missionaries who set up educational opportunities
for children. And the kids there see it as a privilege and not an
obligation.
“I want my kids to know how fortunate they are here to get
a free education,” Wells said. “(The Haitian children) take
school very serious. They are in learning mode.”
To help get the message across, Wells spent two hours
showing her students pictures and talking about the experience.
She also brought back a necklace for the class and then had
them use Google Maps and Google Images to find Haiti and
learn more about the country.
Wells and her husband, Shawn, have two sons and are
considering international adoption.
Wayne Middle’s Ashley Hay
named WKEE-FM Teacher of the
Month
Ashley Hay, the faculty sponsor for
Wayne Middle School’s Beta Club, was
told to report to the gym with her
students for a photo.
As they smiled for the camera, WKEEFM morning show hosts Dave and Jenn
burst in to surprise as the station’s April
Teacher of the Month.
In a video posted on the WKEE-FM
website, the second-year language arts
teacher looks shocked at and
overwhelmed by the honor.
“I tend to think I don’t do a great job,”
the humble Hay said a day after the May
15 surprise. “But to know one of my
eighth-grade students nominated me, I
want to live up to that more.”
Hay, who is a graduate of Wayne High
School and Marshall University, was
presented with a plaque, a book, several
gift cards and a gift basket.
Spring Valley senior-to-be Rebekah
Perry was a finalist in the WV
Scholar contest, finishing just short
of winning the $125,000 scholarship
for West Virginia Wesleyan.
Wayne County Schools
Abby Chaffins, Spring Valley; Leah Spurlock, Tolsia; Mikayla Vanhoose, Spring Valley;
Kenzie Darby, Spring Valley; and Zach Preston, Wayne, attended the West Virginia
Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Conference, held in Huntington in June.
Address:
212 North Court St.
Wayne, WV 25570
304-272-5116
Website:
wayneschoolswv.org
Twitter:
@wayneschoolswv
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Wayne County Schools – Issue 7 – July 2014