School board
looks ahead
By Caroline Monday
cmonday@mountaintimes.com

The Watauga County Board of Education prepared for 2008 and looked back at 2007 during its regular meeting Monday — its last of the year.

The board opened the meeting with recognitions of several outstanding achievements within Watauga County Schools.

The first was a recognition of Watauga High School student Ian Dale, who won the Watterson-Timberlake Nonfiction Award from the N.C. English Teachers Association.

The board recognized Watauga County Red Cross director Sonny Sweet and the organizers of this year’s blood drive at WHS for their record-breaking success.

WHS Spanish teacher Carmen Scoggins was awarded the Foreign Language Association of North Carolina Teacher of the Year Award and will go on to compete on the regional level.

The board also recognized the Holiday Inn Express with an Education Partnership Award. The hotel donates up to 30 nights’ stay each year for artists visiting and collaborating with classes in Watauga County.

The WHS Pioneer Playmakers were also in attendance Monday night and were recognized for their outstanding performance at the North Carolina Theater Conference.

Their performance of “John Lennon and Me,” was selected to compete at the Southeastern Theater Conference in Chattanooga this coming March. WHS drama teacher Sarah Miller said that in addition to preparing for their performance, the group will also be working to raise the funds needed for their trip to Tennessee.

The Watauga High School Jazz Band spread some Christmas cheer with a selection of Christmas songs during the curriculum feature portion of the meeting.

Under the direction of WHS band teacher Bill Winkler, the group played holiday favorites such as “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” “God Bless Ye Merry Gentlemen” and “Let It Snow.” The WHS band has rescheduled its winter concert for Dec. 17 due to weather.

The board approved the Blowing Rock Stage Company’s request to renew their lease of the auditorium facilities at Blowing Rock Elementary this summer. The stage company will use the space to host their children’s summer camp program and to show feature-length films on Saturday mornings.

“We know without the support of our school board and other members of the community, the stage company would not be approaching its 23rd season,” Kenneth Kay, the stage company’s producing artistic director, said.

Watauga County Schools director of testing and technology Andy Massengill brought the annual technology plans for WHS and Bethel School before the board. The plans include each school’s goal for the use of technology in their teaching practices and lists of new items and updates needed.

Superintendent Bobbie Short said she knew the committee developing a technology plan for WHS has been very forward thinking, taking into consideration the needs of the new high school facility, which will open in the fall of 2010.

The board approved the plans for both schools.

Associate superintendent Mark Hurst presented for the board’s approval a calendar for the 2008-09 school year. Hurst said the committee had developed several different calendars, one traditional and two with later starting dates.

Hurst said the committee had looked into creating a calendar with later starting dates in order to possibly avoid the late summer heat that caused class cancellations and early releases this past August.

He said that of the calendars the committee created, the traditional and a calendar with a starting date of Aug. 21 were presented to each school for input.

Though many favored the later starting date, the committee ultimately chose to recommend to the board the traditional calendar.

The nontraditional calendar, the committee found, would cause problems for high school students who wishe to participate in dual enrollment and the WHS Huskins partnership with Caldwell Community College.

Hurst said students who qualify for early graduation would not be able to graduate in order to begin their college careers in the spring semester under the nontraditional calendar.

Hurst said that one committee member made the point that, with the nontraditional calendar, the schools may or may not experience problems due to the heat, but it would definitely create problems for students wishing to participate in those programs.

Though it was a close choice, Hurst said the committee chose to recommend a traditional calendar with a starting date of Aug. 7.

The board approved the committee’s recommended calendar.

Bobbie Short requested two personnel transfers to accommodate Hurst’s retirement at the end of 2007.

The board approved Short’s request that current Parkway principal Billie Hicklin be transferred to the position of associate superintendent, effective Jan. 1, 2008.

Assistant Parkway principal Doug Faulkner, will be transferred to the position of interim principal at Parkway for the remainder of the school year.