County school board recognizes teachers of the year

WEDOWEE – Woodland Elementary School teacher Misty Rochester was named Randolph County Schools’ Teacher of the Year during last Thursday’s board of education meeting.

Teachers of the year from each of the county schools were honored. They are: Wadley High School – Brittney Sutton, agriscience; Rock Mills Junior High School – Shannon Banks, third grade; Randolph-Roanoke Career Technology Center – Quincy Potter, networking information; Wedowee Elementary School – Jennifer Green, kindergarten; Wedowee Middle School – Caroline Sikes Meadows, special education; Randolph County High School – Deannia George, English; Woodland Elementary – Misty Rochester, first grade; and Woodland High School – Harriett Jacobs, counselor.

Property maintenance

Next on the to-do list at RCHS is to replace the floor in the old gym with a rubber floor and to paint in there.

The floor of the old gym at Woodland has been damaged because of the leaky roof. When the roof there is finished, a new floor will follow.

Doors and some windows at RCHS and Woodland will be replaced, starting in February or March. This could take up to eight months.

The fencing around the buses at Woodland will be replaced to make them more secure.

The board approved a bid of $226,389 for HVAC replacement at WMS.

Personnel

In personnel matters, the board:

Approved Todd Wilson as interim assistant principal for the remainder of the year at Woodland High.

Accepted the resignation of Emily Huddleston, elementary teacher at WMS, effective May 31.

Approved Samantha Dalrymple as a RCHS bus driver.

Approved Octavius Houston as RCHS, WMS and WES bus driver.

Approved Donna Burks as head cook at Woodland High/Elementary.

Approved Layla Sanders, Kristian Gammon, Sarah Ford Gann Taft and Calli Moore as substitute teachers.

Approved Layla Sanders, Kristian Gammon and Sarah Ford Gann Taft as substitutes for support personnel.

Approved the contract for Linda Olivia Kirby for RN nursing services at the rate of $140 per school day or $70 per half day.

In his superintendent’s report, Jacobs acknowledged the passing of longtime Rock Mills employee, Sharon Gillespie, who passed away recently, calling her a “fixture in the Rock Mills community.”

In other business, the board:

Accepted the bid of $590,400 from Trafera for 2,400 Chromebooks to replace existing Chromebooks for all students next year.

Accepted the bid of $245,119 from Pinnacle Network for 137 interactive touch panels for classrooms across the system. Jacobs said all but about 10 of these are being replaced.

Approved the school calendar for the 2022-2023 year.

Approved revisions to the Randolph County Schools’ policies, as recommended by the Alabama Association of School Boards.

Nominated Butch Jackson to serve as Randolph County Board of Education representative on the Randolph County Board of Equalization.

Approved the following out-of-state field trips: Approximately four Woodland Future Farmers of America students to Perry, Ga., for National Junior Swine Association Swine Show on Jan. 18-21 (FFA Fund); Approximately five RRCTC students to Carrollton, Ga., for University of West Georgia FGE/PAGE Education & Training Workshops on Jan. 27 (FCCLA Fund); and Approximately 16 Woodland Cheerleaders to Orlando for Univeral Cheerleaders Association Nationals for competition on Feb. 10-15 (Cheer Fund).