Frostmore Farms gets ok from Pocahontas BOE for Farm 2 School program

At the February 9 Pocahontas County School Board Meeting the Board received a proposal from Rachel and Adam Taylor of Frostmore Farms, a local maple syrup producer, to tap the maple trees located on the Green Bank Elementary-Middle school campus. Rachel Taylor states this would be part of the Farm to School program and would include incorporating other curriculum.

“So, I would like to propose a partnership with the Green Bank Elementary-Middle school with their STEM curriculum and the Farm to School Initiative to tap maple trees there,” said Rachel. “Objectives for this would be to expose children to the maple syrup making process utilizing on campus trees. We would like to have a field trip to our farm and observe the sap to syrup process and incorporate a multi subject curriculum – reading, science, history and math and then provide the students with a tree to table experience to show them where their food is coming from.”

The Board approved Frostmore Farms proposal.

School Superintendent Dr. Donald Bechtel offered special recognition to two citizens, Marie McCoy, who obtained a grant for $3450.00 to purchase equipment for the school’s gym and playground, and Mary McLaughlin from Hillsboro who created a self-portrait of every student at the Hillsboro Elementary School, which is on display at the school. He also commended Mrs. Mullins for her work with high school students from Pocahontas High School in having them enter the Iron Skillet Competition where they won as best team.

Joyce McLaughlin, Cafeteria Manager and full time cook at Pocahontas County High School came before the Board to request that they reconsider the proposal to change one of the three full-time cooks at the school to a half-time position. She presented a list of the duties and responsibilities of the cooks at the school involving breakfast preparation, cooking, serving and clean-up, followed shortly by lunch preparation, cooking, serving and clean-up. She stated that food had to also be counted and/or weighed before and after each meal and the results entered into a state required production book and that once a week, inventory logs had to be completed.

Joyce also said that she does not have time at school to complete all of her work. She has to do the ordering of groceries and produce from her home while off duty. Later in the meeting, the Board members voted unanimously to not reduce the position to a half-time position.

In other actions, the Board:

• Approved various budget expenditures

• Approved contracting with the Pocahontas County Health Department toovide in-school services to a Diabetic student at $25.00 an hour for a Registered Nurse, and $20.00 an hour for any days the services were provided by a Licensed Practical Nurse. These services will be provided 4 days per week, 8 hours per day

• Approved Shannon M. Alderman and Gina A. Hardesty as volunteer coaches for 4th and 5th grade basketball at Hillsboro Elementary School

• Approved the Final Audit from the West Virginia State Auditor’s Office

This audit did find some fault with a lack of “Highly Qualified” teachers, which the Board explained was a common problem for all of West Virginia’s school systems. The only other problem pointed out by the audit was 4 purchase orders with the wrong date on them.

• Approved the requested transfer of Cook II Tina Jackson from the High School to be the Cafeteria Manager at Green Bank Elementary-Middle School

• And approved the requested transfer of Caleb J Barkley from Custodian IV/Sanitation Plant Operator at Green Bank Elementary-Middle School to Custodian IV at Marlinton Elementary School