Highland County Schools Getting Ready To Begin A New School Year

Monterey, VA – The Highland County School Board approved a list of personnel for the new school year at its meeting Monday evening. Math and Physics teacher William Peters and Information Technology Specialist William Jenkins were added to the staff. David Blanchard, Freddie Goff, Patricia Ruddle and Susan Cornelius were approved as substitute teachers.

Next, High School Principal April Goff makes a brief report to the Board.

“I invited the entire faculty to a summer faculty meeting to start developing our version of the webpage and I had six come for that” says Goff. “We spent about four hours working on the website as well as just some open discussion about expectations for this year. Volleyball practice has been going strong; golf has two matches this week, cross country’s getting ready to get started.”

“The building is ready, the custodians and their summer staff have done a great job. We are having an open house on Thursday the 18th from 5:30 to 7:30pm for the high school; we’re going to have our sixth grade orientation at 6, our drivers ed required meeting at 6 o’clock as well, and then our fall athletic meeting at 7.”

Elementary School Principal Theresa Blum gave Board members an update as well.

“Our theme at the Elementary school for the year is Blasting Into a New Year of Learning’ and when you visit you will see rockets on the accelerated reader Wall of Fame” says Blum. “We hope you will come and read to students and help them earn those points. Thanks again to Mr. Puffenbarger, Mr. Simmons, Ms. Varner, Ms. Vandevander and all the summer workers for getting our buildings in shape and ready to go.”

“Our open house – we’re actually doing two. On Thursday evening, parents can come from 4 to 5:30, and then go to the high school if they have children at both ends. On Friday, we’re doing ours as well for folks who don’t work and want to come during the day.”

Ms. Blum goes on to highlight a new reading program for county children.

“This past Saturday, if you happened to tour the public library, you saw the kickoff for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library” she says. “It’s a joint effort between the public library and Highland Elementary to put books [in the hands of] children birth to five. They register at the library and at no charge to them, each month their child receives in the mail a book. According to the census in 2010, there are 64 children in Highland County under the age of five; 24 have registered in time to start getting a book in September, and 7 more have registered to start in October.”

Superintendent William Crawford noted that there will be a special meeting at the school next Monday.

“We have a convocation on August 15th that starts at 8:30am where we will be providing breakfast for the teachers” says Dr. Crawford. “We would ask that the board members collectively, individually come, if you could possibly put [that] on your calendar. We’re also asking the Board of Supervisors to come and bring greetings to the staff as well at that time. The Highland County Education Association will be providing lunch for the staff at around noon.”

The next regular meeting of the Highland County School Board is scheduled for Monday, September 12 at 7 PM in the high school library.