Pocahontas Schools Support PCHS Alumni Serving in the Military

During the January 30^th Pocahontas County BOE meeting, Cheryl Jonese, Rebecca Spencer, and Anita Workman described PCHS’ Purple Star Shoe Box Project This project, which is spearheaded by the school’s Purple Star Club, involved sending Christmas packages to PCHS alumni who are currently serving in the U.S. Military. These packages contained items donated by the local students, members of the community, and businesses in the county Many of the items in the packages included local items such as copies of the Pocahontas Times, Student made items and letters, para cord bracelets made by PCHS students, and a collection of postcards written by students, and collected by Allegheny Mountain Radio, as well as practical items like water bottles, pens, notebooks glass cleaning cloths, and candy, just to name a few.

They explained that these will remind these alumni that the Pocahontas County community has not forgotten them and their service, and each package included the message, “Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday from your hometown community. Pocahontas County.”

They sent out 63 packages this past holiday season and spent over $1000.00 on postage in doing so. Their biggest challenge is maintaining a current list of names and addresses of alumni who are serving in the military, especially since some joined the military a long time after graduating and moving out of the area, so if anyone knows of someone like that, please contact the school to make sure they are on the list to receive a package next year.

During her Superintendent’s Report, Lynne Bostic recognized Cash Beers, a 9^th grade student at PCHS, for being awarded the WV Department of Education’s Proximity Academic Excellence Award, an award Bostic describes as being “very special.”

Student Representative, Riley Pollack, said the school’s carpentry students will be building enclosed stalls in the boys’ restrooms at PCHS. Pollack also recognized the winners of the “Poetry Out Loud contest. They are: Sabrina Leyzorek (1^st place,) Haley Fitzgerald (2^nd place.) Dillon Dunz and Cortney Waugh (tied for 3^rd place.)

Joanna Bert Kinderman. talked about improvements county students are experiencing in Math proficiency as evidenced by state test scores, and explained that while those scores declined a bit during the COVID years, they are again on the upswing. She also talked about successful new techniques for teaching Math, which challenge students to approach math differently than simple finger counting or memorization of tables.  She said students, and their parents should be open to these new models, since over half of adults, who were taught the old way say they are bad at math as adults, but the new way makes it fun to learn math.

Julie Shifflet provided an update on the schools’ “Grow Your Own” teaching pathway, she said there are currently 5 student teachers from Glenville State College serving as student teachers here. Three of these, Taylor Arnold, Alex Harrah, and Miranda Gum, came to the meeting and spoke about how the program provides free tuition, free text books, allows them to earn their first 24 credit hours at Glenville while still attending their high schools, and what they are learning here as student teachers.

The meeting, was held at Marlinton Elementary School. The school’s LSIC President Luci Mosesso, said that when the old BOE Office building next to the school is torn down this summer, there will be a safe recreation and fenced-in playground area, as well as staff parking and a safe bus drop-off and pick-up area there.  Principal Anderson talked about the services provided by the Communities in Schools Program, the Third Grade Success Act, new disciplinary and attendance programs at the school which are based on positive incentives, and recent academic improvements achieved by the school’s students in state testing.

Additionally at the meeting, the members approved routine financial reports; the recommended personnel actions, and a few minor revisions to their policies.