001Heat. Heat. Hey, down. Heat. Hey. Hey. Down. Hey. Hey. Down. Hey. Hey. Down. Hey. Hey. Down. Hey. Hey. Down. Hey. Hey. Down. Hey Down. I'd like to call our meeting back to order. >> Mr. London, will you please read us out of closed? >> Yes, Madam Chair. I move that the Rono County School Board come out of close session for the following. To discuss the investigation of a student matter pursuant to the Scholastic Record exemption at 2.2-3711A2 of the Code of Virginia. And to discuss a student matter pursuant to the Scholastic Record exemption at two or at 22.1254B1 of the Code of Virginia and to consider a confidential matter as authorized by section 2.23711A1 to 3711A1 of the code of Virginia for purposes of discussion of the performance of specific public officers, appointees or employees
002of the school board. and to and to certify that to the best of each member's knowledge only public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements under this chapter and only such public business matters as were identified in the motion by which the closed meeting was convened were heard discussed or considered in a meeting by the school board. >> Madame clerk >> Dr. White >> yes ma'am >> Mr. London >> yes ma'am >> Mr. Hudson. >> Yes ma'am. >> Miss Clemens. >> Yes ma'am. Item 2.03 03 action from closed. >> Madam chair, I move that student ex 2025 202616 return to base school under the conditions of a re-entry contract developed by the superintendent. >> Second. >> Madame clerk. >> Dr. White. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Mr. London. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Mr. Hudson. >>
003Yes, ma'am. >> Miss Clemens. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Madam Chair, I move that the student EX202520617 be expelled from Merno County Public Schools. >> Second. >> Madame Clerk. >> Dr. White. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Mr. London. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Mr. Hudson. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Miss Clemens. >> Yes, ma'am. >> And Madam Chair, I move to allow students number RE 2025 20226 numbers 32 through 36 to be released from from compulsory attendance pursuant to 22 1-24 B1 of the code of Virginia. >> Second, >> Madame Clerk. >> Dr. White. Yes, ma'am. >> Mr. London. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Mr. Hudson. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Miss Clemens. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Welcome everyone. Will you please stand for the pledge of allegiance? >> I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and
004to the stands one indivisibley and justice for all. Item 4.01, announcement of changes in the agenda. We do not have any. Item 4.02, approval of agenda. Do we have a motion to approve? >> Make a motion to approve the agenda as submitted. >> Second. >> Madame clerk. >> Dr. White. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Mr. London. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Mr. Hudson? >> Yes, ma'am. >> Miss Clemens? >> Yes, ma'am. Item 5.01, commending resolution presentation. This is an agenda item that we managed to keep a secret from Dr. Nicely. We even went so far as to give him a fake agenda this afternoon. Um, and this is going to be presented by delegate Samul. Well, good evening, Madame Chair, members of the board. It's a pleasure to be with you. Um, if I uh may invite
005uh Mr. Nicely, Dr. Nicely to come on up with us. And and if he uh if it's okay, wife and and mother to join us. Well, we are here. Um the the actually the the team did a wonderful job of of setting this all up. Um but uh you know um it it is it is tough. I think sometimes in the state level and certainly we see at the federal level it's a lot easier. There's just a you hide behind uh Republican Democrat things uh many times but at the local level it really push comes to shove and you all have to make budgets work. You got to make tough decisions. Um and and then you've got this uh the kind of chief executive here uh who really has to try to figure it out
006and I know it's very very tough. Um so for uh for 33 years I know um Dr. Nicely has not only made us all proud um but uh I having uh gone to Glen Cove Elementary just right next door um know that you all have put a lot of blood, sweat and tears but in particular Dr. nicely has put uh some time into it beginning as um you know most of us have tr might like me most of us like me have trouble just speaking one language but he's fluent in two starting as a Spanish teacher here um 33 years ago working his way up through the ranks um to the sometimes lonely position of being superintendent uh where there's so much to do uh the uh general assembly passed house joint resolution 200 commending
007those 33 years um and commending some of the work that you did with the C change um framework that you uh pushed forward uh in really uh emphasizing deep learning and experiential learning amongst our students which we know that that's probably some of the best learning uh that we can do. So there there's a lot in this resolution, but I'll just read a couple paragraphs um that uh whereas throughout his distinguished 33-year career with RCPS, Dr. Ken Nicely worked tirelessly to support the academic, social, and emotional well-being of his students and has been a steadfast advocate and champion for the division's teachers and staff. Be it resolved at the House of Delegates, and we even got the Senate to concur. Wow. >> We got them to do some work >> that the general assembly hereby
008commend uh Dr. Ken Nicely on the occasion of his I won't say retirement next chapter as uh superintendent of Renault County Public Schools. CONGRATULATIONS. shop right here. I'm sure you're so proud. >> Yes, ma'am. Perfect. Congratulations. >> That worked. Item 5.02, recognition of BCAT CTSO state winners, presented by Mr. Christian Kish. need more equipment to do this now. Come on up, students. You can line up behind me. Um, good evening, Madame Chair, members of the school board, Dr. Nicely, and of course, Dr. Sulttus. Thank you for having us here this evening. It's May, which means I'm back. This is the time of year where we celebrate our career and technical student organization state winners. These folks um competed against their peers across the Commonwealth and of course came out as winners. I always like to
009acknowledge our lead adviserss, uh, Mr. Walls for Skills USA as well as Miss Kinser for FCCLA. And even though nobody made it from FBLA to this level this year, um, also want to thank Mr. SLO as well as Mr. Smith. There's a lot of behindthe-scenes work that goes into an over overnight event and getting these students not only where they're supposed to be, when they're supposed to be, and how they're supposed to look at this. So, they they really do put a lot of work in. Uh, and also the teachers that have helped prepare these students. Um, specifically, uh, Janet Washington, our math teacher in the center for engineering, Sarah Carroll for cosmetology, as well as Keith Robinson, and, uh, former masonry instructor who's looking well retired and well-rested. He's in here somewhere, Mr. Dave
010Baxter. Um, really has helped to get these students where they need to be. And then finally, I always like to thank the parents for trusting us. And I always like to say, feel free to brag because these are nice things to drop in a conversation anytime you're stuck comparing your kids to somebody else's. So feel free to use that because your kids are state champs. All right. So um to all the students up here tonight, um not all of them are here. We have some uh conflicts with spring sports and things like that. So I'm going to read through all of them and then we'll do the recognition at the end. So the team of Savannah Chasser and Sophie How were FCCLA state winners in interpersonal communication. Macy Preston was an FCCLA state winner for
011early childhood education. Nora Buck was an FCCLA state winner for teacher train. Standing behind me is Jaden Campbell, State Skills USA winner for masonry. He got it on his third try and he's going to go on to nationals and hopefully do very well there. Frank Zaradullis, right behind me, um third time winning state for related technical math and Rosen Yo, State Skills USA winner for nail care. Thank you all. THOSE are the very congratulations right >> and Rosa First upwhere. Congratulations. Item 5.03 recognition of Ashvin Pinamaraju as regional spelling be champion rep. That's going to be presented by Mr. Joe Laval. >> Hello, >> Madam Chair, members of the board, Dr. Nicely, Dr. Sultus. Um, it's my pleasure to come here second year in a row to announce that we have a regional spelling bee
012winner from Rono County that's going to nationals. You'll be able to watch him on ESPN and he's been working really really hard to get ready for it. And to present his prize and his trophy and and the prize here, I have Dr. Baze Wilin from Radford University. They are the host of the regional spelling bay. So, with that, I'll turn it over to Dr. Dr. Baze Wen. >> Madame Chair, board members, Dr. Nicely, Dr. Solstice, Dr. McClung, thank you so much for for having me come and be on your agenda this evening. Um, I'm Debbie Bae Wilman. I serve as the associate dean in the College of Education and Human Development at Radford University. And and as Joe said, we've served as the regional partner for scripts spelling be for three years now. This is
013our second year coming to Rat to Rono County. very exciting. Um, before I recognize our regional winner, I wanted to share a little bit about the spelling bee and our winner's journey so far. So, Scripps Regional Spelling Bee is one of the oldest uh national spelling bee programs. They celebrated their 100th anniversary last year. Um, we're proud to be a regional partner. Scripts B program serves hundreds of thousands of kids nationally and internationally every year as schools enroll and they participate in the B program. Um to progress to the regional B um we have 127 schools that enrolled this year in our region. So if you think about the number of classroom bees and grade level bees and school bees and school district bees and private level private school association bees, there was a lot
014of competition going on to get to this this point. Um we had 26 spelling champions come from our divisions and associations and compete on March 28th at Radford University. Um that competition was fierce. I want to tell you a little bit about our winner's journey to get there. So, I understand this was not our winner's uh first goound with spelling bees. I understand that in 2025, our winner was the runner up for the Ron Rona County Spelling B. And then in 2026, he of course was the winner for Renault County after an amazing 73 rounds. >> That's just incredible. And to go beyond that, understand that he competed against our winner from last year who competed at the national level. Okay. Becoming a spellb champion is operos. Do you remember that word? >> Yeah. >>
015Oparose means um laborious, painstaking with significant effort. Okay. So it was an oparose pathway. that happened to be his winning word in our regional bee. Um so be beginning Sunday national bee week is occurring in Washington DC and so our regional winner will go to Washington DC with a family member. He'll be able to engage in activities and events and excursions in the DC area. And then starting Tuesday with preliminary competition, um he will engage with 246 other national and international spelling champions um competing of course for the the scripts national bee uh winner. They will participate in the bee this year at the D Constitution Hall which is a national landmark building and it is one of the largest concert halls in the nation. It's a very exciting venue. Um we are so proud
016um to to support our regional winner to go to the National B week. It's going to be a wonderful week of learning and engaging and we're just so excited for that. So without further ado, I would like to introduce to you a sixth grader from Cavespring Middle School, our 2026 regional spelling bee winner who will progress to the national competition, Ashwin Pinamarrage Pinamaraj, excuse me, we're very proud of Ashton and we hope that you will help watch Ashbin. It will be televised on spellingb.com and as you said on ESPN. So >> I just have one question for Were you at all tempted to put two P's operos? You spelled that because I just >> Yep. Don't boil. Item 5.04, recognition of Lauren Phillips as a 2026 Virginia General Assembly page. Miss presented by Miss Katie
017Hutcherson and Miss Helen Riddle. Madame Chair, members of the board, and Dr. Nicely. Thank you for having us this evening. And I think we actually got roped in potentially to surprise Dr. nicely as a cover for why we had our special guest today, but he you can't put anything past him because he had already spoken to Lauren that she worked with the Senate and the House of Delegates. So, >> yes, it's a nice try. >> So, with me tonight, I have Miss Lauren Phillips and Mrs. Helen Riddle, who is her civics teacher. Williamird Middle School is proud to recognize Lauren Phillips for her outstanding service as a 2026 General Assembly page in Richmond. Serving as a page for the general assembly is a prestigious opportunity that provides students with firsthand experience in state government and
018the legislative process. Throughout her time in Richmond, Lauren demonstrated professionalism, responsibility, and a strong commitment to civic engagement while representing both Williamird Middle School and Terrier Nation with excellence. Lauren's dedication, leadership, and willingness to step outside of her comfort zone to serve as at the state level exemplify what it means to be Terrier strong and future ready. We are incredibly proud of her accomplishments and look forward to seeing all she will achieve in the future. So, congratulations to Lauren. And she has a video to share with us and she will then share a few words. Heat. Heat. Everybody know. So, as you can tell, Well, Lauren had many fabulous experiences, so I'll let her share a few words of her experience. >> Um, I'm Lauren Phillips and I got to represent Renault County as a
019Senate page in the 2026 session. Um, I learned a lot. I learned a lot about, um, politics and just what it means to serve the Commonwealth. And I also want to thank my principal, Miss Hutchinson, and my civics teacher, um, Miss Riddle, for their support. And I also want to thank Senator Head for nominating me as a Senate page. question. I was wondering Item 5.05, 05 recognition of the 2025 2026 Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association Division 6 All Virginia Jazz Ensemble third chair trumpet Julia Pierce who is a Hidden Valley High School student presented by Miss Shannon Norman. >> And Madam Chair, if you would like, we can do the three at the same time. So if you want to announce all three of them, we can do that. >> All right. So we
020also have recognition of 2026 all Virginia Concert Band third chair trumpet Julia Pierce and recognition of the 20252026 District 6 senior regional orchestra first chair trumpet Julia Pierce. Good evening madame chair members of the school board Dr. Nicely and Dr. Sulttus. Tonight, I'm honored to recognize Julia Pierce, a 12th grade trumpet player from Hidden Valley High School who exemplifies excellence in music education and student achievement. Julia has distinguished herself as an exceptional musician and leader through accomplishments at the regional, state, and national levels. The first recognition this evening for Julia is for earning third chair trumpet in the 2 2526 Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association All Virginia Jazz Ensemble, which performed at the Virginia Music Educators Association State Conference in November of 25. This achievement places her among the top student jazz musicians in
021the Commonwealth of Virginia and reflects her versatility and exceptional musicianship. Julia's accomplishments continued this spring as she was also selected as the third chair trumpet in the 2526 All Virginia Concert Band, earning placement in both the All Virginia Jazz Ensemble and the All Virginia Concert Band in the same year is an extraordinary achievement and speaks to the depth of her talent across multiple styles and performance settings. Her work ethic, consistency, and passion for music have made her a tremendous representative of Hidden Valley High School and Rowan Oak County Public Schools. Julia's outstanding achievements this year also include earning first chair trumpet in the 2526 VBODA District 6 Senior Regional Orchestra, which performed in November of 25 in Blackburg. Earning first chair in this highly competitive ensemble highlights her outstanding musical talent and commitment to performance
022excellence. In addition to her state level accomplishments, Julia represented Hidden Valley High School and the Rono County Public Schools on a national stage as a member of the Bands of America Honor Band in the 137th Rose Parade on January 1st in Pasadena, California. She was also accepted into the 2026 Honor Band of America with Music for All. Locally, Julia has served as a four-year member and the first chair trumpet of the Rowan Oak Youth Symphony Orchestra and regularly performs in churches and community events throughout our area. Her leadership, dedication, humility, and artistry continue to positively represent Hidden Valley High School, her community, and the music programs of Rowan Oak County. This fall, Julia plans to attend Duke University, where she hopes to double major in music and Asian and Middle Eastern studies. I would like
023to extend sincere thanks to Hidden Valley High School principal Josh Whitlo, band director Thomas Gallian, and Julia's family for their continued support and encouragement throughout her musical journey. Julia, congratulations, and thank you for sharing your extraordinary talent with Rowanoke County Public Schools. Does he want you guys Congratulations. Item 5.08, 8 recognition of RCPS for the National Association of Music Merchants Foundation 2026 Best Communities for Music Education Award presented by Miss Shannon Norman. Again, thank you. Tonight, I'm proud to recognize Ron County Public Schools for being named one of the 2026 best communities for music education by the NM Foundation for the 22nd year. This national distinction honors school divisions that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to ensure all students have access to highquality music education through strong instruction, student participation, and community support. This recognition reflects
024the dedication of our music teachers, administrators, students, families, and community partners who continue to make music an essential part of a well-rounded education in Ronoke County. We are incredibly proud of this continued tradition of excellence and the positive impact music has on the lives of our students every day. Thank you. >> And I was given the certificates from from Nam. So >> do we post? >> We do. We do. Item 5.09, recognition of Hidden Valley High School as a 2026 BBODA honor band. Again, presented by Miss Shannon Norman. Tonight, I am pleased to recognize Hidden Valley High School for earning the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association Honor Band Award for 2026 under the direction of band director Thomas Gallion. Mr. Gallion, you should come up. This marks the second consecutive year Hidden Valley High
025School has received this distinction. The Virginia Honor Band Award is one of the highest distinctions bestowed upon band programs in the Commonwealth of Virginia and recognizes schools that demonstrate excellence through a comprehensive band program. To qualify for this distinction, bands must earn superior ratings at both the state marching band festival and our district concert assessment. This achievement reflects the dedication, musicianship, leadership, and hard work of the students and staff of Hidden Valley High School and continues a strong tradition of excellence in music education. Congratulations to Mr. Gallion, and thank you for your continued leadership and commitment to musical excellence at Hidden Valley High School. Also, >> one more. >> Okay. Item 5.10 10 recognition of Hidden Valley High School. Did I do that one already? It's a different one. >> Hidden Valley High School as
026a Virginia Music Educators Association Blue Ribbon Award School for 2026. Again, presented by Miss Shannon Norman. >> You're back. I am proud to recognize Hidden Valley High School for earning the Virginia Music Educators Association Blue Ribbon Award for the second consecutive year. This is the highest honor given to a school music program in the Commonwealth of Virginia and recognizes excellence in band and coral performance, requiring all elible eligible top performing ensembles to receive a final superior rating at the district concert performance assessment. This outstanding achievement reflects the dedication, talent, and hard work of the students and staff who make music excellence a priority every day. Special thanks to Thomas Scallian, band director, and Andrew Miller, choir director, for their leadership and commitment to providing exceptional musical opportunities for students at Hidden Valley High School. Thank
027you both. Hold on. Item 5.11, recognition of the Glenn High School boys swim team 2026 BHSL class 2 state champions presented by Dr. Corey Franklin. >> Good evening members of the board. Dr. Nicely, Dr. Sulttus. I am excited to be here to honor these gentlemen behind me. Not only are they talented athletes, but they are solid, strong students, and even better, they're exceptional young men. At this time, I'd like to bring Coach Hall and Coach Smith up to talk about them. >> I think Coach Smith knew he was coming up here tonight. >> Okay, he can speak better than I can. Anyway, Madam Chair, members of the board, Dr. Nicely, and Dr. shoulders, the man who hired me. Um, yes, I just want to recognize these 10 guys that we took to the state championship
028swim meet back in February. Um, they competed hard. I mean, these guys these guys practice hard all year long. They uh they work hard in practice. They really do. They work their tails off and they deserve to win that state title. Um, scored 271 points, I think, to second place 205 points. So, it was a pretty strong victory for these guys. There's 12 contested events at the state championship swim meet. These guys won five of those. They had two second place finishes and a third place finish and a ton of top 16 finishes which count as points toward the final total. So, I think what's more impressive though is as I as Dr. Franklin said, these guys are amazing in the classroom. They're leaders in their community. Like I said, they they work hard and
029they do things the right way. So, congratulations guys. Be proud of them. All Thank you. Congrats, >> Madam Chair. I'd like to add this is three in a row, by the way. >> Great job, guys. Congratulations. Item 5.12, recognition of Kavring High School VHSL class 3A state champions and the 200 free relay presented by Mr. Chuck Parker. All right, madame board, members of the board or madam chair, excuse me, members of the board, Dr. Nicely, Dr. Sulttus, spent all day cooking for the seniors. So, it's been a long day, but uh no, honored to be here once again uh for Kring High School to represent our student athletes. And this is our swim team. I'm going to hand it over to our coach, Miss Kelsey Burton, to talk about these fine young ladies. All right.
030Good evening, Madame Chair, Dr. Nicely, Dr. Solstus, and the rest of the members of the board. As Mr. Parker said, I'm Kelsey Burton, and this was my eighth or ninth year head as head coach. Um, and this year we're here to honor four wonderful ladies. Um, we have Avery Spurlock, Laya Gorby, Alexis Sha, Sha, sorry, and Jillian Sylvester Johnson. um in their title for the 200 free relay. Um this past February, these ladies exceeded all expectations in the pool when we arrived in Richmond for the VHSL class 3A state championship. They were seated fifth going into prelims with a time of 14304. At the end of prelims, they became seated first at a time of 139.7. um they were able to keep their title when going into finals um and achieve that win, making everybody
031cry and everybody proud and dropping an additional one and a half seconds. Um we are ending this season with these two ladies being seniors and the two middle ones being juniors and very excited for what they are going to continue when they graduate next Wednesday. So there we go. That's all I got. Let me Congratulations. >> I wrote it down. >> I'm doing a little bit of homework. Yes. >> Item 5.13, recognition of Kring High School BHSL 3A state champion Hassan Dukare and the high jump and state record for 3A. Again, presented by Mr. Parker, >> Madame Chair, members of the board, everyone again, our honor to come here uh for someone who is no stranger to standing in front of the board. A true student athlete, uh wonderful young man, I believe, is going
032to Yale next year, correct? Um so and is going to I believe compete on their track team as well. So just a true uh wonderful representation of what Ron County Schools and Case High School can do. So I'm going to turn it over to his coach um right now so he can speak a little bit about Hassan. >> Good evening. I've been told I must keep this quick. I'm a track coach. I can definitely do that in time. Um as Mr. Parker said, Hassan is an amazing amazing student. not just a student but a student athlete as you heard he's going to Yale and he's taken his talents there. Um Hassan currently for the last two years has been undefeated in high jump and that's in all levels. Uh from normal meets to state meets
033he's undefeated in high jump. He currently holds uh the indoor state record. Uh he has the outdoor state record and uh he has our school record and he's going for a three repeat uh in two weeks at our VHSL division 3 um state meet. He's currently at 610. Nine months ago, he was at 66 and I said then he will go seven feet. And I'm standing here again to say Hassan will go seven feet uh in the next in the next two weeks. So uh congratulations Assan. You're an amazing young man. I can't wait to see what next heights you you uh take yourself at Yale next year. Thank you. I'm sure that looks great. He was named student athlete of the year today. >> Item 5.14 recognition of Cape Spring High School BHSL debate
034Congress state champion Taylor Bruce presented by Mr. Chuck Parker. >> All right. Finally, we are here to recognize again someone who is familiar with standing in front of the board as a again wonderful student athlete um product of two educators who are wonderful educators in our school system as well. Um so it is Mr. Taylor Gruce coming in for a debate and uh I would venture to say he will be back a few more times, but I'm going to turn this over to Miss Elizabeth Mayor to talk a little bit about uh Taylor and what an amazing young man he is. Thank you. I was also told to keep this brief, but you got an English teacher and a debate coach. Sorry. So, good evening, Madam Chair, members of the board, Dr. Nicely and Dr.
035Soulless. It is an incredible honor to stand here tonight to celebrate another successful debate season with our captain of student congress, Taylor Gr, winning back-to-back state championships. Debate is about discipline and the ability to think critically under pressure. And throughout the 2025-26 season, Taylor has demonstrated all of these qualities at the highest level with outstanding leadership, scholarship, and excellence. This season alone included included several first place finishes at Savvul competitions, winning the VHSL class 1 through3 regional championship, placing second at the super regional, and ultimately capturing a second consecutive VHSL class 1 through3 state championship. In addition, fellow competitors recognized his skills by voting him the most outstanding senator. Achievements like this bring pride to our debate team, Kpring High School, and our community. They reflect the value of academic competition, and the importance of
036giving students opportunities to develop their voices and ideas. Through talent, preparation, and commitment, Taylor has helped lead teammates, mentor young debaters, and strengthen the entire program. Please join me in congratulating our back-to-back VHSL class one through three student congress state champion and most outstanding senator Taylor G. I just want to say a couple of things just because I've gotten to know Taylor over the last few years and his parents and they are wonderful parents and they are educators. Taylor's a great kid. He's a smart kid. He's very poised. Nothing about this is a surprise. So congratulations Taylor. Congratulations. Taylor. Taylor, is there any debate? >> Is there any debate as to whether you get these talents from your mom or your dad? >> We all heard it. >> I'm sure you're not denying that, right?
037Item 5.15, recognition of National Scholastic Art Award winners, presented by Miss Sarah Coverly. >> Good evening, Madam Chair, members of the board. Dr. nicely. Dr. Sulttus, today we have the privilege of recognizing three students in the Center for Visual Arts for outstanding artistic achievements in the National Scholastic Art Competition, the nation's longest running and most prestigious program for creative teams. All three students under the guidance of Miss Natalie Strum submitted artwork to the regional level of the Scholastic Competition where they each won a gold key for their artwork. From there, the pieces proceeded to the national level and were judged in New York City with over 200,000 other works of art and writing. Misha Robinson, a student at Burton and Williamird High School, received a national silver medal for the digital painting, drawing, and collage
038entitled Bloom. Nate Buck, a student at Williamird High School in Burton, received a national silver medal for the illustration entitled A Hearty Meal. Sunday Dne, a student at Burton and Caves High School, received a national silver medal for the illustration entitled Suffocation. These students will be celebrated at a national ceremony at Carnegie Hall in June. Please join me in congratulating them on this exceptional accomplishment. We're coming. We're getting there. Thank you. Item 5.16, recognition of student advisory council seniors, presented by Mr. Philip Martin. Well, good evening, Madam Chair, members of the board, Dr. Nicely and Dr. Sulttus. Tonight, we have the opportunity to recognize a very special group of students, our graduating seniors from the student advisory council. But before we have them step forward, I do want to take a few uh moments to
039reflect on what this group represents and why it matters for the division. The student advisory council exists to give students a voice and to serve as a bridge between our schools and division leadership. These students represent their peers, provide feedback on important issues, and help lead events and initiatives across the division and work to make our schools overall a better place for everybody. But what makes this group special is not just what they do, it's who they are. These students who consistently choose to show up and get involved despite the many commitments they carry. And to say these students are busy and highly involved would really be putting it mildly. And because of that, I want to take a brief moment to say directly to all the SACE members here tonight and those who couldn't
040be with us. Um, we do not take your involvement, dedication, or willingness to serve for granted. It is deeply appreciated and deserves public recognition here tonight. So again, to each of you, I say thank you to our seniors, many of whom have served on this council since the eighth grade. While this is only my second year working with the SACE, even in that short time, I've had the privilege of watching you uh grow into confident, thoughtful, and well-rounded young adults. I've seen you take initiative and jump right in when leadership was needed. I've watched you support one another, represent your schools with pride, and genuinely care about making a positive impact. You've brought energy, passion, creativity, and without question, humor to this council. I can honestly say that working alongside each of you has been
041one of the most rewarding parts of my job this year. While your presence will absolutely be missed both within the SACE and in your schools next year, we are grateful for the example you've set and we're excited to see what comes next for each of you. Tonight, you'll hear from several SACE underassmen as they introduce the seniors from their school and share a little bit about their accomplishments and future plans. After all seniors are recognized, we'll distribute the certificates and take a group photo together up the stage. At this time, we'll begin with our Kring High School seniors who will be introduced by sophomore Taylor Grizz. Uh, good evening, Madam Chair, members of the board, Dr. Nicely, and esteemed guests. My name is Taylor Gruce. I'm a sophomore at Cavespring High School, and I serve
042on the SACE as the alternate representative to the school board. It is my privilege to introduce you all tonight to the two senior SACE representatives from Cavespring, Sophie Wed and Robert Legal. Unfortunately, Sophie is not able to be here tonight, so I will start with introducing her. Sophie has been a member of SACE for five years. Outside of the SACE, she has served as her class's SCA treasurer for four years, and she's obtained her certified nursing assistant through the introdu introduction to nursing program at BCAT. After graduating, she plans to attend Radford University curillion to obtain her bachelor's degree in nursing on a path to becoming a pediatric nurse. She also plans to continue her dancing career on Radford's dance team. She has also been given the Wayfinder scholarship and a scholarship from Currillion. Congratulations
043to Sophie. I will now also introduce Robert Lal. Robert has been an active member of the SACE for 5 years. Outside of the SACE, Robert works at Obsolete Automotive Wholesale where he explores his passion for cars. Robert plans to attend Virginia Western on the CCAP scholarship and eventually transfer to Virginia Tech in order to obtain his bachelor's degree. Thank you all and good luck to Robert and Sophie. Next, we'll introduce our Glenver High School seniors, who will be introduced by junior Evelyn Gart. The senior SACE representatives from Glenn are Ben Ogle and Par Sansoa. Ben is proud of many things he has done while in high school, including being an Eagle Scout, playing the Tin Man in Glenn's Wizard of Oz production, serving as president of the Highlander Council, and earning first place in Project
044Forum at Ron Valley's Governor School. After graduation, Ben will be working towards his master's degree in biomedical engineering from Virginia Tech while continuing to pursue his passion for music by joining one of the many choirs at Virginia Tech. Paris Sansoa, who unfortunately is unable to be here today, is most proud of his work as an SSA representative during his high school career. After graduation, Paris plans to stay close to home, working in the New River Valley for his father's U-Haul business. Paris is most excited about honing his time and energy towards working and helping his father. Both Ben and Paris have been invaluable members of SACE and their contributions have helped set Glennber for success and we are excited to see them succeed in their future plans. >> Next, we'll introduce our our Hidden Valley
045High School seniors who will be introduced by next year's SACE representative Addie Weaver. Our first Hidden Valley SACE senior is Bear Tyrie. Bear is a very creative and responsible leader who has served as our SACE senior representative this past year. As our senior representative, Bear has has made a valuable impact in our council through many different accomplishments such as passing a new attendance policy and MCing our student leadership conference. Outside of SACE, Bear is very skilled in media and film making, having made several short films, and even being selected at various film festivals. He also has won several hackathons and made several award-winning apps throughout his four years at Hidden Valley, showcasing his creativity and versatility as a student. After graduation, Barrett plans to attend William and Mary College and is excited to meet new
046people and make even better projects. The student advisory council is very proud of Bear and his accomplishments, and we wish him luck on all of his future endeavors. Our second Hen Valley SACE senior tonight is Lily Broadick, who is unfortunately unable to make it tonight. Lily is a naturalb born leader who showcased her passion for serving others as our SACE vice representative this past year. Outside of SACE, she is also the editor-in chief for the Hidden Valley Yearbook Club, all while maintaining a rigorous course load and 4.0 GPA. After graduation, Lily plans to attend Elon University to pursue a major in either exercise science or cinema and television arts with a minor in leadership. at Elon University. She will also participate in the Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellows and the Odyssey program, a highly selective merit-based
047scholarship and mentoring program for students who demonstrate exceptional academic potential and leadership skills. Her outstanding academics and leadership capabilities have also earned her several scholarships, including the Presidential Scholarship, Leadership Fellow Scholarship, Baffy Family Odyssey Program Scholarship, the Elon Grant, and the Phoenix Award Scholarship. As Lily enters this next chapter of her life, we are excited to she is excited to take charge of her own life and participate in new experiences and we wish her the best of luck on her exciting new journey. Next, we'll introduce our North Side High School seniors who will be introduced by junior Sarah Love. Tonight, I have the pleasure of introducing both of North Side seniors, Carly Elliot and Parker Addison. They've both been involved in SACE since their eighth grade year and have been very active in this club.
048Outside of SACE, Carly, who is not here tonight, is a leader in Beta Club, a member of DECA, who has qualified for states two times, and she's a part of the Rono Valley Children's Choir, which she has been active in for 10 years, and she's been a captain for North Side Girls Varsity Soccer for four years. She plans on attending VCU Honors College to get her mers in nursing and has been awarded the VCU merit scholarship, VCU honors scholarship to help her achieve this. She's excited to start her career in nursing and plans to work as an ICU nurse and continue schooling to get her CR NA license once she has her masters. Parker outside of SACE is involved in DECA which he is a two-time state champ for and track where he has earned
049the award of all American track athlete. Parker is committed to Radford to run D1 track and field and he plans to study marketing. Parker has been accepted into the honors college at Radford and is excited to start independent life and pursue his goals both athletically and career-wise. All right. And finally, we'll introduce our Williamird High School seniors who will be introduced by sophomore Levi Wickham. >> Good evening, Madam Chair, members of the board, Dr. Nicely and Dr. Sulttus. My name is Levi Wickham and I'm the clerk for the student advisory council. I stand here tonight on behalf of two of our seniors, Elizabeth Martinez and Miley Moses Pinion. Unfortunately, Miss Pinion won't be here with us tonight. I've had the pleasure of knowing them both directly and indirectly and have marveled at watching them both
050become extraordinary and unique leaders. Miley has been a leading figure in both athletics and academics, being a captain of both the cheer and girls tennis teams and proudly graduating this year as a validictorian. In addition, she's been a key member of several other school clubs including the WBHS Leo club, Beta Club, and student voices along with our very own SACE. She is most proud of her dedication and involvement in these clubs and has achieved significant leadership recognition events such as the 2025 American Legion Auxiliary Virginia Girl State delegation. There students learned proper citizenship skills and democratic mechanics through several efforts including the creation of charters and drafting of laws. Outside of school leadership, she has helped lead and inspire senior class. And after graduating, she plans to utilize her leadership skills at Ferm College. She
051will also compete in T2 tennis, major in social work, and minor in secondary education. Elizabeth has truly shown as a leader not only in the classroom, but also in many talented areas inside and outside of school. Had the pleasure of knowing her for three years now in marching band, and whether it be new members or old, she has always been a leader to them and a pillar of our discipline. She has rallied the almost 100 people into fighting hard for their respective roles and always putting one foot in front of the other. As a member of the Sachs line myself, her skills on the MIMA have always baffled me. And I can't tell you how many times the marchers have had their spirits rekindled by the wonderful front ensemble that we've so been blessed with.
052Aside from exceptional leadership, he has also maintained the humor of the marching band and created one of our most memorable callouts. Ben utilizes these collars to encourage group bonding and participation during times of collective effort and often turn out to be wild but effective sayings. Would be called on the hottest of days going I'm cool and breezy and the band would reply mom's torillini with a suit by the way. Although possessing the sternness leader comes to require at times, she is always um excuse me, prioritized the group above herself, making sure they were in high morale regardless of her own mentality. Of course, I myself have had times where I've been unsure about the future. Elizabeth told me something during one of those times. Just never lose your spark. Your spark for music, your spark
053for academics, your spark for everything you do. And that's what I really do admire about Elizabeth. that no matter what someone else was going through, she knew not only what to say, but also what to convince them to find within themselves. Beside an immeasurable contribution to the band, she has been a two-year member of the girls lacrosse team and has maintained a dedicated internship at the Western Virginia Water Authority, among other clubs. She has also been very helpful to me and the student advisory council by planning principal meetings discussing county material, helping me organize during busy seasons, which has kept the SSE informed and ready to make the county a better environment. students. Postg graduation, she plans to major in general engineering with an interest in biomedical at Virginia Tech and has achieved a scholarship
054from their college of engineering. Although both Miley and Elizabeth are quite decorated on paper, they have built themselves into leading figures that as a fellow student I can say, I want people like them leading me. I know that their efforts are not to stay in high school, however, but ripple into all the things they endeavor upon throughout their lives. With that, I thank them for everything they've done, not only for the SACE and WBHS, but also for being great friends, students, and people of their own within this fast and ever changing world. And I would like to take up one moment of your time and just thank the entire school board in Reno County Public Schools, Dr. Ken Nicely, for all of the opportunities and the things that you guys have provided for me during
055my five years in the student advisory council. I am so appreciative of all you guys have done for me and I would never have been able to do it without you. So, thank you again so much. Okay. Congratulations. I know that pink jacket. Item 5.17, recognition of Chris Benson and Kim Smith as principles of distinction. Presented by Dr. Ken Nicely. >> Ask Dr. Benson and Miss Smith to come on up. I think they're back there somewhere. And while they're coming up, let me give you some background. In partnership with the Virginia Association of Secondary School Principles and the Virginia Association of Elementary School Principles, the Virginia Department of Education announced a new program last year to recognize and celebrate the achievements of local K12 principles. The Principles of Distinction program is designed to highlight principles
056contributions to education and inspire others within the educational community. The program's objectives are to recognize excellence in leadership for high performing principles with a high level of impact on student achievement, increase awareness of their principles of distinction program, showcase the accomplishments and impact of the honored principles, and engage the community, educators, and stakeholders in celebrating these leaders. At the May 2025 board of education meeting, 31 candidates from across Virginia were selected to com uh complete the first class of the principles of distinction program. Successful applicants displayed strong leadership in the areas of improved student achievement, effective instructional leadership, and the development of a school environment that fostered the removal of non-academic barriers. candidates were selected that displayed a focus on student outcomes, data, and evidence, especially evidence that showed an impact on their school. We
057are so proud that not one but two runup county principles were selected for the inaugural principal of distinction program. As part of this program, they were required to participate in a 4-hour professional training symposium in addition to completing a highquality professional development capstone project at their school during this past school year. in addition to of course being the principal at the respective schools. So first uh Kim hire Smith is the outstanding principal of Fort Lewis Elementary School. Her capstone project was called cultivating a 21st century learning environment for the development of C skills and focused on direct instructional classroom practices, reflective practices and increased opportunities for skill application. As a school and district leader, Miss Smith was intentional in connecting her project to the RCPSC change framework and of course to Fort Lewis's Lion Pride.
058Dr. Chris Benson is the outstanding principal of Hidden Valley Middle School and excited uh to take the helm as principal of North Side Middle School next school year. Dr. Benson's capstone project was called the setting set was called setting the stage for successful studentled conferences. As another district and school leader, Dr. Dr. Benson focused on student led conferences and the opportunity ready a graduate program, a chief component to the larger Cain's framework. He conducted a needs assessment and identified three areas of focus for his school to better support the mission and vision of the district. This included increasing student participation by generating buyin, increasing community engagement with the process, and making sure classroom instruction was resulting in good portfolio artifacts students could be proud of and wanted to showcase during their student led conferences. And
059I'll add both Miss Smith and Dr. Benson at their respective schools have led these efforts for student le conferences. We were proud to join Miss Smith and Dr. Benson at the Virginia Board of Education meeting in Richmond last month to be officially recognized as Virginia principles of distinction. Congratulations to them both and we appreciate the extraordinary efforts and energy to earn this recognition but more importantly to serve as distinctive role models for Ronup County and Virginia educators. CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU BOTH. LOOK I think >> did you get >> hold have north side next year. Both my children have had the pleasure of being at her school. I probably spend more time there. Item 5.18, recognition of Dr. Ken Nicely as BMSA 2026 Educator of the Year, presented by Mr. Mike Riley. >> Good evening, Madam
060Chair, members of the board. Seeing as the precedent has already been set, I'll ask Dr. Nicely to come up here um and stand as we recognize him. Um so tonight, we'd like to recognize Dr. Ken Nicely as the recipient of the Virginia Middle School Association's 2026 Barbara Nichols Educator of the Year Award. Well, it's hard to condense a career as impactful as Dr. Nicley's into a short presentation. I'll do my best to hit some of the highlights. Full disclosure, what I decided is it had to fit on one sheet of paper and I had to be able to read it. So, that's that's how these things made the cut. We could we could go on for a long time, but we'll keep it to this list. Um, Dr. Dr. Nicely began his career in Rono
061County Public Schools in 1993 as a Spanish teacher at Kpring High School. Then in 2002, he was named as an assistant principal at Hidden Valley Middle School and became the school's principal in 2006. In 2009, under his leadership, Hin Valley Middle School became the first middle school in Southwest Virginia to be named a school to watch, a recognition that honors middle schools demonstrating academic academic excellence, developmental responsiveness, social equity, and organizational effectiveness. His doctoral dissertation, which he completed while he was a principal at Hidden Valley Middle School, titled Middle Level Schools in an Era of Standards and Accountability: Adaptations of the Features of Middle of the Middle School Concept, received the Ted Cizer dissertation award from the National Association of Secondary School Principles. Then in 2012, he came to central office as the director of
062secondary instruction and technology. Served in a number of varied roles be before being named superintendent in 2018. During his tenure at central office, he continued to be a champion for middle level education. During this time, he has presented at numerous conferences on middle level best practice and published an article, a superintendent's perspective on the essential role of middle grades in the middle school journal, which is the scholarly publication of the association for middle level education. He served as the regional director and president of the Virginia Middle School Association and currently serves as a board adviser. He also served on the Association for Middle Level Education's board of trustees and as a member of their executive council and currently serves on their editorial boards and as a member of AML's foundation board. His contributions to middle
063level education have impacted middle level staff and learners not only in Rono County but across the nation. Please join me in congratulating the uh VMSA Barbara Nichols Educator of the Year, Dr. Ken Nicely. Yes, he hasn't seen this yet. >> Despite all that, can't pass the CDL license. >> I'd still Thank you. >> Item 6.01, report by student advisory council representative, Mr. Mayor Tyrie. >> Good evening, Madam Chair, Dr. Nicely, Dr. Sulttus, and members of the board. Thank you for the opportunity to share an update for the student advisory council meeting held on May 6th. Our first guest speaker, Ben Williams, the director of assessment and research, discussed updates to the RCPSC change framework, and the development of a new six-year strategic plan for the division. SACE members were invited to provide feedback regarding school
064climate, safety, classroom management, and overall student experience. Students also discussed the reliability of student survey data and suggested methods to improve validity, branching, branched questioning, and improved survey design. Our second guest speaker, Superintendent Dr. Ken Nicely, congratulated the SACE on the success of the 2026 student leadership conference. Dr. Nicely also answered a variety of student questions regarding school leadership and his experiences as superintendent. Before departing, Dr. nicely shared leadership advice centered on the importance of courage, initiative, and the role of the first follower, building positive school culture, and studentled movements. Now for the school updates. Cave Spring High School celebrated continued success in spring sports, the completion of the nights aid project GPS campaign, and another strong showing from the debate team. SACE member Taylor Grued his success in debate competition with another state championship
065title. Glen High School highlighted exam week, senior superlative activities, and the return of band, choir, and theater students from their Philadelphia trip. In Valley High School celebrated 18 students attending DECA ICDC with two students placing in the top 20 internationally. SACE member Addie Weaver was also selected to serve in the Titan 12. North Side High School celebrated strong athletic performances, successful portfolio defenses, and student Alan Lamb placing top 10 at DECA ICDC. William Bird High School celebrated success at the regional science fair, upcoming band and choir performances, and continued participation in community events such as the Dogwood Festival Parade, the SACE leadership election for the 20 2026 27 school year. William Bird sophomore Levi Wickcom was reelected to serve as the student advisory council's clerk. Cave Springs sophomore Taylor Gr was reelected to serve as
066the alternate representative to the SACE. Denver junior Colin Grapho was elected to serve as the vice representative and Hidden Valley junior Addie Weaver was selected to serve as the SACE representative. This year, the student advisory council continued to expand student leadership opportunities while providing meaningful student feedback and collaboration with division leadership. Some of the major accomplice accomplishments included developing and presenting a social media handbook to secondary administrators and central office staff, collaborating with the school nutrition department to provide student feedback regarding school meals, menu variety, and future taste testing opportunities. working with division leadership regarding artificial intelligence and education, including ethical AI use and academic integrity, organizing events to support student mental health awareness, safe driving campaigns, anti- vaping initiatives, human trafficking awareness, and school climate initiatives throughout the year. As we conclude another successful
067year of the student advisory council, we thank all SACE members for their leadership, service, and commitment to improving Rono County public schools. Their willingness to provide honest feedback and advocate for their peers made a difference this year. Thank you for your continued support of student leadership and student voice in Rono County. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Sure. >> We can do that. Thank you. Item 7.01, hearing of citizens for agenda topics. We do not have any. Item eight, consent agenda. Do we have a motion to approve the consent agenda? >> I make a motion to approve the consent agenda as it was presented. >> Second, >> Madame Clerk. >> Dr. White. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Mr. Lon. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Mr. Dudson. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Miss Clemens. >> Yes, ma'am. Item nine,
068action. We do not have any. Item 10.01, school spotlight, Green Valley Elementary, presented by Miss Sheree Anderson. Evening, Madam Chair, members of the school board. Dr. Nice, Dr. Sulttus. It's good to be here. We are here to present. I'm Sheree Anderson, proud principal of Green Valley Elementary. And this is Holly Diner, our assistant principal. Green Valley is a sweet little jewel tucked in a sweet little neighborhood. That's me on top of the building. Um, >> no, not getting ready. We had a fundraiser and the bet was if we raised the money that we were supposed to do that I would work on. >> So there I am. >> So that is our first fun fact for you. Um next we were built in 1964. We were renovated in 2010. We are a title one school
069and our enrollment is currently about 531 students and we house prek through fifth grade. Here we go. At Green Valley, we have deeper learning, collaboration, critical thinking. And this is just some pictures of our students working away. First corner is a first grade student with math activities, manipulatives. down in the left corner, our fifth grade did a math dump before SOS. You can see they're working hard. And then right to the right, you see he's exhausted. He's like, I'm done. But they did very well on their SOS. So, we're very proud of them. >> Again, we are a title one school. Last year at the end of the year, we brought in a book vending machine. It's a exciting new um machine for our students. Um as they achieve different reading goals, they are given
070a token. They read 500 minutes and when they reach that, they turn in their paperwork and they get a token and they get to go p purchase a book with their token. Um kids love it. The machine talks to them. It's very exciting to them. We also do um big events for Title One. Um one of them is called Bike for Books. again. Um, at our events, we hand out books and we bring in different families and build um that community part of title one too. We also did a big event, a multicultural night. Um, this was a great event for the entire community. Um, families were we have a diverse population. The kids were very eager and excited to share their cultures and it was fun for the other kids to see and get
071to be a part of that culture. They shared food and dances and different aspects, their flags, um their decor, their the way that they dress. It was it was an exciting night. We had a huge turnout for that. Our PTA is very active. We had community partners where different localities, entities brought in equipment. A was there, the SWAT truck, um the library, and students just got to look at all the different equipment. They also provide um refreshments on faculty meeting days, which makes teachers really happy. We had a STEM night, glow dance, fun run is what brings in our biggest fund. It's our biggest fundraiser. And then give back. We cleaned up the school community to give back to the >> We also operate with what we call a house system. There's four different houses.
072It's a Bendy, River, Amaststead, and Altruismo. These houses are what help unify our school and build our school culture and unifies us. >> Green Valley is big on STEM. We were awarded the ITA program of excellence award in 2023. That same year, we were given a 5,000 grant to become a solar car competition team with fifth graders. September 2024, we were rewarded a 5,000 grant for a robotic drone program. We had Virginia's elementary teacher of the year in 2023 and 2024 through ITA. Spring 2024, fifth graders got to compete in a solar car competition at Virginia Tech. In January 2025, our STEM cut club STEM Academy got to go to East Tennessee State to compete. There we place second place overall. Our first time we won the autonomous award and also the rookie award. And
073this year we were recognized as STEM school of excellence. And that's our banner. And IA is International Technology and Engineering Educators Association. And that's a ITRT. Ashley Stall is doing a project with some students in the hallway. Our Cardinal STEM Academy students got to go to Burton to practice on um a makeshift track and also the students at Burton got to help them out. So that was fun for them. This is them at East Tennessee State. There's a video. So, the autonomous award, they had to program to have the drones fly through the obstacle course by themsel. And not only while one student was doing that, another student had to be taking notes and also answering questions. >> We also had this obstacle course. Miss Clemens got to see it where they practice flying the
074drums. Here we are with our one of our awards. And then for Green Valley for PBIS, our matrix is sore. We always want to remind our students to be safe, to offer kindness, act responsibly, and to show respect to themselves. And this is um Anderson sitting next to >> Chubsel. >> This is a picture that I took while I was on the roof. Um it shows our school in their house colors and we made this sore. That's all our students and staff because every staff member and every student is in a house and then we do house activities. >> Thank you all for letting us present. >> THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. I JUST WANT TO SAY that Green Valley is a very sweet school. Um I feel like when you walk in
075it, it it feels very welcoming and your staff is very positive and they um they're supportive of each other and it it's just a really positive feeling when I'm in your building. So, thank you. Item 11.01, 01 hearing of citizens for non-aggenda topics. We do not have any. Item 12.01 report by Reno County School Superintendent Dr. Ken Nicely. Good evening again, members of the board. As is typical this time of year as we've this evening has been all about students and staff for Verno County Public Schools and their accomplishments. how fortunate we are to have so much to celebrate as a community. From spelling bee winners to gifted musicians to student athletes to student entrepreneurs to students who actively serve in state government and districtwide leadership, debate champions, gifted artists, principles of distinctions, and award-winning
076uh music teachers. Our students and staff are truly opportunity ready across a wide array of disciplines and interests, and we congratulate them all. Earl County Public Schools continues to get national and state recognition and publicity for the exceptional work we continue to do instructionally. The latest comes from an article in the Richmond Times Dispatch reporting findings from the National Education Scorecard, a project of by researchers at Harvard, Stanford, and Dartmouth universities that analyzes standardized test scores across thousands of school districts nationwide. RCPS is highlighted on the education scorecard website under districts on the rise in reading and gets a shout out in the Reno Times dispatch article as a district that has shown unusual progress relative to similar districts in Virginia. The balance portion of our C change framework seeks to continue to ensure that
077students are excelling in content knowledge and reading even as we simultaneously develop durable transfer skills as demonstrated by the opportunity ready graduate initiative. Mr. Riley is going to give a complete recap of this spring's opportunity ready graduate uh successes at the June 11th schoolboard meeting. Celebrations and recognitions have continued throughout the division, including this past Monday. We welcome Senator Sudterline and delegate McNamera to Hidden Valley High School to present uh Dr. Matt Neil with the official proclamation from the Virginia General Assembly, recognizing Dr. Neil as Virginia's state teacher of the year. And Dr. Neil certainly represented Renault County so well and Virginia so well during this past year. We're thrilled to announce that two of our high school choirs are going to be in the big leagues. The Hidden Valley High School Corral has been
078selected to perform at the 2026 Virginia Music Educators Association Conference in Richmond this November. This is one of the highest honors a school music ensemble in Virginia can receive and is awarded through a highly competitive audition process requiring multiple years of performance recordings demonstrating sustained musical excellence. Only a small number of ensembles from across the Commonwealth are selected each year and Hidden Valley High School is the only school from Southwest Virginia chosen for this conference cycle. The ensemble will present or represent not only Hidden Valley High School but also Reno County Public Schools in our region on the state stage. And if you've not already uh purchased your tickets to the upcoming Foreigner concert in September, you will want to get them as soon as possible because we recently received word that the Williamird High
079School Trouble Choir has won the Foreigner School Choir contest and will actually get to sing on stage with Foreigner at their September concert at the Salem Civic Center. Pretty impressive. Rono County was well repres well well represented at the recent tech night gayla event held at the hotel Rono by the ro blackburg technology council. Our very own Jason sir was recognized with the K12 STEMH educator of the year award. As you know Mr. Sir is recognized and well respected among his peers as a leader in the region and state in CTE and STEM education and the award of course was welldeserved. Mr. serves leadership has been a driving force beside behind the successful student register apprenticeship program which has grown to include 33 stu uh student apprentices for next year. These students and sponsoring businesses
080were celebrated at the official signing ceremony May 8th at their Salem Ridgejacks game and we have welcomed and encouraged the participation of neighboring districts who have also added an additional eight students. The Bernard County CTE programs continue to set the pace for the region. Last week was also a hugely successful week for our campaign for excellence donation drive in support of the new state-of-the-art Ronup County Career and Technology Center. We are not quite ready to make an official announcement, but two more area businesses have agreed to contribute over a half million dollars to the campaign, which will put the total to almost $2.4 million just in the first year. So stay stay tuned for more information and celebration events. Speaking of celebrations, last week we were thrilled to celebrate our valued employees who will be
081retiring at the end of this school year at the annual retirement dinner. And as always, appreciate uh the school board uh members participation and support of that event. This year we celebrated um 66 retiring employees representing over 1500 years of combined service to Reno County Public Schools. This includes employees from across the division, including several school nurses who do so much to care for our students, and Scott Beard, a teacher with 41 years of service. I think he was our longest serving teacher there. The biggest celebration of the year, of course, is coming up next Tuesday and Wednesday as we hand out graduating seniors their official high school diploma. Commencement ceremonies for North Side and Hidden Valley High Schools are on Tuesday, and then William, Kpring, and Glenn High School seniors will graduate on Wednesday.
082We want to remind family members and guests attending in person that this year there is a clear bag policy at the civic center and folks once again have the opportunity of of watching the award-winning graduation live show online if they choose. I look forward to again shaking hands across the or along with uh uh board members with each of our graduates as they walk across the stage. The biggest question will be, of course, to see which of our high schools will take home the new traveling trophy awarded to the high school graduating class who is most opportunity ready with the best handshakes. Will last year's winner, North Side High School keep the trophy, or will Kring Glenn Hidden Valley or Williamird High School step up and claim the trophy for the best handshakes? Stay tuned.
083And seniors, we're looking for firm handshakes. Please don't hurt me. Remember that schools and offices are closed on Monday for the holiday and the last day of school for students is next Thursday and we hope everyone has a safe and sensational summer. >> Thank you. >> Item 13.01, reports and inquiries of board members. Dr. White, would you like to go first? >> Sure. Thank you, Madam Chair. Um, and a couple things I wanted to to share. I don't want to take up too much time because it's getting late after all those recognitions. Um, but I I did want to first off um say again congratulations to everybody that that was recognized and and other students that weren't able to be here for the recognitions. Truly highlights the diversity of talent we have within the county.
084Uh artists, musicians, athletes, uh academics. All of it was represented for for good cause. Um and of course the school year is drawing to a close. So, graduating seniors of course are probably already celebrating and um mentally checked out. I I recall being a senior way back in the day also having that senioritis and and being done with the year already. Uh but I look forward to uh joining the graduation ceremonies next year. Be the first time I get to be on this side of the the ceremonies which will be a completely different role. I look forward to it. Um I did want to say uh thank you Dr. so nicely for all your service and leadership over the past year as superintendent and what an honor it was to be able to um share
085the moment with you and instead of having to read out all the where's getting your own where's at the end of course so that was fantastic um and then shifting gears a little bit to to highlight uh things from this past month that I had the honor to participate student leadership conference um where many of the uh SACE members and and others that um not close to graduation yet, but other grades. Uh you had a chance to meet with all of us uh colleagues up here on the board as well to share some of their observations and ask questions uh back and forth and just have conversations about what they're seeing. And I I was frankly floored by the level of insight and and inquisitiveness and and just awareness that these students have in their
086schools and community on whole. Um they certainly shared many positive things that were going on in their school as well as kind of concerns and questions they had. Um some of the positives of course they they shared stories about successes and teachers that stood out to them. Uh teachers that were able to build relationships and communities within the school and and help students achieve their potential in their classes and those were absolutely um recognized by the the students there. uh some themes that kind of emerged from a lot of their their um concerns were things that I honestly don't think I thought about as a high school um student or even middle school. Some of them brought it up things that include like population imbalances that they see across the county and and um we're
087even asking hey uh Dr. White do you know as a board member are we going to look at redistricting to make sure that we don't have population imbalances? I think from a student point asking those kind of questions floored me. Um, but it is an important topic that we're we're going to have to look at. It's been brought up uh in passing a few times in different uh meetings. But in order to keep all of our schools balanced, that is a role that's not fun for us up here to have to even think about or talk about, but it is in the go to Virginia. That's one of our core powers and duties to look at those things. So, we'll I'm I'm sure we'll be looking at that in one of the work sessions. uh
088in coming months and um definitely make sure that the schools remain healthy. Um I I also will note that the students pointed out quickly too that these are things that their parents probably don't want to talk about either because redistricting and changing schools is it's not a fun topic, but they're like we need to look at it. Um they also notice equities and in funding between programs and and uh Hidden Valley in particular their students pointed out that they have a very wellbalanced diverse student body. We saw it tonight with the musicians um you know the all the awards for the the music programs um music, arts, uh academics and and sports are all well balanced in our our county. Um, but students were asking questions about um, how we can be struggling to fund
089musical productions in their schools and yet install million-dollar fields and $300,000 fields year after year. Um, and they were asking for us to to kind of step back and and make sure that we're funding all the programs, which I I thought was a good point. And and then one that kind of broke my heart is student asked quite flatly, do we have a teacher crisis in Renault County? I asked, well, tell me more about that because, you know, we we keep retaining um and hiring teachers to fill our needs. and their perspective was, "Well, we see teachers that we really engage with and want to be in their classes because they just do such a good job at at teaching us what we need to and encouraging critical thinking. We see them not returning um
090after only a couple years with us and we just don't understand what that's about to share with them. I don't necessarily understand either and sometimes those decisions are things that they make on personal levels." But um certainly we will continue to put our teachers at the top of the list of things that we prioritize as a board. Make sure they have the support and funding that they need as well. Um but I I thought that was fascinating that the uh the students are are seeing that as well. Um and very last point, you know, u just wanted to to be transparent and and point this out. Um, you know, tonight on the consent agenda, one of the things we updated or we voted on was updated policy reviews, etc., which which I voted as well
091with. And I think that's um just an annual task that we have to keep doing. But it does behoove us to make sure that as as we continue to review these and and recognize what is in them, we ensure our policy writing is student centered and helps to advance the education without micromanaging from up here on the dis. Um, and why I was even thinking about this is I was reading through uh line by line on these policies to make sure I knew what was in them. And one of them in particularly kind of sat not quite well with me for maybe un not obvious reasons but um you know in Virginia code title 22.1 section 7 there's a list of powers and duties that school boards should have. There's nothing in there that directs
092school boards to be involved in day-to-day operations of personnel or in hiring and firing or reassigning of staff. But there is a a bit of a loophole in there that there is a sentence that says we should also perform such duties as prescribed by the board or as imposed by law. So boards can give ourselves our own duties and powers as well, which I I think leaves us vulnerable to maybe getting off course on what our core duties are and lay us out there for what has been brought up to me in the past and and recently in the community of how do we make some decisions around personnel and and often I mean we're approving personnel changes often as more of a formality that's going on behind the scenes. Um, and and some individuals
093asked me, are these politically motivated personnel changes? I said, well, frankly, from where I I don't see any of that, but I'm also a newcomer here, so I don't know. But just the fact that that lens is out there, I think us to think about how we write these policies. I I think it would be in our best interest to think about in the future when we revisit these policies, maybe clarify the language around that rather than having this broadboard prerogative for reassigning staff, we should put some limits and constraints on what we're doing and how this has happened and create transparent personnel change processes for them. Um, but I I think as written right now, everything's appropriate and kosher to to law and everything, but I I just wanted to make sure everybody's aware
094that that conversation, the unity has been brought up, and I wanted to address it. Um, but to end on a a more positive note, um, summer's almost here. Uh, hopefully everybody that's, uh, not graduating also enjoys a summer off and recuperates and and recharges for the upcoming school week. Thank you all. >> Thank you, Mr. London. >> Hey, thank you, Madam Chair. Um, just want to say the the awards in recognition tonight just speaks volumes to the incredible effort and the hard work that that Rono County Public School staff, teachers, administrators, uh, have have put forth and it's the central office staff included there. They're just so encouraging at all levels, it seems, whether it be in the schools or central office administration that the encouragement for these students to succeed and and we're seeing
095the results of that by uh recognizing 19 different students for their successes tonight is it's just so wonderful to see. So that being said, uh Dr. nicely forgot an award that the Rona Glaxburg Technology Council presented at Tech Night. And the Ruby Award recognizes an outstanding member who has proven to be a brilliant and valuable asset to the Rono Blackburg region and that was Dr. Nicely. So, it was a a fantastic event that night and um just want to say congratulations. It was welld deserved. Brilliant. No, I 100% agree with that. Read that again. The Ruby Award recognizes also that night. I do want to thank uh or congratulate Mr. Sir for STEM STEMH educator of the year for the region there for K through 12. um your leadership here with with the STEM is
096uh is well known and uh and you're just doing a great job. So, keep up the good work. We had our Apple awards uh banquet a couple weeks ago over there at the civic center and the green red shining apple golden apple award winners. I won't spoil >> Miss uh Miss Clemens announce or recognition, but I do want to congratulate all those that were nominated along with Annalie Johnson, our new shining golden apple award winner from North Side Middle School. And then Red Apple Award winners from the high school, Cecilia Yolberry, and special shout out to Heather Milton, the Red Apple Award winner from Burlington Elementary School. So doing great things there. The retirement banquet a couple weeks ago, it's been a busy busy month for us between between all the things that have been
097going on in the schools. Retirement banquet. Just want to congratulate all those retirees who their dedication and uh and service to Renault County Public Schools. It's nice to be able to honor them. Still want to know why Dr. McClung was the one with the biggest smile on her face that night. Yeah, she pretty much did. >> But that was another wonderful event. Had the chance to attend the registered apprenticeship event over at the Salem Ridge game as well. And just to see the enthusiasm from the number of businesses in this community that want to get involved is uh is so encouraging, too. And that goes back to the leadership in uh in this building and getting uh getting those companies to to want to help our students find a purpose and and a reason to
098go to school. So want to thank uh Ken and Jason for their presentation at the Chamber of Commerce breakfast last month as well for the state of the CTE event. Um, a lot of business leaders were there that that morning and to see u that that presentation really highlighted all the great things that we're doing with our CTE center and Jaden Campbell u not only was he a Skills USA winner, but I heard he was uh one of the highlights of the student presentations there at the end. Other than that, Jason, you're getting mentioned again because your work with Carl and uh and the campaign for excellence. Just I really appreciate everything you guys are doing. Keep up the good work and uh get to that 5.5. Is it 5.5 million? All right. >> We
099look forward to get >> That's the floor. That's the floor. >> Oh, that's the floor. Okay. All right. Where's the seat? >> No pressure. looking forward to to graduations this week and uh that's all I have. >> Thank you, Mr. Hudson. >> Yes, ma'am. Um well, like has already been said, uh the artists, musicians, the academics, and sports achievements of our students never cease to amaze me. Uh and some of the things these kids are going to college to study for are just so impressive. Um, you know, we're finishing out the year here next week and I just want to take a minute to thank our teachers, uh, and all of our staff. And, you know, it's really personal to me because, uh, I was just in an IEP meeting this morning, uh, transitioned from
100elementary to middle school for my youngest son who has neuromuscular disease. And, you know, we just spent couple days in the hospital here the last month and, um, his abilities have really dropped. and to see the staff at the middle school just completely wrap us up and talk to us about all the things that they're going to do to try to make him feel comfortable and be able to um you know has have a successful uh year at school next year u just shows how much our staff truly care. I I was flat out amazed and I know it's not because I sit on the board uh when I sat uh as an SRO in our schools for years before coming on the board I I've observed some of the same things. So, our staff
101are um you know, these are really tough times for our staff. I think things have really changed over the past decade. There's a lot more responsibilities um and our teachers have really stepped up to the plate if you look at our scores, but it's beyond that. And I just want to say thank you to them and I hope that everybody has a wonderful summer. I'm gonna keep all of my wonderful comments for Dr. nicely for next month because it's not goodbye yet, but he has been an amazing superintendent and amazing human being and um really appreciative of everything that he's done for us. Um and I'd like to again uh congratulate Glenver High School swimming uh three Pete state champions three times in a row. That's just amazing. It's just a testament to our community,
102our kids, and our wonderful coaches. Uh it's been a wonderful year and uh like has already been mentioned um it's always one of my favorite things to shake every senior's hand as they come across and graduate. So I'm really looking forward to that next week. That's all I've got. >> Um I have a few things to say, but I think it's okay because Tim's not here. So um this is a busy time of year as seen by all of our um awards and recognitions tonight. So congratulations to all of our students and staff for their accomplishments. Um, I had an opportunity to go to the mock trial that Hidden Valley Middle School puts on, um, every year. To my knowledge, they're the only, um, school that holds a mock trial. Um, it was fun to
103sit in on it. Uh, these students, it's a great learning experience for them. Um, not only do they get to participate in the trial, but they get to just be in a courtroom and see what that looks like and what that feels like. Um, they have actual attorneys there and a judge was there as well. Um, so grateful for them to be able to show up and and do this for our students. And then thankful to our teachers, Tara McBride and Johannes Grow um for making all of that happen. Um, as was mentioned, the SACE leadership conference um took place a few weeks ago. It's always nice to meet with the students in that small environment where they can tell us um the things that they think are going well and things that they would
104like to see us change. Um, they're they're full of information. and they have no problem sharing their thoughts about things which is nice. Um so I enjoy being able to to talk with them and we've already moved on a couple of things in Kring High School to see if we can make a difference there. So um also as was mentioned the Golden Apple Awards um was particularly exciting for for me and for Kring High School. We had um Annne Houston was named as the Golden Apple winner this year and she is an amazing teacher and she's an awesome person. Um she has this big huge personality. When you walk on in that hallway and where her classroom is, you can hear it from down the hall. Um she's just loud and her kids love her
105and she's just engaging and so it was welld deserved. Um so really happy for her and for all of our um our nominees and our finalists. Uh Dr. Nicely and I had the opportunity to attend the Bern Valley Governor School Senior Dinner, which is a very nice event. This is their graduation because the students do graduate with their home schools. Um it was great to see the accomplishments of all of our Reno County students as well as students from across the region. Um they are going to some really prestigious schools and um they've received some incredible honors and scholarships. However, what I noticed is that each student um had something mentioned about what they um were most proud of when they came across the stage. And the majority of those were things that were outside
106of academics. So those were things um like music and um sports. There was several Eagle Scout awards. Um so these kids are not only smart, but they are really well-rounded uh students and they're going to go and do some big things. So it was nice to be a part of that. Um as Mr. Lynon mentioned, we both um attended the apprenticeship signing day. It's a great event for these new apprentices and it's so cool to see how many businesses are there um that are representing the area and these kids that get to be a part of that and for their families for them to be up there and be acknowledged um in that environment is really cool and it's a fun festive environment. So, it was a lot of fun. Um also retirement dinner. Um
107as was mentioned, it's always fun to recognize our our staff. It's fun when um you do the years and we get to see who's the last one standing with the most years. I think you mentioned it was 41 this time. Um so lots of 15 years of 1500 years of service overall. That's incredible. So we just want to again thank them for their um what they've given to our students in our schools. Um also looking forward to graduation. It is a really fun uh event and it's just an honor to be up there on stage with all of those kids as they come across. It's hard to believe that we're at the end of the school year already. It just goes by so fast. So, um, anyways, I hope graduation goes well for everyone next
108week and I hope everyone has a happy summer. And with that, I'm going to adjourn the meeting.