001Heat. Heat. [music] I'd like to call our December 11th, 2025 Reno County School Board meeting to order. Madame Clerk, will you please call the role? Mr. Greenway? Yes, ma'am. Mr. London? Yes, ma'am. Miss Pani. Mr. Hudson? Yes, ma'am. Miss Clemens? Yes, ma'am. Welcome everyone. Will you please stand for the pledge of allegiance? Algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the stands one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Item 2.01 announcement of changes in the agenda. We do not have any. Item 2.02 approval of agenda. Do we have a motion to approve? So moved. Second. Madame clerk. Mr. Greenway. Yes, ma'am. Mr. London. Yes, ma'am. Mr. Hudson. Yes, ma'am. Miss Clemens. Yes, ma'am. So, our first guests are stuck in traffic, so we're going to move on to the
002next one and we'll come back to them. Um, we've got item 3.02, recognition of the 2025 VHSL class 2 state champions, the Glenn Competition Cheer Team, Dr. Corey Franklin and Coach Sarah Hatfield. Good evening, Madame Chairwoman, members of the board, Dr. Nicely, Dr. Sultis. We are very, very, very proud to be here tonight. Um, I'd like to bring the girls up to stand with coach while she sings their praises because they worked their tails off along with the Caves Cheer Squad. They all showed Reno County schools. They just they just showed Reno County schools what is meant by hard work and dedication and we were just proud proud proud proud to have them there. I turn it over to Sarah Hatfield. Hello. Um thank you to the school board for having us this evening and
003taking the time um out of your agenda tonight to recognize these outstanding athletes. Um we would also like to extend our sincere appreciation to the entire Glenber community. Your unwaving support has been an essential part of the these athletes success throughout the this entire season. Um Glimmer is truly a very special place um and one that stands behind its student athletes wholeheartedly in everything that they do. Um this group of 10 athletes has consistently pushed one another beyond their comfort zone, striving for growth, not only as competitors but also individuals. Their determination, perseverance, and grit have culminated in both a regional and now a state championship. Um this season the team earned four first place finishes and two second place finishes resulting in the most successful season Glimmer has ever had. All 10 members were
004selected for all region teams. Addison Sneed, Abby Woods, Audrey France, El Grafo, and Morgan Gains to the first team and Kayn Dixon, Carter Grafo, Claire Shrewsbury, and Jillian Roberts to the second team. The Highlanders concluded their season by winning the combined 1C and 2CD regional championship and securing the very first class one to state championship in school history. Um there is no group more deserving to bring home that state championship, especially being the first one in school history. So thank you again for taking the time to honor these remarkable athletes. [applause] [snorts] Dr. Franklin, you ought to be abused. What you get? [laughter] Thought we could have a cheer off between the two. See See who's better. Don't Congratulations. Well done. Congratulations. Do you want to say anything? Item 3.03, recognition of the 2025 BHSL
005class 2 state champions, the Glenn Boys cross country team, Dr. Corey Franklin and Coach James Osborne. On the very same day that Glenber cheer won the state championship for the first time, boys cross country won the state championship for the first time. We are very proud of their efforts and I'm going to turn it over to coach Osburn. Good evening members of the school board, administration, parents, and supporters. As the coach of the Glimmer Boys cross country state championships and alongside our dedicated assistant coach, I stand before you filled with respect for the resilience and dedication shown by these young men. This historical victory was not a fluke, nor was it achieved by one individual star runner. It was a victory built entirely on the principle of total teamwork. From the very beginning, our runners
006fought into the philosophy that in cross country, every single runner matters. They understand the difference between running as an individual and running for the Glimmer team. They committed to pushing each other in every grueling practice and offering support on the course. This commitment, this dedication and shared effort is what powered them across the finish line and earn this title. They also finished with five straight victories at the end of the season. This is their first ever state championship and we had Tyler Davis who was all state. He finished in the top 10 this year. Thank y'all. Make sure the trophies got the trophy right there. Good morning. A little late. [laughter] That's funny. Love it. That is cool. That is cool. [clears throat] Congrats, guys. Okay. Thank you, coach. Before you guys leave, I just
007want to mention as a former cross country and I know Dr. Solstus would appreciate this, the camaraderie seeing you guys all in those wild shirts. It's um it's fantastic. That's true cross country style. That's awesome. [clears throat] He ran grass. He was a state champ, believe it or not. A champ. [laughter] Item 3.04, recognition of VHSL class 3 cheer champions, Caves High School, Mr. Chuck Parker and Coach Jen Cole. Holy cow. I think we're all right. All right. U Madame Chair, members of the board, Dr. Nicely and Dr. Sult, first off, I would like to uh offer congratulations to Glenn High School uh and their cheer squad. Uh great job young ladies. And also from uh Chapperel, we wish coach Clifford, Dr. Franklin, and great friend of mine Andy Clapper good luck on Saturday as
008well. Hopefully they are back here in another month or so uh for their recognition for their football team. But I am here to present to you our state champion girls competitive cheer. Uh this is their seventh state championship and their third in a So they repeated um great example of true student athletes are here around me. Coaches that hold a very high expectation of our student athletes. And I will turn it over now to Miss Jen Cole for a little bit about our wonderful group of young ladies. All right. Thank you, Mr. Parker, and thank you school board for having us tonight. Um again, thank you to Coach Parker for I call him coach because we uh had him as a coach when I was in high school, but we won't go there. Um He
009didn't coach me. Anyway, off topic. Thank you to our administration, our families that are here and not here with us today, and also our community. Um, this was a crazy year for us. We had very, very high expectations and high pressure for this group. Um, they were out to do something that had not been done by our program before or by any team in our division, and that was going for that three repeat. um they knew it was possible and they embraced the process and really applied themselves and were able to make it happen. Um as you can see this is a large team. It was our largest team that we've had which is really exciting for us and we love the growth that our program just continues to have each year. Um as Mr.
010Parker said they are incredible student athletes as well. We uh had 22 of them that were on the AB honor roll during season. Nine of them that were on the A honor roll and those that barely missed promised that they would get it the next time. So this year they earned their 12th straight region title which is very exciting as well. Um and it's not an easy task to go to state. So as far as Glimmer also and our school, you have to be the top two out of your region to go to these events. And then once you get there, there are only six to eight teams that compete for that top spot. Um so to get to that stage is incredible. And to have two teams from Mick County doing that together was
011awesome. So congrats to Glenver on that. Um, quick announcement about the actual competition that I'm going to hold on to for as long as I coach is in the first round we were actually down by a significant amount of points in our eyes. And this team just like really came together. They studied the score sheets. They said, "Give it to us straight." And they proved just how dedicated to the process they are, how, you know, they had that grit to really get it done. And then they ended up coming out on top. and um it was a special moment to see these kids that had worked hard for that moment be able to pull that out and come out from being the underdogs going into that last round. So, we're really proud of them for
012that. Um we ended this the last two years by saying we hope to see you again. So, I'm going to say that. So, we hope to see you again next year. Thank you. [applause] Yes. Yes, of course. Um just raise your hand guys when you hear your name. Lucia Bird. Look over your shoulder a little bit. Sorry. Ashton Borgman, Lauren Borgman. Y'all couldn't stand close to each other, could [laughter] Emma Brett, JC Chancellor, thank you. You gave me this. It's just not in my hand anymore. Annabelle Croy, Piper Dickinson, Riley Duff, Emma Ferris, Morgan Freilen, Zoe Furlong, Caroline Goodwin, Katie Lewitch, there Reagan Nash. I know. Elijah Reeves, Jasmine Reynolds, Kayn Rogers, Katie Simp, Hinsley Schillinger, Bianca Shelton. Almost there, guys. Promise. Payton Shiveley, Alexis Schwarz, [laughter] Kinsley Trivet, Adeline Williams, Rayan Wood, Abby Wolford,
013and real quick, five of these athletes were also named all region. And um those quick ones are Elijah, Kenley, Reagan, Abby, and Brilan. And we don't know all state yet, but if it goes how it typically and traditionally goes, Elijah, our one and only senior, should be announced as cheerleader of the year for the state of in the 3A division. So that's very exciting for her. Congratulations again. That's awesome. They're all yours. Keep there. Don't move. Don't move. Don't move. We're not going anywhere. We all good over here. All right. Thank you. Merry Christmas. Thank you. [laughter] Yes, I do. Thank y'all. The kids like Yeah. I don't know if you want me to. Go back to I think I'm gonna go back to G& Cory go. She's in the back. Okay. Yeah, that's a
014ton of girls. Yeah, the one [snorts] that would be for the year. [laughter] Item 3.01, recognition of G&H Contracting for their contributions to the Glenn community. Dr. Corey Franklin. Hello again. This evening, we are proud to recognize two outstanding Glimmer alumni, Sheldon and Troy Henderson of G&H Contracting, whose generosity and commitment have touched nearly every corner of our campus. They truly represent the best of Highlander Heaven. G&H Contracting has been one of the strongest partners Glimmer High School has ever had. They were among the first local businesses to collaborate with our CTE department, helping us to create apprenticeship opportunities that give students valuable hands-on experiences. Their contributions can be seen all across our campus from funding the reconditioning of our stadium scoreboard to providing padded chairs for our athletes in the main gym to donating
015materials for the softball bullpen. They played a key role in designing, funding, and constructing our new hitting facility, a project that's going to benefit Highlander athletes for many years. And when you enter our campus, you're greeted by the state championship sign, proudly designed, fabricated, and installed by G&H Contracting. It's going to be a lasting symbol of Glimmer excellence and pride. But their impact extends far beyond donations. Sheldon and Troy have given something just as valuable, their time. Week after week, year after year, they've served faithfully on the chain crew for both JV and varsity football games, showing up in all weather, supporting our athletes, getting knocked over by their own grandchildren, [laughter] and staying deeply connected to the school that helped shape them. Their service is a model of what it means to be a
016true Highlander long after graduation. And this Saturday, they'll be right back on the field, this time cheering on our varsity football team as they compete for the class 2 state championship title. Once a Highlander, always a Highlander. On behalf of Glumber High School, we extend our sincere gratitude to Sheldon and Troy Henderson and G&H Contracting for their generosity, their partnership, and their unwavering support of our students. Thank you. Yeah, I'm better now. [laughter] Yes, sir. I'll see you two presses. Item 3.05, recognition of Southern Team Subaru and Mr. Dylan for the adopt a classroom grant and donation. Mr. Wes Warner. Uh, good evening members of the board. Um, unfortunately Mr. Mr. Dylan could not be here this evening, but I still wanted to take the opportunity to recognize him uh for a remarkable act of
017generosity that's made a lasting impact on Burlington Elementary School. Uh Mr. Dylan along with Southern Team Subaru has been an extraordinary partner to our school and our community. Their continued commitment to supporting students and teachers demonstrates what it truly means to be a charitable and engaged neighbor. This year, Southern Team Subaru sponsored 20 of our teachers, ensuring that they had the resources and support that they needed to begin the year strong. Each of these teachers received a fi received $500 to spend on classroom supplies through the adopt a classroom storefront, totaling a $10,000 donation. This contribution empowered our educators to purchase meaningful materials that directly enhance instruction and enrich the learning environment. Teachers use this opportunity to purchase everything from math manipulatives to literacy tools, art supplies, flexible seating, hands-on science kits, all items that
018directly benefit our students in meaningful everyday ways. Understanding the everyday needs of teachers, Southern Team Subaru also donated 20 teacher supply kits filled with essential clerical items such as paper, pens, markers, folders, and other resources that our teachers often buy out of pocket. These thoughtful kits not only ease the financial burden but also send a strong message to our staff that their hard work and sacrifices are noticed and appreciated by the broader community. Mr. Dylan took this generosity a step further by donating funds for 20 teachers to purchase snacks for students who come to school without. This may sound small, but it addresses a very real need in our classrooms. When a child is hungry, it's difficult for them to focus, learn, and fully participate in their day. Thanks to this contribution, our teachers are
019equipped to provide that extra support, ensuring that every child feels cared for and ready to learn. Southern Team Subaru's support extends far beyond dollars and supplies that represents a spirit of partnership, community, and shared responsibility for the success of our children. Their contributions relieve stress for teachers, remove barriers for students, and create classrooms where learning can flourish. It reminds our educators and families alike that they are not in this work. They're not in this work alone, but are backed by a community that values education and will invest in their future. We are truly fortunate to have such a dedicated neighbor standing with us in our mission to serve students and families. And on behalf of the entire Burlington Elementary School community, I extend our deepest gratitude to Mr. Dylan and Southern Team Subaru. Their generosity
020has touched not only classrooms but our hearts, and we look forward to continuing this strong partnership in the years ahead. Thank you. I just wanted to add another comment. Mr. Dylan uh couldn't come um at the last minute, but um I did tell him as a a loyal uh Southern Team Subaru customer, I would uh thank him on his behalf. But um I just wanted to also give a shout out. Southern Team has been a long-standing um sponsor of several of our education foundation initiatives, including our Golden Apple program each year. Um and as Mr. Warner said, it's truly a testament to representative of a business uh like we earlier from G&H that are just truly wonderful community partners. And so I just wanted to add my appreciation to to Southern team and Mr. Dylan
021for their continued support. Item 3.06, school spotlight, Mason's Cove Elementary, Miss Amy Phelps. Good evening, Dr. Sulttus, Dr. Nicely. School board members. Madame Chair, I'm excited about the opportunity to tell you about Mason's Cove Elementary and all of the great work that goes on there. The original Mason's Cove Elementary was constructed in 1961. That was Ron Countyy's last coal heated building. Um, the school was rebuilt in 2011. Our current enrollment is 210 students. We are a title one school. We have one preschool classroom and then we have two classes per grade level K through five. We are your smallest school in Reno County, but I think that's one of our biggest assets because we get to know our students. We are able to meet their needs. We are able to build a school culture where
022every student feels valued and cared for. I always like to show the graphic of how large our attendance zone is because I think it's just it's amazing. Um, we touch the Bodatat County line, the Craig County line, and Montgomery County line. So, while we are a small school, we cover a very vast area. Um, we are obviously more rural than other parts of Rono County. Uh, we do not have any commercial stores, daycarees, doctor's offices, or anything in our attendance zone. I think the geography of our area makes it absolutely beautiful and unique. Even though our attendance zone has this large area, one thing connects all of these people and these communities is our school. And so we hope that these families feel the genuine care that we try to put into these students each
023and every day when they enter our building. As you're aware, a major focus in Reno County is making sure that students and graduates are opportunity ready. So I want to tell you a little bit about what we do at Mason's Cove to make sure that our students leave our building prepared. We start off building strong academic foundations. We do this through solid um reading and math instruction, providing opportunities for problem solving and critical thinking, encouraging curiosity, and providing different small group and different kind of instruction opportunities where we could provide enrichment and remediation to meet students where they their needs are. Um when we talk about growing independence, these students enter to our building as little kindergarteners on the first day and they leave us as middle schoolers. So that's a tremendous amount of growth
024that happens in the time that they are with us. So while they're with us, we hope that they start taking ownership and agency over their learning. And we do that by helping students learn about setting goals, valuing progress over perfection, helping students to understand their strengths and how to make improvements in areas of growth. And another important aspect of how we are helping students grow their agency and their voice in learning is the student led conferences that we do in third, fourth and fifth grade. We encourage exploration in different aspects of creativity. It's through STEM activities, hands-on science activities, um critical thinking, deeper learning, allowing students to explore and discover what their interests are because as they progress, um we know that sometimes future opportunities depend on what they've been exposed to. So, we want
025to make sure that they have exposure to a wide variety of different experiences at Mason's Cove so they can understand where their passions or interests may lie. We help our students develop social emotional skills. Opportunity ready is not always academic. Um students have to learn how to manage themselves and how to interact with their peers and how to be part of a team. So we do that through providing clear expectations, positive behavior systems, teaching conflict resolution purposefully in our classrooms and problem solving, providing opportunities for students to cooperate, communicate, and emphasize teamwork. Our goal is to really help the students build the skills and the mindset that they are going to need moving forward when they leave our building. Academics are not the only part of what make us a student opportunity ready. So, one
026of our major strengths at Mason's Cove Elementary is the environment that we create there. Uh we want our students to feel safe and supported and have a sense of belonging so that they can face these opportunities or these challenges with confidence. Our staff members know our students very well. We know their strengths. We know their challenges and we know their stories. Um a strong sense of community is what allows Mason's Cove to have such a special place in this community. It's our little Thanksgiving piece that we do every year that I think is super cute. Um, our whole staff stays after school to decorate and the kids really love it. They look forward to it every year, but it's also a time that we know that each student has a Thanksgiving meal where someone has
027cared about them. They can feel part of something and the kids look forward to it every year. And I don't know if you can see at the very end of one of those tables, one of our classrooms has adopted a porch goose this year. And it it gets decorated for different like classroom themes. But the Portuguese has become quite a celebrity in the building. It goes on field trips. Um her name's Lucy. She um goes to different places in the building in different celebrations. We also like to highlight our student successes. Um we believe everybody should be celebrated for whatever success they can bring forth. So each month a classroom teacher selects a student. We have a student of the month. Um, and those students have their picture and their certificate displayed in our student
028of the month showcase. Students can earn book tokens through the book vending machine. Um, we have a schoolwide reward system and that's a picture of our glow party that we had when students earned that reward. Um, so we've tried to find different ways of motivating and recognizing student effort. We also do a really good job of having community centered title one and PTA events. Our partnership with our families is essential and through our um title one events and PTA events, we offer a variety of things that bring people together. So this is our grands and guests event. This is where students can bring in grandparents or other guests that are important to them so that they can share a little bit of a glimpse into their school day and show off their school a little
029bit. Um, this allows grandparents or other guests or important people in their lives a time to come into the building where they may not usually have that opportunity. And it helps us to foster more of a connection with the families. It's also a good way to celebrate the relationships that inspire our students. Our PTA also does some other wonderful events and we have great attendance at these events. Um we have bingo night, paint night, u books with Santa because our school is a true hub of our community. Being able to host these events and bring people in together really does play an important part um in our school culture. Another uh school celebrity is our SRO, Officer Concincaid. He is very well loved by the students. He will play um on the playground with them.
030He has introduced our school to gaga ball, which has become quite competitive. Um he helped our PTA get a gaga ball pit for the kids to play. Um he's not just a secure presence in our hallways and on our campus, but he's a really valued member of our school. Um he provides safety and guidance to the kids and also allows them to have a positive connection to law enforcement which is um as you know mo needed in most households and most families. One other highlight that um is really loved part of our school is kindergarten and fifth grade buddies. Um students are paired up with a kindergartener and a fifth grader. They read books together. They will do projects and things together and they just form a really neat connection. They it's really nice to
031see them the grade levels passing one another in the hallway and the kids are really enthusiastically greeting their their buddy, waving at them, stopping by to give a high five or a hug. And so um that kind of relationship really allows the kindergarters to develop some literacy skills and confidence because they're reading to other people and they've got someone that they look up to encouraging them, but it also lets the fifth graders show show as a role model and you know express some empathy as well. Um, and finally, I really want to highlight our staff. We have an outstanding staff at Mason's Cove Elementary who make all of these great things possible. Um, they not only provide high quality instruction, but they care about these students and they provide genuine uh love and stu students
032get a lot of creative experiences, engaging opportunities. Their commitment isn't just seen in their lesson planning or their instruction, but they greet the students at the door. They know things about them. They get to know them. They get to value them. And that's what helps make our school a really important part of these students lives as they develop. We know that we are preparing them to leave us. That's part of school in reality. But we really want them to recognize our school as home and some place that they remember positively. And lastly, those are just a few really pretty pictures of our area. We have an absolutely beautiful school. Um, we are small, but we do have a big impact on our community and our students. Um, and we're very proud of the work that
033we do and the relationships we build in our community. And I want to thank you guys genuinely for all of your support and your hard work to help us succeed. Thank you. Thank you, Amy. And I know you said that it's the smallest school in the county, but I tell you, it is the prettiest. And you have a huge It has a huge heart. You do make a huge impact on the community. Every time I walk in there, from the secretary to officer Concaid to the teachers, everybody there just always has a smile and a great attitude. And the kids are happy. It's very easy to see that you guys are doing an amazing job just by the looks on the kids' faces. So, thank you for everything. It's a wonderful place to be. Thank
034you. You're doing a great job. Thank you. Thank you. Item four, report by student advisory council. We do not have a representative this evening because they did not have a meeting um this month. Um item 5.01, hearing of citizens for agenda topics. We do not have any. Item six, consent agenda. Do we have a motion to approve the consent agenda? Second. Madame Clerk. Mr. Greenway? Yes, ma'am. Mr. London? Yes, ma'am. Mr. Hudson? Yes, ma'am. Miss Clemens? Yes, ma'am. Item 7.01, agreement with Rono County Police Department for Deer Culling, Miss Rachel Lowour, Deputy County Attorney, and Rono County Police Department. Yes. One up. Y Good. Uh, good evening, Madam Chair and members of the board. My name is Rachel Lauer. I'm deputy county attorney. Thank you for all you do. Um, this is Sergeant Eric Cobble.
035I have with me of the Renault County Police Department. And along with us, we also have Eric Rigger, a Maverick man with Hollow Tooth LLC. Um, in 2024, Reno County established its deer population management program. Deer population control is a serious issue in Renault County, and Renault County receives numerous citizen complaints every year about damage caused by the ever so increasing local deer population. Reno County citizens experience deer damage to residential plants and crops, and the county's deer population creates a hazard to the safe operation of motor vehicle traffic in Reno County. In a span of 18 months leading up to the county's implementation of the program, Reno County alone paid over $127,000 in property damage caused by traffic incidents involving deer uh pertaining to our our uh patrol cars incidents with our patrol cars.
036In order to affectuate this program, Brando County requested a permit from the Virginia Department of Wildlife, received a permit from the Virginia Department of Wildlife, and contracted with a vendor who performs events on Reno County Board of Supervisor owned properties um for the deer population management. Reno Countyy's vendor, hello to the LLC. Again, our representatives are here with me, um through its representatives believes that use of the Reno County Schoolboard properties could increase the um uh successfulness of the Renault County deer population program. So, I am here on behalf of Reno County to request um permission from the Reno County School Board to perform um events on the Renault County School Board for Reno Countyy's deer population management program. Thank you. Thank you. If you have any questions, I'm happy to answer what I can
037or these guys can. Okay. Thank you. Do we have a motion to approve? Yes, madam chair. I move approval of the agreement with Rona County Police to conduct deer culling on selected school board properties as negotiated by the superintendent. Any discussion? I just want to say I think the presentation at our work session the other day was was very good and um there I do not see any any safety issues whatsoever with this. So hopefully they're uh they're in and out quickly and successful but happy to do it. Anyone else? Madam clerk Mr. Greenway? Yes ma'am. Mr. London. Yes ma'am. Mr. Hudson. Yes ma'am. Miss Clemens. Yes ma'am. Thank you and thank you for having me. Thank you. Agenda item eight, this information. We do not have any information items tonight. Item 9.01, hearing of
038citizens for non-aggenda topics. We do not have any. Item 10.01, report by Reno County School Superintendent, Dr. Ken Nicely. Thank you, Madam Chair. Members of the board, we want to wish good luck to all of our teams compete competing in state playoffs, including Glenn High School football team playing this Saturday for the state championship. And uh go Highlanders. Uh the Central Performing Arts, by the way, from Burton Center will be having their winter uh showcase tomorrow evening, and that's going to be held at William Bird High School at 7 o'clock. This performance showcases talent from our CPA, which of course draws from all five high schools. It's always a treat to watch. So again, that's will be tomorrow evening at Wambert High School at 7 o'clock. The new state um accountability system results were released
039yesterday in Reno County performed among the best in Virginia with 25 of 26 schools labeled as distinguished or on track based on a complex system of measurements. Only one SCA school was labeled as offtrack with 79.48 four eight points of the 80 needed. As we have said, the offtrack label misrepresents and hides the reality that the students and teachers are doing all the right things and are very much on track and headed toward continuous improvement. We're proud of all of our teachers, students, and staff for their outstanding performance. Speaking of performance and results, we're proud to say that the 2026 niche.com rankings of school districts have come out and Reno County remains ranked number one in the Renault region and has moved up a spot to number 10 best school district in Virginia. And we're
040again very proud of all of our students, teachers, and staff. As we've all noticed, uh, winter has come a little early this year. Want to remind everyone that we've always make weather decisions based on whether or not our buses can travel safely given the forecast and actual road conditions. Student safety always comes first and if we make a mistake, we wanted to do it on the side of caution. This is of course a large county as you saw from Miss Phelps drawing there and with varying elevations and what someone sees on one side of the county may be different than what's happening on the other side. We want to thank uh everyone for their patience and trust as we do our best based on the information that we have. Uh, finally, I realized that Miss
041Fchani had to be out this evening due to having to travel out of state for a death in the family, but we do want to acknowledge her service these past four years on the school board. Serving on the board requires a tremendous amount of dedication and commitment, as you all know, and we want to express our appreciation for her four years of service by presenting her with this um plaque commemorating her time on the school board. And we'll make sure that she gets that. Can we give her a round of applause? This is of course the last scheduled board meeting before the holidays and I want to wish all of our students, families, and staff a wonderful and well-deserved holiday holiday break. Thank you. Item 11.01, reports and inquiries of board members. Mr. Greenway, would
042you like to go first? Yes, ma'am. So, I'd like to ask the hardest question of the night. Um, Dr. Nicely, are we going to school tomorrow? [laughter] I bet you haven't heard that question. It's all good. I'm just kidding. Um, so yeah, wanted to uh wish uh Cam Thessimone, I think I'm saying that right. Um, I followed him a little, you know, on social media a little bit and it's been a tough week. So, want everybody to keep him in in our prayers and thoughts and hopefully he he can continues to improve but he's had a rough week so you know I've got the yellow ribbon still and hopefully he feels better. I'll leave it at that. Um one uh Dr. Nicely brought it up and he had shared this with us I think yesterday
043and uh Chuck I think we need to get this out there. Um, I've said this before, the niche ratings and we've moved up now. We're number 10 in the state of Virginia. I don't know how we reduced a couple of districts, though. It was out of 131. It was out of 131. Now it's out of 129. And then over here with best places to teach is out of 130. So, um, let me read that again. So, number 10 out of 129 districts in the state of Virginia and districts with the best teachers in Virginia. I I believe this is absolutely wrong. You take the five off of it and we've got it right. It' be number one, but it says 15 out of 129. And then the best places to teach in Virginia is number
04429. So, um we're we're Dr. Nicely. I think that is a testament to you and your staff and uh all the good things we do here at Rona County Public Schools. And uh we just need to publicize that. I say that all the time. I don't know how to get it out there anymore than we do, but it's it's amazing uh where we're at and how well we're doing. Um the other thing we need to publicize, and I was telling uh Shelley this a little earlier, um we just did the state of the school uh speech. which I know we did the state of the county and it got moved today and I wasn't able to make that but the state of the schools I'd like to see us get that out there. Um yes,
045there you go. um get that out there for for all the people to see because again we need to promote the fact that this is the best thing going in southwest and central Virginia is Renault County Public Schools and uh our communities are are better places to live and work because of Renault County Public Schools. Um, want to want to bring up one thing that we're doing uh with Venton um in the Venton district and I'd like to offer this if someone has a needs in other districts. Uh, and I want to give all the credit in the world to Nathan Wheat who um I work with in in the real estate industry. He's a builder and I say work with him just as a colleague, but he's a wonderful person and has raised he
046started out to raise some bikes. We had done this a few years ago and he uh started out to raise some bikes and he should end up around 500 bikes. So I've offered those to uh through our Venton district uh elementary schools and just because of the nature of being so quick here at the you know we've got a week to go with schools and trying to coordinate and everything that maybe the easiest part is to get the bikes but then you got to figure out how to distribute them and get them to places. But if you have schools and and I would hope maybe Burlington could use some uh feel free to reach out to me and uh I'll coordinate that with Nathan and the group that's getting these bikes and he wants to
047get them to kids in need and u you know those of us that can can afford to pay for those bikes. You know he's not looking for those but he wants the kids in need to have those bikes. So I'd like to offer that if I can help in any way. Then I'd uh like to express my appreciation for Cheryl Fani for uh being on the school board. Um you know, we owe her a lot over the last four years that she's been here. Um I say it to anybody that'll listen to me. If it weren't for her, we wouldn't have the two elementary schools. and I appreciated her uh steadfast support for those schools and for CTE. We wouldn't had CTE in the fashion we've got it. And she put a lot of work
048into that. And uh so I appreciate her work on the board. Um I know the time was short, but she had a big impact especially uh in those communities where these schools are at. So so thank you, Cheryl. I wish you could be here tonight and going to miss you, but uh sure appreciate the work you did on the on the school board. And then last, uh go Highlanders. You know, I guess it's Saturday. Is it noon or two or 11? 11 o'clock. Okay. 11 o'clock. Anybody that can watch, let's let's cheer them on for a state championship in football. Congratulations to the Lady Highlanders for the cheer and and the Lady Knights for the cheer. um what fabulous rec, you know, uh merits and and rewards and recognitions that we had tonight. These these
049schools, we we've got a lot going on in Reno County Public Schools. So, uh want to wish everybody a merry Christmas. Thank you for all that you do for Reno County Public Schools, for the communities that that you serve and and just merry Christmas. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. London. Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to start uh by recognizing Dr. Nicely and Dr. Sulttus uh for the work that they did over at the VSBA conference earlier. It was um their their presentation on our opportunity reg graduate program was phenomenal and um to be able to share that. It's I think it's the first time in in my eight years that that we've been presenting or somebody from Rona County has presented and unfortunately they gave us the last time of the day which on
050the last day um which sometimes is not the the best attended but they they did a phenomenal job with that presentation. the people that came um enjoyed it very much and and I think there will be some school districts throughout the state whose board members we were able to share that information with um they're going to reach out to us and and learn a little bit more about what we do. So that opportunity ready graduate program is is phenomenal and you guys both did a a very nice job with that presentation. So I want to mention the upcoming band concerts. It's if you're not doing anything, Monday night, 6:30 at North Side. Tim Gallian always does a great job with that uh with that band over there. Great Christmas music. So, for those that don't
051have any plans Monday night, I'd encourage you to go see that. Two would like to to thank Cheryl for her service on the board. She a positive impact and she was very passionate while she was here. She she will be missed. So, um just reiterate on the the niche comments that both Tim and Ken made. It's it's great to see. It takes team. It's a team effort and we know that uh the team that you guys have assembled here in Renault County is is just fantastic. So, very proud of that. And just want to wish everybody happy holidays, merry Christmas. It's a a great time to remember what's most important. Uh and hopefully people get to spend time with family and friends. Thank you, Mr. Hudson. Thank you, Madam Chair. Um, again, I'd like to
052just say thank you to G&H. Those guys are awesome. They've done so much work at Glimmer. And you, if you drive to the campus, you can't go anywhere without seeing where they've touched it in one place or another. And there's no way that we could have such nice things if it were not for those two gentlemen and their company. Um, like to recognize again the cross country, the cheer. Hopefully, we're going to bring home football state championship here Saturday. I feel like we just had soccer in here what, a month or two ago, and we had swimming. like we're we're bringing it in. So, um that's good for It really has. The last few years, I feel like we're packing it in here and uh I think that's just a true testament to the community
053and also the coaches and the staff. Um obviously a state championship is is not easy and um everybody comes together in a Glenver community. That's what made me fall in love with it. It's it's a different place and unless you live there or you've been there for any given amount of time, it's hard to explain. But when you're there, it's just a different place. It's like an island. Um, I would also like to recognize and thank Cheryl uh to echo Mr. Greenway's comments. Um, I truly believe exactly what he said that the two elementary schools right here at Glen Cove and Condiff and our CTE would not be happening without her dedication um and loyalty and hard work. She was very passionate and I hope she has safe travels and praying for her family uh
054for some peace with their loss. and um merry Christmas, happy new year, and look forward to in here next year. Thank you. So, because we are here at the end of the year, this is a nice time to look back on our successes and accomplishments for the year. So, I'm going to go through some of those. There are a lot of a lot to celebrate. So, um for 2025, we had a number of team state championships. So, um Kring High School for competition year. Um this was of course their three repeat so three consecutive years. Glenn High School competition cheer, Glenn High School cross country, Glenn High School boys soccer and that was also a three repeat. And then Glenn High School boys swimming and that was backtoback. Um we also had some individual state
055championships. Carson Davis from North Side High School. Um Pvault state champ. Taylor Gru from Caves High School. Um he was the debate state champion. We have Deshaawn Austin from Williamird High School. Um he was the indoor track champ for the 55 meter meter hurdle. Um Deshan was also um track and field state champion 110 meter hurdles, 300 meter hurdles, and the long jump. Lucy uh Cochenderfer from Hidden Valley High School. She was the um indoor track state champion for the long jump. Um, Hassan Dor from Kring High School, track and field state champion for the high jump. Levi Wright, Glenn High School. He was the wrestling state champ. And Darren Witcher from William Bird High School, wrestling state champ. We also had Green Valley. Um, the elementary school had their robot drone league. They came
056in second in a national junior division and they also won the rookie award. Um, we have three BCAT students. Um, for the skills USA, we have Frank Zarkodoulism that was for related technical math, Lia Childris for natural hair braiding, Kira Artist, Sarah Win and Alyssa Wells, and they were for crime scene investigation. Teresa Ingo, FCCLA state winner. And um the BCAT engineering program received the Samsung SOL for Tomorrow National STEM competition and they were Virginia State winners. We also had some staff awards. We have Dr. Dr. Matt Neil, who was our Virginia State Teacher of the Year. We have Dr. Ken Nicely, who was our um state superintendent, Virginia Superintendent of the Year for Region 6. Kristen Knip from Kring High School um was the Renault County Public Schools Golden Apple teacher of the year
057this year. Uh Susan Peterson, our 2025 Vaspo Cardinal Award winner. Kim Smith from Fort Lewis Elementary and Dr. Chris Benson from Hidden Valley Middle School. um both received the VDOE principles of distinction. Um we also were awarded the NAMM Foundation best community for music education. And then we have a number of Blue Eagle Education impact award winners. So this is awarded monthly from WSLS and Blue Eagle Credit Union. We had Lauren Burgess from North Side Middle School, Casey Day from Burlington, Sarah Rhodess also from Burlington, Crystal Shawn from Caves High School, Amanda Waldron from Northside Middle School, Josh Whitlo Hidden Valley High School, and Debbie Williams Arthur William Bird High School. And Reno County received the most Blue Eagle uh credit union impact awards of any school division for 2025. Um, also as was mentioned,
058we are ranked 10th in the state and um, number one in the Reno region. So that's something to to definitely be proud of. Um, we also have obviously a number of renovation and construction projects that are happening and they've made so much progress in this past year. So we're excited about those as well. Um, I also want to say thank you to Cheryl. Um, Cheryl brought tremendous passion to her position here and we are thankful for her contributions and her input and she will be missed. And um, as also as mentioned the state of the schools video which they have up now that has launched yesterday. So we do encourage everyone to go out you can find it on the website um and take a look at it. It does give more detail about some
059of the things that I was highlighting here. And um we just hope that um everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a nice winter break. Oh, if you got me up on the screen. [laughter] Um but we do hope that everyone has a wonderful break. And if there's nothing else meeting