001I call to order uh the April meeting of the House and County Board of Education. It's April 8th at 1 one o'clock pm. Um, and uh we would remind you please to silence your cell phones so as not to not disrupt the meeting. You'll notice that I am not Mrs. Hughes. I'm Rick Unrew. Uh, Mrs. Hughes is a newly minted grandmother and so today she's attending to the opportunities and responsibilities of that new role. But we will try to carry on without her. And um so we will begin with a moment of silence. Moment of silence please. Thank you. This time we'll have our pledge of allegiance led by students from Miller Elementary School, Patrick Grim and Cadence Marshall. Patrick and Cadence, will you come at this time? To the flag of the United States
002of America and to the republic for it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you, Patrick and Cadence. That's a great job. At this time, we'll hear from five of our school principles who have brought special guests they would like to introduce. First, we have Miller Elementary School and principal, Mrs. Dana, Dr. Dana Brock. Thank you. We wear purple today to symbolize all branches of the military. When someone serves, the whole family serves. That includes the kids. To celebrate the month of Military Child, we have with us two outstanding Miller Rockets and their military family. I have with me Patrick Grim, a second grader. Patrick's favorite subject is math. His hobbies include building cars and planes. A fun fact about Patrick is he wants everyone to know that he
003loves to sing. To celebrate the month of military child, we are join joined by Senior Airman Cal Grim of the United States Air Force along with his wife Jessica Grim. Senior Airman Cal Grim. He has served this country for four years and Warner Robbins is his first duty station which will always hold a special place for him. Also joining us is Kadrien Marshall, a second grader who loves trains, building blocks, Legos, Sonic, and playing his PS5. He is very charming and loves to go through car washes. He also loves swimming. Kadrienne's mother, Staff Sergeant Nairobi Radford, has been active duty with the United States Army since 2018. She has served in Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, conducted rotations in Honduras, Ha Haiti, Poland. This month she will report as drill sergeant to school in Fort Jackson, South
004Carolina. Kron's sister and grandmother join them today to celebrate military child month. Not last, it is an honor for me to introduce our teacher of the year, Miss Monnique Cosby. A proud graduate of Hston County Schools. Miss Cosby was selected as Miller Elementary's teacher of the year for her recognition and unwavering dedication for of her students. She is passionate and an advocate for education is known in the building with to have strong relationship with student staffs and parents alike. Miss Cosby consistently goes above and beyond, often staying after school to provide tutoring and extra support. Her warm smile and positive spirit brightens the day for everyone around her. A data-driven educator, she excels in analyzing students data and tracking their progress. We are proud to celebrate the incredible impact she has on our school community.
005We thank her for helping Miller Elementary blast into infinity and beyond. Thank you. [Applause] Next we have David Purdue Elementary School and principal Dr. Andy Payne. Thank you so much Dr. Scott and the board for allowing us to be here today. It's always fun to get to come to these. I know we only get to come once a once a year. Uh but we're always blessed to get to come in April because it is the month of the military child and we brought two children two students with us who are children of the military parents and so I wanted to introduce them to you today. First we have Miss Stephanie Garcia. Stephanie here um her dad is a first sergeant first class currently in the Army Reserve. Uh we don't have a lot of army
006around here so it's nice to see that. Uh but he was also served in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 08 and09 as a financial technician non-commissioned officer. Uh he comes to the school all the time. They're big supporters of our school. It's always great to see him in his uniform and being there to support us but also what he does to support our military. Stephanie, I asked the teachers, both the young ladies teachers to send me some stuff, and Stephanie's teacher says she's just so kind-hearted. Uh, she's a dedicated learner. She's sweet in nature, and I will tell you that she gives the best hugs. Uh, she has a strong worth ei, always gives her best effort, and she's a genuinely kind person. Genuine kindness is what the teacher said. And she also told me she
007loves to play tennis. She used to swim, but she's in her tennis era right now, so she's into tennis. So, uh, we are blessed to have Stephanie with us today. Stephanie, say stand up. Next, we have Emma Filillmore. If Emma will stand up for me. So, Emma, now her whole family has been in the military twice. I mean, grandparents, aunts, uncles, if they're somebody in the military, they're probably related to Emma Filillmore. Um, Army, Navy, Air Force, um, everybody has been in her family. Her dad has spent 11 years in the military. He's actually a combat pilot right now for the Air Force. Her mom is an Air Force lieutenant colonel and been in it for 19 years. So both mom and dad uh Emma was born in Mississippi. She's lived in Illinois. She lives
008in Ger Georgia now and she's moving to Germany this summer to Rammstein. Uh my dad was when he was a kid lived at Rammstein or in Germany. I don't know if it was Ramstein then. Uh but Emma's excited to go um and share her experiences. Her teacher said that she's an outstanding student, has a bright spirit, genuine kindness, hard worker, encourager, leads by example. She loves her family Jesus and she likes to play soccer as well. And what I wanted you to hear is I emailed their teachers. I said, "Tell me a little bit what you want people to know." Both teachers use the exact words genuine kindness. We live in a very dark world with a lot of people fighting all the time. Democrats, Republicans, right? Georgia, Georgia Tech. I'm going to go there.
009[Music] McCark expectations. And K is kindness matters, but it's to be genuine. We tell our students all the time, character is who you are and what you do when nobody's looking. But somebody's always watching. and girls, we watch you every day. We watch your genuine kindness to those around you, to the adults in the building, and to the kids in the building. And that's exactly what I hope to be and strive every day is just like these young ladies. So, we're excited for them to be here today to represent our school. Next, we have our teacher of the year, Miss Katherine Card. She is also a product of Hston County Veterans High School. Won't hold it against her. Go North Side. Um, but Miss Cart is a six-year teacher. Um, I met her at the
010Middle Georgia State University mock interviews. I came back to the school and I told Annne Moore who was the API at the time. I said, "We don't have an opening, but if we get one, we're hiring Katherine Carr. I don't care about veteran new. We are hiring this person. Her her future is bright." I will tell you, one day you board will vote as an administrator right here. She will be an AP in our county and a principal and further beyond. She is that good. She's only six years in. And I'm blown away by what I see in her every day. Um she's our PBIS coach for two years. She's been on our leadership team, Bulldog Coalition for four or five years. that she started with us because she's a true leader in our building
011and to be a fifth year teacher to win teacher of the year is pretty fantastic at our school. Finally, she's about to have her first baby. Um I I mean, we're excited to have another bulldog in our family. It's a little girl named Anderson. They're going to call her Andy. I am taking ownership. I I just I need you to understand it's a and die, but we're telling everybody because I hired her. It's named after me. She's giving me that. So, don't take it away from me. And finally, uh, Dr. Rogers, I want you to know she's been accepted in the leadership development program from our district. Your first meeting is August 29th. She might have the baby there, but if she if she has the baby before even that day, she says she's still
012coming to that meeting. So, she plans to be there. That's her dedication. Thank you so much for it again for allowing us to celebrate our successes at our school. And I'm going to pass it on. [Applause] Next is Kings Chapel Elementary School and principal Mrs. Shelley Shokut. Thank you so much. It is great to be here and to be able to celebrate our our families that are military families. I myself have a couple of children that um serve in our military right now. So, um it is with pleasure that I get to introduce a couple of our families today. So, first I have with me Carter Saunders and he is one of our fifth grade students at Kings Chapel. He is an awesome King's Chapel Cougar. He is one of the young men that um
013always has the most positive attitude, the most positive spirit. He is always kind and he is always respectful to those around him. He loves to play video games outside of school. And he shared with me that his mom Katrina is in the military. She serves as a medic in Mississippi. And um he also has his dad here with him. This is Anthony. And his dad also works for the Department of Defense. Um so thank you so much um for all that you do for us. I asked Carter um this morning. I said, "What is the best thing about being a military kid?" And he said that you get to go to a bunch of different places. And so he shared with me that a couple of the places that he's been, he's been to England
014and every other year he goes to Mississippi. So he's had some great experiences being able to travel and meet lots of new people. Um, so Carter, thank you for all that you do for our school. I also have Kira Ellis and she is also one of our fifth grade Kings Chapel Cougars and she's only been with us for two years. This is her second year at King's Chapel. Um we have her and a couple of her siblings at our school and um she enjoys doing swimming, drawing, loves riding her four-wheeler outside of school. Her father is an equipment specialist working on C130s in the Air Force. and he is currently stationed um at Robins Air Force Base and he's been in the military for 19 years. That's a really long time. Uh her family has
015been stationed in several different places as well, including Arkansas and Washington. I also asked Kira this morning. I said, "Tell me what's the best thing about being a military kid?" And she said, "Well, when my dad goes on deployment, he brings me back some really great things." Um, so and I said, "Well, how often does he go on a deployment?" And she says, "Seems like a lot." Um, so that's part of those sacrifices that our military children make for us. Um, so thank you, Kira. And finally, I have with me today, uh, Carson Phillips, and she is one of our outstanding kindergarten teachers. She has been at King's Chapel now for four years, and all of those years she's taught kindergarten. And I had the privilege of knowing Carson when she was playing softball out
016on the field at Hston County. And when I watched her out on the softball field, one of the things I noticed about her was that she led that team each and every game for several seasons I got to see that. So it was no surprise to me that she was able to be a leader in our school. And she serves right now as our kindergarten grade level leader. She's also on our leadership team. Um, she is a natural in the classroom. She's very quiet when you see her in the hallways, but when you go into her classroom, she comes alive and the kids are excited to be in her classroom. Um, and she has the most wonderfully engaging lessons. Um, she is an incredible artist. Um, she's kept those talents for me from a long
017time. And then finally, I was like, who does all these cool signs that you have? and she's like, "It's me." Um, and then I found out she also does balloons. And so she has become like one of our in-house decorators. Um, she does a lot of our signs and balloons for us. She's just has a lot of talents. Um, but most importantly, um, Miss Phillips is a mother and a wife. Um, she has two precious children, Jack and Margot, and her husband, Tanner, currently serves in the Air Force. At the beginning of the year, she came to me. um she came in my office and you could see just a little bit of like some teary eyes and she said he's going away again six months this time. So we talked for a few minutes
018and she left my office and she said but I can do it. Um and then right before spring break she came to me and she said he's coming home. He'll be home. Um and she had the biggest smile on her face. Um, so for the last six months, Miss Phillips has been solo parenting, teaching, and leading her grade level and making it all look so easy, even when we know that it's not that easy. Um, so I want to thank you for all that you do. So, thank you to the Phillips family, to the Saunders family, and to the Ellis family for all the sacrifices that you make each and every day for our country. [Applause] Next we have Thompson Middle School and principal Dr. Scott Wyn. Good afternoon. Um appreciate this opportunity. Now we're
019middle school so we do do things a little bit differently. Um I promised these young ladies that we wouldn't spend a lot of time so we're going to do it at one all together. So if Leila and Malia would stand up. So I'm going to introduce these two ladies to you. Um they are very different and very similar at the same time. Um, both of them are from military families. Uh, Malia's parent, mother is a sergeant in the Air Force. I asked her what that sergeant did. She said, "Sergeant stuff." But enough that works. Um, Leila's father is a um, I think master sergeant is what we figured out. One of those upper sergeants um, in the army. Um, asked him what what Sergeant stuff. So, it was pretty good. A lot of similarities there.
020Um, asked them what they what they liked. um the most about um about being a Thompson Tiger. Malia said she liked the structure. Um she said that, you know, having structure, these are things I wouldn't I wouldn't ever change. She also said that in her three years being at Thompson, she's made some great friends that are really she's really close to. Um the great thing as a as an educator is they're not in the same class with her. Um so she only gets them every once in a while, so she stays out of trouble. She's a great kid. Um, and then, um, Ila, Ila, what did you tell? So, we'll get back to what Laya said. So, Ila is also a shark. Um, so you've probably seen her in here a few times. Uh, she
021was on, she's a two-time state champion, state champion, as a seventh grader, and as an eighth grader for our basketball, our Sharks basketball team. Um, great young lady. Uh, Leila talks a lot. Um, so I asked them a hundred questions on the way up here. Um, and Ila would always answer. Um, and asking her what her hobbies are. She loves sports. She loves to play basketball. That's her favorite sport. Um, I asked Malayaia what her hobbies were and she said, "Like to scroll through Tik Tok." Um, so I'm gonna put Malaya on our Tik Tok challenge um at school and she's going to help create them. And so we may have our own Thompson Middle School um program where Malaya's probably gonna make it make it all work. She just didn't just found out about
022that. So, um, Malaya and Leila kindness. Um, thank you very much. So, I'm going to jump over to my teacher. Okay. Uh, so this is this is coach Will Aosta. Coach Aosta has been with us for five years. Um, Coach Aosta coaches football, basketball, um, baseball. He pretty much starts coaching when school starts and he stops never because by the time it gets done summer rolls around, he picks up summer uh football and he keeps going. Um he was elected as our uh teacher of the year. Um he was voted as the teacher of the year because of what he gives to our kids every day. Um no matter what they need, whatever, no matter what they want, um he finds a way to help them. He is there is go-to person for so many
023of them. Um he runs our um uh partners club um a member Leila is a member of that as well. Um that just has a huge impact on some of our special needs students. Um and it also has that same impact on our our regular students who are helping them. Um coach Costa has like I said he's been with us um this is his eighth year teaching. Um one fun interesting thing we found out today he said you know I think I've done this before. What do you mean? fifth grade. So in fifth grade, uh, coach Aosta was just little Will Aosta then, um, got to come to the board meeting and was one of those people introduced by his by his principal. Um, he didn't remember all the details, but he said, "I've done
024this before." So, as a fifth grader at Parkwood Elementary School, he got to come with with his school. So, uh, thank you for giving me the opportunity to brag on some of my my people. [Applause] And finally, we have Veterans High School with principal Dr. Amy Barber. Good afternoon. Um, this month is always very special to me. Most of you guys know that my husband is active duty duty colonel in his 29th year of service. He's right now in the Middle East for a year. I did get to see him at spring break, so that was very nice. Um, we have prioritized staying in Hston County as a family because of what this district does to support us as families, us as employees, and our students. Um, my students are in my house are not
025traditional military kids because we stayed here. My husband left many times. He's gone again. Um, but part of that has to do a great deal with what this district does for us. Um, both professionally and personally. I can speak to that on both accounts and I appreciate what the board does, what the executive cabinet does to make this a wonderful place for our military families. Um, I've chosen to bring two seniors who are military students. Um, I'll speak first about Ivy Nash. Ivy, if you'll stand. Ivy is the daughter of Joseph and Tia Nash, and her dad is a senior master sergeant in Air Force. She came to us as a freshman from Spokane, Washington. Um, she's really plugged in at our school. She's going to be an honor in May. Um, she has really
026maximized her opportunities to be college ready by doing a lot of dual enrollment both in the school year and in the summer. Um, she's plugged in at our school. She's been actively involved in soccer and cross country as a player, but then she's managed for volleyball and football. Many of you guys that go to football games, you've seen her on the sidelines. Um, she takes pictures for lots of lots of different programs, but one thing that's very remarkable about her is the way she's really pushed in to our school culture in a variety of ways. And you see that especially in her work as co-editor of our yearbook this year. Um, I get a sneak peek at the yearbook every year. Um, and the editors always write letters about their experience and what veterans has
027meant to them. And one thing she talked about in her editor's letter was being being a military brat and what it meant to move to this community and how she transitioned here with different experiences, but how our school community really enveloped her and took her in and she felt at home and was able to contribute at our school. Um, and that spoke a lot to me about what our school does to support her as a student, but also what our district enables us to do for those students. Um, one thing that I try to do is is give some feedback from their teachers, people who see them every day. Um, our yearbook adviser, Miss Patterson, said this about Ivy. Ivy is a self- assured, outgoing student leader in the classroom who serves as one of
028the yearbook editors this year, the highest journalism leadership position. Ivy has continually demonstrated her dedication to her role by mentoring new yearbook students and covering games and other school events without hesitation. She's been a strong advocate for herself and her ambitions at veterans. and her charisma and energy not only make her a natural leader, but they also set her apart for success as a model student and dedicated community member in college and beyond. Um, after graduation, she's planning to go to Georgia Southern and study biomed science. Um, and she hopes to work on ending childhood illnesses. So, um, this is an example of a military child who's really come into Hston County, been very successful and no successes in her future. Ivy Nash. Our next senior young lady is Adriana Jones. Adriana is the daughter
029of Adrienne and Lachetta Jones and her father is also an active duty senior master sergeant at Robbins. She also came in her freshman year. Um, and when she came, she was coming from Atlanta, the Atlanta area. Um, and it was not an easy transition for Adriana to begin with. Uh, but man, has she poured in to our school and really gotten actively involved. She's also going to be an honor. She's an AP scholar. She's really maximized AP opportunities at our school. Um, and she also was recognized by National Merit as an African-American recognition award winner. Um, she's an active contributor, especially in our band and our theater programs. Um, and her band director, Mr. Muller, said this about Adriana. Adriana is one of the biggest sources of positivity and hard work that anyone will find
030in the VHS band program. She has established herself as an extremely hard worker, a friend to all, and an empathetic soul for her fellow band band members. We are better because she's part of our program. And Miss Burrus, her economic teacher, said, "Adriana is the kind of student who leads both by example with strength and heart. Her unwavering dedication, quiet courage, and deep sense of purpose makes her not just an outstanding student, but a role model to all who know her." After graduation, Adriana's planning to go to Howard University to pursue a career in medicine, hoping to be a cardiothoracic surgeon. Um, so you see another young lady who's been very successful in our environment, has high aspirations, and I have no doubt both of these young ladies will be positive contributors coming out of
031our community. And finally, I will speak to Dr. Megan Jones, who is our teacher of the year this past year. You know, she was a top five finalist. Um, and she has spent her entire career at Veterans High School. Ironically enough, she's also a military child. Uh her dad served 25 years as a lieutenant colonel, retired as a lieutenant colonel after serving in the medical corps as a pathologist. Um she is first of all a learner. Um once she came to work with us, she continued in her education. She earned her master's or specialist, just finished her doctorate degree. She added her gifted endorsement. Um she's AP certified. Um she's done whatever it has been possible for her to continue to learn to support our kids. Um second of all, she's a leader. uh she
032coordinates our governor's honors I mean our golden eagle program and in doing our golden eagle program last year she was recognized with the Sylvia McGee excellence in education award um for her work both at our school but also with that program she's our gifted lead teacher um she also leads homecoming and she loves that and she does a phenomenal job of that. Uh she works uh tirelessly with our Chick-fil-A leader academy but also our national English honor society and our student government. Um, one thing that she did with some of our students last year is they recognized a need for a care closet for our students. Students who had a lack of food, a lack of clothing, personal care items, um, school supplies, and led a drive to develop that and establish that. This year,
033we've really gotten it off the ground. And it's amazing to see how that care closet that was born out of a student identified need, teachers have supported, and we've been able to support our kids in the building in unbelievable ways. Um, and that's just been so gratifying to see our community, our school community, support our other student needs in ways that we had not done before. Um, she's taught 9th through 12th grade from general 9th graders to AP to dual enrollment. Um, she took over AP literature three years ago, I think. And during that time, our enrollment has quadruple quadrupled and we've gone from I think about a 30% qualifying rate to about a 90% qualifying rate. Um, which is phenomenal. um what she has done for our school I can't underscale. Um she falls
034in anywhere we need something. Um she serves on our leadership team. Um and she does so with heart and passion in a way that is that's unbelievable. Um and her dedication to Veterans High School and our school community is remarkable. I had a student give me some feedback on her since I couldn't necessarily get teachers. Uh Kaylee Brown, who's a senior who's worked with her in NEHS student government, but also she had her as a freshman and a senior said this about Dr. Jones. Dr. Jones is one of the most intentional and genuine teachers I've had the privilege of having both as a freshman and as a senior. Her classroom is truly a a reflection of how much she cares both about our success, but also about us as people, which makes the greatest difference
035in what we walk away with after her class. However, I will say my favorite part about her is her sense of humor. She may have won teacher of the year, but to me, she also wins the funniest, which is something that makes her stand out ever more. She is truly one of the best. Um it's truly my gift and humble pleasure to work at Veterans High School every day. These are just a few of the stories of what we've got walking our halls both with our staff and our students. And uh I appreciate the opportunity to be able to serve in this capacity, the board. Thank [Applause] you. Thank you to each of our guests. We love hearing from our principles, teachers, and students. Now, at this time, I will turn it over do to
036Dr. Scott, who will recognize our other visitors. April is the month of the military child. Today many of us are wearing purple support for our military children. purple strength of all military branches and appreciation in our district. Additionally, many of our employees have personal ties to the milary. If you are a military child, military family [Applause] meal reasonially military child. I would like to say a few words here that's our children. Not only do we serve We heard a lot about service and sacrifices from our children. I heard one of our shots. Those things We can't boarduc lots as our service members move from location to location. One thing that comes to mind children is provided excellence and us know our children are secure in an environment. Thank you. Thank you for standing forward. [Applause]
037Once again, thank you to all our military service members and their families. It's an honor to celebrate you this month and always in Hston County. Thank you. Our district excels in many areas and one of which is our agriculture agricultural education program. Today we have two schools with first place wins at the state level. At this time would Perry High School come forward to introduce us to your students. Good afternoon. I'm Ashley Denton, the House and County Young Farmer Advisor, and we've got Mr. Luke Weinberger here, who we lost I lost a game of rock, paper, scissors, so I had to talk today. Um, so we um we are blessed here in Hston County to have an amazing agriculture education program. We are blessed with um the largest group of a teachers in the county.
038We have 17. They go all throughout all of our middle schools and all of our high schools. And back in February, we hosted our local livestock show. And then right after that, we had our state livestock show. So just housing county, we exhibited right over 300 livestock projects at the state livestock level. So that includes all of the pigs, all of the cattle, the dairy cattle, even back when we showed um goats and lambs back in October. So our kids are really really hard at work. They have these animals for a year up to six months or six months up to a year depending on which species it is. So when you see them up here, um they they really did do a lot of hard work. They work harder than we do when it
039comes to the animals. They're the ones who have to go feed all the time. um they're the ones who have to make sure their animals are broke and are are ready for the show. So, first off, we've got in the cattle barn, we've got Miss Addison Fox. She's a senior this year and she was first place in senior market beef record book. She exhibited our champion market heer for the state livestock show, our champion crossbreed steer, and then was also named reserve overall steer for the whole entire livestock show. So, congratulations to her. All right. Then we have Mr. Peyton Herd. He exhibited our champion short horn plus heer. Miss Weslin Wood exhibited our commercial division three champion heer. Mr. Lawson Kent was our champion 11th grade showmanship winner, which is not an easy feat
040to do. Um, and then on into the pig barn, we've got Mr. Landon Wright who exhibited our division 7 crossbreed champion bearer. his twin brother Luke Gray who um exhibited our champion division one purebred guilt with his Bergkshire guilt and then Mr. Will Peacock who exhibited the champion division one purebred bearer with his Durac barra. So congratulations to you all. [Applause] And next we have Veterans High School. All right. So, uh, today we have, uh, Ally Cororsine with us here. And Ally has, uh, won the state record book. How many times have you won this state? So far, four or five times at least. So, she did it again this year. She was the senior. She won the senior market hog record book for the state. Um, we have this young man here, uh, Brody
041Mason. Brody did an outstanding job this year. I cannot tell you how many times I have had to beg him to show showmanship. I can't tell you how many times. Dude, you you got to show, doc. I don't like doing it. Well, he goes out this year and wins state showmanship for his his grade. Uh so we are very very proud of these kids. Let's give them a big round of applause. [Applause] Skills USA is a career and technical student organization that empowers students to become skilled professionals, career ready leaders, and responsible community members. First, we have Hston College and Career Academy who will introduce us to their state award-winning students. Hello, I'm Christy Norris. I'm the fine furniture and cabinet making instructor for HCCA. Uh my team um was Trista Swanner, Karina Brown, and
042Jaylen White. and together they were the state or they are the state champions in Skills USA for the woodworking display team. They built a beautiful kitchen island. Um they worked during their blocks that they're at HCCA and after school worked many many hours on it and it was the first time that we brought home a state championship in our fine furniture program. We also would like to invite you to come out May 7th and see firsthand what they and other students have built in our fine furniture showcase. So it's at from 4 to 6 on May 7th. So keep that in mind. Hello, good afternoon. I'm Candace Hollingshed, the A Techch and film instructor for the House and College and Career Academy. And here with me today is Mr. Jaden Perez, Miss Ava Rumford, and
043Destiny Broton. Uh these students are state champions with Skills USA. script video category. This is the second time that we have taken home this title. Um what that competition is all about. Students receive a script from Skills USA. It could be anywhere from 30 to 50 pages long. Um they have an opportunity to cast uh actors. They get a chance to uh do rewrites in the script, film it, create shot lists, and pretty much what they do is create the movie. And based on whoever I guess pretty much puts it together best is the person that they recognize. state. So this year we took home the top prize for that and really super proud of them. Um and we're just looking forward to continuing this [Applause] And next we have Veterans High School. Hi, I'm
044Emily Wagert, graphic design teacher at Veterans High School. Um, this is Raven Purdue and Austin Herzac. Raven is the second time state winner for Facilon, which is basically a facilities management competition that is brand new to the state of Georgia. So excited that she gets to return to nationals again this summer. Austin participated in Skills USA brand design and he did a remarkable job winning the state title in that as well. And unfortunately that one does not go to nationals but we are so proud of him for what he accomplished this year. See a bright design future for him. Um these two remarkable remarkable students. [Applause] FBL FBLA is a student organization that prepares students to become community minded business leaders. Today we celebrate students from two schools who earned top uh honors at the
045FBLA state conference. We will begin with Hston County High School. Hi, I'm Jenny Jackson. I'm the FBA adviser at Hy County High School. Today I have with me Roxandanda Mal Coach Mal Coach. Um she placed last year in business management and international business in the top 10 and she went to nationals for business management last year. So this year she again competed in international business and placed first at state and she will compete at nationals in international business this year. Um Roxanda is a hard worker. She's uh definitely has a personality, persistence, and uh gogetter for any goal that she has. Um when I first met her, I was knocked off my feet. I never really let a student tell me what they're going to do, but when she told me that she was going
046to do what she was going to do, I said, "Okay." And I just kind of sat there shocked after meeting her. And if you ever talk to her for about five minutes, you'll see why I just sat there shocked after meeting her. Um, but it was a great day in my life because the second year now she's competing for me at nationals and I have no doubt that she will be on stage at the end of that. Not only that, she competed for me and then took off and went to Buford and competed at literary and also placed there. Um, so she's just she's just a everything. [Applause] Next we have Veterans High School. Good afternoon everyone. My name is Tobias Strickland. I am the FBA adviser at Veterans High School. I have with me
047Mia Lloyd. Mia is a freshman. You may remember her from last school year. She was a state and national winner in middle school. So, she came over her freshman year. She competed in graphic design and got first place. We are going to Anaheim, California this summer for nationals. Congratulations again, Mia. We really do appreciate you. [Applause] Next, we'd like to recognize High School, who won first place at the recent state literary competition. So, you coordinator Davis. assistant to thank for having us. We are so blessed to work in county stand before you consecutive as well as amazing to watch the dedication and work these students in this ghsa. Each year we would like to thank we have seniors on this team that have been on this team for three years. And we also have specialy.
048Thanks again for having us and celebrating the accomplishments of these students. We're trying to get out next year. [Applause] Congratulations. Last month, we recognized high school students who were selected for all state band. Today we're going to honor our middle school all state band participants. So we begin by recognizing students from middle school. Please join us. And it pleasure working. And to put that in perspective, back in January, about 1200 students state of Georgia. We just could not be more proud of [Applause] Next we got school was unable to be here today. So I'm referring every year and this is her first year and she is dependable and wonderful young next program since he first Mr. gifted musician that works hard to get every student at one point and now they said they're so happy
049they did it. They're proud of their accomplishments and they can't wait to continue. [Applause] Middle school. Usually consistently being accomplished. [Applause] We recently held our All right. This year um well, every year we have our annual fifth grade ortorial um competition where our students are able to take their analytical skills and their creative thinking from words on paper to um spoken word. This year we had three dynamic students who um rose to the top. One of the things I love to say about them, how proud I am of them is most of us, and I know there are some of you in the room are definitely afraid of talking in front of your peers and others. When they were on the stage, you could not tell that they had any inkling of fear. I would
050like to go ahead and just announce them and then we'll be wooed with our um first place winner. In third place, I have Matteo Cabay from David Purdue Elementary. In second place, Colton Young Bonire Elementary School. And in first place from Russell Elementary, Aiden Harden. And each of these students were given the same prompt. Um we take their fifth grade social studies standards and we ask them to look into their standards and find a um time in history that they felt like people had to be optimistic. And that optimism that they had during that time um how that was able how we were able to use that optimist optimism to grow our community and then they have to tell you in what way. Um so we want to make sure that they are looking into
051their social studies standards and bringing that to fruition and Aiden don't go too far. um if you all don't mind giving us three minutes. They have to do their speech within three minutes. They're penalized for going over three. Um and they're penalized for being under three. And he did a great job of staying within those rounds. Are you ready? All right. So, you're gonna have to help me [Applause] out. Bright smiles in hard times. The power of optimism. Imagine it's 1961. You're a 16-year-old kid getting ready to face one of the biggest obstacles in your life. You sit down at the counter of popular diner, even though you know you're not wanted there. Faced with this unimaginable situation, you're forced to look at the positive outcome of your actions. There are tough times in life.
052At least one time in your life, you have struggled. Let's take it back to 1955. Rosa Parks had just been taken to jail. In that cell of hers, she would have to stay optimistic. She believed that there would be better times on the way. And she knew that her fellow African Americans would take a stand. Not just for themselves, but for others. Alone, they were strong, but together unstoppable. Your ancestors once fought for their civil rights to have an equal spot at the table of respect. In 1929, one of the most revolutionary activists was born. This activist goes by the name Martin Luther King Jr. He being one of the leaders of the civil rights movement has organized many events. Some of these events included the March on Washington and other events like the Montgomery
053bus boycott. Martin Luther King Jr. is is widely known for his I have a dream speech. This reached the heart of many which led to segregation laws being overturned. While these things were going on, people did things like traditional stepping. Stepping has roots in tribal African dance and has historically been a way for people of color to lift each other up through call and response. The civil rights movement was a time where many black Americans faced unfair treatment because of the color of their skin. Despite these challenges, they remain hopeful and believe that they can make things better. Leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. inspired many with dreams of equality and justice. And I'll leave you with this quote from Nelson Mandela. The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but rising
054every time we fall. [Applause] Thank you. Thank you. Very wonderful. Nice jacket, man. I like that jacket. Okay, on to our our business section. Thank you for all who were here and and participated and we're honored. Um, first item or the next item on the agenda or our here is to adopt the agenda. Mr. Nichols, Dr. Enroo, thank you very much. I would like to make a motion that we adopt agenda the agenda as written. Second. We have a motion and a second to adopt the agenda. All those in favor, raise your hand. passes. Next, we have uh our minutes from previous meetings. Yes, Dr. H. I make a motion that we approve the minutes from previous meetings. Second. Okay, we have a motion, a second to approve the minutes from the previous meetings. Do
055we have any corrections or comments? Okay, take a vote then. All in favor of approving the minutes, raise your hand, please. Again, 6. Motion passes. It's time for our board member comments, and Lori Johnson is going to um give us those. Thank you. Yes, sir. Thank you. Um in April, we recognize and celebrate the month of the military brat. I'm gonna be honest, for a while I didn't like using the term brat because it kind of sounded derogatory to me. Um maybe because when I call my kids that, it kind of is. But um uh but according to the research, the term brat in the context of military families stands for born, raised, and trained. The term is used informally and often carries a sense of pride among those who identify as brats. It reflects
056the challenges and adaptations associated with military life, such as changing schools, making new friends, and dealing with the absence of a parent during deployment. Despite these challenges, many military brats develop a strong resilience, adaptability, and a sense of strong community among those who share similar experiences. I would like to thank those who have served um and those that have served or are currently serving and the families that support them. I'd like to express my admiration and respect to the many military brats that we have in our district. Many have touched my life and the lives of my family members and have certainly left a memorable impression. All right, moving on. April brings about a season of change and many exciting things for our students and teachers. I know we're looking forward to prom, field days,
057testing, even graduation. It is hard to believe that yet another year is getting ready to wrap up. It is also hard to believe that we are quickly approaching the end of another era. I'm sorry, Dr. Scott, but this is my turn for comments and I won't get to talk next month. So, um I just want to say that um it has been a pleasure working with Dr. Scott over the last several years. I feel like he has watched me grow up as a board member and thank you for raising me up in that. Um, and thank you for being very patient with me in the process. Um, it's going to be different and actually kind of weird to be on this board without him because I've never done that. Um, I will miss your leadership,
058your work ethic, your determination, your vision, your sincerity, and most of all your friendship. Um, and I would like to close with a poem that I have shared before. So, if you've heard it before, sorry to bore you, but if you haven't, maybe it will resonate with you. Um, I know personally I've had a really tough year. It's had a lot of great things, but a lot of tragic things. Um, and I know that everybody here is going through something. Um, and as our seniors get ready to move on, I want to wish you all the best. And don't forget about us. Don't forget that you have wings, but you also have roots. So, come back to see us. But I'll end with this. Bits and pieces. Bits and pieces. People, people important to you,
059people unimportant to you, cross your life and touch it with love and carelessness and move on. There are people who leave you and you breathe a sigh of relief and wonder why you ever came into contact with them. There are people who leave you and you breathe a sigh of remorse and wonder why they had to go and leave such a gapping hole. Children leave parents, friends leave friends, acquaintances move on. You think of the many who have moved into your hazy memory. You look at those present and wonder. I believe in God's master plan for our lives. He moves people in and out of each other's lives and each leaves his mark on the other. You that you were made up of these bits and pieces of all who ever touched your life and
060you are more because of it and you would be less if they had not touched you. I pray that you accept the bits and pieces in humility and wonder and never question and never regret. Bits and pieces. Bits and pieces. [Applause] Are there any other comments from board members? Okay. If not, I'd like to make just a a quick couple of thanks. Thank you to Dr. Brock for your hospitality last night. Uh the dinner was wonderful and the presentation was outstanding. Just couldn't believe it. Uh very very nice. And then last w last month uh the board was recipient to the appreciation of our of our district and I just wanted to take time to to to express our appreciation to you and our thanks for your for that expression. Thank you very much. And
061so, Scott, thank you. And thank you, Miss Johnson, for those comments. And I feel like that uh I have come away from you growing from our friendship and and from being together. And so I appreciate you as well. And I'd like to begin my remarks by congratulating our four schools that were recognized in military flagship schools by the Georgia Department of Education. David Purdue Elementary, excuse me, Primary School, Pearl Stevens Elementary, Harry High, and Quail Run Elementary were honored for providing a supportive environment for our military families. And this brings the total number of military flagship schools to 14. And so we're very proud of of that. April is school library month, and we know that many people refer to our media centers as the heart of the school. and we are grateful for our
062district's hardworking media specialists. Jesse Gardner from Veterans High School was named our district's media specialist of the year and her name will be submitted for consideration for the state award. So, congratulations to Mrs. Gardner. The Hston County School Nutrition Program will once again offer its annual summer feeding program in cooperation with the Georgia Department of Education. Meals will be offered free of charge to children 18 and under from May 27th to July the 18th. Organizations that offer summer programs for children may be eligible to participate in this program and receive meals for their participants at no charge. This is a great service that we are able to offer and we encourage our community to apply before May 2nd. Details on how to apply but can be a found on our website. There are many special
063dates and events for the month of April. In addition to celebrating the month of the military child, we also recognize autism awareness month and occupational therapy month. Other special dates that are in the month of April or Parrofessional Appreciation Day, which was celebrated on April the 3, National School Librarian Day, which was celebrated on April the 4th, National Library Week, which is April the 6th through the 12th, Assistant Principal Week, April 7th through the 11th. And then our high school proms are coming up on April the 12th. National Public School volunteer week is April the 21st through the 25th. And administrative professional day is April the 23rd. And then finally on May 1st we will hold our annual retirement banquet at the Miller Murphy Howard building of the Georgia National Fairgrounds. And so we're looking
064forward to that event as well. And so with that, that concludes my comments and I turn it back over to you Dr. Unrew. Thank you. Um, it's time now for our intermission for students to return to schools. So, we will pause just a few minutes, allow them to leave. All right. Thank you. Thank you for coming back to your seats. We'll begin. We'll continue. Next, we have our department reports. Were there any comments or questions concerning these? Okay, we'll move on to new business. U item A, Mr. Crockett. Yes, Mr. Chair, I move that we approve the February 2025 financial reports as presented. Second. Right. We have a motion and a second to approve the February 2025 financial reports as presented. Is there any discussion hearing? None. Uh, all in favor raise your hand, please.
065At 6. Motion carries. Next, we at B, Mr. Nichols. Thank you, Dr. Unrew. I ask that make a motion that we approve the purchasing reports as written as presented. Second. All right. We have a motion, a second to approve the purchasing report. Are there any questions or comments hearing? None. Uh, all in favor raise your hand, please. Motion passes 6. Our surplus assets C. Uh, Miss Johnson. Yes, sir. I'd like to make a motion to approve the recommendation for eight um items to be surplus. Um, two mowers, um, couple of trailers, um, truck and then a F250 that they are all no longer operable. Okay, second. We have a motion and a second to approve the surplus of assets. Any questions, comments? Okay, all in favor raise your hand, please. Motion passes passes 6. All
066right. Our next item is D and it is a new policy uh that um is created to uh fulfill the requirements based stated in state board rule 160-5-136. Um, this uh new policy was presented last night and it will lay on the table as it were for review until our May meeting and we'll vote on it at that time. So, next is E. Uh, Mr. Ivory. Yes, Dr. Honu. I make a motion that we approve the personnel reports as presented. Second. We have a motion and a second to approve the personnel report for so um are there is there any discussion? Okay. All in favor raise your hand. Motion passes six to zero. All right. We have some individual recommendations. Uh first off, Mr. Nichols. Sorry. All right. Thank you, Dr. Unrew. I make a
067motion that we accept the superintendent's recommendation of Miss Christina Bettin Court for the position of assistant principal of instruction at North Side Elementary School. Second. We have a motion and a second to approve uh the superintendent's recommendation from Miss Christina Bettincort for the position of assistant principal of instruction at North Side Elementary School. Any discussion? Okay. All in favor uh raise your hand. Okay. Motion passes. 6. Mr. Ivory. Yes, sir. Dr. Hon, I make a motion that we approve the superintendent recommendation for Mrs. Rashad Page for the position of assistant principal of discipline at Centerville Elementary School. Second. We have a motion and a second uh for to approve the superintendent's recommendation for Mrs. Rashad Pageige for the position of assistant principal of discipline at Centerville Elementary School. Any discussion? Okay. All in favor? Raise
068your hand, please. Motion passes 6. Miss Johnson. Yes. I'd like to make a motion to approve the recommendation for Mr. Sean McCann for the position of assistant principal of discipline at David Purdue Primary School. Second. Okay, we have a motion and a second to approve the superintendent's recommendation for Mr. Sha McCon for the position of assistant principal of discipline at David Purdue Primary School. Discussion. It's McCann. McCann. Yeah, just I stand corrected and thank you. I appreciate it. Okay, no discussion. All those in favor, raise your hand, please. Motion passes. All right. 6. And finally, Mr. Crockett. And Mr. Chair, I move we approve the superintendent's recommendation, Mr. Blake Yubber, for the position of assistant principal of discipline, Parkwood Elementary School. Second. We have a motion and a second to approve the superintendent's recommendation for
069Mr. Blake Yarborough for the position of assistant principal of discipline at Parkwood Elementary School. Discussion hearing none. All in favor raise your hand. Motion passes 6. Okay. Next item F. Mr. Ivory. Yes, Dr. I'll make a motion that we approve the request for approval of the Georgia Department of Education site selection application of the STEM Academy. Second. All right, we have a motion and a second to approve the Georgia DOE site selection application for STEM Academy. Is there questions or comments? Okay. All those in favor of this motion, raise your hand, please. Motion carries 6. All right. Finally, G. Mr. Johnson. Yes. Um, Dr. Brown, thank you for that video. That was really cool to see that of the new school. Um, I'd like to make a motion to approve the recommendation for the guaranteed
070maximum price for Veterans Middle School. financial impact from our 22 east blast is the maximum is 55,88,634. Second. We have a motion and a second uh to approve the guaranteed maximum price for Veterans Middle School at at a financial impact from East Blast for 55,88,634. Discussion. All in favor raise your hand. Motion passes. 6. We do. We have anyone to address the board? Okay. So, we need to go into executive session for student matters. Do I hear a motion? Motion. Second. We have a motion and a second to go into executive session for student matters. All in favor raise your hand. Motion P passes 6. So at this time we will go into executive session.