By Hamilton Richardson
Elmore/Autauga News
TOP PHOTO – County students were given CTE recognition at Monday night’s school board meeting.
At Monday’s regularly scheduled Elmore County Board of Education meeting, a slew of awards and recognition was handed out to administrators, teachers and students alike, celebrating not only wonderful accomplishments but also the end of the school year.
School Superintendent Richard Dennis began the recognition portion of the meeting by inviting Burton Crenshaw from the Central Alabama Community Foundation, to come up.
“It’s more fun for me to hand these out because we’re so appreciative for everything that these recipients do,” Crenshaw said.
The following grants were awarded:
2022 Margaret and Auston Bridges Fund for Arts in Education Grants-
-Holtville High School ($500 to purchase 25 stools for the visual arts classroom)
(Principal Kyle Futral)
-Wetumpka High School ($325 to purchase carving kits, blocks of wood and other supplies to teach three-dimensional aspects of art in visual arts classes)
(Principal Robbie Slater)
Charles Horatio McMorris Fund-
-Wetumpka Elementary School ($661.05 to purchase VEX Go Robots for Robotics area of the library)
(Principal Gigi Hankins)
-Wetumpka Middle School ($661.05 to purchase books for the library)
(Librarian Annette Wynn)
Lucy Brooks Lull Library Fund-
-Wetumpka High School ($3,226.87 to purchase books for the library)
(Librarian Lori McKenzie)
“All of these funds were made possible by donors of the Community Foundation and we want to thank them and their families to allow us to be a part of giving back to the school system of Elmore County,” Crenshaw said.
Next, Susan Mallett from the Air and Space Force Association came forward to award the 2022 AFA Teacher of the Year Award to Wetumpka High’s Dr. Virginia Vilardi.
“This is a wonderful thing. That one of your own, Dr. Virginia Vilardi, was nominated again for our Montgomery Chapter Air and Space Force Association Teacher of the Year,” said Mallett. “Not only did she win for our Montgomery chapter, she won for the State of Alabama as well. The thing that I love about this is that when I talk to young people in your community and they tell me they go to Wetumpka High School, I say, do you know Dr. Vilardi? And they say, ‘of course we do.’”
Mallet stated that Vilardi is an awesome teacher who gives so much of her personal time to the students.
Vilardi was awarded a jacket, two plaques, a notepad and two pins, a $250 check from the local chapter and a $500 check from the state.
Emilie Johnson, Director of the Elmore County Technical Center, then came up to award several CTE recognitions.
“We have the largest number since I’ve been with the Technical Center that are going to nationals this year,” she said.
The following were the CTE awards and winners:
Medical Science HOSA International Competition–
–Olivia Mitchell, ECHS, Nursing Assisting
–Shemai’ya Peak, SEHS, Research Poster
–Kayleigh Autry, Morgan Coleman, Chase Finner, Kennedy Graham, Taylor Horsley, WHS, Public Service Announcement, “Be the Match”
Information Technology Services: SkillsUSA National Competition and Convention—
–Ashton Geer, ECHS, IT Services
–Nathan Currier, WHS, Technical Computer Applications
SEHS Future FBLA National Leadership Conference—
–Christopher Payne-1st Place Computer Problem Solving
–Makayla Reeves-2nd Place Human Resource Management
–Haley Brown-2nd Place Job Interview
–Abbie Deason-4th Place Public Speaking
After the series of awards and accolades were complete, Dennis went through information from the night’s agenda, including the Personnel Action sheet, a construction update, Child Nutrition changes for the next school year and a discussion of a bid for a BBQ/Pizza Trailer for the Child Nutrition Program.
Three other items of discussion during the portion of the meeting were a charter school update, the 2022-2023 Student Handbook and Code of Conduct and the Credit Recovery Manual for FY 2022-2023.
On the Consent Agenda for the evening, the following items were approved by the board:
–Monthly financials for March and April 2022
–Personnel Action
–Minutes from April 19 and 29, 2022 board meetings
–Facility Use Agreement EMS (1) and SEHS (1)
As far as Action Items listed on the agenda, one particular item caused quite an interest in board members as Dennis addressed the bid for the BBQ/Pizza Trailer, which was approved at a cost of $92,750.
The trailer, which would drive to county schools on a rotating basis and provide barbeque and pizza for students, would be staffed by current utility staff members, said Dennis.
Board meeting dates for the upcoming year were approved next, as well as a bid for work on a bus parking lot for $329,550. There was one abstention on the parking lot bid by board member Leisa Finley.
Next was the approval for HVAC renovations to Wetumpka Elementary School in the total of $1,578,000 and while the board did approve the measure, Finley again was an abstention.
Dennis then read through several measures approving summer school classes in the county, all of which were approved.
Board members then voted to go into Executive Session to deal with grievance procedures regarding Grievance #1- Robinson, and Grievance #2- Bedgood. No other business was done at that time.
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