By Amanda Pevey
Elmore Autauga News
On Thursday, Elmore County School Superintendent Richard Dennis hosted a Parent Advisory Committee meeting at the Board of Education office, followed up by a “Road Show” where parents could tour some of Elmore County Schools.
Parents involved had a student at one of the schools in the district, as well as within the EDGE program. This is the inaugural event, which Dennis plans to continue to help him identify student interests, parent input and areas of focus. Dennis also shared the financial side of running such a large school system, and how the district is funded.
The committee did a walk-through tour of EDGE, which stands for Elmore County Diverse Gateway to Education. Dennis said that in the future the EDGE program is expected to move to the old Wetumpka High School facility.
Cindy Hines, the Principal of EDGE, guided the parents around the current facility. They explored each of the classrooms, spoke to the teachers, and learned more about the program.
Next, the bus tour stopped at Stanhope Elmore High School in Millbrook. Along with a tour of the school, lunch came from the Elmore County Hot Spot Food truck.
SEHS Principal Ewell Fuller spoke to the parents about the importance of cell phone safety and the positive effects of students keeping cell phones in their Yondr pouch unless there is an emergency. He also showed the parents newly renovated additions to the school. This included the Atrium, band room, theatre room, piano room and fine arts classroom.
The tour then continued to Millbrook Middle School, Coosada Elementary School, and Airport Road Intermediate School but did not include a full tour.
The final stop was a walk through of Holtville High School. Principal Sean Kreauter invited parents into the library and spoke on the history of Holtville High. The school just celebrated their centennial bash in the fall, and this year will mark the 100th graduating class of HHS.
Kreauter took them on a tour around the buildings, the gym, and answered questions that parents asked along the way. A drive-through bus tour for Holtville Elementary and Holtville Middle School was done before heading back to the ECBOE Board Room.
“I very much enjoyed the parent advisory committee meeting yesterday,” said Superintendent Richard Dennis.
He continued, “The presentation, questions and discussions around the schools that we visited were interesting. I look forward to continuing the process with our next meeting, discussion and tour of the rest of the county schools.”
Dennis said when he was principal over the years, he would host similar meetings on a smaller scale, and he found it extremely informational for the parents, and him, as they asked questions about issues, concerns, etc.
For more information about Elmore County Public Schools, please visit their website at: https://www.elmoreco.com. You can also visit their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/share/1AVeRvyuwW/?mibextid=wwXIfr.
