Daniel Prince
Stephanie Wicker recognized as District Distinguished Literacy Teacher of the Year
At Monday’s school board meeting, Board Chair Manning Jeter and Superintendent Joey Haney paid tribute to Frank M. Hart, who passed away on January 12 at the age of 96. Jeter said Hart cannot be replaced:
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A single white rose was placed at Hart’s seat in remembrance of him, along with his nameplate.
In other news from the meeting, Haney thanked the board for their work, as January is School Board Appreciation Month. Each school hosted events and did things to thank their board members. Haney spotlighted a couple of partnerships in the district. He said Nurse Coordinator Kelly Walton was instrumental in putting together a partnership between the school district and the USC Union School of Nursing, where senior nursing students will be in the schools doing clinical rotations in pediatrics and public health. He said the district is partnering with the Union County Development Board to put together a Career Day for students on Thursday, March 30, at the Union County Fairgrounds.
Haney recognized the Distinguished Literacy Teachers of the Year for the various schools: Stephanie Wicker from Buffalo, Cathy Poole from Monarch, Jan Roberts from Jonesville, and Brandi Jeter-Brannon from Foster Park. Wicker was named the District Distinguished Literacy Teacher of the Year at a reception last month.
The board did their annual reading and signing of the Ethical Principles. Board Chair Manning Jeter reminded board members of the importance of the principles. The signed poster with the ethical principles will be displayed in the multi-purpose room of the high school.
Elise Ashby with the RobinHood Group came to the meeting and thanked the school district for its partnership with her organization. The group started a garden at Sims Middle School a couple of years back, and she said she hopes the partnership grows to include other schools in the future. She noted that the high school GT Art students painted the stalls at the Union County Farm and Craft Market, and she encouraged the board members to stop by. Her organization also received a grant last year to provide bags of fresh produce to students through the FoodShare program.