Wood County BOE honors bus driver, Williamstown track teams
Superintendent thanks voters for supporting levy
Wood County Board of Education President Justin Raber and board member Judy Johnson looked on as Christina Deaton, a Wood County Schools bus driver, received a certificate of achievement for outstanding valor and exemplary vigilance from Wood County Schools Superintendent Christie Willis. Deaton received her certificate for her part in an incident that happened on Oct 26. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)
Williamstown High School’s Girls Cross Country team was honored for winning the state’s class A Girls Cross Country Championship. From left: Sydney Anderson, Isabella Bryant, Sylvia Harris, Ava Lightfritz, Brookelyn Reynolds, Alyssa Sauro, Gabriella Seese, Alexis Wynn, and coaches Mike Taylor and Larry Cassady. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)
Williamstown High School’s Boys Cross Country team were honored for winning the state’s class A Boys Cross Country Championship. From left: Zach Cannon, William Coiner, Frank Conner, Julian Johnson, Malachi Stewart, Cooper Shall, Chase Trembly, and coaches Cliff Taylor and Larry Cassady. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)
Robert Cunningham, deputy cabinet secretary for the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security, spoke with the Wood County Board of Education about the Governor’s Safety Initiative and the “See something, Say Something” app Wednesday night. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)
Wood County Board of Education President Justin Raber and board member Judy Johnson looked on as Christina Deaton, a Wood County Schools bus driver, received a certificate of achievement for outstanding valor and exemplary vigilance from Wood County Schools Superintendent Christie Willis. Deaton received her certificate for her part in an incident that happened on Oct 26. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)
Williamstown High School’s Girls Cross Country team was honored for winning the state’s class A Girls Cross Country Championship. From left: Sydney Anderson, Isabella Bryant, Sylvia Harris, Ava Lightfritz, Brookelyn Reynolds, Alyssa Sauro, Gabriella Seese, Alexis Wynn, and coaches Mike Taylor and Larry Cassady. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)
Williamstown High School’s Boys Cross Country team were honored for winning the state’s class A Boys Cross Country Championship. From left: Zach Cannon, William Coiner, Frank Conner, Julian Johnson, Malachi Stewart, Cooper Shall, Chase Trembly, and coaches Cliff Taylor and Larry Cassady. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)
Robert Cunningham, deputy cabinet secretary for the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security, spoke with the Wood County Board of Education about the Governor’s Safety Initiative and the “See something, Say Something” app Wednesday night. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)
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PARKERSBURG -- The Wood County Schools Board of Education held its regular meeting Wednesday at the Wood County Schools Central Office at 1210 13th St. in Parkersburg.
Schools were closed Tuesday for voting, which is when the board normally meets.
The board held a public hearing on the 2023-2024 calendar but there were no comments.
Christina Deaton, a Wood County Schools bus driver, was recognized for outstanding valor and exemplary vigilance for her part in an incident that happened on Oct 26. Parkersburg Police said a man in a white jeep attempted to establish communication with a child exiting a school bus in the 1000 block of Latrobe Street. Police say the bus driver, Deaton, began blowing the horn of the bus and the Jeep fled the area.
"We appreciate she went back and honked her horn, which alerted the child to go away, and that person as well," Superintendent Christie Willis said. "You really did a wonderful thing."
The board also recognized both the Williamstown High School boys and girls cross country teams for winning their state championships respectively.
"When a school can win the boys and the girls, that is a real big accomplishment, and we shouldn't overlook that," Board member Ron Tice said during the board comments. "If you go back and look at the records, not very many schools have ever done that."
Jeff Sandy, cabinet secretary for the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security, and Robert Cunningham, deputy cabinet secretary for the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security, made a presentation on the Governor's Safety Initiative and the "See Something, Say Something" app.
Cunningham said he has served as the Putnam County Board of Education President for the last 10 years and has three children of his own.
"The governor saw an opportunity to use some of my unique skillset to be able to help this program," Cunningham said.
The app would allow students, parents, teachers and school staff to make real-time reports of suspicious activities that a group of responders could then respond to.
"That's not only going to be your principals, or your teachers, it's also going to be your bus drivers, your custodians, your teacher aides, your cooks, the people that know what's going on in the school, they're the ones going to be involved in this," Cunningham said. "The way to keep our schools safe, is to prevent. Prevent an occurrence from happening."
During the superintendent update Willis thanked the voters for supporting the school levy and said students would be the beneficiary of the services the levy provides. Willis also said on Monday West Virginia Board of Education (WVBE) Superintendent David Roach invited the top ten academically performing counties to meet with him and talk about their success. Wood County was included.
"I was humbled and honored to represent Wood County Schools, and be a part of that conversation," Willis said. "Wood County Schools has risen to the top five counties academically in West Virginia. The work of the entire Wood County Schools organization, and the focus of the board on academics, is to be commended. Striving to continue to improve education is a continuous journey, and we continue to work positively to impact student learning."
During the consent agenda the board approved the minutes for the regular meeting on Oct. 25, the special meetings on Oct. 20 and Nov. 3. The board also approved financial transactions, personal matters, and out of state/overnight trips for the PHS Science Olympiad and the NJROTC. The board also approved a change order, #2, for Grae-Con Construction for the Blennerhassett Elementary secure entrance and office renovations, and a change order, #1, for Advanced Communications Company for eight additional phones at Greenmont Elementary.
The board also approved funding for Murray Sheet Metal to furnish and install the HVAC system renovations at Edison Middle at a cost of $4,282,018 to be paid from ESSERF (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) II/ARP (American Rescue Plan) funding.
The next Board of Education meeting will be on Nov. 22. The meeting will take place at a school within the district but the exact location is unknown at this time.
Douglass Huxley can be reached at dhuxley@newsandsentinel.com