Breaking News
Local News

Wood BOE recognizes school resource officer

Bell receives 2022 Extra Mile Award

By Douglass Huxley 4 min read

PARKERSBURG -- The Wood County Schools Board of Education held its regular meeting Tuesday at Martin Elementary with all members in attendance.

The board received presentations on the West Virginia Balanced Scorecard Accountability System by Ashlee Beatty, director of curriculum and instruction, a plan to pilot an after school intervention program to improve high school graduation rates and reduce chronic absenteeism by Kennith Cook, director of secondary schools, and an academic report from Martin Elementary School Principal Tom Wheeler.

Beatty talked to the board about comprehensive support and improvement schools (CSI), schools that are in the bottom 5% of Title I schools for all students, or have a graduation rate of 67% or lower, and said there are currently no schools in Wood County that are are the CSI red intensive list.

"We recently celebrated with Jefferson and Franklin Elementary," Beatty said. "And I'm so proud of that because they are no longer CSI schools."

Beatty said the balance scorecard can be found at mywvschool.org.

Cook talked to the board about an after school intervention program for Parkersburg High School and Parkersburg South High School. Cook said this program will help students graduate.

"I think a preventive approach is needed to ensure positive school climate that nurtures learning," Cook said. "Summer Success Academy, which provides an alternative learning environment for our more disgruntled students is at capacity. Therefore, we need another resource for our high schools and middle schools, something in between, that will allow students to be on campus, and allow students to return to the classroom."

The board approved the after school program during the regular agenda.

During board comments, board member Ron Tice, said the program will give schools another tool to use to help students graduate.

"I think everything we can do, especially to get them to graduate, that is the main thing, that's why we're here," Tice said. "I think it will be a good program."

The board also recognized students who completed the iReady program, presented by Jason Potts, director of curriculum and instruction, and a full list can be found on the website at newsandsentinel.com.

Wheeler spoke to the board about the struggles Martin Elementary has faced since 2019, where it was reported that Martin Elementary ranked 359 out of 375 schools. Wheeler said the teachers and staff have worked hard since then to improve the school and iReady scores have shown that.

"We are incredibly proud of the improvements we have made," Wheeler said. "After the 2021-2022 school year, we now rank number 208 out of 375 schools in the state. We have improved our ranking more in the last two years than any other school in Wood County. And I would suspect that we have improved more than most of the schools in the state."

The board also presented an Extra Mile Award from the West Virginia Center for Children's Justice to Officer Jeremy Bell, resource officer for Parkersburg High School, for demonstrating professional leadership and personal commitment on behalf of children and families.

"I think it's wonderful you take the time to work with our students, and to make our community a better place," board member Judy Johnson said. "It really makes a difference to them, and to us, thank you."

During the superintendent update Christie Willis talked about her lunch with the transportation department. She talked about a transportation employee who spotted a tree down on Chesterhill Road and took it upon themselves to grab a chainsaw and clear the debris so buses could travel that road and pickup students. She said two other employees have done the same recently. Willis said she told the employees what they did was amazing and they responded, "That's just what we had to do".

"Across the employees I've talked to in this county, people care about kids, they care about education," Willis said. "Regardless of what piece of the puzzle they're responsible for."

During the consent agenda the board approved an out of state trip for the Parkersburg South High School wrestling team to attend a wrestling tournament at the University of Delaware, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Wood County Technical Center and Ritchie County Adult Education to provide adults residing in Ritchie County opportunities to learn and participate in adult programs offered at the Wood County Technical Center, and a change order #1 for Casto Technical Services Inc. in the amount of $14,260 to furnish and install valves, thermometers and new electrical panel with associated breakers for the PHS Stack Demo and Boiler Replacement.

Starting at /week.