Briefs: Hendersonville Elementary earns national honor; Brevard Music Center names new CEO

Hendersonville Elementary School received national recognition this week as it was one of just 37 SpecialOlympics Unified Champion schools in the country to make the 2022 ESPN Honor Roll, according to a news release from Henderson County Public Schools.

Hendersonville Elementary was the only school in North Carolina to make the 2022 ESPN Honor Roll. The Special Olympics of North Carolina will be hosting a day of celebration to recognize Hendersonville Elementary on April 21 at the school, and it will kick off with a parade around the school at 11 a.m. Local mascots will also be in attendance, including Mr. Moon from the Asheville Tourists and Rocky from UNC Asheville.

Nationwide, there are more than 8,000 Special Olympics Unified Champion schools that practice inclusive sports, inclusive leadership and whole-school engagement. To earn recognition as a national banner school on the ESPN Honor Roll, schools must demonstrate inclusion through 10 standards of excellence, the release said.

Hendersonville Elementary was selected based on the involvement of the PawPal Program, where fifth-grade students apply for and spend quality time with EC students in Intensive Intervention. The whole school participates in field day, water day, the CubCat Crawl and rallies behind the PawPal program with Special Olympics and other activities.

Brevard Music Center announces new CEO

The Board of Trustees of the Brevard Music Center (BMC) has named Jason Posnock as President and CEO,succeeding Mark Weinstein, who is retiring this year after serving as CEO for the past 10 years.

Posnock will assume the leadership of the 87-year-old summer music institute and festival, effective October 2023, according to a news release. Posnock, who is currently vice president and chief artistic officer at BMC, is a key member of the executive management team and plays a leading role in all aspects of the institution, the release said. As BMC’s head of concert programming and presenting, he works closely with BMC Artistic Director Keith Lockhart by overseeing the enrollment of over 700 musicians each year, programming over 80 concerts each summer festival season and curating a Fall/Spring multi-genre series in Parker Concert Hall.

“As a mission-driven, purpose-filled arts organization, Jason serves as the ‘artistic conscience’ of our institution,”said Mark Weinstein, current president and CEO of BMC in the release. “No one knows and loves BMC more than Jason. He is the perfect choice and possesses all of the skills necessary to confidently lead Brevard Music Centerinto the future.”

AdventHealth Hendersonville honors Deblois as DAISY Award winner

AdventHealth Hendersonville recently announced that its newest DAISY Award winner is Misty Deblois, who works in the Emergency Department at AdventHealth Hendersonville.

Deblois's team members, including Joshua Darling, RN, nominated her.

“While Misty might be thinking she is only helping her fellow teammate. Unbeknownst to her, she is the greatest blessing the department could provide to the Behavioral Health patient," Darling said. "Misty’s inherent characteristics and traits (calmness, compassion, thoughtfulness, selflessness and empathy) make her the most qualified to care for these patients and provide them with the ability to achieve their greatest outcome. Misty Deblois truly embodies AdventHealth Hendersonville’s mission and is the depiction of what a nurse should be 24/7, even in the most difficult of times.”

The DAISY Award was created by the family of J. Patrick Barnes in 1999 to thank the nurses who cared for Barnes and for them, as he battled an autoimmune disease. Barnes lost his battle, but his family realized the impact his nurses had on the final days of his life. For that, they wanted to create an opportunity for all families who experience the benefits of the extraordinary care of nurses to show their appreciation.

Chuck Edwards announces Congressional Art Competition

Congressman Chuck Edwards (NC-11) announced his office is accepting submissions for the 2023 Congressional Art Competition from high school students living in North Carolina’s 11th district. The winner of the competition will have his or her art displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year

“This competition is an opportunity for all those who visit the Capitol building to see the incredible talent from our mountains. I’m excited to see all of the artwork and how our high school students use their creativity for this competition," Edwards said in a news release.

Submissions are due by May 4. For information about the rules and requirements for the artwork, visit https://edwards.house.gov/artcompetition or contact Edwards' district office for further questions at (828) 435-7310.

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Briefs: Local school earns national honor; Brevard Music Center has new CEO