New Calhoun County superintendent welcomed at a culinary event
Oct. 21—JACKSONVILLE — Oxford PARD director Don Hudson has known Jose Reyes for 25 years, and knows how careful the new county school superintendent is with spending other people's money — or his own.
"He will take care of the dollar," Hudson said during a welcoming reception held for Reyes Wednesday afternoon. "I was a basketball official with him, and he's cheap."
Reyes explained to an audience of about 80 that when he was fresh out of college with a wife and a child, he had to be frugal. When the officials traveled, he could only afford to order two 99-cent cheeseburgers and water while the others ate $15 meals.
"Even then you had a coupon," Hudson said.
The reception for Reyes and his wife, Leslie, was held in the culinary room of the Calhoun County Career Academy in Jacksonville. At one point board chairman Tobi Burt quieted the crowd and commended board members for choosing Reyes, even while he was still serving as an interim superintendent.
"We saw Reyes hit every category in the survey the community responded to," Burt said, "and the board saw he was what we wanted."
Each of the other board members made brief comments about how glad they are Reyes accepted the job.
"He's the eighth or ninth superintendent I've worked with," said board member Mike Almaroad. "Reyes knows how to fix issues, to accept what has happened and fix it for the future."
Reyes had worked as a teacher and principal at schools in Alabama and Tennessee. He had served as the superintendent of the Scottsboro school system before coming to Calhoun County.
Early in the event, Reyes said he appreciated the welcoming reception for the way it showcased students' talents. Several seniors in the culinary arts program, and other students from lower grades, had planned a fancy reception with white linen clothes and gourmet-style appetizers and cupcakes. They dressed in white or gray chef coats and beamed as the speakers thanked them and their instructor, Kasie Hairrell.
"This is not the first time we've had an event like this," she said in a private moment. "We've had 'bruncheons' for the board meetings, and we are now getting back into food preparation for the community. They call us to prepare food for weddings, showers and birthdays."
The program not only teaches students how to prepare food, Hairrell said, "but also how to run a food business, such as budgeting, making a profit and display."
Some guests came to meet Reyes for the first time, and some came to recognize the excitement he seems to have created among the staff members and teachers.
Retired teacher Lynne Williams is a part-time teacher at Wellborn Elementary School.
"Mr. Reyes sends us positive messages all the time," she said, nodding to Vivian Harris, a teacher at the Calhoun County Alternative and Virtual School. "The messages do something to our hearts, don't they? They make us work harder."
"I just wanted to honor him," Harris said. "He has welcomed the interaction and learning experience with all the assistant principals. He puts in the effort to prepare us for the next step of being a school principal."
Leslie Reyes said she and her husband have found a new house in Pell City, which gives them proximity to their daughter Christian.
Christian lives in Chelsea and works as a middle school band director. She is expecting the Reyes couple's first grandchild.
The couple have two sons, Troy, a junior at Troy University, and Gannon, a senior at Auburn University. Leslie said she is no longer working at the Northeast Alabama Community College in Rainsville but that she plans to care for their daughter's baby.
Those wishing to hire the culinary arts students to prepare events should call 256-741-4600 or 256-741-4614.
