Navy JROTC student recognized at Boyd

Mary Jane Epling, The Daily Independent, Ashland, Ky.
·3 min read

Nov. 29—CANNONSBURG — Boyd County High School sophomore and Navy JROTC Cadet Joshua Summers was recognized at Tuesday's school board meeting for jumping in to help after a minor accident on his evening bus route earlier this month.

Assistant Superintendent Matt Spade read a letter from Transportation Manager Amy Conley, commending Summers on his calm and helpful demeanor during a minor bus accident on Nov. 10.

Conley said, without hesitation, Summers verified the driver was OK and assisted the driver in recording student names, seat numbers and dates of birth.

Conley added while Summers completed the task, he was also able to keep his fellow students calm and organized, while still offering to assist any way he could.

"Joshua Summers showed leadership (and) courage not typically observed in someone his age," Conley wrote.

"Although a minor accident, it can be a little scary for kids. But it sounds like Josh stepped up," Superintendent Bill Boblett said, voicing pride for Summers's contribution and willingness to help.

Here are a few other highlights of Tuesday's meeting:

—Steve Robertson with Kelley Galloway Smith Goolsby, PSC, gave a summary of an independent audit into the school's year-end finances.

Robertson said of the sampled grants and funds, no major findings were concluded.

However, Robertson said the audit just disclosed nine minor findings mostly including timeliness of deposits, citing the Department of Education's strict Red Book procedures.

"All small issues," Robertson said, explaining some forms may have required two signatures and received only one, or if a hypothetical deposit needed to be made on a Thursday and wasn't deposited until Friday, that would technically go against the KDE guidelines.

Robertson said it was a requirement to discuss findings no matter how small, but reassured board members no instances of fraud, theft or major findings were found.

District Finance Director Scott Burchett said the district would provide additional Red Book trainings to ensure guidelines are followed.

—Director of Pupil Personnel Dr. Marci Prater gave a calendar update for the 2023-24 school year, announcing opening day would be Aug. 28, 2023, and closing May 22, 2024.

—Ben Fritz, Boyd County High School's principal, announced student performance and enrollment in advanced placement courses, including AP Language, AP Literature and AP Biology.

Fritz said 158 students have enrolled in an AP course this year and more than 41% of tested students earned a passing score last year.

Of those tested last year, students in AP Literature performed the best, with 34 of about 60 students receiving a passing score and AP credit.

—A representative of Trace Creek Construction gave a project update on Cannonsburg Elementary's revamp and the construction of the district's new Career and Technical Center.

The representative said Cannonsburg's most exterior walls have now been demoed and masonry work is expected to start next week.

Pending delivery, the school's roof replacement will also start in the next 30 days.

In regards to the new career and technical building, the representative said footing, plumbing and electrical will begin shortly.

Both projects were reported to be on par for their scheduled completion.

—The district's next scheduled regular meeting on Dec. 19 will discuss a comprehensive district improvement plan and revenue projections for the 2025 fiscal year.