PC School Board meeting 'short and sweet'

Dec. 15—It's been an eventful school year following two even more eventful school years during the COVID pandemic, and everyone at the Pulaski County school board meeting was relieved to see a short and uneventful meeting.

The meeting began with the superintendent's report which cited the attendance drop that had followed COVID.

"I don't really understand the thought process behind that," Superintendent Pat Richardson said.

However he was optimistic about them increasing as things adjust to "the new normal."

Next was Krystal Goode's presentation of Teacher of the Month which she began to highlight the achievements of the teachers most dedicated to the education and success of Pulaski County's children.

This month had a sponsor from Buffalo Wings and Rings.

Winner of the award this month was April McFalls. An eighth grade Language Arts teacher, McFalls has taught for 25 years, all of which were at Southern Middle School.

Her hobbies included reading, spending time with family, crafting and her favorite quote is "And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed) Kid, you'll move mountains."

This quote comes from Dr. Seuss's book, Oh, the Places You'll Go! which she reads the at the beginning of every school year and follows up with a discussion of the students' dreams, goals, and aspirations.

Next was a presentation by Stephanie Lykins, who gave a presentation on Upward Bound, which is made possible with the help of Somerset Community College and serves students at Southwestern, Pulaski County, and Somerset.

Lykins cited the program's confusion with Upward Basketball.

"It's not the first time we've heard it. It doesn't offend me I promise. I love basketball," she said inducing a laugh from the board.

Upward Bound receives a Federal TRIO grant which primarily deals with students with low income, those with parents who did not attend college, and those living in rural areas.

"If you've ever applied for a federal grant, you'll know that that is a labor of love. It takes a lot of time and effort," said Lykins. "We're ready to put those dollars into getting those kids ready for college, into college, and beyond!"

Upward Bound aims to prepare students for college and includes tutoring, after-school activities, and even a 24/7 texting service.

It also tries to provide students with "not just academic experiences but cultural experiences."

"In order to dream big, they have to see," said Lykins. "They have to see the world around them, and see the possibilities that their life can hold."

The students also get a summer trip, and everything for their summer trip except money for souvenirs is paid for.

Lykins finished her presentation with a video splicing in montage the students' trip to New England. A notable moment in the video was of the ghost tour in Salem, Massachusetts where the group screamed at a planned jump scare during the tour, which also elicited a jump for the school board.

Following her presentation was the Oak Hill Elementary Report on Student Achievement. They presented the fact that OHE is in the upper two percent of school performance in the state. They also remarked that they felt this was doubly impressive because of the competitiveness of the district.

They noted the need to pay attention not just to the overachievers but the children falling behind and the extra attention they may need.

Another primary focus was on teacher development. A sizable chunk of the teaching staff is transitioning to retirement, and the new teachers entering are being helped along as the learn the ropes of teaching at OHE.

A technique which has been addressed to teach to children a better reading form of reading comprehension is "RAD," which helps students focus on the question and requires students to restate the question. RAD stands for Restate, Answering, and Details, details being providing evidence presented in the text, and as students get older and texts more complex, students will be required to provide more details.

RAD has been reinvented for math as RAP where the P stands for "Proof" and requires students to provide a mathematical proof for their given answer.

This year's Thanksgiving celebration was also brought up, where it was reported that 600 parents attended to eat with their children.

Chairperson Cindy Price took the time to note that she ate with the kindergarteners during this celebration and what a pleasure it was to do so.

"They don't like pumpkin pie, but they love the Cool Whip on top," she said which got a laugh from those in attendance at the board.

They also offer weekly shoutouts for children's successes, children in need, and new students in need of friends.

A "Best Buddies" program was also addressed which focuses on inclusion and instructs kids on ways to be kind to others especially those with special needs or students with poor social skills to ensure nobody feels left out.

The board then followed up with the Treasurer's Monthly Financial Report and the Action Items to Be Approved by Consent which were both accepted unanimously.