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Education

  • B.J. Carroll inducted into VHSL Hall of Fame

    Of all the stages B.J. Carroll has been on as an actor or behind as a director in the past three decades, it was a stage in Charlottesville last week where the spotlight finally fell most brightly on the veteran theater coach, director, teacher and mentor.

    Bettie Jo “B.J.” Carroll — the coach with the most wins in Galax High School history — was inducted into the Virginia High School League Hall of Fame on Oct. 12, joined by family, friends and former students.

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  • Galax schools focus on writing in all subjects

    Galax teachers are working together to enhance reading and writing skills by integrating writing assignments into every subject.

    Galax High School Principal Justin Iroler, accompanied by members of the English department, visited the Galax School Board meeting Oct. 11 to discuss the details of the school’s plan to boost writing improvement.

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  • Grant pays for school security measures

    INDEPENDENCE — Grayson County Public Schools will use a $66,464 School Security Equipment Grant from the state to pay for new security equipment at four facilities.

    New equipment was requested in applications for Grayson County High School, Grayson County High Career and Technical Education (CATE) Center, Grayson Highlands School and Independence Middle School.

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  • Wilmore: no conflict with coaches on board

    Staff Reports

    INDEPENDENCE — Grayson County’s school superintendent and the school system’s attorney say that volunteer coaches are allowed to serve on the school board, citing state code.

    At an Oct. 10 meeting, Tracy “Zeke” Anderson, a candidate for the at-large seat on the Grayson County School Board, went before the board to request the resignations of two members, Randy Shinault and Philip Vaughan.

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  • Carroll's top teacher earns training award

    A teacher at Oakland Elementary School in Carroll County has received an award that will provide her with specialized training in reading and spelling.

    Sheila Hommema, a kindergarten teacher at Oakland and Carroll County’s 2016 Teacher of the Year, has received a Lucile Cornetet Individual Professional Development Award from the Delta Kappa Gamma (DKG) Educational Foundation.

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  • Ross ends campaign for school board seat

    INDEPENDENCE — Ruth Ross, one of five candidates for the open at-large seat on the Grayson County School Board in a special election on Nov. 8, has announced that she will withdraw from the race.

    With her campaign ended, Ross announced her endorsement of fellow candidate Robert Benish.

    In an interview with the newspaper on Monday, Ross explained that her decision to drop out of the race came after she and her husband began to consider a move to Washington, in order to be closer to their two grown children and their two grandsons.

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  • Carroll schools face bus driver shortage

    HILLSVILLE – Carroll County faces a shortage of bus drivers in the public school system and has implemented an incentive program to try to attract new employees. The incentive includes provisions for new drivers and those current drivers who recruit them.

    According to Elizabeth Motley, director of human resources for Carroll County Public Schools, the transportation department is shorthanded all the way around. Last year, Motley realized this could be a problem and took steps to come up with a solution.

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  • Grant pays for extended school year research

    HILLSVILLE – Carroll County Public Schools has received more than $300,000 in state and private grants for school security upgrades, the AmeriCorps program and research into extended-year educational programs.

    According to a release from Governor Terry McAuliffe’s office, $6 million was awarded to 96 school divisions and five regional educational programs to provide school security equipment to protect students and education professionals.

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  • Architects pitch GES options

    Four architectural and engineering firms, over the course of two meetings, pitched options for renovating and expanding the existing Galax Elementary School or, in one case, building a new school on property off of Kipling Lane that the school system bought for that purpose.

    Attending and evaluating the pitches were members of the Galax School Board and Galax City Council.

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  • Early SOL scores look good for Galax

    Preliminary SOL scores indicate that Galax has again excelled, according to Superintendent Bill Sturgill.

    “It’s still unofficial … we scored better in math this year than our three-year average,” he said, noting that “we’re seeing the same trend with English.”

    Sturgill informed the Galax School Board about the early results at the Sept. 13 meeting. He said he felt that the targeted remediation classes during mornings during intersession weeks were directly responsible for the upswing.

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