Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
The board of education conference room resembled a courtroom at the board’s meeting Monday night as Marlinton resident and parent Sam Gibson questioned board members regarding the Marlinton Middle School Social Studies Fair.
The MMS fair was held Monday, March 16, and after many complaints from students and parents, a second fair was held the following Thursday. Gibson asked the board several questions looking for answers as to why there were two fairs.
Board president Emery Grimes explained that the board members received complaints almost immediately after school was dismissed Monday.
“I got calls ten minutes from the time school let out, until we left to go to a board meeting at the high school,” Grimes said. “Parents were upset because kids didn’t get to give their speeches. They didn’t know how to judge their boards. It was just a whole thing.”
“For example,” board member Jessica Hefner added, “I had a few children who told me they did not get to say their speech. There were a few children who told me specifically.”
Grimes explained there wasn’t one particular part of the fair that went wrong, he received complaints about every aspect of the fair – students weren’t allowed to give their speeches, the judges didn’t know how to judge the abstracts and students were in the wrong categories.
Gibson asked if having the second fair at MMS cost money or took away from class time.
“Did the board of education spend any money on this decision?” he asked. “We had to set up the gym and clean it up, that probably cost some money. Was there any disruption of school class time?”
Grimes explained the board approached Superintendent Dr. Donald Bechtel with their concerns and asked him to do what was right for the students.
“Here’s the deal,” Grimes said. “We are going to be fair to every child that attends Pocahontas County Schools and if we think we are not fair, we are going to do it over or we’re going to make it fair.”
Bechtel explained that the students receiving first place in the first fair did not participate in the second one. Students with lower scores were allowed to participate, but were not required to. New judges were brought in for the second fair, as well.
Grimes said since the winners had been announced at school, they did not want to make the first place winners present their projects again.
“The original judges were okay for the winners, but they were not good enough for the below 89 percent?” Gibson asked.
“No,” Grimes said. “We did not want to take anything away from the kids because Mr. [Joe] Riley had already announced the winners the next morning and we were not going to take anything away from the children.”
Gibson continued to ask questions as to the legality of the board making the decision. He referred to the West Virginia Social Studies Fair rules which state “the fair coordinator at each level of competition has sole and final authority to resolve issues, concerns, conflicts or disputes.”
Bechtel said he spoke to principal Riley, but he did not speak to the fair coordinator Cindy Shreve.
Hefner said she spoke to Shreve on the phone, but did not go into detail about the conversation.
The board stood behind its decision to have the second fair and thanked Gibson for sharing his concerns.
Gibson’s wife, Gayle Boyette, who was a judge in the first fair said she was hurt by the decision and added that she followed the rules when she judged the projects.
Boyette said several of the projects did not have abstracts and that is why their scores were so low. She added that having the second fair showed students it was okay to be unprepared because they got a second chance.
Math teachers report on conference
Three Pocahontas County High School teachers – Leah Shinaberry, Jennifer Nail and Laurel Dilley – math coach Johanna Burt-Kinderman and Marlinton Elementary School math teacher Virginia Calhoun reported on a conference they recently attended at Stonewall Jackson Resort.
“I presented a seminar which was a really good professional growth opportunity for me,” Shinaberry said. “Some of the seminars I attended, they really validated some of the really good things we have going on here which makes me interested in attending a national level conference.”
Shinaberry added that she is open to writing grants for more professional development to continue down the path of developing the math program with her colleagues.
Nail did not present at the conference, but she did, accidentally, attend an eye-opening seminar.
“I went to the wrong presentation at one point which ended up being a really cool thing because I sat through a presentation that was meant for elementary school teachers,” Nail said. “It was very interesting to see how those standards are being implemented on the elementary school level with a really tough topic – fractions.”
Nail said seeing the elementary take on fractions will help her use the same techniques with her students at the high school.
Dilley and Burt-Kinderman presented a seminar together and Dilley said she learned ways to implement dance, art and music in her math class to get kids more involved.
Dilley also reported that she and Nail stuck around an extra day and were able to celebrate Pi Day.
“It was 3:14:15 so that was incredibly exciting at 9:26:53 we had a blast,” she said. “As much fun as math teachers could have.”
Dilley added that the math program at PCHS far exceeds some of the top schools in the state and she is proud to be a part of it.
“I taught two years at Morgantown High and this conference just affirmed this – this math department that I have now joined up with in Pocahontas County is worlds above Morgantown High School, which is very frequently seen as the most elite academic school in the state,” she said. “It’s really, really exciting to see in a small county.”
On the elementary level, Calhoun said math is all about games and ways to get the students to count through fun. She said they are using dice and cards to get students to add and subtract. The games are more effective and more fun than handing out a worksheet and letting the students count on their fingers.
In special recognition:
• Dr. Bechtel reported that the PCHS math department had a reason to celebrate. The high school Math Field Day team came home from the regional fair with five awards. Winners are: First place, Vincent Harper; sixth place, David Rose; eighth place, Miles Goodall; first alternate, Corinne Airgood; and second alternate, Casey Griffith. All five winners have the opportunity to compete on the state level.
In miscellaneous management, the board approved the following:
• Policy ID – Alternative Education Policy.
• Memorandum of Understanding between Pocahontas County Board of Education and RESA I, to hire Anita Ellis, President Nutrition Food-Service Educator, Inc., per the terms of the MOU. Compensation for services not to exceed $1,500.
• Memorandum of Understanding between Pocahontas County Board of Education and Pocahontas County Extension Service, effective for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2015, supplementing the cooperative agreement covering cooperative extension work in Pocahontas County, in the amount of $5,000.
• Articles of agreement between Pocahontas County Board of Education and Davis & Elkins College, for college student pre-service and student teachers.
• Spencer McCoy and Lawrence Workman, Jr., as volunteer assistant baseball coaches at Pocahontas County High School, effective for the 2014-2015 season.
In personnel management, the board approved the following:
• Unpaid medical leave of absence Nicole Rose-Taylor, teacher of early education at Marlinton Elementary School, effective April 20 until the end of the 2014-2015 school year.
• Requested transfer of Jason C. Pyles from teacher of physical education/health at Pocahontas County High School to teacher of alternative education at Marlinton Middle School, at state basic salary based on degree and experience, effective for the 2015-2016 school year. Term of employment is 200 days.
• Abolishment of position teacher of electricity at Pocahontas County High School, effective at the end of the 2015-2016 school year.
• Creation of position teacher of health science education and therapeutics at Pocahontas County High School, at state basic salary based on degree and experience, effective for the 2015-2016 school year. Term of employment is 200 days.
• Employment of Aaron Pugh as head boys track coach/seasonal coordinator for track at Pocahontas County High School, retroactive to the beginning of the 2014-2015 season, at a supplement of $1,500.
• Employment Wanda Hrabina as credit recovery teacher at Pocahontas County High School, retroactive to February 25, 2015 through May 8, 2015, as needed, at $20 per hour, two hours per day, two days per week – not to exceed $1,200 per position. Three positions to be divided equally among four people.
• Employment of Shawna Murphy as substitute teacher for Pocahontas County Schools, retroactive to March 19, as needed, for the remainder of the 2014-2015 school year, at state basic pay based on degree and experience.
• Employment of Marlyn Y. McClendon as substitute teacher for Pocahontas County Schools, effective March 25 or upon completion of RESA Online Substitute Training and background clearance, as needed, for the remainder of the 2014-2015 school year, at state basic pay based on degree and experience.
• Employment Kaitlyn Goins as itinerant teacher of special education/autism at Marlinton Elementary School, at state basic salary based on degree and experience, effective for the 2015-2016 school year. Term of employment is 200 days.
• Employment of Lauren Bennett, Amy Blankenship, James D. Chestnut, Corinne Landis and Andrew C. Myers as substitute custodians for Pocahontas County Schools, effective March 25, as needed, for the remainder of the 2014-2015 school year, at state basic pay.
• Change in retirement date of Charlotte Burgess as school bus operator for Pocahontas County Schools, change effective date of retirement from March 24 to April 15.
• Employment of Amy Blankenship, Cindy Landis and Corinne Landis as substitute cooks for Pocahontas County Schools, effective March 25, for the remainder of the 2014-2015 school year, as needed, at state basic pay.
• Employment of Amy Blankenship, Cindy Landis and Corinne Landis as substitute aides for Pocahontas County Schools, effective March 25, for the remainder of the 2014-2015 school year, as needed, at state basic pay.
The board approved the following probationary contracts for service personnel, for the 2015-2016 fiscal year:
• Michelle L. Arbogast, 200 days, itinerant special education classroom aide/bus aide at Pocahontas County High School.
• Tonja S. Armstrong, 200 days, itinerant special education classroom aide/bus aide at Marlinton Elementary School.
• David Arter, 261 days, custodian IV/sanitation plant operator at Green Bank Elementary-Middle School.
• Stephanie L. Barkley, 240 days, secretary III/accountant III at the central office.
• Ian B. Bennett, 261 days, chief mechanic for Pocahontas County Schools.
• Shannon B. Bircher, 215 days, secretary II/accountant II/cook II at Green Bank Elementary-Middle School.
• Melissa A. Ervine, 261 days, executive secretary/accountant III at the central office.
• Corey A. Friel, 220 days, custodian III at Pocahontas County High School and Green Bank Elementary-Middle School.
• Sarah E. Hamilton, 215 days, secretary II/accountant II at Hillsboro Elementary School.
• Sarah J. Hedrick, 200 days, cook II at Pocahontas County High School.
• Angela G. Irvine, 220 half days, custodian III, half-time, at Hillsboro Elementary School.
• Valerie H. Lambert, 200 days, cook II at Green Bank Elementary-Middle School.
• Sandra K. Perdue, 220 days, custodian III at Green Bank Elementary-Middle School.
• Dorthie I. Shamblin, 200 days, itinerant special education classroom aide/bus aide at Marlinton Middle School.
• Larry D. Sharp, 200 days, school bus operator for Pocahontas County Schools.
• Heather D. Simmons, 200 days, itinerant special education classroom aide/bus aide at Marlinton Elementary School.
• Justin A. Taylor, 261 days, mechanic for Pocahontas County Schools.
• Joseph P. Warder, 220 days, custodian III at Pocahontas County High School.
The board approved the following continuing contract for service personnel, for the 2015-2016 fiscal year:
• Silas L. Sattler, 200 days, school bus operator for Pocahontas County Schools.
The board approved the following probationary contracts for professional personnel, for the 2015-2016 fiscal year:
• Richard Michael Adkins, 210 days, assistant principal at Pocahontas County High School.
• Gregory P. Ball, 220 days, principal at Marlinton Elementary School.
• Sarah G. Brown, 200 half-days, teacher of Title I at Hillsboro Elementary School.
• William J. Brown, 200 days, itinerant teacher of special education/autism at Pocahontas County High School.
• Amy F. Coleman, 200 days, teacher of science/biology at Pocahontas County High School.
• Alison C. Flegel, 200 half-days, teacher of art at Green Bank Elementary-Middle School.
• Wanda L. Hrabina, 200 days, teacher of health/social studies at Pocahontas County High School.
• Dervin E. Lambert, 200 days, teacher of welding at Pocahontas County High School.
• Mark A. Landis, 200 days, teacher of alternative education at Pocahontas County High School.
• Gregory D. Morgan, 205 days, teacher of music at Green Bank Elementary-Middle School.
• Jennifer McCarty, 200 days, itinerant teacher of special education/autism at Marlinton Middle School.
• Jason C. Pyles, 200 days, teacher of alternative education at Marlinton Middle School.
• Sherry L. Radcliff, 261 days, treasurer/director of finance for Pocahontas County Schools.
• Nicole Rose-Taylor, 200 days, teacher of early education at Marlinton Elementary School.
• Abram J. Rittenhouse, 200 days, teacher of physical education/health/social studies at Green Bank Elementary-Middle School.
• Sharla G. Sherman, 200 half-days, library/media specialist at Marlinton Middle School.
• Christina M. Smith, 220 days, coordinator of teaching and learning for Pocahontas County Schools.
• Jeanette D. Wagner, 200 days, teacher of Option Pathway at Pocahontas County High School.
The board approved the following continuing contracts for professional personnel, for the 2015-2016 fiscal year:
• Joseph Arbogast, 220 days, principal at Hillsboro Elementary School.
• P. Erwin Berry IV, 200 days, teacher of agriculture education at Pocahontas County High School.
• Lauren B. Dickenson, 200 days, itinerant teacher of special education/autism at Green Bank Elementary-Middle School.
• Laurel B. Dilley, 200 days, teacher of mathematics at Pocahontas County High School.
• Samara Mann, 200 days, teacher of English/language arts at Pocahontas County High School.
• Maria L. McCoy, 200 days, itinerant teacher of special education/autism/teacher of multi-subjects at Hillsboro Elementary School.
• Robert B. Miller, 240 days, principal, coordinator of School-to-Work Program, vocational education director, distance learning facilitator and alternative education coordinator at Pocahontas County High School.
• Jennifer A. Nail, 200 days, teacher of mathematics at Pocahontas County High School.
• Stephanie T. Poppe, 200 days, teacher of English/language arts at Pocahontas County High School.
• Morton I. Taber, 200 days, teacher of English/language arts at Green Bank Elementary-Middle School.
The next board meeting is Monday, April 13, at 7 p.m. at the board of education conference room.
Suzanne Stewart may be contacted at sastewart@pocahontastimes.com
