Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer

The Pocahontas County Board of Education held a quick reorganizational meeting Monday morning at which three new members were welcomed to the table and a president and vice president were elected.

Acting as president pro-tem, Superintendent Terrence Beam welcomed board members before moving on to the meeting agenda.

“I just want to welcome my new members,” he said. “I’ve got a brand new board – two returnees and three new ones – and I’m looking forward to working with you. I think we can continue to accomplish really good things for our school system.”

Beam added that he would like the board to provide a list of goals for the school system.

“I would like for the board members to have goals in mind that they would like to see us accomplish,” he said. “It may be academic goals. It may be structural goals. I don’t know what goals you may have, but all of you are bound to have things you would like to see the board of education get involved with and do.”

Beam said he would like to have a work session with the board in the near future to discuss the proposed goals to make sure everyone is on the same page.

The board elected Joe Walker as its president and Becky Campbell as vice president before moving on to business matters.
Campbell reported that she traveled with the Pocahontas County High School boys basketball team to Ohio University and said the team performed well.

“I always wondered why [coach] Tim McClung took this group of kids up there,” Campbell said. “The caliber of teams they played against was unbelievable. They were playing against Four-A schools from Ohio. We played twenty games in three days and only had two subs. Those kids played their hearts out. That was very impressive to me. He’s setting those kids up for success.”

Walker gave updates on the MIP [Major Improvement Project] grants – the ongoing MIP at PCHS and the newly awarded MIP to Green Bank Elementary-Middle School. He added that he, Beam, board member John Burns and Marlinton Mayor Sam Felton will meet with the West Virginia School Building Authority July 19 in Charleston to discuss future plans for Marlinton Elementary School.

New board members Justin Dilley and Sue Hollandsworth said they are excited to be part of the board and look forward to working on projects to continue making positive changes to the school system in Pocahontas County.

The next board meeting is Monday, July 16, at 6 p.m. at the board of education conference room in Buckeye.

Suzanne Stewart may be contacted at sastewart@pocahontastimes.com

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