Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
During the hear callers portion of the May 11 Pocahontas Coun-ty Board of Education meeting, director of IT Kristi Hamons gave a moving memorial to the late Dr. Sue Hollandsworth, who was an educator and board of education member.
“To many, Sue was a treasured school board member and board president,” she said. “To others, she was a strong and steady leader. Someone people turned to when times were hard and decisions were difficult. To me and to so many in this county, Sue was first a teacher, a principal, a mentor and a quiet force for good in our community.”
Hamons recalled interactions with Hollandsworth who was principal at Hillsboro Elementary School when she was a child.
“During my elementary school years, our county was struggling economically,” Hamons said. “We’d been hit hard by a string of factories and businesses closing. The community of Hillsboro was especially hit hard during the early nineties when Denmar Hospital closed. Many families lost jobs and my own family was no exception.”
Hollandsworth tried to make school and extracurricular activities fun for students to help them forget the struggles their families were going through at the time.
“One day, Sue and her husband, Daniel, surprised a few of us Hillsboro kids and took us to see the Barnum and Bailey Circus,” Hamons said. “It was small to some, but to us, it was everything. It was a day away from worry, from sadness, from the heaviness our families were carrying. It was laughter and wonder and the feeling, if for only a little while, everything was okay.”
Hollandsworth continued to serve the students of Pocahontas County after retiring from being a principal, to serving on the board of education, where she held both president and vice president positions.
In closing, Hamons asked everyone to take a lesson from Hollandsworth.
“I’d like us all to take a moment to remember Sue,” she said. “Remember the encouragement she gave, that support she offered without being asked and that knowing hand on your shoulder when things were hard.
“I’d like us to take a lesson from her, as well,” she continued. “In moments of disagreement, let us hear both sides, just as she did and in moments of weakness, let us carry ourselves the way Sue carried herself – with empathy, with thoughtfulness and with measured words.
“In moments when we are able to help, let us do so quietly, generously and without expecting recognition, just as she did,” she concluded. “Dr. Sue Hollandsworth leaves behind a legacy that will continue to live on in our schools, in our community and in each life she touched.”
At the end of the meeting, board members also shared their memories of Hollandsworth and condolences to her family.
New River Community and Technical College campus director and community outreach director Roger Griffith was also at the meeting.
Griffith talked about the new partnership between NRCTC and Pocahontas County Schools to offer programs at Pocahontas County High School, including medical and correction officer courses, that will not only prepare students for higher learning, but in several cases, see them graduating high school with an associate’s degree.
Through the Level Up program, students can take both dual credit classes – which gives them credits toward their high school diploma, as well as a college degree – or classes that are just college credits.
“We had our commencement on Saturday evening,” he said. “We had forty students from two counties that earned their associate’s degrees before they left high school. They got their degree from us two or three weeks before they graduated in from their high school.”
With the pathways New River plans to offer at PCHS, students can either go on to the New River campus after graduation, or another two or four year college of their choosing.
“The way the pathways are designed is you start in high school – you come to us or depending on how far you get – go on directly to a four-year institution,” Griffith said. “Or you come to us and then go on to a four-year institution with our articulation agreements.
“It’s seamless for the students.”
The board thanked Griffith for his time in helping set up the new program and for providing information about what the students will be able to achieve.
In updates:
• Superintendent Dr. Leatha Williams gave an updated report on the chronic absenteeism issue at the schools and said there has been an improvement in students coming to school like they should.
Williams also gave a presentation on the county’s coaching staff and said there are no plans to cut any of the positions for next school year.
In special recognitions, the board honored the following students for their success in several competitions:
• Pocahontas County Young Writers: Durham Meck, Harper Hummel, Penelope Buzzard, Bailey Goodwin and Kaylah Dowling.
• Regional Science Fair: Braden Ray, third place; and Jenifer Taylor, third place.
• Regional Social Studies Fair: Sullivan Seldomridge, Elliot Seldomridge, Andrew Herold, Marcie Dilley, Elizabeth Sharp, Jonah Mann, Aubrey Evans, Sadie Brown, Annabel Swan, Jenifer Taylor, Karliana Boyd, Kendall Taylor, Ryan Kloeker, Grayson Barlow, Kaya Eves, Tara Hall, Rayna Kerr, Skylar Bernarding, Cambree McLaughlin and Madelyn Rittenhouse.
• Regional Math Field Day: Daniel Brown, Noah Clifton, Joseph Taylor, Joseph Rittenhouse, Mason Markl, Michael Friel, Isaac Brown, Brayden Ray, Madelyn Rittenhouse, Levi Irvine, Hunter Hefner, Hunter Lundmark, Ryan Withrow, Ace Gregory, Eli Beezley, Zara Fanning, Levi Hill, Kaidence Cutlip, Paul Jordan, Wade Garber, Ramona Hardy, Cammi Warner, Cash Beers, Gavin Jordan, Allyson Taylor, Willa Hardy and Mazie Monico.
• Battle of the Books: Sadie Brown, Daisy Hefner, Micah Scotchie, Elliot Seldomridge, Annabel Swan, Aubrey Evans, Grant McClure, Kenneth Wilson, Adalyn Beverage, Noah Clifton, Michael Friel, Jerzie Jackson, Simon Scotchie, Lincoln Dunbrack, Jalesia Jordan, Draydon Cassell, Jarrell Clifton, Victor Dean, Wade Goldizen, Carter Smith and Karis Lowe.
In personnel management, the board approved the following:
• Resignation of Blair Campbell as substitute teacher for Pocahontas County Schools, effective May 5.
• Resignation of Rebecca Peteete as assistant basketball coach for girls at Green Bank Elementary-Middle School, effective April 24.
• Requested transfer of Shannon Alderman from teacher of third grade to teacher of college and career readiness/related arts and interventionist at Hillsboro Elementary School.
• Requested transfer of Dana Cutlip from social worker to itinerant counselor at Hillsboro Elementary School, Green Bank Elementary-Middle School and Pocahontas County High School.
In miscellaneous management, the board approved the following:
• Bid for Gordon Food Service/HPS as the vendor for the Country Roads Food Cooperative for the 2026-2027 school year.
• Bid for Mountain Steer Meat Co. as the vendor for the Country Roads Food Cooperative for the 2026-2027 school year.
• Bid for United Dairy, Inc. for the dairy bid as the vendor for the Country Roads Food Cooperative for the 2026-2027 school year.
• to contract services for a spray technician for herbicide applications.
• to post for seven additional days of custodian services for each facility, as needed, to be moved to other facilities, as needed.
• to post for four summer itinerant custodians for summer work as outlined in the posting.
• to post for a groundsman/maintenance person for summer work.
• to post for summer contracted intervention services for Hillsboro Elementary School, schedule to be determined. Paid for with grant funding.
• to post for summer programs at Green Bank Elementary-Middle School and Marlinton Elementary School: coordinator for both sites, teachers, aides, cooks, custodians, bus drivers and facilitator for credit recovery, grades 10-12 only. Paid for with grant funding.
• to post for Energy Express programs at Marlinton Elementary School – cooks, custodians and bus drivers.
• to post for ESY programs at Green Bank Elementary-Middle School and Marlinton Elementary School: special education teacher and special education aide, one per site.
• to post or contract, speech, OT and PT services, as needed, for ESY programs, countywide.
