Parents and community members expressed
concern about several agenda items ...
... and kids came out to hear about the fate of cross-country
By Dianne Weaver
Front burner issues prompted lots of parents and community members to attend last night's Calhoun school board meeting.
A surprise to superintendent Ron Blankenship, he received West Virginia's most prestigious award - "Superintendent of the Year." (Details will follow)
The board voted not to adopt a new policy to eliminate the Valedictorian and Salutatorian from the school's graduation honors.
 Arnoldsburg parent Kelley Houchin (pictured left) addressed the board, saying the change was unnecessary at Calhoun High. She felt it is an educational trend that eliminates a spirit of competition.
After Carlene Frederick proposed to further study the matter by appointing a committee, the board opted to vote on the matter last night.
Those attending broke into applause when the measure died.
Houchin said she was grateful that board members were open to hearing her concerns and the concerns of many other citizens about the issue.
Cross-country kids celebrated their victory in front
of the board office, having already been in practice
During the last board meeting, a proposal to eliminate the cross-country spot from the sport's program was put on hold.
Despite the fact that the number of participants dropped from 13 to 11, the board decided to keep the sport another year. They hired coach Melinda Fitzwater.
Cross-country supporter Gaylen Duskey says "We had high hopes the board would change their mind. This means a lot to these kids."
 Director of Curriculum Greg Cartwright (pictured right) reported to the board how county schools fared on the WESTEST.
"This is really good news for county schools," said Cartwright, presenting the much-improved stats to board members. (Details will follow)
The most volatile issue last night was hearing the concerns of Arnoldsburg parents over the hiring of Dr. John Rizzo as the principal of their school. (See Herald story 8/16/05)
Details on last night's board meeting to follow
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