Messenger Staff Reporter

The Obion County School System’s best of the best were honored Monday night.

Teachers of the Year — including both building level and district level honorees — were recognized by the Obion County School Board during its monthly session at South Fulton Middle/High School.

This year’s district level Teachers of the Year are Hillcrest Elementary School teacher Sharon Regen for preK-4, Lake Road Elementary School teacher Maria Matheny for grades 5-8 and Obion County Central High School teacher Jeanna Walker for grades 9-12.

As district winners, they will now advance to the state level of competition. All three of them were also recognized as being the building level winners for their respective school.

Mrs. Regen teaches fourth grade at Hillcrest. She and her husband, Bob Regen, are the parents of a daughter, Angela (Regen) Davis, and a son, Andrew Regen. They have a grandson, Tucker Davis.

At Lake Road, Mrs. Matheny teaches seventh- and eighth-grade math and Algebra I, as well as works with cheerleading, the Academic Bowl team and math tutoring. She is married to Waylon Matheny.

Mrs. Walker teaches high school resource at OCCHS. She and her husband, Tim Walker, are the parents of a daughter, Randi Kaye Walker, and a son, Caleb Walker.

Other building level Teachers of the Year include: Black Oak Elementary School, Linda Darnall for preK-4 and Debbie Batchelor for grades 5-8; Hillcrest, May Wiggins for grades 5-8; Lake Road, Bethany Ingersoll for preK-4; Ridgemont Elementary School, Jada Davis for preK-4 and Joe Brent Cary for grades 5-8; South Fulton Elementary School, Jennifer McConnell for preK-4 and Kevin Seymour for grades 5-8; South Fulton Middle/High School, Marina Greer for grades 5-8 and Lori Martin for grades 9-12; and the Obion County Career Technology Center, Jeremy Roney for grades 9-12.

Obion County Assistant Director of Schools James Faulkner said the Teacher of the Year honorees are representative of the “fine teachers” in the Obion County School System. He said he is certain all of them would be quick to note they are supported strongly by their colleagues.

“We appreciate all of them,” he said.

In other action during Monday night’s meeting, which was opened with prayer led by board member David Lamb, the school board:

• Recognized this year’s Student Congress on Policies in Education (SCOPE) delegates, who will attend the March 12-13 conference. The delegates are OCCHS students Leisel Grossner and Travis Daniel and SFHS students Skylar Cherry and Mallory Martin.

• Heard from SFHS Beta Club president Alexander McWhirt, who reported on the club’s many community service activities.

• Presented the Ridgemont girls’ basketball team a resolution recognizing its outstanding accomplishments during the 2008-09 season. The team members, head coach Lance Gray and assistant head coach Joe Brent Cary were all in attendance.

The team captured the TMSAA West Tennessee Sectional Cham-pionship, the Obion County Junior High Championship and the Area 5 Junior High Championship, finishing the season with a 22-1 record and posting a cumulative grade point average of 89.6.

• Approved a consent agenda that includes a monthly personnel report, monthly substitute teacher list and monthly financial reports/business activity.

The personnel report lists leaves of absence for Hillcrest teacher Courtney Gantt, Ridgemont teacher Paula Webb, SFHS educational assistant Denise Wright, OCCHS cafeteria employee Misty Yarbro, Bonnie Hawthorne, Misty Gwaltney and Lake Road custodian Keith Cochran.

The substitute teachers approved for the month include Connie Bargery, Courtney Bondurant, Christina Blackman, Becky Dykes, Candace Thweatt, Brandy Whitten, Lucy Simpson, Marion Carman, Andrew McIntosh, Cynthia Andrews and Robert Kelly.

• Approved two amendments to the General Purpose School Fund for the 2008-09 fiscal year budget. They include $102,443 to account for an increase in state revenues to pay a one-time state bonus for all licensed personnel, along with the related expenditures; and $4,745 to account for an increase in salary in the Alternative School Program, with these funds being transferred from the Special Education Program.

• Approved a low bid from Wilder Fitness for weight equipment for OCCHS and SFHS. The purchase of weight equipment was not specifically requested during the budget planning process for the current fiscal year, but an allocation for athletic equipment is included in the fiscal year 2009 budget. In addition, both schools will contribute a substantial amount of funds for the purchase.

• Approved on first reading the Handbook for Interscholastic Sports — Policies and Procedures. Obion County Director of Schools David Huss said through mutual cooperation with system director of athletics Robert Powell, school athletic administrators and coaches, the manual represents the first step in defining the system’s mission and provides consistent policies and procedures for the schools’ extracurricular programs.

• Received a copy of administrative/principal assignments for the 2009-10 school year. No board action was required.

The central office assignments include Faulkner, assistant director of schools; Nancy Hamilton, supervisor of instruction, grades 9-12; Lesa Scillion, supervisor of instruction, grades 5-8, and title director; Vikki Stevenson, supervisor of instruction, grades preK-4; Mary Lynn Dodson, supervisor of special education/Coordinated School Health; Dale Hollowell, supervisor of attendance; Judy Denman, supervisor of child nutrition; Sharon Connell, supervisor of adult education; Larry Parks, supervisor of pupil transportation/plant operations; Phil Graham, supervisor of maintenance; and Linda Carney, director of finance.

The school assignments made by Huss include Sheila Stone, Black Oak principal; Mary Coleman, Black Oak assistant principal; Russ Davis, CTC/vocational program director; Melinda McCullough, Hillcrest principal; Dennis Buckelew, Lake Road principal; Regina Patterson, Lake Road assistant principal; Linda Short, OCCHS principal; Tommy Victory and Craig Rogers, OCCHS assistant principals; Randy Pitts, Ridgemont principal; Don Capps, Ridgemont assistant principal; Elise Braswell, South Fulton Elementary principal; Patresa Rogers, South Fulton Elementary assistant principal; Adam Stephens, South Fulton Middle/High School principal; and Keith Frazier, SFM/HS assistant principal.

The Hillcrest assistant principal’s position remains vacant and will be filled during the summer.

• Approved upon first reading, with the second reading waived, an amendment to board policy regarding use of the Internet. The Tennessee Department of Education recommended the addition of a sentence regarding employees receiving professional development training. Huss noted the school system is already providing professional development pertaining to Internet safety and security on an annual basis.

• Approved four overnight student trips, including OCCHS’ Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) to state conference in Chattanooga; OCCHS’ Art Club for a senior art trip to Cincinnati; OCCHS’ Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) to state competition in Nashville; and Hillcrest Elementary’s PLUS program for an educational trip to Bowling Green, Ky., Horse Cave and Louisville, Ky.

• Learned a called school board meeting will be held March 18 at 11 a.m. at the Obion County Public Library to receive the findings of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Quality Assurance Review Team’s findings.

After the team reviews its findings with the director of schools and staff, it will present an oral exit report at a publicly-called meeting of the school board. The meeting is open to the public.

• Learned from Huss that the Obion County Budget Committee supported the school board on its recent adoption of a resolution supporting an appointed superintendent and voted at its Monday meeting to send the item to the full commission for consideration.

• Received a thank-you letter from state Rep. Judy Barker for Black Oak Elementary’s being used as a shelter during the recent ice storm. A personal thank-you was also sent to Black Oak principal Sheila Stone.

• Expressed appreciation to all of the county’s schools for the special activities held during the recent observance of School Board Appreciation Week.

School board member Susan Williams was absent from Monday night’s board meeting.
Published in The Messenger 3.3.09