Kaden Fitzwater. Coach Ron Starcher at the podium.
By Gary Lee Stuber
One of the first actions at the regular Board of Education meeting was to recognize Coach Ron Starcher and the seven students who qualified for the WV State Cross Country Meet. For girls it was Cheyanne Taylor and Abigail Grandon. For boys it was Andrew Tanner, Sawyer Dobbins, Trent Hinkle, Kane Nida, and Kaden Fitzwater. Each student was acknowledged at the meeting with a certificate and was congratulated by the board.
“At the beginning of the year we outlined our expectation,” Ron said at the meeting, clarifying that the program had not been in the top ten teams in over 10 years, “and we couldn’t ask for a greater group of guys.” He suggested the defeat of Roane and Nicholas county teams set them on a course to be regional champions. “The boys finished as Number 11 just outside the top ten in the state. The two young ladies we have this evening also qualified for state performance, and If we had one more girl on our team, it would also have qualified.”
He assured the audience, “These students showed up every day and did workouts over an hour long. They would run up hill behind Tudors Biscuit World and all the way the Maysel Park and back. And we would run grueling speed routes named after an alumni, Nicki Aleshire who was once a qualifier. They showed up every day to run some of the most stressful routes in West Virginia.” Coach Starcher also thanked Superintendent Phil Dobbins who not only supported the teams but helped coach them for the last two years, on their way to the state meet.
All board members were present. They approved the Volunteer Commitment/Agreement application of Anatlia Williams, and Barry Curry at Clay High School. They accepted the resignation of Brenda Griffin McCutcheon as Extra-Mile Delivery Driver. They approved Anissa Collins as Afterschool Homebound Instructor. They approved Pamela Haynes as Cook II at Clay Elementary and Ashley Smith as Substitute Cook.
The Board signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Community Care of West Virginia to provide Mental Health Services to students from Clay Elementary, Clay Middle and Clay High School. And they approved a Resolution Urging the State of West Virginia to stabilize the Public Employee Insurance Agency (PEIA).
The Board also approved two In-State Extracurricular Overnight trips for the Clay County Wrestling Teams: The Winners Choice Wrestling Tournament in Fairmont, WV, January 10 and 11, 2025; and the WSAZ Wrestling Tournament in Huntington, WV, January 31-February 1, 2025.
The Board approved last month’s bills and adjourned for two executive meetings to conduct student expulsion hearings for two different students.
The next regular meeting of the BOE will be held on Tuesday Dec. 17, at 6 p.m. at Big Otter Elementary School.