Director of schools shares district’s accomplishments

As school starts back up for the county, the White County School Board convened, on January 8.

The board had good reports to share about the development of White County’s schools. There was also a minor issue that needed to be corrected on the board’s website.

Director Kurt Dronebarger shared the district’s success in his report. He shared the school letter grades for last year, which were previously shared by The Expositor as well. With four A’s, three B’s, and one school with a C, Dronebarger was pleased with the high range of scores.

“I’ve researched other districts in the region, and it’s hard to find to find another district with such good, consistent scores,” Dronebarger said. “So, we’ll continue to pursue excellence, but I am very proud of where we are at this moment.”

Chairman of the board, Bob Young, added, “We’d like to thank, start with our students, who are engaged and willing to be taught. And our teachers, our administrators, for creating the conditions for that learning to take place. And our director, for leading that charge.”

In other business, on the school board’s website, the title of policy 4302 is incorrectly named. The title should be “Field Trips, Excursions, and Competitions.” On the website, it was incorrectly labeled “Student School Day – Field Trip.” The School Board just wanted to assure that the same title was met with the link and policy form. The motion to change the name on the website was approved.

This month’s artists being highlighted were from Doyle Elementary. Principal Melea Johnson presented the award to four talented children that took a photo together at the school board.

“We are so proud of these four, and I wish I could bring all 300 to you to brag on them,” she said.

The students that were recognized included:

Tinslee M.

Mrs. Jenny shares, “Tinslee has such a bubbly personality that she sings wherever she may be.  I especially enjoy hearing her sing to herself during recess time--just swinging and swinging.  I hope that she never loses her love for songs and that she sings her sweet heart out in all of life.”

Everlee E.

Mrs. Heikkenen says that Everly is a pleasure to have in Art class.  “She is helpful and mature for her age.  Everly is always open for suggestions and always cheerful.  She is talented in drawing, and I love having her in class.”

Agibail G.

Mrs. Clark and Mrs. Neill note that Abigail’s first question when she came to Doyle from her old school in Florida was, “Do you have art class here?!” They say, “Abigail is so creative in all she does.  It is obvious she loves art.  She can make and design anything out of many different items.  She has made us a house from paper, designed a purse with tape, and loves to draw and color during her free time.  We feel she uses art to express herself and will always use art in her future.”

Lennox C.

Mrs. Parker and Mrs. Cayce say, “Lennox is an amazing and very talented artist in our classroom.  The students love to sit and watch him draw.  During bus duty, the students have him draw characters for them, and he’s drawn many things that we are all fascinated by.  Lennox is also a good friend to everyone in our classroom and has many other unique qualities and talents.  He’s a very gifted student in many ways and deserves to be recognized.”

Director Dronebarger is invited to an event in Washington D.C., May 12-13 While the expenses are covered at no expense to the district, the School Board voted to approve the travel.

Near the end of the meeting, Director Dronebarger shared how proud he is of the faculty in the district.

“I was able to provide a radio interview recently, and they asked me what would I attribute White County’s academic success to,” he said. “I said, ‘It’s very cliché, but it’s people.’ We have really good people at all different levels that do a fantastic job every day.”

The next school board meeting is scheduled for Feb. 12 at the White County Board of Education building. Findlay Elementary will be the highlighted school. There will be a work session at 5 p.m., then the meeting starts at 6 p.m. All school board meetings are open to the public and streamed on the school board’s YouTube channel.