Tucker County High School Principal Jay Hamric, along with instructors from the school, attend Monday’s Tucker County BOE meeting. Board members unanimously approved submission of a STEM Innovation Zone Grant to the West Virginia Department of Education. The grant must also be approved by at least 80 percent of TCHS staff prior to its submission.
By Beth Christian Broschart
The Parsons Advocate
PARSONS – Jay Hamric, Tucker County High School principal, told Tucker County BOE members the deadline for submitting the STEM Innovation Zone Grant to the West Virginia Department of Education is Dec. 1. He said if the BOE approves its submission, 80 percent of his staff must approve the grant as well before its submission.
“One thing we will ask for all staff to be trained on is the 16 habits of mind,” Hamric said. “These are 16 character traits that intelligent people use when faced with a challenge, an obstacle or a task. This is a proven program that lots of the schools we visited have implemented in their schools.”
Hamric said all students and staff would be exposed to the program. He also said they would be using Project Lead the Way.
“Project Lead the Way is used to help do the training of the staff with all of the new technology,” Hamric said. “It actually is a curriculum with resources you purchase in advance. It is kind of a canned program but it is highly acclaimed, it is well thought out, it is well researched and several CTE and comprehensive schools across the state are using that.”
Hamric said they will be developing a partnership with West Virginia University.
“They are going to help train our teachers over the summer in that technology (Project Lead the Way),” Hamric said. “Also, they approached us to be a partner with their blended learning experience with the honors math program. Basically, our TCHS math teachers would be working hand in hand with the math professors at WVU and providing a blended learning experience for our honor students. Kids would be in calculus and watching video WVU professors provide. They will receive college credit if they pass the assessments.”
Hamric said students on the calculus course could exit high school with eight WVU credits.
“It will be a dual credit system,” Hamric said. “This is a huge push by the state.”
Also during Monday’s BOE meeting, members took the following actions:
-Voted to hire Roseann Barlow at DTEMS and Cathy Hebb at TVEMS as mentor teachers.
-Voted to hire Melissa Tauscher, Amanda Wichterman and Tammie Gillespie as substitute teachers.
-Voted to hire Denzil Evans as TCHS assistant basketball coach and Judy Pitzer as DTEMS head girl’s basketball coach.
-Voted to approve continuing and probationary contracts for the 2015 to 2016 school year.
-Voted to pay bills from Sept. 30 to Oct. 12.
-Voted to approve purchase orders for more than $3,000 for Reliable Roofing, Pomeroy and the W.Va. State Auditor.
-Voted to approve a two hour delay Nov. 23 for professional development. Tucker County Schools Superintendent Dr. Eddie Campbell said the delay also offers a bonus because the TC school system will be ‘short-handed’ with bus drivers Monday and Tuesday. “This will accommodate, hopefully, some more parents and give them some extra time to get their kids to school on those days,” Campbell said.
The next Tucker County Board of Education is slated for 4:30 p.m. Dec. 7 at the Tucker County Board Office.
