Superintendent Weekly Update

from the desk of Kathy Amos

December 13, 2024

Congratulations Dr. Brent Laws, YCS Principal of the Year!

We are incredibly proud of Dr. Brent Laws for being nominated and selected by his peers as Principal of the Year. Dr. Laws is a devoted leader of the Bobcat Family at Burnsville Elementary School. His innovative approach, engaging presence, and unwavering optimism inspire a bright future for our school community. Thank you, Dr. Laws and congratulations!

Good Luck Tonight, Cougars!

WNC Dogwood Award Winners

Congratulations to Derek Murphy and Sheriff Shane Hilliard on your prestigious state awards. We appreciate the hard work, dedication and strength shown during the rescue, relief and recovery phases of the hurricane. We appreciate your leadership!

"(RALEIGH) Attorney General Josh Stein today honored North Carolinians in western North Carolina with the Attorney General’s Dogwood Award. These awards are distributed to honor people who are working to improve the health, safety, and well-being of their fellow North Carolinians. Today’s recipients were honored with a focus on people who have been helping their communities recover and rebuild following Hurricane Helene’s devastation.

Derek Murphy

“Derek acted quickly during the hurricane to protect several at-risk school properties,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “His work has made it a little bit easier for children to get back to repaired schools and saved the taxpayers money.”

Derek Murphy is the director of facilities/maintenance/transportation for Yancey County and a member of the Pensacola Volunteer Fire Department.

Yancey County Sheriff Shane Hilliard

“Sheriff Hilliard and his team worked around the clock after the hurricane to respond to calls and help the people of Yancey County,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “He and his team saved lives and helped their neighbors navigate a difficult time.”

“I am truly humbled to receive the Dogwood Award,” said Sheriff Shane Hilliard. “It is such an honor to serve as Sheriff to the extraordinary citizens of Yancey County.”

Sheriff Shane Hilliard leads the Yancey County Sheriff’s Office."

Read the full article here

ELA All Stakeholder Standard-by-Standard Survey

Survey Closes January 9

State Board of Education policy specifies that the NC Department of Public Instruction will formally collect feedback on the current standards from educators, administrators, parents, students, institutions of higher education, business/industry representatives, national organizations, and other education agencies. The purpose of this survey is to obtain input from educators and stakeholders familiar with the English Language Arts Standard Course of Study in order to inform revision decisions.

Any individual who wishes to provide input on the English Language Arts SCOS may complete this survey. This survey is estimated to take about 10-20 minutes to complete, depending on the grade-level you choose to review, and should be completed in one sitting. If you would like to give feedback on more than one grade-level, you can return and submit another survey. Please use the Survey Companion Document to assist you when providing feedback on Draft 1.

K-5 All Stakeholder Standard-by-Standard Survey

6-12 All Stakeholder Standard-by-Standard Survey

Survey Companion Document