TENNERTON – On two Tuesdays a month, Upshur County Schools Superintendent Dr. Sara Lewis Stankus doles out Upshur Stars awards at county Board of Education meetings.
Stankus said Tuesday that positive-reinforcement program is designed to showcase talent and extraordinary effort made not only in the school system but in the community.
At this Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting at Tennerton Elementary School, students and staff from Tennerton recognized for their accomplishments and contributions received Upshur Stars. But before the ceremony, Stankus talked a little bit about her reasoning behind the award program.
Stankus said the Upshur Stars recognition is important because it is not just recognizing the students, but also the stars in the Upshur County community.
“What we do in education is not isolated to the buildings or the schools,” Stankus said. “I have always believed schools are part of the community and the community is part of the schools. It’s hard to separate those boundaries because they are so enmeshed.”
“Recognizing those in the community who do so much and are not recognized is important,” she added. “We also need to recognize students who are doing things that are terrific. They don’t do this to be recognized. The kids love it, and that means something to families.”
Upshur Stars recognized during the Upshur County BOE meeting include fourth-grader Bo Hollen, fifth-grader Brody Jeran, fourth-grader Bentley Tenney, second-grader Brooklyn Butler and fifth-grader Lewis Posey.
Upshur County Assistant Superintendent Dr. Debra Harrison said Bo Hollen and a partner finished in ninth place out of 62 youth fishing teams at a national competition in Carroll County, Tennessee during the summer. She said Bo finished second in a BASS Jr. National Competition when he was just four years old and is always excited about new fishing trips and opportunities, adding that recently, he planned on going trout fishing when it was snowing.
Brody Jeran participated in an all-star youth football game in Canton, Ohio, which was played on the Football Hall of Fame field. He was a member of a West Virginia all-star team, competing against teams from other states. Harrison said Brody made some key plays which helped his team come home with multiple victories.
Tennerton students Bentley Tenney, a fourth-grade student; Brooklyn Butler, a second-grade student; and Lewis Posey, a fifth-grade student were honored with Upshur Stars for being fantastic PAX leaders in their classrooms. Harrison said the trio exhibit every quality that a Tennerton Tiger should have and said they are ready, responsible and respectful, adding they work extraordinarily hard in the classroom each day and strive to challenge themselves.
Tennerton teachers and staff recognized as Upshur Stars include Erika Jeran, John Tharp, Kelley Caynor, Melissa Lamb and Sharon Lemons.
Jeran and Tharp were recognized following a displacement for the first five weeks of school due to renovations in the school’s gym. Harrison said the two, along with the other Tennerton teachers, remained flexible so no student missed a physical education or music class.
Caynor and Lamb are PAX leaders at Tennerton. Harrison said they have jumped on board with the PAX Good Behavior Game, and their dedication to it is reflected in their teaching and in their students’ behavior; she said their hard work shines through in the lunchroom, hallway, during recess and in the classrooms.
Finally, Lemons received an Upshur Star for her hard work as the new Tennerton café manager. Harrison said Lemons hasn’t missed a beat and goes above and beyond to make sure all students’ dietary needs are met and works extremely well with administration, students and staff.
“If you need a cheese roll on pepperoni roll day, just let Sharon know and she will take care of you,” Harrison said.
Along with the recognitions, Upshur BOE members held their first of two public hearings regarding the 2020-2021 school calendar, learned about some major maintenance issues, voted to approve a revised BOE meeting schedule, approved an early notice of retirement incentive, learned about a change to the Reduction in Forces requirements and discussed adding an additional Prevention Resource Officer at Buckhannon-Upshur High School.
Stay tuned to My Buckhannon to learn about the business portion of Tuesday’s Upshur BOE meeting.
