Green to take job at new school

The Conway School District picked one of their own to head up the new yet-to-be-named elementary school being built on Padgett Road.

It was announced at Tuesday's regular meeting of the Conway School Board that Charlotte Green, currently assistant principal at Theodore Jones Elementary, will be the first principal of the new school.

"We're very pleased that Charlotte is going to be our principal at the new elementary school," Superintendent Dr. Greg Murry said Wednesday. "She's got a great skill set that will serve our children very well out there."

Stuart Schichtl of Nabholz Construction Co. reported smooth progress at the new school's construction site. Schichtl said Wednesday that he didn't foresee anything that would set back July 1, 2008 completion date except, "knock on wood," a bad winter.

The board also announced that Ida Burns Elementary teacher Sherry Norrell has been selected as the 2007 district Teacher of the Year. The teachers of the year for each school within the district were also announced.

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Local businessman Jay Bernard spoke to the council about the Conway Public Schools Endowment Foundation. The foundation is the brainchild of school board member Susan McNabb and district federal programs coordinator Linda Boswell, Bernard said, and will one day generate funds to be used to better the educational experience of the district's students.

"We're starting from a blank piece of paper," Bernard said Wednesday. "We want to get something very well-structured. ... The groundwork is being laid. When we're ready to go pubic, with a mission statement, we'll let the people of this city know."

New statistical data on the district's student population was also introduced at the meeting. According to the data, which is based on Oct. 1, 2007 information, 11.9 percent of the 9,120-strong student body participates in the district's Gifted and Talented program, 12.5 percent are special education students, 0.1 percent are migrant students, 2.4 percent are limited-english-proficiency students and 23 home languages are spoken.

The board also passed a resolution to allow athletic event ticket sales funds to be used to purchase awards for student participation in school events. Purchases cannot be greater than an average of $100 per student per activity.

The board also approved the hire of Retha Cullins as an adult education/GED classroom teacher at the Conway Adult Education Center and the resignation of Richard Washam, teacher; L.C. Ramsey Jr., accounting clerk, effective Nov. 9; Andrea Freeman, bus driver, effective Oct. 31; and Gary Overall, custodian, effective Oct. 5.

The 2007 Teachers of the Year for each school are:

Debbie Lacy, Ellen Smith Elementary; Sherry Norrell, Ida Burns Elementary; Peggy Grobmyer, Julia Lee Moore Elementary; Jana Bonner, Sallie Cone Elementary; Bobbye Gurley, Florence Mattison Elementary; Rebecca McCuin, Margeurite Vann Elementary; Dee Reinhard, Jim Stone Elementary; Sheila Jeffries, Theodore Jones Elementary; Ann Peters, Ruth Doyle Intermediate; Teresa Mallett, Simon Intermediate; Erma McDonald, Bob Courtway Middle School; Sue Fabert, Carl Stuart Middle School; Paula McKee, Conway High School East; Michael Kennedy, Conway High School West; Christi Barnard, Adult Education.

(Staff writer Joe Lamb can be reached by e-mail at joe.lamb@thecabin.net or by phone at 505-1238. Send us your news at www.thecabin.net/submit)