KINGWOOD — The 2024 school year will bring one more class period to Preston High School.
A schedule adjustment will take PHS from seven periods per day to eight, according to Todd Seymour, PHS principal.
Seymour told Preston County Board of Education members this week the state added a half credit to the schedule so a second half credit had to be added. He said when he looked at the course schedule, not a lot of students were choosing fine arts as an elective. Seymour said with an eight-period day he could see students using CTE classes and fine arts as alternates.
“When I looked at our freshmen, there was no electives without finagling the schedule,” he said. “I believe CTE and fine arts are essential for school.”
Board members also heard from Corey Miller, who explained she was a single, working mother who has two young children. She said her son is currently attending South Preston, but when she signed her 4-year-old daughter up for Pre-K ,she was enrolled to attend Fellowsville.
“There are other parents here who choose not to speak out,” Miller said. “We are working parents and there is no transportation available to take our children to Fellowsville. We work and can’t take them to Fellowsville and pick them up.”
She said it is unfair that her daughter could miss a year of education due to a lack of transportation.
“I want both of my children to attend the same school,” she said.
Superintendent of Schools Bradley Martin said he would provide her with a copy of the criteria that was used to determine which school a student will attend.
No further action was taken.
Also discussed were laptops and iPads. Moyers said she ordered 900 new iPads for grades kindergarten through Grade 2. She said the cost of the new iPads is $353,520.
She said money from the sale of the old iPads to Second Life Mac will be used toward the cost. She said the company will pick up the old iPads June 16.
Moyers said the company grades the iPads and pays $121 and up, depending on their condition.
In other business, four Preston County students were awarded the Golden Horseshoe Award during the Thursday evening Board of Education meeting.
Daria Moyers, county testing coordinator, said the Golden Horseshoe test has been administered in West Virginia each year since 1931 and is the longest running program of its kind in any state. She said top-scoring students in each county receive the prestigious award and are inducted as knights of the Golden Horseshoe Society.
Receiving an award was Richard Albright from Aurora, Nicholas Bernatowicz from Central Preston, and Haylie Trenum and Ty Jenkins, both from West Preston.
Also honored was the West Virginia State Track and Field Championship State Qualifiers.
Receiving certificates was Ella White, 400 meters, 800 meters, 4×800 relay, and the 4×400 relay; Sophia Saurino, 4×800 relay, and 4×400 relay; Delilah Myers, 4×800 relay; Taryn Veltri, 4×400 relay; Jaxon Saucer, 400 meters, and Sierra Davis, shot put and discus. Also present was the girls’ head coach Rachel Arbogast, and boys; head coach Jason Saurino.
Members of the ChalleNGe Academy were also recognized for helping move some of the classroom furniture for teachers.
Receiving a Certificate of Appreciation were Dylan Anderson, Breanna Blevins, Tony Brewer, Isabella Hebb, Malachi Parker, Breyanna Phillips, Zaden Roush, DeAngelo Turner, Jonathan White and Erick Wooten.
