MONTEREY — At the Highland County School Board meeting last Thursday, Nov. 13, elementary school principal Tim Johnson shared that preschool teacher Shelley Thomas has been awarded top marks during a recent assessment.
Thomas is reviewed twice a year as part of the Head Start program, and Johnson told school board members about her great review, including several perfect scores. The assessment was the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) that measures the quality of educator/ student interactions.
“Mrs. Thomas did an amazing job today,” Johnson read a quote from the evaluator. “It is such a joy to observe a teacher that is a professional and knows her students so well, and is so well supported by her aide.”
The evaluator noted Thomas’ scores in several areas.
For emotional support, Thomas scored a perfect score of 7. The average score for Virginia is 5.82.
For classroom organization, Thomas scored 6.83 compared to a state average of 5.41.
For instructional support, Thomas scored 6.58 while the state average is only 2.75.
Johnson said the evaluator gave Thomas perfect scores in four categories and very high marks in others.
“The likelihood of a teacher scoring a perfect score in CLASS observation is quite low,” Johnson read. “To achieve a high score, a teacher must consistently demonstrate effective interactions across all dimensions of CLASS. This requires a high level of skill, knowledge, and experience in teaching, as well as a commitment to creating a positive and engaging learning environment.”
“I’m very proud of it,” Thomas said. “It takes a lot of work. It shows how we’ve got a very good program. We give the kids a good strong foundation.”
Greenhouse
Agriculture teacher Jennifer Neil gave an update on the new greenhouse project. “It’s up. The other one has been restored,” she said.
“The idea for the renovated greenhouse is raised beds,” Neil explained, to grow salad greens and vegetables for an occasional salad bar in the cafeteria. It will also be used to grow flowers for the floral design class.
The new greenhouse still needs some supplies.
“We do still need to buy some tables to put in there,” Neil said. The school also needs to purchase gravel, and supplies for raised beds.
The new greenhouse has fans to help with ventilation and heat for the winter, which still needs to be hooked up. “The goal for this greenhouse is indoor and outdoor plants for a plant sale,” Neil said.
Graduation update
The school board voted to move the graduation date up by a week, to Saturday, June 6.
“The FFA state convention is now being held the last week of our school,” explained high school principal Tim Good, who said that would be the case going forward.
The change means seniors will finish school several days before the rest of the grades.
“This is not unusual for a lot of school systems,” noted school board member Sherry Sullenberger.
Personnel
Superintendent Dr. James “Nick” Nycum was approved as the deputy school board clerk effective Aug. 21.
The board approved Cindy Wood as a mentor teacher effective Oct. 1.
The board approved Jenna Smith as a substitute teacher effective Nov. 14.
The board approved Melody Moats as a substitute teacher effective Oct. 27.
The school has vacancies for an agriculture mechanics teacher and a special education aide. The school is hiring for an elementary principal for the 2026-27 school year.
The board tabled action on advertising for an athletic director so it can write a better job description.
Meeting change
The school board will now hold its meetings starting at 6 p.m. during the change in Daylight Saving Time. The closed meetings, if needed, will be held following the open meetings.