Marcia Barnes • Clay County Progress Clay County Schools Board of Education honored outstanding student athletes, from left, Mallory Peck, Ava Shook, Bryleigh Krieger, board members Kelly Crawford and Josh Ashe, during the regular meeting on May 19. All three were recognized for Women’s 2024/2025 Basketball All Smoky Mountain Conference.
By Marcia Barnes
Staff Writer
Clay County Schools Board of Education meeting opened with the customary formalities on Monday, May 19 and quickly moved to a video on Hayesville High School’s Senior Walk. This is the third year that seniors about to graduate have put on their gowns early to participate in what is becoming a tradition at Hayesville High School and High School Principal Stacey Overlin explained when and how it all started. “We did the Senior Walk two weeks ago. This is the third year in a row we’ve done this, we kind of instituted this with the Class of 2023. Basically, we ask the seniors to put on their gowns and we take them around to all four different schools and let all the students come out of the classrooms into the hallways and clap for them.
“Also, the senior class votes for one teacher in each school that made an impact on them,” Overlin said. Overlin said that the voting was close. The Hayesville High School teacher receiving the most votes was Silas Brown; Hayesville Primary School teacher, Kelly Jones; Hayesville Middle School teacher, Emily Mull; and Hayesville Elementary School teacher, Yvette McQuade. The Student Walk video was an impressive glimpse of seniors with jubilant and serious facial expressions, black gowns moving along the hallways and seniors giving smiles, handshakes and high-fives to the younger student body.
Overlin gave credit for the video to Miss Jones’ Project Management II Class for producing and editing the film. The class team was led by 10th grader Maddox Rich.
Superintendent Melissa Godfrey gave the board and public present an update on Hayesville Intermediate School construction. Although Godfrey said that the construction meeting had not taken place yet this month, she said that more than 100 workers were present the day the foundation slab was poured.
Approval was given by the board for the Academically/Intellectually Gifted Plan presented by Kimberly Worley, AIG Coordinator.
Revonda Palmer, Career and Technology Education Director said that 95 students have completed internships. The Career and Technology Education Local Application Plan she presented to the board received approval.
The Audit Contract presented by Shelley Hollingsworth, Chief Financial Officer was approved.
At 6:50 p.m. the board voted to go into Closed Session.
The next regular board meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, June 30.