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Gaston County Schools honors Yale-recognized counselor, student-athlete advisory council and finance department award
Summary
At the Sept. 15 meeting the board recognized Southpointe counselor Erin Stokes for a Yale University educator award, announced a new student-athlete advisory council and celebrated the finance department's certificate of excellence in financial reporting for the 20th consecutive year.
GASTONIA, N.C. — The Gaston County Board of Education opened its Sept. 15 meeting with a series of recognitions including a national educator award, a newly formed student-athlete advisory council and a longtime finance-department honor.
Why it matters: Recognitions highlight staff and student leadership, draw public attention to programs that support student success and signal operational stability in school finances.
The board recognized Erin Stokes, a counselor at Southpointe High School, as a recipient of a 2025 Yale University educator award. The award, made by the Yale University Office of Undergraduate Admissions, honors educators nominated by students; Stokes was nominated by James Dover, a 2025 Southpointe graduate now at Yale, who cited her student-centered support and help arranging advanced coursework.
The board also introduced members of the newly established Gaston County Schools Student-Athlete Advisory Council, composed of two student-athletes from each high school. The council, advised by county athletic director Chad Duncan, drafted a sportsmanship code to be read at athletic events.
Finally, the board congratulated the finance department, led by Associate Superintendent and Chief Financial Officer Gary Hoskins and staff members James Beckford, Christina Ellis, Paula Medlin and Caitlin Bone, for receiving the Association of School Business Officials International's Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting for the 2024 comprehensive annual financial report. District staff noted this was the 20th consecutive year the department earned the honor.
These items were presented as recognitions; no board action was required.
