Marion City Schools honors staff certifications and longtime community partners

Marion City Schools recognized four staff members and three community partners at its board meeting May 29.

Doctor Gary Augan and Superintendent Murphy presented certificates to staff members who completed Orton-Gillingham training, a specialized, multimodal literacy method used in small-group instruction for students with decoding difficulties. The staff members named were Catherine Fairclough, Gabrielle Dendinger, Jennifer Lane and Diane Scott. Administration described Orton‑Gillingham certification as a lengthy process that included intensive training, lessons planning, video review and data collection.

The board also honored three community partners for long-standing support: OMH Sports Agency (represented by owner Oliver Hartman), the Boys and Girls Club of Marion County (represented by Leslie Schneider) and Fayette Bank (represented by John Ferguson, vice president). Administration said Hartman has donated warm-ups, camp fees and gear for athletics; the Boys and Girls Club provides after‑school and summer programming that serves a high percentage of Marion students (88% during the school year and 83% during summer, administration reported); and Fayette Bank has sponsored athletics, stadium renovation and athlete-recognition programs for decades.

Why it matters: administration said these staff credentials expand the district's ability to support students with literacy needs and the community partners provide programs and funding that extend student opportunities beyond the classroom.

Ending: Superintendent Murphy thanked staff and partners and closed the recognition portion of the superintendent's report.