Union County Public Schools recognizes student and staff; superintendent announces teacher pipeline
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Summary
The board presented the John H. Crowder Service Award to a Union County Early College senior and named two UCPS influencers. The superintendent also highlighted safety efforts, recent athletics championships and announced a new teacher pipeline pathway with application and information dates.
The Union County Board of Education presented the John H. Crowder Service Award to Union County Early College senior Leslie Montez Dioku and named Michael Englehart and Luis Barrera as the UCPS "influencers" for January.
Reverend John Kirkpatrick introduced the John H. Crowder Service Award and noted the honoree’s long record of community involvement and leadership. The board presented the monthly service award to Leslie Montez Dioku, who the presenter said will graduate in May with a high school diploma and an associate degree and plans to attend North Carolina State University to pursue engineering.
Dr. Donovan G. Houlihan, superintendent, read a proclamation naming Michael Englehart, a school counselor at Monroe High, and Luis Barrera, a custodian at Newtown Elementary, as the January UCPS influencers. Nominators spoke: Anissa Ayala, a Monroe High student, praised Englehart’s support for students and extracurricular coaching; Elizabeth Allen, principal at Newtown Elementary, detailed Barrera’s contributions to students and staff.
In his superintendent’s report, Dr. Houlihan said schools resume after winter break this week and that the district is holding second-semester safety assemblies “to remind our students about our safety and security protocols.” He congratulated two state championship teams: the Marvin Ridge High School men’s cross-country team and the Monroe Red Hawks football team.
Dr. Houlihan also announced a new teacher pipeline pathway for current UCPS employees and UCPS graduates who hold a bachelor’s degree and want to pursue teaching in special education, career-technical education, or middle/high-school math and science. The application period is scheduled to begin Feb. 1, and a virtual interest meeting is listed for Jan. 16 at 7 p.m.; details are on the district human resources webpage, according to the superintendent.
The board acknowledged the honorees and the superintendent’s report before moving on to public comments.
