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Hawkins County honors CTE students’ state wins; board discusses activity vans and approves robotics trainer purchase under Perkins funds
Summary
The board recognized Career and Technical Education students and teachers for state-level awards, noted an executive-committee purchase of a robotics trainer using Carl Perkins funds, and discussed the possibility of purchasing district activity vans to reduce recurring rental costs.
The Hawkins County Board of Education used part of its May 1, 2025 meeting to recognize Career and Technical Education (CTE) students and teachers from Cherokee, Volunteer and other district schools for a series of state-level awards and appointments.
Principal David Kenner and CTE advisors announced student honors including Cherokee High School students who scored 29 or above on the ACT, several state winners in Technology Student Association (TSA) and SkillsUSA competitions, and a state officer election. CTE advisers reported state-first-place finishes in manufacturing prototype and transportation modeling, second place in senior solar sprint, video game design top-five finishes, and SkillsUSA first-place awards for personal care competition. A Cherokee student was elected as a 2025–26 state TSA officer (recorder/reporter role) — the district highlighted that state officers typically represent larger and better-funded school systems, making the selection notable for Hawkins County.
Director of schools and CTE staff also called attention to an executive-committee approval to purchase a robotics trainer using Carl Perkins funds for 2024–25; administrators said the purchase was time-sensitive and had already been ordered under executive committee authority. The board invited members to observe the district’s CTE equipment and simulators.
During new-business discussion board members raised recurring transportation needs for CTE activities and competitions. A board member suggested analyzing historic rental costs for vans and considering purchasing an activity van to reduce recurring expenses. Administrators noted prior research showing legal and insurance limitations: activity vans often cap passengers at nine for operation with a standard driver’s license; full-size buses require commercial driver licensing (CDL) and some small buses in the fleet were purchased with IDEA funds and restricted to special-needs transportation. Staff agreed to provide recent rental-cost data and to explore insurance and regulatory constraints before a purchase decision.
No final purchase decision for activity vans was taken at the meeting.
