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Haywood County Schools board honors winter athletes, DECA winners and awards $6,500 career-exploration grant
Summary
At a regular meeting in Waynesville, the Haywood County Schools Board of Education recognized winter- and indoor-sports athletes from Tuscola and Pisgah, honored three DECA students for state-level proficiency and announced a $6,500 Community Foundation grant for career-exploration activities at Haywood Community Learning Center.
At a meeting of the Haywood County Schools Board of Education in Waynesville, board members recognized winter- and indoor-sports athletes from Tuscola and Pisgah high schools, presented proficiency honors to three DECA students and noted a $6,500 grant awarded to the Haywood Community Learning Center to support career-exploration programming.
Board member and athletic liaison Austin Chambers opened the athletic recognitions, citing individual and team accomplishments across winter sports and indoor track and field. Highlights announced included Ace Rogers (men’s basketball) earning all-conference honors and averaging 15 points per game; Nora Jenkins (women’s basketball), who scored 30 points in a conference game; and several wrestlers and track athletes who qualified for regional and state competition.
Wrestling coach Derek Moll noted freshman Micah Howard finished the season 49-10 and has a career record of 74-28, including a sixth-place state finish. Senior Chase Hillis finished fourth at the state tournament, serves as a team captain and is dual-enrolled at Haywood Early College with a reported 3.95 GPA. Pisgah’s wrestling program was also recognized for conference and regional championships and individual state placers, including state champion Kane Bryson.
Coaches also highlighted swimming and indoor track achievements: Hunter Solly was cited as an all-conference swimmer and regional qualifier in the men’s 50-meter freestyle, and Makaylee Lombardo was recognized as an all-conference freshman and regional qualifier in the 100-meter freestyle. Track coaches said multiple school records were set or reset during the indoor season, naming athletes such as Caroline Henson, Olivia Powell, Josh Lowe and Ben Frasier for event records and state meet qualifications.
The board also recognized three Pisgah DECA students — Kayla Figgins, Nevaeh Figgins and Madison Martin — for achieving proficiency at the North Carolina DECA Career Development Conference. Jacob Shelton, who introduced the recognitions, said Kayla and Nevaeh were proficiency winners in quick-serve restaurant management; Martin was a proficiency winner in restaurant and food service management and earned a mastery ribbon on the marketing fundamentals recognition test.
Separately, a district staff member identified as Taylor announced a $6,500 Fund for Haywood County grant from the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina awarded to Haywood Community Learning Center. The grant will be used to provide materials for electives — including carpentry tools, STEM kits, art and culinary supplies — and to fund field trips to local industries, community colleges and Job Corps campuses to support career exploration for students in the alternative setting.
Board members and coaches said the recognitions underscore student resilience, academic work and community support for extracurricular programs. No board action was required for the recognitions or the grant announcement.
The recognitions covered athletes and students from multiple schools and programs across the district; several awardees were not present for the meeting and were recognized in absentia.
