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Pickens County Schools honor teachers, staff and REACH scholars; district wins communications awards
Summary
The board recognized student and teacher Dragon award winners, staff members of the month, school psychologists and SLPs, and presented REACH scholarships to five eighth-grade scholars; district communications and Farm to School efforts also received awards.
At its regular meeting the Pickens County Board of Education held a recognition segment honoring students, teachers and staff across the district and celebrated outside accolades for district programs.
Assistant Superintendent Chris Parker and Chief Academic Officer Ravi Maddie led the recognitions. Fifth- and eighth-grade accomplishments and monthly honors were presented: Omar Moya (Jasper Middle School) received the student Dragon award; six teachers were named teachers of the month and Darlene Fowler (PJ) was selected as the Teacher Dragon award recipient.
Staff members recognized included Holly Riley (academic coach), Lexi Bowen (junior high counselor), Eric Ohlstrom (custodian), Olivia Griffin (pre-K assistant), Faith Taylor (paraprofessional), Marty Bruce (media center paraprofessional), Anita Cook (custodian), Don Underwood (transportation dispatcher), Jennifer Wilson (central office contributor) and Tina Wyman (food service). Chris Parker noted the district employs about 600 people, roughly split between teachers and other staff roles.
Chief Academic Officer Ravi Maddie called up school psychologists Cyndal Smith and Rachel Carr and speech-language pathologists Mary Kleinberg, Benita Dittmer, Devin Martinez, Shelby Fultz and Molly Faison, highlighting their role in supporting students academically, socially and emotionally.
Parker also introduced REACH scholars—Rosalie Brown, Blaine Ferrell, Owen Johnson, Emma Shaikh (not present) and Vivian White—explaining the state-linked REACH scholarship provides $10,000 toward college for students who meet multi-year academic and behavioral criteria and who maintain a mentor relationship during high school.
The communications team was recognized for multiple awards from the Georgia School Public Relations Association, and district staff received a Georgia Department of Education Farm to School Award for local-produce initiatives.
The board’s recognition segment concluded before regular business continued into financial and construction updates.
