The Shenandoah County School Board used the Dec. 11 meeting to recognize a series of student and staff accomplishments and to receive an accreditation update from Superintendent Dr. Shepherd.

The board honored Mackenzie Enterline, Central High School athletic trainer, as the 2026 VATA Secondary School Athletic Trainer of the Year. Multiple school teams and advisors were recognized: FFA forestry teams and individual FFA competitors who placed at state contests; the boys and girls cross-country teams and coaches (the boys' team placed third in the state and the combined team GPA was reported as 3.7); and the competition cheer team for district and regional honors. Triplet Tech reported multiple SkillsUSA awards across trades (carpentry, collision repair, electrical wiring), with instructors named for each program.

An instructional highlight was a video and presentation about visible learning at North Fork led by Dr. Noonan. Dr. Noonan described a multi-year effort to make learning "visible" by narrowing learning dispositions to three core habits (cooperation, perseverance and ownership), using learning intentions and success criteria in classrooms, conducting student-focused walk-throughs and compiling anonymized student-response data for weekly planning.

Dr. Shepherd reported 2025–2026 accreditation and accountability results, stating that "all of our schools are fully accredited" and noting three high schools were named distinguished; one high school ranked in the top 1% statewide. He also highlighted district events including a Triplet Tech career fair with 46 local businesses and upcoming music and extracurricular performances.

Board members used their comment time to thank staff, congratulate teams and to offer farewells and best wishes to outgoing board members Kyle Cutshall and Dennis Barlow. The meeting adjourned at 8:13 p.m.