Board honors championship teams, school nurses and spotlights Whitlow Elementary pathways
Summary
Associate Superintendent Derek Hershey recognized multiple Lambert High championship teams, the Lambert iGEM team, 22 nurses for life‑saving care and Kathy Thomas as employee of the month; Whitlow Elementary presented its CTAE/STEM and media pathways with student demonstrations.
Forsyth County Schools’ Associate Superintendent Derek Hershey opened the Dec. 9 board meeting by honoring several student teams and staff for recent achievements and service.
Hershey congratulated Lambert High School’s girls golf, boys lacrosse and boys tennis teams for state championships and recognized the Lambert iGEM team’s international success — including a gold medal, a top‑10 world placement and a feature on 60 Minutes — and named team captains Avani Karthick and Sean Lee.
Hershey then recognized 22 school nurses for life‑saving interventions this semester, citing examples in the transcript of anaphylaxis, respiratory distress, seizures and cardiac emergencies. He read a list of schools and the nurses being honored.
Kathy Thomas, head custodian at ACE, was introduced as employee of the month and praised by colleagues for leadership and daily contributions.
The board also heard a Whiltow [Whitlow] Elementary spotlight from Principal Dawn Bush and teachers Michelle Reynolds (STEM) and Jessica Nicholson (media productions). Students described hands‑on learning in drone flight, construction‑ready projects and media production; Dr. Greg Walkup from Otwell Middle School described the successful partnership that allows elementary students to continue into middle and high school pathway programs.
The board recessed briefly after the recognitions to allow families to depart with students after a photo opportunity.
