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Hacker Valley principal spotlights ASL, coding and family engagement in school presentation
Summary
Hacker Valley Elementary Principal Kennetha Parker Howes told the Webster County Board about initiatives to boost student engagement — including ASL in spelling, middle‑school math certification, a SteamTac coding visit and family STEAM events — and parents and teachers described classroom activities and community partnerships.
Kennetha Parker Howes, principal at Hacker Valley Elementary, told the Webster County Board of Education about classroom programs intended to boost student engagement and academic outcomes.
At the board meeting Howes introduced several staff members and described school activities including multi‑age classrooms, visits with local senior residents and family engagement events. "We try to do special events, and our focus is our kids and at school, and they're all of our kids," Howes said, noting students had visited Paxton Health Care Center and participated in an intergenerational circle where sign language was used to communicate with a hard‑of‑hearing resident.
Teachers described classroom strategies the school has adopted. Christina Daniels said certifications now include middle‑school math, and that the school sees benefits from integrating American Sign Language into instruction: "we are incorporating ASL...I've seen my spelling test scores go way up since we started doing that." Tammy Wooten, the 7th‑ and 8th‑grade teacher, said her classes focus on connecting rational numbers and expressions to real‑life situations to better engage students. Preschool teacher Dancy Howells described hands‑on units such as a monarch butterfly lifecycle study and a project that produced 72 floral arrangements for a Braxton County nursing home.
Parent Erica Anderson described why she enrolled her children at Hacker Valley: she cited the school's small‑school environment and continuity for 7th‑ and 8th‑grade students as decisive factors. "Both of my kids absolutely love all of the staff," Anderson said, adding that the close, personable staff made her children feel comfortable after moves between other districts.
Staff also outlined extracurricular and professional development efforts. The school piloted an entrepreneurship curriculum for early childhood through Ed Adventure and hosted a SteamTac visit that introduced Micro:bit coding to grades 6–8. Nutrition director Misty Ruehl said kitchen services and after‑school cooking activities are running smoothly and that donated supplies have supported planned programming.
The presentation concluded with an appeal for modest equipment upgrades (for example, a replacement color laser printer) and an update that Hacker Valley plans to take a group of students to a December 10 coding event at the state capitol. The board acknowledged the presentation and moved on to the evening's consent items.
