The August School Board Meeting will filled with excitement and everything positive.  Before getting into the business portion where policy additions and changes are discussed and voted on, there were two special presentations.

Dr Dale Lynch of the Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents (TOSS) presented our very own Superintendent Joey Hassell with the Superintendent of the Year award.  TOSS is the leading advocate for public education in the state of Tennessee.  Since 1975 TOSS has been progressing public education and addressing the needs of it’s students and administrators.  As Dr Lynch stood with Superintendent Hassell, award in hand he said, “Thank you board members for being willing to give of your time for your schools.  I travel all around Tennessee and let me say, you have a model here.”

Following the award presentation, Michelle Tillman, principal of Haywood Middle School and her team of educators demonstrated with humor and pride how a new Student Expectation project is working.  Each area of Haywood Middle School is now posted with a list of student expectations.  Each classroom has the same list, thus leaving no miscommunication between students and teachers as well as allowing teachers to work together, hand in hand.  Common areas even have a Student Expectation list and according to Tillman, is working beautifully.  They have also implemented a P.I.E. method of problem correction.

P- Positively

I – Identify

E -Expectations

Teachers remind each other to serve PIE to students needing correction.  For example:  If a student is distracted with perhaps a library book, rather than listening to the days lesson a teacher may say, “That looks like a very interesting book, but you will need to read that in your free time and not during class.”   That is how pie is served to students.

After business discussions and votes, the meeting was adjourned in time for everyone to go to Meet the Tomcats on the L.Z. Hurley Memorial Field.