The Watson Chapel School District honored its biggest class of Wildcat Warriors yet.
Wildcat Warriors are the district's students of the month, and most of the honorees during Monday's school board meeting sang together in harmony to standing ovations.
Watson Chapel's junior and senior high school choir members were recognized along with their director, Janet Johnson, one of two employees of the month.
Three members of the district's WIN WIN Jobs Program also were named Wildcat Warriors -- Jakobe Crockett, Deston Baughman and Terrance Shaw. The program's supervisor, Frankie Hemphill, was honored as the other employee of the month.
District accepts Coenco contract
Board trustees also agreed to a contract with Coenco Inc. of Fayetteville to install a new cooling system to the Coleman Intermediate School gym.
The district will pay half of the $63,335 project cost due on the purchase order and the other half upon completion. Coenco will install a series of Air Movers with an attached 5-ton cooling coil inside the space and a make-up air unit installed to provide fresh air.
Personnel moves
The WCSD hired three new deans of students: Leslie Henderson at Coleman, Maurice Moody at the high school and Jacklyn Scaife at the junior high school. Henderson is the girls basketball coach and Moody was recently hired as head football coach and athletic director.
Other hires include Selena Evans as an elementary teacher, Baughman as a custodian and Shelayne Irby and Maisha Turner as secretaries.
The district accepted letters of retirement from elementary teachers Cyndy Glover and Rita Pierce; secondary dean and coach Prestard Jordan; bus driver Robert Potillo; and secretary JoAnn Taylor.
Resignations were submitted by elementary teachers Donna DePriest, Jessica Heird and Jessica Thompson; secondary dean and coach John Welch; secondary teachers Kasera Brown and Joanne Landron; and IT network technician Chris Hopkins.
A contract non-renewal for elementary teacher Erin Dillon was approved.
Janet Johnson directs the Watson Chapel High School choir during a performance at a school board meeting Monday, May 9, 2022. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)
Watson Chapel School District Superintendent Andrew Curry poses with Wildcat Warriors Jakobe Crockett, Terrance Shaw and Deston Baughman on Monday, May 9, 2022. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)