JCPS announces district winners
Blue Ridge School Principal Kheri Cowan was named Jackson County’s Principal of the Year during a surprise announcement last week. In JCPS, The Principal of the Year award is selected by a vote of their peers. Cowan has been with JCPS for six years, with four of those years as principal. All six of her years have been at Blue Ridge School.
Green, Morrow battle for state superintendent
The race for state superintendent will determine who will support and advocate for the state’s 2,500 public schools and lead the Department of Public Instruction (DPI). This election cycle, it also a race in which experience in public education is pitted against an outsider to the system.
School cancellations following Hurricane Helene impact
Schools around the region will be closed beginning Sept. 29 following flooding caused by Hurricane Helene.
Testing data is in, HCS reaches sixth in the state
This month the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction released performance and growth data for the 2023-24 school year, and for another year in a row, Haywood County dominated regional rankings with the top two high schools in the western region.
General Assembly approve private school vouchers
Last week the North Carolina General Assembly passed a conference report, also referred to as a mini budget that includes $463 million to clear the waitlist of families that have applied for the Opportunity Scholarship Grant Program and provide voucher money for those attending private schools.
HCC hosts Dahlia Ridge Trail Run
Haywood Community College will hold the second annual Dahlia Ridge Trail Run on Saturday, Sept. 14. This 5K is a timed, family-friendly walk/run event open to all levels of runners, walkers and hikers.
Jackson aims for traditional middle school
Jackson County Schools is taking a stab at a traditional middle school and applying for a state grant to fund the potential project.
“It is just the right thing to do for our kids,” said Superintendent Dana Ayers in a presentation to the Jackson County Commission last week.
Pigeon Center hosts farm-to-table dinner
Celebrate the change of seasons with your friends and neighbors at a farm-to-table dinner at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center in Waynesville.
Bus drivers wanted: Local schools face non-certified staffing shortages
Finding enough bus drivers to operate all necessary routes has become a common issue for school systems across North Carolina and districts in the westernmost part of the state are not immune.
Blue Ridge School families demand action
Members of the Blue Ridge School community showed up to the Jackson County Board of Education’s August meeting to express concerns regarding the state of the school.
