Good News, December 2022
The Gaston County Board of Education received the Gold Bell Award from the North Carolina School Boards Association. The award is given to Boards of Education across the state that have all members complete training through the Association’s Academy of School Boardsmanship.
The “Do the Right Thing” award winners for November are Cora Sisk, Costner Elementary; Brynn Craig, Rankin Elementary; Christian Burnett, Friday Middle; and MJ Ferguson, Stuart W. Cramer High School.
Ashbrook High School students in Aloysius Krieger’s and Amber Radford’s inclusive classes baked pies for a traditional pie bake-off and invited office staff to judge the contest.
W.B. Beam Intermediate conducted its “Reading Wonderland Night” program that involved students reading and listening to some classic holiday stories, poems, and songs.
Bessemer City High School resource officer Jeff Thompson was selected as a North Carolina Hometown Hero for Gaston County. He was recognized on December 7, along with 76 other first responders, as part of the fifth annual Hometown Heroes recognition luncheon.
Students and staff represented Bessemer City Middle School, Bessemer City High School, Tryon Elementary, Bessemer City Primary, and Highland School of Technology in the Bessemer City Christmas parade on November 20. Highlights were students from Tryon riding in the school district’s classic school bus, performances by the Bessemer City High School and Highland marching bands, homecoming queen Janiya Adams, and high school and middle school students riding on a professional float to promote the Technology and Industrial Engineering Academy.
Brookside Elementary literacy teacher Jennifer Melton was awarded a $600 Bright Ideas grant from Rutherford Electric.
Stuart W. Cramer High School senior Emma Donaldson made a commitment to play softball at Belmont Abbey College.
Catawba Heights Elementary sponsored a canned food drive in observance of Homeless and Hunger Awareness Month. More than 500 items were collected and donated to the Community Relief Organization in Mount Holly.
East Gaston High School conducted a fine arts showcase on November 29 that featured performances by the school’s band, chorus, and dance classes. In addition, students had various pieces of artwork on display.
East Gaston High School held a canned goods drive and collected 2,073 items. Teacher Reagan Conner coordinated the drive for the school.
W.C. Friday Middle School teacher Jenny Bumgarner won a Bright Ideas grant from Rutherford Electric. The money will be applied to the funds that the seventh grade classes are using to construct an outdoor learning space and provide enhancements to the nature trail at the school.
Hunter Huss High School students Justin Ross and James Taylor received offers to play football at Winston-Salem State University.
The Mount Holly Middle School Beta Club organized a canned food drive, which resulted in 3,438 items being donated to the Community Relief Organization in Mount Holly. It was one of the school’s most successful canned food collections in recent years.
Mount Holly Middle School raised $3,900 to purchase new books for the school library.
Stacie Bell, a math and science teacher at Mount Holly Middle School, served as the featured vocalist for the Miss Gastonia/Miss Gaston County/Miss Mount Holly competition, which was held on November 20 at Stuart W. Cramer High School.
Pinewood Elementary fifth grade students enjoyed a hands-on program about jobs in the medical field. The Gaston County Schools Career and Technical Education (CTE) Department organized the program as a way to introduce elementary-age students to CTE.
Sadler Elementary partnered with the UNC-Charlotte rocketry team and conducted a program for fifth grade students, who learned how to build and launch rockets. The project was in collaboration with the UNC-Charlotte College of Engineering and the team’s involvement with NASA.
Students from Sadler Elementary created artwork for the elementary school art show that is being sponsored by Arts on the Greenway in Mount Holly. The art show opens on December 10 with a reception, and the artwork will be on display until February 9.
Reece Williams, a student at South Point High School, was crowned Miss Mount Holly’s Outstanding Teen 2023. She will represent Mount Holly in the Miss North Carolina’s Outstanding Teen competition, which will be held in June in High Point. She succeeds Zoe Gambino, a student at East Gaston High School, who served as Miss Mount Holly’s Outstanding Teen 2022.
Students and staff represented South Point High School, Belmont Middle School, and Belmont Central Elementary in the Belmont Christmas parade on November 29. Among the school-related entries were the South Point marching band, JROTC, cheerleaders, and homecoming queen Gabby Collins, the middle school football and softball county championship teams from Belmont Middle, and students from Belmont Central riding on the classic school bus.
