Those selected as Students of the Month in the Greenwood school district can be proud of their accomplishments — but now they’ll also be expected to answer a question or two.
The most recent honorees and their parents were recognized at Tuesday’s meeting of the School Board, and they got to smile and express their appreciation to the board and to the superintendent, Dr. Montrell Greene.
But the young people — even the ones in the lower grades — also were quizzed by Greene and the board on topics such as their favorite classes and their post-graduation plans. One said he planned to go to Harvard; another said he wanted to be a school superintendent.
“What we’re going to do is start showcasing our students,” Greene said.
The superintendent said they weren’t told until minutes before the meeting that this would happen. But if they want to succeed in the real world, they will need to express themselves in front of others, and being able to do that builds confidence, he said.
“They won’t forget this night,” he said.
Also Tuesday:
• The board voted to hire Greenwood native Shaquita Burke as the district’s new business manager. Burke has a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a Master of Business Administration degree, both from Jackson State University.
• Greene briefed the board on the use of consultants in the district.
Three companies — Bailey Kirkland, HOPE and Mississippi Educational Leadership Consultants — will work with teachers and students to help improve the instruction and test performance. More companies have been employed at once in the past, but Greene said he wants to be more selective and use them in a fiscally responsible way that provides more accountability. Companies that worked with schools that experienced a severe decline in test scores were not asked back, and also some educators within the district will be performing similar tasks as part of professional development, he said.
• Greene showed the board the August average daily attendance numbers for the schools. A figure of 95 percent is generally the goal for a district that’s doing well, he said.
The numbers were:
Bankston Elementary: Students 98.13 percent; teachers 97.39 percent.
Threadgill Elementary: Students 97.8 percent; teachers 97.2 percent.
Davis Elementary: Students 99.15 percent; teachers 93 percent.
W.C. Williams Elementary: Students 97.95 percent; teachers 97.13 percent.
Greenwood Middle: Students 98.43 percent; teachers 97.65 percent.
Greenwood High: Students 96 percent; teachers 95 percent.
• Contact David Monroe at 581-7236 or dmonroe@gwcommonwealth.com.
