A pair of county schools students picked up some extracurricular honors Tuesday, while their grown-up counterparts received some recognition of their own, at Tuesday’s meeting of the Cullman County School Board. 

With a light agenda on tap, the board recognized Fairview Elementary students Lincoln Wright and Oaklyn Gardner, each of whom won top honors at the County and North Alabama District Hoop Shoot in the boys’ and girls’ divisions, respectively. Gardner also went on to place 2nd in statewide competition.

“If this is what we have to look forward to at Fairview, there’s some serious basketball coming up,” joked superintendent Shane Barnette in presenting the awards. 

Barnette and the board also recognized a trio of adults with the superintendent’s newly-instituted, nomination-based Exceptional Service Award. Taking home the first in the ongoing series of honors for parents, volunteers, and school staff were Abby Holcomb of of Fairview, Diane Veach of Cold Springs, and Anita Whitlock of Good Hope. 

“We’ve just kicked off something new this month, and I just feel that there are so many people associated with our schools who constantly go above and beyond,” said Barnette. “This is a new way of recognizing those people. They consistently put forth an extra effort to help the Cullman County School Board recognize our mission.”

The awards are based on staff and faculty recommendations via nomination forms that Barnette has begin circulating from each school in the county system. Barnette said to expect more Exceptional Service Awards honoring the “unsung heroes” of the county school system in the months to come.

 

Benjamin Bullard can be reached by phone at 256-734-2131 ext. 145.