RALEIGH — An Asheboro student has been named a finalist for N.C. State’s top merit scholarship. Kaitlyn Ann Gainey, a senior at SouthwesternRandolph High School, has been named a finalist for the Park Scholarship. The Park Scholarships program announced that 112 finalists were named from 2,260 applicants from across the United States.
Gainey is her school’s Beta Club chapter president and a member of the SkillsUSA four–man building team. She also is the Randolph County School System’s CTE Presidential Scholar, a Randolph County Sports Council “UnsungHero” Award recipient, and a former member of the Student LIFT (Leadership Information For Tomorrow) program where she completed a self–organized community service project called “Books for Ramseur.” Gainey plans to major in civil engineering.
Started in 1996, the Park Scholarship selects students based on outstanding accomplishments and potential in scholarship, leadership, service, and character. The scholarship is named for the late Roy H. Park, a 1931 NC State alumnus who created the charitable Park Foundation, dedicated to education, media, and the environment. Approximately 40 scholarships will be awarded this year to outstanding high school seniors for undergraduate study in any discipline at NC State.
ASHEBORO — Randolph Electric Membership Corporation recently honored educators by awarding $14,000 in Bright Ideas education grants to twelve local educators.
“Randolph EMC is committed to making our communities stronger. One way we accomplish that is by investing in education,” said Nicole Arnold, Communications and Public Affairs Manager for REMC. “For almost 30 years, Randolph Electric has provided grants to local schools. We commend these educators for continually striving to create classrooms conducive to innovation.”
Bright Ideas grants, sponsored by Randolph EMC and North Carolina’s electric cooperatives, are available to teachers for hands-on projects that would not otherwise be funded. The awards have been around since 1994 and the electric cooperatives have awarded more than $13.6 million for nearly 13,000 projects. Randolph Electric has invested almost $300,000 in grants within its five-county service area since the program’s founding.
“Thank you very much to Randolph EMC for continuing to support our schools through the Bright Ideas grant,” said Uwharrie Charter Academy High School Principal Beth Kearns. “Through the years, Randolph EMC has provided money to buy materials that help make learning engaging and relevant for our students.”
Randolph Electric said in a release that they received more applicants this year than any prior year. The applications were reviewed by a panel of educators from area elementary, middle and high schools before the final award were made. The reviewers did not know the names or schools of the applicants to ensure impartiality.
The 2021 grants will facilitate projects that positively impact 1,760 students.
In Randolph County, the winners were:
Jessica Hoffmire of Uwharrie Charter Academy Elementary School in Asheboro won $482 for her project, Winged Warriors. Students in kindergarten through third grade will learn about the life cycles of butterflies and their need for host plants. They will raise Monarch and Eastern Swallowtail butterflies and grow host plants in biodegradable pots. The goal is to promote environmental awareness and a connection to the natural world.
Amy Austin of Uwharrie Charter Academy Middle School won $1,439 to build an Interactive Periodic Table. Eighth-grade science students will handle physical elements, observe samples, and sort magnetic tiles on the periodic table board. The students will arrange the tiles according to certain characteristics in order to see patterns and similarities that exist within the groups of elements.
Cynthia Neal of Southwest Randolph Middle School won $427 for her project, Tomato-sphere. Seventh-grade science students will grow tomato plants from seeds and employ the Scientific Method to make observations and maintain data which they will send to NASA. One group of seeds originating from the International Space Station will provide this experiment with especially interesting results.
Marley Knapp of Uwharrie Charter Academy Elementary School won $1,890 for an interdisciplinary project called Making Waves for the Environment. Fourth-grade students exploring Earth History and Ecosystems will gain an understanding of how human habits can degrade an environment through erosion. Through Sphero Robotics, student will generate waves and then measure the amount of erosion that occurs. After discussing the impact on shorelines, students will explore designs that minimize erosion.
Colonel Ashley Worboys of Providence Grove High School in Climax, NC, won $750 for a Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Robotics Game. Junior ROTC cadets will immerse themselves in science, technology, engineering and math while building robots for regional and national competitions. The goals are to foster better problem-solving skills and to see a project through to completion.
Chrissy Neelon of Uwharrie Charter Academy High School won $1,772 for a project called “Art has to be Seen to be Appreciated.” Students in Beginning Art, Graphic Design, Comic Art, and Advanced Placement visual art classes will be able to print their digital art creations, including photographs, digital designs and digital drawings. The exhibition of these artworks will encourage a deeper understanding of their art as well as improve technical skills essential for competitiveness in today’s digitally dependent landscape.
June Allison of Randleman High School won $651 for Full Circle Gardening. Students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities will germinate seeds, prepare a raised garden bed, and grow vegetables and herbs. The students will plant, weed, harvest, cook and eat the produce grown in the garden.
Dr. Amanda Whatley of Uwharrie Charter Academy High School won $1,349 for a project called The Storytelling of Science. High school students will get incorporate interdisciplinary learning into their English curriculum by collecting field notes and compiling data from agricultural experiments. The students will then use the collected data to formulate environmental impact statements.
Elizabeth Farmer of Uwharrie Charter Academy High School won $1,972 for Reality-Works in the Classroom, a hands-on curriculum for students in agriculture classes. Students will learn real-world animal science and veterinary skills including tail docking and ear notching.
Christy Darr Weist of Hopewell Elementary School won $270 for STEM bins. Second and third-grade students will explore collaboratively to come up with solutions to problems introduced by bin materials. The hands-on activities will spur critical thinking skills and promote group communication.
Ryan Gibbs of North Asheboro Middle School won $1,000 to build a recording studio. Students in sixth, seventh and eighth grade will use the studio to create, edit and publish videos and podcasts on topics in engineering and biotechnology. They will also produce “how to” videos to be shared with the entire school.
In Montgomery County:
Daniel Jones of East Middle School in Biscoe, NC, won $1,998 to establish a science fair. Students in sixth, seventh and eighth grades will form teams and submit entries in the fields of coding, robotics or rocketry. Teachers will facilitate experiential learning with impacts in a vocational area of interest for students.
The Southwestern Randolph Cougars hold the state championship banner after their win against Camden County Bruins in the 2A State Championship volleyball match at Valvano Arena at Historic Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, NC on November 6th, 2021. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL
RALEIGH — The Cougars of Southwestern Randolph are once again state champions in volleyball.
Southwestern Randolph Cougars head coach Darby Kennedy talks to her team during a timeout against Camden County Bruins during the 2A State Championship volleyball match at Valvano Arena at Historic Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, NC on November 6th, 2021. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL
The Cougars faced a Camden County Bruins team that was undefeated and had only lost one set all season. The Cougars started quickly at Reynolds Coliseum on the campus of NC State Saturday with a first set win. The Bruins came back to tie the match at one set apiece. After dropping the second set, SWR took the next two sets to seal the championship.
“It’s huge for our girls, coaches, the whole school and community,” said SWR athletic director Chris Chapman in an interview with North State Journal in Raleigh. “They really came out and supported our team this year and I couldn’t be happier.”
Southwestern Randolph Cougars (2) Coley Shiflet dives for the dig against Camden County Bruins during the 2A State Championship volleyball match PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL
The win marks the third state championship in volleyball for the Cougars. They won back-to-back championships in 1991 and 1992.
Southwestern Randolph Cougars Molly Strider and Camden County Bruins Kenison Parker received the Sportsmanship award with Commissioner Que Tucker after the 2A State Championship volleyball match in Raleigh, NC on November 6th, 2021. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Coley Shiflet won the MVP award and Molly Strider won the sportsmanship award.
“When we won that first set, I feel like our team got a little bit too cocky,” said Shiflet in a post-game interview. “Then we realized in the second set that we are actually going to have to play.”
Southwestern Randolph Cougars Coley Shiflet won the MVP award stands with Randolph County Superintendent Stephen Gainey after the 2A State Championship volleyball match. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL
On winning the MVP award, Shiflet said she wasn’t expecting it. “Usually the people that get awards are the hitters and not the defensive players,” said Shiflet. Shiflet was visible throughout the match and made several dives to keep the ball in the air for the Cougars.
After advancing to the championship game over number one seeded East Surry in the western regional, the Cougars faced the east’s number one seed in undefeated Camden County. “We talked about how that undefeated thing can be good and bad.,” said head coach Darby Kennedy after the match. “We’ve lost to some big teams and we know how to win against big teams.”
Kennedy said winning the first set was critical. “We know how to battle back from a loss and we know how to battle back from one set down but, do they?”
Camden did bounce back after losing only their second set of the season. Kennedy echoed her MVP’s comment on the Cougars second set performance. “I think that confidence was way up there … you’ve got an undefeated team and you just beat them pretty good.” said Kennedy. “We talked about it. In that third set we got recomposed.”
After taking the third set easily, the Cougars jumped out to a lead in the fourth set but errors allowed the Bruins to close the gap as the Cougars played towards championship point. “We played full of emotion today so there was a roller coaster of highs and lows.,” said Kennedy. “In that fourth set, the leadership from the seniors, they really stepped up.”
Students from SWR cheer on the Cougars during the 2A State Championship volleyball match at Historic Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, NC on November 6th, 2021. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Kennedy said the win is big for the entire Randolph County community. “All of us have been chasing state titles for awhile. Wheatmore made it here not too long ago, Asheboro made it here,” said Kennedy. “These coaches, I’ve looked up to. They really supported me … I really feel supported by our entire community. Everybody is here and it’s a blessing.”
The Cougars navigated a Piedmont Athletic Conference with an undefeated regular season and Kennedy credited that gauntlet, including a loss to Uwharrie Charter in the conference tournment, with her team’s resilience in the state tournament. “I would love to see if there is a tougher 2A conference in our state,” said Kennedy. “I give credit to [conference opponents] because we wouldn’t be here if they didn’t push us.”
Randolph County Schools employees will receive $5,000
RALEIGH — Some North Carolina school boards have announced they will use federal COVID-19 relief funds to give bonuses to educators.
The Randolph County Public School System will pay every employee a $5,000 bonus, according to a resolution adopted by the school board on Oct. 25. The resolution described the bonuses as “retention” and “premium pay.”
Alamance County schools are giving full and part-time employees a $3,000 bonus while Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools employees will get a $1,400 bonus.
According to the American Rescue Plan’s ESSER “FAQ,” a district can use federal Elementary and Secondary Education Relief funds to provide “premium pay” or other additional compensation for teachers, principals, and other school personnel, including school nutrition staff and custodians.
Federal ESSER funds are appropriated by the General Assembly to the districts, but then the funds are typically handled by county managers.
Randolph County Schools has received nearly $50 million in ESSER funding which was included in the Coronavirus Aid Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to provide premium pay to employees and substitutes to address COVID-related disruptions and staff shortages.
Jamey Falkenbury, the director of government and community affairs for the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, confirmed to North State Journal that these federal funds can be used for specifically for “recruitment and retention” bonuses.
“It is permissible, by the Department of Education, for locals to use their ESSER funds on recruitment and retention bonuses for teachers and/or school support staff,” Falkenbury said.
The bonuses have to be given to all employees and can’t just target a specific grade-level or type of teacher.
The ESSER funds can last up upwards of seven or eight years if the money is encumbered per the district’s ESSER plan.
The idea of stretching out the long-term spending of ESSER funds is highlighted by a four-year monitoring scheme posted under the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s ESSER informational webpage.
The state’s largest district, Wake County, is also considering using federal relief dollars to augment teacher pay.
Wake County has recently been dealing with bus driver sick-outs, which have forced parents to provide transportation. The bus drivers say they want more pay and they are stressed out over routes they drive being lengthened due to too few drivers.
Falkenbury mentioned Wake County’s plan as a good one to look at since the district seems to have plotted out the use of its funds as far out at four to five years.
The conservative John Locke Foundation reported in July that nearly ninety percent of the roughly $6 billion in COVID relief funds remained still unspent by North Carolina school districts.
In North Carolina, the Charlotte-Mecklenberg and Wake County systems has have received $459 million and $310 million, respectively, of the over $4.6 billion in funds received through the two most recent ESSER funding rounds. Asheboro City Schools received over $14 million and Uwharrie Charter received $1.4 million.
Hailey Lee, left, and current Asheboro School board member Gidget Kidd react to Lee winning a seat on the Asheboro City School board Tuesday, November 2, 2021 (The North State Journal)
ASHEBORO — Municipal races in Randolph County are technically non-partisan races but the presence of partisan poll workers and field operations in this year’s Asheboro races proved that politics is rarely without partisan influence. In this year’s race for Asheboro City School board, the county Republican Party endorsed four candidates and sent mailers on behalf of their preferred candidates. Those four candidates — incumbents Baxter Hammer and Beth Knott and newcomers Hailey Trollinger Lee and Adam Hurley — won by wide margins. High turnout – possibly field by the GOP ground game – buoyed certain candidates and pushed victory margins.
Asheboro City Councilman Walker Moffitt, left, and Randolph County GOP chairman Rick Smith at the board of elections on Tuesday, November 2, 2021. (The North State Journal)
In the Asheboro City Council race, the lone Republican — incumbent Walker Moffitt — won the most votes of any candidate. Moffit and the four school board winners had their names on yellow cards that GOP field operatives were passing out at the polls.
“I am appreciative of Asheboro Republicans who turned out in support of our endorsed candidates,” said GOP chairman Rick Smith in an interview with North State Journal. “It’s clear they don’t want Asheboro students to be divided or labeled by the color of their skin. Hopefully this vote will challenge the Board and school administration to abandon any programs or policies which might lead to that outcome.”
Smith referenced the topics of critical race theory and so-called diversity panels that were heavily debated around Asheboro prior to the election.
Adam Hurley, who won his first attempt at public office, told North State Journal in October that issues surrounding “equity and inclusion” were one of the reasons he ran for the school board. “I credit the win to the people of Asheboro seeing what is at stake and taking a stand for our children,” said Hurley. “The people have spoken and they don’t want progressive ideology in the classroom.”
Hailey Trollinger Lee and her husband Justin Lee celebrate her win the 2021 school board race at the Randolph County Board of Election on Tuesday, November 2, 2021. (The North State Journal)
Hailey Trollinger Lee, who told NSJ she was against teaching critical race theory in schools, said she was humbled to be elected to the board. “I’m grateful for all of those who have supported me and helped encourage me throughout this process,” Lee said. “Thanks to everyone who came out to vote over the last several weeks. This really means a lot to me and I am looking forward to putting in the work for our district.”
ASHEBORO — In a special meeting focused on mask rules, the Randolph County School Board has voted to end mandatory mask wearing. The mandate had been in place since the start of the school year.
Prior to the school year starting, the county’s largest school system had made masks optional. However, after pressure from Governor Roy Cooper — who had removed a statewide mask mandate for schools — the board reversed course just before students returned.
Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Max DeNamur takes a shot on goal against Wheatmore during their conference soccer game last month in Asheboro. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL
ASHEBORO — Four boys’ soccer teams from Randolph County schools will open the state playoffs with home games Monday.
Asheboro tops the list as a No. 4 seed in the West Region bracket for Class 3-A. The Blue Comets (14-1-3) take on North Lincoln in the first round.
Asheboro gained the top spot for seeding out of the Mid-Piedmont Conference after it tied with Ledford in the regular season. Both teams had 8-0-2 records, though the Blue Comets won a postgame shootout after Tuesday night’s tie to determine a seeding tiebreaker should one be needed. It turned out to be necessary after each team completed its regular season by winning again.
Asheboro defeated visiting Montgomery Central 5-0 in Wednesday’s regular-season finale, with two goals from Diego Valdez Plata and one each from Julio Ruiz, Daniel Gutierrez Resendez and Jose Cortes.
In Class 2-A, No. 9 seed Trinity (11-6-1) is home against No. 24 seed North Surry. Wheatmore (9-8) is the No. 28 seed with a trip to fifth-seeded North Forsyth.
In Class 1-A, No. 6 seed Uwharrie Charter Academy (10-3-1) is home against No. 27 seed Avery County. Eastern Randolph (10-4-2) is the No. 12 seed with a home matchup with Cornerstone Charter.
UCA and Eastern Randolph were tied at 9-2-1 in Piedmont Athletic Conference play. They split two games, with Eastern Randolph winning 3-1 and UCA claiming the rematch by 5-1.
Eastern Randolph scored four or more goals in nine of its last 11 games. The Wildcats are 6-0-1 in home games.
ASHEBORO — The Randolph County Board of Education will meet for a Special Called Meeting on Tuesday, November 2, 2021 at 6:30 pm at the R. Alton Cox Resource Center Auditorium at Randolph Community College. According to a release from the school system, the meeting is for the purpose of discussing the school mask mandate which has been in place since the start of the school year.
The school board will hear information from the Randolph County Board of Health which precedes a vote on the system-wide mask policy, according to the announced agenda. The county Board of Health recently sent a letter to all citizens in Randolph County which said that there are “Rising COVID cases in all ages.” The letter said the board met in September and their “discussion wasn’t just about numbers or statistics” but was about “taking care of ourselves, our family and friends, and our neighbors.” The letter told recipients to “wear a face covering indoors in public places and in crowded outdoor spaces.” The letter was delivered this week as Gov. Roy Cooper told North Carolinians the state has seen cases “taper off.” The CDC also reported that Randolph County’s COVID case trend mirrors the national trend which shows a steady decline in weekly cases since early September.
According to a report from Raleigh’s WRAL, Harnett County, which dropped it’s mask mandate October 5, has seen a 36% drop in COVID cases after dropping the mask mandate. Stanly County Schools voted last week to make masks optional.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services published guidance this week saying vaccinated students and staff did not have to wear masks if communities transmission was low enough.
Public Comments will be permitted at the meeting and the public will also be able to access the meeting via live stream on the district’s home page at www.randolph.k12.nc.us.
Uwharrie Charter’s Gabi Greene serves against Andrews in the NCHSAA 1A West bracket playoffs at Uwharrie Charter in Asheboro, NC on October 23, 2021. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL
GABI GREENE
Uwharrie Charter Academy | Senior | Volleyball
The senior outside hitter was a key contributor as the Eagles won all four of their matches.
The first three triumphs came on consecutive days in the Piedmont Athletic Conference Tournament as UCA was a surprise winner. Then came the opening round of the Class 1-A state playoffs against Andrews. Greene was charted for a total of 51 kills, 41 digs, 11 aces, seven blocks and strong serve receiving in those matches.
Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Carter Duggins spikes the ball against Andrews’ Rylie McDonald in the first set in the Class 1-A West state playoffs in Asheboro on October 23, 2021. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL
ASHEBORO — Coming off of a conference tournament championship, Uwharrie Charter Academy volleyball coach Lee Kennell hoped his team would maintain its momentum in the the first round of the Class 1-A state playoffs.
The Eagles did just that with a three-set victory against Andrews on Saturday, winning 25-8, 25-9, 25-14.
The third-seed Eagles were tied at 12-12 in the third set before turning up the tempo to clinch the outcome.
Uwharrie Charter Academy players cheer after their victory in straight sets against visiting Andrews in the Class 1-A West state playoffs in Asheboro October 23, 2021. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Kennell said he was worried early that some post-season jitters were affecting his team. “I figured there would be a little bit of nerves early,” he said. “We had a lot of momentum coming from the conference tournament, beating three really good teams.”
In the third set, Andrews called a timeout trailing 16-12. Kennell said he rallied his team and told them to focus on their serving. “We made some uncharacteristic mistakes,” he said. “I thought we did really good serving.”
The Eagles will play host to Cornerstone Charter on Tuesday in the second round. No. 14 seed Cornerstone Charter defeated No. 19 seed Cherokee in four sets in the first round.
Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Dacia Lowery blocks the ball against Andrews’ Brooke Phillips in the Class 1-A West state playoffs in Asheboro on October 23, 2021. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL
