FAIRMONT – For the Marion County of Education earlier this week, it was all about raising the roof – and razing the roof.
First, the raising: BOE members opened their meeting Monday by putting the spotlight on three students from White Hall Elementary who took the top trophies in recent county and regional academic competitions.
Judah Miller, a fourth-grader at the school on Emerald Lane in the White Hall community near Fairmont, earned first place in the elementary age group during the county’s Young Writer’s Contest – and will soon be recognized in Charleston for that honor.
Dimitri Hastings, Judah’s White Hall classmate in that same grade, had similar success at the county and regional social studies fairs and also represented his school in the state’s capital city.
Darren Riffee, who attends third grade at White Hall, won first place at the county science fair for his project.
“We’re proud of our students and we’re proud of White Hall,” Superintendent Donna Heston said.
Heston also led the recognition of the county’s most recent teachers to earn National Board Certification status.
Katie Harbert, who teaches 4th grade at Jayenne Elementary, began her career in the county as a substitute teacher and is now nationally certified in reading and language arts.
Rachel Kellar, a second grade teacher at East Dale Elementary, earned certification in the same and is also known across the district as an educator in STEM – science, technology, engineering and math.
Charlotte Romberger, who teaches eighth-grade English at East Fairmont Middle School, also netted national certification in her field.
Now, the razing: Installation of the new roof East Fairmont High School is set to begin this summer.
Board members awarded the $2.7 million contract to the AAR firm, with monies coming from the State Building Authority and Marion’s excess education levy fund to bankroll the work.
The roof that currently tops the school is the same one that was there when it welcomed its first students in 1993 on Airport Road. The roof began leaking after a spate of heavy rains this past July.
It was a rush to get into the building, BOE member Tom Dragich remembered.
He was principal of the original high school on Alta Vista Avenue. Air conditioning was added to the gym in 1997, requiring after-the-fact ductwork, on a grand scale.
