WCS's Set Graduation Date, Dresden Middle Adds Track & Field as Sport

By Shannon Taylor, Editor

Martin 5th graders have been practicing a flight simulator. At the school board meeting, students let Martin board member John Hatler have a go.

The Weakley County School Board met at Martin Elementary School on Thursday, Feb. 1 and set the county’s 2024 graduation for Friday, May 17 with a back-up date of Monday, May 20.

Dresden Middle School Principal David Lewellen requested approval from the school board to add Track & Field as a sport. Lewellen said that they are hoping to start this spring and that it will be a sister component to Cross Country.

MES Principal, Patresa Rogers said that their after-school tutoring program is going strong, serving 81 students. The student council did a service project and collected items to send to troops overseas. “Miss Kristy Todd is one of our EA’s and her son is stationed in Okinawa, Japan, and they weren’t going to get to come home for Christmas, so they collected items and shipped six packed boxes over there,” Rogers said.

Our cartoonist Mike Greer, poking fun at Martin school board member John Hatler who tried the 5th grade flight simulator that Martin's 5th graders have been practicing and crashed.

Currently the MES Beta Club is working on collecting items for the Target House with Anna Kate Wenz Foundation.

The STEM Club is working on activities including aeronautics, engineering, robotics and coding.

The 5th grade enrichment classes are focused on flight simulation, aeronautics and aviation. “It’s amazing what they can do and the things they come up with,” Rogers said.

The 4th grade enrichment classes are focused on all things bees. They are learning about the flight path, honey and the purpose, products and marketing.

Charter Fellows theme this year is on science, and they have had guest speakers come in from UTM.

Skating has been a big hit since it started this week and Rogers said the students have been looking forward to it since August and invited the school board to give it a try, so long as they sign a waiver.

“We will begin benchmark testing in a month and TCAP testing in less than two months,” Rogers said.

In other business, McKayla Ivy was hired as a volunteer coach for Gleason School softball.

Martin Elementary Students lead the school board meeting with the pledge of allegiance.

The school board honored teachers who gained or regained tenure status with the district. Teachers included Shannon McMillin, Candace Crumby, Allie Crews, Taylor Zantop, Mikaela Roberts, Carrie Stringer, Becky Mullins, Seth Frields, and Martin Kane, Amy Childress, Jo Robbin Buckley, Danielle Garner, Mike Riggs, and Michaela Frederick.

The Weakley County School Board will meet again on Thursday, March 7 at 5 p.m. at Sharon School.