Across the Board - May 15, 2023

Published May 16, 2023

The WCS School Board approved certified and classified pay schedules for the 2023-24 school year. Those schedules, and the rest of the proposed 2023-24 school budgets, will be voted on by the County Commission June 26.

In his report to the Board, Superintendent Jason Golden thanked the Mill Creek Middle show choir for performing before the meeting. Golden also spoke about the strategic planning process and the third-grade retention law. He encouraged the community to look back at the May 11 work session for more in-depth information.

In Student Spotlights, the district honored more than 30 students for earning a perfect composite ACT score. From Brentwood High, Garrett Crouch, Ryan Dawson, Ella Gamble, Josephine Gilbert, Adam Jaser, Taiga Koyama, Clara Beth Lee, Amy Park, Ali Sidiqyar, Davis Veazey and Brooks Wheeler were celebrated. Centennial High's Cody Williamson was also recognized. From Franklin High, the district honored Rachel Ayalon, Caden Bridges, Owen Gemignani, Jackson McDonald and Oleksandra Seliutina. Page High's Aarnav Mrida Varanasi, as well as Independence High's Gianna Ross, Elijah Sower and Miles Wyckoff, were also celebrated. Nolensville High's Wilson High and Daniel Rambo, in addition to Ravenwood High's Ajay Balaje, John Beck, Christina Chen, Jackson Gardzina, Aayush Kumar, Jack Meyer, Christina Qi, Ella Dasal and Jack Herrmann, were among those students honored. Renaissance High's Tobias Mcnamara and Summit High's Jackson Stinson were also recognized.

DECA students were also recognized for their performance at the State competition. Brentwood High's Adrien Terrenoire won first place in the Retail Merchandising Series, and Arshia Malhotra won first place in the Business Services Marketing Series. Their classmate Colin Carpenter won the Personal Financial Literacy category, and Kathryn Woehlke placed first in the Entrepreneurship Series. Maggie Winkler placed first in the Human Resources Management Series; Olivia Candelaria placed first in the Hospitality and Tourism Operations Research category; Sasha Villaruz won the Sports and Entertainment Marketing Series; and William Hong won the Financial Consulting Event. Neha Thanigaivelan and Parker Dixon were the Chapter Campaign winners, and Brentwood High also won the Membership Campaign and Largest Chapter in Tennessee awards. Their teacher is Lisa Nease.

Deepak Balamurugan, from Nolensville High, won the Business Finance Series. The NHS teacher is Leslie White. Page High's Allie Conkle, Parker Levy and Mackenna Poole placed first in the Start-Up Plan category, and their classmate Kayla Josephson won the Principles of Hospitality and Tourism category. Their teacher is Tristan Brown.

From Ravenwood High, Anishka Chitreddy and Prisha Shethia won the Innovation Plan category, and Gauri Adarsh, Annika Bhargava and Varun Bussa placed first in the Integrated Marketing Campaign - Service category. Their classmate Hanna Araya placed first in the Hospitality and Tourism Professional Selling category. Chloe Lee, Stephie Lee and Sophia Wang won the Sports and Entertainment Marketing Operations Research category. Their teacher is Bryan Stuck.

TV/Film students were also celebrated for winning at the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Midsouth Student Production Awards. Brentwood High's Lyla Husband, Granger Wang, Parker Wilde and Connor Vanderpoole won Best Newscast; Grace Costantine won Best News Story; and Lyla Husband and Linnea Dobay won Best Animation/Graphics/Special Effects. Their teacher is Sloan Ashworth.

Franklin High's Barrett Scheetz, Blais Cameron and Anna Raye Jones won Best Arts/Entertainment and Cultural Affairs. Clare Corney and Lily Buchanan won Best Commercial, and Hinton Lanier won Best Animation/Graphics/Special Effects. Lydia Welborn won Best Talent, and Ethan Whitfield won Best Writer. Their teacher is Keri Thompson.

Fairview High's Hutson Hargrove won Best Music Video. His teacher is Robert Gregory.

Ravenwood High students Miles Ramer, Ansel Anderson, Jake Hillman and Jack Woodside won Best Fiction. Trip Scoutten won both Best Writer and Best Director. Their teachers are Megan Sanchez and Chelsea Kite.

Students were also honored for their success at the Tennessee Technology Student Association (TSA) competition. Ravenwood High's Adwit Satyawadi, Swayam Batra, Sashank Dara, Jo Jamullamudi, Srikar Kusumanchi and Aneek Polepalli are the TSA State VEX Robotics Champions. Malvika Rao, Aditi Jindal and Prisha Shethia are the State Audio Podcasting champions, and Seshadithya Saravanan is the State Future Technology and Engineering Teacher champion. Their teacher is Jeremy Paisley.

Legacy Middle's Krishna Deepak is the State Career Preparation champion; Abby Everett and Malenda White are the State Challenging Technology Issues champions; and Matthew Clements, Krishna Deepak, Dash McLeod and Lleyton Taylor are the State Junior Solar Sprint champions. Malenda White also won the State Digital Photography category, and Emily Chambless is the State Promotional Marketing champion. Charlie Burke, Cade McReynolds, Tucker Mize, Logan Rivers and Maverick Rupert are the State Inventions and Innovations champions. Daniel Baugh, Dash McLeod and Kai Schwab won the State Mass Production category. Logan Rivers and Kai Schwab also won the State Technical Design category. Their teachers are Robert Baltz and Amber Whiting.

Several students were also recognized for winning at the State HOSA convention. Independence High is the State Medical Reserve Corps Partnership champion, and Kelly Cole and Brandi Mangrum are the teachers. Adrienne Jones from Page High is the Behavioral Health champion, and her classmate Virginia Luo is the Veterinary Science champion. Their teacher is Suzanne Morrow.

Future Farmers of America (FFA) students were also celebrated. Fairview High's Tyler McKinney and William Poynor earned their FFA State Degrees. Their teacher is Emma Corson. Page High's Tate Hudgens is the Agriscience Fair champion. His teacher is Tristan Brown.

In Staff Spotlights, Ravenwood High teacher Jeremy Paisley is the TSA High School Adviser of the Year, and Legacy Middle teacher Allison McSwain was presented the Belz-Lipman Award from the Tennessee Holocaust Commission.

In New Business, the Board:

• Approved the Evaluation of Superintendent (Annual Agenda Item)
• Approved the following 2022-2023 School Board Budget Items:
  • General Purpose School Fund Amendment Summer Learning Camps Grant - $3,680,336
  • General Purpose School Fund Amendment Summer Learning Transportation Grant - $667,512
  • General Purpose School Fund Resolution Additional SSS Expenses - $725,000
  • General Purpose School Fund Trustee Commission - $900,000
  • General Purpose School Fund Resolution ESCO Payment - $1,120,892.72
  • General Purpose School Fund Resolution Additional Insurance Expenses - $625,000
  • General Purpose School Fund Resolution Reallocation of Salary Lines - $4,809,507
  • General Purpose School Fund Resolution Reallocation to Contracted Services - $300,000
  • General Purpose School Fund Resolution Additional Operational Expenses - $488,000
  • General Purpose School Fund Resolution Additional Fuel Costs - $580,000
  • Central Cafeteria Fund Resolution Additional Cafeteria Expenses - $660,925
  • Extended School Program Fund Resolution Additional Extended School Program Expenses - $107,350
• Approved the Library Materials Board Policy as Amended on Second Reading
• Approved the PECCA Memorandum of Understanding (Annual Agenda Item)
• Approved the Certified and Classified Pay Schedules for 2023-2024

In Other Business, the Board:

• Approved the Agenda
• Approved the Consent Agenda, which included:
  • April 17, 2023 School Board Meeting Minutes
  • The following Board Policies on Second Reading:
    • Dress Code
    • Medicines
  • The Ravenwood High Band Tower
  • High Performing School Districts Flexibility Act
  • Approval to Appoint Superintendent Jason Golden to serve on the Growth Plan Coordinating Statutory-Designated Committee
  • Recommendation for Field Trip Fee Requests

The Board meeting in its entirety can be viewed on the WC-TV YouTube channel.

The next regular Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 19 at 6:30 p.m.

Published May 16, 2023

The WCS School Board approved certified and classified pay schedules for the 2023-24 school year. Those schedules, and the rest of the proposed 2023-24 school budgets, will be voted on by the County Commission June 26.

In his report to the Board, Superintendent Jason Golden thanked the Mill Creek Middle show choir for performing before the meeting. Golden also spoke about the strategic planning process and the third-grade retention law. He encouraged the community to look back at the May 11 work session for more in-depth information.

In Student Spotlights, the district honored more than 30 students for earning a perfect composite ACT score. From Brentwood High, Garrett Crouch, Ryan Dawson, Ella Gamble, Josephine Gilbert, Adam Jaser, Taiga Koyama, Clara Beth Lee, Amy Park, Ali Sidiqyar, Davis Veazey and Brooks Wheeler were celebrated. Centennial High's Cody Williamson was also recognized. From Franklin High, the district honored Rachel Ayalon, Caden Bridges, Owen Gemignani, Jackson McDonald and Oleksandra Seliutina. Page High's Aarnav Mrida Varanasi, as well as Independence High's Gianna Ross, Elijah Sower and Miles Wyckoff, were also celebrated. Nolensville High's Wilson High and Daniel Rambo, in addition to Ravenwood High's Ajay Balaje, John Beck, Christina Chen, Jackson Gardzina, Aayush Kumar, Jack Meyer, Christina Qi, Ella Dasal and Jack Herrmann, were among those students honored. Renaissance High's Tobias Mcnamara and Summit High's Jackson Stinson were also recognized.

DECA students were also recognized for their performance at the State competition. Brentwood High's Adrien Terrenoire won first place in the Retail Merchandising Series, and Arshia Malhotra won first place in the Business Services Marketing Series. Their classmate Colin Carpenter won the Personal Financial Literacy category, and Kathryn Woehlke placed first in the Entrepreneurship Series. Maggie Winkler placed first in the Human Resources Management Series; Olivia Candelaria placed first in the Hospitality and Tourism Operations Research category; Sasha Villaruz won the Sports and Entertainment Marketing Series; and William Hong won the Financial Consulting Event. Neha Thanigaivelan and Parker Dixon were the Chapter Campaign winners, and Brentwood High also won the Membership Campaign and Largest Chapter in Tennessee awards. Their teacher is Lisa Nease.

Deepak Balamurugan, from Nolensville High, won the Business Finance Series. The NHS teacher is Leslie White. Page High's Allie Conkle, Parker Levy and Mackenna Poole placed first in the Start-Up Plan category, and their classmate Kayla Josephson won the Principles of Hospitality and Tourism category. Their teacher is Tristan Brown.

From Ravenwood High, Anishka Chitreddy and Prisha Shethia won the Innovation Plan category, and Gauri Adarsh, Annika Bhargava and Varun Bussa placed first in the Integrated Marketing Campaign - Service category. Their classmate Hanna Araya placed first in the Hospitality and Tourism Professional Selling category. Chloe Lee, Stephie Lee and Sophia Wang won the Sports and Entertainment Marketing Operations Research category. Their teacher is Bryan Stuck.

TV/Film students were also celebrated for winning at the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Midsouth Student Production Awards. Brentwood High's Lyla Husband, Granger Wang, Parker Wilde and Connor Vanderpoole won Best Newscast; Grace Costantine won Best News Story; and Lyla Husband and Linnea Dobay won Best Animation/Graphics/Special Effects. Their teacher is Sloan Ashworth.

Franklin High's Barrett Scheetz, Blais Cameron and Anna Raye Jones won Best Arts/Entertainment and Cultural Affairs. Clare Corney and Lily Buchanan won Best Commercial, and Hinton Lanier won Best Animation/Graphics/Special Effects. Lydia Welborn won Best Talent, and Ethan Whitfield won Best Writer. Their teacher is Keri Thompson.

Fairview High's Hutson Hargrove won Best Music Video. His teacher is Robert Gregory.

Ravenwood High students Miles Ramer, Ansel Anderson, Jake Hillman and Jack Woodside won Best Fiction. Trip Scoutten won both Best Writer and Best Director. Their teachers are Megan Sanchez and Chelsea Kite.

Students were also honored for their success at the Tennessee Technology Student Association (TSA) competition. Ravenwood High's Adwit Satyawadi, Swayam Batra, Sashank Dara, Jo Jamullamudi, Srikar Kusumanchi and Aneek Polepalli are the TSA State VEX Robotics Champions. Malvika Rao, Aditi Jindal and Prisha Shethia are the State Audio Podcasting champions, and Seshadithya Saravanan is the State Future Technology and Engineering Teacher champion. Their teacher is Jeremy Paisley.

Legacy Middle's Krishna Deepak is the State Career Preparation champion; Abby Everett and Malenda White are the State Challenging Technology Issues champions; and Matthew Clements, Krishna Deepak, Dash McLeod and Lleyton Taylor are the State Junior Solar Sprint champions. Malenda White also won the State Digital Photography category, and Emily Chambless is the State Promotional Marketing champion. Charlie Burke, Cade McReynolds, Tucker Mize, Logan Rivers and Maverick Rupert are the State Inventions and Innovations champions. Daniel Baugh, Dash McLeod and Kai Schwab won the State Mass Production category. Logan Rivers and Kai Schwab also won the State Technical Design category. Their teachers are Robert Baltz and Amber Whiting.

Several students were also recognized for winning at the State HOSA convention. Independence High is the State Medical Reserve Corps Partnership champion, and Kelly Cole and Brandi Mangrum are the teachers. Adrienne Jones from Page High is the Behavioral Health champion, and her classmate Virginia Luo is the Veterinary Science champion. Their teacher is Suzanne Morrow.

Future Farmers of America (FFA) students were also celebrated. Fairview High's Tyler McKinney and William Poynor earned their FFA State Degrees. Their teacher is Emma Corson. Page High's Tate Hudgens is the Agriscience Fair champion. His teacher is Tristan Brown.

In Staff Spotlights, Ravenwood High teacher Jeremy Paisley is the TSA High School Adviser of the Year, and Legacy Middle teacher Allison McSwain was presented the Belz-Lipman Award from the Tennessee Holocaust Commission.

In New Business, the Board:

• Approved the Evaluation of Superintendent (Annual Agenda Item)
• Approved the following 2022-2023 School Board Budget Items:
  • General Purpose School Fund Amendment Summer Learning Camps Grant - $3,680,336
  • General Purpose School Fund Amendment Summer Learning Transportation Grant - $667,512
  • General Purpose School Fund Resolution Additional SSS Expenses - $725,000
  • General Purpose School Fund Trustee Commission - $900,000
  • General Purpose School Fund Resolution ESCO Payment - $1,120,892.72
  • General Purpose School Fund Resolution Additional Insurance Expenses - $625,000
  • General Purpose School Fund Resolution Reallocation of Salary Lines - $4,809,507
  • General Purpose School Fund Resolution Reallocation to Contracted Services - $300,000
  • General Purpose School Fund Resolution Additional Operational Expenses - $488,000
  • General Purpose School Fund Resolution Additional Fuel Costs - $580,000
  • Central Cafeteria Fund Resolution Additional Cafeteria Expenses - $660,925
  • Extended School Program Fund Resolution Additional Extended School Program Expenses - $107,350
• Approved the Library Materials Board Policy as Amended on Second Reading
• Approved the PECCA Memorandum of Understanding (Annual Agenda Item)
• Approved the Certified and Classified Pay Schedules for 2023-2024

In Other Business, the Board:

• Approved the Agenda
• Approved the Consent Agenda, which included:
  • April 17, 2023 School Board Meeting Minutes
  • The following Board Policies on Second Reading:
    • Dress Code
    • Medicines
  • The Ravenwood High Band Tower
  • High Performing School Districts Flexibility Act
  • Approval to Appoint Superintendent Jason Golden to serve on the Growth Plan Coordinating Statutory-Designated Committee
  • Recommendation for Field Trip Fee Requests

The Board meeting in its entirety can be viewed on the WC-TV YouTube channel.

The next regular Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 19 at 6:30 p.m.