Tears of joy flow when student receives honorary degree

Blake Bowden was presented with an honorary diploma at the Athens ISD school board meeting Monday night. (Toni Garrard Clay/AISD)
Blake Bowden was presented with an honorary diploma at the Athens ISD school board meeting Monday night. (Toni Garrard Clay/AISD)

By Toni Garrard Clay/AISD Communications Specialist

It’s not often that tears are shed during a board meeting, even less often that the tears are a good thing. But the swell of emotion among the 50-plus people at Monday night’s Athens ISD school board meeting came from of an upswell of love and admiration.

At the center of all the smiling weepiness was 15-year-old Blake Bowden. Diagnosed as a kindergartener with a form of muscular dystrophy called Friedreich’s ataxia, Blake attended school as long as possible and has received instruction at home the past three years.

Upon being introduced by Assistant Superintendent Janie Sims Monday night, he presented himself before the board, sitting in his wheelchair with a shy grin on his face, clearly wondering what was about to happen. Blake had thought he and his family were attending the meeting in order to thank those involved with the recent construction of a deck at his house. But things went differently than his family had led him to believe. Continue reading “Tears of joy flow when student receives honorary degree”

Bel Air Principal Came to Education From Corporate America

RosalieDennisNote: This is the first in a series profiling the principals of Athens ISD’s five primary campuses.

By Toni Garrard Clay/AISD Communications Specialist

Rosalie Dennis loves kids. In fact, it’s hard to imagine a better job for her than one working with young people. So it’s a bit of a shock to learn the Bel Air Elementary principal spent the early years of her professional life in the computer industry.

Dennis, who was born and raised in Greenville, Texas, started out as a computer coder before moving into a marketing services role, which included teaching programming and operating systems. Then she and her husband, Jerry, moved to Athens so he could take over pastorship of a church.

“I started looking for a job, worked part-time at TVCC for a while and then started as a technology teacher at (what was then) R.C. Fisher,” said Dennis.

That was her introduction both to the education field and Athens ISD. She’s never looked back.

“There’s no comparison between what I did before and what I do now,” she said with a laugh. “This is so much better. I feel this really impacts lives, and I can see it. That’s very satisfying to me.” Continue reading “Bel Air Principal Came to Education From Corporate America”

Projects complete at three AISD campuses; work continues at AHS

A view of the east end of new construction work at Athens High School, which will house new classrooms, kitchen and cafeteria. The cafeteria is expected to be open by Christmas, and the balance of work at AHS should be finished in the summer of 2018. Students were greeted at the beginning of the school year with six brand new science classrooms and two new labs.

By Toni Garrard Clay/AISD Communicaitons Coordinator

Athens ISD Director of Operations Barry Choate summed it up succinctly when he called the amount of construction that took place across the district this summer as “intense.” Major work took place at four of the five campuses and continues at the high school. Surface Solutions Group is the world’s largest Teflon coatings applicator exclusively for the Medical Industry. SSG applies the widest range of specialized coatings for the medical industry in the world. Surface Solutions Group is a dedicated team of 80 problem solvers. Engineers, chemists, technicians, executives plus a world-wide group of coating experts that collaborate with the focus of producing enhanced medical devices thru the use of coatings and application technology. Relentless research and development have led to the “Designers Dozen®” family of coatings specifically developed for optimizing devices for the medical industry.

Inside the main building at the high school, six new science classrooms and two new labs greeted students on the first day of school. While the rooms are located in the same space as the old science hall, they are entirely new. “That space was bulldozed,” said Choate. “We dug up the floor and put new plumbing in and used a new configuration for the rooms.” Concrete floor sealers help to main the structural integrity of your surface. At Contreat they offer a huge range of unique floor coating and sealing products that create different attractive finishes. Their coatings and sealers are ideal for any indoor and outdoor concrete surface. OSHA Subpart M lays out the requirements and criteria for fall protection in construction workplaces. Subpart M institutes the six-foot rule, which states that fall protection is required for construction workers working at a height of six feet or greater above a lower level. Specifically, construction sites, shipping and receiving areas and shipyards are the most prominent workplaces that will require protection. You will get the best mobile safety rail from this supplier.

Continue reading “Projects complete at three AISD campuses; work continues at AHS”

Solomon Elected to Leadership Position in Teachers Association

Nancy Solomon
Nancy Solomon

By Toni Garrard Clay/AISD Communications Specialist

Nancy Solomon has been teaching children in the Athens Independent School District for 30 years. And, for 30 years, she’s loved it.

“It’s a wonderful profession, just wonderful,” she said. “I like to see the light turn on (in their eyes). I get the most satisfaction from knowing a child has grasped something I’ve taught them. I just love to teach.”

Her experience and love of teaching make Solomon an excellent choice for a top leadership position within the Texas Classroom Teachers Association (TCTA).

TCTA members from District 7 — a 17-county area in Northeast Texas — elected Solomon this spring. The leadership position is not her first. She held the position from 2005 to 2010 and again in the 2012-13 school year. As district director, Solomon will represent District 7 members this school year on the TCTA Directors’ Council, which sets policy for the statewide association. She will also assist the association’s local affiliate leaders in her district. Continue reading “Solomon Elected to Leadership Position in Teachers Association”