Students, parents, school officials and staff members from around Knox and Richland counties gathered Tuesday to honor the achievements of special students who have positively impacted their school and/or community during the 2016 Education in Action awards program.
Steve Oster, superintendent of Knox County Board of Developmental Disabilities, served as emcee for the event. He told the audience, “We are here to celebrate success. We are proud of all the kids and young adults for their effort in learning new skills to grow and advance in their lives. We thank their teachers and the families who support them as well.”
Students in the various classes were nominated for the award in areas such as academic achievement, attitude, work skills and team work. Those who won were announced by the person who nominated him or her, and attendees were privileged to hear of each winner’s outstanding qualities and achievements.
Individual Education Action awards were presented to:
East Knox — Max Hyde for his excellent work in the school cafeteria and to Dakota Wooden for his strides in both attendance and academics.
Fredericktown — Christopher Cline for always being willing to try and to give 100 percent; Hailey Bowman, hard worker with significant academic gains; Brenden Nichols, academic growth; Jamie Jewell, language arts skills such as learning both the kindergarten and first-grade sight word lists; Jordan Deems, positive impact on school climate with his patience, positive attitude and willingness to help others; Connor Perry, funny, thoughtful and hard working; Gerald Weikle, positive behavior and 100 percent effort; Gavin Matuch, unleashing his creativity and creating his own video game; and Cammy McKinley, caring heart, good attitude and working more independently.
Knox County Career Center — Cierra Poole, dedicated worker with a great attitude; and Stefan Washington for his leadership and service.
Knox County Educational Service Center — James Hettinger, knack for art; Wayne Rittenhouse III, outstanding inside and outside the classroom; and Chris Elswick, academic achievement. Group awards went to:
Clear Fork High School Coffee Cart-Work Experience students Zack Frailey, Kisha Frailey, Kyle Marcum, Dustin Morris, Isaiah Swihart, Eva Thompson and Meghann Longshore. The instructor Amy Cox praised them for their willingness to learn new things and to put practical skills to use. She also lauded their ability to make delicious baked goods and tasty snacks.
KCESC Transition Mission — Bethany Ball, Blake Berger, Cody Hanna, Faith Johnson, Dustin Mattix, Cody Oswalt, Kelly Shoemaker and Josh Thomas. Instructor Nancy Gregg nominated the group for their teamwork in their successful application of skills in real world settings.
KCESC at Mount Vernon High School, Work Experience — Corey Brown, Nick Bolin and Daniel Hill. Julie Grindstead, instructor, said they are good examples of self-directed hard workers.
The Distinguished (Staff) Service award went to Barbara Waite of Knox Learning Center.
http://mountvernonnews.com/story/2016/04/26/education-in-action-outstanding-achievement-recognized/
