Berryville 1st-graders perform ‘Jingle Bells’ in sign language for school board

The Berryville School Board had some extra special holiday treats at its monthly meeting held Monday, Dec. 18.

The board had a group of first-graders perform “Jingle Bells” via sign language and also heard a presentation from fifth-grade student Jayden Harrington on her reading progress.

“We have a student who is deaf and part of his class is learning sign language to make him feel more comfortable and to communicate with him,” superintendent Owen Powell said. “So, five students from his class, along with him, came to the board meeting and they sang ‘Jingle Bells’ in sign language to the board. It was really, really cool and really neat to see.

“And we had another student from the intermediate school, Jayden Harrington, come and speak to the board about our Take Flight reading program, a program for dyslexic students.”

In six weeks taking part in the program, Jayden has gone up a full grade level in reading, Powell said.

“The program is to help these students learn to read and help them get caught up to grade level and she just did a fantastic job coming and speaking to the board,” he said. “She told the board about how much the program has helped her, how well she’s doing and how it’s helped her confidence. She actually enjoys reading now.

“For a fifth-grader to come in, address the board like she did, it was just an outstanding thing to see.”

Facilities Update

The board also heard a facilities update that included the district learning it has been granted money through the state’s partnership program for partial roof replacements at the elementary and middle school buildings, Powell said.

“Of course it’s pending whether the state has the money and it’s actually for the 20252026 school year,” Powell said. “You have to go through the application process and everything to get approved years in advance, but we were actually approved for that.

“As long as the money is there for the 2025-26 school year we’ll get the money. We were approved for $575,000 for the elementary school and $371,000 for the middle school.”

The repairs are becoming necessary, Powell said.

“It’s time,” he said. “We do have some leakage in those roofs. We go up and repair them and it will last for a while then start leaking again. Those buildings are pretty old and it’s just time for a replacement on those.”

New water heater

The board also voted to approve the district spending $14,063 on a new water heater for the intermediate school campus, Powell said.

Powell gave the board an update on the building of a pre-K building, which is going well, he said.

“We are under budget and actually ahead of schedule,” he said. “And I don’t get to say that a whole lot.”

Good weather has helped the process, the superintendent said.

“I’ve been involved in a lot of building projects and one thing you can count on almost always is going over budget, and then it’s almost always going to take longer and you’re going to get behind schedule,” Powell said. “That’s not the case with that building right now. We’ve had some great weather, a really mild winter at this point and not a whole lot of rain. And, of course, being under budget is always great.

“We are just really pleased with how that pre-K building is coming along.”

The board also approved a Pre-Education Program grant in the amount of $46,548.

“We are trying to grow our own here in Berryville,” Powell said of the program, which targets students who may want to be teachers some day. “If we have students that are interested in becoming teachers they can actually take classes and work with the teachers and see what it’s actually like to be a teacher. Then they can pursue that after high school and come back home.

“There’s always a cost anytime you’re offering extra classes, for things like materials. So, we’re proud to get the grant and really glad to have this program. It pays dividends for us. We have a lot of students come back.”

Personnel Action

In personnel action, the board approved the hiring of Amanda Pittman as a Bobcat Academy substitute and the transfer of Shirley Hoskinds from a cafeteria substitute to a full-time cafeteria employee.

The last day of classes before Christmas break was Wednesday, Dec. 20. Students return to begin the second semester on Monday, Jan. 8.

“We are all ready for a break,” Powell said just hours before classes let out for the holidays. “This semester has absolutely flown by. It’s hard to believe we have half a year over. It’s been as great of a first semester as far as I can ever remember since I’ve been in the school business. It’s been great, it’s been really fast and I think everybody is due for a break and we are looking forward to that.

“When we come back it’ll be a new year, 2024, and we’ll be looking forward to the second semester.”