ELIZABETHTOWN — The Bladen County School Board met for its monthly meeting on Monday to discuss the current happenings around the area.

The board started the meeting by honoring the hard work of their students by handing out certificates and applauds for their students achievements over the last month.

The first student to be recognized was West Bladen senior Daniel Gustafoson for making Southeastern All-District Band. Bladen Early College sophomore Jamie Labra-Hernandez was honored for a perfect score on his Math III End-of-Course Exam.

Next, the board handed out certificates to the State Award winners for The Junior and Elementary Beta Club State Convention in Greensboro.

Bladenboro Primary finished fifth place for Songfest and they finished fourth overall for Campaign skit. Bladenboro primary student Ariana Gore got a special shoutout for her becoming the newly elected NC Elementary Beta Club Vice President.

Bladenboro Middle student Jayden Ruffin was elected as NC Junior Beta Club President and Clarkton School of Discovery student Miguel Ventura was elected as the Junior Beta Club Vice President.

State award winners from East and West Bladen were also honored for taking home victories at Greensboro. The board took the time to honor some of the principals for meeting the State’s Accountability Standards in the Fall.

The schools that met growth standards were Bladen Lakes Primary, Elizabethtown Primary and Elizabethtown Middle. Bladen Lakes Primary principal Jennifer Marlowe accepted the certificate from the State for her school’s progress over the fall.

Elizabethtown Primary principal Priscilla Brayboy and Elizabethtown Middle principal Joyce Spencer received certificates on behalf of their schools as well.

The schools that exceeded growth this Fall were Bladen Early College, Bladenboro Primary, Bladenboro Middle, Dublin Primary, East Bladen High, and West Blade High. Bladen Early College principal Haily Cheshire and staff stepped up to accept their state certificate for the work they put in during the Fall.

The State and the board acknowledged Bladen Early College’s 97.6 percent graduation rate, which is one of the highest graduation rates in the state.

Bladenboro Primary principal Stephanie Morris accepted her school’s certificate and Bladenboro Middle principal Chrystal McColksey accepted the certificate on her school’s behalf. Dublin primary principal Jason Folsom, East Bladen principal Georgia Spaulding, and West Bladen principal Dr. Peggy Hester accepted their schools certificates from the State for exceeding growth.

The Tar Heel School project is about 90 percent completed with minor work and details being finalized. The demolition of the old building has been ongoing since January with the new bus loop and parking lot to be paved in its place. The board is well within their budget and they hope that any unused funds from the County can be reallocated back to them for repurposing of other district needs.

Superintendent Dr. Jason Akinson shared revisions to the 23/24 School Calendar, stating the last week of school will be early release days.

Traditional schools around the district will have early release on May 28th, 29th, 30th, and 31st. Bladen Early College will be released on May 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th. Both elementary and middle school students will be done with their End-of-Grade testing by that time. Remediations for End-of-Grade retesting has also been added to the calendar as well.

The board also received more information on the Duke Endowment that is geared to providing mental health service to students across the district. Representatives for the program explained to the board why they felt that Bladen County was a perfect fit for the States initiative by giving them a presentation of stats, goals, and expectations.

Rural areas in NC are scarce for mental health services but the Endowment will help change that. Mental health in young people and children has worsened since 2020 according to the representatives from the Duke Endowment. They feel that Bladen County is positioned perfectly in a region that has little to no mental health resources and can help progress the initiative further due to the county’s diverse population.

The primary goal of the Duke Endowment is to improve the identification and treatment for mental and behavioral health issues for the diverse rural population of children in Bladen County.Their secondary goal is to decrease absenteeism and improve school performance in the classroom. The other impact they hope to achieve through the program is the use of community support and services to address social determinants of health.

The board has decided to table the motion at this time for further clarification and it will be discussed in more detail at future meeting.