WILLIAMSON – The Mingo County Robotics Team, which is gearing up for the FIRST US Open LEGO competition in Dayton, Ohio, May 6-10, has been granted its travel request by the Mingo County Board of Education .

Upon recommendation of Mingo County Schools Superintendent Dwight D. Dials, the Board of Education approved five out-of-state travel requests at its regular meeting April 7.

Robotics Coordinator Rickey Meade of the Mingo Career and Technical Center had asked the board’s permission to take three students to Dayton for the competition. The students include one from Kermit K-8 and two from Burch 7-12.

He said the team was invited to represent the state of West Virginia by virtue of being the second-place team at the state tournament last December. “We were the winning team with our research and presentation project,” he stated.

#Meade said parents will transport their own children and added,”This is a great opportunity for our county to once against show how our students are engaged in 21st Century learning skills and how we are among the best in the nation.”

Teachers Meade and Virginia Mounts and parents Mary Endicott and Kim Runyon will make the trip to the Ohio event.

The School Board also granted Meade permission to attend the World Robotics Championship in Atlanta, Ga. April 16-19 during the schools’ spring break. Meade will be a volunteer with the event as part of the field crew. He also plans to attend several workshops which will help Mingo’s robotics teams in the future. Meade said Logan County Robitics will participate in this event.

The board also approved Meade’s request that he be allowed to attend NSTTAC Transition workshops in Charlotte, N.C. on May 11-14, following the Mingo Robitics team’s participation in the Dayton event.

#Meade has been appointed by the State Department of Education as a member of the West Virginia Transition Team. All of his expenses will be covered by the State Department, which also will provide transportation to and from Charlotte. He is one of a seven-member team that will participate in this committee.

A New York City trip for the Memorial Day weekend, May 22-25, was approved for 26 Kermit K-8 school students at the request of Irene Smith, Third Grade teacher. She stated the purpose of the trip is to allow students to explore other cultures and experience a piece of American History.

Board employees accompanying the students in addition to Mrs. Smith are Brenda Davis, Louise Williamson and Rhonda Messer.

The Kermit students will have the chance to compare and contrast cultures of city and country living; draw generalizations and conclusions about people, ideas and events; gain knowledge of the U.S. through travel; interact with other travelers and enjoy other benefits.

#The board also approved a field trip for Matewan Elementary’s kindergarten students to visit the East Kentucky Science Center and Planetarium in Prestonsburg, Ky. on May 6. The students will attend a planetarium program, “Stories in the Sky,” and the classroom program, “Discover the Rainbow.”

Board employees accompanying the 39 students are Bonnie Goble, Anna Lou May, Norma Taylor, Peggy Runyon and Sue Hamby. Travel will be by school bus.

Board Vice President Jacqueline Branch conducted the meeting, also attended by board members William D. Duty, Dr. J.W. Endicott and Michael Carter, and Superintendent Dials.

The board approved minutes of its March 3 regular meeting and its March 24 and 31 special meetings; budget supplements and budget transfers, as well as Treasurer Ed Lovitch’s monthly report, and heard an update of RESA II representative Dr. Dee Cockrille.

Cockrille told the school board that Mingo Couny schools are very important to the RESA organization in Zone II, Huntington. She said RESÅ works with 18 schools every day and endeavors to provide any assistance they require. All of that involves a great deal of work, she said.

She said RESA works closely as grant procurers for the regional schools and that Mingo County participates at the highest level. She said there are six different programs provided and that RESA had conducted workshops for 1,700 students in the region.

Only one person made comments during the citizens input period that closed the board meeting. A Williamson parent, Jerry Hurley, expressed his worries over the economic situation in the area and the nation, questioned some budget items and said he feared the school system might come up short as a result of the economical situation. He expressed other concerns as a taxpayer.