March 7, 2013. On Tuesday, March 19, the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce, in association with Watauga County Schools, will host the 14th annual Spelling Bee for Grown Ups in the Watauga High School gymnasium at 5 p.m.
BY PAUL T. CHOATE
Photo by Ken Ketchie
Jan. 24, 2013. From some points of view, it’s been an inauspicious start for Supt. David Kafitz, who was hired nearly eight months ago, and from a public-relations standpoint, his first year at the helm of Watauga County Schools so far reached a tipping point after a regrettable incident at the Mellow Mushroom in downtown Boone.
BY JESSE WOOD
Oct. 26, 2012. The North Carolina “School Report Cards” for the 2011-12 school year have been released by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. The results show that student achievement in the Watauga County Schools continues to exceed that of most NC school systems.
Oct. 19, 2012. County Schools added a new position recently and the wife of Supt. David Kafitz will fill that role. Starting in November, Amy Kafitz will become the school psychologist for Watauga County Schools.
BY JESSE WOOD
Oct. 15, 2012. School bus driver training will be offered on the Newland campus of Mayland Community College Oct. 29-31. Classes run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day. Before attending the class, anyone who is not a current Watauga County Schools employee must have a recommendation from the principal or assistant principal at the school where they want to be hired.
Sept. 24, 2012. Ron Henries is the only school board candidate with experience on the Watauga County Board of Education and, perhaps along with Brenda Reese, he is the most experienced educator running for school board.
BY JESSE WOOD
Sept. 11, 2012. Concerning the topic of “student safety,” the Watauga County Board of Education approved a motion, on Monday night, that requires elementary and middle school children to have an adult chaperon at Watauga High School athletic events.
BY JESSE WOOD
Sept. 10, 2012. After a recommendation from a search committee, the Watauga County Board of Education selected Dr. David Fonseca as the new Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction for Watauga County Schools.
BY JESSE WOOD
Aug. 31, 2012. Dr. Wayne Eberle outlined the preferred 2013 – 2014 calendar scenario and tasked school and community members to come up with other calendar suggestions at the Aug. 30 Calendar Committee meeting.
BY PAUL T. CHOATE
Aug. 8, 2012. Watauga County Schools Associate Superintendent Scarlet Davis recently resigned from her position, effective Aug. 1, three years into a four-year contract and less than two weeks before the start of the new school year.
BY GREG HINCE
Aug. 8, 2012. Watauga and Avery County Schools opened their doors to students for the 2012-2013 school year earlier this morning, but area students may be celebrating a later start to the school this time next year.
BY ETHAN WOODHOUSE
Aug. 6, 2012. Eight schools in the Watauga County Schools system met North Carolina’s standards for expected academic growth by students and six schools also met the more stringent standard for high growth based on state test results for the 2011-12 school year.
Aug. 6, 2012. On Friday, Aug. 3, the Watauga County School System Budget Committee met to discuss the proposed budget for the 2012 – 2013 school year. Most items did not need further discussion, but a few issues were revised by the committee.
BY PAUL T. CHOATE
July 31, 2012. Watauga County Board of Education Vice Chair Dr. Lee Warren was very vocal in his concerns over the 2013 – 2014 school calendar options at the July 30 work session. He was not alone, as many at the meeting were worried about the “bad scenarios and worse scenarios” presented to them.
BY PAUL T. CHOATE
July 30, 2012. Today marks the first of four days during which Watauga High School is holding orientation with the senior class in attendance. Juniors will have orientation tomorrow, followed by sophomores and then freshmen on Aug. 1 and 2.
BY PAUL T. CHOATE
July 25, 2012. The first day of classes in the 2012-13 school year of the Watauga County Schools will be Wednesday, Aug. 8. School buses will run their usual routes, lunch will be served, and the after school program will be open to students registered for the program.
July 11, 2012. Due to continued funding reductions at the state level and new reductions from the regional Head Start office, the pre-kindergarten program of the Watauga County Schools is being cut back from nine classrooms serving a total of 162 children at eight schools to five classrooms serving a total of 90 children at four schools in 2012-13.
July 9, 2012. Watauga County Schools Superintendent David Kafitz addressed the Watauga County Board of Education for the first time in his official capacity on July 9 at the monthly meeting. Valle Crucis School teacher Katie Matthews was honored and several matters were addressed.
BY PAUL T. CHOATE
June 12, 2012. Watuaga High School Athletic Director Tom Wright has been named interim head football coach for the Pioneers effective June 12. The appointment will last at least through the upcoming school year.
June 4, 2012. On Monday, June 4, David Kafitz was announced as the new superintendent of the Watauga County School System in a unanimous decision, replacing interim superintendent Dick Jones who has held the position since Dec. 12, 2011.
BY PAUL T. CHOATE
May 18, 2012. First grade teacher Katie Matthews of Valle Crucis School has been named Watauga County Schools Teacher of the Year for 2012-13. Her selection was announced in a surprise visit to her classroom this morning by several central office personnel and members of her family.
May 3, 2012. Darcy Grimes, a third grade teacher at Bethel Elementary School, has won the title of North Carolina Teacher of the Year from among the 97,000 teachers in North Carolina public schools. The award was announced today in Raleigh at an awards ceremony honoring the nine finalists for the state Teacher of the Year.
April 2, 2012. The 2012-13 Teachers of the Year for the nine schools in the Watauga County Schools system were chosen during March and their names were released today.
March 7, 2012. ASHEVILLE — This spring the Asheville Symphony Guild will offer full and partial scholarships for musical instrument students in middle and high school in 22 western N.C. counties, including Watauga County, to attend the Mars Hill College Summer Music Camp (June 24—June 29, 2012). Scholarship information and applications can be obtained from the Guild at www.ashevillesymphony.org/guild or the student’s music teacher.
Feb. 24, 2012. ZIONVILLE — Author, poet, and former blueberry grower Jim Minick visited Mabel Elementary Friday sharing stories and photos of the people, places, animals, and events that have shaped his life and inspired his writing. His visit took place in the school’s media center, where he donated his time for separate sessions with the third and eighth grade classes at Mabel.