The Shadow
HOT SPRINGS — Bryan Secoy has resigned from the Bath County School Board.
Secoy’s letter of resignation, submitted to school officials Tuesday, was read during Wednesday night’s January meeting of the school board held at Valley Elementary School.
His resignation is effective Jan. 15. Secoy did not attend Wednesday’s meeting.
“Circumstances in my life over the last few months have made it impossible to provide the level of attention and participation in school board functions that the students, staff and administration deserve,”?his letter said.
Secoy was elected as the school board’s Millboro representative in the November 2015 election. He served as board chair in 2017.
“The last few years on the school board have been incredibly rewarding,”?he said. “I?have seen first-hand, on multiple occasions, just how awesome our students and staff are. Bath County undoubtably has a bright future, because today’s students will leave our schools with everything they need to be successful in life.”
Secoy commended the “hard work and multiple successes”?of Bath County students. He also applauded the efforts of staff members.
“Your dedication, professionalism and passion have not gone unnoticed,”?he said. “To the administration, I?want to thank you for all the time and effort you put into your roles. Leader-ship starts from the top, and Bath County schools’ performance is a direct reflection of your success.”
Secoy also expressed his gratitude to his fellow school board members.
“This board puts its heart and soul behind every decision they make,”?Secoy said in his letter. “It is obvious to me that each of you always makes students’ well-being the priority, and you don’t let anything stand in your way.
“I?wish you all the best of luck in the future and look forward to seeing the continued success of Bath County schools,”?he concluded.
The school board will consider candidates to fill Secoy’s unexpired term in the next several months. All five seats on the Bath County School Board will be included on the election ballot in November.
At the conclusion of Wednesday’s meeting, school board members expressed their gratitude to Secoy.
“Bryan Secoy, in my opinion, was an exceptional board member,”?said Eddie Ryder. “He was willing to help anybody. He is a great guy.”
Roy Burns concurred. “We’re going to miss Bryan,”?he said. “He was a very thorough guy.”
Cathy Lowry said Secoy’s career path had taken him to northern Virginia.
“They get a real gem,”?Lowry said. “It’s our loss.”
“I?want to send best wishes to Bryan and his family,”?Rhonda Grimm concluded.
Secoy’s wife, Maria, is a teacher at Millboro Elementary School.
In other business Wednesday, the school board held reorganizational proceedings for the 2018 year.
Grimm was elected chair, while Burns was named vice chair. Superintendent Sue Hirsh was appointed clerk of the board, while Sharon Fry was appointed deputy clerk.
Justin Rider was named fiscal agent, while Hirsh was appointed deputy fiscal agent. Chris Singleton was once again designated school board attorney.
Allison Hicklin was approved as the superintendent’s designee. She was also authorized to provide signatures in the superintendent’s absence.
Grimm was named delegate to the Virginia School Boards Association annual convention in November, while Burns was chosen as alternate delegate. All appointees will follow the VSBA’s Code of Conduct.
Also Wednesday night, the school board:
— entertained presentations from Valley Elementary School students pertaining to 21st century learning skills;
— approved an overnight field trip for Bath County High School Beta Club members to the state convention in Hampton Feb. 14-16;
— by a 3-1 vote with Lowry dissenting, confirmed Capital Improvement Plan requests that were approved in December;
— approved the BCHS?program of studies for school year 2019-20;
— authorized the superintendent to request an appropriation from the board of supervisors in the amount of $2,500 for the National Board Certification Incentive Award;
— approved a revised job description for school bus drivers;
— approved the appointment of Mikayla Miller as assistant varsity softball coach;
— approved non-resident status for a Valley Elementary School student;
— recognized students who auditioned and were accepted into the All District Band.
They include Gabbi Reed, clarinet, symphonic band; Sarah Eaton, clarinet, concert band; and Emma Marshall, flute, concert band.
All District Band auditions were held Dec. 8 at East Rockingham High School.
The All District Band event is scheduled for Feb. 1-2 at Harrisonburg High School. The concert will be held at 4 p.m. on Feb. 2.
