Ryan Henkel - Randolph Record

21 May

The Virtual Academy of Randolph to remain open

Ryan HenkelNewsEducation, Gary Cook, Randolph County Board of Education, Randolph County School System, Stephen Gainey, The Virtual Academy at Randolph, Todd Cutler, virtual academy

ASHEBORO – Despite the recommendation of the superintendent, The Virtual Academy at Randolph will not be closing. At the Randolph County Schools Board of Education’s May 19 meeting, the board held a vote to close The Virtual Academy at Randolph, but due to a 3-3 split – with chair Gary Cook and members Phillip Lanier and Shannon Whitaker voting against the motion – it failed to pass. “Just can’t do it,” Cook said. “I know it’s a business and I made this a point to a lot of people. But, for me, I couldn’t sleep tonight. I have a soft…

12 May

Asheboro Police look into reopening shooting range

Ryan HenkelGovernment, NewsAsheboro City Council, Asheboro Police Department, shooting range

ASHEBORO – The Asheboro Police Department is looking into reopening the old shooting range on Old Lexington Road. At the Asheboro City Council’s May meeting, Asheboro police chief Robert Brown Jr. discussed the process the department is undergoing toward that goal. The North Carolina Department of Labor had conducted a test last year that determined officers were being exposed to a high level of lead at the Randolph Community College’s Emergency Services Training Center. Traditionally, the department would bring 18 people to the range for qualifications which takes them about a week, Brown said. But the recommendation from the NCDOL…

07 May

County commissioners recognize citizen volunteers

Ryan HenkelNewsAmy Rudisill, Maxton McDowell, Randolph County Board of Commissioners

ASHEBORO – The Randolph County Board of Commissioners took the time to recognize select citizens for their volunteer work within the county. At the board’s meeting Monday, five county residents were recognized with the Governor’s Volunteer Service Awards. “These awards recognize the individuals in our community that give their time, energy and compassion to help others, often behind the scenes, and always without expecting anything in return,” said Samantha Baker, United Way of Randolph County executive director. “Their efforts strengthen our county and our community and they inspire us all.” Those recognized included Amy Rudisill for her mentorship and work…

23 Apr

Asheboro council approves playground repair contract at sportsplex

Ryan HenkelGovernment, NewsAsheboro City Council, David Smith, Joey Trogdon, Kevin Franklin, Zoo City Sportsplex

ASHEBORO – The City of Asheboro is aiming for a summer reopening of the playground area at the Zoo City Sportsplex. At its April meeting, the council approved a $200,000 allocation for needed repairs to the playground. “Basically what we had were drains that were stopped up and a compaction issue,” city manager Donald Duncan said. “So we’re going to go back, remove some of the equipment, kind of do a surgical operation in place, repair the equipment and compact and solidify the area to get it back in service.” Barring any setbacks, the reopening is anticipated for the middle…

16 Apr

Public hearing to be held for potential closure of Virtual Academy at Randolph

Ryan HenkelNewsEducation, Randolph County Board of Education, Randolph County School System, RCSS, Stephen Gainey, The Virtual Academy at Randolph

ASHEBORO — The Randolph County School System is looking to close the Virtual Academy at Randolph. At the Randolph County Schools Board of Education’s meeting this month, the board was presented with a study the district had done which focused primarily on the “welfare of the students who are enrolled in the school should the Virtual Academy at Randolph be closed.” “If we sent the students back to their schools that they were assigned to because of the closure of this school, it would not lead to any disruptive enrollment increases in those schools,” said Stephen Gainey, RCSS superintendent. “The closure…

10 Apr

Commissioners approve purchase of property for new Randleman High School

Ryan HenkelNewsDarrell Frye, Education, Randleman High School, Randolph County Board of Commissioners, Randolph County School System

ASHEBORO – Randolph County has moved one step closer toward the construction of a new high school. At this week's meeting, the Randolph County Board of Commissioners approved a budget amendment to allocate $6 million for the purchase of approximately 90 acres of property located on Walker Mill Road intended to be utilized for the site of a new Randleman High School. “Approximately one year ago, this board authorized the Randolph County School System to begin looking for land for future locations for Liberty Elementary School and Randleman High School,” county manager Zeb Holden said. “It took some time, but…

26 Mar

RCSS board chair addresses school safety in light of Hopewell Elementary School incident

Ryan HenkelNewsboard of education, Education, Gary Cook, Hopewell Elementary School, Randolph County School System, RCSS, Stephen Gainey

ASHEBORO – The Randolph County Schools Board of Education addressed the incident at Hopewell Elementary School at its March meeting. On Feb. 26, a man entered Hopewell Elementary through a broken door during school hours. While the man didn't seem to have any ill intent nor did he harm anybody in the school, it raised concerns among parents and district staff regarding the safety of the district’s schools. “That should have never happened, but it did happen and we have to learn from that, get better and take steps so that it never happens again,” board chair Gary Cook said.…

22 Mar

Asheboro approves multiple rezoning requests for housing, business expansions

Ryan HenkelGovernment, NewsAsheboro City Council, City of Asheboro

ASHEBORO – The Asheboro City Council had a busy agenda at its regular business meeting this month, including a handful of land use hearings. The first hearing the council held was a quasi-judicial hearing for the application of a special use permit for property located at 1730 South Fayetteville St. for the installation of a billboard. The council also held four rezoning requests, including one for approximately 3.7 acres of property located east of Ridgewood Circle for an amended High-Density Residential Conditional Zoning district (RA6-CZ) for a 10-dwelling, townhouse-style, planned residential development. The second rezoning request was for approximately one…

12 Mar

County commissioners approve expansion of Employee Wellness Center staffing

Ryan HenkelGovernment, NewsDarrell Frye, randolph county, Randolph County Commissioners, Sam Varner

ASHEBORO – Randolph County employees have enjoyed the Employee Wellness Center – a wellness program aimed to better support and retain county employees and their families – for just more than a year now and they could see even more of it in the coming years. At its meeting Monday, the Randolph County Board of Commissioners approved a new contract with Atrium Health for the expansion of staffing at the Employee Wellness Center in anticipation of increased demand and expanded wellness initiatives. “We’ve had our clinic open for about 14 months and we’ve had tremendous success,” wellness administrator Sam Varner…

25 Feb

RCSS Board of Education voices displeasure with school calendar law

Ryan HenkelNewsboard of education, Education, Randolph County School System, RCSS, Stephen Gainey

ASHEBORO – Frustrations have been growing around the state in regard to school calendar law and Randolph County is no exception. At its February business meeting, the Randolph County Schools Board of Education was presented with the 2026-27 school calendar and many of the board members voiced their displeasure with the current law. According to state law, traditional public schools are forbidden from starting earlier than the Monday nearest to Aug. 26. What this then means is that districts are typically unable to finish the first semester before winter break meaning students have to come back to take exams after…