Ryan Henkel - Randolph Record

21 Jan

Randolph County’s ACT, SAT scores lower than state average

Ryan HenkelNewsboard of education, Education, Randolph County School System

ASHEBORO – Randolph County saw a bit of a dip in some of its college-ready standardized testing. The Randolph County Schools Board of Education was presented with the prior year standardized testing data at its Jan. 13 meeting. The county has historically trailed the state in terms of average scores. However, the schools are seeing a gradual decline in overall scoring average within the county as well. “In 2024, the average ACT score for Randolph County was 16.6, which was just a slight decline from the prior year average of 16.7,” said Meredith Weipert, Director of Testing and Accountability. “In 2024,…

15 Jan

Asheboro considers implementation of new fees

Ryan HenkelNewsCity of Asheboro, City of Asheboro Council, Trevor Nuttall

ASHEBORO – The City of Asheboro has enjoyed stable growth as of late, but it may have to start addressing concerns brought about by that growth. At the Asheboro City Council’s Jan. 9 meeting, the council was presented with an initial look at the potential implementation of water and sewer system development fees for the city. “Asheboro’s growing,” said Michael Rhoney, Water Resources director. “Growth is great, but with growth comes capacity issues.” The city does not have water and sewer system development fees, but the implementation of them is structured as to not burden existing customers. “These are charges…

09 Jan

Randolph County presented with positive financial reports

Ryan HenkelNewsDarrell Frye, Randolph County Commissioners

ASHEBORO – The Randolph County Board of Commissioners received a positive report on its annual audit during the group's first meeting of the year Monday. “All four of the opinions we rendered are what we call unmodified opinions,” said April Adams, Partner at Cherry Bekaert, the county’s auditing firm. “Those are the best opinions you can get. It’s giving you an indication that your financial statements are free from material misstatement and that’s the highest level of assurance we can give you as an audit firm.” It’s another year of clean audits for the county which has made such accolades…

24 Dec

Uwharrie Ridge focusing in on post-secondary career readiness

Ryan HenkelNewsboard of education, Education, Randolph County School System, Stephen Gainey, Uwharrie-Ridge

ASHEBORO – The Randolph County School System's Board of Education was given an update on a new vision and focus for Uwharrie Ridge at a regular business meeting earlier this month. “One of the challenges we’ve been working through as a leadership team, Uwharrie Ridge is a unique place being that it’s a 6-12 school so it has middle and high school grade levels,” superintendent Stephen Gainey said. “We’ve been continuing to look for ways of what can make Uwharrie Ridge 6-12 standout and continue to attract students to it. It is an application school. You can go if that’s…

18 Dec

Asheboro receives grant funding for downtown garden project

Ryan HenkelGovernment, NewsAsheboro City Council, David Smith, Trevor Nuttall

ASHEBORO – The City of Asheboro took a big step toward beginning a long-planned downtown green-space project. At its regular business meeting earlier this month, the Asheboro City Council accepted a Land and Water Conservation Fund grant award totaling nearly $300,000. The grant will be put toward the David and Pauline Jarrell Center City Garden project, a three-acre public, open space located in walking distance from downtown Asheboro, which has a total projected buildout cost of $1.4 million. “This is a funding source that we began pursuing about two years ago,” assistant city manager Trevor Nuttall said. “That just shows…

11 Dec

Commissioners welcome new member, select Frye to remain as chairman

Ryan HenkelGovernment, NewsDarrell Frye, Kenny Kidd, Randolph County Commissioners

Darrell Frye, center (File photo) ASHEBORO – Darrell Frye will remain chairman of the Randolph County Board of Commissioners after voting during the first meeting of the newly elected board. At its Dec. 2 meeting, the board swore in new commissioner Lester Rivenbark, who replaced Maxton McDowell as the District 5 representative, and re-elected commissioner Kenny Kidd. Frye was selected as chairman of the board and Kidd was elected as vice chairman. “I thank all of you for your support,” Frye said. “I look across this room tonight and I see many faces that have been here and have been…

24 Nov

Standout students, employees recognized by RCSS Board of Education

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

ASHEBORO – The Randolph County Board of Education recognized a few standout performers from across the district at its Nov. 18 regular business meeting. Makayla Eibach, a fifth grade teacher at Ramseur Elementary, was selected as the Outstanding Elementary Math Teacher of the Year for the Randolph County School System. “Each year, the North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the North Carolina Department of Instruction recognize outstanding math teachers in our schools,” said public information officer Amber Ward. “They recognize and reward those teachers who make mathematics exciting, nurture their students’ enthusiasm in mathematics, motivate students to excel…

20 Nov

Asheboro recognized as a top veteran employer

Ryan HenkelGovernment, NewsAsheboro, Asheboro City Council, veterans

ASHEBORO – The City of Asheboro was recognized for its commitment to employing and retaining military veterans as it was awarded a 2024 Gold HIRE Vets Medallion Award. The virtual award ceremony was held Oct. 31 and the board was presented with the information at its Nov. 7 meeting. “The HIRE Vets Program is administered by the US Department of Labor and the acronym stands for Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing Military Veterans,” said human resources generalist Kristen Terry. “This program honors employers who demonstrate exemplary efforts in recruiting, employing and retaining veterans. While we do not have a…

14 Nov

County approves Ramseur’s request for sheriff’s office connection

Ryan HenkelNewspolice, Ramseur, Randolph County Sheriff's Office

ASHEBORO – The Randolph County Board of Commissioners approved various sheriff’s office items, including an agreement between the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office and the Town of Ramseur for the provision of law enforcement services, during a meeting earlier this month. The agreement will pay for five officer and one clerk positions as well as a few additional costs at a total of approximately $478,000, which will be fully reimbursed by the Town of Ramseur. “These additional positions would be utilized to patrol the town, respond to calls for service, conduct crime prevention activities, assist with criminal investigations and provide general…

23 Oct

Randolph County School System receives more than $100,000 in grant funding

Ryan HenkelNewsEducation, Randolph County School System, RCSS, Stephen Gainey

ASHEBORO – The Randolph County School System has found itself with a bit of extra funding. At its Oct. 21 meeting, the RCSS Board of Education approved the acceptance of two grants. The first was a $50,000 Career and Technical Education Grade Expansion grant from the Education and Workforce Innovation Commission. The grant will provide partial funding to support a middle school career development coordinator whose job is to ensure students have a documented career development plan and will support staff with facilitation of each student’s plan. The second grant is a $60,000 Innovation Grant from the North Carolina Department…