Education - Randolph Record

04 Mar

Apprenticeship Randolph seeks new class of students

Bob SuttonNewsApprenticeship Randolph, Education, Randolph Community College, Shah Ardalan

ASHEBORO — The deadline for inclusion in the next round of Apprenticeship Randolph is approaching next week. Last month’s Apprenticeship Randolph Community night scheduled for Randolph Community College’s Corporate Training Center in Asheboro was canceled because of weather-related concerns. While it wasn’t rescheduled, there’s time to apply to be part of the program. “We typically take around 20 students, juniors and seniors,” said Stacey Miller, director of apprenticeships at RCC. Applications for Apprenticeship Randolph are being accepted through March 10. Open houses connected to the program for students and parents continue through the end of this week, with applicants required to…

03 Mar

Security breach draws scrutiny at RCSS school

Bob SuttonNewscrime, Education, Hopewell Elementary School, police, Randolph County School System, Stephen Gainey

TRINITY — The head of the Randolph County School system has vowed that the district will be more attentive to safety issues and he said broken hinges on a door that contributed to an intruder entering a school last week have been repaired. Superintendent Stephen Gainey addressed the incident at Hopewell Elementary School in a message to parents and district residents, apologizing for the high level of anxiety that was created last week. “While the situation did occur, it should never have happened,” Gainey said. “This individual had no business on the campus of Hopewell Elementary School, and definitely didn’t…

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…

24 Feb

School notes: RCSS uses remote days for first time since pandemic

Bob SuttonNewsbus drivers, Education, Randolph County School System, RCSS, Stephen Gainey

ASHEBORO — The first remote learning days of the school year were held last week in the Randolph County School System because of inclement weather. Those sessions came on consecutive days because of weather-related concerns. There were no remote instructional days during the 2023-24 school year for RCSS. Amber Ward, the district’s public information officer, said that prior to last week the last remote days for students came during the pandemic. RCSS superintendent Stephen Gainey said the district had already absorbed five unscheduled days off that had been reserved for such situations this school year. So the next step, he…

01 Feb

RCSS seeks to hire more bus drivers

Bob SuttonNewsbus drivers, Education, Randolph County School System, RCSS, Stephen Gainey

ASHEBORO — The need for bus drivers is ongoing within the Randolph County School System. Superintendent Stephen Gainey said the latest push to attract more drivers isn’t an alarm as much as a reminder that the topic remains on the minds of school administrators. “Our No. 1 job is taking care of children,” Gainey said. “We have to get them to school.” As of last week, there were 26 positions open that include responsibilities as bus drivers. That’s a reduction from a few years ago when the problem became heightened. “It has been a pretty steady need since the pandemic…

24 Jan

REMC awards grants to area educators

Randolph RecordNewsAsheboro City Schools, Education, Randolph County School System, Randolph Electric Membership Corporation

Here’s Jessica Hoffmire with Uwharrie Charter Academy Elementary School students showing the grant certificate from the Randolph Electric Membership Corporation. (REMC photo) ASHEBORO — Five educators in schools in Randolph County are recipients of grants through the Randolph Electric Membership Corporation. Bright Ideas grants support classroom projects in the subjects of agriculture, science, art, music and more in local schools throughout REMC’s service territory. “We commend these educators for striving to make learning fun and engaging,” said Nicole Arnold, REMC's communications and public affairs manager. The grants associated with schools in Randolph County went to: ** Kristen Toscano of South Asheboro Middle School for…

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,…

13 Jan

RCSS parents go on alert with phone snags

Bob SuttonNewsEducation, Randolph County School System, RCSS, Stephen Gainey

ASHEBORO — Officials with the Randolph County School System are working with a new provider to work out snags that have popped up regarding the district’s alert system. Amber Ward, the public information officer for RCSS, said a couple of phone carriers have blocked the number used for the alerts so that messages haven’t reached all their intended audiences. The situation became heightened last week when there were weather-related delays and closures. Ward said RCSS switched during the summer to a different website provider and, as part of that, it has meant a different process for the phone alert system.…

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…

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…