Education - Randolph Record

27 Apr

Community College report shows major economic impact

Randolph RecordGovernment, Statecommunity college, economy, Education, Randolph Community College, RCC

RALEIGH — A comprehensive new economic impact analysis finds that North Carolina’s 58 Community Colleges have a $19 billion annual impact on the state’s economy and supports more than 320,000 jobs across the state. The economic impact study found for every dollar the state invests in North Carolina’s Community Colleges, the state gains $7.50 in added incomes and social savings. The colleges generate nearly double the revenue from what they take in from the taxpayers. For every $1 the state invests, taxpayers get $1.90 back in added tax revenues and public sector savings, according to the study. “The Community College…

20 Feb

Virtual Academy student wins Randolph County spelling bee

Randolph RecordGovernment, NewsEducation, schools, Spelling Bee

Marcie Rudzinski of the Virtual Academy after spelling the final word “primordial” winning the Randolph County Schools Spelling Bee at Randleman Elementary school in Randleman on February 15th, 2022. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL RANDLEMAN — Maycie Rudzinski of The Virtual Academy at Randolph was the winner of Randolph County School System’s District Spelling Bell on Tuesday at Randleman Middle School. Rudzinski, a seventh-grader, emerged from a field of 25 entrants. She spelled “primordial” – meaning existing at or from the beginning of time -- correctly to clinch the victory. “I wasn’t expecting it,” Rudzinski said of winning and the opportunity…

11 Feb

Asheboro City Schools drops mask mandate

Randolph RecordNewsEducation, masks, schools

ASHEBORO — On the day North Carolina's Speaker of the House called for an end to K-12 masking and quarantine policies, Asheboro City Schools took a first step. In a 10-1 vote, the city schools voted Thursday night to drop mask requirements. The change will go into effect Feb. 21. Randolph County Schools dropped mask rules in November. The Union County School Board voted this week to end contact tracing and quarantines. Randolph County had previously voted to limit contact tracing by school system personnel in November. School Board member Fred Burgess championed the move to report positive cases to…

02 Feb

Moore County book controversy heads to school board

A.P. DillonNewsbooks, Education, library, schools

Alex Gino on September 15, 2016 in front of the Haus der Berliner Festspiele in Berlin during their participation at the section International Children´s and Young Adult Literature of the 16th International Literature Festival Berlin. (Christoph Rieger | CC BY-SA 4.0) RALEIGH — The controversial book “George” remains on the library shelves in two of Moore County's public schools while a complaint filed over the book heads to the Moore County Public Schools board. The book, written by Alex Gino, has been considered controversial for its transgender storyline of a fourth-grade boy who believes he is a girl named Melissa.…

28 Jan

SWR senior is NC State scholarship finalist

Randolph RecordNewsEducation, Kaitlyn Gainey, Park Scholarship, schools, SWR

RALEIGH — An Asheboro student has been named a finalist for N.C. State's top merit scholarship. Kaitlyn Ann Gainey, a senior at Southwestern Randolph High School, has been named a finalist for the Park Scholarship. The Park Scholarships program announced that 112 finalists were named from 2,260 applicants from across the United States. Gainey, who Randolph Record's Athlete of the Week in October, is the daughter of Stephen and Kelly Gainey of Asheboro. She is currently student body president at SWR and was named homecoming queen in 2021. Gainey is her school's Beta Club chapter president and a member of…

15 Dec

REMC awards $14,000 to teachers for ‘Bright Ideas’

Randolph RecordBusiness, NewsEducation, schools

ASHEBORO — Randolph Electric Membership Corporation recently honored educators by awarding $14,000 in Bright Ideas education grants to twelve local educators. “Randolph EMC is committed to making our communities stronger. One way we accomplish that is by investing in education,” said Nicole Arnold, Communications and Public Affairs Manager for REMC. “For almost 30 years, Randolph Electric has provided grants to local schools. We commend these educators for continually striving to create classrooms conducive to innovation.” Bright Ideas grants, sponsored by Randolph EMC and North Carolina’s electric cooperatives, are available to teachers for hands-on projects that would not otherwise be funded.…

06 Nov

SWR captures 2A state volleyball championship

Randolph RecordSportsCougars, Education, schools, sports, SWR, volleyball

The Southwestern Randolph Cougars hold the state championship banner after their win against Camden County Bruins in the 2A State Championship volleyball match at Valvano Arena at Historic Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, NC on November 6th, 2021. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL RALEIGH -- The Cougars of Southwestern Randolph are once again state champions in volleyball. The Cougars faced a Camden County Bruins team that was undefeated and had only lost one set all season. The Cougars started quickly at Reynolds Coliseum on the campus of NC State Saturday with a first set win. The Bruins came back to tie the…

03 Nov

County schools use federal COVID education funds for bonuses

Bob SuttonGovernment, News, PoliticsCOVID, Education

Randolph County Schools employees will receive $5,000 RALEIGH — Some North Carolina school boards have announced they will use federal COVID-19 relief funds to give bonuses to educators. The Randolph County Public School System will pay every employee a $5,000 bonus, according to a resolution adopted by the school board on Oct. 25. The resolution described the bonuses as “retention” and “premium pay.” Alamance County schools are giving full and part-time employees a $3,000 bonus while Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools employees will get a $1,400 bonus. According to the American Rescue Plan’s ESSER "FAQ," a district can use federal Elementary and…

02 Nov

High turnout, GOP ground game impacts contested municipal races

Randolph RecordGovernment, News, PoliticsAsheboro, Education, local, schools

Hailey Lee, left, and current Asheboro School board member Gidget Kidd react to Lee winning a seat on the Asheboro City School board Tuesday, November 2, 2021 (The North State Journal) ASHEBORO — Municipal races in Randolph County are technically non-partisan races but the presence of partisan poll workers and field operations in this year's Asheboro races proved that politics is rarely without partisan influence. In this year's race for Asheboro City School board, the county Republican Party endorsed four candidates and sent mailers on behalf of their preferred candidates. Those four candidates — incumbents Baxter Hammer and Beth Knott…

02 Nov

Randolph County School Board votes to remove mask requirement

Randolph RecordNewsCOVID, Education, masks, masks COVID, schools

ASHEBORO — In a special meeting focused on mask rules, the Randolph County School Board has voted to end mandatory mask wearing. The mandate had been in place since the start of the school year. Prior to the school year starting, the county's largest school system had made masks optional. However, after pressure from Governor Roy Cooper — who had removed a statewide mask mandate for schools — the board reversed course just before students returned. The change at the county's largest school system came on election night where GOP-backed candidates swept the four open seats for the Asheboro City…