schools

County schools extend superintendent’s contract

County schools extend superintendent’s contract

ASHEBORO — The Randolph County Board of Education met Monday and voted to extend the contract of system superintendent Stephen Gainey. The board members said in a release they appreciated the difficulty of navigating the delivery of education during the Covid-19 pandemic and applauded Gainey’s dedication, long hours, and focus during the constantly changing situation. The board extended Gainey's contract through June 30, 2025, and awarded him a salary increase of 4%.
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Randolph County school board calls special meeting on COVID

Randolph County school board calls special meeting on COVID

ASHEBORO — With eight schools currently affected by COVID-19 quarantine protocols due to contact tracing, The Randolph County Board of Education has called a special meeting for Sunday, August 29 at 2pm In an email to the North State Journal, the county’s largest school system said its leaders would meet at the R. Alton Cox Learning Resources Center Auditorium at Randolph Community College, 629 Industrial Park Avenue, Asheboro, for the purpose of discussing the current status of COVID-19 in the Randolph County School System and COVID-19 protocols. The system said Monday that Southeastern Randolph Middle School, Southwestern Randolph high School, Southwestern Randolph Middle School, Randleman…
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RCC cancels live graduation ceremony

RCC cancels live graduation ceremony

ASHEBORO — A planned in-person graduation ceremony at Randolph Community College scheduled for Aug. 27 has been cancelled. The event was intended to celebrate students who completed degree programs in Fall 2020, Spring 2021 and Summer 2021. The ceremony was optional for graduates. The school made the cancellation announcement Monday saying they based their decision on “new information.”
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SWR defeats Chatham Central in ladies golf

SWR defeats Chatham Central in ladies golf

SILER CITY — The Southwestern Randolph Ladies Golf team defeated Chatham Central in varsity golf today with a nine-stroke team win. The match, played over nine holes at the Siler City Country Club, was paced by low-scorer and SWR top seed Lexi Auman who shot a 54. SWR's 2-seed Lindsey Auman shot 56, 3-seed Caiden McDuffie shot 65, and 4-seed Taylor Edwards shot 65. SWR Athletics also announced three changes to the ladies gold schedule on Tuesday: Thursday, August 26 will now be at Asheboro Muncipal vs. Asheboro and Union Pines Wednesday, September 8 will now be at Tot Hill vs.…
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School’s start with some students and staff under quarantine

School’s start with some students and staff under quarantine

ASHEBORO — Schools across Randolph County are back in session this week. Randolph County Schools started Monday and Asheboro City Schools started Tuesday. As of 5 pm Tuesday, Randolph County Schools had 277 students and staff members under COVID-19 quarantine protocols, according to information provided to the North State Journal by the school system. "Our school system uses a Saturday-Friday week for contact tracing with regard to COVID-19 issues.  As a result, from Saturday (8/21/21) to this point in the day on Tuesday (8/24/21), a total of 44 positive COVID-19 cases have been associated with the Randolph County School System,"…
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High scoring first week for county football teams

High scoring first week for county football teams

ASHEBORO — Six of the county’s seven varsity football programs begin the second week of the season undefeated following a high-scoring opening week of high school football. Here’s a look at the game outcomes from the first week of the season. Asheboro Blue Comets 20 Randleman Tigers 7 RANDLEMAN — The Blue Comets of Asheboro shocked the Randleman Tigers Friday night in the season opener for both teams. The in-county rivalry game, which was a non-conference game, pitted two teams coming off vastly different seasons last year. The Blue Comets were 0-7 last season while the Randleman Tigers played an…
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Blue Comets collect early prize

Blue Comets collect early prize

Asheboro pulls opening surprise at Randleman RANDLEMAN — Asheboro’s football team won for the first time in more than 600 days to open the season. Now the Blue Comets will have their sights set on more conquests. After a winless record in seven games when the 2020 season was shifted to this past spring, Asheboro might have been largely dismissed as a factor entering the new campaign. That was far from the case in Friday night’s season-opening 20-7 conquering of Randleman. “We proved that we got the talent,” linebacker / running back Qamelo Butler said. Asheboro plays its home opener…
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Mask wearing is top issue for new school year

Mask wearing is top issue for new school year

ASHEBORO — Gov. Roy Cooper lifted a state requirement for schools to require masks in July, but he is ramping up pressure on local school boards to mandate masks instead. Randolph County Schools was the fifth school system to make masks optional on July 20. Since then, a total of 62 systems voted to make masks optional. In Randolph County, Uwharrie Charter joined the county schools in making masks optional. The Asheboro City Schools held their decision for the school board’s August 12 meeting. Just before the meeting, the school board members received a letter from Cooper urging the school…
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Uwharrie Charter Academy lends support to South Sudan

Uwharrie Charter Academy lends support to South Sudan

Local school digs helping role ASHEBORO — It seems like a world away for Uwharrie Charter Academy seventh graders, but helping people on another continent find fresh water tends to hit home. For the past five years, students in Suzanne Bryant’s classes have raised money in what’s called the Iron Giraffe Challenge to support water for South Sudan. “The students were very interested,” Bryant said. “Probably close to 700 students have been involved.” That’s because members of the first group to take part in the project have just entered their senior year at the school. Because the school has sent…
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City schools will require masks

City schools will require masks

ASHEBORO — Following a last-minute plea from Gov. Roy Cooper, the Asheboro City School Board voted Thursday to require all students within the school system to wear masks as the 2021-22 school year opens. The divided board voted 6-3 to require masks. Board members Ryan Patton, Archie Priest, and Gidget Kidd voted to make mask wearing optional. In a letter to the board dated August 12, 2021, signed by Gov. Roy Cooper, DHHS Sec. Mandy Cohen, and State Health Director Betsey Tilson, state officials urged the board to mandate masks wearing for all students and teachers, regardless of vaccine status.…
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