Montgomery Co. teacher suspended after gun found in classroom

Montgomery Co. teacher suspended after gun found in classroom

TROY — A high school teacher was suspended without pay after a search of his classroom found a loaded gun, knives and ammunition. Jason Hensley, 47, was suspended by Montgomery County Schools. A search of Hensley's desk at Montgomery Central High School turned up a loaded .380-caliber handgun. An additional investigation of the classroom turned up concealed knives and ammunition. Hensley, who is a health-science teacher, is a part-time police officer with the town of Mount Gilead. While he may have been in violation of school system policy, there was nothing illegal about having the gun in the classroom.
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Book controversy heads to school board

Book controversy heads to school board

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) Board members Holmes and Levy both have objections to “George.” RALEIGH — The controversial book “George” remains on the library shelves in two of the district’s schools while a complaint filed over the book heads to the Moore County school board. The book, written by Alex Gino, has been considered controversial for its transgender storyline of a fourth-grade boy…
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Three county students named Park Scholarship finalists

Three county students named Park Scholarship finalists

RALEIGH — Three Moore County seniors have been named finalists for N.C. State's top merit scholarship. Natham Timothy Auman of Union Pines, Molly Sue Smith of North Moore and Ethan Alexander Spain of Pinecrest were named finalists for the Park Scholarship. The Park Scholarships program announced Friday that 112 finalists were named from 2,260 applicants from across the United States. Nathan Timothy Auman, son of Bryan and Stephanie Auman, is from Jackson Springs. Auman will graduate from Union Pines High School where he is the commanding officer of the Navy JROTC, editor-in-chief of the yearbook and core leader of Student2Student.…
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Vass charter school to phase out high school

Vass charter school to phase out high school

The Sandhills Theatre Arts Renaissance School of Vass, known as STARS Charter, will phase out its high school program citing declining student numbers. The school said their enrollment numbers did not meet expectations and the high school caused a budget deficit. Executive Director Wes Graner said in a January 9 letter to parents that “if things continue as they are, which I clearly believe they will, or I would not have started this process, I have the following concern for our entire school’s future.”
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REMC awards $14,000 to teachers for ‘Bright Ideas’

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

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.…
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SWR captures 2A state volleyball championship

SWR captures 2A state volleyball championship

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…
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County schools use federal COVID education funds for bonuses

County schools use federal COVID education funds for bonuses

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…
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High turnout, GOP ground game impacts contested municipal races

High turnout, GOP ground game impacts contested municipal races

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…
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Randolph County School Board votes to remove mask requirement

Randolph County School Board votes to remove mask requirement

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…
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Four soccer teams to start states at home

Four soccer teams to start states at home

Uwharrie Charter Academy's Max DeNamur takes a shot on goal against Wheatmore during their conference soccer game last month in Asheboro. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL ASHEBORO — Four boys’ soccer teams from Randolph County schools will open the state playoffs with home games Monday. Asheboro tops the list as a No. 4 seed in the West Region bracket for Class 3-A. The Blue Comets (14-1-3) take on North Lincoln in the first round. Asheboro gained the top spot for seeding out of the Mid-Piedmont Conference after it tied with Ledford in the regular season. Both teams had 8-0-2 records, though…
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