Photo Credit: News of Orange[/caption]By: Max Norwood
On February 16, Rosa Williams of the Orange County Schools Board of Education (BOE) passed away after a courageous battle with illness, according to a statement released by Orange County Schools. Williams was honored and remembered at a BOE meeting Monday, February 23 where members reflected on their experiences with her.
She joined the school board only last year, but that short time was still enough to leave a positive impression. Members of the board spoke highly of her and her dedication to the schools. “Even at that moment, she was still concerned about the schools more so than her own self,” Lawrence Sanders said about visiting her when she was ill.
Superintendent Del Burns said, “We all were so sad with her passing. We’ll keep her and her family in our thoughts and our prayers.”
Vice Chair Tony McKnight and the others on the BOE had many kind words for Williams. McKnight led the meeting as board chair Stephen Halkiotis was out due to surgery.
Before joining the Board of Education last July, Williams worked for over 30 years in the business sector, where she said she obtained her leadership experience. She was also an active participant in the Psi Gamma Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
The BOE wants Williams to be remembered as a devoted mother, a voice for the community, and someone who was a voice for students.
“You have to look at the whole child,” Williams said at a candidate forum run by the News of Orange. ‘“That’s what I think is important, the whole student—the home life, the community.”
Williams is survived by her two daughters and grandsons.
Starting on Monday, February 24, at 5:30 pm, Orange High School welcomed all community members to come witness the ribbon cutting of the new Learning Commons, also known as the remodeled media center or library. The Orange County school board, superintendent, OHS principal, OHS associate principals, and those who helped personally with the creation of the Learning Commons attended the event.
Some of the people who were lead facilitators for this project were Shea Mustian, the OHS media specialist, and Tina Walker, the OHS technology facilitator. They both put a lot of time and effort into making the Learning Commons a place that students would love to visit.
The ceremony began at the doors to the new Learning Commons with numerous board members, OCS Superintendent Gerri Martin, OHS Principal Jason Johnson, and Mustian speaking on behalf of those involved in the “exciting project,” as Mustian called it. After everyone had said their part and given their views on the new area, School Media Assistants Emily Cecil and Trinity Graves cut the ribbon so everyone could enter.
Inside, everyone was welcomed to mingle and take a look around at the new bright decor. Old friends caught up and OHS Associate Principal Judith Brantley cut a celebratory cake that was soon enjoyed by everyone.
The new Learning Commons was presented by Mustian as she mentioned the new functional furniture that students can charge their laptops on with retractable plug-ins and the area where “students can work on group projects, and we can have a potential group of students broadcast with,” describing a large new projector screen and software that can edit videos.
The ribbon cutting ceremony had 75 to 80 people attend. Three school board members cut the ribbon and several Habitat For Humanity club members were also there. All of the upper-level carpentry classes attended because they will be the people who build the house and a third grade class came to watch the ribbon cutting.
The house will be built at 529 Tulip Tree Road, Hillsborough, North Carolina. When the house is built, it will go through the same inspections as a general contractor. The foundation is finished and has passed inspection. The classes have started to build the walls in the house.
There will be new additions to the house this year. The classes are thinking about putting in interior trim, crown molding and chair railing when they have most of the house finished.
Mat Hamlett will be teaching all the carpentry classes that build the house. Hamlett said, “I thought it went well.” His classes have built 14 houses and he has been working as a teacher for 30 years. When the classes build a new section of the house, he gives them words to remember when building.