Written by Tim Gardner
Michelle Craige Barnop was sworn in as the newest member of the Avery County Board of Education on Tuesday evening, March 12, at the school board's regular monthly meeting held at the school system's central office in Newland.
In addition to Burnop, all other board members attended the meeting, including Chairman John Green, Vice Chair Kathy Aldridge, Pat Edwards and Randy Singleton, as well as Superintendent Dr. Dan Brigman.
In Avery's nonpartisan school board election held on March 5, Burnop received the most votes with 2,261 votes. Second place went to Linda Webb with 1,885 votes. David Wright followed in third place. He received 1,781 votes. Casey Lee placed fourth with 1,454 votes. Jason Coleman came in fifth place with 987 votes. Ivy Vance Stafford received 600 votes and placed 6th. Jeffrey Keller followed in seventh place with 501 votes. Scott Stanford came in 8th place with 455 votes.
Mr. Webb and Mr. Wright joined Mr. Burnop in winning three open seats on the school board.
There were also 48 write-in votes to the Board of Education.
Mr. Burnop was a longtime teacher in the Avery County Public School System, retiring after 21 years of service. She was named Avery County Teacher of the Year in 2011.
In the school board election, those who win the primary election are automatically elected and do not need to run in the November general election. Additionally, there are no runoffs or secondary primaries in the nonpartisan North Carolina Board of Education elections. That is, candidates do not need to win a certain number of votes to avoid a runoff or second primary.
The Avery School Board normally has five members, but until Burnop was appointed after former school board member Ruth Shirley resigned in June 2022, there were only four members. Current board members could not agree on who to replace Shirley in several internal votes, each ending in a 2-2 deadlock. A 4-0 or 3-1 majority vote was required to appoint a new member.
However, the current Board of Education members, at their regular monthly meeting on December 12, 2023, voted unanimously 4-0 to appoint the candidate who received the most votes in the public election to become the Board of Education member. He decided to take up the position in March to fill the vacancy. His regular term begins this summer. Mr. Burnop was therefore sworn in this month.
She will continue to fill Shirley's former school board seat for the next four months.
“On behalf of the entire Avery County Schools community, I would like to warmly welcome Mrs. Burnop as our new school board member,” Dr. Brigman said. “We are thrilled to welcome her to our Board of Directors in our mission to provide excellent education and support to our students. Her dedication to our students, staff, and school shines brightly.” We deeply appreciate her dedication. Her passion for education and willingness to donate her time and expertise is truly admirable.”
The superintendent added: Barnop's presence is highly valued. We look forward to working with her and benefiting from her vision and leadership as she pioneers her positive attitude and support for our school community. ”
Mr. Burnop expressed his deep gratitude for being elected to the Board of Education.
“I am very grateful for the confidence that the voters of this county have shown in me, and I will do everything in my power to ensure that our school system excels in every way,” she said.
high country press We will be publishing an in-depth article with Ms. Burnop soon about her goals and objectives for the school system as a member of the school board.
After filling Shirley's vacancy, Mr. Burnop, along with Mr. Webb and Mr. Wright, will begin serving the school board's regular four-year term on July 9 and will be sworn in at the school board meeting that month. It will be done.
Green and Aldridge's terms expire this year, but neither ran for re-election to the board. Singleton and Edwards' terms run through 2026.
Avery County Board of Elections officials will conclude their campaign operations on Friday, March 15th. The voting results will then be certified and made official. This includes the Avery School Board election.
A voting canvas overturns an election result because the vote totals among the top runners are very close (usually within a few votes) and are different from the numbers originally established after the election and before the canvass ends in a recount. Only if different results are shown. But Mr. Burnop received 376 more votes than the second-place candidate (Mr. Webb), 480 more votes than the third-place candidate (Mr. Wright), and at least 800 more votes than any other candidate.
New Board officers (Chairman or Chairman and Vice-Chairman or Vice-Chairman) will be elected by a vote of the Board members at the July meeting following the swearing-in of Mr. Burnop, Mr. Webb and Mr. Wright.
Other school board meetings on March 12 recognized various students and contributors to the county school system.
The following Avery County High School wrestling team members and head coach Matthew Dunn were recognized at the Board of Education meeting for their team and individual accomplishments in the individual/team-wide state championship tournament.
*Alexander Ikal Tiuru, 106 pounds, state qualifier
*Cooper Foster, 113-pound state champion. He held off Adair Panama of Robbinsville in 1 minute, 49 seconds to win the 113-pound weight class. Foster is a two-time state champion.
*132-pound state champion Benjamin Jordan defeated Lejeune's James Campos with a 9-2 decision. He is a three-time state champion and the 2023-2024 Western Highlands 2-A, 1-A Conference Wrestler of the Year.
*Grant Reese, 138-pound state qualifier. Reese, a senior, celebrated his prep career 100 pins in the first round of the dual state tournament two weeks before the state individual/all-around team championships and would have won the state championship this season if he hadn't already. would have been the most likely candidate. He was injured just before the tournament started.
*Kenneth Pritz, 144-pound state champion. He won the 144-pound title with a 5-1 decision over Stephen Livestello of Tarboro.
*Mason Bentley, state runner-up at 150 pounds. The junior was also named Most Outstanding Wrestler at the 2024 Western Highland Conference Tournament, where Avery won his eighth straight championship.
*Kail Dunn 175-pound state champion. He is a two-time state champion, winning the 2024 state title with a pinfall victory over Rosewood's Ryan DeLoach in 1 minute, 10 seconds.
*Grayson Hoylman (Junior) 285-pound State Placer
Cael Dunn (55-0), Foster (53-0) and Pritz (52-0) all finished the season undefeated. Dan is a second year student. Foster and Pritz are juniors.
Jordan, a senior, finished the season with just one loss (50-1).
Avery finished second to Robbinsville in the individual/all-team state championship tournament with a score of 124.5 to 114.5.
Avery was also state runner-up to Uwharrie Charter in the dual team state championship with a score of 36-33.
*Lily Flores
Wrestlers compete against each other at all classification levels (1-A, 2-A, 3-A, and 4-A), with one girls state overall champion team from all levels of competition crowned from the individual/overall team tournament. I did. A). The year 2024 saw the first women's NCHSAA State Individual/Team Championship Tournament, with Avery sophomore Lily Flores making history by becoming the first female wrestler from Western North Carolina to compete in the state championship match. She placed second in the 152-pound weight class at 1-A.
Dr. Brigman declared: “Our wrestling program has brought tremendous recognition to our high school, school system, and county and has given us tremendous pride. I salute all the wrestlers, coaches and everyone else who contributed to the success of our great wrestling program.”
The school board also commended King Orvosh for showing exceptional character and kindness to the youth of Swain County during wrestling matches this season.
Dr. Brigman commented on Orvosh's actions: “Swain's acts of character and kindness like Orvosh's in helping young people have the power to positively impact the world and help make it a better place.”
Other students were also recognized by the school board during the meeting.
*Erica Ralston participated in the Northwest District All-Region Band Audition on March 9th and successfully earned a spot in the band. She secured the 10th chair out of 104 auditioners from across the district, but missed out on qualifying for the state band by just four chairs.
Dr. Brigman said of Ralst's accomplishments: The audition process is known to be rigorous and stressful, and Erica's success speaks volumes about her dedication and perseverance. Her accomplishments not only reflect her excellence at Cranberry Middle School, but also highlight the promising trajectory of the Avery County Brass Band program.
“Erica's determination and talent shine through, serving as an inspiration to her peers and a testament to the quality of music education in our community. We applaud her efforts and celebrate her well-deserved success.” .”
*Mathilda Gragg, a student at Banner Elk Elementary School, won the overall first place in the 2024 Countywide Elementary School Amazing Shake Contest.
Dr. Brigman said: So, on behalf of our school system and all of Avery County, we would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to Matilda. ”
Equally deserving of recognition was Emsley Townsend, the overall winner of the countywide Middle School Amazing Shake competition.
“Mr. Emsley should be congratulated for his accomplishment in winning the county's Middle School Amazing Shake Contest,” Dr. Brigman said. “Mslie and everyone else who competed showed great talent and skill and I can be most proud of their performance.”
Second place for Amazing Shake was Catalina Marriott and third place went to Parker Oakley and Luke Johnson.
*In addition, the school system's 20023 Fourth Quarter Friends of Education Award was presented by Green and Dr. Brigman to the county's nonprofit food pantry, Feeding Avery Families.
“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Feeding Avery Families for the staff's invaluable support to our students, families, and community,” said Dr. Brigman. “Their unwavering commitment to helping children in need is truly admirable. , Community Outreach/Latino Initiatives Coordinator Vanessa Benavides Phillips, and all of the organization's volunteers for their outstanding dedication and service. Their efforts are extraordinary. Not!”
(Photo courtesy of Avery County Schools)