SALINEVILLE — Good news led the Southern Local Board of Education meeting on April 11 and officials said they were pleased with accomplishments made within the schools this past year.

Officials recognized Justus Black, a sixth-grader at Southern Local Elementary and the 2018 Columbiana County Spelling Bee winner. Black was joined by his parents, Dale and Hoi Wah Black of Wellsville. He received a plaque and check from the district to help cover expenses when he attends the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., next month. Superintendent John Wilson congratulated Black on his achievement during the session, noting that Black’s older brother, Silas, was last year’s county bee winner and this year’s first runner-up. On a similar note, Black’s two elder sisters, Jasmine and Harmony, also represented the area at the national bee in 2015 and 2016.

I’d like to recognize Justus Black. He was the county spelling bee winner and will go to Washington,” Wilson said. “Make us proud.”

During building reports, Wilson noted that student Aaron Timms achieved a 32 on the American College Testing and will attend the annual Heads Above the Rest event hosted by the Columbiana County Educational Service Center. Meanwhile, 57 students were participating in College Credit Plus and have earned 380 total semester hours. Wilson noted that advanced placement courses were also gaining momentum.

“One of our goals has been to raise the bar,” he said. “This year, we have four AP courses with 44 students taking part. We want to add AP Chemistry and AP Bio once the teachers earn their certification.”

He continued that assessments would be held over the next few weeks for students in grades 7-12 with Language Arts tests scheduled for April 1, math on April 23 and history, science and government on April 30.

Elementary Principal Kristy Sampson said the school would begin testing over the next week and intervention was wrapping up for grades three to sixth. She added that pre-kindergarten through second-grade students were also working on improving their reading strategies and teachers have undergone professional development training on the subject with more sessions set for May.

“The elementary staff for grades pre-kindergarten to second has been attending reading strategies professional development sessions presented by State Support Team Five to update and sharpen their current strategies for teaching reading as well as develop new strategies. Research shows that it is easier to close reading deficiencies in lower elementary grades with intensive intervention,” said Sampson. “The teachers are learning strategies to strengthen their instruction in phonological awareness. We’re working on filling the tool boxes with new strategies and the teachers are already seeing positive results.”

She outlined the calendar for state assessments, which includes language arts testing for grades three to sixth on April 18 and 20; fifth-grade science on April 25-26; and math for grades 3-6 on May 2-3. Other special dates are field days and musical performances on May 14-18.