In what is becoming an annual rite of passage, the Franklin County Board of Education approved an out-of-state trip for the Tharptown High School Rocketry Team to once again travel to The Plains, Va., to compete in the American Rocketry Challenge National Championship.
Tharptown will attempt to defends its 2024 national championship, which allowed the team to advance to the International Rocketry Challenge where it finished second. The national competition will take place May 15-19.
The board also approved out-of-state trips for East Franklin Junior High School’s 9th grade to visit Pigeon Forge May 13-15, Tharptown Elementary School Ambassadors to visit Chattanooga on May 6, Vina grades 1-3 to visit the Tupelo Buffalo Park and Zoo on May 9.
The approvals were part of the agenda at the April 15, 2025, Franklin County Board of Education meeting. Other agenda items considered by the board included:
—approving an agreement between the board, the Franklin County Commission and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office to employ Brian Vickery as School Resource Officer from April 7-September 30, 2025. He will work the Belgreen campus as the previous SRO resigned to take another position last month.
—receiving an update from Superintendent of Education Greg Hamilton on the project that will see turf installed at the Belgreen, Tharptown and Vina High School softball fields. A pre-construction meeting was held April 17th and once work begins on the installation, the contractor will be working under a 250-day contract to complete the job.
—Personnel items including: RETIREMENT: Sandra Sparks, bus driver Career Tech route and Vina High School, Ryan Swinney, PCHS teacher, Andrea Sornberger, health science instructor Career Tech, Renee Fretwell, Child Nutrition Program Manager Tharptown, Sherry Collins, Child Nutrition Program Manager Red Bay, Shelia Hellums, Child Nutrition Program Assistant, Red Bay, Marsha Inmon, THS teacher, Ladana Haley, Child Nutrition Program Assistant, East Franklin, Freda Massey, Child Nutrition Program Assistant, Red Bay, Sherry Isbell, TES teacher, Cindy Dobbs, Child Nutrition Program Assistant, Belgreen.
RESIGNATION: Jamie Shewbart, Child Nutrition Program Assistant, Red Bay, Michael Murray, Bus Shop Mechanic, Julianna Taylor, teacher and head volleyball coach Phil Campbell High School. EMPLOYMENT: Bryan Jimenez, temporary Spanish/ELL teacher, Franklin County Schools, Cody Johnson, Bus Mechanic, Abby Ward, varsity girls basketball coach Tharptown. PERSONAL LEAVE OF ABSENCE: Stephanie Humphrey, Special Education Aide at Vina, 2025-26 school year. NEW TEACHER SUBSTITUTES: Courtney Todd Cummings, retroactive to April 7, 2025. CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAM SUBSTITUTES: Lori Johnson, retroactive to March 14, 2025.
The next regular meeting of the FCBOE will be May 20, 2025, with work session at 4p.m., and meeting to follow.
