Key Club members recognized at school board meeting

The Durant High School Key Club was recognized for their achievements during a recent meeting of the Durant Board of Education.

Key Club International is the largest high school service organization in the world that empowers its memberstoleadandserveby cultivating leadership skills, developing friendships, and performing community service, according to the organization’s website. The Durant High School chapter is part of the Texas-Oklahoma District and K.E.Y stands for Kiwanis Educating Youth.

The Kiwanis Club of Durant sponsors the local club. The organization works alongside schools and businesses to provide community service projects that include helping elementary schools, nursing homes and the homeless. Student officers of the club plan meetings and events every month.

Alicia Farley is the Key Club advisor and she introduced Key Club officers Canaan Burkett, Damaris Acosta and Kinsley James.

“I am seriously proud of these young ladies,” Farley said. “All of the Key Clubs in Texas and Oklahoma meet, usually in the Dallas or Denton area, and they have a leadership conference and they also compete for the number of service hours they do. It was a big competition and these three young ladies gathered and collected evidence of being good officers, so they were organized and they did their jobs as president, webmaster and secretary to the point where they were awarded an outstanding officer award. There are only four or five that are awarded that out of all 300 clubs. So, that’s a really big deal. I’m very proud of them.”

Farley said all three students are juniors, so they will be with the club again next school year.

“I’m looking forward their leadership,” Farley said. “They have the desire to serve their community and I think that you will be watching these three young ladies in the future, not just at Durant High School, but in our community.”

Farley also mentioned that Burkett and Nicole Wingfield wrote a Youth Opportunities Fund grant, so they will receive funds and Key Club is planning a diaper/blanket drive for the Durant Pregnancy Center.

“That’s a service project that we’re going to have coming up probably about September,” Farley said. “If you do not follow all of the wonderful things that they do on their Facebook or Instagram account, you should really watch because they’re serving our community every single month.”

Superintendent Duane Merideth praised the Key Club.

“Miss Farley, thank you for your sponsorship of this group and all you do and young ladies, thank you for all you do and what you’re going to do,” Merideth said. “We appreciate you very much.“ School board member Joyce Northcutt said, “I’ve been to a few things where you all have been out there working and it just changes the whole atmosphere because they’re just so thrilled to be out there. You know, serving your community isn’t something that’s just going to happen right now. It’s going to continue on for the rest of your lives and I want to think that we need more people out there that are serving the community. So, thank you very much for everything that you do.”

Merideth said The Fellowship of Christian Athletes announced their 2024 Allstate selections.

“We have two members that were selected by Fellowship of Christian Athletes as Allstaters and that’s Colby Marlow and Scott Mendez,” Merideth said. “So, congratulations to those two.”

Work is ongoing on the new agriculture building at Durant High School and a construction update was presented during the meeting.

According to information provided in a flyer by Claycomb Associates, Architects, work on the foundation and site utilities is ongoing. Most of the underground utilities are in place and though the large amount of rain has delayed the project a little, it is still expected to be completed by January 2025. The facility will be 11,000 square feet.

A $700 stipend in June for support personnel was approved by the board.

The board accepted the following resignations: Kylee Sloan, DHS speech/ debate instructor; Cassidy Ringels, DMS seventhgrade ELA instructor; Deborah Layton, DHS computer technology instructor; Kelly Briley, WI special education instructor; Jackie Sternberger, certified teacher; Brandon Martin, intermediate school; Susie McIntire. administration assistant (retirement); Toni Strange, DHS secretary; Melissa Lilley, DHS special education teacher assistant, and Debra Crites, LPC for Durant School District.

The following employments were approved by the board: Zachary Morgan, DHS aviation/STEM director; Eva Fryrear, DHS math instructor; Natalie Weaver, DHS speech/debate/ drama instructor; Caitlin Hall, DHS certified school counselor; Ronnie Jo Rodgers, DMS special education instructor; Sarah Franklin, DMS ELA instructor (transferring from WI); Elisha Puana, DIS fifth-grade math/science instructor; Micha Tennison, DIS fifth-grade math/science instructor; Jayna Hearn, DIS fifth-grade math/science instructor; Glorimary Rivera-Martinez, WI music instructor; Anna Carey, WI fifth-grade instructor; Mickayla Freeze, WI kindergarten instructor; Carrie Sorrels, NWH kindergarten instructor; Amy Holland, DHS secretary; Marisa Browder, DHS choir assistant; Jama Hamilton, DMS choir assistant; Tanya Hilbert, DIS computer lab assistant; Maylin Watson, GW teacher assistant; Ericka Puentes, REL prekindergarten teacher assistant; Diana Windle, DHS Spanish instructor, and Lynette Bourne, DHS summer school instructor.

The following contracts were renewed for the 20242025 school year: Terry Bourne, district Asbestos coordinator, and Leah Nabors, student assistance coordinator.