Supporters of the waiver request, which had come from high school principals, said teenagers emotional and mental health problems rising from the pandemic could only get worse if they re denied sports. The waiver, which passed in a 5-2 vote, was supported by the four board members who are current or retired educators. I can tell you teachers and coaches are such a big part of these kids lives, said Dot Case, a retired civics teacher at North Henderson High School. I just don t think we should jerk that out from under the kids that want to play sports.
Kathy Revis, a retired schoolteacher and administrator, argued for the waiver.
Looking back: Henderson County s top stories in 2020
The past year managed to bring both hardships and victories to Henderson County.
Countless lives have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with thousands of reported cases, nearly 100 deaths, and many people losing their jobs due to the economic fallout from the pandemic.
The community lost some of its beloved leaders, including Henderson County Commissioner Charlie Messer, who died suddenly in July; former Fletcher Mayor Bill Moore; and Sheriff s Office deputy Ryan Hendrix, who was killed in the line of duty in September.
Some light has come out of 2020, from developments bringing jobs and housing to the county to increased calls for social justice and a focus on equality.
Jesuit Fr. Gerard Manley Hopkins (Wikimedia Commons)
The best professor I ever had was Jesuit Fr. Ignatius Burrill who taught us English at Mundelein Seminary and introduced me to Jesuit Fr. Gerard Manley Hopkins.
To paraphrase Gale Sayers in his salute to Brian Piccolo at the end of Brian s Song I love Gerard Manley Hopkins and I d like all of you to love him, too. Especially this Christmastime. But first, let me introduce you.
Hopkins, an English convert to Catholicism under the mentorship of John Henry (later Cardinal) Newman, was born in 1844 and died of typhoid at age 44 after a futile career as a priest and poet. Today, he is recognized as the greatest Catholic poet since Dante Alighieri, and to many is a saint.
Craven was re-elected to a second term on the board on Nov. 3 when voters also put Kathy Revis, Robert Bridges and Stacey Caskey on the board. The board voted unamimously for Craven as chair. After Jay Egolf nominated Holt as vice chair, Caskey nominated Revis, who declined. The board then elected Holt as chair.
Board members thanked the school community for its support after a 13-year-old boy shot a 12-year-old classmate in the leg in the gym where students gather before homeroom. The girl recovered and is back in school now.
“Everybody came together and nobody felt unsafe, that I’ve heard from, about the particular incident, Craven said. We will be looking further into what we can do as a board to make our students and families feel even safer.”