IRMO — Four days after announcing her resignation through tears, the superintendent for Chapin and Irmo-area schools assured graduating seniors they were prepared for whatever their futures held.
“This class has not only risen to the challenge, this class has exceeded the challenge," Lexington-Richland Five Superintendent Christina Melton told the 250 graduates of Irmo High on the school's football field.
"This class has defied the odds,” Melton, her voice strong and resonant, said to cheers June 18.
The congratulatory remarks were similar to those she's given more than a dozen graduating classes since her tenure began in 2017. But they'll be among the last she’ll deliver as head of the 17,500-student district she'll leave at month’s end. Her last graduation speech to the Class of 2021 will be June 19 at Dutch Fork High School.
Details around Melton’s departure include allegations by long-time trustee Ed White that the state's 2022 Superintendent of the Year was forced out of her job after board members crafted a secret settlement that White said he wouldn’t sign. Instead, he resigned and walked out of the June 14 meeting about 20 minutes before Melton said she was stepping down.
Neither side has offered a public explanation for the separation.
Melton's decision came as a shock to many in this tight-knit but growing suburban Columbia-area school district. At the graduation ceremony, many students who spent much of their schooling under Melton’s watch said they’re still reeling from the news.
“Coming back to school after the decision was made, it was very sad. Hearts are hurting for Dr. Melton, because she's done phenomenal things for our district and it's just not fair, the treatment she's been getting,” said junior Laken Robinson, who had Melton as her first principal.
The morning after Melton said she was leaving, Robinson ordered craft-supplies online and made 300 sunflower pins that students and faculty wore at the graduation ceremony.
Melton adopted the flower as her logo when she became superintendent in 2017, along with her motto: “Know Thy Impact,” which she credited to world renowned education professor John Hattie.
“Every moment, each of us choose whether to have a positive impact, a negative impact or a neutral impact,” said Melton, who spent five years as an elementary school principal in the district before moving into administration in 2012. “This class has made a positive impact on the Irmo community and to Lexington-Richland Five.”
A special school board meeting has been set for 5:30 p.m. June 22 to choose Melton's interim replacement, who will step into that role July 1.
"popular" - Google News
June 18, 2021 at 11:15PM
https://ift.tt/3wEYasl
Popular resigning Columbia-area superintendent gives pep talk to Class of 2021 - Charleston Post Courier
"popular" - Google News
https://ift.tt/33ETcgo
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Popular resigning Columbia-area superintendent gives pep talk to Class of 2021 - Charleston Post Courier"
Posting Komentar