Whitley County Board of Education honors welding program, teachers

Robert Halcomb, The Times-Tribune, Corbin, Ky.
·2 min read

May 22—WHITLEY COUNTY — The Whitley County Board of Education honored several members of their school district at Thursday's regular board meeting.

For the month of April, the Whitley County Board of Education presented welding instructor Ryan Moore with the Above and Beyond Award, which honors a member of the Whitley County School District faculty for their dedication and hard work.

Moore received the award for not only spearheading the establishment of the welding program, but also for holding night classes for non-students to learn welding and for encouraging his students to take part in welding competitions where they could earn scholarships.

In addition to honoring Moore, the board of education also honored four of his welding students, who each placed at the Kentucky Welding Institute Bluegrass Challenge.

Blake Bowery placed 2nd; Mason Rose placed 3rd; Ty Hamblin placed 6th; and Isaac Saylor placed 7th.

Each student present was awarded with a custom Whitley County-themed work shirt. In addition to being stylish, the shirts are also practical — being made of heat-resistant material, which makes them ideal for welding.

Each student who placed also won a scholarship to the Kentucky Welding Institute, though amounts varied based on placement.

Superintendent John Siler noted, "These kids are going to get trained and make significant amounts of money...These are high-paying jobs."

Additionally, the Whitley County Board of Education presented the May Above and Beyond Award to Whitley County Intermediate teachers Elizabeth Kidd and Crystal Little, which marked the first "double award" in the history of the Above and Beyond Award.

Kidd and Little were nominated by the grandparent of a 5th grader who attends the Whitley County Intermediate School (WCIS).

In the email sent to Supt. Siler, the grandparent noted that Kidd and Little helped her grandson regain his confidence and ability after falling behind his grade level for various reasons.

Now that he is thriving, the grandparent thought it fitting that both Kidd and Little should be honored for their commitment to teaching.

In addition to the email, WCIS Principal Susan Brashear spoke at the meeting — highlighting the accomplishments of both teachers. She noted that Mrs. Kidd often goes out of her way to provide Christmas gifts to children who would otherwise not receive any; visit her students in the hospital; and more. She also noted that Mrs. Little could "create a song to teach anyone about anything...and they're good songs!"