The Covington County Board of Education named Troy Daniel Walden as the band director at Straughn High School, and Victoria Ann Wilson the Pre-K lead teacher at Fleeta Junior High School.

Walden comes to Straughn from Goshen High School, where he has been teaching for nine years. He is a Troy University graduate.

“We are ready to see him step into this position,” SHS Principal Donny Powell said. “I think he was looking to step up into a better program, and we are excited to have someone with experience to try and continue our great program.”

This is the first year Fleeta will have a pre-K program.

Wilson has been teaching at Samson, and Fleeta Principal Seth Richards said that they are very excited to hire someone with her experience.

“We are very glad to be hiring Mrs. Wilson,” Richards said. “She has a lot of spirit. When we were looking at candidates, we wanted someone who would come and stay for a while and I think we found that in her. I think her personality will match that of our staff so I am very excited.”

Richards said that the school sent out surveys to all of the parents to see if there was an interest for a pre-K program.

“We received 15 back and from that 15, 11 have pre-registered,” Richards said. “So far we have started renovations at the school to make sure that we have space for the program.”

Drawing for the pre-K student lottery will begin June 26, with an 18-student limit.

“I think we will definitely meet that number,” Richards said. “We have had so much interest in it.”

The County BOE also:

• accepted the resignation of Beverly K. Geohagan as bookkeeper at Florala High School.
• accepted the resignation of Ronald Dewayne Geohagan as custodian at FHS.
• hired John Dee Bell as band director at FHS.
• hired Susan Anderson Sasser as a lunchroom worker at Red Level High School.
• transferred Donna M. Armstrong from lead nurse at Straughn Elementary School to lead nurse at the Central Office.
• transferred Terri Lea Watson from nurse at SHS to nurse at SES.
• recognized the Straughn High School Envirothon Team that placed third in state competition.
• adopted salary schedules for the 2018-2019 school year.
• amended the superintendent’s contract to include a two and a half increase.
• adopted revisions to the Covington County School’s Code of Conduct to address chronic absenteeism.