By Pat Culverhouse
Holidays were a little brighter for a large group of Webster Parish students and their families, thanks to special events staged during the Christmas season.
Ursula Hullaby, Community Liaison and Safe Schools Coordinator for the Webster Parish school system, reported to the school board Monday that 32 students participated in the Shop with a Hero event sponsored by Walmart.
“Each student and family was given a $100 shopping spree at Walmart and they were accompanied by local police, firefighters and other first responders,” Hullaby told school board members. “And the store manager gave additional funds. It was a great event.”
Hullaby said an area church also served dinners and provided stockings for the holiday to a group of students at Central Elementary.
Superintendent of Schools Johnny Rowland told board members the staff was keeping a careful eye on reports of impending winter weather in the region.
“Based on the information we have so far, the inclement weather is expected to arrive sometime Thursday evening and continue into Friday morning,” Rowland said. “We’re staying in touch with the Sheriff and Mr. (Brian) Williams at Homeland Security and we’ll make our decisions on what we know as we receive more information.”
Board members also granted travel requests to schools and school system officials. Requests approved were:
• E.S. Richardson Elementary fifth grade students will travel to NASA in Houston, Texas Monday, May 12 through Tuesday, May 13 to attend Stars & Set, program. Funds will come from Title 1, fundraising and/or parent payments.
• One administrator and three teachers from Browning Elementary School, North Webster Jr. High principal Gwenzetta Bradford and three faculty members plus one instructional coach from Webster Jr. High School will attend the 2025 NIET Conference in Washington, D.C. Feb. 27-28. Funding source is Title 1.
Payments totaling $102,107.65 from various school system funds were also approved Monday. Those include:
• Consolidated 3 Maintenance Fund: $22,238.12. Largest payment of $19,668.12 for 12 Slimline Desktop PCs at Lakeside Jr/Sr High School.
• Cotton Valley Maintenance Fund: $1,060 for cleaning boilers inside and out at North Webster Upper Elementary.
• Doyline Maintenance Fund: $350 for insulation work at Doyline High School gymnasium.
• District 6 One-half cent Sales Tax Fund: $49,197.03. Top expenditures include $14,757 for boiler contract at Minden High School (year two of three year contract); $8,800 for leak check on one chiller, repair other at Webster Jr. High School; $8,523.65 for changing actuator valves in two rooms, washing evaporator coils and changing bearings at Minden High School; $7,592.03 to replacing reheat valve actuators in two rooms, calibrate zone sensor and replace chilled water valve actuators, replace belts on three air handling units in boys football locker room at Minden High School.
• Springhill Maintenance Fund: $29,262.50. Payments include $12,547 to replace commercial water heater at North Webster High School; $7,525.50 to replace outdated phone system Browning Elementary School; $4,070 for cleaning boilers inside and out, PM kits for two boilers at North Webster High School; $1,900 for sale of compressor to Brown Upper Elementary School.