At the regular school board meeting held Monday, April 17, 2017, Superintendent Dr. James Carter, Sr. presented an update on some of the initiatives introduced this current school year. His report included the following summaries:
Eutaw Primary: The Eutaw Primary School Chess Club provides students an introduction to the game of chess. Students are able to view videos on playing chess. Dr. Carter pointed out that this is a significant approach to teaching critical thinking skills in young students.
School wide action plans in the areas of reading and mathematics have been developed and are in the implementation phase. All faculty/staff members are placing greater emphasis on phonemic awareness, fluency, writing, and open ended/constructive responses in the area of reading. All faculty/staff members are placing greater emphasis on problem solving and constructive response in the area of Mathematics.
Progress monitoring of goals is consistently taking place. The pre-K department is currently focusing on phonemic awareness and preparing students for kindergarten skills that are covered on Dibels Next Assessment and the ACT Aspire Periodic Assessment.
Cursive writing has been incorporated into the curriculum for grades K-3. The infusion of Black History into all subject areas has been initiated.
Discipline Referrals are currently low.
The Eutaw Primary School Webpage is currently updated. Eutaw Primary School has made great improvement in area of parental involvement and culture. Club/organization days are being incorporated into the master schedule.
Robert Brown Middle School Grade 4-6: Mr. Henry Miles, Jr, has been designated chess master in training. Robert Brown Middle School students have been using a computer based website to learn the basics of chess by playing computer generated matches. Mr. Miles has already begun to build relationships with established Chess Programs in other parts of the state. These relationships are significant in developing a solid and competitive program.
Robert Brown Middle School webpage is an ongoing process and we are working to get all teachers’ pages up to date, with updating pictures and calendars. Several changes have been incorporated to update the page from Paramount to Robert Brown Middle – a work in progress.

Robert Brown Middle School Grade 7-8: Robert Brown Middle School is consistently reviewing data in order to drive instruction. Our students made gains/progress on the last ACT Periodical Assessment. 130 students showed increase out of 160. We celebrated by providing students with hotdogs, juice, and chips. We are continuing to focus on reading, informational text, reading across the content area, math blitz (basic math word problems, vocabulary and reading comprehension).
Teachers are using strategic teaching and best practices in the classroom. They are assessing students by using the format outlined for the ACT Aspire test. AMSTI has been working with our math and science teachers. Teachers are reviewing mastery and non-mastery of standards and providing me with documentation and deficiency reports. The teachers have the outlined expectations for curriculum and instruction.
In reporting other areas of progress, Superintendent Carter noted that referrals are down for this year. The 7th & 8th grade division webpage is up to date. The teachers are updating all information on their pages.
“It has been an awesome journey this year. I am excited to see all the new relationships with the students and teachers. My team does a great job with ensuring that all students are treated equitably. Teachers were able to provide me with feedback as it pertains to this year. All the feedback was of a positive nature. We continue to work together to solve problems and be proactive in all situations. The teachers have embraced all the expectations that were outlined in reference to curriculum/instruction, discipline, culture/climate and attendance. As we continue on this journey, I expect to see even more students and adults impacted in a positive way both academically and socially,” according to Carter.
Freshman Academy: There are currently 25 members of the freshman academy chess club. All member of the chess club are using mobile apps, which allows tutoring for students to learn the game of chess. Plans are being made to hold the first annual chess tournament in May, of this year in an effort to build interest in the game. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top finalists for participating, and to motivate them to do the same for the 2017-18 school year.
Greene County High School: The number of students earning honor roll status has continued to increase this year. There were more students recognized for honor roll during the second nine weeks. As a whole, students this year are more concerned with their academic progress. There is also an increase in the number of seniors that have benchmarked in various subtests of the ACT. The number of students receiving office referrals has shown a decline this year. Greene County High School has fewer students committing class II and class III infractions. Student morale and student participation in other extra-curricular activities may be the source of this improved school culture.
To date, this has been a very positive year for student behavior and achievement. We have made a lot of improvement in both areas. There are always areas that we want to continue to grow and improve.
Track and Field: The track team has competed in two track meets thus far. The meets were held at Greensboro High School. The girls relay team placed first in the 4×200. The girls relay team consists of three freshmen and one junior. There are three additional track meets scheduled for this month. They will be held in Demopolis, Greensboro, and Selma.
Softball: The softball team has only competed in 4 games thus far this year. They were doubleheaders at Greensboro and American Christian Academy. The team is young and determined. The team is now practicing in Branch Heights.
Baseball: The Greene County High School Baseball team has competed in 10 games this season. The team is 0-10 thus far but has continued to be competitive. There are 15 players on the team with most being underclassmen. There are only two seniors on the team. Greene County High School looks forward to continuous growth and success in this program.
Band: Greene County High School Band is scheduled to practice after school on Tuesday and Thursday of each week beginning Aril 11, 2017. Band camp is scheduled to run from July 24 – August 4, 2017.
The board approved the following personnel items:
Employment of Willie Wright as tutor and mentor at Greene County Learning Academy on as as need basis.
FMLA request for Raven Bryant, teacher at Robert Brown Middle School.
The board approved the following administrative service items recommended by the superintendent.
Greene County Board of Education Information Guide for Students and Parents.
Contract between the Greene County Board of Education and Marcheta B. Bedgood to provide assistance to CSFO on an as needed basis to prepare financial documents throughout the fiscal year
Contract between the Greene County Board of Education and Farrell Duncombe for mentoring services at Greene County High School.
National Writing Project’s College-Ready Writers Program Grant for the Greene County School System in collaboration with UAB Red Mountain Writing Project.
BackPack Meals/Secret Meals Program Sponsored by Tuscaloosa Food Bank and Greene County Board of Education (No Cost to GCBOE).
Field Trip Requests: Greene County Career Center – Bodies Exhibit and CNN Studio Tour in Atlanta, GA on April 24, 2017
Bank reconciliations as submitted by Ms. Katrina Sewell, CSFO.
Payment of all bills, claims, and payroll.
Instructional items approved by the board:
Summer School (Promotion) at Greene County High School, June 5 – 30, 2017.
Summer School (Enrichment) at Robert Brown Middle School and Eutaw Primary School, June 5 – 16, 2017.