Marshall County School Board Honors Retiring West Virginia Board of Education Member Dr. James Wilson

Shelley Hanson

The Marshall County Board of Education congratulated Dr. James Wilson, a former county board member, for his retirement from the West Virginia Board of Education this month.

Wilson, a retired dentist from Glen Dale, has served on the state board for nine years. He was presented with an award from county board members during their regular meeting on Tuesday evening.

Wilson said the experience of serving on the state board was much different than the county one. The state job was more policy driven and not quite as fun as the county level where he got to visit the schools. Wilson told some stories of humorous interactions with students and teachers during his time in Marshall County.

"We had a bus driver come in and tell us that he had a little girl that went out and was standing there, and her mother was wanting her to cross the road.

"I had to signal like this with the window open. The mother asked her, why didn't you cross the road? And the girl said, the bus driver hadn't given me the finger yet," Wilson said, chuckling.

Wilson served as a Marshall County Board of Education member from 1978-90 and then from 1992-2000. His nine-year term with the state board of education began in 2015.

"It's been an interesting 40-some years," he said. "When I started school, we had 40+ kids in a classroom."

Wilson said he continues to serve on the West Virginia SSAC's board of directors.

"To me he has set the bar high for any and all," said Marshall County Board of Education President John Miller.

"He is my role model and I can't thank him enough for what he has done for the students of our county as well as the students of the state."

Superintendent Shelby Haines also thanked Wilson for his service.

"You were always a champion for Marshall County," Haines said. "And you always go above and beyond."

She noted Wilson would frequently call her and other superintendents to get their take on how a state agenda item might impact the school districts.

In other matters, Jim Davis, director of the American Legion Mountaineer Boys State, said he wanted to encourage the school district to have students participate in the upcoming American Legion High School Oratorical Scholarship Program.

The Legion's Constitutional Speech Contest is open to students in grades 9-12. Davis said there is serious money the students can win if they reach the national level. For example, the first place national contest winner wins $25,000; second place, $22,500; and third place, $20,000. Students first compete and can win money at the district, sectional and state levels first with amounts ranging from $200 to $2,000. For more information on how to enter the contest, call 304-343-7591, email wvlegion@suddenlinkmail.com, visit www.wvlegion.org, or write to American Legion, Dept. of West Virginia, P.O. Box 3191, Charleston,WV 25332. Students can also contact their local American Legions.

Also, the board approved selling three old buses to Hancock County Schools for $100 each. The district learned Hancock County was in dire need of the vehicles after some of their fleet did not pass state inspections because of rust. The state inspector reached out to Marshall County and other counties on behalf of Hancock County.

Board members noted the district's buses are purchased with state funds and not local tax levy dollars. Also, it was noted the resale auction value for buses is not typically high. In the past it has been between $1,600 and $8,000 depending on a bus' condition.