A group of Clarksburg High School seniors and alumni addressed the South Carroll Board of Education during the Dec. 17 meeting for the purpose of honoring the memory of a Clarksburg senior killed in a tragic automobile accident earlier this year.
Senior students Michael Schaffer and Dakota Garner and graduates Krista Noble and Hannah Wood presented the board with a plaque and shadow box in honor of Emily Cary Peterson, 17, who was killed Oct. 12 in a late-night, one-vehicle wreck on Highway 424 about two and a half miles west of Clarksburg.
Noble spoke on behalf of the group, asking that the plaque and shadow box be officially donated to the school in a special ceremony during a home basketball game some time in the near future and then be put on display in the lobby of the new gym.
“Emily was a light in this community, loved by all who knew her, and had a heart of gold,” said Noble. “So many of her friends and classmates miss her. The loss of Emily has created a large hole in all of our hearts. There is not much that we can do to help the grieving hearts from this loss, but we are asking you for your support by allowing us to do this for her friends and family.”
The plaque features Emily’s senior photo and states: “There are some who bring a light so great to the world that even after they have gone their light remains.” The shadow box contains Emily’s #15 jerseys with the Lady Rockets basketball team.
As Noble detailed, Emily had played basketball at Clarksburg since the fifth grade, though she sat out her junior year and was planning to sit out her senior year due to a torn ACL.
“However, her dedication never went unnoticed,” said Noble. “She would always be a part of the team; she was at every game cheering on the Clarksburg Rockets and Lady Rockets.”
The daughter of Steven and Michelle Peterson, Emily was also a member of the Beta Club and Clarksburg Church of Christ, and she worked at Wee Care Ministries in Huntingdon.
Director of Schools Lex Suite said he would reach out to Emily’s family to determine the best game date to make the presentation. One board member suggested they do it as soon as possible as the pandemic has created a lot of uncertainty in the basketball schedule.
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In other business:
•Principal Lori Leisure updated the board on how distance learning is going amidst the pandemic. As Leisure detailed, 47 students were doing distance learning by choice, while seven students were under quarantine as of Dec. 17. Leisure said that several of those students are currently reporting failing grades, and she added that those students’ parents have been repeatedly contacted and urged to return their children to in-person attendance. Leisure also said that most distance learning students have been able to log in online on a daily basis.
•Several budget amendments were approved.
•Thirteen board policy updates were approved on first readings. These included policy updates regarding school board meetings, school district records, tobacco-free schools, district water testing, insurance management, basic program, parent and family engagement, graduation activities, sick leave, personal and professional leave, long-term leaves of absence, interrogations and searches, and bus safety conduct.
•A work meeting to review the district’s five-year plan was set for 5:30 p.m. before the Feb. 18 regular board meeting.
•The board voted unanimously to invite three Clarksburg High School students – including one Student Council member, one Beta Club member, and one at-large or FFA member – to serve as student representatives on the school board.
•Suite advised the board that auditors recently submitted the district’s annual audit, and there were no findings.
•After some discussion, the board generally agreed that Suite should consult with Carroll County Sheriff Andy Dickson to select a new school resource officer (SRO) to replace former SRO Terry Dickey, who is moving out of the state.
