Two school staffers lost to virus remembered fondly
Habersham County Board of Education Chairman Russ Nelson ended Monday’s meeting by asking folks to remember two staff members who died from COVID-19 recently.
Nelson paid a brief tribute to Pat Wilkes, a teacher at Level Grove Elementary, and Alice Kay Templeton, a special needs paraprofessional at Fairview Elementary.
Wilkes had a career in education that spanned more than 30 years.
“Mrs. Wilkes always had a smile on her face, and she loved her students,” Level Grove Principal Dr. Susan Davis said. “She was a wonderful person to work with, and it was a blessing to everyone who had the privilege of knowing her.”
Templeton worked as a caregiver for much of her life and has helped students in need at Fairview.
“Ms. Kay was a passionate lady who loved and helped everyone she came in contact with,” Fairview Principal Jennifer Chitwood said. “She blessed our students and faculty with her servant’s heart. Our school family here at Fairview Elementary School is grieving the loss of this great employee and will continue to pray for this family.”
Superintendent Matthew Cooper thanked his principals and directors for their “steadfast commitment to keeping schools open.”
“Many people depend on our schools being open everyday,” Cooper said.
Cooper also praised the system’s transportation director Stephanie Walker and assistant director Tim Dockery for driving school buses when necessary to keep kids coming to school.
“We shouldn’t take it for granted what all of our staff have done for the last 26 days of school,” Cooper said, adding that the Board of Education’s support has been important. “Other school systems have wavered. We have not wavered.”
In the past week, the COVID-19 cases are down in the school system, with staff cases dropping 67.5 percent and student positives have come down 37.9 percent.
“We are going to maintain our optimism that things are going to keep getting better,” Cooper said.
Hazel Grove Principal Aimee Shedd made a presentation at Monday’s school board meeting and stressed the importance of keeping students smiling. Shedd shared that she occasionally rides the bus with students in the morning to better connect with them.
“Every day is an opportunity to be another child’s bright spot,” Shedd said.
As for the county at large, the seven-day moving average has dropped to 28 cases per day as of Monday after hitting a pandemic-high 52.1 a week earlier.
According to the Department of Public Health, 35 percent of Habersham County residents are fully vaccinated.
Emergency Services Director Chad Black said Monday that his personnel have stayed busy with COVID calls and that hospitals are still struggling to house patients.
“All we can do is pray that we have hit our peak again and that this downward trend will continue,” Black said.