Bleachers ordered for Big Oaks Stadium, will arrive in time for graduation
Angie Knight
Robbinsville – After 35 years of helping mold the future, Angie Knight is ready for a lighter schedule.
Graham County Schools’ Superintendent announced her retirement at March 5’s board of education meeting, which is effective July 1.
Knight cited a desire to spend more time with family as one of the determining factors behind her decision.
“I’ve had 35 wonderful years with Graham County Schools, with no regrets. I wouldn’t change anything I’ve ever done for the students, staff and community,” an emotional Knight said. “I just feel like my time needs to be my own. I need to be a full-time ‘na-ne’ and that’s more important than the stress of this job.”
Knight was named the Region 8 Superintendent of the Year in 2023, competing against superintendents from Buncombe, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, Polk, Rutherford, Swain and Transylvania counties for the honor. She was the first recipient of the award in Graham County’s history.
Knight has been superintendent of Graham County Schools for nine years. She was assistant superintendent for five years before that, and director of federal programs for the district for several years before that.
Her degree is in special education, which she previously taught in Graham County for eight years.
Knight finished her announcement by noting that the board will need to begin the search for her replacement immediately.
It was also publicly revealed during a discussion that assistant superintendent Robert Moody will also be retiring at the end of the 2023-24 school year.
Big Oaks graduation
Facilities director Kevin White presented the board with a pair of figures on another set of temporary bleachers at the famed Big Oaks Stadium.
Seating installed in 1981 was condemned due to structural integrity issues May 15, which threw plans for Robbinsville High School’s annual baccalauerate and graduation ceremonies – all scheduled to occur within 10 days of the closing. The school ultimately moved the events to their respective original, pre-pandemic locations: Robbinsville First Baptist Church and the high school gymnasium.
But the luxury of increased seating for graduation – thus significantly increasing the number of family members that can attend – is something the district grew used to after its initial foray onto the field in July 2020. Baccalauerate typically occurs 48 hours before graduation.
Through countless efforts of the community, the condemned seating was torn down and a temporary set-up was installed just in time for the 2023 football season, but the aluminum bleachers were on a lease.
This time, Graham County Schools is not going to be caught off-guard.
One entity answered the bid for another installation of temporary bleachers: Tampa-based Southeastern Seating, which provided the configuration last year. The board’s two options for voting was foregoing graduation at the stadium and instead having bleachers in place from Aug. 2 – Dec. 9, to cover football season ($71,350); or ordering bleachers for installation by May 20, which would also remain until Dec. 9 ($93,850).
The vote was easy: unanimous, in favor of the higher bid. White said the next step was to have a joint meeting with the Graham County Board of Commissioners and Graham County Project Manager Jason Marino, to discuss funding.
Construction on permanent seating will commence immediately after the 2024 football season wraps up, White said.
Other news and notes
* During White’s facilities update, he also briefed the board on a grant applied for in hopes of constructing a new elementary school. The district’s application was denied, but can be re-submitted yearly.
* A parterning agreement between the high school’s CTE (Career in Technical Education) program and the Graham County Rural Development Authority unanimously passed a board vote, 4-0.
Knight updated the board on the upcoming plans, announcing that CTE students will be a major part in the construction of homes in the planned housing development off Moose Branch Road, which has been the development authority’s top project for several years. Profits from sales of the residences will be split between the high school and the development authority.
The project to remodel the former VFW building on North Main Street and turn it into a center for students to work and sell items was bid on by one company: WNC Contracting, Inc.
The pitch of $388,842 would include full construction of the interior, which will be a collaboration between WNC Contracting and the high school’s carpentry class. Funding will be handled through the Golden LEAF Foundation.
Termed “Education in a Cup,” the plan is for the building to house a coffee/sandwich shop, as well as a station for custom merchandise designs. Currently, those shops are open for business inside the high school.
“The building is gutted, so really this will be from the ground-up,” Knight pointed out. “We’ve worked on this for many, many years to get it to this point.”
* Science teacher Ben Davis presented a PowerPoint to update the board on how the $175,000 afforded via his application for the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Center Award has been spent.
Of note, an increasingly-popular outdoor classroom was built from award funding and has opened for Robbinsville Elementary School fourth-graders. To coincide with the classroom’s opening, 10 district science instructors were trained in the Project Wild curriculum over the summer, which is taught at the outdoor classroom and focuses on the state’s environment and animals.
Additionally, two science teachers attended the North Carolina Science Teachers Association’s yearly conference in Winston-Salem; a trip has been planned to attend a space camp in June; and more teachers will obtain training at the National Association of Biology Teachers National Conference.
The award requires a 5-year commitment; along with stipends and a planned $25,000 retention bonus upon completion of the term, included is a disbursement of $10,000 annually for professional development and classroom materials.