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At the Chambers County School Board meeting last Wednesday, Superintendent Casey Chambley announced that the CCSD would become a two-to-one school system, meaning that each student would have a Chromebook to take home and a Chromebook to use at school. The board voted to approve a bid for the Chromebooks.

Chambley said the CCSD would use Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funding to pay for the devices.

A lot of Chromebooks were getting broken as they were transported back and forth between school and home, Chambley said. Additionally, he said that this past fall and last year, the school system had to go virtual due to the pandemic and weather. He said a lot of students had to leave their Chromebooks at school, so students had to come back the next day to get their devices and then go home.

“What we’d like to have happen here is the new ones — the new Chromebooks are going to stay at school, and the ones that they have issued to them now can stay home,” he said.

Chambley also said each Chromebook would have its own charger.

“And we have looked at the bids, and we are accepting the best bid on these from a company that we use to buy lots of our items from… it’s the second on the list for us… from the CDW Government bid of the Samsung Chromebooks,” he said.

During his superintendent’s report, Chambley thanked The Coosa Valley RC&D Council, Senator Randy Price, Representative Debbie Wood and Representative Bob Fincher for grants they gave to CCSD’s beekeeping team and program. CCSD used the money to buy beekeeping and honey extraction equipment.

“And on April 4, they came and toured IA [Inspire Academy], and they toured the area,” Chambley said. “They kept their distance from the beehives.”

Chambley said students showed the visitors how the honey extraction worked.

“Senator Randy Price, Representative Wood and Representative Fincher are constantly paying back into our school system and giving funds and giving money for these programs,” Chambley said.

Chambley also thanked Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama.

“On April 8, they came to Inspire Academy and gave us donation of a Hyunda Santa Cruz,” he said. “It was one of the first made of its kind, the first color. The only color that they made of that Santa Cruz, they donated that vehicle to our students at Inspire Academy.”

Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama removed a chip in the vehicle, making it undrivable.

“They’re going to be able to take the car apart, go through the car, look through the programming on how the cars are built and put the car back together,” Chambley said. “And so, we’ve had several partnerships with the manufacturing teams around. I know that several years ago, Kia donated a couple of cars, and they gave them to us. And Hyundai of Alabama has now come on to partner in education with us and has made this donation, and they came on April 8, and we want to thank them for that.”

Chambley said he was excited to announce that the school district had hired JROTC officers — a commissioned officer, senior instructor Army officer and non-commissioned officer — the day of their meeting. CCSD is planning to start its JROTC program with the new officers next year.

“Spring semester exam schedules were published today for grades six through 12,” he said. “Senior exams will begin on May the 12th and go the 12, 13 and 16. And then, grades six through 11 exams will be May 20, 23, 24 and the 25.”

Chambley said CCSD had to move its Valley High School commencement ceremony to a new date due to the voting primary happening around the same time.

Valley’s commencement will be Sunday, May the 22nd at 7 p.m. Central, 8 p.m. Eastern,” he said. “And LaFayette’s graduation, commencement ceremony will be Monday, May 23 at 7 p.m. Central, 8 p.m. Eastern.”

Chambley announced that the Inspire Academy Piedmont Motorsports race team was heading to nationals, which are planned for Saturday, May 7 at the Talledega Superspeedway. SOLV Energy will be wrapping their cars.

Finally, he said CCSD’s summer lit camp will begin on Wednesday, June 1 and will run through the month of June.