Sarah Rigdon was named Assistant Superintendent of Achievement and Governance for the Fannin County School System during a Fannin County Board of Education meeting Thursday, April 9.
“I first worked with Mrs. Rigdon as a para-pro in 1993,” Superintendent Dr. Michael Gwatney said. “She’s an exceptional teacher, she’s a strong leader, and she’s a true professional. You’re going to be an asset to the superintendent team in Fannin County.”
He also announced that Sarah Welch will become the Instructional Services Coordinator and will work with Rigdon.
During the school board meeting, Gwatney discussed the effect COVID-19 has had on the school system and thanked local government agencies and those “on the front lines protecting us.”
“This has been the most difficult and longest month of my career, but I appreciate our community’s mindset that we are all in this together,” he said. “Since the last board meeting, we have flipped the classroom, and everyone has done an outstanding job figuring it out and with their hard work, love and dedication for students we have been able to still serve students both academically and nutritiously.”
He specifically thanked the school nutrition programs, the transportation department and school faculty and staff for their work in providing meals to Fannin County children while school’s are closed. He told the board that the system has served 25,562 meals to children in the county since March 15.
He thanked the technology department stating, “You have helped 70 additional students receive in-home WiFi, WiFi that only accepts connections on our school devises so it has to be for academic purposes, but 70 additional families. You are working so hard to close that technology gap.”
Support staff personnel were also thanked for keeping “the business end of our district moving.”
Board Chair Chad Galloway echoed Gwatney’s appreciation stating, “I am so thankful for every single person in our faculty, staff, custodians, every single one of you have stepped up in a way that is unimaginable, and not only just stepped up, but y’all have done it with such grace and dignity and been a role model for the whole state to follow.”
He also thanked Gwatney for this leadership during the pandemic.
“I personally want to thank you tonight for your love of the system and your undying dedication to it,” Galloway said. “From the bottom of my heart, I thank you sir. I think this system is extremely blessed to have you sitting in the seat you sit.”