The East Marion Marching Storm will be part of three Mardi Gras parades next month.
The Marion County School Board Monday approved out-of-state travel for the band to participate in the Krewe of Eve Mardi Gras Parade in Mandeville, La., on Feb. 2, the Krewe of Dionysus Mardi Gras Parade in Slidell, La., on Feb. 4, and the Bogalusa, La., Mardi Gras Parade on Feb. 10.
District 2 Board member Keith Stuckey asked about travel expenses.
“Aren’t some of these parades ones that they get money to appear in?” he asked.
Superintendent Wendy Bracey said they were. Board members voted in favor of allowing the band to travel and wished them well in the parades.
The Board also conducted a variety of other business during the meeting, including approving 10 fundraisers for various schools and clubs and approving second readings of several new school board policies and dozens of annual revisions to current policies from the Mississippi Association of School Boards.
The Board also approved the resignation of Rachel Belk as a teacher assistant at West Marion Primary and approved the hiring of Jeremy Holmes as a custodian at West Marion High School, Gabriel Ball as part-time assistant basketball coach at East Marion, and Cory Odom as assistant coach for fast-pitch softball at West Marion High School.
The Board also approved tennis schedules for both East and West Marion high schools, along with the monthly financials. The Board also approved a single-source purchase from Imagine Learning for software that accelerates English learning. The cost is $6,000, which will be paid with federal funds.
District 5 Board member Larry Jenkins asked for a description of the software and Federal Programs Administrator Libby Aaron said it’s software to assist students in English/language arts who have English as a second language. It can also be used as an intervention tool, and is currently in use at West Marion.
