Brent Cottrill, who said he is best friends with Williamstown Principal Jason Ward and godfather to Ward’s children, spoke to the Wood County Board of Education Tuesday night about Ward being placed on paid leave from the high school. Cottrill talked about Ward's unwavering commitment to students, highlighting his exceptional availability and dedication to school events. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

PARKERSBURG — The Wood County Board of Education voted to accept the proposed attendance boundaries for Jackson Middle School and Hamilton Middle School beginning the 2025-2026 school year.

“I would like to thank the board members. I believe every member has reached out to me over the past few months asking me questions, seeking clarification, better understanding, they provided me with documentation to help my growth and learning as well on this, I appreciate that so much,” Assistant Superintendent of Academics and Leadership Justin Hartshorn said. “And I look forward to being there at these events at Hamilton and Jackson Middle School, as we welcome the students from VanDevender Middle School.

Board member Ron Tice praised central office employees for their work not just on the boundary lines, but the things they do everyday to keep the district going.

“A day doesn’t go by that we don’t have some type of situation that comes up in the Board Office,” Tice said. “I’m thankful that we have quality people that are running the show and that we can always come up with a solution.”

The new boundary line will send students south of Memorial Bridge Road to 19th Street, Dudley Avenue and Emerson Avenue to Hamilton and those to the north of Memorial Bridge Road to 19th Street to Jackson.

Pickering Associates President and CEO Ryan Taylor talked to the Wood County Board of Education Tuesday night about a solution to alleviate traffic congestion around Edison Middle and Martin Elementary schools by expanding the one-way road to two lanes, and adding a dedicated sidewalk for student safety. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

“It’s also important to note that any child that’s currently enrolled at Jackson Middle School or Hamilton Middle School has the right to stay there for the 25-26 school year, we’re not going to tell anymore that you need to go back to another school based upon where the boundary lines,” Hartshorn said.

West Virginia University at Parkersburg President Torie Jackson unveiled plans for the Caperton Center for Advanced Technology to the board. She said the center, which has been a cornerstone of technical education since its 1999 opening, is set to undergo significant changes.

She said the college will be vacating some of the portions of the center, located on the college campus, to move to their new site on the former Ohio Valley Campus, allowing Wood County Schools to utilize more of the building. She said two key employees will remain at the facility: a secretary and a grant-funded CTE admissions specialist focused on recruiting Wood County high school students. She also talked about updating the agreement between the two learning institutes.

“The relationship will maintain. It’s very important for you to continue having students on our campus,” Jackson said. “And, of course, that building is a great building, and you have lots of opportunities to use it in a lot of ways.”

She said currently the total budget for both institutes is $592,710. She said the facility upgrade is planned, with WVUP preparing to modernize the center’s facade to match other campus buildings.

West Virginia University at Parkersburg President Torie Jackson spoke to the Wood County Board of Education Tuesday night about the college’s plans to vacate a large portion of the Caperton Center for Advanced Technology, located on the college campus, allowing Wood County Schools to utilize more of the building. She also talked about updating the agreement between the two learning institutes and plans to remodel and update the building. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

“That’s our building, and we will continue to maintain it,” Jackson said. “We talked about ground keeping. So it is on our ground, so we will continue to upkeep the grounds, and we also have to continue to provide insurance and resilience.”

Jackson said compared to what the district paid last year it’s only a $32,000 variance.

“It allows you complete access to the building,” Jackson said. “You’ll have access to every classroom and every office.”

Board President Justin Raber said this just furthers the partnership between Wood County Schools and WVUP.

“We can’t be more fortunate to have such a wonderful institution in our county, and the partnership that we’ve had for decades is fantastic,” Raber said.

Members of the Williamstown, Parkersburg South and Parkersburg High School wrestling teams were recognized by the Wood County Board of Education Tuesday night for winning their respective state championships. Pictured from left: Williamstown’s Dutch Sandy, Parkersburg South’s Justice Anthony and PHS’s Seth Drennen, Colston Skeen, Stephen Myers and Dominic Way. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

Pickering Associates President and CEO Ryan Taylor talked to the board Tuesday night about a solution to alleviate traffic congestion around Edison Middle and Martin Elementary schools by expanding the one-way road to two lanes, and adding a dedicated sidewalk for student safety.

“If you have attempted to pick up or drop off a child at Edison Middle or Martin Elementary, the cars back up clear to 12th Street,” Taylor said.

He said an additional safety feature includes potentially extending the sidewalk to Hillcrest Avenue, contingent on property owner agreement. As a bonus, Taylor said the project team reported cost savings of $34,000 across five secure entrance projects, demonstrating fiscal responsibility alongside infrastructure improvements. He said the Edison Middle or Martin Elementary proposal is set to be discussed with Parkersburg City Council at a future meeting, with hopes of gaining approval to implement these traffic management strategies that will make school drop-offs and pick-ups smoother for local families.

The board also recognized students who completed the i-Ready program, the WV State Science and Engineering Fair winners and the state wrestling tournament winners from all three high schools. Photos of those recognitions can be found in the online version of this story.

During public comment, three Williamstown residents spoke about suspended Williamstown High School wrestling coach Tyler George.

Students from Edison Middle School were recognized by the Wood County Board of Education Tuesday night for their completion of the math and reading portions of the i-Ready program. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

Jeff Burrell said George not only coached his sons but also invested significant personal time in mentoring them, helping to instill critical life skills like character, integrity and work ethic.

“Tyler George cares about his students and his athletes,” Burrell said.

He urged the board to recognize George’s value, stating that retaining him would positively impact “hundreds, if not thousands of individuals” through his overwhelmingly positive influence.

Brent Cottrill, who said he is best friends with Williamstown Principal Jason Ward and that Ward is godfather to his four daughters, spoke to the board about Ward being placed on paid suspension. Cottrill talked about Ward’s unwavering commitment to students, highlighting his exceptional availability and dedication to supporting students at Williamstown High School.

“There have been multiple times that I know of that he’s been at one event and has left that event, (and) gone clear across the state to another event, because he wanted all the kids to know that he is there for them and supports them,” Cottrill said. “And I believe also, you can see with the petitions that have been done from both the school and the community, that everybody feels the support that he gives them.”

Students from Hamilton Middle School were recognized by the Wood County Board of Education Tuesday night for their completion of the kath and reading portions of the i-Ready program. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

Speaking from personal experience, Cottrell said, “I would 100% trust him at any time in any situation.”

Students from Jackson Middle School were recognized by the Wood County Board of Education Tuesday night for their completion of the math and reading portions of the i-Ready program. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

Jackson Middle School students James D’Eramo, left, and Emily Shuman, right, were recognized by the Wood County Board of Education Tuesday night for winning first place at the WV State Science and Engineering Fair. Also pictured is Jackson Middle School Principal Jeffery Kisner. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

Students from Blennerhassett Middle School were recognized by the Wood County Board of Education Tuesday night for their completion of the math and reading portions of the i-Ready program. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)