BY KARISSA MILLER

The Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education took time during its May meeting to spotlight those on the medical frontline keeping students healthy, creative students conquering regional competitions and gifted teachers.

School Nurses recognized

According to District Lead Nurse Genia Caldwell, I-SS is home to 22 school nurses serving a student population of more than 20,644 students. Of those 22 professionals, 14 have achieved national certification. Caldwell said that this is a rigorous designation that requires passing an exam covering medical conditions for ages 3 to 22.

While there are approximately 95,800 school nurses nationwide, only about 6,000 are certified. In North Carolina, there are 861 certified nurses.

All district nurses hold a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). Currently, three hold a Masters of Science (MSN) and two others are actively pursuing advanced degrees. Beyond their clinical duties, they were praised for their roles as mentors, advocates, and support systems for both students and staff.

School nurses for the district are as follows:
• Rachel Alcantara, BSN, NCSN
• Cheryl Brawley, BSN, NCSN
• Mabel Culbreth, BSN
• Amber Perkins, BSN, NCSN
• Shelby Martin, BSN
• Hanna Arning, BSN
• Gina Frye, BSN
• Jennifer Day, MSN, NCSN
• Jennifer Gibson, BSN, NCSN
• Marla Houston, BSN, NCSN
• Karen Pope, BSN, NCSN
• Connie Gallaher, MSN
• Michaela VanDorn, BSN, NCSN
• Mandy Brawley, BSN
• Claudia Griffin, BSN, NCSN
• Karen Blackwelder, BSN, NCSN
• Amy Porter, BSN, NCSN
• Janet Harris, BSN, NCSN
• Hannah Smith, BSN
• Marisa Millsaps, BSN
• Tammy Loudermilt, BSN, NCSN
• Genia Caldwell, MSN, NCSN

Odyssey of the Mind Winners

The board also celebrated the ingenuity of students who participated in the Odyssey of the Mind regional competition.

Odyssey of the Mind is an international program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students. It challenges students to think “outside the box,” using building, acting and presentation skills to solve complex problems.

Regional winners include:

♦ Lake Norman Elementary School, 1st place, Division I, Taller Tales. Members are Hazel Smiley, Violet Smiley, Emma Trombly, Mia LaBarbera, Caroline Hunter, Luke Drye, Vivaan Shah and Coach Geoff Smiley.

♦ Lakeshore Elementary School, 3rd place, Division I, Epic Quest. Members are Kash Kendrach, Eleanor Comiskey, Isabelle Klug, Owen Wild, Brayden Cobian, Darren Wilson, Mattie Ferrage and Coaches Gina Constantine and Bethany Hall.

♦ Woodland Heights Elementary School, 1st place, Division I, Off the Rails. Members are Max McEwen, Connor Welch, Graham Smith, Carla Marcos-Suarez, Nicolas Johnson, Lili Burge, Eli Fitzpatrick and Coaches Meghan Fairchild and Amanda McEwen.

♦ North Iredell Middle School, 2nd place, Division II, Life is a Ball, and 3rd place, Division II, Lost in Omerland. Members are Saige Dalrymple, Aubrey Dillow, Traythan Holman, Katherin Lopez, Hadley Mingos, Max Moeller, Ezra Onley, Leila Sadeq, Tyler Stahl and Coach Amber Wansley.

♦ South Iredell High School, 3rd place, Division III, Epic Quest. Members are Liam Fuller, Owen Meade, Addison McEwen, Emma Kate McEwen, Caden Stramenga, Weston Stramenga and Coach Alissa Stramenga.

Following Regionals the following teams moved forward to state level on March 28:
• Woodland Elementary, 4th place
• Lakeshore Elementary, 5th place
• South Iredell High School, 5th place
• Lake Norman Elementary, 3rd place

Robotics Winners

The middle and elementary school FIRST Lego League robotics tournament winners were also recognized at the meeting. The district tournament, held April 23-24, had 39 teams, representing 17 schools.

This year’s competition challenged students to program robots and tackle real-world environmental issues. During the April event, students rotated through intense interview panels to demonstrate their teamwork and design logic before hitting the field for high-stakes robot games.

♦ Middle School Winner – TBS 8th, from The Brawley School. Team members are Wasif Shaik, Aaryan Mansukhani, Ali Hassanen, Raghav Garg, Obed Nayak and Coach Jay Hager.

♦ Elementary School Winner – Robo Owls, from Harmony Elementary. Team members are Hudson Loyd, Alex Walden, Ryatt Smith, Owen Matisko, Tyler Stroud, Emory Parks, Ollie Andrews, Luke Verzani and Coaches Katharine Key and Deanne Walden.

Gifted Teachers recognized

The I-SS Gifted Learning Department provides specialized training for teachers interested in teaching identified gifted students.

This training was initiated by the department in 2009-2010. I-SS has received recognition from the state for building teacher preparedness to work with gifted learners.

The teachers are required to be active participants in the training or have completed four courses in all the training in order to work with gifted students.

The district spotlighted the 2025-2026 Professional Achievement Certificate recipients in Gifted Instruction for their completion of all four courses:
• Michelle Urban, Shepherd Elementary
• Lisa Sowers, Shepherd Elementary
• May Lee, NB Mills Elementary
• Adrienne Regent-Bauer, Lakeshore Elementary
• Emily Bucklin, Cloverleaf Elementary
• Bethany Hall, Lakeshore Elementary
• Tammi Ebel, Troutman Elementary
• Carrie Fulbright, Union Grove Elementary
• Christine Hallstrom, Lakeshore Elementary

Skills USA Winners

South Iredell High School competed in the SkillsUSA State Conference in Greensboro in April. Several students placed in the top tier of the event and five students earned the opportunity to advance to the national competition in Atlanta this June.

Winners are:
• Madison Frissora and Krithika Sadasivam, 1st place in the Team Debate Competition;
• Shria Rajesh, 1st place in Drafting;
• Harrish Mohan, Caleb Beekley, and Tyler Carpenter, 1st place in the Team Engineering Technology & Design Competition;
• Cadence Cataldo, 1st place in Nail Care;
• Ananya Bhogavalli, Anya Mehta, and Sarabeth Yeh, 2nd place in Team Crime Scene Investigation Competition;
• Harshith Krishna Dadi and Leroy Wang, 2nd place in the Team Engineering Technology & Design Competition;
• Sri Lasya Boddanapalli, Isabella Cabra Florez, Aminta Noble and Sofia Roa placed, 2nd place in the Team Entrepreneurship Competition.
• Joshua Almeida, Maren Ballard, Serenity Onyskin, Pari Patel, Ali Powers and Grace Richardson, 2nd place in the Team Quiz Bowl Competition.

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