Mercer County Schools

Yesterday, some of our administrators and student support staff had the privilege of attending a powerful workshop at Tamarack, hosted by the West Virginia Department of Education and presented by Dr. Ruby K. Payne.
The session centered on her book 𝘌𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘌𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘏𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 and offered valuable insight into how we can better support students facing the challenges of poverty and instability.
Our team walked away with practical tools and strategies to help engage, stabilize, and uplift students so they can focus on learning and reach their fullest potential.
At Mercer County Public Schools, we remain committed to ensuring every student feels seen, supported, and empowered. Today reinforced that mission.
#MercerCountyPublicSchools #StudentSupport #RubyKPayne #WVDE #McKinneyVento
#StabilitySupportsSuccess

Dr. Ernie Adkins and our Elementary Supervisors met today with several elementary principals to collaborate on new strategies to better support students. These conversations are part of our ongoing commitment to continuous improvement and ensuring every child receives what they need to succeed..

A big thank you to ProStart Culinary Instructor Melissa Meachum and her talented students for providing a delicious breakfast at yesterday’s administrators’ meeting! Their culinary skills were on full display, and everything was absolutely outstanding. We appreciate their hard work, professionalism, and the pride they bring to MCTEC and Mercer County Schools!

Central Office staff participated in another outstanding leadership session today with Mike McClanahan of Ad Valorem, LLC.
Today’s training, “Leaders Bring About Change,” focused on the power of positive leadership and the difference one person can make in transforming a team, a school, or an entire district. Thank you, Mike, for continuing to inspire our leaders to grow, reflect, and lead with purpose!

Three amazing Mercer County Schools employees were recognized this evening at the Board of Education meeting as members of the 110% Club! Bus operators Greg Pruett and Sara Jones, along with MCTEC’s ProStart/Culinary Instructor Melissa Meachum, were celebrated for consistently going above and beyond their everyday duties. Mr. Pruett and Ms. Jones recently visited all elementary schools teaching students about school bus safety with Buster the Bus, helping keep our students safe through fun and engaging lessons. Ms. Meachum devotes personal time outside of school to prepare for events, lessons, and competitions—ensuring everything runs smoothly. She and her students also cater Board of Education meetings and school events, proudly showcasing their culinary skills and building community pride. 👏 Thank you for giving 110% every day! #MercerCountySchools #110PercentClub #ExcellenceInAction #EveryDayCounts

🇺🇸 This week, we honor our veterans and the importance of showing up — for our country, our community, and each other. With Veterans Day on Tuesday, there are four school days this week, and we’re encouraging students to Strive for Four! Let’s make every day count — show up, stay connected, and finish the week strong! #StriveForFour #StriveForFive #EveryDayCounts #AttendanceMatters #MercerCountySchools #VeteransDay #ThankYouVeterans

💙 Grant Awarded for School Safety!
School Nurse Heather White has received a $10,000 grant from the Community Foundation of the Virginias to provide “Stop the Bleed” kits—helping complete the goal of having a kit in every classroom in Mercer County!

🩹 “Stop the Bleed” kits contain life-saving supplies such as tourniquets, dressings, and gloves that allow trained staff to control severe bleeding in an emergency until professional help arrives.

Thank you to Nurse White and the Community Foundation of the Virginias for supporting the safety of our students and staff! 💙

#MercerProud #StopTheBleed #SchoolSafety #CommunityFoundation

We are proud and humbled by those who served. Thank you.

Scholarship Opportunity through WV JCI Senate! One is for college bound students, and the other is for Vocational/Technical/Trade school students. Access the application here: https://www.usjcisenate.org/index.php/scholarship-program

Bus 624 is replacing bus 684 this morning, Monday, November 10th, and running about 20 minutes late. This affects Bluefield Primary, Bluefield Intermediate, Bluefield Middle and Bluefield High.

The first Academic Bowl match of the year was held today at PikeView High School! Teams from Princeton, Bluefield, and PikeView faced off in a friendly competition testing their knowledge in history, geography, politics, mathematics, art, literature, and music. What a great way to kick off the season—congratulations to all the participants for showcasing their academic excellence!

PikeView Middle students Kassidy Belcher and Jasmin Bixby spent the day at WVU Tech serving as “Presidents for the Day!” They experienced what it’s like to lead a university alongside WVU Tech President Dr. T. Ramon Stuart—who even featured them on his radio show! What an incredible opportunity to learn about leadership and higher education firsthand.

Bus 689 is not running this morning, Thursday, November 6th. This affects Montcalm Elementary and Montcalm High.

After school = time to learn! 📚 Elementary teachers across Mercer County attended PD sessions yesterday—collaborating, sharing best practices, and refining research-based strategies to support every student’s success. 🌟

🎉 Congratulations to Lashmeet-Matoaka Elementary School! 🎉
The school received the 2025 Chevy Back to School Donation from Ramey Chevrolet and GMC — a generous $1,000 contribution to support students and staff!

Thank you to Ramey Chevrolet and GMC for investing in education and helping Mercer County students start the year strong! 💛🖤

At tonight’s AASA JASON Learning Core Team Collaboration, Technology Integration Specialists Dr. Heather Farley and Kaila Hardin shared innovative ways to integrate AI in the classroom. 💡🤖 We were also inspired by our former JASON Argonauts, who presented their incredible expedition experiences: 🌎 Blake Blankenship – Houston 2024 🌊 Savannah Mongeni – Boston 2022 🌋 Finn Caudill – Portland 2025 🌿 Miles Munique – Portland 2025 We’re so proud of these students and educators representing Mercer County Schools on a national stage! @LoveMyWVSchool @jasonlearning #JASONLearning #AASA #STEMEducation #AIintheClassroom #MercerCountySchools

Mercer County Schools ICARE Coordinator, Alysha Crawford, is presenting the ICARE Framework at the NAEHCY Conference in Dallas, Texas! The ICARE Framework focuses on building systematic and unified supports to ensure no child falls through the cracks. Alysha shared Mercer County’s story and inspired other communities to develop their own versions of ICARE. 💜 #NAEHCY2025 #ICARE #DallasTexas #CommunityImpact #MercerCountyWV #MercerCountySchools

🎯 Strive for Five!
Students — aim to be in school five days a week and keep your attendance streak strong! Every day counts toward your success. 💪📚 #StriveForFive #EveryDayCounts #LoveMyWVSchool

Thank you, Mercer County Health Department!