Newly elected members were sworn into the office, and school administrators and staff were recognized for their achievements at the latest Lexington County School District Three board meeting.

Sonya Cary (incumbent), Craig Caughman (incumbent), Stacey Derrick (incumbent) and Cynthia Etheredge took the oath of office after securing victories in the November election.

Cary, who joined the board in 2018, has spent 29 years in Lexington County School District Three in various roles. Caughman was first elected in 2008, while Derrick was elected in 2012.

Etheredge, the newest member, has also joined the board.

The board also elected a new chair. Frances Bouknight, who has been a part of the board since 2018 and has spent 42 years in various roles at Lexington Three, was named chair. Gariane Gunter was elected vice-chair; she joined the board in 2010. Cary has been appointed secretary.

In other news

Superintendent Ashley Atkinson presented his report to the board.

The district introduced a new bus tracking app for parents, Myride K-12, which provides real-time information on students’ locations and estimated arrival times.

Adena McCullough, an eighth-grade English teacher at Batesburg-Leesville Middle School, was named WLTX Teacher of the Week. Laura Bishop, a STEM teacher at Batesburg-Leesville Middle, received a Google VEX Robotics grant to support her students’ work in robotics and compete in competitions with other South Carolina middle schools.

The board approved two field trips for the Beta Club. Batesburg-Leesville High School will attend the South Carolina Senior Beta Club Convention Feb. 6-9 in Myrtle Beach.

Batesburg-Leesville Middle School’s Beta Club was approved to attend the South Carolina Junior Beta Club Convention in Myrtle Beach from Jan. 22-24.

The board also discussed the first reading of Policy ADB and Policy GBEC, both focused on drug and alcohol-free schools. The administration said that the district’s attorney advised that the policies, first established in December of 1997, needed updates. The second reading will take place at a future meeting.

The next meeting is set for Jan. 14 at 6 p.m. at the Lexington Three District Office, located at 228 West Columbia Ave. in Batesburg-Leesville.