South Montgomery board honors students and staff, introduces new assistant principal and coaches

The South Montgomery Community School Corporation board recognized students and employees and introduced new hires during its meeting.

The board presented Mountie of the Month awards for May to students and staff across the district. Presenter (identified in the transcript as the principal/announcer) said Elliot Johnson of Winona Elementary was praised for being "positive, happy, and always wearing a smiley suit," and singled out Kaylee Wirth, a kindergarten teacher, for leading a class in which all students met end‑of‑year expectations. Presenter also honored Sutton Cody for leadership and athletic performance and named Amora Kanti and Shelby Perry among other student honorees. "Congratulations," the presenter said repeatedly while inviting recipients to stand for recognition.

The board also recognized long‑service employees. A speaker noted the district honored staff with at least 20 years of service and read a roll call of names reaching milestones through 38 years, including Tim Sailor (30 years), Curtis and Susan McVay (31 years), Judy Aylick (33 years) and others. The meeting announced a new "years‑of‑service store" where milestone employees can purchase items such as backpacks and shirts as tokens of appreciation.

During a personnel report introduced in the meeting, the board welcomed Connor Simmons as the new Southmont High School assistant principal. Connor told the board he and his family live in Ladoga and are excited to join the school, saying the new position was "perfect" for his family situation.

The board also introduced Vince Brooks as the new head basketball coach; Brooks said he was "really really excited to be here" and noted that his wife Stephanie will be part of the move. The meeting further named Sam Skaggs as a varsity assistant boys basketball coach and a social studies teacher at the school.

The meeting packet included the 2027–28 school calendar, and district staff noted the difficulty of pushing start dates later; the district said it will continue work to address scheduling for 2028–29. The report closed with thanks to staff and students and a note that summer break was nine days away.

The recognitions and hires were ceremonial and informational; no further policy action or budget decisions related to these items were recorded in the transcript. The board adjourned after completing business.