Board Member of the Year Award was presented to Laura Davis of Carroll County
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, November 18, 2009
For more information or photos, Contact: Linda Buford-Burks, Director of Communications,
(601) 924-2001; lburks@msbaonline.org
CLINTON, MS – The Mississippi School Boards Association’s inaugural Board Member of the Year Award was presented on Tuesday, November 17 to Laura Davis of Carroll County, a member of her local board for more than 30 years. The presentation was made during the Lighthouse School Leader Awards Luncheon, held in conjunction with the MSBA Fall Leadership Conference in Jackson. Davis, a retired educator, was nominated for the honor by a fellow board member. Nineteen (19) nominations of board members from across the state were submitted to MSBA for consideration in the awards program. A selection committee made up of board members from each of the congressional districts examined the documentation for each nominee and concluded that Davis was the honoree for the inaugural presentation of the Board Member of the Year.
The “MSBA Board Member of the Year” honors a current school board member who has exhibited distinguished leadership during his or her tenure, as demonstrated by effective efforts in:
§ Advocating for children,
§ Increasing student achievement,
§ Understanding school board governance, and
§ Involving the community in the children’s’ education.
Letters supporting Davis’ nomination as Board Member of the Year were highly complimentary of her accomplishments on behalf of children.
A fellow board member praised Davis’ persistence in seeking out all available resources on behalf of children. “She uses one-on-one contact, families, churches, community events and activities to get the community involved,” the board member stated. “She never misses an opportunity to pull parents, grandparents, uncles and aunt, anyone…into the fold,” often reminding them from the board room table that they have a responsibility to see to it that their “children are well behaved, so that they can be educated.”
Another support letter, from a retired elementary school principal in the Carroll County School District, maintained that Davis has earned the reputation of being an ardent supporter of public education. “The success of every student in the Carroll County School District has served as her inspiration for the many decisions made at the school board level. Her outstanding leadership has resulted in her being elected president of the board for many years.”
The president of the Carroll County Development Association added that Davis is meticulous about searching out resources that will help move her school district forward. “Throughout the community, Laura continues to look for innovative ways to get parents involved in the education of their children. She always counsels and encourages dropouts to return to school or get into the various GED programs. She spends countless hours assisting students with enrollment, financial aid and scholarship applications” for college. “She has always strived to promote ways to help students and adults be successful in this community.”
A current elementary school principal in the Carroll County School District also praised Davis for her commitment to children, saying that Davis’ background as a former special education teacher prepared her to work well on behalf of all students: “Special student populations are true and dear to Mrs. Davis’ heart. She makes it her business to visit our severe and profound class if at all possible each time she visits” the schools. “The expressions on the students’ faces in the classroom are indeed a reward to all of those involved in their care.”