B. Special Recognitions

Strategic Priority		Reason for Consideration
Graduates Prepared for Work, Higher Education and Citizenship		Action
Excellent Educators	X	Information	X
Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students		Discussion
Operations and Support	X

Groups audience:

School Board

i. Erika Williams - TCS Public Information Officer and Grant Writer

Transylvania County Schools is very excited to introduce Erika Williams as our new Public Information Officer and Grant Writer. Erika is from Transylvania County and is a proud graduate of Brevard High School. She also attended Brevard Elementary School, Pisgah Forest Elementary School, and Brevard Middle School. Erika earned her teaching licensure in middle grades English and a B.A. in Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Asheville. After student teaching at Rosman Middle School and graduating from UNCA, Erika worked as the North Carolina reporter for a national publication focusing on legal and political matters. She went on to work for the Charlotte television station WCNC as a digital content producer and assignment desk editor. We are extremely proud to announce that Erika is both an Emmy-nominated journalist and an Edward R. Murrow Award recipient for excellence in digital storytelling. Outside of work, Erika enjoys hiking with her dogs, mountain biking with her husband, nature photography, and strumming the banjo (another accomplishment in the making). Please join us in welcoming Erika!

Groups audience:

School Board

ii. The Historic Toxaway Foundation and the Grand Olde Station Restaurant

Annually, the Transylvania County Schools’ administrators and leaders participate in a summer retreat, which allows them to plan and prepare for the upcoming school year by receiving updates and sharing information. For the last two years, the retreat has been held at the Grand Olde Station Restaurant and has been fully sponsored by the Historic Toxaway Foundation, through the coordination of Mr. Nory LeBrun. The Historic Toxaway Foundation was established in 2017, and its members participate in a variety of local causes relating to Conservation, Tourism, Historic Preservation, Workforce Housing, and Education. The Grand Olde Station, located at 502 Blue Ridge Road, is a premier restaurant that uses locally-sourced ingredients from small business farms, while paying homage to the history and splendor of Lake Toxaway. We thank the Historic Toxaway Foundation and the Grand Olde Station Restaurant whose continued generosity provides TCS’ administration with a wonderful opportunity to collaborate and improve.

Groups audience:

School Board

iii. TCS Summer 2025 Campus Beautification Projects and Supply Donations

TCS would like to take a moment to formally recognize and thank the organizations and individuals who volunteered their time, services, equipment, and other goods this past summer. Several of our schools underwent beautification projects, while others received supply donations, all of which help prepare us to welcome our students back for a successful school year. We sincerely thank Biltmore Church, Blue Ridge RV Resort, Carolina Energy Systems and Aaron Blythe, First Baptist Church of Brevard, Ken Jones Custodial, Newbie & Neighbors Club of Connestee Falls, Transylvania County Education Coalition, and all of the individual volunteers. We are fortunate to be part of such a philanthropic community. Please take a moment to check out our school Facebook pages where you will find additional information and photos memorializing some of the volunteer-driven projects.

Groups audience:

School Board

iv. 2025 Summer Food Service Program

We are very proud to discuss the services provided by our outstanding School Nutrition Department during the summer months. Director of School Nutrition Janette Broda and the School Nutrition Department have been actively serving our community through the Summer Food Service Program, ensuring that children have continued access to nutritious meals while school is out. Meals have been provided in a variety of ways, including:

Mobile home deliveries
Daily pick-up sites
Partnerships with several summer day camps across the county

Summer meals were made available starting June 9 (the first day of summer) and continue through Friday, August 22 (the last day of summer). To date, the department has served:

Over 18,000 breakfasts
26,000 lunches
6,000 snacks

In addition, on July 7 and August 10, approximately 900 bags of food – including fresh produce – were distributed to 150 children in our community through the Backpack Buddy Program. This initiative was made possible thanks to the support of volunteers from First United Methodist Church, East Fork Baptist Church, and Grace Brevard Church, in collaboration with the School Nutrition Department and our school social workers.

Looking ahead, we are pleased to announce that Transylvania County Schools will continue to offer meals at no cost to all students throughout the 2025-2026 school year.

Please join us in recognizing our dedicated School Nutrition Department, our TCS school social workers, and all of the hardworking volunteers from First United Methodist, East Fork Baptist, and Grace Brevard Churches for providing these services that are so vital to our community.

Groups audience:

School Board