HAYDEN J EMRAH
WZBD.com
The North Adams School Board convened on April 9th for their monthly meeting, which most notably discussed the retirement of multiple long-time staff members of North Adams Community Schools. The board announced the retirement of three staff members who have all made a tremendous impact to the community throughout their careers: Brent “BJ” Faurote, Cynthia Engle, and Victoria Girard.
- Brent “BJ” Faurote, is retiring from the high school after 37 years. As a health and PE teacher, he is most noted for his tenure as Bellmont’s wrestling coach, where he led the team to win a cumulative 576 matches, averaging a 87.6% winning percentage. His continued success as head of the program led him to be inducted into the Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame in 2012, as well as coaching 116 state qualifiers, 66 state medalists, and 6 state champions.
- Cynthia Engle is retiring from the elementary school after 40 years of service. Known as one of the most caring and selfless teachers, she has been a prominent teacher at the elementary school for decades, having taught multiple grades throughout the years and most recently acting as the school’s Reading Interventionist.
- Victoria “Vicky” Girard will be retiring from her role as Transportation Secretary and Bus Driver after 34 years. She started driving for St. Joe in 1987, and switched to Belmont in 1990, where she has remained since. In her tenure, she has driven routes throughout every area of the district, and has often been a substitute driver for the district even while acting as transportation secretary.
The board thanked each member for their continued service for their school district, adding that they hope the retirees are always welcome to help with their respective programs to some capacity in their retirement.