WINFIELD - A recent graduate of Hurricane High School was recognized Monday for earning one of the highest honors as an incoming student at Marshall University.
Erica Burns, who lives in Culloden, was one of eight students to be recognized as a Yeager Scholar at the university.
The Yeager program is a competitive full-ride scholarship for students who are members of the university's honor's college. Yeager Scholars also have the opportunity to study in Oxford, England as part of a summer study abroad program, and take a rigorous course load while at the university.
Burns, who has hopes of becoming an epidemiologist, will study biology and statistics this fall.
Burns went through a rigorous application process and several "arduous" interviews with scholars and faculty at the school - before finding out she had been named a recipient, she told the board.
"This is quite a distinguished honor," Superintendent John Hudson told the five-member board. "This is not to be taken lightly."
Board member William Legg said Burns is the second student from Hurricane High School to be recognized as a Yeager Scholar. One other student from Hurricane earned the recognition six years ago, he said.
Also at the meeting, board members voted to approve the hiring of more than two dozen professional, extracurricular, service and substitute employees.
Among the new hires is a new athletic director at Buffalo High School. Jimmy S. McPherson will oversee the school's athletic programs, beginning at the start of the 2017-18 school year.
McPherson will replace Pat Clark, who left the job this year.
Board members also voted Monday to create two new positions.
The school system is set to hire for a new coordinator of maintenance, facilities and construction position and to hire an assistant principal at Poca High School this month.
The board went into executive session for nearly an hour to discuss a personnel matter prior to adjourning Monday.
The next board meeting will be at 7 p.m. on July 17 at the Putnam County Schools Central Office in Winfield.
Reach Carlee Lammers at Carlee.Lammers@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1230 or follow @CarleeLammers on Twitter.