BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — Chairs filled quickly, leaving latecomers to line the walls as the Martin County Board of Education gathered May 12. Superintendent Larry James led a celebratory round of recognitions honoring student achievement and staff excellence at the district’s central office.
Rogers Scholars
James congratulated three Martin County High School students—Caroline Mills, Knox Maynard and Livia Howell—for their selection to the Rogers Scholars program. They will attend a weeklong residential camp on a college campus to develop their skills as business and entrepreneurial leaders.
The program focuses on five career pathways: engineering, healthcare, entrepreneurship, media and civic engagement. Participants attend sessions with professionals, create projects, and engage in public speaking and problem-solving.
Each scholar must complete a community service project to qualify for exclusive scholarships offered by nearly 20 Kentucky colleges and universities.
Governor’s School for Entrepreneurs
James spotlighted Abigail Osborn for her selection to the Kentucky Governor’s School for Entrepreneurs. Osborn will attend a free, three-week summer program designed for students in grades 9–11 who are passionate about innovation and entrepreneurship.
GSE emphasizes creativity, collaboration and problem-solving. Students live on a college campus and work in teams to identify real-world problems, develop innovative solutions and create viable business models. The program culminates in “Demo Day,” where teams pitch their startup ideas to a panel of judges and an audience of peers, mentors and potential investors.
Participants become eligible for millions of dollars in college scholarships.
Governor’s Scholars
James recognized five Martin County High School students—Kennadi Evans, Collin Mills, EJ Harless, Russell Maynard and Dovie Harless—who were selected as Kentucky Governor’s Scholars. They will attend a five-week summer program that blends strong liberal arts instruction with a full co-curricular and residential life experience on a college campus.
Participation is free.
Graduates of the program often receive scholarship offers from numerous Kentucky colleges and universities.
“You guys have got your own fan club,” James joked as the crowd broke into applause.
FCCLA
The BOE honored six FCCLA members for their leadership and winning ways.
Abigail Osborn received recognition for finishing as state runner-up in the FCCLA’s Chapter Website event. Her site, martincountyfccla.weebly.com, serves as a comprehensive platform for her chapter. It features sections on leadership, activities and the organization’s history—including its roots as the Future Homemakers of America at Sheldon Clark High School.
Dovie Harless was honored for her leadership as the 2024–2025 State Executive Council Vice President of Membership. Although she did not compete in STAR events this year due to her officer duties, she has a strong track record of competitive success.
The BOE recognized Ella Lawson and Kenzlee Smith for winning first place in Chapter Service Project Display and Portfolio at the FCCLA state conference. Their “From the Heart” project took them to the Martin County Health Care Facility for visits and activities with residents there. The duo’s winning display featured a SMART goal chart outlining the objectives and timeline of the project, along with photos and graphics commemorating the process.
Superintendent James presented certificates to Darrian Jewell and Harlie Hinkle in recognition of their first-place finish at the state conference in the Food Innovation event. The two created “Tropic Energy”—an all-natural, fruit-based energy drink that they are marketing as a healthy alternative to sugary beverages. Their drink contains 110% of the daily recommended vitamin C and ingredients to support immune health.
After refining their recipe through focus group testing, Jewell and Hinkle created the packaging. They are selling bottles for $2.70 each or $15.62 per six-pack. Sales topped 30 bottles in the first week at Martin County High School. The partners plan to expand sales to local events and stores. They will donate proceeds to the American Heart Association and Ronald McDonald House.
JAG National Knowledge Bowl Champions
James and the board honored National Knowledge Bowl champions Russell Maynard, Collin Mills, EJ Harless, Tyler Gantt and their instructor Lance Tackett of the Martin County Chapter of JAG KY.
“We just love the support that we’ve gotten from the board and the school,” Tackett said.
He noted JAG’s rapid growth: “When I was in school, there were only 15 or 20 programs in the state. This fall, there will be 130.”
Tackett praised the students for setting a high bar: “These boys raised the bar for everybody—myself and every other kid in the program.”
The team won the state Knowledge Bowl for the last three years in a row and now holds the national title. Tackett said the goal now is to return to nationals and keep winning.
Spelling Bee Champ
James called Martin County Spelling Bee champion Paige Stafford to the front and presented her with a certificate of recognition.
“Paige, how do you spell supercalifragilisticexpialidocious?” he asked, drawing a big smile from Stafford.
Staff Recognition
Head Start credentials
Four Head Start employees—Shyanna Robinson, Traci Horn, Betty Mann, Mary Thompson and Jamie Mann—were recognized for earning their Child Development Associate (CDA) credentials.
“I have to say I taught Tracy everything she needed to know in the fifth grade,” James joked as Horn smiled.
“Thank you, ladies. Great job.”
Early Learning Bus
When James called Kayla Jude’s name, cheers erupted in the room. Jude was honored for her outstanding performance aboard the Early Learning Bus. Affectionately known as the “Magic School Bus,” that bus serves children ages 3-5 who are not enrolled in Head Start or preschool. Jude and the Early Learning Bus make scheduled stops throughout the county. At each location, children engage in educational sessions that help them prepare for the transition to kindergarten.
Leadership
Martin County High School teacher Lakean “Boo” Newsome was honored for her leadership and tireless contributions as softball coach, golf coach, assistant basketball coach, yearbook adviser and travel club sponsor. As James put it, Newsome does “just about anything up there.”
Basketball coaches
The board recognized girls’ basketball coach Robin Newsome and boys’ coach Jason “JJ” James for their outstanding 2024–2025 seasons, including a sweep of the 15th Region All “A” Classic.
In addition to the All “A” regional title, Robin Newsome’s teams have won three 57th District championships (2019–20, 2021–22, 2022–23) since the new Martin County High School opened.
“Obviously, Robin has a whole string of other district and regionals,” James said.
Before MCHS opened, Newsome coached for 25 years at Sheldon Clark High School, winning 11 district and four regional titles.
“We just put the district championships since Martin County High School,” said James. “We couldn’t fit them all on there, Robin.”
Coach James led the boys’ team to All “A” regional titles in 2023 and 2025 and 57th District Tournament titles in 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. He also broke a 30-year drought by winning the 15th Region Tournament in 2020, then again in 2023.
The Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches named James the 15th Region Coach of the Year in 2020 and 2023.