By Adam Robinson
Sports editor

In a Thursday board meeting – and the first of the 2014-1015 school year, the Escambia County Board of Education accepted the resignations of seven employees and transferred two while hiring four new employees.
Resignations included:
• Kathy Stophel, bus driver, Atmore Bus Shop, effective Aug. 1;
• Gloria Jerkins, teacher, W.S. Neal High School, effective Aug. 7;
• Holly Fore, elementary teacher, Rachel Patterson Elementary School, effective Aug. 6;
• Fedelia Crews, secretary/bookkeeper, Atmore Bus Shop, effective Aug. 8;
• Leslie Williams, special education teacher, Escambia County Middle School, effective July 31;
• Kimberly Byrd, teacher, Flomaton Elementary School, effective July 31; and,
• Sherry Ellison, secretary/bookkeeper, Flomaton Elementary School, effective Aug. 8.
Transfers included:
• Janet Brantley, media specialist, A.C. Moore Elementary School, to media specialist,
Flomaton Elementary School, effective Aug. 12; and,
• Donna Revel, attendance officer, W.S. Neal High School, to attendance officer,
Atmore Central Office, effective Sept. 1.
New hires included:
• Lesli Hudson, special education teacher, Flomaton High School, effective Aug. 12, (Replacing Stephanie Spicer);
• Kathryn Turpen, English/language arts teacher, Escambia County High School, effective Aug. 12, (Replacing Delisa Dean);
• Briana N. McMullen, bus driver, Atmore Bus Shop, effective Aug. 15, (Replacing Chad McMurphy); and,
• Keith Lisenby, construction technology CTE instructor, Escambia County High School, effective Aug. 15, (Replacing Kenneth Revel).
In other news from the meeting, the board heard scholarship reports from superintendent John Knott, who told the board that ECHS in Atmore received $656,325 worth of scholarship money this past graduation while Flomaton received $647,598. W.S. Neal received $1,172,823.
Knott also notified the board that for the fifth year, they earned the President’s Award from the Alabama Association of School Boards (AASB).
The next scheduled board meeting was set for Thurs., Sept. 11, at 4:30 p.m. with a budget hearing set for 4 p.m.