November 30, 2023
By: Dwayne Page
DeKalb County High School Tuesday recognized its staff member, students, and parent of the month for October.
Each received a certificate from the school and a gift card for a meal from Kilgore’s Restaurant. A different restaurant offers a meal gift card to each month’s honorees.
Roy Goodwin, a custodian was selected by the administration as Staff member of the Month while Freshman Kason Nichols and Senior Mallory Hollingsworth tied as Co-Students of the Month, voted on by the teachers. Hollingsworth was unable to attend Tuesday’s award presentation. The parent of the month is Crystal Gayle Young and this honor was based on a winning essay written by her daughter, Lillie Grace Young, a freshman at DCHS.
Thomas Cagle, Assistant DCHS Principal explained why both Nichols and Hollingsworth were named Students of the Month.
“Kason is part of our flag corps. He is responsible for taking down the flag and folding it every afternoon and putting it back in my office before he leaves. He has been doing that since the beginning of the school year. That is something we started this year. Kason does an outstanding job with that. Other than that he is just a great student. We have really enjoyed getting to know Kason this year and having him part of our school. He is with Ms Amy Cantrell and works with her in that classroom. Kason is a really bright student for us to have here at the school,” said Cagle.
“Mallory is another one of those students who diligently works through clubs and other activities to be a face around the school and to help make school better,” said Cagle. “She was also nominated and voted on as student of the month. We did have a tie this time for the first time ever. I thought it was fitting to award both Kason and Mallory rather than choose one or the other”.
“I love being a student here,” said Kason. He is the son of Jamie Nichols and Grady Murphy and he has a brother and three sisters. Kason said he and his family farm and have cattle and horses and he wants to continue farming after high school. Ever the outdoorsman, Kason said he also enjoys riding his four-wheeler. When asked how he felt about being named student of the month and how much he enjoyed his high school experience, Kason summed it all up in one word “good”. Kason is a member of the FFA club at DCHS.
Goodwin, a longtime custodian at DCHS, counts it an honor and privilege to have been selected a Staff Member of the Month.
“It’s a great opportunity to be here as custodian at DCHS. I Love the staff and children and I love my job,” said Goodwin. Prior to transferring to DCHS a couple of years ago, Goodwin served as custodian at other schools in the district including Northside and DeKalb Middle School. Born and raised in DeKalb County, Goodwin is the father of one daughter.
“Mr Roy is one of our custodians here at DCHS,” said Assistant Principal Cagle. “He works during the day with us. He is here well before anyone else is probably out of bed and he leaves a little bit before school shuts down. We couldn’t be more grateful for the job that Roy does and the relationships that he builds with the students. He is one of those faces everyone knows. Everyone trusts and loves him here. We are very grateful and very fortunate to have Mr. Roy as part of our family here at DCHS. This is a small token of our appreciation that we can show him,” said Cagle.
Meanwhile, Crystal Gayle Young, mother of Lillie Grace Young, was selected as Parent of the Month.
“Lillie Grace Young wrote an essay for her mom, Ms. Crystal. She (Crystal) is a teacher as well. Again, when I look at these essays, I am searching for those that reach out and tell us about the special things that families are doing in the students’ lives that help prepare them to be more successful here. It might be sacrifices or choices families have to make in their own lives that help impact the students. Lillie’s essay was one that reached out to us this month as being an example as she described the quality of care that she is receiving and all the wonderful things her parents are doing to help her be a successful student and person once she graduates from DCHS,” said Cagle.
“I was on my computer and just got the notion to do it (essay) because I love my mom. She buys me things and keeps a roof over my head,” said Lillie Grace. “I wrote the essay in about 30 minutes. It wasn’t that hard”.
“I am honored. It’s a very special award to receive and I am a little surprised,” said Crystal. “I am proud of Lillie Grace. She is a good student and athlete, and she stays out of trouble. She is a good Christian girl and I hope I have had a little something to do with that. She and I are pretty close and I have three other sons. I am a mom. That’s my number one job. Its what I do,” she said.
Crystal, born and raised in DeKalb County, is a 23-year veteran teacher at Smithville Elementary School where she first served as a first-grade educator for five years and then a kindergarten teacher for 16 years. She is now an RTI (Response to Intervention) teacher. Crystal is a graduate of DCHS. She furthered her education at Tennessee Tech where she earned her degree before returning to the school district to teach.
Lillie Grace said she is enjoying her freshman year at DCHS where she is on the girls basketball and softball team and her favorite teacher is Ethan Duke. “He rocks”, said Lillie Grace. As for academics, Lillie Grace likes English and Math. After high school, Lillie Grace said she plans to attend college, maybe Tennessee Tech and pursue a career in the medical field.