DeKalb County High School announced their monthly awards last week, naming October’s Parent/Guardian, Teacher/Staff, and Student of the Month. Each winner received a certificate from the school and a gift card for a meal from Kilgore’s Restaurant.

DCHS custodian Roy Goodwin was named Staff Member of the Month.

“Mr. Roy is one of our custodians here at DCHS,” said Assistant Principal Thomas 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.”

Goodwin said it’s been a great opportunity to work at DCHS. “I Love the staff and children and I love my job,” said Goodwin. Goodwin also served as custodian at Northside and DeKalb Middle School. Born and raised in DeKalb County, Goodwin is the father of one daughter.

Freshman Kason Nichols and Senior Mallory Hollingsworth tied as October Co-Students of the Month, voted on by the teachers. Hollingsworth was unable to attend Tuesday’s award presentation.

Thomas Cagle, Assistant DCHS Principal explained why both Nichols and Hollingsworth were named Students 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.”

“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.

“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. Kason is a member of the FFA club at DCHS.

October’s Parent of the Month is Crystal Gayle Young. She was selected based on a winning essay written by her daughter, Lillie Grace Young, a freshman at DCHS.

“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 is a 23-year veteran teacher at Smithville Elementary School. She first taught first-grade for five years, and then served as a kindergarten teacher for 16 years. She is now an RTI (Response to Intervention) teacher. She is a graduate of DCHS, and continued her education at Tennessee Tech.

Lillie Grace said she is enjoying her freshman year at DCHS where she is on the girls’ basketball and softball teams 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.