DEPUTY OF THE YEAR Sgt. Ameca Gibson received her award Friday evening at the annual Christmas dinner of Freestone County Sheriff’s Office. Pictured with the honoree are, l-r, Chief Deputy Donnie Anderson and Sheriff Ralph Billings. Fairfield Independent School District extended the employment contract of athletic director Darrell Piske, and those of principals, assistant principals and administrators, at the December board meeting last week.

The contract extensions were granted later than usual to allow superintendent Katie Ryan, who was hired earlier this year, to become familiar with personnel.

Contracts are extended from June 1, 2010.

Deputy superintendent Sheila Dove receives a 3- year extension, the longest granted by the board.

Two years are added to the contracts of deputy superintendent Keith Whitaker, principals Dianne Hooks at the alternative school, Von Wade at high school, Bryan Gawryszewski at junior high and Libby Harris at elementary school, and assistant principals Carroll Cain, Sheila Johnson and Jimmy Jowers.

Piske, who has coached the Eagles for two football seasons, is granted a 1-year extension.

Three months after President Barack Obama delivered a speech to students across the country on the value of education, FISD trustees reviewed a media policy that allows students to watch presidential addresses in real time.

When the speech was delivered Sept. 8, FISD allowed teachers to show a taped broadcast of the speech days later and allowed students an option to not participate in watching.

The September meeting of the school board, held a week after the presidential speech, drew a crowd protesting the district’s delay of the speech.

In October, when the board reviewed a draft of the media policy that still would delay a presidential address, trustee LaCharles Bass pointed out that, regardless of politics, a president deserves respect and that students should be able to watch a presidential address live.

In addition to allowing live broadcast of presiden- tial speeches, high school students also will be allowed to watch live broadcasts of scheduled historic events, such as a presidential inauguration, or breaking news. Junior high and elementary school students can watch delayed recordings of such broadcasts.

All students will have the option to not watch broadcasts and permission slips will be distributed before the events.

The sound system at Eagle Field will get an upgrade in the next few months, but a decision on footbal field parking lot improvements will be made after the superintendent conducts a facilities audit in spring.

FISD trustees approved a quote of $29,858 from Victory Sound of Tyler to replace the football field sound system, parts of which are more than 30 years old.

Victory Sound will install a digital sound system with outdoor speakers located at the end of the field, instead of overhead as they are now.

Four months into the school year, trustees gave final approval to the 2009- 10 district improvement plan they started working on in summer.

The plan specifies objectives to meet goals established by the board of academic and technological achievement by students, attracting and retaining quality teachers, maintaining safe and supportive campuses, and promoting school/community relationships.

FISD will host an H1N1 virus vaccination clinic for the community on Feb. 3, Mrs. Ryan reports.

The vaccination clinic is open to all area residents and 1,800 doses are available.

Other reports and business before the board includes:

—Recognition of the high school cross country teams that qualified for region competition this year and to senior students Lilly and Lando Duarte who competed at the Class AAA state meet.

—Hearing a report on construction of the new intermediate school.

—Hearing a report that attendance was 96.54 percent in November, slightly better than the district goal of 96.25 percent, and student population is 1,819.

—Approving an addition to the FISD student code of conduct allowing written citations to be issued to students by school resource officers.

—Approving the district investment policy with no changes from last year.

—Hearing a report from Wade that all senior students have passed all portions of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills tests required for graduation.