By MOLLY DAVIDSON / Staff Writer

PELHAM—The Alabama Association of School Boards awarded the Pelham Board of Education the President’s Award for Boards.

“This award recognizes school boards which, as a team, have committed to improving their boardsmanship skills,” AASB Executive Director Sally Howell wrote in a letter to the Pelham School Board.

According to the AASB website, the AASB President’s Award for Boards is given to school boards on which 60 percent of members have attended at least three AASB conferences and all members have met state-mandated training requirements.

A new board, the five members of the Pelham BOE were first sworn into office in Dec. 2013.

“As short lived as our school board is… the five of us have gotten involved in whatever training necessary,” Pelham BOE member Dr. Barbara Regan said.

Each member of the Pelham BOE has completed a number of training sessions, as well as attended conferences and meetings to learn about the operations of a school board and “current issues” facing school boards, BOE President Rick Rhoades explained.

“We’ve really tried to get as much information as we could from as many sources as we could,” Rhoades said.

“You are to be commended for your team’s commitment to learning all you can about school board service in order to better serve the children of your community,” Howell wrote.

The AASB will present the President’s Award for Boards to the Pelham BOE on Sept. 4 Fall District Meeting at 6 p.m. at Fairfield High Preparatory School in Fairfield.