OKEECHOBEE — The Okeechobee County School Board meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 19, opened on a positive note by recognizing the Okeechobee High School Brahman Band for their performance in the Florida Bandmasters Association competition for the Marching. OHS placed fifth in the state for 5A.

OHS Band Director Clint LaFlam gave a brief speech praising his students for their hard work and perseverance in the weeks leading up to the competition, including how well they “bounced back” after having a week off due to Hurricane Milton in October. Before this difficult competition LaFlam said that he advised his students to “forget the competition, do it for yourself."

The band students recognized at the school board meeting were:
• Azcona, Alton – Percussion Captain,
• Cruz-Diaz, Eduardo, Percussion Captain,
• Lineberry, Jaelyn, Brass Captain,
• Nunez, Mario, Drum Major,

• Phillips, James, Woodwind Captain,
• Ramos, Alyssa, Guard Captain,
• Woodhouse, Nick, Guard Captain.

Also recognized were the band staff: Band Director Clint LaFlam, Chris Bowen, Katie Doyle, Jasmine Futch, Courtney LaFlam, Luis Rivera, Denise Whitehead, Makaya Whitehead, and Cheryl Worlow.

Yearling Middle School was honored for achieving the Florida PBIS Silver Level. PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) is evidence-based tiered framework for supporting students’ academic and behavioral health. When schools meet specific criteria put forth by PBIS and can demonstrate the impact of the program in their school, they are designated to the level of a FL PBIS School. Yearling Middle School achieved this for the 2023-2024 school year.

The following Okeechobee County Schools retiring staff members were acknowledged: Lynn Greeson for 30 years of service; Mary Gammill for 23 years of service; and Connie Lamb for 16 years of service.

Also at the meeting, Superintendent Tedders mentioned that they expect to see some legislative changes coming that will alter attendance policies due to attendance student attendance across the state being poor.

Additionally, when asked about the incident at Yearling Middle School on Thursday, Nov. 14, when a student found a gun in a bathroom stall, Superintendent Tedders stated that he could not go into great detail on the subject as it is still an open investigation, but insists that OCSO has the problem well in hand and that the sheriffs department does have leads on the individual responsible for the weapon.