Thomasville City Schools Board of Education prides itself on being current with the latest technology and willingness to ensure all its students are ready for a 21st century world.

From smart boards in every class rooms to Skypse, TCS schools have proven its commitment to a new way of learning that incorporates both one-to-one instruction and the digital age. At its monthly meeting Tuesday, board members reviewed a proposal that intends to symbolize that very commitment.

Superintendent Keith Tobin presented an idea to change the current TCS logo to something that better signifies a new 21st Century learning environment. The present logo is a little house with a student in front.

“Our old logo has been good for us for many years,” Tobin said. “We would like something that mission and belief statements. We believe in providing our students with 21st Century class rooms. This is going to be excited.”

Tobin said once a few final drafts have been chosen, the final decision will be recommended to the board for approval.

“We hope to have something that’s a better fit for the direction we’re going,” said Tobin.

Board members also received a Title II audit for the first semester that showed some positive signs for the school system. First semester testing resulted in overall improvement in Thomasville High School, but just how well the school system is fairing in terms of testing won’t be known until the end of the year.

“We had a good first semester,” Tobin said. “We actually came out very well. Some areas need work, but we’ve seen some good results. We just need to put together another solid second semester.”

In other news :

* Liberty Drive’s Cameron Szaloky received the 2009-10 National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) Nicholas Green Distinguished Student Award for North Carolina. Szaloky was awarded a $500 U.S. savings bond and a NAGC certificate of excellence, designed to recognize excellence in young students in each state. The NAGC Nicholas Green Distinguished Student Award is named after Nicholas Green, a gifted 7-year-old who was killed by a drive-by shooting while vacationing with his family in Italy. Nicolas’ organs saved the lives of seven children in Italy, and his parents, Reg and Maggie, donated his college fund they had saved to the NAGC to fund the annual award.

* TCS named its monthly VITAL award winners. Thomasville High School’s Sharon Greene, Thomasville Middle School’s Janet Daniels and Cheryl McCoy and Kathy Kearns from Thomasville Primary School were recognized for outstanding service to the school system.

Staff Writer Eliot Duke can be reached at 888-3578, or duke@tvilletimes.com