The October meeting of the Russell County Board of Education began with a presentation by Jean Clement, an 8th grade teacher at Russell County Middle School, on environmental education.

"What she's doing is going to teach students to be lifelong energy conservationists," said Supt. Kenny Pickett.

Russell County Schools have been very active in PRIDE and recycling efforts in the past and Clement spoke to the board about some of the endeavors her Russell County students had participated in.

She was joined by Jacquita Antle, a junior at RCHS and a member of PRIDE since her 7th grade year, and Whit Pennington, a Kentucky NEED regional coordinator.

Clement has been honored for her environmental education work by various state and educational groups and has held several high profile positions for environmental state groups and her team involvement at both the middle and high schools has increased each year.

She even told the board that the former RCMS PRIDE Club is now the Laker PRIDE Club and now includes students from the high school as well.

She told the board that she and her students have been looking at ways that the school system could reduce their energy usage and save money.

Pickett commended Clement for her work and said the school district was continually looking at ways to conserve energy and save money and that was a testament to her and her co-workers' and her students' work on the issue.

In other happenings at the meeting:

• Superintendent Kenny Pickett presented Coy Comer, a junior at RCHS, with a certificate for attaining the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest achievement in the Boy Scouts of America.  A Court of Honor award ceremony will be held for Comer this Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Jamestown Christian Church Family Life Center.

• Pickett announced the hiring of Thomas Reed, an Adair County native, as the new principal of Russell County Middle School. Reed will assume the new role Friday.

"He seems like a very energetic young man and I look forward to him leading the middle school," Pickett said.

John McFall had been serving as the interim principal.

• Director of Financial Operations Marla Carnes told the board the school system currently has just over $1.5 million cash on hand in all accounts as they voted to pay the bills.

• The board voted to accept the budget of $16,377,525 for the 2010-11 school year as required by state law.

• Board member Wayne Gosser received 10 training credit hours, board member Steve Kerr received 6.5 hours and board member Debbie Haynes attained three training credit hours within the past month.

• The board approved upcoming out-of-state trips by the RCHS NJROTC to Kings Island in Ohio and the RCHS FFA to attend the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis at no expense to the board.

The board also approved an overnight trip of the Lake Cumberland ATC at the vocational school to attend the Kentucky Leadership Training Institute in Louisville early next month.