By DONNA THORNTON, Editor
The Marshall County Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday to rename the Marshall County Technical School after the school district’s outgoing superintendent.
The school will be named Cindy Saye Wigley Career Academy, after the board’s vote. Board member Laura Byars was not present at the meeting.
The reading of the measure to change the name brought a few scoffs and laughs from some attending the meeting, after weeks of contention over some recommendations made at recent board meetings.
Wigley began her career as a teacher at Marshall County Technical School. From 2003 to 2014, according to information read at the board meeting, and she served in leadership positions at the tech school, including assistant principal, CTE program director, then principal and CTE director from 2004 to 2014.
“Her leadership emphasized industry-recognized credentials, program certification, program excellence and strong partnerships with business and industry.” She co-chaired the Marshall County Workforce Development Task Force, served as Alabama CTE Course of Study chair, and as a member of the National Dual Enrollment Committee and the state superintendent’s council.
Renaming the tech school will serve as a lasting recognition of her dedication, according to the board. “It will honor her legacy while recognizing the school’s mission to provide innovative, relevant, and high-quality” education to generations of Marshall County students.”
“When I ran for school board 16 years ago, one of my biggest reasons for running was because we were losing our technical school,” Board President Mark Rains said. “I am a born and bred Marshall County boy from Asbury, Alabama. I didn’t want to go to school, but I went to tech school and it started by career. And it’s been a good career.
“When I started on the board we were about to lose the tech school. When we go on board and online with a superintendent, we started working to save the tech school,” Rains said. “Then Dr. Wigley, when she started four years later, she took that to another level. I’ve been proud of everything we’ve done at the tech school.”
Rains said when he went to tech school, students who went there couldn’t participate in athletics. “We have come a long way,” he said, with the leadership, faculty, staff and the communities having a hand in the success of the program.
“I’m proud of it and I’m proud for her,” Rains said.
Wigley expressed her appreciation. “We’ve accomplished a lot together,” she said.
Artist rendering shows front of renamed Technical School. Photo courtesy of Daniel Taylor’s Facebook page
