Newspaper Page Text
The ADVANCE, October 18, 2023/Page 16A
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Reid Named Next
Vidalia Superintendent
At the regular monthly
meeting on Tuesday Octo
ber 10, Vidalia City Schools
Board of Education unani
mously approved naming
Assistant Superintendent
Sandy Reid as the District’s
next superintendent.
During last month’s
meeting, Superintendent
Garrett Wilcox announced
that he would be retiring at
the end of the school year.
“I am just at a point where
I can retire,” he explained.
“I’m grateful to have had the
opportunity [to be superin
tendent], and look forward
to watching [Vidalia City
Schools] move forward.”
In that same meeting,
the Board voted to make As
sistant Superintendent San
dy Reid the sole final candi
date to succeed Wilcox after
retirement. The final deci
sion laid on the table for 30
days, giving the public time
to make requests for further
information and to share
their thoughts and concerns
on the decision.
The official approval
made on October 10 solidi
fied Reid’s role as the next
superintendent, as she will
assume the new position
on July 1, 2024. Reid is the
15th superintendent for Vi
dalia City Schools, and the
first female superintendent
that the system has ever had.
“Vidalia City Schools
is part of who I am. For the
past 22 years, it has been a
part of my everyday life,”
Reid commented. “I com
pletely understand how
critical the role of the school
system is in the success of
the community, and at the
end of the day, that means
the world to me - the suc
cess of the students, the staff
members, and the commu
nity. So, it is an honor... I’m
just very excited.
“With that being said, it
is also very bittersweet be
cause Dr. Wilcox has been
such an integral part of the
development of the school
system, and it’s hard to imag
ine him not being here,” she
continued. “I’m thankful for
his leadership, his guidance,
Dr. Sandy Reid
and the role that he has
played as superintendent
and principal in the last sev
eral years. I’m very thankful
for the opportunity to have
worked for him and really
excited for what is to come.”
Board Chairman Julee
Torrance also commented
on the decision. “Dr. Reid
has a long track record with
us that's just stellar. She's
extremely smart, she's data-
driven, she's protocol-driv
en, and she's exactly what
we felt as a Board that we
needed to take our school
system to the next level,” she
remarked.
Torrance added, "I just
feel confident that she can
do this [the position]. All
the Board members were
unanimously behind her
being placed as the next
Superintendent, and the
confidence is based on her
history here, her track re
cord as well as her advanced
degrees, along with her pro
cess of being data-driven.
That is so critical in today's
educational system. And
she's always looking for so
lutions to issues before they
become issues, so we are
very proactive under her
care."
Reid assured, "The re
sponsibility of this role is
not one that I take lightly.
These children deserve
an educational environ
ment where they feel safe,
where they are treated with
kindness, and where they
are provided high-quality
learning opportunities, re
gardless of background or
circumstances. Our staff
members deserve the same.
I am committed to fostering
a culture of excellence, eq
uity, and innovation in our
schools.
“This journey will not
be without challenges, but
we have a community, inside
and outside of the school
system, that has shown time
and time again our ability to
come together to meet chal
lenges. Together, as a com
munity of stakeholders, we
will overcome challenges
and reach milestones we
have never reached before."
TCREA MEETING — Sue Johnson gave a presentation
about the history of Toombs County to the members
of fhe Toombs County Retired Educators Association
(TCREA) at the October 5 meeting at the Dr, Mark and
Tonya Spivey Public Library. She discussed her ances
tors' role in the development of different businesses in the
county and their work in the turpentine industry.
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Air Evac Lifeteam Flight Crew Wins
Silver Medal in AEL Access Challenge
SILVER PLACE FINISH - Vidalia Air Evac Flight Paramedic
Coy Tippins (left) and Perry Air Evac Flight Nurse Leslie
Hernandez (right) recently placed second in a skills com
petition in their first time competing together.
Courtesy of Air Evac
Air Evac Lifeteam
(AEL) Flight Paramedic
Coy Tippins and Flight
Nurse Leslie Hernandez
recently won second place
in the AEL Access Chal
lenge.
Hernandez and Tip
pins, team members from
two bases in Georgia -
Perry and Vidalia - were
one of two crews chosen to
represent the southeast re
gion. The Access Challenge
is a rigorous competition
where teams must com
plete simulations of com
plex patient care scenarios,
showcasing their patient-
care skillset and clinical
knowledge. Throughout
the challenge, selected
teams are evaluated by
medical directors, addi
tional EMS crew members
and clinical specialists.
“I volunteered when
I heard a flight nurse from
our sister base in Perry
needed a partner, not really
knowing what I was getting
myself into,” said Tippins.
“It was amazing to see how
well we worked together.
Getting to collaborate with
our talented team mem
bers from across the coun
try was a once-in-a-lifetime
experience.”
Tippins and Hernan
dez, who had not previous
ly worked a shift together,
prepared for weeks lead
ing up to the competition,
gaining further insight into
their clinical capabilities.
“Having Coy be cho
sen to represent the south
east region in such a rigor
ous competition is notable
enough,” said Vidalia Air
Evac Senior Program Di
rector Rafe Waters. “How
ever, to have Coy and Les
lie win the silver medal,
we are extremely proud of
their extensive knowledge
and skill level.”
Each year, the AEL
clinical services team hosts
the Access Challenge in
conjunction with their
employee appreciation
weekend. The purpose of
the Access Challenge is to
create an environment that
fosters team bonding while
simultaneously assessing
clinical education needs for
AEL crews. The winners
of the AEL Access Chal
lenge represent Air Evac
Lifeteam at the Critical
Care Transport Medicine
Conference (CCTMC) in
the spring, competing in
the CCCTMC simulation
challenge.
About Air Evac Lifeteam
Air Evac Lifeteam is
the nation’s leading pro
vider of helicopter air am
bulance services. Crews
consisting of a pilot, a flight
nurse and a flight para
medic, are on duty 7 days
a week to respond to the
scene of a medical emer
gency or transport patients
between medical facilities.
The company operates
more than 150 air medical
bases across 18 states. For
more information, please
visit Lifeteam.net.
Air Evac Lifeteam
is part of Global Medi
cal Response. With near
ly 37,000 team members,
Global Medical Response
delivers compassionate,
quality medical care, pri
marily in the areas of emer
gency medical services and
patient relocation services
in the United States and
around the world. GMR
was formed by combining
the industry leaders in air,
ground, mobile healthcare
services, and community,
industrial/specialty and
wildland fire services.
For additional informa
tion, visit us on Linkedln
or at www.GlobalMedical-
Response.com.
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Julia McKenzie
Jmckenzie@vidfed.com
0:912-537-8805 ext. 137
300 Jackson Street, Vidalia, GA 30474