But by the time he left the same room he walked into nervously, he was smiling.

Silver Creek Superintendent Dr. Katie Ralston and the Board of Education highlighted Rice at the most recent meeting of the Board for his efforts with the district’s updated Code of Conduct.

“Kevin is psyched about this,” Ralston joked, noting his hesitation to be recognized at a Board meeting. The Board and audience all laughed before Ralston continued.

Rice is the Silver Creek High School Dean of Students. He took on a heavy load in updating the Code of Conduct this year, which had not been done in several years. The Code of Conduct will now be updated annually.

Silver Creek High School Dean of Students Kevin Rice, right, smiled as he received a sweatshirt from Superintendent Dr. Katie Ralston, left, as a sign of appreciation at a recent Board of Education meeting.

“It’s no secret we spent a lot of time on the Code of Conduct. I just want to be really clear, there is no way the Code of Conduct would be done right now if Kevin hadn’t done the work three years ago,” Ralston said. “… It’s not a small undertaking, and Kevin did the brunt of the work to start, pretty much on his own.”

Rice then “graciously” turned it over to Ralston for the final edits.

“Kevin started the work, but at no point acted like, ‘This is my Code of Conduct.’ … It will be seen throughout the entire district,” Ralston said. “It’s not often that someone puts that amount of work into something that then is seen throughout the entire district.”

Ralston then thanked Rice and presented him with a sweatshirt. The entire Code of Conduct will be shared on the district website shortly.

Later in the meeting, Betty Jo Gabel-Lewis was appointed as a long-term Physical Education Teacher substitute, retroactive to Oct. 16, through the rest of the school year, as needed. Additionally, Catherine Casselberry was appointed as Pool Director through the end of the school year.

The Board also approved Heath Garlow, Lori Cornell, Evelyn Smith, and Sierra Craig as non-certified substitute teachers, while Dawson Chase was also approved as a non-certified substitute teacher pending fingerprint clearance. Christopher Fagan was approved as a certified substitute teacher effective Jan. 3, 2024.

Permanent appointments within the district that were approved at the recent meeting include Abigail Roza, Substitute Teacher; Nicolle Evenden, Bus Driver; and Brookelynn Wood, Cleaner.

The district also accepted the resignation of Middle/High School Art Teacher Elizabeth Dole, effective Jan. 26, 2024.

A memorandum of agreement was also approved between the district and 5 in 5, Inc. to continue with the district’s #SameHereSchool programs.

Silver Creek and Forestville will continue to share varsity and modified football programs for next season, hosted by Silver Creek. The coaching staff was also approved to attend the National Wing-T Football Clinic to further explore the program’s offensive philosophy.

The Board also accepted the Corrective Action Plan tied to the district’s independent audit report.

Three field trips were also approved by the Board. First to be approved was a trip to Washington D.C. for the Human Rights and Genocide Class to visit the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and historical landmarks from March 8-10. The Travel and Tourism Class will visit New York City from April 25-28; and the 2024 Senior Class Trip will be to Destiny USA/WonderWorks in Syracuse, NY, from May 22-23.