East Holmes board honors students, sets graduation date, reviews facilities plan

Hiland High School families now have a clear date to plan around, with graduation set for 2 p.m. May 17, while East Holmes leaders also used their latest meeting to recognize two students and keep work moving on a district facilities plan that could reshape classrooms in the years ahead.

The East Holmes Local Schools Board of Education met April 17 at the district central office and highlighted Allie Labody as a Hiland-WKLM Student of the Week for March 30 through April 3 and Jeremy Raber for April 6 through 10. Those recognitions are among the most visible ways the district puts student success in front of the community, and they landed alongside one of the spring calendar’s most important dates for local families: Hiland High School’s May 17 commencement.

Cory Anderson also spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting. East Holmes board meetings are held on the third Friday of each month at 7:30 a.m. at the East Holmes Administration Office, and the five elected board members hear public participation under Board Policy 0169.1, which generally limits individual comments to three minutes.

Behind the student honors and calendar items, the board received updates on the district’s phased facilities master plan and capital projects, along with building and supervisor reports. That work matters well beyond the board table. School districts in Holmes County have to balance daily operations with aging buildings, maintenance needs and long-term classroom space, and East Holmes is already laying the groundwork for changes that could affect where students learn and how staff use district space.

In February 2026, East Holmes issued a request for qualifications for Construction Manager-at-Risk services tied to the Facilities Master Plan. The district said the work would move in two phases, beginning with master planning and pre-construction services before shifting into final design and construction under a guaranteed maximum price delivery method. Construction was anticipated to begin in spring 2027.

The request for qualifications also said the district is considering additions and renovations across district buildings, along with the elimination of modular classrooms. For East Holmes, that puts the spring meeting squarely at the intersection of immediate school life and the bigger operational decisions that will shape classrooms, staffing logistics and district spending in the years ahead.