The Mathews County School Board took time out this week to make recognitions, thanking its retirees and honoring its VSBA student art winners—something the board has not done since before the COVID-19 pandemic struck back in March.

Tuesday night’s meeting, which was held in the Harry M. Ward Auditorium at Mathews High School, began with the recognition of employees who retired at the end of the 2019-2020 school year. Typically, this is done at the conclusion of the school year, said superintendent Nancy Welch, but had been put off because of the virus. The seven employees provided a combined 152 years’ service to Mathews County Public Schools, Welch said. They are:

Debbie Hunley (who worked for Mathews schools from 1989 to 2020); Lou Ann Diggs (1992-2020), David Lowe (1994-2020), Martha Barker (1999-2020), Vanessa Fry (2000-2020), Lee Jackson (2006-2020) and Sara Hogge (2007-2020). Each received a plaque and the thanks of the board.

Following that presentation, the school boa...