There was plenty of celebrating on Tuesday night at the December meeting of the Rome City Schools Board of Education at Rome High School’s College and Career Academy on Tuesday evening.
The Board celebrated Rome High School’s girls cross country team for winning its second straight region title as well as highlighting Dani Royer for being named to the All-Region 5-5A Volleyball First Team. The Board also took a moment to present a special video honoring board members Dr. Melissa Davis and Jill Fisher for their service to the Board.
Both Dr. Davis and Fisher joined the Board in January of 2018 and have been crucial members ever since. This was the final meeting for both as they chose not to run for reelection. Fisher instead was elected to Rome’s City Council and will be sworn in in January. Superintendent Dr. Eric L. Holland gave both board members plaques and a coin honoring and commemorating their service to Rome City Schools.
The Board also took a moment, after unanimously approving personnel recommendations, to announce that West End Principal Dr. Dennis Drummond has been chosen to be Rome City Schools’ Assistant Superintendent and Dr. Eric Robertson has been chosen to be interim principal at Main Elementary. Both men received big ovations after the announcement. Dr. Drummond will serve out the remainder of the school year as West End’s principal before taking over the Assistant Superintendent role on June 1, 2026.
East Central Principal Samantha Lindsey took center stage for the school spotlight as she highlighted the many good things happening at East Central Elementary.
“It is my privilege to share all the wonderful things about East Central that show that our motto, ‘Excellence in Everything,’ is true. Our faculty and staff spend countless hours pouring into our students to help them reach their potential,” she said.
Lindsey spoke about the school’s excellent results on CCRPI tests, helping the school score among the region’s best in several categories. She also talked about East Central’s emphasis on literacy and the Read Across Rome program, with events like the Masked Reader and author visits, including a recent one from Eric Litwin, the author of the Pete the Cat books.
She noted the school received the Ready Georgia Seal of Preparedness and has placed an emphasis on STEM as well as art, with a new full-time art teacher.
East Central has also placed a big emphasis on family engagement, with close to 30 engagement events planned for this school year, including the Halloween parade, Thanksgiving luncheons, Veteran’s Day celebrations, and more.
Laura Bucio, Family Engagement Coordinator, spoke about family engagement at Rome City Schools and presented a video highlighting family engagement events and Family Engagement Month.
The Board approved spring fundraising requests and the board meeting calendar for 2026. It also approved the first reading of the 2027 school calendar.
This was the final board meeting for 2025. The Board will meet again on Tuesday, January 13, when two new board members, Marquita Davis and Brenda Boyd, will be sworn in.