NATCHEZ — Approximately 50 Natchez-Adams School District students were recognized Tuesday afternoon during a regularly scheduled board meeting.

The students were honored for winning various academic competitions, including those who placed at a statewide Beta Club Convention in Biloxi, the Technology Student Association competition in Vicksburg and the district and school spelling bees.

Each participant in district spelling bees received certificates while the winners received gift cards, both to reward them for their achievements and to encourage more students to study and participate in the competition, said the district Superintendent Fred Butcher.

The district spelling bee winner, Tavia Morris, advanced to a state spelling bee in Jackson last month.

Meanwhile, all of the district’s students that placed in the statewide Junior Beta Club Convention in both solo and group competitions would be advancing to the national convention in Oklahoma City in June, Butcher said, while TSA winners would be traveling to Washington, D.C.

In other matters Tuesday, the board:

• Unanimously approved a motion that all board officers retain current positions.
• Unanimously approved minutes for a regularly scheduled board meeting on March 19.
• Approved minutes for a special-called budget work session on March 13 on a vote of 4-0, with board member Reneé Wall abstaining her vote because she did not attend the March 13 meeting.
• Unanimously approved consent items which included the claims docket, the disposal of surplus equipment, child nutrition personnel recommendations, a request to use a school facility, travel request for staff members, reviews of policies concerning general public relations and organization relations, updated description of a speech pathologist and the receipt of donated items.
• Unanimously approved the receipt of a three-year Student Support Services Grant that supplies the salary for a full-time transitional mental health coach at Natchez High School and $5,000 per year for health services at no cost to the district.
• Unanimously approved a request from Durham School Services to allow students who ride Durham buses to participate in a canned food drive for the Natchez Stewpot.
• Unanimously approved an increase in the number of workdays for Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps instructors.
• Unanimously approved summer school extension and remediation programs funded by federal grants and student tuition.
• Unanimously approved a summer bridge program at Morgantown Middle School funded by a school improvement grant.
• Deputy Superintendent Zandra McDonald advised board members as well as the public that all new or updated policies and procedures under review would be posted on the district’s website for public comment. No new policy changes were presented during Tuesday’s meeting.

Items discussed in an executive session included the discussion of personnel recommendations, vacant positions, expulsions and readmissions. No action was taken on any executive session items, Butcher said.