After missing 17 days so far during the 2017-18 academic year, Carter County students will now have an extra bit of work going in the spring.

The Carter County Schools Board of Education met inside Happy Valley High School Thursday and voted unanimously to approve the recommendation by attendance supervisor Danny McClain to use March 26-29, which was originally set aside for spring vacation, as make-up days for the school having to be closed due to inclement weather.

As of Thursday’s meeting, McClain told the board that the system had missed 17 days over the course of the year.

“We only had 13 days built in,” he said.

Another change to the school schedule was made to address the upcoming county primary election. Schools will be closed May 1 but students will have an additional school day on May 24.

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The system’s up-and-coming young professionals were also recognized during the evening.

High school students from Hampton, Cloudland, Unaka and Happy Valley were highlighted by the BOE for their win during the Battle of the Build, held at the East Tennessee State University Mini-Dome. Sponsored by the Johnson City Area  Home Builders Association, the Battle of the Build saw a team comprised of students from each school come away with a first place finish for their creation of a chicken coop. The students won a $1,000 grand prize along with an additional $600 for a raffle held during the event.

Officials thanked the efforts of the JCAHBA, the schools, students and local businesses for their help with the project. David Isaacs with Isaacs Pools and Shane Case were presented with plaques from the school system to show their gratitude for working with students.

Happy Valley Middle School students were also recognized for their accomplishments by recently competing in the VEX Robotics competition. While two teams competed at the state level, one team was able to qualify for the upcoming World Championships set for April in Louisville, Ky.

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In other business, the system approved contracts for various projects at schools within the county, which will have to go before County Commission for final approval.

Cost of contracts for projects include:

• $596,000-plus for renovations at Unaka High School’s football stadium, which includes bleacher and restroom improvement.

• $320,000-plus for Happy Valley Elementary project to replace windows.

• $108,000 for reroofing at Cloudland High School.

• $78,000-plus for Hampton’s vocational building reroofing.

• $77,000-plus for Happy Valley’s vocational building reroofing.

• $66,000-plus for Unaka’s vocational building reroofing.

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BOE also received grant funding from the Tennessee Risk Management Trust to assist with safety within the district. County Superintendent Dr. Kevin Ward added that safety continues to be the primary focus for the schools and the plans are still being developed with the Carter County Sheriff’s Department to help bolster security procedures for the school population.