By KARA DECHALK
Contributing Writer
At Monday’s Marshall School Board meeting, Andrea Armstrong, president of Substance Abuse Prevention Services gave a special awards presentation. The awards were presented on behalf of SAPS’ Across Ages Mentoring Program and Dr. Harry J. Bonner, Sr., SAPS Executive director.
The Across Ages Mentoring program Outstanding Parent of the Year and Outstanding Youth of the Year awards went to mother and daughter Aisha Gamble and Ashtyn Ridley-Melton respectively.
Gamble was selected for her outstanding acheivement and providing leadership within the community. Ridley-Melton was selected for her outstanding commitment to educating youth and providing leadership within the community.
Marshall Public Schools’ Facilities Director, Brad Shedd was presented with an Educational Leader of the Year award for outstanding achievement and providing leadership within our commmunity.
Ridley-Melton, a 2025 graduate of Marshall High School, presented the second Educational Leader of the Year award to Marshall Public Schools’ Superintendent Becky Jones.
“Over the past two years I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside Ms. Becky Jones” said Ridley-Melton. “I can say that she’s very adamant about helping our community, and making sure that every student gets what they need throughout the school year, and making changes that we all wanted”
The Across Ages Mentoring Program (CAMP) is an initiative of SAPS where older students and adults act as mentors for younger students, with the goal of promoting positive development, connectedness, and academic success.
