The Demopolis Board of Education approved the 2014-15 school calendar during Monday night’s board meeting.

The board no longer has to follow the school calendar bill, but the calendar will be similar to the one for the 2013-14 school year.

Superintendent Dr. Al Griffin said school will start earlier and the students will get a full week for Thanksgiving, and school will be out by Memorial Day.

With the new calendar, students will start school Monday, Aug. 11 and will get out Friday, May 22, 2015. The student holidays will be as follows:

•Sept. 1 – Labor Day

•Oct. 16 – Students released at noon for institute/in-service/workday

•Nov. 11 – Veteran’s Day

•Nov. 24-28 – Thanksgiving

•Dec. 22-Jan. 2, 2015 – Christmas

•Jan. 5 – Institute/in-service/workday

•Jan. 19 – Lee/King Day

•Feb. 13 – Weather day

•March 12 – Students released at noon for institute/in-service/workday

•March 30-April 3 – Spring Break

The board also approved an agreement with Project Lead-The-Way, which will help the system expand its automation and robotics studies. This school year was the first for the system to have a robotics course, which is at Demopolis Middle School.

“This is an excellent program, and it will be a positive for the robotics program that was so impressive this year,” Griffin said. “We’re excited to implement this program.”

Griffin also recognized Demopolis Middle School student Mary-McClain Colgrove for being name the Junior Beta Club State President at the Junior Beta Club Competition last week.

Colgrove and other members of the Junior Beta Club will attend the national competition in Richmond, Va., in June.

In other business, the board took the following action:

•Approved overnight travel for the U.S. Jones enrichment students to travel to DeSoto Caverns in Childersburg on March 20-21

•Approved overnight travel for the DHS baseball team to go to a tournament in Wetumpka on March 27-28

•Approved the financial reports from February

•Approved the 2014 driver’s education program

The board also approved the following personnel recommendations from Griffin:

•Accept retirement of Deon Pritchett, DMS custodian

•Accept retirement of U.S. Jones third-grade teacher Johnnie Scott

•Accept retirement of Westside Elementary reading coach Debbie Butler

•Accept retirement of Demopolis City Schools administrative assistant Sherry Feller

•Name Brad Daniels as assistant DHS soccer coach. Daniels is the head coach of the soccer team, but he also fulfills the duty of an assistant coach by coaching the JV team as well as varsity.

•Name Deborah Boykin assistant DHS track coach

•Hire Sandra Washington as DMS custodian

The next regular board meeting will be Monday, April 21 at 5:15 p.m.