Education

Greg Cecil, assistant principal at John Hardin High School, has been hired as the principal at Hart County High School.

The district considered more than 30 applicants, Superintendent Ricky D. Line said. Cecil was one of three finalists interviewed by the site-based council. Line said extensive background research and reference checks were conducted.

"We're very comfortable with his style and where he's been," Line said. "We think he will be a great fit."

Elizabethtown Independent Schools are weathering tight financial times with the district’s savings.

The EIS board approved the district’s tentative budget Monday night at its regular meeting at Panther Academy. The budget shows the district spending more out of its general fund than it’s taking in, but a hefty contingency and starting balance in the budget allows the move, according to Finance Director Denise Morgan.

In an effort to coordinate and improve safety in schools throughout Hardin County, local law enforcement is in the beginning stages of implementing an adopt-a-school program.

Following the school shooting tragedy last December in Newtown, Conn., local agencies launched a series of meetings concerning efforts to increase safety of students and faculty in all schools in the county, including private and alternative.

Almost 200 graduates walked the line into a new phase of their lives Monday as the school year ended at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College.

The commencement ceremony for ECTC took place at Central Hardin High School. There were 186 graduates who participated in the ceremony, of 898 students graduating from the college this year.

David Wallace, retired chairman of Nabors Completion & Production Services Company, gave the commencement address. He is a 1974 ECTC graduate and was named a distinguished alumnus in 2010.