Discover Appomattox May 2023

Discover

HONORING BLACK HISTORY

ACWM BRINGS THE TOWN TOGETHER WITH THEIR BLACK HISTORY

MONTH EXHIBIT

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Charles Conrad, William Masselli DESIGN

2250 Pamplin Road | Pamplin Va 23958 434-665-2335

ACHS REVEALS NEW ADDITION

STEM SLIME PROJECT

RAIDER READY DAY

OYSTER FEST DRAWS CROWD

HONORING BLACK HISTORY AT ACWM

CONGRESSMAN GOOD TOURS VOCATIONAL SCHOOL

TAVORIAN COPELAND

WINS Watkins Award

JAVON SCRUGGS

WORKS OUT FOR LU PRO DAY

ART GALLERY OF NEW GENEVA GRAND OPENING

ACWM COMMEMORATES SURRENDER

DIRECTORY

CHS

REVEALS

NEW ADDITION

Story By Charles Conrad

On Sunday afternoon of March 26, Appomattox County High School (ACHS) revealed to the general public its new 21,000-square-feet building addition and several other renovations taking place at the existing building.

The open house drew a nice-sized crowd that included local residents, ACHS alumni, school division staff, and members of the Appomattox County School Board, Appomattox Town Council and Appomattox County Board of Supervisors.

Several ACHS students who are members of the National Honor Society (NHS) guided visitors on separate tours of the new two-level school building. Those students were Parker Cheatham, Katie Conroy, Catherine Thomas, Larken Harris and Jillian Williams.

Before the tour began, opening ceremonies were held at the school’s main entrance and included brief speeches by school administrators and local elected officials, and musical performances by the ACHS band and chorus, which led in the singing of the Star Spangled Banner.

On opposite page, attendees of the open house event walk through one of the hallways in the new addition at Appomattox County High School. Photo by Charles Conrad.

The tour highlighted the following:

• New secured main office

• New office space for the administrative team, counseling offices and conference rooms

• Renovated cafeteria with expanded space and a large glass trophy case

• New downstairs History classrooms

• New upstairs English classrooms

• New upstairs Foreign Language classrooms (formerly the old office area)

• Renovated library, which will include a creator’s space room and audio/visual studio

• Resurfaced concourse area

• New ceiling and lights in the auditorium lobby

• New lighted “A” logo on the exterior of the new building

The ACHS expansion and renovation project was developed in March 2020; groundbreaking began in May 2021. The entire project is expected to be completed in the fall of 2023. The old classrooms are currently being renovated in three phases — one to be completed by spring break, another in the summer, and another in the fall.

“I’m really excited,” said Appomattox County Public Schools (ACPS) Superintendent Dr. Annette Bennett. “There’s plenty more to do but we’re getting there little by little.

We’re starting on classrooms that weren’t part of the new addition — the older classrooms, we’re trying to renovate those now.”

With a few tweaks to the original design along with cost-cutting measures, the project is able to be completed under the original PPA (Purchase Price Allocation) estimated cost of $23 million, which allowed for further construction.

“I think that Appomattox County High School has gotten a reputation in the past of doing more with less,” said ACHS Principal Luke Cunningham. “Now that we’re getting the resources, money poured into our school that we need to

continue to build it, to advance and improve it, I can’t wait to see what our kids can do with some of the new additions, the renovations.”

Cunningham is especially interested in the newlyconfigured library and its adjoining creator’s space room and audio/visual studio.

“I’m very excited about the library,” he said. “Adding that maker’s space and the audio and visual studio is just an awesome opportunity to expand our programs for our students.”

Cunningham explained that the creator’s space and audio/visual studio will be located in a room behind the library, consisting of an audio technicians room and green screen, similar to a television production studio. The idea, he stated, would be for students to produce shows such as Friday morning announcements and other creative functions.

Harris, a junior at ACHS who enjoys having conversations with people, was one of the NHS students who volunteered to be an open house tour guide in exchange for community service hours. She is impressed by the new addition and renovations and

what they bring to the high school.

“I like it a lot,” she said. “The old classrooms, they were just old; they needed to be revamped, and I like the new ones a lot better. I like that you can dim the lights because sometimes lights can be too bright, and [when] having headaches in school it’s nice to have certain features.”

“It’s an investment, so I know it’s a lot of change and I know it’s expensive to do all this work but I think it’s good,” she added. “It’s a good addition because it gives us more space and more opportunities for classrooms and more space in the cafeteria.”

Harris is a member of the school’s Future Farmer of America (FFA) and hopes to be accepted into Virginia Tech’s agricultural program. If that plan doesn’t come to fruition, her Plan B is to attend cosmetology school. She admitted that going through the changes brought about by the renovation process was an adjustment period.

“It was confusing at first because people were moving, classrooms were moving and you’re like ‘Well, where is this teacher, where is the office now?’ But now that everything has settled down a little bit, we know

A new History classroom in Appomattox County High School’s new building addition. Photo by Charles Conrad.

what we’re doing as a student,” she said.

Bennett complimented many people for helping ACHS accomplish its plan, including the construction team at Jamerson-Lewis.

“Jamerson-Lewis, obviously, has been the general contractor and they have just been great to work with, trying to get as much out of this project as we could and they helped us reinvest everything that we saved back into it. I’ve just been so pleased working with them. Philip Jamerson, obviously, came up with the idea and kind of started the ball rolling, which I appreciate that,” she said.

Despite leisure competition from the sunny, spring weekend day, Cunningham expressed a sense of satisfaction over the open house event.

“We were competing with a very beautiful Sunday afternoon but it was exciting to see some of our alumni come back and see just how different the school looks right now,” he said. “But I love the fact that we were able to keep the ‘bones’ of the school that they had, and just seeing the improvements it was a really nice afternoon.” |

The exterior of the new building addition at Appomattox County High School. Photo by Charles Conrad.

AMS

STUDENTS ENGAGE IN STEM SLIME MOLD PROJECT

Story By Felicia Rovenolt AMS Science Teacher

CONTRIBUTED

Pictured above on the left, are some of the Appomattox Middle School students participating in the STEM slime mold project in Felicia Rovenolt’s sixth grade Life Science class. Shown above at the right, is a tray from the STEM slime mold project in Felicia Rovenolt’s sixth grade Life Science class at Appomattox Middle School. On opposite page, shown is the Physarum life cycle, part of what is being taught in the STEM slime mold project in Felicia Rovenolt’s sixth grade Life Science class at Appomattox Middle School. Photos contributed by Felicia Rovenolt.

Sixth grade Life Science students from Appomattox Middle School used a biotechnology kit on loan from Virginia Tech Fralin Life Science Institute to glimpse into the intelligent life of protists.

The complete kit provided enough supplies for 100 students. The institute provides complete service by providing shipping, manuals and assistance. This loaner project has loaned kits to schools for over 20 years. This is the second time AMS has used the kit to enrich students in this inquiry project.

The kit, cage-the-slime-mold, enables students to get a firsthand glimpse of the intelligent behavior and survival tactics of living organisms — in this case, slime mold.

During guided inquiry, students construct a maze with Lego blocks. They then place oats containing slime mold in the maze. The mold colonizes or navigates through the maze and responds to the barriers. Students observe the path that the mold takes to navigate the maze and reach the oat flakes generating hypotheses about the movement.

The plasmodial slime mold, Physarum polycephalum, is nonpathogenic and safe for student use but students practice sterile

techniques, lab safety measures and the principles of scientific method in correlations to Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) for Life Science.

Students are familiar with the seemingly overnight appearance of yellow or orange “slime “ on a mulch pile or in a garden bed. Slime molds are not actually molds or even fungi; rather, they are classified as amoeboid protozoans.

Slime exists in two forms: plasmodium (pl. plasmodia), a streaming packet of cytoplasm containing many nuclei; or sclerotium (pl. sclerotia), a dry structure — in this form, the slime mold can survive environmental extremes until conditions are

favorable for growth.

In the plasmodial form, students can easily recognize amoeboid type movement and watch it respond to a variety of environmental stimuli, including light, physical barriers, food sources and chemical repellents. Students document this growth to enhance their understanding of the characteristics of life and to differentiate between multicellular and unicellular organisms.

Other SOLs explored are the cellular activities necessary for life including chemical reactions that facilitate acquiring energy, reproduction and maintaining homeostasis. |

Raider Ready DAY

introduces AMS students to high school electives

Story By Charles Conrad

On Jan. 27, Appomattox County High School (ACHS) hosted Raider Ready Day, a one-morning event that introduces eighth graders from Appomattox Middle School to the various elective courses available for them to take when they reach the high school level.

Among those electives are the areas of business, agriculture, automotive technology, computer technology, teaching, fine arts, and more. AMS students are separated into various small groups and rotate from classroom to classroom.

“It’s a good opportunity for our eighth graders to come over, not only just to see our campus but to visit all of the programs that they’ll have the opportunity to participate in over here,” said ACHS Principal Luke Cunningham.

ACHS teachers select students who are adept in their particular course to lead discussions with the AMS visitors, a method that Cunningham believes helps communicate the course descriptions more effectively.

“Different programs did it in different ways, but for most of them the teacher selected some of their most dedicated students to give a student’s perspective of the course, and then they also share from

a teacher’s perspective,” he said. “But eighth graders, they want to hear what the kids that are currently in those classes think about those classes. So, that’s the intent to the students kind of leading those discussions.”

Cunningham, in his first year as principal of ACHS, was previously the assistant principal at AMS, and has now experienced both sides — as host and visitor — of the Raider Ready Day program, now in its third year (not including a one-year COVID-19 hiatus). This is the first year he has been able to attend multiple presentations, and says the in-person visual experience helps AMS students make course decisions more than simply reviewing an academic course catalog.

“We have a lot of programs that have students ready to go and get a good paying job right out of high school,” he said. “You’re not gonna see that in course catalog but when they can come over here and talk to other students that are currently doing it, I think it informs their decisions on what classes to take better.”

ACHS guidance counselors were also available to answer questions.

Cunningham said the event is held in January because this is the time of year the schools begin to plan schedules for the next academic year.

The school’s CTE (Career and Technical Education) programs are beneficial for students by giving them a head start in a career field after graduating from high school. For example, automotive technology students have the opportunity to graduate qualified to do state inspections.

Cunningham said the school’s research efforts help to discover what local businesses are searching for and what students are interested in learning. Plans for expanding CTE courses are in the works, including

the addition of a drone operating class. The school already has a drone club but a CTE course could lead to opportunities that apply to drones, such as real estate and emergency services, and an FFA (Federal Aviation Administration) license.

“We’re extremely excited about our CTE department.” he said. “It’s something that we wanna grow. I think that the needs of our county are changing, as far as the types of jobs and the opportunities that our kids have, and so we’re excited to grow in new directions.” |

Shown on opposite page, Automotive Technology Instructor Jonathan Garrett (second from right) interacts with visiting Appomattox Middle School students during Raider Ready Day at Appomattox County High School. Pictured at left, Appomattox County High School student Makenzie Lecco demonstrates CPR to visiting Appomattox Middle School students in teacher Renee Wingfield’s nursing class during Raider Ready Day.

Below, Appomattox County High School student Shannon Coleman (right) speaks to visiting Appomattox Middle School students in teacher Brandon Mawyer’s marketing class during Raider Ready Day. Photos by Charles Conrad.

draws crowd to lush, green DeVault Family Vineyards

Story By Charles Conrad

*Benefits Appomattox Community & Disaster Relief

On the lush, green, rural setting of DeVault Family Vineyards in Concord, the third annual Appomattox Oyster Fest was held Sunday, April 23. The event had been scheduled for Saturday but a postponement to Sunday was made necessary because of rainy weather.

The Oyster Fest is organized by Appomattox Community & Disaster Relief (ACDR) and benefits the organization’s local relief efforts. ACRD is a 501(c)(3) non-profit civic organization.

Tom Adams, chairman of ACDR and the Appomattox County Militia, said that in 2022 the ACDR donated about $4,000 of equipment to the Appomattox County Sheriff’s Department. They also donate $1,000 and food, clothing and furniture to people who are victims of house fires in the Appomattox area — of which they donated to several last year.

Adams estimated a crowd of around 2,000 people attended this year’s Oyster Fest, down a bit from 2022 due to the weather delay. Several vendors pulled out of the event after the date change, primarily due to prior Sunday commitments. However, other vendors signed up after learning of the Sunday opening.

“We hated to do a rain date because we know people make plans ahead of time. And then doing it on a Sunday, we know people are going to church but we did get a lot of people that bought (tickets) at the gate. As they left church they decided to spend the day here, and it was a gorgeous day,” Adams said.

The Oyster Fest featured cooked oysters, of course, as well as other food, various vendors, breweries and wineries, a distillery, and live musical entertainment by traditional country music singer Andrew Washington and the jazz, funk and R&B band Apple Butter Soul. ACDR had a cocktail booth this year, which featured their own mixtures.

“From what I can tell, everybody’s having a good time; nobody’s had any complaints about anything,” Adams said. “We’ve got a good selection of vendors and they’ve all indicated they wanna come back again next year. So, I think it’s gonna be bigger next year. I think if we can have

Shown on opposite page, Appomattox Oyster Fest events are seen in the background beyond rows of vineyards at DeVault Family Vineyards in Concord.

Photo by Charles Conrad.

the weather on our side next year we’ll be doing OK.”

Adams formerly organized the Oyster & Seafood Festival that was hosted by the Appomattox County Historical Society. When he founded ACDR, he created the Appomattox Oyster Fest.

DeVault Family Vineyards is owned by Terry and Sharon DeVault, who donate their property to hold the Oyster Fest.

Adams said he had worked for the DeVaults from 2012-2015, doing such tasks as running events and designing wine labels, and holds a very close relationship to them.

“We’re almost like family. Anything they need, I’d do for them, and vise versa,” Adams said.

The land that houses the vineyards is an ideal, peaceful setting for a community event such as the Oyster Fest.

“It’s a beautiful location here in the vines; people love it,” Adams said.

Those who are interested in community service are encouraged to consider ACDR as an option to help local individuals and agencies with their needs.

“Anyone that wants to help the community, this is a great organization to do so; they should look us up and join,” Adams said.

For more information about ACDR, visit www.appomattoxcares.org, the Appomattox Community & Disaster Relief Facebook page, call 434-998-1202, or email info@appomattoxcares.org.

Pictured at the left, is a pan of cooked oysters at food vendor Gregory’s Grill during the Appomattox Oyster Fest. Shown below at the left is jazz, funk and R&B band Apple Butter Soul performs on stage at the Appomattox Oyster Fest. Below on the right, a female helper at Gregory’s Grill waves to the camera during the Appomattox Oyster Fest. Photos by Charles Conrad.

An estimated crowd of 2,000 attended the Appomattox Oyster Fest held April 23 at DeVault Family Vineyards in Concord. Photo by Charles Conrad.

ACWM HONORS Black History

ACWM HONORS Black History

goes above & beyond

Story By William Masselli

The Appomattox American Civil War Museum (ACWM) went above and beyond in its Black History Month programming during the months of February and March this year.

The ACWM’s Black History Month programming in Appomattox features the following: the “Legacies of Appomattox” exhibit, the “From Slavery to Freedom” programming, and the “History Explorer Day” programming. Legacies of Appomattox illustrates to Appomattox residents the resilience and bravery that former Appomattox residents portrayed throughout history.

“This particular program was inspired by a previous collaboration with a Carver-Price alumnus and a tremendous opportunity to further highlight our ‘Legacies of Appomattox’ exhibit,” said Director of Marketing and

Shown above are main exhibits displayed at the American Civil War Museum in Appomattox. Pictured on opposite page and page 24 are Enacting Freedom exhibits from the American Civil War Museum in Appomattox. Photos contributed by ACWM Creative Services Manager John Dixon.

Public Relations at ACWM Jeniffer Maloney.

Maloney and the Board of Directors at Carver-Price Legacy Museum (CPLM) worked very hard in a joint effort to bring these exhibits and this particular programming to the public.

They realized that the legacies of the Civil War have lingered for well over 150 years. Visitors have an extraordinary opportunity to learn about the area’s history and personal experiences. When visitors view these exhibits, they will be learning about the following: the Civil War, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Carver-Price School.

“With programs such as the ‘Stories of Segregation Series’ and our partners at the Carver-Price Legacy Museum, the American Civil War Museum furthers our intention to explore the stories and legacies of the Civil War,” added Maloney.

The ACWM used Black History Month as

a great opportunity to present to the public multiple exhibits.

“Black History Month is an opportunity for a special focus dedicated to individual stories and events,” said Maloney.

On any given month, the ACWM is no stranger when it comes to receiving positive feedback from its visitors.

However, this month in particular, ACWM received even more positive feedback than usual because of its Black History Month programming.

“We receive very positive feedback about our year-round programming, including our Black History Month ‘Stories of Segregation Series’, and we look forward to the upcoming ‘From Slavery to Freedom’ History Explorer Day,” said Maloney.

History Explorer Day occurred on March 11, 2023, and taught spectators about slavery in the middle of the 19th century in the United States. The program taught spectators having spectators interact with reproduction artifacts and having people uncover the stories of real people.

Also, people listened to historical interpreters and found out what experiences of slavery were really like.

No matter which one of the three sites people visit of the ACWM, visitors enjoyed many tours and exhibits. ACWM offers the following

things for people to view: Tredegar, the White House of the Confederacy, ACWM-Appomattox, Enacting Freedom: Black Virginians in the Age of Emancipation, and Legacies of Appomattox. Each of these exhibits and tours are very unique.

First, Tredegar presents four intriguing exhibits that cover the legacies of the Civil War. Tredegar tells stories about how life from home and the battlefront differed from each other. The exhibits of Tredegar do a detailed and thorough job of telling the stories from multiple perspectives. “A People’s Contest,” the flagship exhibit of Tredegar, displays well over 500 Civil War artifacts. This gives people a great taste of the history during the Civil War. The Robins Theater part of the tour provides visitors with a vivid visual experience through the original short film, “America’s Civil War & Emancipation.”

Next, the White House of the Confederacy was built in 1818 and became a national historic landmark that served as the Confederate Executive Mansion during the Civil

War. Visitors get to experience guided tours of the restored house that feature the house’s elegant public rooms and the house’s private living quarters. Also, visitors have the amazing opportunity of exploring and learning about the lives of the people who used to live and work here.

Third, ACWM-Appomattox features an exhibit called “The End of the War & Its Legacies.” This exhibit illustrates to visitors the overlapping stories of the end of the civil war and the nation reuniting. This exhibit contains at least 400 artifacts in the forms of photographs and documents. The exhibit’s most popular artifact is the uniform coat that General Robert E. Lee wore when he surrendered to the north.

Lastly, visitors learn how African Americans in Virginia were able to experience freedom after enslavement and how African Americans’ experiences are pertinent to our lives today by viewing the “Enacting Freedom: Black Virginians in the Age of Emancipation.”

To learn more about this museum, contact Jeniffer Maloney at jmaloney@acwm.org. |

future ACA vocational school

Story By Charles Conrad

U.S. Congressman Bob Good, who represents the 5th District of Virginian, visited Appomattox on Tuesday, Feb. 21, to tour the vocational school that is being organized by Appomattox Christian Academy (ACA) to open in fall 2023 at the CarverPrice Center.

The vocational school is planning to initially offer training in career fields such as welding and health and human services and, possibly next year. expand to add a machine shop. The school will work in conjunction with the Appomattox CVCC (Central Virginia Community College), which occupies the same complex, to offer duel enrollment and options for an Associates Degree and certification testing for students at ACA and the county’s other schools as well as classes for adults.

After competing a tour of the facility led by ACA Board of Directors Chairman Bruce Boone, a businessman who is spearheading the project, Good expressed his enthusiasm for the school and the possibilities it will provide for Appomattox students and the community.

Good said he is excited “to see the vision of Appomattox Christian Academy coming together in partnership with the community here and the local government here and CVCC here to build something that is so needed to train our young people, to provide the skilled training that they need to walk right into a job right after high school with an Associates Degree and to be proficient in their chosen profession. It’s really needed for the community to have the laborers, the skilled laborers that we need, but it’s also important to invest in these kids to help give them career options.”

“It’s my first time in the building and it’s my first time to learn in greater detail what the vision is,” he added. “I’m excited to see what they’re on track to complete this fall with the welding program as well as the health and human services where EMTs will be trained, and to see that which is obviously in great demand in our local counties.

“It’s tremendous for Appomattox County. It’s tremendous for the first, to my knowledge, for a Christian academy (in the local region) to add this to their educational experience for their upperclassmen in addition to bringing another skilled training center to the 5th District, to this part of Greater Lynchburg and specifically in Appomattox, it’s great for our young people as

Shown above, U.S. Congressman Bob Good (VA05) listens to Appomattox Christian Academy Board Chairman Bruce Boone during a tour of the planned vocational school site at the Carver-Price Center.

Photo by Charles Conrad.

well as our employers across the region.”

ACA Headmistress (Head of School) Cathy Shockley is grateful for Good’s appearance and willingness to tour the vocational school facilities.

“I think that’s really special that a congressman from Washington, D.C. takes the time to visit his local community schools, especially private schools, and see what we’re doing,” Shockley said. “This is gonna be, for the whole community, a really positive thing, so I’m glad that he’s interested and showing his support.”

Good was scheduled to take part in a pancake dinner at ACA on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. However, ACA canceled the dinner due to a couple COVID cases at the school, according to Shockley.

Shockley is impressed with the way the renovation project has been coming along.

“I’ve been here a number of times with Mr. Boone and it’s looking amazing,” she said. “Every time we come it’s looking better and better. So, we’re excited about the prospects that this is gonna bring to our school.”

Mark Perry, the vocational center’s program developer, is busy building partnerships with industry, helping file for grants and getting people involved. He said the school has been all privately funded through Boone up to this point but is working to secure grants. Welding equipment costs close to $750,000, and the total medical equipment costs are still being calculated.

Perry believes CVCC’s involvement is a vital element to the vocational school’s development.

“The relationship with CVCC has been very helpful because they’re going to give accreditation and that the teachers, according to their standards, and allow us flexibility to design

the programs to fit our local industry partners,” he said. “I have relationships with a lot of the industry partners, which is why I’m starting up the programs. My relationships come from my manufacturing background and from my former business where I restored pianos.”

The partnership with Virginia MetalFab and other partners as they come on board is also of vital importance in defining the course of the school’s training programs, Perry explained.

“As they come more full circle, we build that pipeline between them and us, and those things become more defined,” he said.

Focusing on remodeling building to getting it ready for welding and health and human services equipment is the current task at hand, as Perry stated. Planning for the future machine shop will involve implementing modern technology and getting students as young as elementary school prepared for vocational technical learning.

“We have to consider mechatronics, robotics, metrology, things that take students from STEM and Early STEM,” he said.

Also part of the tour were staff members of ACA and Appomattox County Director of Community Development Johnnie Roark.

Good received a Certificate of Appreciation from ACA.

Prior to his tour of the vocational school space, Good, who resides in Campbell County, briefly addressed the Appomattox County Board of Supervisors (BOS) at their monthly meeting, sharing what he is doing in Washington, D.C. and commenting on the state of the economy.

In regard to his speaking engagement with the Appomattox BOS, Good said, “That was a special privilege for me to come to the next door county from Campbell [County] where I live and where I served as a supervisor, so I know what it’s like for them to serve on a local level and how important that is.” |

U.S. Congressman Bob Good (VA-05) receives a Certificate of Appreciation from Appomattox Christian Academy during a tour of the school’s future vocational school at the Carver-Price Center. Pictured from left: Mark Perry, Hannah Gilman, Terrie Holmes, Cathy Shockley, Bob Good, Johnnie Roark, Bruce Boone, Patricia Tracey and Ashley Smith. Photo by Charles Conrad.

Tavorian Copeland

Raider Linebacker wins national Watkins Award

Story By Charles Conrad

Appomattox Raiders senior football linebacker Tavorian Copeland was announced as one of five winners of this year’s Franklin D. Watkins Memorial Trophy Award, a national annual award given by the National Alliance of African American Athletes (NAAAA) that honors top African American high school male scholarathletes.

The announcement was made Jan. 3 during the 2023 Under Armour All-American high school game in Orlando, Fla. Copeland did not play in the game but was present to receive the trophy.

The NAAAA website states that the finalists are chosen by the following criteria:

• Unweighted grade point average

• Their statements

• Extra-curricular activities

• Community service

• Letters of recommendation

According to the website, the award was established in 1992 in memory of Franklin D. Watkins “to promote academic excellence among young African-American males.”

Copeland’s mother, Angela Smith, said the official induction ceremonies will take place in Washington, D.C. on March 9-11, with a announcement of the 2023 scholarship winner on March 11.

“I’m very honored to be recognized by such a prestigious group of people, and it feels good knowing I have a community that supports me,” Copeland said in response to receiving the award.

Copeland, who stands 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighs 192 pounds, has helped lead the Raiders to two VHSL Class 2 football state championships and has committed to play college football at Virginia Tech. He was named as a 2022 VHSL Class 2 First Team All-State linebacker. He has also participated on the Raiders’ track and field team.

As of this report, Copeland carries a GPA of 3.96 at Appomattox County High School.

Copeland had also received academic and football scholarship offers from Ivy League universities Yale, Harvard, Pennsylvania,

Shown below, Appomattox County High School football linebacker Tavorian Copeland. Photo contributed by Angela Smith.

Princeton and Dartmouth as well as the Virginia Cavaliers and William & Mary. Smith said Copeland received 16 total offers. Finding success in the classroom and on the football field is the result of both hard work, his inquisitive nature, and a passion for what he does.

“I’ve always been curious, and me wanting to know everything helped me in the classroom because I always interested. Athletics has never been work to me, and spending countless hours on the field has been worth every second,” he said.

At Virginia Tech, Copeland hopes to achieve Rhodes Scholar status. He plans to major in neuroscience and pursue a career as

an anesthesiologist. According to WebMD.com, the role of an anesthesiologist is to give a patient medication to prevent pain or help them sleep through a procedure. Training can be as much as 12,000 to 16,000 hours of training, including completion of medical school, internship and residency.

Copeland credits the people closest to him for helping him reach his goals and providing him with strong support.

“Huge shout-out to my parents; they have been my foundation throughout my career,” he said. |

Story By Charles Conrad

SCRUGGS JAVON

ACHS GRAD WORKS OUT for NFL scouts at LU Pro Day

Liberty University (LU) held its Football Pro Day on Tuesday, March 21, during which National Football League (NFL) scouts showed up to watch college prospects participate in a series of drills that test overall athletic ability. The event was held at the Liberty Football Indoor Practice Facility.

Pro Days are a common annual routine on college campuses at this time of the year, and are part of the player evaluation process leading up to the NFL Draft.

Liberty safety Javon Scruggs, who graduated from Appomattox County High School (ACHS) as a threetime Class 2 state champion in 2017, was one of the Flames players hoping to make an impression on scouts and earn a tryout in an upcoming NFL training camp.

Scruggs performed in the broad jump, vertical jump, bench press, short shuttle, three-cone drill and 40-yard dash.

Liberty University Associate Athletics Director for Communications Todd Wetmore said that Liberty does not release Pro Day results; they are only released to the individual players. An attempt to reach Scruggs regarding the results was unsuccessful as of press time.

Scruggs felt that his best performance was in the 40-yard dash, and he was generally pleased with his workout.

“I did pretty good...” he said. “It is what it is. You just come out here and try to do your best and just leave it all out here while you can.”

Scruggs had been preparing for Pro Day at LU’s campus under the tutelage of Flames strength and conditioning coach Chad Scott and his staff, whom he referred to as “tremendous guys and really just top class,” practicing drills that are specific to Pro Day. In

Javon Scruggs performs the three-cone drill during Liberty University Pro Day on March 21.

Photo by Charles Conrad.

January, Scruggs also attended the College Gridiron Showcase in Fort Worth, Texas.

Scruggs hopes to play in the NFL but realizes that a large percentage of college players never attain that goal.

“I definitely want to go to the league but obviously this is not a guarantee for no one, not even the first round picks,” he said. “Just coming out here and having the faith and belief in yourself, and just knowing than you can just do whatever it is and leave everything else up to God — that’s how I’ve been looking at it and approaching this next journey and next step of my life. Some things are not in your control and you just gotta control what you can control. My part of controlling what I can control is me getting up and working out every day no matter the results. Win, lose or draw, I just know that I gave my all at the end of the day.”

While Scruggs isn’t ruling out options to play in other pro football leagues such as the CFL (in Canada), the USFL or XFL, his priority will be carving out a coaching career if he’s

not on an NFL roster in the near future. He is currently working on a Masters of Coaching degree and said his highest priority is making an impact on the lives of others, as he has done on the Flames football team, especially in the defensive backs room.

“I impacted a lot of defensive backs,” he said. “Those guys, they tell me to this day how much they’re thankful that they met me and that I was able to teach them and take them under my wing. More [important] than any play that I’ve ever made on this football field as a Liberty Flame, is building and keeping that impact on the younger guys so that this [football program] can only go uphill.”

Scruggs will never forget his roots in Appomattox. As a matter of fact, a primary influence on Scruggs — personally, athletically, and in regard to his career choice — is the Raiders coaching staff that he played for in high school, led by head coach Doug Smith.

“[Coach Smith] impacted me in a way that football doesn’t come close to him just being a father figure to me,” Scruggs said. “Even though football teaches you a lot, having that one person that’s in your life that you can look up to on your bad days and your good days, just having him speak truth into you no matter if it’s gonna break you down or build you up, it’s just knowing that somebody’s in your best interest is way better than anything that you would ever do on the football field.”

The same type of family atmosphere that exists in the Appomattox football program also exists at LU, according to Scruggs, which is part of what made his decision to commit to the Flames an easy one. As he stated, he never envisioned participating in an NFL Pro Day while in high school.

Scruggs speaks to an NFL scout in attendance at Liberty University Pro Day. Photo by Charles Conrad.

Scruggs leaps in the broad jump drill during Pro Day. Photo contributed by Liberty Athletics.

“No, definitely not. I didn’t even think I was gonna play Division-I ball,” he said. “And then on my birthday in my senior year, November 1st, 2017, Marshall Roberts called me, who is now the assistant athletic director here at Liberty University, and offered me a scholarship.”

Scruggs said that the last ACHS football player to participate in a Pro Day was cornerback Kenny Scott, who attended Liberty in the early 2010s when the Flames were an FCS (Division I-AA) program. That makes Scruggs the first Raider from a Division I school to accomplish that feat.

In Scruggs’ five seasons at Liberty, he became a team leader and recorded 264 tackles (15.5 for loss), 6 interceptions, 7 forced fumbles and 2.5 sacks. He also played in several postseason bowl games and in some of the biggest victories in the team’s history over opponents such as Arkansas, Brigham Young and Virginia Tech.

“Anytime you beat a team that’s in a better conference than you, it’s always a better feeling, especially coming from somewhere like this, Liberty…It’s kind of surreal when I really think about it, the last couple of seasons that I’ve had here, beating the Arkansas, the Virginia Techs, BYU…my guys really stepped out on the field and gave it a battle every snap that the ball was snapped.”

Scruggs’ head coach at LU, Hugh Freeze, has moved on to become the head coach at Auburn, a move that has him back in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) after resigning from Ole

Miss in 2017. Although Scruggs would have liked to seen what more Freeze could accomplish at Liberty, he believes Freeze is in a good situation at Auburn. Scruggs is also optimistic about new head coach Jamey Chadwell going forward with the program.

“I love Coach Freeze; that was my guy. I hated to see him go,” Scruggs said.

Liberty allowed family and friends of its Pro Day participants to attend the event, and Scruggs is grateful to everyone who supported he and his teammates.

“I just thank everybody that came out to support us, and me and all the other guys that came out here to participate at Liberty University’s Pro Day,” he said. “From here on out, I just hope that you all will continue to pray for us and watch over us and just root for the Liberty Flames.”

Other Liberty football players who took part in Pro Day workouts included RB T.J. Green, WR Demario Douglas, WR Caleb Snead, TE Michael Bollinger, TE Jerome Jackson, OL Naasir Watkins, DL Durrell Johnson, DL Dennis Osagiede, S Juawan Treadwell, K Aiden Alves and LS Austin Mock.

The 2023 NFL Draft was April 27-29 in Kansas City, Mo. Scruggs was not drafted in the seven-round event. Players who are not selected in the draft may sign with teams as rookie free agents. |

OF NEW GENEVA

ARTGALLERY Holds grand opening

Story By Charles Conrad

The Art Gallery of New Geneva held its grand opening ceremony April 6 at its 1878 Church Street location in Appomattox. The gallery was open that day from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., with the official grand opening held from 5 to 7 p.m., complete with live harp and piano musical performances as well as refreshments for attendees.

The gallery will be open Thursdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m, Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m, and other days as scheduled for special events.

The gallery’s curator, Jane Raymond, said she hopes to expand into holding events such as paint nights, musical and small theatre performances, and possibly more.

Raymond’s husband, Paul, is pastor of the Reformed Bible Church on Harrell Street in Appomattox, and CEO of The Art Gallery of New Geneva. He describes the theme of the gallery as “good art,” meaning art that is defined by decency and goodness.

“We call it Christian art but basically it’s just good art, wholesome art; not some of the stuff you see on the street or in art galleries today, the modern art. We want to recreate the Master’s art, the way God intended art to be,” he said.

The opening night artistic display was “All Things Have Become New,” in reference to the newness of springtime and the Scripture verse 2 Corinthians 5:17. Displays will change every six weeks and feature works by artists primarily from the local region. In February, a students’ art display will be featured. The gallery is planning to be closed during the month of January.

The gallery is the fulfillment of a love for art that Jane Raymond has possessed her entire life.

“This is really a long-time dream,” she said. “My passion has always been art — teaching children, learning about it. I taught my own children. I wrote a book on it, which is called ‘Art: A Biblical Definition and Purpose.’ In there, I’m explaining what art means to me. But basically, it’s definitely message-oriented. It doesn’t only tell about the artist but it tells of other things.

“And my passion is that people need, especially in our day, to think

Shown below at the top, attendees at the grand opening ceremony for The Art Gallery of New Geneva enjoy viewing the various art pieces. At the bottom Jessica Sosnoski plays the piano during the grand opening celebration. Photos by Charles Conrad.

about some good things. And so, things that are truthful sometimes aren’t so good, and that’s fine, but that would be a work of art that’s truthful. But I’m hoping that (The Art Gallery of New Geneva) gives a little bit more hope, and a little bit more joy, and when you step in here you’ll be refreshed — that’s the whole thing. So, there is a message going on, and I hope to have a positive message.”

Jane Raymond’s role as curator is educational, providing information about the artistic works to visitors.

“When people come in, you can kind of get them to appreciate what they’re looking at,” she said. “You kind of have some idea of the artists that did the work…what kind of mediums we use, and things like that.”

The gallery’s building, which was originally constructed around the turn of the 20th Century, is now owned by Reformed Bible Church’s seminary The Institute for Theonomic Reformation. In years past, it was home to a clothing store owned by the Dickersons and was the original location of Wilbun’s grocery store, according to Paul Raymond. There was once a metal building in the rear where heating coal was stored.

Four years of renovations were undertaken in preparation for the gallery. The structure’s original ceiling and floor are intact, albeit with fresh paint and finish, respectively. The roofing was replaced, electrical and plumbing were updated, windows were replaced and enlarged, an additional interior dividing wall was added, shelving from the previous stores was removed, and brick was added to the exterior. The major renovations were contracted, while the rest was done by private individuals.

All renovations were funded through donations, Paul Raymond

explained, by “people who share our vision for an Evangelical ministry to reinvigorate the arts, the artists, and the Christian artists who wanna do good art.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic when many churches canceled inperson services, Paul Raymond said Reformed Bible Church remained open. People would sometimes come from out of town to attend, and would also offer contributions toward the art gallery project.

The front of the building was inspired by a trip the Raymonds took to Old Williamsburg.

“We took photographs of the different designs, and we built a model, we had a sketch,” Paul Raymond said. “My wife’s an artist, so she did the sketch. We gave it to Milton Construction (in Appomattox) and he built it.”

The Raymonds believe The Art Gallery of New Geneva, a nonprofit, will be a good asset to the Appomattox community, and they hope to invite school students to view the variety of artistic works.

“I think it’s a really great community event, something to bring tourism,” Paul Raymond said. “We’ve had Liberty (University) students who are art students come, and they loved it.”

Jane Raymond said the gallery doesn’t take commissions for the sale of art or other artifacts. She hopes to rent out sections of the walls for artists, for a small flat fee, to display their work.

The Art Gallery of New Geneva had opened for a six-week period in the fall of 2022 for a sneak preview that was attended by multiple artists. |

The Art Gallery of New Geneva’s Curator Jane Raymond (left) and CEO Paul Raymond flank two paintings created by Jane at the official grand opening. Photo by Charles Conrad.

APPOMATTOX

commemorates

Story By Charles Conrad

Shown

On April 8 and 9, the American Civil War Museum (ACWM) in Appomattox held its Commemoration of the Surrender & Freedom Day events. A steady stream of visitors from the local area, surrounding region, other states, and as far away as Great Britain, stopped by to share the experience and get a taste of Civil War history.

Among the highlights were cannon firing demonstrations by the 24th Virginia reenactors, musket firing demonstrations from the Third U.S. Regular Infantry (reenactors with the Civil War living history group), hearth cooking by the Pallas Athena Ladies and Society (reenacting the women who provided aid for Civil War soldiers), outdoor tents and fire pits, an Easter morning service with Rev. Alan Farley, and live 19th Century music.

In addition, indoor presentations were given in the conference room, including “Neither Slave, Nor Free: Voices of the Almost

above, reenactors demonstrate a battle charge during the Appomattox Civil War Museum Commemoration of the Surrender & Freedom Day Weekend in Appomattox. Musket rifles used were 1861 Springfield and 1853 Enfield. Photo by Charles Conrad.

Emancipated of Appomattox” with local historian Rev. Al Jones, “The Confederate Peace Makers, 1865” with William C. Davis (author, historian and former executive director of the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies at Virginia Tech University), and “The 11th Virginia at Five Forks,” (a minigallery talk with Kevin Shroyer, president of the Lynchburg Civil War Roundtable, member of the 24th Virginia).

The soldier regiment reenactors camped outside all night and in the museum’s log cabin, keeping warm by lighting real campfires.

ACWM Director of Visitor Engagement

Bob Sayre said this was the first time the Appomattox museum has had an entire group of Civil War reenactors at an event. He was impressed at how well the weekend was going and with how well

the layout of the museum property suits such events.

“There’s quite a bit going on, and people seem to be enjoying it…It’s really been running smoothly the whole day,” Sayre said.

“This facility, the way it’s laid out, is just really conducive to being able to do things like this — the Fall Festival, the Christmas Open House, and now the Commemorative Weekend. So, we plan to make these traditional, annual events. We already have all the reenactors very excited about being able to come back,” he said.

According to Sayre, the museum is located in what was the middle of two battlefields on April 8 and 9, 1865.

“The 8th, this was the rear guard of the artillery,” he said. “The battle took place

Shown at the left, a Civil War reenactor shows visitors a small makeshift supply tent, the type used by Civil War soldiers. Below at the right Doug Marshall (left), of Fredricksburg, and Tina Buchanan, of Spotsylvania, play 19th Century music. The instruments they played included a guitar, mandolin, banjo and fiddle. Below on the right, A Civil War reenactor plays a 19th Century tune on a violin. Photos by Charles Conrad.

400 yards just to our south. The morning of the 9th, the left end of the Union line…essentially formed just past the bottom of our driveway for the infantry start of the Battle of Appomattox Court House. The old road is literally that little road down in front of us. So, we are in the middle of the battlefields. So, it’s also great to have the reenactors here, to have the cannon here, because you would have seen infantry all in and around here at that time.”

ACWM Director of Marketing and Public Relations Jeniffer Maloney also emphasized the historical significance of the museum’s location in connection with the Commemoration.

“Being able to do this on this spot and again have all the community engagement, the living history reenactors, and the Pallas Athena Ladies in the cabin doing the demonstrations of hearth cooking, and the cannon fire, it all just creates this sense of place — what happened 158 years ago. There’s no place more appropriate to do that than right here, and you feel that when you drive up here and see all this,” Maloney said.

Although Sayre and Maloney spend the majority of their time working at the central ACWM location in Richmond, they enjoy the times they come to Appomattox and realize what the surrender of Gen. Robert E. Lee means to the county.

“This community out here is great,” Sayre said. “Actually, it’s really a privilege to be able to do all this stuff and have everyone from around the community come here and enjoy this and enjoy the history. It allows them to continue to reconnect to the history of the area and themselves personally. Things like this help us get a lot of people from around the broader regional community.”

In regard to visitors from outside of the USA, Sayre stated, “Appomattox is internationally known and has that sort of prominence in our history.”

Maloney was glad to see a strong turnout among the youth.

“It’s fun to see so many children with families to communicate that sense of place and importance of this Commemoration for the sake of learning about history for future generations,” she said.

Members of the Appomattox Volunteer Fire Department made hamburgers and hot dogs, and the Appomattox Raiders cross country team collected donations for its program and held a raffle.

Sayre credited Shroyer, who is a member of the Appomattox Advisory Committee, for his help in organizing the Commemoration and his efforts in making contributions to restore the 11th Virginia unit’s flag that is part of the ACWM collection. Shroyer is also a reenactor for that particular unit. |

Civil War reenactors Kevin Pruitt (left) and Blaine Hypes pose next to a reproduced cannon with a 12-pound howitzer and a powder chamber. Photo by Charles Conrad.

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