DELIVER TO: Postal Patron Mechanicsville, VA 23111
Vol. 26, No. 45 | Richmond Suburban Newspapers | March 10, 2010
STOPS AT EVERY HOME IN TOWN
Governor to class: ‘dream big’
Friendly nudging paid off
McDonnell, First Lady read to Battlefield Park fifth-graders By Jim Ridolphi news@mechlocal.com
By Melody Kinser mkinser@mechlocal.com Some friendly encouragement from her band director’s wife paid off for Lindsey Martin. Thanks to Lori Rozecki, whose husband Paul heads up the bands at Atlee High School, Lindsey now holds the title of 2010 Miss Mechanicsville. The 18-year-old was a first-time contestant when she entered the pageant, which was held on Feb. 27 in the auditorium of Atlee High. A Mechanicsville resident, Lindsey is a senior at Atlee. A staple in the community, the Miss Mechanicsville Pageant is sponsored by the Pamunkey Junior Women’s Club, of which Lori is a member. Lindsey said Lori kept urging her to enter to pursue the scholarship monies awarded. “She kept encouraging me to do it for
PRSRT. STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID Mechanicsville, VA Permit No.141
LINDSEY MARTIN 2010 Miss Mechanicsville
the scholarship money and the laptop,” Lindsey said last Thursday. “It’s not based on beauty, it’s beauty on talent, community service – that’s what got me into this one, so I have her to thank.” Thanks to Lori’s persistence, Lindsey now has $2,500 toward her college education. She also won a laptop as the winner of the Community Service Award. Additional prizes were presented for her patron board, which was recognized as the People’s Choice award; talent – she performed a waltz on the flute; and selling the most tickets. see NUDGING, pg. 20 `
Even in an exploding technological environment, an old fashioned letter can still achieve some pretty amazing results. Gov. Bob McDonnell and First Lady Maureen McDonnell took time out of a busy schedule Thursday to visit a class of fifth-graders at Battlefield Park Elementary School in Mechanicsville. The visit was prompted by a personal written request composed by Tori Proost, a member of the class. “I thought it would be cool if he could come to our school and read,” Proost said. After posing for pictures with the
Jim Ridolphi
Maureen McDonnell, left, Virginia’s First Lady, listens while her husband, Gov. Bob McDonnell, see GOVERNOR, pg. 14 ` reads to a group of fifth-grade students at Battlefield Park Elementary School on Thursday.
PHHS marks ‘Fifty Years of Excellence’ By Melody Kinser mkinser@mechlocal.com On Saturday, March 20, Patrick Henry High School will start celebrating a significant anniversary with a “Fifty Years of Excellence Ceremony.” At this point, “everything is in order,” Dr. Jeffrey Crook, princi-pal, said. Last week, Crook and sen-ior teacher Frances Joyner-Warnick talked about the excitement surrounding this milestone. “We pretty much have finished our
planning phase for the 20th,” Crook said. The upcoming event, he said, “is more of our celebration. This is where we recognize our dignitaries, our Board of Supervisors, School Board, former students and a lot of faculty that graduated from Patrick Henry that also teach at Patrick Henry.”
He noted one staff member has worked there 37 years. Joining community leaders will be the 2010 valedictorian, the Student Council Association president, and a group Crook called “The Blast from the Past” representatives from each decade who will reflect on their time at PHHS. Dr. Stewart D. Roberson, superintendent of Hanover County Public Schools, will deliver the keynote address. John F. see PHHS, pg. 4 `