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Powhatan, Virginia
The hometown paper of James Rebick
Vol. XXVII No. 23
June 4, 2014
Schools report ‘Bring Your Own Device’ success
Evan Michael Pfab Valedictorian
Catherine Paige Broyles Salutatorian
Pfab and Broyles lead 2014 Class of Powhatan High School By Melody Kinser Managing Editor
E
van Michael Pfab and Catherine Paige “Catie” Broyles lead the 2014 Class of Powhatan High School as valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively, with grade point averages of 4.66 and 4.6552. Pfab plans to attend the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Engineering, where he will have a double major in chemical engineering and chemistry. He is the son of Michael and Rachel Pfab of Powhatan. While at Powhatan High, he was a member of the varsity tennis team in grades 9 through 12; cross country in grades 11 and 12; Scholastic Bowl in grades 9, 11 and 12; Battle of the Brains and Science Olympiad his senior year; Interact Club in grades 9 through 12; FCCLA in grades 11 and 12; National Honor Society; PHS Student Ambassador; and Prom Committee in grade 11. He served as secretary of the Interact Act his senior year. In the community, he was a delegate to American Legion Boys State and a volunteer through the Interact Club. He also volunteered with the Christmas Mother canned food drive. As for his years at PHS, Pfab said he “really enjoyed” his time at the school. He said he was “honored to be able to represent the Powhatan High School Class of 2014 like this.” He also said he was “excited” to continue his education at
VCU’s School of Engineering. Pfab also said he was “grateful for my wonderful teachers, friends and family who helped and guided me along the way.” Broyles’ parents are Thomas and Jacqueline Broyles of Powhatan.
Powhatan High School 10 a.m. Saturday, June 10 2220 Skaggs Rd. Powhatan
She will be attending James Madison University, where she will major in mathematics. She said she may double major in international affairs. While a student at Powhatan High, she founded and served as president of the Servants of Christ Club. She was a member of the marching band and a trumpet section leader. She also was co-captain of the Math Team. In her community, she has been involved with the Red Lane Baptist Church as a summer intern and youth group and Vacation Bible School participant. She attended Girls State, where she was elected the sheriff of Crush City. Broyles said she decided in the fourth grade that she wanted to be valedictorian of her graduating class, but, by the end of her sophomore year, she said she “had gotten over it. I see GRADUATION page 4A
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY POWHATAN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS)
By Jodi Deal Richmond Suburban News
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s the number of students with their own cell phones and other electronic devices grew over the past decade, teachers, administrators and Powhatan County School Board members worked hard on policies to keep handheld devices from being a distraction or a source of trouble. This year, bans on taking
out or turning on such devices during class got partially lifted at Powhatan High School and Powhatan Junior High School as part of Powhatan County Public Schools’ new Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program, which allows students to use their own devices on designated days during specific lessons. Assistant superintendent for instruction Sandra Lynch told the School Board during a May 27 meeting that administrators have deemed the first
year of the program a success, and are looking to expand and improve it in the future. “Students seem to like to have the flexibility of using their own devices, and we know they are really engaged during BYOD activities,” Lynch said, noting that students use phones and tablets to do research during lessons, buzz in with responses during impromptu polls and quizzes, and even as metronomes to see DEVICE page 7A
Laura McFarland named Powhatan Today news editor Staff Report “Keeping people informed about what is going on where they live is both an honor and a privilege” is how Powhatan Today’s new news editor views her role. Laura McFarland, who joined the staff on Tuesday, May 27, will be responsible for all news content in Powhatan County. She comes to Powhatan after two years at The Winchester Star, where she was a features reporter. Before that, she spent five years at the Rocky Mount (North Carolina) Telegram. Richmond Suburban News Publisher Joy Monopoli welcomed McFarland’s eagerness to improve the weekly’s news coverage
by getting to know the residents of Powhatan. “Whether it is board meetings, county fairs or local profiles, these are the stories that help make a community special,” Monopoli said. “We are confident Laura will provide comprehensive news coverage, as well as telling the stories of the people and events of importance to our readers.” RSN Managing Editor Melody Kinser said McFarland impressed her the first time they spoke by phone. “Laura continued to display a knowledge and sense of community throughout the interview and hiring process,” Kinser said. “We are fortunate to have her as part of the RSN news team.”
MCFARLAND
In addition to pursuing and sharing the stories of Powhatan County, McFarland plans to take advantage of the newspaper as a source on the Internet. “I see the Internet as a great tool in helping keep the community informed, with updates, photos and videos on the newspaper’s see EDITOR page 2A
Go Fund Me helps Ruby Leonard Food Pantry to find a permanent home By Korey Hughes Special Correspondent
Day after day, the Ruby Leonard Food Pantry provides nourishing meals to needy families in Powhatan. But now, the pantry requires help from the public since it recently had to relocate. On Thursday, May 15, the food pantry, which is
run by the Coalition of Powhatan Churches, moved from its previous location at Bethesda Community Church to Plainview Center, an industrial business park. Patsy Goodwyn, the organization’s president, explained what the food pantry means to Powhatan. “Well, the economy is not the best in the world,
and there are a lot of folks that are going without that have a low income or other things like heating bills and medical bills,” Goodwyn said. “As a community, we have to take care of our own.” “If we could do this across the United States, the government wouldn’t need to be used as a crutch. And, as Christians, we need
Inside A3 Funds from Powhatan BBQ Jamboree presented to the Powhatan County Fire Department.
to follow up on what Christ wants us to do, and that’s why we have continued for so long.” Until recently, the Bethesda Community Church had allowed the food pantry to remain under its roof rent-free. But, as Goodwyn said, the church had its own plans for the building that the pantry was using, which
was the reason for the move. “We moved from the church because the church wanted to build a new educational building and now we’re renting, which is something that we cannot afford to do,” Goodwyn said. “We need to find a home of our own.” “We need to buy or build something ourselves. But,
Sports B1 Powhatan High School softball team wins Conference 19 tournament title.
we don’t want to use the funds that we use on food on rent.” The Ruby Leonard Food Pantry has set a goal of $200,000 for its building fund. As Goodwyn explained, that amount is a realistic objective that would result in a permanent home for see PANTRY page 7A
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