08/16/2017

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Inside A9 School divisions recognized for meeting needs of students

Powhatan, Virginia

B1 BSH football preparing for 2017 season

Vol. XXX No. 32

August 16, 2017

Samuels named state finalist for national teaching award By Laura McFarland News Editor

P

OWHATAN – The caliber of education in Powhatan County Public Schools was recently validated again when Blythe Samuels was named as a Virginia State Finalist for the 2017 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Samuels, a computer science teacher at Powhatan High School, was one of four teachers statewide named as Virginia state finalists in July in the presidential awards, which recognize educators who develop and implement high-quality instructional programs that improve student learning. As a state-level finalist, Blythe’s application has been forwarded to the National Science Foundation’s national selection committee for consideration for the Presidential Award. The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) is the highest recognition that a kindergarten

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Roan Sullivan, shown with his mom Melissa, has gone through several surgeries to repair damage from a lawnmower accident. PHOTO BY LAURA MCFARLAND

Blythe Samuels, center, was named as a Virginia State Finalist for the 2017 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. She is shown with Dr. Eric Jones, superintedent, and school board chairman Joe Walters.

through 12th grade mathematics or science teacher may receive for outstanding teaching in the United States, according to the program’s website. The program rotates between recognizing teachers for grades kindergarten through sixth one year and seventh through 12th the next, and up to 108 teachers nationwide are recognized each year.

The award recognizes those teachers who develop and implement a high-quality instructional program that is informed by content knowledge and enhances student learning, the site said. Awardees serve as models for their colleagues, inspiration to their communities, and leaders in the improvement of mathematics and see SAMUELS, pg. 4

Program boosts young learners By Laura McFarland News Editor

Prsrt. Standard U.S. POSTAGE PAID Powhatan, VA Permit No.19

POWHATAN – A PreK Summer Booster Program that nearly doubled in size from last year once again proved effective at helping better prepare incoming kindergarteners to start school in the fall. The Powhatan County CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Public Schools program, Children in the PreK Summer Booster Program now in its second year, work on key skills aimed at better preparing was aimed at kindergar- them for kindergarten. teners identified as need-

ing a little extra preparation before they attend school for the first time in the fall, Dr. Cheryl Thomas, director of elementary education, said. Noticing that some kindergarteners came into school better prepared than others for a variety of reasons, the school district refined the screening test given during kindergarten registration to assess their

Injured boy healing, faces long recovery By Laura McFarland News Editor

POWHATAN – A 3-year-old Powhatan boy injured in a riding lawn mower accident last month is slowly recovering and showing glimpses of his former bubbly personality, but he still faces a long, hard road ahead. Roan Sullivan, the son of Melissa and Sean Sullivan of Powhatan, was injured on Monday, July 24 when he wandered outside of his home in the Butterwood Creek subdivision into his yard and a relative, not knowing he was there, reversed the machine and hit him, critically wounding him. Roan’s injuries were extensive and life-altering, with most of the damage on his right side, she said. His toes and part of his right foot had to be amputated, so he will eventually require a prosthetic and need physical therapy to walk, and he lost a large part of his right forearm from elbow to wrist. Several of the surgeries have focused on skin grafts to close the wounds. The weeks since have been hard on the entire famsee ROAN pg. 6

see KINDERGARTEN, pg. 4

Two of three Village parking lots complete By Laura McFarland

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News Editor

POWHATAN – Repaving projects involving two out of three parking lots surrounding the Village Building are almost totally complete and the third is expected to be finished in mid September, but the project hasn’t been all smooth sailing. The capital improvement program (CIP) project has faced unexpected delays and costs and has required some workaround on the part of employees and residents who use the buildings around the lot, said Ramona Carter, director of public works. However, the finished product that has already started to emerge is a good addition to the county properties from public safety, accessibility and aesthetic standpoints, she added. “I think safety has improved with the lighting, and definitely with the ADA accessibility we improved a lot of the

PHOTO BY LAURA MCFARLAND

Two out of tree parking lots around the Village Building have been repaved and the third is scheduled to be done by mid September.

access points,” she said. “We actually thickened the asphalt in the fire lanes, so now we have a very defined fire lane through there, which will help because in the past people parked all over and sometimes they blocked that access. If we ever had a fire it would be difficult

for those trucks to get through.” The project was included in the county’s fiscal year (FY) 2018 Five-Five Year Capital Improvement Program, which cited how paving the lot and adding more lighting would more efficiently see REPAVING, pg. 2

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