Inside A3 4-H dairy team earns title at state competition
Powhatan, Virginia B1Powhatan, Wingate alum Andrew Llewellyn joins Randolph-Macon Baseball coaching staff
Vol. XXXIII No. o. 9
August 21, 2019
PCPS looks at possibility of adjusting school year By Laura McFarland
sought a waiver to start their school year up to two weeks prior to Labor Day, Omohundro said. Those divisions that do choose to start early are required to be OWHATAN – Powhatan County Public closed the Friday immediately preceding Labor Day. “This is something we have talked Schools is asking itself if starting about for a long time, and certainly we are the school year two weeks early open to discussion with stakeholders and next year might be a good move with the will of the board. But we also befor the division after new changes at the lieve that there are enough things that General Assembly that gave localities would provide potential benefits for stumore control of their calendars. dents from an academic perspective, from Dr. Tracie Omohundro, assistant sua facilities perspective, that it is something perintendent for instruction, gave a prewe should consider, this two-week-prior sentation to the school board on Tuesday, to-Labor Day start,” she said. Aug. 13 that looked at why the district If PCPS were to start two weeks early might consider starting the school year instead of phasing it in as some have sugearly and how it will determine if it is the right move for Powhatan County. TRACIE OMOHUNDRO gested, 2020 is a good year to make the total commitment because of a later LaIn July 2019, legislation went into effect that would allow divisions that haven’t already bor Day than usual on Sept. 7, 2020, Dr. Eric Jones,
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superintendent said. As it stands now, the upcoming 2019-2020 school year will end on June 12, 2020. The next school year – without calendar changes – is set to start on Sept. 8, 2020, and get out for the school year on June 18, 2021. That means summer 2020 would last 12 weeks. With the two-week adjustment the school division is considering, the pre-Labor Day start would be Aug. 24, 2020, with the last day of school on June 4, 2021. That would mean a 10-week summer break in 2020. Jones said it is luck that next Labor Day is the latest day it could possibly be. The school district is “basically getting an extra week anyway because we are starting a week later.” Omohundro pointed out with the upcoming school year’s schedules that several of the surrounding jurisdictions already have pre-Labor Day starts: Buckingsee PCPS, pg. 8
Lyons reflect on time as outgoing Christmas Mother and Father By Laura McFarland News Editor
PHOTO BY LAURA MCFARLAND
New PHS graduate Ethan Johnson accepts his diploma from the school board and administrators.
PHS holds annual summer graduation By Laura McFarland News Editor
Prsrt. Standard U.S. POSTAGE PAID Powhatan, VA Permit No.19
POWHATAN – The Powhatan High School Class of 2019 expanded by six students this summer, including one who participated in a special summer graduation
ceremony. Dr. Mike Massa, principal, commended all of the graduates who completed their courses this summer, whether they were catching up on some missing credits or working ahead to gradusee GRADUATION, pg. 6
POWHATAN – Even after a year of serving as the Powhatan Christmas Mother, Pat Lyons still sounds in awe when she talks about the community’s generosity. About this time in 2018, Pat and her husband Larry were preparing for their first official duty as the 2018 Christmas Mother and Father at the county’s annual Labor Day Parade. Although Larry had been helping load presents on pickup days, the couple had no other previous involvement with the program that provides gifts at Christmas to children and seniors in need. They admitted then they would be leaning heavily on the dedicated workers of the Powhatan Christmas Everyday Committee to help them settle into the roles. They were right. “The prior Christmas Mothers were a tremendous help. If I had
FILE PHOTO BY ANJIE KAY
Pat and Larry Lyons said they loved their year as Christmas Mother and Father and seeing Powhatan’s generosity.
any questions, I didn’t hesitate to get their advice,” Pat said. With the mantle about to be passed to a new Christmas Mother at the upcoming Labor Day Parade, the Lyons agreed to talk
about the past year and how much it has meant to them. Throughout the interview, Pat came back to the individuals, groups, and businesses who see LYONS, pg. 5
BSH receives more than $1 million donation Family of Arabella Brower seeks to honor her memory
DELIVER TO: Postal Patron Powhatan, VA 23139
Contributed Report Renovations and campus improvements are underway this summer at Blessed Sacrament Huguenot School in Powhatan thanks to more than a $1 million donation from Richmond residents Keith and Kathleen Brower in memory of their late granddaughter, Arabella Stuart Brower. Arabella toured Richmond area schools when she moved with her family to the city in 2012. According to her grandparents, “She fell in love with Blessed Sacrament Huguenot School. The beautiful 40-acre campus, the faculty, the students’ vibe and small class size, were the reasons she chose to attend the school starting in the eighth grade.” Arabella died of an undiag-
LEFT PHOTO BY LAURA MCFARLAND/ RIGHT PHOTO COURTESY OF BROWER FAMILY
Daniel Zamora paints the sign at Blessed Sacrament Huguenot, one of the improvements made with donations to the school in memory of Arabella Brower, right.
nosed heart condition in September 2015 before graduating, but the outpouring of love and support by her peers in the Class of 2016 greatly moved her family. So much so that the Browers established two full-
tuition scholarships for female students following in Arabella’s footsteps at the school beginning in 2017. But when Kathleen Brower visited the campus and realized the school needed help for
improvements, the couple decided to do even more, donating more than $1 million for campus improvements and technology upgrades. see DONATION, pg. 3
Firefighter class at high school creates new volunteers By Laura McFarland News Editor
POWHATAN – There are no shortcuts or easy A’s in Powhatan High School’s Firefighter I and II classes. When the Powhatan Fire and Rescue Department partnered with the school district to add the entry-level firefighter coursPHOTO COURTESY OF POWHATAN FIRE AND RESCUE es to the high school’s career and technical Students practice with a hose during education (CTE) offerings for the first time the firefighter class at PHS. last school year, they saw it as a great part-
nership, said Leon Sydnor, assistant fire marshal and the course’s main instructor. The high school gets to provide more classes that provide a valuable career path to its students. In the meantime, Powhatan’s volunteer fire departments gain passionate new volunteers. But more than earning a grade on a transcript or adding a new name to a roster, instructors in the year-long class also know that they are responsible for equipping their see FIREFIGHTER pg. 6