Inside A3 Resident running to honor 9/11 fallen
Powhatan, Virginia B1 In Powhatan’s opener, Pinnell sets a new school record
Vol. XXXIII No. o. 12
September 11, 2019
Crowds flock to Village for Labor Day Parade By Laura McFarland
A whopping 73 parade entries marched through the Village area for the annual festivities, including a surprising number of political entries ranging from local to the national level, she said. Usually in an election year the presence of candidates and political parties is definitely seen on the Courthouse Green, but this year “political candidates wanted to be marching in the parade.” Among the walkers on the parade route was Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, D-7th, who said this was her third time joining in the annual Labor Day tradition. “I love it. It is, I think, one of the biggest, most exciting parades that we have across our 10 counties. There is a tremendous sense of community,” she said. “For me, the really important thing is to be out in the community meeting people, giving people the chance to ask me questions,
Editor
POWHATAN – A great turnout among spectators and one of the longest float line-ups in recent years combined with a beautiful day outside to make a success of the 2019 Powhatan Lions Club Labor Day Parade. Crowds lining either side of Old Buckingham Road endured slightly hot weather on Monday, Sept. 2 as they sat and watched a parade that lasted more than an hour, but the overall festive atmosphere seemed to show most people thought it was worth it, said Betty Bowman, who co-chaired the parade with Kathy Ware. “We appreciate them coming out to either support the parade by being in it or one of the vendors on the Courthouse Green, and especially the spectators who came out to watch it. We look forward to having them out next year,” Bowman said.
PHOTO BY LAURA McFARLAND
Retired chief deputy Adam Sadler was honored as the grand marshal of the 2019 Powhatan Lions Club Labor Day Parade.
see PARADE, pg. 6
Powhatan’s public schools mark first day of classes
PCPS teachers use flexible seating grants to update their classrooms By Laura McFarland Editor
PHOTOS BY LAURA McFARLAND
Prsrt. Standard U.S. POSTAGE PAID Powhatan, VA Permit No.19
Students get off the school bus on Sept. 3 at Powhatan High School for the first day of classes for 2019-2020. See more photos Page 3A.
POWHATAN – Students across the school district are getting the opportunity to wobble, perch, stand, lounge, and collaborate in their classrooms thanks to in-house flexible seating grants given to 36 teachers this year. Leading up to the start of the 2019-2020 school year, Powhatan County Public Schools re-allocated $81,000 in funds already budgeted for furniture and equipment as grant funds, said Dr. Tracie Omohundro, assistant superintendent for instruction. In all, 36 teachers working at the three elementary schools and Powhatan High School were awarded grants to purchase the nontraditional
Ellen Valcourt arranges new flexible seating in her class.
seating options for their classrooms, she said. This included new additions such as hokki stools, soft-seating ottomans, collaborative tables, sit-stand desks, and high-top tables. “We saw more so at the elemen-
see SEATING, pg. 5
Planning commission reviews two solar farm projects By Laura McFarland Editor
DELIVER TO: Postal Patron Powhatan, VA 23139
PHOTO BY LAURA McFARLAND
tary level to stick with the hokki stools or the furniture to help get the wiggles out,” Omohundro said. “At the high school, it was more about collaboration and being up and vertical.” The decision to offer more flexible seating across the district was influenced by two main factors. First was how successfully it has been used at Powhatan Middle School. Then, as part of participation in the Virginia is for Learners Innovation Network, staff visited schools in other jurisdictions to witness how they are implementing flexible seating within their divisions, Omohundro said. With the approval and support of Dr. Eric Jones, superintendent, applications were sent out to teachers
POWHATAN – The Powhatan County Planning Commission recommended approval last week of one solar farm but said another needed more work before it was ready for a final vote. During the planning commission’s
meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 3, the commissioners voted 3-1 in favor of recommending approval of Powhatan Solar I LLC’s request for a conditional use permit (CUP) for a solar energy farm. The project, which will now move forward to review by the board of supervisors, would be placed on a property along Three Bridge Road near its intersection
with Mill Mount Parkway and at the northern terminus of Brauer Road. The subject properties total approximately 927.38 acres, with the proposed use located within a project area that is approximately 350.9 acres. About 225 acres would be occupied by solar arrays. The four commissioners present also see PLANNING, pg. 4
PHOTO COURTESY OF ALLEN DODD
Powhatan High School’s Class of 2019 included 11 Eagle Scouts. Shown here are Josh Long, from left, Cole Burton, Corey Palmore, Evan Dodd, Pierce Bailey, Colton Vosburg, Connor Lindhjem, Josh McLevain, Noah Chandler, Christian Hardie, and Trevor Leonard. Ethan Helms, below, also reached Eagle but moved before graduating.
11 Class of 2019 graduates earn Eagle Scout
Staff Report Powhatan County has benefited from the Eagle Scout projects and countless volunteer services hours of 11 Eagle Scouts who graduated from the Powhatan High School Class of 2019. The following Powhatan
graduates earned the Boy Scout of America’s highest rank of Eagle Scout: Pierce Bailey, Cole Burton, Noah Chandler, Evan Dodd, Christian Hardie, Trevor Leonard, Connor Lindhjem, Josh Long, Josh McLevain, Corey see EAGLE pg. 7