Inside A3 Farmers market pops up in Village
Powhatan, Virginia B1 BSH Football rallies, rumbles past Fishburne 31-14
Vol. XXXIII No. o. 17
October 16, 2019
All Powhatan public schools accredited by state By Laura McFarland Editor
P
OWHATAN – All Powhatan County Public Schools have received accreditation according to the final report from the Virginia Department of Education. During the Powhatan County School Board’s meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 8, Tracie Omohundro, assistant superintendent for instruction, gave a presentation about the division’s accreditation for 2019-2020. The final accreditation report for the district was released on Sept. 30. Omohundro pointed out the school division was accredited using the School Qualities Profile implemented by the Department of Education. The system no longer uses the term “fully accredited,” but all Powhatan schools
received the highest accreditation pos- levels: Level One, meets or exceeds state standard or sufficient improvesible under the new system, she said. Each school was evaluated using ment; Level Two, near state standard or sufficient improvement, school quality indicaand Level Three, below tors that measure their state standard. performances in cerBased on these, a tain categories. In addischool would either be: tion to looking at the accredited, meaning all overall student body in school quality indicators each school, the acat either Level One or creditation process Level Two; accredited also considers the with conditions, meanschool’s performance ing a school has one or in certain subcategomore school quality inries: students with disdicators at Level Three; abilities, black stuor accreditation denied, dents, economically meaning a school that disadvantaged students OMOHUNDRO fails to adopt or fully and Hispanic students. implement required corPerformance on rective actions to adeach school quality indicator is rated at one of the following dress Level Three school-quality indi-
cators. Omohundro went through how each school did with the school quality indicators. Flat Rock Elementary School – accredited. Level One in all overall categories. Successes included increases in math among economically disadvantaged students (+10) and a 3.7 decrease in chronic absenteeism. Areas of focus were students with disabilities (Level 2 in English and math). Pocahontas Elementary School – accredited. Level One in all overall categories. Successes included increases in the black (+3) and Hispanic (+2) student reading subcategories and a 10-point increase among students with disabilities. Powhatan Elementary School – accredited. Overall Level One ratings see ACCREDITED, pg. 4
PHS students get dose of financial reality Breast Cancer Awareness Month By Laura McFarland Editor
Prsrt. Standard U.S. POSTAGE PAID Powhatan, VA Permit No.19
POWHATAN – “I’m going to be broke,” the young man intoned, looking at the list of health insurance premiums needed to cover him and his family. Ramona Carter, the volunteer who was running the medical insurance table, just smiled in commiseration and nodded. Before long, the young man could be seen at another table, seeking a second job to help pay his bills. This is reality, and it isn’t always pretty. But educators at Powhatan High School are hoping this glimpse into real life – otherwise known as the Virginia Cooperative Extension’s Reality Store program – will help students become more aware of the challenges they will face when they are required to become completely self-sufficient, said Jane Henderson, family and consumer sciences agent.
PHOTO BY LAURA MCFARLAND
Volunteer Whitney Berriman talks to Powhatan High School students participating in the Virginia Cooperative Extension’s Reality Store program, which is designed to help them make a better connection with the costs of being an adult.
The school partnered with the local Cooperative Extension on Monday, Oct. 7 to put on the Reality
Store, which saw about 300 students in the Economics and Personal Fisee REALITY, pg. 5
Hurt seeking write-in votes for school board
DELIVER TO: Postal Patron Powhatan, VA 23139
Contributed report
foundation for a successful life, Hurt obtained a diverse education. Her education has focused on icki Hurt has an- business, STEM subjects (robotnounced her efforts to ics, chemistry and physics), and run a write-in cam- pharmacy. During the process of paign for Powhatan earning her MBA, Hurt became proficient in interCounty School preting financial Board in District 1. and strategic planHurt has been ning documents. an educator for Outside of the over 35 years. Her classroom she has teaching experifundraised for variences have spanned ous academic instimiddle school tutions. through college. As Hurt desires to an educator her efbe an integral conforts focused on entributing member suring her students of Powhatan Counfelt they were part ty. She became of a supportive and concerned when safe community as there was not a canwell as mastery of didate for the the subject content. HURT school board on the Hurt views teaching ballot in District 1. as a passion and not Hurt felt she was qualified to fill as a job. As a member of the school the position on the school board board, Hurt’s priorities will in- and immediately began the elecclude: ensuring a safe environment tion process. Hurt has a website for all students, supporting teach- for more information regarding ers, supporting parents’ involve- her campaign at www.vickihurt. ment in their child’s education, fa- com. Hurt feels Powhatan’s quality cilitating an effective relationship between the board of supervisors of life is only as strong as the eduand school board, and focusing on cation delivered to the children. fiscal and academic accountabili- According to Hurt, an opportunity to serve on the school board would ty. Knowing that education is the be an honor of a lifetime.
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CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Powhatan Department of Social Services is celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness Month along with director Sharon Rochelle, front left, and Patricia Butcher, front right, both breast cancer survivors.
Possible calendar change draws large response By Laura McFarland Editor
POWHATAN – The possibility of shifting the start of the school year forward by up to two weeks has proved to be a hot button issue for Powhatan County Public Schools, but whether there will actually be a change is still up in the air. Tracie Omohundro, assistant superintendent for instruction, gave an updated presentation to the Powhatan County School Board during its meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 8 about the question of the division’s start date. The school board is considering a staff proposal to start the school year two weeks early, beginning with the 20202021 school year. In July 2019, legislation went into effect that would allow divisions that haven’t already 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 closed the Friday immediately preceding Labor Day. The board had previously heard a presentation on the issue at its Aug. 13 meeting but asked for more information and input on the issue, including a survey for parsee RESPONSE, pg. 9