Inside A6 CCPS returns to limited in-person classes
Powhatan, Virginia
B1, 2B Powhatan competes in 7-on-7 football in Chesterfield
Vol. XXXIV No. o. 18
November 4, 2020
Teachers share experiences with full virtual By Laura McFarland Editor
P
OWHATAN – It’s pretty much agreed across the board that all of them wish things were different. Were it not for a pandemic forcing people to make some difficult choices for themselves and their families, all Powhatan County Public Schools’ educators would likely be finishing up a normal first nine weeks of the fall semester right now and looking ahead to what comes next. But with the pandemic did come choices, and part of those choices meant the families of 907 students choosing to have their youth educated fully virtually. Accomplishing that feat are 16 fully virtual teachers at the elementary level and 74 middle and 30 high school teachers handling one or more fully virtual sections, all with the help of support staff and administrators assisting them to make it happen, said Dr. Tracie Omohundro, assistant superintendent for instruction. “It has been probably one of the biggest instructional challenges for many of our
Carla Crump, third grade teacher at Powhatan Elementary School, starts her class with the Pledge of Allegiance. Read about Crump’s virtual experience on page 3A.
teachers of their careers. And their dedication and commitment to trying to figure it out and to be the same strong teacher that they were in the regular classroom truly has been amazing to watch,” Omohundro said. “They are putting everything into something that is completely different than what they have been trained to do, and it has been a herculean task for them.” How much educators have learned this
year working virtually and the way it has shaped their craft in a really different way has been amazing, said Dr. Cheryl Thomas, director of elementary education. “They know how to teach, but teaching in this format, I think in a lot of ways it has been a real growing experience for both students and staff. And I am sure some of the things we have learned will stay with us,” she said.
At the elementary level, the support that virtual teachers receive in their efforts to help their students is designed to come from their school administrators, specialists working with them, and their fellow virtual teachers, Thomas said. Among the 16 elementary teachers, some work entirely from home, and some teach from their classrooms. At the secondary level, it has to be a full-team effort for the virtual students because of the nature of classroom teachers trying to juggle both in-person and virtual instruction, Omohundro said. The system see VIRTUAL, pg. 2
This is the second installment in a two-part series about the full virtual expereince. Several teachers agreed to share their experiences educating students on the PCPS full virtual learning pathway. This is a small sampling of teachers and can’t begin to cover the full scope of experiences divisionwide. To read their stories, look on pages 3A, 4A, and 5A.
Pumpkin contest brings joy to kids families enjoy
Halloween fun
PHOTO BY LAURA MCFARLAND
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Judges d move the h third hi d place l winner of the Pumpkins for Kids Project to the winners circle on Oct. 28 at Independence Golf Club in Powhatan. The fourth (top) and first place winners are shown inset.
By Laura McFarland Editor
POWHATAN – The Death Star Pumpkin narrowly beat out the pumpkin-ravaging dinosaurs for the title. The competition was stiff for the 10th annual Pumpkins for Kids Project, which saw businesses from around the region participating in a lighthearted decorating contest on Wednesday, Oct. 28 at Independence Golf Club in Powhatan. Held as a benefit for the Children’s Hospital Foundation, the event continues to be a way to bring the business community together for a good cause and spread a little joy along the way, said organizer Rachel Massengill of Powhatan.
Since part of the tradition is for the winning pumpkins to be put on display at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, Massengill seriously wondered whether the contest would be allowed to go ahead as planned this year. However, it was decided that if the pumpkins were placed outside the hospital, they could still be brought there. “I was so excited that they said let’s roll with it because the kids love it and all of the staff there love it,” she said. And what’s not to love, she pointed out. The people who participate put so much creativity and innovation into their designs each year. Some of this year’s more than 89 pumpkins included displays see PUMPKINS, pg. 5
Despite espit ite the th cancellation ca anc ncel ella lati tion on of of many Halloween and Fall Festival events, Powhatan families still put on a great holiday for local youth. Shown are children trick or treating in the Butterwood Creek Subdivision, top; the Garner family (parents Catrina a and Trevor and kids Emersyn and Mason) embodying the Three Little Pigs story, center, and 4-month-old Tommy “Superman” Mullins enjoying his first Halloween. More photos page 8A.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS
County sees 43 percent voter turnout before Election Day Editor’s note: This edition of the Powhatan Today was printed before the results of the 2020 General Election were released. Powhatan’s unofficial numbers are scheduled to be released on the newspaper’s Facebook page on Tuesday night and the official numbers will be included in the Nov. 11 edition.
By Laura McFarland Editor
PHOTO BY LAURA MCFARLAND
Susan Cooper, from left, Barbara Jo Palsa, and Linda Jones count mail-in ballots on Oct. 30.
POWHATAN – Even as the Powhatan Office of Elections was dealing with an unprecedented number of early voters at the tent outside on Friday, work began inside on counting the huge number of absentee mail-in ballots for the 2020 General Election. see VOTER, pg. 4
