Inside A3 Motorcycle club holds ride to benefit Lonesome Dove
Powhatan, Virginia
B1 Linda Farmer honored for 50 years of coaching
Vol. XXXIV No. o. 49
June 9, 2021
School division planning for full return in fall Optimum choices are five days of instruction, fewer COVID controls By Laura McFarland Editor
POWHATAN – After more than a year of operating Powhatan County Public Schools (PCPS) under intense COVID-19 restrictions, superintendent Dr. Eric Jones said it is his goal to see operations return as close to pre-pandemic conditions as possible this fall. School division staff plans to have pre-kindergarten through 12th grade return to five-day, in-person instruction for the 2021-2022 school year, Jones said. He pointed out that there are still some unknowns that could impact the school year, but with decreasing cases of COVID-19 and increasing numbers of people
who are vaccinated, he is optimistic about the chances of a much more normal learning experience for students. In a survey sent out to families of Powhatan students, about 97% said they want to return for in-person instruction, Jones said. The remaining 3% said they are interested in virtual, and they will have to apply and be approved for that option. “I was anticipating about 5%, so I wasn’t that surprised. Just as a community and as a state we are trending toward a return to normalcy. I think people are anxious to get back to that, so I anticipated that most of our students and their parents would want them to be back. I was a little surprised it was as low as 3% but happy that was the case,” Jones said. Still, he pointed out that the percentage of students who chose to attend inperson during the school year that just ended was higher at 82% to 85% than any in the region he is aware of, so there
was always a strong commitment for students to be back in a face-to-face environment. While guidelines are always subject to change, Jones said there are goals he has for how the new school year will look, and the school division will be doing everything possible to get to those goals as quickly and safely as possible. He said the state has been focused on the more recent loosening of restrictions and answering questions about that, so it has not released as much information about the new school year. He has been informed by the state that school divisions should anticipate summer school offerings will mirror practices in place at the end of the school year that just ended. That includes masks, social distancing, and some of the other strategies. “The good thing about summer school is we already have smaller numbers in classrooms, so it is not as big of
an impact in terms of social distancing, but if we can get some relief from the masks, even if it is in the middle of summer school, we will certainly take advantage of that,” he said. Jones said that he hopes that by July 1 the state will communicate more about the new school year and any safety and mitigation strategies PCPS needs to put in place to have time to address them before school starts on Aug. 23. Face-to-face learning While many families will be wondering about issues such as masks, social distancing, and class sizes, Jones said it is too early to definitively say how that will play out at the start of the school year. “All I can say is that all the metrics and I think even the steps that the governor has taken are trending toward us resee SCHOOLS, pg. 4
Blessed Sacrament Class of 2021 graduates
PHOTO BY LAURA McFARLAND
Hilary Holman, an ESS contractor, administers a COVID vaccine to William Duty, 16, a Powhatan High School student. during a vaccine clinic for students sponsored by the school division.
PHOTO BY LAURA MCFARLAND
Prsrt. Standard U.S. POSTAGE PAID Powhatan, VA Permit No.19
Class of 2021 members move their tassels after they are officially announced as graduates of Blessed Sacrament Huguenot Catholic School. See more graduation content on page 6A.
Huguenot Springs honors the fallen on Memorial Day By Laura McFarland
DELIVER TO: Postal Patron Powhatan, VA 23139
Editor
POWHATAN – The men and women who served in the armed forces and paid the ultimate price for freedom were honored last week at a Memorial Day service held on Monday, May 31. The lives of all American service members, with a special emphasis on those who died during the Civil War, were honored at the 40th annual Huguenot Springs Cemetery MemoriPHOTO BY LAURA McFARLAND al Day Service. Retired Army Maj. Peter Amico Retired Army Maj. Peter speaks at the 40th annual Amico of Powhatan was the Huguenot Springs Cemetery see MEMORIAL, pg. 5
Memorial Day Service.
Vaccine clinic serves 184 students, adults By Laura McFarland Editor
POWHATAN – Powhatan County Public Schools took another action to protect students last week when it held a vaccine clinic for local youth ages 12 to 18. The school division gave out the first of two Pfizer shots to 184 people in a clinic on Wednesday, June 2 at Powhatan High School. The second shot clinic will be held on June 23. After the federal and state health agencies announced on May 12 that youth as young as 12 years old could receive the Pfizer vaccine, the Chesterfield Health District reached out to the school division to see if it was in-
terested in holding a clinic, said Lynn ClaytonPrince, assistant superintendent for special education/equity and diversity. Staff decided that was a service they wanted to provide and, with assurance the county would once again help with planning, they began reaching out to the families of eligible students to gauge interest. Initially, 218 people signed up to receive a vaccine, but 184 actually received the first dose on June 2, Clayton-Prince said. This included 151 students and adults who also chose to receive the vaccine. Clayton-Prince said she was surprised that more than 900 people inisee VACCINE, pg. 8
Summer reading fun coming soon to Powhatan Library Contributed Report Powhatan County Public Library, the Friends of the Powhatan Library, and Powhatan County Public Schools are excited to partner once again to offer the annual Summer Reading Program for children in preschool through fifth grade. Maintaining good reading habits over summer break is important for students of all ages. Library summer reading programs battle summer learning loss by encouraging a lifelong love of reading. This year’s theme is Tails and Tales and many fun activities are planned for young readers. Each week features a theme, begin-
ning with Farm & Fairy Tales, and includes a variety of virtual and in-person events. Children will learn about celebrity animal friends, create masterpieces, and go on adventures through reading. Weekly Take and Make craft kits may be picked up from the library’s welcome desk while supplies last. Outdoor Music and Movement Storytime programs for children and their families will be held at the library every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m., beginning June 24. This year, the Friends of the Library have organized a special scavenger hunt to help celebrate Story Safari Week. During the week of July 18, children and
their families are encouraged to visit local businesses to complete an exciting scavenger hunt featuring Virginia animals. As part of this year’s hybrid program model, the library is pleased to feature Page Turner Adventures, brought to you by the Emmy Award-winning team of Jill Nadler and Kenny Mikey. Nadler and Mikey are known for bringing stories to life with their comedic approach at libraries, schools, and theaters across the world. Page Turner Adventures offers virtual access to weekly comedy shows, crafts, recipes, author interviews, see READING, pg. 7
