Inside A3 Workshops add fresh look to holiday decor
Powhatan, Virginia B1 Indians finish fifth at Holiday Classic
Vol. XXXV No.. 25
December 22, 2021
Powhatan Middle named a School to Watch By Laura McFarland Managing Editor
P
OWHATAN – Staff at Powhatan Middle School recently learned that the school has earned a School to Watch designation for being a high-performing, student-focused, middle grades setting. Principal Samantha Martin said the school was notified Monday, Dec. 13 of the honor Powhatan Middle School (PMS) had achieved and will hold for the next three years. The Schools to Watch program is run by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform. The Virginia program is facilitated by the Virginia Middle School Association. Although the state association had reached out to Powhatan Middle for the past few years about trying to achieve the designation, Martin said they were not quite ready, having only
opened the building in time for the 2018-2019 school year. It took time to build the school’s educational structures and for the processes to become established, she said. But while there is still work to be done and the school will always strive for continuous improvement, she felt it was the right time for PMS to apply for consideration and was incredibly pleased when the school’s efforts to receive the designation paid off. “I was proud of the hard work the staff has done. It is hard to establish a new school. It takes a lot of time, energy and effort and it is a large staff who needed to come together toward a common goal,” she said. According to its own criteria, a School to Watch exhibits four domains of characteristics: academic excellence (all students are challenged to use their minds well); developmental responsiveness (unique needs of young adolescents guide the planning and
PHOTO COURTESY OF PCPS
Leah Nixon, left, and Ashmeet Kaur work on a project in the STEM Lab at Powhatan Middle School, which was recently named a School to Watch.
implementation of all school processes); social equity (every student is provided with high-quality teachers, resources, and supports in a democratic and fair setting), and organizational structures and processes (established practices and methods are used to accomplish goals and ensure a healthy school climate). Powhatan Middle School will be recognized at the Schools to Watch Annual Conference, which will be held virtually in June 2022. The school has to prepare a presentation about strengths identified in the application and the site visit. Martin gave a special shout out to the committee at the middle school that worked on the application process. Martin and Rebecca LendyakMcMahon, lead school counselor, cochaired the committee. The other members were Dawn Monson, Donia Spott, Greg Perry, Jennifer Bowry, Jessee WATCH, pg. 4
Students collect tabs in honor of local youth By Laura McFarland Managing Editor
DELIVER TO: Postal Patron Powhatan, VA 23139
Prsrt. Standard U.S. POSTAGE PAID Powhatan, VA Permit No.19
POWHATAN – Pocahontas Elementary students and staff came together in recent weeks to show love for a family that experienced a huge loss and assist their mission of helping others. Between Nov. 8 and Dec. 15, the school held a competition challenging every class in the school to bring in as many aluminum can tabs as they could to donate to Ronald McDonald House Charities Richmond. When the final weigh in occurred on Wednesday, Dec. PHOTO BY LAURA McFARLAND 15, the school collectively had Pocahontas Elementary teacher Joyce Smith, left, and Powhatan Middle School brought in 317.9 pounds – or instructional assistant Roxanne Wentworth show off the 300 pounds of can tabs 401,639 individual tabs. Fifth grade teacher Joyce Smith, collected at the elementary school for Ronald McDonald Charities Richmond. who oversaw the competition, said last week that everyone in the school embraced the tab collection and it became hugely important to them. “One of the neatest
stories came yesterday when a preschooler was out sick,” Smith said on Dec. 16. “He was so worried that his tabs wouldn’t be counted that his dad called the school and said,
‘I am coming up with the tab bag.’ He wanted to contribute so much that his dad brought the tab bag. It just shows you that something that starts out
Sensory-friendly event embraces holiday spirit
see TABS, pg. 6
By Laura McFarland
Wiles donates $10K in contest earnings to local fire station By Laura McFarland Managing Editor
POWHATAN – As soon as Russell Wiles III heard the announcement about the competition his company was holding, he was determined to win it so he could do some good in the Powhatan community. Wiles, an insurance broker who owns Russell Wiles Agency Group Inc., re-
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Gracie Yates, left, and her sister Noel sit on Santa’s lap at the Sensitive Santa event hosted by the Elizabeth Randolph Lewis Powhatan YMCA.
Managing Editor
POWHATAN – The moments were quiet but no less full of holiday joy. In small groups or one at a time, children were gently led into a slightly dimmed room where a smiling familiar figure in a bright red suit sat waiting in front of a beautiful Christmas tree. There was no pressure or loud noises, just a simple meet and greet at their own pace. The low pressure environment is the entire purpose of the Elizabeth Randolph Lewis Powhatan YMCA’s Sensitive Santa event, which was held Dec. 7 at the Bienv-
cently completed the annual No Zero November competition offered by North American Senior Benefits. The contest challenged the 2,000 people who started it at the beginning of the month to process a policy every day in November except Thanksgiving Day and Sundays. “It was super hard to achieve. I think it was a .05% chance of pulling it off out of 2,000 people,” he said. see CONTEST pg. 3
see SENSITIVE, pg. 5
Company 2 brings back Breakfast with Santa PHOTO BY LAURA McFARLAND
Huguenot Volunteer Fire Department brought back its annual Breakfast with Santa on Dec. 11. Santa arrived in a fire truck and met with children at the holiday event. See photos page 8A.