Inside A3 BSH students get a taste for reading
Powhatan, Virginia B1 “All in” Indians book their ticket to states
Vol. XXXVI No. o. 19
November 9, 2022
Two boards discuss stop-arm cameras on buses By Laura McFarland Managing Editor
POWHATAN – Powhatan’s top elected leaders last week discussed the possibility of launching a stop-arm camera pilot program on a small number of school buses to catch offenders putting children’s lives in danger and the ordinance change that would be needed to make it happen. The Powhatan County Board of Supervisors and School Board had a full slate of topics to discuss at its joint meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 1 (see additional story Page 4A), with some of the most active conversation surrounding the possibility of stop-arm cameras meant to capture video of drivers illegally passing stopped school buses with red lights flashing – commonly known as a stop-arm violation. In Virginia, like in every one of the 50 States, there is a law making it illegal to pass a school bus with its red lights flashing and stop-arm extended that is stopped to load or unload students, yet Powhatan County has drivers that ignore this law, said superintendent Beth Teigen. Most recently, an incident at about 7:05 a.m. on Sept. 15 saw a pick-up truck ignore the stop-arm of a Powhatan County Public Schools (PCPS) bus while students were loading, making contact with the stoparm itself while illegally passing, she said.
The school board had previously discussed the possibility of exploring a pilot program that would put cameras on a few – possibly only one or two – school buses in areas where there have reportedly been repeated instances of violations. The goal would be to curtail drivers from going around buses that are stopped to load or unload students, she said. During the joint meeting, Teigen presented the issue to both boards along with a request for the board of supervisors to pass an ordinance that authorizes the locality of the school division to install and operate a video monitoring system or contract a private vendor to do so. At the end of a lengthy discussion, the board of supervisors informally agreed with head nods to bring forward the ordinance for consideration at its Nov. 28 meeting. An ordinance change requires a public hearing to allow the public to voice their opinions on the matter. If the ordinance were passed, it would allow the school division to contract with Maryland-based company Altumint to run a pilot program at no cost to the county to see if it is effective and should be more widely used. Owners of vehicles captured on camera illegally passing a school bus with the stop-arm out would receive a $250 civil citation mailed to them by the vendor with unpaid violations eligible for collections with up to a $100 additional fee, Teigen explained.
PHOTO COURTESY OF POWHATAN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
The Powhatan County Board of Supervisors and School Board discussed the possibility of piloting stop-arm cameras at PCPS. On Sept. 15, a pick-up truck ignored the stop-arm of a Powhatan school bus while students were loading, making contact with the stop-arm while illegally passing and damaging it, shown above.
Many questions were raised by board members as well as a local resident speaking during the public comment period at the beginning of the meeting who was see BUSES, pg. 4
Leftovers host Spooktacular night PHOTO COURTESY OF PHS LEFTOVERS
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Powhatan High School, led by the PHS Leftovers club, held its first Spooktacular complete with activities for all ages, including an outdoor Halloween movie, bonfire, haunted trail and Trunk or Treat carnival. Left, club members meet on the morning of Oct. 29 to help set up for the event later that day.
By Laura McFarland Managing Editor
POWHATAN – Seeing so many people at Powhatan High School and from the community come together to make the Spooktacular Bonfire become a reality felt like magic, organizers say. The new fundraiser for the American Cancer Society held on Saturday, Oct. 29 at the high school was hosted by the PHS Leftovers club, but it took so many more people than the club members to make it possible, said Christian Miller, Spanish teacher and club sponsor. “It was magic to see the community come out for a first-time event! So much fun! The amazing support we got before, during and after the event – honestly, it was so touching! These students worked so hard and it’s such a testimony
that hard work pays off,” he said. There was a big learning curve for the club to take on such a large event, which included a bonfire, outdoor Halloween movie, haunted trail and Trunk or Treat carnival. An event of that scale wouldn’t have been possible with only the PHS Leftovers club members and his co-sponsor, fellow teacher Amanda Wilson, Miller said. In addition to other student groups from the school participating, local businesses, churches and families helped with everything from movie rights to show “The Nightmare Before Christmas” to concessions to decorations and so much more. “I shouldn’t be surprised, but when so many people stepped up to the plate and took on pieces/elesee SPOOKTACULAR, pg. 3
Trick or Treat Halloween 2022
PHOTOS BY LAURA MCFARLAND
Above, Blessed Sacrament school mates Reese Bartlam, 5, front from left; Riley Lockhart, 6; Ellie Eyles, 5; and Lexi Lockhart, 9, trick or treat in Scottville on Oct. 31. Below, 6-year-old Kaisyn Walters accepts a prize from a pink gorilla while family Kailohni Hollifield, 4; Kinsleigh Bollinger, 1, and mom Windy Hollifield watch while attending the Harvest Festival and Trunk-oTreat at Powhatan County Fairgrounds. See more photos Pages 5A and 6A.
Heatwole hired as parks and rec director to grow program By Laura McFarland Managing Editor
POWHATAN – Powhatan County announced last week that its Parks and Recreation Department will expand and build on the strong program it already has with the hiring of Megan Heatwole as its new director. Heatwole, who began work on Tuesday, Nov. 1, brings with her 11 years of experience in parks and recreation in three different localities as well as other related experience. Most recently, she worked for seven years for Lynchburg Parks and Recreation, first as the community recreation programmer and since 2017 as the community recreation supervisor. In her latest position, Heatwole said she oversaw recreation programming for ages
preschool through senior citizens, including overseeing a senior center and arts center as well as the main recreation center. Heatwole got her start in parks and recreation as a coordinator of Camp Staunton for the City of Staunton. She worked elsewhere in the country, including as a school age program assistant director in Colorado and an outreach coordinator while an Americorps volunteer in Nevada. While in Nevada, she also worked as a youth, teen and family programs coordinator for the Incline Village Parks and Recreation Department. “The bulk of my experience I got out of Lynchburg because I was given so much creative freedom to do things there. So I have quite a diverse range of experiences that I can see PARKS AND REC, pg. 6
MEGAN HEATWOLE