Powhatan Today –03/15/2023

Boards break down FY2024 school budget

LAURA MCFARLAND

Managing Editor

Supervisors discuss budget increases

LAURA MCFARLAND

Managing Editor

POWHATAN – The Powhatan County Board of Supervisors recently received an initial proposal for a budget that would see the county increase spending in fiscal year (FY) 2024 by $9.68 million, which is an 8.8% increase.

During a workshop held Monday, March 6, the supervisors had their first detailed discussion of the proposed fiscal year (FY) 2024 county budget, looking at initial projections in revenues, county spending and possible tax relief.

Some of the highlights new county administrator Bret Schardein touched on in the proposal included a 7% salary increase for all county employees, depending on the state’s final budget; a 2-cent decrease in the real estate tax rate; $1 million in personal property relief; almost $1.5 million in costs related to position changes; a brief discussion about capital improvement program (CIP) projects (the board will discuss these more in depth March 20); and the schools.

The board didn’t linger on the topic of the schools as they were set to get more information at a joint meeting with the school board two days later (see story Page A1).

The board had received a basic overview of the budget on Feb. 23 but hadn’t yet received the budget book and didn’t discuss many details at that point. Last week’s presentation went a little more in depth into proposed revenues and expenditures and allowed the supervisors to ask questions and begin sharing their views.

The board was set to talk more in depth about revenues, department budgets and personnel at the March 13 workshop, which occurred after press time.

The FY2024 budget that staff proposed in this initial draft uses a 75-cent real estate tax rate and calls for total expenditures at $119,585,197, which is a $9.68

million (8.8%) increase. These numbers are net of inter-fund transfers and subject to change as more information becomes available and the board makes changes.

Looking more specifically at the general fund revenues from local sources, real estate property taxes for FY2024 are projected at $42.27 million, which is a 17.1% increase from the FY2023 adopted amount of $36.08 million. Personal property taxes are proposed at $13.55 million, which is a 3.2% decrease.

Other local taxes, which include local sales tax, are proposed at $7.39 million, which is a 7.5% increase.

Many property owners were left reeling last month by reassessment notices that saw increases in the tens of thousands of dollars. Because of the increased assessments, the county’s effective tax rate – the tax rate Powhatan County needs to create the same amount of revenue as the previous year – would be 67 cents per $100 of assessed value for 2023. However, the proposed county administrator budget only suggests lowering the tax rate by two cents from the current rate of 77 cents.

Currently, one cent on the real estate tax rate in Powhatan is about $560,000.

In his executive summary to the board, Schardein pointed out that the proposed real estate tax rate of 75 cents would “represent the lowest real estate tax rate in 14 years and 10 consecutive years of flat or lower real estate rates.”

The board members did not go in depth into the tax rate but did ask why county staff, instead of proposing more than a two-cent real estate reduction, proposed $1 million in personal property relief for targeted relief to personal vehicles valued at $4,500 and under.

Schardein said some members of the board expressed interest in lowering both real estate and property taxes. The $1 million

David

was a starting point to look at for relief.

Bill Cox, who represents District 4, pointed out that while personal property did see a large spike last year, in this budget, the extra burden is being felt mostly in the real estate assessments, so that is where the relief should be focused.

David Williams, District 1, said the personal property relief numbers seemed too arbitrary and he couldn’t support that relief option. The larger bubble in personal property taxes occurred in 2022 and the majority of the board chose not to address it, he said. So it doesn’t make sense this year, when numbers aren’t as inflated, to go that route.

“I would rather go with something I can represent as fairness across the board,” he said, echoing Cox’s comment that the calls he is getting are concerns about real estate taxes.

Steve McClung, District 2, suggested doing both to help more people and chairman Mike Byerly, District 3, pointed out the county could do it if the majority of the board agreed because “we are in very good financial shape.” Byerly also wanted to feature planned relief for the elderly and disabled. Other topics discussed at the meeting included:

„ Personal property taxes: The personal property tax revenue listed in the proposed budget is shown as $13.55 million, which is a 3.2% decrease from FY2023 adopted. Finance director Charla Schubert said the county does not have firm numbers yet this year so they used

The hows and whys of a requested $60 plus million fiscal year (FY) 2024 budget for Powhatan County Public Schools were the focus of a meeting between the county’s two elected boards last week.

The Powhatan County Board of Supervisors and School Board had a robust discussion on topics such as enrollment, adjusting to rising costs caused by inflation, health insurance, future spending and learning loss, among others, in a robust joint meeting held Wednesday, March 8.

Debbie Halloway, assistant superintendent of finance for the schools, gave a presentation to both boards on the requested budget, and then answered some questions along with superintendent Beth Teigen and school board members as the two boards moved into a full discussion of different matters concerning the budget.

The school board’s proposed budget, which they adopted the night before, is at $60,089,010, which is a $4,823,760 increase from the FY2023 adopted budget. Of that total amount, the school system’s request in this budget is for a county transfer of $28,108,736, which is a $2,082,129 increase of local funds.

However, in addition to the adopted budget, the school board asked the board of supervisors to consider a budget initiative for $998,292. The county and the school board currently use the same health insurance but the two entities have different rates, with the county contributing more for its employees than the school division does for faculty and staff.

Do Good Program aims to make an impact

LAURA MCFARLAND

Managing Editor

POWHATAN – There is no mystery behind the Do Good Program’s mission.

The goal of the program run by Passion Community Church but open to anyone in the community is quite simply to find ways to help – to do good – and fill the need.

Ever heard the expression “be the change in the world you want to see”? That is the very essence of the comprehensive outreach program PCC started redesigning after the COVID-19 pandemic, said Bryan Pope, Do Good pastor. The ministry is based on the scripture from Galatians 6:9,

which says “let us not become weary in doing good.” That may take the form of disaster relief, mowing someone’s lawn, giving financial assistance, feeding first responders on duty, picking up someone’s groceries, helping with critical home repairs or any number of responses to seeing a need and trying to fill it, he said.

“That is what our mission outside of Sunday mornings looks like. What we aim to do with the Do Good Program is to mobilize our church members to show the communities around them that we love them and support them and we are here to meet tangible needs not just spiritual needs,”

Pope said. The most recent undertaking was a large food drive at the Powhatan campus benefiting the Powhatan Food Pantry, he said. The drive was started because they heard the food pantry was receiving less donations with the rising cost of groceries but having an increased number of people come in for services.

The church’s campuses serve five communities, and all of them held food drives. The one at the Powhatan campus drew 2,700 donations in a matter of weeks – numbers Pope said he hadn’t seen since the church briefly ran a food pantry of its own during the pandemic.

“I think for the first time being able to see the massive amount of food in our atrium where it was taking all the floor space – we were literally working around food – I could see already families receiving that food and I could see also the kind of joy our people were seeing around it,” he said.

The idea of doing something good for their community isn’t new as the church has been doing that for its two decades in existence, Pope said. What is changing now is the proactive approach they are taking.

“Over the past two years we have heard clearly from God we

The roughly $1 million extra requested by the school board would bring school employees up to the same rates, which the school division argued would create fair and equitable treatment across the board as well as being a recruitment and retention tool in a competitive job market.

Unlike last year, when the county and schools faced a 19.1% increase in health insurance rates, this year, they have been told there will be no increase. The school board said, and some supervisors agreed, that potentially made this a good year to make the change and that it would be fairer.

The almost three-hour meeting touched on a wide range of topics, including:

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

County administrator Bret Schardein, front, gives information to the Powhatan County Board of Supervisors about the FY2024 budget on March 6.

PHOTO BY LAURA MCFARLAND Bryan Pope, Do Good pastor at Passion Community Church, stands in front of the second wave of items collected during a food drive for Powhatan Food Pantry.

PHOTO BY LAURA MCFARLAND

Debbie Halloway, assistant superintendent of finance for the schools, gives a presentation to the board of supervisors about the school board’s FY2024 proposed budget during a joint meeting on March 8.

PHOTO BY LAURA MCFARLAND

PCPS CELEBRATES YOUTH ART MONTH

Seventh grader Bella Wright shows off a watercolor of butterflies she created during the reception of the PCPS Youth Art Month exhibit at Pocahontas Landmark Center. See more photos on Page A8.

“I would rather go with something I can represent as fairness across the board.”

Williams, supervisor, on focusing relief

Carmack will not seek reelection as supervisor

LAURA MCFARLAND

Managing Editor

POWHATAN –Supervisor Karin

Carmack announced last week that she would not seek reelection in the fall to represent District 5 during an emotional accounting of recent events in which her residency and eligibility to hold her elected office were challenged.

Carmack made the announcements during the board comment period of a joint meeting between the board of supervisors and school board on Wednesday, March 8.

“Candidly, this last year has been very stressful, agonizing, and, if I am honest with myself, pretty much my entire time on this board has been very mentally taxing and has consumed an in-

ordinate amount of my time,” she said, struggling to get through her speech at times. “Therefore, going forward, I am going to refocus my mental energy on my children and myself, and in doing that I will not be seeking reelection this November. I will certainly continue to work diligently to serve my constituents and all the citizens of Powhatan County for the remainder of my term.”

During her comments, Carmack recounted her experience trying to get answers and a retraction after a special prosecutor in Caroline County who was assigned to investigate an allegation that she no longer lived in her district released an opinion saying that was the case.

Carmack described the time-

Teen counselors prepare for 4-H summer camp

CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

Recently 25 teens from Powhatan, Goochland and Hanover counties traveled to Jamestown 4-H Educational Center to participate in an overnight training. These teens put in a lot of time and effort to attend 4-H camp as teen counselors. In addition to this kick-

off training, the teens will meet monthly to prepare for camp. If you know a child ages 9 to 13 who would like to attend the camp the week of July 17, register at the link, https://forms.gle/Wi7gjwmMxsngocKd6. Note boys spots have filled quickly and they will be placed on a wait list. Bring on the girls!

line and the steps she took to refute the opinion of assistant commonwealth’s attorney Bryan A. Dunkum and prove that while she temporarily relocated to District 1 when a new rental house she was moving into was being renovated, she was back living in District 5 as soon as it was habitable. Included in her speech were the lengths she had to go to in order to get answers about the investigation and later have it retracted. After clearing up the matter locally with Tom Lacheney, county attorney, including explaining to him about the temporary move during renovations, she focused her attention on working to get the Caroline special prosecutor to revisit the matter and to find out who made the complaint in the

first place.

Carmack said she was told by the Virginia State Bureau of Investigation that she was never investigated as this complaint was civil in nature.

Through Freedom of Information Act (FOAI) requests to the state police, the results of which she shared with the Powhatan Today, Carmack said she learned that the initial complaints were filed by resident James Kunka.

“That got me thinking, why is he so frosty at me? I think it revolves to Nov. 28 conditional use permit that I approved, which was in District 2, which was also approved by staff as well as the planning commission – they recommended it – and the board of supervisors,” she said.

She also read a response from Carolina County Commonwealth’s Attorney John Mahoney sent on March 1 in which he wrote “In my absence the case was assigned to our newest attorney. I regret that the matter was given insufficient supervision which resulted in confusion and the issuance of a letter concluding that Ms. Carmack was not a resident of the district which she represents and therefore not qualified to hold her office. That conclusion was incorrect. That is on me, nobody else.”

The letter also stated that “that Ms. Carmack is a bona fide resident of District 5.”

Laura McFarland may be reached at Lmcfarland@powhatantoday.com.

Powhatan couple faces 15 charges of abusing a juvenile

LAURA MCFARLAND

Managing Editor

POWHATAN – A multi-jurisdictional grand jury has indicted a Powhatan couple on 15 charges relating to the abuse of a juvenile, including abduction, rape and assault.

On March 1, as the result of an investigation that included multiple search warrants and interviews, Daniel Wayne Kidd, 48, and Rosalinda Delgado Rosas, 34, both of Powhatan County, were charged with reported abuse of a juvenile that occurred in the 700 block of Appomattox Trace Road between April 1 and 7, 2022, according to Powhatan County Sheriff’s Office

Chief Deputy Jeff Searfoss.

An investigation into the couple, who are not married, began on April 8, 2022.

The couple is each facing one misdemeanor and 14 felony charges: two counts of abduction- intent to extort money or for immoral

CHASE KINNIER COMPETES IN REGIONAL SPELLING BEE

chase Kinnier, a sixth grader at Powhatan Middle school, represented Powhatan county in the 49th annual richmond times-dispatch regional spelling Bee held March 9 in Mechanicsville. he competed against 21 other division winning spellers. chase made it to the eighth round by successfully spelling distinctive, cushion, repercussion, solitude, mandragora, empathy and henchman.

PHOTO BY LAURA MCFARLAND

Kidd

Rosas

purpose; entice into dwelling; prostitution; strangle another causing wound; object sexual penetration; assault and battery (misdemeanor); f or cible sodomy; rape; and six counts of taking indecent liberties with a child by a person in a supervisory relationship. Both Kidd and Rosa were taken into custody on March 1 in separate arrests without incident. They are both being held without bail at Pamunkey Regional Jail. Anyone with any information should contact the Powhatan County Sheriff’s Office at 804-598-5656.

commissioner of the revenue Jamie Timberlake’s best conservative estimate along with the $1 million in relief factored in as well. Without the relief, there would be a slight increase shown in projected personal property tax taxes, she said.

„ Compensation and classification plan: Currently, the county employee compensation and classification plan is being reevaluated, with the understanding that it will likely propose significant changes in compensation that carry an unknown price tag. Staff has put a placeholder of about $1.16 million in the budget to handle the proposals that come out of that study. Those would not be across-the-board increases, instead targeting individual positions that are low on the scale. The board discussed the timing of the consultant’s findings, which may not be finished before the budget is adopted.

Schardein pointed out even once they receive the report, it is up to the board to adopt any changes. However, he did not recommend leaving any adjustments until next budget season as some positions are already behind others.

„ CIP highlights: Schardein touched on some of the capital improvements, which were expected to be expounded on in more detail by department heads this week. Some of those projects include a new ambulance, a Company 1 fire engine, fiber network extension, trail renovations (outside of recent grant dollars awarded), roof renovations, ADA improvements ($750,000 in grant dollars), Carter Gallier Extension for the East Convenience Center, school buses, and school HVAC replacements. The inclusion of a road project in the CIP is relatively new and only possible because of funds the county is receiving for transportation projects as a member of the Central Virginia Transportation Authority

(CVTA).

„ Department initiatives: The commissioner of the revenue’s office wants to become part of the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles’ DMV Select program, which involves local governments and private entities contracting with DMV to provide select transactions in a secure environment. Each DMV Select partner has online access to DMV, allowing the partner to update customer records immediately as well as issue vehicle decals. Last year, DMV Selects processed more than onehalf million secure transactions, according to its website. Schubert said it will help many citizens perform several key DMV functions without having to leave the county and it will generate revenue for the county. The supervisors seemed overall in favor of this initiative. Other initiatives staff presented included the parks and recreation program expansion by hiring an additional staff member and providing money for programming; establishing a designated domestic violence program within the Powhatan Department of Social Services again; expanding public safety by adding more deputies and 911 communications officers; and restructuring of positions within county administration (Schardein said the county should see a small amount of savings).

While it is not yet formal, Schardein said county staff is looking into how the county could take over managing the stormwater program from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. The goal would be to cut down on delays on projects and to generate additional revenue by getting a portion of the fees.

„ New positions: The proposed budget includes a variety of new position requests for the board to consider: two communications officers full-time equivalents (FTE); transportation manager (paid for with CVTA funds); grant writer; commercial reviewer/inspector; librarian (two part-time changed to one full-time);

commissioner of revenue deputy clerk II (offset by DMV Select revenue); recreation coordinator; utilities engineer; maintenance worker III; four sheriff deputies (includes four vehicles); IT technician; and domestic violence coordinator.

The board briefly discussed some of the positions with the understanding they would be meeting with department heads this week to ask more questions.

„ Debt policy: The board discussed Powhatan’s debt service vs. expenditure policy level, which is a factor in its credit rating. When the then-board of supervisors agreed on bonded projects in 2016, the majority decision was that they would agree to let that figure approach a maximum rate of 15% with the understanding that they would get it back down to the desired 12% as quickly as possible.

The board is currently under that 12% threshold. The discussion last week focused on what the board considers the “optimal” percentage and if they want to revisit the policy to make it a firm 12% again. After a suggestion from Williams about lowering that optimal level even further, finance director Charla Schubert pointed out the board doesn’t want to set a ratio so low that “you can’t issue debt without redoing your policy.”

Schardein said staff would do research on the topic and bring the policy back for consideration by the board.

The upcoming schedule for the budget process includes: March 20, discuss the capital improvement plan; March 27, public hearing on real estate tax rate and adopt the personal property tax rate; April 3, decide what budget to advertise, deadline for public hearing on real estate tax rate and adopt real estate and personal property tax rate; April 24, public hearing on the budget and fee schedule; and May 1, adopt the budget. These dates are subject to change.

Laura McFarland may be reached at Lmcfarland@ powhatantoday.com.

CRIME REPORT

Arrests

One female was charged on March 1 with prostitution: cause person to enter bawdy place (Felony), taking indecent liberties with a child by person in supervisory relationship (F), abduction-extort money or immoral purpose (F), entice into dwelling to murder/rape/wound/kidnap (F), strangle another causing wound (F), assault and battery (F), rape (F), forcible sodomy (F) and object sexual penetration (F).

One male was charged on March 3 with assault and battery of a family member (Misdemeanor).

Weekly

BLESSED SACRAMENT HUGUENOT HONOR ROLL

Third grade all A’s

Saylor Behren, Cailyn Francis, Tessa Neal, Charlie Tatro, Berkley Welch.

Third grade all A/B’s

Wyatt Balch, Kiley Donner, Ella Felts, Hayes Howerton, Caroline Kelley, Meg Leatherwood, Carmee Maderazo, Charlotte Marks, Gabi Meyer, Zoe Perkinson, Ben Riegler, Finn Thompson, Berkleigh Watts, Sloane Weyant.

Fourth grade all A’s

Raegan Chumney, Tucker Harrison, Alex Jonjic, Colin Lerch, Lexi Lockhart, William McCoy, Olivia Rice, Andrew Roberts, Sophie Stevens, Samuel Walker.

Fourth grade all A/B’s

Allie Baggett, Julianne Biedrycki, Kurtis Camara, Ella Daves, Madeleine Dudley, Angel Fitz, Austin Gregoire, Zoe Harrow, Charlotte Hawkins, Paisley Hearn, Kennedy, McDonough, Abigail Perkins, Aiden Solimine, Caris Springer, Heather Stevens, Hunter Watkins, Lilli Wilcox.

Fifth grade all A’s Dani Blakley, Sam Bowman, Evan Felts, Annalise Gross, Ruby Norman, Maggie Pool, Silas Roberts, Beazy Sweeney, Dawson Tatro.

Fifth grade all A/B’s

Brady Adams, Katie Derryberry, Bailey Dowdy, Melody Gordon, Morgan Puglisi, Leila Purdum, Zach Tovar, Leo Triano, Brantley Turner, Kelly Zuniga.

Sixth grade all A’s

Thomas Delmege, Cruize Springer.

Sixth grade all A/B’s

Jake Berkman, Adam Biedrycki, Andrew Costello, Noah Folliard, Tiger Hayden, Maddie McCoy, Lucas McCuiston, Sage Oprandi, Briana Welch, Sunnie Young.

Seventh grade all A’s

Tommy Badman, Havana Costello, Maddie Gross, Jack Hickey, Natalie Klotz, Stephen Roberts, Chloe Trueblood, Aidan Vaughan.

Seventh grade all A/B’s

Abigail Alcazar, Noah Bowes, Sydney Callis, Madison Carmack, Charlotte Cavanagh, Meredith Klotz, Daniel McCarthy, Luca Neal, Avery Poore, Chase

Watkins.

Eighth grade all A’s Carter Callis, Abigail Delmege.

Eighth grade all A/B’s Courtney Carter, Addison Dowdy, Kaelyn Kipley, Robert Lucas, Alex Perkins, Brennon Welch.

Ninth grade all A’s

ChurCh DireCtory

2910GenitoRd.Powhatan, VA 372-9074

WorshipwithusthisSunday Churchservice @ 9:30AM Sundayschool @ 10:30AM

E vergreen C ommunity C hurch (PcA) Proclaiming&PracticingtheGospelofJesusChrist WorshipServiceat10:00AM Meetingat2210BattersonRoad,Powhatan.

Pastor NickKrauss ECCPCA .ORG 598-8844

SundaySchool 10AM

WorshipService11AM

PastorJohnEngle 603-933-0141

3540OldBuckinghamRd. www.pmchurch.net

1801HuguenotTrail

SundayWorship10am

BryanM.Holt,Pastor 804-378-3607

www.EmmausChristianChurch.org

https://www.facebook.com/2emmaus/

M ee tingSundays inFar mville, ForkUnio n, M idlothian, PowhatanandOnline. Visitpcc wired.net fo r servicestimes& lo cat ions 598 -1174pccwired.net

MountCalvary

BaptistChurch

2020RedLaneRoad Powhatan,VA23139

Pastor,LarryB.Collins

SundaySchool9:45a.m.

Sunday Worship 11:00a.m.

WednesdayBibleStudy 7:30p.m. Office804-598-2398

Providence Presbyterian Church

“WorshipingandWitnessing inWesternPowhatan since1825”

WorshipService11:00am

AllAreWelcome! 598-4970

Located1950RidgeRoad (Rt.627)

LivingAsChrist’sDisciplesWithinOur HeartsandBeyondOurDoors

PowhatanChristian Fellowship

SundayMorningWorship 11:00a.m.

SundaySchool10:00a.m.

WednesdayNight7:30p.m. 3308 PleasantsRoad, 1/4mileoffofRoute711

RussCress, Pastor 598-0733

St.John Neumann

Catholic Church

Rev.WalterG.Lewis,Pastor

Saturday -5p.m.

Sunday -8:30a.m.&11a.m. 598-3754

Paige Decker, Peter Roberts.

Ninth grade all A/B’s Brian Bodman, Carter Cichowicz, Grant Gilliam, Nick Hickey, Erin Maynes, Aubrey Pool, Liza Watkins.

Tenth grade all A’s Katie Book, Lydia Roberts.

Tenth grade all A/B’s Lizzie Davis, Vee Finnegan, Madeline Goodman, Olivia Purdum, Clare Sheridan, Cole Sutherland, Victoria Sweeney, Sophie Thompson, Cody Trent, Jameson Ward, Ian Weber, Temple Williamson.

Eleventh grade all A’s Makayla Gregory, Callista Kurek, Melanie Snead.

Eleventh grade all A/B’s Hunter Case, Wright Condrey, Kennedy Dowdy, Will Fichter, Parker Gill, Lily Hickey, Cooper Kurek, Colleen Maynes, Elizabeth Norwood, Charlie Potter, Trenten Quinlan, Clare Wood.

Twelfth grade all A’s Jackson Hawkins, Kendrick Sheffield.

Twelfth grade all A/B’s Nathan Barras, Jeb Hatfield, Annie Huynh, David Mann, Bibiana Posada, Berkley Roudabush.

2253RossonRd. JustoffRt.13intheVillage 598-4438

Worship: 8:30&10:30am www.powhatanumc.us WeekdayPreschool(ages2-5) 598-6090

www.sjnpowhatan.org

LocatedbehindFlatRock VillageShopping Center

need to continue going beyond ourselves and that the actions that we take in our community, the care we show in our community, reflects the love of God and we need to be very intentional about that,” he said. “We have continued to increase our capabilities since our foundation over 20 years ago at PCC and this is just the next level for us. Our people love to serve, our people love the communities we live in, and we want to make sure not one single person who has a need doesn’t have a need met if we can do something about it.”

Pope also wanted to stress that although this program is run by PCC, doing good is not exclusive to people who go to the church – or any church for that matter.

“One of the most important things for us as a church is to realize everybody is invited to do this with us – whether you go to our church or not. Regardless of what you believe, everybody has the capability to help somebody. So we invite anybody to join us in the efforts we do,” Pope said. “There are so many options and capabilities. What we want to do is encourage everybody to help somebody in the way they can, and in doing that our community will be stronger.”

Part of the perspective that is in PCC’s makeup is that it was formed for people who don’t go to church and simply tries to show people about a life following Jesus by example, said Ralph Finch, PCC Do Good coordinator for the Powhatan campus. That combined with the Powhatan community’s willingness to help each other means he is expecting great things.

“It is just such a beautiful, friendly community. A lot of people know each other but a lot of people do not know that we have some people that sleep in their cars behind Walmart sometimes and they don’t know that there are a lot of hungry people out there,”

he said. “The bottom line is we are not trying to go out and get people to go to church; we are trying to go out and show people what we think God and Jesus would do in hopes that the people out there would want to have the happiness and the things we have there at the church.”

The church created a list of volunteering opportunities as well as just ideas of things people can do to help their community at https://pccwired.net/ your-journey/connect/ do-good/. On the site, people can also sign up to receive notice about volunteer opportunities through the program. For more information, people can also call 804-5981174.

Going beyond just their own communities, the program has involved sending volunteers to help with disaster relief efforts.

Teams have responded to disasters in Kentucky, Southwest Virginia and Florida since the beginning of the year, he said. It also supports feeding programs for schools in Belize and Tanzania, where volunteer teams will be building extra classrooms this summer, and partner with another program in Moldova. Whether it is a small act of kindness or a big gesture of help, ultimately PCC wants to have a ripple effect in all of the communities it serves, Pope added.

“This is true – if you help somebody they are encouraged to help somebody else. Then that person is encouraged to help somebody else. That is the kind of movement we need in our world right now,” he said. “It is people showing up for each other, caring for other people and being willing to do something that might put them out of their comfort zone.”

Later this spring, the church will run a coat drive for the fall. PCC will also be scheduling impact days in all of its communities to do critical repairs, so people with needs or project ideas may contact the church seeking assistance.

Laura McFarland may be reached at Lmcfarland@ powhatantoday.com.

STUDENT CORNER

MOUNTZION BAPTISTCHURCH

2591RidgeRoad

Powhatan,Virginia23139

804-598-2051

Rev.BryanStevens,Pastor 10a.m.–WorshipService 8:30a.m.–ChurchSchool

Pastor StephenBattaglia 2390 EmmanuelChurch Road www.newwalkbible.org

SundayWorship10:00AM

SundaySchool9:00AM

BibleStudyWed.7:00PM

804-372-9254

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FIRSTANTIOCH BAPTISTCHURCH

3920MAIDENSRD.,POWHATAN

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SundaySchool10:00a.m.

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SmallGroupClasses9:00a.m. WorshipService10:30a.m. Dr.JamesTaylor,Pastor

3619HuguenotTrail

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SundaySchool:9:45a.m. Wor shipSer vice:11:00a.m. Traditional VernGilmer,Pastor

BradRussell,Pastor 598-4241

Servicetimesare 8:30a.m.and10:15a.m. Worshiponlineat10:15a.m. 2202OldChurchRoad www.powhatanbaptist.org

Loving,Investing,Fulfilling,Empowering Senior Pastor JustinWilson SundayService10:30am 2410NewDorsetCircle www.Communitylifechurchpowhatan.org

Sunday10am,11am&6pm

Wednesday7pm TravisL.Keith-Pastor ChurchOffice:794.7054

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF POWHATAN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Powhatan County Public Schools is constantly challenging and engaging its students in exciting ways. These are a few snapshots of some of the division’s awesome recent moments.

Company 1 conducts brushfire training

CONTRIBUTED REPORT

Powhatan County Volunteer Fire Department Company 1 recently held two brushfire training sessions using controlled burns in broom straw fields on Mosco Trail and Old Plantation Road.

The training focused on how to use the drip torch for back burns, creating a fire line. Lt. Charlie Holland and assistant chief Pat Schoeffel led the training.

Training was a refresher for current members and for new members to learn the dangers of a broom straw field on fire, Schoeffel said. Members were sent a PowerPoint to review a few days before the class to give them some information. The day of the class one of the senior firefighters gave a 15-minute review of the PowerPoint and went over how to use some equipment such as the drip torch.

The group went over some of the following for the training: how weather affects wild fires; how to

prepare and use the drip torch; instructions about dozer operations and basically giving the dozer room, noting that they have the right of way since it’s hard for the dozer operator to see firefighters; back burning a fire line;

and during a broom straw field fire, needing to stay in the burned area so firefighters or equipment don’t get caught in a fast moving fire. Broom straw can burn so fast that people can’t out run it when a stiff wind is blowing.

„ Learning loss: The discussion started off with the subject of learning loss and it remained an issue throughout as a justification for increased spending on instruction.

The school board saw a presentation on Feb. 21 that covered the issues PCPS is currently seeing with literacy losses. It gave an accounting of the elementary schools broken down by school and by grade level (first to fifth) to show where students were identified as below reading level in the second quarter. The overall school numbers were: Flat Rock Elementary, 177 out of 538 students in all grades (32.9%) below reading level; Pocahontas Elementary, 188 out of 608 students (30.9%); and Powhatan Elementary, 79 of 333 students (23.7%).

The presentation had covered several changes being made to address the learning loss, including PCPS currently being part of the revised PALS screening tool pilot for K-3. The division will be participating in the soft launch of the revised PALS screener for K-2 next school year.

As dyslexia has recently been highlighted as a needed focus, in 2024-2025, each elementary school will have an in-house dyslexia advisor based on the requirements listed in the Virginia Literacy Act. All teachers participate in the VDOE Dyslexia Awareness training.

The presentation talked about the other measures that will change in 20242025 because of the passage of the Virginia Literacy Act, which aims to reverse the trends in students reading below benchmark not only in Powhatan but across the state. This is a major reason behind the school requesting an elementary reading coach for Pocahontas Elementary and a secondary literacy coach.

While the budget presentation last week didn’t go into detail about the reading and math scores, which Teigen said are “not much better,” it did touch on the issue and the changes the board is requesting to address it.

When asked about standards of learning tests (SOLs), Teigen said, “Our scores have slipped some through the pandemic in the various educational situations that our families dealt with through the pandemic. We continue to work to make up grounds to close those gaps that we saw during that time period.

I will say that the data also is less than reliable during those years because of who tested and the conditions around the particular testing of those years. We use them with caution. We tend to go back to 2018-19 and compare where we are now in 2022-23, and we are not where we were in 2018-19.”

IDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT FALLS IN POWHATAN

the Powhatan county sheriff ’s office recently received a report of an unusual occurrence when a weather balloon, shown here held by training sergeant david hunt, fell on a home in Powhatan. hunt said the weather balloon, which belonged to the national ser vice, wasn’t a risk to the property as it was “about as a hazardous as a styrofoam box of fishing worms.” according to the national Weather ser vice’s website, weather balloons are released twice a day, every day of the year simultaneously from almost 900 locations worldwide, including 92 released in the United states and its territories. the balloon flights last for around two hours, can drift as far as 125 miles away and rise up to about 20 miles in the atmosphere. as the balloon rises, an instrument called a radiosonde attached to it measures pressure, temperature and relative humidity.

PHOTO BY LAURA MCFARLAND

Teigen said the goal is to have the students reading at grade level by third grade, but that is not realistic in this situation. The hope then is that by the time they transition to middle school, that they are reading and have the comprehension skills they need to read and learn at that level, she said.

„ Heath care costs: When talking about making all school and county employees on the same health insurance rate, supervisors seemed generally in favor of the change – some more so than the requested $2.08 million increase in the budget being proposed. There were questions about why it hadn’t been prioritized sooner with the acknowledgement that Teigen, who only joined PCPS in 2022, couldn’t speak to the rationale of actions of previous administrations.

Within this topic, the board also talked about a program that pays a certain amount toward the health insurances costs of retirees who have not reached aged 65. The school board previously took actions to phase the program out instead of doing away with it altogether, as some supervisors want. Teigen stressed that the program is being phased out, likely over the next four to five years, but also added that it is meant to reward the loyalty of employees who worked many years for the division.

„ Position changes: When the school board met to adopt its budget on March 7 before the joint meeting the next day, one of the biggest points of discussion was three positions meant to focus on students and helping them along as the school division still struggles with aftereffects of the pandemic. The school board voted unanimously to approve changes so that the budget would include a new assistant principal each for the middle and high schools and a dean of students for Pocahontas Elementary. They anticipated an increased cost of these changes at about $65,000. When asked about those changes by the supervisors, Teigen said her staff had worked ahead of the joint meeting to absorb the cost of those changes into the existing budget so it did not require asking for more funds from the board of supervisors.

„ Enrollment: The board had a discussion about enrollment, average daily membership and comparing the projected number for 2024, 4,250 students, to previous years. With the exception of 2021, when enrollment dropped to 4,114, the numbers since 2017 have remained pretty steady, with the farthest outlier at 45 students more. Tied to enrollment, the school board showed charts comparing how much Powhatan spends per pupil to both the

state and several comparable localities, including Amelia, Buckingham, Cumberland, Dinwiddie, Fluvanna and Goochland. In FY2021, PCPS’s per pupil cost of $12,140 was less than all six of those divisions of similar size, Halloway pointed out.

„ Growing costs: After hearing about the relatively flat enrollment when compared with the large jump in the requested county transfer over the last decade, Bill Cox, who represents District 4, pointed out it is not sustainable to keep increasing at this escalating rate. He said the “reality for the board of supervisors is our financial model says that transfers at this level are not sustainable.”

In addition recognizing that the school budget is a subset of the county budget, which has other departments and areas of need, it is also all the result of taxpayer money, Cox said. He talked about the approaching choice by the board of setting a tax rate while knowing assessments have increased dramatically and taxpayers are facing an even heavier burden if wise choices aren’t made about how the supervisors approve spending the county’s money.

Cox’s concerns fed into further discussion about the $2 million increase in the local country transfer, which the schools said will primarily go to instruction. However when asked how that breaks down, Teigen pointed out that instruction is a broad category, encompassing areas such as school counseling, homebound services, instructional support, library media, copiers to print out materials, STEM programs, and more.

There was discussion within the issue of growing costs of unfunded mandates from the states and promises of increases for standards of quality (SOQ) positions that then have to be filled in for other employees outside of the SOQ numbers at the local level.

„ Buses: This is a topic that county and school division will be working on further. The boards discussed it because there was confusion about why PCPS was requesting money for buses when it was awarded a grant for 10 electric buses. Staff realized there was confusion on the topic and they would be better served sitting down to discuss the place of buses in the CIP and how those funds, if not used, would be reallocated.

„ Legal expenses: When asked to explain high legal fees the school division has experienced, Teigen pointed out the school division does not have an in-house attorney, as the county does. The attorneys the school division uses are for items such as legal actions that arise, contracts or memorandums of understanding that need to be reviewed, and personnel matters, she said.

Boards From A1

PHOTOS COURTESY OF POWHATAN COUNTY FIRE AND RESCUE Fire and rescue training focused on how to use the drip torch for back burns.

Participants go over the basics of broom straw burns before they start live training.

OPINION

For the love of words — bee offers new delights

LAURA MCFARLAND

Managing Editor

Attending hogmanay, a traditional Scottish celebration of New Year’s Eve, is a longheld dream of mine.

“But maybe I need to say that a little quieter,” I said, as the context was seeing the word while perusing my official binder of words a few minutes before the start of the 49th annual Richmond Times-Dispatch Regional Spelling Bee, held March 9 in Mechanicsville.

I’ve been helping with the spelling bee for several years, acting as the recorder in case a child or parent challenges a decision on a word. It’s not a glamorous job, and, thankfully, I am rarely called upon to put my replay skills into action. However, it does come with the aforementioned binder (lime green this year) filled with a whole host of new words I don’t know the meaning of, much less how to pronounce them, and the nerd in me enjoys the random education each year.

Before I dive into my annual exercise in lexigraphy (the art or practice of defining words), I want to give a special shout out to Chase Kinnier, a sixth grader at Powhatan Middle School, who represented Powhatan County in the spelling bee admirably, making it to the eighth round. Excel-

lent job Chase! One of the words he spelled correctly, henchman, I admit to using more frequently than you might expect. Usually it is while watching a highly improbable action movie where the hero is able to dodge every bullet from dozens of bad guys and yet miraculously hit them every time. I always say, if I ever start looking for my own henchmen, they will have to pass a very stringent marksman test. I’m not even joking; there will be tests.

Also as a point of reference, the winning word this year, spelled correctly in the 30th round by a Charlotte County middle schooler, was barometer. Depending on a child’s age and experience with spelling bees, it is always interesting to see how they approach their turn. Do they hear the word once and plunge in or go all out, asking for the language of origin, a definition and for it to be used in a sentence?

Many of the words might seem obvious, but the trickery that is homonyms at times makes asking some of those questions critical. For example, in the same bee, contestants were asked to spell wield (to use especially with full command or power) and weald (a heavily wooded area). No discernable difference in how they are pronounced.

Alternate spellings can also be tricky, and in the case of this bee, extremely important. One speller was asked to spell caboodle (the way we saw it in our binders), which is simply a collection or lot. She spelled it as kaboodle and received the ding of the bell signifying she was wrong. She and her parents challenged it, and since the Merriam-Webster entry for kaboodle simply says “variant spelling of caboodle,” she re-entered the bee. By the way, the young lady, Joy-Den Wilson of Charlotte County, went on to win the bee.

The silly side of me always enjoys the silly sounding words, and there were plenty. I knew most of the ones that caught my eye: dillydally (to act with an unusual or improper slowness); flimflammer (one that gains his way by trickery and expedients); and codswallop (nonsense or drivel).

I don’t know why hooroosh (a wild, hurried or excited state or situation) tickled my fancy, but I have always been honest with our readers about my nerdiness, and I am not going to stop now.

A large number of the words I wasn’t familiar with are tied to plants (absolutely not my wheelhouse) and animals, which makes for fun Google searches to see what they look like. When I looked up tenuiroster, which is

Inflation hits residents from all angles

JIM RIDOLPHI

Contributing Columnist

It shouldn’t surprise anyone to learn that American families are undergoing increasing financial pressures in their everyday lives with well documented increases in cost of living expenses. Paychecks don’t go as far as they used to, and it seems every staple in our lives comes at an inflated price.

Most of us are living under these pressures, struggling to balance household budgets and searching for any way to stretch the dollar.

A recent report cited evidence that taxes have remained relatively steady during this period of inflation. But, anyone who regularly visits a grocery store will tell you that it’s not the taxes you see that have the most impact on households. It’s the ones you can’t see.

For example, reported local real estate taxes are level or reduced throughout most of the Commonwealth, but that’s not a true indicator of the amount of tax

actually levied on citizens. Real estate assessments are experiencing significant increases and most taxpayers are receiving higher bills on their properties, resulting in increases in revenue for communities. Now, that’s not technically an increase in real estate taxes, but in reality, it’s a segment of local budgets that have endured steady increases for the past several years. For localities, the increased revenues are good news and allow communities to fund important services like fire, rescue and public welfare. The additional funds also allow localities to provide competitive compensation for the people who staff those important positions. Many communities are finding it more difficult to attract and retain good employees as demand for their services increase.

It’s a sort of double-edged sword for citizens who benefit from quality services and attentive government, but also must navigate a tricky financial period where increases in cost of living

seem to come from every direction. Similarly, personal property taxes have increased significantly due to increased values of used cars in our country. Again, good news that your car’s value is holding but unfortunately another increase in those taxes we often omit when considering inflation. Localities in the metro area should be commended for maintaining levels of service despite the pandemic and a myriad of economic challenges that accompanied a nationwide shutdown. Government employees and teachers have been rewarded with well deserved salary increases, and public safety has been enhanced with additional staffing.

Although the increases in real estate assessments, personal property tax bills and the like represent a small part of the increased costs of living currently being levied on households, when coupled with increased food bills, hefty fuel bills and increased prices for most consumer goods, it all adds up.

Where have all the statesmen gone?

ROSLYN RYAN Richmond Suburban News

Not long ago, having fallen down some sort of interminable internet rabbit hole, I came across a message board where someone had asked what the difference was between a politician and a statesman.

Many of those responding were quick to offer the oft-repeated quote that has been attributed to everyone from Thomas Jefferson to Hillary Clinton: “The difference between a politician and a statesman,” they said, “is that a politician thinks about the next election while the statesman thinks about the next generation.”

Were you to point out that statesmen appear to be in short supply these days, you would not be alone. In fact, a Google search of the phrase “Where have all the statesmen gone?” turns up nearly a dozen different web hits. People, it seems, are longing for something they feel is missing from today’s political landscape.

From where this writer sits, they have a point. Having cov-

ered local government for nearly two decades, I have certainly born witness to the actions of people I would consider statesmen. But I have also seen the same type of self-aggrandizing, nasty, unethical behavior that we have all become more and more accustomed to seeing at the national level.

What naturally follows, when people note that statesmen seem to be a dying breed, is the question of why. What happened? Did the job change the people or did the people change the job?

The answer, of course, is yes.

While the roles and responsibilities of elected officials have changed over the years, so it seems have the values of our society as a whole. While grandstanding, dog-whistling and playing fast and loose with the facts have always been part of politics in some form or fashion, they now often seem inseparable from it.

Was it really so long ago that John McCain defended Barack Obama, at the time his rival in the 2008 presidential race, when sev-

Sports Editor Robby Fletcher rfletcher@powhatantoday.com

Production Manager Denine D’Angelo ddangelo@mechlocal.com

Classifieds Cindy Adams cadams@mechlocal.com

any group of mostly passerine birds having slender bills, the top search result was the great knot, which is a small wader more likely to be found in Siberia, southern Asia or Australia than anywhere here. But to be honest (and bird enthusiasts don’t hate me for this) it looked pretty similar to many of the waders I see when I go to the beach.

I was actually more interested in finding an image of a upeygan (a black rhinoceros) but was unsuccessful. Maybe someday when I have a little more time to dedicate to the search. Funnily enough, many of the top search results were related to the use of the word in spelling bees.

As someone who often spends too much time not using proper posture at the computer, omodynia (pain in the shoulder) is all too familiar.

In a previous spelling bee, I learned about alectryomancy, which is divination by means of a rooster encircled by grains of corn placed on letters of the alphabet which are then put together in the order in which the grains were eaten. In this bee, I learned the meaning of catoptromancy, a divination by mirror or by crystal gazing.

Like crystal ball gazing, there are things I understand because I have seen them in practice but I

Calendar

From A2

Powhatan county Public Library has an action-packed spring program lineup for 2023. the PcPL monthly Book club is here! Join us on March 31 at 10 a.m. the book selection is “horse” by Geraldine Brooks. see the front desk and Facebook for more info. For details, contact Powhatan county Public Library at 804.598.5670 or library@powhatanlibrary.net.

Blessed sacrament huguenot school theater’s production of “c lue” will be performed at 7 p.m. March 31 and april 1 and at 2 p.m. april 1 in Parker Gym at the school, 2501 academy road. admission is $10 for adults, $5 for students. Powhatan county Public Library has an action-packed spring program lineup for 2023. PcPL is proud to be partnering with the Powhatan-Goochland county Master Gardener association to bring two workshops this season! are you interested in taking a more sustainable look at gardening? Master Gardener Pat Lust is teaching us saving and starting seeds which will go over selecting, collecting, preserving and preparing seeds before planting them. Join us on april 1 at 10:30 a.m. for this informative workshop. registration preferred but not required. For details, contact Powhatan county Public Library at 804-598-5670 or library@powhatanlibrary.net.

eral of McCain’s supporters called Obama a liar and a terrorist.

“I want to fight, and I will fight,” McCain said. “But I will be respectful. I admire Sen. Obama and his accomplishments, and I will respect him.”

I won’t print the text of it here, but if you are looking for an example of what a statesman looks like away from the public eye, go ahead and look up the letter that outgoing president George H.W. Bush left for Bill Clinton, the man who defeated him in the 1992 election.

The idea of a wise, magnanimous leader living a virtuous life beyond reproach is, of course, a fantasy. Even the most venerated of our political heroes have had a skeleton or two in their closets, or at least a few questionable habits. No, there are no perfect people, and politicians will always outnumber statesmen.

Let’s just hope there never comes a day when those qualities that make a true leader are relegated to the past, and all of us are left longing for what once was.

the heart of Virginia Beekeepers plans to meet tuesday april 4 at 7 p.m. at the Prince edward county extension office (100 dominion dr., Farmville 23901) near Lowe’s. Program to be announced. For anyone who has bees or is interested in bees. For more information, call Mary Jane Morgan at 434-315-1433 or visit Facebook or our website heartofvirginiabeekeepers.org. the Powhatan Band Boosters are selling tickets for a dinner and a show or just the show to watch the 2023 show on tuesday april 18 dinner is at 6 p.m. and the show is at 7 p.m. at Powhatan high school, 1800 Judes Ferry road. an evening to send off the Phs Indoor drumline students as they prepare for the wGI world championships in dayton, ohio the Varsity, JV and Guard will be performing. tickets to the show only are $10 only or $20 covers the dinner and show. to purchase tickets, visit www.powhatanbandboosters.com and look under the Indoor drumline tab ONGOING the coalition of Powhatan churches has available resources to help people who would like assistance in learning to manage their finances. If you know of anyone who needs or would like to have this service, or to get more information, call robin cupka at 804-801-9851. Backpacks of Love, a nonprofit committed to eliminating hunger in school-age children by providing nourishing food for their weekend, needs help. BPoL is looking for delivery drivers that would be available to deliver on thursdays. they are in immediate need of a driver to deliver to cumberland county and or amelia county. these are great jobs for students looking

WE WANT TO PUBLISH YOUR ISSUE-DRIVEN LETTERS

Powhatan today welcomes your Letters to the editor on topics of concern to you and the community. Letters, which should be no longer than 400 words, must include the name, address and telephone number of the author. the deadline is noon thethursday before publication, but letters may be held until the following week upon the editor’s discretion. the publisher or editor of Powhatan today reserves the right to edit or withhold from publication any letter for any reason whatsoever. once received, all letters become the possession of Powhatan today. Letters reflect the opinion of the author, not necessarily that of Powhatan today or its staff

couldn’t tell you the actual word that defines them. Such was the case with manoletina, which is a right-handed movement of a cape by a matador in bullfighting, in which a red cloth attached to a stick is held by the left hand behind the back. I am going to say I will stick to the cartoon representation of this action as I don’t have the stomach for the real thing.

Rounding out some of the other random words I learned were mandragora (an herb that has been credited with human attributes and made the subject of many superstitions, also known as a mandrake), which was giving me Harry Potter vibes even before I read the definition; pogonip, a dense winter fog containing frozen particles that is formed in deep mountain valleys of the western United States; and tamarin (small South American marmosets having elongate canine teeth, silky fir and long nonprehensile tails), some of which have fantastic looking mustaches.

Seriously, I didn’t expect to find an animal that rivaled the adorable features of the previously learned binturongs, but the tamarins give them a run for their money.

Laura McFarland may be reached at Lmcfarland@powhatantoday.com.

for community hours. always accepting food donations of single serve raviolis, spaghettios, apple sauce, cereal, cookies, crackers and more. contact Kevin hardy at 804-350-1127 for more information.

Powhatan Food Pantry is currently seeking volunteer drivers who can pick up food from the local Food Lions on different days between 8:30 and 10 a.m. and transport them to the nonprofit at 2500 Batterson road. contact the pantry at 804-372-9526 or powhatanvafoodpantry@gmail.com.

the Friends of Powhatan county Public Library’s Bookshop is open during library hours and accepting donations again. the bookshop accepts books, movies, audiobooks, cds, and magazines. Materials can be given to a library staff member or placed in the book shop corner (tuck them by the file cabinet in the back), which is at the end of the passageway once you come in the front door. Proceeds from the book sale are used for additional library programming.

the Powhatan county cooperative extension Master Gardener help desk is here for yet another growing season. although office hours are reduced because of coVId-19 restrictions, the help desk is still ready and available. email questions and detailed photos of your stricken plants to gpmastergardener@gmail.com and volunteers will try and find a solution for you. you can also directly call the Powhatan county extension at 804-598-5640 and leave a message. the help desk will be in touch. If a real-life diagnosis or determination is needed, large plant samples including root, stem and leaves can be dropped off at the Powhatan county extension’s office after consulting with Master Gardener volunteer. If you have plants/shrubs/trees needing identification in your yard, or are new to the Powhatan or Goochland area, we also offer free one to two-hour site visits. available now emergency housing relief funds to assist with rent, mortgage or other housing concerns. Powhatan community action agency has received funding for housing relief for families in Powhatan county who have been affected by coVId-19. contact renee Van natter at valerie.vannatter@dss.virginia.gov or via cell at 804 814-5332. habitat for humanity-Powhatan always is looking for donations of gently used appliances, cabinets, and furniture such as dining room and bedroom sets (no mattresses or upholstered furniture). call to drop off at 804-594-7009, ext. 1. or email store@habitatpowhatan.org. habitat also does pick-ups for a $20 donation to our critical repair program. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. check out our website at habitatpowhatan.org

Volunteer transportation program — free service to Powhatan seniors age 60+ who are unable to drive for basic needs. drivers receive all information from program coordinator on rides that are requested by registered riders, and accept only rides they are available to fulfill. call 804-698-0438 or email raservices.PVa@ gmail.com to register as a rider or apply as a volunteer driver.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF PHS BAND BOOSTERS

The Varsity Winter Percussion team earned a divisional third place with their original show “dreamscape.”

PCPS percussion shines in competition

CONTRIBUTED REPORT

On Saturday, March 4, Powhatan County Public Schools bands in partnership with the Powhatan Band Boosters hosted the WGI percussion/winds regional competition. There were over 25 groups in attendance from all across Virginia and up and down the east coast. The level of talent seen in one location was unprecedented.

Under the direction of Jabrond Gamble, Powhatan High School had three groups perform in the competition: JV Winter Percussion, Varsity Winter Percussion and Concert Open. The talent and training was clearly on display in all performances.

The Varsity Winter Percussion team earned a divisional third place with their original show “Dreamscape”; Concert Open earned a divisional second place with their show “Submerged”; and JV Winter Percussion, whose members are all at Powhatan Middle School, performed their show “The Light Will Guide You” beautifully against high school level teams.

On Saturday, March 11, PCPS Bands along with Powhatan Band Boosters again hosted WGI but in Color Guard regional competition. Spectators have one more opportunity to see all three shows before they

concert Open earned a divisional second place with their show submerged.”

PCPS celebrates Youth Art Month

JV Winter Percussion, whose members are all at Powhatan Middle school, performed their show “The Light Will Guide you” beautifully against high school level teams.

are retired on April 18 at the Powhatan High School Winter Dinner and a Show. For details

on how to purchase tickets see the Powhatan Band Boosters Facebook page.

Choral program marking great season

CONTRIBUTED REPORT

Both Powhatan High School show choirs, Radiance (univoice) and Resonance (mixed), have been racking up an award-winning competition season.

The choirs performed and competed in Clover Hill High School’s Mid-Atlantic Show Choir Spectacular Saturday, Feb. 18. Directed by Terrell Dean and backed by the Rev’d Up band and Renegades stage crew, both choirs shone under the lights in their first competition of the season.

A total of 16 groups competed, including regional schools as well as Hamilton High School in Hamilton, Ohio, and Martinsburg High School in Martinsburg, West Virginia. The women of Radiance competed in the Tier II Women’s division and brought home a first place win, finishing ahead of “Anything Goes” from James River High School and “Vocal Elegance” from Hamilton High School, in their division and an eighth place finish overall. The men and women of Resonance competed in the Tier II Mixed Division, finishing in second place behind “Good Times” from Martinsburg High School in their division and sixth place overall.

Showmanship awards were presented to Emma Stigall for Radiance and Aaron Hixon and April Milburn for Resonance.

Both groups’ concert choir divisions competed along with One Voice at the Commonwealth Choral Invitational on Thursday, Feb. 23 at Thomas Dale High School. All groups brought home awards from CCI. Resonance “Unplugged” competed in the A’cappella division and finished in first place. Sophomore Haydon Hall also won Best Male Soloist in the A’ cappella division. Both Radiance and One Voice competed in the Concert Choir division with One Voice finishing in second place and Radiance finishing in third place.

The awards keep stacking up!

The buses were loaded by 5 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, as Radiance

and Resonance Show Choirs took to the road to travel five+ hours to Charleston, West Virginia, to compete in Sissonville High School’s inaugural Touch of Class Classic. It was a long day with a full slate of 13 univoice and mixed show choirs with everyone in an Open Division (all groups compete against each other, no matter gender or size) with a lot of incredibly-talented performers. PCSP is proud to say that both Resonance and Radiance rocked it out, and at the end of prelims, Resonance had earned a spot in the finals, earning fourth runner up overall against some formidable opponents.

Again, several choral students received Showmanship Awards: Milo Cook and Shannon Johnson for Radiance and Nia Sanders and Caleb Skeens for Resonance. The program would also like to send a huge shout-out to the parent chaperones and stage crew who took time out of their personal schedules on this 24-hour journey, but most-especially to Billy Goodrich for trailering all of the props and electronics safely to and from the event (making the 10-hour round-trip drive on his own) and leading the stage crew. When we say it takes a village, it truly does.

It was another successful couple of days for the PHS choral students earlier this month. Manchester High School launched its annual Koste Classic on Thursday, March 2, with Day 1 featuring standalone choirs. Swoon-worthy performances by Resonance Unplugged and One Voice earned more awards for these amazing students. Resonance Unplugged walked away with first place in the A’cappella division while One Voice earned second place in the Concert Choir division. The Resonance Show Choir made the trip to Manchester on Day 3, March 4 for the mixed show choir competition and battled it out against a slate of new competitors for the season. Resonance put on their best

overall performance of the season thus far. Their talent shown as they finished the night with a third place overall award, Best Costumes Award, Showmanship Awards for Delaine Healy and James Elam, and a Best-Dressed Director Award for Dean. The Powhatan Diamond Classic will be held March 23 to 25 at the high school. The choral program is looking for sponsors and volunteers. Visit https:// www.powhatanchoirs.com/ the-classic.

SPORTS

Wednesday, March 15, 2023 | Powhatan, Virginia | secTIOn B

Henderson named to All-Region second team

ROBBY FLETCHER Sports Editor

Powhatan sophomore Matt Henderson has had quite the eventful year athletically, helping the football team’s offense move as one of their top receiving targets and then later stepping onto the basketball court as one of their go-to creators with the ball in his hands.

With basketball season recently wrapping up, Henderson saw his name featured among the top players in the 4B Region,

earning All-Region second team honors. Henderson was featured on end-of-the-year lists for football as well, ending his season as an All-Metro honorable mention alongside quarterback Dylan Trevillian. Henderson, a forward for the Indians, built off an impressive freshman year by helping his team improve by two wins in Year 2, finishing off their season with an 8-15 record and notable wins that Henderson had a hand in achieving.

Finishing the season averaging 18 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while shooting at an efficient 44.1% clip, Henderson’s rise as Powhatan’s next great basketball player took another step forward while his team continued to compete until the end of the season. Both a threat pulling it from deep and as a paint-penetrating driver to the rim, Henderson’s game evolved thanks to experience on and off the ball from his previous season with the Indians

as well as experience working as a big in smaller lineups to refine his game with his back to the basket.

Some of Henderson’s best performances of the season include back-to-back double-digit scoring performances against Maggie Walker and George Wythe where he dropped 16 and 30 points, respectively, to help lead his team to victory. He also had a big role in the team’s win over Clover Hill on Jan. 4, scoring nine of his 15 points to de -

liver a thrilling 57-53 win, and also was a human highlight reel against Huguenot with 10 of his 15 points coming in the fourth quarter of a 55-53 comeback victory on Jan. 25. With the next step being a regional tournament appearance, the Indians will have to replace some impactful seniors next year, but the emerging stardom of Henderson will continue to make them a team to watch when they step back onto the floor next season.

Crump’s Indians look to get back to states

FILE PHOTOS

Bates hopes to shape new identity with lacrosse program

ROBBY FLETCHER

Editor

Sports

Like many of the teams kicking off their new seasons in the year 2023, the Powhatan boys lacrosse team is taking a new direction forward with freshly anointed head coach Sean Bates leading the way.

Last year’s Indians were the definition of resilient, always fighting back from big deficits, hardly letting games lose control and coming away with a wellearned 6-5 regional record and 7-9 overall record, with the season coming to an end against an overwhelming Hanover Hawks team in the postseason.

A lot of that resilience had to do with the senior class featuring Hayden Somerville, Davis Bean, Slater Smith, Adam Camp, Asher Timberlake, Connor Jeffs and Connor Barrett. That senior class was a special one, with many of those guys playing with each other all the way down to their little league days.

Both Somerville and Barrett ended their Powhatan careers with All-Metro nods after leading the charge for the team and figuring out how to replace Somerville’s scoring impact and Barrett’s consistency on the defensive end will be key questions to solve early in the season.

With six starters gone from last year’s squad, the Indians bring back a core four of seniors Connor Walters and Parker Unmussig and juniors Luka Blevins and Thomas

Menting to lead the way.

Walters is coming off an excellent junior season that ended with an All-Metro honorable mention and will be tasked with being the face of the offense. Acting as both a sniper in his own right with 42 goals as well as a set-up man for guys like Somerville, Walters operated as one of Powhatan’s most important figures on offense last year. Now, he’s likely the most important.

Walters will have help in leading the attack, with Blevins returning to step into an even bigger role himself. Blevins was also a reliable scoring presence for the Indians last season, utilizing his speed with the ball and ability to weave through defenders to help set the

offense up. He finished his second season with 32 goals, a number that a betting man would likely say is on the rise with increased responsibility. Senior Jack Connelly also returns after contributing on last year’s offense, giving the Indians another weapon to utilize as they set up their offense near the circle.

In the midfield, Unmussig will hold down the fort, coming off a 15-goal junior season and contributing to last year’s most successful moments as a balanced, do-it-all figure. Menting also takes the role as the long stick midfielder. He’ll be asked to do a lot defensively for the Indians, as well as take the role as a constant communicator keeping the midfield and defense

on the same page.

In his inaugural season with the team, Bates says the team has demonstrated a strong sense of camaraderie, with communication being key and the feeling of “buying in” to the new philosophies of their coach and his system helping prepare them to compete and make some noise in 2023.

Powhatan’s season opens up with games against Douglas S. Freeman and Midlothian in its opening week, with the Midlothian matchup coming on Wednesday, March 15 at home with the game starting at 7 p.m.

Robby Fletcher can be reached at rfletcher@powhatantoday.com.

C&F Bank’s Athleteof the Week C& FBa nk AthleteoftheWeek

BasketballStandout

WHO: MATTHENDERSON

WHATHE DID: PowhatansophomoreMatt

He nd e rson wascom me nd edfor an excellentsecondseasonwiththeboys basketballteamthispastweek,being

featuredontheAll-Regionsecond team.

HendersonwasoneofPowhatan’s mostrelieduponscorersthisseason, oftenplayingtheforwardposition,but occasionallyrunningdownlowasthebig insmaller,perimeter-focusedlineups.He concludedYear2averaging18points pergame,7.3rebounds,2.2assistsand shooting44.1%fro mthefield.

Thankstotheeffortsofguyslike

H ender son an dPowhatan’stal en ted seniorclassfeaturingAustinHurt,Paul Bonner,OscarWhitelyandJackDeBord, theIndiansfinishedwithan8-15record, atwo-winimprovementfromlastyear.

Hendersonwillreturnnextyear asacorememberofarosterbanking heavilyonitsunderclassmentostepinto theshoesofasolidseniorclass.

It took extra innings in a riveting regional semifinals matchup between Powhatan and King George to decide who earned a trip to last year’s Class 4 State Tournament. The Foxes were able to come away with that honor with a 4-3 victory, ending Powhatan’s season and seeing multiple seniors put on their jersey for the last time.

It was a tough pill to swallow for the Indians, who emerged as a regional favorite early on thanks to a blend of experienced starters, fast-rising underclassmen and one of the most respected coaching staffs in the area.

With that in the past, the Indians now look ahead with a team featuring multiple returning players in new positions, a talented bullpen headlined by Madalyn Johnson and a group of newcomers that’ll be expected to step into large roles immediately.

Head coach Marie Crump says the team’s pitching will be an immediate area of strength to point to that should allow the team’s overall younger roster to grow while on the field. Johnson, a junior, is coming off an exceptional sophomore season that showcased her as a player that’s clearly got college-level talent on the mound. Johnson quickly earned the attention of colleges in the biggest conferences in the country after earning a first team All-Metro nod and tossing 214 strikeouts with just 70 allowed hits against 508 batters. She verbally committed to James Madison earlier in her junior year.

Next to Johnson as the team’s next top pitching option is returning junior Mackenzie Flora, who won two games last year while tossing 19 strikeouts without allowing a single walk. The addition of freshman Brooklynn Narbut rounds out the pitching unit for the Indians.

Offensively, the starting lineup is a question mark up to this point, with Powhatan’s two scrimmages acting as auditions

ROBBY FLETCHER Sports Editor

Senior attacker Connor Walters is coming off a junior season where he recorded 42 goals and 34 assists. His efforts led to an honorable mention on the 2021-22 All-Metro team.

Midfielder Caleb Shumate pushes the offense forward with a pass against Monacan on May 9, 2022.

Chemistry is key to girls soccer season success

ROBBY FLETCHER Sports Editor

After a 5-10 finish and a team that had to learn on the job, the Powhatan girls soccer team returns with experience and familiarity in the starting lineup and aspirations to build off the promising aspects of last season to get back into postseason relevance.

Head coach Jared Rottmund returns for his eighth season leading the program, and he says with seven returning starters, the team’s already developed a strong sense of team chemistry entering the new year.

Through work that began as far back as the summer with the school’s annual soccer camp, the Indians have been preparing to compete with the best the Dominion District has to offer in the hopes of rising to the top of the region standings come playoff time. Struggling to stand apart in a crowded region last season, the Indians intend to use their experience to their advantage as a team that can run up the score as well as deny opponents quality chances on net.

Captains Rachel Webb and Morgan Oliver will lead a starting lineup with experience across the board, with Webb leading the defense as the glue that holds everything together and Oliver patrolling the midfield and coming off a solid junior season as one of the team’s best creators on the ball.

Helping Webb control the backline will be senior Sarah Barnett, who brings in pre-built chemistry alongside Webb to keep the defense organized.

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After losing goalie Hope Burton in last year’s senior class, the Indians will be relying on senior Ella Chitty in net this season. She’ll

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have help adjusting to the starting role thanks to a solid defense surrounding her, but how Chitty holds her own with the starting role will be a storyline to watch over the course of the season. Replacing the impacts of Burton’s fellow seniors Lena Parker, Meghan Hodge and Sydney Ar-

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ROBBY FLETCHER

Sports Editor

The Powhatan girls tennis team’s 2022-23 season is just about to get underway, and the Indians return with a roster of 18 girls along with its top players from last year’s depth chart.

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Led by head coach Anne Maliff in her fourth season, the Indians will look to build off a 6-9 record and a second round finish in the postseason by returning nearly the entire starting lineup from 2022 with the exception of No. 4 Erika Roark.

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That familiarity of having five starters will do the Indians well in the early parts of their new season, but they’ll still have to get through a loaded Dominion District that features teams like Midlothian, Cosby and James River, who have developed dominant programs that stand atop the preseason standings entering the spring.

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The team’s top duo featuring sophomore Emma Carter and junior Carter Quinn will lead the Indians once again as the No. 1 and 2 singles players respectively, as well as the No. 1 doubles pairing. Despite being a No. 1 as a freshman, the moment never seemed too big for Carter, who battled with the best their opponents had to offer and certainly showed she belonged with a 7-6 record.

Maliff says Carter’s record is likely to improve due to her work ethic,

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nold will be tough for the Indians, but certainly doable. Arnold was one of Powhatan’s most relied on goal-scorers last season, but the hope is that players like Oliver and juniors Bella Russell and Mary Hazel Davis flourish with the increased on-ball opportunities on the attacking side.

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Powhatan opens up the season with a game on the road against Manchester in the season-opener. Some of Powhatan’s best performances came against Manchester last season, first beating them in a 7-1 beatdown on March 15 and later besting them again in a 4-1 result on April 21.

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Girls tennis returns with big roster, a familiar starting lineup

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love for the game and her consistency in her practice on the courts. With Carter leading the way, the Indians will likely go as far as their No. 1 player goes once they reach postseason play.

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Carter and Quinn played big roles in the team upsetting Matoaca in last year’s regional tournament with a 5-0 win that never made it to the doubles portion of the match. In their doubles tour-

States

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for the coaching staff to figure out what works best for the team. While it’s a young group that will rely on the experience of its returning cast featuring Ashlee Cates, Ava Harper and Kendra Hogston to steer the ship and generate runs, Crump says she wants to see improvement gameto-game as the team faces a challenging schedule in the crowded Dominion District.

nament, the two also delivered wins to get to the regional quarterfinals after beating Henrico’s top pairing with sets of 6-4 and 6-2. It was a positive end to the season for Powhatan’s best play-

Defensive versatility also gives Powhatan an edge early on in the season, with players like Cates, Harper and Flora already showing off the ability to work in different parts of the field.

Cates, who batted a .333 last year, can skillfully step into being the team’s catcher as well as a solid outfielder, while someone like Flora can serve on the mound and also step into a role in the outfield. Harper, who largely fits into an infield position, will be one of Powhatan’s top batters after

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ers, who will be looking to improve on that postseason result. Rounding out the rest of the starting lineup is senior Polly Overboe at No. 3, junior Zoe Lucas at No. 4, junior Gianna LaRaffa at No. 5 and freshman newcomer Caris Grell at No. 6. Senior Amanda Seaman will also be featured in the third doubles pairing alongside Lucas, while Overboe and LaRaffa will pair off as the second pairing. As the one newcomer to find herself within the top-6, Grell brings with her a great deal of experience outside of Powhatan, with Maliff noting her consistency and match experience boding well for her in her inaugural season with the varsity squad. With time on the court, it’ll be interesting to see what Grell can bring to the roster in the immediate future as well as over the next couple of years.

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Popularity in the sport continues to be on the rise in Powhatan, as evidenced by the high number of rostered players on this year’s team. Bringing with them experience from last year that served them well and allowed them to compete with high-level competition within the district, the expectation is that the Indians should be an even better team this time around.

robby Fletcher can be reached at rfletcher@powhatantoday.com.

impressing in her freshman year with a .338 batting average.

Some of the new faces that’ll see time on the field early in their Powhatan careers are freshmen Mazie Harmon, Cassidy Moser and Narbut as well as sophomore Addison Elliot. Without much of a safety net of veterans leading the way and showing them what makes a classic Powhatan squad run, this group of youngsters will be asked to do a lot in order to keep the Indians competitive,

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but their development over the course of the season will be the true storyline to keep an eye on.

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The Indians may need time to replace the efforts found on and off the field from a senior class featuring Carsen Hogston, Joy Johnson, Savannah Johnson, Payton George and Emma Phillips, but it’d be foolish to discount the veterans that still remain, the young up-and-comers hungry to leave their own mark on the team and the legendary coach that’s always managed to get the best out of her players.

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FILE PHOTO

Powhatan sophomore emma carter returns to lead the girls tennis team as their no. 1 singles player after earning the spot in her first season with the Indians.

sophomore midfielder sadie redlich dribbles the ball out of the defensive zone in a game against clover hill on april 12, 2022.

Chico

Jets volunteer to help Powhatan ‘go green’

CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

Powhatan County residents were encouraged to “go green” with a free recycling event held Feb. 25 at Fighting Creek Park. The community was invited to

bring old, discarded tires and appliances for recycling. Powhatan Anti-Litter Council has sponsored this service for more than 15 years. Members of the Powhatan Jet program volunteered to help at the event.

ARIES • Mar 21/Apr 20

So many things are moving your way, Aries. As the week progresses, your energy level could rise and you will get much more done. Leave time for meaningful encounters.

TAURUS • Apr 21/May 21 Taurus, connect with nature this week. Go hiking at a national park or visit a zoo and take in the exotic animals. Fresh outdoor air is just what you need.

GEMINI • May 22/Jun 21 Gemini, this week marks a new cycle for you. This means you should focus your energy on your ideas and try to narrow down prospects as much as possible.

CANCER • Jun 22/Jul 22 You may need a little inspiration to get moving this week, Cancer. While it’s alright to take it easy on Monday or Tuesday, by Wednesday you need to shake away what’s holding you back. LEO • Jul 23/Aug 23 Your brain is filled with many thoughts, Leo. With so much buzzing around in your head, it may be challenging to focus. Consult with a friend to help you out.

VIRGO • Aug 24/Sept 22 Virgo, enjoy the calm while you can because later in the week the pace may become frenzied. Emotions may run high as everyone is rushing around.

LIBRA • Sept 23/Oct 23

People are drawn to you more so than usual, Libra. All this newfound attention may feel a little overwhelming. Find some quiet time to ground yourself and refocus.

SCORPIO • Oct 24/Nov 22 Scorpio, you have many ideas for the future, but you need to get moving. Is something or someone holding you back? Have an honest conversation about what you need.

SAGITTARIUS • Nov 23/Dec 21

Exercise caution when you speak about other people at work, Sagittarius. Not everyone will share your views and you need to work peacefully with others.

CAPRICORN • Dec 22/Jan 20

You may want to remain in an easygoing state, Capricorn, but others are not letting you just hang around. You need to get some things accomplished this week.

AQUARIUS • Jan 21/Feb 18

You may be feeling like you are moving a little slow, Aquarius. But if you write down all you have gotten done, then you’re likely to discover you’ve been quite busy.

PISCES • Feb 19/Mar 20

Be on the lookout for a catalyst that can put you on the path for big changes, Pisces. You can use some fresh inspiration.