Luxury A new experience and an old basketball tourney
february-march 2020 • vol. 4, no. 2
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what's inside?
2020
feature
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The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament has a storied history across multiple decades of attracting the best in basketball to Churchland.
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In the news Anthony Walters is the new president and chief executive officer of the YMCA of South Hampton Roads.
Lusso Salon Meaning “luxury” in Italian, Lusso Salon is creating a new experience for clients in its area.
Through the lens See some inspirational photographs from a local shutterbug and learn how you can submit some of yours.
Luxury A new experience and an old basketball tourney
february-march 2020 • vol. 4, no. 2
photo by Jen Jaqua
on the cover
Advertising rates and information available upon request. Subscriptions are $20 annually in-state; $25 annually out-of-state; $30 for international subscriptions. Please make checks payable to Suffolk Publications, LLC P.O. Box 1220, Suffolk, VA 23439
Where am I? So you think you know Western Branch? Test your knowledge of its landmarks with this photo quiz. You could win a $25 gift card.
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2020 EDITORIAL Tracy Agnew Editor Alex Perry Staff Writer Jimmy LaRoue Staff Writer Jen Jaqua Photographer news@westernbranchmagazine.com
ADVERTISING
Earl Jones Marketing Consultant Lindsay Richardson Marketing Consultant Kandyce Kirkland Marketing Consultant Amanda Gwaltney Marketing Consultant sales@westernbranchmagazine.com
PRODUCTION Troy Cooper Designer
ADMINISTRATION John Carr Publisher
Cathy Daughtrey Business Manager Hope Rose Production
editor's note Inspirational people in Western Branch It will be at least mid-February by the time you’re holding this edition, and we hope you’re staying warm and have visions of flowers, birds and springtime dancing in your heads. We hope the stories in this edition will help you stay warm and be uplifting to you. The amazing people featured in this edition have impacted the Western Branch community in the realms of academics, athletics, business and nonprofits, and we think they show just how well-rounded this amazing community is. No wonder everybody wants to become a part of Western Branch! Our featured public servant, Amy Daniel, is a Western Branch native herself who became interested in entering the field of education at a young age thanks to her father, the late Theodore “Ted” Smith Jr. These days, she focuses on building positive relationships with students first and foremost, and she believes that leads to academic success as well. That’s one of the reasons she has been honored with the school-level Teacher of the Year award this year. In athletics, the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament has been a mainstay for decades and has helped propel many underdog college basketball players to successful careers in the professional leagues. A number of people helped shape the success of this tournament over the years and help it become nationally recognized. In business, Morgan Chavis recently relocated her fledgling salon business, Lusso, to a new location and is offering luxurious treatments to clients, with a focus on the experience and helping to educate customers about healthy ways to care for their natural hair. And in the nonprofit realm, the new president and chief executive officer of the YMCA of South Hampton Roads, Anthony Walters, intends to focus on character development for young people. He’s in charge of numerous facilities serving more than 250,000 people, but rest assured he’ll have a local focus in his work. We hope you are enjoying Western Branch magazine. We’re always looking for your submissions for our On Vacation and Through the Lens features, answers to our Where Am I? challenge, your tips about great stories, and your suggestions for how to make this magazine even better. Please send those things to me at news@westernbranchmagazine.com. God bless, Tracy Agnew, Editor Western Branch Magazine is published six times per year by Suffolk Publications, LLC. P.O. Box 1220, Suffolk, VA 23439 www.westernbranchmagazine.com • (757) 539-3437
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8 western branch magazine
around the branch
Basquiat: Wild Genius Child FEBRUARY 24
Russell Memorial Library, 2808 Taylor Road, Chesapeake, will host a program titled “Jean Michel Basquiat: Wild Genius Child” from 4 to 5 p.m. for children in grades kindergarten through fifth. The Black History Month program will celebrate Basquiat’s work, teaching children about the bright colors, collage technique and motifs common in his work, and help them create their own works of art. Call 410-7026.
western branch magazine 9 ONGOING
The Western Branch Farmers Market, the first independent farmer’s market in Chesapeake, will be open from noon to 4 p.m. each Sunday at Chesapeake Square Mall, 4200 Portsmouth Blvd. The market hosts a variety of local and regional producers and is accepting applications for vendors. For more information and updates, visit www.WBFarmMarket.com, find it on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or email WesternBranchFarmersMarket@gmail.com.
Western Branch Farmers Market
ONGOING
Get your shag on with Boogie on the Bay Shag Club, a Portsmouth-based organization dedicated to promoting and preserving shag dancing and beach music. Weekly dance socials are held from 6 to 9:30 p.m. every Friday night at Big Woody’s Bar & Grill, 4200 Portsmouth Blvd. There is no cover, and new friends are always welcome. Free weekly Carolina Shag lessons are provided from 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays, also at Big Woody’s. Visit www.boogieonthebay.com or call 9677740.
ONGOING
The Old Dominion University Tri-Cities Center, 1070 University Blvd., Portsmouth, has an exhibit of art from local public school students on display. The center is open from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, except university holidays.
ONGOING
The Dunedin Civic League meets monthly on the first Monday at the Aldersgate campus of New Creation United Methodist Church, 4320 Bruce Road, Chesapeake.
ONGOING
The Russell Memorial Library, 2808 Taylor Road, Chesapeake, holds “Hot Topics” from 10 a.m. to noon every Wednesday. Come engage in conversation about current events with other interested people.
FEBRUARY 21
The American operatic tenor Orson Van Gay II will continue the 81st season of Portsmouth Community Concerts at 7:30 p.m. at I.C. Norcom High School, 1801 London Blvd. This is a change from the previously announced location. A native of southern California, Orson is no stranger to the Hampton Roads community. He honed his vocal talents as a vocal performance major at Old Dominion University, studying under Agnes Fuller Wynne and Kerry Jennings and later with Sondra Gelb. He was twice honored as a state and regional winner in the Mid-Atlantic National Association of Teachers Singing competition. He made his debut in the title role of Bernstein’s “Candide” at A Noise Within Theatre in Pasadena, Calif. He has many other operatic and theater credits and has also appeared in several nationally recognized television series, major television
commercials and Netflix variety shows. Single adult tickets are $25 each, free for students. Season tickets are $85 for adults, free for students. Tickets are available at the door with cash, check or credit card. Visit portsmouthcommunityconcerts.com or call 686-5447 for tickets or more information.
MARCH 9
Russell Memorial Library, 2808 Taylor Road, Chesapeake, will host a program titled “Georgia O’Keeffe: Mother of American Modernism” from 4 to 5 p.m. for children in grades kindergarten through fifth. The program will help children create work using colored chalk. Call 410-7024.
MARCH 10
Russell Memorial Library, 2808 Taylor Road, Chesapeake, will host a free plant clinic with Mike Andruczyk, Chesapeake horticulture agent. Bring your plant and gardening questions to a free plant clinic; no registration required. Call 410-7016.
MARCH 14
The Chesapeake Romance Writers will meet from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Russell Memorial Library, 2808 Taylor Road, Chesapeake. The chapter meeting starts at 10:30 a.m., with workshops at 12:30 p.m. Talk shop with Romance Writers of America. Adults 18 and up. Call 410-7016.
MARCH 17
Russell Memorial Library, 2808 Taylor Road, Chesapeake, will host “There’s a Sign for That!” from 4 to 5 p.m. Beginners or experts in grades kindergarten through fifth are welcome to come learn American Sign Language fundamentals. Call 410-7024.
MARCH 18
Russell Memorial Library, 2808 Taylor Road, Chesapeake, will host the Novel Ladies Book Club from 6 to 8 p.m. The book club meets on the third Wednesday of each month to talk about books and the plots, characters and themes that make each novel a unique work of art. Call 410-7016.
MARCH 23
Russell Memorial Library, 2808 Taylor Road,
Chesapeake, will host a program titled “Frido Kahlo: Self Portrait” from 4 to 5 p.m. for children in grades kindergarten through fifth. Children will learn about the fighting spirit that helped Kahlo overcome illness and injury and create a self-portrait in Kahlo’s style. Call 410-7026.
MARCH 24
The Mocha Authors Club will meet from 6 to 8 p.m. at Russell Memorial Library, 2808 Taylor Road, Chesapeake. Stop by the information desk to discover this month’s title featuring an African American author, then check out a copy and come back for the discussion. Ages 18 and up; call 410-7016.
MARCH 27
The Maxwell Quartet will continue the 81st season of Portsmouth Community Concerts at 7:30 p.m. at I.C. Norcom High School, 1801 London Blvd. This is a change from the previously announced location. The Maxwell Quartet’s Colin Scobie, first violin, George Smith, second violin, Elliot Perks, viola and Duncan Strachan, cello were hailed as First Prize winner and Audience Prize winner at the Trondheim (Norway) International Chamber Music Competition in 2017. The Maxwell Quartet consists of four friends who grew up playing classical and folk music together in youth orchestras and music schools across Scotland. The group officially began in 2010 at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where its founding members met as postgraduate students. The very next year, the quartet was appointed as the Conservatoire’s Young Artists in Residence. Single adult tickets are $25 each, free for students. Season tickets are $85 for adults, free for students. Tickets are available at the door with cash, check or credit card. Visit portsmouthcommunityconcerts.com or call 686-5447 for tickets or more information. April 10 Spend a Friday night with your friends, a microphone and free pizza. Share your own poetry or applaud someone else's work at the family-friendly “Poetry, Prose & Pizza” from 6:45 to 9 p.m. at Russell Memorial Library, 2808 Taylor Road, Chesapeake. The host is renowned poet and spoken word artist Nathan Richardson. Call 410-7028.
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in the news Mahlon and Fay Parker share a moment reminiscing about the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament. Parker is a veteran of the very first tournament in 1953 and chairman of the PIT Foundation Board of Directors.
Character development key for new YMCA CEO Story and photos by Jimmy LaRoue
The new president and chief executive officer of the YMCA of South Hampton Roads is focused on character development. Anthony Walters succeeded Billy George, who had been the chief executive officer for the previous seven years and prior to that had served as chief operating officer for 20 years. Walters has myriad responsibilities in overseeing the YMCA’s footprint across South Hampton Roads with its $54 million portfolio and $103 million in assets. Walters, who had been the organization’s chief strategy officer since 2017, studied for a Norfolk State University teaching degree in the early 1990s. He
recalled that teaching middle school students was more difficult, especially with behavior, interpersonal skills and students paying attention in the classroom. He said that leads back to the Y’s direction for a new strategic plan that focuses on character development. While he still wants its programs to help with academic achievement, including ensuring reading comprehension doesn’t get lost when a child is not in school, character development will have a prominent focus. “In our new strategic plan, we’re hopeful that we can improve character development,” Walters said, “because we feel like that’s an important component to partner with teachers, to say, we can
help you before and after school, with sharing better, having young people share better, having young people understand how much they have alike instead of their differences more, then it prepares them to embrace and accept the classroom environment a little better for you as a teacher.” He said that’s something that would have helped him as a student teacher. “From a character standpoint, learning about faith, learning about respect, responsibility, honesty, those traits can’t get lost in the society that we’re in,” Walters said. “Otherwise, it’s going to be harder for our teachers to teach the content.” Walters, who was appointed chief See YMCA page 11
western branch magazine 11 YMCA continued from page 10
executive officer last August and took the helm Dec. 2, has already moved quickly to identify his top five priorities for the region’s YMCA facilities, which serve more than 250,000 people throughout the region spanning Coastal Virginia, the Eastern Shore of Virginia, northeastern North Carolina and west to South Boston and Halifax County. The priorities include child protection and safety, customer service excellence, member experience, resource collaboration and military initiatives. He plans to work to evaluate the YMCA’s service delivery model to ensure that programs meet the needs of communities in South Hampton Roads. Walters, too, noted there are still too many people who can’t afford the YMCA. He said it needs to raise more money to help lift those barriers and raise the awareness that it has those resources for people. More than 30 percent of member families across South Hampton Roads receive financial assistance.
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Your autumn feast of Western Branch delicacies, events and more
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western branch magazine 13
through the lens: Roslyn Gervin
Roslyn Gervin, of Roslyn Gervin Custom Photography, has bene a Western Branch resident for three years and has been a photographer for almost five years. She enjoys “capturing people in a way that helps them to see the beauty that God created in them,” she wrote. She does maternity, family sessions, branding photos and more. We’re always looking for amateur and professional photographers who want to share their views of Western Branch. If you’d like to have your work considered, send an email to news@westernbranchmagazine.com.
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feature story
TAKING IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL Story by Phyllis Speidell Photos by John H. Sheally II
When April arrives in the Western Branch, so does the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament. The annual event brings 200 pro scouts, coaches, officials and 64 of the country’s best college players to a basketball fan’s paradise at the Churchland High School gym. After 68 years, the PIT ranks as the granddaddy of amateur national basketball tournaments, the oldest in the country. For four days, the
invitees — all college seniors — compete on eight teams in the 12-game tournament. National Basketball Association representatives, as well as international league scouts, study the games, seeking that yet-to-be acclaimed recruit, the one whose skills and drive come to light during the tournament. Last year’s tournament helped propel five players to the NBA as second-round draft picks, and almost all of the 64 players were invited to one or more NBA tryout camps. PIT alumni include some of the sport’s best known — Bobby Cremins, Charles (Lefty) See PIT page 16
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See GATHER page 16
16 western branch magazine PIT continued from page 14
Driesell, Rick Barry, Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, Dave Cowens, John Lucas, John Stockton, Dennis Rodman, Tim Hardaway, Scottie Pippen, Spud Webb, Jimmy Butler and Muggsy Bogues, among others. Fans from across Hampton Roads crowd the 4,000-seat gym to enjoy some great basketball with an up-close look at players they’ve followed in person or on TV. Others hope to glimpse — and maybe snag an autograph from — the dozens of visiting basketball celebrities. With free admission to all of the afternoon games, bringing the youngsters to the games is a tradition, an affordable outing for many local families. How the PIT started is a story with many versions, according to Mahlon Parker, the chairman of the PIT Foundation Board of Directors — and a veteran of the very first tournament in 1953. Generally agreed, however, is that the tournament grew from an adult basketball league sponsored by the city of Portsmouth. The teams played in an old armory on Elm Avenue in midtown Portsmouth. The league drew local players to a less-than-ideal basketball venue. The makeshift gym was lit only by a few 100 watt bulbs and was so small that an under-the-basket foul could send players crashing into a soda machine or a brick wall. The armory floor was so worn and uneven that balls bounced erratically, if at all. “But all we cared about was that we weren’t playing in the rain,” Parker said. When a few weeks of free floor time opened in 1953, the league decided to launch a tournament. Eight local businesses agreed to each sponsor a team, recruit the best college players they could find and fill out their rosters with local players. Any certified amateur could play. Admission was free for whoever wandered in to watch. Two years later, the city’s recreation director, Gwynn Fletcher, ruled that the teams could recruit military as well as college players. Parker remembers playing in that first
tournament. His team defeated a team led by Norfolk native and Duke University center Lefty Driesell but later lost the championship game. James “Booty” Baker, regarded as the PIT founder, was a key tournament organizer, and soon Yale Dolsey joined him in organizing and promoting the event. The two Portsmouth businessmen, along with
Parker, remained an integral part of the PIT leadership. Word of the tournament spread, crowds grew and, in a few years, fans were dropping admission donations into a basketball hoop fastened to a bucket in the lobby. From that, the charitable side of the tournament was born and has grown with the PIT. See PIT page 17
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Mahlon and Fay Parker share a moment reminiscing about the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament. Parker is a veteran of the very first tournament in 1953 and chairman of the PIT Foundation Board of Directors. PIT continued from page 16
In the early 1970s, Bob Ferry, then general manager of the Baltimore Bullets, and Marty Blake, then general manager of the ABA’s Pittsburgh Condors and later the NBA's longtime director of scouting, dropped in on the PIT. Dazzled by the pool of talent they saw, the pair began bringing NBA general managers and scouts to the tournaments. Blake’s son, Ryan Blake, NBA consultant and president of Marty Blake & Associates Inc., said, “Pops loved the PIT. It’s like a community of family, like going back to a family reunion. Larry Bird told me it was one of his favorite events because of that.” Dick Esleeck played in the 1969 PIT when he was a senior at Furman University. Two players on his PIT team, Mike Davis and Bobby Dandridge, went on to
professional basketball careers. The next year, Esleeck was teaching and coaching at Churchland High when he learned that the tournament was short one team. He rallied college players to join him in competing as the eighth team in that 1970 PIT. His last-minute team made it to the championship game but lost to a team that included now legendary coach Bobby Cremins and NBA great Dave Cowens. “I am so proud of Yale Dolsey, Booty Baker, Jimmy Williams and Mahlon Parker,” Esleeck said. “It’s amazing what they have done to create the PIT and keep it going. A lot of people know about Portsmouth and where it is because of the PIT.” Cremins, a Bronx, N.Y., native, was only a senior at Frederick Military Acad-
emy in Portsmouth when local basketball coach and supporter, Hook Hillman, first slipped him onto a PIT team in 1966. “I don’t remember if I ever played that year, but he wanted me sitting on the bench, there and learning,” Cremins said. “When I came back in 1970 as a legitimate player, a senior at the University of South Carolina, it felt good to come back ‘home.’” The PIT evolved, in 1977, into an all-college-senior competition with an executive committee selecting and inviting players. Local former players volunteered as coaches or on committees that still work year-round, organizing the event details and raising money through program ads, sponsorships and ticket sales. In 1978, Cremins suggested and sponsored the PIT’s annual Hook Hillman See PIT page 18
18 western branch magazine PIT continued from page 17
Memorial Award that continues to recognize outstanding service to youth basketball in the area. As the PIT has grown, so have its contributions to the community. In 2002, the state corporation commission chartered the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament Foundation Inc. as an all-volunteer, nonprofit foundation. With some continued support from the city of Portsmouth, the PIT Foundation controls its own finances while growing its charitable impact on the community. Each year, the PIT gives seven $4,000 scholarships to outstanding student-athletes in Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Norfolk and Virginia Beach. Profits from the tournament also benefit a variety of community charities, including the HER Shelter, Oasis, Edmarc Hospice for Children and the YMCA, among others. The PIT continues to rise to the next level, thanks to technology as well as its volunteers and community support. For the last seven years, each of the tournament players has undergone analytical testing to confirm their stats, an important tool for coaches and scouts. The tournament games are now live-streamed nationwide and into 62 foreign countries. And the popular new NBA 2K20 video game features Scottie Pippen narrating an animated PIT overview set in the Churchland High gym with its distinctively painted floor.
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where am i?
I
n each edition the Western Branch Magazine staff provides a challenge of sorts, testing how much of Western Branch you really know. We photograph some location in Western Branch that is readily accessible and open to the public, and see if you can tell us where it is. If you know where this photo was taken, submit your answer, along with your name and contact information to news@westernbranchmagazine.com. If you’re right, you will be entered for a chance to win a $25 gift card. So, if you know where this is, let us know. If you’re right, you could be a winner. Go out and enjoy Western Branch!
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Local
SALON
creates experiences
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Story by Glen Mason Photos by Jen Jaqua
After a busy week with kids, family or work, you need a little break. A little luxury. You can find it in Western Branch at the newly relocated Lusso Salon. Lusso means luxury in Italian. “Italy was my mother’s favorite country to travel to,” said proprietress Morgan Chavis. “So I promised myself when I’d go into business, I’d name it in her honor.” Lusso recently opened its doors to serve the community at 3407 Tyre Neck Road in Portsmouth. The natural hair care and beauty salon distinguishes itself from other hair care salons with pampering, relaxation and a fashionable panache. Chavis and her team indulge their clients with simple, creative, subtle surprises. It is not a “beauty shop,” they insist. Lusso is a salon, specializing in natural hair care with a similarly natural décor. See LUSSO page 22
22 western branch magazine LUSSO continued from page 21
It is located in a vibrant business area with a village feel. Young professionals, families and Baby Boomers seek solace there. Chavis is a professional, well-traveled young executive, virtually a polymath with a pragmatic business sense beyond her years, she said she values customer service and learned early in her childhood that a firstclass experience doesn’t have to be expensive. Chavis remarked that the goal of her staff is to provide a luxury experience for clients simply because every woman deserves it. Lusso not only strives to be a five star salon in Western Branch, but also, Chavis wants to grow the salon to serve the seven cities. Geared to today’s multitasking women, Lusso’s services include silk presses, natural hair, locs, braids, color, cutting, custom wigs, extensions and facial waxing. There are low wait times and healthy hair education. All first-time appointments discounted 10 percent. Children’s appointments are always accepted. For the professional woman and homemakers, Lusso is open seven days a week via appointments. There are evening appointments available after regular work hours. There is a complimentary healthy hair consultation that assesses the client’s hair care needs. “My business role model has always been my father, Damon Wilson,” said Chavis, a Hampton University See LUSSO page 23
Morgan Chavis of Lusso Salon is committed to making her salon an experience and helping clients learn about natural hair care.
western branch magazine 23
Ewanya “E” Smith styles hair on the mannequin named “Linda” at Lusso Salon. LUSSO continued from page 22
alumna with a Bachelor of Science degree in business management. “His career in chemical engineering sales has molded and driven me to excel in the business arena. I grew up watching him accelerate through his career through tenacity and hard work.” Lusso business motto is "get the experience.” “My passion for the hair care industry started at a young age for me,” Chavis said. “Similar to many other mothers, my mother struggled with maintaining and styling my hair. I started going to the hair salon regularly as a toddler! “I loved spending time at the salon and learning new skills from each of the stylists who worked there. I would beg to spend my Saturday afternoons after dance class at the salon sweeping up hair
and eventually shampooing clients.” Simply put, Lusso is an experience, Chavis said. “We know at Lusso Salon that we must set ourselves apart from the competition by going above and beyond for each and
every client,” said Chavis, sounding like she was making a pledge. “We pride ourselves in a salon space that looks like no other in Western Branch, in addition to providing an ultimately luxurious experience.”
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public servant
Amy Daniel is a Western Branch native and an eighth-grade history teacher at Western Branch Middle School.
Teaching Bruins with service at heart Amy Daniel is a Western Branch native who has been recognized for her success as a teacher at Western Branch Middle School — the same school she attended herself. Daniel is an eighth-grade history teacher at Western Branch Middle School and the faculty sponsor for the Student Council Association. She was awarded Teacher of the Year at Western Branch Middle School this school year and is currently a finalist for citywide Teacher of
the Year for Chesapeake Public Schools. She started teaching in 1997 at Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach and is now in her fifth year of teaching at WBMS. She grew up in the Point Elizabeth neighborhood close by the school, and when she was attending the middle school, she had classes in the same room that she teaches in today, she said. Daniel said she always loved the idea of teaching. She grew up reading books
about teachers and grading papers with her father, the late Theodore “Ted” Smith Jr. Her father, a Portsmouth native, taught at WBMS from 1990 until his retirement in 2007. He taught at Portsmouth and Chesapeake public schools for 37 years, and he coached the boys’ basketball team at Western Branch Middle School for more than 20 years. He stopped coaching in 2015 due to his kidney cancer and died later that See DANIEL page 25
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Amy Daniel, an eighth-grade history teacher at Western Branch Middle School, is the faculty sponsor for the Student Council Association. Pictured with Daniel are eighth-grade students: Student Council Association president Ashley Lauster, 13, historian Samantha Williamson, 13, and secretary Tayla Springer, 14. DANIEL continued from page 24
year. But his children keep the family’s standard of teaching excellence alive at WBMS, including Daniel’s brother, Kevin Smith, who is a physical education teacher at WBMS. His children also attend there. Dr. Kambar Khoshaba, the school principal, established the Ted Smith Scholar Athlete Award after his death, which is awarded to one outstanding student each year for excelling in academics, athletics and character. “For me, seeing his face here, (and) seeing the kids that I teach get that award in his honor, allows me to feel closer not only to him, but to the community in which I grew up and worked in, so it’s a blessing,” Daniel said. Daniel believes a good teacher motivates students and meets them where they are to understand and nurture them. This helps build positive relationships that help guide them toward success. Building those relationships is what Dan-
iel enjoys the most about teaching, as well as seeing them succeed over the years. “I keep up with kids that I taught 15, 16, 17 years ago. It’s truly amazing to me to see them grow,” Daniel said. She said it’s humbling to receive the Teacher of the Year award at her school, and that’s mostly because it doesn’t feel like work for her. “Honestly, it’s very humbling, because this is not a job to me. This is something that I do because I absolutely love it, and I feel blessed to come here every day and do this,” she said. “I don’t see it as a job, so to get this kind of award and this acknowledgement for the work that I do is absolutely humbling and incredible.” She credits Khoshaba for his mentorship, and the principal in turn credits Daniel for helping the school achieve award-winning excellence. Western Branch Middle School was honored with a 2019 National Council of Excellence Award by the National Student Council,
which awards student councils for implementing strong leadership programs, functioning in ethical and responsible ways, and engaging others in leadership, spirit, civic and service activities, according to natstuco.org. It’s the first year that Western Branch Middle School has won the award, Khoshaba said, and they were also the only middle school in Virginia to receive the award. He said it was a “huge honor” made possible by fantastic kids who have service in their hearts and a desire to help others. “But make no mistake about it, you can have a wet ball of clay, but you have to have an artist that can make the artwork, and we have the artist who I think is going to be the Teacher of the Year for the city,” Khoshaba said. Western Branch Middle School’s Student Council Association currently has 18 students, Daniel said. They work together to be a unified voice, “so that they can See DANIEL page 26
26 western branch magazine DANIEL continued from page 25
actually work with teachers and administration to be the voice of other students on issues,” Daniel said. However, their main role is to provide service. “SCA is a service organization,” Daniel said. “They’re doing community things through our school.” For their latest service project, SCA wanted to send a positive message to students in their school that come from military families. “The students and I both agreed that it’s very difficult for children of military families to go from school to school to school, so we wanted something that when they walked in our building, they could look and say, ‘OK, we’ve got you. We know you’re here and we celebrate what you and your family do for us, and the sacrifice that you make for us,’” Daniel said. The SCA students once again worked with Myke Irving, the artist who made the colorful heron sculpture that now stands outside of the middle school.
WBMS SCA sponsored that sculpture as part of the Blue Heron Project, a city of Chesapeake community initiative. The SCA students fundraised and collaborated for their “Tribute to the Military” project, a permanent art installation inside the school. The piece is a ceiling-to-floor mural of a serviceperson and the school’s Bruin Bear mascot saluting the American Flag. The flag itself is a five-panel piece of artwork, with three panels made of aluminum and two of acrylic. The individual panels are raised from the wall at different heights to create the appearance that the flag is waving. “We wanted the kids that walk in this building that are new — and the kids that are already here — to know that we appreciate you, and we value you, and this is a permanent testament to that,” according to Daniel. It was important for WBMS SCA to recognize students with military families, and the truly amazing work that their family members do for their country,
according to Ashley Lauster, a 13-yearold WBMS eighth-grader and the SCA president. Ashley comes from a military family, as well, and she said it felt good to do a service project that recognizes military service members. “It made us all feel special, that we knew how much they were doing for us,” she said. Daniel is proud of her students, and their excitement at being part of something bigger than themselves. “I honestly can say that I am so amazed that they can think outside of themselves and look at something bigger to be a part of, and they do that on a regular basis,” she said. She said that she’s “found her people” in her amazing school, and in the Western Branch community. “I’m just very proud of the community that I grew up in, and I’m happy that I can serve and do this and just keep it going in this community, because it is a part of me,” she said.
western branch magazine 25
where am i? I
n each edition the Western Branch Magazine staff provides a challenge of sorts, testing how much of Western Branch you really know. We photograph some location in Western Branch that is readily accessible and open to the public, and see if you can tell us where it is.
Last Edition’s Where Am I? Five people correctly guessed the location of our December-January Where Am I? challenge. The stone in the Dunedin area honors U.S. Army Pfc. Andrew Tuazon, an area native and graduate of Western Branch High School, who died in Iraq on May 10, 2004. Cathy Heimer was one of the correct guessers and was randomly chosen to receive a $25 gift card. See page 19 for this edition’s challenge.
If you know where this photo was taken, submit your answer, along with your name and contact information to news@westernbranchmagazine.com. If you’re right, you will be entered for a chance to win a $25 gift card. So, if you know where this is, let us know. If you’re right, you could be a winner. Go out and enjoy Western Branch!
western branch magazine 27
scrapbook
Ricky Rudd, a Chesapeake native, prepares for a NASCAR race in this undated photo. Known as the “Ironman,” Rudd had 906 overall starts in NASCAR’s premier series, second only to Richard Petty’s 1,185. He held the record for consecutive starts at 788 before Jeff Gordon broke it in 2015. He was one of the most successful driver/owners, a combo few have pulled off, winning six races for Rudd Performance Motorsports from 1994 to 1999. He was Rookie of the Year in 1977 and scored at least one win in 16 consecutive seasons, 1983 to 1998, tied for the third-longest streak in NASCAR premier series history. In 1998, he was named as one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers. — COURTESY OF JOHN H. SHEALLY II
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