Wednesday, March 1, 2006

Halifax School Budget Tops $60M

Calls For $13,292,432 In County Contributions, An Increase Of $854,177

The Halifax County School System’s proposed 2006-07 budget is over $4.5 million larger than this year’s version largely because of rising costs, Chief Financial Officer Bill Covington told trustees at their Monday work session.
The new budget calls for teacher salaries to be increased four percent, a Virginia Retirement Rate (VRR) increase, mandated by the state, that will cost $1,225,954, a $125,000 increase in duel enrollment class costs, a $50,000 increase for instruction supplies, a $75,000 textbook cost increase and a 10 percent insurance premium rate increase costing $282,289, Covington said.
Also, fuel and physical therapy costs are skyrocketing, he said.
In the new budget there is a $170,000 vehicle fuel cost increase, a $79,000 heating fuel increase and a $150,000 increase in funding for occupational and physical therapy costs.
Luckily, there is also a significant increase in state funding to help cover many of the higher costs.
State funds are increasing by 8.99 percent, Covington said, and there is also a $400,000 increase in federal special education funding and a duel enrollment revenue increase of $150,000.
State funds will cover $594,665 of the VRS rate increase, leaving the local cost at $631,289.
Overall the proposed budget is $60,796,831 with $38,700,242 being funded by the state, $6,999,157 funded federally and $13,292,432 being paid by the county.
The budget asks the Board of Supervisors to increase spending from $12,438,255 to $13,292,432 in the new budget, an increase of $854,177.
In real dollars, the county is spending less on the school system than it did in 2000-01 when it was operating under the true composite index, Covington said.
In 2001, the county paid $13,299,661 into the school budget, in the new proposed budget the county would pay roughly $7,000 less than it did six years ago under the temporary adjusted composite index that is slated to end in 2010.
If the county had to pay according to the true composite index for the 2006-07 budget it would be required to pay $18,865,256 over $5.5 million more than it’s currently contributing under the adjusted index.
There is also money in the capitol improvement fund to continue replacing old roofs on county schools.
The project is about 35 percent done, according to School Superintendent Paul Stapleton.
Meadville Elementary, Washington-Coleman, the high school auditorium and kitchen, and the STEM Center roofs were all replaced in 2005-06, he said.
The new budget appropriates funds for roofs for the alternative education building, Scottsburg Elementary and Sinai Elementary to be done this year at a cost of $602,744.
Covington is also working with Halifax County Administrator Brian Foster to shift over $600,000 in debt from the school system’s capital improvement fund to the county’s debt service. If the debt is not moved it will sap the entire improvement fund next year.
“You need a fund to do a major replacement like a boiler,” Stapleton said.
Health insurance premium increases are also addressed in the new budget, factoring in a 10 percent increase over last year’s premiums, according to Covington.
The exact amount of the health insurance premium increases are not yet available with the school system opting to wait until the year is complete, meaning the insurance companies do less estimating.
However, paid claims are up slightly this year, Covington said.
If health insurance goes up 10 percent, school system employees will pay the same as last year, if it goes up more they will be responsible for the difference, he added.
A four- percent raise, funded by state money, is included in the budget for full-time school system employees.
Halifax for the 2005-06 fiscal year, paid beginning teachers $31,400, making it the 102 (out of 132) in the state. For teachers with 30 years experience Halifax paid $46,297, $5,000 less than the state average of $51,684.
Transportation costs have also increased from last year.
Even though the school system has used 3,344 gallons less than at the same time last year costs have still risen from $196,591 to $256,899 through February, Covington said, with diesel fuel averaging 57 cents a gallon more than last year.
Driver costs for special education vehicles have also increased by $12,122 from this time last year, Covington told trustees.
While discussing the proposed budget, Trustee Arthur Reynolds said he would like to see the compensation for board members increased, not because of the money, because the low pay gives the impression that being on the School Board isn’t as important as other legislative bodies and that they’re effort is worth as much as other school boards.
Some trustees expressed doubt that giving themselves a raise in the right message to send during tough times, but no one could remember the last time trustee compensation had been raised.
No action was taken on the matter, but Stapleton said that he would get a list from the Virginia School Board Association listing what other school board members around the state are being paid.
School board members are currently paid $200 a month, with one board member who serves on the governor’s school board receiving an extra $400 a year.
Citizens will have the opportunity to make comments on the 2006-07 proposed budget at a public hearing scheduled for, Monday, March 13, at 7 p.m. in the Mary Bethune Complex.

Stapleton Raises Two Major Cost Concerns With Board

Recruiting new teachers and the school system’s aging vehicle fleet are two major concerns the school system has to face, according to Halifax County School Superintendent Paul Stapleton.
“What worries me is recruitment of teachers,” Stapleton said. “How can you get the beginning salaries up to attract new teachers?”
For the 2005-06 school year Halifax ranked eighth out of twelve school systems in Region 8, the poorest region in the state and this year things may get worse, Stapleton told trustees.
Currently Buckingham County is the top paying school system for beginning teachers in Region 8 with a starting salary of 32,818. Halifax pays $31,400 to beginning teachers.
That number is slated to rise in the 2006-07 budget to $32,000, with the state approving funds to cover a 4 percent pay increase for teachers.
Asked if Halifax could seek a 5 percent raise for teachers, Stapleton said, “It’s your budget, but that is going to have to be local, not state money.”
As the proposed budget stands, trustees are already going to ask the Board of Supervisors for $854,177 more than they did last year. If they decided to seek a 5 percent pay raise for teachers that number would grow to roughly $1.2 million, according to Chief Financial Officer Bill Covington.
Other school systems in the region are having trouble attracting new teachers and they are adjusting their salaries accordingly, Stapleton said.
Another school superintendent in the region said they are going to raise their starting salaries for new teachers to $36,000 that will be $4,000 more than a new teacher in Halifax, Stapleton noted.
Also, while Halifax is ranked eighth, only $400 in pay separates Halifax from eleventh-ranked Brunswick County.
“It’s conceivable that we could be ranked eleventh out of twelve school systems next year,” Stapleton said.
And to make matters worse there is a statewide teacher shortage and other school districts are booming, Deputy School Superintendent Larry Clark told trustees.
“There was already a shortage and the mandate of No Child Left Behind that a ‘highly qualified teacher’ be in each classroom has made it even more difficult,” he said.
Also, school districts in the urban areas of the state are aggressively recruiting teachers, he added.
“Chesterfield in planning on hiring a 109 new teachers this year,” he said. “That’s not including replacing existing teachers.
There are 132 school districts in Virginia and nowhere on the pay scale from beginning teachers to teachers with 30 years experience does Halifax break into the top 100.
Also needing to be addressed, according to Stapleton, is the aging fleet of cars used to transport special education students.
Many vehicles in the fleet of 35 have over 200,000 miles and are in decrepit condition, Stapleton told the Board.
Stapleton said that he has contacted parents to see if they would be interested in contracting with the school system to transport their children and be reimbursed for the expenses.
That would save the school system money on vehicles, drivers and fuel, he said.
“There’s just not money out there to replace the fleet,” Stapleton said. “And we’re going to have to transport those children.”
The best way to buy vehicles is through the state contracts, according to Covington, but even then it is between $10,000 and $12,000 for a new vehicle.
Getting off-lease vehicles is also an option, but it’s hard to find vehicles with low mileage that will last, Stapleton said.

 

Tobacco Buyout Bill Passes House

Will Provide State Tax Breaks On Buyout Funds

County tobacco producers and quota holders who enrolled in the tobacco buyout program can breathe a little easier following a vote in the Virginia General Assembly, according to State Senator Frank Ruff.
Ruff announced yesterday that he had secured approval from the Virginia House of Delegates for tax relief on buyout money.
The bill, which must still be signed into law by Governor Tim Kaine, will exclude from state income taxation the money received under the buyout program.
Sponsored by Ruff, the House passed the bill yesterday 98-0.
“I was pleasantly surprised,” he said. “It will mean less taxes on Southside’s farmers.”
Under the legislation, buyout recipients in Southside and Southwest Virginia will be treated “in a manner similar to peanut quota buyout recipients in Southeast Virginia who were granted the same relief in 2003,” Ruff said.
Testifying before committee reviewing the measure, Ruff said the money received was essentially payment for a lost asset.
“These buyout programs acknowledge that the quotas that farm families own are assets,” he said. “Under the federal buyout program, they are involuntarily losing that capital asset and the federal government is paying them for that loss.
“It should not be considered income any more than if you were to receive a reimbursement check for an auto accident or… a hospital expense,” Ruff added. “The reality is the biggest portion of quota holders are senior citizens and are counting on this money just as any retiree counts on Social Security for their retirement income.”

 

SoBo Man Sentenced For Attempted Murder

Willie Andrew Lawson, a 24-year-old South Boston resident, was sentenced Monday in Halifax County Circuit Court to a total of 43 years in prison for attempted murder and other charges related to an incident at Westside Trailer Park in September, 2004.
Judge William L. Wellons suspended all but eight years of Lawson’s sentence for the attempted murder of Michael Gregory Smith, the malicious wounding of Smith, obstruction of justice and using a firearm to commit malicious wounding.
The court sentenced Lawson to 20 years in prison with 18 suspended, for malicious wounding, 10 years with eight suspended for both attempted murder and felony obstruction of justice, and three years for the firearms charge.
Wellons ordered one year of Lawson’s sentence for the first two convictions be served concurrently to account for the eight-year effective sentence.
Judge Wellons ordered the suspended portion of Lawson’s sentence be conditioned on his good behavior for 40 years, and ordered him to be placed on probation for two years upon his release.
The court additionally ordered Lawson to pay $382 restitution to and have no contact with his victim, and to abstain from illegal drugs.
Lawson had pleaded guilty to the four felonies after a day-long trial last August and shortly before a jury began its deliberations.
Lawson was convicted for charges stemming from the shooting of Smith at the victim’s Westside Trailer Park home on September 25, 2004, according to the South Boston Police Department.
Police officers and Halifax County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the trailer park about 2 a.m. that day after receiving reports of a resident being shot.
Upon arrival, they discovered Smith sitting on his front porch, the victim telling police he was lying in bed when someone knocked on his front door.
Smith further told police that no one was there when he opened the front door, but that someone then knocked on his back door and he went to answer it.
Investigators believe that while Smith was talking to a person at the back door, a second individual entered the residence through the front door.
Smith was shot following a struggle, with the two suspects fleeing on foot, the victim treated for his injuries and released from Halifax Regional Hospital.
Lawson was the second of Smith’s assailants to be tried and sentenced in relation to the crime.
George Louis Hill Jr., 29, a South Boston resident, was sentenced last October to five years in prison, with all suspended to time already served, for the malicious wounding of Smith.
Other Court Cases
• William Michael White, 45, of South Boston, entered an Alford plea Monday to three separate breaking and entering charges.
White pleaded guilty to breaking and entering an area Jiffy Store, Sunil’s and Dan River Baptist Church in a period from September 24 through December 23, 2003, according to court records.
Under terms of an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit guilt, but realizes prosecution evidence would make a guilty finding at trial almost a certainty.
In exchange for White’s Alford plea, the prosecution did not prosecute White for two additional charges, the grand larceny of Sunil’s and Dan River Baptist Church.
Judge Wellons remanded White to custody to await sentencing in the March court term.
• Jerry Wayne Conner, 48, of South Boston, was sentenced Monday to five years in prison, with all but two years suspended, for the felony assault and battery of Gracie Clark, a family or household member, that being a subsequent offense.
The court ordered the suspended portion of Conner’s sentence be conditioned on his good behavior for five years, and ordered him to be placed on probation for two years.
The court additionally ordered Conner to have no contact with his victim and abstain from illegal drugs and alcohol.
• James Aster Reagan, 64, of Alton, pleaded no contest Monday to the misdemeanor assault and battery of Sheriff’s Deputy Q.W. Clark, and the misdemeanor assault and battery of Mary Reagan, the last plea coming in a lower court appeal case.
The court sentenced Reagan to one year in jail for each conviction, suspending all but a total of 90 days in jail, conditioned on Reagan’s good behavior for two years.
The court authorized weekend jail service for Reagan.
• William Antwan Parks, 23, of South Boston, was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison, with all but one year suspended, for cocaine distribution.
The court ordered the suspended portion of Parks’ sentence be conditioned on his good behavior for 10 years and ordered him to be placed on probation for two years.
In addition, the court ordered Parks to undergo random drug tests and to abstain from illegal drugs, as well as suspended his operator’s license for six months.
• Ronald Lee Rickmond, 46, of Scottsburg, was convicted Tuesday of felony hit and run, the offense occurring last August 11, according to court records.
Under terms of a plea agreement, the court sentenced Rickmond to five years in prison, suspending all but six months.
The court ordered the suspended portion of Rickmond’s sentence be conditioned on his good behavior for five years, also ordering him to be placed on probation for one year and to have no contact with his victim.
• Wayne Sylvester Coleman, 36, of Buffalo Junction, was convicted Tuesday of two charges, forging and passing a check at Wal-Mart and obtaining money by false pretenses from Wal-Mart.
Sentencing for Coleman was set for a future court term.
• Jermaine Lashone Terry, 29, of South Boston, pleaded guilty Tuesday to an indictment charging him with cocaine possession.
The court found evidence sufficient to convict Terry, but withheld its finding of guilt, granting Terry first offender status and continuing the case for one year.
The court placed Terry on probation for one year, ordering him to submit to random drug tests, perform 100 hours of community service, to seek and maintain employment, and to a restricted operator’s license if employed.
• Tony Anthony White, 27, of Halifax, pleaded guilty Tuesday to possessing cocaine.
In exchange for his guilty plea, the court sentenced White to five years in prison, with all suspended to time served, conditioned on White’s good behavior for five years.
The court additionally ordered White to be placed on probation for one year.

 

Obituaries

William Lee Edmonds Jr.

William Lee Edmonds Jr., 56, of 338 Chalmers Street, South Boston, died February 25, 2006, at Halifax Regional Hospital.
Mr. Edmonds was born October 12, 1949, in Halifax County the son of Catherine Wood Edmonds and the late William Lee Edmonds Sr. and was married to Linda Wooden Edmonds. He was a member of Christ Blue Rock Holiness Church, served in the United States Marine Corps and was a Vietnam War Veteran. He was a former employee of J.E. Burton Construction Company.
Survivors of Mr. Edmonds include his wife; one daughter, LaToya Edmonds; four sons, William L. Edmonds III of Laurel, Md., Troy LaMont Edmonds, Anton Edmonds and Deon Zachary Edmonds, all of South Boston; his mother of South Boston; five sisters, Mary Edmonds, Rosa Lee Edmonds and Marjorie Edmonds, all of South Boston, Rebecca Edmonds of Crystal Hill and Patricia Edmonds of Jacksonville, Fla.; four brothers, Braxton Edmonds and Michael Edmonds, both of South Boston, John Edmonds of El-Centro, Calif. and Gerald Edmonds of Timberlake, N.C.; and three grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held tomorrow, March 2, at 11 a.m. at Greater Mayfield Apostolic Church with Elder Bill Howerton officiating. Burial will follow in the Edmonds Family Cemetery, Vernon Hill with Military Rites by American Legion Post #99.
The family is receiving friends at the home, and also at 601 Edmonds Street, South Boston.

Ellen Thelma Foster Perkins

Ellen Thelma Foster Perkins, 91, of 2231 Lower Liberty Road, Nathalie, died February 27, 2006, at her home.
Mrs. Perkins was born in Halifax County on November 7, 1914, the daughter of the late Henry Foster and Bessie Easley Foster, and was married to the late Lawrence Perkins. She was a member of New Zion Baptist Church.
Survivors include two daughters, Thelma Bailey of Washington, D.C. and Barbara Dickerson of Nathalie; two sons, Henry Perkins of Washington and Louis Perkins of Hyattsville, Md.; eight grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; one daughter-in-law, Paulette Perkins; and one son-in-law, James Dickerson. One son, Lawrence Perkins Jr., preceded Mrs. Perkins in death.
Funeral services will be held March 3, at noon at New Zion Baptist church with the Rev. Willie M. Yancey officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
Viewing will be at Crawford House Chapel in Halifax tomorrow, March 2, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The family will receive friends at the home.

Susie McCraw Wilson

Susie McCraw Wilson, 98, of Gretna, died February 27, 2006, at Danville Regional Medical Center.
Born September 27, 1907, in Halifax County, she was a daughter of the late Bernard McCraw and Lula Hudson McCraw, and was married to Edwin Wilson. Mrs. Wilson was a charter member of Memorial Presbyterian Church and was a homemaker.
Survivors include two daughters, Phyllis Holt and husband, Talmadge, of Emerald Isle, N.C. and Geraldine Amos of Virginia Beach; one sister-in-law, Helen Farthing of Blairs; five grandchildren, Michael Amos, Diane Staples, Todd Holt, Sharon Player and Tracy Doty; and 11 great-grandchildren.
Funeral services for Mrs. Wilson will be held tomorrow, March 2, at Memorial Presbyterian Church in Volens with the Revs. R.G. Rowland and Jeffery W. Jones officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
The family will receive friends this evening, March 1, from 7:00 until 8:30, at Colbert-Moran Funeral Home in Gretna, and other times at the home.

Cola P. Carr Campbell

Cola P. Carr Campbell, 89, of Nathalie, died February 25, 2006, in Lynchburg.
Mrs. Campbell was the daughter of the late Paul Carr and Hallie Jennings Carr, and was married to Eirwin Campbell. She was a member of Christian Tabernacle Baptist Church.
Survivors include her husband; one son, Lon T. Carey and wife, Doris, of Albany, Ga.; one daughter, Dorothy Faulkner of Hempstead, N.Y.; stepchildren, Anthony Campbell of Queens, N.Y., Sharon Jones and husband Mitchell, of Texas, Gail and Michael Campbell of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Debbie McCall and husband, Michael, of Poughkeepsie, N.Y.; two sisters, Emma Patterson and Lottie Tucker, both of Pa.; nine grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Funeral services for Mrs. Campbell will be held tomorrow, March 2, at 1 p.m. at Christian Tabernacle Baptist Church in Nathalie with burial in the church cemetery.
Condolences may be emailed to Jeffressfh@aol.com

Henry Richard Mercer

Henry Richard Mercer, 92, of Holyoke, Mass., died February 14, 2006.
He was a World War II Veteran of both the European and Pacific Theaters. Mr. Mercer was a retired electric company lineman, and volunteered with the American Cancer Society and Holyoke Medical Center.
Survivors include a daughter, Linda Mercer of Halifax. He was the widower of Alice Mercer.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider Halifax County Humane Society, P.O. Box 969, South Boston, 24592.

 

County Will Host State Baseball, Softball Tourneys

Three State Tournaments Are Already Set Here This Summer With The Possibility That As Many As Six State Tournaments Could Be Played Here

It will be a busy summer in South Boston and Halifax County as far as baseball and softball tournaments are concerned with at least three state tournaments set to be played here in July and the possibility that the number of state tournaments could swell to as high as six.
The South Boston-Halifax County Dixie Softball League will host the state tournament for the Belles division and there is a possibility that the league will also host the state tournament for the Debs division.
Dixie Softball league president Barbara Lacks said the Belles division state tournament will be held here beginning on July 14. She said league officials will have further discussions with state officials in the near future regarding the Debs division tournament.
If Halifax County gets the nod for the Debs division state tournament, it will be played at the same time as the Belles division tournament.
In baseball, the Halifax County-South Boston Dixie Pre-Majors League (15-16-year-olds) and the Dixie Majors League (17-19-year-olds) will host state tournaments for those divisions at C.H. Friend Field in South Boston.
Those two tournaments will be held simultaneously and will be played July 14-19.
The winner of those tournaments will represent Virginia in the World Series with the Pre-Majors World Series set July 29-Aug. 3 in Thomasville, Ala. and the Dixie Majors World Series set July 29-Aug. 3 in North Charleston, S.C.
There is also a possibility that the South Boston Dixie Boys Baseball League will host state tournaments for those two divisions of baseball.
A league spokesman explained that this year is the West Region’s turn to host the state tournament and, that if no leagues from the West Region bid on the state tournament, the South Boston league will host the Dixie Boys and the Junior Boys state tournaments.
The spokesman said that no leagues in the West Region expressed an interest in bidding on the state tournaments during last weekend’s state meetings. However, there is still a window of opportunity that remains open should one or more of the western leagues wishes to make a bid.
A decision is expected sometime over the span of the next few weeks.
If the Dixie Boys state tournaments are played here, they will be played July 21-26. The winners will represent Virginia in the World Series, which will be held in Grand Prairie, Tex.
In the state tournaments that will be held here, the South Boston-Halifax County entry will automatically have a spot in the tournament field as the host team.
As far as Dixie Youth Baseball Tournaments are concerned, the only tournament action here for the AAA League (Minor League) and Major League will be the Sub-District tournaments for the respective leagues.
Those tournaments will be played right around the Fourth of July weekend.

 

Where Athletes, Championships Are Built

Halifax County High School’s Strength Training And Conditioning Program Is A Breeding Ground For Success

Weightlifting and conditioning programs are key ingredients to success on the playing field.
The importance of weightlifting and conditioning programs is demonstrated in every sport, be it football, baseball, soccer, track and field or tennis. Bigger, stronger, quicker athletes with a high level of stamina will be the odd-on favorite to experience success and taste victory.
That message is loud and clear at Halifax County High School and Halifax County Middle School student-athletes are responding in big numbers.
Halifax County High School has three weight training classes each day, two for boys and one for girls. There are 33 students in one of the boys classes and 31 in the other. There are 22 girls taking part in the girls class.
Another 65 Halifax County High School students take part in the after-school weightlifting and conditioning program. With 40-45 students from Halifax County Middle School also participating, the number of students taking part in the after-school program has swelled to more than 100 students.
The number of participants in the program is approximately double what the numbers were two years ago, according to Halifax County High School assistant football coach Stan Hodgin.
“We have seen a good increase in the number of students participating in the program,” Hodgin said.
“I think a contributing factor is the success that the football program has had this year. We have had a growth in the number of students that are interested in playing football than in years past. However, it is not all about football.”
Hodgin says there is a great amount of enthusiasm in the program from both student-athletes and coaches of the school’s sports teams.
“I think a good part of it is the desire to win championships – to get bigger and stronger – to develop our individual student-athletes and, ultimately, develop our teams so that we can compete for championships,” Hodgin said.
Hodgin pointed out that Comets head varsity boys basketball coach Ron Parson, Comets baseball coach Kelvin Davis, Comets track coach Ralph Robinson, along with coaches of other Comets sports teams are supporting the program and are urging student-athletes to take part.
“Coach Parson, Coach Davis, Coach Robinson and others have seen what we are doing with our strength and conditioning and are encouraging their players to be involved,” Hodgin said.
“They have been a tremendous source of encouragement and are a great resource. They are all very interested in the program.”
Hodgin gives credit to retired Halifax County High School physical education teacher and assistant football coach Fred Palmore for building the foundation upon which the high school’s weight training program is built.
“Freddie Palmore did a great job with this program and the success we’re having with our strength and conditioning program goes back to him for the groundwork that he has laid over the years,” Hodgin pointed out.
“He’s a big part of this.”
The Program
The weight training and conditioning program focuses on several areas.
“It’s about strength development, it’s about cardiovascular strength and it’s about developing speed and quickness,” Hodgin said.
“We do as much as we can in an attempt to develop total athleticism.”
In the strength-building component, students work their way through weightlifting routines that include the bench press, the incline press, the jerk for upper body strength and the clean, squat and dead lift to develop lower body strength.
As part of the agility, speed and quickness component, students jump rope, take part in plyometrics that include jumping and hopping and participate in a running program which is designed to maximize each athlete’s speed potential.
Each student has his or her own individual workout program. Hodgin and other coaches working in the program keep a record of each student’s progress.
“Every student-athlete that is involved in the program has a program that has been designed to fit his or her individual needs,” Hodgin said.
“Different students participate in different sports and the needs vary from sports to sport. The needs of a baseball player are different from those of a football player. In track, sprinters have needs that are different from distance runners, and so forth.
Hodgin noted there are 23 different variations available to the students and that coaches and students work together to determine which program is the best fit for the individual student and the sport or sports he or she participates in.”
Growth And Success
Reveals Needs
The number of students participating in Halifax County High School’s strength and conditioning program has almost reached the maximum that the program can accommodate in the weight room facility at the field house at Tuck Dillard Stadium.
Hodgin said he can comfortably handle 32 students from a teaching standpoint but notes that “it would be difficult for any one person to work with and monitor many more than that.”
With four coaches available, Hodgin said the after-school program is able to handle a larger number of students. However, with students from the middle school swelling the numbers in the after-school program to over 100, some creative planning and organization was needed to accommodate the middle school students.
“What we do is take the high school students outside to run and do agility drills while the middle school students are lifting and then switch the groups,” Hodgin explained.
Not only are the numbers pushing the maximum, Hodgin said some new, additional equipment is needed.
“With the numbers we currently have, we are close to being maxxed out with the equipment we have,” Hodgin pointed out.
“If we were able to install eight new free weight stations, we could take the seven that we currently have and move them to the weight room in the gym. Then, we would be able to incorporate strength and conditioning with all of our ninth and tenth-grade students in the health and physical education program, which is about 500 students per semester.”
Hodgin said that equipment being outdated is not the issue.
“Our equipment needs are such that if we are going to compete with the elite programs in Virginia we need to update our equipment,” Hodgin pointed out.
“What is now available and what fits our needs is also better safety-wise for our students than the equipment we are using.”
Hodgin said there are additional issues that need addressing.
“Our flooring (in the weight room) is not the safest,” he noted.
“The clean stations (weightlifting stations) we are using can be safer than what they are. Also, for the amount of weight the kids are lifting, we are approaching the safety standards of the squat racks.”
Hodgin pointed out that larger seventh-grade and eighth-grade classes at Halifax County Middle School will mean larger numbers of participants in the strength and conditioning program next year and in years to come.
“I anticipate that the number of athletes and other students participating in the program will continue to rise,” Hodgin said.
“We are not far from needing new equipment and a larger facility.”

 

Invitational Tourney, Home Track Meets Highlight HCMS Spring Schedule

The Halifax County Middle School spring sports schedule features something old and something new, with the Lions again hosting its annual baseball/softball invitational tourney, and the Lions track teams hosting the Southside Middle School Conference Championship meet.
All four teams are coming off successful 2005 campaigns, the baseball and softball teams both going undefeated in winning conference titles, while the track teams each recorded runnerup finishes in their championship meets.
Both the Lions baseball and softball teams open the season March 16 with games at Franklin County, while the Lions track teams open their season March 21 with a tri-meet (GW/Martinsville) at Martinsville.
This year’s baseball/softball invitational tournament promises to be one of the best ever, with Martinsville, Franklin County and Powhatan supplying the competition on the baseball side, and Dinwiddie, Franklin County and Powhatan on the softball side.
The tournament is scheduled for March 18, with the Lions baseball team taking on Martinsville at 9 a.m. and the softball team facing Dinwiddie at 10 a.m.
In addition to Southside Middle School Conference foes Bluestone, Park View, Russell and E.W. Wyatt, the Lions baseball and softball teams travel to Stanford March 24, while the baseball team travels to Martinsville April 19.
A special Saturday home date on April 8 has the Lions baseball and softball teams each squaring off against Wyatt in a pair of doubleheaders, with the action scheduled to start at 1 p.m.
The conference tournament for both baseball and softball is scheduled to start May 12 and conclude May 13, with the sites for semifinal and final games to be announced.
The middle school boys and girls track teams open away March 21 against GW and Martinsville, and have two additional away dual meets, Bluestone/Nottoway at Nottoway March 22, and Bluestone/Powhatan at Powhatan March 28.
They return home for three straight meets, starting with GW March 30, followed by tri meets with Powhatan and Park View on April 4 and Amelia and Russell on April 24,
The Lions will host the conference meet at the Tisha Waller Track and Field on April 29.