Fire Destroys Clover Home

An early afternoon fire heavily damaged a two-story frame home in Clover on Wednesday.
Clover Volunteer Fire Department Chief Bert Martin said a total of 46 firefighters from five different fire departments, along with eight trucks from four departments, spent close to two hours containing a blaze at the home of Becky and Petro Moorefield.
Martin said that no one was home at the time of the fire, which caused an estimated $45,000 damage to a house with an estimated value of $95,000, including building and contents.
“The bulk of the damage was in the attic, one upstairs room and two downstairs rooms,” said Martin.
Ten firefighters and two trucks from Bacon District Volunteer Fire Department (VFD), 14 firefighters and three trucks from Triangle VFD, eight firefighters and one truck from Scottsburg and 14 firefighters and two trucks from Clover VFD responded to the fire, according to Martin.
In addition, two firefighters from Halifax VFD, and the county ladder truck along with two other firefighters were on the scene to fight the blaze.
“We were toned at 1:08 p.m. and the first truck arrived at 1:15 p.m.,” said Martin, who added the fire was under control by 3 p.m.
The chief said it appears that the fire started in the area around the chimney, but the cause of the blaze is still under investigation.
He added that the Clover community has rallied around the Moorefields, assisting them initially with the removal of salvageable items from their home.

Trustees Set For Monday Vote

The Halifax County School Board set a second work session to consider suggestions from the public and possibly tweak proposed attendance zones as they face a complete redistricting of the school system.
Board members agreed to meet last night for a second work session on the planned zone changes after the Board convened for a public hearing on the proposed changes Tuesday.
Approximately 150 county residents, with many sporting Halifax County Public School employee badges, gathered at the Mary Bethune Complex in Halifax to question plans to close Halifax Elementary School and changes to the South Boston and Sinai attendance zones.
“It’s always a tremendous challenge when you try to rework attendance zones that haven’t been touched in years,” Superintendent Paul Stapleton told the assembled crowd prior to the hearing. “It’s a major ordeal for the staff to get all the necessary information and get it correct. They have pinpointed every child in the county, where they live and what road they live on.”
While the plan was put forth for public comment, Stapleton said the proposed changes represent only proposed changes.
“What they (school staff) have put together is simply a proposal to take public input and have the opportunity to either move forward or adjust the proposal,” he said.
Gathering public input on a zone-by-zone basis, no one addressed the Board on the proposed Scottsburg, Clays Mill, Sydnor Jennings, Cluster Springs and Meadville zones.
When the Wilson Memorial zone was addressed, South Boston Town Councilman Coleman Speece said he was speaking on behalf of his constituents “but the views I’m going to give you I support fully.”
“I appreciate and want to commend you for the tremendous improvements you’ve brought about to our school system,” he said. “It’s required vision, foresight and energy to bring these changes about. Those facilities will upgrade the image of our community for prospective industry and business but more importantly, they’ll improve the schools for our children.
“But we would urge you to continue your actions to make it efficient,” Speece added. “A school with 100 students isn’t cost-effective.”
While the South Boston councilman said he understands the efforts under way to save some of the county’s smaller community schools “we’d hope you would emphasize bussing students to new facilities in the new schools rather than an old facility just to justify its existence.”
Not doing so, Speece said, would be a “disservice to taxpayers and more importantly a disservice to our children.”
When the Turbeville zone – with a projected enrollment of 117 students next year – was addressed, resident Cheryl Watts said more students could be enrolled if a larger zone was dedicated to the school.
“Unless there are plans to discontinue more schools next year, looking at the ‘before’ and ‘after’ maps, it makes sense to me that if a bus is going to come 2/3 of the way up to Turbeville, couldn’t it take in points west of there and include Alton?” she said. “It may not affect many students, but it could get more people for Turbeville, which I think is a wonderful school.”
Former Turbeville student Thomas Hudson agreed.
“I applaud you for what you’re doing and your effort, but if anything I’d encourage you to do whatever it takes to make this commitment to keeping this school open and viable,” he said.
Sinai, Halifax and
South Boston
One School Board member described the opposition to plans for the Sinai, Halifax and South Boston schools as “a cloudy day compared to the tornado that surrounded closing Virgilina Elementary School,” but Halifax Elementary School employees and residents of the Sinai community took exception to plans to close the K-2 Halifax facility and move the students to Sinai Elementary School.
Telling the Board that she was speaking on behalf of the employees of the Mountain Road school, Halifax Elementary School teacher and parent Deanne Shaw suggested the Board not fix something if it’s not broken.
“Take a walk down the halls of our school one day and you’ll see a lot of learning going on,” she said. “Everything is comfortable and pleasant. Is this too much of a good thing? Is this why we’re being dispersed?
“We’ve proven our loyalty to this county, the school system and our parents,” Shaw added. “Please re-examine the lines to make the districts more diverse because right now, Sinai is not.”
“Please hear us,” Halifax teacher Cynthia Haugh said. “We think we’re pretty good and I’d invite you to come take a look. We don’t care who our students are or what color they are.”
Citing the quality of the existing staff at the Halifax school, Haugh said the move to close the facility came as a shock.
“We were just sitting back excited about everyone getting new schools and then got caught up in a whirlwind,” she said.
Telling the Board he couldn’t understand the logic behind moving some students in the Sinai community to the new South Boston school, Sinai resident Anthony Womack questioned the projected 73 percent African-American student body at Sinai next year.
“(That) is a very high number,” he said. “It’s too high.”
Womack said some comments made in the media give the impression that because Sinai is historically an economically depressed community the children aren’t as intelligent.
“Because they’re poor it doesn’t mean they’re not smart and cannot pass the test,” he said.
Watts agreed, addressing the Board for a second time.
“If you’re concerned about creating a more diverse socio-economic group, take those students and put them into the new school,” she said. “I’m sure those parents would love for their children to go to the new school.”
Chris Melvin, the father of two students – one at Halifax and the other at Sinai – said he had “issues” with the rezoning.
“You have good teachers in Halifax. What are you going to do with them,” he said. “If you move these children to Sinai, where are you going to put them? In mobile units?
“You have good teachers in Halifax and you need to leave them there,” Melvin added to the applause of the crowd. “It’s foolish to close a school when the lower the number of students in class (means) more attention in the classroom.”
“These teachers aren’t being dispersed anywhere,” Stapleton said. “They’re simply moving to the Sinai facility and Halifax as a facility isn’t being closed, it will be used but it will not be used as a K-2 school.
“The Board has tried to look at the most efficient means they can and try to keep the students in some kind of proper alignment,” he added. “Halifax, as a K-2 school, isn’t accredited because it’s (K-2) not recognized as a grade alignment by the state of Virginia.
“This is just an opportunity for all those teachers to pool their resources and talent to ensure all students receive that quality education.”
Contacted yesterday, Stapleton said he was pleased with the response to the plan by the public.
“I felt like it was a very positive hearing because we had 14 speakers and only two actually objected to their children attending another school and those students are going to Turbeville instead of Cluster Springs,” he said.
“I think this Board, from a Board perspective, listened to everyone and acknowledged that they would take those concerns to heart,” Stapleton added. “I don’t believe they heard too much that will change their mind, but I think they will try to take those concerns that parents expressed at the hearing into account.”

Obituaries

Charles Edward Rowland

Charles Edward Rowland, 62, of 263 Poplar Lane, Halifax died March 7, 2007, at Halifax Regional Hospital.
Mr. Rowland was born in Philadelphia, Pa. June 17, 1944, the son of the late William Edward Rowland and Barbara Gibbon Rowland, and was married to Mary Rowland. He was a member of St. John’s Episcopal Church.
Survivors include his wife of the home; one son, David Rowland and his wife, Alicia, of Yokosuko, Japan; his mother of Halifax; one sister, Bonnie Crowder of Halifax; and three brothers, James E. Rowland and wife, Jo, of Myrtle Beach, S.C., William W. Rowland of Danville, and Thomas V. Rowland of Scottsburg.
Graveside services for Mr. Rowland will be held March 12, at 2 p.m. at St. John’s Episcopal Church with the Rev. David Booher officiating.
The family will receive friends Sunday from 7:00 until 8:30 at Powell Funeral Home, and other times at his home and the home of his mother, 230 Mountain Road, Halifax.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider St. John’s Episcopal Church Preservation Fund, 484 Mountain Road, Halifax, 24558.

Mattie Reed Traynham

Mattie Reed Traynham, 88, of 2032 Traynham Grove Road, Alton died March 7, 2007, at Halifax Regional Hospital.
Mrs. Traynham was born in Halifax County February 16, 1919, to the late Hallie Reed, and was married to Richard Owen Traynham. She was a member of Harmony AME Church.
Survivors of Mrs. Traynham include her husband of the home; one daughter, Essie Thomas of Alton; two sons, Aaron Traynham of Randallstown, Md. and Ivory Traynham of Baltimore, Md.; one sister, Mary Crawley of Baltimore; 12 grandchildren including a devoted granddaughter, Linda Pointer; and 12 great-grandchildren. One son, David Traynham, preceded her in death.
Funeral services will be held March 11, at 2 p.m. at St. Michael’s AME Church with the Rev. Michael Dunn officiating. Burial will follow in Oak Ridge Cemetery.
The family will receive friends at Jeffress Funeral Home Chapel tomorrow evening, March 10, from 7 until 8, and other times at the home.

Elizabeth Lewis Yeaman Perkins

Funeral services for Mrs. Elizabeth Lewis Yeaman Perkins will be held at Liberty United Church of Christ at 2 p.m. Saturday, with the Revs. Dwight Moore and John Wilder officiating. Burial will follow in the Catawba Baptist Church Cemetery.
Mrs. Perkins, 85, of Volens Road, Nathalie, died Thursday at Halifax Regional Hospital.
She was born in Halifax County on January 8, 1922, a daughter of the late William Moses Yeaman and Mattie Wilkerson Yeaman, and was married to the late Maynard Barkley Perkins.
She was a member of the Liberty United Church of Christ.
Mrs. Perkins is survived by one sister, Winnie Young of Newport News; two nieces, Rebecca Faulkner of Midlothian and Delores Nunn of Yorktown; and three nephews, Pete Lovelace of South Boston, Bill Young of Newport News and James Perkins of Lynchburg.
The family will receive friends at the church from 12 noon until 2 p.m. prior to the Thursday service.