Deadline Extended For Out-Of-Zone Students

The Halifax County School Board is asking any parent who wishes their child to attend a school out of the newly-drawn attendance zones to submit an application no later than April 30.
The Board chose to extend the deadline for out-of-zone applications during their regular monthly meeting Thursday.
During an update on the requests for out-of-zone attendance, Dr. Melanie Stanley told the Board that school administrators had received 250 out-of-zone requests, but 73 of those are no longer considered out of zone due to the changes in the schools’ attendance zones.
“Last year, 271 students attended schools out of zone,” she told the trustees. “We have sent letters home to the 177 parents still considered out of zone.”
Stanley told the Board that a total of 333 students were affected by changes in the attendance zones.
“We’ve been getting some more requests now that the school zones are set because parents didn’t know what zones their children were attending until we approved the attendance zones,” she said.
Following Stanley’s report, the Board unanimously voted to extend the deadline for out of zone requests until April 30.
Pre-Kindergarten Program
Trustees will wait until their May meeting to finalize the locations of the county’s pre-K program following a report by Valdavia Marshall, director of federal programs.
Marshall told the Board that while the program is not state-mandated, 216 students are being served by 12 pre-K classes throughout the county.
“Pre-K isn’t part of the state-mandated K-12 program, but as a school division we looked at research centered around intervention and chose, as a division, to start the pre-K program,” she said, adding that the early childhood program is based on both need and available space.
Following her report and based on the available information, Marshall recommended the following classes be offered:
n At least two classes at Clays Mill Elementary.
n At least two classes at Cluster Springs Elementary.
n At least one class at Meadville Elementary.
n At least two classes at Scottsburg Elementary.
n At least two classes at Sinai Elementary.
n At least one class at Turbeville, Sydnor Jennings and Wilson Memorial elementary schools.
“Taking into consideration the potential enrollment at South Boston Elementary School, those children will be served at Scottsburg and Sinai elementary schools,” she said.
But the recommendation to not offer a pre-K program in South Boston wasn’t greeted warmly by the Board.
“I’d like to see a pre-K program offered in South Boston,” Board member Steve Anderson said.
But School Superintendent Paul Stapleton said projected enrollment figures for South Boston means there simply isn’t room for the program to be offered in the new facility.
“When we looked at the South Boston population, staff felt like they had been given a directive by the School Board to not place any more students in South Boston,” he said. “But probably a greater consideration is that the South Boston school was built as a K-5 school and we didn’t anticipate putting four-year-olds in that facility.
“The school is designed to have learning pavilions where all students in a grade are together,” he added, noting that next year’s kindergarten classes in South Boston are projected to be full.
Stapleton told the Board that with level pre-K funding expected from the state, there is simply no more money to offer more than 12 classes next year.
“If you want to add more classes, you’re going to have to go to the Board of Supervisors and ask them for the money to fund it,” he said.
The superintendent told the Board that there are options available to offer a pre-K program in South Boston including locating the program in Washington-Coleman Elementary School.
“That would offer a pre-K facility in South Boston in a central location,” he said. “But what I was trying to prevent is placing a four-year-old class in South Boston before knowing how many kindergarten children are going to be enrolled next year.”
Can You Hear Me Now?
During Thursday’s meeting, Anderson asked the Board to revisit the school system’s cell phone policy.
“I’m getting the message that teachers and administrators are being cell phone police,” he said. “It’s come to my attention that students are using their cell phones to text message test answers to each other.
Cell phones are multipurpose now and we need to address some of those purposes,” Anderson added.
The Board will address the cell phone issue at its May meeting.
Other Business
During an update on the school construction projects, the Board was told that while the South Boston school isn’t expected to be completed until the last minute, all school construction is expected to be complete prior to the start of the 2007-08 school year.
The Board also received an update on the county’s gifted education program.
Director of Gifted Programs Barbara Speece told the trustees that Halifax County students will have the opportunity to take college-level classes in four core subject areas next year.
“At the middle school, students in grades 6,7 and 8 will have the opportunity to take advanced classes in English, science and social studies,” she said.
“We are currently in the process of identifying students for next year,” Speece said, adding that the administration is currently in the process of developing a program model for gifted elementary students.
Following an update by Assistant Superintendent Larry Clark, the Board unanimously authorized Larry Layman to proceed with a survey of the Moorefield property prior to selling off timber on the land.
After surveying the property, Layman will be charged with managing a planned timber sale.
During Thursday’s meeting, trustees set May 14 as a tentative budget approval deadline.
The Board will get their first look at next year’s budget during an April 26 work session with a public hearing proposed for May 1 and a planned approval date of May 14.

Obituaries

James Arthur Faulkner

Funeral services for Mr. James Arthur Faulkner will be held Tuesday at 1 p.m. at Mt. Olive Baptist Church with the Rev. Sandy Palmer officiating.
Burial will follow in the Rose Garden Cemetery.
At the family’s request there will be no public viewing.
Mr. Faulkner, 70, of South Boston, died Thursday, April 5, at his residence.
He was born in Halifax County on February 18, 1937, the son of Lillian Guthrie Faulkner and the late William Faulkner and was first married to the late Donna Ward Faulkner.
He later married Shirley Tyree Faulkner.
Mr. Faulkner was a member of the Mt. Olive Baptist Church.
In addition to his wife and mother, Mr. Faulkner is survived by a daughter, Valerie Williams of Yonkers, N.Y.; two granddaughters, Jaranea Davis of Elmsford, N.Y., and Jazzomd Opie of New Canton; a grandson, John Riley Farmer of Elmsford; a brother, William Faulkner of South Boston; a son-in-law, five brothers-in-law, six sisters-in-law, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends.
Mr. Faulkner was preceded in death by a daughter, Sharon Ward Opie.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Halifax County Cancer Association, 1710 Jeffress Boulevard, South Boston, Va. 24592.

Carl Benjamin Compton

Mr. Carl Benjamin Compton, of Dove Lane in Scottsburg, died Saturday, April 7, at his home.
Mr. Compton was born in Halifax County on March 10, 1926 and was 81 years old.
He was the son of the late Charlie Compton and the late Fannie Chafin Compton and was married to the late Janie Elizabeth McDaniel Compton.
Mr. Compton was a member of the Bethel Baptist Church and was a WWII Army veteran.
Survivors include three sons; Tommy Compton and wife Rose Lane of Scottsburg, Steve Compton and wife Susan of Chesterfield and Anthony Compton and wife Charlotte of Scottsburg; eight grandchildren, Kimberly, Tina, Alan, Dana, Kelly, Brian, Jamie and Kelli; 14 great-grandchildren.
The family offers a special thanks to Ann Williams.
Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m. today, April 9, at the Bethel Baptist Church Cemetery with the Rev. Tom Walker officiating.

Roger Lindberg Traynham

Funeral services for Mr. Roger Lindberg Traynham will be held Tuesday at 11 a.m. with the services at the Crawford House Chapel in Halifax with Bishop John Williams officiating.
Burial will follow in the Crystal Hill Baptist Church Cemetery.
The family will receive friends at the residence, 213 Leigh Street in South Boston.
Public viewing for Mr. Traynham will be today from noon – 8 p.m. at Jeffress Funeral Home in South Boston.
Mr. Traynham, 31, died Friday, April 6, at Halifax Regional Hospital.
He was born in Queens, N.Y., on October 12, 1975, the son of the late Roger Lindberg Traynham Sr. and Marthetta Williams Traynham.
Mr. Traynham was a member of El-Bethel Cathedral Ministries.
He is survived by a brother, Reginald Traynham of South Boston; an uncle, Joseph Traynham Jr. of South Boston; two aunts, Minnie Traynham of Crystal Hill, and Ada Traynham of Arlington; a niece, Armgonii Traynham of South Boston; a devoted friend, LaFaye Owen of South Boston, and a host of cousins, other relatives and friends.

Martha Smith Barnes

Graveside services for Mrs. Martha Smith Barns, of Bagwell Drive in Scottsburg, will be held at 11 a.m. today, April 9, at Antioch Baptist Church Cemetery.
The Rev. Daniel Darrikhuma will officiate.
Mrs. Barnes died Friday, April 6 at her home.
She was born in Halifax County on November 17, 1923 and was 83 years old. Mrs. Barnes was the daughter of the late Harold Morgan Smith and Isabel Clay Smith and was of the Baptist faith.
Survivors include one daughter, Margie Bowers and husband Harold of South Boston; two sisters, Bessie Wilmouth and Frances King, both of Scottsburg; one brother, William Smith of Richmond; one granddaughter, Sheryl McWilliams of Topsham, Maine; and one great-granddaughter, Jasmine McWilliams of Topsham.
The family will receive friends at the home of Margie and Harold Bowers, 601 Forest Drive, South Boston.
For memorials, please consider the American Heart Association, 4217 Park Place Court, Glen Allen, Virginia, 23060.