Monday, June 20, 2005

Supes, Trustees Get First Look At School Plans

Supervisors joined School Board members Thursday night to get their first look at plans for new South Boston and Cluster Springs elementary schools.
School Superintendent Paul Stapleton told the group that architects Dewberry & Davis had developed plans that will create a “learning pavilion" design to offer the best possible learning environment while at the same time offering students the opportunity to interact with others on their grade level.
“What you’re seeing is a pretty unique design,” Stapleton said. “I don’t know of any other schools laid out like this.
“I think they’ve developed something that will be unique to Halifax County, help us in the eyes of the public and work well with students,” he said.
At an estimated cost of $15.2 million, the South Boston school will house 850 students, while the Cluster Springs facility will house 600 students at a cost of $13.5 million.
But Stapleton said that core facilities will be constructed that can serve up to 1,000 students in each school.
The core facilities include the schools’ gymnasiums, kitchen and cafeterias, media centers and computer labs.
Perhaps the most unique design characteristic is what Stapleton described as “learning pavilions" that will allow students to remain with their grade level throughout the day.
“Learning pavilions are kind of a modified concept of a pod where the students are secluded to their own area," he said. “In these schools, we’ve carried the pavilion concept one step further in dividing our students into primary grade students (K-2) on one side of the building and elementary grade students on the other side."
The superintendent said the pavilion concept will allow for smaller communities of students on the same grade level focused on their own curriculums.
“The idea is this is their area," he added. “We’ve taken each common area and put them in central parts of the schools where people come in and out without disrupting the learning process."
Plans call for each grade level to have its own common area where students can gather without disrupting others.
“For example, the kindergarten students will stay together, work together in the pavilion and have an area to themselves to have social events and interaction among themselves," Stapleton said.
The South Boston plans call for:
• Seven kindergarten classrooms.
• Seven first grade classrooms.
• Six classrooms each for second, third, fourth and fifth-grade students.
• Five resource classrooms.
• Four special education classrooms.
With the commons areas, the school will be 94,440 square feet.
The Cluster Springs plans call for an 81,528 square foot school that features:
• Five classrooms each for kindergarten and first grade students.
• Four classrooms each for second, third, fourth and fifth-grade students.
• Five resource classrooms and four special education classrooms.
One of the advantages of building schools is the ability to add additional classrooms should the student body increase, Stapleton said.
“To expand, we can simply add three classrooms per grade level, should it become necessary," he said. “It will be a really easy thing to do because everything will be right there."
Architect Allen Burchette said that each school is designed to be constructed for around $140 per square foot.
An added benefit is a parent drop-off loop in the front of each school with a covered walkway.
Students on school buses will enter through the rear of the building.
“It will be a really nice thing," Stapleton said. “We won’t have all that traffic passing by."
An added feature of the pavilion design is the opportunity to allow students outdoor learning environments, he added. “We’re looking at designing an interpretative walk around the pond to create an environment that will allow children outdoor learning opportunities."
Architect J. Paul Lewis told the group that the design concept is “very sophisticated building, but one that school children can relate to."
The main entrance to each building will feature a covered walkway and a Jeffersonian-style rotunda.
The design will also allow for more security, Stapleton added.
“With this plan, a principal will be able to see everyone coming and going," he said. “One administrator can stand in one spot and see just about everything going on in the whole school. They won’t be able to see into each classroom, but thee can get a good idea of what’s going on. Those are the practical things I wanted."
Like plans for improvements to the middle school, two additional meetings will be held where county educators and the public can voice their opinions on the plans.
“Once they are approved, we plan to advertise for bids the first week in February," Stapleton said.

Virginia Guard Reorganized

South Boston armory – home of Battery C, 1st Battalion, 246th Field Artillery – is changing jobs and numbers as part of the Virginia Army National Guard’s restationing plan approved by Gov. Warner.
The new assignment is distribution, with a complement of 77 soldiers, according to Virginia National Guard officials. There are currently 65 soldiers.
As part of the U.S. Army’s transformation, units of the historic 29th Division (light) will begin a reorganization process that will move from its current organization to a “modular” configuration.
The change is intended “to serve as the foundation for a land force that is balanced and postured for rapid deployment and sustained operations worldwide,” according to the 2004 Army Transformation Roadmap.
“By September 1, 2006, our goal is to have our final unit organizations in place, soldiers reassigned to their new units, the training identified for those soldiers and the necessary equipment ordered,” said Col. Mike Coleman, the Virginia Army National Guard’s senior operations and training officer.
Under the new system, the Virginia Guard is authorized to have 7, 586 personnel, with Guard leaders noting their goal is higher than that. The end strength goal set by the Virginia Guard is 7,700, a benchmark for its training, recruiting and retention efforts, according to the Guard’s prepared release issued Friday.
“We are supposed to exceed our authorized strength in order to maintain our units at the highest state of readiness possible,” said Col. Kim Dillon, senior military personnel officer for the Virginia National Guard.
“We will always have a pool of soldiers not available for mobilization because they have not completed basic training, their job specialty training or have medical or some other issues,” he added.
Virginia’s plan changes the kind and location of some units, with some existing units reorganized and some units eliminated, Guard spokesmen said..
The change is taking place both among active and reserve duty organizations.
Among the key unit changes cited are the addition of military police units, the creation of a transportation battalion headquarters to oversee Virginia transportation assets, and a logistics organization to provide support functions for units throughout the state.
Also, one of the state’s infantry battalions will convert to a reconnaissance organization, and there was no significant loss of engineer capabilities, according to the announcement.
The 29th Division Artillery units include:
•Headquarters, 29th Division Artillery, Virginia Army National Guard
•1st Battalion, 101st Field Artillery, Massachusetts Army National Guard
•2nd Battalion, 110th Field Artillery, Maryland Army National Guard
•1st Battalion, 246th Field Artillery, Virginia Army National Guard
Firing batteries of the 29th Division Artillery will mass at Ft. Pickett at noon, Tuesday, June 21, to conduct their final two fire missions as a unit.
Virginia Army National Guard units that are a part o the 29th Division Artillery are:
•Headquarters for the 29th Division Artillery, Sandston
•Headquarters for the 1st Battalion, 246th Field Artillery, Martinsville
•Battery B, 1st Battalion, 246th Field Artillery, Chatham
•Battery C, 1st Battalion, 246th Field Artillery, South Boston

 

Obituaries

Joseph Alexander “JoJo” Bolin

Joseph Alexander “JoJo” Bolin of Halifax, the infant son of Kenneth Bolin and Penny Creasy Bolin, died Friday, June 17, at Halifax Regional Hospital.
He was born June 17.
The infant is survived by his parents, two sisters, Alexis Love Bolin of Halifax and Hayley Bolin of Chase City, his maternal grandparents, Carolyn and Samuel Phillips of Halifax and Bernard and Dixie Creasy of Halifax, his paternal grandparents, Judy and David Lester of Chase City and his great grandmother, Helen Sheehan of Chase City.
Graveside services will be held at 4 p.m. Tuesday, June 21, wth services at the Halifax Baptist Church Cemetery.
The Rev. Kevin Rosenseld will officiate.
The family will receive friends during the day at the home, 2074 Old Mill Road, Halifax.

Mary Ellen Kaywood Walker

Mary Ellen Kaywood Walker, 77, of 1189 Cedar Grove Rd., died Saturday at Person Memorial Hospital.
Born in Sullivan County, Tennessee, she was the daughter of the late Tom Rueben and Jenny K. Kaywood and wife of the late Clyde Benjamin Walker.
Mrs. Walker retired from farming and was a member of Centerville Baptist Church in South Boston.
Walker is survived by two daughters, Peggy Morris and Elizabeth Carver, both of Roxboro; four sons, Clyde Walker of Semora, Ricky Walker and Randy Walker, both of the home; and Donnie Walker of Roxboro; one brother, Charles Kaywood of Virgilina; one sister, Annie Mae Fuquay of South Boston; thirteen grandchildren and fifteen great-grandchildren.
Funeral services for Mrs. Walker will be held tomorrow, June 21, at 2 p.m. at the Brooks and White Chapel, with the Rev. Buddy Hall conducting the services. Burial will follow in Person Memorial Cemetery.
Visitation will be today from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Brooks and White Funeral Home and other times at the home of Elizabeth Carver, 2860 Halifax Rd., Roxboro.
Pall bearers will be Carl Miller, Michael Satterfield, Gary Link, Tommy Barts, Wendell Barts and Chris Barts. Honorary pall bearers will be Boston Dixon and Benjamin Walker.
Memorials may be made to Home Health and Hospice of Person County, 325 South Morgan St., Roxboro, N.C., 27573.

 

Brandon Places In Top 10 In Nike Outdoor Nationals

HCHS Track Standout Shemelia Brandon Placed In The Top 10 In The Long Jump And Triple Jump In The Nike Outdoor National Track And Field Meet

BY Joe Chandler
G-V STAFF WRITER

Halifax County High School track and field standout Shemelia Brandon has added to her lengthy list of accomplishments by finishing in the top ten in the long jump and triple jump in the Nike Outdoor Nationals track and field meet.
Competing this past weekend against some of the country’s top athletes, Brandon placed seventh in the triple jump with a best mark of 39 feet and one and three quarters inches.
In addition, Brandon placed tenth in the long jump with a best jump of 17 feet and 10 and a quarter inches.
“Neither of those performances represented her best of the season, but she remained cosnsistent,” noted track coach Mary Douglas.
Brandon’s mark in the triple jump was about a foot and eight inches shy of the winning mark. Her leap in the long jump was two feet shy of the winning mark.
Aranttxa King of Medford, Mass. won both of those events. King jumped 19 feet and 9.50 inches in the long jump. King’s winning mark in the triple jump was 41 feet and 10 inches.
The Nike Outdoor Nationals were held at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, N.C. with many of the country’s best athletes competing.
In other to qualify to compete in the Nike Outdoor Nationals, athletes must have placed in the top six positions in their state meet or have met rigid qualifying standards.
Brandon met both of the qualifying requirements.

Scott Worley ‘Feelin’ Groovy’ At South Boston Speedway

Worley Runs The High Groove For First Late Model Win Of Season

BY Doug Ford
G-V STAFF WRITER

Scott Worley was “feelin’ groovy” in winning the 150-lap Late Model Stock Car race Saturday night at South Boston Speedway, using the high groove on the four-tenths mile circuit to take his first win of the season.
Worley, who qualified sixth for the event, moved steadily through the field using the high side of the track to eventually catch race leader David Triplett on lap 126, and the Long Island resident was not challenged the remainder of the race.
Triplett, in first since a lap 38 pass of Jason Dickerson, finished second, followed by Owen Miller, last week’s winner Justin Johnson, and Jonathan Cash.
Ryan Rhodes, Peyton Sellers, David Quackenbush, points leader Drew Herring and Brandon Butler rounded out the top ten in a tightly contested field, the top 12 cars qualifying within a tenth of a second of one another.
“It’s my first win since three years ago,” said Worley. “We’ve had a lot of seconds running the high line, and we won two races here in 2001 or 2002, but it’s been a long drought.
“We were kind of handed those wins, and I wanted to earn one for such a long time, and I guess there’s no better way to do it.”
With Worley and Miller taking the high line, and the rest of the top drivers the low groove, Saturday’s Late Model event featured side-by-side racing throughout the field.
The race had four leaders, Deac McCaskill winning the pole with a lap of 15.920 seconds. He led the first ten laps before the only caution, a red flag stoppage on lap 11 when Ernest Winslow got loose and collected the cars of Terry King and Ryan Gray.
McCaskill, who also used the high groove to win two weeks ago at South Boston, encountered engine problems prior to the restart, eventually finishing 14th.
That left the door open for Dickerson, who qualified second behind McCaskill. Dickerson led for 26 laps, before Triplett took the lead on lap 38.
At that point, Worley stood seventh, but by lap 75, he had moved into fourth behind Cash, Dickerson and Triplett. He was in third by lap 80 and passed Dickerson for second on lap 91.
Triplett held almost a full straightaway lead at that time, and appeared to be cruising toward his first win of the season, but Worley continued to use the high line to slowly cut into the advantage.
By lap 120, Worley was within three car-lengths of the leader, taking the lead six laps later and taking the checkered flag as the sixth different driver to win in the last six Late Model races.
Triplett said that his car became loose as the race progressed, and that it was all he could do to bring it home second.
“Once I passed Dickerson, I knew I had a pretty big lead, and I was trying to save my tires, which I did,” began Triplett. “But, my car got looser and looser, and it was all I could do to finish second.
“I like it for Scott, he had a good car tonight. But, I hate it for Deac McCaskill, he had a strong car at the beginning.”
Miller’s car seemed to get stronger as the race went on, charging from 12th at the start of the race to a third-place finish, while Johnson, who qualified 11th, also came strong through the field for his fourth-place finish.
“We had a good car tonight, and the field was tremendously tight during qualifying,” said Miller. “I never thought track position was a big thing when I came back here, but it definitely is.
“If we had been up front, we may have done a little better, but I have no complaints,” continued Miller. “I have to congratulate Scott Worley, he was well in need of a win. We are too, and we’ll eventually get there. Scott showed me the high line and that helped me out the last 20 laps to stay in third.
“All in all, it was a good night.”
Worley added his win was just the right tonic at the right time, saying his race team had been struggling the past three races.
“I thought I might fall off [the high line], but the car just hung in there,” noted Worley. “It was a wild ride and I guess there couldn’t be a better Father’s Day gift.
“We’ve had a hard road to hoe this year, the last three races, I don’t think we finished in the lead lap or finished at all. Nobody gave up, and to win tonight the way we did means a whole lot to us.”

Justin Snow Wins Sixth Limited Sportsman Race Of Season

Snow Forges Tie With Bailey For Points Lead

BY Doug Ford
G-V STAFF WRITER

It’s a dead heat at the top of the Limited Sportsman points standings at South Boston Speedway, Justin Snow avoiding two mishaps at the beginning of the 50-lap Limited feature to win Saturday’s race from the pole.
The win was Snow’s third in a row and sixth of the season.
Jonathan Bailey, who qualified sixth, also avoided the multi-car pileups in the first two laps to finish second behind Snow.
Tommy Peregoy qualified third and finished third, followed by Brian Pembleton and Eddie DeClue. Jason Pittman, Charles Barnes, Timmy Langford, Dwayne Marshall and Bruce Anderson rounded out the top ten in 13-car field.
Only the top four finished in the lead lap of the race which claimed the cars of Marshall, Anderson, Kenny Bowes, Josh Buckman and Brian Cole before three laps were finished, three of them shortly after the green flag was dropped.
A six-car accident involving outside pole sitter Anderson eliminated the South Boston driver from contention in a lap two caution, leaving nine cars on the track on the restart.
From that point on, it was essentially a four-car race, with Snow leading by about three car-lengths over Bailey, followed by Peregoy, and Pembleton.
Saturday’s win wasn’t as easy as it looked, according to Snow, who said he battled a loose race car toward the end of the race.
“The car was actually driving pretty near perfect at the beginning of the race, but got loose on me at the end,” said Snow. “I had to fight it a little bit, it was manageable and not perfect, but we had a good race.”
Bailey, who stayed within sight of Snow but couldn’t get in position to challenge for the lead, is already looking ahead to next week’s 100-lap Limited feature. He noted he needs more speed from his car.
“I’m definitely looking forward to the longer race,” said Bailey. “We have a good car on the longer runs, and hopefully we can get back up there real soon. “I feel terrible for Bruce, I guess when you have bad luck, you have bad luck, but he’ll bounce back. He has a good car.”
Peregoy has been almost a constant fixture on the podium this season, but hasn’t been able to break through for his first win.
Saturday night was simply a repeat of the last several weeks – good car, consistent run, but no win.
“It wasn’t a bad run, but we were way off,” said Peregoy. “My crew has been working and working. But, what can you do, we worked every day this week on brakes and such. We’ll try and get them next week.”
Snow is also looking forward to Saturday’s 100-lap race.
“I always like the longer races, because they are like my Late Model days. I like for the tires to get worn down, and the car to start moving around.
“That puts it in the driver’s hands, and it’s a lot more fun from my perspective.”
Baker Wins Pure Stock Event
Brandon Baker charged from a 13th-place qualifying run to pass race leader Rodney Pennington on lap 27 and win the 30-lap Pure Stock event on Saturday.
Pennington had taken the lead from pole sitter Courtney Crosby on lap five and held it until Baker slipped past him with three laps to go in a race marred by two cautions.
Finishing third was Scottsburg’s Joey Throckmorton, who came through the field after drawing an eighth-place starting position on the grid.
Nick Igdalsky was fourth, followed by division points leader Chuck Watkins. Lee Anderson, Chris Crosby, Billy Goble, Scott Phillips and Donald Glass rounded out the top ten.
Baker started his move to the front after the restart following the race’s first caution, moving to third by lap 20, before pulling even with Pennington by lap 26 and passing him on the next lap.
Pennington said he did the best he could to hold off Baker, but it was to no avail.
“We’ll take a second-place finish. The car got a little tight, and we held him [Baker] off as long as we could,” said Pennington.
That sentiment was echoed by Throckmorton, who ran as high as second before being passed by Baker on lap 21.
“Baker did a great job, he was super fast,” said Throckmorton. “We had a little damage when we hit Reid Hodnett, and the car went down from there. It started pushing a little bit.
“We let Brandon on by, there was no use keeping him back. Hopefully we gained another position [in points] tonight.”
Lacks Wins 25-Lap Southern Vintage Modified Race
Darrell Lacks started on the pole and led every lap to win the 25-lap Southern Vintage Modified race on Saturday over Randy Smith.
It was a two-man race throughout, Lacks and Smith, who qualified second, the only drivers to finish on the lead lap.
Finishing third was Ben Franklin, followed by Jeff Tate and Bill Lacks, who finished fourth and fifth in an 11-car field.