Electing officers, the proposed adoption of a new grading scale
and a proposed change in rules to permit students to have cell
phones in school are among items on the Halifax County School
Board's agenda tonight.
Tonight's meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the public meeting
room on the second floor of the Mary M. Bethune Office Complex
and is open to the public.
School system officials are expected to ask the School Board to
adopt a uniform grading scale for the county that would lower
the minimum passing grade from 75 to 70, as well as lower benchmarks
for other grades.
The move would lower the benchmark for an "A" from a
95 to a 94, lower the benchmark for a "B" from an 88
to an 86, and lower the mark needed to obtain a "C"
from 81 to 78.
The current grading scale of 75-80 for a "D" would be
changed to a range of 70-77.
On the current grading scale, anything below a 75 is an "F."
Under the proposed change, an "F" will be a 69 and lower.
Also, the proposal will provide a uniform grading scale for all
students in grades 4-12.
The School Board discussed the issue at some length during its
December meeting.
However, the body tabled action on the matter for a month in order
to give its members more time to study the proposal.
If adopted by the School Board, the proposal will go into effect
in the fall of 2003.
Halifax County School Superintendent Dennis Witt said the school
system staff is recommending approval of the new grading scale.
"It's the same grading scale used by 97 percent of the school
systems in the state," Witt said.
"It will put our students on a level playing field with other
students across the state.
"We don't believe this lowers the standards in the big picture,"
added Witt.
"We think that by not having that grading scale we're putting
our students at a disadvantage in some situations."
The school superintendent pointed out that the grading scale would
be used in all schools throughout the county.
"It will be a uniform grading scale and we don't have that
right now," Witt said.
"Adopting this grading scale will give us that uniformity."
The proposed grading scale is as follows:
A- 94-100;
B - 86-93;
C - 78-85;
D - 70-77 and
F - 69 and below.
The proposal to change the grading scale was examined by a 34-member
committee.
That committee included three School Board members, two school
system officials, a seven-member panel from Halifax County High
School, a five-member group from Halifax County Middle School
and principals from each of the county elementary schools.
Halifax County is one of only 10 school divisions in Virginia
that still uses a 75 as a passing mark.
Also Monday night, school system officials will ask the School
Board to end its ban on students bringing cellular telephones
to school.
"We're not saying students cannot bring a cell phone to school,"
Witt explained.
"What we are saying is that if a student brings a cell phone
to school it must be turned off between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.,
that cell phones will not be allowed to be used during the school
day.
"A lot of kids have cell phones and there are some parents
who want their kids to have a cell phone," added Witt.
"However, they certainly will not be for routine use. Students
will not be permitted to use a cell phone during the school day
for routine phone calls."
If the School Board goes along with the recommendation, school
system officials will reflect the changes in the regulations in
the school handbooks at Halifax County Middle School and Halifax
County High School.
The ban on the possession of beepers and pagers in school will
remain in effect.
Also tonight, the School Board will elect officers including a
chairman and vice chairman.
Current School Board chairman Steve Anderson has served in that
capacity for two years and is not eligible for re-election as
chairman.
School Board member Patricia Nelson is the current vice chairman
and Witt serves as the clerk.
In other business, school system officials will ask the School
Board to allow them to pursue a waiver from the state that will
allow Halifax County schools to open prior to Labor Day.
Witt also will give a preliminary report on issues facing school
system officials as preparations for the proposed 2003-2004 school
budget continue.
Also Monday night, the School Board is expected to set its calendar
of meeting dates for 2003.
Members of the South Boston Town council will hold a public
hearing on the erection of telecommunication towers at C.H. Friend
and Washington Coleman elementary schools as well as Halifax County
High School.
The public hearing is scheduled for tonight at 7 p.m. at Council
Chambers on Yancey Street.
The Halifax County school system is seeking a special use permit
which will allow them to construct a wireless Wide Area Network
to provide broadband communication access to all county schools,
according to Town Planner Lee Pambid.
Each of the towers will be 96 feet high.
The town has received some objections from the public, Pambid
conceded during last Monday's work session.
"Both of the opinions that were received by my office were
for the C.H. Friend tower," he said.
Pambid noted that the Halifax County Board of Supervisors had
approved towers for affected schools in the county.
Council will also hold a public hearing concerning the closing
of an unopened but dedicated right-of-way for Church Street.
The request was made of council by Ebenezer Christian Methodist
Episcopal Church.
A board of viewers consisting of Addison Marable, Dick Pond and
Buddy Wilborn had previously been appointed, and have recommended
the request for the transfer of property be approved.
Council is also expected to vote on a resolution supporting the
creation of a unified Industrial Development Authority with Halifax
County.
In other business, council will vote on a resolution for the Virginia
Department of Transportation proclaiming council's priorities
be the widening and improvement of Route 129 between Hamilton
Blvd. and Dan River Church Road, and the replacement of Poplar
Creek Bridge.
Owners of a new restaurant, Bistro 1888, in downtown South Boston
will ask council for permission to construct a projecting sign
over Main Street.
Council will also vote on an amendment asking Gov. Mark Warner
to support the securitization of Master Settlement Agreement funds.
A request to transfer funds from the capital outlay budget for
the South Boston Fire Department is also on tonight's agenda.
The funds, totaling $15,000, will be used for the purchase of
a Thermal-Imaging camera.
The department wants use a portion of the $38,000 left over from
the $62,000 previously allocated for a heating and air conditioning
system.
A thermal-imaging camera is used to detect heat emissions and
would be useful in locating fire, hot spots and people trapped
in heavy smoke conditions inside a structure.
Not only is Halifax County losing a strong, quietly efficient
force when Assistant County Administrator Julia Moss Barker retires
next month, it is losing its institutional memory.
"She's been the glue that's held the county administration
together for 31 years," said County Administrator Joe Morgan.
Hired in 1972 by Halifax County's first administrator, the late
Col. Walter Brady, Julia began as secretary to the Board of Supervisors.
Thomas H. Bass was board chairman and there were seven board members,
not eight as there are today.
"At that time, I also served as support staff for Mr. R.L.
Lacy, who was deputy coordinator for Emergency Services, and executive
director to the Halifax County Planning Commission," she
recalled.
"It was through Mr. Lacy's leadership that both the Zoning
Ordinance and Subdivision Ordinances were adopted for the county."
During the following 31 years, Julia would work with five administrators,
serving as acting county administrator and interim county administrator
during each of the vacancies between appointments.
Several times she served six- month terms as acting county administrator.
She also took on additional responsibilities and titles.
When she officially retires February 1, it will be Assistant Halifax
County Administrator Julia Moss' desk that is empty.
And co-workers say that she will be missed not only by them, but
by county citizens who sought information or her help at the office.
She calls the opportunity to work with people "the best part"
of her job.
"I love working with people and I have met so many people
in the county, regionally and at the state level," said the
assistant administrator.
"It's not always the big thing, sometimes it's giving guidance,"
she explained. "It's the feeling that you have helped someone,"
she added.
Her job attitude is reflected in one statement: "I love my
work."
"It is the day-to-day administration," she explained.
"Multi-tasking has always been a challenge. We work on so
many subjects in one day."
And she has a full administrative plate.
In addition to serving as assistant county administrator and clerk
to the Board of Supervisors, she also served on the Southside
Services Disabilities Board, the Halifax County Community Action
Board, the Halifax County Community Federal Credit Union board,
as past president of the Central Virginia Health Planning Agency,
the Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project board and as
a member of the Comprehensive Policy Management Team.
She was also deputy coordinator of Emergency Services for the
County.
During her tenure, the administrator's office has been an integral
force in economic development efforts and civic changes.
When the Industrial Development Authority was established in 1971,
"our office was the main contact during the 1970s and 1980s,"
she recalled.
Supervisors purchased the Industrial Park property on U.S. 58,
purchased property and built a shell building on property in Sinai,
established the Southside Virginia Produce Cooperative Program,
and helped to locate a dozen industries, as well as helped with
the location of Clover Power Station, during her tenure.
She also witnessed the creation of a Halifax County Public Service
Authority to extend water/sewer services to county citizens, saw
the new high school constructed, the development of the continuing
education program and creation of the Halifax Educational Foundation
and Emergency 911 program services.
"The Board has always been committed to making decisions
that are best for our residents," said the assistant administrator.
"This has resulted in a good working relationship between
the local governing bodies."
Julia Moss Barker served with the following Halifax County Administrators:
Col. Walter Brady (Ret.)
L. W. Wuensch
Joe N. Morgan
Robert P. Lawler Jr.
W. "Dan" Sleeper
Joe N. Morgan (returned in 2000)
Julia Moss Barker
"I am looking forward to retirement," the assistant
administrator said last week.
"I feel very blessed. The county has been good to me."
"One of the real joys of my work has been knowing folks like
Julia," said County Administrator Joe Morgan, who has worked
with Moss five years.
Noting that county administration in rural Virginia is a rather
new animal, Morgan said that those counties that have done well
have had someone like Moss as a manager, and that "evolved
into the institutional memory, the continuity or glue of the office,"
"Like preachers, administrators don't stay around but so
long," observed Morgan.
"Fortunately for Halifax County, there has been a Julia Moss
to provide continuity."
Convinced that he was about to be called
for active duty, Will Strange gave up his job in Richmond two
weeks ago and came home.
"I wanted to come here and see my mom before I go,"
he said.
The 24-year-old son of Patricia Strange of South Boston probably
won't be waiting long.
Strange is an Army Reservist stationed at Ft. Pickett where, during
last weekend's training, he was told he would be shipping out
in February. He and his unit haven't been told where they will
be going, but last weekend's preparations could offer clues.
"I called Mom and told her they had just given me my anthrax
and smallpox inoculations," he said Saturday night.
Strange's unit was placed on alert in December. Since then he
has completed "all the paper work" necessary before
reporting for active duty.
He is assigned to a unit responsible for establishing military
communications. It is one of the few units trained in the speciality.
Strange also said things are far different now than when he joined
the Reserve in 1999.
" I joined to help pay for school," the 1996 Halifax
County High School graduate said. Strange attended J. Sergeant
Reynolds Community College, went on to study at VCU and is just
shy of obtaining his degree in criminal justice with a minor in
information systems.
He admits that as a teen in high school military service was the
farthest thing from his mind.
But getting a college education meant borrowing money and paying
it back. He figured the Army's offer of college tuition and a
paycheck while in school was a better choice.
Almost four years later, Strange's education cost total approximately
$8,000 and "I don't have a student loan."
Something he hadn't figured on was a change of attitude.
Strange admits that, like most young people, he was generally
carefree and just wanted to have a good time.
But the Army introduced him to a new and different kind of discipline
that, he says, helped him establish some new values in life.
"The Army gave me a little insight into what really matters,"
said Strange, whose buzz hair cut is a marked difference from
the shoulder length style he wore during his high school days.
He's already requested active duty, but was told that a stop-lock
status has been placed on all reservists, meaning that no change
of status can occur. This is the first time a stop-lock order
has been issued since before the Persian Gulf War.
"Are you worried or excited?" he was asked.
"I'm concerned that Mom is worrying about me, but I'm excited
that the waiting is about to be over," Strange said. "Waiting
and not knowing is the hardest part."
He has but one request, that all Americans pray for the men and
women in the U.S. military.
"Everybody can use a prayer, and some of them really need
it right now."
(Note: Will Strange's youngest brother, Daniel Strange, 22, begins
basic training this week at Ft. Linnerwood, Mo., and, upon completion
in February, the unit will be activated and sent to Ft. Stewart,
Ga. Daniel is a 1998 graduate of Halifax County High School and
is living in Buena Vista.)
Comets sophomore Chase Weddle threw his own version of a "block
party" in the first half of Friday night's game against Franklin
County.
Weddle blocked four Franklin County shots in the first two quarters
as the Comets built a 16-point lead at one point in the first
half and led 35-21 at intermission.
While Weddle started the "block party," senior Dwight
Green capped it.
With the Comets leading by three points with just over two minutes
to play, Green threw an inbounds pass that was picked off by a
Franklin County player.
But Green recovered and blocked the Franklin County player's shot.
Green's block was a timely one as the Comets picked up a pair
of free throws from sophomore Quintin Brown on their ensuing possession
to turn a three-point game into a five-point game.
The Comets held on from there and scored a 61-56 win over Franklin
County in the Western Valley District game.
"That (Green's block) probably saved the ball game,"
said Comets coach Garrett Dillard whose team grabbed second place
in the Western Valley District standings after improving to 5-4
overall and 2-1 in district play.
"If that (Franklin County) kid makes that shot, it's a one-point
ball game and who knows what will happen."
The Comets, fortunately, never had to had to find out.
Brown not only hit the two free throws on the Comets' ensuing
possession that put the Comets up by five points.
Later, with 37 seconds left in the game, Brown grabbed a rebound
from a missed Franklin County shot, raced the length of the floor
and dropped in a layup despite being pounded from behind by an
Eagle defender.
Brown made that free throw as well to complete a three-point play
which gave the Comets an eight-point lead.
Sophomore Craig McCargo hit four out of six attempts at the charity
stripe in the final 24 seconds to put the clamps on the win.
"I thought the kids did everything they had to do to win
the ball game," said Dillard.
"They didn't do everything right but they did enough of the
right things to win the game. No matter how many things we did
that we shouldn't have done, we did enough of the good things
to win the ball game."
The trio of sophomores, Brown, McCargo and Weddle led the way
in what was a well-balanced effort on the part of the Comets.
Brown and McCargo led the Comets with 16 points and five rebounds
each and Weddle was a big leader on the defensive side of things
with his four blocked shots in the first half.
"This was his breakout game," Dillard said of Brown.
"Quintin had been coming off the bench and playing well and
since we've started him, he hadn't had the games he has had before.
"Weddle has played only two years of organized basketball
and he is really coming on," added Dillard.
"He had a beautiful first half. He's earning the playing
time he's getting and he's earning the right to more playing time.
We're gaining confidence in him."
Seniors Green and Andrew Witko chipped in 13 points each. Witko
snared nine rebounds and Green had three boards.
Shooting-wise, the Comets were 20-45 overall from the floor for
44 percent, hit five of 12 shots from three-point range for a
41 percent mark and were 15-33 from two-point range for a 45 percent
mark.
As far as free throw shooting went, the Comets were 16-25 from
the charity stripe for 64 percent.
Halifax County had one of its better nights of the season as far
as protecting the basketball as the Comets committed only eight
turnovers.
Three of the turnovers came in the first half with the remaining
five coming in the second half.
The Comets played well through three quarters but then had to
fight off the visitors in the closing minutes of the game.
Halifax jumped on Franklin County early, exploding for a 12-0
run in the second quarter that took them from a four-point 16-12
lead with 6:04 left in the half to a 28-12 edge, with 2:36 remaining.
McCargo started the run with a basket at the 5:48 mark and added
a layup 22 seconds later.
Brown followed with a three-pointer, came up with a steal and
took the ball in for an easy layup as the Comets posted nine points
in a quick span of a minute and 37 seconds.
A 12-footer by Green and a free throw from Witko capped the run.
The Comets got their biggest lead of the half, 17 points, when
Green sank a three-pointer with 1:05 left in the half.
Franklin County got a three-pointer with 46 seconds left to make
it a 14-point, 35-21 Comets lead at intermission.
Baskets by Witko and Green in the first 27 seconds of the third
quarter gave Halifax County its biggest lead of the game, an 18-point
edge at 39-21.
The visitors trimmed the Comets' lead to 12 points midway through
the fourth quarter but a three-pointer by Brown and bucket by
Green put the Comets back up by 17 points at 49-32 with 2:03 left
in the third quarter.
A pair of three-pointers by the visitors cut the Comets' lead
to 11 points.
Halifax had opportunities to rebuild its lead but three turnovers
before the quarter ended left the Comets with the 11-point advantage
entering the fourth quarter.
Franklin County made a game of it in the fourth quarter as the
Comets sputtered offensively.
The Eagles cut the Comets' lead to eight points with 3:45 left
in the contest.
Then when the Comets missed on two scoring opportunities, a basket
by Green that wiped out by a violation and a miss by Freddie Jeffress
on the front end of a one-and one opportunity at the charity stripe,
the Eagles trimmed their deficit to five points.
After a 12-footer by McCargo missed its mark, the Eagles got a
basket to close to within three points at 52-49 with 2:06 to play.
Thanks to the big block by Green and the key buckets by Brown
that followed, that was as close as Franklin County got the rest
of the way.
"Nobody in the district is going to let you get a big lead
and not come back on you or at least make an effort at it,"
Dillard pointed out.
"They cut it (the lead) to three (points) but we were still
able to do enough of the right things down the stretch to win
the ball game.
"We took a couple of ill-advised shots and had a couple of
turnovers down the stretch that could have hurt us worse than
it did," continued the Comets coach.
"Franklin County has beaten GW and has some other big wins.
They've got some experience. They're not a bad ball team."
Mary Virginia Yancey Dunn, 73, of 2228 Alton Post Office Road,
died January 8 at her home.
Mrs. Dunn was born in Halifax County on March 16, 1929, the daughter
of the late Edward Yancey and Victoria Jennings Yancey and was
married to Aaron Elijah Dunn. She was a member of St. Mark Baptist
Church.
Survivors include five sons, Lewis Allen Dunn of South Boston,
Aaron Cornell Dunn of Maxton, NC, Robert Edward Dunn and Archie
Junior Dunn, both of Alton, and Herbert Owen Dunn of Semora, NC;
18 grandchildren; 2 great-grandchildren; seven sisters, Rosa Lee
Yancey, Susie Ellen Yancey, Mattie Harris and Lillie Williams,
all of Baltimore, MD, Helen Goods and Betty Walton, both of Roxboro,
NC, and Elma Dunn of Yanceyville, NC; two brothers, Buster Alexander
Yancey of Baltimore and William Henry Yancey of Alton; and seven
foster children.
Funeral services for Mrs. Dunn were held January 11 at 2 p.m.
at St. Mark Baptist Church with the Rev. H.M. Pettiford officiating.
Burial followed in the church cemetery.
Funeral services for Sandra N. Newbill, formerly of South Boston,
will be conducted at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Morrissett Funeral
Home in Richmond.
Burial will follow at Sunset Memorial Park.
Mrs. Newbill died Saturday in Richmond.
She was 60.
Mrs. Newbill is survived by her son, Kevin Newbill of Richmond,
two daughters, Johnna Throckmorton and Wendy Jefferson and husband
William, all of Richmond, and six grandchildren, Katelyn Newbill,
Chase and Karis Throckmortin, Austin, Trevor and Kelli Jefferson.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Thomas Edward Newbill
and one brother, Wayne E. New.
The family will receive friends at the Morrissett Funeral Home,
6500 Iron Bridge Road in Richmond from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. today.
Melvin Dean Wright, of River Road in South Boston, died Saturday
at Duke University Medical Center at the age of 61.
Mr. Wright was born in the Bronx, N.Y., on January 29, 1941, and
was the son of the late Leroy Wright and Edith Palmer Wright.
He was married to Frances Williams Wright.
Mr. Wright was a member of the William's Temple C.M.E. Church
and a retired employee of United Parcel Service.
Melvin Dean Wright is survived by his wife, Frances Williams Wright;
three daughters, Ms. April Ann Wright and Ms. Autumn Dae Wright,
both of South Boston; and Ms. Joy Denise Wright of Durham, N.C.;
five grandchildren; and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives
and friends.
Funeral services for Mr. Melvin Dean Wright will be held Thursday
at 2 p.m., with services at the Williams's Temple C.M.E. Church,
the Rev. George Brown officiating.
Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
The family will receive friends at the residence, 5108 River Road,
South Boston.