The second annual African American History Essay Contest, sponsored through partnership between the Petersburg chapter of The Links, Incorporated and the Petersburg Public Library took place during the opening weeks of February. Middle and high school students from the greater Petersburg area were invited to submit essays of at least 500 words which explored this year’s theme, “The Crisis in Black Education.” After the submission deadline, each essay was blind scored by a panel of judges, and participants were personally notified at their schools by a member of The Links, of a reception being held Feb. 28 in their honor…
Browsing: Schools
Starting in the fall 2017 semester, John Tyler Community College is piloting a program in which students can earn an associate degree in General Studies without having to pay for textbooks. Called the Z-Degree, the program utilizes no-cost, high-quality electronic textbooks and educational materials. The only classroom material a student may have to pay for is a lab kit, required by some science classes, which costs approximately $40. Since textbooks can account for 25 percent of total college costs, the Z-Degree could save students as much as $2,000. Those enrolled in the Z-Degree Pilot Program will earn their degree by…
Whitney Harris, the morning news anchor for the local ABC affiliate station WRIC, shared “Phenomenal Woman,” a poem by Maya Angelou. Ahead of her presentation, she encouraged students to spend less time consumed with social media, and more time taking advantage of every opportunity to read and engage with their learning. Matoaca High School celebrated their second annual “African American Read-In,” on Friday, Feb. 24. This national event, originally started by the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English, was coordinated through the joint efforts of the Matoaca High School Library and English department. A total of…
The Chesterfield County Black History Month Celebration Program announced the recipients of its Leadership for the 21st Century Scholarships at their business and Scholarship Awards Breakfast Friday, Feb. 17. Scholarship recipients attended, along with their parents or guardians, to receive the recognition and certificates of achievement. Six scholarships were awarded each in the amount of $2,500. Winners were selected from each of the five Chesterfield County magisterial districts, and one scholarship was awarded to a Chesterfield County student from the Maggie L. Walker Governor School. This is the 20th year that these scholarships have been awarded. This year’s scholarship recipients…
C.C. Wells Elementary School participated in the first Jump Rope for Heart fund raiser benefiting the American Heart Association. The school raised $3,744.87 as of press time. First year P.E. teacher at Wells, Tracey McDorman, A First year P.E. teacher at Wells, organized the event. This program is a nationwide event that helps raise money for the American Heart Association and helps educate children and communities about the benefits of a healthy active lifestyle. “The kids learned the American Heart Association character’s messages McDorman wrote in an email. Rory the Lion stood for community service and helping others; Mr. Tuskers…
CodeRVA, a new regional public high school, is scheduled to open for the 2017-2018 school year. The new school is located at 1405 Cummings Drive in Richmond, within five minutes of the Maggie Walker Governor’s School, and has a seven-year lease in a building owned by Michael & Son Services. The school’s design builds on next-generation school models across the nation that rethink the use of time and space, leverage technology to accelerate learning, personalize learning experiences, and redesign curriculum to align with competency-based progressions. Focused on computer science, the school will offer the opportunity to complete high school requirements…
This year’s top speller in Chesterfield County Public Schools is Mary Grace Walsh, an eighth-grade student at Robious Middle. She won the countywide spelling bee Feb. 8, topping a field of 18 Chesterfield students. The spelling bee runner-up is Kamryn Plowden, a seventh-grade student at Midlothian Middle. The spelling bee lasted nine rounds, and it featured 13 students from middle schools and five from elementary schools. Mary Grace correctly spelled semolina to win the competition, and she will represent Chesterfield County Public Schools in the regional spelling bee March 11 at the Library of Virginia. The winner of the regional…
The state of Dale District School By John Erbach. Dale District School Board Member After serving the Dale District on our School Board for a year now, I am humbled at the tremendous success of our County’s schools and the opportunities to build on those successes. Chesterfield County has one of the finest school systems in Virginia, and the schools in the Dale District are no exception. But, there are opportunities for growth and improvement. This School Board is not satisfied with Chesterfield’s Schools being among the best in the Commonwealth. Together with our new Superintendent, Dr. James Lane,…
Seeing the smiles and hearing their voices ring out “I can see, I can see better” was a very big deal for Wayne Castleberry, committee chairman for local Rotary club’s project “We Can See Clearly Now.” Castleberry, along with members from Conexus Vision, the nation’s non-profit consumer advocacy group for all issues related to healthy vision, witnessed the smiles and voices of 20 students from Elizabeth Scott Elementary School Thursday as they received their prescription glasses. Through the Rotarys project, Conexus screened 3,585 students in Chesterfield’s Title I elementary schools. From the initial screening, they provided 263 professional eye exams…
Discover 37 career-education options available to Chesterfield County high school students during the Chesterfield Career and Technical Center (CTC) Open House on Saturday from 1p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Chesterfield Career and Technical Center @ Courthouse, 10101 Courthouse Road, and from 2-4 p.m. at the Chesterfield Career and Technical Center @ Hull, 13900 Hull Street Rd. Parents, students, and the public are invited to participate in a self-guided tour of the facilities to learn more about the career opportunities at the technical centers. CTC teachers, students, and business and industry representatives will provide information through demonstrations, explanations, and handouts…