CHESTER – Four employees of the Chester Chick-fil-A restaurant recently received $2,500 leadership scholarships. From left, Sam Connor, Chick-fil-A cow, Christopher Hopkins, Ryan Reitz, Cameron Curry and store manager Jason Branch. The store has awarded $1,000 scholarships since opening in 2005, Branch said, noting the dollar amount increased this year. Connor takes courses from Liberty University and Reitz from Old Dominion University, while Hopkins will soon be graduating from Banner Christian School and Curry from Matoaca High School.

CHESTERFIELD – Acknowledged as a great motivator and team player, Hopkins Elementary cafeteria manager LaNette Parham has been selected the School Nutrition Association’s 2017-18 State Manager of the Year. The application, submitted by Chesterfield County Public Schools’ Food and Nutrition Services team, recognized Parham’s efforts to increase breakfast participation, which is up 240 percent since the school implemented mobile kiosks to provide breakfast options to students. Parham was also recognized for her efforts to hold monthly fresh fruit and vegetable tastings and for implementing the Fuel Up to Play 60 program. “Mrs. Parham is a great example of customer service…

CHESTER – First-grade students and teachers at C.C. Wells Elementary School have worked closely with Magnolias of Chesterfield, an assisted living facility, for their yearly Project Based Learning project. Students took information they have been taught and worked on self-directed projects to create and share products based on real-world problems. The students chose to focus on showing good citizenship. They made crafts during each season to send to the people living at the facility. “I can help my community by making crafts for the memory care facility and making their room look pretty,” first-grader Jackson Lanham said. In the fall,…

CHESTER – Chester native Mary Parker is among a group of Sweet Briar College students and alumnae who are traveling to Australia this summer with dance professors Mark and Ella Magruder at Panpapanpalya 2018. The second annual global congress takes place July 8-13 in Adelaide. The conference, one of the largest gatherings of dance educators and performers worldwide, centers on four interconnected themes: dance, gathering, generations and learning, all summarized in the Aboriginal Kaurna word “Panpapanpalya.” It will take place at the University of South Australia’s City West campus and at Adelaide College of the Arts. “The students will assist…

CHESTERFIELD – Will Blanchard of Chester, a senior majoring in integrated science and technology at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, is part of a team of 30 JMU students competing this week in the Collegiate Wind Competition, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. The team has been preparing for the competition for about a year, and the final phase, which involves judging, will take place May 8-10 in Chicago at the annual meeting of the American Wind Energy Association. JMU is one of 12 schools across the country invited to compete. Teams were required to conduct a market analysis,…