In the news

bruce passaretti, wmlcps teacher of the year

Educator Mark Van Doren once wrote, “The Art of Teaching is the Act of Assisting Discovery.” Westmoreland County Public Schools are very fortunate to have many incredible and talented educators who guide students on an incredible educational journey every day.   Since 1964, school systems have participated in the National Teacher of the Year program and Westmorland County Public Schools recently named four outstanding educators, Bruce Passaretti, MMS; Matthew Freno, WDES; Tamatha Williams, CES; and Shawnna Stone, W&L HS, as Teachers of the Year.  From that group, one educator was then named as Westmoreland County Public Schools’ Teacher of the Year.  The 2020-2021 Teacher of the Year is Bruce Passaretti, Music Instructor at Montross Middle School.
 
In 2016, WMLCPS was fortunate to find Bruce Passaretti as the band teacher for Montross Middle School. In his short time with MMS, Mr. Passaretti has molded and created an imaginative and exciting musical experience for the students of Montross Middle School.  Whatever he is doing, it is working. Last year, 59 students or over half of the sixth graders signed up for beginning band. Of the rising eighth grade band students, only three have dropped from the program. Mr. Passaretti is passionate not only about his music, but he is equally passionate about his students and it shows.  In his nomination of Mr. Passaretti for the Teacher of the Year, MMS principal, William Bowen, wrote that “Mr. Passaretti’s passion for music is undeniable. He displays this passion each year when he transforms a group of fifty to sixty wide-eyed novices into an award winning band. Note by note and chord by chord, he builds a musical foundation for each student.”
 
Since his arrival, the level of musical performance at MMS has increased in many ways. The band has received ratings of Excellent and Superior at various events. In 2020, Mr. Passaretti took a record breaking fifty students to audition at the Area Honor Band and twenty-four MMS students secured a spot in the Honor Band. He also created the MMS Eighth Grade Eagles Marching Band, who performed at the Montross Fall Festival parade and at the W&L high school homecoming with the W&L marching band.
 
“All students deserve the opportunity to explore music,” explains Passaretti.  He noted that “public education is based on opportunities to explore. Our band is not competition based.  The most important thing to me is to increase involvement, not focus on competition. I want all students to learn to love music. I love the middle school students. It has been proven that personal musical preference begins at the age of 12. The influence on kids is enormous right now.”
 
 
Mr. Passaretti started his own journey with his love of the trumpet. In the fourth grade at Jasper - Troupsburg Elementary School in Troupsburg, New York his first music teacher was Stanley Matteson.  So fulfilling was this experience that Mr. Passaretti has occasionally performed with him at an annual Jazz festival in his hometown. Mr. Matteson is still teaching music at Jasper-Troupsburg.
 
As he continued on his secondary band training, Mr. Passaretti had the privilege of working with Jonathan Neff, a high school band instructor. “I witnessed the inspiration he was capable of as a music teacher and made me want to have that kind of impact on people.” He never had any doubt as what career path he was going to take.  Now, he speaks to Mr. Neff as a colleague at least once a month.
 
For his bachelor’s degree, he attended Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania and majored in Music Education with an emphasis on trumpet.  Mr. Passaretti is currently working on his Masters of Music Education at Boston University.  He comes from a family that embraces education.  His mother has taught at Jasper-Troupsburg Elementary for 18 years. Mr. Passaretti’s father is a school bus mechanic and a school bus driving instructor. His older sister, Rachel Sherman, had a daughter a year ago, which has created a doting uncle role for Passaretti. Mr. Passaretti has special praise for all the things his wife, Sabrina, has done for him. “She supports me in every endeavor. She helps me and the band students at every performance.”  Mrs. Passaretti is the music teacher at Washington District Elementary and does an equally fabulous program for the elementary students.
 
The upcoming school year will present major challenges to this hard working teacher. “Teaching beginning band, even semi-virtually, is going to be my biggest challenge. I hope that I can still be as effective teaching virtually. One of the key things in music is sharing a love of music and making music with someone else.  Unlike other subjects, instrumentation sets the curriculum.  That is one of the challenges coming ahead.  Every year we have students and families come in for instrument fitting. Not all students can play the certain wind instruments due to jaw structure. We will need to determine how to bring the students and their families in safely and find out a way to sterilize the mouth pieces during the process. Can we use disposable mouth pieces?  Can we find those? These are all questions we are addressing right now.”
 
Once the students arrive, the next question will be how they can find cohesiveness in being a split force.
Personal interaction is so important in music. Mr. Passaretti mentioned that everyone has seen the YouTube videos of musicians playing together. While that is all very spontaneous looking that is not the case. He explained that these have been heavily edited to eliminate the “lag” found in transmission. “Is this the future way to showcase a band?  Who really knows right now?” 
 
Hopefully, Mr. Passaretti’s winning humor will assist him in conveying the new techniques and challenges to his students. “It is important for students to like the way I teach. We try and keep up the interest right away. Each day students share their story in class. We build a community of caring students and a sense of family. It is extra important in music to share the rapport.  That is the cornerstone of a successful band program.” 
 
He wrote in his education essay; “Everything I do with my students relies on my rapport with them. In order to participate to the fullest extent in any subject, especially one as emotionally vulnerable as music, the student must have confidence and trust in the teacher.  I talk to my students directly, but politely.  I take time to learn about their personal lives and hobbies which can be time consuming considering the large number of students in the band. I make it a point to say good morning to the students as they walk past me during hall duty, say hello as they come into a classroom, and say have a nice day when they are leaving. Showing the students this level of respect opens the door for interactions that show you care about them as people and not just as students.”
 
Another educator, William Ward, once said, “the mediocre teacher tells, the good teacher explains, the superior teacher demonstrates, and the great teacher inspires.”  For the many Montross Middle Schools band students that have had the opportunity to learn and study under Mr. Bruce Passaretti, they have been taught by a great teacher.  Westmoreland County Public Schools congratulates Mr. Passaretti as their 2020 – 2021 Teacher of the Year.

washington & lee graduates 109 students

A pictorial parade of smiling seniors was strategically located at the entrance to Washington & Lee High School in Montross to welcome family and friends to a memorable academic achievement.  Graduation week officially started with Gage Anderson walking across the stage on June 8th and culminated with the final graduate, Sean Rose, turning his tassel on Friday, June 12.  One hundred and nine seniors were individually honored throughout the week in a distinctly unique graduation held on the school grounds.  Due to the continuing coronavirus pandemic and health concerns from the CDC and VDH, W&L staff, administration, and senior class officers, utilized their imaginations and creativity to provide all graduating seniors with a moment to remember.  And did they ever succeed!
 
Graduates were given a time and date to arrive on the W&L campus. When they arrived they were escorted and guided to the “new” graduation stage. On Tuesday, the first group of students were feted to an outdoor activity. Four glorious rows of colorful flowers and shrubs, provided by Red Oak Nursery, lined the area before the new staging area.  Students being feted were given a lawn picture display to take home with them.  The ceremony was moved inside, to the transformed cafeteria on Wednesday and Thursday due to the heat and weather forecasts. The outdoor celebrations were resumed on Friday. The cafeteria was re-imagined into a dynamic showcase by decorator, Valerie Ashton.  Her company, Parties by Valerie, created two staging areas in the re-imagined cafeteria for photographs and arranged a seated area where headshots of the graduating seniors rested on black draped chairs awaiting their real constituents and their families.  The old stage had been decorated with plumes of gold and blue and the namesake Eagle rested on a gold lame’ table overlooking the graduates.
 
The program remained very similar whether inside or outside. “Pomp & Circumstance March #1” started each student’s long procession.  Limited guests were allowed in a set area and eagerly snapped pictures of each graduate as they had their turn on stage. W&L principal Roger Coleman, assistant principal Jarvis Bailey, and School Board members, chairman, Ralph Fallin and Iris Lane greeted students throughout the four-day celebration.  They were joined by the Superintendent Dr. Michael Perry in making this a special moment for each student. After introducing each individual senior and their accomplishments, Mr. Coleman directed every student through the tassel change to officially recognize their status as a new alumnus of the Washington & Lee family.  A selected tune by the incredible IT team played for each new graduate.
 
Washington & Lee High School staff, teachers, and administrators diligently looked to even the smallest task to make the moment memorable. They checked cars, watered flowers, offered drinking water and so many other tasks.  The Graduation exercise ran smoothly throughout the four days. Families and students expressed their gratitude for making their graduation such a splendid and personal event. This class of 2020 will forever be connected to COVID-19 and a Transformative Movement in the history of the U.S. Westmoreland County Public Schools congratulates all the 2020 graduates and wishes them well in their future endeavors. The ceremony was filmed and broadcast daily on Facebook. A final production of the graduation ceremony will be available in the very near future.

perseverance - MMS Poetry quilt

Armed with nothing but a blank sheet of paper and a creative mind, over 100 students from Montross Middle School’s 8th grade English classes created this year’s Poetry Quilt book. Students in Mr. Jacob Spears and Mrs. Monica Weldon’s classes worked for over two months on this project. The students wrote original poems, studied and analyzed published poems, and then were directed to try and write about perseverance or cancer.  This year’s book is designed to “help anyone who is going through difficulties find a way to persevere and overcome difficult situations.”  It was important to tackle the topic of cancer because this group of students were the last group that Mrs. Linda DeLaney, 7th grade science teacher, had taught. She battled metastatic breast cancer and last April lost her battle. Mr. Spears “beat cancer” last year after undergoing rigorous rounds of chemotherapy.  Many of the students had also lost members of their families to this disease and watched them win battles too. The students wanted to honor those who have faced the disease and they also wanted to encourage those who are currently fighting cancer. Other students wanted to write about perseverance or topics of encouragement.  Every student found their voice and offered words of inspiration and hope. The resulting book contains 150 pages of phenomenal poetry.
 
Last year, Montross Middle School 8th grade English teacher Jacob Spears and his students created a book of poetry that addressed changing perceptions.  The students told their stories and the challenges each had faced.  Armed with a bundle of poems, Mr. Spears’ mother then created a poetry quilt that was raffled to raise funds for the English department.  The funds were used to purchase 40 copies of Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes.  This year’s goal is to earn enough funding to be able to purchase 80 more copies so every student can take a copy home.
 
 Once again, Mrs. Evelyn Spears, has created an incredible quilt featuring some of the poems about perseverance and cancer. The quilt features only the poems that could inspire patients.  Mr. Spears noted that there were so many quilt worthy poems that his mother is now making a second quilt that will be kept at Montross Middle School for students and visitors to visit and view.
 
According to Mr. Spears, students can identify with poetry. “We created a plan for the project. Each poem followed the same pattern of instruction:  we would analyze poems to see what made them similar; we defined the type of poem, then we defined terms that were unique to that type of poem, we analyzed published examples of that poem type; then, we wrote original poems of our own. We started with haikus and limericks. We then worked through longer forms of poems.  We finished with their favorite form of poetry, free verse. We finished writing our final poems a few days before we were ordered home.”
 
Mr. Spears explains, “Most of us don’t remember different types of poems; it’s not something we use too often.  Learning the types and their attributes are for the SOL’s. Learning a new way to cope with life’s curve balls is for them. To illustrate, Nikki Grimes wrote another book, Ordinary Hazards. It’s a memoir through poetry.  She grew up in foster care.  There is a powerful poem in the book when she first realized the power of poetry as a release from life’s frustrations; she was six years old. I read the poem to my students to prove to them that writing isn’t just something they do in class for a grade; it’s a form of release. I hope they take that with them. When life gets them down and they need a way to get rid of frustration, I hope they pick up a pencil and write.”
 
This year, Mr. Kenneth Ashdown, Chief Ranger of Operations in Virginia State Parks, came to visit the students.  A 2015 graduate of Washington & Lee High School, he gave them insight into how “perseverance can be implemented to create success for themselves no matter what their background is.”  He also reminded the students of the numerous resources that are available in Westmoreland County for students to utilize to “create a path to success for themselves.”
 
The Poetry Quilt and Book have become a great sense of pride for the Montross Middle School staff and students.  For Mr. Spears, in particular, this issue that focuses on cancer was quite personal. Currently, he is fine and his checkups are consistently good. “My concern is no longer about my health, but that of my dad’s.  He has stage 4 prostate cancers. He’s finished his chemo and will take pills for the rest of his life to try and keep his cancer at bay.  The cancer will eventually win, so his treatments are to prolong his life as much as possible. What makes this more poignant to me was his commitment to help me through my treatments. The chemo stole my energy and my sleep, so he came up from North Carolina to take me to my treatments so that my wife could still teach.  What we didn’t know was that while he was caring for me, he was ignoring his own health. While the cancer was dying in me, it was growing in him.  His selflessness is the cause of his cancer. I don’t look at that as regret; I see that as an inspiration.”
 
The importance of the Montross Middle School Poetry Quilt is best noted by Mr. Spears. “One poem that stood out the most for me was written by a young lady who was having a hard time coping with the loss of her grandmother. She wrote a poem that focused on the loss. Her pain was apparent. Our students do a great job of covering up their feelings and hiding what they’re going through at school. They have to; they’re there to learn.  However, they don’t always realize that teachers are there for more than just learning. We can help them through situations they may not be able to get through elsewhere.  As she stood there crying over her grandmother’s loss, we began talking about the fond memories she had of her grandmother.  It didn’t take her long to figure out how to shift the tone of her poem from loss to joyful remembrances.  It was an amazing moment watching her grapple with her feelings by enveloping them with fond memories while putting them on paper.”
 
Because of the coronavirus and subsequent closing of the schools and activities, the sale of the books has been postponed until now.  The size of the book is large and in-house binding is expensive. The teachers printed 20 copies of the book and 8 of them are being donated to the infusion center at Riverside Tappahannock Hospital, one for each patient bay.  Mr. Spears and Mrs. Weldon delivered these to Mrs. Rebecca Beasley and her staff of infusion nurses at Riverside Hospital. One is being sent to author Nikki Grimes as a thank you for her inspiration of her novel, Bronx Masquerade and one is being sent to Mrs. Evelyn Spears for her incredible quilt making.  All the students who wrote a poem received an electronic version of the book in Google Classroom.
 
Last year’s interest in the poetry book and quilt was evident with the number of sales that took place. Soon flyers and order forms may be found in local stores and restaurants where one can pre-order a book.  Information may also be found in the coming weeks on the Montross Middle School website.  

washington district elementary welcomes new principal

When the doors finally swing open for a new year at Washington District Elementary School (WDES), excited students will meet an equally excited new administrator. Mrs. Christie Douglas has been selected to lead the team at WDES.  Currently the assistant principal at Montross Middle School, Mrs. Douglas is returning to her first love in education, elementary school.  She has more than 10 years teaching experience at the elementary level and has taught first, third, and fourth grade students. She also has three years of administration work. Mrs. Douglas’ positive attitude is a welcome gift to the community and the WDES students. She is a woman who has found her niche in life and now shares this gift of knowledge with the Westmoreland County school family.
 
A durable leader at Montross Middle School, Mrs. Douglas spent her administrative time helping to build a stronger culture at the school.  She and Mr. Bowen, MMS principal, worked well as a team and implemented many new programs designed to enhance parent involvement and positivity at Montross Middle School. She enjoyed showing all the good things that were happening at Montross Middle School.  Mrs. Douglas hopes to have a similar experience at WDES.  She credits Westmoreland County School system, Dr. Perry, Ms. Rice and Mr. Bowen with allowing her to have a “lot of leadership opportunities.  Mr. Bowen allowed me to lead and then showed me how to lead.  He shaped me into the leader that I am today.  I am so grateful to be working at Westmoreland County Public Schools.”
 
While she admitted to missing her students at MMS, Mrs. Douglas is eagerly anticipating beginning her tenure at WDES. She will be working with Ms. Herdle in learning the history and philosophy of the school. “I want to refocus on some ideas that I have and learn the many strengths of the faculty.  I know what it is like to be a teacher and administrator.”  Fortunately, Ms. Herdle will be working next year at the central office and will not be “too far away for questions.”
 
Mrs. Douglas has always wanted to be in education. Her inspiration comes from her mother, Carole Cremo, who is an educator.  “My mother always encouraged and supported me to reach my goals. She taught me to set the bar high and have a positive attitude.”  The oldest of five children, she had lots of practice working with her younger siblings.  “I’ve always enjoyed working with children and helping others.” An elementary education graduate of The College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York, Mrs. Douglas received her master’s in Administration and Educational Leadership from ODU.
 
Mrs. Douglas feels that she made the right choice in coming to Westmoreland County Public Schools. “We share the same philosophy in education.  WMLCPS is dedicated to providing students with the knowledge and skills that they will need to be successful in a global society, in addition to that, Westmoreland is a tight knit community that has a strong sense of family and respects tradition.”   She looks forward to her next assignment but will miss her peers and students at MMS.  “We did a lot of culture building at MMS.  We focused on positive goals for the children and added a positivity to MMS.  We tried to get the community more involved by showing the good things that MMS had done and was doing.  I learned from an early age to always look for the good and you will find it.”
 
“My hope is to work collectively with the Washington District Elementary School staff, families, and community to create a welcoming environment that is focused on providing our students with the emotional, social, and academic support that will help them be successful.” 
 
She found the Northern Neck via a friend.  “A former colleague and close friend of mine owns a river cottage in Westmoreland. I enjoyed spending time on the Potomac River and taking in all the beautiful outdoor scenery that Westmoreland has to offer.” Her hobbies are all related to outdoor activities. She and her husband, Carlton, a Warsaw native, share an active life with their rescue dogs Jake, Bodhi, and Poppy and one cat, Maisey. “I love the outdoor activities that the Northern Neck has to offer.” Coming from Pennsylvania, she and her husband are avid Penn State and Steeler fans.
 
Her love and dedication to children is prevalent in all aspects of her life. “Watching my students and staff working together to achieve great things makes me smile every day.  There is nothing more rewarding that to look into the eyes of a child who feels accomplished, no matter what feat they have overcome.” 
 
Mrs. Douglas reminds us all of what is important, especially in these trying times. One has to “always have eyes that see the best, a heart that forgives the worst, a mind that forgets the bad, and a soul that never loses hope.”  This is why Christie Douglas is an administrator and a teacher.  Westmoreland County Public Schools is delighted to welcome her to her new role as principal of Washington District Elementary School.

wmlcps young ladies glow in competition

Westmoreland County Public Schools’ students gained top honors at the recent Girls, Gizmos, and Gadgets event held March 7 at Chesapeake Academy in Irvington. Twelve students from Montross Middle School and Washington District Elementary School were selected to participate in a four STEM challenge. This year’s theme was global warming in the artic and the students had to compete in various challenges, such as creating miniature catapults to ward off polar bears and building igloos out of marshmallows.
According to MMS coach, Laurie Crossman, “shouts of encouragement could be heard behind closed doors as the girls tackled the different challenges by building, combining, answering, and finding solutions dealing with each real world issue.” The WDES team consisted of Kaya Brown, Madison Clark, Lillian MacNamara and Emily Swann (4 th grade representatives); Izabella Bojorquez, Adrianah Brown, Kelsea Hill, and Nicole Rosier (5 th & 6 th WDES grade competitors) and Dallas Barringer, Sydney Bedford, Morgan Gooch, and Samantha Hensarling represented MMS (6 th grade representatives). The fourth grade team from WDES won three out of four challenges and were named the overall winners of the competition. The MMS won three out of four of their challenges and were named winner of their
group competition.
The teams were coached by Rob Wright (WDES) and Laurie Crossman (MMS). Congratulations to all of the STEM competitors for an excellent win and for being exceptional representatives of Westmoreland County Public Schools.

mms Hosts stem night

The carefully packaged eggs were tenderly placed in the hands of the egg drop master before being unceremoniously dropped from afar. To the delight of the watching crowd and the dismay of the egg teams, every egg made a huge splatting sound as they hit the hard mat. This was just one of the fun and exciting events students and parents engaged in at the first annual Montross Middle School’s STEM Night on Thursday, March 5, 2020.  The large crowd visited four STEM stations and tried their hand at earning points for each activity.  The winning team was awarded handmade chocolate “medallions” created just for this event by CTE director Justin Savoy and his team of chocolatiers.  The evening’s highest tally was earned by the “Awesome Eagles” team, consisting of Eli Nicholas, Andrew Nicholas, and James Pickett.
 
Families were spotted planning and plotting their catapult creations.  Using only pencils and rubber bands and one plastic spoon, the teams had to create a functioning catapult to shoot an object.  Each team’s efforts were recorded on a large wall.  The winning team bested the group with a shot registered at over 10 feet! 
 
A table where young ones could draw their own course was a highlight of the evening.  Taking a small robot, they would activate the robot and send it on its way on their hand drawn map.  Many a robot had a wild ride.  Older students enjoyed guiding larger robotic devices around a large course, controlling it via an I Pad. This challenging event had people trying not to step on the robots as they periodically veered off course.
 
The tantalizing skill game called “Save Fred” had numerous contestants trying not to drown Fred, a green gummy worm. The challenge for contestants was to save him without using their hands.  They had to put Fred in his gummy lifesaver using only paper clips. All of these events were designed to highlight the STEM activities that students partake in and to showcase those talents to families.
 
Patrons had the opportunity to purchase many of the clever “plant” displays created with recycled materials such as water bottles and plastic bags by Montross Middle STEM students.  Their ingenious work and plants that were grown in the MMS greenhouse were being sold to earn funds for the MMS Outdoor Garden project fund.
 
At the end of the fun evening, a large group photo was taken to commemorate this new event and plan for many more exciting STEM activity nights for MMS students and parents.

characters on parade at Washington District

The Crayons. mini Harry Potters, princesses, and sharks were on parade when Washington District Elementary School teachers joined their students in a celebration of reading on March 2 at the annual Reading Character Parade. Everyone in costume carried a book that they represented in their “Favorite Book” parade.  Lining up in the festive hallways, characters were cheered by other students that observed the parade as they marched through the hallways. This year’s parade was led by a group of W&L High School students who had read to them earlier that morning.
 
Later that evening, the school hosted the PTO Literacy Night.  Students and parents visited various stations set up throughout the school to make crafts, play games, and share pizza.  Parents were given information on how to improve reading at home.
 
Each year a book is selected for the All – School read.  This year’s book is The World According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney.  Students and families will enjoy reading this and sharing the story with others. 
 
This annual event honors Dr. Seuss and the wonders of reading.  Washington District Elementary School recognizes the importance of establishing good reading habits for all students and celebrates the joy of reading every day.

cople's mark gooch honored

Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane recently announced the winners of the Computer Science in Your Neighborhood competition. Mark Gooch, a fourth grader at Cople Elementary School, was the Region 3 winner.  The competition was a joint project of the Virginia Department of Education, the Science Museum of Virginia, and CodeVA.  Students from each of Virginia’s eight Superintendent’s Regions were to create digital “products” about their interest in computer science and how it plays a role in their daily lives. One hundred and thirty-five students and classes submitted their projects; 12 students and classes were named winners in their prospective regions.
 
In the official announcement, Dr. Lane stated, “I congratulate all of the winning students – and their teachers- for their enthusiasm for this exciting field and their willingness to put their computer science skills to the test.”  Students were tasked with creating a one-minute video or digital product.  Using a greenscreen and an application called Dash, Mark spoke about how people use codes and technology to do their jobs and enhance their lives.  In his short video he aptly describes many applications, including hospital technology and DOT robots.
 
A very self-assured student, Mark is an all A student at Cople Elementary. He is the Lieutenant of the Cople Safety Patrol and a soloist in the school choir. Following in the footsteps of grandparents and parents, he wants to attend Virginia Tech and be a “Hokie.”  Mark has great plans to also be a “famous quarterback for the Virginia Tech team.”  He likes to have everything in place.  Hoping to be a systems engineer, Mark started utilizing computers at the age of three and has consistently grown in skills since then. 
 
This is Mark’s first computer contest and he is eager to try more. Ever since he entered, Mark has been wondering how his entry had compared to others. He was “happy to win.” When asked about his academic skills, Mark stated math is his favorite subject and Virginia Studies is his least favorite. A very active young man, Mark loves to “run around” and really likes to eat, especially candy. He interacts with his friends with Roblox. He said he can play “millions of games” on it and it also allows him to create his own games.  He also said “you can even make clothing on Roblox”. 
 
Mark is the son of Daniel and Devon Gooch of Montross. His grandmother, Kathryn Wittman is a Reading Specialist at Cople and his grandfather, Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA) serves the first district in Washington, D.C.  Westmoreland County Public Schools congratulates Mark on his achievement.

school board reelects ralph fallin as chairman

During the January 27, 2020 meeting, the Westmoreland County Public Schools School Board held their annual organization of the board session.  By unanimous vote, Ralph Fallin was reelected to lead the Board for the 2020 term.  Dr. Daniel Wallace was also reelected to the vice-chairman position. Other members were selected to represent Westmoreland County Public Schools on various committees: Chesapeake Bay Governor’s School Representative and Alternative Representative, Dr. Daniel Wallace and Sandy Ramsey; Northern Neck Regional Technical Center Representative and Alternate Representative, Iris Lane and Ralph Fallin; and Northern Neck Alternative Education Program Representative and Alternate Representative, Ralph Fallin and Iris Lane.
 
New At-Large School Board member, Kathy Lewis, was welcomed to the group.  The Westmoreland County School Board will be further acknowledged at the February 24 ,2020 meeting for Virginia School Board Recognition Month. 

virginia school principals appreciation week

Since 1986, the Virginia Associations of Secondary School and Elementary School Principals have requested an annual proclamation from the state’s Governor to recognize their members.  This year, Governor Ralph Northam, declared the week of January 19-25, 2020 as a week to “recognize the hard work of Virginia school principals and to recognize the importance of principals in ensuring that every child has access to a quality education.”
 
Westmoreland County Public Schools is fortunate to have four outstanding educational leaders guiding the school operations in the district.  They are a progressive and diverse group of individuals who share a love of learning and the belief that all children can be successful. Although their career paths have been different, they all enjoy the challenges of making Westmoreland County students global citizens.  They all have spent time as classroom instructors and have worked hard to attain their position as principal.
 
The principal provides strategic leadership within the school system. Under the guidance of the Superintendent, principals implement curriculum, initiatives, and relevant programs. They assess teaching methods, monitor student achievement, and encourage parent involvement. Principals understand and implement policies and procedures, administer their school budgets, evaluate staff, and oversee facilities.  In Westmoreland County, there are assistant principals to assist the principal with their duties.
 
As appreciation week begins, the district recognizes the unique talents and skills of each principal and assistant principal. The team of Roger Coleman, principal, and Jarvis Bailey, assistant principal, at Washington & Lee High School have worked together for three years. They share the goal of “making a positive difference in each child’s life.”  They both start the day with personal devotions and exercise before tackling the many challenges of guiding older teenagers to success. Mr. Coleman noted that one of his biggest challenges is to “create an atmosphere where success is expected.” Setting this expectation includes, but is not limited, to the students, community businesses, parents, and local churches.  Mr. Coleman emphasized that “there are quite a few simple things that excite me about coming to school each day; kicking off the start of the year with enthusiasm and a renewed energy to make an impact, and working with staff and students to maintain and focus that enthusiasm and energy all year long; greeting students at the door and welcoming them to a new school day; reviewing student data and seeing ,in numbers, that students have made considerable academic gains thanks to the hard work and persistence of their teachers; watching a veteran teacher still pour their heart into a classroom and students after years of teaching; and I love walking down the hallways or into the gym after they have been freshly waxed over the summer months. Small, simple things mean a lot to me!”
 
Opposites “get it done” at Montross Middle School. Principal Eddie Bowen and assistant principal Christie Douglas could not be further apart in their personas, but they work amazingly well when it comes to administrative duties at MMS.  The dynamic duo is responsible for the resounding sounds of success that prevail at Montross Middle!  The minute you walk into the door you can feel the synergy that the two of them have created. Mr. Bowen is a calm, steady, steely-eyed leader.  You would never know that he once dreamed of flying jets and becoming an aerospace engineer. Instead, he taught math at the secondary level for 18 years prior to becoming an administrator. Admitting to being a rather “conservative person,” it is amazing how well he and Mrs. Douglas, an energetic extrovert, get along both professionally and personally.  Mr. Bowen notes, “I hope our students will be kind and respectful to one another, and that they will open their minds to learning.  Middle school is such a wonderful experience. Students have so many opportunities to explore their interests and to grow.  Each day there is an intensive amount of planning that goes into scheduling the innumerable meetings that take place on a weekly basis throughout the year. Organization and communication are essential for the school to run efficiently and effectively.  One of the biggest challenges that our school faces is helping our students become better readers.  Today, there are so many competing interests (video games, cell phones, TV, etc.) that students are not devoting time outside of school reading for pleasure.”
 
Two elementary schools feed into the upper schools.  Cople Elementary School has been instructing children for many generations.  It is not unusual to have three generations present at PTO meetings.  Leading the way at Cople is Ms. Leslie Steele, principal. She is assisted by assistant principal, Wilfredo Hernandez. Mr. Hernandez brings experience from both urban and rural settings. He serves as an athletic coach for middle school students. Ms. Steele is a hands on leader. Her presence is found everywhere in Cople; greeting students in the morning, talking to parents, guiding a teacher, answering questions, and leading an assembly of wiggly students in Cople cheers.  Her approach to education is all about growth. Ms. Steele states simply, “I appreciate the commitment of our teachers and staff at Cople. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to work with such a diverse group of teachers, staff, students, and parents.  I wanted to work in Westmoreland County because it seemed like a place that would allow me to learn and grow as an administrator.  I have learned so much in the few years that I have been here and I am truly appreciative of every opportunity.”
 
Ms. Sandy Herdle, principal at Washington District Elementary School, has always wanted to be an educator. “My parents were avid readers and they valued education and were very supportive of my education and career.”  Another hands-on administrator, she is grateful for a caring faculty. “I have many hopes for this school year!  My overall wish is for our students to reach their fullest potential.  I also want our students to want to come to school and to feel safe and loved while they are here.  Working in Westmoreland County is a real blessing.  I love the small community.  Westmoreland County is really progressing in many ways. Since Dr. Perry has been superintendent, we now have a HEROES volunteer tutoring program, project based learning, a new high school in the making and all four schools have been accredited for several years. These things could not have happened without a lot of hard work from willing people.  Washington District is full of staff members who care and will go above and beyond to help our students in any way they can. I consider it an honor to be working with such amazing people each day.”
 
Westmoreland County Public Schools is honored to have such dedicated educators at the helm of their fully accredited schools.  Their devotion to education and their students is appreciated not only during this celebratory week, but throughout the school year.  Dr. Michael Perry is superintendent of Westmoreland County Public Schools and Cathy Rice is the deputy superintendent.

izabella bojorquez named 2020 wmlcps district spelling bee champ

It took 6 rounds before a winner was declared for the Westmoreland County Public Schools’ spelling bee district championship. At the end of the evening, fifth grade Washington District Elementary student, Izabella Bojorquez, sealed her victory by spelling correctly the final word of the night. Ms. Bojorquez will now prepare for the regional contest in Fredericksburg. She is the daughter of Juan and Bethany Bojorquez.   Ms. Bojorquez is also an all A student at Washington District Elementary.
 
The Spelling Bee Participants for this year’s participation were Cople Elementary; first grade, Bentley Wheeler (alternate, Damon Spaulding); second grade, Harper Dameron (alternate, Tenise Bassett), third grade, James Williams, Jr. (alternate, Ja’Miesha Hall), fourth grade, Jetauri Dixon, (alternate, Eric Oliver) and fifth grade, E’Liyahu Jones (alternate, William Townsend)).
 
Representatives from Washington District were; first grade, Riley Gould, (alternate, Christopher Davis, Jr.), second grade, Scarlet Foor (alternate, Roegan Combs), third grade, Brendan Rubinchak (alternate, Kaylan Gray), fourth grade, Madison Clark, (alternate, Kayla Brown), and fifth grade, Izabella Bojorquez (alternate, Mia Herrera).
 
Montross Middle School was represented by sixth grade, Morgan Gooch (alternate, T.J. Turnbull), seventh grade, Nerick Medina (alternate, Josh Headley), and eighth grade, Brandon Brooks (alternate, (Jayla Ashton).
 
Dr. Michael Perry, Superintendent, presented Ms. Bojorquez with a “WMLCPS” dictionary. Montross Middle School eighth grader, Brandon Brooks, was the runner-up.
 
The event was coordinated by Carole Alexander, District Data Management Specialist.  The spelling bee announcer was Julie Weicht, Early Intervention Specialist.  Judges included Justin Savoy, CTE Director, Cathy Rice, Deputy Superintendent, and Patty Kelly Long, Public Relations Specialist. School coordinators were Cople, Will Hernandez, assistant principal; Washington District, Sandy Herdle, principal; and Montross Middle, Christie Douglas, assistant principal. Crystal Glading, Federal Projects Clerk, coordinated the materials.
 
We congratulate all of our champions who so admirably represented their prospective schools.

w&l students visit marymount university

Washington & Lee GEAR UP students recently visited Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia.  Sponsored by the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges (VFIC), the trip was designed to introduce students to the various career paths found at Marymount.  Located outside of Washington, D.C., students learned of the myriad of opportunities available to Marymount University students. Marymount was the first college to offer a doctorate program in Physical Therapy and Nursing.  The academically challenging programs feature pathways to 4 plus one training in business, legal, computer science, gaming, technology, and other careers. A small school, Marymount prides itself on offering qualified students a chance to accelerate their work toward a graduate degree through a combined bachelor’s/master approach. Additionally, the school is able to offer students a myriad of internships with government offices, CIA, FBI, and national companies such as Amazon and IBM.
 
The W&L students were able to visit the main campus and attend a presentation by the admission representatives, then tour the campus and ended the visit with a panel discussion at a private luncheon. The students received a gift bag from Marymount University before leaving the campus.  Washington & Lee High School thanks the VFIC and GEAR UP for their generosity on making this trip possible.

w&l deca students win big

Holiday treats arrived early for members of the Washington & Lee High School DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) who won their way to the DECA State Competition. The students participated for the second time and were rewarded for their efforts in Business Service Marketing, Business Management, and Hotel and Lodging Management. They competed against students from Spotsylvania, King George, Manassas, and Stafford.
 
Recognized for their expertise were Tresure Tate, 2nd place in Business Service Marketing for role play and overall competition; and Keyniya Washington, 3rd place for role play in Hotel and Lodging Management. The W&L DECA club is in its second year of operation and currently has seven members. The teacher advisor, Kristina Sanders hopes to build up the membership.
 
DECA advisor, Mrs. Kristina Sanders noted on their win, “I am so very proud of these wonderful students.  These students have worked very hard; often three plus hours each week with CTE instructor, Mr. Ray Eaton practicing and preparing for the competition. Their hard work has paid off!  I look forward to seeing these students doing amazing things at the state competition in February.”
 
W&L DECA competitors were Arial Braxton, Neveah Wakefield, Tresure Tate, Lymia Garner, Keyniya Washington, Abigail Bennett, and Kiasiah Turner. Tresure Tate will move on to the next level competing at the state competition in February.
 
According to the national site, DECA is an education partner developing college and career ready youth. Authorized by the United States Congress and the federal and states’ Departments of Education to deliver career education, DECA has 219,000 members in 5,000 classrooms, and 3,500 schools worldwide. For over seventy years, DECA has impacted the lives of over ten million students.
 
DECA’s comprehensive learning program applies learning through rigorous project based activities that require solutions and practical outcomes. All the DECA activities provide authentic, experiential learning methods to prepare members for college and careers.  Westmoreland County Public Schools congratulates the DECA students and their instructors, Mrs. Sanders and Mr. Eaton, on their impressive display of knowledge and talent at the District Competition in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

vacrao college fair a success

Washington and Lee High School in Montross, Virginia hosted the VACRAO Fall College Fair October 24, 2019. Representatives from over 50 colleges met with over 100 students and their parents/guardians. Sponsored by VACRAO, GEAR UP, and Washington & Lee High School the fair was an exciting way for prospective students to get the opportunity to obtain personal advice and information on the various educational opportunities available to them.
The following colleges attended the College Fair;
         Averett University; Bluefield College; Bridgewater College; Charleston Southern University; College of William and Mary; Davis & Elkins College; Eastern Mennonite University; Fairmont State University; Ferrum College; Full Sail University; Hampden-Sydney College; High Point University; Hood College; James Madison University; Johnson & Wales University; Lander University; Lynchburg College; Mary Baldwin University; Mary Washington University; Massachusetts Maritime Academy; Moravian College; Mount St. Joseph University; Ohio University; Old Dominion University; Radford University; Randolph-Macon College; Rappahannock Community College; Regent University; Richard Bland College; Roanoke College; Salem College; Shenandoah University; St. Mary’s College of MD; Sweet Briar College; The Art Institutes of Virginia Beach; Universal Technical Institute; University of Florida; University of Georgia; University of Mary Washington; University of Virginia; University of Virginia’s College at Wise; Virginia Commonwealth University; Virginia Military Institute; Virginia State University; Virginia Tech; Virginia Wesleyan University; Washington & Jefferson College; West Virginia Wesleyan College; Western Carolina University; Winston-Salem State University; USAF.
This was the tenth year that W&L High School has hosted the VACRAO College Tour.

mms band director has a good week

Sometimes things just go your way. Montross Middle School band director, Bruce Passaretti, recently had such a week.  On Saturday, the incredible Montross Middle School Marching Eagle band made their debut. Thirty-four members strong, the newly organized group of musicians dazzled parade goers with their youthful spirit and bouncy music. They were joined by a marching group of Montross Middle School students and teachers.  For their efforts, the band and students were awarded the “Best Appearing School Unit” by the Montross Fall Festival committee.
 
On Friday, October 11, Mr. Passaretti, was visited by Mr. Scott McKenna, of California Casualty.  He was presenting a check and certificate to Mr. Passaretti for a Music and Arts Grant.  Montross Middle School was one of three winners in the state of Virginia to receive this award for their excellence in music. California Casualty is the insurer of the National Education Association. Mr. Passaretti found the information for the grant in an NEA publication and decided to submit an application.  He will use the $250 for instrument accessories.  Currently, students must pay $2 to replace a reed in their instrument.  Many students are unable to afford this and Mr. Passaretti has to find alternative ways to find the funds. This funding opportunity will provide money for 125 reeds.
 
Finally, Mr. Passaretti and his Montross Middle School Marching Eagle band will join the Washington & Lee High School band at halftime for the W&L High School homecoming show. This should be an exciting time for band lovers in Westmoreland. Congratulations to Mr. Passaretti and his Montross Middle School musicians. 

mms poetry quilt winner announced

Last spring, the eighth grade students in Jake Spears’ English classes at Montross Middle School did a little “Project Based Learning” exercise.  The students wrote poems that were transformed into a poetry book and a magnificent quilt created by Mr. Spear’s mother. Throughout the following months, the Poetry Quilt and books have been on display at the Montross First Friday events, various school events, and even an evening at the Art of Coffee.  Patrons and followers of the Quilt could purchase raffle tickets or buy the Poetry Book entitled, “The Poetry Quilt: Changing Perception of Westmoreland County.”  The Poetry Quilt was finally shown and displayed at the Montross Fall Festival on October 5, 2019.  A drawing was held to find the lucky winner who would take possession of the incredible quilt that featured the work of 29 wonderful students who came out of their comfort zones to write about their lives.
 
As the final tally was done, the Montross Middle School’s Poetry Quilt had earned $524 from raffle and poetry book sales. The money will be used to purchase new writing tools and books for the English department.  Mr. Spears was delighted with the outpouring of love and respect the Poetry Quilt had created for all who reviewed it and purchased the poetry book.  He cited one example; “One of the most impressive buys was a visitor to the Northern Neck, who attended the June, First Friday event in Montross.  She heard one of our students, Allyson Foor, recite her poems and was moved by her emotions toward her tribute poem for Mrs. DeLaney. (Mrs. DeLaney lost her brave battle to illness last year.) The stranger then bought $25 worth of raffle tickets, placing them all in Allyson’s name; she also bought a poetry book.”
 
The winner of the Poetry Quilt was Ms. Yolanda Garnica, who has a daughter, Susie Hernadez, at Montross Middle School.  The delighted winner had never won anything before and was very excited about winning the Poetry Quilt.  Congratulations to all the students and Mr. Spears for creating this wonderful gift to the community.  The story of the Poetry Quilt will now become a fond memory of all who were involved. Copies of the poetry book, “The Poetry Quilt: Changing Perception of Westmoreland County” are still available at Montross Middle School.

dedication of journei's garden at cople

On a cool, crisp fall morning, a group of Cople teachers, students, WMLCPS staff, and School Board members gathered together to celebrate the life of a Cople student.  Journei Kadyin Booker passed away on March 30, 2019. She was seven years old. In her short life, she endured physical limitations but still came to school to learn and be with her fellow special needs classmates in Mrs. Settle’s class.  She loved to smile and laugh.  In her funeral program, Journei’s brief life was summed up. “She had a smile that was contagious.  Regardless of how bad it seemed, her smile would brighten any situation.  Although Journei may have had some physical limitations, she certainly made up for it in love, personality, and affection.”
 
To honor her memory, members of the Cople Parent Teacher Organization, decided to create a small garden that students would pass each day and remember their classmate.  Featuring two small benches, students and the community may quietly sit and contemplate the flowers and butterflies that will be attracted to the myriad of flowers in Journei’s Garden.  Journei’s name is spelled out on large rocks that border the edges of the garden. Additionally, a similar rock with the letter “J” was given to her parents to place at their home. Solar lights will highlight the garden every night.
 
Prior to the dedication ceremony and cutting of the garden ribbons, a reception was held in the Cople music room. Decorated by Parties by Valerie, the room was festooned with pink ribbons and glitter, just the thing that Journei loved. Mrs. Crim’s CTE class from Montross Middle School offered homemade omelets and other breakfast treats to the assembled guests. Cople principal Leslie Steele offered words of love to Journei’s parents and siblings who were present. Among the guests were some of the many donors who helped create Journei’s Garden; Robert Gawen and Sons, Parties by Valerie, PJ Hackett, Pastor Hall, Jamicia Johnson, Kinsale Fire Department, Mt. Holly Fire Department, John Pitts, Garnett Ramey, Justin Savoy, Ms. Crim and MMS CTE/James Farmer students, and a large contingent of Cople staff, teachers, and students.
 
Journei was a member of a large family. She is survived by her parents, Jala (mother) and Deonte Brooks (step-father), Kenneth & Laketa Brooker (father and step-mother), her twin brother, Josiah, three step-brothers, another brother, eight sisters, and four step-sisters.
 
When the ribbon was cut to the garden, several students ran forward to sit on the benches. Hopefully, this is a sign that Journei’s Garden will endure for a long time of enjoyment for Cople’s children and community. And the joy of one very special little girl will be shared for years to come.

senior year kick off

On September 24, 2019, Washington & Lee High School held its annual Senior Kick Off for the Class of 2020 students and parents. Featuring numerous speakers, the event is designed to inform students and families of the numerous scholarships and other information that students need to be successful.
 
After the welcome, Mrs. Melissa Benavidez, GEAR UP Regional Manager, gave all the seniors the great news about the GEAR UP scholarship being available to all eligible W&L seniors.  Seniors, who have not yet signed a contract, need to get the contract back to the school to be eligible for the scholarship valued at up to $5,000.  Ms. Long, GEAR UP director, reminded the families of all the tools that GEAR UP has to assist their students with improving grades and getting tutoring assistance. Washington & Lee High School counselors presented “You Are a Senior” to the group. They covered all the requirements for graduation, what to expect for the senior year, and other topics needed for being a senior.  Mr. Savoy, CTE director, spoke about what lies ahead in the future.  He told parents about tools, such as Major Clarity, that aid in career choices and how students can find a college choice to match their interests. College Advisor, Ms. Izurieta, explained her role to students. She encouraged them to contact her with career advice and help with FAFSA. Mrs. Kenyear of RCC spoke on the expanding workforce development opportunities available at RCC and Ms. Seymour told the audience about the GRASP program. Marine Sgt. Gourvea spoke about the various careers available in the military. Additionally, Sgt. Brown of the U.S. Army was available to also speak to parents.
 
Parents and students laughed when asked by Ms. Eddings is they were now in information overload. Interested parents and students stayed for more pizza and treats and met with the speakers for further answers.  A fun raffle was held at the end of the program.

w&l students make a historical first

It has been a long time in the planning stage, but on September 14, 2019, it all came to fruition. Over a dozen students and parents joined together under a Virginia Defense Force (VDF) tent and signed up to be the first Cadet group of the VDF in the state of Virginia.  Excitement was evident from the military leaders to the prospective Cadets.  Student were measured for uniforms and invited with their parents to the first full briefing of the VDF Eagle Corp.
 
Major Jim Stanley and Sgt. 1st Class Robert Greene spoke to the group about the history of the Virginia Defense Force and the impact of their contributions through the years.  The Virginia Defense Force is an all-volunteer, formal military organization. Its mission is to assist the Virginia National Guard in performing state missions as specified by the Governor.
 
The students and parents received a review of what the Cadet requirements are: parental permission, be a W&L student, maintain good grades and behavior in school and the community; give your best efforts; attend drills and activities “clean and neat;” have a positive “can do” attitude; be part of the team; and ask for help if you need it.
 
Students “earn” the privilege to wear their uniforms. When they attend two drills and have their black boots and collared sport shirt, they are issued pants. The third and fourth drills earn you a hat and uniform shirt. By the fifth and sixth drills you earn your name tape, patches, and finally you are pinned with your rank.
 
All Cadets will be trained in land navigation, emergency management, color guard, teamwork, self-respect, patriotism, and service. The VDF Eagle Corp will be supporting the upcoming Fall Festival, school events, the Richmond County Fair and the Westmoreland Sheriff/Fire events.
 
Attending the first session for VDF were Major Jim Stanley, Sgt. 1st Class Robert Greene, Master Sgt. James Swain, and Sgt. Michael Burke.  Coach Joe Taylor of W&L will be the school representative. The first VDF Eagle Corp members are James Gilhuly, Abigail Bennett, Nevach Wakefield, Ariel Smith, Ziahra Thompson, Mary Martin, Jesse Fulkerson, and Jesse Jett.
 
This is an exciting time to be an Eagle. Congratulations to these students and their parents for becoming part of the school history.

raptor safety system installed

When parents and other visitors arrive at one of the four Westmoreland County Public Schools next week, they will be asked to sign in with a new security system.  The Raptor K-12 Visitor Management system increases security within the school district.  It scans each and every one who enters the school. The system automatically screens and track everyone, alerts staff of violations, and provides district-wide reporting of all visitors. 
 
After reviewing a number of devices, the IT Department decided that 26,000 K-12 schools can’t be wrong.  The Raptor Safety System is easy to use and dependable.  According to Raptor Technology the system has “flagged more than 50,000 registered sex offenders and has issued over 250,000 custody alerts.”
 
The system offers instant sex offender screening, custom custody databases, helps maintain accurate visitor records with the ability to create reports for the whole district, and has an emergency panic button that allows front desk personnel to instantly alert a customized list of first responders and school officials.
 
Parents and visitors are asked to bring a state-issued ID, such as a driver’s license, to the schools when picking up a student or visiting a school.  Once the information is scanned, the information remains in the files for faster processing. 

conway payne begins another decade

When a young strapping Conway Payne began work for the transportation department at Westmoreland County Public Schools in 1979, the 18-year-old youth could purchase gas for 79 cents a gallon.  President Carter was in the news when a wild rabbit chased his boat while fishing and the Viet Nam war toiled on. The average cost of monthly rent was $280 and a new Toyota Corolla could be purchased for $3,698 and Conway Payne made a decision to start work at WMLCPS and who knew he would stay on for 40 years.
 
Conway faced the choice many young people do when they graduate from a rural town, stay or leave for a big city.  He decided that he would stay where he had grown up and care for his Mom. That decision has boded well for Westmoreland County Public Schools. Now going into his 41st year working in transportation, Conway has worked his way up to Fleet Manager and Assistant to the Transportation Manager. In his long career, he has been a mechanic, CDL trainer, and VA state inspector. 
 
Conway is a product of a “Job Shop” program.  Popular during its time, Job Shops offered local teenagers the opportunity to work and learn at local businesses. Equivalent to a paid internship, Conway did custodial work during his 11th and 12th grade years at Montross Middle School.  He learned about the value of a job and how to conduct himself as an employee.  In 1979, the Job Shop ended and Conway looked at opportunities at Westmoreland County Public Schools.  While waiting for an opening, he worked very briefly for a local nursery and then got a call to come and be a mechanic’s helper.  His first tasks were washing school buses.  When he finished those tasks he hung around the mechanic garage. One day, James Thompson, his immediate supervisor, saw his interest and the next thing Conway knew was he was moved up to assisting with brake work and other tasks. He received his CDL license in 1980 and started to drive school buses and drove the sports equipment truck to games.
 
Always a hard worker, Conway has followed a basic rule; “include God first, read outside your norm, and work outside your norm.”  He is a firm believer in life-long learning. Conway has attended training classes from bus companies, truck manufacturers, and many web courses. Conway worked part-time at Walmart in Tappahannock for the past 20 years. He started in the automotive department and moved up to floor supervisor. He “retired” from Walmart in 2017.  To this day, Conway is still studying his craft and learning the best ways to maintain WMLCPS buses and transportation vehicles.
 
Despite his cool demeanor, Conway has a wicket sense of humor.  He remembers fondly the times Mr. Thompson had a condenser compressor that needed to be energized with a battery.  He had it rigged so anytime Conway or anyone else touched it they would receive a nasty shock.  Many laughs were found there.
 
 Unfailingly polite, he is always considerate to his peers and the first one to open doors for the ladies and pick up after others. A member of Siloam Baptist Church for over 42 years, he is a member of the building committee and head usher.  Conway does not see himself slowing down or retiring anytime soon. His pleasures remain homebased, doing crossword puzzles and enjoying his mother’s great home cooking. He tries to “read something of God and educational every day.”
 
Conway has been a loyal employee for a lot of years. He tries to show by example “that hard work is a worthy trait, especially when it is done for the right reason.”  Above all else, he has lived a life of service to God, his family, and Westmoreland County Public Schools and the safety of its most precious cargo, its students.

W&l Art student wins congressional art competition

Congressman Rob Wittman's office has announced that W&L art student Arianna Barajas has won the 2019 Congressional Art Competition for District 1.  Her art piece is titled "Lynx" and was made on scratchboard.  Her art piece will be displayed in the Cannon Tunnel leading to the Capitol for the next year. Congratulations to Ms. Barajas.

Dr. perry presents facilities update

Dr. Michael Perry, Superintendent of Westmoreland County Public Schools, was the guest speaker at Little Zion Baptist Church on May 22, 2019.  He spoke to the church’s Senior’s Luncheon group on the status of the proposed new high school. 
 
Dr. Perry began the presentation by guiding the audience through the lengthy process of planning the school from 2016 and culminating with the opening of the bids on May 15, 2019. He stressed that tariffs, last year’s hurricanes, and local delays and the federal government shutdown all affected the rising costs of the new high school construction.  The bids that were received reflected these factors.
 
The lowest bid came from Branch Builds in Herndon, Virginia. Their base bid was $51,239,0000.  The County had authorized the borrowing of $42,500,000.00 from Rural Development, though they were hoping for a bid coming in at $40,000,000.00.  This cost gap is the amount that has to be bridged. 
Because of this large divide, the school system has started meeting with the architects and the low bidder, Branch Builds, to see what can be changed to bring the costs down. The division and the architects have sixty days to bridge the gap by July 15, 2019. All parties are committed to making as much progress before that date arrives.
 
At the end of the presentation the audience was given the opportunity to ask questions.  One man asked a key question, “What can we, as a community, do to help?”  Dr. Perry reminded the crowd to start by contacting their Board of Supervisors representative to express their concern about the new school and why it is important to the community and its students. Dr. Perry told the audience that there are individuals who do not believe a new school is needed.  He also told them that to build a new school, taxes may have to be raised.  “Some may want a school but don’t want to pay for it.  A new school requires new taxes.” 
 
Another person wanted verification that the land where the sign advertising the new school is indeed the site of the high school.  Dr. Perry affirmed that it is. He also noted that the athletic complex would be behind the school and contain a local sports field that will be shared with the school.  When asked about the size of the auditorium, the group was pleased to hear that it would hold 450 -500 people.
 
Dr. Perry addressed the question of how the courthouse got built before the school.  He noted that he was not here at that time and they should contact their local supervisor.  It was his understanding that no local tax money was used for the facility.  This was confirmed by a gentleman at the meeting.
 
Westmoreland County Public Schools thanks the ministry of Little Zion Baptist Church for inviting Dr. Perry to speak to their members and appreciates their interest in the students of Westmoreland County.

telling our story - mms poetry quilt

Changing a perception can take a long time. Students and teachers, alike, have faced confrontations about going to school and working in Westmoreland County and have heard many untruths about the district for a long time.  Even as these issues have been addressed for a number of years, the perception still is alive and wrong. No one is more aware of that than 8th grade Montross Middle School English teacher, Jacob Spears.  When he first came to the area to teach, he had heard what a difficult district it was to teach in and heard “horror” stories about the community and schools. After working elsewhere in the Northern Neck, he decided to give the district a chance “despite all of the negativity I had heard about the county.”  Thankfully, he found that his initial perception of Westmoreland County was wrong. “There is closeness to this community that is unlike others I’ve been connected to. While working here, I have continued to hear disparaging comments about our community and our students from those who know nothing about either.  The kids hear it, too.  They hear it when they leave the community to go shopping in other counties or when they show up for competitive events.  After a while, they wonder if what others are saying is true. I wanted to change that, or at least try to change it.”
 
Enter Project Based Learning.  On a recent Wednesday morning, Montross Town Manager and School Board member, Patricia Lewis, talked to an enraptured audience of 8th grade students who are participating in the first Poetry Quilt.  Featuring the poems of Mr. Spear’s English classes, the young poets have been learning about the use of language and how to use their poetic voices to tell their stories. Mrs. Lewis talked to the students about her journey and how each event of her own life has given her a new perspective on addressing misconceptions and understanding right from wrong.  She had the students read the “Optimist Creed” and then discussed how she used her dreams of youth to attain a college education and “plan” her life journey and how that journey has led her to a good life in Westmoreland County that includes her husband and two sons and how their journey continues.
 
Mrs. Lewis told the students that she changed perception by 1) embracing a personal style that was her own 2) practicing kindness every day 3) being confident in all her decisions and learning from her mistakes, and 4) remaining positive no matter what. She then told the students about a woman she admires, Oprah Winfrey, who overcame a horrific childhood and embraced positivity to become the famous person she is today. “It doesn’t matter where you come from,” is a mantra Ms. Winfrey uses frequently.  You just have to learn empathy and take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way.”
 
Mrs. Lewis handed each student a copy of the “I Am from Poem.”  This template has students filling out the blanks to create a final poem draft to share.  The students dutifully embraced this exercise and started another exercise in writing.
Why poetry?  MMS Reading Specialist, Mrs. Evans, had introduced Mr. Spears to a novel that she thought his students might enjoy, Bronx Masquerade, by Nikki Grimes. “I instantly loved the novel, which focused on kids in the Bronx of New York, finding their voice through poetry in their 10th grade classroom.  We started a novel study in my classes to see if the kids would buy into poetry and the release that it can give.  They bought in quickly.”
 
Why a Quilt?  “My mom, Evelyn Spears of Wilson, North Carolina, is a retired postal worker. She has two granddaughters, my nieces, who also live in Wilson. Through the years she has been making quilts for their classes as fundraisers. This year she offered to do the same for me. I didn’t know how I could incorporate the quilt. After introducing the idea of a poetry quilt to the students and getting supportive responses, I posed it to Mr. Bowen, our principal. With his approval, my mom priced the materials for the quilt and the school will reimburse her for the materials. Mom has been quilting for years. Out of necessity, she learned to sew very young and made clothes and mended items for her five siblings. She makes quilts for gifts for marriages, graduations, and important life events. Now that she is retired, she’s able to create even more.”
 
The poems.  Over 40 poems were submitted for the quilt. Each student has designed and written a piece for the poem sections for the quilt. They are being delivered to Mrs. Spears on May 11, 2019, with an anticipated completion date of June 1.  Mr. Spears will display the quilt at each of the First Friday events in Montross for the remainder of the summer.  Raffle tickets will be sold and the winning ticket drawing will occur at the Fall Festival in October. 
 
The students are very excited about the Poetry Quilt.  Several of them commented on the project.  “I think the quilt helps us understand poetry a lot better and helps us make an example of poetry we could learn from.  It also is therapeutic because it’s like music; it lets us express our thoughts and feelings for something valuable. I have learned how to understand the work that is put into writing poetry and how hard it really is. I like the fact that our poetry will stay on something like a quilt forever and that whoever wins the quilt loves our art and enjoys reading it,” Sandra Dorantes-Serrano.
 
Allyson Foor continues, “I adored doing this quilt. I learned that poetry can be a form of art and how people feel. Though they are only perceived as poems, they are a reflection of what we feel and the lives we have lived. Being perceived as a bad kid or anything negative has impacted a lot of us negatively. We are not bad kids, ignorant, or mischievous. We are good, smart, respectful kids, and I hope this quilt will help people understand that. I love that this gave us, as students, a voice to say, ‘Hey! We are good people!’ So thank you to everyone who wrote a poem and to the people who made this possible.”
 
“My thoughts on the poetry quilt is that it’s very interesting,” notes Malinda Haynes. “It is something I would have never thought of at all.  I feel like it’s a good opportunity or way to express how you feel, and I also think it’s very helpful for people who can relate to what the students have gathered and written about. I love and like the fact that we got to write poems and to express our feelings whether happy or sad. I hope that this quilt helps somebody to understand that it is okay to have mixed feelings, and I hope they can use these poems for advice.”
 
Some were more succinct. Abraham Medina simply stated, “I think the poetry quilt is a great idea for students to express themselves.”  All proceeds from the raffle tickets will go to the MMS Language Arts Department to purchase more novels like the Bronx Masquerade, a subscription to the Language Arts element of IXL.com, or other materials to better facilitate learning at MMS. The story of the journey of the Poetry Quilt will be closely followed from its inception to the final drawing. Congratulations to Mr. Spears and his wonderful students for this exciting project that has already enlightened his students lives.