THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Volume 61, No.35
Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C., Thursday, August 27,1992
35 Cents
Education:
COA offers classes
through adult education
department: Page 7
Feature:
Haven of health:
Humor in the hospitals
Gail Winds: Page 4
Sports:
Government moves:
to suspend Canada goose
hunting season: Page 6
Library to
offer new
children’s
program
By TRACY E. GERLACH
. The Dally Advance
Two new programs being of
fered by the Perquimans County
Public Library target the very
youngest of potential library us
ers- newborns and preschool
children.
Using a $500 grant from the
North Carolina Department of
Cultural Resources, the library
will launch its Reading: the Best
Start program this fall. A second
program, based on the book
, Mother Goose Time, will begin in
late September.
Both pro
grams are done
in conjunction
with the county’s
efforts to provide
early childhood
intervention.
They also sup
port the goal of
America 2000
and North Caro
Feam
una zuuu - to ensure mat dv me
year 2000, all children will begin
school ready to team.
Working In cooperation with
the county’s Interagency Council,
the library will send gift certifi
cates to new parents and parents
of preschool children to pick up
a decorative bag with Information
about local children's programs
and agencies, information about
nutrition and parenting and a
free copy of Goodnight Moon, a
picture book by Margaret Wise
Brown.
"We want to make sure by
the time kids are in grammar
school, parents have a library
card and know what we provide,”
said County Librarian Shelley
Feame. "Once you have a child it
becomes imperative that you use
the library.”
The remaining cost of Read
ing: The Best Start will be paid
for using $300 from the Intera
gency Council and $200 from the
library budget
The program’s purpose is to
foster in parents an appreciation
for the value of reading with their
children and for self im
provement, to encourage new
parents and parents of pre
schoolers to use the library and
other agencies serving Perqui
mans County residents and to
implement a program that re
flects the library’s rote in reach
ing all children regardless of
socioeconomic background.
Fearn’s sister Dorothy F.
Houlihan co-authored the model
the library will use for Its Mother
Goose Time program.
The program stresses the use
of parent lap time to teach
rhymes and songs to children be
tween the ages of seven months
and two years.
By sharing the rhymes they
learned as children, parents will
teach their children hand-eye
coordination and at the same
time bond and share quiet time,
Feam said.
The actual teaching Is not
done by the program coordina
tor, but fay the parents them
selves.
“The beauty of this program
is it makes no difference if you
have one parent and child or
10," Feam said. “It's an interac
tive thing between parent and
child."
The program is especially
helpful to first time parents who
are not yet comfortable in their
teaching role. Feam said.
'oi'Wv. ■
1
County schools begin a new year
Administrators report
very smooth opening
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
The laughter of children
echoed through the halls of Per
quimans County schools Monday
when students reported for the
first of the scheduled 180 days of
the 1992-93
school year.
Adminis
trators were
pleased with
how well the
first day
went.
'It was a
very positive opening, said
schools superintendent Randall
L. Henion, who reported that he
and assistant superintendent
Jake Boyce ‘““walked the deck to
gether,” visiting all four schools
during the day.
“We're Just off to a great
start,” Henion said. “Our teach
ers seem to be happy this year,
exceptionally up."
Henion attributed the smooth
opening to good preplanning on
the part of administrators, teach
ers and support staff. He re
ported that the maintenance
department had done an J>ut
standlng job readying the
schools for the return of the stu
dents. He also complimented the
cafeteria staffs for their prepara
“We’re just off to a great
start.”
Randall L. Henion
Perquimans Schools superinten
dent
tion and for setting up the lunch
areas for the new recycling pro
gram.
A few minor bus problems
cropped up, but Henion said he
believes those situations have
been corrected. He also said that
the video mon
itors ordered
earlier in the
summer are be
ing installed to
allow for ran
dom monitoring.
The principals
assigned to all
four schools
concurred witn Henion.
“I think It went quite well,”
said Perquimans High principal
William Byrum. “Most people
were in their places and seemed
to be ready to get down to busi
ness.”
Perquimans Middle School
co-principal Morris Komegay re
ported the same at that facility.
“It went smooth as silk,” Kor
negay said. “It's the best opening
I've ever been associated with.
You could not ask for a better
opening here at school.”
Kornegay said the open
house held Sunday afternoon at
the middle school allowed par
ents and students to come in.
Photo courtesy Perquimans Schools
Dr. Rob Gilbert, a well-known sports psychologist and col
lege professor, delivered the address at the annual Per
quimans County Schools convocation last Thursday
morning. Gilbert emphasized team-building.
Schools convocation held
By SUSAN R. HARMS
Editor
The annual Perquimans
County Schools convocation
was held last Thursday at Per
quimans High School.
All faculty and staff mem
bers heard nationally known
sports psychology expert Rob
Gilbert explain “How to do the
Impossible.”
Dr. Gilbert specializes in
motivating people to be win
ners, to break through mental
banters confining people to
average performance. He fo
cused on the principles of
mental stamina, flexbluty and
working smart.
"When we start feeling bet
ter about ourselves, we do bet
ter," Gilbert said. He stressed
that everyone has the ability
to perform better, but must
learn to hone the mental edge
to reach peak performance.
Gilbert gave the school
employees ideas on juggling
responsibilities and building
teams to better serve stu
dents. »• it-'fVhKmrrfyrJ:*
Schools superintendent
Randall L. Henlon Invited Gil
bert to Perquimans because
he felt that Gilbert’s message
could help all school employ
ees learn to be more effective
team players.
Gilbert is a sports psychol
ogist with J.R. Associates
headquartered in Princeton.
N«J. He is a professor at Mont
clair State College, director of
the Center for Sports Success
and the author of Gilbert on
Greatness.
The convocation opened
with a continental breakfast
prepared by the Perquimans
High School cafeteria staff.
Also Included on the program
were school board chairman
Wayne Howell and Perqui
mans High School exceptional
children’s teacher Sherry
Smith, who provided enter
tainment
% ; New teachers were recog
nised during the morning.
*
Students in Mrs. Byrd’s typing class at Perqui
mans High School look a little overwhelmec
by the typewriters on their desks, even though
they were not even plugged in for the first day
All-in-all administrators tagged the first day of
school a success and look forward to a suc
cessful year.
meet teachers, find their class
rooms, leam their schedules and
ask any questions they had re
garding school. That, in his opin
ion, went a long way toward
making the first day so positive
for bom students and staff.
Komegay also reported that
enrollment at the middle school
is at 530 students, up about 47
from last year.
“Everything went fine,” said
Central School principal Gary
Stubbins.
Stubblns said that except for
a few minor bus problems that
can be expected during the first
few days, everything went very
smoothly.
Hertford Grammar School
principal Bill Tice was in confer
ence Tuesday morning and
could not be reached for com
ment.
Parents should receive
handbooks this week outlining
codes of conduct, the school cal
endar and other information
needed by students and par
ents, administrators said.
Zoning change wins council approval
Hertford Mayor John G. Beers votes against measure
By TRACY E. GERLACH
Staff writer
Two local developers over
came one hurdle Wednesday in
their plan to create a 250-home
development in the area.
Elizabeth City Developer
Gene Meads and Preston Steven
son of Hertford will begin phase
one of the project this fall, which
includes 32 lots.
Once the full project is un
derway, the developers may an
nex the property into the Town of
Hertford for use of its water and
sewer services.
Members of the Hertford
Town Council approved a recom
mendation from the planning
board to rezone the 70-acre Ste
venson farm near the Brian Cen
ter Nursing Home to
accommodate single-family and
multi-dwelling homes, offices
and institutions.
The decision came despite
opposition from residents of the
surrounding area, who claimed
multi-unit housing would lower
their property values and endan
ger the safety of their children.
“Not many new home build
ers would buy a lot adjacent to
what we currently have as multi
family housing.” said Steve Dail,
referring to the county’s only
housing complex, the Hertford
Housing Authority.
Meads promised that the pro
ject would include upscale town
houses and not subsidized
housing. He added that the pro
ject will include buffers that
separate the units from the
rest of the area.
“What we’re doing will
help this property," he said.
Council member Sid Eley
said a change in the area’s
zoning would not necessarily
give a green light for the de
velopment of multi-unit hous
ing. Any subdivision plans
would still be subject to sub
division regulations and ap
proval by the town’s planning
board.
Mayor John G. Beers
voted against the motion after
suggesting a plan to zone the
entire area residential with a
10,000 square-foot lot re
quirement.
Indian Summer Festival gets new logo
The Perquimans County
Chamber of Commerce has an
nounced that a new logo has
been designed for the Indian
Summer Festival. Turtles on a
log, long associated with Per
quimans County, has been
adopted as the official Chamber
Insignia, according to executive
director Maiy Harrell. Harrell
said that the insignia, sur
rounded by the words “Indian
Summer Festival Perquimans
County, N.C.” will appear on all
festival-related brochures and
advertisements.
Bands already contracted to
appear at the 1992 Indian Sum
mer Festival include Dakota, Au
gust, Overtime, State of Mind
and the Singing Meter Reader.
The deadline for renting
booths Is Sept 15; however, any
one wishing to appear on the fes
tival brochure must reserve a
space by Aug. 31, Harrell said.
Look for the new logo which
will accompany updates on In
dian Summer Festival ’92 each
week.
Water board to take over county system
By TRACY E. QERLACH
The Dally Advance
The Perquimans County Board of Commission
ers is considering forming an Independent board to
take over the county water system.
A public hearing will be held at 9 a.m. Sept. 8,
to discuss the formation of the Perquimans County
Water Authority.
A separate water authority would be able to
borrow money more easily for future projects and
would not be subject to paying for moving water
and sewer lines for construction on state high
ways, County Manager N. Paul Gregory said.
The county recently settled a $193,000 bill
with the state Department of Transportation for
lines moved four years ago during highway im
provements. According to state statutes, if the
lines arc owned by a county, the state will not pay
for the work. A water authority, however, would
t .' ' , ........... , .
have been exempt from paying.
“It’s totally separating county government from
the water system,” Gregory said. “Hopefully, we
won’t have a water line problem in the future."
Even though the authority would be separate
from the county, it will most likely be made up of
members of the board of commissioners, Gregory
said. The authority's business, however, could not
be conducted during a regular board meeting, he
said.
“We’re using all board members for the protec
tion of the people of Perquimans County,” he said.
The new authority would take over the county’s
two water plants, equipment, six full-time and one
part-time employee. Responsibility for a debt of
$1.1 million for the construction of plants in Wlnfall
and Bethel, would shift to the authority.