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AUG 05 1;
he Perquimans Weekly
350
VoL 66, No. 31
The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County people
Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Robinson sworn in as sheriff Friday
Former chief
deputy not
asked to serve
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Ralph Robinson was sworn
in as interim sheriff at a mid
night ceremony Friday at the
Perquimans County court
house by the Honorable J.C.
Cole, 1st District Court Judge.
“It was a very humbling
experience,’’ Robinson, 70, said
of the ceremony. “We had
standing room only. It was
something.”
The sheriff was appointed
by the county commissioners
in special session last Monday
to fulfill the unexpired term of
David Lane. Lane resigned on
July 20 effective July 31. to pur
sue other job opportunities
outside the area.
The interim sheriff defeated
Lane 1,012 votes to 832 votes in
the Democratic primary elec
tion in May.
Deputies swon in were
Kevin L. Byrd, Darlene M.
Jacobs, Homeria V. Jennette,
David Layne (no relation to
the former sheriff), Ersal
Overton, William Spruill Jr.
and Eric V. Tilley.
Notably absent from the
sweafing-in ceremony were
three members of Lane’s
staff—chief deputy Dean
Cartwright and deputies Chris
Whitmore and Darrell Felton.
■Robinson said Cartwright
had not resigned to his knowl
edge. but would not comment
further on his separation from
the department. He did say
that Cartwright met with him
last week and offered assis
tance with the transition
between administrations. .
“He was very professional,”
Robinson said. “I’m glad he
called me and he helped in the
transition.”
.According to Cartwright’s
wife, Susan Godfrey
Cartwright, her husband was
not asked to be sworn in
Friday by Robinson. Susan
Retracing slavery’s pathway
Interfaith
pilgrims
walk to
understand
By ANGELA FOREST
The Daily Advance
For more than two months
they’ve been on the road, walk
ing through communities
large and small, visiting land
marks from American’s slave
holding past.
When their journey is final
ly complete later this year, the
50 or so members of the
Interfaith Pilgrimage for the
Middle Passage hope to have
retraced slavery’s path from
the United States back to
Africa.
But more importantly, the
Interfaith pilgrims hope to
have a better sense of slavery’s
legacy on the New World.
. Representing several coun
tries and a variety of cultures
and. economic backgrounds,
the Interfaith pilgrims walked
through the Albemarle
Thursday and Friday, spend-
'ing one night in Elizabeth City
-and the other in Winfall.
The group began its journey
in I.everett, Mass on May 30,
So-far, the pilgrims have trav
eled through 11 states and
Washington, D.C., said Clyde
Love, an Interfaith member
from Kansas City, Mo.
The pilgrims will end the
United States portion of their
tour in New Orleans in
November, said group
spokesman Aaron Jones, who
hails from San Francisco.
The pilgrims then hope to
board a boat and sail to Cuba,
Puerto Rico, Haiti and other
Caribbean island nations, and
follow that with a trip to
Brazil. They then will set sail
for Africa, where they hope to
visit 14 countries and complete
their trip to Cape Town, South
Africa, in June 1999.
Financing for the historic
pilgrimage has come from
fund-raisers, contributions
from members, and non-mem
ber donors, Jones said. A
Friday evening fund-raiser in
Winfall, for example, raised
more than $100 for the trip.
The logistics of obtaining
food and lodging for the group
has at times been difficult,
.s^id, Jones. But the challenges
•have only strengthened mem
bers’ faith that they will reach
their final destination.
“We’ve walked 85 percent of
thel way since leaving
Massachusetts,” he said.
“Sometimes the day’s journey
is longer than the day and we
have (to ride) to the next loca
tion. We’re learning how to be
one unit. It’s like a family.
Jones said the group still
hasn’t secured a ship for its
1.-*
m
fate'
S'*-
*
Members of Interfaith Pilgrimage for the Middle Passage make their way into Elizabeth City via
the Camden Causeway Thursday. The pilgrims, who number about 50, are retracing the path of
slavery from Massachusetts to Africa. They were welcomed in Perquimans County by members
of Melton’s Grove Church, where they stayed overnight Friday.
passage to the Caribbean and
Africa. But that’s not a con
cern, he said. “We’re just
going on faith and praying it
will work out as it should.”
The group’s visit in the
Albemarie apparently went
smoothly. On Thursday, the
pilgrims were greeted by
Elizabeth City officials that
included Mayor Rick Gardner
and Pasquotank County
NAACP President Raymond
Rivers. They bedded down for
the night in dorm rooms at
Elizabeth City State
University.
On Friday, they were enter
tained by the Inspirational
Voices choir at a evening pro
gram hosted by Winfall Mayor
Fred yates, Perquimans
County NAACP President
Estelle Felton, County
Commissioner Shirley Yates
and members of Melton’s
Grove Church, where the pil
grims stayed the night.
For Love, 38, being able to
follow the Underground
Railroad through several
states, standing before a for
mer slave auction house in
Washington, D.C., and visiting
a slave cemetery in Newport,
R.L, has often been an emo
tional and healing experience.
“When I stand in (places
where slavery existed), I think
about my history, I think
about my family tree and who
was being beaten and shackled
in this one place,” Love said.
“For people of African
descent, these places cause
deep feelings and deep hurt.
There are a lot of tears. But by
expressing these feelings it’s
healing for ourselves and the
communities we travel to.”
Jones said the group has
visited several towns where
the local citizenry wasn’t
aware of their community’s
Cartwright said that during
the meeting Robinson and
Cartwright had last week,
Robinson told Cartwright that
he respected him and that he
had done a good job, but that
there was no place for
Cartwright in Robinson’s
administration. Susan
Cartwright confirmed that the
former chief deputy did not
resign.
Cartwright came to
Perquimans County to serve
as chief deputy at the start of
Lane’s tenure in December
1994. Susan Cartwright said
the 17-year law enforcement
veteran holds a masters degree
in criminal justice and is certi
fied by the state as both a gen
eral instructor and as an
instructor trainer.
The position of chief deputy
will be held by Eric V. Tilley,
Robinson said. Presently a
probation/parole officer,
Tilley served as a deputy in
Perquimans County from
August 1987-December 1992
under sheriff Joe Lothian.
Please see Sheriff, page 6
Superintendent
sees positives in
school system
PHOTO BY J. MURPHY MILLER, THE DAILY ADVANCE
significant ties to slavery.
Jones says many people feel
slavery should be forgotten.
But he says Americans will
never be able to embrace a
future free of racial and social
problems as long as slavery’s
legacy isn’t fully understood.
Christianna Abel, an 18-
year-old from Miller’s Fall,
Mass., says the pilgrimage has
helped her see the history of
oppression other races and
ethnic groups have experi
enced in the United States.
Before I heard about the
walk, I never saw people as dif
ferent colors and races and the
problems that went along with
that,” she said.
“(On this pilgrimage), I saw
a lot of anger and forgiveness
and I was witness to an amaz
ing ritual of a people crying
for ancestors that were never
cried for. It’s very empower
ing,” she said.
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Cooperation between teach
ers, students and parents and
setting high standards can be
the keys to success in the
Perquimans County Schools,
according to new superinten
dent Gregory L. Todd.
Todd said Monday that
when teachers and parents
communicate and cooperate, it
can help motivate students to
perform at a higher level.
“There is no doubt in my
mind that all children can
reach grade level,” Todd said.
“It has been shown all over the
state. If (everybody) works
together, it is achievable.”
Setting high standards is
one of the first steps to student
achievement, Todd said.
Todd said he has already
seen signs that high standards
can be met in Perquimans
County. Preliminary indica
tions are that students at
Central School performed very
well on the state end-of-course
testing this past school year,
with the middle school show
ing improvement. And he said
that although scores were not
strong at the high school, they
can be improved with closer
alignment to the state curricu
lum.
The superintendent said
that while grades 3-5 had good
test scores overall, there is a
concern with the fourth grade
scores. He said there will be an
emphasis on improving them
during the coming year.
The middle school also had
what the state will probably
term adequate growth in stu
dent achievement, but Todd
said particular attention will
be paid this year to the sixth
grade.
Todd said that at the high
school, there is a good faculty
and steps are already being
taken to more closely align
curriculum with the state’s
standard course of study.
The comprehensive ABCs
report is expected to be
released Thursday. It will con
tain end-of-course test scores
from across the state and the
ranking of each school system.
He said that efforts will be
made to continue to expand
the curriculum at the high
school through distance learn
ing and technology courses.
One step that will be taken
over the next three years to
strenghten academic stan
dards will be that students
must perform at or above
grade level on end-of-course
tests in order to be promoted.
Next year, students must per
form at grade level in one of
three areas to go to the next
grade. That standard will be
raised the next year to two of
three areas, and the next to all
three core areas.
He said the school system
will also set high expectations
for student behavior in order
to maintain safe and orderly
schools. He said ways must be
found to make sure disruptive
students are not ailowed to
hamper the learning environ
ment for other students. White
all students make mistakes,
Todd said ways will be found
to remove habitually disrup
tive students into a support
ive, controlled environment.
Todd has found the facilities
in Perquimans County to be in
good shape. Perquimans
Middle School and
Perquimans High School are
good facilities, he said, adding
that there are roofing concerns
at the high school that engi
neers are working to address
at present. With the comple
tion of the new school under
construction in Winfall and
major renovations underway
at the elementary school in
Hertford, all four schools
should serve students well.
One of the most positive
signs that Perquimans schools
can improve is the pc'ople of
the county, Todd said. He
described those he has met as
“good, sincere people with
strong value struct ures in
place.” He said those values
and the community's interest
in and commitment lo the
schools will help in the school
system’s efforts to improve
education.
With the start of school
around the corner, Todd said
Kahn Construction, the man
agement company overseeing
the Hertford and Winfall con
struction projects, still fore
sees the completion of
Hertford Grammar by the
opening day of school on Aug.
24. He said the project is still
on schedule-.
Meanwhile, maintenance
employees have worked this
summer moving classroom
equipment and supplies boxed
by teachers and assistants at
the end of last year. Grades
pre-kindergarten—2 will be
housed at Central School and
grades 3—5 at Hertford. Some
teachers and assistants have
already reported to work orga
nizing their new classrooms.
The annual convocation for
faculty and staff was set for
Wednesday, with work days
set up from then until school
begins. Aug. 12 is the first
required day for teachers.
Todd is looking forward to a
successful year for students
and staff.