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Perquimans WeeKiy
Vol. 67, No. 3
The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County people
Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Expanded King Day celebrations draw crowds
Four entities
unite to focus on
late civil rights
leader’s legacy
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
' Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
is dead, but the example he set
of seeking change in non-vio
lent ways was alive in
Perquimans County Monday
during annual Martin Luther
King Day programs.
Kicked off with a prayer
breakfast, the day’s obser
vances moved to a program at
Perquimans Middle School
before its conclusion with a
service at Emmanuel
Pentecostal Church.
The program at the middle
school, which was jointly
sponsored by the school and
the National Council of Negro
Women, focused on the day’s
theme of non-violence through
music, drama, a community
talk show and reviews of
King’s life.
Under the direction of
Tanya Turner, middle school
students presented a play
depicting important compo
nents of the civil rights move
ment spearheaded by King
titled “Non-Violence on the
Move.’’ The play focused on
King’s attempts to use reason
to facilitate positive change for
African Americans.
Audience participation in
the program was encouraged
during a PCMS/Community
Talk Show hosted by middle
school teacher Nettie Moore
and Rev. Jon Strother.
Panelists were clinical social
worker Linda Weinbaum, Dr.
Charles Guyer, the Hon. J.C.
Cole and the Rev. Alvin Boone.
The theme of the segment was
“Promoting non-violence in
the home, school and commu
nity.’’
Responding to concerns and
questions from the audience,
panelists discussed the impor
tance of parents taking the
responsibility of being good
role models for their children,
setting limits, and forcing
youth to suffer the conse
quences of negative behavior.
Discussion during much of
the talk show focused on some
parents’ unwillingness to
work with authorities, both in
school and in the community,
when their children do not fol
low guidelines for behavior.
Another point brought up
during the segment was that
children must learn that it
takes a more mature person to
avoid a conflict than to allow
an argument to escalate into a
physical confrontation. Guyer
said that in his experience
working with students, hurtful
joking is often what leads to
physical conflict.
Key to teaching children to
avoid fights is the example set
at home by parents, the pan
elists said. When children wit
ness verbal and physical con
frontations at home, they
learn to use the same means to
handle disagreements.
Boone said that the commu
nity must learn to speak the
language of youth, and show
them love and attention. Youth
who do not get attention at
home will often misbehave, he
said, just to get the attention
they need.
PHOTOS BY SUSAN HARRIS
Perquimans Middle School students presented a play titled “Non-Violence on the Move’’ (above)
during a King Day program sponsored by the schooi and the Nationai Councii of Negro Women.
The schooi’s gospei choir, Voices of Praise (below) made their debute during the program. The
day kicked off with a prayer breakfast and concluded with a church service sponsored by the
NAACP at Emmanuei Pentecostal Church.
Weinbaum said that misbe
havior, especially if it repre
sents a change in a child’s per
sonality, can often be a sign of
an underlying problem such as
depression. While adults gen
erally exhibit withdrawal,
anxiety or crying as signs of
depression, those characteris
tics are not necessarily key to
diagnosing depression or
other disorders in children.
The middle school Voices of
Praise, a newly-formed gospel
choir, made its debute during
the program. The New Hope
United Methodist Church Swat
Team performed sign-language
to music.
f ■' A
rifWIfci M
The program also included
segments on King’s ideas on
non-violence, his leadership
through action and his legacy
as a positive role model.
After a sandwich lunch at
the school, a motorcade
formed to drive to Emmanuel
Pentecostal Church for a pro
gram sponsored by the
NAACP.
Rev. Landon Mason, pastor
of Saunders Grove Baptist
Church, brought the message.
Mason likened King to
Joseph, as both were persecut
ed for their dreams. Both were
men of integrity and told the
truth, he said. And both looked
to the Heavenly Father for
Counsel.
“The dreamer was slain, but
the dream lives on,” Mason
said. “Martin Luther King was
a bold soldier on the battlefield
of the Lord.”
Mason added that the prob
lems facing King were not
caused by skin, but by sin.
King’s acceptance of Jesus as
His savior gave him determi
nation to proclaim the Lord
and the courage to stand for
his convictions.
The lives of some people do
not reflect what they claim to
believe. Mason said, to the
determent of their churches
and communities. While man
will always have to deal with
the evil in the world. Mason
said King set a good example
of standing tall in the face of
sin.
The Saunders Grove choir
provided music for the occa
sion. Ministers with a part on
the program included Willie
Vaughn, Charles Eason, Willie
Moore, William Sawyer, R.
Northam and Otis Brothers.
Local Smart Start partnership
hires first executive director
By SEAN JACKSON
The Chowan Herald
Just months after receiving
its inaugural state funding, the
local Smart Start partnership
now has someone to help
administer those funds for ser
vices to help area children get
& better start in life.
At a meeting here last
Thursday night, board mem
bers of the Chowan-Gates-
Perquimans Partnership for
Children unanimously select
ed Wendy Jewett as the organi
zations first Executive
Director. Several board mem
bers said that Jewett, previ
ously Chowan County's Work
First Community Resources
Coordinator, was labeled as a
‘front-runner for the post
throughout the selection
process.
“Fve worked with Wendy
very closely over the past year
... and she has basically, sin
gle-handedly, helped us reform
welfare in Chowan County,”
said Ben Rose, Director of the
Department of Social Services
in Chowan. “We (selection
committee) pretty much had a
consensus to select Wendy.”
Rose described Jewett as an
individual who would have lit
tle problem shifting roles.
“She's a work-aholic, I can
attest to that,” Rose said.
Jewett officially took the
position Tuesday. According
to Partnership secretary Leo
Higgins, Jewett's salary will be
$40,000 annually. Reached last
Friday afternoon, Jewett said
her new role will be similar to
her involvement with Work
First in Chowan.
“As far as I'm concerned,
only the clients I'm seeing
have changed,” she said, not
ing that the inter-agency rela
tionships with the Partnership
will be similar to those she
experienced with Work First.
Jewett said that the North
Carolina Partnership for
Children will assist the local
agency with getting its ser
vices up and running during
the next two years. The state
will focus on aligning the local
agency's accounting standards
with statewide guidelines.
Where services are concerned,
the three-county Partnership
will devise its own service
plan, she said.
“We know best what our
folks need,” said Jewett.
Prior to being named to her
position with Work First in
Oct. 1997, Jewett served from
Nov. 1996 to October 1997 as
Director of Active Youth and
Parents Program for Chowan
County's 4-H service. She also
served as a counselor for at-
risk children and their fami
lies in Roxboro prior to her
move to Chowan County.
Jewett also spent 13 years as a
Certified Financial Planner
and Stockbroker, while also
filling roles a number of other
roles assisting at-risk children
and their families.
The Partnership currently
has a $464,000 budget in which
to operate for the remainder of
FY 1998-1999, including nearly
$250,000 for service expendi
tures. But Higgins said that
since state legislators were
late in finalizing the budget in
which the Smart Start funding
was included, the state will
allow unused dollars in the
current budget to become part
of next year's budget.
Along with naming Jewett
its executive director, the
Partnership opened talks with
Chowan County Manager Cliff
Copeland about the use of
office space at the former
White Oak Elementary School.
Board chairman Ben Gregory
requested that the Partnership
draft a letter to the Chowan
County Board of
Commissioners requesting use
of a portion of the vacant
school buUding.
“We need to write a letter
specifically asking what our
needs are,” added Perquimans
County Manager Paul
Gregory, also a member of the
Partnership's board.
Chowan's County Manager
expressed optimism about the
idea.
“I think we can certainly
work something out. As of
now, the building's vacant so I
can see no problem,” said
Chowan County Manager Cliff
Copeland, also a member of
the Partnership's board. “I
think we got plenty of space (at
White Oak) for a conference
room.”
Copeland said that Chowan
officials had already consid
ered a number of uses for the
facility, including use by the
Chowan County Senior
Citizens Center, for vocational
programs, and utilizing space
for office use. In addition, he
said that the deed to the school
building has not been trans
ferred from the Edenton-
Chowan School System to the
county, so an official approval
from the commissioners would
have to remain pending.
Copeland also said that the
site is Internet-ready since its
communication system
remains intact.
Saturday was Parent Moving Day at Perquimans Central School, and dozens of parents
arrived bright and early to help get teachers settled in the new building. Around noon, the
work crews took a lunch break in the cafeteria/multi-purpose room (above) before heading
for home in mid-afternoon. Students will return to class Wednesday in the new building.
Demolition on the old building Is set to begin Feb. 1.
Kidd to speak at Chamber banquet
A man experienced in her
itage tourism development
will be the guest speaker for
the annual Chamber of
Commerce banquet.
Dan Kidd, heritage tourism
manager with the North
Carolina Division of Tourism,
Fihn and Sports Development,
will share his experiences on
Feb. 9 at Angler’s Cove
Restaurant.
The Lexington, Ken. native
served as Kentucky’s heritage
and Cultural coordinator for
seven years before moving to
North Carolina in July. Kidd
earned his master’s degree
from the University of Georgia
and is certified by the U.S.
Department of the Interior as
an architectural historian.
After college, Kidd worked in
the field of historic preserva
tion for 10 years. He is her
itage tourism adviser in the
National Alliance of
Preservation Commission.
Kidd has visited Hertford
several times and describes
the town as a “truly appealing
place with rich potential for
heritage tourism development.
“The fine state of preserva
tion of the commercial district,
the retention of friendly old
homes, the scenic view of the
Perquimans River, and the
kind hospitality of folks in
Hertford aU add up to a highly
enjoyable experience,” Kidd
said.
During the banquet, awards
for Chamber Volunteer of the
Year, Chamber Ambassador of
the Year, Small Business of the
Year and a surprise award wiU
be presented.
Tickets are $20 each. For
tickets, send a check made
payable to the Perquimans
Chamber of Commerce to the
chamber at P.O. Bolx 27,
Hertford, NC 27944.