Free music festival
'Catfish' Hunter honored
Graduation marshals
Page 2
The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County and its peopli
The
June 17,1999
Vol. 67, No. 23 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
12 013165 10/09/1999 »C20
PERQUIHANS COUNTY LIBRARY
110 U ACADEMY ST
HERTFORD NC 27944
I.i
JUN 16 1993
1.'
ERQUIMANS
T T JlJliJRJLijL
Hertford Town Council approves budget
Pirate
Meet the class of 1999
receive
diplomas
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
The first PCHS class to face
must pass senior projects and
end-of-course tests celebrated
Friday night at commencement
exercises on Memorial Field.
Principal Elaine Pritchard
sajd the class of 1999 met the
challenges of testing and
senior projects, exceeding
expectations in some areas.
Thanks in part to the seniors’
leadership and hard work, pre
liminary indications are that
the high school will achieve
exemplary status for the school
year, she said.
As has become the custom,
honor graduates served as
speakers for the occasion.
‘Valedictorian Bail Nixon
challenged her classmates to do
the right thing in life, regard
less of any negative conse
quences or its unpopularity.
She advocated helping the help
less, cheering for the underdog
and going the extra mUe for
others.
Andrew Harris, co-salutato-
rlan, said the PCHS class of
1999 is a remarkable class, both
individually and collectively.
He said each classmate is “des
tined to be great in our own
PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS
Perquimans County High School seniors celebrate with beach bails, silly string and the congratulatory sign confiscated from the
front of the school as they leave graduation ceremonies Friday night.
way.” Harris closed with this
advice: “And no matter how
tough the future may be,
always remember this: The
road of life is long and bumpy,
but even the greatest of racers
must take pit stops along the
way”
Co-salutatorian Ashley
Hurdle used her original poem,
“An Awesome Power,” describ
ing the power of the ocean. “As
each of you walk across the
stage tonight, know that the
power the ocean possesses is in
each of you and like the ocean’s
waves, with God and your faith,
you can all make an impact on
everyone’s life around you and
even find your true destiny.”
Also taking part in the pro
gram were Joseph Manning,
invocation; April Owens, wel
come; Natalie Long, farewell;
and Kimberly Stallings, bene
diction.
Ninety-eight graduates
received diplomas from school
board chairman Wallace
Nelson.
The class was awarded over
$370,000 in scholarships.
Almost 50 percent will enter a
4-year college or university
next faU.
In addition to those on the
program, honor students were
Angela Manley, Brandon
Hollowell, Terilyn Ross,
Amanda Byrum, Lee Thach,
Michael Jarvis, Matt Winslow,
Brooke Mickelson, Jermaine
Mallory, Adam Swindell,
Candace Downing, Regina
Boone, Markeita Boyce, LeAnn
Ferrell, Timothy Long, Neil
Eure, Michael Roberts and
Lauren Hill.
Marshals, the top students
in the freshmen sophomore
and junior classes were Chief
Courtney Harris, Amanda
Drozdowski, Rebecca Hyde,
Ashley Copeland, Shellie
Hurdle, Miche'elle Harris and
Heather Godfrey
Cousins earn top graduation honors
Hi
PHOTO BY SAM WOLFE
Dail Nixon (top left), valedictorian of this year’s Perquimans
County High School graduating class, poses with her fourth-
cousins, Courtney and Andrew Harris. Courtney Harris was chief
marshal for the graduation ceremony and her brother Andrew
was co-salutatorian.
JEREMY DESPOSITO
Staff Writer
If it’s possible to corner the
market on a high school gradu
ation ceremony, the Dempsey
Winslow family sure did at
Perquimans County High
School Friday night.
Three Winslow family
cousins claimed the top three
academic spots in this year’s
graduating class, and each
gave a commencement speech
during Friday night’s ceremo
ny
Third-cousins Ashley
Hurdle and Andrew Harris
were the class’ co-salutatorians
while their fourth cousin, Dail
Nixon, was the valedictorian.
And if that wasn’t enough, a
fourth member of the Winslow
clan, Courtney Harris, served
as chief marshal for the gradu
ation and is likely to be next
year’s valedictorian.
That three members from
the same family would head a
high school graduating class is
indeed something to be proud
of, 18-year-old Ashley Hurdle
says. But it’s also not that sur
prising.
When it comes right down to
it. Hurdle said, each of the
Winslow cousins accomplished
no less than what’s been
expected of them.
“I didn’t really think about
(graduating tied for second in
my class). My parents just told
me to do my best... That’s what
I tried to do. We all did.”
Hurdle said she was espe
cially honored to be named co-
salutatorian along with third-
cousin Andrew Harris.
“We’ve always been good
friends,” she said. “It's really
special because Drew and I,
we’ve been really close since
babies. We’ve grown up togeth
er.”
Each of the cousins share a
common ancestor: Dempsey
Eugene Winslow, their great-
great-great-grandfather. A
total of 14 of Winslow’s descen
dants were in the Perquimans
County High School gradua
tion class Friday
Eighteen-year-old Andrew
Harris agrees that this year is
unique, but says his family has
had a tradition of success in
academics.
“The whole family has gen
erally done really well (in
school),” he said. “Mom (Susan
Harris) was a salutatorian (at
PCHS) when she graduated.
Somewhere down the line we
were blessed with some decent
genes, I guess.”
Adds his sister Courtney,
“We have a lot of master’s
(degrees) in our family, and
people that graduated at the
top of the class who have gone
to MIT (Massachusetts
Institute of Technology) and
graduated with honors.”
Despite finishing one, two
and three in their graduating
class, Dail, Hurdle and Harris
never saw themselves as com
peting against each other,
Andrew Harris said.
“Ashley and I may say a little
something (to each other) -
she’ll get mad because she only
made a 94 (on a test) and I’ll
say, “Oh, that all you made?”
Dail always makes 100 (on her
tests).
“We try to do the best (we
can) in whatever we do,” he
said. We all are in a ton of
clubs, and I play sports. That’s
proven to be a key for us...Look
where we are now.”
Although the list of their
extracurricular activities is
extensive - and all four of he
Winslow cousins either com
pete in sports or are involved
in a number of school clubs -
each still finds time for a life
outside of school, Andrew
Harris said.
“One of the hardest things
(when) maintaining good
grades, playing sports and
working is having spare time
for yourself and friends,” said
Andrew’s sister, sixteen-
year-old Courtney, says her
cousins have helped her a lot at
school, and that she’ll miss
them once they’re graduated.
Like her cousins, she credits
More coverage on page 7
10 percent hike
in water, sewer
services only
budget increase
SEAN JACKSON
Staff Writer
The Hertford Town
Council unanimously
approved Town Manager John
Christensen's fiscal year 1999-
2000 budget Monday night,
including a 10 percent hike in
water and services.
The budget goes into effect
July 1.
Christensen told the board
that the increase was needed
to balance the town's water
and sewer fund. In addition,
the Water Department staff
was increased by one position
in the upcoming budget. The
street department also had
funding added in the budget
for a new staff position.
"We're losing money in our
water/sewer department,"
Christensen said. "This 10
percent (increase) will just
(allow the town to) break
even."
Christensen said that the
average residential household
uses 5,000 gallons of water
per month and that the
increase will add a mere $3 J.5
to each water/sewer bill.
Christensen also said the
budget does not include a :
transfer of water department,
funds into the general fund. *
"We want to discontinue
that procedure," Christensen
said. ;
The budget did include an -
$11,000 transfer from the elec
tric fund into the general •
fund. But that practice will ;
also soon be phased out, the •
Town Manager said. ;;
"This $11,000 will disappear;
in the next two budget years,";;
Christensen said.
Councilman Sid Eley con- *
sidered amending the budget
to place the nearly $34,000 in
general fund contingencies
into a capital equipment fund.
After discussing the issue
with Christensen and
Winslow, Eley agreed to leave
the money in the contingen
cies fund until at least next
June at which time council
could explore using any
remaining funds for possible
capital equipment purchases.
The approved budget
includes a $1,058,735 general
fund, the bulk of which,
slightly more than $450,000,
wUl pay for the town's police
department operations.
One resident questioned
council if it would be cheaper
for the town to consolidate its
police department with the
Perquimans County Sheriffs
Department.
"We wiil possibly be getting
back into that issue," said
councUman BUly Winslow.
The electric fund was the
budget's largest item at
$2,221,000. Christensen said
that fund included a $12,000
line item for rate stabiliza
tion, should increases in elec
tric rates occur during pro
posed electric industry dereg
ulation.
The water/sewer fund was
budgeted at $555,5000 in the
upcoming fiscal year.
The town's ad valorem tax
rate of 49 cents per $100 valu
ation remained unchanged.