The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County and its people
See Section B
Our annual
Progress Edition
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June 24,1999
Vol. 67, No. 24 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
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HERTFORD NC 27944
20
Perquimans
Weekly
Chamber
charts new
course
Business group
to focus on
small business,
recovering from
financial slump
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
The Perquimans Chamber
of Commerce board of direc
tors is wading through fiscal
and philosophical changes as
it begins the task of looking
for a new executive director.
A preliminary audit com
pleted after the resignation of
executive director Sandra
Smith on June 8 indicates that
the chamber is presently
$4,000 in debt.
In addition to deciding how
best to proceed with its finan
cial concerns, the chamber is
also refocusing its responsibil
ities relating to business and
community development,
according to a press release
issued by the board this week.
To de^ with the shortfall of
funds, the board voted on June
15 to more closely oversee
financial transactions, the
release said. This may also
include updating chamber
bylaws.
In addition, it was agreed
that members of the board
would attend county and town
meetings to ask for financial
support for the chamber. The
chamber had already submit
ted requests to the local gov
ernments asking for support
for marketing, in particular
printing new brochures.
In a presentation to the
county commissioners during
a recent budget meeting,
chamber membership director
Carol Le Roy told commission
ers the chamber works in part
nership with the county by
promoting the county and its
businesses, and by providing
visitor information and relo
cation packets. These services
cost money, LeRoy said. The
chamber asked the county for
$17,000.
LeRoy also appeared before
the Hertford Town Council
seeking $4,661 from that group.
The request was tabled until
the July meeting, but there
were positive comments made
about the chamber by council-
men Horace Reid, Carlton
, Davenport and Sid Eley.
Councilman Billy Winslow
questioned the chamber’s
$10,000 marketing budget, but
LeRoy responded that reprint
ing brochures is expensive.
The chamber board believes
that its marketing efforts have
been successful.
“The marketing informa
tion that the Chamber pro
duces is a powerful marketing
tool, creating and stimulating
interest in our town,” the
chamber news release stated.
“Recently, the Perquimans
County Chamber of
Commerce was recognized as
the ‘North Carolina Chamber
of the Year’ (by the state
Technological Development
Center). Efforts to promote
Perquimans County are being
felt statewide.”
The board wUl redirect its
focus to small business sup
port and recruitment, an area
in which vice president Mary
White said the group has been
successful.
Members with questions,
concerns or suggestions may
contact LeRoy at 426-5657.
Schools host Teaching Fellows
From Staff Reports
If you were in downtown
Hertford a few weeks ago and
saw a tour bus full of young
adults touring our area, you
probably wondered where they
all came from. They came from
all over North Carolina.
Perquimans County Schools
served as a host school district
for the North Carolina
Teaching Fellows by facilitat
ing their discovery of the econ
omy, the schools, and the peo
ple of our state. The college
students that visited our area
will complete their college edu
cation and then enter the
teaching field. Perquimans
County Schools participated in
the project to help students
identify with Perquimans
County and Perquimans
County Schools.
“It is imperative that we
recruit early,” says Brenda
Dail, Personnel Director for
Perquimans County Schools.
“Currently, there is a teaching
shortage in our state and we
want to make sure we reach
out and let college students
majoring in education know
about Perquimans County
Schools.”
Since its inception, the
North Carolina Teaching
Fellows Program is the top
teacher recruiting program in
the United States. The primary
purpose of the program is to
attract top high school seniors
to become education majors
and ultimately public school
teachers.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
School’s out for good!
'V.
■*
More than 200 family members, friends, and co-workers flowed into
the Board of Education Office last week to give this year's honorees
best wishes as they retire from Perquimans County Schools. Mary
Schultheiss, Sid Eley, Bertha Moore (left) and Carolyn Darnell were
A group of North Carolina Teaching Fellows stopped in Perquimans County recently to become aquainted with
the area and the opportunities available in education. Perquimans was one of the host sites for the Teaching
Fellows' Discover 99 summer tour.
Barwi camp
Perquimans County Schools
win offer summer band camps
for Perquimans County Middle
School students and rising 9th
graders.
The two-week sessions are
scheduled for June 28-July 9.
Each camp will be held dally
and win be taught by David
Ziemba, Director of
Instrumental Music for the
Perquimans County Schools.
Camps include:
A Band: one band for rising
7th grade students (8:30-9:30
a.m.): B band: one band for ris
ing 8th and 9th grade students
(10-11 a.m.); and Jazz: one baud
for rising 7th, 8th, and 9th
grade students in Jazz studies
(audition required) 11:30 a.m.-
12:30 p.m.
The camp is free of charge
and will study and perform
music on grade level of stu
dents. To register, call Ziemba
at PCMS at 426-7355 or 426-1568.
SUBMITTED PHOTOS
among the honorees at the 1999 retirement social for Perquimans
County Schools. Walter Leigh, vice chairman of the Board of
Education, presented each retiree with an Oak Charleston Regulator
Clock.
Class of 1999 collects over $370K in scholarships
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
The PCHS class of 1999
earned over $372,000 in one
time and renewable scholar
ships.
Almost half, 47 percent, of
the 98 graduates plan to attend
a 4-year college or university,
while 27 percent plan to attend
a 2-year community college or
trade school. Thirteen percent
of the graduates enlisted or
plan to enlist in the military.
The remainder plan to enter
the workforce.
In addition to earning the
scholarships, PCHS Principal
Elaine Pritchard said the class
was the first to meet tougher
graduation standards, includ
ing state testing and comple
tion of a senior project (see
related story).
• Earning scholarships were:
Brandy Ballard - ECSU
Incentive - $15,200; Regina
Boone - UNC - Chapel Hill
Incentive - $12,000, Dr. J.
Weaver Memorial - $4,000,
Perquimans County NAACP -
$1,000, Delta Sigma Theta -
$500, Parksville Ruritan - $500;
Markeita Boyce - ECSU
Incentive - $15,200, Hertford
BPW - $200; Amanda Byrum -
Barton College Athletic -
$12,000, Barton Leadership -
$6,000, Lettie Tate Whitehead
Memorial - $3,200, Parksville
Ruritan - $1,000, Whiteville
Grove Baptist - $100, Hertford
Senior projects get high marks
PCHS seniors met many
challenges during their
schools days, probably none
more daunting than the
famed senior project.
While many members of
the class of 1999 looked at the
senior project as an extra
burden to bear during an
already tough year, the learn
ing experience and outcomes
were extremely positive,
according to PCHS principal
Elaine Pritchard.
“Overall, I was real, real
pleased,” Pritchard said.
“They just seemed to be
pleased with their efforts.
They felt good about them
selves.”
Pritchard said there was
an obvious sense of pride
and accomplishment on the
faces of the students as they
finished their presentations
at the central office.
The senior project,
Pritchard said, is a major
component of the senior
English curriculum. It com
bines a wide array of learn
ing experiences.
For the senior project, stu
dents chose to study in-depth
a career in which they are
interested. The study includ
ed traditional research,
internet research and learn
ing from a mentor in the
field.
Students were required to
write a formal proposal on
what they planned to do and
what they thought they
would gain from their plan,
do the research, write a
research paper, complete a
related hands-on project and
make a presentation to a
panel of teachers and those
in the community familiar
with the career they chose
for their project.
In addition to honing
research, writing, critical
thinking and communication
skills, Pritchard said a very
positive outcome of the pro
jects was the confidence and
self-esteem many students
gained through its successful
completion.
“Everybody could do it on
their level,” she said. “It ben-
efitted the students across
the board.”
The senior project spanned
the entire year and was a gradu
ation requirement.
UMW - $100; Eric Byrum -
ECSU Incentive - $15,200,
Hertford UMW - $100, Knowles
Memorial - $1,253; Candace
Downing - Philadelphia
College Faculty Incentive -
$20,000, Philadelphia College
Incentive - $2,000, New Bethel
Missionary Baptist - $500; Neil
Eure, Ruritan - $500; LeAnn
Ferrell - ECSU Incentive -
$15,200; Jay Finch - Saunders
Grove Church - $1,500; Andrew
Harris - UNC Merit Scholar -
$500, PCHS Salutatorian - $200;
Lauren Hill - Educational
Office Personnel - $250; Brandy
Hollo well - NC Teaching
Fellows - $26,000, SEANC State
$1,000, SEANC District 69 -
$200, Hertford UMW - $100,
Grace Coston Memorial - $150;
Ashley Hurdle - George and
Frances London - $20,000,
Albemarle District Firemans
Assoc. - $250, Albemarle
District Ruritans - $500,
Hertford UMM - $850, Hertford
UMW - $100, John Coston
Memorial - $150, Parksville
Ruritan - $500, PCHS
Salutatorian - $200; Natalie
Long - Scott Williams
Memorial - $200; TJ. Long -
ECSU Incentive - $15,200;
Jermaine Malory - Ruritan -
$500, Educational Office
Personnel - $250; Angela
Manley - NCCU Incentive -
$12,000, AKA Debutant - $2,000,
Hertford Rotary - $500, New
Bethel Missionary Baptist -
$500; Joey Manning - Bogue -
$2,000, Hertford Rotary - $250;
Dail Nixon - NC Teaching
Fellows - $26,000, PCHS
Valedictorian - $300; Stacey
Overton - Forestburg Ruritan -
$500, Albemarle District
Ruritans - $500, Ruritan
National - $500; April Owens -
NC Teaching Fellows - $26,000,
Athletic Booster Claude Brinn
Memorial - $300, Parksville
Ruritans - $500, Bear Swamp^
Beech Springs Ruritans - $500;
Michael Roberts - Ruritans -
$500; Terilyn Ross - ECSU
Incentive - $15,200, New
Millenium - $4,800, ECSU
Minority Presence - $4,000,
ECSU Music - $800; Michael
Rucker - ECSU Incentive -
$15,200, Parksville Ruritan -
$500; Demetria Sheard - ECSU
Incentive - $15,200, Coast to
Coast/ServiStar Vocational -
$100; Jason Small - ECSU
Incentive _ $15,200; Kim
Stallings - Friends of Chowan
Hospital - $1,600, L. Paul Smith
- $1,000, Hertford Lions Club
Catfish Hvmter - $500, Hertford
Rotary - $500, Parksville
Ruritan - $500; Adam Swindell-
Bobby Carter Memorial - $500,
Hertford UMW - $100, Joe
Tunnell Memorial - $667;
Virginia Talmadge - ECSU
Incentive - $15,2000; Lee Thach*-
NC Association of
Rescue/ Emergency Medical
Services - $12,000, UNC-W Jazz -
$250, Bethel Ruritans - $500,
Hertford UMW - $100, Thelma
EUiott - $437. :