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The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County and its people
Pirates fall to Northside
page 6
Tips for student success
page 9
Class of '59 meets
page 3
August 26,1999
Vol. 67, No. 33 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
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0131 ^>5 10/09/1999 *CZ0
t:R.UI'‘'ANs' COUNTY LIBRARY
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Weekly
35 cents
Festivals
spotlight
county,
old and
new
Indian Summer,
Hearth &
Harvest events
set for Sept. 11
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
September 11 will be a big
day in Hertford.
'The 18th annual Indian
Summer Festival and the third
annual Hearth and Harvest
Festival will both be held on
that Saturday, putting Hertford
in the spotlight and offering a
day of fun for aU ages.
Indian Summer, sponsored
for the second year by the
Historic Hertford Business
Association, will resemble an
old-fashioned street fair. Food,
games, entertainment and
. crafts will be offered down
town from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The day
will end with a street dance
from 8-11 p.m.
The always-popular PCHS
Marching Pirates will open the
festival with the 1999 show
“PlayBall! A Tribute to Catfish
Hunter.” The variety of enter
tainment also includes an
Indian parade, the Harbor
Lights, Comedy Spot, Step of
Faith, Rockin’ Willie, Double
Eagle Band, Karaoke and for
the dance, Carolina Beach
Club.
On the grounds of the ca.
1730 Newbold-White House, the
past wiU come alive with tradi
tional 18th century activities
that could have taken place at
the site over 250 years ago.
Corn husk doll making, candle
dipping, butter churning, spin
ning and playing centuries-old
games are among scheduled
activities.
Events at Newbold-White
will get underway at 11 a.m.
with a flag ceremony,
“Evolution of the American
Flag.” presented by the
Hertford Colonial Color Guard.
There wiU also be an 18th cen
tury herb and flower work
shop, a Quaker blessing, and
storytelling, as weU as perfor
mances by the Perquimans
Pipers and violinist Aaron
Grosjean.
Demonstrations wiU include
tatting and spinning, pottery,
wood carving and stain glass
making. Historic farm equip
ment, including a hand-crank
corn sheller, hand-crank grist
mill, horse-drawn cotton
planter and peanut planter,
wiU be on display.
: • Food and beverages wiU be
' avaUable. Hours wUl be 11 a.m.-
4 p.m. Cosi is $5 per carload, $1
per person.
Festival-goers wUl be able to
park and ride a free shuttle
from one venue to the other.
For Indian Summer infor
mation, call 426-2021 or 426-
5593. For Hearth and Harvest
information, call 426-7567.
Schools welcome students back
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
The lazy days of summer
officially ended for
Perquimans County Schools
students bright and early
Tuesday morning.
Around 1,900 students were
expected to arrive on the coun
ty’s four campuses for the first
student day of the 1999-2000
school year.
Superintendent Gregory
Todd said opening day went
smoothly.
“I’ve been real pleased with
the schools,” Todd said. “Fve
been by and it looks like
they’re all organized. The stu
dents are in class and they’ve
already got instruction start
ed. It’s been real smooth.”
Teachers have been back for
several days, attending plan
ning meetings and preparing
lesson plans and classrooms
for the return of students.
Perquimans County Schools
Personnel Director Brenda
Dail said Monday night that aU
classroom instruction posi
tions were filled as of Monday
“I feel very good about the
staff we have hired,” Dail said.
“I would feel good about my
own children being in the
classroom of the new teachers
we hired, that’s the quality of
teachers we were able to hire
to fiU our vacancies.”
Todd had announced earlier
that this year each school
would have its own fleet of
buses. There were several posi
tive outcomes expected from
the change, including avoiding
having students picked up first
in the afternoons travel across
the causeway and wait at the
other school served by that
bus. It also allows for site-
based management and coordi
nation between drivers, other
school staff and students.
•W,
Am
PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS
Fifth graders get ready for an exciting new school year as they return to the classroom Tuesday morning.
Students and staff were smiling and ready for a good year ahead.
PHOTO BY JOHN E. ABERNATHY, The Daily Advance
The Marching Pirates and varsity cheerleaders created an arch during the during the evening, and worked together to create a classy football
pregame show to guide the 1999 Perquimans football team onto the Friday at Memorial Stadium. Northside slipped past the Pirates, 30-22, in
field Friday night. The three groups performed well in their own rights the. season-opener. Please see related story, page 6.
School board revises meeting schedule
Religion in the
Schools pohcy
not changed
SUSAN R. Harris
Editor
The board of education
approved the revision of policy
1310 Regular Meetings in regu
lar session Monday night.
The .board will now set a
meeting schedule for the
upcoming fiscal year at its reg
ular meeting each June.
Previously, the policy set board
meetings for the third Monday
of each month.
The schedule adopted by the
board in June in anticipation
of the change sets meetings on
the fourth Monday night of
each month for the next fiscal
year, except in December,
which will be the third
Monday. Work sessions are also
set for March 20 and May 1.
The board voted not to
change it's «tanrlinp nolicv .5900
Religion in the Schools. The
policy was under review
because the Gideons requested
permission to distribute Bibles
in at least one county school.
Prior to the discussion.
Fellowship of Christian
Athletes co-captain Sarah
Harris encouraged the board
to allow Bibles to be placed on
a table with a sign to read,
“Please feel free to take on.”
She cited court cases which
upheld the distribution of
Bibles in the schools in that
manner.
In part, the board policy
reads, “Religious books,
including Bibles, or religious
symbols may not be given to
students as an award for
achievement and may not be
generally distributed by reli
gious groups to students at
school.”
Board members who com
mented on the issue said they
were torn between personal
feelings, handling other
groups wishing to give out lit
erature they considered reli
gious and upholding the law.
“It’s in my heart that we
should do it (change the policy
to allow the distribution),”
said Wallace Nelson. But
Nelson added that allowing the
Bible distribution would open
the door for distribution of
cult and other materials.
Charles Cheezum con
curred.
“I think we all feel that way
frankly,” Cheezum said. “But
what about other groups?”
“In my heart I would like to
see it done, to be able to do it,”
Tommy Riddick agreed.
“There are groups out there
that would like to have an in to
get information to students,”
said Marjorie Rayburn.
Walter Leigh summed up
the feelings bantered about by
the board during the discus
sion that the issue is some
thing that public bodies contin
ue to deal with, and about
which the court rulings are not
consistent.
In the end. Nelson was the
only board member to vote
against changing the policy.
The third policy considera
tion on the table Monday was^^
the first reading of a revision
of 3220, which deals with the
responsibilities and duties of
teachers regarding supervi
sion of extra-curricular activi
ties.
The revision states that no
assignment of supervision of
exta-curricular activities may
be made to initially licensed
teachers or to teachers with
more than 27 years of experi
ence unless they request such
assignment in writing, or
unless the Board makes a find
ing that there is a compelling
reason to suspend this policy
for an individual school. The
policy also states that assign
ment of non-teaching duties to
those two groups should be
kept to a minimum.
Schools . superintendent
Gregory Todd told the board
that the change is recommend
ed in response to changes in
state law.
The second reading of that
policy recommendation is set
for the September board meet
ing.
Safe
schools
plan to be
updated
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Schools superintendent
Gregory Todd told board mem
bers that the schools’ safe
schools plans will begin to be
updated by October.
The plan was discussed
after Jeanie Umphlett report
ed on a safe, healthy environ
ment conference she attended.
Umphlett said one of the
speakers was the superinten
dent of the Littleton, Col.
school system. Umphlett said
the most important point she
brought home with her is,
“Don’t ever think it can’t hap
pen to us.”
There is a systemwide safe
schools plan, as weU as indi
vidual plans at each school.
During the upgrade process,
crisis management will be a
focus, Umphlett said.
A safe schools assessment
team visited the high school
last year, and Umphlett said
most recommendations were
implemented. A team will visit
the other three schools this
year.
In addition to school per
sonnel, local law enforcement
and emergency response units
are involved in safe schools.
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 80s
Low: 70s
Chance of Rain
Friday
High: 80s
Low: 70s
Chance of Rain
Saturday
High: 80s
Low: 70s
Chance of Rain