The only newspaper for and about I^erquimans County and its people
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Roll bars save lives
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USDA disaster relief offered
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Piontka spends holidays in Med
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January 20, 200b
Vol. 68, No. 3 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
The
PERQUIMANS COUNTY LIBRARY
110 W ACADEMY ST
HERTFORD NC 27944
Perquimans
Weekly
Hertford
cops OK
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Good cops are hard to come
by.
Hertford police chief Dale
Vanscoy told town officials
last Monday that finding qual
ity officers is becoming
increasingly difficult.
“We’re just not getting good
applicants,” Vanscoy said.
The eight-officer depart
ment is down one employee at
present, but Vanscoy said
more officers are needed to
effectively serve the town.
The chief recommended,
and council approved, a pro
gram aimed at alleviating the
problem. Vanscoy will now be
able to recruit potential offi
cers, have the state-required
background checks and
screenings done, then pay the
prospect’s tuition, hooks and
minimum wage salary during
Basic Law Enforcement
Training. Upon successful
course completion and certifi
cation, the employee would
work for the Hertford Police
Department for a minimum of
two years. A program partici
pant failing to complete the
program, not passing the class
or not satisfying the two-year
work agreement would have to
repay the cost of tuition and
books.
Vanscoy estimates the cost
of tuition at books at $500-600,
with pay running .$$3,000-
$4,000.
Elizabeth City is also hav
ing difficulty hiring officers
and is considering a similar
program, Vanscoy said.
Elizabeth City Police
Department hired about half
of the 24 students to graduate
from the last law enforcement
class at COA and still has
openings, he said.
Vanscoy said sheriff’s
departments may hire uncerti
fied deputies, then have 12
months to get the deputies
through training and certifica
tion. Polivce officers, however,
are required by law to be certi
fied before they can go to work.
Getting trained to be certi
fied can also be a problem,
Vanscoy said. COA offers one
session of BLET each year. It
is a full-time program that
lasts 14-17 weeks. Both Martin
and Beaufort community col
leges offer BLET part-time at
night, which greatly increases
the amount of time it takes to
get certified, but does allow
those who are already have a
job to become certified and
continue to work.
Vanscoy added that
Beaufort is considering a full
time program, and officers at
the law enforcement training
center at Salemburg are also
discussing returning to their
former program of full-time,
back-to-back programs. If
these programs are expanded,
more certified officers could
be available for hire, he said.
In the meantime, Vanscoy
will look to recruit those inter
ested in law enforcement and
hope the education package
will be appealing enough to
entice good candidates to
Hertford.
The Inspirational
Voices provided a
wonderful musical
addition to the
Martin Luther King
Day celebration at
Perquimans Middle
School Monday
morning. Guest
speaker for the
event was state
Associate
Superintendent of
Public Instruction
Henry Johnson. The
program also fea
tured a panel dis
cussion on way to
help all children
achieve.
Daily Advance photo
King Day
focuses on kids
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Martin Luther King Jr.
had a special vision for the
future of this country’s chil
dren.
He no doubt smiled
Mnday as he looked down on
Perquimans County, where
all three programs held in
his honor focused on chil
dren. From the kick-off
breakfast at which Rev.
Keith Vaughan spoke, to the
middle school program
which featured a panel dis
cussion on ways to help aU
children achieve, to the mes
sage brought by Rev. Jasper
Horne at the worship ser
vice, the day’s topics were all
about youth.
Horne was strong in his
message that the children
are not the problem, the
adults who fail them are the
problems. Horne, who in
addition to his ministry at
Second Union Baptist
church in Ahoskie, works as
a counselor at D.F. Walker
School in Edenton, said
when children fail or are not
taken care of, adults aU too
often put the blame on
someone else.
“We as a people have
some awful challenges
before us (where our
children are con
cerned),” Horne said.
He challenged black
men to ste£^ forward and
become role models for
young black males. He
said the youth desper
ately need role models
to help make them
aware of and realize
their potential. He said
adults must take respon
sibility for helping get youth
on track.
“It is now time for we
black males to take the role
of leadership and provide
training for our youth,” he
said.
He spoke with obvious
pain of a third grader he
accompanied to court last
week whose mother asked a
judge to send him to a deten
tion facility because she
could not control him. The
mother told the judge she
did not know where the
child’s father is. Those types
of situations must be
stopped, he said, along with
PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS
Rev. Jasper Horne brought the congregation to its feet with
his message at the NAACP-sponsored Martin Luther King Jr.
Day worship service hosted by Galatia Baptist Church.
the devastating conse
quences of drug abuse, mur
der, rage, teen and pre-teen
pregnancy, poverty, low self-
esteem, and crime.
He was especially strong
in his admonition to church
leaders and ministers who
preach about going to heav
en, and yet do not step down
from the pulpit and pews to
reach youth.
“How can you go to heav
en and leave your young folk
living in heU?” he asked.
He challenged those gath
ered to leave churches and
go help youth.
“We can no longer put the
blame on somebody else ...
“It is up to us to reach out to
our children and help
them.”
The prayer breakfast was
sponsored by Perquimans
2020 Vision Coalition and
Communities in Schools. At
the middle school, the school
and the National Council of
Negro Women,
Northeastern N.C. Section
teamed up to sponsor a pro
gram and lunch. The
NAACP, Perquimans
Chapter organized the
motorcade from Missing
Mill Park to Galatia Baptist
Church and the worship ser
vice that capped the day.
School calendar would extend year
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
The proposed school cal
endar for next school year
has some parents upset.
The Perquimans Weekly
has received several calls
about the calendar, which
would send students back to
school on Aug. 10, about two
weeks earlier than this year.
The last day of school for
students would be June 6,
around the same time school
will get out this year.
The school year would be
longer because the calendar
committee tried to build two
days into each month for
staff development, remedia
tion and acceleration,
according to schools super
intendent Gregory Todd.
There are several factors
contributing to the change
in the calendar, Todd said.
Probably the weightiest
factor is state accountability
standards for students.
Those standards, along with
high local expectations,
mean that some students
need extra time in the class
room to make sure they mas
ter skills. It is often neces
sary for students to learn
one concept before moving
on to the next. Regularly
scheduled remediation days
give those students that time
to catch up or hone weak
skills before moving on to
another concept.
Also, while staff develop
ment is a key component in
the overall plan to increase
standards and outcomes, it
is often difficult to schedule
staff development sessions
without taking teachers out
of the classroom. The addi
tional days in the calendar
provide time for workshops
and training sessions with
out compromising class
room instructional time.
The days would also pro
vide opportunities for accel
eration for those students
who may be ahead of other
students in their classrooms.
Projects, independent learn
ing activities, research, even
senior project work, could be
completed during these
additional instructional
days.
Another plus for the
extended year is that stu
dents and staff should be
able to schedule doctor, den
tist, orthodontist and other
necessary appointments on
those days to avoid missing
time in class.
Todd said the schedule
also gives kudents and
teachers a couple of days to
get rejeuvenated and ready
for the next learning days.
While the extended calen
dar is not required by the
state, Todd said as more
accountability is placed at
the local level, school sys
tems are being required by
the state to have plans in
place for remediation for
those students who do not
make a level 3 or level 4 on
state tests prior to promo
tion to the next grade. The
remediation days buUt into
the calendar is one compo
nent local educators are hop
ing will help to insure that
aU students score at grade
level or above on the stan
dardized tests.
“Our focus is going to be
on those students who need
that additional help,” Todd
said.
The extended calendar
was first proposed for the
1999- 2000 school yeeir. Prior
to its presentation to the
board of education, Todd
and other school officials
attended meetings at the
schools to discuss the rea
sons for its proposed. In addi
tion, information was sent to
parents and published in
The Perquimans Weekly
On the night the board
considered the calendar, sev
eral parents spoke against
the proposal, asking the
board not to approve it.
Some said vacation plans
would be interrupted for the
upcoming summer, and stu
dent jobs might be affected
without advanced planning.
The board agreed to adopt a
more traditional calendar
for the 1999-2000 school year,
but noted that parents
should prepare for an
extended calendar for the
2000- 2001 school year.
The board will meet in
regular session on Monday
at 7:30 p.m. Those who wish
to speak at that meeting
should call the board office
by 9 a.m. on Friday and ask
to be put on the agenda.
School
chief
seeks
input
Community, civic
leaders asked to play
role In education
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor •
Gregory Todd knows that it will
take a community effort to give stu
dents in Perquimans County a sound
education. So he’s asking the com
munity for help.
The superintendent recently
asked community and civic leaders
to meet to consider ways to address
educational challenges.
“As respected commimity leaders,
we value your opinions and thoughts
as we start addressing the chal
lenges which lay before us,” Todd
told those who attended the meeting.-
He also asked that they accept a role
in helping to increase the education
al standards and expectations for aU
students. -
Todd shared several ideas to
increase awareness of local and
state education issues in the comrtiu-
nity, as well as get the community
involvement in the schools.
One suggestion was that school
employees and students be invited to
attend civic meetings and events
where information about higher
education standards and expecta
tions may be shared. This includes
choral groups, bands, student clubs,
teachers and other school personnel.
Another suggestion was that com
munity leaders and civic groups
adopt a school. The individual or
group could offer student recogni
tion awards for academics such as
scholarships, and sponsorship of
programs such as Student of the
Month and Most Improved Student.
Clubs can form education commit
tees, and perhaps retired members
could supervise homework centers.
Leaders were told they can also
provide a vital service by helping to
create and maintain lines of commu
nication with the community and
the schools. Clubs can provide factu
al information and about local and
state education issues to their mem
bers. Questions and concerns about
school operations can be directed to
Todd or principals.
Becoming mentors, reading bud
dies, homework buddies and after-
school program supervisors could
greatly impact education, Todd said.
Helping to recruit for these activities
is another area to become involved.
Developing civic responsibility by
setting a good example and inviting
youth to participate in community
service projects are other ways to
help.
Another suggestion was involving
civic, community, and school leaders
in an educational advisory suAmit
to create awareness of local and
state expectations and provide time
for long-term planning for interven
tions.
Local clubs were also asked to
consider establishing public educa
tion foundations. Contributiosn
would be tax-deductible and provide
additional funding for student assis
tance.
Todd said those at the meeting
were responsive to the discussion.
Another meeting will be held next
month.
To sheire concerns or ideas about
community involvement in educa
tion, call Todd at 426-5741.