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The
P4/C3*********
HERTFi
September 18, 200i
Vol, 71, No. 39 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Perc
Weekly
i7944
9/17/2002 .
PCHS raises
test scores
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Perquimans County
High School is listed as a
School of Progress based
on the official ABCs test
scores for last school year.
PCHS students demon
strated the most growth in
math and science. In
Algebra I and Algebra II,
the number of students
demonstrating proficiency
increased by 4.5 percent,
while students enrolled in
geometry increased by 16.2
percent. Students enrolled
in biology, chemistry and
physical science combined
for an increased student
proficiency of 36.8 percent.
Students exceeded their
expected growth, perform
ing well enough to meet
high growth status. High
growth factors in 10 per
cent above the statewide
average growth in the for
mula and is used in con
junction with the perfor
mance standard to identify
schools that qualify for
recognition and assistance.
Test scores rose at the
high school in eight of 10
test areas. The only scores
to drop were physics and
U.S. History. Low numbers
of students taking physics
causes the proficiency aver
age to swing significantly
each year. Over the four
years of physics testing,
scores have gone from 44.4
percent to 75 percent to 50
percent and then last year’s
33.3 percent.
US. History was at 45.5
percent in 1997/98 and has
fluctuated to a low of 31.7
percent in 1990/00 to a high
of 54.3 percent in 2000/01.
Last year’s score was 40.2
percent.
“Quality educators and
superb students are among
the reasons our school is
doing so weU,” said high
school principal Dwayne
Stallings. “Teachers are
working, like never before
to put our children and
their education first.”
Stallings said the school
has used a number of
strategies to raise test
scores, including meetings
with parents and students
prior to school opening the
past two years, after-school
programs, a transition pro
gram for ninth graders,
technology, progress
reports, newsletters, per
sonal contact with parents,
a PTSA and setting high
expectations for students.
“It’s important to get the
parents involved and to get
the community involved,”
Stallings said. “We’re try
ing to do a combination of
things to reach everyone.”
Stallings said for the
past two years he and assis
tant principals Tim Aydlett
and Alonza Joyner have
scheduled meetings with
each student and a parent
prior to the start of school.
During this time, the
administrators are able to
go over criteria for gradua
tion and moving from one
grade level to the next.
See Scores, page 8
Junk cars crunched
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Perquimans County has
sent 159 junk vehicles to
used car heaven over the
past two years.
The vehicle removal is
part of a clean-up project in
Perquimans, Chowan and
Gates counties. Originally,
the goal of the effort was to
use grant funds to rid the
counties of unsightly and
unhealthy junk vehicles
that owners voluntarily
agreed to recycle. The ini
tial goal was to remove 230
vehicles in the tri-county
area.
Now, according to Anne
Blindt, Recycling
Coordinator with Chowan/
Gates/Perquimans Solid
Waste Management, the
goal has doubled. Each
county should be able to
tow at least 200 vehicles and
maybe more.
The project budget, she
said, is healthy, due in part
to local funding. The origi
nal budget was set at
$30,493, all reimbursable
through the state
Department of
Environment and Natural
Resources, with just over
$20,000 reimbursed as of
June 30. The project
received additional local
cash assistance of just
under $20,000 to make a
total budget of $50,078 over
three fiscal years. There is
about $25,000 available for
fiscal year 2003.
The project has not been
without its surprises.
Festival day in Perquimans
Hertford
Food
m
PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS
Members of Perquimans Heritage, Inc. spent Saturday ferrying festival-goers
between Municipal Park in Hertford and Winfall Landing Park. Here, a boat pre
pares to dock in Winfall. For more festival photographs, see page 2
Festivals are big success
“In a surprise move,
after Chowan County
inspectors tagged four vehi
cles, they disappeared,”
Blindt said. “An unknown
towing company that mis
represented itself to the
property owner as the ‘com
pany that the county hired’
took two vans. The owner of
two other vehicles removed
them from a yard after he
apparently saw the removal
stickers on them.”
USA Reycling from
Roanoke Rapids crushed
several more loads of vehi
cles earlier this summer.
The company can crush
larger than average vehi
cles, so project coordina
tors are trying to get a few
larger vehicles towed. At
least one school bus has
been taken in, and plans to
tow the track of a tractor-
trailer rig abandoned in
Gates County are in place.
Building Inspector Zeke
Jackson is the Perquimans
County contact for the vehi
cle recycling project.
Jackson said that once the
project runs out of funds,
owners of property upon
which junk vehicles are
located could be cited for
violating a county ordi
nance and required to pay
for removal of the vehicles.
Anyone wishing to recy
cle a vehicle should
Jackson in Perquimans
County (426-8283), Ron
McDougald in Gates
County (357-1380), and
Mason Tiller or Chad Sary
in Chowan County (482-
5618).
SUSAN R. HARRIS
and
ALICE BREWIN
Perquimans County took
to the streets Saturday for
the annual Indian Summer
and Hearth & Harvest festi
vals.
Hundreds of people
flocked to venues in down
town Hertford, Hertford
Municipal Park, Missing
Mill Park, the Newbold-
White House and Winfall
Landing Park for shopping,
food, entertainment, games
and fun.
“All in all, I thought it
was great,” said Indian
Summer Festival co-chair
Mary White. “It was not
very good with the vendors,
probably due in part to the
economy. It didn’t seem like
a lot of people were buying.
Food sales, snow cones,
face painting and games
went weU, but vendor pur
chases were down.”
Rain fell in some areas of
the county, even in the west
section of Hertford, during
the day, but the festival
venues stayed dry until just
after 5 p.m.
“I think that the Atlantic
Fleet Band was fabulous,”
White said. “It made me
proud to be an American. It
was absolutely wonderful.
I’m really sorry Rockin’
Willie got rained out. As
soon as he started, it start
ed raining. I thought all the
entertainment was great.
The talent contest (at
Missing Mill Park) was
really, really good. And
Winfall looked smashing.
They did a good job for
their first year. The boat
rides were a hit.”
The talent contest and
diversity sing at Missing
Mill Park drew good num
bers and featured loads of
local talent.
Michelle Rogers of
Hertford won first place;
Holly Winslow of 'Tyner,
second; and Amy Williams
of Edenton, third.
Honorable mention went to
the youngest contestants,
Jessica Reynolds and
Crystal Pulley, both 9, and
both of Hertford.
“I was overwhelmed
with the wonderful talent
that participated as I’m
sure many were,” said
show organizer Connie
Townsend of A&D Neon.
Judges were singer and
songwriter J.B. Rudd of
Edenton, Crossroads Music
owner and local musician
Edgar Lane, and singer and
musician Phil Patrick of
Edenton. Don Evans of
Backroads Karaoke provid
ed all equipment and devot
ed his day to the contest
and talent show. Evans also
set up his equipment for
several group practices and
allowed contestants to use
equipment at his home for
individual rehearsals.
See Festival, page 8
Day of Remembrance
1'
.1:
Albemarle Woodmen
Lodge 463 dedicated a new
flag pole and flag in honor
and remembrance of
American heroes last
Wednesday at the
Albemarle Commission
Building. The ceremony
was held on Sept. 11, desig
nated by President George
Bush as Patriot Day to
honor and remember those
whose lives were so greatly
impacted by the terrorist
attacks one year earlier.
Local emergency, law
enforcement, veterans and
members of the military
took part in the program.
U.S. Coast Guard Petty
Officer Beau Stough com
memorated the event with
his bugle playing.
Rev. Kenneth McNeill of
Hertford Baptist Church
led the prayer.
About seventy-five peo
ple turned out for the event.
Observances were also
PHOTO BY ALICE BREWIN held at each of the schools.
produce
ALICE BREWIN
Staff Writer
Food Lion in Hertford is
voluntarily recalling some
fruits and vegetables that
were sold between 10 p.m.
on Sunday, Sept. 15 through
2 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 16.
The produce being
recalled includes red
plums, nectarines, seeded
red grapes and three pound
bags of yellow onions.
According to Ruth
Kinzey, Food Lion Director
of Corporate
Communications, an asso
ciate at the Hertford store
used pesticide on the floor
in the produce area. This
pesticide application is
against company policy.
“It is company policy not
to use pesticides in the pro
duce area,” Kinzey said.
“The type of pesticide used
was basically an off-the-
counter, non-commercial
type ... basically the kind
you would use in your
home.”
Kinzey also noted that
Food Lion was being very
cautious. None of the pro
duce near the area where
the pesticide was sprayed
has actually been tested,
but the slightest possibility
of contamination was
enough for Food Lion to
issue the recall.
When asked about the
possible side effects from
contamination, Kinzey
stated, “We are not even
sure that any contamina
tion occurred. Proper wash
ing of the fruit would han
dle whatever it was. That's
(proper washing) always
important.”
An investigation by cor
porate officials from Food
Lion is underway.
Since the time period in
which the affected produce
was available was relatively
short and within off-peak
hours, the store does not
expect many returns or
affected customers.
Customers who pur
chased these items should
return them to the store for
a full refund.
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 82
Low: 71
Partly Cloudy
Friday
High: 85
Low: 69
Isolated T'storms
Saturday
High: 83
Low: 67
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