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COmsTY LIBRARY
110 W ACADEMY ST
HERTFORD, NC 27944-1306
June 25, 2003
Vol. 71, No. 26 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
The
Perquimans
Weekly
Campus tobacco use may be banned second
Board may
change policy
to ban
smoking,
chewing in
ball parks
SUSAN R. HARRIS
There will be no more
lighting up on county cam
puses if the school board
approves proposed changes
to its Smoking and Tobacco
Produc ts policy in July
Citing new laws, the
threat of a loss of Safe and
Drug-Free Schools money
and keeping policies in line
with curriculum,
Superintendent Ken Wells
told the board that the pro
posed policy changes are
the right thing to do.
WeUs acknowledged that
some parents and commu
nity members may react
negatively to the proposed
changes, but said schools
across the state are revisi-
ing policy in order to keep
their Safe and Drug-Free
Schools allotments. He
added that health curricu
lum at all grade levels
warns against the dangers
of tobacco use, and that
banning tobacco use from
campuses makes system
policy in line with system
teaching.
Restaurants
donate to school
supply program
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Locals can beat the heat
of the kitchen and help a
good cause at the same time
over the next few weeks.
Four county eateries wUl
participate in the project to
help provide school sup
plies to county children,
donating 10 percent of their
profits on specific days to
the effort.
Captain Bob’s will kick
off the restaurant support
on June 26. Tommy’s will
participate at the
Northeast Dragway on
June 28 and at Missing Mill
Park during the 4th of July
festivities there. On July 17,
Soundside Grille at
Albemarle Plantation will
make donations.
The project is a coopera
tive effort by Communities
in Schools, the Department
of Social Services, Holy
Trinity Episcopal Church
and Frankie’s Hertford
Cafe. Several local mer
chants and civic groups are
also participating in the
project.
According to Barbara
Gustafson, Director of
Communities in Schools,
and Carlyn Brown, Social
Services project represen
tative, there are many fami
lies — perhaps 250 or more
— in Perquimans County
who find it financicdly chal
lenging to provide school
supplies for their children.
Some agencies have pro
vided support in the past.
The old policy, adopted
in 1992, prohibited the use
of tobacco products in any
school building at any time
and on school grounds dur
ing the school day.
It further stated that sys
tem employees could not
use any tobacco products
while on duty or in the
presence of students on
school property
To support employees in
their quest to stop using
tobacco products, the poli
cy included a provision for
the system to offer after-
hours cessation clinics for
employees.
The proposed policy is
much more specific and
bans the use of tobacco
products on school proper
ty
To keep in line with state
laws passed since the old
policy’s adoption in 1992,
the proposed policy disal
lows the possession, dis
play or use of tobacco prod
ucts by students at any
time. It even applies when
students are on the school
grounds as visitors or spec
tators.
It would also ban the use
of tobacco products in or
on the grounds of any facil
ity owned or leased or con
tracted for by Perquimans
County Schools. This
would include smoking out
side buildings or in ball
parks before, during or
after school functions.
“For the purposes of this
policy’’ the policy
states,’’’tobacco product’ is
defined to include ciga
rettes, cigars, pipes, chew
ing tobacco, snuf and any
other items containing or
reasonably resembling
tobacco or tobacco prod
ucts. ‘Tobacco use’ includes
smoking, chewing, dipping
or any other use of tobacco
products.”
It also contains provi
sions for offering cessation
classes.
Wells told board mem
bers to think about the new
policy over the next month,
to discuss it individually
with other board members
and to discuss it with peo
ple in the community
The second reading of
the policy is set for the July
board meeting, at which
time the board will vote.
Seniors have fun in th park
but that support was far
from adequate in meeting
local needs.
In addition to the restau
rant component of the pro
ject, school supplies may be
dropped off in donation
barrels at Woodard’s
Pharmacy, RBC Centura
Bank, Food Lion, Dollar
General, Perquimans
County Senior Center,
Layden’s in Winfall and
Belvidere and the Snug
Harbor Club House.
Cash donations are also
being accepted. A $20 dona
tion will fill a backpack
with school supplies for one
child.
Donations may be sent to
Communities in Schools of
Perquimans County, P.O.
Box 12, Hertford, NC 27944.
Donations may also be
given to Fr. Ralpoh Clark of
Holy Trinity Episcopal
Church, Carlyn Brown at
the Department of Social
Services and Barbara
Gustafson of Communities
in Schools.
The Perquimans Weekly
wUl donate $5 for every new
subscription purchased
through July 20 to the pro
ject.
FamUies who need assis
tance providing school sup
plies for children should
contact social services and
complete an application as
soon as possible.
For more information,
call Communities in
Schools at 426-3644 or fax
426-3100.
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Faye Snead follows through after putting the football she threw right in the mid
dle of the target last Thursday. Snead was participating in the Senior Center-spon
sored Fun Day in the Park. Seniors had the opportunity to try their hands at activ
ities they may compete in during Senior Games during the event, as well as enjoy
a picnic.
Schools to apply for Ed-flex waiver for next school year
SUSAN R. HARRIS
The local school system
is committed to providing
every student with high
quality teachers, but
Superintendent Ken WeUs
said as a precaution, the
system wiU request an Ed-
flex waiver for the upcom
ing school year.
What the Ed-flex waiver
means is that the school
system wUl have some flex
ibility in meeting next
year’s requirements for
highly qualified teachers
under the federal No ChUd
Left Behind Act.
A section of the act
requires that aU teachers of
core academic subjects in
Title I schools hired after
the first day of the 2002-03
school year be highly quali
fied under the NCLB guide
lines.
While the school system
fully supports the intent of
the No Child Left Behind
Legislation and is commit
ted to providing all stu
dents with highly qualified
teachers, the waiver is
being submitted based on
an analysis of the options
available to the system,
according to WeUs.
WeUs said the system is
doing its best and has hired
teachers meeting the high
ly qualified guidelines
under NCLB to date, but
that if teachers resign in
the summer, the system
may need some flexibUity
in ruling positions by the
time students return to
class in early August.
According to informa
tion about No ChUd Left
Behind, a teacher may not
be considered highly quali
fied even if he or she has a
degree in the subject area
he or she wUl teach.
For instance, a person
who holds a bachelor’s
degree in English, but who
was not planning to teach.
would not have taken the
education courses required
to become a certified,
licensed teacher. The per
son may be hired under the
state’s lateral entry pro
gram, but must pass the
Praxis II, an exam that in
part tests subject area
knowledge, as weU as com
plete education courses in
order to be considered
highly qualified and be able
to apply for a clear teacher
license.
A teacher may also
change subject or program
areas and need to take
more hours in the new area
of concentration in order
to be considered highly
qualified and also become
certified or licensed in the
new area.
The state received per
mission from the federal
government to become an
Ed-flex state under NCLB.
Individual school systems
must now apply to the
Department of Public
Instruction for a local waiv
er.
For more information, to
review the waiver request
or to comment, contact
Wells by June 30 at the
school board office at 411
Edenton Road Street, call
426-5741 or fax 426-4913.
Summer
Breeze
Concert
July 20
The Summer Breeze
Concert Series continues
on Sunday, July 20 with the
music of “Los
Saxofonistas,” a saxophone
quartet from the North
Carolina School of the
Arts. The concert is free
and begins at 5:30 p.m. on
the beautiful grounds of
Hertford’s historic 1730
Newbold-White House.
Dinner plates from
Tommy’s Restaurant will
be available to eat at the
concert or to take home.
Plates include barbecue,
potato salad, coleslaw, roU
and ice tea and sell for $6
each. Plates must be
reserved by Friday, July 18.
Call 426-7567 to place an
order.
A huge hit during the
2002 Summer Breeze
Concert Series, “Los
Saxofonistas” performs a
wide variety of music and
presents an energetic per
formance designed to
appeal to a wide audience.
The Summer Breeze
Concerts are sponsored by
the Perquimans County
Restoration Association
and Perquimans Arts
League and made possible
with support from
Ferguson Enterprises and
Crossroads Music.
There is no fee for con
certs, but donations wUl be
accepted. In case of rain,
the concert wiU be held in
the Newbold-White House
Visitors Center.
The Summer Breeze
Concert series concludes
on Sunday, August 10, with
the music of George Higgs.
Higgs, a 1993 North
Carolina Folk Heritage
Award winner, is recog
nized as one of the finest
musicians in the Piedmont
Blues Tradition.The con
certs last about one hour.
Bring blankets, lawn
chairs and a picnic for this
casual outdoor concert.
The Newbold-White
House is open for tours on
Sundays from 2 — 5 p.m.
The grounds wUl open at 5
p.m. for the concerts.
For more information
call the Newbold-White
House at 426-7567 or
nbwh@inteliport. com.
Weekend
Weather
THURSDAY
High: 93
Low: 75
Sunny
Friday
High:93
Low: 73
Mostly Sunny
Saturday
High: 87
Low:71
Scattered T'Storms