Relay for Life event set'
Page 2
Newbold-White House opens
pages
Tigers go undefeated
Pages 6
The
2«4/200« ,
iANS
RECEIVE
February 25, 2004
Vol. 72, No. 8 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Weekly
Three local schools named 'Super Safe'
Three Perquimans
County schools have
earned the N.C.
Department of Public
Instruction's top safety
award.
Central, Hertford
Grammar and Perquimans
High schools collected the
Super Safe School awards
on Feb. 19 at the annual
Safe Schools Conference in
Raleigh.
The award is given to
schools that participate in
a voluntary process of
assessing safety proce
dures, incidents of disrup
tion and violence, and
school response to safety
concerns.
“It is a tremendous
amount of work to com
plete the application
process,” said Schools
Superintendent Ken Wells.
“We are fortunate to have
three schools selected. I am
proud of each school and
each staff member.”
Wells said providing a
safe learning environment
for children and educators
is a priority because he
believes high student
achievement goes hand-in
hand with a safe learning
environment.
To qualify for the Super
Safe School Award, schools
must show they follow safe
ty procedures above and
beyond those that the state
requires. Schools must also
report data on student per
formance, provide copies of
student and parent hand
books, and analyze safe
schools and crisis manage
ment plans.
At the conference, school
employees attended work
shops on best practices of
schools throughout the
state, which can be used to
further improve local safe
ty plans.
“The safety plans for
each school are constantly
being developed and
becoming more detailed,”
said Director of Special
Projects Jeanie Umphlett.
The application process
for the Triple S Award
allows principals and staff
to perform a real self-study
of the school by voluntarily
submitting a portfolio doc
umenting the safety
processes they have in
place.
School dropout
rates decline
Student art show
Perquimans County
Schools improved its
dropout rate for the fourth
consecutive year.
According to the 2002-03
Dropout Data Report
recently released by the
Department of Public
Instruction, Perquimans
County Schools improved
from 10.06 percent during
the 1998-99 school year to
5.17 percent during the
2002-03 school year. In 1998-
99 Perquimans County
Schools reported 63
dropouts and in 2002-03
reported 32 dropouts, sig
nificantly improving its
dropout rate.
Last year, Perquimans
County Schools reported 32
students as dropouts. A
dropout is defined as a stu
dent who a) was enrolled in
school at some time during
the previous school year; b)
was not enrolled on Day 20
of the current school year;
c) has not graduated from
high schpol or completed a
state or district approved
educational program and
does not meet any report
ing exclusions including
transferred to another pub
lic school district, private
school, home school or
state/district educational
program; or was temporari
ly absent due to suspen
sion, to school approved ill
ness, or death
“We are serious about
providing assistance to stu
dents who are struggling in
school,” said Schools
Superintendent Ken Wells.
“Recent interventions
implemented include the
Advancement Center at
Perquimans High School,
the on-site Alternative
Education Programs at
Perquimans Middle School
and Perquimans High
School, the installation of
Web Academy, and the
Judicial Council for
Improved Attendance.
Continued on page 3
In celebration of March's National Youth Art Month Perquimans Arts League is
hsoting an exhibit of art created by Perquimans County School students. The show
will be in place through March 15 at the PAL Gallery in Hall of Fame Square.
Onley named Ambassador of Aquaculture by state agency
SUSAN R. HARRIS
When Aubrey Onley was
a little boy, he used to dig
holes around . his family’s
property, adding fish to see
how long he could keep
them.
Onley has graduated to
acres of ponds and tanks,
where he first raised craw
fish and has now moved to
yellow perch fingerlings
and freshwater prawns.
He was one of the first in
the eastern part of the state
to go into aquaculture, and
is credited by the North
Carolina Department of
Agriculture & Consumer
Services as a leader in the
industry. In recognition of
his efforts as a major orga
nizer and promoter of the
industry, Onley was recent
ly named an Ambassador of
Agriculture by NCDA&CS.
He has worked closely with
NCDA&CS as well as N.C.
State University in
research and promotion of
N.C. aquaculture, both in
the state and across the
nation.
Onley began his foray
into acquaculture in 1988,
raising crawfish.
Now, it’s yellow perch
season, and Onley has his
brood stock in large tanks
on his farm, where they are
spawning. The eggs are
gathered and incubated,
then the fry are transferred
to fmgerling ponds for 6—9
weeks.
They are harvested
when they are about 1
1/2—2 inches long, then the
fmgerlings are transferred
A?.-
Aubrey Onley raises perch fingerlings and fresh water
prawns on his Old Neck farms. Onley was the first pro
ducer of prawns in Eastern North Carolina. He gets
help from his family (right), wife Sheila, and sons
Darin and Ryan, who proudly shows off one of the fish
in his dad's brood stock.
to large tanks where they
are trained to take feed.
Once they are on the feed
and doing well, they are
shipped to other operations
that grow them out into
food fish.
Onley is particular
about transferring his fish
for transport in trucks to
other facilities. They are
actually dipped in 5 gallon
buckets, weighed and
loaded.
Some people transfer
fish using bobcats, but
Onley said that stresses the
fish, something he doesn’t
like to do.
During harvest, Sheila,
who works at the county
clerk of court’s office,
helps, as do sons Ryan, 7,
and Darin, 4. The boys’ job
is to pick the tadpoles out of
the fish as they are dipped
to produce a clean harvest.
Sheila also does all the
accounting work for the
operation.
The work is very labor-
intensive, but it’s what
Onley has always wanted to
do.
“I’ve always enjoyed
working with fish,” Onley
said. “It’s what I’ve always
wanted to do.”
While yellow perch,
known by many people as
“raccoon perch” has been
considered somewhat of a
“trash” fish here, Onley
said its popularity as a food
fish is growing. The fish is
hard to scale and is much
easier to clean if skinned
like catfish. The meat,
Onley said, is mild-fla-
vored, white and low in fat.
Presently, Onley si work
ing with state agencies and
grower groups to develop
markets for farm-raised
yellow perch in North
Carolina. A marketing
campaign is being devel
oped to educate North
Carolinians about the tasty
fish.
“It’s not easy to find
farm-raised yellow perch
fillets,” Onley said. “Our
goal is to have it on menus.
We’re working on it almost
daily.”
During the off-cycle of
the yellow perch, Onley
raises prawns, or fresh
water shrimp.
“They’re delicious,”
Sheila said.
Onley would also like to
get back in the crawfish
business.
He anticipates growth in
his operation over the next
2—4 years, with pond reno
vation and development,
and continued improve
ment of his brood,stock.
Sheriff
warns of
scams
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Perquimans County
Sheriff Eric Tilley warns
residents that his office has
seen an increase in calls
complaining about finan
cial scams.
“If it sounds too good to
be true, it normally is,”
Tilley said.
Tilley said those who
could potentially have been
scammed typically say that
they received an e-mail or
phone call telling them they
have won a large sum of
money. Others receive e-
mails saying that American
citizens have died in a for
eign country, leaving a huge
sum of money which needs
to be dispersed.
The typical contactor
says that if those called will
send information and/or
money, they will receive a
large sum of money later.
Tilley warns that people
should never give out a
social security number or
any financial information
unless it is to an agency
known to them to be legiti
mate.
E-govemment
forum set
Perquimans County resi
dents may attend a public
forum to help development
an e-government plan for
the county on March 3, 5 —
6 p.m. in the commissioners
room at the courthouse
annex.
The public may provide
input and comment on cre
ating e-government capa
bilities.
A planning grant from e-
NC will help develop a
framework for the plan.
Holiday
Weather
THURSDAY
High: 49
Low: 34
Few Showers
Friday
High: 48
Low: 30
Rain/Snow
Showers/Wind
Saturday
High: 62
Low: 40
Sunny