Plant fall gardens now
Page 2
Hertford native pens memoirs
Rage 3
Understanding joint ownership
Pages
P11/C5
HERTFORD, NC 27944-1306
RECEIVED
August 4, 2004
Vol. 72, No. 31 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
PEkyu
Weekly
Honoring former students PCHS lOOkS forWcITCl
to good school year
Perquimans County High School student Lacey Reames ended Monday's opening
day convocation by singing "God Bless America," a tribute to all former students
now serving in the armed forces. There are over 41 students known to be serving
at present. Their photographs were displayed on the screen behind Lacey as she
sang. Over 350 schools staff, government officials and community residents gath
ered for the event. Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Wells was the speaker and the
PCHS Jazz Band provided entertainment. Students return to school Thursday.
PCHS wins state award
for top senior projects
Perquimans County
Schools has earned yet
another award for the qual
ity of its senior projects.
Superintendent Dr.
Kenneth Wells and PCHS
Principal Hans Lassiter
wiU travel to, Raleigh this
week to receive the first
Annual Senior Project
High School Recognition
Award of Excellence.
According to a letter
received by Lassiter from
Mary Anne Tharin, Special
Projects Consultant,
Division of School
Improvement with the
Department of Public
Instruc tion, Perquimans’
submission for considera
tion for the award was one
of many.
“Your school represent
ed a well-documented, com
prehensive approach to
unify your school commu
nity and beyond for the suc
cess of Senior Project
efforts,” Tharin wrote.
“Your award application
exhibits of support, suc
cess stories and testimoni
als reflect outstanding
efforts and leadership. The
students who benefit from
the instructional and men
toring involvement of your
school will have long-last
ing rewards from these
efforts.”
Tharin added that the
award selection team was
very impressed by the com
ments from former stu
dents who told of how their
senior projects carried over
Brock Lamb, a 2004 PCHS graduate, concludes his
senior project with a presentation before a panel of
judges. Senior projects develop research, writing,
organization, technology and presentation skills.
to post-secondary experi
ences.
PCHS Principal Hans
Lassiter said the faculty
will help students be even
better prepared for senior
projects in the future by
adding more writing,
speaking in class, creating
and organizing portfolios
and technology training
throughout the curricu
lum.
Students choose a senior
project subject based on
Principal asks
parents to
help students
excel
Susan R. Harris
Perquimans High School
Principal Hans Lassiteris
excited about the 2004-2005
school year.
“Academically, we have
yet to reach our full poten
tial,” Lassiter said. “Our
teachers have done a fabu
lous job. ”
The high school is
expected to earn School of
Progress designation from
the North Carolina
Department of Public
Instruction when officials
end of test results are
released on Aug. 5. That
ranking is based on state
ABCs test results.
In addition, high school
students reached 16 out of
17 AYP target goals under
the federal No Child Left
Behind guidelines.
“We saw last year that if
we pushed and expected
students to perform, the
students will meet the chal
lenge,” Lassiter said.
The high school’s com
posite test score was 75.5
percent, and Lassiter said
the faculty wants to raise
that to 80 percent proficien
cy next year.
In addition to crediting
teachers and students with
reaching goals, Lassiter
said he is grateful to par
ents and the community for
their support.
“The community accept
ed the things we were doing
here,” Lassiter said. “This
year we are going to contin
ue to try to reach out to the
community. I’m just contin
uing to ask for parents in
the community to work
with us. Everything that we
try to do here is to benefit
children. We have deter
mined as a staff that we’re
going to put children first
here.”
Lassiter said he will con
tinue to seek parental sup
port for academics. He
invites parents to attend all
open houses, information
sessions, PTSA meetings
and other assemblies
offered to keep parents
informed and allow them
input into education.
. “It’s time for students
and families to step out of
the shadows and be here,”
Lassiter said. “I’d like to
see the level of participa
tion in academic events we
have at sports events.”
After one complete year
serving as principal at the
high school, Lassiter is
pleased with the school’s
accomplishments and said
the small county that peo
ple have problems pro
nouncing is earning state
recognition for its pro
grams.
“We are the best-kept
secret in North Carolina,”
Lassiter said. “I don’t think
people know how good it is
here. If we keep getting
awards, people across the
state will know how good
we are.”
This past year,
Perquimans High earned
two awards for its senior
project program, the Triple
“S” Safe School Award, two
NC-ACE Community
Education Awards, had a
teacher named District I
Outstanding Science
Teacher of the Year and
had a teacher/coach named
to the North Carolina
Athletic Association’s
Notable 90 coach’s list.
Continued on page 8
PCHS teams, coach
among “Notable Ninety”
SUSAN R. HARIRIS
The North Carolina
High School Athletic
Association is wrapping up
its 90th year of operation.
Among the things done to
highlight the 90th anniver
sary of the organization is
naming The Notable
Ninety, a recognition of 90
great teams from the tradi
tion of high school sports
in North Carolina.
Two Perquimans teams
and a coach were recog
nized.
“The purpose ©f The
Notable Ninety is not to
name the 90 greatest teams
in state history, which
would really be an almost
impossible task, ” said Rick
Strunk, NCHSAA associate
executive director who
developed and coordinated
the program. “It’s just an
attempt to recognize some
teams in a variety of sports
who are notable for some
reason, be it how they
earned a championship,
individual players on a
team, a long string of
championships for a peren
nial power, or unusual cir
cumstances in their season.
Our feeling is that lots of
schools and communities
have noteworthy teams,
and perhaps this effort will
continue to have people
talking about high school
sports and remembering
notable teams from their
own communities.”
Among teams recog
nized was the 1963 state 2-A
championship baseball
team from Perquimans.
The Indians, the former
PCHS mascot, finished the
season with a 24-2 record
and was led on the mound
by future baseball Hall of
Earner Jim “Catfish”
Hunter (13-1). Hunter’s
work on the hill that season
included fanning 100 bat
ters and allowing only 34
hits and five earned runs in
95 innings.
Perquimans did not give
up a run in the first eight
games of the season.
Freddie Combs was on
the mound when Hunter
wasn’t, going 11-1 for the
season.
Combs’ twin, Francis,
was also folded behind the
plate catching the hurling
duo.
Bobby Carter coached
the squad.
The 1997 Perquimans
state championship softball
team earned honorable
mention on the list.
After obtaining approval
to withdraw from the
Albemarle Conference
slow-pitch softball season
to play a non-conference
fast-pitch schedule, the
Lady Pirates opted to play
both schedules when the
conference membership
decided in the 11th hour to
impose sanctions should
Perquimans not play its
conference schedule. Those
sanction's included a $200
fine for every game forfeit
ed and the other teams not
being eligible for champi
onships. The girls played a
grueling 31-game schedule.
Continued on page 8
their career aspirations, do
extensive research, work
with a mentor in their cho
sen field, write a research
paper, complete a related
project and present their
overall project to a panel of
judges.
The award is presented
by the North Carolina
Department of Public
Instruction, SERVE and the
North Carolina Business
Committee on Education.
School times
Central: tardy bell 8:15; dismissal 2:50
Hertford Grammar: tardy bell 8:15; dismissal
2:50
Middle school: tardy bell 7:55; dismissal 2:53
High schoohtardy bell 8:00; dismissal 2:53
Open house
Middle school: Aug. 12 5:30-7 p^m.
Weekend
Weather
THURSDAY
High: 92
Low: 66
Scattered TStorms
Friday
High: 79
Low: 63
Isolated T'Storms
Saturday
High: 82
Low: 64
Partly Cloudy