m
P The
ERQUIMANS
Weekly
Holiday Island teens are keeping
''News from Next Door"
JULY 29, 2009 - AUGUST 4, 2009
2
busy this summer
Page 4
Perquimans schools meet AYP goals
By Toby Tate
Staff Writer
The Perquimans County
Schools made dramatic prog
ress meeting their Adequate
Yearly Progress goals in 2008-
09 by turning in a perfect
score.
According to preliminary
results released by the North
Carolina Department of Pub
lic Instruction, all four schools
in Perquimans met 100 percent
of their AYP performance tar-
Jobless
rate rises
in June
By Cathy Wilson
Staff Writer
The number of people
unemployed in Perquimans
County rose slightly in
June.
According to figures re
leased recently by the Em
ployment Security Com
mission of North Carolina,
the unemployment rate for
Perquimans reached 10.6
percent in June, up by .1
percent from 10.5 percent re
corded in May.
Out of a county labor force
of 5,485, 581 people were un
employed last month.
Statewide, unemployment
rates were up in more than
half of the state’s 100 coun
ties. Rates increased in 56
counties, decreased in 32 and
remained the same in 12.
Perquimans County’s rate
is still below the state’s un
adjusted unemployment rate
of 11.2 percent.
Currituck and Hyde coun
ties had the state’s low
est unemployment rate at
6.2 percent while Scotland
County showed the highest
at 17.2 percent.
Perquimans unemploy
ment figures for 2009 showed
10.7 percent in January, 10.7
percent in February, 10.4 per
cent in March, 9.9 percent in
April, 10.5 percent in May,
and 10.6 percent in June.
According to ESC online
database, January and Feb
ruary’s rates of 10.7 percent
were the highest recorded
in Perquimans in nearly 20
years.
gets.
“This is exciting and a time
to celebrate the dedication,
hard work and commitment
of our Students, parents, edu
cators and the community,”
school officials said in a press
release. “This is the first time
since the federal accountabili
ty program began in which 100
percent of all target goals were
met by students attending Per
quimans County Schools.”
Under the federal No Child
Left Behind legislation passed
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 88 Low: 75
ScAHERED Storms
Friday.
High: 90 Low: 73
ScAHERED Storms
Saturday
High: 87 Low: 73
Isolated Storms
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in 2001, each school district in
the nation is required to en
sure that aU students are per
forming at grade level or above
in math and reading/language
arts by 2013-14. To do this, stu
dents at each school are tested
annually to ensure they are
making adequate yearly prog
ress toward that goal.
To measure AYP, students at
each school are divided into 10
groups, six of which refer to
race. The other groups include
the school as a whole, the num
ber of economically disadvan
taged students, students who
have limited proficiency in
English and students with dis
abilities. Not aU schools have
aU 10 groups; all have at least
two groups — the school as a
whole and one racial group.
For a school to make AYP,
each of its student groups
must meet proficiency targets
in math and reading/language
arts. Also, at least 95 percent
of the students making up the
group have to participate in
the annual testing.
Elsewhere in the surround
ing areas, the Camden and
Currituck school districts
met 100 percent of their AYP
performance targets as well.
The Edenton-Chowan Schools
met 75 percent of their per
formance goals and the Eliza
beth City-Pasquotank Public
Schools met 50 percent of
theirs. AYP results are consid
ered preliminary until they’re
approved by the State Board
of Education on Aug. 6.
Triple the fun
PERQUIMANS WEEKLY PHOTO BY CATHY WILSON
I
Everybody wants to play with the same toy. The Russell triplets, Caroline, Landon and Tate, keep the family busy these days.
Triplets celebrate first birthday
Child care for three a rewarding
challenge for mom and dad
By Cathy Wilson
Staff Writer
I magine three toddlers cutting
teeth at the same time, learning
how to walk at the same time, and
getting into just about everything
— at the same time!
That’s the everyday life of Som
mer and Mike Russell, parents of
triplets Landon, Caroline and Tate
who celebrated their first birthday
July 20. After a year of adapting to
five children instead of their original
two, the young Chapanoke couple stiU
beams when speaking of their tod
dlers. They quickly say older sisters
Jordyn (11) and Macee (7) are wonder
ful helpers, too.
“It can get pretty hairy around
here some days,” admitted Sommer.
But most of the time, everything’s
under control, said Mike who refers
to his wife as Supermom.
As the family gathers around the
kitchen table to talk, three high
chairs holding toddlers, sippy cups,
and cheese crackers line one side of
the table in front of a large sunny
window. The personalities of the
little ones are as unique as having
triplets: the identical boys are play
ful, charming and outgoing while
their fraternal sister is a little more
cautious, attentive and quick to
squeal her feelings.
“The boys just love each other to
See TRIPLETS on Page 10
Miller breaks ground on new funeral home
By Cathy Wilson
Staff Writer
Miller Funeral Homes and
Crematory broke ground on
a new 5,000-square-foot fu
neral home in Hertford last
week.
Local government officials
and Perquimans Chamber of
Commerce representatives
donned hard hats and shov
eled wet dirt July 21 to signi
fy the beginning of a new lo
cal business that will provide
four full-time jobs and eight
to 10 part-time positions.
“We are pleased to extend
to Hertford and Perquimans
County services already of
fered through Miller Funeral
Nelson
PERQUIMANS WEEKLY PHOTO BY CATHY WILSON
Miller Funeral Homes and Crematoiy recently broke ground at the corner of Harvey Point Road and Com
merce Drive on a new 5,000-square-foot funeral home to be built by A. R. Chesson Construction. The
See HOME on Page 10 Perquimans Chamber of Commerce sponsored the ground-breaking ceremony on July 21.
Nelson
re-elected;
Yates is
vice-chair
By Cathy Wilson ,
Staff. Writer
A veteran and a newcomer
were elected to lead the Per
quimans County Board of
Education Monday night.
Current Chairman Wal
lace Nelson was re-elected as
chairman for his third term.
Arlene Yates, who was elected
to the board
of education
a year ago,
will serve as
vice chair
man.
Nelson has
served on the
BOE since
July 2006.
Nelson, of
Hertford, is director of phar
macy services at Chowan
Hospital in Edenton. Yates,
of Winfall, is owner of The
Learning Center of Perqui
mans County
Former Vice Chairman
Walter Leigh first moved that
both the chairman and vice
chairman remain as is, but
board member Gloria Mason
nominated Amy Spaugh as
chairmian causing Leigh’s mo
tion to be amended to include
just the chairman’s position.
Spaugh, who also was elect
ed to the board just one year
ago, declined the nomination,
citing lack of experience. Ma^,
son then nominated Yates to
serve as board chairman.
Nelson won the election 3-2
with Cox, Leigh and Spaugh
voting for Nelson. Mason and
Yates voted for Yates. Nelson
abstained from voting.
Mason then nominated
Yates for the position of vice
chairman with no other nom
inations offered. Yates was
elected unanimously.
Leigh, who had served as
vice chairman for the past
two years, has served the
board of education since 1990
in various capacities includ
ing chair and vice chairman
for several years.
Water
tests
start
Monday
The Town of Winfall
and Perquimans County
will perform a joint wa
ter system test beginning
Monday, August 3 and con
tinuing through Monday,
August 10.
This test may cause dis
colored water in Winfall
and surrounding areas
served by the county wa
ter system. If customers
experience discolored wa
ter, they are advised to let
their faucet run for a brief
period. If water remains
discolored, please contact
the county water depart
ment at 426-8230 during
normal business hours.
Swindell Funeral and Cremation Services Traditional • Cremation
509 Dobbs St, Hertford Green Funerals • Biker Funerals
426-73 I I Veterans Funerals • Pre-Arrangements
L Over 57 Years of
Service to the
^ Community 7 tf‘
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