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"News from Next Door”
SEPTEMBER 2, 2009 - SEPTEMBER 8, 2009
SAT scores for PCHS fall 13 points
By Cathy Wilson
Staff" Writer
Fewer Perquimans stu
dents took SAT tests last
school year and those who
did received lower tests
scores.
According to the 2009 fig
ures released last week by
the North Carolina Depart
ment of Public Instruction,
only 37 Perquimans students,
or 38.9 percent, took the tests.
Those students averaged 478
on math and 445 on critical
reading, for a test total score
of 923.
In 2008, 53 students at
Mayor’s
panel
IR
It |?■rl
Perquimans High School
(PCHS) or 51 percent took
the nation’s leading college
entrance exam, scoring 480
in math, 456 in critical read
ing, totaling 936. In 2007,
62 students or 52.5 percent
took the tests, scoring 485 in
math, 440 in critical reading,
totaling 925.
DPI says the scores reflect
the most recent SATs taken
by public and private school
graduating seniors in 2009.
Local school officials point
out that the number of stu
dents taking SATs reflects
only the students who take
the test while juniors at
PCHS. Some local students
take the tests while sopho
mores don’t retake it the fol
lowing year. Sometimes, stu
dents may also wait and take
the SATs during their senior
year instead.
“Consequently, although
these students have tested,
it doesn’t show up on the
official SAT report,” said
Brenda Lassiter, public in
formation officer. “We need
to have more of a focus on
students taking the SAT as a
junior (rather than a sopho
more or senior) to get a true
picture.”
While the SAT is not a re-
PCHS SAT Scores
2009
2008
2007
# of students.
37
53
62
Percentage taking test
38.9
51
52.5
Math
478
480
485
Critical Reading
445
456
440
Math & CR
923>
936
925
quired test, it is one taken by
college-bound students.
Participation statewide is
around 63 percent. Across
the nation, the SAT participa
tion rate is 46 percent. North
Carolina’s average score is
1,006. The national average
SOURCE: NC DEPARTMENT OF INSTRUCTION
score is 1,016.
Perquimans students’
math scores have fallen each
year since 2007.
In additional to reading and
math, the SAT also includes a
writing component although
it is not usually reported as
a part of the combined SAT
scores. Perquimans students
scored 429 in writing in 2009,
423 in 2008, and 433 in 2007.
Superintendent Dr.
Dwayne Stallings says the
PCHS administration is com
mitted to supporting the ef
forts of those students who
plan to take SATs and en
courage others to take the
test if they plan on attending
a university.
“In the past, they have also
encouraged students to take
the ACT as a preparatory
requirement for entrance
See SAT on Page 9
utilities
By Cathy Wilson
Staff Writer
Participants say the first
meeting of a mayoral com
mission created to open dis
cussion on the town’s util
ity costs was both productive
and educational.
The 13-member Mayor’s
Commission on Utilities met
Aug. 25 with all appointed
members attending except
one. Town Manager John
Christensen said. The group
discussed various issues re
garding the town’s utility
costs, the town’s participa
tion in Electricities, and con
cerns from local residents
who protested high utility
bills a few weeks ago.
A group of residents call
ing themselves HELP (High
Energy Low Pay) picketed in
front of the municipal build
ing last month and then ad
dressed members of town
council Aug. 10, complaining
of high utility bills after the
town cut off electricity to
dozens of residents for non
payment. The commission
was created afterwards to
help both sides understand
problems, the ins and outs of
utility costs and collections,
and to promote conservative
utility usage.
“It was a good open dis
cussion,” said Christensen.
“There are always a few
See UTILITIES on Page 9
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 84 Low: 69
Partly Cloudy
Friday
High: 86 Low: 70
Sunny
Saturday
High: 58 Low: 70
Sunny
Fit to a T'
SUBMITTED PHOTO
The 1945 Perquimans County High School football team was the first high school team in the region to use the “T” formation.
PCHS ‘45 squad first in area using the‘T’
By Cathy Wilson
Staff Writer
W hen the local high school
football season starts
each year, players eagerly
take the field after weeks of hard
practice, learning new plays, and
honing individual skills.
Sixty-four years ago, however, the
1945 football squad for Perquimans
County High School (PCHS) started
their season with a secret weapon.
The local boys surprised their op
position when they switched their
offense from single wing to the
previously unknown “T” forma
tion. PCHS’s use of the “T” forma
tion is believed to be the first time
the offensive formation was used in
this region.
“We scored before they even
knew what was happening,” re-
‘1 never hit the ground so hard in all my life.
All I could see was black with stars twinkling.
He asked me how I was and I said I was
alright. He said if I could survive that, I could
survive anything."
Cecil Winslow
recalling being tackled by a 250-pound Navy man
membered 83-year-old Dan Berry,
who ran the formation as halfback
against opposing teams. “You could
teU by their reaction to the play
that they didn’t know what was
happening. I don’t think we lost a
game.”
Max Campbell, a former editor of
The Perquimans Weekly, volun
teered to coach the team as weU as
the boys basketball team during
World War II when teacher-coaches
went into service. Charlie Skin
ner, a local historian who wrote a
weekly column for The Perquimans
Weekly back in the 1980’s, remem
bered in his writings that Campbell
was introduced back then to Lieu
tenant Andy Pilner, a Navy officer
stationed at the time at what was
known then as the Harvey Point
Naval Air Station in Perquimans
County.
Pilner was an AU-American for
Notre Dame, Skinner wrote, who
showed the local boys how the “T”
formation worked. Playing for the
Fighting Irish, Pilner is credited
with bringing the Irish offense
alive in the second half to win 18-13
over the Ohio State Buckeyes in
1935 in what was termed the great
est football game of the century.
“He brought five boys from
Harvey Point to work with us,”
Berry said. “They were on leave
every weekend, so they came and
worked with us. It wasn’t bad. The
“T” formation was very simple. We
See FOOTBALL on Page 9
Unemployment rate Resident pays bill but has no sewer
decreases in July
The unemployment rate for
Perquimans County dropped
.1 percent in July, according
to figures released recently
by the state’s Employment
Security Commission.
In July 575 people out of a
workforce of 5,472 were un
employed giving the county
an unemployment rate of
10.5 percent. The county’s
rate was 10.6 percent in
June.
Statewide, unemployment
rates dropped in 59 counties
in July, increased in 29 coun
ties, and^ remained the same
in 12.
“Employment growth
was modest in many of our
counties in July,” said ESC
Chairman Moses Carey Jr.
“The coastal counties tradi
tionally experience rate de
creases due to tourism and
the need for summer work
ers. The rest of the state has
not had as much summer
hiring compared to previous
years, but there was enough
to drop the rates in more
than half of the state’s 100
counties.”
North Carolina had 48
counties which were at or
below the state’s unadjusted
unemployment rate of 11.1
percent.
By Cathy Wilson
Staff Writer
For years. Tommy Jones
has paid water and sewer
bills for a property that
doesn’t even have water and
sewer in the house.
Jones purchased the prop
erty located at 110 Edenton
Road Street in 2000, and has
been paying utility bills on
the property until the ser
vice was cut off back in Oc
tober 2008. The house has no
bathrooms, no sinks, no wa
ter or sewer inside at all, he
said. The house does have a
water faucet outside.
Town Manager John Chris
tensen said a town employee
inspected the house Friday
and confirmed that there
was no sewer service in the
building at all. The town will
reimburse Jones for three
years of payments, he said.
“That’s the town’s policy,”
Christensen said. “We can’t
go beyond three years.”
Jones says he told town of
ficials right after he bought
the property that the house
did not have sewer service.
No one would listen to him,
he added.
“They just kept telling
me that if water’s going
in, sewer’s coming out,” he
said. “They charged me a lot
of money for services they
didn’t give me. It’s like being
robbed without a gun.”
Finally, at last week’s May
or’s Commission on Utilities
meeting, someone finally lis
tened.
Christensen said Jones
spoke about his property
at the Aug. 24 commission
meeting. A town inspector
visited the house on Friday.
Jones will be reimbursed
for charges occurred from
September 2005 until Octo
ber 2008.
Jones showed a print-out
of his utility charges dating
back to August 2004.
“That was as far back
as they could go,” he ex
plained.
Charges on the print-out
show Jones was charged
more than $800 in sewer
charges during that time-
frame.
Contact Cathy Wilson at
cwilson @nccox. com
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