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SEP 2 9 W9
ERQUIMANS
Weekly
Driver injured
in truck wreck
on Harvey
Point Road
— See Page 2
''News from Next Door"
SEPTEMBER 30, 2009 - OCTOBER 6, 2009
Absentee rate rises in local schools
Half sent home with
flu-like symptoms
By Cathy Wilson
Staff Writer
The absentee rate in Per
quimans County Schools rose
to 10 percent Monday with the
majority of absenteeism oc
curring in the upper grades.
According tp Brenda Las
siter, public information offi
cer, 180 students were absent
Monday including 60 from
Perquimans High, 58 from
Perquimans Middle, 35 from
Hertford Grammar, and 27
from Perquimans Central.
Students
get active
with gym
initiative
SPARK to combat
childhood obesity
By Cathy Wilson
Staff Writer
Physical education instruc
tor Kristie Thach gets down
in the push-up position and
demonstrates to her class how
to do a push up while slapping
your partner’s hand in front
of you at the same time.
She jmnps back up, cranks
up the music, and blows the
whistle hanging around her
neck signaling to the sixth-
graders gathered in the gym
that it’s their time to do it,
too.
Boys and girls of all shapes
and sizes fell to the floor and
at least attempted to perform
the push up. Some mastered it
with ease. Others didn’t quite
make it all the way, but they
didn’t seem to mind. They en
joyed slapping their partner’s
hand more. When finished,
they sprinted back to the gym
sideline where they were giv
en the next task.
Run to mid court, jump up,
high five your partner with
both hands, and run back to
the sideline.
Thach’s whistle again start
ed a flurry of physical activ
ity punctuated with laughs
and giggles. The physical ac
tivity and fun‘continued the
entire class.
It’s aU part of the Sports,
Play and Active Recreation
for Kids (SPARK) curriculum
being shared with sixth grad
ers in Perquimans County
Schools through the In-school
Prevention of Obesity and
Disease initiative (IsPOD).
See SPARK on Page 2
Weekend
Weather
Thursday "
High: 73 Low: 57
Sunny
Friday
High: 76 Low: 59
Sunny
Saturday
High: 78 Low: 62
Mostly Cloudy
6""89076 47143
Students were sent home
during the day. Not aU stu
dents who missed school were
sick, she pointed out. In addi
tion to flu-like symptoms, oth
er viruses are going around
as well, school officials said.
The school system averages
about 80 students absent on a
given day, she added.
According to school nurs
es Hope Stallings Ward and
Claudia Bunch, 50 percent of
the students being sent home
due to illness showed signs of
flu-like symptoms including
fever, cough, headache, chills,
and fatigue.
“School nurses are moni
toring the attendance closely
''School nurses are monitoring the
attendance closely at all four schools
and are following up on illnesses of
students to determine and track the
flu virus, especially if there is a large
absenteeism in the same classroom. ”
* Brenda Lassiter
Spokeswoman, Perquimans County Schools
at aU four schools and are fol
lowing up on illnesses of stu
dents to determine and track
the flu virus, especially if
there is a large absenteeism
in the same classroom,” said
Lassiter.
The number of students
absent in the local schools
rose and fell during the pre
vious weeks in September,
but started to climb steadily
beginning Sept. 23 when 96
students missed school. That
number rqse to 125 on Sept.
24,128 on Sept. 25, and spiked
at 180 on Sept. 28.
Ashley Stoop with Albe
marle Regional Health Ser
vices told members of the
Perquimans Board of Educa
tion Monday night that 99 per
cent of all flu in the country
now is HlNl, more commonly
known as Swine Flu. So far,
flu cases have been termed
mild to moderate in severity,
she said. Symptoms include
fever, coughing, runny/stuffy
nose, sore throat, body aches.
Into the Hall
PHOTO COURTESY PERQUIMANS COUNTY SCHOOLS
V
Tommy Matthews, (l-r) Susan Cox and Thomas Sharpe are show in front of Perquimans County High School Friday afternoon. The three
former PCHS students, along with two others - Tanya Everett Queiro and the late Joe Towe Sr. - were inducted into the Perquimans
Athletic Hall of Fame during half-time of Friday night's home football game against Roanoke.
Hall of Fame inducts Class of 2009
By Cathy Wilson
Staff Writer
T he Perquimans Coun
ty Athletic Hall of
Fame has five new
members including two
women and three men.
The Class of 2009 was in
ducted Friday night during
halftime ceremonies at the
Perquimans County High
School football game. This
year’s class includes: Susan
Cox, Tommy Matthews,
Tanya Everett Queiro,
Thortias Sharpe and Joe
Towe, Sr.
Cox, a 1964 graduate,
has done everything when
it comes to high school
sports. She played, coached
on the middle, high school
and college levels, taught,
served as athletic director,
and is now on the Perqui
mans Board of Education.
She served as captain of
the girls’ basketball team
during her junior and
senior years, making all
conference her final year
in high school. Her teach
ing and coaching career
lasted 33 years including
seven years at WiUiamston
High School. While there,
her basketball teams won
seven conference and seven
tournament championships
averaging 23 wins a season.
The 1974 team finished as
the'State runner-up.
She also coached softball,
won four conference cham
pionships and competed in
the state play-offs each of
the seven years.
She even taught and
coached on the college
level. Her basketball teams
at Peace College won two
conference and two region
al championships. At East
Cary Middle School, her
volleyball team had a six-
year record of 60-4. Coach
ing at Cary High School,
the volleyball team won
four conference champion
ships and competed in the
state play-offs six out of
See HALL on Page 9
headache, chills, fatigue, and
nausea and/or diarrhea.
■ “We have seen more flu ac
tivity this year than all of last
year,” Stoop said. “The HlNl
seen so far seems to be target
ing children, age 5-24. So it’s
important that teachers take
this seriously. But, don’t pan
ic. We have been planning for
this for a year.”
Stoop pointed out that
employees of Perquimans
County Schools have attend
ed planning sessions held by
the health department over
the past year to deal with a
possible flu outbreak. She
See ABSENTEE on Page 2
Walkers
raise
$28K for
ALS fight
By Cathy Wilson
Staff Writer
About 300 walkers took
part in Saturday’s Walk td
D’Feet ALS, raising over
$28,000 to help find a cure for
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
(ALS).
Overcast skies and a gen
tle breeze helped keep the
walkers cool during the trek
through town that began and
ended at Perquimans High
School (PHS). Before the walk
began, members of the Caro
lina Walkers offered cooked
sausages on the grill at the
school and offered walkers a
quick breakfast before hitting
the road.
They came on foot, on scoot
ers, in strollers, on leashes,
and even on top of shoulders
to help the cause.
“It was a perfect day,” said
Helen Hunter, widow of the
late Jimmy “Catfish” Hunter
who died 10 years ago from
complications from the dis
ease. “The clouds and breezes
kept the walkers from getting
so hot. We are just so happy
so many people turned out to,
walk.”
Saturday’s event marked
the 10th year of the annual
fund-raiser sponsored by the
Jim “Catfish” Hunter ALS
Foundation. Over $200,000
has been raised during 10
years of walking to help find
a cure, provide respite care,
and to raise awareness of
the disease that’s more com
monly known as Lou Gehrig’s
Disease.
“Catfish” Hunter, known in
See ALS on Page 9
Stepney has a cancer-free year
By Cathy Wilson
Staff Writer
Seven-year-old Jaedon Stepney has a lot to celebrate
these days.
Turning seven Sept. 13 was pretty special for the J.C.
Sawyer first-grader, but being cancer free for over a year
is even better!
Stepney is aU smiles now but in May 2007 doctors re
moved a lemon-sized malignant tumor from the back of
his head. He was diagnosed with medulloblastoma and
required surgery to remove the tumor at Children’s Hos
pital of the King’s Daughters in Norfolk. Intense radia
tion and months of chemotherapy followed for the little (
fellow. He received his last chemo treatment in August
2008.
“He’s doing great now,” beamed his grandma, Pam
Stepney, who along with other family members, prepared
a huge feast Saturday afternoon at her New Hope Road
home. The party, complete with ribs, chicken, sausages.
See STEPNEY on Page 9
Cathy Wilson/The
Perquimans Weekly
Jaedon Stepney,
7, celebrates after
being cancer free for
more than a year,
Saturday. Jaedon
was diagnosed with
medulloblastoma
in May 2007 and
underwent surgeiy at
Children’s Hospital
of the King’s Daugh
ters in Norfolk, Va.