Newspapers / The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, … / March 7, 2010, edition 1 / Page 1
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n‘n^ 11 yvw aSAISIDSH ERQUIMANS AIXWkkkt.v Couple designated as Special Friends of the County. Page 2 "News from Next Door” March 17, 2010 - March 23, 2010 More students are staying in schooi System dropout rate has fallen By CATHY WILSON Stajf Writer The number of high school dropouts in Perqui mans last school year was the lowest it’s been in four years. Twenty students dropped out of school in the 2008- 2009 school year, giving the school system a dropout rate of 3.56 percent. In years past, 31 students dropped out of school dur ing the 2007-08 school year, 30 in 2006-07, 47 in 2005-06, and 36 in 2004-05. School officials believe the school system is keep ing more students in school thanks to the creation of the Accelerated Learning Center/Parent Resource Center, and the hiring of a drop-out prevention coordi nator. The center offers an in tensive counseling compo nent to the school system’s “at-risk” students and their families, explained Brenda Lassiter, public informa tion officer. “Available to the stu dents and their families are the drop-out prevention co ordinator, the school social worker, the school coimsel- or and the school psycholo gist,” she said. “The team of school officials work to gether to help students find success in the classroom and to become productive citizens.” Last year, the school system received a $150,000 dropout prevention grant used to provide focused in tervention and prevention goals and objectives as a vehicle to implement an innovative dropout preven tion program that targeted as-risk students from grade six through 12. According to Superinten dent Dwayne K. Stallings, these are important compo nents that have been miss ing in the past. “Understanding why students opt to drop out of school is one of the most difficult problems school officials have to deal with,” said Lassiter. “Some with draw because of personal or physical problems, some to go to work and some get be- Special delivery m III 111 11111II It II l. CATHY WILSON/THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY Hertford Postmaster Angela Cowell holds up several of the 2010 U.S. Census forms to be delivered across the county this week. Census officials are urging citizens to fill out the forms and mail them back in as quickly as possible. COUNT ME IN: Census forms arrive Forms delivered here this week By CATHY WILSON Staff Writer The 2010 Census forms have arrived. Hertford postal carriers started delivering them on Monday Census Bureau officials ask you to fill out the form and mail it back imme diately in the provided, postage-paid envelope. “Every North Carolina resident should fill out and return their census questionnaires. It’s easy, it’s important and it’s se cure,” said Gov. Bev Per due. “An accurate count of our population is criti cal for the futtire of North Carolina. As a fast-grovv- ing state, we must count everyone to’ get our fan- share of the bUlions of federal dollars distribut ed each year based on the census.” The Census counts ev eryone residing in the United States, both citi zens and non-citizens, as required every 10 years by the Constitution. In addition to the local households in the county, residents in local nursing homes and the juvenile detention center located in Winfall will be counted as well. Much is determined by the numbers gathered during the Census includ ing the number of seats each state will have in the US House of Represen tatives and figures used during local and state voting redistricting. Fed eral funding to programs such as school lunches. senior citizen centers, and new construction for highways and hospitals are also determined by population data collected during the Census. The questionnaire does not include banking in formation or social secu rity numbers. The questions include address of the residence, whether the unit is rented or owned, names of resi dents, genders, ages, and races of those living hi the household. A phone number is requested in case handwriting is not legible. If you don’t fiU out the form and mail it back in, a replacement question naire will be sent out in mid April in an effort to get as many question naires returned as pos sible. Census takers will begin visiting households that don’t return ques tionnaires May 1. “If the people of North Carolina complete the census form and return it quickly, then we won’t have to go out, knock on See CENSUS, 3 hind and feel overwhehjied. Others find it difficult to function in a regular class room setting. There are numerous factors that play into a student’s decision to drop out of school.” Stallings admits that one dropout is too many and continues to seek alterna tive funding and resources to target the “at risk” popu lation. “Identification and in- See SCHOOLS, 3 Public workshop set for Causeway CaTHY WILSON Staff Writer Citizens and local offi cials will get the chance to comment to transportation officials on what to do with the historic S-bridge and Causeway during a work shop scheduled for April 6. The North Carolina De partment of Transporta tion (NCDOT) will hold the workshop at the county rec reation center from 4-7 p.m. Citizens may ask questions and offer input (verbally or in writing) during the in formal workshop. “This is an important part of the process.” said Joseph Miller, project devel opment and environmental analysis with NCDOT. “We can’t do it without them (citizens).” Areas in the causeway are sinking from settling and have been for years, despite repeated repairs and rebuilding by NCDOT over the years. The mov able-span bridge has a low sufficiency rating, and now many parts that might need replacing are no longer readily available and must be special ordered and cus tom made instead. In ad dition, the existing bridge does not meet current codes including the radius of the curves, the width of the bridge, and the width of the causeway “The bridge was buUt in 1929,” Mfiler pointed out. “It’s gotta go.” NCDOT has poured over $1.8 million into repairing the Causeway and $900,000 See CAUSEWAY, 3 Weekend Weather Friday High: 63 Low: 44 Mostly Sunny Saturday High: 65 Low: 44 Sunny Sunday High: 64 Low: 42 Showers Bucks needed for big bangs in Perquimans mm July 4th fireworks donations needed By CATHY WILSON Staff Writer Donations are currently being accepted to fund fireworks for this year’s July 4th celebration that can be seen in both Hert ford and Winfall. Diane Stallings, trea surer of the county fire works committee, said the fun-filled, exciting July 4th holiday event falls on a Sunday this year and will be held at Missing Mill Park. Fireworks are shot over the Perquimans River and can be views by citizens in both Hertford and Winfall. “July 4th is quickly ap proaching. We appreci ate all of your support in the past and we are once again asking for your help to raise money for this year’s show,” she said. “We would greatly appre ciate your consideration of a donation to help fund the fireworks.” The local Ruritan clubs are answering the call for help by holding a barbecue chicken dinner in April to help raise money for the fireworks. Chicken plates, $7 each, may be picked up at Parks- ville Ruritan Club on April 16,3:30-6 p.m. Tickets for the dinner may be purchased from any Ruritan or from the Perquimans Chamber. “The cost of our won derful fireworks display has increased and your contributions will help make sure we have a great See FIREWORKS, 5 CATHY WILSON/THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY Donations are currently being sought to help pay for the fireworks display scheduled to highlight tfki year’s July 4th celebration in Hertford. Swindell Funeral and Cremation Services 509 Dobbs St, Hertford 426-73 11 Traditional * Cremation Green Funerals • Biker Funerals Veterans Funerals • Pre-Arrangementsj www.swindellfuneralhome.com Over S7 Years of Service to the Community ^ ff
The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, N.C.)
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March 7, 2010, edition 1
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