P The ERQUIMANS % u 'H'-f .M is I.. I’ 11 ’.T. 1 Inside See the latest issue of Our Life Magazine "News from Next Door" JANUARY 26, 2011 - FEBRUARY 1, 2011 New principals named for two schools Meiggs resigns to go with DPI By CATHY WILSON Staff Writer The resignation of an el ementary school principal has caused a shift in school leadership in three of the four county schools. Dianne Meiggs, princi pal of Hertford Elemen tary School (HES), has re signed to accept a position Events set for marine park By CATHY WILSON Staff Writer Secretary of Commerce Keith Crisco is one of three keynote speakers scheduled during ground breaking ceremonies Thursday for the Perqui mans Marine Industrial Park. Located in the Perqui mans Commerce Centre -adja’cent to the Perqui mans River, the 72-acre park will eventually offer a 10 ft. deep water basin ' that officials believe will lead to future boat build ing and marine trade in dustrial opportunities. Thursday’s groundbreak ing ceremony is the kick off to marketing the park to prospective clients. “This groundbreaking is a milestone in getting the marine park imple mented,” said Dave Goss, the county’s industrial development consultant. “It’s one step closer to get ting the basin dug.” Other speakers lined »up for the four-hour event include William Greuling, operations manager for the North Carolina Mili tary Business Center, Mi chael Peck, head of exter nal relations for Gamesa Technology Corporation (wind energy), Mike Brad ley, program director for marine trades with the North Carolina Small Business and Technology Development Center, and Bob Peele, executive direc tor of the North Carolina Seafood Park Authority (NCSPA) which is develop ing the park. An excited Peele said the See PARK, 4 Weekend Weather Friday High: 46 Low: 33 Mostly Sunny Saturday High: 52 Low: 33 Sunny Sunday High: 46 Low: 29 Sunny 89076 4 7144 with the state Department of Public Instruction. Linda Layden White, principal of Perquimans Central School (PCS), will transfer to HGS to replace Meiggs as principal. Melissa Fields, assistant principal at Perquimans Middle School (PCMS), will transfer to PCS to be come principal. Teachers Bonita Booze Jones and Tracy Gregory wiU both serve internships alternately as ' assistant Fields Gregory Jones Meiggs principal at PCMS. The change in school leadership is effective February 7. Members of the Perquimans Board of Education approved the changes Friday. These latest principal changes complete new leadership in all of the county’s four schools s i n. c e June. Chante’ Lassiter was named principal of Per quimans High in July following the appointment of former principal James Bunch as assistant superintendent. Norris Parker was named White Bell Remembered ■ ■■ - ' -A ■ ^ STAFF PHOTO BY CATHY WILSON Principal Dianne Meiggs lays flowers on the makeshift memorial created at Hertford Grammar School in memory of teacher Lesley Bell who died Friday. School mourns beloved teacher Hertford Grammar’s Bell lo^es fight with cancer By CATHY WILSON Staff Writer F riday was a tough day for stu dents and staff at Hertford Grammar School (HGS). A beloved teacher, Lesley AUigood BeU, died earlier that morning after being diagnosed with cancer just a few months ago, and members of the school system’s central staff had the sad task of delivering the news to the HGS family “We organized other prin cipals from other schools and central staff members to go to the school that morning to sup port the teachers and students, to give them time to be together to grieve,” said Superintendent Dwayne Stallings. “We imple mented our crisis plan. Grief counselors were on hand as weU as members of our Ministers’ Council and community to help Bell them through their grieving process.” Bell, 34, taught fifth grade and had 25 students this year, said Public Infor mation Officer Brenda Lassiter. She had taught in the school system for over 12 years. She was a former Teacher of the Year, and received her National Board certification. In fact, school officials say BeU had been promoted to instruction al specialist when she developed health problems. “Lesley could have worked in any school district she desired,” said Lassiter. “She chose Perqui mans and we are a better place (school district) because of it. Her influence wiU be felt for genera tions to come.” As usual, BeU began her school year enthusiasticaUy and was attending a work session last fall when she began to feel badly. “She chose Perquimans and we are a better place (school district) because of it” Brenda Lassiter Public Information Officer at Perquimans County Schools “She left school and drove to the hospital,” remembered StaU- ings. “That was her last day at school.” BeU suffered several health issues and was eventuaUy diag nosed with cancer in the faU. She was team captain for the HGS Relay for Life team and had worked tirelessly to help raise thousands of doUars for cancer research. “We are proud of how the staff See BELL, 2 principal at PCMS in Au gust foUowing the resigna tion of former principal Jamie Liverman. Dr. Dwayne StaUings, superintendent, noted the words of a famous mis sionary when reflecting on the change in school lead ership district-wide: “FU go anjrwhere as long as it’s forward.” “These leaders have a vision for the school See PCS, 8 Crews painting high rise bridge By CATHY WILSON Staff Writer One lane of the south bound high rise bridge over U.S. Highway 17 is. closed whUe crews paint the steel underneath the bridge. Jerry Jennings, division engineer, said a Florida firm, Astron General Con tractors, is performing the routine maintenance at a cost of $234,000. “It’s progressing weU at this, point,” Jemiings said. “We’re trying to do more maintenance like this than we have in the past in an ef fort to extend the life of the bridge.” Steel beams and steel bearing plates are first sandblasted and then re painted in what Jennings described as “a fairly cum bersome process”. The con tractor has untU June 1 to complete the project. Jen nings also said smaU cores of asphalt have been taken from the recently resur faced portion of Highway 17 between the high rise bridge and the intersection with Church Street in an ef fort to find out why the road is “rumbling” in the south- bormd lane. “There appears to be a problem in some locations,” Jennings said. “The cores (of asphalt) have been sent to the lab for analysis. We have not come to any reso lution yet as to what caused the rumbling and what can be done to correct it.” Jennings said cores of asphalt are typicaUy taken after a road resurfacing, but more than normal were taken from the southboimd lane this time to determine the root of the problem. “We haven’t found the cause yet,” he added. “At this time, the investigation is ongoing.” Perquimans County Schools could face staff cuts A $2M budget shortfall possible By CATHY WILSON _ Staff Writer School officials have notified staff that a reduction in person: nel is almost a certainty unless the economic climate changes. In a letter sent out to staff on Monday, Superintendent Dwayne StaUings said he doesn’t want to panic or alarm staff members, but is trying to be open and honest regarding the financial shape the school system may find itself during the upcoming 2011-2012 school year. “AU told, Perquimans Coun ty Schools could be looking at a $2 mUlion shortfaU in funding for 2011-2012,” he added. StaUings said the school sys tem has been somewhat shel tered from the funding decreas es for the past two years thanks to proactive planning and deci sions not to fiU positions when employees retired or resigned. The system has also strategi- caUy utUized federal stimulus money to “back-fiU” funding streams that were cut-off by the state. “This additional funding has aUowed the system to con tinue to appropriate monies for See BUDGET, 8 PCS PHOTO There were few smiles Monday as Superintendent Dwayne Stallings spoke of a pos sible $2 million budget shortfall for the county schools next year during a joint work- session between board of education members and the county commissioners.

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