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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.