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INSIDE TODAY — Indian
Summer Festival guide
"News from Next Door"
AUGUST 29, 2012 - SEPTEMBER 4, 2012
9 2012
50 cents
PCHS prepares for future early graduates
Focus on more advanced
courses, STEM program
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
With the change in advanced
courses and more focus on
STEM (science, technology, en
gineering, math) classes, school
officials predict some advanced
students in future years may
be ready to graduate from high
school as early as their sopho
more year.
Because of the future possibil
ities, Perquimans County High
School is developing procedures
now to help guide students who
may choose to graduate earlier
than normal to either begin their
college study or career choice.
Assistant Superintendent
James Bunch presented the early
graduation procedures to mem
bers of the Perquimans County
Board of Education Monday
night. While students may meet
the graduation requirements
early, the new procedures basi
cally allows school administra
tors the opportunity to encour
age the student to remain in high
school and take college courses
instead.
“We are excited about this,”
said Bunch. “It is possible in the
year 2015-16 for some students to
meet requirements for gradua
tion after three years. But, we
want them to stay in school at
PCHS and take college courses
through our school which would
save them money on tuition and
books. Our vision is for students
to eventually have a two-year col
lege degree when they graduate
from high school.”
According to the procedures,
a student must show satisfac
tory mastery of high school aca
demic skills and concepts, must
complete at least six semesters
in a high school course of study
in grades 9-12, must complete the
last semester of enrollment as a
full-time student at PCHS, must
show a need for early graduation,
and meet graduation course and
testing requirements that were
in effect the time the student en
tered ninth grade.
See GRADUATES, 8
WELCOME Back To School
Perquimans Central Schoo! Principal Melissa Fields greets students on opening day of school, Monday.
Traffic only problem
on first day of classes
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
L ittle five-year-old Ca-
den Munden walked
into Perquimans Cen
tral School Monday morn
ing holding her daddy’s
hand.
Petite and blonde with
her hair pulled back in a
single braid, she wore a
colorful peace-sign shirt,
ruffled skirt and leggings,
and carried a huge pink
Hello Kitty book bag on
her back that was nearly
as long as she is tall.
After entering her kin
dergarten classroom on
the first day of school, she
watched as her teacher
Nicole Ralph hug one of
her former students, six-
year-old Hannah Bergman.
Ralph was Bergman’s
See FIRST DAY, 8
Happy students arrived bright and early Monday for their first
day of school at Perquimans Central School.
STAFF PHOTOS BY CATHY WILSON
Check out the new shoes! Two girls returning to school at Per
quimans Central on Monday compare new shoes as they cariy
in a good supply of tissues for the upcoming school year.
Detective
suspended
after DWI
Firkel has been with police
department since July 2009
By CATHY WILSON
Staff Writer
A Hertford Police detective has been suspended
from his duties without pay after being charged with
driving while impaired early Sunday morning follow
ing an automobile accident.
Town Manager Brandon Shoaf confirmed that
Christopher Firkel, age 30, was suspended without
pay on Monday He would not comment on the djira-
tion of the suspension, saying only that “is it an ongo
ing personnel matter.”
According to the North Carolina Highway Patrol,
Firkel was driving a 1997 Jeep Sunday morning
around 2 a.m. in the 700-block of Forest Park Road in
Elizabeth City when the vehicle ran off the road on
the right side, overcorrected, crossed the center line,
ran off the roadway and struck a concrete driveway.
The accident was investigated by Trooper C. Allison.
According to court records, Firkel was charged
with driving while impaired following the accident.
He was released in the custody of a responsible party,
court officials said, and faces a Nov. 8 court date in
Pasquotank County
Firkel has been a Hertford Police officer since July
2009.
Shots are fired
around Wynne
Fork complex
Bullets strike trailer, car on April 21
From staff reports
Gunfire erupted around the Wynne Fork Apart
ments Aug. 21 with several bullets striking a nearby
mobile home and a vehicle parked near the apartment
complex.
No one was reported injured in the gunfire.
According to the Hertford Police Department, of
ficers responded to the Hertford Housing Authority
complex around 10 p.m. after receiving reports of
shots fired in the area.
Police discovered that two bullets had entered a mo
bile home in the Dogwood Mobile Home Park. Fur
ther investigation determined that a vehicle had also
been struck twice by bullets.
Police later found seven 9-mm shell casings in the
grass scattered from the' back to the front of the apart
ment building.
Investigation into the gunfire is continuing.
Downtown streets to close
Sept. 7 for Indian Sununer
Original Rhondels to open festival
Church Street (from
Grubb to Dobbs streets)
and Market Street (from
Church Street to the Bap
tist church parking lot)
will be closed to traffic
beginning at 3:30 p.m. on
Friday, Sept. 7, for the 2012
Indian Summer Festival.
All vehicles parked on
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either of those streets
must be removed by 4
p.m.
Access to PNC Bank
may be made from their
Front Street entrance.
Individuals will have
access to park in the
Hertford Baptist Church
parking lot on Friday,
Sept. 7, for access to the
merchants on both Mar
ket and Church streets.
The closing on Market
Street will be extended
to Covent Garden on
Saturday morning,
Sept. 8, to accommodate
the kids venue and addi
tional features such as
the fire trucks and EMS
vehicles.
Band will perform
from 7 to 10 p.m.
By CATHY B. WILSON
Staff Writer
Mark the date now!
Back by popular de
mand, the Original Rhon
dels will open this year’s
Indian Summer Festival
by performing during the
free street dance on Friday,
Sept. 7 from 7-10 p.m. on
the main stage located on
the historic Courthouse
Green on Church Street.
There’ll be a “whole lot-
ta shagging” going on in
downtown Hertford as the
popular beach music band
plays their hit recordings,
including their three top
10 hits “May I”, “I’ve Been
Hurt”, and “What Kind
of Food Do You Think I
Am?”.
From Vir
ginia Beach,
the Original
Rhondels
have per
formed
their hit re
cordings in
almost ev
ery major
city in the United States.
In 1969, Bill Deal and the
Rhondels began a record
ing career that would take
them to Madison Square
Garden and across the
country. They delight their
audiences with outstand
ing vocals, powerful brass
and exciting showman
ship.
The unexpected
passing of Bill
Deal in 2003
was a great
loss to the
music in
dustry;
however, the
Original
Rhondels
continue
to perform the great music
that earned them a star on
the Legends Wall of Fame.
The band features Brian
Bleakley on vocals and
trumpet, Peter Pope on
keys and vocals, Steve Am
brose on sax and vocals,
Dean Englert on trombone
and vocals, Gary Hardy
and Rollie Ligart on trum
pet and vocals, Bruce Har
low on guitar and vocals,
Wayne Kessinger on bari
tone sax and vocals, and
Sonny Morris on drums
and vocals.
A beer and wine gar
den will be open during
the dance at the corner
of Church and Market
streets. Food and craft ven
dors, along with music by
DJ Cowboy will open the
Friday evening festivities
at6p.m.
See FESTIVAL, 8