“News from Next Door”
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019
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Schools back, enrollment up
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
A late surge in enrollment
has Perquimans County
Schools with more than
100 students than it had last
year.
“Today has been a great
day,” said Superintendent
Tanya Turner. “ Perquimans
High School began their day
with a pep rally which was a
great success. All of the oth
er schools reported a very
smooth opening as I visited
each. Schools were clean,
grounds were maintained,
and classrooms were in
viting for our students and
their families. I am very ex
cited about the school year
and the team that is in place
to take care of our children.
It is going to be an awesome
year.”
The school system had
1,603 students last year, and
just last week, it was esti
mating it would have 1,685
this year. The actual figure
Monday was 1,714.
Attendance was good
for the first day. The four
schools reported 66 absenc
es. That broke down to 27 at
Perquimans Middle School,
19 at Perquimans Central,
14 at Hertford Grammar and
six at the high school.
“I am veiy pleased with
the numbers,” Turner said.
“Absences are low and even
taking them in consider
ation, we are well above the
ADM (Average Daily Mem
bership or enrollment) from
last year which is exciting
See SCHOOLS, A2
Spellman, Carver, Bridgers and Duncan honored
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Four other Perquimans
teachers were honored during
convocation last week.
Anisha Spellman . was
named the Exceptional
Children’s Teacher of Ex
cellence. Sylvia Carver was
named Teacher of the Year
for Perquimans County High
School and Tyler Bridgers
won the same honor for
Perquimans County Middle
School and Laura Duncan
won for Perquimans Central.
Sylvia Carver has been
teaching math for 11 years,
with the last two years at
STAFF PHOTO BY PETER WILLIAMS
Students recite the Pledge Of Allegiance Monday at the start of the school day at Hertford Grammar School.
Students do the pledge and take a moment to reflect on “giving our best” every morning to start the day.
Lyons named top teacher for county
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
Rodney Lyons Sr. says teaching
doesn’t start with a book or a com
puter program.
“Learning starts off by building a
positive relationship with the stu
dent,” said Lyons, tins year’s Perqui
mans County Teacher of the Year. “If
you can build that positive relation
ship, teaching math using 21st centu-
ly real world exam
ples and making it
fun, they (students)
will get you 100 per
cent.”
Now a 28-year
veteran in the class-
room, he teaches
fourth grade math
and social studies at
Hertford Grammar School.
“When I was in school here in Per ¬
quimans County, my mother was a
teacher’s assistant and she instilled
the value of teaching all kids fairly,”
he said.
But he didn’t start out being a teach
er. When he graduated from Perquim
ans County High School, he earned
a bachelor’s in science degree in so
cial science and criminal justice and
started working for the Perquimans
See LYONS, A2
SPELLMAN
PCHS. She
holds a
Bachelors
Degree
from North
Carolina
State Uni
versity and
a Masters
Degree
from Eliz
abeth City State University.
Carver says that often
students have a roadblock
when it comes to learning
- especially learning math
- that prevents them from
even trying or thinking
about the problem.
To help her students with
their over
all learning
process,
she im
plements
brain
breaks,
which of
ten have
nothing
to do with
math. The brain breaks are
designed to have no right
or wrong answer. The in
tent is for the students to
first think about the prob
lem and secondly, be able
to adequately explain their
decision.
She said she believes that
BRIDGERS
the stu
dents need
and de
serve her
best every
day, so she
encourag
es herself
and fellow
teachers
to keep
pushing forward, take it
one day at a time, focus on
something good, and keep
in mind that the end result
of student growth and suc
cess is worth it.
Tyler Bridgers is a sev
enth and eighth grade
math teacher at Perquim-
DUNCAN
ans Coun
ty Middle
School. He
has been
teaching
math at
PCMS for
four years.
• Bridgers
is a 2014
graduate of
Elizabeth City State Univer
sity who says his main goal
as a teacher “is to awaken
students’ awareness of the
possibilities, and to grow as
individuals.”
He takes great pride in
See TEACHERS, A2
Experts
talk
about
algae
BY MILES LAYTON
The Chowan Herald
EDENTON — Scientists
believe nutrients entering
area waterways are mak
ing an area already prone
for algal blooms worse,
but where the nutrients
are coming from and why
they’re driving bloom pro
duction now remain unan
swered questions.
Scientists and community
leaders gathered in Edenton
on Saturday to discuss the
harmful algal blooms that
have shown up in area wa
terways this summer. Held
at College of The Albemar
le’s Edenton campus, the
event featured presentations
by scientists, state and local
agencies, and' community
groups concerned about the
ongoing algae problem.
Presenters during the
“Harmful Algal Blooms in
the Chowan River and Albe
marle Sound” forum pointed
out that algal blooms in area
waterways isn’t a new prob
lem. They also said solutions
to the problem won’t come
quickly, as more resources
are needed to gather data on
the blooms’ causes.
The state of North Caroli
na has issued warnings that
people and animals should
avoid contact with bluegreen
water — the result of what
are known as cyanobacteria
blooms — in the Chowan
River every summer since
2015. While there have been
no confirmed cases in North
Carolina of anyone getting
sick from contact with blue-
green water, some species of
cyanobacteria can produce
toxins that may cause illness
in people and pets, accord
ing to the N.C. Division of
Public Health’s website.
This summer, state offi
cials have issued multiple
warnings for residents and
visitors to avoid contact
with bluegreen algae in the
region’s waterways. Recent
ly, the N.C. Department of
Health and Human Services
issued a warning for the
See ALGAE, A2
Plans to test ferry on hold, Hertford out for now
BY MILES LAYTON
Chowan Herald
PLYMOUTH — The state
budget impasse is delaying
a trial run of what area of
ficials hope will eventual
ly become an inland ferry
system linking half-a-dozen
of the region’s harbor town
communities.
State Rep. Ed Goodwin,
R-Chowan,
provided
an update
on the
proposed
ferry trial
during a
meeting in
Plymouth
last week.
About 80 people attended
the Thursday evening event.
Goodwin, a foimer head
of the state ferry division,
proposed the ferry trial
earlier this year as a way
to test what’s being billed
as the Harbor Town Proj
ect. The project would link
six harbor towns along the
Albermarle Sound — Plym
outh, Edenton, Columbia,
Hertford, Elizabeth City
and Manteo — by fast-fer
ry. It also would include
upgrades to historic and
eco-tourism sites in the
towns, making them more
attractive to visitors.
Goodwin said state mon
ey he had hoped to get for
what would be a six- or
seven-day trial of the ferry
is tied up in the still-unap
proved state budget. The
Republican-led Legislature
approved the budget but
Democratic Gov. Roy Coo
per vetoed it, objecting to its
spending amount on educa
tion and absence of funding
to expand Medicaid.
Although Goodwin said
his hope was to conduct the
trial this fall, he suggested
following Thursday’s meet
ing that there is no immedi
ate time table for it happen
ing.
“It’s still in the process
of development,” he said.
“People think we’re under
the gun to get it done by a
certain time.”
Goodwin said if the fer
ry trial were to take place
now, the town of Hert
ford wouldn’t be included
See FERRY, A2
Bethel Fishing Center reopens
BY PETER WILLIAMS
News Editor
After a two-year hiatus,
the Bethel Fishing Cen
ter is planning a grand
reopening on Saturday at
10 am.
The center originally was
opened in 1989 by Terry
6 89076 47144 2
Johnson’s parents, Pat and
Millie Henry.
“Mom needed a break
so we closed it,” Johnson
said, “but it was a loss to
the community. It is such a
great location and so many
people really eqjoy it here
- fishing and on the river. It
only seemed right to open it
back up.”
There have been some
changes.
“It was my daughter that
talked it up again,” Millie
Henry said. “She wanted it
to have a bar, and I wanted
it to have ice cream. I got
the ice cream and she got
the bar.”
Bethel Fishing Center
opens at 6 a.m. for biscuits
and the coffee crew. In the
dining hall military portraits
hang of friends and family
including Johnson’s Dad
and son.
From Monday through
Thursday it closes at 9 p.m.
Friday and Saturday the
hours are 6 a.m. until mid-
night. Sunday hours are
planned.
Henry knows it will be
hard work. Johnson has a
full-time job.
“We have to do what we
have to do until it takes off,”
Henry said.
The Yeopim River offers
a place to paddleboard, kay
ak or peddleboat and rent
als are available. The store
offers ice, bait, snacks and
sandwiches.
On Saturday there will be
See BETHEL, A2
SUBMITTED PHOTO
The Bethel Fishing Center plans a grand opening on
Aug. 31.