ANNOUNCEMENTS
IT employees build picnic shelter at Camp Baker

Page Dowdy/Chesterfield Observer Cosby High School student Maureen Wisniewski (center) was recently inducted into the U.S. Army All-American Band. Sergeant First Class Ted Zuppa (left) and Earl Shaffer, Cosby's band director, congratulated Wisniewski on her success.

Employees in Chesterfield County's Information Systems Technology (IST) Department built a new picnic shelter at Camp Baker as a service project last month. In previous years, IST has performed cleanups on the property and worked to maintain some of the camp's nature trails.

Camp Baker, located at 7600 Beach Rd., is a 22-acre camp for children with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities. It is owned and managed by the Greater Richmond Association for Retarded Citizens (ARC).

"We are very excited and grateful to be working with Chesterfield County," said Doug Payne, communications director for Greater Richmond ARC. "It's just another example of the ongoing partnership between Greater Richmond ARC and the county."

In other announcements:

Maureen Wisniewski, a student at Cosby High School, has been inducted into the U.S. Army All-American Band and will play at halftime during the U.S. Army Bowl on Jan. 5. Band members are selected based on their musical accomplishment, academic achievement, leadership abilities and community service.

McDonald's USA has awarded local restaurant owner/operator Bill Barnes with McDonald's highest honor, its "Ronald Award," for giving back to the local community through restaurant operations and service. Barnes was recognized for more than 20 years of involvement in the community through his 10 restaurants, most of them in Chesterfield County. Barnes has five Adopt-A-School programs, is the title sponsor for the largest tennis tournament in Virginia with McDonald's, and sponsors the Richmond Tennis Association Youth Program.

The Midlothian Tennis Club has opened adjacent to the Brandermill Country Club with four indoor clay courts and 16 outdoor courts. The facility also includes fitness equipment for warm-up, a snack bar, locker rooms and a two-story viewing area to watch tennis matches. For more information, go to www.midlothiantennis.com.

Rusty Gates Jr., Sarah Spiers and Melanie Friend have joined the law firm of CowanGates P.C. Gates is a partner with 26 years of experience as a litigator and in business law. Spiers is an associate practicing in the fields of commercial and real estate law. Friend is an associate practicing in family law.

Shamin Hotels, based in Chesterfield, recently opened its first downtown Richmond property, a Holiday Inn Express at the corner of 2nd and Cary streets. The company completed an extensive renovation and update of the interior and exterior of the former Quality Inn and Suites at that location.

The R.E.B. Foundation and the Community Foundation have recognized 15 outstanding classroom teachers from the area's public school districts including six from Chesterfield. The winners of the 2007 R.E.B. Awards and their projects are: Pamela T. Adkins (Manchester Middle School), $6,700 to travel to Quito, Ecuador, to experience the wildlife and geophysical wonders of the lava built islands and to travel to the Amazon Basin to study the biogeography, ecology and rich ecosystems in the rainforest; Beth Ann McMillion Craig (Ecoff Elementary School), $5,500 to visit New York City, Plymouth, Mass. and Philadelphia to study history and culture as they relate to the first grade social studies Standards of Learning; Terri Lynn Pruett Drewry (Chesterfield Community High School), $12,000 to travel to and experience the culture and history of important American cities that played a key role in U.S. history;

Sharon Bryant Hoffert (James River High School), $12,000 to earn a master's degree and ESL endorsement through George Mason University and to travel to Central America to experience the culture and backgrounds of many of her students; James Edward Triesler (Clover Hill High School), $10,000 to travel to Europe to visit and photograph World War II sites and to interview people who lived through the war; and Ann Madding Zyglocke (Grange Hall Elementary School), $5,500 to travel to Tortuguero, Costa Rica, to volunteer with a sea turtle research team.

Linda Davidson, who teaches French at James River High, has been named the David Cox World Languages Teacher of the Year K-12 by the Foreign Language Association of Virginia.

Manchester High School's Jobs for Virginia's Graduates Program was recently recognized as a top-performing program, achieving or surpassing a 90 percent graduation rate, an 80 percent positive outcomes rate, a 60 percent employment rate, a 60 percent full-time jobs rate and an 80 percent full-time placement rate. The Manchester program is supported each year by a state grant and currently has 33 students enrolled.

Midlothian senior Garret Whitmore has accepted a partial golf scholarship to James Madison University. He was the No. 1 golfer this year, leading Midlothian to a berth in the Central Region Tournament. Last summer, Whitmore came in second place at the Virginia State Junior Golf Championship.

The school board appointed K.C. Lyne, Laurie Pearson, Anne Hixson, Tammie Grubbs, Michelle McQueen-Williams, Nancy Robbins, Phoebe Brown, Liz Getzel and Jennifer Vest to the Special Education Advisory Committee. The school consultants include Margaret Innes (assistant principal, Matoaca Elementary), Myla Burgess (assistant principal, Chalkley Elementary), Rachel Foglesong (assistant principal, Weaver Elementary), Charlene Lee (parent/teacher resource center), Mike Asip (assistant director special education) and Dr. Jacqueline Wilson (director of Exceptional Education). The community representatives are Joe Maciejczyk (business leader), Dave Caras and Kelly Davis (parks and recreation), and Ed Nicely and Claudia Lawler (mental health department).

Barbara Jones, Libby Brown, William Scott, Kyle Grinnage, Bob Owens, Robert Bremer, Tom Vavra, Sharon Perkins, Henry Mack and Matt Alexander have been appointed by the Chesterfield School Board to the Career and Technical Education Advisory Committee. Other persons include Robin Byrd (school business partnership specialist), Liz Kashurba (Chesterfield Economic Development), Dr. Alice Rose (principal, Perrymont Middle School), Mary Jane Richardson (instructional specialist), Lesa Beatty (student), J. Michael Rose (executive principal, Career & Technical Education), David G. Dobbs (program manager, Career & Technical Education), Cecilia M. Donohue (program manager, Career & Technical Education) and Deborah Hinton (administrator for Adult Education).

Announcements can be e-mailed to news@chesterfieldobserver.com, faxed to 744-3269 or mailed to Chesterfield Observer, Attn: Announcements, P.O. Box 1616, Midlothian, VA 23113.