ANNOUNCEMENTS
Board members gather ideas at VSBA conference

Chesterfield County School Board members Dianne Pettitt, David Wyman and James Schroeder and member-elect Patricia Carpenter were among more than 1,000 local school leaders and administrators who attended the Nov. 14-16 annual conference of the Virginia School Boards Association (VSBA) in Williamsburg.

Boardsmanship/governance, legislative and legal updates, school finance, school operations and educational technology were among the topics of conference sessions. The conference also included VSBA regional meetings and organizational meetings for school staff members. Exhibits of educational services, products and school architecture were displayed throughout the conference.

Attendance at the VSBA conference fulfills requirements in the Code of Virginia that school board members "participate in in-service programs on personnel, curriculum and current issues in education."

In other announcements:

As recommended by Chairman Kelly Miller, the Chesterfield Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution that the U.S. Postal Service issue a postage stamp bearing the likeness of Maggie L. Walker. She was the first woman in the United States to organize a bank and served as its president, providing inspirational leadership for African Americans. The effort is also supported by Consolidated Bank and Trust Company.

Chesterfield Towne Center will sponsor its Third Annual Holiday Concert Series in the Food Court beginning Sat., Dec. 8. Musical performances will be given by community, school and church musical groups. The full concert schedule is available online at www. chesterfieldcenter.com.

Officer Milton Lee Pulley (29 years of service) and Detective John C. Stein (20 years of service) have retired from the Chesterfield Police Department.

Ann Zyglocke, a third-grade teacher at Grange Hall Elementary, is one of only a few teachers to win a second R.E.B. Award. She will use the $5,500 award to volunteer with a sea turtle research group in Costa Rica. She is one of 94 teachers in the Richmond region to win R.E.B. awards. Jill Nalbach, third-grade teacher at Ecoff Elementary, was an R.E.B. finalist and received a grant of $750.

The 2007 Enon Flag Football Cheerleaders placed first in the Eastern Cheerleading Dance Association Championships, second in the Cheer Elite Star Tournament and first in the Matoaca Association Cheerleading Tournament.

Theater students at James River High reached out to orphaned children in Kazakhstan with opening night ticket sales to "Grease" last week going to provide Christmas presents for an orphanage in the central Asian country.

The school board has appointed Jennifer Ogburn, Lori McNulty, Leathie Gibson, Daisy Byrd, Brenda Archer, Mark Endries, Reginald Quick, David Jansen, Mary Ann Reid and Stephanie Estes to the Gifted Education Advisory Committee. Other persons include Betsy Ameen (teacher, Swift Creek Middle), Joe Barden (community representative), Ed Bosha (teacher, James River High), Jessica Dictor (teacher, Meadowbrook High), Tamisha Grimes (principal, Providence Middle), Ernest Longworth (teacher, Matoaca Middle), Tina Martin (principal, Greenfield Elementary), Margaret Seitz (teacher, Bettie Weaver Elementary), David Sovine (principal, Monacan High), Christy Weisiger (teacher, Grange Hall Elementary) and Donna Woods (support staff, Gordon Elementary).

Evergreen Elementary School has achieved certification from the National PTA as a Parent Involvement School of Excellence. The Evergreen Elementary PTA, which has almost 700 members, runs 29 committees to support the school in a variety of ways including the Eagle Excellence Program, which recognizes students who demonstrate the core values of respect, responsibility, honesty and accountability; the Mileage Club, which gathers students and parents twice a week to run or walk for fitness; and the Volunteer Substitute Program, which recruits parents to train as volunteer substitute teachers.

Evergreen Elementary is the only Chesterfield school to achieve this recognition this school year. Only 10 other Chesterfield schools have previously been certified as Parent Involvement Schools of Excellence.

Evergreen PTA officers for 2007-2008 are President Angie Steele, First Vice President Angie Vardell, Recording Secretary Erin Tucker, Corresponding Secretary Susan Pollard and Treasurer Karen Wells. Joyce Lanier is the school's principal.

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.