Midlothian 10-year-old publishes first book

Benjamin Hayley Rose Margolis, a Greenfield Elementary School fifth grader, has written her first work of fantasy fiction, “The Sisters of Symphera.” The story tells of three sisters who fall into a mysterious world of unimaginable powers, dangerous situations and life-changing events. As the girls fight for their lives, they discover the truth of who they are and why they are “The Sisters of Symphera.”

While the book will have special appeal for preteen readers, the vice president of the book’s publishing company, David Chase, said people of all ages will find the story enjoyable.

The book, published by Teeny Tiny Press, is available for purchase online at www.HayleysBook.com and www.Amazon.com.

Teeny Tiny Press, a division of CHASEPRO, is a self-publishing company located in Midlothian.

Boy Scout Troop 922 and Cub Scout Pack 922, both of Enon, participated in the annual Heart of Virginia Scouting for Food campaign. They collected 466 bags of nonperishable foods to donate to the Central Virginia Foodbank. Photo courtesy of Gregg Hash Education

In 2009, more Chesterfield students than ever took advanced placement tests – 3,078 students took 5,410 AP exams. Based on their AP test scores, the following students earned recognition through the AP Scholar Awards program. National AP Scholars, who earned scores of 4 or higher on eight or more exams, include Nolan Skochdopole, who now attends the University of Chicago, and Mukarram Tahir, who now attends Duke University, from Clover Hill High School; David Casalaspi, who now attends the University of Virginia, from Cosby High; Anna Conte, Connor Hartnett, Daniel Miranian and Ann Reid, all of whom now attend the University of Virginia, from James River High; Osasumwen Benjamin, now at Princeton University, from Meadowbrook High; and David Roy, still in high school, and

The Chesterfield County Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting at Uncle Bob’s Self Storage, located at 3830 Bailey Bridge Road, last month. The facility offers climate-controlled self-storage units and parking spaces at over 350 locations nationwide. Photo courtesy of Chesterfield County Chamber of Commerce Veronica Snyder, who now attends the College of William & Mary, from Midlothian High. In addition, the school system had 86 AP Scholars With Distinction receiving an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of them, 88 AP Scholars With Honor receiving an average score of at least 3.25 on all exams taken and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of them and 296 AP Scholars who scored 3 or higher on three or more AP exams.

The Chesterfield County Chamber of Commerce celebrated a ribbon cutting at Tax and Business Solutions, located at 201 Wylderose Commons, Suite 104, last month. Photo courtesy of Chesterfield County Chamber of Commerce Several Chesterfield students attending Virginia Tech have been awarded scholarships.

Candice Hudson, a junior majoring in political science, was presented the Moody, Pratt, Minor Scholarship; Brittany Kessler, a junior majoring in interdisciplinary studies, was awarded the Mary Karen Read Memorial Scholarship; and Helen Broemmelsick, a senior majoring in communication, received the Hokie Memorial Marathon Scholarship.

Millwood School middle school students Ellie Miller, Stephanie Kiehl, Morgan Norge, Alex Shedd, Brittany Beckwith, Fernando Pascual, Marianne Millischer and Julius Moten attended the Prejudice Awareness Summit held on the Virginia Commonwealth University campus. The summit was designed to increase awareness, knowledge and acceptance of ethnic and cultural differences.

Bryant & Stratton College raised more than $700 from faculty, staff, students and others in the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer® walk.

Chesterfield resident Benjamin A. Holland, a homeschooled senior who also takes classes at Westminster Academy and John Tyler Community College, has been selected as a 2009-10 National Hispanic Scholar, a program begun in 1983 to identify outstanding Hispanic high school students. He is the son of Dan and Karen Holland.

The Cosby High School Titan Band earned a unanimous “superior” rating at the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association State Marching Festival last month. Earlier in the season, the band won first place in Class AAA, music, marching, general effect, drum major and color guard at the Midlothian Showcase Marching Band contest. The Titan Band performed by invitation at the Nov. 7 home football game at the College of William & Mary.

Chesterfield resident Elena Black received a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics from Boston University in September.

Brooke Davis, a 2007 International Baccalaureate diploma graduate of Midlothian High School, has won a 2009 Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs fellowship, which provides funding for participants to prepare academically and professionally to enter the U.S. Department of State Foreign Service.

The James River High School Regiment, a Virginia Honor Band for 15 consecutive years – every year of its existence – earned a “superior” rating at the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors State Marching Festival. In addition, at the Hermitage Classic competition, the regiment received best auxiliary and drum majors, and second place overall in Class AAA. At the Midlothian Showcase of High School Bands, they were awarded second place in music, general effect, auxiliary and overall. At the Stafford High School competition, they earned first place in percussion, second place in visual effect and general effect and third place overall in Class AAA.

Challenger Center for Space Science Education, in partnership with the MathScience Innovation Center, has received a threeyear $564,000 climate education grant from NASA to enhance learning through the use of the space agency’s earth science resources. The MathScience Innovation Center provides learning opportunities for Chesterfield educators and others about emerging fields, such as fractal geometry, nanotechnology and environmental modeling.

Alberta Smith Elementary School held an assembly to highlight school rules against bullying, the core values and how kids can make a difference. Students presented a mock newscast, “Good Morning WASE!,” with administrators as news anchors. Students offered reports on health – the effects of bullying on health, weather – effects on school climate, traffic – effects of behavior on the school bus and sports. The “Bully Busters” rap group performed, as did staff members.

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