THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 2, 1995 TAG: 9502280090
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 11 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: JON GLASS
LENGTH: Long : 105 lines
Blair student wins regional essay contest
Amanda Hovland, a seventh-grader at Blair Middle, has won first place in a five-state regional essay contest on ``Americanism.''
The theme of the contest, sponsored for the seventh year by the Fleet Reserve Association, was ``What Memorial Day Means To Me.'' Hovland's essay was judged against seventh-graders' entries in Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia and the District of Columbia, said Tom Leisher, a member of Norfolk Branch 5 of the Fleet Reserve.
Hovland wrote that her great-grandfather served in the Army during World War I, while a grandfather served at Guadalcanal and a grandmother was an Army nurse during World War II.
Hovland wrote that each year on the holiday she and her family place flags on the graves of her ancestors to remember their service to country.
``The observance of Memorial Day today may not mean as much to people of my generation as it does to my parents,'' she wrote in the 337-word essay.
``Many of us have not experienced the loss of a friend or loved one in a war. However, part of the strength of America comes from the recognition and honor we pay to the thousands of men and women who have given their lives in an effort to make our country stronger and better on Memorial Day.''
Hovland was among six Norfolk students in grades seven through 12 to advance to the regionals. More than 6,500 students entered the local contest.
The local first-place winners were honored at a banquet last week. They each received a $100 savings bond, a medallion and a framed certificate.
The other local winners were Stephanie Freeman, an eighth-grader at Lake Taylor Middle; Michael Lyons, a freshman at Maury High; Chrystal L. Wakeham, a sophomore at Maury; Jennifer Riddle, a junior at Lake Taylor High; and Jennifer Tatomir, a senior at Maury.
The Fleet Reserve Association is a group of active duty, reserve and retired members of the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Gambling, schools don't mix, critics say
The School Board's decision to endorse riverboat gambling drew fire last week from three citizens who said it sent the wrong message to schoolchildren.
On a 5-1-1 vote, the board in January passed a resolution in support of a gaming measure before the state General Assembly. The board's support was conditioned on a portion of the state revenues generated being spent on education. Board member Robert F. Williams, who called riverboat gambling an ``evil genie we shouldn't let out,'' opposed the resolution, while Joe Waldo abstained.
It didn't matter to the three critics that the legislature defeated the measure, which was sponsored by Norfolk Del. Jerrauld C. Jones and would have allowed citizens to vote on whether to allow riverboat gambling in Virginia.
``I expect an apology by the board for not considering the welfare of the children with whom you have been entrusted to serve as an appointed body,'' Norfolk resident Ellen Beamon said. She said the board's action ``does not seem consistent with the care and nurture of schoolchildren.''
Norfolk resident Mark Young, who said he took off time from work to attend the meeting, said that the board was trading short-term gain for the ``long-term social ills of gambling.'' He said that the board's action sent a message to kids that gambling is OK and that students could be ``sucked into becoming compulsive gamblers in the future.''
School Board Chairman Ulysses Turner thanked them for sharing their opinions, but none of the board members responded to the concerns.
School calendar adopted
The School Board last week adopted the 1995-96 calendar. The only controversial item was the decision to schedule the first parent-teacher conference earlier in the year.
In recent years, the conference was held at the end of the first nine weeks. But in hopes of allowing teachers to alert parents to potential problems sooner in the year, the board decided to schedule it after the first 4 1/2 weeks.
Teachers on a committee studying the calendar split on the issue. Some said that 4 1/2 weeks did not give them enough time to evaluate their students. But school officials said PTA officers were unanimous in supporting the earlier date.
The first conference will be Oct. 10. School will start Sept. 5 and end June 14.
City, schools agree to share buildings
The School Board last week approved a resolution calling for more community use of schools and other city buildings. City Council has signed off on a similar resolution. The next step is to develop details of how facilities will be shared.
School officials hope the move will make each school a central gathering place for communities, used after-hours for discussions, recreation, health and social services, and unique needs of neighborhoods.
``Only about 20 percent of the city's population has school-age children,'' Superintendent Roy D. Nichols Jr. said. ``If we open up our schools and serve the total community, they will feel the school system is theirs and that their tax dollars are being used to benefit them.''
March is youth art month
Norfolk schools kicked off Youth Art Month on Wednesday with the opening of a student art exhibit at Norfolk State University's Wise Gallery.
The monthlong exhibit features various art techniques and media and includes artwork from all grade levels, including kindergarten.
Student art during the month also will be displayed at Kirn Memorial Library, City Hall, Military Circle Mall, Janaf Shopping Center and various adopt-a-school locations. by CNB