Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 11, 1992 TAG: 9202110017
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MELISSA DeVAUGHN
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
FIRST-LOVE DISCOVERY TIME COMING UP SOON
February is a busy month for students in elementary and high schools. There's National Reading month, Black History month and National Dentistry month. And this week is Vocational Education week.But most likely it's Valentine's Day that will gain the most attention this week.
"Exciting is the best way to describe how the children will be," said Newbern Elementary School Principal Jim Harvey. "It's one of the key days for the children - right up there with the No. 1 holiday, Christmas."
Pupils at Newbern Elementary School will have small parties and exchange valentines.
"It will be an exciting day for the younger and older kids," said Robert McPeak, principal of Check Elementary School. "The younger kids will have fun and the older kids are starting to discover each other in new ways."
At Check, the pupils, teachers and administrators have turned in one-liners that will be printed and handed out on Valentines Day.
"I was asked to respond to `Who was your first love?'" McPeak said. "My answer is, `My first love was my daddy's old hunting dog, Judy.'"
Kids at the school also will have valentine color day, in which they dress in reds and whites, and there will be a countywide Valentine's dance.
Check had its own dance last week.
On the high school level there won't be any classroom parties, but many clubs and organizations are trying to turn a profit through Valentine's Day.
The horticulture department at Pulaski County High School is selling roses and balloons. The Floyd High School Future Business Leaders of America club is peddling roses and lolligrams - a sucker with a love note delivered to the person of your choice.
"There are a couple local florists that will deliver flowers throughout the day, but we don't distribute them until the end of the day," said Rudolph Haden, assistant principal at Floyd County High School. "We usually get a whole office full of people."
Ron Kanipe, activities director at Pulaski County High School, agreed that although Valentine's Day is meant to be fun and exciting, it shouldn't interfere with regular schoolwork.
One other program being sponsored on the high school level is the American Heart Association's Save a Sweetheart program.
On Valentine's Day, teens in Floyd, Blacksburg, Shawsville, Radford, Giles and Narrows high schools, Christiansburg Middle School and Narrows Elementary School will pledge not to smoke for that day or for the year. They will receive stickers and a pencil.
All in all, said Blacksburg High School Principal Clinton LeGette, Valentine's Day should be "business as usual. But we don't want to forget the meaning of Valentine's Day - we'll always have sweethearts."
High school students this week will celebrate VOCATIONAL EDUCATION WEEK, when they can think about the courses that allow them to fine-tune technical skills they hope will enable them to land and keep jobs after graduation.
In Montgomery County, vocational courses attracted 3,500 students in 1990-91. Most vocational programs work with advisory councils of business people who assist in the education of the students. Statewide, there are 7,000 advisers working on behalf of Virginia's Vocational Education Program.
There are several paths to follow in vocational education.
Students in marketing classes study job-seeking skills, communications and human relations, basic retail math and sales promotion.
Machine shop studies include instruction on the lathe, milling machines, drill presses, surface grinders and saws. Computer control is quickly becoming popular, too.
Other course selections are building trades, building maintenance, agricultural mechanics, electronics, health occupations, food occupations, cosmetology, homemaking and wood technology.
One of the most active clubs in the field is the Vocational Industrial Clubs of America. The BLACKSBURG HIGH SCHOOL VICA sold thermal bottles with drinks during exams, and vocational instructors attended a planning meeting for the District 7 competition.
Stephen Glasser, a senior in drafting and design at Blacksburg High, prepared some patent drawings for a professor at Virginia Tech. Tech donated $200 to the drafting department to cover expenses.
And CHRISTIANSBURG HIGH SCHOOL cosmetology VICA members were welcomed by Mayor Harold Linkous.
Students interested in vocational education can ask their guidance counselors for more information. Or join the VICA club.
A reading motivation program for Chapter I pupils is under way at WILLIS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL under the direction of Janie Blanchard, a Chapter I teacher. The program has been in effect since early January, but it ties in with February as Reading Month, too.
Pupils in grades 1 through 3 are reading the "Curious George" books. After completing 10 books, they receive a banana and fan club membership. After reading 20 books, they have popcorn at lunch or snack time. When all 33 books are read, each pupil will receive a coupon for a free book.
\ PRICES FORK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is celebrating Reading Month by reading a combined total of 100,000 minutes - that's 1,666.6 hours or 69.4 days - during February. When all the reading is done, pupils will receive a "gold" medal and Principal Carole Kivlighan will let the kids decide what silly act she must perform.
The theme of the reading program is the Winter Olympics. Each time 100 minutes of reading is completed, a portion of one of the five olympic rings will be colored in. The goal is to fill in all the rings.
Other events planned at the school include trivia questions read over the intercom three times a week, a Read-a-thon at the library, Read-a-T-shirt day, a "reading" sleep-over for third- and fourth-graders, principal reading, guest reading, quiet-time reading and grade exchange reading.
Rob Lanahan, a child psychologist at Lewis-Gale Clinic in Salem, will conduct a seminar for parents of elementary school children at ELLISTON- AFAYETTE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Monday at 7 p.m.
Dessert and coffee will be served at 8 p.m. Parents from other schools are invited, too.
\ MARGARET BEEKS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL has formed an ecology club for fourth- and fifth-graders. It meets twice a month and puts out a bi-monthly newsletter about environmental issues.
During the first two meetings, members photographed wildlife. Three of the members' photos, which were entered in the "Reflections" contest, placed first, second and third in the photography category. Two other members placed second in the "Keep Virginia Clean" poster contest.
The ecology club has adopted a spot on the school grounds and picks up litter four times a year, filing reports with the town of Blacksburg after each collection. The club also is sponsoring a schoolwide Arbor Day celebration April 24.
Other activities include astronomy, spelunking, discussing endangered species, practicing wildlife conservation techniques and charting animal migrations.
Wal-Mart Pharmacy in Christiansburg recently held the Third Annual Flu Bug Coloring Contest. The winners are:
\ Kindergarten: Christina Sheppard, 1st, Belview Elementary; Brandon Snellings, 2nd, Floyd Elementary; Jamie King, 3rd, Riverlawn Elementary.
\ First Grade: Kandis Hoyt, 1st; Daniel Criner, 2nd, Belview Elementary; Mary Margaret Kolb, 3rd, Floyd Elementary.
\ Second Grade: Christopher Reed, 1st, Belview Elementary; Chris Voldahl, 2nd, Check Elementary; Angel Haley, 3rd, Belview Elementary.
\ Third Grade: Kristen Lovell, 1st, Floyd Elementary; Jamie Mays, 2nd, Floyd Elementary; Shawn Cruise, 3rd, Christiansburg Elementary.
All first-place winners received a blue ribbon and a $20 gift certificate to Wal-Mart. Second- and third-place winners also received ribbons.
Freshmen and sophomores at BLACKSBURG HIGH SCHOOL tied at 33 for the most class members with perfect attendance during the first semester. The junior class had 16 with perfect attendance and the seniors had nine.
Thirty-six students from BLACKSBURG HIGH were selected to perform in the all-district bands. They were among 1,100 students from 60 schools to audition. This is the highest honor a student can attain at the district level.
Students selected were:
\ Junior High All-District Concert Band: Jeff Bolling, Courtney Sutphin, Aleah Carolan, Charles Stormont, Brian Lux.
\ Junior High All-District Symphonic Band: Nahala Durrani, Eleanor Lee, Sara Barbeau, Scott West, Brian Diffell, Jason Gibbs, Robert Rogers, Laura Snider.
\ Senior High All-District Concert Band: Anna Snider, Colleen Shea, Liz Hager, Tony Chen, Eric Brown.
\ Senior High All-District Symphonic Band: Marshall Shuler, Christie Gibson, Janna Widder, Kevin Johnson, Tim Kirk, Ann Cassell.
Students placing high enough to qualify for the All-Virginia Auditions were:
Tom Springer, Jason Price, Chris Tyson, Tehshik Yoon, Karen Hendricks, Rebecca Farkas, Amy Cassell, Xia Wei Wang, Robyn Borden, Erel Tpouz, Ian Howell, Remy Indebetouw.
The Junior High All-District Band was at Blacksburg High School Jan. 10 and 11. Guest directors were Barry Ward from Washington, D.C., and Alberto Ascencion, conducting teacher at the Armed Forces School of Music.
The Senior High All-District Band was held Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 at William Byrd High School in Vinton. Guest conductors were David Holsinger and Robert Smith from James Madison University.
Attention all band members:
The Blacksburg Host Lions Club is sponsoring the\ BLAND MUSIC SCHOLARSHIP CONTEST Feb. 23 at 2 p.m. at the Blacksburg United Methodist Church.
The contest is open to any instrumentalist or vocalist in school below college level. Prizes of $35 and $25 will be awarded to first- and second-place winners.
Winners of the local contest may take their talents to the district and state competitions. State winners may receive scholarships up to $1,500.
Registration must be received by Wednesday. Forms can be picked up at the music department in each school, or call 951-3652 or 552-6500.
If you have an interesting news item from your school, write to Melissa DeVaughn at P.O. Box 540, Christiansburg 24073.