Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, October 10, 1994 TAG: 9410100061
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Candy-gobbling ghosts, witches and scarecrows can do their thing without the interference of local government come Oct. 31.
Local officials in the Roanoke Valley have decided not to mess with Halloween this year.
"Halloween is on [Monday] Oct. 31, and that's when it will be observed," said Michelle Bono, the city's public information officer.
The edict came after a number of calls to City Hall by residents confused about when children should do their trick-or-treating.
Last year, governing councils of all valley areas changed Halloween's observance to Saturday because Oct. 31 fell on a Sunday. The need for a switch never was explained fully.
"Apparently some people didn't think it should be on a Sunday," said Roanoke County spokeswoman Anne Marie Green.
Magnetic courses
Roanoke's magnet schools are designed to attract students. The concept is in the name - a magnet for children.
The idea is to establish innovative and challenging educational programs that will be attractive to students from throughout the city and nearby school divisions. But magnet schools also can attract principals and teachers.
Just ask Principal Paul McKendrick at the Addison Aerospace Magnet School.
McKendrick, a former school administrator in Fairfax County, came to Roanoke this year primarily because of Addison's aerospace curriculum.
"We didn't have anything like this in Fairfax," McKendrick said. "It was attractive to me because it is the only one of its kind in the country for middle-school students [grades six through eight].''
What makes Addison unique is its simulated space shuttle, space station and mission-control center.
The equipment at the Addison school was financed with federal funds. Jane Turner, an aerospace resource teacher, said the simulated space center cost about $150,000.
Addison, a former black high school, was converted to a magnet school four years ago. During their three years at Addison, students take courses in space-related topics such as astronomy, robotics and physics of space flight.
by CNB