THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 21, 1995 TAG: 9512190103
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Long : 110 lines
The School Board plans to re-examine its practice of allowing some agencies free use of school facilities during after-school hours.
Board member Joseph Waldo raised concerns that the school system was picking up the tab to pay custodians overtime and for power costs that should be borne by groups using the schools.
As examples of free use of school facilities, he cited a recent public hearing put on by a paid consultant for the Virginia Department of Transportation and a YMCA after-school program that charges a fee for participation.
``The Department of Transportation has a budget, and every dollar we can capture and recapture to back into the curriculum, I think we should do that,'' Waldo said. ``When there is a nonprofit group like the YMCA making money, we should be reimbursed for electricity and janitorial costs.''
Superintendent Roy D. Nichols Jr. said current policy allows free use for school, city and state government agencies, but that ``we very often get pressure exerted on us from different groups.''
Nichols said his staff will provide the board with a detailed review of current policy by early next year.
Board Chairman Ulysses Turner said he did not mind reviewing the policy but he cautioned the board to move slowly.
``We have to be careful not to send out conflicting messages,'' Turner said, noting that for the past three years the board has made increased community involvement in the schools one of its top 3 goals. Plans to beef up sports program
Saying he wants to elevate the city schools' sports programs to ``another level of excellence,'' Bert Harrell, the school system's first Virginia High School League coordinator, gave the School Board a broad outline of his game plan last week.
Among other things, Harrell said he plans to make coaches more accountable for tracking the grades and classroom behavior of student athletes, making sure students take the right courses to get into college and are not acting up in class.
``When they get in trouble in school, they need to get in trouble with the coaches,'' Harrell said.
Harrell said the performance of school athletic directors and coaches will be evaluated closely, and that more attention will be paid to such things as fund-raising and gender equity in sports programs.
Parents at Maury High several months ago complained that girls were being shortchanged in sports.
Harrell also said he plans to work closer with the city Parks and Recreation Department to identify potential athletes at an earlier age. The goal, he said, would be to encourage these kids to do well to reduce the dropout rate and juvenile crime.
The School Board created the VHSL position - which will ensure that Norfolk's athletic programs meet league requirements - to beef up and improve school sports. Harrell, a 34-year veteran of the school system and former head football coach at Lake Taylor High, was hired in October. Employee of the quarter
School bus driver Kelly Noble was named employee of the quarter last week for the city's schools. Noble, who drives bus No. 226 for Maury, Blair and Oceanair schools, was selected by the superintendent and his cabinet.
``Several letters and numerous phone calls from parents have commended Mrs. Noble on her caring and professional manner in performing her duties,'' Superintendent Nichols said. ``Many parents have stated that she cares for their children as if they were her own.''
Noble received a plaque and a reserved parking spot. Former chairwoman Wilson honored
The School Board last week honored former chairwoman Lucy Wilson with a hand-calligraphed plaque that commended her leadership during 12 years on the board.
Wilson served four years as chairwoman before leaving the board in June 1994. Wilson recalled novelist Ernest Hemingway in accepting the honor: ``Norfolk public schools is a fine institution and it is worth fighting for,'' she said, paraphrasing Hemingway's thoughts on the world. An athlete and a scholar
The School Board last week presented a resolution to recognize the selection of Norview High senior Tami Langston as one of 20 finalists for Virginia's Wendy's High School Heisman Award.
The award goes to a senior athlete for academic achievement, community service and athletic accomplishments. Langston competes on the Norview tennis, swimming and softball teams, has a 3.6 GPA and also does extensive volunteer work. Students show merit
The School Board recognized 16 students who scored among the top nationwide on the PSAT, which is taken by high school juniors as the precursor to the SAT, the college admissions test.
In its quest to raise academic achievement, school officials have made the production of National Merit scholars a measure of their success.
This year, two students - Granby's Vaughn E. Bell and Maury's Megan D. Vicellio - are National Merit semi-finalists. Two others - Granby's John D. Bailey and Maury's Candace D. Jackson - are National Achievement semi-finalists, which goes to African American students. The students, now seniors, scored in the top 2 percent nationally on the PSAT.
The other 12 students earned ``commended'' status for scoring in the top 5 percent nationwide.
National Merit commended students from Maury are: Taylor E. Blair, Natalie K. Horsch, Timothy C. Liu, Layne G. Tcheng, Melissa C. Thrasher and Amie Weisberg. Norview's Robert Speer also was commended.
National Achievement commended students are Maury's Candice Jackson and Kathleen New and Booker T. Washington's Craig Simpson and Joseph Slade.
Also Deborah C. De Leon of Maury is a National Hispanic commended student. by CNB