THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 23, 1996 TAG: 9602210215
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: THUMBS UP
SOURCE: BY JENNIFER C. O'DONNELL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
Patricia L. Powers, principal of B.M. Williams Primary School, hands out plastic eyeballs to anyone who visits her office.
The eyeballs sit in a glass jar on her desk where she can see them as she works.
``They represent our vision for the school,'' said Powers. ``The eyes are always looking forward, looking ahead.''
For her vision of the future as well as present and past accomplishments, Powers recently accepted the title of ``Woman of the Year'' by the Women's Division of the Chesapeake Chamber of Commerce.
The chamber presented the award to Powers earlier this month at the organization's annual dinner.
Powers has been leader of the Chesapeake primary school for five years, succeeding longtime principal Daisy Kessler. Kessler died shortly after retiring from her position.
``I found her shoes very hard to fill,'' Powers admitted. ``She was so warm and generous and was a remarkable principal. We still miss her very much.''
Powers is a lifelong Chesapeake resident and graduate of Great Bridge High School. For years, Powers was the staff assistant to the Chesapeake superintendent. She also worked as the assistant principal of Deep Creek Elementary School.
When Powers took over the leadership of B.M. Williams, she polled the school's staff - everyone, including teachers and custodians - to find out the school's strengths and weaknesses.
``We spent a year listening to what the staff had to say. Then we developed our vision and summarized our purpose,'' she said.
The school's vision statement hangs in Powers' office and is printed on the first page of the school's calendar, which is distributed to parents, students and teachers.
The vision statement emphasizes the importance of a strong academic foundation in all basic skills as well as ensuring a spirit of cooperation and competition among students.
Powers is especially proud of her school's computer lab, where students learn reading, writing and computer skills with the help of their teachers.
``One thing I promise our parents is that their child will leave this school computer literate,'' Powers said.
Lately, Powers has taken a special interest in the education of students with special needs, both at the primary and high school level.
Three days a week, several Oscar F. Smith High School students are shuttled to B.M. Williams to work and train in a variety of tasks.
``One is a student escort, some of the students work as teacher assistants and one young man is working with the custodial staff. He also doubles as a groundskeeper,'' said Powers.
Powers believes the vocational training is imperative to the students and is also quite helpful for the staff.
``We look forward to their coming,'' she said. ``They're really very helpful.''
In addition to the high school program, this year B.M. Williams has implemented a pre-school program for young students with special needs.
The classrooms are divided into groups of eight, each group staffed with a teacher and teacher assistant.
``Some of the students are eventually incorporated back into a regular classroom,'' said Powers. ``Others will stay with the program throughout their education.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by STEVE EARLEY
Patricia L. Powers has been principal of B.M. Williams Primary
School for five years.
by CNB