3 New School Principals Face a Challenging Year
By KAREN JOLLY DAVIS
Cape Charles Wave
August 15, 2012
Northampton County Schools are starting the new school year with three new principals — one for each school in the County.
The new principals attended yesterday’s Northampton Board of Supervisors meeting, where they were introduced by Northampton Schools Superintendent Dr. Walter Clemons.
Alvin Coleman is the new principal at Northampton High. Previously he was a principal in the Hampton City school system.
Elizabeth Fennell is taking over at Kiptopeke Elementary. She comes from the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, where she was an assistant principal.
The new principal of Occohannock Elementary is Ron Yorko, moving from Northampton High, where he was assistant principal.
“I’m excited about what we’re about to do in the 2012/13 school year,” said Clemons. His new hires come after a year of turmoil in the school system, and two of the three schools are not expected to obtain full state accreditation.
Clemons told the Northampton supervisors that Occohannock Elementary will probably earn accreditation this year, but Kiptopeke Elementary does not meet state standards for its math scores, and may not be accredited. [Read more…]
SHORE THING
Local Man Follows the Path of Leonardo
The Rennaisance Man of Cape Charles: Ettore Zuccarino (with wife Carol reflected in mirror). (Wave photo)
By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
August 14, 2012
Italy has Leonardo da Vinci.
The United States has Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson.
And the Eastern Shore has Ettore Zuccarino.
All are “renaissance men” – individuals who excel in a wide variety of fields. And anyone who knows Zuccarino would agree that he fits the renaissance definition to a “T.”
Zuccarino and his wife, Carol, live across Old Plantation Creek from the golf course area of Cape Charles – a very short way as the crow flies, but several miles’ drive on dry land. But the couple are very plugged in to the Town, and we rightly claim them as our own.
I first heard of Zuccarino through a little advertisement he ran last winter in Joan Natali’s Cape Charles Happenings:
Quo Vadis Workshops: Where are you going? Try to Google the words “We can’t go on like this.” The hits are in the millions. Wonder why? To facilitate the understanding of this paradigm shift, a series of 12 workshops is offered at the Cape Charles Public Library during which we’ll explore together various wisdom traditions. . . .
I was intrigued. What kind of workshops would I find at the little Cape Charles library – and more importantly, whom would we meet? My wife and I signed up. The course was thought-provoking, but what lingers most in my memory is the person who planned it, advertised it, and conducted it with discipline and humor: Ettore Zuccarino. [Read more…]
WEDNESDAY 8/15: Volunteer Fire Company Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser
Cape Charles Volunteer Fire Company is holding a Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser at Cape Charles Rescue Squad on the road to Cheriton to benefit a 19-year veteran of the Fire Company who is fighting cancer. Dinner is 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. and includes spaghetti, salad, garlic bread and beverage for $8. Desserts will be served as well, and take-outs are available.
SATURDAY 8/18: Clothing Give-Away in Oyster at Travis Chapel United Methodist Church
Travis Chapel United Methodist Church in Oyster is having a free Clothing Give-Away Saturday, August 18, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Clothing is offered for the whole family.
TOWN COUNCIL
$96,000 Peach to Washington Sidewalk Study Approved
Town Manager Heather Arcos displays map of the planned multi-million dollar Community Trail system. The first phase was the Central Park sidewalk; next comes a trail from the Park along Peach Street to Washington Street. (Wave photo)
By DORIE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
August 13, 2012
Cape Charles Town Council voted August 9 to award $96,000 for an engineering study for the next phase of the Town’s “multi-use trail system” – also known as sidewalks.
Land Studio Professional Corporation will “develop construction documents for implementation of the multi-use trail along North Peach Street and Washington Avenue of the Cape Charles Community Trail Master Plan.”
Land Studio PC also did the engineering studies for Central Park.
In addition to sidewalks, the trail system includes lighting, drainage, and trees and shrubs.
Town Manager Heather Arcos displayed a map of the Community Trail planned phases. The first phase was the walkway in Central Park, completed at a cost of $1 million.
Grant funding through the Virginia Department of Transportation provides 80 percent of trail costs, with the Town paying the rest.
The trail will include a median on Peach Street from the park to Washington Avenue and sidewalks on either side. Trail construction could begin in 2014 if funding is allocated.
“Further phases of the project will continue until the Town is linked by trails. It will be many years before the full Multi-Use Trail Plan has been implemented,” Arcos told the Wave.
The next scheduled phase will be the south side of Peach Street. [Read more…]
Young Green Thumbs Celebrate Bountiful Garden Harvest
Kaylen Fitchett, 7, picks tomatoes at New Roots Youth Garden on Randolph Avenue and Fig Street. (Wave photo)
By KAREN JOLLY DAVIS
Cape Charles Wave
August 12, 2012
The New Roots Youth Garden produced 194 pounds of vegetables this summer — and 18 young gardeners. At their Green Thumb Picnic on Saturday, they celebrated both the bounty of their harvest and — for the adults — the success of a public/private partnership that made the program possible.
“The Cape Charles Rotary donated about $6,000 and over 300 man-hours,” said Rotary president Bill Payne. “Eyre Baldwin donated workers to put up the fence. We couldn’t have done it without him.”
The Town provided land for the gardens at the corner of Randolph and Fig, as well as the services of Jen Lewis, Cape Charles Recreation Coordinator.
Project leader Tammy Holloway said the summer program lasted eight weeks, with a different “garden guru” teaching each week. The kids, aged 6 to 12 years old, learned about the soil, insects and parts of the plant. They learned what grows on the Shore, and what products are made from local agricultural crops like cotton and soybeans. They even learned how the Shore’s harvest impacts the state, Holloway said.
Fifteen adult volunteers shepherded the young gardeners and accompanied them on field trips, including to the Mason Beach Fruit Farm in Pungoteague to see the blueberries. [Read more…]
TOWN COUNCIL
Cape Charles Endorses Highway Sewer Hookups
By KAREN JOLLY DAVIS
Cape Charles Wave
August 10, 2012
The Cape Charles Town Council voted August 9 to provide capacity for the proposed “southern node” of a regional wastewater treatment system. If built, the new sewer lines will serve the strip of commercial properties on Route 13 from SunTrust Bank running south to the Corner Mart and out to the Fairview Mobile Home Park.
“This is a starter system that could be expanded if grant funding becomes available,” said Bob Panek, assistant town manager and chairman of the Public Service Authority that is seeking to build the regional system.
Frank Wendell was the only Council member voting against accepting the Route 13 sewage. He pointed to the Town’s Comprehensive Plan, which envisions a protected gateway into Cape Charles, preserving the rural viewshed.
“You ride down front street [Mason Avenue] and you see an empty grocery store, and another one coming into town,” said Wendell, who believes that more commercial development on nearby Route 13 will have a negative impact on local businesses. [Read more…]
SATURDAY 8/11: Chatham Vineyards Eastern Shorekeeper Clamboree
Saturday, August 11, 5:30-9:30 p.m: Chatham Vineyards 5th Annual Virginia Eastern Shorekeeper Clamboree. Enjoy famous Chatham Wines as well as Eastern Shore clams, pork barbecue, and chicken with all the sides. Celebrate with us as we announce the 1st Annual Guardian of the Waters Awards.
Tickets are $30 in advance for adults and $15 for kids 12 and under. Tickets can be purchased at SouthEast Expeditions, Rayfield’s Pharmacy, and Sullivan’s Office Supply.
Don’t forget to purchase your raffle tickets for chances to win locally grown clams and oysters, Coastal Kayak Cabo model kayak, prints by local artists and locally written books, striped bass woodburning, P.G. Ross decoy, and a hunting expedition with Grayson Chesser.
For more information, visit www.shorekeeper.com.
