Front Porch Living July 2011

4 Front Porch Living

Inside this editionFootball FeverBlood, sweat and tears are spilledas local high school football play-ers prepare for the opening game ofthe 2011 season.6

Sunday BestFour women from the localarea share their tips on how toappropriately dress for church.10

For the love of a sonMurfreesboro couple solicithelp from others to stage golftournament to raise funds forJuvenile diabetes research.

Breaking down the 18 holes ofgolf that must be played in theRoanoke-Chowan region. 28

Uniformly DifferentShunning the stereotypicalmale dominated profession,numerous women in localarea work in law enforcement.

34

Best links around

Jonathan Martinof Conway

cools down on ahot summer day

as hewakeboards atLake Gaston,

a populardestination thatstraddles theNC-VA border.

20

Football Fever

Front Porch Living 7

t is the time of year football coacheslive for.

The hard daily workouts outsidein the summer heat and within the con-fines of the weight room are at an endand the high school football season isjust around the corner.

“Obviously, I’m excited at this timeof year,” Bertie High School Head Foot-ball Coach Greg Watford said. “Whenwe walk off the field after the last gameof the season, this is what we work to-wards.

“You spend all summer working inthe weight room, going to camps anddoing all the things you can to make theseason the best it can be,” the veteranskipper added. “This is the time of yearwhen all of that begins to pay off.”

Watford said an average day in July

begins with him reporting to work at 7a.m. On the way to school, he oftenpicks up youngsters that need a ride topractice and then he’s working with hisstaff to prepare for the day.

The first weight room session starts at8 a.m. and continues for roughly twohours followed by a one-hour teachingsession on the field. After lunch, there’sanother teaching session, more work inthe weight room and some fun time.

Then come the fundamental drillswhere each position works individuallyon the things they need to be successful.

Watford requires his players to arriveat 3:30 p.m. on practice days beforeschool starts even though they don’ thave to be on the field until 4:45.

“I think it’ s important for them tospend time together and build some ca-

maraderie as a team,” he said. “That’s agood time for that to happen.”

He also has a coach who is responsi-ble for team-building. At Bertie, thecoach who has that responsibility isEverett Gamble.

“Coach Gamble does a good job ofdoing team-building and conditioningtogether,” Watford said. “His experi-ence in the Armed Forces has given hima wealth of knowledge in that area.”

Included in the practice session is atime of working in units on the of fen-sive and defensive side of the ball.

“We are usually going to work in in-dividual positions working on skills andthen come together in a group to workon the play of the day ,” Watford said.“We come together and run it againstthe bags and then we switch to defense

Months of preparation build towards first Friday nightStory and photos by Thadd White

I

See FOOTBALL page 8


FOOTBALL FROM PAGE 7

and repeat the scenario.”Watford said the practice

sessions get more and moredifficult as the first playingdate of the season approachesin mid-August. He and his as-sistant coaches begin to addmore wrinkles to the playbook and to the preparation.

The veteran skipper said helearned a long time ago it wasimportant to include the as-sistant coaches in his philos-ophy.

“When you come into a sit-uation like I did here atBertie where you have assis-tant coaches already in place,it takes time to build rap-port,” he said. “I was fortu -nate here in that I have astrong group of guys whoknow football and understandhow to win.

“I try to remember firstthat they are men and I treatthem like men,” he said. “Ihave tried to incorporate them into myphilosophy and draw from them aswell.”

While he believes in working with hisstaff, the coach said he hasn’ t changedhis hands-on philosophy much over thepast 20 years.

“After 20 years, I’m still extremelyhands-on,” he insisted. “I have hadstrong assistantcoaches over theyears – and I dohere – but I can’ thelp but be a hands-on guy.”

Watford said oneof the main reasonshe likes to be an in-tegral part of the of-fense, defense andspecial teams is be-cause his systemisn’t one that hasbeen passed down from coach to coach.

“I didn’t grow up as an assistantcoach under just one guy ,” he said.“Over the years, my system of running afootball program as well as my of fen-sive and defensive schemes has come

from a collection of the coaches I’veworked with.”

He credited retired Ahoskie HighSchool Football coaches Daryl Allenand Richard Murray as well as WillieBradshaw of Durham as being key men-tors in his life. He said his system hadalso developed from the likes of BearBryant, Eddie Robinson and Tom

Landry.“I’m a conglomeration of all those

guys,” he said. “In addition to that, mydad (Arliss Watford) taught me a lot. Heused to say hard work never fails. Hetaught me hard work and that ethic is

still with me today, even though he nolonger is.”

The hard work, team building andteaching of the system come to fruitionon the first Friday in each football sea-son. Watford said after more than 20years in the business of coaching foot-ball, he still felt like a rookie on thatday.

“The first Fri-day of the seasonis why you keepcoaching foot-ball,” he said. “Itmay be the mostexciting time ofthe season.

“All the hardwork, dedicationand effort thatstarted the Mon-day after last sea-son ended builds

up to that game,” he said. “It’ s like inthe academic arena when you study andstudy and get ready for the final exam.You think you’re going to be good, butyou find out on that Friday because thatis your final exam.” �

As part of summer workouts, Bertie High School assistant football coach Randy Whitaker (left) teaches skills that will be vital to his players success in the coming season.

“The first Friday ofthe season is why

you keep coaching football.”- Greg Watford



A little ‘shimmy-shimmy’Name: Ella BarfieldHometown: Weldon, but now lives near

JacksonChurch: A member Mount Hope Bap-

tist Church, Jackson, and af filiated withConway First Baptist Church, Conway .Her husband, the Rev . Mark Barfield,pastors both churches.

Why do you make the effort to dress forchurch?

“My grandmother raised me and whenwe got ready for church she would al-ways tell us, you have to give God yourbest, even if your best is the same thingover and over again. You make sure it’sclean, you make sure it’s pressed and youalways give God your best.”

Have you always made that effort todress for worship?

“Yes, because during the week youwear your work clothes, but then on Sun-day it becomes dif ferent and you can

have a totally dif ferent look on Sunday.So, yes, I always like to give it a littleextra effort on Sunday—make sure myhair is right, my nails and clothes areright.”

How would you describe your chur chstyle?

“I like a nice suit and a hat, jewelry andshoes. I wouldn’ t say it’ s ritzy, but Iwould say...I just want to look my best onSunday.”

What is your must have fashion acces-sory for church?

“I like suits, but I don’ t like a plainsuit. I like a suit with a little detail on itto make it stand out and make it a littledifferent. So, I like the rhinestones, I likethe shimmy-shimmy on a suit. A musthave for me is a suit, even if you don’ thave the hat to go with it. Just make sureyou have on a real pretty suit that kind ofstands out.”

What is your favorite store or catalog?Are you a bargain hunter?

“I like Ross because it’ s economicalsometimes and most of my church-wear Iorder from a catalogue called EspeciallyYours, and then there is Linda Edwards,who I order my suits from. If it’ s for aspecial occasion, like my husband’ s an-niversary or something like that, then I’llgo to the catalogues because I wantsomething a little different. It all dependson what I’m getting a suit for as to whereI go to get it from.”

Any fashion tips?“When we dress up for black tie affairs

we try to give it our best, to me, everySunday is a black tie affair, because that’sgiving God what’s due unto him. We cangive Him our best. Everybody’s best maynot be the same, but you can give Himwhat your best is. No real fashion tips.Just make sure you’re giving God what isdue to Him in service and in your style.”

Putting on their

Sunday BestLocal women

step out in style

t’s like sugar and tea for the majority of South-ern women—putting on their “Sunday Best” fortheir weekly pilgrimage to church. Colorful

shoes, original hats, and one-of-a-kind outfits oftendot the pews each Sunday.

In the Roanoke-Chowan area that spiritual fash-ion sense is no different. Here are four local “fash-ionistas” who make a point to stand out each timethey visit their place of worship.

Story and photos by Amanda VanDerBroek

I

Conservative with a little flareName: Heidi BridgersHometown: Originally from Quakertown,

Penn., now lives in AhoskieChurch: Oak Grove Baptist Church,

Aulander

Why do you make the effort to dr ess forchurch?

“When you come to church, you’re sup-posed to put your best foot forward. Whenyou come before the Almighty God youwant Him to see you at your best becauseHe’s already seen you at your worst. If yourbest is a pair of jeans and a worn out t-shirt,you’re here, that’s all He wants, but if youcan do better, you need to do better . Youneed to represent what He made of you.

If I come to church and I don’t try to putmy best foot forward, or I walk throughthose doors and I don’t try to be the personthat He wants me to be, then I have failed

Him. And that’s not an option in my book.”

Have you always made that effort to dressfor worship?

“Yes, in church and outside of church.How I behave, my personality , the way Icarry myself, physically, emotionally, it willreflect on my husband and my son, just asthe way they behave or the way they dressand the way they carry themselves throughtheir lives will reflect on me. I feel like ifwe’re going to be who we’re meant to be,we have to be the best that we can be andwork at it everyday.

My parents (always encouraged us) to goin our best clothes. You had church clothes,you had play clothes. I went to work whenI was 16, and you had to wear two-inchheals, I worked at J.C. Penny’ s for fiveyears, and you had a particular job criteriato wear professional clothing.

You wore your best and you wore your

best when you went to church. That’s theway it always was. You always try to putyour best foot forward. You are coming outand you’re worshipping the Almighty One,the only reason you live and breathe. Sowhy not be your best?


“I consider myself conservative. Once ina while I’ll pull out the slender pencil skirtand the little chain belt and all. It has thatlittle flare, but it’s not something you wouldwear to the grocery store. I’m conservativewith my style, but every once in awhile...you just kind of pop it.”

What is your must-have fashion acces-sory for church?

“My jewelry to accessorize the outfit.”

What is your favorite stor e or catalog?Are you a bargain hunter?

“I am a bargain shopper. I recently heardfrom a very dear friend of mine about (theDesigner Outlet) in Weldon at RiversideMill. You have to dig, but we found someunbeatable bargains.

I don’t have a particular place that I go(for bargain shopping). Just where ever Iend up, I go to the sale rack or if I see some-thing in the window , I’ll wait and if it’ smeant to be they’ll mark it down. If you’remeant to have it, it will go on sale.”

Any fashion tips for those attendingchurch?

“Be yourself. Don’t be afraid to ventureout, but be yourself, always. Whether it’sfashion, whether it’ s life, your relation-ships—be yourself, but be true to yourself.Don’t try to be something that you’re not.”


Simple, but elegantName: Esther Walton LassiterHometown: Gates for the past 35 yearsChurch: New Hope Missionary Baptist

Church

Why do you make the effort to dr ess forchurch?

“I take pride in dressing for worship. MyHeavenly Father does so much for methroughout the week so by the time Sundayarrives I want to put on my best to worshipHim. The best message you can give to oth-ers sometimes is with your appearance andactions. I take pride in my appearance. Prideshows respect and love for self and those Icome in contact with. If others have respectfor me then maybe they will respect the GodI serve and want to learn more of Him. Nomatter how many pains we have in our bodyor troubles in our life—dressing for churchsends the message that we know God is incontrol and we are going to keep on wor -shipping Him at every opportunity.”

Have you always made that effort to dressfor worship?

“I was trained young to respect the Houseof God. We always, as a child, had churchclothes that we only could wear to church.I grew up in a family of seven children withonly one parent working outside of thehome. We did not have much, but we didhave ‘Church clothes.’ Every Sunday thegirls would wear their starched prettydresses and white socks with lace trim andthe only pair of seasonal Sunday shoes wehad in the closet. Mom would always put anextra touch to our hair and we had to havethose ribbons and bows to adorn the braidsand/or ponytails for church. My three broth-ers learned at an early age to tie a necktiebecause the collared shirt and tie was partof the standard church attire.

As I grew older I learned to sew andstarted making my church dresses. I can re-member in college having three churchdresses that I rotated by changing acces-sories.”


“Simple, but elegant are the words thatcome to mind. It does not take a lot ofmoney to dress for church. I usually buysimple neutral color suits and dresses thatcan be altered with accessories and can be

worn over and over again.”What is your must-have fashion acces-

sory for church?“Anyone that knows me can answer this

question: it’s my hat! I have tried leavingout of the house on a Sunday morning with-out one and would turn around and go backinto the house to get that must-have Sundayaccessory—the hat.”

What is your favorite stor e or catalog?Are you a bargain hunter?

“My favorite shopping place is discountstores. We all love a great sale. Why pay fullprice when you know the end of the seasonsales will come. I look for my basic stylesthat can be altered with accessories.”

Any fashion tips for those attendingchurch?

“Women must learn to dress according totheir body types and not the latest fashion.Not every fashion that hits the runway is foryour figure nor suitable for church wear. Wecan learn to be modest and still fashionable.When we enter a church for worship our at-tire should not be a distraction. Refrain fromtight fitting and hugging garments that re-veal too much. No one needs to know yourbra color or the shape of your panty line. AsChristian women we are the ambassadorsfor Christ and this should reflect in ourchoice of fashion, not just for church buteveryday.”



Casual, classyName: Tina RawlsHometown: Millennium Church: Oak Grove Baptist Church, Aulander

Why do you make the effort to dress for church?“I just like to look my best, especially when I

come to church. That’s the way I’ve always believed,you should look your best when you come into theLord’s house.”

Have you always made that effort to dress for wor-ship?

“Yeah, I’ve always been particular about everyday(style). When I walk out of the house I want to lookmy best, which is not perfect, but I always want tolook my best. I always spend a little time and ef-fort—kind of like an old barn, if you dress it up a lit-tle bit it will look better.

I remember as a little bitty girl going to church, Iwould be dressed up with little white gloves andthat’s the way mama would dress us to go to church.I guess it kind of gets instilled in you at a young agetoo. You want to dress appropriate.”

How would you describe your church style?“I think it’s casual, classy, maybe.”

What is your must-have fashion accessory forchurch?

“I’ve got to have a little, tiny clutch. Everybodyalways teases me about how I always have the littlebitty pocketbooks. All I want is something to carrymy lipstick and maybe, a little money and an inkpen.”

What is your favorite store or catalog? Are you abargain hunter?

“I shop at Belk, sometimes (JC) Penny’ s. Yes (Iam a bargain hunter), I look for sales, definitely, andI use coupons.”

Any fashion tips for those attending church? “You want to be comfortable and in this little

church, nobody judges you about what you have on.If you feel comfortable in jeans, whatever you feelcomfortable in—it’s good to come (in), because noteveryone has the same opportunities. I always feelcomfortable looking my best, no matter what. Justbe clean, neat and comfortable in whatever you feelgood in. It’s not what you wear , you’re coming tochurch because it’s the Lord’s house and you want tobe there. It’s not about what you have on, it’s what’sin your heart.” �



View from the Front Porch

The sister trio - “Captured Hearts” - perform a patrioticsong at Ahoskie’s Memorial Day tribute on May 30.

Dr. Jimmy Jarrell, former State Department Chaplin of theAmerican Legion, was the featured speaker in Ahoskie

on May 30 at a Memorial Day ceremony.

While members of the Northampton County Sheriff’s OfficeHonor Guard salute, Wayne Jenkins and Jeff Futrell (left and

right in center) lay a wreath on Memorial Day in Jackson.

Rev. Willie McLawhorn (left) of Conway, whose son diedlate last year in Afghanistan, was the guest speaker at

a May 30 Memorial Day salute held in Jackson.

The young andthe young at

heart took part ina Memorial Day

tribute onMay 30 in

Ahoskie, hostedby American

Legion Post 102.


Hope Plantation FeatureTo come


Hope Plantation Featureto come



For the love of a sonJoined by his wife, Deborah, and son, Josh, David Lane (left) is interviewed by Kelly Gaita of Fox 43 News at the 2010 Classic.

Murfreesboro family chooses not to sit idle in the battle vs. Juvenile Diabetes

See LOVE page 21

hy do so many individuals go tosuch trouble to drive great dis-tances and swing a golf club on a

hot summer day? They do it for Josh Laneand the millions of others like him suf fer-ing from juvenile diabetes.

For the 12th consecutive year , all roadswill lead to Beechwood Country Club nearAhoskie and the Josh Lane Golf Classic, anevent that has generated hundreds of thou-sands of dollars over the years for the Juve-nile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).

Traditionally held the second Tuesday ofeach August, the Classic is the lar gest sin-gle-day golfing event in the Roanoke-

Chowan area, annually attracting at least 36,four-person teams.

Last year’s event generated in excess of$32,000, pushing the 11-year total to nearly$350,000 which the JDRF will use in theireffort to find a cure.

Named for their son, Josh, now age 19,David Lane and his wife, Deborah, foundedthe Classic in 1999. The first Classic washeld a year later.

“When we first started we were hoping toraise a couple thousand dollars,” Davidsaid. “We wound up raising about ten thou-sand that year and it’s grown from there.”

As it has been from day one, it was the

wish of the Lane family not to conduct thetournament the following year. That wouldmean a cure has been found.

“Diabetes research is moving forwardevery year, but there’s yet to be a cure,”David noted. “I would love nothing betterthan to put away the golf clubs, but we’llkeep playing, we’ll keep holding this tour -nament until a cure is found.”

Since its inception in 2000, the Josh LaneGolf Classic has witnessed a steady rise inthe number of participants, so much to thepoint where the event is now staged in twoflights (a morning tee time, the other fol-lowing lunch) in an effort to speed-up play.

Story and Photos by Cal Bryant

W

“We’ve grown to the point where we canno longer accommodate all the golfers in asingle round,” David noted.

David and Deborah Lane are not alone intheir battle to find a cure that will help theirson.

“I don’t even play golf, but the reasonwhy this tournament is held every year wassomething I felt compelled to have my com-pany involved with,” said Matt Gloverwhose company, Glover Construction, hasbeen a corporate sponsor of the event sinceits inception.

Glover said he met the Lanes when Joshwas just a baby.

“They’re a great family, a loving family,”Glover noted. “When Josh was first diag-nosed with Type 1 diabetes at age five, I feltfor that family and when David first ap-proached me about a golf tournament wherethe proceeds would be used to benefitJDRF, I knew what I had to do and that wasto help out any way I could.”

Glover stressed that the Josh Lane Classicwas not all about the competiveness of thegame of golf.

“From talking with the golfers thereevery year, almost all have some sort ofconnection to a child or young adult withdiabetes,” he said. “They understand whatthat Lane family is going thru. I honestlybelieve their intention to be involved in theClassic has more to do with addressing theseriousness of this disease rather than play-ing golf.”

The popularity of the Classic is broad.Glover said there is one man who comesfrom Mobile, Alabama every year to partic-ipate.

“The Josh Lane Classic is bigger than oneperson, one child. David and Deborah see

the overall need to helpmillions of individualswho are like their son.They’ve seen it first handsince Josh was age five.They have empathy forother families goingthrough the same thing,twenty four hours a day ,seven days a week andthree hundred sixty fivedays a year,” Glover con-cluded.

Mary Etta Flowers ofMurfreesboro does enjoythe sport of golf, but she,like Glover, will remindyou that the Josh LaneClassic is much more than18 holes stretched over asingle day.

“It’s personal to me,”Flowers said. “My hus-band is a Type 2 diabetic; Ihave a very close friendwho is Type 1. The Classicis more about raisingmoney to fund researchthat will hopefully lead tothe eradication of this dis-ease than it is about play-ing a game.”

Flowers has served onthe Classic’s planningcommittee since day one.

“That group, underDavid’s leadership, works hard to raisemoney for JDRF and to make the Classic it-self enjoyable for the golfers,” she noted.“It’s a rewarding experience on my part, aswell as the other committee members, to

join with David and Deborah in this ef fortto help find a cure.”

For Flowers, her “helping hands” rolereaches out further than just being a com-mittee member. Through her business -Mary Etta Flowers Family Affair Catering –

Front Porch Living 21LOVE FROM PAGE 20

See LOVE page 22

The Josh Lane Classic, held annually at Beechwood CountryClub, is the largest, single-day golf event in the area.


she donates and then prepares and serveslunch at the Classic. That contribution isnow in its 10th year.

As a Murfreesboro native, Flowers hasknown the Lane family for many years.

“David and Deborah are a very importantpart of the Murfreesboro community ,” shesaid. “They are very active in their church(Meherrin Baptist) and are great parents toJosh. I know it was devastating news whenthey learned that Josh had Type 1 diabetes.That’s what lit a fire under David and Deb-orah to try and do something to help find acure.”

While planning an event of this magni-tude consumes much of the family’ s freetime, David and Deborah still must keep aclose eye on their son’s medical condition,one that can change in the blink of an eyedue to the peaks and valleys of Josh’s bloodsugar levels.

“For Josh, it’s not suffering from a visualstandpoint, but from an emotional stand-point,” David stressed. “His insulin intakeis now controlled by a pump, but we still gothrough the constant monitoring of hisblood sugar and diet. It’ s still a constant

struggle, but one where the effort will helpJosh avoid future complications associatedwith diabetes.”

And as Lane knows all too well, he andDeborah are not alone in this fight.

“What we do is for the love of our son,but there are millions of other young boysand girls who have Juvenile Diabetes,” heconcluded. “What we do with this golf tour-nament, even though it bears the name ofour son, is to help find a cure for everyone.”

You can join that ef fort by participatingin or helping to sponsor the Josh Lane GolfClassic. Visit www.joshlaneclassic.com orcontact the JDRF, toll-free, at 1-800-377-0476.

JDRF is the leading charitable funder andadvocate of type 1 diabetes research world-wide. Since 1970, JDRF has awarded morethan $700 million to diabetes research.More than 80 percent of JDRF’ s expendi-

tures directly support research and research-related education.

Juvenile Diabetes predominantly strikeschildren, making them insulin dependentfor life. It can, and does, strike adults aswell.

Nearly 21 million Americans have Type 1or Type 2 diabetes (representing seven per-cent of the population).

Diabetes currently af fects 246 millionpeople worldwide and is expected to affect380 million by 2025. According to WorldHealth Organization Estimates, this numberwill more than double by 2030.

In the United States, a new case of dia-betes is diagnosed every 30 seconds; morethan 1.5 million people are diagnosed eachyear.

Without a cure, Josh, and others like him,will live with the constant threat of devas-tating complications. �

LOVE FROM PAGE 21

Learn more about the Josh Lane Classic by visitingwww.joshlaneclassic.com or contact the Juvenile Dia-betes Research Foundation, toll-free, at 1-800-377-0476.


Copies of FYI - 2011, a new resident /visitor’s guidefor the Roanoke-Chowan area, are available by call-ing 252-332-2123.

Story by Brian PavlickPhotos by Mattea Pavlick

Uniformly Different

Female law enforcementofficers work

on equal footingStory and photos by Thadd White

hey r isk l i fe , l imb and l ibertyevery day and they do i t with-out los ing thei r ident i ty as

people or as women.The pol ice women of the

Roanoke-Chowan region havegrown in number and responsibil i tyover the past several years.

The dut ies they are required toperform are jus t as var ied as thei rmale counterpar ts and whi le manyof them may be smaller in s tature,they are no different when i t comesto g iving an honest day’ s work toprotect and serve their ci t izens.

While their backgrounds are var -ied, the one common thread amongthe women in uniform is their lovefor what they do. That’s t ruewhether they are working thes t ree ts , leading an inves t igat ion,teaching Drug Abuse Resis tanceEducat ion (DARE) or serving as aSchool Resource Officer.

“I jus t love th is job ,” sa id Her t -ford County Sher i f f ’s DeputyTamara Askew-Allen. “I am the joband the job is me.”

That sent iment was the samethroughout the of f icers who dis-cussed their job.

“I love my job,” Detect ive Sgt .Lynette Clements of the Northamp-ton County Sheriff ’s Office said. “Ilove people and my heart goes outto the kids . I love what I do and Idon’t know any strangers.”

For many of the officers, their ca-reer path to law enforcement wasan indi rec t one , but one Ber t ieCounty Sher i ff ’s Deputy learned

ear ly on shewanted to fo l -low in her fa-t h e r ’ sfootsteps.

“I s tar tedr id ing aroundwith my dad alo t and thatkind of kindledmy pass ion forlaw enforce-ment ,” DeputyNaomi Wigginssaid. “They cante l l you abouti t in school ,but you don’ tknow anythingif you haven’ tdone i t be-fore.”

W i g g i n swent to collegefor criminal justice, but switched toBasic Law Enforcement after learn-ing more about her father ’s career.

Now a pat rol of f icer in Ber t ieCounty, Wiggins sa id she was re-sponsible for a l i t t le b i t of every-thing f rom taking repor ts , se t t l ingdisputes , checking businesses andgeneral ly patrol l ing to deter cr ime.

Another who knew ear ly on shewanted to be in law enforcementwas North Carolina Highway PatrolTrooper Katie Valazquez-Genao.

While s t i l l a youngster ,Valazquez-Genao would sneakdown the steps of her parents houseto watch “Cops” on television.

“I jus t a lways had a feel ing thati t was something I was meant todo,” Trooper Valazquez-Genaosaid.

The f i re was s toked when she

began to learn more f rom a NCHPFirs t Sgt . who l ived in a renta lhome near her parents .

When she was old enough,Valazquez-Genao went to BLETtra ining and NCHP School a t thesame t ime. She graduated and wasass igned to Troop A, Dis t r ic t I Icovering Bertie, Gates and Hertfordcounties.

Ber t ie County Sher i f f ’s DeputyBeverly Peele had nearly the samestory.

“As a k id , I remember crawl ingup in my dad’s lap and we watchedCops and America’s Most Wanted,”she said. “I told myself that’s whatI wanted to do and that I was goingto do i t one day.”

Others , l ike Askew-Allen, de-c ided to go in to law enforcementlater on.

T

Despite her responsibilities as an administrator, Ahoskie PoliceCaptain Michele Garrett still works the streets.

Opposite page: Bertie County Sheriff’sDeputy Naomi Wiggins is one of many

female law enforcement officersin the Roanoke-Chowan region.

See UNIFORM page 36



North Carolina Highway Patrol Trooper Katie Valazquez-Genao conducts a traffic stop in downtown Ahoskie.

Askew-Allen began her careerwith the Hertford County Sherif f ’sOff ice af ter f ive years of workingfor Alpha Securi ty.

“I moved back here and s tar tedworking for Alpha,” she sa id . “Iwas assigned to a school and, af tera whi le , I decided to go to BLETand do i t al l the way.”

The same was t rue of Ber t ieCounty Sher i ff ’s Deputy BonnieBrantley, who began work as a De-tent ion Off icer in EdgecombeCounty before going to BLET.

“I or ig inal ly went to work as aDetention Officer because of a lay-off ,” Brantley said. “After a whileI wanted to do something more –something out of the jai l and on thestreets .”

After complet ing BLET, she tooka job as a deputy in Bert ie County .A year ago, Ber t ie County Sher i f fJohn Holley asked her to become aSchool Resource Of f icer a t Ber t ieMiddle School.

“I was skeptical at first , but I toldhim I would t ry i t ,” she sa id .“When I came in, I wanted to bringsomething di fferent , so I beganteaching DARE as well .”

All of the stories are just as var -

ied . Both Ahoskie Pol ice Capta inMichel le Garre t t and Clementswent into law enforcement becauseof their fathers while Altessie Tay-lor of the Northampton CountySher i ff ’s Off ice chose her careerbecause she wanted to protect peo-ple even as a chi ld . Others weres imply seeking employment andfound i t wi th the sher i f f ’s off icewhi le many sa id they enjoyedworking with people.

The reasons the of f icers enjoywhat they do is as var ied as whythey entered the profession.

“I love working with people andthe publ ic ,” Nor thampton CountySheriff ’s Detect ive Lt . Brenda Bur-nette said. “I love helping people inany way I can – to protect and servethe c i t izens of the county I wasborn and raised in.”

Fellow Northampton County offi-cer Shatel Coates said she l iked thevariety of law enforcement.

“I love helping people and that isone of your dut ies in law enforce-ment ,” she said. “You can act as atherapist , cr ime f ighter , counselor;encounter a medical s i tua t ionwhere you must be an EMT andmany others . There’s a lso the

chance to help people come topeace. I think I am very big on nur-turing people and making sure theyare safe.”

Captain Garret t said her favori tepar t of the job was the abi l i ty towork with people.

“I enjoy helping the communi tyand def in i te ly helping the e lder lyand young people,” she said.

Each a lso has thei r own par t ofthe job they enjoy the most .

Barbara Hawkins has been aDARE Off icer in NorthamptonCounty for more than 20 years andsaid that is s t i l l the best part of herjob.

“Every day is a good day ,”Hawkins sa id . “I t rea t people theway I want to be t rea ted . I lovepeople and I love helping them.”

For Valazquez-Genao, the bes tpar t comes when she does some-thing that could potent ia l ly save al ife .

“Somet imes you issue a t icketand they’l l thank you for br ingingi t to the i r a t tent ion,” she sa id . “Ia lso had one gent leman I gave at icket for not wearing his seatbelt .A week later he was in a wreck andsaid he was wear ing his sea tbel t ,

See UNIFORM page 37

UNIFORM FROM PAGE 35


which saved his l ife, because of thet icket .”

Detect ive Lt . Burnet te sa id thebest part of her job is get t ing prob-lems solved.

“I l ike working with the public,”she said. “When their problems aresolved, i t makes me feel wonderfuland happy.”

Whether or not the job is morediff icul t for females i s a subjectthat is answered differently by eachofficer.

Nor thampton County Sher i f f ’sDeputy Virginia Powell doesn’t be-l ieve her job is any more intr icate.

“I don’t feel my job is more diff i-cul t because I am a female ,” shesaid. “I get a great deal of respectfrom the public. I t ’s al l about treat-ing people l ike you want to betreated.”

Deputy Peele agreed.“Personal ly, I don’ t be l ieve my

job is any more di f f icul t becauseI’m female ,” she sa id . “I have agun, badge and equipment just l ikeeveryone e lse . Physical ly , I maynot be as strong, but I can take careof myself just as well . I was trainedand educated on how to protect anddefend myself just l ike a guy.”

Capta in Garre t t provided thesame thoughts.

“Every job has i ts challenges andwe’re not exempt because we’re inlaw enforcement ,” she sa id .“Everyone faces thei r own chal -lenges.”

Trooper Valazquez-Genao sa idshe thought i t depended on the si tu-at ion.

“People are somet imes takenaback when I get out of the car ,”she said. “A lot of them have neverseen a woman in the NC HighwayPatrol .

“By the same token, I ’m sure

some of the males s t ruggle wi ththings I wouldn’ t ,” she added. “Ithink we pret ty much break even.”

For Deputy Wiggins, she has seenmore diff iculty as much because ofher small stature as because she is awoman.

“Somet imes i t i s more d i f f icul tbecause cer ta in people don’ t takeyou seriously,” she said. “They willsay she’s smal l or she’ s a gi r l andshe can’t do anything. I don’t mindproving them wrong if I have to.”

Deputy Coates agreed.“Most of the t ime, i t is more dif-

f icul t ,” she sa id . “I have to provemyself to my boss l ike everyoneelse and I also have to prove to thepeople on the street that I can han-dle myself .

“I am a very young female and Ihave to show people on the streetswhat I wil l take and what I won’t ,”she added. “On the o ther hand, I


See UNIFORM page 38

Northampton County Sheriff Wardie Vincent is flanked on both sides by, from left, Altessie Taylor,Virginia Powell, Lynette Clements, Brenda Burnette, Barbara Hawkins and Shatel Coates.


sometimes think i t takes a l i t t le es-trogen to calm down a si tuation andI think I am able to calm si tuat ionseasi ly because of being a female.”

Det . Sgt . Clements sa id she hadencountered diff iculty as a female,especia l ly when she used to workdrugs.

“I always had to prove myself be-cause I was the only female in thisarea that was working drugs and, atthe same t ime, I had to do s takeouts and s tuf f l ike the men,” shesaid. “I had to learn to be tough asthe men. I became one of the boys.”

Det . Sgt . Clements sa id that hadchanged some after being moved toinvest igat ion.

“I can get my nails and hair donenow,” she sa id . “I ’m in the of f icemore and not in the woods, kickingin doors and chasing people.”

Whatever chal lenges l ie ahead,however, the females working inlaw enforcement have shown theycan handle thei r jobs and handlewhatever situation they encounter.�


Bertie Sheriff’s Deputy Bonnie Brantley enjoys working with students.


fter months and months of precisionplanning, a dream became reality inGates County.

Thanks to the efforts of numerous individ-uals, businesses and or ganizations, GatesCounty now has a Farmers Market. Locatedadjacent to A. W. Brinkley Hardware, Inc.along NC 37 in the community of Gates, theMarket’s operating hours are Wednesdays3:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 8a.m. until 1 p.m. through November 19, 2011.

Here’s just a sampling of what can befound at Market:

Kimmies Seafood from Gates - shrimpwith special orders accepted by calling 252-357-6528

W. Overton from Belvidere - fruit and veg-etables, including watermelon, squash andtomatoes.

Off the Beaten Path: Dalure Farms - Dawnand Lulu Eure from Eure offer peach lemon-ade, peaches, watermelon, luffa sponges, andmuch more.

Home Sweet Home - Barbara Austin sellsa variety of baked goods, including cupcakes,cookies and coffee cake. To order call 252-357-6585

Extension Master Gardeners Booth -Brochures and “Ask a Master Gardner” ques-tions and answers with Katy Shook, FayeSmith, Tracy Clayton and Cynthia Wagoner.

Sponsors and contributors of the market in-clude:

Marion Brinkley provided the land.A.W. Brinkley Hardware, Inc: Research

and grounds maintenance. Tommy Horton isthe Market Manager. Vernon Brinkley is theSite Manager.

Gates Partners for Health furnished someof the tents used for the vendors and gatheredresearch and educational materials. EsterLassiter “made it happen”.

Obici Healthcare Foundation providedfunding through a grant for the tables anddecks.

Brinkley Lawn Care contributed to land-scaping.

Gates County High School CarpentryClass constructed the decks and tables as aclassroom project.

Gates County High School Art Departmentprovided the banners and signs.

Gates Volunteer Fire Department and Aux-iliary installed hand wash stations and are in

charge of clean-up following each sale date.Aaron Brown donated trash cans.The North Carolina Cooperative Extension

Office needs credit for taking the time to lis-ten to the desires of many who had a visionfor the Market. They were able to put Marketofficials in touch with the right people to talkwith to help make it come together. Reba andPaul spent a lot of timeletting us bend their earsand giving us a sense ofdirection and encourage-ment.

Goals of the Marketinclude:

Attract people to theGates area.

Keep county dollarslocal.

Educate the publicabout the nutritional andenvironmental benefitsof eating fresh locallygrown food.

Increase access tohealthy, fresh produceand locally producedfoods.

Support and encour -age local farmers to pre-serve the North Carolinalandscape.

Support local foodbanks through donationsof fresh produce.

In the past, there havebeen numerous marketslocated throughout thecounty on various cor -ners. In 1959 near EureChristian Church, thereas a market managed byfour cousins: Lulu Eure,Betty Jean Mise Hora,Dawn Eure and TommyMise. They sold water-melons at a fast clip.Betty Jean recalled thewatermelons were sell-ing for 50 cents to 75cents each at that time,and the big ones went for$1! Cantaloupes weresold for 10 to 15 cents.She also fondly remem-bered their fathers, LloydEure and Thomas Mise,

going into the woods and cutting underbrushproviding shade.

In summary, the Farmer ’s Market is a“wonderful thing” stated Dan Askew. “I hopeit becomes as great as Raleigh’ s Farmer’sMarket” he concluded.

See you at the Market!

See you atThe Market!

Story by Cynthia WagonerPhoto by Ann Askew

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Cancer survivors are the center of attention at the annual Bertie CountyRelay for Life, the area’s oldest such event, held in May.

These two cancer survivors pose for the camera as theyprepare to take part in the 2011 Hertford-Gates Relay for

Life held in April in Murfreesboro.



The “Pink Ladies” make an effort to wash away cancer at the2011 Bertie County Relay for Life held at the high school.

The Gates County Educators Against Cancer get ready to walktheir first lap at this year’s Hertford-Gates Relay for Life.

Cancer survivors walk hand-in-hand as they make the traditionalfirst lap at the annual Hertford-Gates Relay for Life.


A Conversation With…Q: How does the events of 9-11 rate in

the history of occurrences on U.S. soil?A: 9-11 is one of the most significant

events in United States history. It foreverchanged the way people travel (e.g. Air-port security) and has unfortunatelychanged the way many Americans viewparticular sections of the world. It is def-initely an event that will be analyzed andstudied for many years to come. It hasforced all Americans to evaluate the bal-ance between homeland security and themaintenance of personal liberties.

Q: What are the main similarities be-tween 9-11 and Pearl Harbor?

A: The main similarity between the at-tack on Pearl Harbor and 9-11 is the factthat both were aggressive attacksagainst American people on Americansoil. Both events created an immediatesense of unity amongst Americans.

Q: What are the main differences be-tween 9-11 and Pearl Harbor?

A: The are a few differences betweenthe attack on Pearl Harbor and 9-11. Firstoff, Pearl Harbor was attacked by an or -ganized national military force (JapaneseArmed Forces), while 9-11 was an attackby a group of militant terrorists who didnot claim to be fighting for any particularnation. The other difference in my mindis the fact that the events of 9-11 are morecentered in a conflict over dif ferent reli-gious viewpoints, while Pearl Harbor wasmore about Japanese imperial dominanceover other nations.

Q: Do you think America will ever com-pletely heal from 9-11?

A: I look at 9-1 1 as a “loss of inno-cence.” It forever changed the Americanway of life. I believe Americans in gen-eral are more cautious when it comes totheir viewpoints of Middle Eastern na-tions. We are constantly reminded of 9-11every time we enter an airport. Vigilantsecurity measures amongst law enforce-ment and the creation of the Departmentof Homeland Security have heightenedAmerican desires for a balance betweenfreedom and security. I believe Americahas begun to heal from 9-1 1 but we as anation will never forget it.

Q: With all the intelligence we have, doyou think we could have done anythingdifferent to prevent the events of 9-11?

A: I am not sure. I believe in our peo-ple and our system of life. I believe ifanything could have been done to preventthe attacks it would have been done.

Q: Ten years later , do you believeAmericans look at 9-11 the same way theydid after it first happened?

A: Immediately after 9-1 1 Americanswere more unified than ever . On everystreet there were American flags. Peoplewere excited about being Americans, andI believe many were eager to sacrificesome freedoms for direct retribution forthe horrible attacks. However, ten yearslater people have now begun to resentsome of the lost freedoms. Airport secu-rity is one example. When I travel many

people complain of the rigorous processof going through security. I think manyforget that to prevent future attacks theremust be continued caution and vigilancein preventing terrorism.

Q: Wher e were you when 9-1 1 oc-curred and how did it affect you?

A: I was a sophomore in college when9-11 happened. I remember it veryclearly. I got up and went to class. WhenI arrived on campus it was a “ghosttown.” All classes were cancelled so Iwalked back to my apartment. Oncethere, I sat with my roommates andwatched the news all day. It was so heart-breaking. I remember feeling very lostand confused because I did not believethat something like that could happen toAmerica.

Q: What are the key points you coverwith your students in teaching about 9-11?

A: In teaching 9-11 I attempt to make itvery clear to my students that the attackwas committed by a specific terroristgroup. It was not committed by a nationor a majority of Middle Eastern people.Multicultural tolerance and understandingare the keys to avoiding horrible eventslike 9-11. I also attempt to teach studentsthat because of 9-11 we now have the De-partment of Homeland Security and thePatriot Act. Finally, I attempt to teachempathy through the events of 9-1 1. Iwant my students to be compassionatepeople who can view history throughmany angles and feel for the people whowere directly af fected by the attacks.Through the education of ethics and thedevelopment of emotional intelligenceAmericans can hope to move toward agoal of world peace.

Justin

Frederes

Justin Frederes is a teacher at HertfordCounty High School. He graduated fromSUNY-Fredonia with a Master’s Degree inCurriculum and Instruction. He also has abachelor’s degree in secondary educa-tion with a focus in Social Studies fromthe same university. He is married to LisaFrederes and the couple resides inAhoskie.

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unbury’s lonely stoplight serves a vitalfunction – slowing down vacationers asthey travel east along U.S. 158 en route

to North Carolina’s famed Outer Banks orthose headed west, going home following aweek of surf and sand.

Ditto for the big rigs, mostly log trucks, asthey rumble north and south along NC 32,transporting their cargo northward into thegreater Hampton Roads, Va. area or south toconnect with US 17.

What travelers miss during their brief ex-cursion along these two major thoroughfaresthat intersect in Sunbury is an opportunity toexperience the warmth and Southern hospi-tality of this quaint Gates County village.

As one of five unincorporated towns in thecounty, Sunbury is not controlled by a struc-tured municipal government. There’s nomayor, no town council, no police department.Rather, Sunbury’s guiding force is its people,those residing within a five-mile radius ofGates County’s only stoplight.

Felton and Viola (“Fannie”) Outland rearedfour children on the family farm just east ofSunbury. Married in 1948, the Outlands havemade a living on the rich, fertile soil that bor-ders the Great Dismal Swamp.

“Except for working a couple of years inSuffolk (Va.) after I first got out of the service,I’ve farmed here nearly all my life,” said Mr.Outland.

As far as living the simple country life, theOutland family is typical as most found inrural northeastern North Carolina.

“I love it; I think there’ s nothing better,”Mr. Outland said.

“We enjoyed raising our family here on afarm where there are so many life lessons toshare and to learn,” Mrs. Outland noted. “Ourchildren will tell you they learned a lot here.They’ll tell you they remember the things theywere taught. Felton taught the boys and Itaught the girls.”

Among those learning lessons for the boys

(Felton Jr. and Ed), outside the normal dailyduties associated with tending row crops, werekilling hogs, hunting and fishing. For herdaughters (Teresa and Cheryl), Mrs. Outlandshared the knowledge of housework, cookingand working the vegetable garden.

Another staple within the Outland house-hold was education.

“All of our children were happy in school;the boys were involved in athletics, Felton Jr.played baseball and Ed loved football; Teresaplayed basketball and Cheryl just enjoyedschool,” a proud mother recalled.

Felton Jr. and Ed both went on to furthertheir education at NC State University; Teresais an Appalachian State University graduateand Cheryl attended business college inRaleigh. Now, Felton Jr . tends the familyfarm; Ed is a General Contractor residing nearSiler City; Teresa (Dail) works as PhysicalTherapist and lives in nearby Hertford; and

Cheryl (Moore) resides in the old family homeplace across the road from the Outland’s cur-rent residence. Combined, they have added 13grandchildren and two great-grandchildren forthe to the Outland family.

“They all used the foundation built here atGates County High School to go on and re-ceive a formal education,” Mrs. Outland said.“We may not have the most advanced coursesat our high school, but the young people raisedand educated here in Gates County had a solidfoundation; they have a lot of common senseto go along with the book sense.”

Aiding in building that foundation were theresidents and businesses that dotted the land-scape of little villages such as Sunbury.

In its heyday, Sunbury boasted of three gen-eral merchandise stores (Rountree & Riddick,Costen’s Store and Hill Brothers). It was hometo a pair of automotive dealerships – MidwayChevrolet (founded by C.R. Nixon in 1964)

UnincorporatedPopulation (NA)

County: Gates (1779)Major Highways: US 158; NC 32

Country charm surrounds lone stoplightStory and photos by Cal Bryant

S

See SUNBURY page 51

Benjamin and Aileene Saunders of Sunbury thumb through a family photo album.


and Byrum Ford (founded in 1927 and laterbecame Stewart Ford and then Town & Coun-try Ford). Due to its deep roots in agriculture,the community is served by two farm equip-ment companies – Hofler Tractor (an Interna-tional dealership) and East Coast Equipment(John Deere dealer). First Citizens Bank nowserves the community…..an ancestor ofFarmers Bank of Sunbury, founded in 1912by 58 stockholders, each with a $100 stake,and was opened in C.F. Copeland’s Store.

And then there’ s the storied SunburySchool. Built in 1936, the aging building stillstands after thousands of schoolchildrenroamed its hall and classrooms until it closedin 1998. Today, Gates County of ficials areworking closely with Preservation North Car-olina to find the right buyer for the propertyin anticipation of transforming the school intoa useful purpose.

“Having a school open in your communitygives everyone a sense of pride,” Mrs. Out-land said. “Plus we have four churches herein our little village, that’ s another point ofpride.

“We also had a doctor , Dr. Payne, here atone time; he was a good fit for our little vil-lage, but he’s been gone for quite a while,” sheadded. “We haven’t had a doctor here sincethat time.”

Like so many other rural communities, es-pecially those without the benefit of a munic-ipal tax base, volunteerism is critical element.Filling that role of community service are thehard-working members of the Sunbury Vol-unteer Fire Department. After manning thesame building since their founding in 1957,the Sunbury firemen just recently opened thedoors of their new facility, nearly 7,000 squarefeet that features five truck bays, squad room,commercial style kitchen, storage areas, rest-rooms for the firefighters and handicapped-accessible restrooms for the public, as well asa heli-port located on the back side of theproperty. That pad allows easy and quick ac-cess for medical helicopters making callswithin the Sunbury fire district, the largest inthe county. That’s a far cry from nearly 55years ago where the department began with aone-bay facility built on land donated by theRountree family.

Sunbury is also home to the state’ s oldestRuritan Club, one still actively involved in itscommunity today after its founding in 1935.The Sunbury Ruritan Club operates the town’sstreetlight program, a community safety ini-

tiative launchedover 50 years agothat charges an an-nual fee to residentsand businesses tooffset a $400monthly bill to op-erate the town’s 28streetlights.

“We’ve beenhappy at whatwe’ve done, thefamily we’ve raisedand our involve-ment in the com-munity over theyears; no, wewouldn’t change athing,” Mrs. Out-land said. “We havea mighty nice fam-ily, grandchildrenand all, and feel for-tunate to have beena part of the Sun-bury communityfor a long time. Wehave a lot to beproud of.”

“We’re just sim-ple country folks,”chimed in Mr. Out-land. “I wouldn’ thave it any otherway. It’s quiet,peaceful; nobodybothers us. Finan-cially, I would haveprobably been bet-ter off working in a public job. In hindsight,I’m glad I didn’t; I didn’t want to be part ofthat rat race.”

A short drive up the road from the Outland’shome is the residence of Benjamin andAileene Saunders. He is a Sunbury native,born and raised on the Cooper Loop Road; shehails from Perquimans County.

The couple met while both were students atElizabeth City State University. They begandating after he graduated and were married in1966 following his two-year stint as an ArmyMP stationed in Germany.

With the exception of both working for ashort time with the Pitt County School Sys-tem, Mr. and Mrs. Saunders dedicated theirlives to the education of Gates County chil-

dren, including their son and daughter.Mr. Saunders spent 10 years in the class-

room of T.S. Cooper School, located adjacentto where he grew up (he graduated from therein 1957), teaching math and science. Over thenext 27 years, he manned the front of fice atthe school, serving as Cooper’s principal untilhis retirement in 2004.

Mrs. Saunders was an elementary educationteacher, mostly second grade, working a com-bined 33 years at T.S. Cooper and Sunbury El-ementary School until she retired in 1995.

“Sunbury hasn’t changed all that muchsince I first came here,” Mrs. Saunders noted.

“It’s a small town, full of country charm,”observed Mr. Saunders. “I guess one of themain things is there has never been a lot ofracial problems here, the blacks and the whites

See SUNBURY page 52

SUNBURY FROM PAGE 50

Felton and Viola Felton welcome a guest into their Sunbury home.


always seemed to get along just fine.”He added that was the case countywide,

saying it’s better now than ever before, espe-cially with county government employeesrepresented fairly by both races.

Mr. Saunders has been part of that parity ,just recently completing his second term onthe county’s Board of Social Services. He stillrepresents Gates County on the College ofAlbemarle’s Board of Trustees as is a formermember of the Board of Directors for the Sun-bury branch of First Citizens Bank.

“Those things were not possible years agofor a man of my race,” he stressed.

His community involvement extends pastlocal government and education as he remainsactive at his church, St. John A.M.E. Zion,where he serves as the chairman of the TrusteeBoard.

“I was taught by my mother that if the Lordblesses you with endurance, to always givesomething back,” he said. “This communityhas always been good to me and my family, Iowe it to that community to be of service.”

The couple raised two children, Cynthia(Cheatham), now residing in Syracuse, NYwhere she works with the MBA program at

Cornell University, and Benjamin Jr. of Char-lotte, employed by the U.S. Department ofLabor. Mr. Saunders has another child, a son,Jeffrey Johnson, who lives in Freeport, NY.

Like the Outlands, Mr. and Mrs. Saundersinstilled a strong sense of values into theirchildren from an early age. Mr. Saunders saidthose basic core values remain strong in thecounty today.

“We saw it as educators; the children of thiscounty have been extremely blessed with asolid foundation provided first at home andthen built stronger through our educationalsystem here in Gates County,” he observed.“There are wonderful parents, supportive par-ents here in Sunbury and all over the county.Personally, I couldn’t have done what I did inmy life without the support of my wife.”

“I have no complaints living here or work-ing here during my career as a teacher . Ourchildren did well here educationally and usedit as a springboard to go to college and landvery good jobs. That speaks well of the waythey were raised and the people here that helpthem accomplish their dreams,” Mrs. Saun-ders concluded.

Just like that lone traf fic light at the inter -

section of US 158 and NC 32, Sunbury hasnot only helped guide travelers towards theireventual destination, it has also served as oneof the building blocks to the success of com-mercial enterprise and to the people that callthis community as home. �

SUNBURY FROM PAGE 51

The old Sunbury School, boarded up since1998, may soon have a new owner.

high school student’s senior year can be oneof the most enjoyable times of a teenager ’slife and probably the most anticipated.

Dreams of completing the tedious work of highschool and being relieved of parental stress seem tobe the most talked about thing amongst students ap-proaching their final year as a minor . But the mis-take most seniors make is that they treat their senioryear like the perfect opportunity to slack of f andonly enjoy themselves socially. They forget that thethings they are doing right now affect, on some oc-casions, how the rest of their life may turn out. I’mtalking about college life; the highly anticipated fouryears of exploring oneself and everything the worldhas to offer.

It’s not enough to just graduate after relaxing fortwo semesters. You have to attack your senior yearwith the same dedication and excitement for educa-tion as you did when you were approaching yourjunior year of high school.

Number One: Prioritize! Sure, your senior year isfull of the social excitement of homecoming andsenior week amid friends who may plan to attenddifferent universities. But in order to keep one’s spotas a prospective student, you must keep your prior-ities in check.

During my junior year , I became more involvedwith activities hosted by my school and found themto all be very enjoyable. Later, I noticed a slip in mygrades and had to force myself back on track and or-ganize the things that were important about school.I realized that really applying myself showed peo-

ple how serious of astudent I was.

All courses,whether electives oradvanced classes,taken during yoursenior year show col-leges just how seriousyou are about attend-ing and whether youare really ready forsuch a new lifestyle.It would be a pity toapply to the collegeof your dreams andthen lose entrance be-cause of your lack ofprioritization. Take

advantage of your last year of high school but besure to organize things that are still important.

Number two: Work hard! From having friends thathave recently graduated from high school, I knowhow becoming an adult and almost completing yoursenior year can have a somewhat negative effect onyour work ethic. Unfortunately, great grades don’ tjust magically appear. It takes hard work and a sin-cere work ethic to ace every class.

I learned this the hard way during my junior yearof high school when it came to AP classes. Givingevery aspect of class my best effort really made thedifference.

It is very important that as a senior you rememberto always finish assignments on time and correctlyto be sure your senior grades don’ t take a turn forthe worse. You will feel much better knowing thatyou aced high school all four years instead of justworking hard until the end of eleventh grade.

It’s a great idea to sign up for more dif ficultclasses that will prepare you for the work load ofcollege and life in general. Crack down on the ad-vanced placement classes that you may have justthought were important your junior year; they mayeven earn you college credit in the end.

Number Three: Enjoy yourself! Truly enjoy beingan upper classmen at your high school. Take part insocial activities like football games, spirit week andprom. Continue to stay active in clubs you were al-ready a member of and maybe even start one of yourown.

Make a lasting impression on your sports team be-fore leaving for your university. As a member of myschool’s volleyball team and other academic organ-izations, I understand how wanting to have a goodtime can affect how you perform in school. It’s okayto kick back and relax while having fun but don’t letrelaxation get the best of you.

Remember your academics. Grades and organiza-tion are a major part of your senior year, but the partyou will remember the most will be the good timeswith your fellow classmates and friends.

It’s important to think like a junior when it comesto attacking your senior year. You need to prioritize,work hard, and really enjoy yourself as you near theend of your journey in high school. Finish thishighly anticipated year with a big bang that you’llalways remember! �

(This column was submitted by Tabitha Privott, Hertford County H.S. Senior.)

You’re a senior, so act like a junior!

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Front Porch Living July 2011