INSIDE Discover Goochland guide inside > B1
Volume 59, Number 33 • August 22, 2013
GCPS receives state Strategic Compensation Grant By Ben Orcutt Staff Writer
Thanks to a grant from Gov. Bob McDonnell’s office, Goochland County Public Schools teachers have an opportunity to earn as much as $5,000 for exemplary performance. Dr. James F. Lane, superintendent, talked about the Strategic Compensation Grant program, which is administered by the Virginia Department of Education, during last Tuesday’s Goochland County School Board meeting.
The school division received $450,000 in funding and was one of only 13 statewide to receive a portion of the $4.5 million awarded. McDonnell presented the awards during an Aug. 9 press conference at Andrew Lewis Middle School in Salem during his statewide “This Commonwealth of Opportunity” tour. “Teachers who stay late, mentor new colleagues, accept assignments in hard-to-staff schools and whose students consistently do well deserve more than our thanks,” McDonnell
Benedictine gets certificate of occupancy
said. “They deserve to be rewarded.” A broad range of people provided input for the grant application submitted by GCPS, Lane said. “We had community members, teachers, administrators involved in the process and we’re really excited to win the award,” he said. “The closest school division to the metro area that won was Amelia, but – other than Amelia – no one else in the Richmond metro region was awarded.” The grant applies to the current fiscal year, Lane said. “We’ll work with teachers through-
out the year through the evaluation process and through some of our assessments to determine exemplary status and – if a teacher is determined exemplary – the amount of bonus they get will be based on the number of points that they earn,” Lane said. “The board will set strategic priorities and if teachers are able to achieve some of those board-approved strategic priorities, then they’ll receive a bonus and so the teachers that take on the most projects, initiatives or have the highest marks will receive as much as a $5,000 bonus.”
“There are many people to thank and it really was a great working team that got it done,” Lane said about the grant committee. Other state officials who attended the Aug. 9 press conference included Dr. Patricia I. Wright, state superintendent of schools, and Virginia Secretary of Education Laura Fornash. “I congratulate Dr. Lane, county teachers and the Goochland County School Board for their willingness to think outside the box and take see Grant > page 4
Coach hopes to expand MD effort Urges fellow coaches to sign up By Jim Ridolphi
By Jodi Deal Regional Reporter
(Editor’s note: Jack Ridolphi is contributing writer/photographer Jim Ridolphi’s son. Jim Ridolphi covers news and sports in Goochland County for The Goochland Gazette.)
Less than a month before Benedictine College Preparatory School’s planned first day of school, the administration received a very important piece of paper on Friday, Aug. 16 – a certificate of occupancy. Without the certificate, issued by Goochland County, the school could not conduct any activities, including student and parent tours, at its new Goochland home, The Abbey. According to headmaster Jesse Grapes, the certificate was the culmination of many inspections of the site. When the county building inspector delivered the document, Grapes said staff members “had a little celebration in the lobby.” In an e-mail message to parents, students and staff, Grapes said the school will open on Tuesday, Sept. 3, as planned, and will host a celebration at 3:15 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 6, just before the school’s first home football game against Woodberry Forest. Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli will be on hand to offer remarks, Grapes wrote. Since the announcement, Grapes said he has heard from
It’s a busy time of year for Goochland High School football coach Joe Fowler. Busy with seven-man drills and weight room preparation for the upcoming season, he’s focused on getting his 2012 state championship Bulldogs ready. But, there’s one thing Fowler hopes to accomplish before the season begins. He’s involved in an effort to enroll his fellow state coaches in a program he believes is important, beneficial and timely. For the past three seasons, Goochland has participated in the Coach to Cure MD campaign sponsored by the Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, a group formed with specific goal of curing Duchenne, a genetic, degenerative disease and the most destructive form of Muscular Dystrophy. He is encouraging high school coaches across the state to join in the effort. While college participation n the program has soared, high school enrollment has lagged behind. Fowler said he
see Benedictine > page 2
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Photo by Jim Ridolphi
Goochland High School football coach Joe Fowler, right, talks with Jack Ridolphi, who has Duchenne, the most destructive form of Muscular Dystrophy. Fowler is urging fellow coaches to take part in the Coach to Cure MD campaign.