INSIDE Taking the plunge: Family takes icy swim to raise funds for Special Olympics. > page 2
Volume 60, Number 7 • February 20, 2014
NAACP leader: Schools are finally listening Shabaka says picture for black students still grim, but leaders have shown will to address issues By Roslyn Ryan Editor
To Goochland Branch NAACP president Sekou Shabaka, there is little doubt that black school children in Goochland County face numerous obstacles. Looking at data he has gathered, Shabaka points to several areas of discrepancy between the experiences of white and black students, from a gap in academic performance to the over-representation of black students among those receiving disciplinary action. In the 19 years that Goochland has been sending students to the highly selective Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School in Richmond, Shabaka points out, only two black students have been selected. But while he said the picture remains Shabaka grim, Shabaka also said last week that there have been positive developments in recent years. Specifically, he said, the election of a new school board and the hiring of superintendent James Lane have offered renewed hope for progress. “Until Dr. Lane came in, and the new board, things were not see NAACP > 3
Contributed Photo
The Gardner family gathered in front of their very own igloo in the Maidens Forest subdivision. Shown are, from left, Dan, Luca, Nia, Caden and Shannon. Inset: Dan Gardner used an old recycling container to mold the blocks for his igloo.
Block Party With a little help, Goochland dad builds ultimate frozen fort
By Roslyn Ryan Editor
If you want to build an igloo in your backyard, as Goochland resident Daniel Gardner did last week, the most important thing is to have the right kind of snow. “The kids had wanted to build a fort when it snowed a few weeks ago, but the snow was too powdery,” Gardner, an associate principal in Henrico County, said. So when he and his family awoke
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last Thursday to nearly a foot of fresh, heavy snow — just the right kind for packing into bricks — Gardner sprung into action. He had never built an igloo before, but that didn’t seem to be an issue. see Igloo > 3
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