INSIDE Goochland High graduates proudly serving in the U.S. Marine Corps > page 2
Volume 60, Number 8 • February 19, 2015
Commissioner of the Revenue to retire Bryant was appointed Commissioner of the Revenue in 1991 to finish out retired Commissioner William T. Tucker’s unexpired term. She was then elected to her first four-year term as Commissioner in November 1991 and has served for more Contributed report than 23 years. Goochland’s Commissioner of the Bryant, a graduate of Goochland High Revenue Jean S. Bryant has announced that School, has resided in Goochland County she will retire on Dec. 31. all her life.
Jean Bryant, a life-long resident, has served in her role over for 23 years
Bryant
She was hired as Deputy Commissioner of the Revenue in 1980. The University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service recognized Bryant in 1996 when she achieved the title of Certified Commissioner of the Revenue. Bryant said that she has strived for courteous customer service and equalsee Bryant > 2
FOCUS ON HEALTH AND WELLNESS
Health District director: Measles vaccination is safe for children Officials note ongoing measles outbreak has not impacted local area By Jodi Deal for The Goochland Gazette
M
MetroCreative Graphic
easles has been grabbing national headlines as an outbreak that began on the West Coast has inched its way across the country. According to Dr. Thomas Franck, Chickahominy Health District director, that outbreak hasn’t hit any locals. In fact, the last case he and his staff can find on record for the local health district was a Randolph-Macon College student who became infected in 1990, he said. Statewide, only 13 cases have been reported between 2009 and 2014, he added. As of Jan. 30, the Centers for Disease Control reported that 102 people from 14 states had been diagnosed with measles. Virginia has not yet been reached by the outbreak,
which has been traced to an initial exposure at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, California. Many of those who have been infected were not vaccinated against the disease, according to the CDC. The affected states include Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Nebraska, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Washington. Of the confirmed measles cases in the United States this year, the CDC has linked 92 percent to the Disneyland-centered outbreak. “The absolutely most important way to prevent measles is by getting vaccinated,” Franck said. In Virginia, vaccination is compulsory for all schoolchildren unless their parents file for a medical or religious exemption. About 91 percent of preschool-aged children have been vaccinated before school entrance surveys, Franck said, and most of those who haven’t are identified by school officials and referred to a doctor. see Vaccine > 4
Covington
Assistant principal to leave GHS for new role Contributed report
Goochland high School Assistant Principal Matt Covington will be leaving his position on Feb. 20 to serve as the northeast regional manager of client services for Edgenuity, an educational curriculum company partnering with school divisions across the nation. Covington has been in his current role with Goochland County Public Schools since 2008. Prior to coming to Goochland, he was an assistant principal in Prince George County and an adjunct professor at the University of Mary Washington. “I have loved working with Goochland students over the past seven years,” Covington said. “To those students, I implore you to continue learning and challenging yourselves.” In his new role, see Covington > 4