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Vol. 29, No. 36 | Richmond Suburban Newspapers | January 9, 2013
STOPS AT EVERY HOME IN TOWN
County teams ready for robotics challenge By Jim Ridolphi for The Mechanicsville Local The room was filled with anticipation as Robotics teams from all four of Hanover’s high schools gathered to receive instructions for the 2013 FIRST Robotics Competition. The web-based simulcast kicks off a hectic six weeks for the teams, who will submit their final projects for regional competition in March at VCU. This year’s competition tasks
those teams with producing a robot that can multi-task and operate independently. Those skills will be tested with a series of challenges involving tossing Frisbees at specific targets. “I think it’s an interesting assignment,” said Ellen Orie, co-captain of the Hanover Robotics team. Hanover robotics has grown in popularity since its inception eight years ago and currently boasts 43 members.
Casey leaving Hanover for similar Henrico job By Ben Orcutt for The Mechanicsville Local One of the primary reasons that Hanover Deputy County Administrator Joseph P. “Joe” Casey is taking a similar position in Henrico is because of his thirst for knowledge. “For those that know me, I’m a lifelong learner,” Casey said. “I love to learn new and different things and I kind of view everything in five-year increments . . . I love what I do here and I do learn things see CASEY, pg. 22
JOE CASEY
Orie said the program is attracting more students with a variety of skill sets. “A majority of the members are guys, but we are getting a lot more girls to join the team. They are for programming, not just for pep, and to help with the robot,” the junior said. Casey Clark, another Hanover co-captain, said this Jim Ridolphi for The Local year’s assignment is challeng- Hanover Robitics team members, from left, Bineen Kirandumkara, Ryan Kellner and Tanner see ROBOTICS, pg. 22
Goins open the packages for this year’s First Competition. All four of the county’s teams met on Saturday at Hanover High School for a kickoff meeting for this year’s competition.
School district finance chiefs resign posts By Ben Orcutt for The Mechanicsville Local Two of Hanover County Public Schools’ financial stalwarts have moved on. Dr. Michael E. Thornton, assistant superintendent for business and operations, accepted the position of chief financial officer for the city of Norfolk Public Schools. Christopher A. Sorensen, director of budget and risk management, is now the associate budget director in the office of Budget and Resource Analysis at VCU. The two, who are both 48, worked together at HCPS for more than six years and helped to keep the division on solid financial ground while forming a strong bond in the process. Thornton came to work for HCPS in July 2006, and he said Sorensen joined him that September.
“And we just forged a partnership from day one,” Thornton said. “We’ve worked very closely and then in these last four years when this unprecedented fiscal challenge came from the economic recession we committed ourselves to working closely with the superintendent, [Hanover County] School Board and staff and just making THORNTON sure that we kept the focus on students. It wasn’t just about balancing a bunch of numbers.” “Chris being a parent of a Hanover student, he had an additional sensitivity to the impact that some of the recommenda-
tions we would make to the superintendent that they went far beyond just balancing a budget, that it had real impact on students and staff,” Thornton added. “So we just stayed committed to that and we forged a relationship that that will go beyond our time in Hanover.” Thornton, who holds a doctorate in educational leadership and policy from SORENSEN Virginia Tech and has worked in the field of education for more than 26 years with stops at several school divisions, said the relationship among HCPS officials and with county officials is what attracted him see FINANCE, pg. 15