Sponsored by the Goochland Chamber of Commerce, this year’s event promises to be a crowd pleaser too.

“The chamber is excited to once again host the Rassawek Spring Jubilee,” said Goochland Chamber of Commerce President Travis Chewning. “The Jubilee is a great event for our community. Please come out and enjoy a day well spent in Goochland,” he urged.

The festival happens this weekend, both Saturday and Sunday, May 19 and 20 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at The Rassawek Vineyards at 6276 River Road West in the western end of the county.

Less than an hour from Richmond or Charlottesville, the festival offers a wide range of activities for visitors, featuring nine Virginia wineries, including Rassawek’s Byrd Cellars. An original greenhouse from James Madison’s Montpelier will serve as one of Virginia’s most original wine tasting rooms.

Other attractions include an antique car show, live music, a unique tree house for the kids, local produce, baked goods and home-cooked food.

Visitors can travel about the grounds on a steam train from one attraction to the next.

Jenny Liesfeld of Rassawek Vineyards said this year’s Jubilee will have even more for visitors than last year’s.

“We’ll have many more artisans and demonstrators,” she said, including potters throwing pots on the wheel, lasso demonstrations, a second music stage and a puppet show for the children.

“We are very excited about it,” said Liesfeld. ‘It’s so wonderful to have the whole community involved.”

A grant from the Virginia Tourism and Marketing Center helped greatly in promoting the event, said Liesfeld.

Tickets are available for the Wine Festival or the Heritage Show or a combined ticket for both events can be purchased.
To purchase tickets or to find out more about the festival, go to the web site at http://springjubilee.eventbrite.com/

Parrish received a $500 award from the Goochland Education Foundation (GEF) at the May 8 school board meeting for her achievement. 

“It’s hard to feel deserving of it when you work with so many other teachers that work just as hard and put everything into teaching and everything into helping their students to learn and achieve their potential,” Parrish said.

Parrish, 28, has been a special education teacher at Byrd Elementary School for the past two years. The previous five years she worked at Goochland Elementary School as a fourth and fifth-grade teacher.

Parrish was voted Byrd teacher of the year by her colleagues and was invited to the May 8 school board meeting to be recognized. Being named the county’s teacher of the year was a surprise, she said.

“I did not know in advance,” Parrish said. “I was thoroughly shocked because of the other teachers that I stood up there with. I just had so much respect for everybody. We were invited to come to the meeting to receive our school-based teacher of the year award and then at that meeting they announced the county teacher of the year award.”

A native of Fairfax, Parrish graduated from Mills Godwin High School in Henrico County in 2001. She earned an undergraduate degree in elementary education and special education from the University of Delaware and a master’s degree in instructional technology from Virginia Tech.

Parrish said her mission is to help her pupils succeed.

“Well, I think the one thing that I try to promote the most is to really look at each student as an individual and to do absolutely anything I can to help them to be successful in school,” she said. “My students are the most important thing to me and one hundred percent at the heart of my teaching.”

Parrish said teaching “is a calling, but it is my passion for sure….I cannot picture myself doing anything else but teaching at this time.”

Seeing her pupils succeed is rewarding, Parrish said.

“I love, absolutely love teaching kids how to read,” she said. “That is so rewarding for me, watching kids improve in their reading and especially with my students, teaching them skills that they’re going to be able to really use in their lives.”

Not having enough time to spend with her pupils is one of the most challenging aspects of teaching, Parrish said. But, she enjoys the time she does have with them.

“I have a large group of fifth-graders and I will be very sad, it’ll be bittersweet to see them go on,” Parrish said. “I won’t have them next year. But some of the students I’ve been able to work with this year I really look forward to continuing doing what we’ve been doing for them this year and watching them achieve more and more.”

Parrish said being named teacher of the year does not necessarily mean there is more pressure on her to excel. 

“I think there’s always pressure to try to do better,” she said. “I think you want to do better every day for your kids and you need to do better every day for your kids.”

Photo by Ken Odor
The county’s five Teachers of the Year pose with their awards. From left are: math teacher Barry Smith from GHS, art teacher Ann Rohrer from GMS,  enrichment resource teacher Lisa Brown from GES, Parrish and Beth Ferguson from RES.

Some parents did not want to participate in a man-on-the-street poll for fear of retribution. Others said they were not aware of Underwood’s resignation after nine years on the job and still others said they didn’t know enough about her resignation to voice an opinion.

Underwood is the leading candidate for superintendent of the Sevastopol, Wisconsin school system, where she and her husband would be closer to family and their retirement home.
Six parents of children in Goochland County Public Schools responded to Underwood’s resignation when polled on Saturday at Hidden Rock Park.

“I wish she wouldn’t be leaving because she is a very wonderful superintendent,” said Tammy Johnson, 41. “She does [work] hard for the kids, even though some people say she don’t. But, she’s got a rough job, so she does as good as she can. She’s a wonderful person.”

Arlene Schwartz, 51, sees it differently.

“Actually I’m okay with her resigning because I have not seen any improvements in the school system since she’s come on board,” Schwartz said. “I just hope somebody will come in and straighten out the middle and high school. The teachers…just seem to be against the kids and the parents and I would like to see the new person come in and put a little bit more time and effort into that, at least the high school.”

Matt Nuckols, 39, is sorry to see Underwood go.

“Well, she’ll definitely be missed and I feel like her work over the years has been very beneficial to all the children,” Nuckols said.

Rick Vincent, 50, won’t shed any tears on Underwood’s departure.

“Well, I don’t know that we were real happy when the previous superintendent resigned,” Vincent said. “Me and my wife both were not so happy with Ms. Underwood for a couple different reasons so we’re not all broken up about it.”

Sonda Silva, 36, spoke in a similar vein.

“My opinion is that some fresh blood may do some good in the county to get a new perspective and a new view of things that’s maybe a little more updated,” Silva said.

Dave Demdicer, 48, spoke highly of Underwood. 

“I thought Dr. Underwood, I appreciate all the hard work she did,” Demdicer said. “She did a very nice job. She brought us forth and got us through a transition stage and I wish her the best in her future.”

Demdicert

Johnson

Nuckols

Scwartz

Silva

Vincent

Much of the evening was devoted to honoring the five teachers of the year, each receiving $100 checks from the Goochland Education Association, except for Zoe Parrish from Byrd E.S., who was handed a $500 check for being named Goochland’s Teacher of the Year.

The other four teachers honored were Barry Smith of GHS, Ann Rohrer of GMS,  Lisa Brown of GES and Beth Ferguson of RES.

Also honored were the GHS Robotics Team, Science Fair winners, School Nurses, the SkillsUSA Team, which placed third in the state at Hampton.

The board also acknowledged Lisa Landrum for receiving an honorable mention in the Food for Thought Virginia School Board Award.

In action items, the board as expected voted unanimously to cancel the bid process to outsource any custodial workers after noting that the proposals received were unsatisfactory and that funds were available to pay for the positions.

The board also voted 5-0 to:
• approve a school calendar with a Aug. 20 start date and 180 instructional days
• approve an agreement with the YMCA giving school employees a break on fees
• approve the adoption of the Aesop Substitute Calling System at a cost of $7,340 annually with an initial $5,750 set up and training fee.
• designated Assistant Superintendent Peter Gretz as Acting Superintendent.

In public comments, NAACP President Sekou Shabaka expressed concern that a recent presentation by Director of Secondary Education Stephen Geyer on grouping could lead to “re- segregation.”

Using the new rules for public comment, board members engaged in discussion with Shabaka about the issue, assuring him that the proposal was still under consideration and that their goals and his were the same.

“A group of us are going down to Orange County to talk about their closing the achievement gap,” said School Board Chairwoman Beth Hardy.

Wendy Hobbs urged the school board to include the public in its search for a new superintendent.

Hobbs suggested the board do a survey of the community to find out what they wanted in a new superintendent and that the process be “very transparent.”

School Board Vice Chairman John Wright said a survey is envisioned.

The county has the option of phasing in the employee contribution over five years or doing it all at one time in July.

The goal in either case is to avoid a decrease in employee take home pay once they begin making contributions to VRS.

“Now you have the option to do it all at once but you have to grant at least a 5 percent salary increase,” explained County Administrator Rebecca Dickson at the May meeting.

Many surrounding localities have opted to do the 5 percent option in July, said Deputy County Administrator John Wack.

Wack said doing the increase all at once would keep the county competitive with other area counties but lessen the money available for an anticipated one time bonus.

The supervisors took the matter under advisement, anticipating a decision at the June meeting.

Rabies is a dangerous virus that is transmitted through the saliva of animals. Anyone can get it if they handle or get bitten by an animal that has the disease.

Not all wildlife has rabies but the Center for Disease Control (CDC) says that the main types of wildlife that tend to contract the disease are raccoons, skunks, bats and foxes.

The CDC reports that 90 percent of all rabid animal incidents are wildlife. Most people who are exposed to rabies are exposed due to close contact with domestic animals, such as cats or dogs.

The cases of dogs with rabies has begun to decline, but, the CDC says, is that the cases of rabid cats is steadily increasing.

Three times more rabid cats are reported than rabid dogs, officials say. The reason being that cat owners might not be as likely to visit a veterinarian’s office, where their cats can receive shots that can keep them safe from rabies. The most recent data from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) reports that 36 percent of U.S. cat-owning households did not visit a veterinarian in 2006.

Rabies costs are not cheap, coming in at around $300 million annually. The expenses include the vaccination of companion animals, animal control programs, maintenance of rabies laboratories, and medical costs which includes those incurred for rabies postexposure prophylaxis (PEP).

According to the CDC, the doses of vaccine given typically exceeds $1,000. The cost per human life saved from rabies ranges from approximately $10,000 to $100 million, depending on the nature of the exposure and the probability of rabies in a region.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices(ACIP), states that for persons previously unvaccinated, a regimen with human diploid cell vaccine(HDCV) or purified chick embryo cell vaccine(PCECV) is administered. New recommendations from ACIP reduce the number of vaccine doses from the previously recommended dosage of five to four injections.  A course of four doses of HDCV or PCECV are injected intramuscularly. The first dose should be administered as soon as possible after exposure (Day 0). Additional doses then should be administered on days 3, 7 and 14 after the first vaccination. Also administered is rabies immune globulin (RIG) by infiltrating the dose into and around the wound.

Health officials say the vaccine when administered properly and on time, is highly effective in preventing human rabies.

Each year, scientists from the CDC collect information about cases of animal and human rabies from the state health departments and publish the information in a summary report.

There is some good news on the horizon, the number of rabies-related human deaths in the United States has declined from more than 100 annually at the turn of the century to one or two per year in the 1990’s. The decline in deaths is contributed to the vaccine, officials said.

Virginia still tallies in a large number of rabies cases and multiple types of animals are included.

In 2012 as of April 28, the Virginia Department of Health(VDH)-Office of Epidemiology reports the laboratory confirmed cases of rabies in Virginia as; Bat (4), bobcat (2), cat (7), cow (10), dog (1), fox (8), one horse , raccoon (85) and skunk (58) bringing the total to 176 cases.

In 2011, confirmed laboratory cases reported by VDH for Virginia are; Bat (20), bobcat(4), cat(30), cow(10), coyote(1), dog(3), fox(70), groundhog(6), horse(2), raccoon(281), sheep(1) and skunk(190) bringing the total to 618 cases.

Three human deaths from rabies has been documented in Virginia

• On December 31, 1998, a 29-year-old man in Richmond died from a rabies virus associated with insectivorous bats.
• On March 2003, a 25-year-old man from Northern Virginia died from a rabies virus associated with raccoons, but it is unknown how it was contracted.
• On November 20, 2009, a 42-year-old man died from the rabies virus. The man had contracted the virus from a dog in India when he was abroad.
Officials say if you are bitten by an animal report it immediately.
• Wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water.
• Try to have a description of the animal.
• Report any animal domestic or wild that appears to be acting strangely.
• To report being bitten: Goochland Sheriff’s Office (804) 556-5349.
• For an emergency dial 9-1-1.

Sandy and Rossie, have been pioneers in organic, sustainable farming in the mid-Atlantic since establishing Brookview in 1981 as a grass-fed and finished- cattle commercial farming operation.  Family-owned and operated, Brookview comprises over 300 acres of pasture on which cattle roam and graze exclusively on grass and clover.

In nominating the Fishers for the award, the James River Garden Club said “Brookview epitomizes the highest standards of environmental stewardship, producing all organic products without the use of pesticides, hormones and commercial fertilizers.  Among all of the competition around the country, Brookview’s example should make Virginian’s proud of the standards our state is setting in agricultural advancement.”

A primary goal at Brookview has been to educate the community on the importance of agricultural sustainability, as well as teaching responsible and humane farming practices.  As public awareness of the benefits of best practices in agriculture and land stewardship has increased,  the Fishers have seen many of their pioneering methods adopted and expanded by others in Virginia and beyond.

Having placed Brookview in a conservation easement to protect it from future development, the Fishers helped establish the Goochland Land Alliance in 2002 to educate others on the benefits of conservation easements.  They also launched the Center for Rural Culture in 2004 to promote sustainable and profitable agriculture in Virginia’s Piedmont region. 

The Fisher’s now join the ranks of previous recipients of the Cynthia Pratt Laughlin Medal, including the U.S. Green Building Council, which received the medal in 2009 in recognition of outstanding leadership in creating the LEED system that radically transformed our building standards and provides a powerful frame-work to protect our environment.

County Administrator Rebecca Dickson made the announcement in a press release Thursday.

Schardein, who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies and Planning from Virginia Commonwealth University, has 25 years of local government experience.

He most recently served as Assistant Director for Zoning Administration/Zoning Administrator for Loudoun County, wrote Dickson.

Schardein will lead the Community Development Department, which includes building inspections, convenience centers, environmental and land development review, planning and zoning and public utilities.

“Mr. Schardein brings a wealth of knowledge to Goochland County with over 25 years of experience in development in local government.  In addition, we were very impressed with his economic development experience and his philosophy that community development processes should support economic development.  We are very pleased to have someone of his caliber join our team,” said Dickson in an email to the Gazette.

He begins work with the county May 14.

On April 26 teachers at Goochland Elementary got all steamed up by bringing everything together in a one-day project called Full STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) Ahead Day.  Created and coordinated by the Enrichment Resource Teacher, Lisa Brown, all students, kindergarten through fifth grade, were involved in grade-level appropriate design briefs that used community-building as a common thread.

The Standards of Learning (SOLs) were incorporated into each lesson which had the children working with classmates to create a building for their class’s community using the engineering design process. 

Students were encouraged follow the steps of the design process which is to restate the question, imagine, plan, create, and then improve a proposal.  After each small group completed its drawing parent volunteers assisted the children by procuring the needed materials from our recycling area.  At the end of the activity, all of the classes brought their communities together to share with other students and then their parents at the PTA meeting that night.  Principal Tina McCay said “the day was a success!

Our students were totally engaged in learning and smiling throughout the process.  We can’t wait until next year’s Full STEAM Ahead Day.”

“We definitely missed the market last year,” said Toni Gregory of Grayhaven Winery. “We’re excited to be back.”

Linda Sasser, who runs “Old Woman Farm,” said she lives just 17 miles away from the site in front of Grace Episcopal Church in Goochland Courthouse and so she just took last year off, she said.

“I didn’t sell anything,” she said. “There was no way I was going to drive to another market.”

Sasser, who sells jellies, jams, min-cakes and eggs, soon was getting a hug from old friend Sister Jean Ryan, a nun from Bellemeade in Powhatan.

“We met at the market,” said Sister Jean.

The community nature of the market, run by the Center for Rural Culture, came up over and over in discussion with vendors and customers.

Philip Stoneman, who runs Byrd Farm in Columbia with his wife Deborah, said they had always been committed to supporting the Goochland Farmers Market.

“We were charter members,” said Stoneman. “We’d much rather drive 16 miles rather than 41 miles to another market in town.”

Although most of the vendors come from nearby, the market drew at least a couple from outside Goochland Saturday. Joe Hooker and his wife Anne raise hostas on their farm in the South Anna district of Hanover County.

And Lindsey Koertge of Rain or Shine Greehouse came all the way from Mechanicsville to set up.

Hooker said he has been with the Farmers Market since it started.

With more than 25 vendors listed, the market will be open each Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon through Oct. 20. The market is partnering with the Powhatan Farmer’s Market and Local Roots Coop.

Plans call for special Kid’s Days, raffles and musical entertainment.

The market is an all volunteer organization. Potential volunteers should contact the Volunteer Coordinator at farmersmarketgoochland@gmail.com.

Photo by Ken Odor
Julia Harper looks at some dikon radishes from Byrd Farm.  Harper is a Goochland resident and she said she likes to spend her dollars locally.

At the May 1 Goochland Board of Supervisors meeting Goochland Sheriff James L. Agnew received a plaque acknowledging the accreditation from Brunswick County Sheriff Bryan Roberts.

Agnew gave much of the credit for the award to his staff.

“Lieutenant Terry Pleasants does all the hard work,” he said in a telephone interview last Friday. “She’s the guru.”

Agnew also credited Major Don Bewkes with helping his office receive accreditation for the fourth consecutive time.

VLEPSC found the Sheriff’s Office to be in full compliance with all 187 standards and 420 sub-standards during its evaluation, conducted in mid March of this year.

Agnew noted that only about 20 percent of state law enforcement agencies are accredited.

Asked why that is so, Agnew explained that the record keeping to show compliance is time consuming.

“You have to show proof of compliance that you are doing what you say you are doing,” he said.

But Agnew said the benefit is worth the effort.

“If you do this you will be on top of the best law enforcement practices,” said Agnew.

Some areas checked by VLEPSC were evidence handling, arrest policies and pursuit policies, said Agnew who said the process forces his office to review policies and procedures and make sure personnel are following them correctly.

What does it all mean to Goochland?

Agnew summed it up this way:

“No agency is perfect, but it says we are striving to be as professional as possible.”

The farmers market will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays through October. It’s located at 68 Broad Street Road behind Essex Bank in Manakin-Sabot.

Lisa Dearden is the owner/manager of the market and said in addition to produce, the market features baked goods, pastured meats, eggs, cakes, cookies, flowers, artists and crafts, a winery and vendors that cook food on site.

“Last year we did really, really, really well,” Dearden said. “Not that many people knew about us….So this year, a lot more people know about us and we’ve been really focusing our marketing efforts on the far West End – Short Pump, Short Pump, Short Pump.”

As of Saturday, there were 42 approved vendors and a couple pending, Dearden said.

“Last year when we opened, we had about the same, but at the end of the year we had a lot more,” Dearden said. “We had 58 at the end of the year last year, so I fully expect to have well over 50 this year.”

My Manakin Market will accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) cards this year, Dearden added.

Beth Hopkins, special events coordinator for My Manakin Market, said there will be activities for children each week, as well as music. A grove of trees provides almost the perfect setting for vendors to display their wares. The aroma of food cooking adds to the experience.

Mary Turner of Fluvanna was one of the vendors who set up shop at the market on Saturday.

“I’ve got some spinach and lettuce and stuff today,” Turner said. “But when the season gets going, we’re going to have mostly flowers, bouquets.”

Turner said she enjoys the atmosphere at farmers markets.

“Just seeing the people and then visiting with people and having people buy things makes you feel good,” Turner said.

Derek Mohar of Oilville visited the market on Saturday with his wife, Michele, and their daughter, Allison, 11.

“We like buying local foods when we can,” Mohar said. “We like supporting the local community and the people who live here and have their businesses here.”

For more information about My Manakin Market, call 314-9141.

Last year’s winner was Brett Alvis, who won the award as a sophomore.

“And so when Jake won for the second year in a row – I mean, this is just an awesome poster – we just couldn’t believe it,” said Kim Bachman, King’s art teacher. “So we’re going to try to go for three years next year.”

Bachman said she’s given her art students the assignment of entering the poster contest for several years.

The poster contest is open to high school art students from Charles City County, Goochland County, Hanover County, Henrico County, New Kent County and the city of Richmond, according to a press release.

The posters are supposed to show the work of solving crimes in the community, the press release states. The winners from the six jurisdictions are eligible for the grand prize, which was presented to King on April 26, at the Metro Richmond Crime Stoppers’ Board of Directors meeting.

King was joined at the presentation by his parents, Jed and Terry King, and his brother, John, 12, a 6th-grader at Goochland Middle School.

Each local winner is presented with $500, Bachman said, and the grand prize winner gets an extra $500. The contest is sponsored by the Retail Merchants Association, Bachman said.

The poster designed by King features a photo of a Chuck Taylor Converse All-Star sneaker, with the Crime Stoppers logo where the Converse logo would normally be. The Crime Stoppers telephone number is positioned vertically like a leg attached to the shoe and other Crime Stoppers information is to the right of the shoe and on the side of the shoe.

Bachman said the posters must contain all of the Crime Stoppers’ pertinent information, with the addition this year of a number to text to make a report.

A 17-year-old junior, King said he got the idea to use the Converse shoe after his pre-AP chemistry teacher, Mitchell Kupferman, who formerly was in law enforcement working in forensics, said that the Converse shoe is one of the shoes that’s most often associated with crime.

King said he took a photograph of a Converse shoe and then used Photoshop to design the rest of the 11-inch by 14-inch poster.

“I mean, I thought it was good, but I didn’t know I was going to get this far with it,” King said. “I’m pretty impressed with myself. I never expected this.”

In addition to compiling a 4.6 grade point average, King also plays football and baseball for the Bulldogs. King said the Bulldogs advancing to the state championship in football this past year was one of the best things he’s ever been involved with, “but this [poster contest] is one of the biggest individual things I’ve done.”

His classmates are impressed with his accomplishment as well, King said.

“They’re pretty awed too,” King said. “They didn’t expect it from anybody.”

Bachman said King’s art classmates clapped for him on Thursday.

Asked how proud she is of King, Bachman said, “So much I asked him if I could give him a hug.”

Bachman said that one comment she heard about King’s poster is that it “’was very clean.’”

“It wasn’t real busy,” Bachman added. “When I looked at some of the others in the past, the message didn’t come through quite as well because there was so much going on.”

But King’s poster got the message across loud and clear and it will be displayed in area high schools and businesses, Bachman said.

Goochland High School Principal Frances Ball also is pleased with King’s success.

“Well, of course I’m thrilled and I’m so glad that Jake is talented enough and shows his talent to the world,” Ball said. “We are thrilled. This is the second year in a row that we’ve won the Crime Stoppers poster [contest] and Jake is just a wonderful example of our students here at Goochland High School.”

Jane Hudson Farleigh, who passed away last year, had served as president and was remembered for founding Kates Closet, a program that provides women who are returning to society with outfits to wear.

“She was one of the most effervescent, gracious and kind-hearted women I have ever known,” said foundation member Kate Sarfaty.

Named after the first warden of VCCW, which was established in 1932 with an inmate population of 13, the foundation is dedicated to rehabilitation programs for the inmates focusing on their reentry into society.

According to current foundation president Julia Kimbrell, the foundation has spent $164,000 on educational programs for inmates since 2001. Their efforts are appreciated.

“On behalf of the ladies incarcerated here, I say thank you not only for the ongoing financial support that you provide, but most importantly for showing them that you care,” said Warden Tammy Brown.

The announcement came at a special meeting of the Goochland School Board Monday evening.

Assistant Superintendent Peter Gretz will serve as acting superintendent during the board’s search for a replacement.

Terms of the separation agreement and general release signed by Underwood and Goochland School Board Chairwoman Beth Hardy at the special meeting included a lump sum payment of $56,304, a $31,075 payment on Underwood’s behalf to the Virginia Retirement System, $12,620 for unused annual leave and payment of health care premiums for Underwood and her spouse through June 30, 2012.

The school board went into closed session after the signing of the separation agreement.

Underwood declined to comment on her resignation or future plans after the meeting.The school system in Sevastopol, Wisconsin has indicated she is their leading candidate to replace that system’s retiring superintendent.

But in a prepared statement for the press provided by the school board, Underwood said “Working for the Goochland County Public Schools and with the citizens of Goochland County for all our children has been a highlight of my career. We can be proud of what we have accomplished together.”

According to the statement, Underwood and her husband have “have been presented with the unique opportunity to move closer to their families and near to an area where they ultimately plan to retire.”

Goochland School Board Chairwoman Beth Hardy expressed the board’s appreciation to Underwood for her service in the prepared statement.

“We thank Dr. Underwood for her service and commitment to the schools over the past nine years. We wish her all the best and are excited about the opportunities that lay ahead.”