Every parents’ dream is for their child to get the best, most hands on learning experience possible. For sixty fourth through seventh graders from Suffolk, Franklin, Southampton, and the Isle of Wight, this dream would come true at the Tidewater Regional Governor’s School at Windsor High School.

For three weeks, students were brought together due to their interest in science and technology. Whether it’s yeast or magnets, these students bonded through their shared love of discovering new things about the world.

The program was spear-headed by Liz Petry, a gifted resources director at the Mack Benn Jr. Elementary School in Suffolk. According to her, so much “hands-on” learning that occurs in school isn’t effective or balanced with the needs of the kids. With too many students in the classroom, it can be all too easy to ignore the progress of different students’ learning.

On the other hand, Petry designed the summer program to expose students to a whole range of distinct and exciting experiments. Founded in 1991, the Tidewater summer camp introduces rising students to professional scientific methods that are required for basically any STEM work conducted later on in life.

All of the students were hand-selected through an incredibly selective application process, which many parents dedicate significant time to helping their children craft. The students move way past textbooks and into the lab, where they can gather the skillsets necessary to succeed in any scientific field.

Some students are selected for specific skillsets, while others have demonstrated a more broad, generalized intelligence concerning scientific fields. Whether it’s chemistry, thermodynamics, or electrical engineering, no experiment is too difficult for these quick-witted kids to master in the summer program.

Many students mentioned that their absolute favorite experiment involves making rock candy and ice cream with chemical sciences. At the end, they get to eat their yummy creations.

Students also seemed to love working in the nanotechnology lab, since they got the opportunity to make race cars powered by magnets that ran on a charged track.

Though experimentation is the most vital aspect of the summer course, reading and writing are also heavily emphasized so that students can learn in well-rounded ways. All the students are reading a high-level novel called “Things Not Seen”.

Many companies that work in the sciences take time to come down to the summer program, providing informative and fun talks on scientific and academic topics. A few of these companies include the Jefferson Lab and BASF Global Chemical. Later in the month, students go on a field trip.

According to Liz, one of the most memorable field trips was to the Surry Nuclear Power Station scheduled for Tuesday, July 24th. Eager students were able to learn so much about how nuclear energy works and is transmitted into useful power sources that can run whole cities or countries.

When asked about why the program is so selective, Liz emphasized the importance of engaged learning. Students who aren’t really all that involved in the program can often encourage other students to slack off. Yet when all of the students genuinely want to be there, the learning environment thrives and everyone can grow at their own pace.

Additionally, all of the students grow and bond so much over the course of just three weeks. The program teachers all express how surprised they are every year at how close the children become to each other.

The directors of the summer camp program are excited to see where this experience takes the fourth through seventh graders in the next couple of years. Through the program, students learn life long skills necessary to conduct scientific research. Petry expects many of these students will end up as doctors, researchers, academics, and chemists.

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According to an analysis of public school data, the schools in Franklin are not doing so well. Out of 132 public school districts in the state of Virginia, standardized test scores in the district were the second worst in the state.

Only 75% of students in Franklin passed what are known as the Standard of Learning (SOL) tests, which include separate tests for science, math, English and history. The only district in the state in which students performed worse was Petersburg.

Not all the schools in the region, though, are doing poorly. Students at Isle of Wight schools had the 12th best scores in the state while students in Southampton scored in the upper 50%.

School administrators in Franklin, Petersburg and Southampton were provided the analysis and were asked to comment about it.

Dr. Michelle Belle, who is the superintendent of schools in Franklin, said that she had never before seen SOL scores ranked, nor has she seen scores in different subject areas averaged together in the way they were in the analysis. Not knowing how the numbers were compiled, she insists that she cannot speak about them in any meaningful way. Though she admits that her school system needs to improve.

In Petersburg, where only 73% of students passed the SOLs, the district will soon have a new superintendent, as Dr. Alvera Parrish will be leaving her job as superintendent to take a similar position in Southampton, where she will be replacing Charles Turner, who is retiring.

Parrish declined to respond to the low scores in Petersburg. Instead, she said that she is very much looking forward to moving on to Southampton, where she hopes to have a “positive start.” She further added that she did not feel that it was appropriate to discuss student scores in Petersburg, nor did she feel that doing so would accomplish anything positive.

In Southampton, 85% of students passed the SOLs. This ranks the school system there 56th in the state. In response to this, retiring Superintendent Turner said that, while they are proud of both their students and staff, there is still room for improvement.

Isle of Wight schools achieved their high ranking based on the fact that 91% of their students passed the SOLs.

Looking a little deeper into the test score data shows that, in Franklin, 87% of students who did not receive free or subsidized lunches passed the SOLs while only 72% of those who received either free or subsidized lunches passed. Also, 95% of white students there passed the tests while only 71% of blacks did.

In Petersburg, there was not much difference between those students who received free or subsidized lunches and those who did not. 77% of those who fully paid for their lunches passed the tests while 73% of those who received free or subsidized lunches passed the tests. But the difference between white and black students was about the same. 98% of white students passed the tests while only 73% of black students did.

Isle of Wight schools and Southampton schools saw data breakdowns that were a bit different.

95% of Isle of Wight students who fully paid for their lunches passed the SOLs while 84% of those who received free or subsidized lunches passed the tests. 94% of white students there passed the tests while 83% of black students passed the tests.

As for Southampton, 91% of students who fully paid for their lunches passed the tests while 81% of those who received free or subsidized lunches passed the tests. 91% of white students there passed the tests while 79% of black students passed the tests.

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The skies above Franklin, Virginia were abuzz with the sounds of World War II recently after a decade long restoration project finally came to an end. The Stinson OY-1 Sentinel observation plane had been the subject of restoration since 2002 when it was deemed the engine was in need of a complete overhaul. Members of the Commemorative Air Force Old Dominion Squadron which is based at Franklin Municipal Airport have been completing the majority of the work after it was decided the engine would be just a small part of the restoration taking place.

The original plan for the observation plane was to overhaul the engine and get the plane back in the sky as quickly as possible. However, members of the commemorative squadron made the decision to overhaul the entire plane and return it to its glory as a key part of the conflict of World War II and beyond. The plane has a history dating back to the 1940s when it was used to observe the activities over the Pacific Ocean as the battle against the Japanese forces began to earnest. The history of the plane did not stop with its action in World War II as it was also used as an observation aircraft during the Korean War.

One of the most interesting aspects of the restoration project is the use of volunteers who came together for more than a decade to work on a project that saw the entire aircraft restored to its former glory. One of those who took part in the restoration and could get their hands dirty working on a historic aircraft. One of those who have taken part in the restoration and joined the Commemorative Air Force Old Dominion Squadron is Steve Hager, a Franklin, Virginia resident who accidentally found the project and became key to its completion.

Hager recalls the first flight of the restored aircraft in 2012 with fondness and explains how he called for his co-workers to step outside of their place of business to take a look at the maiden flight. After discussing the project with some of the members of the Old Dominion Squadron and became a part of the team working on wiring and detailing.

Steve Hager explains the initial decision to restore the aircraft was made when the engine was in need of a complete overhaul and the decision was made to take a look at the entire airplane to make it look and feel better. The aim of Hager and his colleagues at Old Dominion was to restore the plane to the way it looked and flew as Marine Observation Squadron 6 OY-1. For Steve Hager and his fellow members of Old Dominion Squadron, the restoration became a labor of love that he believes cannot have a dollar value placed upon it. For the majority of the work, donations were taken in to cover the cost of parts and equipment with the restoration work at the Franklin Municipal Airport being done through volunteers.

One of the reasons for the decision to recreate the glory of the plane is to return it to the air and to allow as many people as possible to see it in the air. The aircraft is now using the Franklin Municipal Airport as its home but is part of a touring group of historic planes making their way around the U.S. to attend various air shows. The Old Dominion Squadron has been a major part of the decision to return historic aircraft to the air with the Stinson OY-1 Observation plane joining a Ryan PT-22 Recruit as part of a touring air show team.

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When General Billy Mahone decided on a return to the railroad business following the Civil War, he likely had no idea how eventful the next few years of his life would become. Mahone would first regain his position as president of Norfolk & Peterburg railroad. In less than a year, he was also selected as Southside Railroad’s president. Mahone would next try to consolidate these two companies, as well as, the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad under one umbrella.

Mahone was able to successfully combine the companies and formed the Atlantic, Mississippi, Ohio Railroad Company. The lifetime railroad man was able to secure a $25,000 salary for himself and became a man of great influence in the south that emerged from the Civil War.

Billy Mahone experienced early success in both the railroad industry and as a soldier in the Army. He decided to parlay this success into a political career in 1878 but was unsuccessful at an attempt to become governor of Virginia. The loss did not prevent Mahone from building a considerable amount of political power in Virginia. He was instrumental in the formation of the Readjuster Party which dominated state politics for a number of years.

Mahone was elected to the United States Senate in 1881. He later joined the Republican Party, a move that was not popular with many of his former friends and colleagues. Many southerners at the time were fiercely loyal to the Democratic Party.

Mahone was known as a natural leader and experienced success at nearly everything he attempted in life. This included a stint as a worker in his father’s tavern early in his life.

General Mahone attempted to explain the philosophies he lived by following the Civil War to his friend General Thomas Munford in 1882. Mahone told Munford he considered it wise to look toward the future and not become stuck in a past that was already dead. Mahone went on to say that life, prosperity, and power are all things that can be found only by looking toward the future.

Mahone was born to a family of modest means but was able to rise above his circumstances with grit and determination.

Mahone’s Tavern was built in 1796 and still stands today across the street from the city courthouse in Courtland, Virginia. The original structure included three stories and a basement. The building was used as a tavern until the early 1900s when it was used for residential purposes. Additions were made to the old tavern in the 1920s.

There is a cemetary located approximately 300 yards from Mahone’s Tavern. It is the place of rest for both of General Mahone’s parents. The flag of Virginia flies on the front porch of Mahone’s Tavern and there is a trail marker outside that identifies the tavern as an important Civil War monument.

Mahone’s Tavern was purchased by Courtland’s Urquhart-Gilette Camp 1471 in December 2008. The Camp secured the funds to purchase the tavern by hosting fish fries, barbecues, and auctions. Local donors also contributed towards the Camp’s goal of buying the building.

Several projects have been completed with the intent of improving the condition of Mahone’s Tavern. One of these projects was completed by a local Boy Scout troop.

Monthly meetings are held at Mahone’s Tavern by Urquhart-Gilette Camp 1471 on the second Wednesday of each month. The longterm plan for the tavern is to restore the building to its original 1840 condition. The museum will then become a museum that will provide public access to the many pictures and relics that will be on display there. Many of these items were once owned by the Mahone family.

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