Walker Ends Aquatics Program

Published by Waldo Jaquith on May 30, 2006 in Education. 5 Comments

I’m often surprised at the sort of topics that get conversation going here. Every so often something off-the-wall does it, particular K-12 topics. So–what the heck?–here’s a letter I received from a parent who is concerned about Walker eliminating their aquatics program.

Hello! My name is Melissa Bibb-Harris. I am a C-ville local born and raised. I have two children who attend C-ville schools, Greenbrier and Buford. I just heard that the aquatics department at Walker School has been dropped. I spoke with Mr. Bill Byers the head of that department who has confirmed he has opted for retirement since his aquatics program has been dropped.

I would like to know why the City School system has dropped the aquatics division from the P.E. program at Walker school? Was there a poll for parents? How do the school board and new Superintendent, Rosa Adkins, explain this decision? Do the American Red Cross water safety standard not fit into the SOL’s? With such a concern on childhood obesity in America how does swimming not benefit the students. What happens now? Do the P.E. classes double or triple in size since a third no longer rotate out for the swimming classes? How can we, a school system, afford to dismiss the advantages of an aquatics program when other school localities such as Fluvanna, Greene and Albemarle would KILL to have an aquatics division as part of their P.E. program?

The amazing thing is that they ever had an aquatics program in the first place. I had no idea.

UVa Grad Seriously Injured in Iraq

Published by Waldo Jaquith on May 30, 2006 in General News. 16 Comments

I heard the news this weekend that two members of a CBS crew were killed in an IED attack in Iraq and that a reporter had been seriously injured. I was alarmed to read on Jennifer’s blog that the reporter, Kimberly Dozier, lived in Charlottesville for a time, attending UVa and working at St. Maartens. The Hook provides more detail.

The latest news is that she’s at a military hospital in Germany, having had shrapnel removed from her head. Though she has serious injuries to her lower body, doctors have dared utter the phrase “cautiously optimistic.”

Blog Carnival: I Host

Published by Waldo Jaquith on May 26, 2006 in Blogs. Closed

I’m hosting this week’s Charlottesville Blog Carnival. Eighteen blog entries are included; it’s a big’un. Most of the audience for my personal site doesn’t read cvillenews.com, so I figure it’s a whole new group of people to be exposed to area blogs.

Local Man on Morning Edition

Published by Waldo Jaquith on May 26, 2006 in General News. Closed

NPR parked their Storycorps RV on the west end of the Downtown Mall for a few weeks last summer, allowing many people to record an interview with a close friend or family member. One of those interviews was Bob Harllee talking with his daughter, Carol, about his time in Vietnam as chaplain for the 101st Airborne (MP3). That interview was broadcast on Morning Edition today. Bob Harllee died in January at the age of 73.

The Bentivar Cat Killer

Published by Waldo Jaquith on May 23, 2006 in Crime. 74 Comments

Courteney Stuart has a fairly horrifying article in the current Hook about the shooting death of a cat in a suburban neighborhood north of town. I read the first half of the article when the issue came out last week and figured hey, bummer, some mystery person killed their cat. But then I finished the article tonight, horrified to discover that it’s known who the shooter is: Charlottesville businessman George Seymour, owner of The Import Car Store, on the corner of Hydraulic and 29. He confessed to murdering the cat “because he’d once seen her on his car.”

What a horrible human being. I’d love to see people stop buying cars from him after this. Commonwealth’s Attorney Jim Camblos has, mysteriously, only charged the guy with a misdemeanor, rather than a felony; he won’t explain why. Chalk this one up as another gaffe by Camblos? The case goes to trial on June 20.

Sideblog