Recently, the Smyth County School Board met to discuss the state of several schools throughout the county. Most of the discussion revolved around the state of Marion Intermediate and Marion Primary Schools, and the future of Chilhowie High, Northwood High, and Sugar Grove Combined School. 

While replacing Marion Intermediate and renovating Marion Primary were inevitable and welcomed topics of conversation, the focus of the meeting seemed to switch to the fate of three schools in the county. 

The school board is currently considering closing Sugar Grove Combine School, a K-8 school with miniscule enrollment, found in the community of Sugar Grove on the Smyth-Grayson County line.  Most notably, the school board discussed the consolidation of two county high schools, Chilhowie High and Northwood High School.   

The options discussed at the meeting spoke of either bussing the Chilhowie students the  additional ten miles on VA-107 to the current Northwood High School, or building a new school in between the two towns in an area called Midway.   

Although the school board is quoted as saying, “Building, merging, consolidating…the student is the most important thing. It’s not what we want. It’s what’s best for them,” I don’t believe that they are taking the students’ concerns into consideration.  Being a graduate of Chilhowie High School, I am admittedly biased, and I realize that enrollment and facility issues are often the deciding factor for closing or consolidating a school;  however, I believe that the school board needs to consider the academic well-being of the students at Chilhowie High.   

There was talk of consolidating when I was in high school, and I remember how scary of a thought that was.  It wasn’t because of politics or petty rivalries, but because of the quality of education I received at Chilhowie High School.  The smaller school allowed for closer communities within the school and better relationships between students, faculty, and staff.   

Chilhowie and Northwood alike have always had reputations of academic excellence for their own reasons, and I believe that these schools should be allowed to exist separately and continue the success they have enjoyed throughout the years. I think that disrupting the legacy of Chilhowie High School and Northwood High School alike and trying to “mesh” them with that of another school could be a possible travesty for Smyth County School Systems. 

I realize that a single, cohesive, consolidated school is years in the making, but I remind the school board that the main things—possibly the only things keeping these two communities alive—are the high schools.  With very little economic development or growth in either town, it is imperative that the schools remain in their respective communities. Perhaps the school board needs to think twice before taking away that sense of pride and community involvement.  

– Shai Cullop   

http://www.swvatoday.com/comments/consolidation_closings_and_renovations_discussed/news/3790/

How many times have you had a question about something and thought to yourself, “I’ll google it.”  I know I have, and as a person growing up with the internet, I was excited to hear that Eric Schmidt, the CEO of Google, was coming to The Lyric to speak. 

Google is an enormous company that created a wildly popular search engine, so popular, in fact, that the majority of people connected to the internet use it as their primary search engine.  Even the word “google,” once a proper noun, can now be found in the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary listed as a verb.   

Having the CEO of Google here in Blacksburg is exciting enough, but even more exciting is the fact that he actually grew up here.  I think it’s great to see a small-town guy advance to the position that he holds today. 

Schmidt traveled with Mark Warner, former governor of Virginia, to Blacksburg on Thursday to deliver a message to Southwest Virginia:  business can be done with technology here in our communities.  Specifically, Schmidt believes that a strong communications network will allow citizens of Southwest Virginia to obtain employment in their hometowns with global companies. 

I thought it was inspiring to hear Schmidt, the CEO of a prestigious company, say that he has faith in the southwest region of Virginia to grow into something bigger than it already is.   

 – Clark Saunders 

http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/181566

While our economy is the primary concern for many people right now, it is easy to forget about the military conflicts occurring that need support as well.  The Army needs vehicles to move its troops around.  Tanks, helicopters, and hummers are the first vehicles that come to mind, but the Army also utilizes Mack trucks.  

Well right here in the New River Valley, down at the Dublin Volvo plant, spokesperson John Walsh hopes to receive an order for 152 Mack trucks from the Army.  The order has already been placed, but Volvo is still deciding which plant will process it. With $28.5 million and three years of work produced by the contract, this deal would provide a huge boost to a small town manufacturer. 

The Dublin plant has 1,400 employees, with 973 of them classified as permanently laid off. I believe this contract would help create more jobs at the plant and bring more attention to a local business.  

-Philip Bloxam 

http://www.roanoke.com/business/wb/181271

On September 15, 2008, eleven individuals sat right outside the entrance to the Dominion plant site in Wise, VA chained to large steel barrels while protesting.  This particular plant that the Virginia Dominion Power is building is somewhat controversial for some employees who are really not happy.  It’s obvious to me that whatever made these eleven individuals choose to sit outside chained and locked to steel barrels just to make a point must be pretty controversial.

Obviously these protestors can’t just sit outside in front of this power plant and get away with it.  For nine of the eleven protestors it was almost a bitter-sweet ending after their trial hearing; yes they had to go to court.  Of course they charged them with trespassing, and for having an unlawful assembly.  These nine individuals were each sentenced 30 days in jail, but instead of serving those 30 days they each must serve 25 hours of community service, pay a $200 fine, and pay $200 in reimbursement to the county Sheriff’s Office.  They’re pockets may be empty now, but at least they don’t have to sit in a cold, dark jail cell for 30 days. 

It is not clear as to why they were protesting, but I’m almost positive that we will be hearing about it very shortly.  Also, I guess if someone is trying to protest their company or anything else, my advice would be to save up a little cash.

-Linsey Philpott

http://www.tricities.com/tri/news/local/article/nine_plead_guilty_in_wise_county_power_plant_protest/15178

Whether you are looking for furniture, dishes, electronics, or even a nifty figurine, Wytheville’s new state surplus warehouse is bound to have something for you, and me! This expanded outlet is now located in east Wytheville and is open to the public with constantly changing items for those individuals looking to steal a deal, I know I always am!

Instead of items from state agencies going to landfills, the warehouse gladly takes these unwanted pieces. Now the public can participate in the redistribution of the goods. “It’s kind of an exciting thing to let the public have an opportunity to obtain some of the state property,” said Brad Crawford, director of the Surplus Property Management Office of Virginia’s Department of General Services.

Having this revamped surplus in Wytheville is huge for the county considering that it is one of two distributions centers in the entire state. As we all know, the economy is not at its best right now, so this warehouse was designed, as Crawford says, “to provide a better environment for the tax-paying public.” If you are a bargain-seeker, like most of us are, taking a trip to Wytheville’s new state surplus warehouse would be a trip worth taking.

It’s always exciting when something new comes about; and this surplus warehouse is just another great addition to add to the beautiful county of Wytheville. See, we aren’t as small as some people think!

  Chelsea Archer 

http://www.swvatoday.com/comments/surplus_stuff_grand_opening_set_for_store/news/3695/

Shooting Creek recently received ruling from the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control allowing them to start making and distributing up to 10,000 barrels of beer a year.  Unfortunately, a group of neighbors and a pastor has banded together to try and stop the license.

They claim that it will promote drunk driving in the area and disturb the “peace and tranquility” of the area.  Personally, I would like to see the license stand so I could get a taste of Floyd County’s original brew. These complaining neighbors should drop their appeal of the license and jump on the bandwagon. The brewery owners are only allowed to give four-ounce samples of beer per person.  Four ounces is one-third of an average beer, which would not be enough alcohol for the average person to become intoxicated. 

Although the article makes a case against the microbrewery and states the limitations upon the business, it fails to mention if the same restrictions are being imposed on fellow Floyd County establishment, Chateau Morrisette.    

Enough with all these commercialized types of beer! I want to be able to go to the store and pick up a six-pack of beer that is unique to the region. Shooting Creek could also provide a new attraction to attend on a Friday night instead of the same old blue grass band.   Ultimately, I believe that Shooting Creek could add something different to the region that many people could enjoy.

-Clark Saunders 

http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/176717

With our economy in its dismal situation, saving money becomes even more important for consumers, especially with $700 billion of our money being sent to Washington D.C. to fix the crisis.  The obvious strategy is to simply cut extra-curricular activities from daily life, such as vacations, but people may not think of just how much money they could be saving within required purchases like food. Wendi Meredith, a Giles County resident, takes clipping coupons to a whole new level. 

While some may think that coupons may only save a dollar or two, Wendi managed to purchase “[a] half-gallon of name-brand ice cream, a double pack of name-brand baby food and a pack of baby nail clippers—all for 57 cents.”  I can think of gum that costs more than that. The savings sound great, but be prepared to put a fair amount of effort into the process.  She “spends about an hour a week comparing sale ads for the best prices…cuts coupons from the Sunday papers, and organizes [them] by function—baking, beverages, breakfast, canned goods and so on—in a large binder using clear plastic baseball card holders so she can see them easily in the store. She also trades coupons with friends and neighbors.” 

Personally, I would welcome any help I can get in the shopping department.  My only strategy to save money at the grocery store is to get whatever MVP card they offer, and I still end up spending close to $20 for eight bagels, a box of cereal, milk, and some butter. 

If you are curious about learning more, Wendi conducts workshops to teach people how to use coupons efficiently, and she is also preparing to put out a book, tentatively titled “The Art of Frugality.”

-Jonathan VanDerveer   

http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/3counties/wb/178643