Excellence!
4 Schools, Students Honored by School Board

by JoBeth Wampler
Staff Reporter
     Three county high schools and one elementary school were honored Monday for their achievements in the Governor's Education Excellence program.
     J.M. Bevins Elementary School was among 10 schools in Southwest Virginia to receive the Governor's Award for Education Excellence in January. Council, Grundy and Hurley high schools were also recognized for their efforts with additional awards. All four schools received framed certificates commemorating those efforts Monday, presented to the principals of those schools by the Buchanan County School Board.
     "It is a very elite group," School Superintendent Tommy P. Justus said of the schools' inclusion among those recognized around the state. He also congratulated J.M. Bevins principal Deborah Estep, who brought several members of the school's faulty to the meeting. "They have pretty much mastered the art of academics," he said.
      In taking the top honor, J.M. Bevins joins schools in Lee, Scott, Tazewell and Washington counties as schools in Southwest Virginia to receive the award. Statewide, 89 public schools met the rigorous criteria required to earn the award, considered the highest honor under a new incentive program for schools and school divisions created by the state board of education.
      Grundy High School was among 32 schools in Region 7 to receive the board of education's VIP Excellence Award, which is the second-tier honor in the VIP program. These schools have met all state and federal accountability benchmarks for at least two consecutive years and have made significant progress toward goals for increased student achievement and expanded education opportunities set by Kaine and the board.
      Council and Hurley high schools were among 39 schools in Southwest Virginia to earn the VIP Competence to Excellence Award. This award recognizes schools that have met all state and federal benchmarks for at least two consecutive years and are making progress toward VIP objectives reflecting goals established by Kaine and the board.
       The Buchanan County School System also recognized several recipients of various student awards on Monday.

For more of the story, see the print edition of the Mountaineer, on sale at newsstands now.  To subscribe to the Mountaineer, call 276-935-2123 today.

Town Extends Airport Contract Deadline

by Brandon Dye
Staff Reporter      
        The deadline for the Town of Grundy to set up a contract with Paramont Coal Company to construct a regional airport over Grundy Municipal Airport has been extended.
       During the Town Council monthly meeting last Tuesday, Grundy Town Manager James Keen updated council members that the deadline has been extended from the previous set deadline of March 30. The town has not set another deadline at this time.
       "We discovered we had more time to set up something with Paramont than we actually estimated," Keen said.
       The town will utilize the extra time to begin a process which involves acquiring property surrounding the area of the current Grundy Municipal Airport.
        In late February, Keen approached the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority to request a sum of $2.5 million that will be used to purchase additional surrounding property as well as pay for legal engineering fees.

For more of the story, see the print edition of the Mountaineer, on sale at newsstands now.  To subscribe to the Mountaineer, call 276-935-2123 today.