THE CHALKBOARD: Wheels for Wilson, Fort’s hall of fame, and a Staunton school honored

STAUNTON — The Wheels for Wilson Bike-A-Thon fundraiser returns to Staunton’s Gypsy Hill Park Saturday.

Now in its second year, the bike-a-thon commemorates the life of community trailblazer Rita S. Wilson, the city’s first Black councilwoman. She served 17 years on council, beginning in 1991. The city’s council chambers were named after Wilson in 2020.

Proceeds from the bike-a-thon support the Rita S. Wilson Memorial Scholarship, administered by the Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge.

The scholarship supports residents of Staunton and Augusta County seeking to continue their education. In addition to supporting high school seniors as they transition to college, the scholarship is available to adults in the workforce who, like Wilson, chose to pursue higher levels of education and new skills.

Bike riding held a special place in Wilson’s heart.

“Our family had a bicycle club called Tour De Gap,” said Tony Davenport, Wilson’s grandson and bike-a-thon event chairperson. “That went on for 25 years. One of the things we did as a family was we rode bicycles in different cities every other weekend. My grandmother was a huge lover of this bicycle club. This was a way for me to not just raise funds, but also to pay homage to that bike club and my grandmother’s love for it.”

The Wheels for Wilson Bike-A-Thon fundraiser returns to Staunton’s Gypsy Hill Park on Saturday, August 19th.

Pre-registration is available on the City of Staunton Parks and Recreation website. It’s $10 to pre-register. On-site registration begins at 7 a.m. on Saturday. On-site registration is $12. The ride begins at 7:30 a.m., and ends at 8:30 a.m.

The Office on Youth is providing use of bicycles to any child or adult that needs access to a bike to participate. To promote safety, the main loop around Gypsy Hill Park will be closed off to vehicles early Saturday morning for the bike-a-thon.

“The purpose of it is to raise funds for the scholarship by people riding around the park that morning, without any vehicles,” Davenport said. “It’s a safe environment where we can enjoy each other and the pleasure of riding a bike in an environment where it’s safe and conducive for doing so.”

And it supports a great cause.

“During an orientation, I observed my child talking to his English teacher about the upcoming school year,” Davenport said. “The teacher was Makeba Robinson. She was the first-ever recipient of the Rita S. Wilson Memorial Scholarship. She would eventually teach all three of my kids English.”

That stoked a fire in Davenport.

“Seeing this real world tangible impact on not only my children – but the whole school system – gave me the drive do what I could do to help others achieve their dream of being an educator,” he said. “And what better for that than my grandmother’s memorial scholarship.”

For more information about the Wheels for Wilson Bike-A-Thon, contact Tony Davenport at lionport@gmail.com. Charitable contributions can be made directly to the Rita S. Wilson Memorial Scholarship online at https://cfcbr.org, or by check payable to the Community Foundation (P.O. Box 815, Staunton, VA 24402).

FORT DEFIANCE HALL OF FAME

Fort Defiance High School’s 2023 hall of fame class

FORT DEFIANCE — The Fort Defiance High School Hall of Fame Committee has announced its inductees for the 2023-24 season. The class includes six former Fort athletes and one patron.

This year’s class:

Katlyn Shiflett Bates: A 2008 graduate, Bates played volleyball and tennis for Fort. After high school she attended the University of Mary Washington, playing volleyball all four years.

Zach Boyers: A 2017 Fort graduate, Boyers was a three-time state champion in the shot put. He has the school record in both shot put (60’1″) and discus (160′), and was a two-time NJCAA All-American at Louisburg College.

Megan Good: A 2014 graduate, Good was a volleyball, softball and basketball standout for Fort. Good broke the VHSL career volleyball record for kills and digs with more than 1,000 in each. After high school, Good went on to an outstanding softball career at James Madison University before playing professional softball in both the United States and Japan.

Daryl Lambert: A 1987 Fort graduate, Lambert was a three-year letter winner in both baseball and football. He was also an four-year starter for Easter Mennonite University’s baseball team before returning to Fort as an assistant coach in both football and baseball.

Mike Showalter: A 1989 Fort graduate, Showaalter was a standout baseball player. Coach Vic Spotts called him one of the best players to ever go through the Fort baseball program.

Dana Floyd Wade: A 1987 graduate, played basketball and softball for Fort. a three-time all-district pitcher in softball, Wade was named Fort’s outstanding female athlete of the year as a senior.

Steve Rudolph: A 1990 graduate of Fort, he is currently the softball public address announcer and basketball clock operator. He’s also done a variety of other duties for Fort sports all while serving as a basketball official.

The class will be introduced along with their families at halftime of the Sept. 22 football game at Fort. All are also invited to the induction ceremony on Saturday night, Sept. 23 beginning at 6 p.m. in the Fort Defiance High School cafeteria with a covered dish meal.

Staunton elementary school honored

STAUNTON — Bessie Weller Elementary School has been named a Virginia Naturally School by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) for its stewardship of the environment through school gardening projects and activities.

Two environmental programs at the school — the Learning Courtyard Garden and a Vertical Gardens project — earned recognition from the DWR for the 2022-23 school year.

In a letter to Bessie Weller Principal Sandra McGrath, Courtney Hallacher, chair of the DWR Virginia Naturally Schools program, said, “The goal of the school recognition program is to recognize the efforts undertaken by Virginia schools that increase the environmental awareness and stewardship of its students. Your efforts toward environmental stewardship are to be commended, and we appreciate your hard work.”

About the Vertical Gardens Project

Last school year, Bessie Weller launched a Vertical Gardens project so students could investigate and juxtapose vertical farming, or indoor gardening using hydroponics, with outdoor gardening.

The school purchased a hydroponics tower and all the necessary components to launch indoor planting. Once assembled, fifth graders began learning about the tower and vertical farming. Seeds grown indoors and outdoors were sown in mid-February 2023 and then transferred to the hydroponics tower and the outdoor greenhouse in March. During this time, students focused on the differences between planting in wool cubes versus soil, kept a journal with their observations, and made predictions about whether the plants would grow differently and produce different tastes.

Once the first greens were harvested, students and some staff were treated to a taste test, helping students synthesize the entire process and reflect on what they had learned. Students also considered and created various business models to share the hydroponics produce and other vegetables grown outdoors with the larger Staunton community and parents through a school farmers market. All of the Bessie Weller farmers market proceeds, all freewill donations, went toward sustaining the indoor/outdoor gardening programs.

About the Learning Courtyard Garden

The Learning Courtyard Garden at Bessie Weller is a space for students to engage in garden-based experiential learning activities to support their education. Through the garden, students are empowered to understand how to grow food and make healthy choices. The garden also provides an additional space for students to learn and enhance their academic performance and concentration.

The entire student body of approximately 370 students participates in activities in the Learning Courtyard Garden throughout the school year. Grade-level teachers schedule times for their classes to engage physically in the garden space. The garden coordinator creates seasonal lesson plans and activity kits based on what’s happening in the garden.

These lessons are developed specifically for each grade level, allowing curriculum connections and extensions to be made with the SOL. Bessie’s garden program model follows best practices for field experiences via clear classroom learning connections and multiple authentic experiences in the garden.

Augusta Health announces scholarship winners

Augusta Health School of Medical Laboratory Science scholarship winners

FISHERSVILLE — Two students enrolled in the Augusta Health School of Medical Laboratory Science were each awarded a $10,000 scholarship from the Medical Laboratory Sciences Scholarship Fund (in memory of Kathy Miller).

This year’s recipients are both Virginians: Lauren, from Hampton, is completing her degree at Mary Baldwin University, and Andrew, from Staunton, has already completed his degree from Virginia Tech.

After 1500 hours of in-class and hands-on work, the students will graduate at the end of May with a certificate in Medical Laboratory Science. In return for the scholarships, students commit to working in the Augusta Health Laboratory for two years.

“Well-trained laboratory scientists are essential to the field of medicine. Without them, there can be no accurate disease diagnosis or management,” Ann Ridder, Laboratory Clinical Education Program Director for Augusta Health’s School of Medical Laboratory Science, said in a press release.

The scholarships allow students from all backgrounds and across the country to consider a profession in laboratory sciences at Augusta Health. It attracts and retains the most qualified professionals in the field. The awarded funds will cover the cost of tuition plus contribute towards living expenses for the year they’re enrolled.

The support of private donors to the Augusta Health Foundation makes the scholarships possible. Augusta Health’s laboratory is staffed 24 hours per day, seven days a week to ensure the best possible care for patients.

For more information about the Augusta Health School of Medical Laboratory Science, please visit:https://www.augustahealth.com/service/laboratory/cls/.

Youth soccer league needs officials

The Augusta County AYSO region 816 is looking for soccer referees for the upcoming season. Season begins Sept. 9 and runs eight weeks. We are part of the American Youth Soccer Organization and have been operating in Augusta County for since 1998.  The youth league plays its games near Augusta Expo at 277 Expo Road in Fishersville.

Contact numbers (540) 849-0073 or visit ayso816.org for more information.

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— Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Contact Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and follow him on Twitter @Patrick_Hite. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: THE CHALKBOARD: Wheels for Wilson, Fort’s hall of fame, and a Staunton school honored