Suffolk's PTA contest winners advance a step

Winners of this year’s Suffolk PTA Council Reflections contest have been announced. The competition encourages students in all grades to express themselves in dance, music, film/video production, literature, photography and visual arts. This year’s theme was Diversity Means... First-place winners in each category and age division will advance for judging in the Southeastern District. Your Corner first-place winners include Anna Godinez from Driver Elementary and Queenique Dinh from John Yeates Middle in the dance category. Aiden and Rachel Yang from Northern Shores Elementary, Christian Torres from John Yeates Middle and Andre Baines from King’s Fork High won in the music category; Joshua Gibson of Oakland Elementary, Christian Torres from John Yeates Middle, and Shameer Kahn from King’s Fork were tops in the film category; and Emma Kent from Driver Elementary and Raychelle King from King’s Fork won the literature category. Brian Herrington and Brian Petrelli from Oakland Elementary, Lamar Jones from King’s Fork Middle, and Kayla Filio from King’s Fork High took the photography category; and Daris Davenport from Driver Elementary, Covonna Bynum from Creekside Elementary, Lamont Jones from John Yeates Middle, and Alandra Copeland from King’s Fork High won the visual arts category. What a great representation from North Suffolk! I hope we have more winners to announce after the district judges speak.

I regularly check Your Corner calendar listings for quirky things that attract my attention. When I spotted Burgers for Babies last Wednesday at The Broken Egg Bistro in Harbour View, I couldn’t help but suggest to my husband this was a golden opportunity to find a meal and a story. First, I want to commend The Broken Egg for annually supporting the Children’s Health Investment Program. Twenty percent of the evening’s sales went to buy cribs. Infant deaths by Sudden Infant Death Syndrome are because of unsafe sleeping environments such as laundry baskets, dresser drawers, sofas or sleeping with adults or siblings. These $57 items provide a safe, portable bed and play area, and new parents receive a one-hour tutorial on SIDS and safe-sleeping for newborns. Visit www.chipofvirginia.org.

The Suffolk Clean Community Commission had a recycling drive and tire amnesty day Dec. 17 at Bennett’s Creek Park. I met our new litter control coordinator, Michael Griffith, who was handing out reusable shopping bags filled with goodies, including a 50-point RecyclingPerk card just for showing up. I delivered a back-seat load of Styrofoam peanuts that had been hibernating in our attic for years. I figured I could empty a few boxes and learn more about this new method of melting Styrofoam. It turns out 1,200 single-use disposable school lunch trays can be consolidated into a one 20-pound block. And with a bit of extra engineering, it can actually be molded into a flower pot. Portsmouth master gardener Pam Courtney and husband Brad Halcums were on hand to investigate whether the pots could be incorporated into Oakland Elementary School’s gardening program.

David Wood’s technology class at King’s Fork High recently competed in the CO2 Dragster Competition. The goal was to build a CO2 dragster from a kit. The fastest to cover 80 feet was the winner. Lorenzo Kelley won a trophy and a $25 Regal Cinemas gift card for having the fastest car with an average elapsed time of 0.0471 seconds for 50 feet. Geoffrey Anderson won a trophy and a $15 gift card to Lowe’s for winning the judge’s choice in the best paint design category. 

Share your stories about yourself, a family member or neighbor at k.billue@charter.net so I can spread your news to Your Corner!

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