Jolliff man helps turn dreams into reality

When Raynell Jones was in seventh grade, he lost his father to heart failure. His physical education teacher and basketball coach, Bill Lassiter, became his mentor. Now that Raynell is a special education teacher and coach of multiple sports at Jolliff Middle School, he wants to do “what Mr. Lassiter did for me.” So he founded the Young Dreamers Club. He takes boys on outings, and inspires them to be “keepers of the dream,” which is “academic excellence, moral enrichment, and personal growth and development.” Raynell also inspired another teacher to form a similar club for girls. Malessa Smith is guidance director and eighth-grade counselor at Jolliff. The Girl Power Program is a national campaign by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, sponsored locally by the Chesapeake Community Services Board. Malessa explained “Girl Power is paving the way for girls to build confidence, competence and pride in themselves.” Kudos to Raynell and Malessa. It is demanding enough to teach; they are working to empower the children as well.            

Love was in the air Feb. 10, a few days before Cupid’s big day. It was the Father/Daughter Valentine’s Ball at the Western Branch Community Center on Portsmouth Boulevard. Girls ages 6-10 wore their party dresses and sat with their dads at tables draped in red and decorated with heart-shaped balloons. Most did not dance to the slow numbers, but waited for the peppier tunes. One girl danced in her chair as her father stayed off the dance floor. I noticed Vincent and Destiny Caravello danced often, to almost every song. When they took a refreshment break, I commented on how well they danced together. Proud papa pointed out Destiny was wearing tiny heels for the first time. Silver pumps with sparkly buckles peeked out from under her purple gown. Laynee Darden wore a pretty lavender dress with a silk flower on her shoulder, and her blonde hair was swept up in a bouffant “do”. She was a very good dancer, and her father, Fred Barnes, was a very good shuffler. When I teased him about it, he grinned and said, “Yeah, I know!” But Laynee didn’t care – she danced and laughed anyway, having a great time. It’s challenging enough to dance in heels or with a partner who has a different style. Darrell and Suzon Peterson had a taller challenge, and I do mean tall. Dad Darrell reaches about seven feet high and little Suzon, in a red velvet dress with a white fur collar, just comes up to his waist. When it was time to dance, Darrell took her hands, leaned over to look in her eyes, and they swayed to and fro. So sweet.         

Some ballet classes for 3- and 4-year-olds might seem like babysitting: they get dropped off to toddle around in cute outfits while being supervised by a bored teenager. Not at the Taylor Bend Family Y. They really dance. They also stretch, exercise and giggle a lot. I recently watched a class by teacher Brittany Wagner, a dancer herself since she was a child. First she tied one little girl’s shoes, then consoled another who didn’t want her mom to leave. Then she got the ballerinas seated on blue spots fixed to the floor. Toes pointed out and flexed in. Arms stretched to touch toes. Next, still seated, they touched different body parts. Starting slowly, it went faster and faster, with each girl giggling and shouting “heads, shoulders, hips, ankles, toes, hide your nose!” My favorite warmup exercise was “Super Girl,” where the girls lay on their tummies and waited for Brittany to count to three. On three, they elevated arms and legs, looking like tiny fliers preparing for takeoff. On Brittany’s instruction to rest, they relaxed and waited for the next count. It was the suspense of waiting that would bring more giggles. But it wasn’t all laughs. The girls danced both freestyle and classic ballet. And they understood, even at that young age, the terms of “first position” and “plié.” How did Brittany get them to pay attention for 45 minutes? Bribery – new stickers.    

Tell me your stories at 483-9055, lindalamm@cox.net.

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