Geocaching has been a project for the Journey students in the Gifted and Talented programs in the Botetourt County elementary schools. “The concept of survival is the year long plan for the Journey’s students,” said G&T specialist Krysten Bryant. “They are becoming geographically aware,” said Mike Scott, the IT specialist at Eagle Rock Elementary School. The Journey students have already studied planets and constellations in the night sky as well as a means of location.

“Each elementary school has enough hand-held GPS units for one classroom to use,” Scott noted. Bryant worked with group on a few tips before the five fifth-grade Journey students began their geocache a few weeks ago. Scott’s wife is a geocaching aficionado, he said. “It is an excellent hobby.” They put together a cache for the Eagle Rock Elementary site in September and already visitors have come — including one from Quatar, which is on the side of Saudi Arabia. Some locals have been as well.

Geocaching requires the use of coordinates. ERE coordinates are 37’ north and 39.371 west, which student Ben Johnson said had to be plugged into the GPS unit. Morgan Gozzo explained the use of the latitude and longitude in the use of finding the geocache. Jenna Acheson said that the use of overhead satellites coordinates the find. Wow! All of that goes on all over the earth as millions of geocachers look for that curious nature of man — hidden treasure. In Eagle Rock, it is hidden on the school site. When found, items are removed to go in other caches around the area and yes, even the world, and new items are left for discovery.

Matt Caldwell, one of the students said, “Yes, we found the geocache here — a box filled with things like a panda bear, a toy VW bug bus, among other things.” Treasure no doubt worth looking for. Finders log on to the computer and record the visit to the ERE geocache. So far seven responses have logged on. Items like the panda have been removed to go to another cache a visitor may find in some other locale. Something new was left in its place and is ready for discovery. It is a never-ending treasure trove!

Lord Botetourt Talent Show was over tow hours of fun

The level of talent was there and the judges had a hard choice. Sixteen different groups, individuals and duets performed at the LBHS talent show on Wednesday, Nov. 12. Ultimately All that Jazz, a dance trio won the competiton followed by Rachel Frantz and her hula hoop routine, Tanner Lambert and his song renditon of “East and West” and honorable mentions to Max Graman the Magician and crowd pleasing band Show Me a Hero.

Jammin JJS Jay Styles worked as the emcee for the night. The SCA used the occasion to raise needed funds for projects and sponsor Lynn Bolton was her ever-jovial self. Lord Botetourt now has a dance team called Fierce Movement and they were outstanding as well. Every act received applause and respect from the packed house of hundreds of parents and students.

A devoted group of groupies praised the bands with shrieks and cell phones alit, waving with the music and the crowd seemed to enjoy themselves.

Judges for the event were Marcia Neighbors, choir director of Central Academy, Will Divers, JRHS band director, Joel Bremner of JRHS and LBHS choral classes, and Nicky from Jammin’ JJS.

Acts in the Lord Botetourt Talent Show were:

Terri Wallace, violin and guitar duet with her dad

AnneMarie Boothe, solo

Kyle Walker and the Potatoes Band

Katie Brajic and Julia Bailey, a country duet

Chris Gatens and Friends band

James Rose and AJ Rose, song and guitar duet

Show Me a Hero Band

All that Jazz with Danielle Thorsen, Melanie Wallace and Miranda Newman

Amanda Shay, solo

Devon Robertson, comedian

James Shay, comedian

Tanner Lambert, solo

Rachel Frantz, Hula hoop routine

Max Graman, magic show

LBHS Dance team Fierce Movement

ROFLCOPTER Guitar hero.

LBHS Care Package drive ends today

The Key Club at Lord Botetourt High School has begun the annual drive for Operation Military Parents, an organization that sends care packages to troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. This year the drive will be a competition between the 4th blocks. The drive started Nov. 5 and runs to today, Nov. 21. Key Club president Dean Stubbs says that anyone outside of the school who wishes to donate may drop approved items off at LB’s main office in the morning or afternoon of all collection days.

For more information, call 992-1261 and ask for Shelly Roberts. Or visit www.operationmilitaryparents.com

In the Pink for the Cure at Read Mountain Middle

Read Mountain Middle School Builders Club recently completed activities in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness month. Throughout October, students sponsored various events linked to Passionately Pink for the Cure! This cause is near and dear to the hearts of all at Read Mountain as sixth-grade teacher Joyce Mandeville is currently battling breast cancer.

The month began with an awareness day and everyone wearing pink ribbons. Pink T-shirts were also ordered and sold to raise funds for breast cancer research. Charlie Chalaine’s in Vinton helped with the rush order on the T-shirts, also waiving the fee for screen printing thus increasing our funds raised for the cause. P.E. teacher Summer Underwood assisted in preparations and activities from purchasing and organizing pink ribbons for the entire school to helping with lunch time activities. Art teacher Suzanne Sellars and her classes made a beautiful banner with a pink ribbon. All students were able to sign this banner during their P.E. classes. Students were able to purchase pink paper ribbons during lunch. These were then hung on pink yarn in the cafeteria.

Fridays throughout October were designated as “Pink for the Cure.” Everyone was encouraged to wear pink and walk on the track before school. During Red Ribbon Week, students were able to wear hats one day for a donation to the cause.

The response was overwhelming. Students and staff joined together to support Mandeville and raise funds. Monies raised by the students for Mandeville were given to her in the form of a gift card to help with transportation expenses during her treatments. The donation for the Susan G. Komen Foundation totaled 1,268.22! The Read Mountain Builders Club is sponsored by the Botetourt Kiwanis.

Submitted by Pam Austin

Troutville school newspaper gets ready for first edition

Hear ye! Hear ye! The Troutville Times is about to publish its first edition! At Troutville Elementary School the afterschool newspaper club is about to publish their first-ever newspaper on Nov. 25, and they have decided it will be orange, as a seasonal color scheme is planned for the edition. The Troutville Times deadline was looming large before them, but the students are up to the task.

Funded by the PTA, the newspaper club has staff members from the fourth and fifth grade working diligently to put the paper into circulation. They got the idea from Eagle Rock Elementary, which also produces a school paper, said former PTA president and parent, Jane Wolfe. Teacher Brenda Hayes is the sponsor and parent volunteers Wolfe, Melissa Woldman, Fran McMaster and Deana Bronson come after school once per week to the computer lab to work with the children. Tracy Reyes and Kimberely Bray also help.

The students do 99 percent of the work with suggestions for editing from the volunteers and Hayes. They hope the paper will be somewhere in finished form between 6 and 12 pages and each student will get a copy. The paper is being set in Microsoft Publisher. McMaster is handling that and refers to it “as on the job learning!”

The student reporters, editors and designers are Alex Wolfe, Hannah Bronson, Marisa Harper, Alisa Lumsden, Shane Foyt, Greyson Newberry, Lindsay Woldman, Elyssa McMaster, Jadon Reed, Eric Reynolds and Rachel Bray.

Elyssa McMaster works on the joke page. “I get my jokes from those I have heard as well as online.” She is using a variety of fonts to enhance her page and may add clip art if space allows. “I feel like it is different types of jokes on different topics — not just chicken crossing the road ones,” she said.

Eric Reynolds is working on a story about President-elect Barack Obama and is busy fact checking and constructing an introductory paragraph under the watchful eye of Hayes. He goes to Web sites known to be accurate for fact checking.

The other students have stories under way about school topics, recipes, and people features for their schoolmates’ reading pleasure. They have taken pictures to be incorporated as well. Shane Foyt has quickly understood the challenges of reporting. “Sometimes interviewing is difficult when you don’t know them and they don’t talk much.” Indeed, but he is up to the challenge after interviewing two new students, Joseph Vance and Timothy Perkey.

Wolfe said the staff has used The Botetourt View as an inspiration for their paper. To that we say, “Thank you!”

Tyler Nordgren awards given at Troutville Elementary

Fifth-graders Alex Wolfe, Anthony Hartman and Kaitlyn Whittaker are the recipients of the Tyler Nordgren Sportsmanship Award. This honor is given to fifth-grade students at Troutville Elementary School who show exceptional dedication and good sportsmanship during the Bank of Fincastle’s 5K run. Physical education teacher and 5K coach Beverly Hart chose these students due to the contributions they made for themselves and to their teams during practices and on race day. These students have participated in the annual event six, five and four years respectively.

Many Botetourt County schools offer Enrichment Classes after school for six weeks. This fall, students at Breckinridge Elementary chose among a variety of offerings from golf and art, to sign language and history. Brian Hatchett, Ana Conrad and Eva Grumbine signed up for a mini history class in conjunction with the Botetourt County Historical Museum. The small size of the class gave them an opportunity take a walking tour to an old one-room school house and log cabin, experience living history at the museum and create their own family tree. Here they are pictured in reproduction dress in the Civil War corner of the museum. The classes are taught by Patty King and Weldon Martin and can be arranged through the schools and the Botetourt County Historical Museum.

Lord Botetourt band finishes competiton series on a high note

The Lord Botetourt Marching Cavaliers competed at the annual Trojan Invitational at Tunstall High School. The Marching Cavaliers competed in class AAA. The Cavaliers received 2nd Place Visual Ensemble, 2nd Place Drum Major, 2nd Place General Effect, 2nd Place Music, 2nd Place Marching, and 2nd Place Band. In the Finals Round of competition all bands competed against each other regardless of size. The Marching Cavaliers received 3rd Place Band for the day.

— Courtesy of Susan Quesenberry