Courtesy of Chris Caldwell

Front (from left): Sgt. 1st Class Richard Carr, Morgan Bohannon, Tanner Lambert, Emilee Higgins, Vanessa Romas, and Rebecca Wilson. (Back) Grayson Simmons and Stephen Underwood.

The Marching Cavaliers performed their 2009 show "Phobias" at the Unites States Scholastic Band Association's Virginia State Championships on Saturday, Oct. 31. After their strongest performance of the year, the band left the field with an unspoken feeling that they had performed their best show to date. After their performance, the band relaxed and enjoyed watching the performances of the other bands in competition. At the awards ceremony that night, the band learned that their hard work and efforts had been noticed by the judges. The band received Best Effect, Best Music, Best Visual, and Best Colorguard in Group III A, earning them the Virginia State Championship title for their classification. The members of the Marching Cavaliers have worked incredibly hard this year. The instructors and school could not be more proud of their accomplishments.

On Nov. 7, the Cavaliers' competitive season came to a close with their final performance at the BandBEAT Championships hosted by Carolina Crown, Yamaha Instruments, The Arts and Science Council of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Inc, East Lincoln High School, and Nation Ford High School.

The Lord Botetourt Marching Cavaliers was the only group representing Virginia in the competition. The band had the privilege of competing against some of the finest bands on the East Coast.

James River High School presents one-act play

James River's Knightly Players will perform "The Fourth Wish" for the general public at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, in the high school auditorium.

No admission will be charged but donations will be accepted at the door.

"The Fourth Wish," written by John F. Kendall, is a one-act comedy that focuses on the predictability of all human beings -- well, at least most human beings! When the genie (played by Sean Aaron) grants Jack (played by Jordan DiPalma) his usual four (not three) wishes, Jack proves he is different because he doesn't follow the normal pattern of asking for material possessions, resulting in some unusual outcomes.

Other members of the cast are Emily Kettelson, Kristina Dant, Chelsea MacCormack, Tali DiPalma, Sandi Mahon, Allyson Cahoon, Katie Kane and Trent Smith.

"We've had a great time working on this show and look forward to sharing it with our friends and family members," said director Cathy Henderson. "Our show is family friendly and a great opportunity for parents to introduce their children to theatre since the show will only be about 30 minutes in length."

Following the public performance on Nov. 19, the cast will perform the play at the Region C Theatre Festival on Saturday, Nov. 21, at Radford High School. There is no admission charged for the festival where seven one-act plays or cuttings from plays compete for the right to advance to the VHSL State Theatre Festival, held in Charlottesville in early December.

Anyone interested in the performance times for the regional festival may call Cathy Henderson for more information at 473-2282.

Alicia Wells attends national youth forum on crime scene investigation  

Alicia Wells is a senior at Lord Botetourt High School, and she is attending a National Youth Leadership Forum held this November in Washington, D.C., on Law and Crime Scene Investigation.

Wells is the daughter of Barry and Susan Wells of Troutville. Scholars represent their schools and communities and are selected for outstanding qualities of scholarship, leadership and citizenship. Wells received her nomination in the late spring to attend the Forum.

The NYLF describes the series of classes the students will take in a six day forum on the website:

"The National Youth Leadership Forum on Law and Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) provides the nation's top students with an in-depth look at the legal profession, the judicial process, forensics and crime scene investigation. Students taking part in the Forum on Law and CSI interact with nationally-recognized legal professionals, analyze different types of evidence and explore the process of forensic crime solving. Law and CSI scholars take an active role in a simulated trial and go behind the scenes at some of the most prominent law firms, universities and legal sites in Washington, D.C., such as the U.S. Supreme Court."

Some of the highlights of the Forum include Crime Scene Investigation: Fact vs. Fiction, Mock trial, Supreme Court Simulation, Legal Ethics and Negotiation. The students will also have a choice to visit a local law school, a law firm, actual court in a courthouse or visit a forensics institution.

--Cathy Benson

Lord Botetourt students learn job interview process

Lord Botetourt business teacher Jon Cook has a friend in Dennis Cline, who is district manager of Kelly Services Inc. Several years ago Cook actually purchased a diamond engagement ring from Cline when he was a manager at Fink's. Together they have come up with a great way for Career Pathways students to learn the job interview process.

This is what Cook told about the interview session, which took place on Tuesday, Oct. 20.

"Lord Botetourt Business Department is teaming up with Kelly Services for interviewing. Cook's Career Pathways class has a solution in today's economy, when jobs are hard to find -- brush up on your interviewing skills. We not only want our students to have the skills needed in today's economy, but we want them to be first when employers do their selection. Our class gives them a chance to work on their interviewing portfolio and deliver a top notch interview."

He continued, "We give them six potential jobs to apply for. The students have to provide a cover letter, resume, job application, and a thank you letter. Kelly Services will review each portfolio and select a group of students to interview live in front of their peers. The live interviews are helpful in the fact that each student experiences the nerves, butterflies, and all the anxiety that goes along with interviewing. Even the students who aren't selected will benefit by experiencing interviewing first hand by observation."

During fourth block, Cline explained different components about the job interview to the class. He told the students that for every one job, 125 people will apply to land it. He picked three students from a stack of the resumes to interview. They were Tyler Vetick, Mary Fritts and Russell Woody. Each applied for food service work, which would be a field where a young person could find a job.

Vetick won points for saying his best ethic is that he is a hard worker. Fritts got points for having experience. Woody was exemplary in his interview. He came dressed in a dress shirt and tie, he answered the questions very politely and he waited to be asked to be seated. The whole class voted for him and Cline concurred.

Indeed, said Cline, the degree of politeness in an interview is crucial and may be a skill lacking in younger folks these days. "Yes Sir" rather than "Yeah" will win more points in an interview. All three remarked they were nervous, which is a common side effect of a job interview, said Cline.

"This is the second year that I have teamed up with Kelly Services and it was a huge success last year," said Cook. "The project was thought of in Botetourt teacher in service QTL courses. The following QTL strategies were used in this project: Cooperative Learning, Mental Models, Clear Learning Goals, Advanced Organizers, and Homework Practice. All strategies are a result of level three learning."

--Cathy Benson

Lord Botetourt FFA AG Mechanics Team competes in  regionals

The Lord Botetourt FFA's Agriculture Mechanics team competed in the Eastern States regional competition in Springfield, Mass., on Sept 18.

The Lord Botetourt high schools Agriculture Mechanics team consisting of team members Corey Reid, Matt Chocklett, Matt Taylor and Ricky Phoenix won the opportunity to compete in the regional FFA Agricultural Mechanics contest that was held at the Eastern Exposition known as the Big E, a multi-State fair that is held each year consisting of all of the New England states.

Each year the 2nd place state teams at state conventions all over the United States get a second chance to compete at the National level by winning the region.

The contest consists of five parts; first students have to take a written test, second they must lay out a rafter, third they have to work on a small engine, fourth they have to diagonose a problem with a farm tractor, and fith they had to set up a computerized GIS self steer system for a farm tractor.

Aside from competing in the competion students were able to meet fellow FFA members from all all over the eastern US as well as tour one of the top 10 Agricultural Fairs in the United States. The Lord Botetourt FFA would like to thank the Botetourt Farm Bureau for their sponsorship of the team.

--Submitted by Lord Botetourt FFA

Japanese exchange with James River High

Two students and a teacher from Hokkaido Chitose High School in Chitose, Japan, visited James River High School the first week of November. Takishi Onishi is staying with Mike Avery, a foreign language teacher who went to Japan last month on the exchange to Japan. Each year for over a decade now, Dynax Corporation has sponsored the student exchange at both county high schools. This year Maggie Moniot and Caitlin Ward were the two students to travel to Chitose.

"It took 14 1/2 hours in the air alone to get there," said Ward. Moniot had taken her student to Green Bank, West Virginia, on a field trip to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory with Physics class so they were absent from the interview. The Japanese students had pocket electronic translators with them to help with the English definitions. Chihiro Wada is staying with Ward.

"I liked the stromboli, today," said Wada of the lunch offering at the school. Over the weekend they plan to go to the JRHS football game on Friday night, Ward's soccer game on Saturday morning, shopping, walk around downtown Roanoke, visit a dance exhibition at the Taubman Museum of Art, the Roanoke Star, the Safari Park in Rockbridge, to name a few things they had on the agenda.

Onishi said one thing that surprised him is the size of the student parking lot. Students cannot drive to school in Chitose. He described the high school there as having 1,200 students. All agreed that the cultures are so different. "People in Japan are extremely polite," said Avery. Chitose is in northern Japan on the island of Hokkaido. When they left the city on Tuesday, Nov. 3, a light snow was falling and in the northern most part of the island they had about 6 inches snow.

Ward noted that one place they stayed in Tokyo had a roller coaster in the hotel and Avery said they had a dolphin show like at Sea World as well. The Japanese like the American style cathedral, though primarily a Buddhist nation, the Japanese build cathedrals to get married in a western style ceremony. While there in Japan, Avery participated in a Tea Ceremony and drank form a tea cup valued at $11,000. He also visited a temple and shrine, a Bonsai tree show. Caitlin traveled with her host family and also got to do some shopping, a teenage pasttime no matter where in the world!

He planned to take Onishi to Monticello and Williamsburg.

Onishi described Chitose as an industrial city with some local military bases, both Army and Air Force. Wada said, "The steering wheel is on the wrong side of the car and so is the driving." A round of laughter accompanied that remark as the Americans felt the same in Japan. Japanese cars have the driver on the right and drive on the left side of the road.

It was a wonderful experience, said Ward. Avery seconded the view. He said, "We thank Dynax for their continued support of the exchange even in a difficult economy." On Monday, Nov. 9, the students and teachers in the exchange planned to go to Dynax on U.S. 220 alternate in the East Park Industrial Park to meet with leaders of the company. Dynax America is headquartered in Botetourt County and the world headquarters is located in Chitose, Hokkaido, Japan.

| By Cathy Benson

Middle school band night at Lord Botetourt

Read Mountain Middle School band students recently participated in the annual Middle School Band Night, hosted by the Lord Botetourt Marching Cavaliers. The middle school band students practiced several of the high school fight songs prior to the event, and then combined with the high school band to perform in the stands during the Lord Botetourt-William Byrd football game. This activity is highly anticipated by the middle school students, and gives them the opportunity to participate in the high school band experience for one night. Many of these students will go on to join the award-winning State AAA championship Marching Cavaliers when they enter high school. The Read Mountain Middle School band is under the direction of Mr. Jamie Lawson.

Greenfield kicks off our Reading Buddy Program this fall with a bang! Nine dedicated parent volunteers are paired with students who need reading support.

Parent buddies are spending one day per week working with a variety of students practicing reading strategies. Through this program, each student will receive individual or small group reading instruction for approximately 20 minutes. Thank you volunteers for taking time to support our students!

Greenfield Elementary School gets even greener

Greenfield Elementary School in Troutville is continuing to add to its "green" ways by introducing a new milk jug recycling program for the 2009-2010 school year. Last year the school was able to obtain a recycling container and used it in conjunction with the school's environmental H.O.P.E. (Helping Our Planet Earth) club to recycle paper. This year, the cardboard milk containers, which could not be recycled due to the wax lining, have been replaced with plactic jugs.

These new containers can be recycled along with the other plastic bottles the school already collects on site. "I think the new 'drink it and sink it' milk jugs are fantastic! They are really helping to cut down on the waste that our school produces and have been a great additon to the recycling here at our school. I love that we now recycle paper, plastic, and cans at Greenfield" said Nicole Salsgiver, the teacher representative of the H.O.P.E. club.