Board member Jay Gilliland announced for the Botetourt Education Foundation that the Foundation has approved funding for a Botetourt County educator to travel to Brazil in association with the Character Counts program. Character Counts has been the focus of the Virginia Department of Education and 4H through the Virginia Tech Cooperative Extension Service for many years as a morals building tool. Character Counts has also become part of the globalization of the western hemisphere between the northern and southern continents.

Lynette Saville was chosen by an application process. Said Gilliland, "We carefully went through the applications and selected her out of a field of a number of also highly qualified applicants." Saville is a a guidance counselor for Troutville Elementary School and also is a member of the County's Character Counts Council. Along with Wanda Martin, Supervisor for Elementary Education, she is traveling to Brazil for the first two weeks of November with members of the Virginia Tech Cooperative Extension Service and Virginia Tech. Last year, Brazilian teachers toured Virginia and Botetourt County for the exchange. The exchange has been going on for 10 years.

The group will travel to Joinville, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Glenda Snyder, retired VTCE agent, and others from Virginia Tech will accompany the pair. While in Brazil, they will see and interact with different teaching methods, school systems and education in general in how both private and public schools operate in that country. Of course, they will see how the Brazilian version of Character Counts works. In Portuguese, the language spoken in Brazil, it is "Carater Conta!" The team will also see how a different judicial system operates and some of it is in association with schools. "As a cultural exchange it will be invaluable, too," said Snyder.

Here are few facts about Santa Catarina. It is a Brazilian state located in the southern part of the country on the coast. The land was settled by a number of nationalities besides native peoples including, Azoreans, Norwegians, Poles, Germans, Italians, Ukaranians and others, particularly in the 19th century. It is about the size of the state of Virginia with 5.9 million inhabitants.

| By Cathy Benson

Wallace named to state VDOE Advisory Board

Botetourt's Amsterdam School board representative Ruth Wallace has been named to the state advisory board on teacher certification and licensure. Wallace, of Daleville, is a retired educator with human resource experience. She is the only school board member on an education advisory board for the Commonwealth. She is also on the Governor's School Board for the Roanoke Valley and the Botetourt Education Foundation Board.

"I filled out the application and answered questions prior to going on vacation and had no idea that I would be chosen, but I am happy to accept, " said Wallace at the October school board meeting on Thursday, October 14.

She will be filling an unexpired term through 2012.

Eagle Rock Elementary celebrates Heritage Day

October 15th was the 1st annual Heritage Day.

Students at Eagle Rock Elementary spent the day experiencing life during Colonial times. Students learned about soap making, bread making, apple butter, quilts, woodworking, frontier games, storytelling, farming & music. Classes rotated through each station where they were able to touch, taste, or create in each presentation. That evening the community was invited to share in our learning and enjoy time with their families eating, decorating pumpkins, and enjoying an old fashioned hay ride.

Our many thanks to the following:

Ikenberry Orchards, Mystic Soaps (Al Mahon), Jeeter's Farm, Nathan & Rachel Thomas, Twinkles Kay & Family, Elizabeth Hipes, Tam Teaff, Jim Driver, Susan Martin, Frank Holland (US Food Service), Carolyn Nelson (Schoolhouse Quilts), Stephanie Harmon, and all our wonderful volunteers!

The Knights chapter of FCCLA is a busy group of 33 students who read to youngsters at Buchanan Elementary school. "We have 15 readers who go once per week, one person per day three days per week, so that students don't miss too much classwork at the high school," said Shannon Kessler, a senior who is president of the FCCLA chapter at JRHS. Because of her work with children, Kessler wants to be a preschool or Kindergarten teacher. "Just to see the difference September through May in the reading skills of the students has been amazing."

This is the 65th anniversary year of FCCLA, which stands for Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, in high schools across the USA. Once called FHA, the group is more than home economics these days. Family and Consumer Sciences classes cover many areas including culinary arts, early childhood, relationships, fashion design, nutrition and so forth. Amanda Marshall is the faculty sponsor for the group.

The FCCLA has been selling Knights spirit scarves in black and red and white designs to fund projects for the school year. On November 6, they will hold a private carnival for Fincastle Preschool at the Fincastle United Methodist Church Family Life Center. "We plan to play different games, do simple crafts and have prizes. So far we have 10 different activities," noted Kessler.

The club also send cookies to troops overseas every year. "I think it is a rewarding project and we bake dozens of cookies for the troops," she said. This year the fundraiser will be cookie trays to fund that project. Sounds yummy!