Miranda Adkins | So Salem

David Wallace, seated, is taking over the graphic arts lab from his retiring dad, Joseph Wallace, at left. From right are Patti Pope and Mike Gibson. Pope is his career-switcher mentor and Gibson is the SHS Art Department director.

In Joseph Wallace's six years at Salem High School as a graphic design art teacher, the fine arts department has upgraded to the digital age under his hand, and as of Sept. 8, he's passed the torch along to his son, David Wallace.

"I knew I was ready to retire and I thought, you know, I don't want anything to happen to this program that we've worked so hard to build up," said Joseph.

All three of the graphics classes SHS offers are dual-enrollment with Virginia Western Community College, and an increasing number of graduates from his graphics design classes are going on to local colleges and universities with a head start on their Fine Arts degree. For example, two Spartan alumni, Katie Rotanz and Kacy Dillon, used the cover art they created for the high school's registration guide as part of their portfolio.

While the Wallace's three sons were growing up, the family lived in Michigan, where Joseph was a high school art and yearbook teacher. Since the advent of computers, he's tried to incorporate them into his art world -- he was the first teacher-pioneer in his school system to have a Macintosh in the classroom. But his yearbook students still knew the literal meaning of "cut and paste."

"When the computers came in that opened up a lot of different possibilities ... these days the possibilities are endless," David said. He and his two brothers, Joe and Steve, ended up in their dad's classroom, because their school system only had one high school.

David went on to the Savannah College of Art and Design to earn a double-major in graphic design and fiber arts. His dad fully understands the combination.

"One thing about computers: you still need to be an artist, to think like an artist," said Joseph. And David plans on emphasizing that in his classes this year.

David is working at the school half-time alongside his career as a graphic designer. This semester will complete his teaching degree from Radford University's Career Switcher program. From January to June, he worked full time while taking the intensive course.

Right now, the students in the graphics design courses are trained heavily in Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. They complete real advertising and projects for Salem City Schools, such agenda book covers, posters, packaging, and even some advertising materials -- some projects that a contracted graphic designer might charge thousands of dollars for. Those projects also provide real world experience and heavy portfolio materials to start higher education and a career in the real world.

And David hopes to continue growing the program: "I'm looking at what's around the corner, what's in the future for arts technology," he said. Advanced students have already started creating 3D renderings for their designs for packaging material, but David wants to expand into 3D animation, packaging animation, and projects that would be a realistic product shot in a magazine.

Roanoke County parents can now pay for school lunches online

Roanoke County Public Schools has begun using myLunchMoney.com, a new service for parents to prepay for their child's school breakfast, lunch, and a la carte food items using a credit or debit card.

"Using www.myLunchMoney.com is easy and convenient for parents. Enrolling and adding money to a lunch account is simple and completed online," said Ed Tutle, supervisor of Nutrition Services for Roanoke County Public Schools.

"Once a student's account is established, parents can check balances, view student purchases and add money to their child's account via computer, phone or fax," Tutle said.

All transactions are kept secure. All personal and payment card information is protected by the most advanced internet security.

Best of all, with the recurring payment option, money will always be in a child's account. When a child's account balance is low, money can be automatically added to the student's account.

To enroll in the program, parents should go online to www.myLunchMoney.com and click "enroll now." Parents should create an account for themselves and their children. Parents will need to know their child's lunch ID number.

Parents needing assistance can call the toll-free customer support center at 1-800-479-3531 for questions or assistance with enrollment. Support personnel are available Monday - Friday from 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. Parents needing assistance also can send an email to mlmsupport@ sl-tech.net.

Mom paints character on the wall at Glenvar Elementary

Glenvar Elementary School's entrance growls, almost literally, with the Grizzly Bear Character Counts mascot that volunteer mom Rhonda Smith has painted. The library's walls sparkle with creatures like the rainbow fish and the hungry caterpillar from children's stories, and the blacktop now has a more than 10-foot-long color-coded by topographical sections mural of Virginia.

Smith, a Radford alum with a degree in K-12 art education, gave up her teaching job at Smithfield Elementary in Spotsylvania County, when the family moved to Roanoke because of her husband's job at Sycom Technologies.

West Salem Baptist Preschool learned of her art degree and asked her to paint some biblical murals in their hallways. Smith was uncertain at first, but after some encouragement from the folks there, she made a commitment.

"And I said to God: if you give me the ability, I'll give you the credit," Smith said. Since, she's painted murals at a few other church preschools, and that gave her the confidence to volunteer elsewhere as well as start a business with her friend, Vickie Waldron.

They call it "Star City Murals" and Smith and Waldron have painted everything from a Boston Red Sox "B" to turning a small bathroom into a log cabin scene with a black bear and stream. They charge by the hour, and they try to keep it affordable so that anyone who might want a little decorative flourish to their home or child's room can reach it.

So when Glenvar Elementary's librarian Kim Booth learned of Smith's burgeoning skills (while Smith was volunteering at the library), she told guidance counselor Denise Williamson about what Smith might volunteer to do.

A quick "yes" was followed by a child-friendly grizzly bear drawing by instructional aide Julia Wood to form the basis of the painting, and some lettering help from language arts specialist Amy Schirmer. Once she got started, the fourth-grade teachers wondered if she might be able to paint a Virginia map on the blacktop for their Standards of Learning studies in topography. Smith's friend Debbie Kipps, who crochets and knits, helped her with the dimensions and scale.

So Smith took about two hours a day this summer, 20 hours for the bear, 40 for the library, and 10 for the Virginia map, to make Glenvar Elementary's walls come alive -- and even growl -- for the students.

G.W. Carver Elementary kicks off fall events

Kids whizzed past on skates, won large amounts of tickets from the arcade games, and generally had a great time at G.W. Carver Elementary's first PTA-sponsored skate night of the year Sept. 29 at the Skate Center of Roanoke on Apperson Drive.

G.W. Carver will also host a fall carnival from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, with the theme "Carnival of Champions." Mascots like the Hokie Bird, Mugsy and Misty, the Chik-Fil-A Cow, and a Crash Test Dummy will be at the school, along with other staple fall carnival offerings.

There will be sports-themed games like "Hokie Hockey" and "Steelers Penalty Flag Toss," inflatables, a football-themed Home Depot clinic, a bake sale, and more. Vendors will be selling Pampered Chef, Princess House, FunTimes, and there will be funnelcakes, popcorn, and other lunchtime goodies for sale, too.

The G.W. Carver PTA contacted over 500 businesses for their silent auction, so there is a large variety of gift certificates, jewelry, auto care, tools, and sports memorabilia. Highlights include a Memorial Run T-shirt autographed by the Virginia Tech football team, a P. Buckley Moss Print, and an American Girl Doll.

Eagle Scout project provides Glenvar Middle with outdoor classroom

When Glenvar High School junior Nicholas Kidd asked if there was anything he could do for Glenvar Middle School for his Eagle Scout project, Principal Juliette Myers knew what she needed right off the bat.

She asked Kidd to build an outdoor classroom for special education students in a spot that had become an eyesore in the woods near the school.

"It kind of got expanded along the way," Kidd said.

He, along with the help of some family members and ten other scouts, most from his Troop 39, cleared the brush and trash and built an outdoor classroom with a podium and eight benches that can seat 27 middle-schoolers and two picnic benches that can accommodate wheelchairs. The classroom has a gravel walkway lined with large stones.

"I think the scouts are trying to focus on some things that have a longer lasting meaning for the communities," his dad, Brian Kidd, said.

Nicholas comes from an Eagle Scout family: his older brother Christoper Kidd (Glenvar '08), his father Brian Kidd, and his uncle, Craig Kidd. His grandfather, Garland Kidd, was a scout master, and added a birdhouse to a tree nearby the outdoor classroom. Nicholas' mom, Sharon Kidd, also helped a lot.

He received discounts from 84 Lumber and Northwest Hardware on West Main. Prochem Incorporated donated towards his project, too.

Salem High and Andrew Lewis Middle PTA/PTSA meeting to discuss H1N1

The Salem High School PTSA and Andrew Lewis Middle School PTA are sponsoring an informational meeting to discuss the H1N1 virus.

The meeting will be held 7 p.m. Oct. 27 in the Andrew Lewis auditorium. Dr. Autumn Whitcomb, District Epidemiologist with the Virginia Department of Health, will be our featured speaker.

Representatives from the school district will also be on hand during the question and answer period. Everyone is welcome to come learn more about the H1N1 virus and the school district policy regarding this issue.

Swearing-in of newly elected Mayor's Youth Council Officers

Salem City Council swore in their elected officers of the Mayor's Youth Council, a volunteer opportunity for SHS students, at the Salem City Council meeting on Monday, Sept. 28. Meg Beedle was elected mayor, and Phillip Rodgers was elected vice mayor. Inner council members include Hannah Todd, Bronwyn Foley, Walker Necessary, and Seth Guthrie.

The council takes on volunteer service projects, from taking an hour for Clean Valley Day out of their homecoming weekend to clean up Rotary Park to delivering Easter baskets to needy children in Salem. They also have a float in the annual Salem Christmas Parade.

| By Miranda Adkins

miranda.adkins@sosalem.com