Pictured (from left): Erin Smith (CSHS student), Ms. Susan Dobbs (CSHS SAP coordinator), Kathy Sullivan of RAYSAC, and Sarah Murphy (CSHS student).

Cave Spring High School won first place in the 2009 Red Ribbon Week High School Competition sponsored by the Roanoke Area Youth Substance Abuse Coalition (RAYSAC)! Out of the entire region's public and private schools, Cave Spring High School 's SADD Club won first place. They were honored on Nov. 1 at Hotel Roanoke where they received a $200 award and a plaque.

Cave Spring High School's Red Ribbon Week activities included a display of a crashed car outside the school with the message "I was the life of the party, look at me now," an enormous red ribbon display on the front of the school, and red ribbons that were put up all around the school. Cave Spring High School invited many guest speakers throughout the week to come and share their personal experiences concerning drunk-drivers.

There was a school-wide door decorating contest with many creative themes and prevention messages. Also, during lunches, there were beer goggles available for any of the students to wear and attempt to perform multiple everyday tasks. During Red Ribbon Week, two public service announcements that had originally aired on Channel 7 (WDBJ7) were played during the morning announcements. The SADD club finished off the week with a "Wheel of Misfortune" game at the Cave Spring vs. Christiansburg football game. Students spun a wheel and answered a question about the risks of alcohol and other drugs for a prize. Congratulations SADD club and many thanks to the CSHS PTA, parents, and teachers for their support!

Submitted by Rebecca Siar

Cave Spring bands to present fall concert

The Cave Spring high school bands conducted by Brian Quakenbush, will be presenting their Fall Concert performance titled "An American Music" concert on Monday, Nov. 16. Both the Concert and Symphonic bands will be playing in the Cave Spring auditorium at 7 p.m. and admission is free.

Pieces being performed are by American composers or arrangers. Selections will include:

The Light Eternal, James Swearingen

American Riversongs, Pierre La Plante

Hymnsong Variant, Robert W. Smith

Celebration and Song, Robert Sheldon

America the Beautiful, Samuel Ward arr. Carmen Dragon

Liturgical Dances, David Holsinger

An American Elegy, Frank Tichelli

Bayou Breakdown, Brant Larrick

In the Temple of Zion, Steven Reinike

Hunter Kopczynski is a student intern from Virginia Tech and he will be conducting a few of these selections on the concert.

The fall concert is being given to bring attention to needs of the school's bands for instruments and refurbishment of older instruments being used by the performers. Many students share instruments from Concert to Symphonic band. Often many are not able to practice at home due to shortage of school owned instruments. So, a lot of time is spent in class to perfect individual musical responsibilities. Donations will be accepted for these purposes.

Submitted by Brian Quakenbush

Family of fallen soldier receives honor

On Friday, Nov. 6, prior to the Cave Spring and Hidden Valley football game, Joyce Clowers and her family were honored with an Honor and Remember Flag, in honor or her son, Jesse G. Clowers Jr.

Jesse Clowers Jr. was killed in action Aug. 12, 2007 in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. He was a former Cave Spring High School football player and a Virginia Tech graduate.

The Honor and Remember Flag is a national symbol of gratitude and respect that is meant to officially remind us daily of the sacrifices made by members of our military who lost their lives in serve to our country. The campaign recognizes all individuals from all wars or conflicts involving the United States who died while serving our nation, in action and the line of duty.

The honor was received by Clowers and her family from Eric Hellcamp, a Marine who wanted to sponsor a flag for a local family before the start of the football game on Friday.

Clowers said that she first heard about the honor a few months ago.

"It makes me feel really proud," Clowers said. "He deserves every honor he gets. I don't want him to be forgotten. As long as his name keeps coming up, he won't be forgotten. Today, I don't have it together. I miss him."

Clowers Jr.'s wife, Kaytie Clowers, said, "This is bittersweet. He's a hero. You're happy they are honoring him and sad that he's gone,"

"He was such a good guy," Joyce Clowers said. "He was a caregiver. They called him a gentle giant. He wanted to be married, have kids, and be the kind of father his was."

Clowers Jr. has two children, Jesse Clowers III, 5, and Danielle AnnMarie Clowers, 3.

The Honor and Remember Campaign was started by George Lutz, who lost his son, George Anthony Lutz II, on December 29, 2005 in Fallujah, Iraq.

For more information about the Honor and Remember Campaign visit www.HonorandRemember.org.

Hidden Valley Middle receives ExxonMobil grant

Hidden Valley Middle School has received a $750 grant from the ExxonMobil Educational Alliance program to support the school's instructional program. John Newton of PMI/Stop-In Food Stores based in Roanoke worked with the school to secure a $750 grant which is one of 4,000 available to schools across the country served by Exxon or Mobil stations. The grants were made possible by funding from the Exxon Mobil Corporation.

"The investment in our school of business partners such as PMI/Stop-In Food Stores greatly enhances the learning opportunities of our students," says Ken Nicely, principal of Hidden Valley Middle School.

The ExxonMobil Educational Alliance program is designed to provide Exxon and Mobil retailers with an opportunity to contribute to the future of their community through educational grants to neighborhood schools.

Cave Spring Middle band performs at Jazz  Cafe

About 200 people came out for Cave Spring Middle School Band's 4th annual Jazz Cafe on Thursday, Nov. 5 at St. John Lutheran Church. The annual show featured music from the 7th-grade Jazz Ensemble directed by Melinda Sarver, the 8th-grade Jazz Ensemble directed by Brian Quakenbush, the Cave Spring High School Ensemble directed by Brian Quakenbush and guests from Downtown Music Lab and Radford University. John Carlin was Emcee for the event.

Star City Coffee House served their coffee. Water and many desserts were also served by band students who were not in the jazz ensembles.

Honored guests included Dr. Lorraine S. Lange, Dr. Cecil Snead, Barry Tucker, Steve Spangler, Steve Boyer, Fuzzy Minnix, C. Drew Barrineau, Bill Svec, and John Carlin.

Guests from Downtown Music Lab and Radford University played with Brian Quakenbush, including Drew Lawhorn, Christopher White, Wayne Gallops, and Joseph Scartelli.