Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 14 · column 5 of 7 · from the scan, no model involved
He conceded that his experience with Rappahannock’s schools is at the elementary level. MBut I learn fast. Basically, I’m interested* in having some input into the education my children and the rest of the children in Rappahannock will receive.”
Mr. Sharp, a resident of the county for 13 years, holds a degree in economics from the University of Virginia. With his wife, Rose Ann, a former special education teacher at RCES, he manages 400 acres of apple orchards. They also own and operate Skyline Packing House and Cold Storage and employ up to 80 people at the peak of the harvest season. The couple has two children: Lauren, a first grader at RCES, and Rachel, three years old.
TURNOVER A PROBLEM
Former school teacher Diane Wood sees the high turnover rate among Rappahannock’s teachers as the school system’s most serious weakness and "the people who are involved with the schools” as its greatest strength.
“In assessing strengths, I’d start with the students,” she said. “They come in year after year, so full of hope. They’re such friendly people to work with.”
Next come the parents, “and the people who aren’t parents, who put so much into the schools, attending meetings, volunteering, fund raising, getting the high school expansion program underway,” Mrs. Wood continued. She also singled out the teachers “who stay year after year” and “the experienced administrators at both schools.”
The small size of Rappahannock’s school system could also be judged a strength, she said. “That small size can facilitate communication within the system and between the system and the community.”
The high teacher turnover rate is a serious weakness because, Mrs. Wood said, new teachers lack an understanding of this unique county. “It’s so important for teachers to get a real feeling for the places the children are from - Chester Gap or Gid Brown Hollow - and to know and realize who the children are. Then they’ll be better able to meet their
88.9%