This fall, the Rappahannock County High School

This fall, the Rappahannock County High School

has a varsity football team for the first time in its

45-year history. Our readers can see how important we felt this team’s first game was by the front page coverage in today’s paper.

Last week, many of our readers got a chance to read about local school sports and coaches in our special “Panther Pride” spread, and called or wrote to tell us how much it was appreciated.

We listened. We will continue to show our commitment to school athletic coverage. Our new sports editor, Kevin Seabrooke, will coordinate coverage of sports, and meet with coaches and parents so that we can provide the best possible coverage.

A hometown newspaper and local schools go hand-inhand. After a big game, match or meet, where do we turn to read about our sons and daughters and those of our neighbors? The local paper. What do we cut up and past in a scrapbook? The local paper.

Education still is, and should be, the priority in all of our schools. Academics and the arts are as important as ever. But sports matter, too.

The boys and girls out on the courts and fields of the county are learning about themselves and about each other. They’re learning teamwork and commitment. They’re learning the value of discipline and hard work. They’re setting goals and achieving them.

The confidence and sense of well-being that children gain from athletics cannot be discounted. They should be having fun, win or lose, and learning lessons they can’t get inside a classroom. They can pick up habits of health and exercise that can stay with them a lifetime.

We are the hometown paper for every school and eveiy child in this county. It’s not just our job, nor our obligation to cover these events. It’s our privilege.

‘Thank you for supporting

the fire department’