Get Schooled: Greenwood Nears 50th Anniversary

By Amber Lester Kennedy Friday, January 27, 2012

Nearly 50 years ago, Bev Kelly and Louise Rose decided to offer Kindergarten to children in the Williamsburg area, teaching the classes in Kelly’s basement.

Kindergarten wasn’t offered in public schools yet, and the tiny school was soon overflowing. The women’s new school, which became Greenwood Christian Academy, would need to grow.

The school has been growing ever since, now offering preschool classes and elementary classes up to fifth grade. Located in a former movie theater off John Tyler Highway, it’s deceptively small from the outside. The interior holds a cafeteria, kitchen, several large classrooms, a Bible study room and an impressively large gym. Outside, there are two playgrounds – one for big kids and one for preschoolers.

Students take the regular classes in core subjects, plus Spanish, art, music, physical education and technology. The school also rents space to Kathryn Kellas, a private behavioral and autism spectrum consultant who, in addition to meeting with clients, provides assistance to Greenwood students who need extra help at the school.

The leaders of the school dream of expanding the technology classroom and someday, adding a sixth grade. But in the meantime, they have a more immediate goal: soundproof the gym, where echoes bounce off the walls more than basketballs. Director of Development Brandie Weiler estimates the project will cost between $8,000 and $12,000; they’ve already received a $2,000 grant toward the project.

To raise more money for the project and the school’s operations funding, Greenwood is kicking off its anniversary celebration with an auction fundraiser at 4 p.m. on Feb. 26. The luau-themed event will feature silent auction items, live auction items, hors d’oeuvres by Richmond-based Brio Tuscan Grille and music by Affordable DJs.

Tickets to the event are $5 in advance, and $10 at the door. Kids ages 12 and under have free admission and childcare will be provided at no extra cost. Tickets can be purchased by calling 345-0905 or visiting the school’s main office.

The event features an impressive array of silent and live auction items. Silent auction items include a Williamsburg Nanny Agency date night certificate, mid-week tickets to Wintergreen Resort, tickets to “Mamma Mia!” at the Ferguson Center, personal training sessions from BodyFit and more. If I were bidding on live auction items, I might be trying to win a Caribbean cruise for two, two lower-level tickets to a College Bowl game, a four-night package for four to Disney World or – my favorite – a seven-night package trip to Paris and Prague.

The event is the first of several anniversary events, which will really get underway in the fall, Weiler says. After 50 years in education, the school has generations of alumni still living in the area, many sending their own children to Greenwood. Kitty Beatty, who sent her children in the first years and now owns the school, says she frequently meets former students.

“I run into them all the time, and they tell me, ‘Oh I was a beaver’ or ‘I was a chippie!’” she says, laughing. The preschool classes have always been divided into four groups: beavers, bunnies, chippies and chipmunks.

Now they’re seeing students decide to stay in the school every time they add a grade. Chairman of the School Board Maurice Nestor would like to see the school add sixth grade soon; right now, the school has four fifth-graders. “I hope we get there, as soon as we have a large enough class,” he said.

To learn more about Greenwood, click here.

WJCC Updates Arts Calendar

Williamsburg-James City County Schools’ arts calendar has been updated to show performances scheduled for the second semester.

One upcoming event will benefit Hornsby Middle School. For the second year in a row, concert pianist Eun Kyong Jarrell will perform a benefit concert. Jarrell will perform works by French composer Claude Debussy. She is the wife of Visions coordinator Max Jarrell.

Later in the spring, schools will put on a string of musicals, including “Anything Goes” at Lafayette High, “The Wiz” at Berkeley Middle, “Legally Blonde” at Jamestown High, “A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum” at Warhill and “The Adventures of Flat Stanley, Jr.” at Toano Middle.

See the updated arts calendar here.

York County Youth Commission Accepting Applications

The Board of Supervisors is seeking students who are interested in representing youth interests and concerns by serving on the York County Youth Commission for the 2012-2013 school year.

Applicants must be York County residents who are currently enrolled in grades 8 through 11.

The Youth Commission’s primary purpose is to serve as a link between the Board of Supervisors and the county’s youth by representing youth-related needs and issues. In addition, Commission members typically participate in rewarding community service projects, learn about county government, sponsor countywide high school social events, and build leadership skills through projects and various team-building activities.

A completed application form and a letter of recommendation must be received at the York County Parks and Recreation office by 5 p.m. on March 7. After reviewing the applications, the Board of Supervisors will appoint up to three teens from each of the county's five voting districts. The new commission will be formally introduced at a Board of Supervisors meeting in June 2012.

Application forms and complete program details are available by downloading from the York County Youth Commission’s website. Interested teens and their parents are invited to attend the Feb. 6 Youth Commission meeting to be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at York Hall’s East Meeting Room.

For more information about the Youth Commission call the Parks and Recreation office at 890-3500.

SWAG Team Talks College at Lafayette

L to R: Vernon Dennis, Shelby Tillis, Amber Hundley and Bryan Cowles.

SWAG was created by former student Bryan Cowles when he attended the high school. He wanted to emphasize the importance of getting a post-secondary education. Cowles, now a student at Virginia Commonwealth University, recruited friends Vernon Dennis (attending Old Dominion University), Shelby Tillis (attending Thomas Nelson Community College) and Amber Hundley (attending Norfolk State University) to talk about their college experiences. The team answered questions about college life and academic requirements during their presentation.