For its fourth year, PCPS’s biggest pop culture event, the PCPS Comicon, was a huge success. In addition to being the largest event yet, the Comicon held on Feb. 24 at Powhatan High School also had the highest turnout of patrons and cosplay contestants. The exciting costume contest drew a wide variety of entrants recreating their favorite characters in pop culture. A total of $400 earned for PCPS’s five school libraries came from attendees and donations. It was a great day for literacy! #wearepcps #teampowhatan
Youth Art Month kicks off today, and to celebrate, PCPS is holding a Youth Art Month Art Exhibit opening from 2 to 4 p.m. this Sunday, March 3 at the Pocahontas Landmark Center. Come see beautiful artwork created by students from all five schools and curated for this year’s show, Experience PCPS. This exhibit, which shows the new generation of artists and creatives, will be on display through April 30 and is open to the public during PLC hours. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
We are back again with another installment of the Powhatan County School Board Recap. As always, the goal of this newsletter is to help people who don't have the time to come to or watch full school board meetings still stay abreast of what is going on in our school division. The newsletter link is in the first comment.
We are back again with another installment of the Powhatan County School Board Recap. As always, the goal of this newsletter is to help people who don't have the time to come to or watch full school board meetings still stay abreast of what is going on in our school division. The newsletter can be found at https://www.smore.com/13sxz.
This is National FFA Week, and PCPS wants to recognize the hardworking students and advisors of the Powhatan FFA Chapter and the positive impact that this program has in their lives. Please join us in honoring their outstanding work. #wearepcps #teampowhatan #ffaweek
Goochland Powhatan Community services is hiring open positions for School-based clinicians. CSB, a partner of Powhatan County Public School, has openings for several school-based mental health clinicians. To apply, click the link in the first comment.
It’s time to gear up for PCPS’s biggest Pop Culture event. PCPS Comicon is only two days away! This awesome family event will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, February 24 in the Commons area at Powhatan High School, 1800 Judes Ferry Road. This is a NEW LOCATION. Admission is only $1! All ages welcome. The Costume Contest begins at 2 p.m.
The Powhatan School Board is seeking volunteers from Districts 1 and 3 to serve on a Book Review Committee that will serve on a five-member committee to assist with the review of specific books from the secondary school libraries that may contain sexually explicit content. Each of the five members of the assigned Book Review Committee will have one vote, and a strong majority vote (5-0 or 4-1) is required to remove a book from the library/media center(s). Applications are due by 5 p.m. on March 4, 2024. School Board members will review applications and make the final selections.
To fill out an application, scan the QR code, follow the link in the first comment, or find the link on the PCPS homepage.
Just a reminder that Monday, February 19, 2024, is a student holiday/staff work day. We hope our PCPS have a great three-day weekend!
Mr. Payne’s Electricity 2 Honors students at Powhatan High School recently wrapped up a project where they added solar power to the Agricultural Science Department’s small animal barn to add lights to the building. The school purchased a solar panel kit with a recent donation to the Electricity Program. The students learned how it works and how to install it. The program is also looking into the possibility of using the same panels for a future project to heat the barn’s water containers so the water doesn’t freeze in the winter. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
Today is School Resource Officer Appreciation Day. PCPS appreciates the support of the Powhatan County Sheriff’s Office and especially our own SROs:
Powhatan High School: Jason Homer and Bridget Withers
Powhatan Middle: Foster Miles
Pocahontas Elementary: Ron Sadler
Powhatan Elementary: Maurice Tovar
Flat Rock Elementary: Tim Wright
@backpacksofloveinc is holding a Food Drive through Feb. 23, 2024. Backpacks of Love, Inc. is a local charity that was formed to provide food for school children over the weekend. Children who need such food receive a small bag of food and snacks on the last day of the school week. Our partners at Backpacks of Love are asking for our help! They need food donations. Below is a list of what they need. Please bring donations to your child’s school through Feb. 23. If you have any questions, please reach out to Kelly Sarkees at 804-598-5700 ext 116. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
Mrs. Barnes’ AP Physics 1 students at Powhatan High School study simple harmonic motion with pendulums. They determine the effect of mass and length on the time period of a pendulum to swing back and forth. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
Powhatan County Public Schools’ Adult Education spring offerings are listed on our website! Thanks to your attendance and interest, the program has grown, from 9 classes when we started a year ago to 17 this spring. The quickest way to get into a course is to go directly to our website (check the first comment for link) and click on "course listing overview" for times/dates, and then go to "indicate your interest." Spread the word about our tour of Fine Creek experience, our CPR/AED/First Aide training, Serv Safe managers training, plate welding, a brewery business tour, project management training, arbory, painting and more! Feel free to share our website on your social media pages and groups. Thank you for helping Powhatan residents enrich lives and expand opportunities.
Powhatan teacher’s first novel embraces magic and joy
POWHATAN, VA – When Nashae Jones decided to incorporate Greek mythology into her first novel, “Courtesy of Cupid,” she took a special approach.
While she knows the concept of being a demi-god – not just a human but being extra special and chosen for something – appeals to kids, she wasn’t interested in characters completing a grand quest. Instead, she wanted a story about life and relationships that was filled with joy and magic. She wanted a story that would explore the topic of love – crushes, familial love, and friendship bonds – in a way that was appropriate for middle schoolers.
Most importantly, Jones, who is a Powhatan High School English teacher, wanted something she missed all too much while growing up as an avid reader – a heartwarming story centered around a person of color as the main character.
“A lot of my favorite stories were centered around people who didn’t look like me. The first time in elementary school I read a book with a character of color, it was ‘Roll of Thunder Hear my Cry,’ ” Jones said. “I remember being devastated by the story. It was so impactful, but it was so sad. It was very much a story of resilience and violence against this black family. I remember thinking I would really like to see more books of joy with people of color in it. I really wanted something that centered on joy and happiness with characters that everybody can relate to.”
With the January 2 release of “Courtesy of Cupid” through Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division, Jones is thrilled she has met all of those goals.
Jones’ first novel centers on a girl named Erin Johnson – an overachiever with lofty academic and extracurricular goals, a quirky mom, and a fierce rival in classmate Trevor Jin. As her 13th birthday unfolds, Erin discovers that her mysterious father is actually the love god Cupid – and she’s inherited his knack for romance! Her new magical powers don’t seem like the most useful abilities at first, but when the girl who doesn’t believe in love starts to embrace her magical pedigree in her race to beat her nemesis, she begins to learn that love is much more complicated than she realized.
“She had to learn magic isn’t the thing that controls these bonds; love and relationships take a lot of hard work,” Jones said.
Hard work is a concept the Powhatan author knows well. She wrote the book in 2021 while juggling writing with taking care of her family and teaching full-time at the high school. A teacher for 12 years, she has been with Powhatan County Public Schools since 2016 and still loves to help shape young minds in the small, rural county.
As much as she adores teaching, becoming a published author is a life-long dream come true for Jones. “Before the internet, I used to write fanfiction for books I loved. I used to rewrite the ‘Boxcar Children’ and ‘Nancy Drew.’ I always imagined it would be something I would be able to make a career of out of someday.”
Despite getting a pre-empt publishing offer two weeks after taking the novel out for submission and going through about 19 months of the editing and publishing process, Jones said the situation didn’t feel real to her until two days before Christmas, when she opened a box holding the first 25 published copies of her book.
“That is when it really hit me. Actually holding the book and knowing it was going to be on bookshelves, that is when I really hit me,” she said with a huge grin.
The book launch for “Courtesy of Cupid” was held January 2 at Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, where Jones noted an incredibly supportive group of PHS co-workers showed up in specially printed “Courtesy of Cupid” sweatshirts to buy her book and cheer her success.
“That is what Powhatan is really about. That is what this school system has been about – the love and support I get from my work family and the community,” Jones said. “It is not just people at work – the Powhatan community itself has been so largely supportive.”
Nashae Jones lives in Powhatan with her husband, T.J., and her children, Chase and Nia.
“Courtesy of Cupid” is for sale on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, Books-A-Million, and Fountain Bookstore.
National School Counseling Week 2024 (#NSCW24) is being recognized from Feb. 5-9, 2024, to focus public attention on the unique contribution of school counselors within U.S. school systems. National School Counseling Week, sponsored by the American School Counselor Association, highlights the tremendous impact school counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career. PCPS continues National School Counseling Week by recognizing the counseling staff of Powhatan High School: Doug Reimondo, Sarah Baltimore, Chrissie Holley, Kelyn Captain, Kyla Monie-Huss, and Caryn Rehme. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
Mr. Robertson’s Culinary 1 students at Powhatan High School made yeast rolls during a recent class. More than just making a yummy snack, this lesson taught the students about how yeast reacts - how it creates carbon dioxide and makes the bread rise. Before this, the students had made quick breads such as pumpkin bread and cheddar biscuits. This was the students’ first time working with yeast and making something that rises before it goes in the oven, so it also involved exercising their patience skills. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
Are you a Powhatan grandparent raising a grandchild? Grandparents Raising Grandchildren is a weekly group offering support and resources for grandparents raising grandchildren. The group meets on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to noon at 3910 Old Buckingham Road. Learn how to process and navigate common challenges.
Powhatan High School senior Hunter Atkins, who is part of the Teacher for Tomorrow 2 class, shadowed Mr. Freund’s P.E. classes at Pocahontas Elementary School as they warmed up and played floor hockey. As part of this Career and Workforce Development program, Hunter is building up experience to do a lesson of his own. When he graduates, he wants to be a history teacher at the secondary level. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
This is a reminder of tonight's Sophomore/Junior Night!
The School Counseling Department, along with guest speakers, will be hosting an information night for Sophomores and Juniors. This event will be held at PHS today, Jan. 25 at 6:30 p.m. Students and parents are encouraged to attend. As students are making their course selections for the next school year, this is a great opportunity to review graduation requirements and scheduling options. Additional topics to be covered include:
AP Course Offerings
CTE Clusters and Credentials
Career and Community College Options
NCAA and Athletic Eligibility
PSAT and SAT's
Scholarships and Financial Aid
