See photos of WCCs Smyth

County graduates for 2015. A7.

Smyth
County

News & Messenger

SATURDAY, May 30, 2015

www.swvatoday.com

Vol. 132, No. 47

Marion, Va.

$1.00

Raise OKd for school system employees

Late changes to budget prompt questions
BY STEPHANIE PORTER-NICHOLS
Staff

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Taylor Richardson, a senior at Marion Senior High School, is the first

Smyth County student to earn an
associates degree while still in high
school. Taylor received her associates degree from Wytheville Community College on Saturday, May 9,
from Dr. Charlie White.

County supervisors gave their

nod Thursday afternoon to a
school budget for 2015-16 that
includes a 1.5 percent raise for
all employees and allocates
$50,000 more to the school system than the current budget
does. While school system and
county officials expressed gratitude for those aspects of the
budget, questions still linger.
Before the votes were made,

Student
gets WCC
degree
before her
diploma

school board member Charles

Mac Buchanan questioned
how the supervisors arrived at
their figures and why the allocations were still being changed
at the last minute. He noted
the school board thought it had
the final version of the allocation Wednesday evening only to
discover that the numbers had
been changed prior to Thursdays meeting.
Buchanan said the revised
budget was so new the ink was
still wet. Whats up with that?

he asked.
He noted that cuts had been
made to the transportation and
technology allocations. How
did you come up with those
numbers? he queried. What
in technology do you think we
should cut?
Buchanan said he is deeply
worried about the countys future. He expressed the fear that
too many of the countys best
assets are being lost to Washington County.
For the first time this year, the
supervisors opted to approve
the school systems budget us-

ing categorical funding. Instead

of approving an overall amount
and leaving its allocation to
the school board, the supervisors directed specific amounts
of money to seven categories:
instruction;
administration,
attendance and health; pupil
transportation; operation and
maintenance; school food service/other
non-instructional
operations; debt and fund
transfers; and technology.
The supervisors didnt answer
Buchanans questions.

See SCHOOL, Page A2

NHS CLASS OF 2015 SAYS FAREWELL

BY JASMINE DENT
Correspondent

Taylor Richardson walked

across Wytheville Community
Colleges graduation stage to receive her associate of arts and sciences degree May 9. Graduation
is a remarkable achievement for
any college student, but, for the
18-year-old Taylor, it was especially noteworthy and a first for a
Smyth County student. Richardson earned her associates degree
before her high school diploma.
Following Marion Senior High
Schools graduation last night,
she now has both in hand.
It was scary, but exciting at the
same time, Taylor said, describing her graduation experience.
Renee Thomas, a counselor at
the college, said WCC has previously presented high school
students from Wythe, Grayson,
Carroll and Bland counties with
associate degrees, but with 2015s
commencement ceremony, Taylor became the first student from

LINDA BURCHETTE/SMYTH COUNTY NEWS & MESSENGER

orthwood High School hosted a commencement ceremony for 64 seniors in

the Class of 2015 Thursday night. The students heard messages from their
top seven in grade point average, including valedictorians Austin Landon
Widner and Kyla Jayde Brickey and salutatorian Peyton Carter Roberts, along with
Ashley Marie Frye, Bailey Nicole Counts, Savanah Brooke Sykes and Jonah Franklin
Havens. The grads and guests enjoyed songs from the school chorus and graduating senior Damon Alexander Heath and music from the school band as well as a
senior video presentation. Special awards were announced by guidance counselor
Kristie Comer and diplomas were presented by principal Stan Dunham and vice
principal Stacy Poston. Holding up the keys he uses at school, Dunham told the
graduates that their diploma is a key that will unlock many doors and he hopes
they will continue to earn educational keys for a successful future.

See DEGREE, Page A2

Chilhowie council plans for veterans memorial

Town ready to accept community donations
BY LINDA BURCHETTE
Staff

Discussion is continuing on a
veterans memorial for the town
of Chilhowie, but the public is
invited to start contributing toward its cost.
At the May 14 meeting of the
Chilhowie Town Council, Mayor Gary Heninger updated the
council on the project to build a
memorial in the town.
Heninger passed out photos of
a memorial whose design would
suit the town. The cost, he said,
would be between $3,915 and
$4,250, depending on the number of benches to be placed at

the memorial.
The design shown would be
about four feet high and three
feet wide with an eight-foot
base. It was recommended not
to use brick due to deterioration but instead to use plates of
slate, which can be removed for
engraving and be re-installed
on the memorial. The town
could charge a fee toward maintenance to have names added
to the memorial.
Flags placed behind the memorial would be the American
flag and the Virginia flag. Flagpoles are being donated by citizens, said Heninger.
Local businesses have offered

Jones said he was asked to create a work reflective of the town,

and the difficult task was helped
along by the assistance of Kathryn Beattie, a community historian, who offered ideas and
provided historical photos that
inspired him in his work.
When you create art you want
to share it with those who would
benefit the most the council,
the library and students, Jones
said. There is a print in the
council chambers and one in
the community building that
houses the library. So Jones decided to donate to the elementary, middle and high schools.
Principals Sanders Henderson
from Chilhowie Elementary and
Sam Blevins from Chilhowie

Middle along with Lisa Farmer,

guidance counselor at Chilhowie High, attended the meeting
to accept the print from Jones.
Henderson said he is retiring
this year and wanted to take the
opportunity to thank the council for its support of Chilhowie
Elementary School in its recent
times of need.
Also at the meeting, the council voted to extend Clarks contract as interim town manager
through the end of the calendar
year.
The meeting was continued
to May 19 for discussion of the
2015-16 budget and presentation of a water/sewer rate re-

See MEMORIAL, Page A2

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to donate funds for the project

and John Clark, interim town
manager, said funds are included in the proposed budget for
2015-16. That amount is $8,000.
More funds are expected to be
raised in the community.
It was decided that donations
could begin being accepted by
the town toward the cost of the
veterans memorial and, if for
some reason it is not built, the
donations can be returned.
Discussion was continued until the June meeting.
In other business at the meeting, artist John Paul Jones announced he would be presenting a framed print of his town
mural to each of the countys
three schools.

Sports
Brittany Jones
smiles on third during Chilhowies wild
softball victory over
George Wythe on
Tuesday. Her team
won a conference
title Wednesday.

Floyd

Community
Kim Russell of
Smyth Countys
Extension Office recently was honored
with a Platinum Top
Performer award.
Learn more about it
on Page A8.

Deaths
Clyde Eller Burton
Jerry Lucky Davidson
Anna Mae Parks Dunavan
David Michael Micky Hutton
Gracie Darlene Shepherd Miller
Kenneth Walker Necessary
Julia Belle Harris Robinson
Leah Viers Stuhlemmer