Here are some photos from the one week aviation class held at Read Mountain Middle School. The class was taught by Erryn Barkett.

Submitted by: M’Lissa Levitt

Pictured left to right front row: Shi Shi Hancock, Hollee Warlitner, Rebecca Williams, Hannah Martin, Tamara Smith back row: Grace Putney, Kaitlyn Culler, Megan Thompson, Paige Hammock, Lindsey Cuba (Lord Botetourt), Aisha Wiley (Northside), Michele Eplion (Northside)

The Scrappers won the “playback” championship” on Sunday, June 27, finishing 3rd in the gold bracket of the 51 team tournament held in Harrisburg, PA.  After losing a 1-0 heartbreaker on Sunday morning, the Scrappers won three games in a row by a combined score of 27-2.  They were 8-2 for the week-end.

The Scrapper-Austin team is coached by Steve Austin, Ron Buckley, and Tim Warlitner.

Forty-three Bluefield College students have been selected to be included the 2010 edition of Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.
The 43 students were nominated by Bluefield College faculty and selected by Who’s Who editors to appear in the annual publication of outstanding college students.
They were selected based on academic achievement, service to the community, leadership in extracurricular activities, and potential for continued success, and they join a select group of scholars from more than 2,300 universities and colleges across the United States and in several foreign countries.
The Bluefield College students named to Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges for 2010 include:
Kelly Thompson, Cloverdale, VA

Bluefield College has released its President’s and Dean’s Lists for traditional students for the spring 2010 semester.
Twenty-three traditional BC students were named to the President’s List for earning a grade point average (GPA) between 3.9 and 4.0 during the spring semester, while 62 traditional students were named to the Dean’s List for earning a GPA between 3.5 and 3.8. 
Among those students earning placement on the spring 2010 President’s List with a 3.9 to 4.0 GPA were:

Kelly Thompson, Cloverdale, VA

This picture was taken on 6-24 of Dr. Rich Dorsett speaking to the class.

In the picture is Zach Beckner, a CPR Instructor & a Botetourt County EMS employee. This day during the Medicine class, the students were certified in AED use & Adult/Child CPR Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Here are some photos of the Medicine class during the Botetourt County gifted program June 21-25.

This picture, taken on 6-21, shows members of the Hollins Volunteer Fire Dept. educating the students of the Medicine class about different aspects of firefighting & showed the students all of the equipment stored on the truck.

Zach Ewen (standing, far right) at the HOBY leadership conference.

James River student, Zach Ewen, was selected to attend the Virginia HOBY Leadership Seminar this June.  HOBY is the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Program which began in 1958 as a means to build leadership among high school sophomores.  Last year, over 9,000 students attended over 70 HOBY seminars throughout the United States.  James River teachers nominated students to the selection committee and Zach was chosen as the James River ambassador.

Zach spent three days at the HOBY leadership event for Virginia at the University of Richmond, joining 227 other Virginian sophomores.  Participant activities included goal setting activities, community service, speeches and leadership building activities.

The closing ceremony announced one male and one female ambassador to receive an all expense paid trip to Los Angeles for the World Leadership conference as Virginia’s representatives. Selection of the student was based on a speech they made in front of the entire cohort and HOBY leadership. There were 5 male and 5 female semifinalists selected, and Zach was selected by his peers as one of the five. Although, Zach was not the final selection, he was offered an opportunity to apply for an at large LA conference spot after the ceremony. Zach plans to apply for this incredible opportunity.

Submitted by  Carol Brenner

James River JV Softball finished their season with a record of 14-1-1.  The Knights went 7-0 in district play, while losing 3-2 in a nine inning game at 16-0 Brookville, and tying 18-0-1 Northside, 1-1.

Pictured left to right front row:  Lindsey Shotwell, Madison Rhodes, Kay Woods, Sara Huff, Brittany Hyler, Olivia Williamson, Tiffany Broughman back row:  Taylor Locke, Kaitlyn Barger, Taylor Fields, Megan Meadows, Emily Spangler, Abbie Tincher, Kayla Hannah Not pictured: Coaches Kasey Austin and Julie Simmons

This association was formed in 1998 after the Virginia Department of Transportation barricaded the old steel-truss bridge that connected the town to U.S. 220 (now called Botetourt Road). The people resisted the limit thatclosing placed on Eagle Rock’s access to the rest of Botetourt County. Thisnewly organized Eagle Rock Improvement Association joined other residents whose efforts to get the bridge repaired had failed. Forty-two people attended the first meeting in March 1998 and so began The Eagle Rock Improvement Association.

As a result of the community effort through the Eagle Rock Improvement Association, the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors and VDOT worked out a plan to share the cost of erecting a new bridge. After that success, the association members concentrated on a cleanup and beautification drive, hoping the new bridge would encourage people to stop in town. That first year, all the overgrowth at the end of the bridge where now stands the “Welcome to Eagle Rock” sign and the old lime kilns was all cleaned away and in the spring, shrubbery and flowers were planted. A large flower bed was built down on Railroad Avenue to the left of where the old post office use to be. As the Christmas season approached, folks got together and the group made and hung Christmas wreaths on 18 utility poles, using wrought-iron hangers made by a local welder. The same hangers hold the beautiful dragon wing begonias that you see each spring and summer displayed on the poles.

As the years have gone by, more wrought-iron hangers have been added to hang the dragon wing begonias. Christmas wreaths are not hung anymore due largely to the fact that now the association only consists of a few members who are trying to keep it going and they do not have the manpower to put up and remove the Christmas wreaths.

Without the yearly assistance from The Eagle Rock Ruritan Club who take on the task of feeding and watering regularly the begonias and Dave Stull watering/feeding the other areas, the Association would not be able to continue these projects. The flowers add that special little touch to our town that we all look forward to seeing/enjoying each spring up through fall season.

The association has decreased in membership over the years due to some folks moving from the area and an overall lack of interest in helping out with the projects. When the association was more active in past years, the group worked to have activities for the youth, tutoring programs, a newsletter, were instrumental in getting the much needed renovations to the Eagle Rock Community Center, raised money to purchase the “Welcome to Eagle Rock” sign and money for the playground that is located in town for the children to enjoy.

The remaining few association members take great pride in doing the flowers and baskets to beautify our little part of the county. We hope all who pass through our town enjoys them as well.

Submitted by:

Bonnie S. Britt

Member of The Eagle Rock Improvement Association

We told you awhile back that we now have a searchable database of where high school sports stars from the region have gone to play in college. If you missed it, here’s a link to data delivery editor Matt Chittum’s introduction of it.

Here’s the update: He’s now added a roster full of new names, including some from Botetourt County.

You can search the database here.

Athlete or otherwise, if you have an update on a college student from Botetourt County, you can always let us know the good things they’re up to at news@botetourtview.com.

Here are some photos of the Botetourt Sox taking first place in the VA Coventry Commonwealth Games.

Submitted by: Michelle Franklin