Back Row (left to right): Asst Coach-Jeff Lanning, Andre Nguyen (SW Roanoke Co), Zach Kanode (SW Roanoke Co), Drake Breeden (North Roanoke Co), Alex Brenton (SW Roanoke Co), Matthew Merhoff (SW Roanoke Co), Johnathan Lovelace (Franklin Co), George Funk (SW Roanoke Co), Michael Innacelli (SW Roanoke Co), Coach-Jim Guilliams Front Row (left to right): Chase Zegarski (SW Roanoke Co), Dylan White (Troutville), Jordon Oliver (Botetourt), Ryan Lanning (NE Roanoke Co), Tristin Hughes (Botetourt), Montana Vest (Vinton), Adam Mitchell (Salem)

The Valley AFC U14 Black travel Soccer Team won the 2011 Annual Piedmont Shootout held in Martinsville, VA in Nov 2011 They won all 4 of their tournament games outscoring their opponents 11-3

W3-1 vs RSC Rivercats

W3-1 vs MUFC 98 Navy

Semifinals:

W2-0 vs Halifax Phoenix

Championship game:

W3-1 vs PYSL Hurricanes

Submitted by Kathy Innacelli

David Osborne and Jeff Webb being silly on a fishing trip down the James River.

Submitted by Lora Osborne

Hey it’s Terrific Tuesday again! How’s everything in your neck of the woods?

Remember Karnak the Magnificent? He had the answers before he had questions. I  have an answer to my future.  The answer I have had for years, but didn’t realize it. Thanks, Karnak.

My initials as a child were CAT–Catherine Anne Thomas, and now with the two marriages, my initials would be CATBE which I added phonetically L8 (Late) to describe my famous fifteen minutes  of tardiness. Thus my email for the past 20 years has been CatbeL8@aol.com. Cat be late not cat bell 8.

Ah the affinity I share with a cat. I am  just as likely to wrap myself around you as I am to be aloof. Part of my nature and of kitty’s. I am a cat woman, but not like Halle Berry.  I attract felines like a magnet and have well documented it over my journalistic cat past in this column online and in Roadside Ramblings at the Herald prior to my employment at the Botetourt View.

If I were a cat I am sure I would be a furry Maine Coon or buxom Persian. No slinky cat am I.

On Sunday after church,  my daughter and I traveled to the Star City Cat Show. Oh, meow.  Darling pampered kitties of may different  breeds. Long hairs, short hairs, little hair at all. Fat cats, skinny cats and in between cats.  Kitty crates of every description. Little soft blanket beds. Cat beauty products, ruff’s around the neck.  Owners who were … hmmmm, eccentric in every sense of the word. Some friendly and others, well, they spit and spat like the pampered puddy in their possession.  When one little kitty was announced to return to the ring, her owner not only combed the Persian, she used the very same steel comb on her own hair. Har, Har.

Then it hit me. What will I be when I grow up??? Karnak gave me the answer Sunday afternoon.

I want to be a Cat Show Judge.

Ahhhh the fun of it. Gathering up pampered cats of every species and carrying a little stick with a feather toy to animate Gato. Le Chat tres jolie. Fancy pants cats of all description. One judge featured in my photos picked up a giant orange Maine Coon cat like he was a  party special submarine sammich from Subway. Kitty just flopped over. Another, an Egyptian Mau, howled his fool head off, spit and spat, but never scratched or bit. Ah the heaven of Kittydom. The magic of the show cat and the cat show judge.

I left the Star City Cat Show with air under my feet, inspired to lift cats skyward.

After arriving home, I decided to show the hubby my new goal.

Lifting Miss Kitty as she growled and spit, I discovered she is just too fat to hold like a submarine sammich– she is Gata Gordita. When I tried to adjust her, she bit and scratched me.  I have the details on my left arm and on the left side of my neck. She has been ticked off at me ever since. This morning she boxed my legs as I walked down the steps. Sigh. She is not a show cat.

So I am going to search the Internet for Cat Show Judge Training. I am not going to give up. I lifted Fiesty Cat skyward this morning. He neither bit nor scratched but he did yowl.  He was really hungry and willing up to put up with more to eat his Kitty Krunchies. So I must be improving.  I also learn quickly. “Don’t feed the cat before you lift it skyward and it will cooperate more.”  See that is why I made Phi Kappa Phi  in college.

I can see the dazzling lights of Vegas and the Gamblers Cat Show, Madison Square Gardens and the  Yankee Cat Show, Atlanta and the Gone With the Wind Cat Show, Dallas and the Cowboy Cat Show or Los Angeles and the Hollywood Cat Show. Oh the places I will go. You never get too old to dream. Cathy Benson, Certified Cat Show Judge. Has a nice ring to it. Now onward and sky lift upward. Tres Meow!

See ya next week.

Statewide Buckle Up, Drive Sober Campaign Kicks Off at Virginia High Schools. James River High School was listed among the participating schools.

(Roanoke, VA)Thirty-three Virginia high schools will kick off a teen safe driving campaign this week to increase awareness about seat belt use and the state’s Zero Tolerance Law prohibiting alcohol use for minors. The three-week campaign, called “Buckle Up, Drive Sober” is designed to help teens develop life-long save driving habits. It is sponsored by Youth of Virginia Speak Out About Traffic Safety (YOVASO) and the Virginia State Police Association (VSPA).

During the three-week campaign, student groupsat each participating schoolwill develop a creative project that educates teens in their school about buckling up and driving alcohol and drug-free. The student groups will also be sponsoring a variety of awareness activities and encouraging their peers to sign a pledge promising to “Buckle Up and Drive Sober.” The theme for this year’s campaign is “Have a Heart, Drive Smart.” A list of participating schools is attached.

“This creative campaign encourages teens to develop a fun and unique project on seat belt use and impaired driving that will target the students at their school,” explained Mary King, YOVASO Program Administrator. “We want teens to take the lead and come up with messages that are teen-friendly and capture the attention of the student body.”

According to Virginia statistics, teens between the ages of 16 and 20 are less likely to buckle up when riding in a motor vehicle than other age groups. In 2010, 61% of the teens killed in crashes in Virginia were not wearing a safety belt. King said over 800 unrestrained teens have died on Virginia roads since 2000. In addition, 29% of the fatal teen crashesin 2010 involved alcohol. A total of 427 teens have died in alcohol-related crashes in Virginia since 2000, King said.

“If we can convince teens to buckle up and obey the state’s Zero Tolerance Law, we can save many young lives,” said King. “By giving teen’s a leadership role in developing the messages and the programs, we believe the campaign will have a much greater impact.”

The “Buckle Up, Drive Sober” Campaign will end on February 17. Campaign winners in the large school and small school divisions will be announced on February 24.The grand prize winner will be determined by the top finishing school with the highest seat belt usage during a survey conducted by an independent law enforcement agency and YOVASO staff.

For more information about the “Buckle Up, Drive Sober” Campaign or the YOVASO Program, call Mary King, Program Administrator, or Morgan McCarty, Program Development Coordinator at (540) 345-0003 or visit the website atwww.yovaso.net. YOVASO was formed in 2001 by the Virginia Highway Safety Office and membership is open to all Virginia high schools and middle schools. YOVASO currently has over 100 member schools.

It’s that time of year again……Project Forum at the Roanoke Valley Governor’s School and James River was well represented among the award winners! Here are the results.

Category Award Winners

#9 —– 2nd Place Animal Science: Lauren Clements (12th grade)

Project: The Effect of Vitamin B12 on Transgenerational Epigenetics of Daphnia melanogaster

#1107 —- 2nd Place Environmental Sciences A: Kaleb Cahoon (12th grade)

Project: The Effect of Multiple Water Quality Indicators on Macroinvertebrate Populations

#1707 —- 1st Place Plant Sciences A: Gabriel Gibson (10th grade)

Project: The Effect of Over-the-Counter Drugs on the Growth of Chlorella

Special Awards/Honorable Mention

#409 —- Outstanding Poster Display in Computer Science/Mathematics: Emma Clements (10th grade)

Project: The Effect of Population Density on Gasoline Prices

#1803 —- Outstanding Teamwork in Plant Sciences B: Sam Baker (10th grade)

Project: The Effect of Caffeine and Water-Based Paint on Bean Plants

#2006 —- Outstanding Prototype in Product Design Engineering: Joey Kane (11th grade)

Project: The Breaker Buddy

–submitted by JRHS

RMMS announcements for First week of February.

RMMS Rising 6th Grade Parent Meeting is  Thursday Feb. 2

Just a reminder to all rising 6th grade students and parents —-

We will have our Orientation Night on Thursday, February 2nd, 2012. The meeting will be in the RMMS Cafeteria and will start at 7:00 pm. There will be a general information session and time to mingle with our 6th grade staff members.

High School Reminder -

Just a quick reminder that Lord Botetourt HS is having their Rising 9th Grade Registration Meeting on Monday, February 6th. This meeting begins at 7:00pm and will be held in the high school auditorium and cafeteria.

Topics will include high school expectations, parent/student involvement, graduation requirements, academic and elective courses, and athletic eligibility.

We hope you are able to attend. Thank you!

Middle School  Reminders -  Upcoming Sports Meeting

RMMS Parents,

There will be a mandatory meeting for all parents and athletes who are planning on trying out for a spring sport on February 7th at 7:00 pm. If you attended the meeting for the beginning of winter sports you will not need to attend. If you attend the meeting in the fall that was on concussions you will need to attend again to hear about the drug testing and sign that you know that your child could possible be tested in the spring. No athlete will be allowed to tryout without this form signed.

Thanks for your continued support of our athletic programs!

–submitted by  Principal Mike Tetreault

Penquins appear in ERL activities this month!

February Events at Eagle Rock Library

2 Thurs. Movie of the Month: Mr. Popper’s Penguins.  Hey kids! Join us after school for a free showing of Mr. Popper’s Penguins: Chill out with the funniest family comedy of the year! Jim Carrey stars as Tom Popper, a successful businessman who’s clueless when it comes to the really important things in life…until he inherits six “adorable” penguins, each with its own unique personality. Soon Tom’s rambunctious roommates turn his swank New York apartment into a snowy winter wonderland — and the rest of his world upside-down. Adapted from the award-winning classic children’s book, Mr. Popper’s Penguins is a cool blast of fun for all ages! (Rated PG/94 minutes long). Free popcorn and bottled water will be provided.  2:45pm.

3 Fri.  Craft Time: Sledding Marshmallow Snowmen. Hey kids! We haven’t had a lot of snow this winter, but you can still make a cool little snowman if you join us for this fun craft time. Sign up at the front desk or call the library at 540-884-3880.  2:45pm.

 7 Tues. Storytime: Those Fun Penguins. Come hear stories all about those cute, curious creatures – penguins!. After our stories, we’ll make a fun penguin craft. Sign up at the front desk or call the library at 540-884-3880. 10:30am.

10 Fri.  Craft Time: Heart Animals.  Hey kids! It’s almost Valentine’s Day. Join us and make a cute heart animal craft to give away to someone special in your life. Sign up at the front desk or call the library at 540-884-3880.  2:45pm.

 13 Mon.  Friends of the Eagle Rock Library Monthly Meeting. Join the Friends Group and learn how you can help raise funds to support library programming and other special projects. 6:00pm.

 14 Tues. Storytime: Valentine’s Day. For this storytime, we’ll read stories all about Valentine’s Day, followed by a sparkly Valentine’s craft to take home. Sign up at the front desk or call the library at 540-884-3880. 10:30am

17 Fri.  Craft Time: Q-Tip Pointillism Paintings.  Hey kids! Join us and make cool paintings using little dots of colors. Sign up at the front desk or call the library at 540-884-3880.  2:45pm.

 20 Fri. Closed in observance of Presidents Day.

 21 Tues. Storytime: Wizards. Join us for this most magical storytime, where we’ll read all about wizards! For the craft, we’ll make our own magic wizard hat to take home. 10:30am.

23 Thurs.  Book Club. Join us as we discuss Mary Shelley’s classic Frankenstein (copies are available at the front desk). We will also hand out our March selection. Delicious refreshments will be provided and new members are always welcome! 10:30am.

 24 Fri.  Craft Time: String Art.  Hey kids! Join us and make cool art using colorful threads of string. Sign up at the front desk or call the library at 540-884-3880.  2:45pm.

 28 Tues. Storytime: A Trip to Hawaii. During this storytime, we’ll say goodbye to dreary winter and take an imaginary trip to the warm and sunny islands of Hawaii! Sign up at the front desk or call the library at 540-884-3880. 10:30am.

Need a GED? No better time than now.

ABE makes a difference.

Botetourt County Public School’s Adult Basic Education Program is making a difference in the lives of many county residents. Just since late August, twelve graduates have received their high school grade equivalency diploma. In attempting outreach to publicize the program, however, it is the encouraging words of these students that best communicate what the program offers.

Russ Bradway of Fincastle started attending the free GED preparatory classes in late August and was ready to take the test in early November, passing all sections on his first try. The day his instructor text messaged him the results, Russ immediately returned to his hiring agency asking for a better job. He had been earning $8 an hour transporting parts for Advance Auto. Besides earning his diploma, another goal for him was to find better employment with better pay. Within fifteen minutes, he received a call from Altec telling him they wanted him to start that upcoming Monday.

“The piece of paper got me in the door! I wasn’t stupid but I didn’t have the piece of paper…I have finally done what I should have done 10 years ago and what a fool I’ve been,” he commented. Russ was hardly a fool; he scored high on his pre-assessment which indicated the specific skills he needed to review in order to pass the GED exam. Along with his energy and drive, this made his goal attainable in a short period of time.

Russ stated that his salary had tripled since earning his GED and he loves working for a company that has trained him and earned his respect by making the diploma a requirement for employment. When asked what advice he would give others without their high school diploma he stated, “Education, Education, Education…is the key. Get the piece of paper to get a good job!”

Carolyn Bayne, age 49, started classed at the Botetourt Technical Education Center in May of 2011. With a demanding job and caring for her mother, attending class became irregular and made the process slow. “It was not quite as hard as I expected,” Carolyn stated when asked about the difficulty of the subject matter covered in class. “It was good to refresh my brain.”

With the difficulty of attending classes though, she was able to take work home earning some distance learning hours. At the time she had been making a living driving a truck for Chemsolve but then lost her job. This allowed her to return to class more regularly in October and by mid December 2011 tested, passing all sections of the test. She is now employed by Eagle Transport and was congratulated by her terminal manager on her success. Carolyn was concerned over another student who was retesting a section that same day in December. “A lot of people get disheartened with it (GED testing), but they just need to keep a positive attitude no matter what is going on. Just keep going…tell her (other student) I wish her good luck.” Carolyn plans to take classes later on in crime scene investigation. Another recent graduate, Debra Carlson, found the county’s GED preparatory classes through a literacy link and joined day classes at Greenfield Education Technical Center in October 2011. She quit school in the eleventh grade and for 36 years has regretted that decision.

“I had to spend my entire life dodging jobs that I knew would check my educational background. It became a humiliating experience,” Debra said. She stated that attending class at first was terrifying because she felt so ashamed, but her instructor changed those feelings immediately.

In December, Debra wanted to try the test. She passed all sections except math. “I was so upset because I knew math was my weakness and I wanted this to be over, but my teacher reassured me without hesitation, that I could move forward and pass the math as well.” Debra continued classes, received one-on-one tutoring, and attempted the math test a second time. She did not give up and on January 19, she passed the math on her third try by improving her score 150 points.

“I had to search deep down within to understand why I was not passing when I had been given so many tools and knowledge from my teachers. I realized I had to take a deep breath, relax, and truly believe in myself.” Passing the math section and receiving the GED brought more to Debra than just a paycheck. “This was a whole new beginning for me. I finally feel like I belong and am complete. I want to take on the work place now with honor.”

She plans to go on and get a degree in Business Management with hopes of becoming a Human Resource Director. She is thankful to her husband and family’s support and encourages anyone out there trying to get his/her GED to “never give up.”

There have been many success stories according to Botetourt’s Adult Basic Education instructors. Some eighteen year olds with their whole lives before them are now equipped to take their lives in a completely different direction because of the high school equivalency diploma. Some young mothers and fathers are deciding that in order to raise their children, they need that diploma not only to better their lives, but their children’s lives as well. Some older adults are finding that going “back to school” can be easier than they thought. The reasons for pursuing the GED vary, but the results are the same. These individuals are given a second chance and have made the decision to improve their circumstances with education.

Those interested in working toward a high school equivalency certificate through Botetourt County are invited to register any time before May for the current session. Classes and materials are free and the test is offered monthly in Roanoke for a fee of $58. Instructors will prepare students with the needed skills and help register them for the test. Daytime classes are held at Greenfield Education Technical Center in Daleville on Wednesday and Thursday mornings 9:00 – 11:30 am and night classes are held at Botetourt EducationTechnical Center on Tuesday and Thursday evenings 6:00 – 8:30 pm. In 2013 – 2014, Virginia’s State Department of Education will be converting the GED test format to computerized testing. Currently, the format is still pencil and paper and is compiled of Science, Social Studies, Math Computation, Math Application, Reading, English and a Writing Essay. Contact Botetourt County Public Schools at 540-473-8216 for more information or visit the website http://ged.bcps.k12.va.us

–Lisa Barnett

Rev. Marina Gopadze of Buchanan Presbyterian will speak at the Lenten Lunch on March 7 at Fincastle United Methodist Church.

Save the date Feb 29, for the annual Lenten Lunches at Fincastle United Methodist Church. Held every Wednesday at noon,  Lenten Lunches  are sponsored by the Senior Adult Ministry and feature a  spiritual message from area clergy and a lunch. The event is  scheduled so  guests may leave work and get back in the typical lunch hour. The service begins at 12:05 and lunch is served at 12:30 Donations to help defray lunch costs are gratefully accepted.

Location:  FUMC Family Life Center at 137 Church Street, Fincastle VA

When: Wednesdays at noon Feb. 29 through March 25

Here is the schedule for 2012:

February 29 The Rev. David Rochford

St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, Daleville

Lunch Menu: Chili Beans, Corn Bread, Baked Potatoes, Salad, Dessert

March 7 The Rev. Marina Gopadze

Buchanan Presbyterian Church, Buchanan

Menu: Sub Sandwiches, Macaroni Salad, Chips, Dessert

March 14 The Rev. Stephen Stanley

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Fincastle

Menu: Ham Biscuits, Potato Soup,Assorted Salads, Dessert

March 21 The Rev. Cecie Haxton

Wheatland Lutheran Church, Fincastle

Menu: Ham and Chicken Salad Croissants,Waldorf Salad, Chips, Dessert

March 28 The Rev. Steve Hundley

Roanoke UMC District Superintendent

Menu: Vegetable Beef Soup, Corn and Sausage Chowder, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Fruit, Dessert

Parking is available on the street, at the Masonic Lodge and in the parking lot beyond the lodge.  Handicapped spaces will be found at the rear of the Family Life Center. Questions? Call the Church office 473-3001.

–Submitted by FUMC Senior Adult Ministries

To be eligible for the Dean’s List, a student must maintain a 3.4 grade point average for the semester and carry at least 15 hours of course work or be in a professional teaching block.

Located in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle, Shepherd University is public liberal arts university. Shepherd is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association.

Congrats, Troy Walker McNeill!

Submitted by Kathryn Young