Glenvar held its prom Saturday and our paparazzi photo crew was there. Here’s the gallery of those who stepped onto the red carpet.

Got photos from Glenvar’s prom? You can share at news@sosalem.com or use the “share” tool to upload 10 at a time.

Tim Skelton shares photos from Glenvar Youth Boosters’ opening day, Saturday, April 28. His son, catcher #9 Jake Skelton plays on the Minor League Glenvar Reds. Their team played Craig County that day.

We have more photos from opening day here.

You can share yours by emailing them as attachments to news@sosalem.com or using our “SHARE” tool to upload 10 at a time.

From left: Carolyn Marciniec, Sapphire Reyes, Madison Williams, Christina Knapp, Ryan Embry, Courtney Haga, Brandon Puffy, Allison Jones, Blake Paitsel, Kim Eaton, Amelia Morgan, Sara Looney, Mary Wise, and Roena Barbre

The Glenvar High School Family and Consumer Science class is walking in the Roanoke Valley March for Babies this Sunday, May 6 at the Salem Civic Center. Registration begins at 1 p.m. The 5K race begins at 2 p.m., and the march begins at 2:15.

Around 30 students are signed up to participate lots from Roena Barbre’s class along with others throughout the school. They’ve come up with a variety of ways to raise money, including milk cartons and through online donations.

As of April 18, they’d raised over $300.

To donate to their effort, contact Barbre at 387-6536 or email her at rbarbre@rcs.k12.va.us

For more info on the walk or to donate funds through the website, visit marchforbabies.org or marchofdimes.com/virginia

-Miranda Beck

The “Something for Everyone Fundraiser” raised $2914 for AJ Leffler on Saturday, April 28.

From Dorene Fick, who is managing the AJ’s Army Facebook page, tells us: “AJ’s Army commends and graciously thanks the Salem Community, local merchants and the many volunteers/bakers who joined forces to make the event a success. Patsy, Jim and AJ were there to witness the hard work of so many as the battle continues to help them with love, prayers, emotional and financial support!!

“Special thanks to Scooter and ReMax for the use of the facility.

“Next battle…Pancake Breakfast at ALMS on Saturday, May 19 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. $5 per person or $20 per family and the city of Salem bus drivers are selling tickets, too.”

Also over the weekend, there was a pool tournament  that raised over $4,000, and Fick tells us that AllSports Cafe in Salem dedicated karaoke night to AJ, the city of Salem bus drivers did a big lunch to benefit AJ on Friday, and possibly more!

-Miranda Beck

The Lady Wolverines defeated Read Mountain Middle School 4-0 on Thursday, April 26.

Todd Clingenpeel shares these photos.

Here’s a link to the ones he shared of the Glenvar Middle School game.

We also have photos of Glenvar Middle vs. Andrew Lewis boys soccer from last week, courtesy of Matthew George.

Justina Meade shares these photos and says:

“The AJ Leffler Pool Tournament was a great success… 28 participants! And we raised $4050.”

Winners were
1st: Dan Chambers
2nd: Chris Caldwell
3rd: Starr McClure

It was held April 28 at Breaktime Billiards on Plantation Road in Roanoke.

“AJ’s Army,” a group associated with Andrew Lewis Middle School, held a “Something for Everyone” fundraiser on the same day. We’ve got reports they raised over $2,000 for AJ so far and hope to post an update with photos soon.

-Miranda Beck

Here’s a link to a post about AJ’s Army that can tell you a little more about his story and about some possible upcoming events.

Ed Robtison shares these photos from the Ernest “Pig” Robertson Fishing Rodeo April 28. It was open to kids ages 3 to 8. His daughter, Zoe Robtison, won the tournament, he said.

Next Saturday, May 5, the tournament is open to kids ages 9 to 12.

We have some photos from Hank Ebert, too. Click here to see ‘em.

If you have photos to share, please do! Email news@sosalem.com or use our handy “SHARE” tool.

Photo Eric Brady | The Roanoke Times

Equip teenage boys with machetes, lopper shears, bow saws and steel rakes, then channel their energy and watch as unruly stands of brush that are thorny, deep and thick bite the dust.

On occasion a loud “Whoop!” accompanies the felling.

Outfit a swarm of teenage girls with brushes, rollers, scrapers and ladders, and in short order a house and its trim gleam with new paint.

Add the spreading of mulch. Add gutters and downspouts donated and installed by a Salem company. Add other aesthetic touches and a 75-year-old homeowner is moved to the edge of tears.

“I don’t deserve this,” said Ralph Thomas, who has lived in his three-bedroom ranch house in the 600 block of Chamberlain Lane in Salem for nearly 40 years.

To read the rest of the story by Roanoke Times reporter Duncan Adams from Sunday’s paper, click here.

Roanoke College held their Relay for Life Friday, April 20. Each year, the money that the Roanoke College relay raises goes toward the City of Salem’s per capita total – together with the city’s June event they raised over $200,000 last year. Salem was first place regionally, third place nationally in the 25,000 and under population bracket for money raised per capita for the National Cancer Society.

Spokeswoman Teresa Gereaux shares these photos.

Roanoke College’s Center for Religion and Society will be renamed the Robert D. Benne Center for Religion and Society in honor of the leading theologian, scholar and professor who directed the center since its founding in 1982. Benne, a prominent figure in Lutheran ethics and social thought, has authored over 200 articles and ten books, most dealing with Christianity and society. At Roanoke, Benne was the Jordan-Trexler Professor of Religion and chairman of the department of religion and philosophy for 18 years.

Dr. James Peterson, the Charles and Helen Schumann Professor of Christian Ethics, is the new director of the Robert D. Benne Center for Religion and Society. Peterson joined Roanoke College in 2011.

The Benne Center for Religion and Society sponsors speakers and programs to bring Christian religious and moral perspectives to contemporary challenges. It carries out the conviction that the most important human decisions, both public and private, benefit from informative dialogue across the disciplines.
Peterson is an ordained minister who has been a research fellow in molecular and clinical genetics. His most recent book, Changing Human Nature (Eerdmans 2010), examines the ethics of genetic intervention. Peterson has lectured at universities including the University of British Columbia, Harvard and Oxford. Peterson is also the President of the Canadian Scientific and Christian Affiliation and the editor of Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith – the 60 year academic journal of the American Scientific Affiliation.

Benne has taught, written, and lectured widely in the area of religion and society. His books include: Wandering in the Wilderness – Christians and the New Culture (1971); Defining America – A Christian Critique of the American Dream (1974); The Ethic of Democratic Capitalism – A Moral Reassessment (1982); Ordinary Saints – An Introduction to the Christian Life (1988 and revised second edition in 2003); The Paradoxical Vision – A Public Theology for the Twenty-first Century (1995); Seeing is Believing – Visions of Life Through Film (1998); Why Bother? A Whole Vision for a Whole People (1999); Quality with Soul – How Six Premier Colleges and Universities Keep the Faith with Their Religious Traditions (2001), and Reasonable Ethics – A Christian Approach to Society, Economics, and Politics (2005), and Good and Bad Ways to Think about Religion and Politics (2010), which was reviewed in the spring of 2011 by The Weekly Standard.

In January of 2009 a Festschrift (celebratory volume) in honor of Benne’s 70th birthday was published by Eerdmans. Entitled A Report from the Front Lines-Conversations on Public Theology, it was edited by Michael Shahan. It includes contributions by thirteen distinguished scholars who cover the themes that have interested Benne for many years.

Submitted by Roanoke College