What’s New Out West

Cooperative education in Glen Allen, a state-of-the-art pet shelter in Goochland and a principal honored in Short Pump

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Building Community

Sweat equity pays at a new Glen Allen school

A nonprofit community Montessori program in Glen Allen is gearing up for its second school year.

The school, Glen Allen Community Montessori, is a cooperative, in which parents volunteer and take on responsibilities that in other private schools would be handled by paid staff, according to the school’s board president, Brie Stevenson. GACM seeks to provide a high-quality Montessori education at a price tag that’s attainable for families with a modest income. 

The school has a volunteer program that provides deductions in tuition based on how much time parents spend working and supporting the school. They may provide one to 10 hours a month, in activities from fundraising to field trips, or “any way that you can provide yourself, your talent and heart to the community,” says Stevenson.

There are 23 children enrolled, ages 3 to 9, and for now space limitations will cap enrollment at that level for the next school year, which begins in September. The school grew out of the closing of Virginia Community Montessori in March 2018. GACM is housed in the Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Glen Allen, though it is not affiliated with the church.

Enrollment is ongoing throughout the year, with acceptance on a rolling basis. There is a short waiting list.

“We’ve seen some amazing rallying around our mission,” says Stevenson. “We’re all just one big family. We’re all so grateful for one another.” 

The ‘Dog Mahal’

A Goochland pet rescue group constructs a new animal rescue and adoption center

Goochland Pet Lovers raised $1.65 million in a capital campaign that started two and a half years ago to construct a state-of-the-art animal rescue and adoption center. The “Dog Mahal,” as Wayne Dementi, president of the nonprofit, describes it, is about 80 percent complete and is expected to open in August. The facility will also include a spay and neuter clinic and trails, too.

“We’re real excited about it,” he says.

The county took in 475 animals last year and adopted out 170 from its existing facility, according to Tim Clough, Goochland’s animal protection director. The new facility will open with current operating hours, though those may expand as needed, he says.

Dementi says he was not surprised by the community’s support for the project, because Goochland is a caring community. “Folks really have rallied around it,” he says.

Children’s Hour

In West Broad Village shopping center, 10 a.m. on second Saturdays is reserved for children and their parents. That’s the time for sessions of The Kids’ Club, with family-centered activities staged at various West Broad Village retailers for children ages 3 to 12. The inaugural event was in April, and the next session is at 10 a.m. on June 8. Activities are free, but space is limited to 50 per event. See westbroadvillage.com/events for information, or Eventbrite for reservations. 

Granted

An education leadership grant will enrich reading, health and physical education programs at Pocahontas Middle School in Short Pump. The school principal, Kim Sigler is a recipient of the R.E.B. (Ruth and Esther Bunzi) Award for Distinguished Education Leadership, presented by the Community Foundation and the R.E.B. Foundation, according to a Henrico Public Schools release. The award includes $7,500 for school projects and a similar sum for the principal’s professional development. Sigler is a 20-year veteran of Henrico schools and has served as principal at Pocahontas since 2009.