Proposed elementary boundaries in the Bermuda District
Mapping Change
Replacements for two aged Chesterfield County public schools will open for the 2018-19 school year, necessitating zoning changes for some families.
The new Beulah Elementary will open in the fall, and the new Enon Elementary will follow in January 2019. The school system will use the new schools to redistrict some other Bermuda District students and alleviate overcrowding in several other elementary schools, including Salem, Elizabeth Scott and Bellwood.
There are 7,000 to 8,000 students in the area, but only 1,500 will be affected by the redistricting, according to the school system. Although the changes are scheduled to go into effect during the 2018-19 school year, there is an exception for Elizabeth Scott Elementary students moving to Enon Elementary. Since Enon will open mid-year, Scott students rezoned to the new school will not be required to move until the start of the 2019-20 school year. Students in other affected schools who will be in fifth grade during the 2018-19 school year are eligible for a waiver, but the school division will not provide transportation.
The school system notes that some neighborhoods may be rezoned to a school farther away from their current zoned school because of an uneven population distribution inthe region.
The Chesterfield County School Board implemented a school construction plan in 2013 to revitalize or replace older facilities. The board declined to take action on a countywide redistricting plan in 2016, making spot redistricting necessary. Learn more about the zoning changes. —Jessica Wetzler
Appomattox River Trail in Colonial Heights (Photo courtesy Colonial Heights Parks and Recreation)
Park Places
Appomattox River greenways get a boost
Two green spaces along the Appomattox River are getting some improvements.
In Hopewell, Riverside Park will have a new look by this summer after completion of a stormwater greenway project. The space near the Hopewell City Marina had long served as a dumping ground for construction debris and trash and had been home to transients.
The project also will seek to mitigate stormwater runoff by reconfiguring a stream that runs through the park so that it will slow water flow to the river during storms.
In Colonial Heights, the public works department is progressing toward completion of its river trail, an 8-foot-wide path for biking, jogging and walking. About 2 miles of trails are already finished, and another phase will begin construction in the fall, a stretch that will run from Boulevard west to Appomattox Park.
“Hopefully it will be completed by the end of the year,” says Aaron Cypher, senior engineering technician for the city.
A trail extension will follow that work, going north from Rosalyn Park to Jennick Drive. —JW
Photo courtesy Launch Trampoline Park
Getting a Jump
A new family-friendly entertainment facility is coming soon to Midlothian. Launch Trampoline Park will feature a 15,000-square-foot play area that includes a primary court, a court for children less than 42 inches tall, a dodgeball court, a basketball slam-dunk area, an arcade, a foam pit and a laser tag arena. It is set to open in the spring at 10901 Hull Street Road in the Victorian Square Shopping Center at Genito Road. Launch is an all-ages attraction and markets itself as a gathering site for parties, family events and fundraisers. —JW
The cover of "Brandermill: The Natural Place to Be" (Image courtesy Mary Miley Theobald)
Brandermill Book
A history of the Brandermill community and its impact on regional development is the subject of the book “Brandermill: The Natural Place to Be.” With extensive photos and text by Richmond author Mary Miley Theobald, the book details how the planned community overcame obstacles and took off in the late 1970s. It was produced by the Brandermill History Project, a committee of the Brandermill Community Association, and was released in December. It is available at local bookstores. —JW
Tech Honors
Carver College & Career Academy has been honored as the best technology education program in the state.
The Chesterfield County Public high school has been recognized as the commonwealth’s top technology education program in its category by the International Technology and Engineering Education Association, according to a release. The award was announced in October, and the school is set to receive the honor at a conference in April.
Principal Kenneth Butta says his school tries to tie learning in with real world applications.
“I think there's a greater focus on how students apply what they’re learning to real life situations,”he says, “They want to do things that matter.”
Carver College is intentionally small (only 300 students), but any Chesterfield County student can apply to attend. The academy was founded four years ago and is located on the old Chesterfield High School campus.
According to Butta, students pick a track, or “academy,” and take four subjects a semester, some of which are paired together. Students take geometry and carpentry at the same time, to learn exactly how the math skills and spatial reasoning can be applied.
Carver College recently opened a student-operated farm on site, which Butta says will be used for learning opportunities. There are plans to put in a fish farm and aquaponics system, to let some students produce jams and jellies, to use some of the food grown in culinary arts classes, and even to use the farm as a teaching opportunity where students can teach younger children how to farm. —Kirby Farineau
