DATE: Monday, April 21, 1997                TAG: 9704210094

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B2   EDITION: FINAL 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:  105 lines

HAMPTON ROADS [BRIEFS]

Barbecue fund-raiser set for May 18 for coach's scholarship

Friends and family of the late Jim Cook, a former football coach and shop teacher at Virginia Beach Junior High School, have started a college scholarship fund in his name.

A barbecue will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. on May 18 at the Officer's Club at Oceana Naval Air Station to raise money for what they hope will be an annual stipend. Admission is $15.

A $500 scholarship will be given each year to a college-bound Virginia Beach high school senior, selected by a three-member board, said James H. Capps, one of the organizers of the fund.

Cook died March 15, 1996. He had been a faculty member at the school for 33 years, but maintained contact with the school staff and students during his retirement.

The fund is being administered by the Virginia Beach Foundation, a nonprofit organization that backs civic and charitable causes in the city. So far former faculty members and students have contributed $4,000 to the fund, said Capps.

Barbecue tickets may be obtained by calling 428-1821 or 437-4892.

PORTSMOUTH

Rumors about Norcom H.S.

``hogwash,'' official says

Superintendent Richard D. Trumble took a few minutes during a School Board meeting last week to address rumors going around town about the new I.C. Norcom High School, scheduled to open this fall.

Most of the rumors have centered on an alleged central office plan to re-zone Norcom's current students to attend other city high schools - instead of moving them to the new school.

There also have been rumors that Norcom Principal Walter Taylor Jr. will be ousted as principal once the new school opens.

It's all ``hogwash,'' Trumble said, and ``mean-spirited'' to boot.

None of it is true, he said.

But Trumble did explain steps that will be taken if the school is not ready to open by the beginning of next school year because of construction delays.

If that's the case, he said, the district will make the move whenever the architect says everything's OK.

CHESAPEAKE

30 art students awarded

grants to further education

Thirty students from Chesapeake middle and high schools have been awarded arts education grants from the Chesapeake Fine Arts Commission, ranging from $150 to $275.

The grant money, provided by the Chesapeake City Council and the Virginia Commission for the Arts, is intended to advance the students' arts education.

Winners will use the funds to enter art competitions, attend band camps, take private lessons or any other project to further the individual's arts training and expertise.

More than 90 students auditioned last winter.

Andrew Sobel and Michelle Wong took the highest awards of $275 each in the instrumental music category. Noel Diehl received $250 in the visual arts category; and Hannah Flauaus and Shawn Cavanaugh each received $250 in the arts performance category.

In the bands/strings/piano category, Timothy Briggs, V.J. Macasoet, Vivian St. George and Chris Sawyer received $200; Kristy Sajko, Josh Kalickna, David Robbins, Christopher Clark, Ashley Hallmark and Jonathan Briggs received $175; Irene St. George, Ju-En Thlick, Rachel Turner, Kris Kuykendall, Demetri Wooling, Mark Balagtas, Bernard Molina, Viva Miller and Brandon Fish received $150.

In the visual arts category, Justin Faunce received $175; and Sara Brinn, Daniell Gwin and Meredith Urben received $150.

In the drama/dance/voice category, Shannon Listol received $175; and Amy Hannigan received $150.

Bone marrow tissue tests

Thursday at auto dealership

Tissue-typing tests will be conducted at 7 p.m. Thursday at Riddle Accura/Subaru, 1701 S. Military Highway, to find a potential donor for 14-month-old Eric Alexander, who needs a bone marrow transplant as treatment for acute myeloid leukemia.

The boy's grandmother, Gwen Woods, is an employee of the dealership.

Two small vials of blood will be drawn from each volunteer. The blood will be typed and entered into a national registry. If a match is found for Eric or anyone else on the list, the donor will be notified.

Employees of the business will conduct a bake sale while the bone-marrow typing is going on. The funds will be used to help pay for the tests, which cost $20 per donor.

COMING UP

TODAY

Portsmouth - The Portsmouth City Council will meet at 5 p.m. today for a public work session on the operating and capital budgets. The meeting will be held in the City Council Chamber in Portsmouth City Hall and is open to the public. For more information, call Ken Wheeler at 393-8432.

TUESDAY

Chesapeake - The Norfolk County Historical Society will meet at 7 p.m. at the Central Library, 298 Cedar Road. Elizabeth Hanbury, past president of the society, will present a proposal for a historical marker honoring the graves of the poor buried on the site of the current civic center, the former home of the poor house. MEMO: Staff writers Vanee Vines, Debbie Markham and Eric Feber

contributed to this report.

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