DATE: Friday, April 25, 1997                TAG: 9704240573

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: EDUCATION 

                                            LENGTH:   71 lines

BULLETIN BOARD

VIRGINIA BEACH

Nearly 43 years after its original opening, and 20 months since a devastating fire, Princess Anne High School is being rededicated. Ceremonies will be at 2 p.m. May 4.

The key speaker at the event will be Skip Wilkins, a 1967 graduate of Princess Anne who became a quadriplegic in an accident three days after graduation. Today he is a nationally known motivational speaker and sportsman who still resides in Virginia Beach.

Wilkins said his comments will include a comparison of his comeback from tragedy and the school's rise from the ashes. Also offering remarks will be City Councilman Louis Jones, School Superintendent Tim Jenney, and Principal Patricia Griffin.

The ceremonies will conclude around 3 p.m. with refreshments and an open house. NJROTC students and guidance counselors will provide access to the restored areas of the school and answer questions.

The event signals the completion of an inspired rebuilding project that drew the community together, raising more than $100,000 in the process. The arson that destroyed much of the school shortly before the opening of the 1995-96 school year has never been solved.

From the time of the fire until last December, some of the school's students met at a temporary facility in Celebration Station, a former shopping mall. Students and faculty returned to the school in January while workers continued making repairs, which were only recently completed.

- Mark Young

NORFOLK

Pre-registration will be held in May for children entering Norfolk Public Schools pre-kindergarten or kindergarten classes in the fall of 1997.

In order to qualify for pre-kindergarten classes, students must be 4 years old by Sept. 30, 1997. The schools that have the classes include: the Berkley/Campostella Early Childhood Center and Early Childhood Center at Stuart, Bowling Park, Campostella, Chesterfield, Jacox, Lindenwood, Oakwood, Oceanair, Roberts Park, St. Helena, Tidewater Park and Young Park Elementary schools.

All elementary schools offer kindergarten classes, and students must be 5 years old by Sept. 30, 1997, to attend classes.

Parents should contact the school in their attendance area for specific dates, times for pre-registration and documents needed for registration.

The Parent Advocates for Gifted Youth will meet in the auditorium of Stuart Center at 7 p.m. May 5. Stuart Center is located at 446 Virginia Ave.

Deborah Holland, senior coordinator for Gifted Education Services for the district, will discuss the services for high-end learners in the middle schools.

For more information, call 441-2638.

SUFFOLK

The Suffolk Public Schools are accepting applications for children of normal development to participate in an integrated preschool program with children ages 2 to 5 with developmental delays in cognitive, motor, communication or perceptual skills. The program will enable children with and without disabilities to play and learn together at Kilby Shores, Mount Zion, Northern Shores and Florence Bowser elementary schools.

Students will follow the 1997-98 school calendar, arriving between 8 and 9 a.m. and leaving between 1:30 and 4 p.m. Children without disabilities must be 2 years old by Sept. 3 to be considered. There will be no tuition charged, but families must provide transportation. Applications are available at the schools and at the School Board office, and are due at the School Board office by 4 p.m. on April 30.

For more information, call Brenda Cox, coordinator of special education, at 925-5500, or the school psychologist at one of the listed schools.

- Matthew Bowers

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu