School Board Proposes To Close Clark Springs Elementary

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From WTVR news:

The Richmond School Board has been considering closing two schools, as part of recent budget cuts.
Tonight, in a special meeting, board members put forth a proposal to close Clark Springs Elementary School and the Adult Career Development Center.
The plan calls for students from Clark Springs to be moved to John B. Cary elementary school.
A public hearing will be held at a later date.

From a neighbor:

I see that the School Board has decided to close Clark Springs Elementary School. This is the school near to Oregon Hill where we voted last election. Any thoughts on how this could affect our neighborhood? They still must have a public hearing. Could this cause a chilling factor on families with children moving to the neighborhood?

Peace Essay Contest Deadline for Entries is April 22

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From email announcement:

The deadline for entering the Richmond Peace Education Center’s 2013 Peace Essay contest is April 22, 2013. The theme for this year’s contest is “Learning to live in peace.” The writing prompt asks students to think and write about the roles their families or other care-givers play in teaching them about peace. They are further asked to write about how this teaching affects their actions in the community and the world; and to support their ideas with examples from their personal lives and from history and current events.

The contest is open to any elementary, middle, or high school student in Virginia. It offers a top prize of $100 in each of four grade divisions: K-3, 4-5, middle, and high school. Seven additional cash prizes are also awarded in each division.

Entry forms, along with contest rules and a conplete description of the writing prompt are available at www.rpec.org, or by emailing rpec@rpec.org.

‘Les Mis’

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“Les Misérables” runs March 26-31 at the Landmark Theater.

Style magazine featured an interview with actor Andrew Varela this past week. An excerpt:

Based on Victor Hugo’s novel of the same name, the popular musical follows the lives of the proletariat in post-Napoleonic France. Weaving through uprisings, tuberculosis and poverty, Claude-Michel Schönberg’s emotive and melodious score has entertained American audiences since it first crossed the pond in 1987. The show comes to the Landmark Theater next week.

Though audiences may be familiar with the show through last year’s film adaptation, Varela says there’s nothing like seeing the musical as it was meant to be performed. And for those familiar with the stage version, this production is quite different from the original ’87 staging.

“We had a meeting with Cameron [Mackintosh, the musical’s producer] about doing the show in a much more modern way,” director Laurence Connor says. “I think the original production was quite an eclectic sort of production. It was very theatrical, and it was quite romantic in many ways. We took a slightly more realistic approach. [It’s] a bit grittier in places.”

This production eschews the minimalist sets and features new costumes and orchestrations. It also does away with the show’s signature rotating stage, a revolutionary set piece in all senses of the word in 1987. Instead, today’s musical uses high-definition projectors and plays off some of Hugo’s illustrations.

“It is every bit as powerful musically as the original,” Connor says, “it’s just a different way of telling the story.”

KaBOOM! Playground Effort for William Byrd Community House

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William Byrd Community House is applying for a project from the non-profit KaBOOM! and are asking for residents to stop in and sign their petition (WBCH will have a copy at their front desk for people to sign). If WBCH is approved, there will be a design day around the beginning of April.

The local community is invited to participate. There will be a one hour youth session where children are encouraged to design the playground of their dreams. Then a 2-3 hour adult session. They are requesting about 15 parents or other non-staff community members to be involved. They will also be asking for volunteers for various teams (recruitment, fundraising, food, music, safety, logistics, construction, green, and youth involvement).

The Build Day would be June 7th. The playground would be open to the community. No details have been settled on, but WBCH is requesting a playground suitable for 5 – 12 year olds. To learn more about KaBOOM! or see photos of the existing playground, check out this link.

Pine Street Estate Sale

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From Craigslist ad:

Estate Liquidation: Saturday and Sunday, March 23 and 24, from 9 am to 3 pm each day. Includes a large number of items in the 100 year old home and the old “Carters Dry Goods” store which is in the back yard and fronts on Idlewood Avenue. Actual address is 300 S. Pine St., Richmond, VA 23230. Large assortment of family antiques and jewelry including but not limited to those listed below:
Large collection of Mid-Century jewelry (rhinestones, pearls, brooches, earrings) by Lisner, Weiss, Coro, Monet, Trifari, Sarah Coventry and more, Scarab bracelets,
Antique gold cameo brooch and earrings
John Marshall High School yearbooks 1935 and 1936
Large collection of Christmas ornaments including Waterford, Gorham, Wedgwood, Baldwin Christmas Ornaments, several boxes of vintage ornaments
Collection of music boxes and clowns
Large train set by Gilbert American Flyer ca. 1957
Bavarian hand painted porcelain including cake plates, bowls, etc.
Vintage Fosteria juice pitcher and matching six petit juice glasses
Antique Sterling silver and silver plate
Service for 8 silver flatware
Norman Rockwell collectible plates with COA
Half dozen oriental rugs of various sizes and patterns
Almost new Janome sewing machine and large lot of sewing accessories
Antique oak wash stand
Beautiful student sized antique oak desk
Solid cherry step back cupboard by Statton
Ethan Allen 2 piece cupboard
Biggs drop side dining room table
Several antique rocking chairs
Large gold mirror above fireplace
Upholstered gentleman’s chair and matching ottoman with storage
Single bed with one year old mattress
Stereo components in cabinet, collection of albums
Too much to list it all!
We will take cash and debit/credit cards with photo identification

Letter in The Times Dispatch

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From today’s Times Dispatch editorial page:

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

Dominion Virginia Power has a distasteful presence on the north side of the James River, near Oregon Hill. Two of the ugliest buildings in the city and a parking deck completely obliterate one of the most beautiful riverscapes on the James.
Visitors to the river are denied a spectacular view of the rapids and boulders located in the area. Residents of Oregon Hill, bikers, walkers and hikers on the trail as well as tourists and visitors in Hollywood Cemetery would have difficulty respecting Richmond’s new name, River City.
Why is Dominion Power even there? And if it must have this location, perhaps its executives could come up with a plan that would not disfigure our lovely river and riverbank in this way.

Mary Virginia Beane. Richmond.

Saturday Rose Work Day For Hollywood Cemetery

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I mentioned this earlier, but the Times Dispatch also recently ran a nice story on volunteer effort at Hollywood Cemetery, scheduled for Saturday.

Now come this post from Hartwood Roses’ FaceBook page:

Two days to go until our big Rose Work Day at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond. I’m feeling freakishly calm and prepared at this point … so much so that I’m beginning to worry that I have forgotten to do something. (I don’t THINK I’ve forgotten anything.)

I just finished the rose map. It’s all divided into sections that show what each team’s responsibilities will be. 130 roses, divided by 12 teams of 2-3 volunteers = a very rewarding morning’s worth of work!

(Have I told you lately how excited I am to be doing this?)