Category Archives: schools

Chalk the Walk Tuesday

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“India – Kolam chalk art – welcome”by McKay Savage is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Announcement-

Greetings dear neighbors, we’d love to invite you to join us on Tuesday between 5:30 – 6:30 to create chalk welcome messages for the students of St. Andrew’s School, who will be back to school this Wednesday, August 7! Let’s greet and encourage them! We will have chalk, just show up and share a drawing or greeting. Meet in front of the school at the corner of Idlewood and Cherry. See about it! — with Chris Milk.

Click here for FaceBook event page.

Last Chance To Give Voters A Voice On VCU/Farrell Coliseum Scheme

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If Richmond citizens want to be able to vote on the VCU/Farrell/Stoney coliseum scheme, their last chance to do so may be decided in the next few days. Over 13,000 Richmond citizens have signed the petition for the “Choose Children over a Costly Coliseum“ Referendum, drafted by Paul Goldman, supported by the Sierra Club Falls of the James and others. Many of these signatures were done on Election Day last year, but the deadline to file the petition is coming up quickly (like in the next few days!), and more signatures are needed to ensure it getting on the ballot. If it does not make it on the ballot, citizens may be forced to live with and pay up for whatever the Mayor and City Council do with the $1.4. billion scheme, and it could effect City budgets for a decade to come. So, what’s it going to be? Schools or corporate welfare?

In the interest of informing the public, I am going to post the petition/referendum here. However, please ask yourself, why has local media not done so- again, over 13,000 Richmond citizens have already signed it. So why have Times Dispatch, Style, RVA Magazine, etc. mostly ignored this heroic grassroots effort? If you have been following along, including the latest FOIA struggle, things may be more clear. The Richmond Free Press and oregonhill.net have offered the most coverage on it.

The first Put Schools First referendum was fairly straight forward in demanding that Richmond leaders, especially the Mayor, come up with plan to modernize the schools first in the City’s budget planning. This second referendum, perhaps due to opposing nature, is a bit more convoluted, so here’s a quick explanation: it first states that citizens want schools to come before a new coliseum. It then includes a poison pill provision against using a TIFF (Tax Incremental Financing Fund) to finance the scheme by stating that a majority of the funding raised would have to go to schools first. It then ends with a measure to keep the schemers from going back to the meals tax for money.

If you are a resident of the City of Richmond and a registered voter, please take the time to sign this petition, even if you ultimately decide to not vote for it once it is on the ballot. 13,000 of your neighbors have already done so, don’t let them down! Give people a voice!

School Rezoning and Oregon Hill

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Laurel Street neighbor Teresa Birchett wants to be sure that neighbors are aware of the rezoning discussion.

Richmond is currently exploring rezoning of schools. They have released two potential options. If you look at both options they would impact Oregon Hill. For elementary we are currently zoned Cary. From what I can tell for elementary schools, Option 1 would divide the neighborhood at the expressway with some kids zoned for Carver and the majority of the neighborhood Cary. For Option 2 Oregon Hill would be completely rezoned for Carver. For middle school the entire neighborhood is currently zoned Binford. Option one would divide the neighborhood again at the expressway, with the upper half of the neighborhood zoned Hill and the lower Binford. Option two would keep the neighborhood Binford. For high school we are currently zoned Thomas Jefferson. Option one and two would rezone the neighborhood to John Marshall High School. If you have concerns or support one of these changes, now is the time to let RPS know.
Here is a link to the two possible proposed zoning changes, the proposed map changes are at the bottom of the document.

Celebrating Oregon Hill Bees

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OHNA President Todd Woodson posted this today:

So proud of our great Open High students. Our neighborhood association partnered with Open, Richmond Parks and with a generous grant from Dominion Energy, we established a pollinator curriculum with a working hive area that the students maintain. The Mentor checked the hives today and said he’d never seen hives flourish like this with lots of honey already produced. This is the first initiative of its kind in the area. Would love to see it grow and flourish as well! We love our bees and our great students!!

Open High’s Annual Arts Expo Approaches, On May 30

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On Thursday, May 30, Open High School hosts its Arts Expo, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at Clark Springs Elementary School.

This annual event includes an exhibition of student artwork, projects, and performances. There will be a Silent Auction with baskets, gift cards, plants, handmade ceramics, and a Taco Bar. Please join parents, students, and teachers to celebrate our wonderful school community. All proceeds will benefit the Fine Arts Department.

Bee Swarm Not From ‘Our Bees’

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Last week some neighbors discovered a “wild” swarm of bees in Oregon Hill. Local bee experts have confirmed that those bees were NOT part of the hive installed recently by Open High students in Linear Park behind the 600 block of S. Pine St. From their statement:

During the inspection yesterday we found the
—queen,
—newly laid eggs,
—larvae, and
—pupating new bees.
Our hive showed no swarm queen cells.
Our bees are happy and busy building new comb on our widens frames, storing up lots of nectar and pollen and doing what bees do.
Next week the students will install the second nucleus hive. Hosting and caring for two hives will double the odds we have bees next spring.

There will BEE more information soon as well as announcements for a couple of public bee workshops later in 2019. In the meantime, if there are questions, please contact Pine Street neighbor Stephenie Harrington. Her telephone number is 804-551-0603.

‘The Big Event’ Brings VCU Volunteers

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Today was the day for ‘The Big Event’ and residents were very thankful for all the VCU student volunteers. They offered and coordinated private property work where homeowners allowed volunteers to work in their yards. Community members Stephenie Harrington, Matthew Petrie and Jimmy Blackford were great liaisons for the event.