Public Education

MARTINSBURG, W.VA. - Berkeley County residents have five more opportunities in the next few weeks to get educated on a proposed zoning ordinance that is slated to be on the ballot in May 2008. More than 100 people on Thursday attended the first of the educational meetings. Berkeley County Planner Matthew Mullenax said he was impressed that many of those he talked to in Martinsburg High School's auditorium had already done some research on the issue. "They were very well prepared," Mullenax said.

Greater Hagerstown: Why is this group so mysterious? To the editor: Where and who is "the man in the middle?" That's what I think of when I hear of the Greater Hagerstown Committee. Is it shrouded in mystery? I haven't heard an individual's "voice. " Are the individuals of the committee afraid to voice an opinion? Is it apart from the voters? The people? I'd like to hear from these individuals who are businessmen. There seems to be an estrangement here according to Mary W. Haines' letter to the editor.

chambersburg@herald-mail.com WAYNESBORO, Pa. - Sitting outside Waynesboro Area Senior High School Wednesday afternoon waiting for the first day of classes to end, Jennifer Johnson was already feeling a little nostalgic about her school days. "I miss friends, teachers, having fun in classes," said Johnson, a 2003 graduate who was waiting to pickup up her younger sister, Amy, who was finishing the first day of her freshman year. Jennifer is now working and plans to attend Hagerstown Community College soon.

Editor's note: This is the third in a four-part series featuring blacks who are making a difference in their communities. SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.VA. charlestown@herald-mail.com From the time she was an adviser to a group of budding young cheerleaders in Paw Paw, W.Va., to her tenure on the West Virginia Board of Education, Sheila Hamilton has observed public education in West Virginia from many perspectives. "I enjoyed being around children. It's been a wonderful experience," the 57-year-old Jefferson County woman said as she reflected on her educational experiences.

Students' clothes have changed, and even their attitudes. His own job description is radically different, but one thing that has not changed in Robert Lochbaum's 50 years in public education is his dedication to students. Lochbaum, who lives in Hagerstown, has worked for more than 40 years as a guidance counselor at North Hagerstown High School. He took his first job after college as a business teacher at South Hagerstown High School. That was in 1958, and Lochbaum said he has decided to retire at the end of this school year.

charlestown@herald-mail.com CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - Challenger Dave Ebbitt uses strong words when he describes the work of the West Virginia Legislature in recent years. Ebbitt, a Republican candidate challenging Del. John Doyle for the 57th District House of Delegates seat in the Nov. 5 election, said the Legislature has shown "total ineptness" on a "multitude of issues. " An emergency medicine physician at City Hospital in Martinsburg, W.Va., Ebbitt has been working to bring attention to high medical malpractice insurance rates, which he said is having an effect on medical care in the Eastern Panhandle area.

There is no secret to the relentless attempts to get public funds to support religious schools. The constitutionality of the use of vouchers is being tested in state courts at the moment with the Indiana Supreme Court upholding vouchers. One notable enthusiast for vouchers is using an atypical defense to support their use. Michael Gerson (published March 2 in The Washington Post), a former speechwriter for George W. Bush and a fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, has borrowed from economic theory what he supposes will bolster the case for vouchers.

charlestown@herald-mail.com MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - What will public school students need to learn in the 21st century to be successful: New ways of learning math and science? More emphasis on critical thinking? Those types of issues are being debated as the West Virginia Department of Education goes on the road to get input on how public education should be offered in coming years. The state Department of Education is hosting eight forums, called, "Voices from the Field: A Forum for WV Educators," across the state to get input from educators, according to department spokeswoman Liza Cordeiro.

HAGERSTOWN - A woman of Discovery was honored Monday by the Hagers-town Business & Professional Women's Club. The club named B. Marie Byers of Hagerstown - the director and president of the board of Discovery Station, a nonprofit interactive museum - its 2006 Woman of the Year. Sandy Mills, the club's Woman of the Year chair, said the group annually chooses a woman who has contributed plenty to the community. Club members on Monday cited Byers' long-standing devotion to public education.