Issue

FIVE

Heading To Kindergarden

Hawk

in this issue >>>

current topics >>>

The Ashland Theater Capital Campaign and Renovations in Full Swing!

Is Your Child Ready? Are You?

Aretha Franklin

The Ashland Theater

Hanover County School Board

Reader Opinions

Book of the Month

Eyes of the Hawk

Source: Raising The Curtain Newsletter,

published by The Ashland Theater.

Whether your children are off to kindergarten or college… or any grade in between…this

article offers valuable insight into putting your child “on the bus.”.

Thanks to generous State, Town, corporate,

foundation and individual support, Ashland

Theatre has reached 78% of its capital

campaign goal. Because of this generosity,

Ashland Theatre will soon open its doors with

expanded stage and lobby, new seating with

cup holders, VIP box seats, state of the art

surround sound and digital projection, gourmet

concessions and more! Movies, music,

comedy, live performances…!

The funding goal for the Theater is now $2.1

million. Nearly $1.7 million, or 78% of the

goal, has been raised.

“I remember going to the Ashland Theatre as a

kid and can’t wait to see the reincarnation. We

are happy to support passionate people

committed to revitalizing a local landmark.” –

Gaillard and Carol Owen

Continued on Page 2

I’ll never forget the dat I put my oldest son,

Matthew on that big yellow bus to

Kindergarten. It was a warm fall morning as

we waited together at the bottom of our

driveway for the bus to arrive, and Matthew

Weaknesses, and every child develops at their

very own individual rate. Some children

begin kindergarten loving books and already

reading but are socially awkward. Some

children are social butterflies but don’t yet

although I did try to hide my anxiety behind a

confident smile for Matthew’s sake.

Fast forward 10 years, to when I had

purposely moved from teaching 5th grade to

teaching kindergarten. As a kindergarten

teacher, I quickly learned that each child is

unique and that “being ready” for

kindergarten is a complicated proposition.

Every child has both strengths and

single one, had something wonderful that they

brought to my classroom from reading skills,

to artistic talent, to a fascination with science,

to being unfailingly loving and kind. Your

child is no different, and they have something

special that they will add to their new

kindergarten world.

Continued on Page 5

was busily gathering pinecones,

sticks, rocks and other treasures

with his little brothers. As I

watched my boys play, I admit

to feeling terrified. What if

Matthew wasn’t ready for

kindergarten? What if I had

failed him in some way? My

mommy self was a wreck,

know how to count to 10. Some

children are gifted academically

but not yet able to share and take

turns. As a kindergarten teacher

the diversity of children who

walked through my classroom

door each year never ceased to

amaze and delight me. No child

had it all…but all of them, every

Letting your child begin

to move away from you

is hard. Be gentle with

them and be gentle with

yourself.

The Keeping our Community Informed and Engaged

The Details For more information go to

www.ashlandtheater.org or check out the

Ashland Theaters Facebook page by

clicking the Raise The Curtain photo.

The Hawk Pays Tribute To Two American Icons On a crisp, sparkling day in January 2009, Aretha Franklin stood on the steps of the Capitol

in Washington, an ample figure swathed in a spectacular ensemble of coat and hat in two

shades of grey, singing My Country, ’Tis of Thee to her new president.

“We live in a land made of ideals…we are the custodians of these ideals at home, and their champion abroad….”

Thanks to the generous support of The Mary Morton Parsons Foundation, every dollar you donate to Ashland Theatre Foundation will be matched up to $100,000!

In October 1967, McCain, a Navy pilot flying a mission

over Hanoi, was shot down by a Russian missile. He

ejected and landed in a lake with both arms and a knee

broken. He was hauled from the lake by angry

Vietnamese, then badly beaten and bayoneted in the

foot. McCain spent 5 ½ years a prisoner of war. The so-

called “Hanoi Hilton,” where Mc Cain was imprisoned,

was not exactly a first class hotel.

In October 2017, Senator McCain spoke at the National

Constitution Center: “We live in a land made of

ideals…we are the custodians of these ideals at home,

and their champion abroad…we have a moral obligation

to continue in our just cause, and we would bring more

than shame on ourselves if we don’t.”

Ashland Theater >>>

$100,000 Challenge!

Your support to re-build our historic theatre is tax deductible, and will

now have double the impact. For information, contact CEO, Douglas

Love, at 804-401-7007 or Douglas@AshlandTheatre.org.

Hugh Joyce, Vice-President – Owner, James River Air Conditioning –

Top Gun

Billy Copeland, Treasurer – Sr. VP, Commercial Banking, BB&T Bank –

Dumb and Dumber

Jennifer Chambers, Secretary – Community Volunteer – The Wizard of Oz

Kathy Abbott – Ashland Town Council Member – The Godfather

Madeleine Alderman – Realtor, One South Realty – Happy Gilmore

Preston Bryant – Senior VP, McGuire Woods Consulting –

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

James Doering – Music Professor, Randolph-Macon College –

Cool Hand Luke

Brenda Flippo – Educator – Gone with the Wind

James Foley – Pricing & Budget Director, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP –

O, Brother Where Art Thou?

Alphine Jefferson – History Professor, Randolph-Macon College –

Animal House

Chris Ray – Owner, COTU Brewing – The Big Lebowski

Senator John McCain

1936-2018

Meet The Board… We asked our Board Members to share their favorite movies.

Clark Mercer, President – Chief of Staff for

Governor of Virginia – Shawshank Redemption

Aretha Franklin

1942-2018

All around her, and down the full length of the National Mall, the vast audience included

African Americans with tears in their eyes, celebrating the inauguration of Barack Obama.

She was facing west, as hundreds of thousands of slaves had done when they landed on a

bitter shore at the conclusion of their portage from Africa. “Let freedom ring,” she sang, in

the anthem’s famous exhortation, and many millions watching on television around the

world could not help but share the resonance of a historic moment. (Source: The Guardian)

Wage growth for workers, e.g., public school

teachers, has not kept up with inflation. With

robotics and AI, productivity gains

(profitability) since about 1970, have gone to

shareholders, not to the workers. When

Amazon decides to move into market, let’s say

prescription drugs, what happens to our local

drug stores?

Yes, you are right if you think I do not like Amazon. I

will not purchase from Amazon* (not that Amazon

cares). I believe this domination of markets is not

healthy for our society. Then, in the August 26

edition of the New York Times, I read:

“Two of the most important economic facts of the past

few decades are that more industries are being

dominated by handful of extraordinarily successful

companies

and wages, inflation and growth have remained

stubbornly low. Many of the world’s most powerful economic policymakers are now taking seriously the possibility that the first of these facts is a cause of the second—and that the growing concentration of corporate power has confounded the efforts of central banks to keep economies healthy.”

The United States of Amazon

It’s true prices for prescriptions would be lower but if

competition was eliminated, how long would prices

stay down? Pretty soon, everyone is working for

Amazon, depending on Amazon for their personal

needs and lulled into an unconcerned, listless life by

entertainment of all types from Amazon. And, with

an acknowledgement to Mr. Huxley, we then have a

real “Brave New World.”

The link to the complete article is

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/25/upshot/big-

corporations-influence-economy-central-bank.html

To Access NY Times Article

On Senator John McCain:

Of course not everyone cared for

McCain…

Donald Trump: “He’s not a war hero.

He was a war hero because he was

captured. I like people who weren’t

captured.”

Note: Mr. Trump was not captured but

he did receive four student deferments

from military service between 1964 and

1968. In Ames (Iowa), he told reporters

another medical deferment he received

after graduating was for a bone spur in

his foot.

Full disclosure: I am somewhat biased

toward John McCain. He was a 1958

graduate of the Naval Academy while I

graduated from the Academy a year

later.

Opinion

*Note: For some time I have been buying

my books from a web site named ABE.

The books you receive come from

independent book stores. I thought I was

doing a good thing by supporting these

smaller book stores. Last week I found out

that Amazon owns ABE. There is no

indication on the ABE web site about this

ownership so I fell right into their greedy

trap. I no longer buy from ABE.

This and That… by Ragan Phillips

On the Ashland Theater:

As for those favorite movies of Board members? Well…we are from another generation.

Shawshank Redemption and Cool Hand Luke are great movies, and The Godfather is a

painful history lesson. But movies such as To Kill a Mockingbird and BlacKKKlansman are

vitally important, particularly in this day and age.

The Hawk requested information from the Ashland Theater Foundation concerning the

schedule for opening of the Theater and an explanation for the increase of the renovation

and operations budget.

Clark Mercer, President of the Foundation Board, did advise: “We are looking forward to

reopening the theatre to the community.” I am sure the community would agree on that

sentiment.

“A strong education

allows citizens to learn to

build bridges. Not

walls.” The Hawk

Book Of The Month

ask the experts >>>

Check Out Whats Happening on the Hanover Ledger Events Page!

Click on the Events Logo Above.

“I wrote this book not sure I could follow the road to character, but I wanted at

least to know what the road looks like and how other people have trodden

it.”—David Brooks.

With the wisdom, humor, curiosity, and

sharp insights that have brought millions of

readers to his New York Times column and

his previous bestsellers, David Brooks has

consistently illuminated our daily lives in

surprising and original ways. In The Social

Animal, he explored the neuroscience of

human connection and how we can flourish

together. Now, in The Road to Character, he

focuses on the deeper values that should

inform our lives. Responding to what he

calls the culture of the Big Me, which

emphasizes external success, Brooks

challenges us, and himself, to rebalance the

scales between our “résumé virtues”—

achieving wealth, fame, and status—and our

“eulogy virtues,” those that exist at the core

of our being: kindness, bravery, honesty, or

faithfulness, focusing on what kind of

relationships we have formed.

Blending psychology, politics, spirituality,

and confessional, The Road to Character

provides an opportunity for us to rethink our

priorities, and strive to build rich inner lives

marked by humility and moral depth.

The Hawk: David Brooks is, I believe, a

moderate conservative with strong opinions

about society and politics. In this era of

political dysfunction, where the drive for

campaign funds and re-election appears to

be more important than the well-being of

the country, it is character…integrity,

ethics, civility, compassion…that seem to

no longer matter.

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wisi enim ad minimeniam, quis erat nostr uexerci tation ullamcorper nostru exerci tation

ullam corper et iusto odio dig nissim qui blandit praesent lupta. Tummer delenit augue

duis dolore magna erat aliquam erat volutpat. Nam liber tempor cum soluta nobis sed.

Civic Organization of The Month

Check out this great Ashland Organization

by Clicking on The Picture Above.

Have a Question? We can get your answer…. Email The Hawk, and we will track down the answer for you.

pronounced—more than a quarter of

all Airbnb hosts in Utah and

Wisconsin, for example, work as

teachers or in education (the company

includes in that category

administrators and college

professors).sectetuer. This is

especially noteworthy given that an

analysis of census and National

Center for Education Statistics figures

suggests that just less than 2 percent

of adults in the country work as full-

time K–12 teachers.

The Hawk: The full article can be

found at : theatlantic.com

Source: The Atlantic Daily, 8/17/2018

Airbnb, the popular platform that lets

people rent out their homes and

apartments, released the results of a

volunteer survey this week containing

the striking statistic that nearly one in

10 of its hosts in the United States is

an educator. In some states the trend

appears to be even more

Low Pay Has Teachers Flocking To The Sharing Economy

I felt similarly worried when Matthew began

middle school and again when he began high

school. Don’t even get me started on driving

away after helping him move into his college

dorm for his freshman year. And yes, I

experienced these feelings with each of my

boys at each point in their lives when I had to

let them move just a little bit farther away

from me.

I have always wanted (and continue to want)

my children to be happy and independent and

curious. I want them to meet all different kinds

of people and, now that they are older, to

travel the state, and the country, and the world

if they are interested in doing so. I want them

to become their very best unique and

independent selves, and I see now that putting

Matthew on that bus to kindergarten was the

very first step toward this goal. Letting your

child begin to move away from you is hard. Be

gentle with them and be gentle with yourself.

Our goal as parents is to give our children

wings to fly, and helping them successfully

transition into kindergarten is one of the very

first steps in this process. For both of you.

---Meg Pienkowski, Ph.D. is an education

consultant with Smart Beginnings Greater

Richmond and with ChildSavers. She is a

former preschool teacher, preschool director,

and elementary school teacher. Her three sons

are now 24, 22, and 20 and while they do an

awful lot of flying, they do occasionally come

home to roost.

Continued From Page 1

That being said, there are things that you can

do to help your child to be better prepared to

begin kindergarten while still allowing them

(Please!) to just be a kid. I am not, and I am

speaking as a former kindergarten teacher, a

proponent of worksheets or “homework” as a

means to get children ready for school. I do,

however, believe in reading with them and

asking open-ended questions about the

stories. “What do you think will happen

next?” or “Why do you think that little girl felt

sad?” I do believe in counting yellow (or blue

or red or black) cars and counting the number

of stairs into the library. I do believe in

playing games and learning how to take turns

and helping your child to be both a good loser

and a gracious winner. I do believe in painting

beautiful pictures and blowing bubbles and

gazing at the stars and taking walks together.

I do believe in encouraging friendships while

respecting the fact that sometimes even

children need a bit of alone time. I do believe

in loving your child and talking with them and

acknowledging their feelings and

encouraging them to try new things.

Before “big kid” school begins, it can also be

helpful to visit the school, and to meet your

child’s teacher if that’s possible. If your child

is going to ride a bus to school and has never

been on a bus, can you explore one together?

If your child is used to staying up late and

sleeping in, a few weeks before school starts,

establish a new daily routine that better

matches the school schedule. Does your

child’s classroom have nap time? If so, talk

about this with them. Figure out what your

child will be doing for lunch (buying?

packing?) and visit the school cafeteria. We

are all frightened by the unknown; the more

uncertainties you can address with your child

before school begins the easier this transition

will be for them. And for you.

Which brings me full circle back to the mom

anxiety I felt as my sons and I waited for the

school bus that long-ago September day.

What I have learned in the many years since

that time, is that putting Matthew on that big

yellow school bus to kindergarten was the

first of many letting go’s. The sadness and

anxiety I felt were both normal and, at least

for me, would be repeated many times.

Q: A:

Op~ED

Teri Carter, from my hometown, Lawrenceburg, Kentucky,

has written an op-ed titled Strong Women. Here is an excerpt

from Teri’s writing:

“I say the women were strong because I bore witness. No

matter the turmoil with our men—fathers, brothers, husbands,

uncles, sons—the women taught me about tenacity and

stability. They paid the bills on time; they made sure the

clothes were washed, ironed, and neatly tucked away; they

got a dozen kids fed and bathed and off to school; they

banded together to tend to sick and elderly neighbors. Then

they fixed their hair and drove off to work shifts on loud,

dirty factory lines.

Women, I learned from my seat at grandma’s kitchen table,

were the ones who got things done.

No surprise, I was looking forward to electing the first

woman president, someone who was strong enough to ignore

the noise and chaos around her and focus on women’s and

children’s rights, make healthcare more accessible and

affordable, value teachers, cut taxes for the middle class, and

be a skilled negotiator on the world stage.”

The Hawk: Well, you know what happened in November of

2016. Teri’s complete article can be found at

https://tericarter.wordpress.com/2018/08/06/strong-women/

Click For Article

This excerpt is taken from an op-ed written by John Crisp that

appeared in the August 7, 2018, edition of the Richmond Times-

Dispatch. The Difference Between Evidence and Proof by John M.

Crisp

“Evidence and proof are not identical, but they reside in the same

spectrum. The point where evidence shades over into proof is a

judgement call, which is why our nation uses judges and juries to

decide when the evidence builds up enough weight to tip over into

proof.”

Crisp concludes by writing “But we should fear, as much as

anything else, Trump voters or Clinton voters who refuse to change

their minds, no matter how convincingly the evidence hardens into

proof. It’s not Trump’s inclinations toward autocracy or the left’s

flirtation with socialism that will do us in. It’s our refusal to look at

the facts and change our minds accordingly.”

The Hawk: In my experience, changing your mind is a difficult

undertaking. For example, if you are pro-Trump you probably don’t

care to listen to CNN. If you are anti-Trump, Fox News is not the

media of your choice. So we often get “locked-in” to a position and

changing our mind is a heck of a challenge. It may be our failure to

look at the facts and admit we are wrong that will be our Achilles’

heel. The complete Crisp article can be found at:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-tns-bc-crisp-column-20180806-

story.html Click For Article

Submit your comments, even an op-ed, about this

newsletter or other subject material, to

rtphil504@gmail.com or to the address at the end

of this newsletter. Please be sure to advise if your

submission may be used and if you want your

name attributed to the comment/article.

Disagreement about articles in The Hawk is

expected, but we ask you to be civil in your

words/ Comments may also be added to this article in The Hanover Ledger.

The fate on any media, including our fledgling Ashland Hawk newsletter,

depends upon readership, followed by either reader support or rejection. The

response to the first four editions of The Hawk has been the equivalent of

selling three week old stale donuts. No one seems to be buying the product. If

you are reading The Hawk, do let us know. And do not be shy about

criticizing content and making suggestions.

Click Here To Comment To The Hawk.

The Quiet Man About Town Robert (Bob) Brown

As noted in my article (July 25 edition of The Hawk) there are several important projects being planned now for Ashland.

This second article is a continuation of the series about Ashland.

ASHLAND THEATER

The Theater will be the subject of other articles and discussions, especially about costs, schedules, planned uses, etc. My

purpose in writing this is to give my personal opinions about the design.

To summarize the work that I have seen:

• The brick addition on the back includes changing rooms, storage, elevator – all to work with on-stage

performances.

• The stage has been greatly expanded, so that plays and concerts can take place, in addition to movies.

• The Lobby is two or three times bigger than the former narrow lobby, allowing for greatly increased food and

beverage sales, and easy community gathering.

• One result of these increases is that there will be fewer seats (and the seats will be new…), so the seating area will

be less long and more compact.

• And – as a piece de resistance, three box balconies have been added on the East wall of the theater,,. just like in

the old days!

The result of all this I think is fantastic. Not only will we have a Theater that will accommodate many uses, we will have a

wonderful new civic set of rooms, especially including the larger Lobby. In addition, the sketches I have seen show a

lively Art-Deco like feel to everything; I believe that the new Theater will thus not only work better than the old, it will

even look better. Should be an amazing accomplishment…

LAURADELL DEVELOPMENT

Eagle Construction has taken over the development of this project, which is to be located between Chapman St. and Rte

54. The resulting site plan is rather different than the original plan submitted by the owner, Yancey Jones, but the overall

development results are quite the same: it is based on the grid of adjacent Ashland neighborhoods, has considerable public

open space, and accommodates the future Vaughn Rd. Bypass.

• There will be a total of about 147 Single Family homes, with a great variety of home types. The intention is to

create a neighborhood that accommodates a variety of people and families: young people, young families, middle

aged families, adults of all ages. Included in this mix will be many homes designed for older people.

• Specifically; the plan says that there will be 13 “Cottages” and 12 Town Homes, with the balance being Single

Family homes on a variety of lot sizes.

• The sketches shown of the architecture indicate that it will be very compatible with old Ashland – a great variety

of designs and styles, all with handsome durable materials.

I have seen this coming, having reviewed the proposals when I was on the Planning Commission, and I must say that this

proposal could be quite an extraordinary addition to the fabric of Ashland. Indeed, it will ultimately be very Ashland-like

with tree-lined streets, front porches, at least half the houses with rear garages on alleys – a real green, walkable, bikable,

child and pet friendly, accommodating to seniors, neighborhood. I personally believe we are fortunate to have this happen.

(And remember – the first proposal here was for 300 homes!)

NOTE: The next Article will continue this accounting of what is happening to the fabric of Ashland, including the Carter

Park Pool, Cross Brothers, Wawa, the on-going status of Town Hall, etc.

Finding An Agent That’s Right For You

504 Dunkin Street

Ashland, MA 23005

NEWSLETTER

Ashland Hawk

coming soon >>>

In The Next Issue

Hanover Schools 2018-2019

Bob Brown on Ashland

Reader Opinions

Following is an exchange of emails between Robert Hundley, Chairman of the School

Board, and Ragan Phillips. We remain hopeful that the School Board will schedule

“town hall” meetings to allow a public dialogue between concerned citizens and the

Board.

thoughts... final

Look for our back issues at www.thehanoverledger.com

The "ASK" on the Petition was:

"We ask that the Hanover County School Board convene a series of “Town Hall”

meetings that will provide a forum for a civil dialogue between concerned citizens and the

School Board.

We recognize that regular School Board meetings adhere to format to assure school

business is properly addressed. These monthly meetings are not designed for dialogue.

But “Town Hall” meetings would allow an open exchange between citizens and School

Board members about concerns and ideas.

These “Town Hall” meetings could very well be held at each of the county’s four high

schools, allowing participation from all areas of the county.

We urge the School Board to schedule and widely advertise these “Town Hall” meetings."