SERVING ALL HANOVER COUNTY COMMUNITIES Volume 39, No. 28
•
Richmond Suburban News
•
Wednesday, March 22, 2023
Habitat ReStore marks first year in business PAGE 13
Yellow Jackets split ODAC doubleheader PAGE 16
Naming committee to take fresh look at elementary school ROSLYN RYAN
Richmond Suburban News
JULIE ATLAS WITH JULIE ATLAS PHOTOGRAPHY
Savannah Liggan, right, crowns Mackenzie Webb as Miss Hanover Abilities 2023.
Miss Hanover Abilities crowned Junior Miss division added to pageant CONTRIBUTED REPORT
Two shining stars were recently crowned when the Hanover Community Support Services held the fifth annual Miss Hanover Abili-
ties Pageant. Held on Saturday, March 11, the pageant included the well-known Miss Hanover Abilities division as well as a Junior Miss Division for the first time for girls ages 6-12 with special needs. The event, which was sponsored by RBI Services LLC, was held as a fun-
draiser for Hanover Community Support Services. At the end of a fantastic event, Mackenzie Webb was crowned Miss Hanover Abilities 2023. Her first runner up was Ashley d’Evegneé followed by second Please see ABILITIES, Page 5
Call 804.420.9798 or visit HarmonyatHanover.com to Schedule a Tour.
As construction continues on the new building that will consolidate Hanover’s John M. Gandy and Henry Clay elementary schools, some county residents are accusing the school board of allowing political squabbling to eliminate a cherished part of the area’s black history. During a school board meeting held on March 14, board members approved the appointment of the 2023 Elementary School Naming Committee. But while the seven-member group will be tasked in part with gathering public feedback on what the name of the new facility should be, several community members who spoke during the meeting insisted that the school should bear Gandy’s name. Not only was Gandy, a child of former slaves and a noted educator who would go on to become the third president of Virginia
State University, a fitting community role model, they told school board members, but a 2018 agreement already stipulated that the school would be called John M. Gandy Elementary School. “That name should remain because John M. Gandy fought for this place that gave AfricanAmericans an opportunity to gain an education, and to have a better position in life,” said Shirley Quash, who graduated from John M. Gandy. “To strip the school of John M. Gandy’s name will be a slap in the face to all African-Americans who carry it close to their hearts every day.” Several speakers pointed out that the school board’s policy preventing the naming of new schools after individuals did not apply since the new building is replacing an already existing school. Please see NAMING, Page 5
ASSISTED LIVING INDEPENDENT LIVING MEMORY CARE