West Norfolk Road Right Lane Closures I-264 Overpass at Portsmouth Boulevard Lane Closure Until April Effingham Street Lane Closure

The Department of Engineering announces the following lane closures and reminders:

·         The eastbound and westbound right lanes of West Norfolk Road (from Goose Bay Drive to Jordan Lane) will be closed on Wednesday, February 24th, until Friday, February 26th, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.  The daily lane closures will be during work for Columbia Gas.

·         Portsmouth Boulevard at the I-264 overpass lane closures will continue until April 9th, with one lane closed at-a-time during VDOT’s painting of the bridge overpass.  The current time for the lane closures is from 7 p.m. until 6 a.m. daily until Monday, March 8th.  VDOT’s updates to this schedule will be announced.

·         The outside southbound lane closure of Effingham Street between High Street and County Street will continue until Friday, February 26th, between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.  This daily lane closure is during storm drain work.

For more information, call 393-8592.





Get to Know the STARBASE Program Coordinator…Rich Neefe!


 


 


 


Helping a program like STARBASE achieve its mission and providing quality STEM education during a pandemic is no easy task! We are fortunate to have an educator with extensive experience in Portsmouth Public Schools and a long list of competencies. Meet Rich Neefe.


Rich began teaching 6th grade science at William E. Waters Middle School in the Fall of 2000. Five years later, he became a STARBASE instructor and was elevated to team leader for the staff in 2007. As in many organizations, starting out “in the trenches” allowed a smooth transition to leadership. While still instructing students, Rich worked to improve and align the STARBASE curriculum to better match the needs of students and the requirements of Virginia’s Standards of Learning. As STARBASE matured, Rich’s role in the school system also grew. He became a Science Specialist, working with teachers in the elementary schools. He also became the STARBASE program coordinator and curriculum manager, working with the staff to provide a rich and active experience for the students.


The STARBASE program, located in Victory Elementary School, eventually expanded to include all students in the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades. Rich worked tirelessly with all elementary school administrators and teachers to create the annual class calendar, managed the purchases of materials and supplies, and most importantly, continued to update a dynamic curriculum.


When asked what has been most challenging about virtual instruction caused by the pandemic, Rich explained “Our initial challenges were to just get the program off the ground.  We had to develop online instruction modules using simple projects that could be done at home safely. Then we had to overcome problems associated with material orders, mailing project kits to students, and ramping up the system to serve 3300 students. After preparing the materials for distribution, our bigger challenge was to ensure every student received their materials.  Many families live in apartment buildings, so students often had difficulty receiving packages.  Occasionally, we had to drop off replacement packages directly to homes or meet a family member at their home school.”


Though the logistics of a virtual program have been challenging, Rich sees several new opportunities for STARBASE. All Portsmouth students now have their own Chromebook to do their schoolwork. “This was probably the most important improvement in our school system,” says Rich.  “It created a completely new way to interact with our students. It will be exciting to work with them when we are back to face-to-face classes and are able to take advantage of these personal CHROME books.”


The virtual STARBASE program is called Project SCOUT (STARBASE Connections & Outreach Using Technology).  It should develop broader interest in STEM education by engaging students, their parents, and perhaps even their siblings. We wanted STARBASE to be a “family affair” this year. To determine the efficacy of Project SCOUT, we hired an evaluation team to tell us what worked (and what did not). Students and parents have regularly requested more STARBASE events.  We hope these home projects will be an experience that every child (and every family) will find interesting and educational. The modules that work will probably be used in future years…once life returns to the “new normal”. Project SCOUT is an exciting, new way to provide additional math and science lessons to those students who are inspired by their in-person STARBASE experience.


Opportunity! STARBASE Community Outreach/Marketing Committee
 



 


STARBASE has a great group of people, some Board Members, and others, who meet once a month on zoom to plan and implement communications and strategies, especially for fundraising and engagement in the community. We just completed a successful Giving Tuesday to expose STARBASE to more potential donors and raise money. Thank you to all of you who participated. Some committee members provided valuable input for strategies of this new campaign. Others assisted us by creating social media posts, and everyone helped to share emails and social media posts. 


Upcoming meetings are focusing on strategic marketing planning for 2021-2022, as well as initial discussions for our second Launching Futures STEM Education Awards Recognition Dinner. As the fight against the pandemic eventually gets us safely out and about, we will be ready to bring everyone together again!


We would love to have more Committee members. If you or someone on your staff is looking for opportunities to give back through volunteer leadership, we would love to have them join us. Please reach out to our Development Director, Susan Long-Molnar at developmentdirector@starbasevictory.org to find out when our March meeting will be scheduled and for more information.


Check for updates and like our Facebook page! https://www.facebook.com/StarbaseVictory/


We always welcome an opportunity to talk to you, hear your suggestions, and share more about STARBASE Victory.

To take a tour or learn more about how you can help:
Susan Long-Molnar, Development Director 757-513-8633 or developmentdirector@starbasevictory.org
Bill Hayden, Executive Director 757-343-3598 or executivedirector@starbasevictory.org
 


Copyright © *2016* *STARBASE Victory*, All rights reserved.