I Love PCPS

It was 10:00 on an August morning.  I had just sat through my first college lecture with my twin sister by my side—roommates, sisters, and students pursuing the same degree.  Dr. Ausband dismissed the class, and then pointed to us and said, “Could you two stay after for a minute?”

We had never gotten in trouble at school, and we were being asked to stay after our very first college class ever?!

When the room emptied, Dr. Ausband asked where we had completed our freshman years of college.  We explained it was our freshman year of college, and that we had AP credit for freshman English.  Then he asked, “Where did you go to high school?”

“Powhatan.”

“Powhatan?  Where is that?”

We explained the place that had been home since we were six-years-old, the town about an hour west of Richmond.

Dr. Ausband replied, “I’ve never heard of Powhatan before.  But I won’t forget it.  I’ve never seen two students so prepared for this sophomore English course; I wouldn’t have guessed you were just out of high school.”

We walked back to our sweltering dorm room on the third floor with no air conditioning in Virginia in August, proud of the hometown we already loved.  We thought of the teacher who had earned us most of Dr. Ausband’s compliment, Kay Meredith, our junior honors and AP English teacher.  But there were so many others, teachers from all subjects—English, chemistry, calculus, French, history, physics, algebra—who had invested in us, challenged us, celebrated with us, cried with us, encouraged us, and taught us very, very well.  The investment went all the way back to Powhatan Elementary School, with notable teachers like Mrs. Payne and Mrs. Burruss.

My sister and I attended Powhatan County Public Schools first grade through twelfth.  My sister and Sammy Frame were in the same first grade class at Powhatan Elementary School, and they went on to have classes together every year until graduation.  

Sammy and me the day we graduated PHS

Sammy and I started dating our junior year at PHS; we’re one of those couples with a sickeningly sweet story of high school love, college separation, and a reunion resulting in marriage.  Sammy and I completed grad school together, walking across the stage to grasp our Master’s degrees the day before I went into labor with our son.  That son is now a kindergartner at Powhatan Elementary School.

We are proud to be raising our kids in the community that raised us.  We look forward to the day that our kids will go to their first college classes and astound professors with their PCPS educations.  We are committed to being part of their educations and their schools.  We would love the opportunity for Sammy to represent our district on Powhatan’s School Board.