COURTLAND
Surrounded by several hundred members of the Western Tidewater community, Southampton County School District Superintendent Dr. Alvera J. Parrish and members of her cabinet hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the opening of the high school’s new running track.

Parrish, as well as other keynote speakers, huddled under a tent in the rain, grateful to have received several donations from the community to fund the project.

“Cross country and track need a facility that was comparable to the schools that they compete with, and this is the first step,” Parrish said. “It’s not just for the athletes, though. It’s for the community. They’re better able to connect to the school, and with little to do in the surrounding area, we hope that events at the school can become the core of the community.”

The venture is the result of several years of work by Parrish and the board members, marking the first of many district-wide improvement projects the board is eyeing.

“I have been the superintendent for three years now, and I won’t ever be complacent. There’s always room to improve the schools and the community,” Parrish said.

Lines will be painted and the teams will be able to practice for the first time on the new surface, but there are still several more hurdles to overcome.

“Not one penny that went toward the track came through a levy or retention plan, and there was never a thought to do otherwise,” Parrish said. “However, there are still a number of phases left and they’ll be completed as the funding goals are met.”

The following step will be to add two more lanes, allowing Southampton High School to host a track and field event for the first time in the school’s history.

“We had one of only a few dirt tracks in the area, and because of that, we’ve never been able to host an event,” head track coach Alfred Charity said. “Every meet has been on the road, so it’ll be nice to have something here when the track is completed.”

Charity explained that prior to Southampton hosting an event, the lanes must be widened and a rubberized surface incorporated into the current asphalt. These additions, as well as purchasing pole vaults and sand pits, would enable the school to not only host local events, but also state and regional meets.

“We truly cannot thank the community enough for their support with this project,” Charity said. “It’s their track, too, and we hope that it pays dividends for both the team and the community.”