Virginia… PowerSchool, Coincidences and Surprises

I’ve always loved Virginia, the state that is! For years now on the way to visit family in SC my wife and I talk about how beautiful it is, how much we love it, and how great it would be to live there (dragging my wife away from Massachusetts is a whole other story!). One of my favorite parts of working here is driving all the backroads to various destinations to work with schools. I spent the last few days PowerScheduling in Goochland and Fluvanna, places you never would have known of if you didn’t have a reason to go in the first place. You’re missing out!

I discovered a while back that my GGGGGG-Grandfather was married in Goochland, VA in 1725 and there are still Satterwhites in the area today. It amazes me a little bit that 286 years later I am back in this rural county west of Richmond working with the K-12 schools. Life takes some interesting turns once in a while, and the surprises and coincidences keep the wonder alive. My GGGGG-Grandfather John Satterwhite moved to Newberry SC in the 1760s and that’s where most of my extended  family still lives to this day.

Fluvanna, besides having some of the nicest, friendliest people I know, is also the home of some of the best fried chicken I have ever had in my travels (food is kind of my thing). If you are ever driving down VA-Rte 15 through Palmyra, stop at the EW Thomas Grocery Store and follow your nose to the back counter. The place ain’t fancy, but you can get 4 pieces of tender & crispy heaven for less than $4. Folks in Fluvanna think I only agree to come back and work with them year after year for the chicken… No comment!

This afternoon I made my way from Fluvanna to Lynchburg to work with Bedford County schools for the rest of the week. One of the first landmarks I passed on the way was the Fork Union Military Academy (another school I work with). As a kid I remember their small advertisements towards the back of my Boy’s Life magazines and always thought it would be cool to go there! Well, I got my wish 35 years later when I got the call from them out of the blue and started helping them with scheduling in PowerSchool.

Further down the road (after a quick stop in Dillwyn for a treat at the Dairy Freeze) I passed through Appomattox, VA. Besides the obvious historical significance, this tree lined section of VA-24 is absolutely gorgeous. There is spiritual serenity to the place, and I can imagine (other than the quiet vein of asphalt winding through the hills and trees) that it hasn’t changed much over the centuries. The fact that I spent a LOT of time developing the most complex standards based report cards ever for this county doesn’t ruin it for me HAHA!

Next week… San Luis Obispo, CA