Staff report

Jen Asbell of Kilby Shores Elementary School won top honors recently in the Suffolk Education Foundation’s annual poster contest.

The fifth-grader’s entry bested more than 30 participants in the contest. All of the posters entered in the contest will be distributed throughout Suffolk schools and businesses to promote the April 10 performance of &uot;Willy Wonka’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory&uot; at 3 p.m. at King’s Fork Middle School.

Asbell, along with the other winners, will receive four free tickets to the performance, courtesy of the Suffolk News-Herald. Other top finishers include: Ambre Stewart, 4th-grade, Kilby Shores Elementary; Alexa Lilley, 4th-grade, Kilby Shores Elementary; Manual Hedgepeth, 5th-grade, Elephant’s Fork Elementary; and Kendrick Lee, 5th-grade, Nansemond Parkway Elementary.

The Hurrah Players is a well-known regional theater troupe of youth actors with a reputation of bringing top-notch, family-friendly productions to the area.

The Suffolk Education Foundation decided several years ago to invite The Hurrah Players to Suffolk as a way to offer local families discounted rates to their performances without having to drive out of town.

In addition to the Suffolk News-Herald, this year’s major sponsors include Sara Lee Coffee & Tea, Duke Automotive and BB&T.

Besides bringing the Hurrah Players to town, the Foundation has also awarded $128,000 in scholarships to college-bound graduates from Lakeland High School and Nansemond River High School.

This spring, it expects to award up to $13,000 in scholarships to the Class of 2005, including students at the new King’s Fork High School.

Foundation dollars are also used to help high school students pay for dual college credit classes.

In addition to student scholarships, the Suffolk Education Foundation has provided more than $81,000 in teacher mini-grants.

This money has been used for such things as a computer lab for middle school art classes, an outdoor reading garden, and disability awareness programs.

In addition, the Foundation co-sponsors with Suffolk Public Schools both the Teacher of the year program and its quarterly Star Award employee recognition project.

Tickets are on sale now at $10 each. For groups of 20 or more, tickets are $8 each. Tickets are available by calling 539-1265.