At the school board’s Oct. 6 meeting earlier this week, Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools staff presented information about new grants and community contributions for several programs, including environmental education and teacher mentoring. The new grants and community funding totals over $100,000 and raises the Grants Fund budget to over $7.3 million.
The awards include a $29,640 Open Outdoors for Kids Grant that will provide watershed and environmental education field experiences for about 900 seventh graders, in partnership with the James River Association and the National Park Service. A $5,052 Mentor Teacher grant supports mentoring and professional development for new teachers through the division’s mentor teacher program.
Other awards include $6,700 from the SPARK Community Empowerment Grant for laundromat gift cards, bus tickets and new clothing for students in need. The division also received $21,498 for security equipment at Berkeley Middle School and Matthew Whaley Elementary, and $37,958 in CTE state grants for equipment and testing materials. Staff said the superintendent recommends the board review the amendment and be prepared to vote at its Oct. 20 meeting.
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Independent News Briefs for October 8, 2026
Education
Flat Hat marks 115 years documenting College community
The College of William and Mary’s student newspaper celebrated its 115th anniversary on Oct. 3, with Editor-in-Chief Mona Garimella reflecting on The Flat Hat’s role as an institutional record in an opinion piece published Oct. 6. Garimella noted that while the publication has documented campus life since 1911, it must also acknowledge historical failures including racism and underreported stories. She emphasized that student journalism’s value lies in its proximity to campus communities and the trust students place in peer reporters to tell stories that might otherwise go untold.
William and Mary students demand reinstatement of dining workers
Students and UNITE HERE union organizers demonstrated at William and Mary’s Campus Center on Oct. 2, demanding the College lift campus bans on two dining service workers disciplined after serving undercooked chicken, according to reporting by Liam Glavin in The Flat Hat. Student organizers Jack Guilfoyle and Grace Carryer presented written demands to dining administrators, arguing the workers faced inadequate due process despite already being demoted by Aramark. The College later clarified through spokesperson Suzanne Clavet that no campus bans were issued, though William and Mary Police responded after staff reported feeling unsafe during the demonstration.
William & Mary to offer tours exploring Revolutionary War transformation.
The College of William & Mary will host one-hour historical tours Friday, October 16, showcasing how the institution transformed during the American Revolution. According to the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commemoration, undergraduate guides from a history course will lead visitors through campus, highlighting how the college shifted from a royally chartered school with British faculty to an institution that closed its divinity and Indian schools, lost faculty and students to war, and endured military occupation. The tours, sponsored by William & Mary’s National Institute of American History & Democracy, will explore the college’s complex social history during this pivotal era.
Two William & Mary students named Anderson Scholars.
Adam Kolcon, a William & Mary Law School student, and Fiorella Villacorta Torres, a Raymond A. Mason School of Business student, have been named 2026 Alvin P. Anderson Scholars, according to reporting by Emily Webb. The TowneBank Foundation established the program in 2010 to honor Alvin P. Anderson, a 1970 William & Mary graduate and former managing partner at Kaufman & Canoles who passed away in 2008. Kolcon, who overcame severe injuries to pursue law and volunteers as an assistant coach for the William & Mary Club Hockey Team, plans to pursue transactional law. Torres, an accounting major and data science minor, plans to earn her CPA certification. Both scholars received a $5,000 scholarship and were recognized at a TowneBank reception in Williamsburg on Sept. 29.
Public Safety
Police Department Invites Community to Halloween with Heroes Event
The James City County Police Department will host its annual Halloween with Heroes event on Thursday, Oct. 22, at the Law Enforcement Center, 4600 Opportunity Way, according to the department. The community celebration will give residents the opportunity to connect with local law enforcement and emergency personnel during the Halloween season.
James City County police plan prescription drug take back day
The James City County Police Department will partner with the Drug Enforcement Administration to participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Law Enforcement Center, according to the James City County Police Department. The initiative will allow residents to safely dispose of unused prescription medications.
Former James City County officer faces computer privacy charges.
Virginia State Police Special Agents charged a former James City County Police Officer with five felonies and three misdemeanors for computer invasion of privacy, according to a Virginia State Police report. The officer also faces five misdemeanor counts related to improper use of the ALPR system, an automated license plate reader tool used by law enforcement. The charges stem from a criminal investigation by state police.
History
Historians recreate 18th century tobacco farming techniques at Ewing Field.
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s Historic Area demonstrates the 12-step process of 18th-century tobacco cultivation from February through September at Ewing Field. The dedicated tradespeople follow historical methods including plowing, worming, topping and curing to illustrate how tobacco transformed colonial Virginia’s economy after John Rolfe introduced a new variety in 1612. While the crop became Virginia’s dominant cash export and made the colony the richest of the thirteen by the American Revolution, its prosperity was built on the forced labor of enslaved Africans.
King George III responds to American independence declaration formally
In an October 31st, 1776 address to Parliament, King George III responded to the Declaration of Independence by reasserting ownership over “my colonies” and “my subjects,” according to historical documentation. The monarch reframed the revolutionary narrative by accusing colonial leaders of imposing “arbitrary tyranny” and claimed the colonists had previously enjoyed “milder government.” George III argued that American revolutionaries sought power rather than genuine freedom, dismissing their independence proclamation as a bid for “dominion and power” over the populace.
Gunsmith of Williamsburg film documents eighteenth century firearm creation
Colonial Williamsburg’s 1969 film “Gunsmith of Williamsburg” showcases master craftsman Wallace Gusler meticulously creating an 18th-century firearm over more than 300 hours. Produced by Arthur L. Smith, head of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s audiovisual department, the documentary was one of numerous educational films distributed to schools, museums and libraries. Gusler spent 42 years at the foundation in roles including Master Gunsmith, Curator of Furniture and Director of Conservation for Furniture and Decorative Arts, according to the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, operator of the nation’s largest history museum.