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Amy's Newsletter The Portsmouth History Commission Flag Day Celebration, 14 June 2011 The Portsmouth History Commission chose my book The Elizabeth River as the text that the Portsmouth Public  Schools’ Social Studies Department thus had its high school students from Woodrow Wilson,
Churchland and I.C. Norcom High Schools read. Each student who appeared at today’s Flag Day had won the category in which they presented: the book was divided into thirds for the
students to compose their essay. There was a senior from Woodrow Wilson High School who will be entering New York University in the fall to study journalism; she wants to be a writer.
Then there were two juniors, one from Churchland High School and the other from I.C. Norcom. The articulate and well read young man from Norcom won the University of Virginia’s
 Jefferson Book Award and, in my opinion,
demonstrated complete grasp of the material and its context. He was spot on and a pleasure to hear speak on the latter third of the book. The
ceremony was held at 10 o’clock this morning at High Street Landing Memorial Park. This was a spectacularly beautiful June day on the Elizabeth River and I was most impressed
with how these three students presented the beginning, middle and end of the book; they were articulate and poised and it made me very proud that they had enjoyed and studied the book
and the history that I hope, in time, those in the Hampton Roads region will come to appreciate and know better—at least as well as these three promising young people today. From
this writer’s perspective, and I spoke of it this morning, it never gets any better than when you reach young people with your work and you see them “getting it.”
Thank you, Portsmouth History Commission, for choosing The Elizabeth River and for the City of Portsmouth, Towne Bank and all the other sponsors who made it happen. What a good
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