🌱 Parkersburg High School Teen Highlight + Apprenticeship Post-School

Hello there, Parkersburg! I'm here in your inbox this spring morning to get you caught up on everything you need to know about what's going on in town.

But first, your local weather:

• Monday: Warmer with a passing shower. High: 78 Low: 57.
• Tuesday: Mostly sunny and pleasant. High: 82 Low: 57.

Here are the top three stories today in Parkersburg:

1. Hunter Hall of Parkersburg High School was highlighted as the Teen of the Week as he shines as a member of the award-winning choir. A sophomore in high school this past school year, Hall is a member of the National Honor Society, but is most prided in being a member of the A Capella Choir, Men's Ensemble, and the Chamber Choir. Hall and the choir recently attended the World Strides Heritage Festival in Atlanta, where the group swept the competition. (Parkersburg News)
2. This past Thursday, Robert Anthony Thomas pled guilty to child pornography charges in federal court for the Southern District of West Virginia for material dating back to 2020. According to Attorney Will Thompson, Thomas made over 105,000 digital files of child pornography over a two-year span from June 2022 to August 2023. Thomas is set to be sentenced in August and will face a minimum of five years in prison, five or more years on supervised release, and he must be registered as a sexual offender. The nationwide initiative Project Safe Childhood brought this case to life as they have been fighting the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse since 2006 and continue to fight for and rescue victims. (Parkersburg News)
3. Graduation season is upon high schoolers nearby Parkersburg in Mineral Wells and while some students are preparing to take the following steps into college, many others are looking to enter the workforce. Why not take up a trade? The West Virginia Construction Craft Laborers Training Center has a ton of opportunities to get in the trades, with over 350 areas of occupation that start with apprenticeships. These take around two years to complete and are primarily hands-on work with a bit of bookwork on the side, so you get the workforce experience as well as some school work, gaining 39 college credits on the side in case you are interested in education in the future. (WTAP)

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Today and tomorrow in Parkersburg:

Monday, May 29

• Saxophonist Ethan Perry At Blennerhassett Hotel And Spa (5:00 PM)
• Beginner's Clinic: River City Runners And Walkers Club At City Park (5:15 PM)

Tuesday, May 30

• Tai Chi For Beginners At South Parkersburg Public Library (10:30 AM)
• Introduction to 3D Printing With Filament At BB2C Makerspace (5:30 PM)
• Agriculture Training: Intermediate Beekeeping At WVU-P (6:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• There are a bunch of summer activities for your teens to get into at the South Parkersburg Library starting this June. Activities range from book clubs to arts and crafts to even a field day at the end of the month for the library to kick off the summer. (Parkersburg & Wood County Public Library via Facebook)
• With the last day of school being this past Thursday, Parkersburg Catholic Schools left one more prayer to close this school year and prep students for a safe summer. Congratulations to all the hard work and dedication students have shown all year towards their studies and it is time to recharge before this next school year comes running back around. (Parkersburg Catholic Schools via Facebook)
• On Saturday, Jun. 3, you can join the WVU Parkersburg Staff Council at 3:00 p.m. for Designer Purse Bingo in the multi-purpose room of the main campus for a wonderful event. For more information on the event, contact Elizabeth Knick. Concessions will be offered at the event as well as a relaxing activity. (West Virginia University at Parkersburg via Facebook)

Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Monday! I'll be back in your inbox soon with another update.

— Callie Cook

About me: Callie Cook is a Texas-based freelance writer and content creator with a degree in Multidisciplinary Studies from West Virginia University.