Milestones: April 14, 2026
Deep Run High School students Isabella Paperman, Shelly Purser and Anna Weitzenhofer are among 16 from the region who have earned spots at the National Speech & Debate Tournament, the culminating championship of the National Speech & Debate Association. For five days in June, more than 7,000 student competitors will participate in dozens of event styles, advancing through multiple preliminary rounds scored by judges using national rubrics for reasoning, evidence, organization and delivery. Top competitors move through elimination brackets to final rounds on a national stage. The week also includes judge training, coach caucuses, student assemblies and service events in a highly coordinated, multi-venue schedule across Greater Richmond.
The Henrico Concert Band recently announced its new director, Duane Coston. Coston currently serves as the director of bands at Virginia Commonwealth University. Prior to this role, he was an assistant band director at the University of Virginia. He holds a bachelor of Music Education degree from VCU and a master of Music degree from James Madison University.
Phi Kappa Phi, a collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines, recently inducted the following local students: Kayla Nolte (Longwood University), Darcy Foot (Virginia Tech) and Lily Ricci (University of Georgia), of Henrico; and Agustina Ruiz de Gopegui (Virginia Tech) and Jordan Tan (James Madison University), of Glen Allen. Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors are eligible for membership.
