CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Mary C. Snow West Side Elementary School officially kicked off a new pilot of a statewide program geared toward keeping children in school throughout the year.

The new attendance-based program is called “Steal the Show, Eight or Below,” and it encourages students at the school to be in the classroom every day they can physically make it. The goal is for students to not miss more than eight days across the school year.

Mary C. Snow Elementary got its students excited for the program with a pep-rally encouraging consistent attendance and members of the community such as Capital High School football players, West Virginia State University cheerleaders, and Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin all made an appearance.

Mary C. Snow Elementary Principal Destiny Spencer says there is a statewide problem with absences in schools.

“We have a problem with absences and we’re trying to get the message out that, even if you are going to the doctor and getting an excuse, it’s still an absence,” Spencer said Friday afternoon. “We’re getting the kids excited about coming to school and we just want them to know that we really want them to be here.”

Mayor Goodwin says young children missing school on a regular basis can be detrimental.

“Every day that a student misses school, they not only miss instruction, but they miss time and socialization with their friends,” Goodwin said. “They miss breakfast, they miss lunch, they miss that kind of interaction and that nutrition that we need to give to our students every day.”

Students at Mary C. Snow Elementary will not be left without rewards for potential improved attendance numbers, as the top eight attended students will be awarded $100 at the end of the year and the most well attended student in the school will win a PlayStation 5.

Spencer says the effort is a trial and error to see if it can be spread across the county and the state.

“This is a new initiative, so it’s going to be a trial-and-error type of thing too and then we hope to share what worked with the other schools,” Spencer said.

The problem of absences is one that the state is trying to fix, as a new policy has been put into place to where students are considered “chronically absent” if they have 10 or more unexcused absences.

Spencer says getting a program to address attendance together was no overnight process.

“It’s been in the works since past February,” Spencer said. “We met every Saturday almost in the month of April and May, so we’ve taken a lot of time and worked really hard.”

Goodwin says she sees how hard the staff at Mary C. Snow Elementary are working and it’s paying off.

“Mary C. Snow Elementary has such a dynamic staff and you can see that through the energy we got back from the kids today,” Goodwin said. “Listen, if we’re asking the kids to show up, we’d better show up.”

Spencer, who was recently named the Kanawha County Principal of the Year, says the West Side community has been supportive and interactive to help programs like this work.

“I have seen nothing but support,” Spencer said. “Anytime I reach out to anybody, they are right there for me and the students. I couldn’t ask for a better community, and I am happy to be the principal at Mary C. Snow.”

Goodwin says sees something special in Spencer as a leader for children in the city.

“As a daughter of two public school teachers, I see it in her like I saw it in my parents,” Goodwin said. “She has such a dynamic personality for sure, but she has the passion that we need in all of our teachers and all of our school administrators because that is contagious.”

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Friday he is suspending his campaign and threw his support behind former President Donald Trump — the GOP presidential nominee.

The announcement from the environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist, who has held on to a long-shot presidential bid, comes just a day after Vice President Kamala Harris formally accepted her party’s nomination at the Democratic National Convention.

“It’s with a sense of victory and not defeat that I’m suspending my campaign activities,” Kennedy said in Phoenix, Arizona, during a lengthy news conference.

“Not only did we do the impossible by collecting a million signatures, but we changed the national political conversation forever,” he said, adding that “I can say to all who have worked so hard the last year-and-a-half — thank you for a job well done.”

Kennedy acknowledged that he “cannot, in good conscience, ask my staff and volunteers to keep working their long hours, or ask my donors to keep giving when I cannot honestly tell them that I have a real path to the White House.”

He clarified that he is not terminating his campaign and that his name will “remain on the ballot in most states.”

The third-party candidate said he would remove his name from the ballot in about 10 battleground states “where my presence would be a spoiler.” He did not specify the states.

He said voters who live in a blue state can vote for him “without harming or helping [former] President Trump or Vice President Harris.”

In response, Trump thanked Kennedy during a campaign event in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“That was very nice,” the former president said, adding that Kennedy is a “great guy” and “respected by everybody.”

Kennedy drew speculation about withdrawing his candidacy and backing Trump in the days leading up to the Friday announcement. On Thursday, he filed the paperwork to withdraw his name from Arizona’s ballot, per Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes in a post on X.

Kennedy has faced dwindling polling numbers and financial trouble for his campaign while undertaking a monumental task in getting on states’ ballots as an independent candidate. He initially ran as a Democrat but switched to an independent ticket in October 2023.

Kennedy — son of Robert F. Kennedy and the nephew of John F. Kennedy — is part of one of the most storied families in Democratic politics. Throughout his campaign, he amplified anti-vaccine conspiracy theories and was seen as a possible spoiler candidate.

Harris-Walz campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said “for any American out there who is tired of Donald Trump and looking for a new way forward, ours is a campaign for you,” per a Friday statement in response to Kennedy suspending his campaign.

“In order to deliver for working people and those who feel left behind, we need a leader who will fight for you, not just for themselves, and bring us together, not tear us apart. Vice President Harris wants to earn your support.”

Meanwhile, Trump is set to speak in Glendale, Arizona, later Friday. His campaign said Thursday that a “special guest” would join him at the rally.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — All five projected starters on the West Virginia offensive line played extensively last season. Four were regular starters themselves in 2023, including Brandon Yates, who has displayed no shortage of versatility throughout his college career.

Having played meaningful snaps at all five positions up front the last three seasons, Yates has assumed the role of full time center ahead of his sixth and final campaign with the Mountaineers.

In the process, the redshirt senior is attempting to replace one of the more accomplished offensive lineman in WVU football history as center Zach Frazier has moved on after being a second-round draft choice of the Pittsburgh Steelers in April.

Yates has known his new role was coming for some time, but admits there’s somewhat of a different feel to it with the regular season opener against Penn State a week away.

“It’s a little bit different than the spring, because then you’re preparing for a spring game, but this is preparing for the whole season,” Yates said. “I’m trying to take everything seriously, because in situations when it does get to Penn State and a fourth-and-1, I have to do the important things and make sure everyone is on the right people.”

Yates gained valuable experience as a center to end the 2023 season after replacing Frazier for the Duke’s Mayo Bowl against North Carolina. That was out of necessity after the Fairmont native suffered a fractured fibula during the regular season finale at Baylor, but it provided Yates an opportunity to get a glimpse of what the upcoming season will be like.

“Playing guard last year and a little bit of center, I kind of already knew what I needed to do physically to compete better at this position,” Yates said. “Since then, I had the summer to develop even more and I’ve definitely improved in the physical aspect. The weight room numbers went up. Both mental and physical, I’ve definitely made huge improvements.”

Yates was primarily utilized at right guard in 2023, but also saw action at left guard when Tomas Rimac battled injury. The previous two seasons, he had mostly played right tackle and left tackle, respectively.

Now that he’s shifted to the middle of the offensive line, there is more responsibility. Along with identifying defensive looks prior to the snap, Yates is also tasked with making sure the offensive line understands the snap cadence and is working together as one.

“The offense is doing a really good job right now chemistry wise,” Yates said. “I had the guys at my house not too long ago. We had a barbecue, and I cooked for them —some burgers, stuff like that. We’re a very close group on the offensive side. You have to be that. Everybody has to be the same way. If one guy messes up the play, the play looks horrible. We all have to be in sync, intertwined and really together.”

During a play, Yates says much of what he is asked to do at center is similar to what he did as a guard. The major difference playing center or guard as opposed to tackle, where Yates was for 2021 and 2022 seasons, is a different body type in defenders he’s assigned to.

“Once the ball is snapped, it’s basically guard. Most guys are not going to play down the middle and if they do, it’s just going to be a fight at that point,” Yates said. “When I talk about the difference between [playing] inside and outside, I think about body types. In the Big 12, the guys outside are a little more nimble and skinnier and more like basketball guys. They like to get around guys and they want to be finesse. Those guys are mostly speed to power. 

“The guys inside are mostly power. Body types are very different when it goes from outside to inside. Coming from tackle to guard and center, I had to change my body as well. In my younger years, I was 290 and I was more worried about getting out there to those guys. Since I’ve moved in, my body has changed and I’ve gained 20 pounds, so I was able to go down there and hang with those guys. I took that as a challenge. [Head coach for football strength and conditioning Mike Joseph] gives me a number and a max to work off of and I would go 10 above that to get stronger. Every day I got stronger, I was able to move guys and be a lot more effective against guys with bigger bodies.”

With a full offseason to prepare himself as Frazier’s replacement, Yates is hoping to get the most out of his final go-around at the college level. He’s taking over for a player who started 46 games, including 37 straight at center, and twice earned All-American honors while garnering All-Big 12 Conference status on three occasions. Frazier went on to become the Mountaineers’ highest NFL Draft pick since 2016.

“We don’t talk about football that much. We kind of keep it light,” Yates said. “We both understand we’re very different how we do things and play football.” 

As a whole, Yates hopes his presence at center and the experience of other projected starters Wyatt Milum (left tackle), Rimac (left guard), Ja’Quay Hubbard (right guard) and Nick Malone (right tackle) aids the offensive line in its quest to again be a unit that generates one of the best sacks against rates and can pave the way for one of the top rushing attacks nationally, just as it did a year ago.

WVU’s 10 sacks surrendered in 2023 was the third lowest total of 133 FBS teams, while its 228.9 rushing yards per game was No. 4 nationally and tops among power conference programs.

“I do the best I can do and want to be a better leader. Since Zach left, I’ve felt like I had to step into that role and become a different kind of leader,” Yates said. “But everybody is a leader in that room. We have to be leaders on the whole team.

“We’re the oldest guys on this team, so we all have to lead very differently. Everybody looks at us. We’re the biggest people on the field and the giants on the field. If the giants on the field are not high energy, the whole team can be like, ‘if they’re not high energy, why do I need to be?’ We all have to be high energy and leaders in the room. Ja’Quay is high energy guy. Nick Malone, I love that guy. He’ll joke around and keep everything pretty light, but he does the right things and he’s also a vocal leader. We all do pretty well being leaders to the team and being leaders to each other.”