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Robbinsville’s Delaney Brooms (1) springs to a kill attempt during Tuesday’s road conference match at Murphy. The Lady Knights dropped the match in four sets and are now tied with the Lady Bulldogs atop the divisional standings. Photo by Justin Fitzgerald/Cherokee Scout

Robbinsville’s Delaney Brooms (1) springs to a kill attempt during Tuesday’s road conference match at Murphy. The Lady Knights dropped the match in four sets and are now tied with the Lady Bulldogs atop the divisional standings. Photo by Justin Fitzgerald/Cherokee Scout

Crowded at the top

Kevin Hensley
Thursday, October 6, 2022
Murphy – It took a pair of grueling road matches to unseat Robbinsville from the top spot in the conference standings. The Lady Knights fell victim to a 5-set loss at Cherokee (13-6, 5-2) on Sept. 29, before traveling to Murphy (16-4, 5-2) and suffering a 4-set defeat.
Almost two dozen members of the Noble Knights, a group that looks out for the welfare of fellow students, leads the Graham County Board of Education in the Pledge of Allegiance at the board’s meeting on Tuesday. Photo by Randy Foster/news@grahamstar.com

Almost two dozen members of the Noble Knights, a group that looks out for the welfare of fellow students, leads the Graham County Board of Education in the Pledge of Allegiance at the board’s meeting on Tuesday. Photo by Randy Foster/news@grahamstar.com

Funding, test scores punctuate meeting

Randy Foster
Thursday, October 6, 2022
Robbinsville – Tuesday’s meeting of the Graham County Board of Education reflected hard financial times, recovery from low school scores – and a glimmer of hope for the future.
Donnie Orr (left) reads to children at Robbinsville Elementary School’s media center on Friday, as his sister Debbie Orr (right) waits his turn. The siblings were at the school to dedicate a reading nook in honor of their late mother Maxine Orr, who was a teaching assistant at the school for 30 years. Photo by Randy Foster/news@grahamstar.com

Donnie Orr (left) reads to children at Robbinsville Elementary School’s media center on Friday, as his sister Debbie Orr (right) waits his turn. The siblings were at the school to dedicate a reading nook in honor of their late mother Maxine Orr, who was a teaching assistant at the school for 30 years. Photo by Randy Foster/news@grahamstar.com

‘Castle’ dedicated to teacher

Randy Foster
Thursday, October 6, 2022
Robbinsville – Maxine Orr was a teacher’s assistant at Robbinsville Elementary School, whose presence will be felt at the school for years to come – thanks to a reading nook. Orr worked at the school for 30 years as a teaching assistant and occasionally – when needed – school librarian.
Graham County Commissioner Dale Wiggins (left) cuts the ribbon at a re-dedication ceremony of the Santeetlah Lake Trail South on Sept. 27. Photos by Randy Foster/news@grahamstar.com

Graham County Commissioner Dale Wiggins (left) cuts the ribbon at a re-dedication ceremony of the Santeetlah Lake Trail South on Sept. 27. Photos by Randy Foster/news@grahamstar.com

‘Nature at its best, everywhere’

Randy Foster
Thursday, October 6, 2022
Lake Santeetlah – County Commissioner Dale Wiggins cut the ribbon for a trail re-dedication that he has been working on since 2000. The Santeetlah Lake Trail South is 8.5 miles long, with Carver Cemetery at one end and the intersection of Snowbird and Santeetlah roads at the other.
Patsy Owens Rogers (center) goes over high school yearbooks with Mountain View High School alumni Nahala Ayers Nichols (left) and Judy Williams Biddix during a reunion on Saturday. Rogers started the annual reunion in 2019 along with her late brother, Richard. Photo by Randy Foster/news@grahamstar.com

Patsy Owens Rogers (center) goes over high school yearbooks with Mountain View High School alumni Nahala Ayers Nichols (left) and Judy Williams Biddix during a reunion on Saturday. Rogers started the annual reunion in 2019 along with her late brother, Richard. Photo by Randy Foster/news@grahamstar.com

Keeping memories alive

Randy Foster
Thursday, October 6, 2022
Meadow Branch – More than 30 alumni of Mountain View School gathered for their annual reunion at the Meadow Branch Volunteer Fire Department on Saturday. Mountain View School didn’t exist for all that long. It opened in 1953 and operated only as an elementary school during the 1953-54 school year.
Members of the JV Black Knights – Tillman Adams (12), Kasen Buchanan, Isiac Collins, John Dominguez-Romero (74), Matthew Phillips (7) and Kellen Ensley (52) – were all smiles while jogging off the field after Collins connected on a rare JV point-after during Robbinsville’s 59-6 romping of Andrews on Sept. 22. Photo by Miranda Buchanan/Robbinsville High School Yearbook

Members of the JV Black Knights – Tillman Adams (12), Kasen Buchanan, Isiac Collins, John Dominguez-Romero (74), Matthew Phillips (7) and Kellen Ensley (52) – were all smiles while jogging off the field after Collins connected on a rare JV point-after during Robbinsville’s 59-6 romping of Andrews on Sept. 22. Photo by Miranda Buchanan/Robbinsville High School Yearbook

Complete tune-up

Kevin Hensley
Friday, September 30, 2022
Robbinsville – Just six days prior to challenging for a piece of the pie, the junior varsity Black Knights put on a showcase.
Not a Trojan was found in the path of senior fullback Turner Jackson on Friday, as he began a 58-yard scoring sprint during the Knights’ 40-7 squashing of Alleghany. Photo by Miranda Buchanan/Robbinsville High School Yearbook

Not a Trojan was found in the path of senior fullback Turner Jackson on Friday, as he began a 58-yard scoring sprint during the Knights’ 40-7 squashing of Alleghany. Photo by Miranda Buchanan/Robbinsville High School Yearbook

Anything but a war

Kevin Hensley
Friday, September 30, 2022
Robbinsville – If you are a casual observer, you would have never known the Black Knights had not played a football game in two weeks. The Alleghany Trojans made a 4 ½-hour trip for Friday’s homecoming game at Robbinsville.
This line of garbage debris was sitting just outside the former entrance to the Sweetwater Road (N.C. Highway 143) Convenience Center on Monday, but has since been cleaned up. Visuals like this are becoming more common in Graham County. Photo by Randy Foster/news@grahamstar.com

This line of garbage debris was sitting just outside the former entrance to the Sweetwater Road (N.C. Highway 143) Convenience Center on Monday, but has since been cleaned up. Visuals like this are becoming more common in Graham County. Photo by Randy Foster/news@grahamstar.com

Convenience centers may become less convenient

Randy Foster
Friday, September 30, 2022
Bear Creek – The household waste convenience center off Tallulah Road – near Bear Creek Junction – is at the center of a complex problem.
The Robbinsville Lady Knights surround head coach Kadey Phillips on Tuesday, moments after a 4-set victory at Swain County gave Phillips’ her 100th career win. All names are listed from left. Kneeling in front: Suri Watty and Delaney Brooms. Second row: Claire Barlow, Liz Carpenter, Tai Owle, manager Eden Orr, Kadey Phillips, Kensley Phillips, Desta Trammell, assistant coach Dede Brooms and Fala Welch. Standing in back is Aubrie Wachacha. Photos by Kevin Hensley/sports@grahamstar.com

The Robbinsville Lady Knights surround head coach Kadey Phillips on Tuesday, moments after a 4-set victory at Swain County gave Phillips’ her 100th career win. All names are listed from left. Kneeling in front: Suri Watty and Delaney Brooms. Second row: Claire Barlow, Liz Carpenter, Tai Owle, manager Eden Orr, Kadey Phillips, Kensley Phillips, Desta Trammell, assistant coach Dede Brooms and Fala Welch. Standing in back is Aubrie Wachacha. Photos by Kevin Hensley/sports@grahamstar.com

Model of consistency

Kevin Hensley
Friday, September 30, 2022
Bryson City – It took Kadey Phillips just 130 matches to carve out 100 career wins. The clincher was a 4-set Robbinsville Lady Knights triumph at Swain County on Tuesday.