West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) recently aired a new documentary about the life of Medal of Honor recipient, Woody Williams titled, “Woody Williams: An Extraordinary Life of Service.” The public is encouraged to join us for a special screening on Monday, Dec. 11 at 5:30 p.m.
Join Us Monday, Dec. 11 at 5:30 p.m. in the West Virginia Culture Center Theater
West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) recently aired a new documentary about the life of Medal of Honor recipient, Woody Williams titled, Woody Williams: An Extraordinary Life of Service. The public is encouraged to join us for a special screening on Monday, Dec. 11 at 5:30 p.m.
WHAT: Screening of Documentary Film Woody Williams: An Extraordinary Life of Service
WHERE: Culture Center Theater. Capitol Complex
WHEN: 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
The documentary chronicles the life of Hershel “Woody” Williams, America’s last living World War II Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. William’s life was dedicated to God, family, country and perhaps above all, service. In 2022, Williams passed at the age of 98, and would lie in honor at both the West Virginia State Capitol and the US Capitol.
The documentary shares how Williams at the age of 85, formed the Woody Williams Foundation, dedicated to honoring and helping Gold Star Families. Through the work of the foundation, there are now Gold Star Families Monuments in every state.
Kara Vance, a physical education teacher for both Alum Creek Elementary and Kenna Elementary in Kanawha County, earned West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Above and Beyond Award for October, which recognizes excellence and creativity of Mountain State teachers.
Kara Vance, a physical education teacher for both Alum Creek Elementary and Kenna Elementary in Kanawha County, earned West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Above and Beyond Award for October, which recognizes excellence and creativity of Mountain State teachers.
Vance was presented the award by WVPB’s Education Director Maggie Holley during a surprise assembly at Alum Creek Elementary with the entire school in attendance. Vance received a monetary award and a signature Blenko Glass blue apple paperweight. The West Virginia State Treasurers’ Office sponsors the award and is the presenter of the SMART529 college savings program in the Mountain State.
Vance’s nomination starts with a strong testament. “Kara leads by doing. She has positive energy that attracts everyone to want to work with her and be part of what she is doing.” Whether she is leading her running club, organizing field day, or consoling a child, it is clear her positivity and leadership is felt in the school and community.
Although Vance has been an educator for 10 years, this is only her second year in physical education. She had previously been an English teacher for elementary, middle and high school. When asked about the transition, Vance said, “You go from telling kids to sit down, get quiet, and get your pencils out to get up, make some noise and asking why do you have a pencil?”
Vance built upon the programs in place at the schools and added new ideas, skills, and equipment for her students. According to her nomination, she began a running club, organized a Color Run, set new records for the American Heart Association Kids’ Heart Challenge, and then shared the funds to purchase a new speaker and hosted an impromptu dance party for the kids. She also volunteered to coach a soccer team when no one else could, even though she had never played soccer before.
Another achievement for Vance, was successfully organizing and implementing field day for both elementary schools. This consisted of a variety of outdoor stations with different activities that involved a lot of water and even a fire truck. She had fifth graders manage and run the stations for all the grades. She said they did very well, and it gave them an opportunity to practice their speaking skills. They also got to join in on the fun, too.
Not only does Vance include students and faculty in activities at the schools, but she also encourages parents and community members to get involved. She said, “We have great communities at both schools. You don’t even have to ask, and they are offering to help.”
She recalled eating lunch one day and seeing a parent outside setting up for the Color Run and another parent used a drone and put together video footage for them of the event.
One fifth grader proudly said in an interview, “Some things we all love about Mrs. Vance is that she’s funny, works hard and is the best gym teacher we’ve ever had. She’s cool and loves everybody in the school. We all love her.”
Each month, WVPB has an esteemed panel of judges that select one deserving teacher who goes above and beyond for the students in West Virginia. If you know of a deserving teacher who goes “Above and Beyond,” please click here to nominate them.
The West Virginia Public Broadcasting Foundation, Inc. has received one of 60 grants recently announced by Your Community Foundation of North Central West Virginia, Inc. (YCF).
CHARLESTON, WV – The West Virginia Public Broadcasting Foundation, Inc. has received one of 60 grants recently announced by Your Community Foundation of North Central West Virginia, Inc. (YCF). The grants were presented at a celebration sponsored by Hope Gas at the Morgantown Marriott at Waterfront Place on Nov. 15. The nonprofit distributed the donations to local charitable organizations in celebration of National Community Foundation Week.
These awards, ranging from $120 to $14,000, support community programs, schools, services and initiatives across Harrison, Marion, Monongalia, Preston and Taylor counties.
“The mission at West Virginia Public Broadcasting is to educate, inform and inspire,” stated WVPB Education Director Maggie Holley. “One of our favorite things to do is to get books in the hands of children. The Books with Buddies program provides books for kids across West Virginia. We are thrilled to receive this grant from the Stephen D. Tanner Children’s Enrichment Fund, which is made possible by Your Community Foundation of North Central West Virginia.”
These grants were awarded on National Philanthropy Day, Nov. 15, which coincides with National Community Foundation Week, celebrated annually from Nov. 12-18. “On behalf of YCF’s Board of Directors, we thank our generous community of donors who make these grant awards possible,” said YCF’s Board Chair Martin Howe. “We also congratulate the nonprofits and schools receiving the awards and working to improve the lives of residents throughout our region.”
YCF’s mission is to promote philanthropy and build endowment funds to benefit our communities. Through financial resources, YCF extends many forms of assistance to qualified people, programs and projects. Primarily serving North Central West Virginia, YCF works to make charitable giving easy, flexible and effective.
For more information, please visit www.ycfwv.org or call the YCF office at 304-296-3433.
Learn more about WVPB education initiatives and access free resources at wvpublic.org/education.
West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) is now live streaming on Hulu + Live TV, one of the nation’s largest streaming services for live television with more than 4.5 million subscribers. Hulu + Live TV’s subscribers will now have access to inspiring and educational content created by the WVPB production team, along with PBS favorites.
Hulu + Live TV Subscribers Will Now Have Access to High-Quality, Educational and Inspiring Content from West Virginia Public Broadcasting
CHARLESTON, WV – West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) is now live streaming on Hulu + Live TV, one of the nation’s largest streaming services for live television with more than 4.5 million subscribers. Hulu + Live TV’s subscribers will now have access to inspiring and educational content created by the WVPB production team, along with PBS favorites, including PBS NewsHour, FRONTLINE, MASTERPIECE, Antiques Roadshow and WVPB PBS KIDS channel.
Participating PBS stations like WVPB will make Hulu + Live TV available in more than 300 markets over the next year. This agreement represents PBS’s continued commitment to make its quality and award-winning content accessible to all Americans on as many digital platforms as possible.
“We are extremely excited that West Virginia Public Broadcasting has been added to the local channels for subscribers of Hulu + Live TV,” said WVPB Interim Executive Director Eddie Isom. “This will allow more cord cutters to continue watching the local documentaries WVPB produces. As program distribution continues to evolve, WVPB will continue to grow our live streaming. We were added to DIRECTV and the PBS App earlier this year. We hope to add more streaming services in the near future.”
WVPB is telling West Virginia’s story. Watch WVPB over the air, on your local cable system, stream our content, or download the free app. Just search WVPB in the App Store or via Google Play. Visit our website at wvpublic.org for all the latest content, news, education resources, schedules and more.
PBS, PBS KIDS and local station content is also available on PBS.org and pbskids.org, as well as the PBS Video App and PBS KIDS Video app available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, and smart TVs from Samsung and Vizio. Local PBS station members are also able to view an extended library of quality public television programming via Passport.
Jeffrey Goff, an English teacher at James Monroe High School in Monroe County, earned West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Above and Beyond Award for September 2023, which recognizes excellence and creativity of Mountain State teachers.
Jeffrey Goff, an English teacher at James Monroe High School in Monroe County, earned West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Above and Beyond Award for September 2023, which recognizes excellence and creativity of Mountain State teachers.
During an assembly, Goff was presented the award by WVPB’s Education Director Maggie Holley. Goff received a monetary award and a signature Blenko Glass blue apple paperweight. The West Virginia State Treasurers’ Office sponsors the award, presenter of the SMART529 college savings program in the Mountain State.
Goff has a clear passion for literature in the classroom, which shows in his work. He makes literary texts that high school students may deem daunting or advanced more approachable and meaningful. For example, to help bring Dante’s Inferno to life, he has students design their version and create it in either mixed media art or video form. For Shakespeare, Goff will take the students to the American Shakespeare Center in Virginia for shows and interactions with the actors.
Goff’s classroom neighbor stated, “Rather than merely reading and commenting on theater works, I hear enthusiastic student productions of various works of Shakespeare, Death of a Salesman, and Of Mice and Men through the wall.”
Goff is especially praised for his connections with students. Graduating seniors often said Goff made a profound, positive impact on them during their time at school. In addition, they described Goff as the teacher who had most prepared them for college and a career.
One current eleventh grader, Gavin French, said, “Mr. Goff is just a really wonderful teacher overall; without him, a lot of these students wouldn’t have the passion for English that they do, including myself, and I think he is absolutely deserving of this award.”
Goff’s nominator and teaching colleague stated, “With a mixture of tact, humor, and patience, he has been my sounding board and coach, all on an informal, selfless basis. Jeff is usually one of the first teachers to arrive and last to leave in the evening and always has time for conversations with parents, students, and peers. Jeff leads by example and consistently goes the extra mile for his students.”
Each month, WVPB has an esteemed panel of judges that select one deserving teacher who goes above and beyond for the students in West Virginia. If you know of a deserving teacher who goes “Above and Beyond,” please click here to nominate them.
To commemorate Veterans Day in West Virginia, West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) proudly releases a new documentary about the life of Medal of Honor recipient, Woody Williams titled, Woody Williams: An Extraordinary Life of Service. The show will air Saturday, Nov. 11, at 8 p.m. on WVPB. You can also watch the program on WVPB Passport and our YouTube channel.
Updated on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023 at 10:30 a.m.
Watch Saturday, Nov. 11, at 8 p.m. on WVPB
CHARLESTON,WV: To commemorate Veterans Day in West Virginia, West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) proudly releases a new documentary about the life of Medal of Honor recipient, Woody Williams titled, Woody Williams: An Extraordinary Life of Service. The show will air Saturday, Nov. 11, at 8 p.m. on WVPB. You can also watch the program on WVPB Passport and our YouTube channel.
The front of the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument in Charleston, West Virginia.The back of the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument in Charleston, West Virginia.
Photos courtesy of Jan Kunicki/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
The documentary chronicles the life of Hershel ‘Woody” Williams, America’s last living World War II Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. William’s life was dedicated to God, family, country and perhaps above all, service. In 2022, Williams passed at the age of 98, and would lie in honor at both the West Virginia State Capitol and the US Capitol.
“Woody Williams: An Extraordinary Life of Service has been a great project for our video production team and showcases their talent in telling West Virginia’s story,” commented Interim Executive Director Eddie Isom. “We hope everyone learns about Mr. Williams’ commitment to his community that went way beyond his military service. We hope this hour-long documentary is an inspiration to others.”
The documentary shares how Williams at the age of 85, formed the Woody Williams Foundation, dedicated to honoring and helping Gold Star Families. Through the work of the foundation, there are now Gold Star Families Monuments in every state.
You can watch and stream this and other award-winning shows online at wvpublic.org, on our YouTube channel, or by downloading the WVPB app. It’s free and available in the Apple App Store or via Google Play – just search for West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
