Author: Asianna Holloway

Boys Home Hilltoppers Finish 2018-2019 Basketball Season

Mike Nunnally was named Boys Home Hilltopper head coach for the 2018-2019 basketball season. Coach Nunnally first came to Boys Home of Virginia in 1956 at 12 years old. He stayed at Boys Home until he graduated from Covington High School in 1963. During his time at Boys Home, the most influential people to him were Executive Director Bob Burrowes, houseparent Francis “Granny” Myers, and most of all his coach, mentor, and father figure, Paul Siple. Coach Nunnally lived in Greene Cottage with his best friend, Pete Dimick, and later named his son after Pete. As a child, Coach Nunnally was blessed with athletic ability, which Coach Siple nurtured. Coach Nunnally played basketball and baseball at Boys Home and then continued to play both of those sports at Bridgewater College.

When asked to give a synopsis of the season, Coach Nunnally answered, “We started slowly, as we had three players with limited experience on the court. The remainder of our players had played on a basketball team before. Our schedule did not help our slow start since our first twelve games were away. We started with thirteen players and actually added four players over the course of the season. We ended the season with eight players. The turnover of players hampered the development of the team. After Christmas vacation, we started to find our footing and won seven of our remaining fifteen games. Our overall record was 9-16 and we finished the season on a high note by taking second place in the NLCA Invitational Tournament. Our team was constantly praised by opposing coaches and fans for our disciplined play, effort, and the good sportsmanship our team displayed.”

After asking Coach Nunnally if it was what he expected he said, “I knew coming in that I was taking on a team with little experience, so I knew we would struggle early on. I did not expect to lose so many players for one reason or another during the season, so that was definitely a surprise. I knew that we would get better as the season progressed and the boys that stuck with it all the way to the end proved me right.”

Coach Nunnally said that some of his favorite things about coaching this season was helping to mold a team and watching them improve over the course of the season. He said the players learned to play for each other and not just for themselves. Coach Nunnally’s favorite memory was watching the team work hard to get better every single day and he truly saw the results as they defeated three teams that beat them the first time around. They also ended the season with nine 3-pointers in one game, a new Boys Home Hilltopper record!

Coach Mike Nunnally is already excited for the 2019-2020 basketball season and said as long as the boys work hard during the offseason, the Hilltoppers will surprise many teams next year!

Thank you, Coach Nunnally, for all your time, dedication, and patience that you poured into the Boys Home players this season. We are excited to see what the 2019-2020 season has in store!

A Note from Chaplain Anne Grizzle: Bishop Curry

Six students from Boys Home opened up the Friday evening Eucharist of the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia’s Convention on January 25, 2019. They sang “This Joy That I Have the World Didn’t Give It To Me” while playing the drums. After singing the song through twice, they invited everyone to sing along. The audience rose to their feet and began clapping and singing along. The students practiced hard in order to be able to offer this opening song. Great job to Christian, Alvin, Ben, Jason, Khean, and Phillip! The students were surprised and delighted with Bishop Michael Curry came over to greet them personally, offering a hug and bishop’s pin. Bishop Curry also signed books that were given to each of these students at the chapel service at Boys Home the following week.

All of the students from Boys Home went to Roanoke for the Episcopal Revival on Sunday, January 27, 2019 at the Berglund Performing Arts Center. The musical group Live Hymnal offered inspiring music and Bishop Curry gave a lively sermon about following Jesus’ way of love. Afterwards, the students at Boys Home stopped by St. James Episcopal Church in Roanoke for a Sunday dinner prepared by Gary Price from Boys Home. The fellowship from St. James parishioners and the Sudanese community made for a festive and fun conclusion to a very memorable outing!

Boys Home Welcomes New Staff Members Patty Anderson, Jason Bush, and Jacy Burdette

Boys Home of Virginia is excited to welcome Patty Anderson to the teaching staff. Patty graduated from the College of William and Mary with a Bachelor of Education degree. After college, she taught in York County for 10 years. Patty then transferred to Alleghany County where she taught for 22 more years. Boys Home principal Teresa Johnson recently asked Patty if she would be interested in tutoring some of the students. Patty agreed and quickly fell in love with the students at Boys Home. She says she feels this is her calling, and she finds it is very rewarding. Patty says her favorite thing about Boys Home so far is that she believes she can truly teach the students and take her time in doing so. If they don’t understand something, she can stop and help. Patty hopes to make a difference in the students’ lives by helping them learn and encouraging them to feel good about themselves while they learn!

Another addition to the Boys Home staff this year is Jason Bush. Jason has a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Colorado. After college, Jason worked for a structural engineering firm, but he recently decided to change his career path. This summer, on a mission trip to Uganda with Galilee Episcopal Church in Virginia Beach, Jason met three Boys Home students and two staff members. They told him about Boys Home and he was quickly intrigued. After the trip, he visited Boys Home and was soon eager to begin work on campus. Jason is currently working as a houseparent and soccer coach. He says his favorite thing about Boys Home is the sense of community. Jason looks forward to seeing the students grow in character and become men of faith.  

Lastly, Boys Home is thankful for new staff member Jacy Burdette. Jacy recently graduated from UVA Wise with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and a concentration in directing. Jacy has been hired to teach language arts, theatre, and drivers’ education. She says she truly feels that Boys Home is where she should be. Jacy grew up in Alleghany County, and she remembers visiting the Boys Home campus to attend YMCA programs and to participate in the Boys Home fishing days. So far, Jacy’s favorite aspects of working at Boys Home are witnessing the potential of each student and being able to offer them a chance to try something new. Jacy feels she can really make a great impact at Boys Home and she looks forward to planting seeds and seeing the wonderful outcomes.

Email Scam Alert

Recently we have received several fraudulent emails containing either an invoice for payments and/or an attempt to click on a link. If you receive an email that appears to be a scam, please do NOT open the attachment or click on the link. The email is an attempt to steal your identity or gain control of your computer, or both.  Please call us to check the accuracy of the information. The authorities are aware of the scam.