Trending
Wheeling Heritage has a new director of programming, and she will bring the perspective of a mother and educator to the job.
Riley Carpenter most recently was a kindergarten teacher at Woodsdale Elementary School, and she taught in Ohio County Schools for the last nine years. She also is presently in her ninth month of pregnancy with her second child.
"My personal priorities started to shift after having my own children," Carpenter said. "Then I saw this job opening and it sparked my curiosity. I thought this really, really interests me."
Carpenter was familiar with Wheeling Heritage and its programs, especially the popular "Show of Hands" business presentation program. Her mother, Terry Jill Bonar -- owner of the custom floral shop "Making Magic" in Warwood -- is a past winner of "Show of Hands."
"I'm due with my second baby in several weeks, and I know it's terrible timing," Carpenter continued. "I keep asking myself, why am I doing this to myself?
"It was never that I wanted to leave education. I loved it there. I had wonderful students and I had established relationships with parents. I had great co-workers and everything. But this was an opportunity I couldn't pass up."
Carpenter said she is due to deliver her baby in mid-August. She started the new job July 22.
"There's a whirlwind of events happening in our lives, and I'm glad I was able to start the job beforehand, get acclimated and meet my co-workers -- even if it was by email," Carpenter added.
She plans to be present for the next Show of Hands, which is set for Sept. 25 at the Wheeling Artisan Center.
Currently, there is a flurry of activity in the building, and Carpenter said she is trying to be as involved as she can be.
The art in the new gallery at the Artisan Center is coming down at the end of the month, and some work by Wheeling Heritage employees will be going up. The photography of Jonathan Porter and Dylan Richardson will be featured, with more than 34 images on display, Carpenter reports.
Earlier this year, retail stores set up on the first floor of the building, with the Wheeling Artisan Center Shop being relocated from the second floor. A refurbished second floor will be viewed by U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-West Virginia, on Aug. 20. This will be a private event, Carpenter said.
"I am excited to maintain the programs we have, and to see what we can do to enhance these programs," she said. "I want to innovate with new ideas.
"I am looking forward to bringing more youth and generations into the city, and finding things that appeal to those under age 40 is one of my personal goals," Carpenter continued.