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First, he won a conference championship with his basketball team at Prince Edward Middle School. Now Coach Louis Gould III is being honored, as the Kappa Rho Omega chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority named him their 2024 Citizen of the Year. 

Gould was one of two people recognized by the sorority in this year’s awards. Dr. Janiel Medley of Amelia County, meanwhile, was the recipient of the Distinguished Soror Award for her dedicated service to the sorority and community.

But the spotlight fell on Coach Gould, honored for his outstanding contributions to the community and specifically his work with kids, both in and out of school. Gould wears a lot of hats around Prince Edward County. He works as a 7th grade U.S. History teacher at Prince Edward County Middle School, where he coaches basketball, along with track and field. As we mentioned earlier this week, Gould’s rules caused his basketball players to improve in the classroom, while they also worked to earn a second straight conference championship on the court. As Gould said, kids worked to be a part of his team. 

“All of them, they knew they couldn’t play with bad grades, that’s not how we do,” Gould said. “We had kids scrambling, working to get those grades up. They definitely showed they wanted to be part of the program, by the effort they put in.” 

But sports isn’t all that Gould’s involved in. The man is the president and founder of the Fresh Boyz Club, a non-profit youth mentorship program that connects young boys and men. His group volunteers at the FACES Food Bank, the PEFYA Basketball  program, participates in community activism, sponsors Thanksgiving events, Mothers’ Day activities and the Back2School Supply Giveaway Program. The idea is to, in Gould’s words, give young men a chance to “develop leadership skills, participate in service to others, achieve academic excellence, and practice personal integrity.” 

Gould is a graduate of Prince Edward County High School and Longwood University.

He earned The Herald’s Readers Choice “BEST OF THE BEST Award” in 2021, The Herald’s “Best K-12 Teacher” and the Farmville Rotary Club’s Middle School Teacher of the Year Award in 2023. He is also a member of the Jericho Baptist Church in Farmville.

Medley recognized by Alpha Kappa Alpha

Dr. Janiel Medley, a native of Surry County, was educated in the Surry County Public School System. She graduated from Longwood University with a Bachelor’s degree in Therapeutic Recreation  and a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction. Medley also earned a doctorate degree in Administration and Supervision from Virginia State University. She is currently a Central Office School Administrator in the Amelia County Public School System.

Medley has consistently demonstrated a dedicated and  strong commitment to Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®. She has participated  in a variety of projects with enthusiasm and constantly delivers high quality work. The group also pointed out Medley is willing to take on new challenges. She serves as a mentor to the members of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Lambda Delta Chapter of Longwood University.  She has been a member of several committees  and has implemented new  and innovative activities for the chapter.

Medley is an active member of the Oak Grove Presbyterian Church in Amelia. She’s also a member of the Russell Grove Association, where she assists with the Juneteenth Celebration. And you can find her working with the Lloyd A. Hamlin Memorial Scholarship Committee, which raises money to support the graduates of  Surry County High.