June 24, 2021, The Importance of Civility
Join VSBA for a live webinar with Executive Director Andrea Messina from the Florida School Boards Association as she shares why civility within the board room is so important. As we all know, variance in personal opinions result from different expectations, goals, beliefs, or…
Youth Council survey reveals racial disparity in public school attendance
When Sabrina Hendricks was about to start fifth grade at Walker Upper Elementary School in Charlottesville, she got upset after finding out that most of her friends she’d gone to Venable Elementary with were being pulled out of Charlottesville City Schools by their parents to…
OCHS hosts first meet in a decade
Orange County High School hosted its first home track meet in a decade last Wednesday, officially dedicating its new track in the process. Before the Hornets, Monticello Mustangs and Charlottesville Black Knights took part in various track and field events, school administrators…
Steps taken for Martinsville to revert to a town within Henry County
The city of Martinsville and Henry County have an agreement for Martinsville to revert to a town within the county. During a joint meeting Wednesday evening, Martinsville city councilors voted 5-0 in favor of the memorandum of understanding, while Henry supervisors approved the…
2 Roanoke Valley teachers named ‘Education Heroes’
Two Roanoke Valley educators are among the 10 Cox Education Heroes for 2021 in Virginia. Allison Gray and Susan Mowles each received $1,000 for classroom use. Gray is a physical education teacher at Roanoke’s Patrick Henry High School. Her nomination says that she…
After a pandemic year, a new school of thought for summer sessions
Dan River Region school leaders are hoping to regain lost ground because of the COVID-19 pandemic with an overhauled summer school program. Both public school systems in Danville and Pittsylvania County are reengineering the typical programs during a period that’s normally…
Salem doesn’t name ‘Teacher of the Year’, opts for different route
It’s that time of year where school systems are naming their Teacher of the Year, but Salem City Schools did something very different this time around. Instead of singling out folks, Superintendent Dr. Alan Seibert sent out a letter and named each employee an “Employee of…
Behind the creation of Richmond Public Schools ¡Con Ganas! program
For Jennifer Blackwell, a Richmond Public Schools (RPS) English success specialist, getting to the root of the problem is what drove her to ask critical questions about why Latino and Hispanic students were dropping out of school or graduating late at alarming rates. Before Blackwell…
Lynchburg City high schools celebrate the Class of 2021 in historic ceremony at City Stadium
Caps were tossed and tears were shed Sunday as Heritage and E.C. Glass high schools held their graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2021 in front of family and friends at Lynchburg City Stadium. The ceremonies for the Hill City’s Class of 2021 marked a rare occasion: they…
One Augusta County high school might have to change a tradition to conform with transgender guidelines
Five Augusta County high schools held graduation ceremonies for their seniors on Saturday, May 22. The graduation gowns were a uniform color for four of the schools — Buffalo Gap (black), Riverheads (red), Stuarts Draft (maroon), and Wilson Memorial (green). The week…
In wealthy Loudoun County, Virginia, parents face threats in battle over equity in schools
On March 12, members of the private Facebook group “Anti-Racist Parents of Loudoun County” began to compile names. The group’s members in Loudoun County, Virginia — one of the last school districts in the United States to desegregate, where white students now make up less…
2021 VSBA Food for Thought Competition
The VSBA would like to invite you to participate in the eighth annual Food for Thought Competition, a friendly competition between Virginia’s school divisions to showcase their programs that combat childhood hunger, provide healthy school meals, and encourage…