#oneccpsmychesterfieldschools.com/.../superintendent_files/annualreport201… · according to...
TRANSCRIPT
Chesterfield County Public Schools Annual Report
2015-16
mychesterfieldschools.com#one
CC
PS
Chesterfield County Public Schools2015-16 Annual Report to the School Board
Chesterfield CountySchool Board
Carrie Coyner, Bermuda DistrictDianne Smith, Clover Hill District
John Erbach, Dale DistrictRobert Thompson, Matoaca DistrictDr. Javaid Siddiqi, Midlothian District
SuperintendentDr. James F. Lane
PresentedJanuary 2017
MissionChesterfield County Public Schools, in partnership with students, families and communities, emphasizes and supports high levels of achievement through a global education for all, with options and opportunities to meet the diverse needs and interests of individual students.
VisionChesterfield County Public Schools will provide an engaging and relevant education that prepares every student to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing world.
Goal 1: All learners will acquire, analyze, synthesize and evaluate information to solve meaningful problems and to achieve success as productive, thriving global citizens.
Goal 2: All learners will demonstrate the 21st-century learning and technology skills and knowledge that will prepare them for success in school, postsecondary education, work and life in a global society.
Goal 3: Working in partnership with school and family, all learners will understand, model and embrace the important attitudes and attributes necessary to be responsible global citizens.
Guiding PrinciplesStudent engagement: Learning is our core purpose.
Safe, supportive and nurturing learning environments: Trusting relationships and our core values — respect, responsibility, honesty and accountability — foster learning.
Community of learners: Effective teaching is the most essential factor in student learning, and effective leaders support learning.
Quality service and operations: Excellence requires planning and change.
Community investment: Our citizens, parents, students and employees are partners in sustaining competence and investing in excellence.
John Erbach Dale District
Carrie Coyner Bermuda District
Rob Thompson Matoaca District
Dr. Javaid Siddiqi Midlothian District
Dianne Smith Clover Hill District
Dear Chesterfield County residents:
As the new Superintendent of Chesterfield County Public Schools, I am proud yet humbled to lead this award-winning school division. As a former school superintendent elsewhere in Virginia, I have seen firsthand the high regard with which Chesterfield County Public Schools is held throughout the commonwealth.
Our successes are many:
• High-achieving students: Our on-time graduation rate is an impressive 91 percent, and our students’ performance on state-mandated assessments routinely surpasses Virginia averages.
• High-quality instructors: There are 116 National Board Certified teachers working throughout our division, and nearly half of our teachers have advanced degrees. Our teachers have earned national Milken Educator Awards, received Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science, and are constantly recognized by the state as the top teachers in the region.
• Award-winning schools: Our school division features six National Blue Ribbon Schools, six National Title I Distinguished awards and five National School Change Awards.
But statistics and tests do not define our students or their levels of success. We have students:
• engaged in solving real-world problems by using STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) to create prosthetic hands for disabled residents.
• completing regionally recognized service projects that provide clothing and sports equipment to underprivileged areas in Guatamala and Haiti.
• developing award-winning community awareness efforts about concussion prevention, management and response.
These are not the same schools that you and I attended.
Message from Dr. Lane
They cannot be; otherwise, our students will be left behind in the race to succeed. Our forward-thinking planning and our engaging teaching-and-learning process are preparing our students for a world we may not even be able to imagine.
Moving forward, we will continue to prepare our students for a rapidly changing world by focusing on innovation and critical thinking. We will also strengthen home-to-school partnerships through effective communication and continue to create partnerships that support student and family engagement. And finally, we will operate in a transparent manner that demonstrates an understanding that we serve a community of 340,000 residents who all can benefit from a strong public school system.
We will do that by:
• focusing on innovative, engaging and relevant classroom lessons that make learning fun.
• fostering safe, supportive and nurturing learning environments for students and staff members.
• creating a climate in which people love to learn and work in every day.
The Chesterfield community has long understood and benefited from a sound investment in public education. Many leaders have described our work as the economic engine that drives our county. That is reflected by the parents – like my family – who choose to raise our children here and the businesses that choose to locate here.
Lives are changed for the better daily thanks to our teachers, support staff and leaders.
Thank you for your continued support!Sincerely,
James F. Lane, Ed.D.Superintendent
Testing Year
2011-122012-13
2013-142014-2015
2015-2016
Accreditation Y
ear2012-13
2013-142014-15
2015-20162016-2017
77%87%
59%52%
N/A
100/100100%
92%75%
85%93%
100/100
89%90%
91%91%
91%85/90
23%23%
24%24%
24%25/50
28%28%
29%32%
29%Earned Course Credit
82%76%
78%82%
85%Passed SO
L Test75%
71%75%
79%73%
Earned Both Credits72%
68%73%
76%72%
70/8551%
55%56%
55%53%
50/7066%
66%66%
73%68%
65/7582%
85%83%
81%79%
75/8557%
62%59%
59%58%
65/75 Students Passing SO
L Tests in Advanced RangeCCPS
27%19%
18%19%
19%40/50
Virginia26%
19%19%
18%19%
N/A
16%18%
18%25%
24%30/40
92%78%
77%82%
83%70/93
74%76%
78%82%
83%70/91
91%78%
77%79%
76%70/91
94%94%
94%94%
95%85/90
97%96%
97%96%
97%95/96
96%96%
96%96%
96%95/96
95%95%
95%98%
97%95/96
13%17%
12%15/20
KEY: Proficient Target Not M
et
At-a-G
lance Status of Key M
easuresProficient/ A
dvanced Targets
Kn
owledgeable an
d Com
petent W
orkforce
Safe and Su
pportive Learnin
g Environ
men
ts
Closin
g Gaps
Self-Directed Learn
ers with
21st Cen
tury Skills
All Sch
ools Met Federal A
nn
ual M
easurable O
bjectives (FAM
O)
All Sch
ools Fully A
ccredited by Virgin
ia Board of Edu
cation
Virginia On-Tim
e Graduation and Com
pletion Rate M
iddle School Students Enrolled in a High School Credit-Bearing W
orld M
iddle School Students Enrolled in World Language or Related Elective
Students with N
o Suspensions or Expulsions Attendance: Elem
entary School Students Attendance: M
iddle School Students
Students Taking and Passing an Online Course
Proficient Target Met
Advanced Target Met
Attendance: High School Students
Percentage of Minority Teachers
Students Reading on Grade Level
(SOL G
rades 3-8 & End of Course)
Students Mastering M
athematics on G
rade Level (SO
L Grades 3-8 &
End of Course) Students M
astering Writing on G
rade Level (SO
L Grades 5, 8 &
End of Course)
Middle School Students Earning Both Course and
Verified Credits in Algebra I by Completion of 8th
Grade
Graduates w
ho Earned at Least One Credit in an AP, IB or D
E Course Students Taking an AP Exam
Earn a Score of Three or Better Seniors Enrolled in a M
athematics Course at or Above Algebra II
Graduates Earning Advanced or IB D
iploma
Student achievement in Chesterfield County Public Schools continues to increase, as do the number of schools identified as fully accredited by the Virginia Department of Education.
According to 2016-17 school year data, 93 percent of Chesterfield County Public Schools’ 61 comprehensive schools are fully accredited. That is an 8 percent increase from the number of schools fully accredited during the 2015-16 school year.
These schools regained full accreditation for the current school year: Falling Creek Elementary, Harrowgate Elementary, Marguerite Christian Elementary, Salem Church Elementary, Providence Middle and Bird High.
These 37 elementary schools are fully accredited for the current school year: Bellwood, Bensley, Beulah, Bon Air, Chalkley, Marguerite Christian, Clover Hill, Crenshaw, Crestwood, Curtis, Davis, Ecoff, Enon, Evergreen, Falling Creek, Gates, Gordon, Grange Hall, Greenfield, Harrowgate, Hening, Hopkins, Jacobs Road, Matoaca, Providence, Reams, Robious, Salem Church, Elizabeth Scott, Alberta Smith, Spring Run, Swift Creek, Watkins, Bettie Weaver, Wells, Winterpock and Woolridge.
These nine middle schools are fully accredited: Bailey Bridge, Elizabeth Davis, Manchester, Matoaca, Midlothian, Providence, Robious, Swift Creek and Tomahawk Creek.
All 11 of Chesterfield County’s high schools are fully accredited: Bird, Carver Academy, Clover Hill, Cosby, Thomas Dale, James River, Manchester, Matoaca, Meadowbrook, Midlothian and Monacan. (Carver Academy’s designation is preliminary upon state confirmation that all alternative benchmarks have been met.)
100 92
75 87
93
-
20
40
60
80
100
2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017
Accreditation Year (based on assessment data from the prior year)Source: VDOE SSWS Accreditation Application; accreditation detail reports
Percentage of Schools Fully Accredited
ACCREDITATION
Teachers providing innovative and relevant classroom work are being credited with helping keep Chesterfield County Public Schools students engaged, in school and successfully achieving more rigorous graduation standards, according to data released by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE).
91 percent of Chesterfield County Public Schools students who entered ninth grade in 2012 graduated in four years, according to VDOE. Nearly 55 percent of Chesterfield County’s class of 2016 graduated with a more rigorous advanced studies diploma, according to VDOE records.
“Our students are engaged and learn best when they understand that the information they are taught is relevant to their personal lives,” Superintendent Dr. James F. Lane said. “Our teachers continue to find new ways to connect with students; the old stand-and-deliver method simply does not work as well with students who are digital natives. Moving forward, we are offering our schools the opportunity to apply for innovation grants that will help us build even stronger relationships with our students and engage students in relevant classroom experiences.”
At the school level, Manchester High led the way with a 3-percentage point increase, going from 92 percent to 95 percent on-time graduation rate. Midlothian experienced a 2-percentage point increase and now has a 99 percent on-time graduation rate.
Here are the 2016 on-time graduation rates for Chesterfield’s comprehensive high schools:
• 99 percent at Midlothian• 98 percent at Cosby• 95 percent at Clover Hill and Manchester• 94 percent at Thomas Dale• 93 percent at Monacan• 91 percent at Matoaca• 90 percent at James River• 89 percent at Bird• 88 percent at Meadowbrook
The school division’s dropout rate remained relatively stable at 5.9 percent. 91
84
88
89
91
85
89
90
93
82
90
91
93
82
90
91
92
82
91
91
76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94
White
Hispanic
Black
All Students
Source: VDOE SSWS Cohort Graduation Application;four year on-time graduation (OGR) summary reports
On-Time Graduation Rates by Racial/Ethic Subgroup
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
ON-TIME GRADUATION
Reading pass rates on state-mandated Standards of Learning (SOL) tests continue to increase across Chesterfield County Public Schools, according to 2015-16 school year data released by the Virginia Department of Education.
Student pass rates on all reading SOL tests increased another 2 percentage points from the 2014-15 school year and have increased by 7 percentage points since the 2013-14 school year. With an 84-percent pass rate for all students, Chesterfield County Public Schools reading pass rate is 4 percentage points higher than the state average.
State data showed that Chesterfield County Public Schools student achievement levels continue to fare favorably when compared to other school divisions in Virginia. Chesterfield County’s student pass rates met or exceeded state averages 75 percent of the time. In addition to a 4-point differential in reading, Chesterfield County Public Schools student pass rates in mathematics are 3 percentage points higher and 1 percentage point higher in science. Student performance in social studies is even.
Here is the school division’s overall performance on SOLs:
Test State CCPS Henrico Hanover Richmond
Reading 80 84 78 86 60
Math 80 83 77 88 58
Science 83 84 84 87 64
History 86 86 86 89 67
Writing 77 76 75 83 45
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
Asian3%
Black27%
Hispanic10%
White56%
Other 4%
Student Demographics Fall 2010
Source: VDOE Fall Membership Custom Reports
Asian3%
Black26%
Hispanic14%
White52%
Other 5%
Student Demographics Fall 2015
Source: VDOE Fall Membership Custom Reports
STU
DEN
T EN
RO
LLMEN
T
83
71
89
75
82
77
81
77
76
76
76
90
78
84
80
85
85
82
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
EOC Writing
Grade 8 Writing
EOC Reading
Grade 8 Reading
Grade 7 Reading
Grade 6 Reading
Grade 5 Reading
Grade 4 Reading
Grade 3 Reading
Source: VDOE SSWS FAMO Application Pass Rates by Test Report; State and Division Results
Grade Level and End of Course English TestsPercentage Passing
Division
State
89
80
83
73
72
82
79
83
77
93
78
82
86
76
86
79
88
81
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
EOC Algebra II
EOC Geometry
EOC Algebra I
Grade 8 Mathematics
Grade 7 Mathematics
Grade 6 Mathematics
Grade 5 Mathematics
Grade 4 Mathematics
Grade 3 Mathematics
Source: VDOE SSWS FAMO Application Pass Rates by Test Report; State and Division Results
Grade Level and End of Course Math TestsPercentage Passing
Division
State
STU
DEN
T A
CH
IEVEM
ENT
88
84
84
79
81
89
85
84
78
85
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
EOC Chemistry
EOC Biology
EOC Earth Science
Grade 8 Science
Grade 5 Science
Source: VDOE SSWS FAMO Application Pass Rates by Test Report; State and Division Results
Grade Level and End of Course Science TestsPercentage Passing
Division
State
86
86
86
84
87
87
88
85
90
82
87
88
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
EOC Geography
EOC VA & US History
EOC World History II
EOC World History I
Civics & Econ
VA Studies
Source: VDOE SSWS FAMO Application Pass Rates by Test Report; State and Division Results
Grade Level and End of Course History TestsPercentage Passing
Division
State
STU
DEN
T A
CH
IEVEM
ENT
66 66 66
7368
40 41 40
5349
72 71 7277
65
57 57 57
6772
6966
69 69 71
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Source: Chesterfield County Public Schools Technology Department,Database Services, Student information System Query
Percent of Advanced Placement Students Achieving Score of 3 or Better on AP Exam
All
Black
Hispanic
White
Other
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Source: Chesterfield County Public Schools Technology Department,Database Services, Student Information System Query
Percent of Graduates Earning AP, IB or DE Credits
STU
DEN
T A
CH
IEVEM
ENT
6 percent for transportation, 4 percent for administration, attendance and health and 2 percent for technology)
• $9,902 cost per student• 6,976 full-time and part-time positions in operating fund• 36 percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals.• The student body is 52.98 percent white, 26.09 percent
black, 12.81 percent Hispanic, 4.22 percent two or more races, 3.50 percent Asian, 0.24 percent American Indian/Alaskan native and 0.16 percent Hawaiian/Pacific islander.
Reputation for successThe reputation of the public schools often inspires families to live in Chesterfield County. But don’t just take our word for it: SchoolMatch consistently rates Chesterfield County Public Schools as having precisely the balance parents seek. Chesterfield residents say they are happy with their choice: In a 2010 survey, nearly 86 percent of residents rated Chesterfield schools as excellent or good. Is it any wonder that Chesterfield has six times been chosen as one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People by America’s Promise Alliance?Reports consistently prove that Chesterfield schools are efficient and effective. Based on student enrollment, Chesterfield is among the country’s 70 largest school systems but still keeps costs low. A 2010 efficiency audit found Chesterfield County Public Schools to be “a very well-run school division” operating at 99.3 percent efficiency.Here are a few highlights of public education in Chesterfield:• To enable anytime, anywhere learning, Chesterfield County
Public Schools provides Chromebooks to middle school and high school students. In addition to using the mobile computing devices throughout the school day, students will take them home so they can learn anytime, anywhere. This blended learning initiative has placed 32,000 Chromebooks into the hands and homes of Chesterfield County students.
• Chesterfield makes it a priority to attract and retain the best teachers and staff members. Working in Chesterfield schools
Chesterfield County Public Schools • 2015-16updated January 2016
Every day counts in Chesterfield County Public Schools! This award-winning school system with a vision for the future is preparing every student to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing world. Chesterfield
County Public Schools embraces three big ideas based on national best practices and
cutting-edge research to provide an engaging and relevant education:• blended learning, which combines technology with face-to-
face instruction and leads to anytime, anywhere learning• project-based learning, which promotes problem solving,
collaboration and communication• service learning, which connects students with the
communityThese big ideas are the bedrock of the Design for Excellence 2020, the strategic plan of Chesterfield County Public Schools. Blended learning, project-based learning and service learning are helping students achieve these goals:Goal 1 — All learners will acquire, analyze, synthesize and evaluate information to solve meaningful problems and to achieve success as productive, thriving global citizens.Goal 2 — All learners will demonstrate the 21st-century learning and technology skills and knowledge that will prepare them for success in school, postsecondary education, work and life in a global society.Goal 3 — Working in partnership with school and family, all learners will understand, model and embrace the important attitudes and attributes necessary to be responsible global citizens.
Fast facts• More than 59,000 students attend 63 schools: 38 elementary
schools (grades K-5), 12 middle schools (grades 6-8), 11 high schools (grades 9-12), which include 13 specialty centers, and two technical centers.
• $581 million operating budget (71 percent for instruction, 9 percent for operations and maintenance, 8 percent for debt,
are 2,093 teachers with master’s degrees, 116 National Board Certified Teachers and 92 employees with doctorates.
• Chesterfield County students continue to outperform their peers across Virginia on Standards of Learning tests, according to results from 2014-15. Chesterfield County’s student performance on reading and mathematics tests increased by 5 percentage points each from the previous year. In addition, student achievement for all Chesterfield County students increased in history and social studies (to 88 percent from 84), science (to 84 percent from 81) and writing (to 79 percent from 77).
• Almost 4,300 students graduated in 2015 from Chesterfield County high schools: 59 percent earned advanced diplomas, and 81 percent planned to continue their education. The Class of 2015 earned $26 million in scholarships.
• The percentage of students graduating in four years continues to outpace the state average. The on-time graduation rate of Chesterfield County Public Schools was 91 percent in 2015; Virginia’s was 90.5 percent.
• In 2015, the U.S. Department of Education named Cosby High a National Blue Ribbon School for overall academic excellence. Only 335 schools were honored nationwide. Cosby High is the sixth Chesterfield County school to achieve National Blue Ribbon status: Winterpock Elementary was honored in 2014, Grange Hall Elementary in 2009, Robious Elementary in 2005, Clover Hill Elementary in 2003 and James River High in 2000.
• In 2014, Elizabeth Scott Elementary was named a National Title I Distinguished School for closing achievement gaps. Elizabeth Scott is the sixth Chesterfield County elementary school to achieve this national recognition: Bellwood won in 2011, Beulah in 2010, Harrowgate in 2006, Chalkley in 2005 and Bensley in 2002.
• Hundreds of businesses, faith communities and organizations partner with schools, and thousands of individuals volunteer annually. In 2013-14, school supporters volunteered 51,905 hours ($1.3 million estimated value).
• Melanie Pruett, seventh-grade math teacher at Bailey Bridge Middle, was one of just 108 educators named by President
Barack Obama as recipients of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching in 2015. It is the nation’s top honor for math and science teachers.
• Jimi Herd of Swift Creek Elementary was honored in 2015 by the National Art Education Association with the Southeastern Region Elementary Art Educator Award.
• Chesterfield’s 2016 Teacher of the Year Christopher Averill, who teaches history at Cosby High, was selected as central Virginia’s Teacher of the Year. Brianne Gunn is Chesterfield’s Middle School Teacher of the Year; she teaches sixth-grade science at Falling Creek Middle.
Chesterfield County School BoardThe School Board is the governing body of Chesterfield County Public Schools. Board members are elected to four-year terms; the current terms end Dec. 31, 2019:• Carrie Coyner, Bermuda District• Dianne Smith, Clover Hill District• John Erbach, Dale District• Rob Thompson, Matoaca District• Javaid Siddiqi, Midlothian District
SuperintendentJames F. Lane Ed.D.
Up-to-date informationThe school division website (mychesterfieldschools.com) is a great way to keep up with news and activities. Here are others:• Facebook (www.facebook.com/chesterfieldschools)• Twitter (twitter.com/ccpsinfo)• School Notes (Sign up for this free newsletter by going
to mychesterfieldschools.com and entering your email address near the bottom right corner of the screen.)
• Chesterfield EdTV on Comcast Channel 96 and Verizon Channel 26
If you have questions, email [email protected], call 804-748-1405 or mail P.O. Box 10, Chesterfield, VA 23832.
Chesterfield County Public Schools does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, age, religion, disability or national origin in employment or in its educational programs and activities.
School LocationsChesterfield County Public Schools • 2015-2016
Elementary schoolsBellwood — 66Bensley — 43Beulah — 13Bon Air — 2Chalkley — 55Marguerite Christian — 78Clover Hill — 15Thelma Crenshaw — 41Crestwood — 56Curtis — 49Davis — 62Ecoff — 48Enon — 39Ettrick — 35Evergreen — 30Falling Creek — 59Gates — 36Gordon — 29
Grange Hall — 18Greenfield — 7Harrowgate — 46Hening — 50Hopkins — 6Jacobs Road — 40Matoaca — 37Providence — 38Reams — 70Robious — 73Salem Church — 21Elizabeth Scott — 85Alberta Smith — 47Spring Run — 80Swift Creek — 34Watkins — 65Bettie Weaver — 51Wells — 5Winterpock — 86Woolridge — 44
Middle schoolsBailey Bridge — 63Carver — 42Elizabeth Davis — 87Falling Creek — 67Manchester — 25Matoaca west campus — 11WMatoaca east campus — 11E Midlothian — 11Providence — 69Robious — 76Salem Church — 72Swift Creek — 27Tomahawk Creek — 88
High schoolsBird — 1Carver College and Career
Academy — 3Clover Hill — 74Cosby — 84Thomas Dale — 61 James River — 77Manchester — 60Matoaca — 53Meadowbrook — 58Midlothian — 4Monacan — 28Career and Technical Center
@ Courthouse — 14Career and Technical Center
@ Hull — 89
P.O. Box 10, Chesterfield, VA 23832 mychesterfieldschools.com
[email protected] • 804-748-1405
• For the 2015-16 school year, every school within Chesterfield County Public Schools is accredited. VDOE establishes accreditation status each year based on student achievement on SOL tests taken during the previous school year.
• Almost 4,300 students graduated in 2016 from Chesterfield County high schools: Nearly 60 percent earned advanced diplomas, and more than 80 percent planned to continue their education. The Class of 2016 accepted approximately $26 million in scholarships.
• The percentage of students graduating in four years from Chesterfield County Public Schools continues to outpace the state average. The on-time graduation rate of Chesterfield County Public Schools was 91 percent in 2015; Virginia’s on-time graduation rate was 90.5 percent.
• Chesterfield County students continue to outperform their peers across Virginia on SOL tests, according to results from 2014-15. Chesterfield County’s student performance on reading and mathematics tests increased by 5 percentage points each from the previous year. In addition, student achievement for all Chesterfield County students increased in history and social studies (to 88 percent from 84), science
SCHOOL DIVISION SUCCESSES
(to 84 percent from 81) and writing (to 79 percent from 77). Chesterfield students achieved 2,294 perfect scores on SOL tests taken in 2014-15.
• Each year during the College and Career Ready initiative, all students in Chesterfield County Public Schools envision their futures. The program includes energetic, hands-on exploration to help students of all ages answer the timeless question, “What will I be when I grow up?”
• To enable anytime, anywhere learning, Chesterfield County Public Schools provides Chromebooks to middle school and high school students. In addition to using the mobile computing devices throughout the school day, students take them home so they can learn anytime, anywhere. This blended learning initiative has placed 32,000 Chromebooks into the hands and homes of Chesterfield County students.
#oneCCPS
SCHOOL DIVISION SUCCESSES
• Chesterfield County Public Schools was one of six school districts nationwide to be selected in October 2015 as Ambassador Districts for the #GoOpen campaign of the U.S. Department of Education. The initiative, which encourages states, school districts and educators to replace traditional textbooks with openly licensed educational materials, was announced during an Open Education Symposium held at the White House. The #GoOpen Ambassador Districts will serve as mentors to school districts transitioning to openly licensed learning materials. Chesterfield County Public Schools and the five other Ambassador Districts currently use openly licensed educational materials and will help other districts understand how to effectively discover and curate these resources. Businesses, including Amazon, Edmodo and Microsoft, are also part of #GoOpen.
• Over the summer of 2015, Chesterfield County elementary students read 3.5 million minutes in the Washington Redskins Read program. Bettie Weaver Elementary logged the most minutes and won a Redskins reading rally.
• Chesterfield County Public Schools is expanding prekindergarten to 20 elementary schools for the 2016-17 school year.
• STEAM has exploded across Chesterfield County Public Schools, causing the annual STEAM fair to split into two events: STEAM Expo for middle and high schools and STEAMmania for elementary schools. STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, art and math, and STEAM instruction is one strategy Chesterfield County Public Schools is using to engage students and achieve Goal 1 of its strategic plan: “All learners will acquire, analyze, synthesize and evaluate information to solve meaningful problems and to achieve success as productive, thriving global citizens. Students will learn through active engagement, collaboration and exploration of personal interests, talents and ambitions across disciplines.”
• The annual Fine Arts Festival features examples of visual arts and performing arts. On display are paintings, drawings, sculptures and other visual art created by students in the 63 schools of Chesterfield County Public Schools. On stage are student performers, including jazz bands, choruses, musical ensembles, guitarists and drummers.
• Chesterfield County Public Schools won a Meritorious Budget Award from the Association of School Business Officials International for its FY 2016 budget document. Meritorious Budget Awards promote and recognize excellence in school budget presentation and enhance school business officials’ skills in developing, analyzing and presenting a school system budget. After a rigorous review by professional auditors, the award is conferred only on school districts that have met or exceeded the program’s stringent criteria.
• The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada awarded its Distinguished Budget Presentation Award to Chesterfield County Public Schools for its FY 2016 budget document. The association stated, “The award represents a significant achievement. … It reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting.”
• In 2016, when Sports Backers recognized central Virginia schools for health and wellness initiatives, 39 schools in Chesterfield County Public Schools were named Active RVA Certified Schools. Also, Chesterfield County Public Schools and Chesterfield County government as workplaces achieved Active RVA certification for the fourth year in a row — every year the certification has existed. Superintendent Marcus Newsome and County Administrator Jay Stegmaier received the Active RVA Changemaker Award for moving the school system and county government to become healthier environments and improving the quality of life for the entire community. These schools were honored as Active RVA Certified Schools in 2016: Bellwood Elementary, Bensley Elementary, Bon Air Elementary, Chalkley Elementary, Marguerite Christian Elementary, Clover Hill Elementary, Crenshaw Elementary, Crestwood Elementary, Davis Elementary, Ecoff Elementary, Enon Elementary, Evergreen Elementary, Falling Creek Elementary, Gates Elementary, Greenfield Elementary, Elizabeth Scott Elementary, Alberta Smith Elementary, Spring Run Elementary, Swift Creek Elementary, Watkins Elementary, Bettie Weaver Elementary, Winterpock Elementary, Woolridge Elementary, Carver Middle, Elizabeth Davis Middle, Falling Creek Middle, Manchester Middle, Midlothian Middle, Providence Middle, Robious Middle, Salem Church Middle, Swift Creek Middle, Bird High, Carver College and Career Academy, Clover Hill High and the Math and Science High School at Clover Hill, Cosby High, Thomas Dale High, James River High and Midlothian High.
SCHOOL DIVISION SUCCESSES
SCHOOL DIVISION SUCCESSES
• Grants for 21st-Century Community Learning Centers are making a difference in the lives of Chesterfield County Public Schools students living in the county’s poorest areas. Since 2004, the school system has received $7.9 million to provide targeted remediation and enrichment at 10 schools.
• Chesterfield County parents can now get information via Twitter if school buses are delayed. The school system’s five area offices for transportation started tweeting in 2016. Each area transportation office plans to tweet as soon as possible if a bus is running late by 15 minutes or more either picking students up in the morning or returning students to their bus stops in the afternoon.
• In 2016, for the third year in a row, the school system invited parents and students to a Food Fair to sample items being considered for school lunches and breakfasts. Feedback from the hundreds of participants will help shape the 2016-17 menus, adding healthier and less-processed foods.
• Chesterfield County Public Schools has two free apps to help students, parents and the community easily access information.
• An app is available for career and technical education in Chesterfield County Public Schools. The app enables parents, students, alumni, faculty and staff members to quickly access the who, what, when and where for career and technical education. Go to mychesterfieldschools.com/cte to download the Chesterfield Career and Technical Education app. It is also available through the Apple App Store and Google Play.
• A mobile app makes it easy to find out what is on the menu in the cafeterias of Chesterfield County Public Schools. The free app — School Lunch by Nutrislice — can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and Google Play. The school system’s website also provides a link at mychesterfieldschools.nutrislice.com.
#oneCCPS
SCHOOL DIVISION SUCCESSES
• Parents, students, employees and community members have convenient, round-the-clock access to Chesterfield County Public Schools through several web-based initiatives, including website (mychesterfieldschools.com), Facebook (www.facebook.com/chesterfieldschools), Twitter (twitter.com/ccpsinfo), Blackboard Connect (a rapid way to phone or email parents), StudentVUE and ParentVue (online access for students and parents to grades and assignments) and BoardDocs (information about School Board meetings and policies).
• In 2016, representatives of about 200 local organizations attended the annual business and community partners appreciation event. The partners of the year are the YMCA of Greater Richmond for supporting students, Journey Christian Church for supporting staff and the Chesterfield Food Bank for supporting families.
• As of 2015-16, 29 Chesterfield County schools have WATCH D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students), a program that encourages fathers and other men to volunteer in schools.
• Through a longtime partnership with the Midlothian Rotary Club, two students from each school are honored annually as Students of the Year for demonstrating citizenship and the school division’s core values of respect, responsibility, honesty and accountability.
• Almost 400 people attend a prom held each spring for senior adults, sponsored by Chesterfield County Public Schools, Chesterfield County Senior Advocate and Chesterfield County Parks and Recreation Department.
• In 2016, 11 Chesterfield County schools won Virginia Index of Performance awards for advanced learning and achievement. Midlothian Middle was one of just eight schools across the state and the only school in central Virginia to earn the Governor’s Award for Educational Excellence. Eight Chesterfield schools earned Board of Education Excellence Awards: Gordon Elementary, Grange Hall Elementary, Greenfield Elementary, Robious Elementary, Bettie Weaver Elementary, Winterpock Elementary, Woolridge Elementary and Cosby High. Two Chesterfield schools earned Board of Education Distinguished Achievement Awards: Swift Creek Elementary and Midlothian High.
• In September 2015, the U.S. Department of Education named Cosby High a National Blue Ribbon School. Only 335 schools out of nearly 130,000 public and private schools were honored nationwide. The National Blue Ribbon program recognizes elementary, middle and high schools for their overall academic excellence or for their progress in closing achievement gaps. Cosby High achieved National Blue Ribbon status as an exemplary high performing school. Cosby is the sixth Chesterfield County school to achieve National Blue Ribbon status: Winterpock Elementary was honored in 2014, Grange Hall Elementary in 2009, Robious Elementary in 2005, Clover Hill Elementary in 2003 and James River High in 2000.
• Matoaca Elementary was recognized in 2016 as a Title I Distinguished School by the
SCHOOL SUCCESSES
Virginia Board of Education. Elizabeth Scott Elementary won this recognition in 2014, Bellwood Elementary won in 2013, Beulah Elementary won in 2012, and Harrowgate Elementary won in 2011, and Bensley won in 2002.
• Each year, Special Olympics Virginia recognizes one school or school district in the state that has embraced the philosophy of a unified community and the Special Olympics mission and that has demonstrated a superior commitment to inclusion, acceptance, respect and dignity for all. In 2015-16, the honoree is Gates Elementary. Here is how Val Reinford, who is vice president of local program services for Special Olympics Virginia, describes Gates Elementary: “Gates Elementary has embraced Unified Strategies for Schools at all grade levels and in every classroom. [Unified Strategies for Schools uses sports to develop school communities where youth are agents of change — fostering respect, dignity and advocacy for people with intellectual disabilities.] Gates has a very large and diverse group of students with intellectual and other disabilities. All staff members believe that all children can learn and that creating inclusive activities promotes learning for all students. Gates has more general education teachers involved in Unified Strategies for Schools than any other school that I have worked with and its administrators believe in the value of Unified Strategies. Staff members promote Unified Strategies for Schools within their school system and across the state as ambassadors for Special Olympics Virginia.”
SCHOOL SUCCESSES
#oneCCPS• In 2016, Midlothian Middle and Tomahawk
Creek Middle were the first Chesterfield County schools to be named Schools to Watch. The goal of the Schools to Watch program is to identify and recognize outstanding middle schools.
• Carver Middle won the 2016 Collaborative School Library Award from the American Association of School Librarians. Each year, only one school library in the entire country wins this award for significantly empowering learners by encouraging collaboration and partnerships between school librarians and teachers. Carver Middle librarian Debbie Floyd, assistant librarian Stephanie Stargardt, library assistant Carol Mathews and language arts teacher Joshua Forbes worked together on a project titled “Brotherhood, A Novel: Making Connections to Richmond from Reconstruction Through Present Day.”
• Five middle schools were among the top 20 schools in the national Vocabulary Bowl in 2016. Midlothian Middle mastered 206,685 words to take third place overall. Other top schools are No. 6 Tomahawk Creek Middle (146,369 words), No. 9 Elizabeth Davis Middle (113,988 words), No. 14 Bailey Bridge Middle (100,261 words) and No. 18 Robious Middle (91,633 words). More than 23,000 schools across North America competed.
• Two Chesterfield County schools rank in the top U.S. high schools, according to the 2015 list of America’s Most Challenging High Schools: Cosby High and Midlothian High. Only 11 percent of the country’s 22,000 public high schools earned this recognition.
• When U.S. News and World Report magazine ranked America’s best high schools in 2016, Cosby High ranked 843rd nationally (27th in Virginia) and Midlothian High ranked 1,394th nationally (36th in Virginia).
• The 2016 Niche.com ranking of public high schools included Cosby, Clover Hill, James River and Midlothian among Virginia’s top 100. Midlothian Middle and Tomahawk Creek Middle made the site’s list of Virginia’s top 100 middle schools.
• Three Chesterfield County schools were named 2015 Virginia Naturally Schools for their environmental conservation and stewardship: Clover Hill High for the eighth year, James River High for the seventh year and Robious Elementary for the sixth year. Across the state, only 57 schools were recognized in this program overseen by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
• The Academy for Digital Entrepreneurship opened in 2015 at Meadowbrook High. It is the 13th specialty center for Chesterfield County Public Schools.
• Previously known as Chesterfield Community High, Carver College and Career Academy opened in fall 2015 with a new mission.
• Chesterfield County is home to two of the 170 schools across the United States that were honored as National PTA Schools of Excellence for 2014-16: Clover Hill Elementary and Robious Middle were recognized for building strong partnerships with families. Research shows that when families and schools work together, student achievement increases, schools improve and communities grow stronger.
SCHOOL SUCCESSES
• In the 2015 denim drive sponsored by Goodwill and Chesterfield Towne Center, schools donated used clothing made of denim and competed to win cash prizes. Clover Hill High was the overall winner and the high school winner. Robious Middle was the middle school winner. Grange Hall Elementary was the elementary school winner.
• Robious Middle collected more than 2,000 pounds of plastic in the 2015-16 recycling competition sponsored by Trex. Collecting 2,074.3 pounds of plastic bags and other film items put Robious Middle in first place in central Virginia and in 10th place in the nation. Across the United States, 550 schools participated in the Trex plastic film recycling challenge. Nine of those schools were in central Virginia, including Robious Middle, Providence Middle (which collected 326.14 pounds), Swift Creek Middle (which collected 144 pounds), Reams Road Elementary (which collected 36.5 pounds) and Davis Elementary (which collected 5 pounds). Together, the Chesterfield County schools that participated kept 2,585.94 pounds of plastic out of landfills.
• Chesterfield County middle schools competed to reduce energy use throughout November 2015. This was the third Whack-A-Watt energy reduction competition for Chesterfield County Public Schools. Swift Creek Middle saved more energy than any other middle school that uses electricity, so Swift Creek Middle won the 2015 electricity division of Whack-A-Watt. Swift Creek Middle is also the 2015 Whack-A-Watt grand champion because it cut energy use by almost 12 percent. Manchester Middle saved more energy (about 10 percent) than any other Chesterfield County middle school that uses gas heat to win the gas division of Whack-A-Watt.
• A partnership between the Chesterfield Federal Credit Union and Chesterfield County Public Schools created a student-operated branch of the credit union at James River High in 2016.
• W!SE (Working in Support of Education), a national nonprofit that supports financial literacy and readiness for college and career, honored nine schools and 37 educators in Chesterfield County Public Schools for student achievement on the 2014-15 W!SE financial literacy certification test. W!SE named these schools Blue Star Schools: Chesterfield Community High night school, CCPSOnline, Cosby High, Thomas Dale High, James River High, Manchester High, Matoaca High, Midlothian High and Monacan High.
• Spring Run Elementary won a 2015 Richmond area jingle contest and $5,000: www.michaelandson.com/2015-jingle-submissions. Hopkins Elementary won in 2014.
SCHOOL SUCCESSES
• The RoboHawks of Bird High had a hugely successful year in FIRST Robotics in 2016. The 50-member robotics team began by winning a district competition held in Blacksburg. In addition, the Bird High team received the Gracious Professionalism Award for helping other teams fix and improve their robots during that district competition. At another district competition in Doswell, the RoboHawks lost in the quarterfinals but won the District Engineering Inspiration Award and the Industrial Safety Award. Next, the RoboHawks moved on to the district championships at the University of Maryland that included teams from Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. The Bird High team won second place in the district championship and also received the Creativity Award. All of those successes qualified the Bird High robotics team to participate in the FIRST Robotics World Competition in St. Louis. The RoboHawks finished in ninth place in the Hopper division. Of the 600 teams in the World Competition, the RoboHawks placed in roughly the top 10 percent.
• Robious Middle’s FIRST Lego League team won the Inspiration Award during the 2016 state championship competition against more than 100 teams. This was the third straight year that the Fantastic Undercover Robotic Youth (FURY) won the regional title and earned a spot in the state championship.
• Watkins Elementary’s Lego League team, the #Brickheads, won first place in the research project challenge of the Virginia-D.C. competition in November 2015.
• Students at Meadowbrook High, Matoaca High, Bird High and the Career and Technical Center @ Courthouse are involved with the Virginia Student Training and Refurbishing program. High school students refurbish donated computers, then provide the free computers to elementary school families to help bridge the digital divide.
• Clover Hill Elementary won a Connect the Dots Award in 2014 from the Greater Virginia Green Building Council for updating the school courtyards and providing opportunities to connect the courtyards to instruction.
• Elizabeth Davis Middle won a Let’s Move! Active Schools National Recognition Award in 2014 and 2015.
• Chesterfield schools donate tens of thousands of pounds of food to the Chesterfield-Colonial Heights Christmas Mother Program each year, helping feed thousands of people.
#oneCCPS
SCHOOL SUCCESSES
• Chesterfield County Public Schools performed well in regional Stock Market Games organized by the VCU Center for Economic Education within the VCU School of Business during the 2015-16 school year. The Virginia Council on Economic Education oversees the statewide Stock Market Game. In this simulated investing initiative, each team starts with $100,000 and works to increase that amount. There are fall winners, spring winners and yearlong winners, and Chesterfield County Public Schools had regional winners in each of those categories.
• In the yearlong Stock Market Game for high schools, Thomas Dale High won all three regional awards. Winning first place for the region and the entire state of Virginia with $116,293 was Thomas Dale High’s team coached by Logan Mason. In second place with $110,566 and in third place with $108,724 were Thomas Dale High teams coached by Patrick Sweet.
• In the yearlong Stock Market Game for middle schools, Matoaca Middle teams coached by Rachael Janderwski won all three regional awards, finishing first ($106,780), second ($102,465) and third ($101,637).
• In the spring Stock Market Game, three Chesterfield County teams won regional awards. Winning first place ($137,223) and second place ($127,665) in the high school division were Midlothian High teams coached by Jessica Kramer. Taking third place in the middle school division with $108,649 was Midlothian Middle’s team coached by Debra Vance.
• In the fall Stock Market Game, four Chesterfield County teams won regional awards. In the high school category, a team coached by Kelly Davis at the Carver College and Career Academy won third place with $113,844. In the elementary school category, Bon Air Elementary teams coached by Suzanne Perry won first place ($100,657) and second place ($100,070), and a Greenfield Elementary team coached by Jamie Borowicz won third place ($99,613).
• Providence Middle won the countywide Battle of the Books competition in 2016.
• In 2015-16, Chesterfield County schools won two of the four Partners in the Arts grants from the University of Richmond School of Professional and Continuing Studies. Greenfield Elementary won for “What Moves You? A Notion for Motion,” which will strengthen reading and writing skills for grades 1-2 as students explore early American history and study movement. Clover Hill High won for “The American Studies Humanities Project,” which integrates history, English, photography, culinary arts and gardening to engage 11th-graders at risk of not graduating on time.
• Midlothian Middle was the We the People state champion in 2016, 2013 and 2011, took second place in 2015 and won third place in 2014, 2012 and 2010.
• Cosby High’s girls basketball team won three state championships in a row: 2016, 2015 and 2014 for Group 6A of the Virginia High School League.
• Monacan High’s girls basketball team won its second straight state championship in 2016.
• The Monacan High boys team basketball team won its first state basketball championship in 2016.
• Matoaca High’s wrestling team won its third straight state championship in 2016. Three team members also won individual Virginia High School League titles during Group 5A competition.
• Midlothian High won the 2015 and 2014 Wells Fargo Cup for Group 4A in the Virginia High School League. This award goes to the school that achieves the best overall record in 27 sports, making the Midlothian High the state champion of state champions for two years in a row. In 2012, Cosby High won the Wells Fargo Cup for Group AAA.
• Chesterfield makes attracting and retaining the best teachers and staff members a priority. Working in Chesterfield schools are 2,093 teachers with master’s degrees, 119 National Board Certified Teachers and 92 employees with doctorates.
• Two teachers with ties to Chesterfield County Public Schools are Virginia’s 2015 representatives among 108 educators named by President Barack Obama as recipients of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Regarded as the nation’s top honor for mathematics and science teachers, the award recognizes teachers who develop and implement high-quality instructional programs that improve student learning. Melanie Pruett, NBCT, seventh-grade teacher at Bailey Bridge Middle, earned the award for mathematics: recognition.paemst.org/finalist_profile/33583. Anne Moore, who was a seventh-grade science teacher at Robious Middle when she was nominated, earned the award for science: recognition.paemst.org/finalist_profile/32513. Moore is now a career and technical education teacher at Goochland County’s middle school. Previous winners from Chesterfield County are Vickie Hugate of Grange Hall Elementary (math, 2011), Carrie Persing of Harrowgate Elementary (math, 2008), Sharon Hoffert of James River High (math, 2007), Diane Leighty of the Math and Science High School at Clover Hill (math, 1997), Elizabeth Davis of Thomas Dale High (math, 1995), Ann Zyglocke of Crestwood Elementary (science, 1994), Helen Boothe of Manchester Middle (science, 1992) and Lorraine Kilpatrick of Providence Middle (math, 1986).
STAFF SUCCESSES
• Pam Sloan, a career and technical education teacher who teaches culinary arts at Manchester High, was one of two teachers in the nation to win James H. Maynard Excellence in Education Awards this spring. The awards recognize exceptional educators who use the ProStart program in their classrooms. Sloan’s path to accepting this award, which is named for the founder of Golden Corral, began earlier this spring when she was named Virginia’s ProStart Teacher of the Year by the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging and Travel Association Education Foundation.
• Cosby High’s Nicole Winter has been selected as Virginia’s 2016 History Teacher of the Year by VDOE.
• Cindy Jones, who teaches physical education at Clover Hill Elementary, won the 2015-16 Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year Award from the Virginia Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.
• Rachel Burgett is Chesterfield’s Teacher of the Year, as well as Chesterfield’s Elementary School Teacher of the Year. She teaches art at Greenfield Elementary. Renee Serrao is Chesterfield’s High School Teacher of the Year. She teaches U.S. and Virginia government and politics at Cosby High. Teresa Hockenberry is Chesterfield’s Middle School Teacher of the Year. She is the library media specialist at Tomahawk Creek Middle.
• Cosby High history teacher Christopher Averill was selected as central Virginia’s top teacher in September 2016. For 13 of the past 19 years, Chesterfield County’s Teacher of the Year has been selected as the Region 1 Teacher of the Year.
• To help new educators start strong, Chesterfield County Public Schools helps first-year teachers connect with experienced teachers as mentors and recognizes outstanding first-year teachers with awards. Here are the 2016 winners of Beginning Teacher Awards: Michael Miller, who teaches fifth grade at Swift Creek Elementary; Allison
STAFF SUCCESSES
Page, who teaches a collaborative class of seventh-and eighth-grade language arts at Bailey Bridge Middle; and Jennifer Walters, who teaches photography at Meadowbrook High.
• Ted Salmon, director of student activities at Cosby High, is one of seven people to be inducted into the Virginia High School Hall of Fame in October 2015. Sponsored jointly by the Virginia High School League and the Virginia High School Coaches Association, the Hall of Fame preserves the rich heritage of outstanding achievements by students and adults in sports and activities within Virginia’s public high schools.
• Carver Middle librarian Deborah Floyd and assistant librarian Stephanie Stargardt won the 2015 award for School Library Program of the Year from the Virginia Association of School Librarians.
STAFF SUCCESSES
• Melinda Hitt, an instructor in the dental occupations department of the Career and Technical Center @ Courthouse, is the 2015 recipient of the Dental Team Member Award presented by the Virginia Dental Association. The award honors her extensive service work with the Mission of Mercy and Give Kids a Smile programs and for her development of the Lunenburg Project, which provides dental care for students at Victoria Elementary in Lunenburg County, Virginia.
• Heather Murfee of Salem Church Middle is the James Region Librarian of the Year for 2016 and is in the running to be selected as Virginia Librarian of the Year by the Virginia Association of School Librarians.
• Beth Lucas, who teaches English at Bird High, is the 2016 winner of the Dr. Judy Flythe Teacher Leader Award, which honors the memory and contributions of Dr. Judy Flythe, former director of staff development for Chesterfield County Public Schools.
• In 2015, Amber Kuper of Salem Church Middle was named central Virginia’s Middle School Art Teacher of the Year. She received this award from the Central Region of the Virginia Art Education Association.
• In 2016, the Virginia Association for the Gifted selected Rhonda Bailey-Clark as the Region 1 Outstanding Teacher of the Gifted. She teaches fifth grade at Curtis Elementary. In 2015, Shannon Hayes of Manchester Middle won this award. In 2014, Susan Sennewald of Hening Elementary won.
• Ken Butta, principal of the Carver College and Career Academy, was the 2016 Chesterfield winner of the R.E.B. Award for Distinguished Educational Leadership.
STAFF SUCCESSES
• In 2015, Chesterfield County teachers won seven of the 16 R.E.B. Awards for Teaching Excellence, which come with grants to travel the world, pursue postgraduate studies or attend professional workshops.
• Robert Benway, specialty center coordinator for the Governor’s Academy for Engineering Studies at Bird High $9,000 to visit the top maker spaces in the San Francisco Bay area, attend the Maker Faire in Singapore and visit Cambodia to determine how students can build prosthetics to help survivors of land mine explosions
• Stephanie Cochrane, second-grade teacher at Woolridge Elementary $8,200 to travel to Scotland seeking beauty and inspiration within the majestic landscape, dramatic architecture and castles and rich tradition of storytelling
• Mark Dillon, sixth-grade social studies teacher at Bailey Bridge Middle $7,400 to follow the route of the Lewis and Clark expedition from St. Louis, up the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, over the Continental Divide, down the Columbia River and to the Pacific Ocean
• Pam Hall, math teacher at Cosby High $12,000 to lead her algebra-functions-data-analysis classes in a virtual trip/project-based learning activity that focuses on challenges faced by young people in Richmond, Hawaii and Haiti
• Sarah Jurewicz, baking and pastry arts teacher at the Career and Technical Center @Hull $12,000 to explore the purity of ingredients and the origins of pastry arts in Austria, Switzerland and Belgium
• Lauren Lineweaver, Falling Creek Elementary’s reading specialist $8,100 to travel within the United States to photograph cultural and historical landmarks that celebrate the country’s rich history
• Kristen Reynolds, third-grade teacher at Clover Hill Elementary $9,200 to explore practical applications of student leadership by attending the Leader in Me Symposium and to expand knowledge of global partnership/service leadership by touring the Heifer International Global Village and working in Haitian communities
• Jackie Slemaker, school counselor at Jacobs Road Elementary, was named 2016 Virginia Elementary School Counselor of the Year by the Virginia School Counselor Association. Also, she was selected as a semifinalist in the American School Counselor Association’s awards process and is now in the running to become the National School Counselor of the Year.
• From the Virginia Technology Education Association, Woolridge Elementary teacher Wendi Hobbie won the 2015 Virginia Elementary School Technology Education Teacher of the Year Award.
• Year after year, employees of Chesterfield County Public Schools consistently donate more than any other school system or local government in central Virginia to the United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg. In 2015, employees of Chesterfield County Public Schools pledged $156,664 for the United Way.
• Clover Hill High School’s Teasia Stewart was elected governor at Virginia Girls State in 2015.
• In the 2015-16 school year, Time magazine selected Cosby High senior William Turton as one of the world’s 30 Most Influential Teens. William writes for an online publication called The Daily Dot, covering the intersection between politics and hackers and has been the first to report major hacking stories.
• Two students from Chesterfield County Public Schools won competitions sponsored by the DuPont Spruance Plant in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in January 2106. The theme of this year’s competitions was “United Together: Keeping the Dream Alive Within You.” Serenity Bassett, a fifth-grader at Matoaca Elementary, won first place in the drawing contest. Allison Horkey, a senior at Bird High, won first place in the essay contest.
• Midlothian High students Anneke Craig and Ellen Jane Tucker won top awards in a poster contest sponsored by the Virginia Association for Driver Education and Traffic Safety. James River High School’s Carly Lester won the association’s bumper sticker contest.
• In 2016, Clover Hill High School’s Kate Wright won first place in Virginia in the InvestWrite essay competition that is part of the Stock Market Game.
• Clover Hill Elementary fourth-grader Jessy Samy won a top award in the 2016 poster contest sponsored by the Virginia Association for Pupil Transportation. Her artwork will be one of 12 drawings included in a calendar
STUDENT SUCCESSES
created by the Virginia Association for Pupil Transportation for distribution across the state.
• Robious Middle student Hays Wellford starred with Kevin Bacon in “Cop Car,” released in August 2015.
• Each year, the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards honor the creative abilities of middle and high school students throughout the country. In 2016 in regional competition across several states, Chesterfield County student achieved a total of 110 Gold Keys, 196 Silver Keys and 298 honorable mentions. Gold Key winners went on to national competition; here are Chesterfield County’s winners at the national level, which were announced in mid-March: Tillat Batool, Clover Hill High, Silver Medal for ceramics and glass; Calley Bucka, Manchester High, Silver Medal for photography; Bailey Carpenter, Midlothian High, Silver Medal for photography; and Emma Bilski, Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School for Government and International Studies, Gold Medal for architecture.
• Chesterfield County Public Schools had 17 students from three schools qualify to compete in the 2016 National History Bee. Several of the students qualified for the U.S. Geography Olympiad.
STUDENT SUCCESSES
• This year’s top speller in Chesterfield County Public Schools is Grace Saunders, a seventh-grader at Robious Middle. She won the countywide spelling bee and represented Chesterfield during the central Virginia spelling bee. The 2016 Chesterfield County spelling bee lasted 11 rounds, with only Grace Saunders and Bailey Bridge Middle eighth-grader Madison Leonard left standing at the start of round 9.
• A Midlothian Middle team won second place in Virginia’s Future Problem Solving competition and went on to compete at the national tournament in 2016.
• Malik Bell, a 2016 graduate of Monacan High, is a Gates Millennium Scholar, as are Naomi Butler-Abisrror, a 2013 graduate of Midlothian High, and April Peterson, a 2011 graduate of Cosby High.