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Henrico Schools announced April 1 that 24 high school seniors were selected as Teacher Scholars, earning a guaranteed spot as a teacher in HCPS once they complete college.
The Teacher Scholars program, created in 2015, aims to address critical teacher shortages in Henrico Schools, particularly in content areas where there are not enough qualified applicants, with “homegrown talent.” Each year, HCPS chooses a cohort of high school seniors to participate in the program.
The students must agree to complete their undergraduate degree in one of the content shortage areas from an accredited college or university. Once they graduate, they are assigned to a minimum three-year stint at a school that is struggling with teacher shortages and are eligible to receive a $5,000 signing bonus.
HCPS had 358 teacher vacancies in March, according to County Manager John Vithoulkas, which made up a sizable portion of the county’s 1,135 employee vacancies. The schools with the highest number of teacher vacancies and provisionally-licensed teachers are designated as “Opportunity Schools” each year, with HCPS providing extra teaching staff and staff bonuses to eligible employees at these schools.
Since 2015, HCPS has selected 156 students for the program. Of those selected, 23 participants ended up teaching at HCPS, 21 of whom are still HCPS teachers currently.
Jessica Donahue, a math teacher at Highland Springs High, was selected for the Teacher Scholars program back in 2018 before graduating from Varina High. The program was a way for her to pursue her dream career and return back to the community she grew up in, she said.
“I always wanted to teach math, hence, the program was a way for me to do that,” she said. “It has been fun to come back to my local area and teach. I teach at my rival high school, and I find that perspective fun for my students.”
To be hired by HCPS, the Teacher Scholars must either have a teacher’s license from an accredited teacher preparation program or a bachelor’s degree in the content area they aim to teach, which makes them eligible for a provisional license. Students can opt-out of the program if they want to pursue other opportunities during or after college.
This year, 24 high school seniors applied to the program and all were accepted. Students were chosen by an HCPS committee and had to complete an application, write an essay using the prompt, “I believe I can make an impact as a teacher because…” and teach a short lesson on an approved subject before a panel.
The 24 students (at least one from each of the nine HCPS high schools), are listed below, along with the content endorsement area they selected:
Deep Run High School
- Victoria Arroyo, PK-6 education
- Addison Dodge, PK-6 education
- Mina Ramsook, multiple areas checked
Douglas S. Freeman High School
- Julia Walker Bristow, multiple areas checked
- Emmie Irace, multiple areas checked
Glen Allen High School
- Kayla Boughton, PK-6 education
- Elizabeth Canfield, PK-6 education
- Julia Cole, PK-6 education
- Layla Grimes, PK-6 education
- Anjani Ramamoothy, multiple areas checked
- Ryliegh Riviello, visual arts
- Cheslyn Swanson, PK-6 exceptional education
- Reese Wasserman, PK-6 education
Mills E. Godwin High School
- Kathryn Hernandez, math or science
- Sarah Mandeville, PK-6 education or French
Henrico High School
- Meldymin Moore, math
- Myiesha Ruffin, visual arts
Hermitage High School
- Josenae Jones, visual arts
Highland Springs High School
- Maya Carroll, PK-6 education
- Kiora-Zoriah Powell, PK-6 education
J.R. Tucker High School
- Jeanae Athy, PK-6 education
- Charlotte Barnes, PK-6 education
Varina High School
- Hailey Butler, PK-6 education
- Christopher Steele, business or marketing.
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Liana Hardy is the Citizen’s Report for America Corps member and education reporter. Her position is dependent upon reader support; make a tax-deductible contribution to the Citizen through RFA here.
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