At a Henrico School Board meeting almost two years ago, board member Alicia Atkins was brought to tears as school division officials presented the reading scores for elementary students enrolled at An Achievable Dream Academy at Highland Springs. After three years under the oversight of an outside agency based in Newport News, only 3% of fifth graders were reading on... READ MORE >
John Rolfe Middle School has a new mascot: the jaguars. Formerly the “Indians,” two Rolfe students undertook an effort to change the mascot two years ago. Their project came to fruition on Thursday as they announced the new name at a Henrico School Board meeting. Kyra Lambert and Makenzie Nelson, who were seventh graders in 2020, were best friends at... READ MORE >
U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson said in court Thursday morning that he hasn’t seen a case like this one in the entirety of his 20 years working as a federal judge: a federal lawsuit against the Henrico County School Board claiming that the school system denied a student adequate education. “This is an unusual case,” Hudson said. And, “it’s... READ MORE >
On the first day of preschool each year, Sandy West lets all of the four-year-olds at Crestview Elementary School know that they matter, and that she loves them as if they were her own children. Having her own child is what made West realize that she wanted to teach preschool instead of fifth grade, which she had taught for seven... READ MORE >
Sarah Moss, a first-grade teacher at Tuckahoe Elementary, has a Valentine’s Day card hanging next to her desk that reads, “You are never boring.” Nearly 14 years later, that still rings true. When schools shifted to virtual learning during the pandemic, Moss decided to make her lessons like a kids’ TV show. When Mrs. Moss the teacher left the room,... READ MORE >
Growing up in Henrico’s East End, Justin Bartlett noticed how students were treated. It differed by the classes they took and sometimes by their race, Bartlett said. He made these observations two decades ago as a student at Baker Elementary School. Now, he’s a fourth-grade teacher at the same school. “I wanted to make sure that I was a voice... READ MORE >
Willie Cline was hesitant when someone asked if he wanted to be a teacher. He’s an electrician who had never taught before, and he wasn’t sure he’d be any good at it. But he gave it a shot because he loves helping people. Now 15 years later, Cline said there's no other career that he would rather have. Nothing compares... READ MORE >
Two John Rolfe Middle School students were arrested Monday after a handgun was found on campus, Henrico Police said. One student came to school with the gun and showed it to another student, who then took the gun and walked away with it, according to police. Both students were charged with underage possession of a firearm and possession of a... READ MORE >
Just hours after police detained two Henrico middle school students on gun possession charges, County Manager John Vithoulkas began a town hall to address the increase of youth violence in schools. Vithoulkas started the meeting at Henrico High School by remembering Henrico County Public Schools students who have died during the past two years from gun violence: Lucia Bremer, Diamond... READ MORE >
A jury could not reach a verdict on Thursday in the trial of Dean Lakey, a Short Pump Middle School teacher accused of sexually assaulting a student in 2017. Henrico Circuit Court Judge L.A. Harris declared a mistrial. After closing statements from both sides, the jury went into deliberations around noon. At about 3 p.m., the judge announced that the... READ MORE >
