Henrico County Public Schools wins 22 NACo awards

Twenty-two Henrico County Public Schools programs have been recognized with 2025 National Association of Counties Achievement Awards. The annual awards honor groundbreaking county government programs throughout the nation.

One program, R.C. Longan's "Elementary Students Design and Build a New School" was also recognized with an award from the Virginia Association of Counties. Representatives of HCPS departments with winning entries will be recognized at the Nov. 13 Henrico County School Board meeting.

Honorees include the "Henrico CARES" mental health initiative; a middle school esports program that has helped reduce absenteeism and boost academic achievement; the Center for Innovation at John Rolfe Middle School; and an annual dinner honoring HCPS seniors committing to military service after high school.

The HCPS Department of Workforce and Career Development was recognized for 14 of HCPS' 22 winning programs.

Across all departments and agencies, Henrico County earned a combined 48 NACo Achievement Awards, a total that was the most of any county in Virginia for the 20th consecutive year and ranked the county eighth in the nation.

The school system's winning programs were:

HCPS Division of Learning

• Closing the skills gap: To broaden the ways students are assessed, students throughout the division have opportunities for more “presentations of learning.” These presentations enable students to reflect on their growth, demonstrate their knowledge through real-world tasks and develop skills.

• Equipping students with skills to adapt, innovate and succeed: As part of the Henrico Learner Profile, this initiative is designed to ensure that all elementary students participate in nine designed lessons each year, integrating digital learning and computer science standards in monthly lessons. The program enables K-5 students to develop critical thinking, communication, collaboration and technology literacy skills.

• Henrico Chess Initiative Expo: The inclusive Henrico Chess Initiative Expo was created to introduce strategy games to the community, increase participation in academic competitions and raise awareness of academic paths. The 2024 Expo included a keynote speaker, breakout sessions and hands-on chess lessons and drew 400 attendees.

• FIRST LEGO League robotics: Since its inception in 2021, HCPS’ FIRST LEGO League robotics program has expanded from two pilot programs to more than 40 participating schools, advancing STEM education and cultivating life skills in students in grades 2-8.

• Esports initiative: Middle school students face a sharp drop in school engagement known as the "engagement cliff;” HCPS’ esports competitive gaming program offers a solution targeting students at risk of absenteeism. Since it launched in 2022, the program has helped reduce chronic absenteeism, improve academic performance and enhance engagement.

• Specialization cohort program: The first such program of its kind in the commonwealth, the program provides yearlong, job-embedded professional learning, resulting in a permanent 4.8% salary increase for those completing the program at no cost to employees. According to HCPS employment data, program participants are four times more likely to remain in the profession than colleagues not enrolled in cohorts.

• Henrico CARES: As part of Henrico County’s community Henrico CARES initiative, HCPS is bringing clinical mental health care and related services to school families, by expanding on-campus access, providing student teletherapy and referrals, helping staff members become licensed and more. The broad-based strategy has become a model for other communities and school divisions.

HCPS Division of Family and Community Engagement

• Bridging futures: In response to a need for student work-placement opportunities and support for families, the HCPS Family Resource Center established a clothing collection and distribution closet at the Oak Avenue Complex. Students gain valuable work experience by manning the clothing closet while offering Henrico families a resource for assistance.  

HCPS Department of Workforce and Career Development

• Historical Trades Student Expo: HCPS trade programs focus on current trends and codes for construction trades, but teachers often have limited expertise in historic preservation and restoration. The expo enabled students to learn from experts from organizations including Preservation Virginia, Historic Richmond and Colonial Williamsburg.

• Elementary students design new school: As R. C. Longan Elementary School prepared for a 2025 reconstruction process, the monthlong “If I Built a School” project involved all students, families and faculty in the excitement. The school brought in speakers from the design and construction industries and every class engaged in STEAM projects to prepare for a celebratory unveiling.

• Health and Medical App Shark Tank: Students at the Center for Innovation at John Rolfe Middle School presented their entrepreneurial concepts for health-focused mobile apps to students from the ACE Center at Hermitage, who played the part of industry professionals and potential investors.

• Hispanic Heritage Autumn Festival: Students in a variety of career and technical education programs came together to connect with Hermitage High School’s Hispanic community. The festival became a key way for ACE Center students to get real-world experience preparing to host events in the ACE Center at Hermitage meeting space.

• Holman Middle School’s sensory spring experience: The “Huskie Egg Hunt,” organized by the school’s chapter of the Family Career Community Leaders of America, hosted 35 Henrico families for inclusive sensory-friendly activities tailored to young children with special needs, who often face challenges at other events because of overwhelming stimuli.

• 'Make It Your Business' competition: Middle school students learn innovation, teamwork and communication skills by creating a mock business, marketing materials and a video. Teams from throughout Henrico gather to present their products to local business owners, educators and specialists who serve as mentors and judges.

• John Rolfe Middle School Center for Innovation: John Rolfe Middle School is home to HCPS’ first Center for Innovation, an initiative designed to prepare students for the challenges of a rapidly evolving world. Rooted in a culture of collaboration and creativity, the center uses hands-on projects, cutting-edge technology and community partnerships to prepare students for academic and career success and position them as lifelong contributors to the community.

• Advanced Career Education Center at Highland Springs' Kindness Rock and Spirit Garden: Students and staff members worked at the newly renovated and expanded Advanced Career Education Center at Highland Springs worked with Luck Stone and Home Depot to help create a “Kindness Rock and Spirit Garden” where students and staff could express their connection to the new building and spread kindness in the process. Students paint a large new “spirit rock” throughout the school year to send positive messages for the center community.

• Celebrating military commitment: To recognize high school seniors’ military commitments beyond graduation ceremonies, HCPS created an event that includes a formal dinner, guest speaker and a ceremonial oath of commitment. The HCPS Military Commitment Celebration is a significant way to honor students’ civic and military commitments and future service to our nation.

• HCPS/Dominion Energy partnership: HCPS teamed with regional power-provider Dominion Energy to hold an event educating future students about career paths in the energy industry. Current Dominion line workers and substation electricians provided demonstrations, sparking interest and applications from students.  

• Advanced Career Education Center at Highland Springs: The Advanced Career Education Center at Highland Springs partnered with Papa Johns to award a pizza to each senior who took 10 essential steps to explore possible postgraduation paths. For example, students may have visited colleges, met with employers or talked with a career coach. The program “delivered,” helping reduce the number of seniors unsure about postgraduation plans.

• Entrepreneurship and Community Days: HCPS’ Advanced Career Education Centers hosted a two-day “Entrepreneurship and Community Days” event where students showcased their products and services to show what they’ve learned. The event, which also connected local employers with seniors, welcomed more than 1,500 visitors in 2024 and took in nearly $40,000 to support CTE programs.

• Springer Academy Preschool: The Springer Academy Preschool provides instruction, as well as training for HCPS early childhood education students. To further enhance the program, students in two summer career and technical education programs worked alongside construction tradespeople to make improvements to the building. Students participated in hands-on experiences, gaining valuable exposure to a variety of constuction trades while creating a more vibrant center for the preschool program.

• The Career Mega Sale: The “Career Mega Sale” was created to meet the career needs of Richmond-area adults and contribute to local economic vitality. More than 350 adults and 150 high school seniors attended the inaugural event to “shop for their futures” and connect with more than 50 local employers, some of whom conducted interviews and made job offers on the spot.

2025 Virginia Association of Counties winner

• Elementary students design a new school: The Virginia Association of Counties recognized the monthlong project at R.C. Longan Elementary School initiated in tandem with the school’s reconstruction.