Twenty-one Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) students who have plans to pursue teaching as a vocation ultimately may be coming home again. Recently, the school system awarded them a Future Teacher Award Contract. This means when they complete their college careers and have a teaching license in hand, they will have a job here, provided there are positions open in their chosen field and adequate funding is in place.
To qualify for the Future Teacher Award Contract, high school students had to be participating in the Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow program or the Early Childhood program at the Career and Technical Education Center. Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow is a one-year program offered at all 11 of the city’s comprehensive high schools to 11th- and 12th-graders. It is designed to help students prepare for a college course of study in education. The course involves an in-depth study of the history of public education in the United States, the governance of schools and school systems and various approaches to instruction. Ultimately, those enrolled participate in an internship under the tutelage of a Virginia Beach classroom teacher. The Early Childhood Education program is a two-year elective for 11th- and 12th-graders that focuses on child development and preschool learning. These students receive additional employment skills through on-the-job experiences at preschools, day care centers, and elementary schools throughout the city.
Each high school and the Tech Center were asked by the Department of Human Resources to select up to two students to receive a Future Teacher Award Contract. Only seniors can compete for a contract. Eligibility criteria include a demonstrated record of academic success and volunteer and community service as well as submission of a portfolio of their work and an essay explaining “Why I Want to Be a Teacher.”
“Virginia Beach City Public Schools has a commitment to the teaching profession and to recruiting excellent teachers. It seemed a wise outreach to encourage our talented aspiring teachers to consider our school division as their career destination,” said John Mirra, assistant superintendent for human resources.
Students chosen for the award this year are as follows:
- Bayside High - Nicole Dixon and Catherine Luster
- Cox High - Megan Stover and Chris Whiteside
- First Colonial High - Colleen Davenport and Megan Marland
- Kellam High - Samantha Hardee and Cynthia Housianitis
- Kempsville High - Sarah Doughtie and Chelsea Jackson
- Landstown High - Bethany Loveland and Natalie Massey
- Ocean Lakes High - Robert Baxter and Chelsea Wilder
- Princess Anne High - Kara Kimbell and Caitlin Nagourney
- Salem High - Kayla Willette and LaSha Wrim
- Tallwood High - Heather Harmon and Brittany Williams
- Technical & Career Ed. Center - Clarissa Lynn Tenorio
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