Chairman Edwards, Vice Chairman Brunke, and members of the Board -
As 2011 draws to a close, I’d like to begin my last Compass to 2015 report of the year with news of some positive publicity the division received lately. The December 5 edition of Education Week showcased the results of a recent economic impact study conducted by the school division. As educators, we place a great deal of emphasis on results and data. As such, we felt it was important to attempt to measure the economic value that good schools have on our community and our region. We talk a great deal about student achievement and its intrinsic value—but what, we wondered, does that achievement translate into in terms of dollars, jobs, and economic growth of our community? This information would drive the value of good schools home in terms of dollars and contributions to the robust economy we all hope is down the road.
As it turns out, the news is good. Dr. Michael Walden, from North Carolina State University, did a thorough evaluation of division data and reports that for every dollar spent by the division, the region benefitted to the tune of $1.53. Other reported benefits include the association of capital spending with jobs; with every million dollars spent creating 13 jobs for our citizens. Students who graduate from high school can expect to receive a total of more than $800 million in lifetime income than students who don’t graduate. Moreover, after studying five years of graduate accomplishments, the report says the division can take credit for about $22 million in additional benefits for college graduates over their lifetimes. In these tough economic times, I thought it was important to highlight that national publications are interested in these facts and figures, reminding us that what we do reaps tangible benefits for each individual student, of course, but also leads to a healthier economy regionally and across our nation.
In other news, nearly four years after breaking ground to begin the school’s construction phase, the new Virginia Beach Middle was officially dedicated last month. There was much fanfare celebrating the completion of the new school, which included musical selections performed by the school’s jazz band as well as reflections of the “old” school shared by students. The three-story, $51.6 million facility replaces the original school constructed in 1952 as a high school which subsequently became a “junior high” in 1966 with the opening of First Colonial High. In addition to receiving several local and state awards for the building’s sustainable features, Virginia Beach Middle is projected to be LEED Platinum Certified—LEED meaning Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.
There was excitement in the air last month as well, with four wind turbines spinning up a storm as the new Pupil Transportation Facility was officially dedicated. This is the first facility of this type in Virginia, (and possibly the country) that incorporates wind energy into a building. Proudly, the school division can boast it’s the only LEED certified public transportation facility in the United States. The new facility, located on Harpers Road, combines the operations from the former New York Avenue Garage and the administrative offices housed on Leroy Drive. The garage area provides spaces for approximately 40 maintenance personnel providing service for the school system’s fleet of 640 school buses and approximately 325 support vehicles (light duty trucks, vans, sedans, medium duty trucks, etc.). In addition to the maintenance staff, 41 administrative and support staff call the pupil transportation facility “home.”
In a nod to the division’s efforts to develop a culture of sustainability across the division, the James River Green Building Council recognized Virginia Beach City Public Schools as one of its Green Building Leadership Awards, honoring the division for outstanding contributions to green buildings in Virginia. Currently, the division boasts nine LEED projects in various stages of completion, construction, or design.
With the holiday season upon us, schools throughout the division are engaged in various festivities designed to celebrate and to give back. Many schools are focusing this year on reaching out to others who may be in need, helping to make their holidays just a bit brighter. One shining example is happening for the twelfth year at Landstown High School as Operation Blessing partners with the school community to provide “A Helping Hand for the Holidays.” Through this program, the school is committed to distributing some 2,000 baskets of food to local residents in need. This program will ease the burdens of the nearly thirty-one million Americans (including twelve million children) who do not know when or where they will receive their next meal.
The spirit of giving took on a creative twist over at Holland Elementary where students, staff, and the community took part in a “Survivor Island 2011” project to collect canned goods for the Union Mission. Each day, one of the contestants was voted off the island if they were the unlucky survivor who failed to collect enough canned goods for the day. In the end, Jo Ann Coauette was the sole survivor—but the Union Mission was the real winner in receiving the more than 1,000 canned goods collected by the Holland Community.
Men’s health was the issue of the month at Landstown Elementary where the “Movember” project took center stage throughout the school. Men on the staff agreed to grow moustaches for the entire month of November. Students and faculty members voted for their favorite “MoBros” and dropped coins into containers placed by the contestant’s pictures. Dads, grandfathers, uncles, and even older brothers participated in the initiative to help raise money and awareness about cancers that affect men. In the end, more than three hundred dollars was raised in this effort, which is to become an annual event at Landstown and throughout the division.
Academic achievement and higher education were the name of the game as Spartan Prep
Academy met early this month to celebrate the academic achievement of students, meet with their Mentors, and attend workshops to learn about careers, resume completion, and college interviews. Students were also recognized for academic achievement, with 63 honor roll recipients, and four earning Principal’s List. Landstown High School won the academic competition with the largest percentage of students making honor roll. As reported in other editions of this report, Spartan Prep is designed to introduce minority students to higher education by preparing students to take more rigorous courses and helping to close the achievement gap.
The following congratulations are in order this evening…
Congratulations to the Adult Learning Center. The school’s catalog was selected as the Best Catalog Brochure of the Year by LERN (Learning Resources Network). LERN is an international association of lifelong learning programming, offering information and resources to providers of lifelong learning programs. The Adult Learning Center was recognized at the organization's annual conference in New Orleans on December 2. The catalog is the product of the collective efforts of many ALC staff. The catalog team produces a phenomenal product each semester and the division is proud of their accomplishment!
Center for Teacher Leadership Director Janene Gorham was honored with the coveted Making IT Happen jacket for her contributions to the successful integration of technology in education in K−12 schools. The Making IT Happen award is provided by the International Society for Technology in Education, of which the Virginia Society for Technology in Education (VSTE) is an affiliate. The awards presentation for this honor was a bit unique. VSTE recruited a group of our Computer Resource Specialists who dressed as M&Ms (which is the official candy of VSTE) to escort Janene to the stage. I’m told that the pink jacket and boa are part of the awards, but that the extra boas were an added bonus just for Janene!
Bettie F. Williams kicked off a new partnership with The American Heart Association and Amerigroup this month, as recipients of a $25,000 grant to build and plant teaching gardens. Principal Tim Sullivan encouraged the students at Williams to take care of their heart by eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, many of which will come to them right from the learning gardens this spring. I will keep you posted on their progress.
Congratulations also to Kevin Pace, of the Technical and Career Education Center. Kevin received a $1,000 Science Teaching Tools Award grant for his work in the STEM Robotics Competition. The money will allow additional economically disadvantaged students to participate in the citywide program.
The following students were selected by the Virginia Beach Council of PTAs as the citywide winners of the Principles of American Citizenship Award for their demonstration of October’s principle “diligence”:
- Allanah S. from Birdneck Elementary School
- Malcolm W. from Salem Middle School
- Hanna L. from Ocean Lakes High School
We salute these diligent students and look forward to hearing about more good citizens next month.
Finally tonight, I would like to personally thank Alexandria T., a senior at Ocean Lakes High School, for designing the piece of art that I used for my annual holiday card. Her design, “Seasonal Sands,” reflects not only the beautiful beach community in which we live, but captures the spirit of the season as well. Alex plans to attend VCU and is currently working on her art portfolio. Having this published work will be a real jewel in her portfolio!
I hope that all of you enjoy a safe and healthy holiday season surrounded by friends, family, and everything that makes you happy.
On that note, Mr. Chairman, this concludes my remarks for this evening.