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School Board of the City of Virginia Beach names Dr. Donald Robertson Jr. superintendent
School Board of the City of Virginia Beach names Dr. Donald Robertson Jr. superintendent

The School Board of the City of Virginia Beach voted to name Dr. Donald Robertson Jr. as superintendent at its meeting Jan. 23. A native of Hampton Roads, Dr. Robertson began his career as a math teacher with Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) in 1988 and progressed in leadership roles including assistant principal of Bayside High School, principal of Salem High School, chief strategy and innovation officer, chief schools officer, chief of staff and acting superintendent. 

Logo Virginia Beach City Public Schools Charting the Course
Students explore “Power of Infinite Hope” at Annual African American Male Summit

Hundreds of Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) students will participate in the 16th Annual African American Male Summit on Jan. 20 at Frank W. Cox High School. Boys in grades six through 12 will share ideas with each other and with adult community members on topics such as student leadership, community involvement, relationship-building, and physical and mental well-being.

Projects

While VBCPS is home to many exceptional educational opportunities, when it comes to our project and sustainability initiatives, we pride ourselves on leading by example within the division. We’ve recently added four more Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) buildings to our inventory. With the recently completed Plaza Annex, Princess Anne Middle School, Thoroughgood Elementary School and John B Dey Elementary School, we have over 2 million square feet of LEED building space. In addition, we’ve added photovoltaic panels to four schools through a solar power purchase agreement (Solar PPA). The solar installations will lower our emissions and reduce our energy cost. As a result of this effort, Ocean Lakes Elementary School is now our first net-zero energy school.

The decisions that teams make during the design and construction of new or renovated school projects set the stage for the performance of those facilities for many decades. LEED for Schools is a whole project rating system that provides a framework for decision making when designing and constructing K-12 projects. While there is a clear emphasis on energy efficiency within LEED for Schools, the rating system also addresses site-related considerations, water conservation, selection and procurement of environmentally preferable building materials, indoor environmental quality, and stormwater issues related to resiliency in our region. With over 2 million square feet of LEED building space, Virginia Beach City Public Schools establishes itself as a global leader in sustainable building while saving money and improving student performance over the life of its building portfolio; see below for our upcoming adventures in innovation.