How students and teachers are overcoming the obstacles of COVID-19 for education in Virginia’s Blue Ridge.
Courtesy of Roanoke City Public Schools
A Roanoke City Public Schools student uses her computer to complete an in-class assignment.
Collaboration, creativity and compassion are three of the hallmarks that can be found in the various educational institutions across Virginia’s Blue Ridge. Whether they are working with elementary, middle, high school or postsecondary students, teachers throughout the region say that they strive to incorporate all three elements into their classrooms on a daily basis.
Roanoke City Public Schools
The Roanoke City Public Schools division, which includes 24 schools and four specialty programs, educates just under 14,000 students.
Myra Wasson, a fourth-grade teacher at Fallon Park Elementary School and the 2020 Teacher of the Year for Roanoke City Public Schools, explains that the division works to meet the needs of the whole child. “We are academic driven. We have extreme rigor in our instruction, but we’re also making sure that the emotional and social needs of our kids are being met,” she says. “We’re not just trying to score high on our benchmark tests. We’re working to graduate kids that are ready for the real world.”
In order to prepare her students for the real world, Wasson is always on the lookout for new and creative ways to engage her students. “Our society is changing. As teachers, we constantly have to reassess the way we view our profession and make sure we’re staying up-to-date on the research in terms of what works with our kiddos and what doesn’t,” she says.
For anyone who is considering enrolling their child in Roanoke City Public Schools, Wasson stresses that everyone in the division works together to ensure that no child falls through the cracks. “If one of our students needs food or access to clean clothes, we will do everything that we can to make sure those basic needs are met,” she says. “Everything we do is a group effort.”
She also wants parents to understand that the division is very diverse, which she claims is one of its many strengths. “We’re diverse in so many ways. Right now, I have students who are seeking asylum from other countries who love telling stories about the struggles that they have already overcome at the age of nine-years-old. They’re so thankful to be in Roanoke City, which is a safe haven for them,” she says. “It doesn’t matter what classroom you walk into in Roanoke City, you’re going to see our diversity. When we allow the kids to share who they are and where they come from, it makes our classrooms more well-rounded and more inclusive.”
The division’s on-time graduation rate is 90%. In June 2020, The State Board of Education recognized Roanoke City Public Schools with the 2020 Board of Education Innovative Practice Award for its summer enrichment program RCPS+.
Roanoke County Public Schools
Comprising 26 schools and two specialty centers, the Roanoke County Public Schools division educates roughly 14,000 students.
Laura Zebosy, a second-grade teacher at Green Valley Elementary School, views her job as providing her students with the skills they need to be empathetic, problem-solvers and collaborative citizens.
“Roanoke County is all about meeting the academic and emotional needs of our children,” she says.
Above all, she explains, everyone in the division is invested in the success of the students. “We don’t provide a one size fits all education. If a student doesn’t learn a particular way, we try a different approach until things start to click,” she says.
Echoing Zebosy’s point, Dr. Ken Nicely, the superintendent of Roanoke County Public Schools, says, “Getting good test scores is important, but our goal is to prepare students for the future, whether they go to college or directly into the workforce.”
To accomplish its goal, the division has implemented a vision for learning known as the “C-Change Framework.” Made up of six major elements—deeper learning, balance, school and classroom climate, professional growth, support tools and services and learning culture—the framework has, in Nicely’s estimation, proved to be quite successful.
In 2019, 94.9% of students in the division graduated from high school on time. The same year, the division’s average SAT score for Reading & Writing was 568 and its average Math score was 559, both of which are higher than the state and national average.
Additionally, Hidden Valley High School, one of five Roanoke County high schools, was recognized by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos as a National Blue Ribbon School for 2020, making it the only high school in Virginia to be recognized as such.
“I’m extremely proud of the staff and students at Hidden Valley High School. Their commitment to engaging and purposeful learning is shown by this recognition,” Nicely says. “Hidden Valley is just one more example of how we are working in Roanoke County to encourage deeper learning so that our students become opportunity ready.”
Salem City Schools
With six schools, the Salem City Schools division educates just under 4,000 students.
Olivia Kiser, the choir teacher at Andrew Lewis Middle School and Salem City Schools’ 2020 Teacher of the Year for 2020, says that her goal as a teacher is to both be creative in her teaching methods and to instill a sense of creativity in her students.
“I’m always trying to think outside the box. I like to try new things, which helps me from getting stuck in a rut,” Kiser says. “In a way, this whole pandemic has really forced teachers to get creative in their approaches.”
She explains that because the COVID-19 pandemic prevents singing in the classroom, she has turned to technology that allows her students to record themselves singing at home. Once she receives the videos, she provides feedback on their performances. “I’ve had to be very creative and apply new technology,” she says.
Her dedication to creativity has won over the student body at Andrew Lewis. There were only 30 participants in the program when she first took it over, but now there are more than 120.
“Our dedication to our students is definitely our strength,” Kiser says of her division. “Our students are our number one priority. I live by the philosophy that they don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
Additionally, Kiser says that students in Salem are always pushed to better themselves, which shows in the division’s test scores.
For the year 2020, Salem High School students outperformed their peers across the nation and the Commonwealth in SAT testing. According to the Virginia Department of Education, the school’s average combined score was 1134, 104 points above the national average and 24 points higher than the state average for all test takers. Also, the school’s average score of 572 in Reading & Writing and average score of 562 in Math were both higher than state and national averages.
Research conducted by the division indicates that 94% of parents feel that the schools provide a caring, respectful and disciplined environment for students.
For parents considering relocating to Salem, Kiser says, “Salem expects high standards from the students and teachers. Students receive a quality education. We don’t do anything like all the other school divisions. We’re always trying new and innovative things. We’re not your typical cookie-cutter school system.”
Virginia Western Community College
On a postsecondary level, Virginia Western Community College serves the largest number of students. Located in Southwest Roanoke, Virginia Western has a current annual enrollment of more than 9,000 students in credit courses.
In the fall of 2019, the college opened its new 72,000-square-foot STEM Building.
“To me, the building is about preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist,” Amy White, STEM dean, said at the time. “The space allows them to focus on critical thinking, problem-solving skills and communications skills. (But) it’s not about the equipment. It’s not about the buttons on the machine. It’s about why the buttons are on the machine, and how the students can solve problems using the latest and greatest equipment.”
Study spaces and classrooms in the $37 million facility were designed to maximize collaboration.
The college’s commitment to collaboration also extends to local businesses.
“Through our community partnerships, we are able to offer access to an employable workforce both to existing industries and those looking to come to the area,” White says. “We see great opportunity to increase the visibility of the employability of our students through current and future partnerships.”