County schools look for outside help for Walton

Through a recent request for proposals, Albemarle County Public Schools staff announced the division is looking to “rebrand” Walton Middle School. The request comes on the heels of numerous leadership and student conduct complaints, and the hiring of a new assistant principal, Rick Vrhovac, who came to Walton from Albemarle High School earlier this summer […]

What financial model will sustain Barrett Early Learning Center?

Since forming last month, Barrett Early Learning Center’s new board of directors has raised $30,000 in a fundraising effort that began after the former board announced that the 80-year-old preschool on Ridge Road would close due to cash flow issues and delayed reimbursements from the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS). More than a dozen […]

New CHS principal abruptly resigns

Newly hired Charlottesville High School Principal Aaron Bissonnette has resigned with little explanation six days before students were set to return to school and two days after teachers came back to their classrooms. In a letter sent to parents Thursday, Bisonnette cited “personal matters that have arisen,” saying he would leave at the end of […]

Selena O’Shaughnessy turns obstacles into opportunities

Selena Cozart O’Shaughnessy, Ph.D., is a career learner. But even her extensive education couldn’t save her from losing her job as a public school administrator when the economy tanked in 2008. Now, the Philadelphia native and UVA alumna puts her experience and love of community to work from 9 to 5 as the resident services […]

Cyclist Kiersten Downs stops in Charlottesville on veteran advocacy campaign

Charlottesville prides itself on being a bicycle-friendly town, but can you imagine biking 3,000 miles? Kiersten Downs, a 30-year-old Air Force veteran and doctoral student, has traveled coast to coast on two wheels to advocate for Student Veterans of America (SVA), a program that funds and supports former military members who want to pursue higher […]

A new high school, students on the board, and summer ed

Our regular Education Beat reporting is the result of a partnership with the nonprofit community news platform Charlottesville Tomorrow, which covers growth, development, public education, and local politics.  Fourth Albemarle high school in the works The Albemarle County School Board last week rejected recommendations to focus resources on expanding existing schools to satisfy an expanding student […]

Neighborhood book exchange movement finds a home in Charlottesville

In front of Sue DiMagno’s home on Essex Street stands a wooden structure that looks a little like an oversized mailbox: two feet wide, glass-fronted, filled with books. Inside is an array of titles: Heaven’s Keep; Tripwire; Five Sisters. A small, white plaque on top of the box reads: “Little Free Library. Take a book. […]

ARTS Pick: Storyline Project

What makes Charlottesville go? To answer that particular question, the Storyline Project will team students grades 4-6 with local artists and designers for the fifth annual public art experience. As part of this year’s “transit” theme, the group will take bikes, buses, and boats around the area to explore the spaces, places, and stories that […]

Ed beat: A focus on math, foreign language classes for kids, and a new principal at Walton

Our regular Education Beat reporting is the result of a partnership with the nonprofit community news platform Charlottesville Tomorrow, which covers growth, development, public education, and local politics.  Walton Middle School fills assistant principal vacancy The county school division has hired Rick Vrhovac as the new assistant principal at Walton Middle School. Vrhovac’s arrival, announced last […]