Tag: Charlottesville Public Schools

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New CHS Principal Justin Malone on the 2024-25 school year

Outside of school, Malone enjoys music and film podcasts. The principal is currently on a major Kendrick Lamar kick. Supplied photo.

Charlottesville High School is kicking off the 2024-25 school year with a new principal, Justin Malone. Since starting on July 1, Malone has worked to get CHS ready for students to return.

“I was ordered a new desk when I came on board and then went on vacation,” says Malone. “When I came back, not only was my old desk removed, but the new desk hadn’t arrived … So I have been here since July 1 without a desk.”

While waiting on his desk to arrive, Malone has been working out of a conference room by the main office. Three of the four walls to the room are glass, allowing the new principal to stay engaged with the school community—something he plans to keep up during the school year.

“I’m constantly navigating and going through this building to be a presence so that people can see me,” says Malone. Getting to know the school community, both new and returning faces, is key for the principal and something he hopes to foster among the incoming freshman class through the Link Crew program.

As CHS’ main initiative for helping freshmen with the transition into high school, the Link Crew program comprises roughly 70 juniors and seniors selected to mentor the incoming freshman class. Link Crew leaders will check in on the ninth graders throughout the year, helping the underclassmen settle in academically and socially.

“The structure of it is meant to sort of demystify what high school could be like or areas that might be just on a freshman’s mind about what to do when,” says Malone. “We have a full day of training helping workshop some activities that [the Link Crew mentors] will then lead with our freshmen.”

Beyond the peer mentoring program, Malone has also highlighted staffing and community-building as top priorities.

Staffing shortages were a major factor in the unexpected closure of CHS last November, when several instructors called out following student fights. Longtime local instructor Kenneth Leatherwood stepped up as interim principal in the wake of the closure and unexpected departure of former principal Rashaad Pitt.

The school is now fully staffed outside of some additional needs in the science department, according to Malone.

“I’m really proud of our staff,” he says. “They know this community well, and they embrace the experiences and the students that are a part of Charlottesville High School in a way that helps to express our students’ talents, our students’ capacity, our students’ identity. Our staff sees that and welcomes it and helps champion that.”

To help foster community and accountability, CHS has also implemented a new digital hall pass system this year. Through the digital system, instructors will be able to not only set an expected duration and location for student passes, but monitor the number of students school-wide sent to an area at one time. Limiting the number of students outside of class in a given location allows instructors and administrators to prevent large groups from meeting or coordinating fights in the hallways. With 1,430 students—the highest enrollment in the school’s history—set to attend CHS this fall, this is especially vital.

“We’re thoughtful about when we’re sending students to [other] spaces,” says Malone. “We’re thoughtful about the number of students that we’re sending to certain locations, and in doing so, we’re all able to prioritize the time that students are in their classes.”

“Coming into this year, we know that Charlottesville High School is a very special place, and we have prepared for the expectation that students are going to be where they need to be,” says Malone. “We have a staff that is ready to engage them in meaningful, engaging experiences in the classroom, and our administrative team and our [Care and Safety Assistants] are in a position to help make sure that the students are [not] in unauthorized spaces when they shouldn’t be.”

Since returning from virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, engaging with students and the community has been an ongoing effort in Charlottesville City Schools. At the core of that effort is a return to regular community-building activities, including school sports and dances.

“So much of what we heard over and over again last year from teachers and students was that, really, the issues that came up in the fall were still kind of post-COVID, post-being away from school for such a long time,” says CCS Community Relations Coordinator Amanda Korman. “By that point none of these kids have been to a pep rally, none of these kids have had a normal dance or a prom. … All those normal cultural, positive things that keep a high school together.”

“To a large extent, it’s super important and we’re going to keep building out beyond Link Crew, creating experiences for students,” says Malone. “Our work will always continue to be, ‘How do we create and connect students with meaningful experiences that are part of the high school experience?’”

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In brief

Photo by Tristan Williams.

Rock solid

Dave Matthews Band has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of the star-studded class of 2024.

Musical acts become eligible for nomination 25 years after the release of their first recording, and are inducted based on voting by more than 1,000 music historians, industry professionals, and current Hall of Fame members. Since 2012, fan voting has been a part of membership consideration, giving the winner of the poll one additional vote toward induction. In its first year of eligibility (2020), DMB was the first and only group to win the popularity poll, but not be inducted into the hall.

Eligibility, nominations, and inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have been the subject of much national attention since its founding in the 1980s. After decades of snubbing Rock and Roll icons, the hall now balances honoring iconic figures years after they became eligible and inducting newer acts.

Joining DMB in the Class of 2024 are Cher, Ozzy Osbourne, Peter Frampton, Mary J. Blige, Kool & The Gang, Foreigner, and A Tribe Called Quest. While this year marks the largest group of inductees ever, several nominees were snubbed, including Sinéad O’Connor, who died last year.

“Dave Matthews Band is honored to be in the @rockhall Class of 2024,” the band said on X/Twitter. “Congrats to our fellow nominees and thanks so much to all of our fans for the support!”

The Class of 2024 will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on October 19 in Cleveland, Ohio.

Mascot mania

Finalist for new middle school mascot. Charlottesville City Schools.

Along with a new name and building, Charlottesville’s only middle school will soon have a new mascot. Voters have until April 30 to tell Charlottesville City Schools their preference from the list of finalists: the Black Knights, “another type of knight”(e.g. Junior Knights, Orange Knights), the Chargers, and the Monarchs.

The final choices were selected through an earlier survey conducted by the school district, with each potential mascot illustrated through stock photos and AI-generated images to give voters a feel for potential logos. CCS emphasizes that the “images shown are only starting points,” and it will work with a designer once a mascot is selected.

Regardless of which mascot comes out on top, the school’s colors and logo will be orange and black to match Charlottesville High School’s colors.

The district has not given a timeline for the selection of the mascot or revealed a final design, but Buford Middle School will formally be renamed Charlottesville Middle School when the new building is officially opened for the 2025-26 school year.

UVA assault

University of Virginia police responded to an assault April 21 on the 1400 block of University Avenue. The incident, which occurred around 2am, left one adult male victim with serious injuries. He was sent to UVA Medical Center. University police transferred the case to the Charlottesville Police Department, and detectives have begun an investigation. Photos of individuals sought by CPD are available at charlottesville.gov/1741/police. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact CPD at 970-3280 or the Crime Stoppers tip line at 977-4000.

Burn out

One of the tiki torch-bearers from August 11, 2017, has pleaded guilty to participating in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Tyler Bradley Dykes, 26, of Bluffton, South Carolina, who was arrested in Charlottesville last year, took a guilty plea on two felony counts regarding his assault on Capitol police officers. According to the plea agreement, Dykes faces a maximum of eight years in prison, plus a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

Dog’s day

The Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA raised more than $100,000 this year during its 11th annual bow-WOW-walk fundraiser, which was held on April 20 at Boar’s Head Resort. The event featured both a competitive 5K race and a leisurely dog walk. Pet owners could also enter their furry friends into competitions for best trick, best costume, and pet-owner look-alike. According to CBS19, more than 250 people attended the fundraiser, whose proceeds will go to homeless animals and programs at CASPCA.

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Kids who cook: An after-school club teaches kitchen skills and more

Becky Calvert leads cooking club members at Walker Upper Elementary School as they prep ingredients for orzo with roasted root vegetables, fresh herbs, and fresh squeezed lemon and olive oil dressing. Photo: Eze Amos

On one of the last days of classes before the holiday break, the bell rings at Walker Upper Elementary School, and kids stream for the exits. But Becky Calvert is just getting settled into her “classroom,” a sprawling institutional kitchen with a lot of buffed stainless steel surfaces. “I try to do some of the prep for the kids every week,” says Calvert. The blade of a chef’s knife rings as she swishes it across a honing rod. She cleaves a turnip in two, then a carrot, and then a sweet potato…. “Roasted root vegetables are the main ingredient tonight!” she says, her voice rising over the noise of the convection-oven fan.

Celebrated chef Ian Redshaw, a guest instructor at the cooking class, keeps a watchful eye on the kids as they slice and dice vegetables. Photo: Eze Amos

For an hour on most Wednesdays, from 3:30-4:30pm, Calvert convenes the cooking club at Walker, guiding about a dozen 10- and 11-year-olds through a recipe. Former Charlottesville City Schools dietitian Alicia Cost launched the program in 2003, and it has been running ever since. A real estate agent by day, Calvert began assisting with the club in 2014 and took over as director two years ago. It’s funded by the schools, but Calvert has worked to secure donations and volunteer help to keep the club thriving.

Some food industry folks, friends of Calvert’s, help out. In fact, one has just bounded in and peeled off his jacket. “Hello, Miss Becky,” he says. It’s Ian Redshaw, the star chef formerly of Prime 109 and Lampo. He looks like a rocker ready to take the stage, with black Converse high-tops, skinny jeans, a flannel shirt, and spiky hair.

Redshaw washes his hands, dons an apron, and brandishes a knife. “What can I do for you?” he asks Calvert.

“I want those quartered,” Calvert says, pointing her blade at a mesh bag of brussels sprouts.

“Okay,” Redshaw says, “I am quartering brussels sprouts!”

Now the kids start trickling in and the volume increases, as their voices and laughter join the din of the oven fan.

“Hey, guys!” Calvert says, greeting Alex, Nakiya, Avarie, Maya, Amelia, Si-Si, Alanah, Zeniah, and Gabby. “Has everyone washed their hands?!”

“Yessss!” says the chorus of young cooks, positioning themselves in front of their chopping mats.

“Today we’re going to do orzo with roasted vegetables and olive oil and lemon juice—and you’re going to love it!” Calvert says.

“Oh, goody,” says Gabby, 11, a tall girl with a brown ponytail.

Calvert had warned that the class would be “fast and furious,” and she did not lie. Within 60 minutes—from first slice to plating—the group will have created a big, delicious batch of root vegetables and orzo with fresh herbs, plus the dressing Calvert mentioned. The coup de grâce are thin, delicate, cheese crisps, which Redshaw makes with the kids, using finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. “They taste great,” Redshaw says, “like Cheetos!”

It’s a marked contrast to what’s usually available at the cafeteria, where city schools are reimbursed only $3.43 from the federal government for each lunch they provide. With labor and other overhead costs, the net amount available to provide one school lunch is between $1.50 and $1.75, says Carlton Jones, nutrition administrator for Charlottesville City Schools.

At cooking club, students work with fresh, organic produce and they are learning a lot—new knife skills, the meaning of “chiffonade,” how to juice a lemon, and a special move called the “cat’s claw,” which the chef teaches the kids to reduce the risk of cutting a fingertip while dicing.

“I would say our schools try to do everything we can to expose all of our kids to healthy food choices,” says Krissy Vick, the city schools community relations liaison. She lauds Calvert’s cooking club, while also citing several other programs, including one that sustains vegetable gardens tended by students on school grounds.

After Calvert mixes the vegetables and orzo in a big stainless-steel bowl and adds the dressing, the students line up with plates to be served. Calvert spoons out the meal, and Redshaw doles out the cheese crisps. The young cooks head into the cafeteria to eat. With the oven turned off, the kitchen is quiet now, and the sound of the kids’ chatter filters in.

Calvert dries dishes and straightens up the kitchen. Redshaw gives her a quick hug and bids her adieu.

This was the penultimate  class for this group of students (next up: chocolate chip cookies), and Calvert admits in a low voice that she feels a bit sad, knowing that soon she won’t be seeing them every week. “They really are sweet, and so capable,” she says.

She tells the story of one former student whose mother held down three jobs to keep the family afloat. Because of this, she had little time to cook, so the student often prepared dinner. “That’s why I do this,” Calvert says. “It’s a lot of fun, and I love the kids, but the best part is knowing that they leave here with a new skill.”