A Word from Superintendent Dr. Rosa Atkins 

Dear staff and families–

Thank you for the support you have shown the schools during the past week when we closed our schools for two days following a racist online threat made by a student from a different school division.

Allow me to reflect on this experience, finding both causes of grief and sources of hope:

• I’m grieved by the fear and disruption that were inflicted on a community that is still in many ways recovering from the trauma of the white nationalist rallies in 2017.
• I’m saddened that this threat was made under the guise of being a CHS student, which was especially disruptive to our sense of community and mutual trust.
• I’m heartened that community partners such as City of Promise stepped in to feed and nurture our students when they could not be at school. Thank you.
• I’m inspired by our educators, who on Friday decided that if our students could not come to us, then they would go to our students. Neighborhood by neighborhood, they brought food, books, hugs, games, and kind words.
• I’m grateful to the Charlottesville Police and the Charlottesville Commonwealth Attorney’s office for making an arrest and receiving a guilty plea to bring resolution so quickly. Thanks also to the CPD for working alongside us from the moment we received the threat until now to make sure that our schools are safe.
• I’m appreciative of our school counselors and our other student services practitioners who provided mental wellness support to our students and staff as they returned to school. In addition to our own staff members, volunteer counselors represented Region 10, Counseling Alliance of Central Virginia, and Central Virginia Counselors of Color.
• I’m reminded by members of our Black Student Union and Latinx Student Union that not only do we need to look at isolated incidents, but we must also keep our focus on larger racial inequities and the structures, practices, and aggressions that perpetuate them.
• I’m hopeful about our past, current, and planned work to promote equity in our schools, which aligns with the feedback we have been broadly seeking from students, staff, and community members. For an update, click here.
• I’m delighted to announce that work began this week to upgrade entryway security at CHS, Buford, and Walker. This previously scheduled work complements last year’s security enhancements at our elementary schools. This work should be completed by August.
• I’m thankful for school leaders and their staff, who helped our schools smoothly reopen and quietly return to being places of learning, relationship, and personal growth.

Thanks to all of you for your support of the schools, our staff, and our students. Best wishes for spring break.

Dr. Rosa Atkins

“Self Expression through Hairstyles” is a project by Rachel Wilson’s photography classes at Charlottesville High School featuring CHS students and staff. The video debuted at the Black History Month assembly at CHS, but we thought our families and community would enjoy seeing it, too. Great job to all the students involved in the project! Click here to see the video.

Johnson Elementary second graders created the backdrop for the Kehinde Wiley-inspired photobooth featured at the school’s African American Heritage Night. Thanks to the school’s art teacher, Jocelyn Johnson, and parent photographer, John Robinson, for capturing the beautiful Johnson family. See more photos here.

The Knightengales, Charlottesville High School’s female ensemble, earned all Superior ratings at the District 13 Concert Assessment. For the latest highlights of our flourishing fine arts program, click here.

Nutrition Services Director Carlton Jones, along with Geoff Shaw and his son, Lincoln, celebrate our recently renamed “Lisa’s Local on the Line” menu offerings to honor the legacy of Lisa Reeder. Learn more here.

Find more info and events on on our website, social media, or our Google calendars!

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