Welcome back to Extra Credit, a weekly roundup of education-related news from across Southwest and Southside Virginia.
Students across Virginia are heading back to class this month. Find out when classes resume at your local schools here.
Have a story idea, tip or think there’s something I missed? Email me at meghan@cardinalnews.org.
Thanks for reading!
Snake blamed for fire at Forest Middle School
Eight classrooms at Forest Middle School in Bedford County were damaged from an overnight fire last week.
The fire, officials say, was likely caused by a classroom pet: an 8-foot python.
Area fire and rescue crews responded to a fire alarm at the school just after midnight on Aug. 13.
Upon entering a smoke-filled classroom, first responders were “greeted” by the python, according to a Forest Fire Department Facebook post. Once a school division employee arrived and secured the snake, fire crews were able to extinguish the fire. Eight classrooms sustained water damage due to their efforts, though.
“Due to smoke and water damage, (those) classrooms in the east wing will be temporarily closed while crews clean and repair the affected areas,” Bedford County Public Schools spokesperson Kristen Eanes said in an email.
“This will not affect the first day of school as alternate locations within FMS for impacted areas will be assigned, if needed. We are working to ensure a safe and smooth start for students and staff.”
The first day of school for Bedford County students is Aug. 19.
WXFR reported that other classroom pets were affected by the fire, including guinea hens and a tortoise, who died.
Eanes did not respond to questions sent by a Cardinal News reporter about the animals.
Roanoke City superintendent celebrates her last first-day-of-school
Last Tuesday marked Verletta White’s 53rd first day of school.
The Roanoke City Public Schools superintendent is set to retire at the end of this school year, but she marked the first day with visits to several schools, including Wasena Elementary last week.
“It’s not just my last first day, but it’s the first day of school for thousands of our students,” White told reporters. “Today is really about them… they have all of the first day jitters, just like all of us do, and we’re just excited to welcome students back to school.”
During her visit, White popped into classrooms, greeting students and teachers, urging students to make friends and be kind to one another and even pausing to read a book to Laura Hill’s fifth grade class.
White’s enthusiasm comes as the school division is grappling with decreased funding from the state and city that led to about 160 positions being ahead of this school year, along with other operational cuts.
“We know that with our budget cuts, we unfortunately have fewer staff members this year than what we had last year, but we’ve done our very best to protect our classrooms,” White said.
This year’s theme for White is that the school division is “turning the page,” she said.
“We’re turning the page and making sure that we are moving forward and working together,” she said. “And staying focused on providing those wraparound services as well as exceptional teaching and learning.”
She also celebrated Wasena Elementary’s principal, Marina Seal, who is a finalist for principal of the year, White said.
Seal, who has been principal at Wasena since November 2021, said the school’s goal is to “continue growing.”
“We have a growth mindset as a school family. Our students have really bought into that as well. They are truly invested in their education. They are working hard to be successful. We are very competitive, but we don’t compete with other schools. We compete with ourselves. We try to be better every single year, and we’ve shown that the last couple of years,” she told reporters.
Repairs underway at Tazewell High School
Work began last month to repair and reinforce concrete walls in Tazewell High School’s gym, kitchen and cracking, according to a news release. The project aims to “reduce cracking and strengthen the building’s overall structural performance” and is a significant investment in the facility, according to the release from Building Specialists, Inc., the project’s general contractor.
“Ensuring our schools remain safe, functional, and well-maintained is a responsibility we take seriously,” Erik Robinson, chair of the county School Board, said in a statement. “With many of our facilities aging, these repairs represent an important improvement at Tazewell High School and address a significant need within the building. Families should have confidence that we are continuing to identify facility concerns, act on them responsibly, and invest in the schools our students depend on each day.”
The cost of the project was not immediately available, but the county school system is also spending more than $2 million to upgrade bathrooms at Tazewell and the county’s two other high schools.
Work in the kitchen and cafeteria were expected to be completed in time for those spaces to be usable by the start of the school year on Aug. 17, but the gym will remain closed during construction. It is slated to reopen next spring.
Glen Cove Elementary School community celebrates completed renovations
Roanoke County schools officials celebrated the reopening of the newly renovated and expanded Glen Cove Elementary School last week.
The $27 million project replaced the school’s decades-old open-concept classroom design with modern classes and “raised the roof” in the school library.
The ribbon-cutting marked the completion of two years of phased work, said principal April Brubaker.
“In Roanoke County we keep talking about opportunity ready and pushing them forward. So the buildings need to be doing that,” second grade teacher Lee Sturgill said in a video for the school division. “The community needs to see that we put a lot of time and effort into this place and that we really do want their kids to feel as though this is their home away from home.”
Roanoke County’s W.E. Cundiff Elementary is also undergoing renovations.
UVA Wise to launch new technology management, data analytics master’s degree program
The University of Virginia College at Wise is launching a new graduate degree this fall: a master of science in technology management and data analytics.
The fully online degree is offered by the Department of Business and Economics and is designed to prepare graduates for “today’s technology-driven, data-rich economy,” according to a news release.
The degree program requires 30 graduate credit hours including two electives that could include classes in healthcare analytics, marketing analytics, accounting analytics, human resource analytics, supply chain and logistics management, project management, advanced AI models, big data management and more.
“This degree brings together the skills organizations increasingly need. Our goal is to prepare graduates to understand emerging technologies, use them responsibly, solve real organizational challenges and drive meaningful change,” said Gurkan Akalin, professor of business analytics and chair of the business and economics department, in a statement.
Students can complete coursework at their own pace and can accommodate both full and part-time students.
Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree and have completed coursework in statistics and computer programming, among other requirements.
Applications are being accepted now for enrollment this fall. Find more information at www.uvawise.edu/academics/graduate/technology-data.
