Hickory High and Hickory Middle schools will have synchronous virtual instruction that day, meaning students will log on to their school computers for class. Southeastern Elementary and Hickory Elementary will dismiss students at 1 p.m.

Country music star Luke Bryan will bring his “Farm Tour” to Heritage Park, 3444 S. Battlefield Blvd. in Chesapeake, for a 6 p.m. show. Parking will open at 2 p.m.

In a message sent to parents and posted on the schools’ websites, officials said that the division is “committed to the safety and security of our students and staff” and made the changes after receiving updated information about the concert’s “anticipated community impact.”

After-school activities were also canceled and school officials said the elementary afternoon bus routes might experience delays. Students at the elementary schools who were scheduled to attend the Oceana Air Show will still do so. Breakfast and lunch will still be served at the elementary schools.

During the pandemic, many divisions provided their students with devices to complete online assignments. Since virtual learning became widespread in 2020, some divisions have used the option instead of giving students a “snow day” during bad weather. In April, Norfolk schools moved to virtual learning because of safety concerns regarding the solar eclipse.

Nour Habib, nour.habib@virginiamedia.com

Alexander was a student at the high school when it served Black students during segregation. She later taught there when it became a middle school, and her children and grandchildren attended. Alexander attributes her success to Huntington’s loving teachers. A strong school and a strong school spirit mean a lot to a community, she said.

“Pride, dedication, family.”

Superintendent Michele Mitchell — who was a principal at the school and whose father attended Huntington —  said a strong sense of school pride is “everything” for a community, bringing people together to help all children flourish.

“In this community, to be able to say you are a Viking that means something,” Mitchell said. She is confident the new school will continue the legacy.

The original Huntington opened as a first-of-its-kind for Black students in 1920, with two teachers and 92 students. In 1936, it was relocated to 35th Street and Orcutt Avenue and closed in 2018. The site went through expansions and transformations, becoming an intermediate school after desegregation in 1971 and then a middle school in 1981.

Demolition began last year, though the facade is being preserved to be used as part of the planned Southeast Community Resource Area.

The new $77 million school will be located a few blocks south at 28th Street. The multistory building will house 600 students and focus on science, technology, engineering, art and math — or STEAM. It will feature open, collaborative spaces, learning studios and specially designed science labs.

Planning was, at times, contentious as some community members fought to keep the new school at its old site. But on Thursday, even some who had originally opposed the move came to celebrate the new chapter. 

School Board Vice Chair Terri Best, who attended Huntington in the ’70s, had initially pushed to keep the school at the old site. But she is now excited about the new location.

“This new school will be more than just classrooms,” Best said. “It will be a place where ideas flourish, dreams take shape and futures are built. It will also be a place for reflection, for remembering the rich Huntington legacy.”

Huntington students are currently housed at the Heritage High School campus.

The school is expected to be open for the 2026-27 school year. Mayor Phillip Jones said it will serve as the “anchor” to the new Southeast Community Resource Area, which will include a library and recreation center.

Nour Habib, nour.habib@virginiamedia.com

The program is a result of a $135,000 grant from the Scratch Foundation that partners Hampton University and the DevTech Research Group at Boston College for a two-year collaboration to develop the ScratchJr software, train educators and pilot the program this year. Teachers completed the training at Hampton in August.

Elaine Atherton, head of programs for the Scratch Foundation, said part of their work is bringing together nonprofits, schools, universities and other groups so they can collaborate in developing coding resources for “communities that are usually underrepresented from a lot of coding education.”

Atherton said the developers call the curriculum “Coding As Another Language” and see it as no different than learning phonics or developing number sense.

“Learning computer science is a new literacy for the 21st century,” she said. And though people often refer to today’s children as “digital native,” coding is still a learned skill.

“Yes, they have more exposure and access than any other generation to technology,” Atherton said. “But it is not intuitive that all of these children know how to use technology in a way that helps them think critically, problem solve, develop other computational thinking skills.”

Kimberly Thomas-Cain, also with Scratch Foundation, said the program allows students to “peek under the hood” and understand that things on the screen are not magic — they are created by someone.

For DeShea’ Simon, a professor in Hampton University’s management information systems department, helping young students learn these skills was part of the program’s appeal. Simon is heading the professional development piece and worked with training teachers. She and her team will support the teachers throughout the year and observe how students use the platform — where they get stuck, if they collaborate with other children while using it, how engaged they are.

“I would like these young people to be able to walk into public schools and know what a coding class is, and not to be afraid of that type of class when they hear it’s being offered.”

Nour Habib, nour.habib@virginiamedia.com

Her initial results show that AI tools helped students improve their overall scores in class, but that students struggled to use the technology when they needed in-depth help.

Janice Zhang became interested last year in the impact of generative AI on student work as ChatGPT and similar tools became widely available in the spring. She and her research assistants designed CodeTutor, a tool powered by AI. During the semester, the research team divided an entry-level computer programming class into groups —  one with access to CodeTutor and one without. Both groups had access to a human teaching assistant.

The team found a “significant” improvement in final scores among students who used the AI tool versus those who did not. They plan to conduct further studies this fall.

But, Zhang noted, the study showed the students found AI less helpful with time and turned to the human tutor. One theory is that the AI tool was helpful with more simple tasks in earlier lessons, and was not as helpful with tasks that required more critical thinking.

Zhang said as she and her team examined the prompts that students used to ask for help, they recognized that how the questions were asked often impacted the quality of the response.

“The way that you ask prompts is very important,” she said, “otherwise it’s just garbage in, garbage out.”

Some people in the education community have been hesitant to allow AI into the classroom. But Zhang believes AI is an unavoidable tool that will transform teaching and learning, and said the focus should be on teaching students how to use it well and ethically. Students should be taught to think how they structure prompts and be aware of bias and the risk of inaccurate information. Zhang said she tells her students that AI tools can be good for brainstorming, but warns them that they are responsible for what they write.

Zhang is working with some K-12 school divisions, including on the Peninsula and in Northern Virginia, to create AI literacy camps for upper elementary and middle school students about how to use the tool for math modeling.

The research team is also looking at ways to incorporate features into the CodeTutor tool that can help decrease teacher workload.

Nour Habib, nour.habib@virginiamedia.com

Monday was the first day for several divisions, including Hampton, Newport News, Virginia Beach and Portsmouth. At Christian Elementary, the first day was party time. Five-year-old Londyn Tate, rocking a “First Day of Kindergarten” shirt and a smile that would win anyone over, said she was excited to meet her teacher and make new friends.

Londyn’s dad, Laquan, was a little nervous as his first baby headed into the building. Mom, Vijie, knew Londyn would be fine.

“She’s a social butterfly,” she said. “She always goes above and beyond.”

Parents took pictures of their children in front of the “First day of school” sign, the kids sporting fresh highlights in their hair, rainbow tutus and superhero backpacks. One dad pumped his fists to the music, three kids in tow.

“Thank you! Thank you!” he shouted.

Principal Lynette Nelms, in a hot pink pantsuit, greeted students as they hopped off the bus. This is her third year leading Christian Elementary and her 30th in education.

“We are setting the tone,” Nelms said about the party atmosphere. “The way we end the school year is the way we’re going to start it.”

The first day of school for many started hours earlier. At Hampton’s transportation lot, bus drivers started streaming in at 5:15 a.m., well before the sun came up. Lights flashed, backup alarms sounded and squeaks and hisses filled the lot as the drivers completed their daily pre-trip inspections.

Darrin Wills, director of transportation, said the drivers started the school year earlier than students, conducting multiple “dry runs” to perfect their routes.

On Monday, following a yearslong tradition, Hampton leadership — including Superintendent Raymond Haynes, Board Chair Richard Mason and various senior staff — lined up to cheer the drivers as they left for their first pickups. Haynes, who has worked to strengthen ties with the city and community, said he was also happy to have city council members and Hampton police representatives sending off the drivers in style, waving #1 foam fingers and ringing cowbells.

As the sun began peeking, turning the sky purple and then peach, Mason said he came to the lot for the same reason he visits the schools on the first day. He wants everyone to feel supported, from the staff to the students to the parents. He remembers driving behind the school bus on his son’s first day of kindergarten and feeling welcomed and supported by the division.

He wants parents to know: “You’re bringing your best to us and so we want to return your best to you better than they came to us — a little more knowledge, a little more excitement about school.”

Nour Habib, nour.habib@virginiamedia.com

Room 106 at Portsmouth’s Simonsdale Elementary is ready for business.

Bonney, who has been a teacher for 10 years, can’t wait to welcome her new first grade class. Portsmouth schools start Monday, along with many other area divisions. Across Hampton Roads, teachers have been reporting to work to prepare their classrooms, complete professional development training and get ready to meet their students.

As of mid-August, there were still more than 245 teacher vacancies across the region, ranging from 10 in Hampton to 94 in Portsmouth. For the second consecutive year, Norfolk Public Schools did not respond to repeated requests for information about teacher vacancies.

In Portsmouth, Bonney was putting the final touches on her room.

“I want them to feel warm,” she said about why children’s first impression of a classroom is important. “I want them to feel like this is going to be a safe space, to feel loved and accepted and valued.”

Bonney said every new class is like a new family.

“You learn together, you laugh together, you cry together, you play together.”

And though Bonney said she loves “trinkets,” everything in her room also serves an instructional purpose.

“I tend to only use decor that I would use as a resource,” she said. “I try to limit extra stimuli.”

Across the water in Newport News, Lois Ballman also is getting her room ready at Yates Elementary, where she’s spent all 37 years of her education career.

Ballman’s room has a jungle theme. She’s got animal puppets on standby, ready to use their animal voices to read to her new kindergartners.

Her new books and new curriculum materials also are ready, but so are some of her tried and tested old-fashioned methods, such as a felt storyboard she can use to set a scene when her students need something different.

Ballman said education has gone through many changes in the nearly four decades she’s been a teacher. But some things stay the same, like the importance of making a connection with children and parents.

And no matter from what book she’s teaching, what makes the difference is the style.

“It’s in the delivery, and how you hook and engage them,” Ballman said.

Ballman and Bonney believe that young children are thirsty for true hands-on activities. They want to cut and color and experiment and feel.

These classrooms are ready for them.

Nour Habib, nour.habib@virginiamedia.com

Big gains on the 2023-24 Standards of Learning assessments were also seen across the state in pass rates on the writing assessment.

In Hampton, the division’s science pass rate went up 7 percentage points. Newport News had a 4 percentage point gain and Norfolk saw a 3 percentage point improvement. Several divisions last year attributed gains in science scores to more hands-on activities in the classroom.

Poquoson, York County and Virginia Beach continue to have the highest science pass rates in the area, at 84%, 80% and 78%, respectively.

Some divisions also saw big science gains at the individual school level. In Portsmouth, I.C. Norcom High School had a 20 percentage point increase in science pass rates, Churchland Academy Elementary had a 14 percentage point increase and Cradock Middle School had a 13 percentage point increase.

Math scores also improved across the board. Norfolk saw a 4 percentage point increase in math scores, and Newport News, Portsmouth and Williamsburg-James City County increased pass rates by 3 percentage points each.

Divisions across the state and in Hampton Roads also saw big jumps on writing test scores this year. Norfolk and Portsmouth each had a 16 percentage point gain.

Reading pass rates improved modestly across the board.

At the state level, more than 70% of school divisions have shown improvement in reading in grades 3 to 8, and more than 75% made gains in grades 3 to 8 in math.

Pass rates are still lower, in some cases notably so, than before the pandemic. Disruption to schooling caused by closures and other precautions led to widespread learning loss. Reading, math and science pass rates at all area divisions still have not returned to pre-pandemic levels.

Rates began to improve last year. This year, state officials credit some of the gains to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s $418 million “All in VA” plan. The plan focused on addressing learning loss, student achievement and chronic absenteeism using several strategies, including “high-dose tutoring.”

The state’s chronic absenteeism, which had spiked after the pandemic, saw a 16% reduction, according to the VDOE, with more than four out of five divisions showing improvement in attendance. Attendance is closely linked to achievement. In grades 3 to 8 this year, chronically absent students — defined as those who missed 10% or more of the school year — performed 19 percentage points below their peers in reading and 26 percentage points below in math.

The state is in the final stages of approving a new school accountability system, which will include a school report card aimed at making it easier for parents to understand school performance. The new report cards are expected to factor student proficiency, or mastery, at 50% to 65% of a school’s overall score, varying across school levels. Growth would account for 20% to 25%. The first report cards are expected to be released next summer.

Below are the pass rates by subject area for the Hampton Roads divisions. The numbers in parenthesis are last year’s pass rates for comparison.

___

Chesapeake

• Reading: 79% (78%)
• Writing: 78% (72%)
• Math: 78% (77%)
• Science: 74% (74%)
• History: 72% (74%)

Hampton

• Reading: 71% (70%)
• Writing: 75% (62%)
• Math: 74% (72%)
• Science: 74% (67%)
• History: 67% (65%)

Newport News

• Reading: 60% (59%)
• Writing: 56% (53%)
• Math: 59% (56%)
• Science: 57% (53%)
• History: 47% (45%)

Norfolk

• Reading: 61% (61%)
• Writing: 65% (49%)
• Math: 54% (50%)
• Science: 58% (55%)
• History: 50% (50%)

Portsmouth

• Reading: 61% (60%)
• Writing: 61% (45%)
• Math: 56% (53%)
• Science: 54% (52%)
• History: 55% (54%)

Virginia Beach

• Reading: 82% (82%)
• Writing: 81% (73%)
• Math: 78% (77%)
• Science: 78% (77%)
• History: 73% (73%)

Isle of Wight

• Reading: 79% (78%)
• Writing: 82% (70%)
• Math: 80% (77%)
• Science: 71% (67%)
• History: 73% (71%)

Poquoson

• Reading: 85% (87%)
• Writing: 83% (79%)
• Math: 83% (85%)
• Science: 84% (86%)
• History: 83% (81%)

Suffolk

• Reading: 72% (72%)
• Writing: 68% (65%)
• Math: 72% (69%)
• Science: 64% (63%)
• History: 61% (60%)

Williamsburg-James City County

• Reading: 78% (77%)
• Writing: 80% (70%)
• Math: 76% (75%)
• Science: 75% (72%)
• History: 71% (70%)

York County

• Reading: 87% (87%)
• Writing 87% (77%)
• Math 86% (86%)
• Science 80% (81%)
• History 80% (80%)

State

• Reading: 73% (73%)
• Writing: 76% (65%)
• Math: 71% (69%)
• Science: 68% (67%)
• History: 65% (65%)

Nour Habib, nour.habib@virginiamedia.com

Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com

Now, the newest additions to the family legacy are his sons: E.B. Bracy, 24, and Evan Bracy, 22.

“It’s definitely deep in our roots,” said E.B. during a recent interview in his father’s office. Though he didn’t initially consider education, imagining a police or military career — and trying his hand at event management — the pull was too strong.

“I guess I couldn’t shy away,” he said. Now he’s starting his second year as a special education preschool teacher at Olive Branch Preschool Center.

For Evan, the path was more straightforward; he’d always wanted to become an educator. This year, he’ll start his role as a special education preschool teacher at Churchland Preschool Center.

Both said they enjoy working with young children.

“They’re most impressionable at this age, and I feel like this is the best time to teach them foundational skills and things about life,” said Evan.

E.B. said he also feels having a male teacher can bring out the best in some students. He remembers performing better academically in the years he had a male teacher.

Having someone in the classroom who students can relate to can also help them enjoy school and make it easier to learn, Evan said.

Elie Bracy said he is proud of his sons, and that they came to the decision completely on their own.

“Now I know how my dad felt when my brother and I went into education,” he said.

Elie Bracy’s path to education was closer to that of his older son. Initially, he wasn’t interested.

“But I got the bug, and it bit me, and I went into it and loved every minute of it.”

He says Portsmouth is full of families of educators working together — mothers and daughters, husbands and wives. The division allows it as long as they do not directly report to each other. He worked alongside his mother, a kindergarten teacher, as an elementary counselor at the start of his education career in North Carolina.

On why they returned to Portsmouth to start their careers, E.B. said it was a “no-brainer.”

“Ain’t no place like home,” he said. “I graduated from this district, so I felt like it was only right to come back and serve the community.”

Though initially Elie Bracy wanted his sons to go to a different division — he worried about them having to deal with the pressure of working in a division led by their father — he eventually realized that Portsmouth schools needed them.

“I need those talents here in Portsmouth,” he said. And their passion and desire to return was a testament to the family environment that Portsmouth has always strived to foster and was exactly what the division has asked of its students for years.

“We need Portsmouth people to come back into the city in order for it to keep growing.”

Nour Habib, nour.habib@virginiamedia.com

The  Virginia Department of Education on Thursday released a draft of its new guidance on how school divisions should implement Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s order for a “cellphone-free education.” The governor last month issued Executive Order 33 to keep cellphones out of the classroom to address distractions and mental health concerns.

The governor tasked the education department with defining “cellphone-free education.” Staff hosted multiple meetings throughout the state with parents, educators and community members before drafting the guidelines. The department also met with other stakeholder groups to discuss the new directive. The full draft is available on the department’s website and open for public comment through Sept. 15.

Secretary of Education Aimee Rogstad Guidera said: “Virginia parents and teachers have witnessed first-hand the damage cell phones in schools has had on our youth’s academic, mental and physical health and social development. Communities are committed to implementing common sense approaches to restore vibrant and healthy learning environments for all our children throughout the Commonwealth.”

The draft guidance defines cellphone-free education in Virginia’s schools as “bell-to-bell,” meaning phones should be turned off and stored away from the first bell at the start of the school day to begin instructional time until the dismissal bell rings at the end of the school day. This will include lunch and time in between class periods.

“By refocusing our students’ attention back into learning and away from their phones and social media, all our children will have a better opportunity to learn and succeed academically,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Coons.

The guidance differs by grade level, with phone use completely banned on school grounds at elementary school. At the middle school level, individual divisions will determine appropriate use in the building and on school grounds before or after the school day. At the high school level, students will be allowed to use their devices before or after school.

Exceptions will be made through individualized plans for students who need phones to monitor medical conditions. Divisions have been directed to create clear communication plans with parents in case of emergencies.

The final guidance will be released on Sept. 16, and school divisions will need to adopt policies and procedures by Jan. 1.

Nour Habib, nour.habib@virginiamedia.com

The mayors of Hampton and Newport News, along with school board presidents and other leaders, held a news conference Thursday morning at Crittenden Middle School to encourage men in the community to volunteer two to four hours a month to mentor students in the public school system.

Each division has have various mentoring opportunities that volunteers can sign up for by visiting their websites, hampton.k12.va.us or sbo.nn.k12.va.us.

Hampton Mayor Donnie Tuck said many people recognize middle school age is one of the last opportunities to impact the trajectory of a young person’s life. Tuck quoted Frederick Douglass, saying, “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”

Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones said he and Tuck began talking about the push for mentorship a few months ago, after seeing a spike in violence on the Peninsula last year, especially among young men.

Though the trends are improving, leaders say mentorship is needed to help sustain the progress.

Hampton School Board President Richard Mason said research shows that students who have mentors achieve higher academic gains, are more likely to attend school and are less likely to get into trouble.

Adrian Cook attended Thursday’s gathering to support the call for action. Cook has mentored students in partnership with the Hampton and Newport News school divisions, as well as through his mentoring organization Let Our Voices Empower.

Cook said his traumatic childhood, which included abusive parents, drugs and homelessness, eventually led to him serving 18 years in federal prison. Cook said his time in prison made him rethink his decisions, and an essay his son wrote about a lack of leadership in the African American community led to Cook choosing to become a mentor for children.

He wanted kids to have the advocate he never had.

Cook said it is particularly important for youth to have mentors who understand their life challenges. He said he often ignored adults who tried to help him as he was growing up.

“If I didn’t think you knew what I was going through, I didn’t want to hear you,” he said.

Nour Habib, nour.habib@virginiamedia.com