Principal Chantel Beverly came to Venable in 2022 after serving as the assistant principal of Greenbrier Elementary since 2019. Previously, she taught at A.P. Hill Elementary in Petersburg and Broad Rock Elementary in Richmond, where, in 2017, she was named teacher of the year. She has earned a bachelor’s and master’s in teaching from VCU and a master’s degree in administration and supervision from Averett University.

Assistant Principal Velvet Coleman holds a B.S. from Virginia Union University, a M.A. in Teaching from Mary Baldwin College, and an Administration & Supervision endorsement from Western Govenors University. Ms. Coleman joined Venable after serving as the Division’s Student & Family Engagement Facilitator. Previously, she served CCS as an elementary school teacher for 16 years.

Venable Elementary School opened in the University of Virginia neighborhood in 1925. The school was named for Colonel Charles Scott Venable, who was a Civil War soldier, professor of mathematics at the University of Virginia and author of arithmetic books for children. Later additions on the north end added an auditorium/gym wing. The playground/picnic area was constructed in May 1995 as a community project.  Venable, along with now-closed Lane High, was the first Charlottesville schools to be integrated when the “Charlottesville Twelve” entered the schools on September 8, 1959.  In recent years, Venable and other Charlottesville City Schools have often hosted members of the “Venable Twelve” to speak to students about their experiences integrating the schools.

Venable Elementary has a long history of enriching students’ lives through high academic standards and a strong connection to the surrounding community. At Venable, we serve preschoolers through fourth-graders, supporting and challenging each and every student in order to maximize the social, emotional and cognitive growth expected of tomorrow’s leaders. Instruction is designed to foster initiative, flexibility, social and cross-cultural awareness, productivity, accountability, leadership, and individual responsibility for learning.  The school has won state awards for distinguished academic achievement (through the VIP program), a Do Something grant for promoting school-wide fitness, and the Virginia Lottery’s Super Teacher award for our music teacher.

Students at Venable are given the opportunity to use their skills in ways that influence the school and the world around them. We nurture 21st century skills of using information gathering and communication technologies to assess data, collaborate, innovate, think critically, solve problems and become more self-aware. Regular activities such as school-wide celebrations of achievement, community service, and special events build a sense of pride and personal contribution among our students. Families, community members and U.Va. student volunteers are critical partners with the school, helping us to foster lasting friendships among adults and children.

Like all Charlottesville elementary schools, Venable is marked by:

• Small class sizes
• A commitment to the arts
• An active garden classroom made possible by City Schoolyard Garden
• Embracing technology in the classroom
• Varied instruction, including push-in gifted services in all classrooms
• Community partnerships, such as our annual “Minds in Motion” production with the Richmond Ballet