As the weather has warmed up this week, we’re all thinking of spring and making plans for next year. With the future on our minds, I wanted to offer a check-in about the reconfiguration of our schools–our plan in August 2026 (not this fall but next!) to move 5th grade back to the elementaries, centralize our preschool classrooms at the Walker campus, and move 6th grade into the newly expanded middle school.
Here are the latest updates:
Burnley-Moran Principal Dr. Elizabeth Korab will be taking the lead as the first principal of our new preschool center. She will work with current preschool staff and teachers to assure a smooth transition to centralized early childhood education on the current Walker campus. Read more below.
As Buford staff, students, and families know, construction on the future Charlottesville Middle School (CMS) is moving speedily along. The new four-story academic building and gym are on schedule for our 7th and 8th graders to use this fall. We’re also very excited about murals throughout the brand-new building that invite students to see the City of Charlottesville as their classroom.
Pictured above: A draft of the welcome mural in the CMS entrance, including 20 different languages spoken by our students.
Behind the scenes, our Walker and Buford staff have been making big plans for the transition.
As soon as school ends this year, major renovations will begin on the current Buford Middle School building. To prepare, Buford staff are cleaning out their classrooms and offices and getting excited for their brand-new spaces in the new academic building.
We are finalizing plans with Walker staff for where they will work starting in Fall 2026. Our other schools are thrilled to welcome these 5th and 6th grade teachers and staff when the time comes. And I’m pleased to announce that we are offering a retention bonus for these staff as they make this significant transition.
Pictured above: A rendering of the 86-foot long wall above the bleachers in the new CMS gymnasium. Go Young Knights!
As a reminder, you can see which students will be affected by the transition and when in this reconfiguration chart. If you have any questions, be sure to reach out to your school.
Thank you for your continued partnership in this exciting time for our schools.
Dr. Gurley
Dance the Night Away!
Johnson Elementary kicked off the long goodbye for its fourth graders with its second annual Sneaker Ball. From the shoes to the fashion to the moves on the dance floor, the Learning Leopards showed up and showed out! See all the photos here.
Slow Down and Mark Your Calendars
Monday, March 17: Final school day of quarter 3.
Friday, March 21: No School for Students (teacher workday)
March 31-April 4: Spring Break Week (offices closed Monday, March 31)
At the end of January, Charlottesville Schools announced proposed new zones, implementation dates, and priority exemptions for our elementary schools. This plan would alleviate crowding at Summit and balance the schools’ enrollment capacity as well as student body socioeconomic levels. Much more information is on our website. The proposal was also presented as an information item at the February 6 School Board meeting.
WHAT WE'VE HEARD:
In the initial feedback period, we've heard:
Some members of the Locust Grove community who are slated to be rezoned to Greenbrier -- especially those who can walk to Burnley-Moran -- oppose the rezoning plan.
Some members of the Summit community appreciate the approach of balancing the elementary schools' socio-economic diversity as well as the outreach and options offered to the Kindlewood community.
There have been questions about whether this plan is a new option, or whether it's based on one of the four options offered for feedback at fall meetings and via a survey. The current proposal is a revision of "Option 2" from the fall. The main edit is that now fewer neighborhoods would be affected.
Revised Next Steps for School Board (new date for action item):
Thursday, March 6: Rezoning is a School Board Discussion Item. The Board will use this time as a work session to discuss feedback.
Thursday, March 27: Rezoning is a School Board Discussion Item to follow up on any outstanding issues.
**NEW** Thursday, May 1: Rezoning is a School Board Action Item.
Time to Apply for Preschool for This Fall
It's time to apply for free preschool and childcare for this fall! Programs in our schools and in our area serve qualifying children who will still be younger than 5 years old by September 30. Apply for free early childhood education through our local Go2Grow website. Learn more about preschool here!
Dr. Korab to Lead New Preschool Center
We are excited to announce that Dr. Elizabeth Korab, principal of Burnley-Moran Elementary, will be the principal of our new preschool center, which will open for the 2026-27 school year on the current Walker campus. Dr. Korab will work with preschool coordinator Ms. Sheila Sparks to assure a smooth transition from our elementary-based preschool program to a city-wide preschool center. Dr. Korab will spend the 2025-26 year as the planning principal and then will run the new centralized program beginning in Fall 2026. Click here to learn more.
CCS Career Fair This Saturday
Become a part of the Charlottesville City Schools team! The CCS Career Fair is this Saturday, March 1, from 9am-1pm at CHS. We're hiring teachers, instructional assistants, counselors, and all staff roles. Register for the fair here: https://charlottesvilleva.schoolspring.com/
This February, students throughout the division have been learning about African Americans' many achievements. At Buford, students heard from Black leaders making an impact locally, including Charlottesville mayor (and former School Board chair) Juandiego Wade, author (and former Cville Schools teacher) Jocelyn Nicole Johnson, cattle farmer (and regional workforce director) Sarah Morton, and former School Board chair James Bryant. (Click the video above to hear Mr. Bryant lead students in "Lift Every Voice and Sing"). At other schools, there have been Soul Feasts, a Black Business Expo, a Black Excellence Event, and more!
Student Successes
Elementary students, meet Black Knight sports
CHS athletes are introducing 3rd- and 4th- graders across the city to Black Knight sports! Organized through the C-will Fund in memory of Buford student-athlete Calvin Ness, who died in 2023, these field trips to CHS build Black Knight pride and connect more CCS students with sports at an earlier age. During these "Black Knight Sports Days," CHS athletes lead mini-clinics in basketball, football, lacrosse, and baseball/softball.
Buford goes big in the Junior Regional Orchestra
Congratulations to Buford orchestra teacher Alicia Tobin and the 13 students who earned places in the Junior Regional Orchestra (that's more students than any other school in the region!). These students will represent Buford in March with other top musicians in grades 7-9 from the western half of Virginia: Fiona Bedford, Annika Braun-Wahlin, Olly Buckner, Daron Chen, Jack Coleman, Emily Collins, Risa McWhorter, Vera Mills, Evan Naegle, Louisa Platts-Mills, Jasia Taraskiewicz, Ben Thompson, and Ariana Vasquez Cite.
Summit students sell "Hot Chocolate for Hearts"
After participating in the Kids Heart Challenge to support the American Heart Association at school, several Summit students wanted to do even more. They planned and hosted a "Hot Chocolate for Hearts" fundraiser in Belmont that brought in $360 for the American Heart Association. Kudos to Milo, Xavier, Addison, Audrey, Ana, and Jake!
CHS Sports: School Records, plus State & National Qualifiers!
GIRLS HOOPS: Our #1 seeded girls' basketball team, led by district coach of the year Jim Daly and player of the year Avery Stavitski, routed Millbrook in the 4D region playoffs Monday night, with Stavitski notching her 1,000th career point! Other district honorees are Kayla Drumheller, Eva Floyd, Kiley Jones, Caitlin King, and Elaina Pierce. Come out and support the girls at home against Handley in the semifinals TONIGHT at 6:30.
INDOOR TRACK: Congrats to Sam Palmer, who set a school record on indoor track in 1600M (4:18.25) and qualified for nationals! State qualifiers include regional champions Elaina Pierce (in both 1600M and 1000M) and Juliana Pierce (in 500M).
WRESTLING: CHS is sending four wrestlers to states, which may be a school record. Junior Adriel Pena is the regional champion at 113 lbs! In addition, Theo Reinhardt, Roman Calvani, and Walter Pilkey punched their tickets to states. Finally, David Diaz was named the CBS19 Student Athlete of the Week.
BOYS HOOPS: Congratulations to district honorees Jacoby Lynch and Melvin Gboley.
SWIM & DIVE: Seven girls' swimmers qualified for states: Maddie Blank, Ada Brantley, Zaharra Colla, Laney Keller, Charlotte McCready, Elodie Patrizia, and Alicia Yori Kosek. And Sophia Lipinski has worked to revive our dive program and has also qualified for states!
Our CHS students are having a great time playing in their second year of adapted basketball, competing most recently against Goochland.
At a recent signing ceremony, CHS celebrated the following students preparing to play college sports: Carolina Chao, Soccer, Johns Hopkins; Sophie Chen, Soccer, Amherst College; Andrew Cullinan, Baseball, Delaware Valley University; Mason Divers, Baseball, West Virginia Tech; Nathaniel Orban, Cross Country/Track, Roanoke College; and Elsa Miller, Volleyball, Williams College.
And Other High School Wins, Including a National Qualifier in Debate
CHS Debate excelled at the always-competitive NSDA Virginia District Tournament, competing in more events than ever. Solly Schwartzman and Lily Curtis placed 3rd and 4th in Lincoln Douglas Debate, and Ginger Craghead-Way placed 4th in Senate. Solly will represent Virginia at the NSDA National Tournament in June.
The Scholastic Bowl team finished 2nd in our 4D North Sub Region, advancing to the Regional Championship: Linwood Bailey, Raffi Chen, Zoe Chen, Celia DeVeaux, Miles Gosse, Darren Huang, Solomon Lam, Stella Nemecek, Callie Sun, Nadzieja Taraskiewicz, Sawyer Tassone, Zadie Tassone.
(Pictured above) Five students from CHS’s Global Citizenship class spent the day at the state Capitol in Richmond meeting with members of the General Assembly to advocate for immigrant rights. As their teacher Tina Vasquez wrote, “These young people have endured hardships themselves, and yet they have not given up on doing what they believe is right. They feel the fear and confusion around them, and yet they are excited about building community, supporting each other and serving the greater community.”
CATEC recently hosted the regional SkillsUSA competition showcasing the professional training of students from across the region, from automotive to culinary. CHS student Mayte Diego Lopez and her team won 2nd place in the Total Fashion Look cosmetology competition!
Lugo-McGinness & UVA YouthNex awarded for partnership
Lugo-McGinness Academy and UVA's YouthNex program were one of five national recipients of the Excellence in Community-Engaged Partnerships Award given by Campus Compact, a national coalition of colleges and universities. The award recognizes the way that the two organizations engage students in "participatory research," empowering students to learn about and develop solutions for issues that are important to them. Congratulations to reading specialist Carly Dirghangi and our partners!
Free UVA Baseball tickets for our families!
UVA Baseball invites Cville Schools staff and families to their opening game against Dartmouth this Saturday, March 1, at 1pm! Use this ticket link to claim up to 4 complimentary tickets per household, with the option to purchase any additional needed tickets at a discounted rate. The link is good through Thursday, Feb. 27 at 11:59 PM. The tickets will be issued digitally 24 hours prior to game time.
Thank you, Flow Automotive and the Chris Long Foundation!
We thank Flow Automotive and the Chris Long Foundation for organizing a drive at the recent UVA-Duke men's basketball game to collect items to support Cville Schools students through the Foundation's EdZone supply closets. The EdZone program helps the schools meet students' daily needs, ranging from hats and gloves to soap and toothpaste. Watch the NBC29 story.
Cville Schools in the News
Honoring the important work of our school counselors
In recognition of School Counselor Appreciation Week, CBS19 profiled CHS school counselor (and proud member of the CHS Class of 2014) Maddie Bryant.Watch the story on CBS19.
Clara Bullard named to the "Distinguished Dozen"
Walker teacher Clara Bullard was named to the Daily Progress Distinguished Dozen! As an ESL teacher and as a soccer coach, Ms. Bullard is known for teaching students who are new to the U.S. with kindness and grace.
More news you can use
School Board Updates, Including School Safety & Budget
For all the news from the School Board's February meeting, read the Mini Minutes. Two highlights:
Budget: The overview of the draft budget includes information about proposed staff compensation for next year – for licensed personnel, there is a recommended 5.5% salary increase, and for non-teaching staff, there is a recommended average 3% increase.
School safety: The Board reviewed a timeline for decision-making about possibly adding school or youth resource officers to our current safety model. A staff working group will work with the Charlottesville Police Department to research best practices, develop a model Memorandum of Understanding as well as budgetary impact, consult with impacted stakeholders, and seek a Board decision (likely in October 2025).
Attention Alumni: Connect with CHS on LinkedIn
To increase community and networking opportunities, we have created a CHS alumni page on LinkedIn. We invite all CHS graduates to add Charlottesville High School to the education section of their profile.
Update about National PowerSchool Data Breach
In January we announced that Charlottesville was one of many impacted school divisions whose student information system PowerSchool experienced a national data breach. PowerSchool continues to believe that they stopped data from being distributed or misused. They state: “While we are unaware of and do not expect any actual or attempted misuse of personal information or any financial harm to impacted individuals as a result of this incident, PowerSchool will be providing credit monitoring to affected adults and identity protection services to affected minors in accordance with regulatory and contractual obligations.” Earlier this month, PowerSchool began sending out individual notifications. For more information, you can find PowerSchool’s official Notice of Data Breach, including complimentary identity protection services and credit monitoring services. PowerSchool has also created an information page and Frequently Asked Questions site. As a reminder, do not give personal information via phone or email; you may receive an email from Experian on behalf of PowerSchool, which will provide information about enrolling in Experian or TransUnion services, as applicable.
Feel the love
Cville Schools students showed each other how much they care during last week's Kindness Week celebrations...whether they were cheering on their teachers in a wacky pep rally relay race (at CHS, top) or exchanging Valentine's at Trailblazer (above). 💟
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