Twenty-two Henrico County Public Schools programs have been recognized in the 2024 National Association of Counties Achievement Awards. The annual awards honor groundbreaking county government programs across the nation. Three of the programs also received awards from the Virginia Association of Counties. Representatives of HCPS departments with winning entries were recognized at the Oct. 24 Henrico School Board meeting.
Across all departments and agencies, Henrico County won a combined 52 NACo Achievement Awards. Henrico’s total was the most of any county in Virginia for the 19th straight year and ranked seventh nationally in award totals. Henrico shares the Top 10 with much larger localities such as Los Angeles County, which has more than 10 million residents, and Miami-Dade County, with 2.7 million residents. In 2023, Henrico County’s population was estimated at 334,760 by the U.S. Census Bureau.
HCPS programs recognized by the National Association of Counties were:
Glen Lea Telehealth Clinic (Department of Family and Community Engagement, Glen Lea Elementary School): By creating an in-school consultation space using telehealth technology, educators and community health providers collaborate to support students’ health and wellness with medical and dental services that allow children to remain in school when possible.
Becoming Kings (Department of Equity, Diversity and Opportunity): This rite-of-passage program provides hands-on opportunities for Black male high school students to develop leadership skills and confidence, visit employers and colleges, and help create a growing culture of positivity and empowerment.
Próximos Pasos ¬– “Next Steps” (Department of Equity, Diversity and Opportunity): This lively festival, created with dozens of school and community partners, highlights post-high school opportunities for Hispanic students in employment, postsecondary enrollment or enlistment in the military.
Black History Month Poetry Slam (Department of Equity, Diversity and Opportunity): By empowering students to share their voices and perspectives, the program at the Oak Avenue Complex addressed the critical need for inclusive educational practices that celebrate diverse cultural backgrounds.
Educational Excursion: Aviation Day (Department of Equity, Diversity and Opportunity): HCPS students visited Richmond International Airport to talk with its board, ask questions and explore possible career paths they may not have known about.
Generative AI Initiative: Preparing for a New Digital Age (Division of Learning): In the rapidly evolving digital age, this proactive approach integrates generative A.I. in the division’s educational framework, helping equip students for tomorrow while prioritizing digital safety and ethical standards.
Microcredentials Program (Division of Learning: Professional Learning and Leadership): HCPS educators get rigorous, on-demand, tailored professional development opportunities in this program that advances academic excellence, and helps recruit, retain and recognize educators.
Student Government Day Program (Division of Learning and Henrico County): Each year, county high school students get a firsthand look at the operations of Henrico’s government, school system and courts by working for months alongside key decision-makers. The experience culminates in a day where students share feedback, present solutions to problems and participate in simulated government meetings.
Teacher Licensure Cohort Program (Division of Learning: Professional Learning and Leadership): This innovative program was recognized by the Virginia Department of Education for its success in helping provisionally licensed teachers achieve full licensure by combining in-person learning and online coursework through iTeach.
Expanded ESL Summer Academy (Division of Learning): In response to a rapidly rising population of English-learners and the effects of COVID-19 learning loss, HCPS launched a new summer program for newcomer English-learners in all grades. Participating students showed great improvement in both English development and readiness for schools in the U.S.
Combating Absenteeism before It Starts: McKinney-Vento Team Summer Cookouts (Division of Learning): HCPS used a federal grant and worked with other area organizations and agencies to increase early identification of students experiencing homelessness and prepare them for school. The three summer engagement events at Henrico hotels not only identified more McKinney-Vento-eligible students and connect them to services, but attendance by this population surged the following fall.
Language Instruction Education Program Microcredential Courses (Division of Learning): Two microcredential courses help teachers better support the unique needs of English-learning students, while also helping HCPS address teaching shortages by growing its ESL teaching staff from within.
Teacher Fellows (Division of Learning: Professional Learning and Leadership): This pioneering element of HCPS’ Career Ladder places highly effective classroom teachers in dual roles — as experienced educators and as mentors who work with teachers and support professional learning at their schools.
Building Tomorrow’s Teacher Pipeline (Department of Workforce and Career Development): The two-year dual-enrollment Teacher Apprenticeship program at the ACE Center at Hermitage enables high school students to learn teaching fundamentals and explore the education profession while earning college credit.
Preparing Life-Ready Students in Elementary School (Department of Workforce and Career Development): Greenwood Elementary School’s “PRIMETIME RVA” hosts groups of students from across the Richmond region for competitions that test their creativity and teamwork as they showcase solutions to real-life problems.
Students Build Race Car at Richmond Raceway (Department of Workforce and Career Development): HCPS students teamed up with Richmond Raceway and West Coast Customs to help build a street-legal Toyota Camry from the ground up before a high visibility NASCAR race.
Winter Wonderland (Department of Workforce and Career Development): This annual student-led holiday event at Belmont Recreation Center offers connection and involvement for students with disabilities.
Trade Skills Applied to Memorialize Veterans and First Responders (Department of Workforce and Career Development, J.R. Tucker High School): Students in the division’s masonry, horticulture and landscaping programs applied their skills as part of a community effort to create a veterans memorial at J.R. Tucker High School.
Reenvisioning Hallways (Department of Workforce and Career Development): HCPS’ Summer Building Trades Program students renovated a hallway space at the repurposed Oak Avenue Complex, creating a unique bookcase and charging stations.
Behavioral Health Interpreter Training Program (Department of Workforce and Career Development): The new program trains adult English-language-learners to become professional behavioral health interpreters in a clinical setting, helping participants gain entry-level job skills while filling a community need.
Sparking Interest in Fire Prevention Careers (Department of Workforce and Career Development): The Department of Workforce and Career Development worked with the Virginia Chapter of the American Fire Sprinkler Association to host an interactive career fair for high school students, creating awareness of careers in fire prevention.
Preschool Sign (Department of Workforce and Career Development, ACE Center at Highland Springs): ACE Center at Highland Springs Summer Building Trades Program students used their new masonry skills to replace an aging Springer Preschool Academy sign, giving the program more visibility and a crisp new profile.
HCPS programs recognized by the Virginia Association of Counties were:
Becoming Kings (Department of Equity, Diversity and Opportunity): See description above.
Generative AI Initiative: Preparing for a New Digital Age (Division of Learning): See description above.
Hyperlocal Student-led Service Learning (Department of Workforce and Career Development, Douglas Freeman High School): The student-led “Freeman Project” program at Douglas Freeman High School raised $12,000, secured a grant, recruited community partners and devoted hours of sweat equity to construct an outdoor classroom. Students in the program learn leadership skills and collaboration while tackling large and small projects that improve the school for everyone.