PHS teacher Penny Robertson receives regional leadership award
POWHATAN, VA – Powhatan High School English teacher Penny Robertson was recently honored with a leadership award at a ceremony recognizing educators from across the region who received or renewed National Board Certification (NBCT).
Robertson, who has worked for PCPS since 1999, was surprised to be named the third annual recipient of the Terry Dozier Teacher Leadership Award at the Feb. 28 NBCT pinning ceremony, hosted by the Metropolitan Educational Training Alliance VCU School of Education. The award, which was created to recognize an educator who exemplifies teacher leadership and the characteristics of the NBCT process, was presented by Dozier, who was the former Director for the Center of Teacher Leadership at VCU.
At the same ceremony, Powhatan High School Fine Arts teacher Stephanie Wirt and Flat Rock Elementary Library Media Specialist Kelly Terry received their NBCT pins as the culmination of two years of hard work. Wirt received certification in Art: Early Adolescence through Young Childhood, and Terry received certification in Library Media: Early Childhood through Young Adulthood. Both credited Robertson with being integral to helping them through the rigorous process.
Over the course of her career, Robertson has attended many professional development seminars and workshops and earned a Master's Degree in 2003. While all of those experiences were valuable to her and her craft, she said none of them came close to what she gained by completing the NBCT process from 2019 to 2021.
A National Board Certificate attests that a teacher has met the highest standards established for the profession. Teachers complete a four-component process that includes three classroom-based portfolio entries and one assessment center exercise. The process taught her not only about instruction and the impact it can have, but made her analyze how and why she implements instruction the way she does.
“I know there are other teachers like me, regardless of the season of their career, and I encourage colleagues to consider NBCT,” said Robertson, who was PHS Teacher of the Year in 2004. “I pursued becoming an NBCT late in my career, and it helped to renew my spirit in the profession that I love so much. To be a teacher is to be a lifelong learner, especially regarding the teaching profession.”
Inspired by her own experience, Robertson added to an already heavy workload, which includes being the high school’s English department chair and gifted resource teacher, by deciding to help other teachers complete the NBCT process. Last spring, when the division decided to form its own cohort for NBCT, Dr. Samantha Martin, Coordinator of Innovative Learning and Professional Development, invited Robertson to co-coordinate the program. Together the pair coordinates work sessions and meetings, coaches, and backreads for the current NBCT candidates.
“The writing for the NBCT portfolios is intense in that all questions must be fully answered with sufficient evidence in a clear, concise, and convincing way. Dr. Martin and I, along with other Powhatan NBCT coaches, direct new candidates through the process,” she said.
Being honored for that work with the Terry Dozier Teacher Leadership was even more special because the award’s namesake announced it, Robertson said. She went through the NBCT process as part of the VCU cohort when Dozier was still the Director of the Center of Teacher Leadership at VCU.
“She was there every session with us as the director and one of the facilitators. I gained so much respect for her knowledge of the NBCT process and her passion for the teaching profession during that time. So, back in 2019 when I started the NBCT process, I was already saying, ‘I want to be like her’ in regard to Dr. Dozier. I truly admire her,” Robertson said.
In announcing the leadership award, Dozier commended Robertson for being committed to her students, colleagues, and school division in the various roles she has assumed, especially co-coordinating the first internal NBCT cohort in Powhatan County.
“The goal for the initial cohort was five candidates, and this professional learning community has now doubled in size. And the increase in interest and the strong start for this professional learning community is directly related to (Robertson’s) relationships with and leadership among colleagues,” Dozier said during the ceremony. “The growth of National Board Certification in the district would not be possible without this lifelong teacher leader.”
From sea to shining sea! In the last few weeks, Powhatan Elementary School’s library has been collecting Valentines and postcards from across the nation. A last-minute push to get a card from 12 unrepresented states paid off, and the map is complete! Thank you to everyone who liked and shared the post to support our children in this fun activity that also increased their knowledge of other states. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
A larger-than-expected number of community members attended the Powhatan County School Board meeting last night, Tuesday, March 12, ready to share their views with the Board members. The meeting was adjourned early at the direction of the fire marshal. The rescheduled meeting will be held on Monday, March 18th at 6:00 p.m. It will be held in the Powhatan High School auditorium to accommodate the turnout. Members of the community are invited and encouraged to attend this meeting.
The auditorium can accommodate 950 seated participants. Spillover seating will be available in the cafeteria/commons area, if needed. A live feed will be provided for viewers seated in this area.
According to School Board policies KD and BDDH, Powhatan residents or PCPS employees wishing to provide public comment to the School Board must sign up upon arrival. Individuals are allotted 3 minutes to speak. Those representing a pre-approved group are allotted 5 minutes; however, groups must be registered with the School Board clerk prior to the day of the meeting. Groups wishing to be registered should contact the clerk at sheila.eggleston@powhatan.k12.va.us.
For more information, including the modified agenda, please visit https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/powhatan/Board.nsf/Public.
We missed posting this awesome activity, but we still want to share it. In February, the PHS School Based Job Skills Class students ran their own Valentine delivery business over two weeks. The students collected orders from staff members, organized and created the orders, collected the payments, and delivered the orders to the customers. The business was a success and all of their customers were pleased with the service. The class looks forward to offering more opportunities like this in the future. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
During art class with Mrs. Webster, Mrs. Beach’s fourth graders at Powhatan Elementary glazed ceramic animal bowls they made. In a previous class, the students started with wet clay they shaped into an animal bowl that was later fired in a kiln once. When they finished with this glazing, the figurines headed back to the kiln to be finished. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
During Black History Month, Mrs. Erie’s third graders at Pocahontas Elementary School took time every day during their morning meeting to read “28 Days: Moments in Black History That Changed the World” by Charles R. Smith Jr. Each day, the class learned about a different African American who made his or her mark on history. The class also read about important Black Americans in books like “The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read” by Rita Lorraine Hubbard (a beautiful story of a woman that lived a 120 years and learned to read at age 116 ) and “Ron’s Big Mission” by Rose Blue and Corinne Naden (future scientist and Challenger astronaut Ron McNair, then 9 years old, takes on the mission of acquiring a library card in segregated South Carolina in the 1950s). #wearepcps #teampowhatan
Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) advisor Ms. Detrick recently invited Jackie Wilkens, Powhatan County’s Economic Development Assistant, to give tips to a group of PHS students in the club about making a social media campaign for a competition at their leadership conference. FBLA competitive events recognize and reward excellence in a broad range of business and career-related areas. They also prepare students for successful careers in business by providing opportunities to apply classroom concepts in a workforce-simulated competitive environment and receive feedback from business professionals. Thank you to Ms. Wilkens for sharing her time and expertise. #wearepcps #teampowhatan @visitpowhatanva
Pocahontas Elementary School kicked off National Reading Month last week by celebrating Dr. Seuss’s birthday. In addition to dress-up days and treats delivered to all of the classrooms, the preschool and kindergarten classes welcomed a special visitor – The Cat in the Hat! The day also featured a number of guest readers who came to read to POCA students, which will continue all month long. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
Each year, the Powhatan Education Foundation (PEF) awards Innovative Classroom Grants that present ideas for achieving the county’s curricular goals, enhancing students’ personal development, and/or encouraging links with the community. This year, PEF fully or partially funded six grants for a total investment of $16,146.28, and we are going to take time over the next few weeks to highlight how those projects are going. First up is Cheri Ashman’s project, “Clay in the Classroom: Shaping a New Future for High School Anatomy Education.” ANATOMY IN CLAY® reimagines how Powhatan High School students learn human anatomy by using tactile clay models, allowing access to the subject matter in a way that flat, 2D diagrams simply can't achieve. Ms. Ashman pooled resources from the PEF grant and her Curtis funds to provide enough materials to thoroughly pilot the program. The materials were also a big hit at the recent PCPS STEM Expo, where they were used to introduce children to the human anatomy. #wearepcps #teampowhatan @anatomyinclay
Bright Star Theatre visited @powhatanelementary_pcps last week and staged an informative production of “George Washington Carver & Friends” for Black History Month. All children from prekindergarten to fifth grade attended one of two shows, learning about African Americans who laid the groundwork for some of the most amazing discoveries of the modern era, especially when it comes to science, technology, engineering, and math. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
While participating in the American Heart Challenge, Mrs. Woodson and Mr. Daniels had second graders in Mrs. Severson and Mrs. Simon’s classes rotate between seven Kids Heart Challenge stations. Students got their hearts pumping with the long rope, short rope, hands only CPR, ninja belt challenge, jump rope, target throwing, and The Impossible Shot. Powhatan Elementary School also showed kindness by raising money for the American Heart Association. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
“Whooo’s Reading a Good Book?” This beautiful owl at Flat Rock Elementary asks an important question! In honor of March being National Reading Month, we would love families to share photos of their children reading or showing a book they recently read and loved. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
In November 2023, the PCPS School Health Advisory Committee sponsored a panel discussion called “Unmasking the Hidden Threats of Vaping.” The school division continues to hear from parents asking about vaping, so we thought it would be good to reshare the Youtube link to the recording of that panel discussion again as an additional source of information. The link is in the first comment.
Young (Ms. Robinson's Early Child Education class) and old (Powhatan High School students) celebrated Black History Month together in style with a prize-winning wheel spin after viewing documentaries and QR code videos featuring influential figures in U.S. history. The event was made possible with the help of the PHS Readers and Writers Club and the high school library's new iPads, which were provided by a Powhatan Education Foundation grant. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
Virginia Preschool Initiative and Head Start Applications for the 2024-2025 school year are available on the PCPS homepage as of March 4, 2024. When considering applying for these programs, children must be 3 or 4 years of age by September 30, 2024. See the division website for additional information. If you have any questions, please reach out to Dr. Prince at 804-598-5700. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
Today is National Maintenance Worker Appreciation Day. We are so very grateful for all of our facilities staff here at Powhatan County Public Schools. PCPS is fortunate to have such a dedicated team working to keep our buildings running and ready for students, staff, and community members. Not pictured is Director of Facilities Bob Benway, who leads this amazing crew. #wearepcps #teampowhatan
Monday, March 4 kicks off Kindergarten Registration in Powhatan and around the region. Registration forms and parent sign-up for appointments and screening go live on this date. Appointments will begin April 11 and 12. We are asking for your help in reminding anyone with a child that will be age 5 by September 30, 2024, to begin enrolling now. This is a special time for schools to welcome their newest students. It is also important to get students screened and on the rosters as soon as possible to be better prepared for the start of the new school year.
In addition, the preschool (VPI/ Head Start) application process for children turning age 3 and 4 by September 30, 2024, is also now available online.
Check the Powhatan County Public Schools website for information or contact your local school with Kindergarten Registration or Preschool Application questions. We are so excited and cannot wait to get these students on the PCPS team! #wearepcps #teampowhatan
Just a reminder that Powhatan Middle School students will attend class remotely on Tuesday, March 5, because the school will be used as a polling precinct. PMS staff members will work onsite. All other PCPS schools will report as normal.
For its fourth year, PCPS’s biggest pop culture event, the PCPS Comicon, was a huge success. In addition to being the largest event yet, the Comicon held on Feb. 24 at Powhatan High School also had the highest turnout of patrons and cosplay contestants. The exciting costume contest drew a wide variety of entrants recreating their favorite characters in pop culture. A total of $400 earned for PCPS’s five school libraries came from attendees and donations. It was a great day for literacy! #wearepcps #teampowhatan
Ms. Duncan's English 10 students completed a William Shakespeare and Julius Caesar Silhouette Research project as a final product to demonstrate the facts they learned about the two historic figures. They completed research using the databases, which was a new skill for them to use this year. This was the pre-reading activity to acquire some background knowledge for Julius Caesar. This way they knew the ending (Caesar's assassination) but had to piece together how that story came to be. Ms. Duncan said her students have loved reading Caesar so far, especially being able to act out the story! #wearepcps #teampowhatan
