It was Rockingham County Public Schools teachers' chance to shine on the afternoon of Monday, May 6, 2019, as they had an opportunity to have a discussion with Virginia Governor Ralph Northam and Secretary of Education Atif Qarni at the Rockingham Academy. Fifteen teachers from RCPS spent about an hour with Governor Northam talking about education in Rockingham County and giving input about priorities for Virginia. The teachers were so articulate and such advocates for not only what we are doing in RCPS but also best practices to respond to the challenges we face. Thanks to the following teachers for representing our school system:

Mary Shifflett, Third Grade Teacher Blair Harper, Fourth Grade Teacher Courtney Judd, PreK Teacher Jonathan Lapp, Fifth Grade Teacher Christopher Michael, Elementary Art Teacher Luke Roadcap, Middle School Social Studies Teacher Bridgett Crawford, Middle School English Teacher Molly Highland, Middle School English Teacher Mike Kline, Middle School Health and PE Teacher Michael Villacrusis, High School English Teacher Susan Meadows, High School Alternative Ed. Teacher Stacy Escobar, High School World Language Teacher Janeen Dofflemyer, High School Special Education Teacher Stephanie Slater, High School Math Teacher Buddie Ritchie, Massanutten Technical Center Teacher

Picture above: Third grade students in Amanda Siler's class at John C. Myers Elementary School work on activities using classroom technology. Photo credit - Daniel Lin, DN-R

The Virginia Society for Technology in Education, the state branch of the Consortium for School Networking, recently recognized Rockingham County Public Schools and Division Superintendent Dr. Oskar Scheikl for the "Digital Conversion" initiative and process that is now in its fifth and final year. RCPS won the District Team Award for "providing access to digital tools and resources whenever and wherever they are needed." Dr. Scheikl received the Empowered Superintendent Award for his visionary leadership. These awards also reflect the support of the Rockingham County School Board and the Rockingham County Board of Supervisors. It is important to keep in mind that the digital conversion process is not primarily about technology, but about learning, professional development for teachers and staff, and fundamentally about each student becoming a competent, productive and engaged citizen. It is also not an end in itself - as RCPS is currently involved in a process to define the vision and innovations that will be accomplished in the coming five years. Please read this article from the Daily News-Record about this recognition.