The Newport News Public Schools Youth Development Department held its annual recognition for students and student organizations that exemplify the characteristics of student leadership and volunteerism. The STAR - Students Taking Action and Responsibility - Awards are given each year.
\r\nDuring the Secondary STAR Awards Banquet on April 18, 120 middle and high school students representing 41 clubs and organizations were honored for their leadership and volunteerism.
\r\nTeniyah Corprew, a senior at Achievable Dream High School and the Boys & Girls Clubs Youth of the Year for the Virginia Peninsula, served as mistress of ceremonies. School Board member Rebecca Aman gave opening remarks and provided the introduction.
\r\n\"Our honorees, representing various clubs, represents thousands of students in our schools who are sharpening their leadership skills and making a positive difference,\" Aman said. \"Thank you, our honorees, for your initiative, service and heart for others. Your character and dedication have certainly distinguished you and your club or organization as leaders.\"
\r\nAttendees included Delegate Shelly Simonds, Newport News City Council member Tina Vick, Acting Assistant City Manager David Freeman, School Board member Gary Hunter and Rob Coleman, Chief Operating Officer of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Virginia Peninsula.
\r\nFeatured students who presented the awards were Marlie Kane, an eighth grader at Gildersleeve Middle School; Malechi Whitaker, an eighth grader at Passage Middle School; and Marlena Krizmencic, a junior at Warwick High School.
\r\nMusic was provided by the Menchville High School and Crittenden Middle School choirs.
\r\n\"Honorees, I do want to thank you for what you do; you truly do serve as role models,\" Superintendent Dr. Michele Mitchell said in her closing remarks. \"It really is a pleasure to acknowledge all that you have each individually achieved and collectively achieved this year through your service to our schools and our community. You make every one of us in this room proud.\"
","body2":"","publish_date":"Apr 19, 2024","image_1_path":"","image_1_caption":"","image_2_path":"240419082127427_starmiddle.jpg","image_2_caption":"","image_3_path":"240419082127427_starhigh.jpg","image_3_caption":"","image_4_path":"240419082127427_Star.jpg","image_4_caption":"","image_5_path":"240419082127427_Star-2.jpg","image_5_caption":"","no_link":"","url":"https://sbo.nn.k12.va.us/news/archive/2024-04-19_NNPS-Secondary-STAR-awards-honor-students--organizations.html","news_id":"4074"},{"headline":"Newport News teacher named 2025 Virginia regional teacher of the year","blurb":"","description":"Newport News teacher named 2025 Virginia regional teacher of the year","body":"Crittenden Middle School teacher Chanda Woods was named 2025 Virginia Region 2 Teacher of the Year by the Virginia Department of Education in a surprise announcement April 10 at the school.
\r\nWoods has 25 years of teaching experience with Newport News Public Schools and has been in her current position teaching middle school English for four years. Her students filed into the library just prior to the announcement and cheered along with Delegate Shelly Simonds, NNPS School Board members and administration staff, Crittenden staff and numerous supporters of their special teacher.
\r\n\"They talked about how you had a really challenging youth and you had a lot of hardships, but the word they used to describe you was perseverance,\" said Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Lisa Coons, as she presented the commemorative plaque and described why Woods was selected.
\r\n\"And that you have made an amazing impact on your own life and have become a role model for the youth that you serve. And that you believe in bringing healthy options in food and healthy options in life for your students, and planting seeds in them and inspiring them to be successful.\"
\r\nWoods is one of eight regional finalists for State Teacher of the Year, which will be announced May 6 and the winner will be Virginia's nominee for 2025 National Teacher of the Year. Region 2 is comprised of 16 school divisions, including NNPS.
\r\n\"I don't know what to say except thank you,\" Woods said. \"They're my happy place. Middle school is challenging every day; I'm thankful I get to be a part of their lives every day and I work with wonderful people. This is what I've wanted to do since I was 12, so these are my children.\"
\r\nSeveral students spoke about her positive influence on their learning, school days and school experience in explaining what she means to them.
\r\nWoods was honored as NNPS Teacher of the Year for 2023-24, as well as NNPS Middle School Teacher of the Year and Crittenden Teacher of the Year.
\r\n\"It's a tremendous honor and point of pride to have one our teachers recognized at this level among the best in the state of Virginia,\" said Superintendent Dr. Michele Mitchell. \"We are thrilled to join the community in celebrating Chanda's teaching career, impact on students and positive influence every day at Crittenden.\"
\r\nWoods has served in leadership roles as Teacher of the Year Advisory Committee member, modern classrooms project implementer, conductor of professional development sessions for teachers, new teacher mentor and coach, and as content lead at Crittenden.
\r\nAfter earning her bachelor's degree from the State University of New York at Albany, Woods started teaching in NNPS in 2000. She taught English at Hines Middle School from 2000 to 2009 and returning as content lead from 2012 to 2018, as well as teaching at Huntington Middle School in 2010-11. Woods has taught at Crittenden since 2019, where she currently teaches sixth, seventh and eighth grades.
\r\nA Newport News resident, Woods mentors sixth grade girls and works with Serve the City: Peninsula on Crittenden's garden project and with the hospitality committee at Lifehouse Church.
\r\n\"Chanda is an exemplar teacher,\" said Crittenden Principal Dr. Natia Smith. \"She loves her kids. She loves her content. She's inspired to help kids be the best that they can be, whether that's academic or social. Her classroom really is a really welcoming place, as the students shared.
\r\n\"And she just takes great pride in making sure that kids are learning every minute of the class that they are in there and they're walking out a smarter baby. So it makes me super proud that she's being recognized for that.\"
","body2":"","publish_date":"Apr 10, 2024","image_1_path":"","image_1_caption":"","image_2_path":"240410121949449_2024-toy1.jpg","image_2_caption":"","image_3_path":"240410121949449_2024-toy2.jpg","image_3_caption":"","image_4_path":"240410121949449_2024-toy3.jpg","image_4_caption":"","image_5_path":"","image_5_caption":"","no_link":"","url":"https://sbo.nn.k12.va.us/news/archive/2024-04-10_Newport-News-teacher-named-2025-Virginia-regional-teacher-of-the-year.html","news_id":"4068"},{"headline":"NNPS Magnet and Specialty Programs","blurb":"","description":"NNPS Magnet and Specialty Programs","body":"null","body2":"","publish_date":"Feb 01, 2023","image_1_path":"","image_1_caption":"","image_2_path":"","image_2_caption":"","image_3_path":"","image_3_caption":"","image_4_path":"","image_4_caption":"","image_5_path":"","image_5_caption":"","no_link":"","url":"https://sbo.nn.k12.va.us/magnet/","news_id":"3961"},{"headline":"Middle School at NNPS","blurb":"","description":"Middle School at NNPS","body":"","body2":"","publish_date":"Jan 01, 2023","image_1_path":"","image_1_caption":"","image_2_path":"","image_2_caption":"","image_3_path":"","image_3_caption":"","image_4_path":"","image_4_caption":"","image_5_path":"","image_5_caption":"","no_link":"","url":"https://sbo.nn.k12.va.us/middleschool/","news_id":"3962"},]);