November 11th through the 18th the following divisions participated in our 2019 ‘Tell Us’ luncheons: Henrico, King and Queen, Hanover, Charles City, New Kent, Powhatan, and Hopewell as previously reported. The remaining divisions were scheduled November 25th through December 6th.
As always, the MW students were open to sharing personal thoughts and experiences as Dragons with their local division leaders so they may learn how to better serve them.
Goochland County Public Schools with Dr. Jeremy Raley, Superintendent and Mr. John Wright, School Board representative on Monday, November 25th. When asked his opinion about the student feedback he heard, Raley said “It is critical that we, as leaders, take the time to listen to student’s voices as we can learn a great deal from students when we give them the opportunity to share. I enjoyed having the opportunity to learn from our students about their perspectives regarding the many experiences that they have at Maggie Walker. It was the highlight of my week!”
“It’s no surprise that our talented students provided great insight into their experiences and a perspective that isn’t available in a boardroom,” said John Wright. “These students so clearly flourish in this unique environment, which affirms our investment in the program.”
Hopewell County Public Schools with Dr. Melody Hackney, Superintendent and Ms. Linda Hyslop, School Board representative on Monday, November 25th. “I am so grateful to MLWGS for coordinating these meetings with our students,” said Hackney. “It was a delightful experience, and we gained invaluable information from the wisdom of the lovely young ladies we were privileged to join for lunch. We miss our students locally when they leave us, and we thoroughly enjoy any opportunity to reconnect with them and make sure they know we continue to care about them and their educational experiences.”
“It was great to get together with our Maggie L. Walker students,” said Linda Hyslop. “Based on their own personal experiences, they gave us several ideas to assist in preparing future students who will be transferring to the Governor’s School.”
Chesterfield County Public Schools with Dr. Merv Daugherty, Superintendent on Monday, December 2nd. “I had an outstanding visit with the Maggie Walker students from Chesterfield,” said Daugherty. “They were very positive about the school and the education provided by Maggie Walker. This event is always an excellent forum for the superintendents to get to know their students.”
Richmond Public Schools was scheduled on Tuesday, December 3rd. Regrettably, Jason Kamras, Superintendent, and RPS board member J. Scott Barlow were unable to attend due to a division calendar conflict but their students still enjoyed a boxed lunch.
Petersburg Public Schools with Dr. Maria Pitre-Martin and School Board representative Mr. Kenneth Pritchett on Friday, December 6th. Dr. Pitre-Martin was grateful for this opportunity to hear from their students that included suggestions on how to improve the educational experience. “Students shared with us their thoughts on what we could do in Petersburg to help students better transition into Maggie Walker,” Pitre-Martin said. “I also learned that community service hours earned in the 8th grade could transfer into the student record at Walker.”
Kenneth Pritchett heard student concerns regarding not being able to earn community service within the Petersburg area due to a lack of organizations on the approved list for Maggie Walker. He intends to take their suggestions back to the school system and city leadership.
Much was learned during the 2019 ‘Tell Us’ luncheon series and we are sincerely grateful to all who participated.
