Washington County Public Schools

We Want Your Feedback WCPS invites parents and families to review potential math textbooks for upcoming use in our classrooms. The textbooks are currently on display at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center and will remain available for review until early June. While you're there, look for the flyer onsite with a QR code that links directly to our feedback form. We appreciate your input!

In Case You Missed It -- Big things are growing at Holston High School, and WCYB recently stopped by to showcase the innovation happening right inside the greenhouse! Check out this special feature highlighting Andrew Greer, Holston's Greenhouse Manager, and his instructor Mr. Lawrence Cox, as they share details of the school's aquaponics system -- a powerful blend of fish tanks, fresh produce, and real-world learning. Watch the full story here: https://wcyb.com/news/local/holston-high-senior-discovers-passion-through-growing-lettuce# A great example of sustainability, student leadership, and hands-on education in action!

WCPS Alumni Spotlight: Bryson Senter ~ John S. Battle High School ~ Class of 2020. We are thrilled to highlight Mr. Bryson Senter, a proud John S. Battle High School graduate! Are you a graduate of Washington County Public Schools? If so, we'd love to hear from you! We're excited to learn about your accomplishments and share your story and advice with our current students, families, and community. Please click here, to fill out a submission form: https://forms.gle/7qzqxJCpCjryVsfW8 OR Do you know a graduate from Washington County Public Schools who has made a positive impact in their community? Nominate them to be featured in our Alumni Spotlight Series! Click here, to nominate a WCPS graduate: https://forms.gle/LFV1PwdpHnLfYRhn8

📍 New Resource Alert | SchoolSearch for WCPS Do you know someone thinking of moving to Washington County or do you just want to learn more about our local schools? We're excited to introduce a new resource called SchoolSearch, an easy-to-use tool that helps families find their school attendance zones based on a home address. Simply enter your address to see which WCPS schools your child would attend -- or use the "Find on Map" feature to explore all schools in our county! Try it out here: https://app.guidek12.com/washingtonva/school_search/current/

Happy School Communicators Day to our outstanding School Outreach Specialist ~ Ashley Hoak!!

Third Grade Engineers in Action What do you get when you mix a pulley, a lever, and a whole lot of imagination? A compound machine, of course! Valley Institute Elementary's third graders wrapped up their study of the six simple machines (inclined plane, wheel & axle, pulley, lever, screw, and wedge) by designing and presenting their own compound machine projects -- using at least two simple machines to solve a problem or complete a task. We're so impressed by their innovation and creativity!

Big things are growing at Holston High School Catch WCYB this evening at 5:00 p.m. for a special feature on Andrew Greer, Holston's incredible Greenhouse Manager, and his instructor Mr. Lawrence Cox, as they share more on the innovative aquaponics system. From fish tanks to fresh produce, this project is a true lesson in sustainability, hard work and hands-on learning!

🎓📚 Big congratulations are in order for two of our own! WCPS librarians Dr. Brenda Sprinkle and Dr. Sarah Mitchell officially earned their doctorates in Educational Leadership from Liberty University today! We're so proud of their hard work, dedication, and passion for learning -- and even more excited that our students get to learn from such inspiring educators!

🌸 A Blooming Thank You Shoutout to the incredible staff at the Ballad Health Center for Early Learning! Our Early Childhood Education students at the Washington County Career & Technical Education Center put together handmade bouquets and heartfelt notes to show their appreciation. Thank you for welcoming our students into your classrooms and for the amazing work you do every day to care for our littlest learners.

🎉 Congratulations to Embree Quillen -- a talented Washington County Career & Technical Education Center welding student and John S. Battle High School student. Embree has been awarded the SVAM (Southwest Virginia Alliance for Manufacturing) Scholarship! She recently participated in the SVAM Signing Day, where she received multiple letters of intent from local manufacturers and from VHCC. Mr. Matthew McClure, welding instructor and WCCTEC are incredibly proud of her achievements!

🦋 Holston High Students Honor Holocaust Victims Through Art & Literature Students in Mrs. Mitten's English classes and Mr. Harlow's Art classes at Holston High School recently took part in The Butterfly Project -- a powerful memorial activity honoring the 1.5 million children who lost their lives during the Holocaust. As students glazed ceramic butterflies, Mrs. Mitten read "The Butterfly" by Pavel Friedmann, a poem written during the Holocaust that inspired reflection on the butterfly's symbolism of hope and resilience. This project gave students a creative and meaningful way to connect with history and remember those lost.

Happy National School Nurse Day! Today, we're giving a BIG shoutout to the superheroes in scrubs who keep our schools healthy -- our amazing WCPS nurses! From bandaging scraped knees to managing complex health needs, they are always there with compassion and care. Check out the video below to see just how incredible our nurses are in action: https://youtu.be/1LtB6eG4Bug To every school nurse in WCPS: Thank You! You are the heartbeat of our schools, and we appreciate you more than words (or thermometers) can measure!

Happy National Teacher Appreciation Week! And today -- May 6 -- is the main event: National Teacher Appreciation Day! To our incredible WCPS teachers: You inspire. You encourage. You challenge. This week, we're celebrating YOU -- the real MVPs of our schools! Whether you're rocking a science lab, leading a history discussion, or helping our young students learn their ABCs with a smile, you make a difference every single day. Let's show some appreciation! Tag a teacher. Share a memory. Send a note. Let's lift up the educators who lift up all of us!

🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️ Greendale Elementary School's Run Club recently crushed it at a local race hosted by Abingdon High School's Coach Brent Swiney! After 12 weeks of afterschool training, featuring everything from hill sprints to high-fives, our student runners were more than ready to hit the course. ✨ 45 runners rocked the 5K ✨ 9 took on the one-mile race ✨ All brought the energy, determination, and school spirit! Students, parents, and staff laced up together to show what dedication, teamwork, and a love for movement can do. We're proud of the GES community and can't wait to see the Run Club grow in the years ahead.

❤️ School Board members honored Elliot Williams, a freshman at John S. Battle High School, for an incredible achievement – being named the 2025 American Heart Association Tri-Cities Teen of Impact Winner and ranking 6th in the nation out of 177 teen changemakers! Elliot raised a staggering $71,090 to support the fight against heart disease and stroke, helping to improve health and well-being right here in our community and across the country. Through the Teen of Impact initiative, Elliot joined a powerful Gen Z movement focused on reversing the statistic that heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the United States.

🔧🏅 Skills That Shine: WCCTEC Students Take Home State Medals The School Board recognized our incredibly talented students from the Washington County Career & Technical Education Center for their amazing accomplishments at the State SkillsUSA Competition! Five medal winners brought home top honors – including two gold medalists who are headed to Nationals in Atlanta! *Crime Scene Investigation – 2nd Place Team - Kinsey Bradley - Savana Johnson - Ainsley Richmond *Technical Drafting - Adia Ahn ~ 3rd Place *Collision Repair Technology - Layla Wilson ~ 1st Place - Brandon Lipford ~ 2nd place *Collision Damage Appraisal - Kallie O’Neill ~ 1st Place *2025-2026 State Officer - Eduardo Alarcon

💡 Recognizing Innovation in Action School Board members recognized Andrew Greer of Holston High School for his outstanding achievement in Workforce Readiness Innovation. Andrew is leading the way when it comes to preparing for life beyond the classroom – demonstrating creativity, initiative, and real-world skills that set him apart.

🎓🌟 Honoring Academic Excellence School Board members recognized Clint Wilson, a senior at John S. Battle High School, for earning the prestigious Jefferson Scholarship from the University of Virginia. The Jefferson Scholarship is one of the highest honors a high school senior can receive, awarded for exceptional leadership, scholarship, and citizenship. We are so proud of Clint and all he has accomplished!

🌟 #TheWashington Way: We are so thankful for our amazing support staff that we have here at WCPS! At the meeting this evening, School Board members recognized our Support Staff Award Winners for the spring semester. *Above and Beyond Award ~ Ron Hodgson (Valley Institute Elementary School) *Customer Service Award ~ Mary Price (Meadowview Elementary School) *Helping Hands Award ~ Amanda Laisure (Valley Institute Elementary School) *Master Technician Award ~ Shane Ingle (Maintenance) *Silver Spoon Award ~ Tami Hurley (Abingdon High School) *Wheels on the Bus Award ~ Terri McCroskey (Wallace Middle School) *Overall Washington Way Award Winner ~ Terri McCroskey Congratulations to our amazing staff!

💼🏆 John S. Battle FBLA Shines at State School Board members recognized the outstanding John S. Battle High School Virginia State FBLA Winners. These talented students brought their A-game, showcasing leadership, professionalism, and business skills on a statewide stage. *First Place – Financial Statement Analysis - Brianna Davenport - Adyson Halloway - Emma Munsey *First Place – Frank Manning Peele $1,000 Scholarship - Katie Barrett Congratulations to our FBLA winners – we are so proud of your achievements and can’t wait to see what you do next!