001So, I want to start the morning by uh thanking everybody for being here. Uh welcome to the 20th annual breakfast with the superintendent. My name is Eric Nygard. I'm the president of the Lynchburg City Schools Education Foundation. And I want to start by saying thank you to all of our lead and table sponsors. This event is the Lynchburg City Schools Education Foundation's largest fundraiser of the year. We would not be a successful, thriving organization that we are without all of the lead and table sponsors. So, thank you everybody for making this event possible. I'd like to start the morning by recognizing my fellow trustees. This is a volunteer board. Events like today are only possible because of the steadfast commitment to our nonprofit's mission in the community from my fellow volunteer board members. So, I'd
002like to ask all my fellow trustees to please stand and be recognized. I'd also like to recognize the Heritage High School strings quartet that was playing on the way in. It was a very delightful way to start the morning under the toutelage of Dr. uh director Scott Scalpup. Lynch City School's strings program, which starts all the way in elementary schools with the Suzuki method and spans the division, is one of our community's crown jewels. The students playing this morning exemplify our committees, our community's commitment to excellence and the arts. So, thank you very much for them being here this morning. Every year we have a theme for this breakfast. This theme for this year is students at the heart of our work. This theme speaks to the deep and passionate purpose that motivates all of
003us here this morning to see our own children and the children throughout the community thrive. As an alumni myself of Lynburg City Schools, I felt that purpose. Those that kept me at the heart of their work. Whether that was Mr. Schleer trying to convince me to drop Spanish class going into senior year at Glass because you really weren't that good at Spanish and you were pretty good at machining. uh or whether that was principal Ruer uh consoling me after I got my first F in uh elementary school. And I don't think Miss Lowry is the one that gave me the F, but she's here too. One of my teachers. Through those experience, I personally saw the commitment that the staff throughout the school division had to their students and they kept everybody like me and
004my fellow students at the heart of their work. And this continues to this day. My eldest son is a third grader in the public schools and I constantly see how the teachers and staff care about him as well as the other children. We're fortunate to have institutions like Lynchburg City Schools that not only keep the children at the heart of our work, but also provide our community excuses to get together like today. The unity of this sort of event is very important because it helps us come together and celebrate our future through the lens of education and a shared vision of making future generations stronger. So, thank you for being here this morning. I hope you enjoy the rest of the breakfast. Good morning. You You may be wondering who is this faceless, nameless guy
005who's not on the program and showed up here to say good morning. So, my name is Atul Gupta. I have the honor of serving as a chair of the school board and I'd like to acknowledge my fellow school board members. Uh if you could please stand up, the current and former. I see a lot of school board members. Mrs. Lowry, you can look at me. The school board members and they told me not to call out on any people, but I'm going to call out the Lynchburg City School teachers and employees. Would you please stand up, too? Let's give them a big round of applause. We we on behalf of board I welcome you this morning and thank you for coming and joining us in this big event. Uh the person I'm going to introduce
006doesn't need an introduction. Um when we hired her um she knows it. U uh I she we have her back all the way through and she has made amazing changes in the school district and she had one mission. No drama only education and she's following it through because e we are in business of providing quality education. So academics is our business and that should be the sole focus. So I can name three C's and four C's for her. Compassion you know all communication clear vision she can she's following it through. So I don't need to label them here. So the person I'm introducing is Dr. Christy Mij. She is our brand new superintendent. It feels like we've been working for years. Uh and as you serve on a board, you know, you deal um she
007and I the communication is the key. And that's very important to run this school district. And I can assure you under her leadership uh we got to go up not to go down. So if you got kids in the system, academics, she knows her only one goal is to lift the academics up. Dr. All right. Good morning everyone. >> Good morning. >> Thank you all for being here today. While I've had the pleasure of meeting many of you in the last eight months since becoming superintendent of Lynchburg City Schools. I'm so appreciative of the LCS Education Foundation, not only for putting on this event, but for all the work they do to provide additional support for our students. I want to extend appreciation to all of you in this room because your attendance here today
008provides support to programs that directly impact students of Lynchberg. So truly, thank you all. Before I begin, I'd like to take a moment to recognize a few folks that we have with us today. We are grateful to have members of our school board and city council here this morning. If you'll please stand. We also have representatives from the city manager's office, the Lynchburg Police Department, the fire department, the sheriff's office, and economic development authority. If you all will please stand. And we also have a number of my chiefs, directors, principles, and supervisors here this morning. If you all will please stand. And my wonderful deputy. Thank you. So, I am so truly excited for my first breakfast with the superintendent event to be here with you all today. So today I want to share with
009you our commitment to keep students at the heart of all that we do. Not just in words, but in action. Because when students are at the heart, everything else aligns around them. Do you see the students up there? That is why we're all here. It's not budgets, it's not buildings, not programs, students. Every decision we make not only matters, but it makes a difference for them. Students are the heart of what we do. And as an educator, that's always been my starting point. But keeping students at the center of our work was instilled in me long before I was a superintendent, a principal, or even a teacher. I learned it from my teachers through their example. I think about Mrs. Smith in third grade. She was so kind and she always wore hair in just
010the most beautiful little bun. It was perfect every day. She would always check on me and for the first time in school, I truly felt comfortable and safe. And because of her, I could actually go to school and just learn. I think about Miss Reed, who's always believed in me and helped me believe in myself. She showed me opportunities and potential pathways in life that I had never before even considered. And I think about Miss Bernett who unlocked my love of the arts and helped me to see myself differently. She encouraged me to join the choir and be a part of the ladies ensemble. And me being the quiet young woman that I was, it was a big deal to perform in front of large cl c crowds like we did. It built confidence and
011it gave me a voice and it allowed me to express myself. Each of them along with many other teachers saw something in me that and helped me to see something in myself. They kept students at the heart of their work and because they did that changed my life. That's the power of education. Now, I hadn't originally planned on entering education, but like my teachers, I wanted to help people. That desire began to take shape in college um through an experience I had at Camp Virginia JC. And it was a summer camp that's in this general area for individuals with disabilities. We helped them build skills for daily living. We played music and games with them. We even had little pony rides for everyone. Those experiences were meaningful to me as as they were individuals that
012we served. What started as a ser service opportunity through my beloved sorority became something foundational. It changed me. I remember returning to this very campus and asking what major do I need to choose if I want to help people and also work with people with disabilities. My professors in the education department right here at what was then Lynchber College helped to shape my path and help me to understand the responsibility and the privilege of serving students and families. I think of Mel Tolbert, Glenn Buck, Ed Poway, and many others who did more than teach coursework. They helped me to discover my love for education and affirm that this was the work that I was meant to do. That would have not been possible if they had not poured so much in into me, their student.
013When I became a teacher, it was never about delivering lessons. I taught one young man, Cody. He was a student with autism and I would sit there with him each and every day taking pepperonis off of his pizza one by one because that's what he liked but that's what he needed to be able to function throughout that school day. Everything was about my students from home visits to IEP meetings working alongside families helping students build lives where they could live independently with dignity and be able to make their own choices. It was about the Cody's, Shawn, John, Kiana, and countless others who I still think about to this day. It was about offering opportunities to them so that they could explore, grow, and achieve. In my time here as superintendent of Lynchburg City Schools, I've
014witnessed firsthand our teachers doing just that, putting students first and helping them grow. I've recently been visiting classrooms across the city with my goal of being able to spend time in every single classroom by the end of the school year. I'm at 153 classes so far, so I still have a ways to go. But I want to see the through the eyes of our students. And what I've seen so far, seeing the ways that teachers connect with the students, seeing students explore and engage has truly been inspiring. You can see some of those moments on the screen here. Last week, I visited kindergarten classrooms at Pal Monroe Elementary with Mrs. Dormas and Miss Smiley. The students were learning about the parts of a whole, how something complete is made up of smaller parts. The students
015carefully identified each piece to understand how the pieces all fit together and to make something complete and make it whole. As I watched, I couldn't help to think about today's theme. When we say students are at the heart of our work and the heart of what we do, we're acknowledging that every single child is a part of the whole. A whole cannot be complete. Even if one um if even one part is overlooked, it cannot be strong as one piece is not is unsupported. Each student here matters. Each student contributes to who we are as a division. So just like in that kindergarten lesson, when every part is valued and understood, the whole becomes stronger. That's our responsibility to ensure that every child knows that they belong, that they matter, and that they're the center
016of the work that we do. Now, I certainly recognize there's a great deal of work to be done here in Lynchburg for our students. But one of our biggest strengths is that we have dedicated and caring educators. Our teachers and staff are passionate, patient, and committed to the success of our students. And if students are at the heart of our work, then teachers are the ones that help that heart grow stronger every day. There's no one who exemplifies that more this year than our 2025 2026 LCS division teacher of the year, Ashley Merritt. Mrs. Merritt embodies the spirit of LCS through her student center teaching style, her passion for building supportive relationships with students, her positive impact on the school community. She has become the cornerstone at EClass High School where the work uh where
017the work of her art students adds life to the halls of the school building. She often empowers her students to display their work at community art exhibits and also leads the school's highly decorated student yearbook program. I want you now to hear directly from Mrs. Merritt and her students. >> So, you're just kind of making a dark eye socket. You should see a bridge of the nose. >> I think it's important to make sure that the learning happening inside the classroom also extends beyond the classroom. So, a big factor of that is if we're an art class and we are making art, it should be seen. Um, so finding opportunities for students to exhibit their work around the school and around um, other LCS schools, um, in the community with local galleries and art centers.
018I think Miss Merritt as a teacher and just as a person has really pushed me to do more. She's encouraged me to branch out, try different types of like styles and how to really put that into a picture that like others will understand and that'll really convey the message. Miss Mirror encouraged me heavily to apply to the Governor School program for artists and I think it was probably one of my best educational experiences in like my entire like educational career. She kept me motivated to get the work done and I feel like I wouldn't have probably made it without her because it was a very long process. My hope for creating opportunities like exhibitions or community art projects. It's just making them something part of something bigger than themselves. And it's nice when you can
019broaden that world view just a little bit because you've done something that's outside of the four walls of your classroom. From yearbook, I mean, it's a business class, it's a marketing class, it's a photography class, and they have a budget. I mean it's not an inexpensive feat to make a 200 plus page yearbook. So um that type of accountability is uh really important for students to kind of take ownership over the work that they're doing. Yearbook forces you to go out and talk to people that you've never met before. And that is definitely a skill that you need to have when working outside of high school. You need to be able to talk to people. I'm like very quiet outside of this and this has helped me to be more confident in the way that
020I talk to others. Miss Mary, she's my mentor personally because I feel like she interacts with us. She interacts with her class. She makes sure that she's checking up on us. She's always there for us. >> You know, she pushes me more to do things that even if I don't want to do it, she pushes me to want to do it. Um I think um I'm developing much better communication um just between all the people like in the class. Miss Mar's always like very kind of open about communication and also just very you know empathetic with all the students kind of like wanting to see the best out of all of them. >> Success it can't be measured as one thing right but it's how are we lifting up our kids and making sure that
021they are being the best versions of themselves. getting those opportunities um out in front of them and letting them just um take, you know, take advantage of them. I would like to note that the magnets that you received from the education foundation this morning feature artwork from Miss Merritt's students. So, thank you to Mrs. Merritt and her very talented students. They're beautiful magnets on your table. So, it's wonderful to see how our students can grow and achieve when they're centered at the heart of our work. And that extends beyond just the work in the classroom. It extends to all of our educational spaces and learning environments. Our goal is to consistently improve our school buildings and spaces to foster safe, healthy, and productive learning environments for our students. And all of this is made possible
022through the funding approved by Lynburg City Council as part of the capital improvement program. So, we truly appreciate them for that. This year marked the beginning of a number of major projects here at Lynchburg City Schools and students are at the heart of every project plan and timeline for these improvements. I want you to hear from a few of our students as well as our chief operations officer Travis Marshall who will share more about some of the work being done right here at LCS. So at the heart of every decision that we make for any project, every detail that goes into a plan, the students are at the heart of it all. As we're doing this work, we want to make sure that we're improving our facilities in a manner that is going to be
023memorable to our students that helps them, you know, have an overall great experience. All in all, over the next three years, we're looking at $60 million in capital improvement projects that we're able to just pour directly back into the student experience. I like to play in the monkey bars cuz I like to um I like to um climb up a >> recently we have revamped the playgrounds at Sand Dusky Elementary School, TC Miller and Darington. >> I love all of the playgrounds. >> These kids play hard. They have fun. They get out there. They're excited. They run everywhere. uh and and we want them to be in an environment where they feel free to do that and enjoy a good recess. >> One of the big focuses of our projects is always safety. We've got
024our access security lock and key project. We've got our metal detectors and making it a an overall more secure environment for our students to come in and learn. Behind the scenes, there's a heavy focus in our capital improvement plan on architecture, um mechanical, electrical. None of the projects that we do would have been possible without the backing and the support of city council and our school board and everybody just really coming to the plate and partnering together in order to do what's best for our students. >> So, Heritage High School is getting a brand new practice field. The turf is getting all replaced and then uh the baseball field also is being replaced. >> It means a lot actually, you know, to be the first to play on this. I feel grateful that they're building
025this stuff while I'm a student here. It hypes me up a lot, you know. It gets me excited to play on the field and play in front of everybody on this field. >> This new field is really nice. Uh, new turf, great presentation. So, not only does it look nice, it plays nice. >> I was amazed when they first initially started uh replacing the old turf, but this new one, like the quality is amazing. The touches on the ball are a lot better and everything's just smoother. >> Like even with the sound of the ball touching the field, it's like you can tell it's way different. It just feels amazing. Those fields are are they're top-notch. There was attention to detail in in every single aspect of that field. Making sure that we focus on
026the striping and the grass and and the size of the decals and and really focusing in on on school spirit and school pride. You can probably see that Heritage High School logo from outer space. >> Yeah, it pops out to the eye at first. It looks really nice, matches with us, but it gives us a great symbol for what we represent. like it's kind of given our program like a new start at least for soccer. There's a better environment when you come out. Obviously, we got some attention. We got a new turf. So, it just feels like we have a better chance at like succeeding this year. >> To see the smile on kids' faces when they're out there playing on playgrounds and running across fields brings it all home for me. >> So, we
027just had a ribbon cutting yesterday at the fields and it was great to see all the student athletes out there. if you'd like to see them for yourself, and you can mark your calendars for these dates. That first Heritage home baseball game is on March 12th. Boys soccer has their first home game on March 17th, and girls soccer has their first home game on March 24th. So, we definitely hope to see you all there. So students have always been at the center of my approach to education. Whether it's been working to ensure students have better access to learning environments, developing and supporting staff so that our students are better served, or even advocating at the local, state, and federal levels for funding and resources our schools need. It's all about students, and they're essential as
028we develop our vision for the future of Lynchburg City Schools. While my classroom visits and conversations with students remind me of our why, we also must focus on the how. We need a roadmap that ensures the successes we see in classrooms, whether it's at EC Glass, Sheffield, Hutcherson Academy, or any of our other schools, are not isolated, but the standard experience for every child here in Lynchburg. That's the purpose of our upcoming five-year strategic plan. And over the last few months, building and division leaders along with um schoolboard members have been designing goals and objectives for the division using community input captured during the superintendent search process. We also received community feedback through a recent T town hall event and survey. And in the next few months, we'll be refining the full strategic plan to
029present to the public. But I want to take this opportunity to show you where we are. So when students are at the heart of our work, we must design a system and vision that reflect commitment in every facet. Our first goal is student-driven learning. What we what do we want to see in our students? We want them to be curious. We want them to be collaborative and critical thinkers. We want them to own their growth and actively participate in their learning. And we need to make sure that we're providing consistent student support systems so that they can thrive while at school and so that they're prepared for the future. Student centered culture is our second goal where we foster a culture of belonging where students feel connected and valued. Goal three is purpose-driven people. In
030order to get the best from our students, we need to best support our staff so that they can continue to grow professionally in a stable work culture. We want to retain the highly committed and qualified staff we have while attracting the best new talent for our students. Goal four is safe and sustainable systems. Our students need safe and exceptional learning environments. And as you saw in the video earlier, we're grateful to be on that path right now. And finally, our fifth goal is trusted partnerships where families, students, staff, and community partners experience trust and connection with our schools. The folks in this room, you all play a vital part here. And when you partner with us, you aren't just supporting a school division. You're investing in the future workforce and the very heart of our
031city, which are our children. As I said earlier, I know there's work to be done here in Lynchburg. This upcoming strategic plan is just a start, but every step forward at Lynchburg City Schools begins with students. Every decision made, every program and opportunity offered, we do it for students. And as I reflect on my own journey in education, from sitting in Mrs. Smith's third grade classroom to working at Camp Virginia JC and learning from mentors right here on campus to teaching and serving students and families, I know that education changes lives when students are at the heart of that work. When we place students at the heart, we ask better questions. We make better decisions. We design better systems. And we create stronger schools. And when students achieve and find success, our entire community benefits.
032And because of the children of Lynchburg, because the children of Lynchburg are not just students, they're future nurses. They're future engineers, future teachers, future business owners, future leaders, and they are the future of the city. And when you partner with us, when you invest in schools, when you support the education foundation, you're strengthening the very heart of our community, our children. Thank you again for being here this morning. Thank you for supporting our students. Thank you for helping to keep students at the heart of our work. I now want to turn it over to Don Wise, executive director of Lynchburg City's Education Foundation, who will share closing remarks. What an incredibly inspiring program about our wonderful students. Good morning. My name is Don Weise and I'm the executive director of the Lynchburg City Schools Education
033Foundation. I just want to quickly recognize a few people and community members who without their support, this breakfast would not be possible. And just take a look around. This is such an amazing room. I mean, just incredible. All everybody coming together. Thank you to all of today's sponsors for the so generously supporting the mission of the education foundation including our lead sponsors Bergland Toyota and you can do a little woo every year we do woo blue ridge mountains council scouting America Sentra a can we let me do a wave okay um I'm just really really happy okay Mountain Dominion 7 Architects. Y'all are just happy we getting out on time. Fleet Laboratories, Greater Lynchberg Community Foundation, Lynchber Beacon of Hope. >> This is like the peps like when you do pep rallies. Lynchburg Regional Business
034Alliance, MHM Masonry and Associates, Morin Giles, and the University of Lynchber. We also thank our wonderful table sponsors for investing in this breakfast and LCS and supporting our initiatives along with the other businesses, organizations, and individuals joining us today. Please take a few moments to read through our list of sponsors in the program and consider securing the services of these organizations or partnering with them and businesses who work hard to support public education in so many ways. Thank you to Dr. Somerville Majette and her team including Austin Journey who once again implemented the vision of today's program. All you Austin Scott Kirkwood, Shannon Gage, Whitney Boyd. Where is Whitney? Did she hear Yeah. Okay. I haven't seen you. I'm sorry you guys. We're at a love fest here. Whitney Boyd, Misty Vincent Spitzer, who is
035um with at the SCTC with EC Glass. Woohoo. Andrew Wild's photography, Maggie Marsh, and Joshua Brown, and the entire University of Lynburg catering staff and President Allison Morrison Shutler. Several of our education and partners, the Economic Development Authority Department of the City of Lynchber. Yeah, a little whoop whoop. Lynburg Regional Business Alliance again, and our newest adopted program, Partners in Education. If you are a partner in education, raise your hand or do a whoop whoop whoop. Okay. See Whitney Boyd about becoming one if you're not. Lynburg Beacon of Hope again and the Ed Foundation staff. Morgan Hall, our newest employee for her tireless work for our Lynchberg imagination library. Bianca Childris for her tremendous leadership with our new prek initiative. Megan Huffman who is helping implement our vision for more equitable parent teacher organizations. Yes,
036with our new PT PTO cadet program. And I'll talk about Rethon in a second, which he's also hitting up. And Tracy Baker, there you are. For once again being the most amazing person knows what I need to do before I do. And my board of trustees, in particular, our board president, Eric Nygard. Thank you for your leadership as we reach the end phrase of our strategic plan and begin to work towards how we can make an even greater impact in Lynburg City Schools. If you would like to learn more about the education foundation, there is literature in the foyer as you are leaving or please get in touch with me or one of our trustees. Trustees, again, raise your hands so they can see you. Donation cards and envelopes are also on the tables in
037the foyers if you are here as a guest and would like to support our programs. Uh, readathon is going on right now across eight elementary schools. Am I correct, Megan? Yay. We are the fiscal agent for that. Please support them. You Megan Huffman, you can go on our website. You can learn more information about that. donate to our readathon and encourage the love of literacy. Also, Saturday for March 14th is Pi Day and we are once again partnering with the Texas Inn and Heritage High School grad and owner of the T-room, Dave Saunders, who will be donating all proceeds from every piece of pie purchased back to the Ed Foundation. So, go get some pie. That's next Saturday. So, get lots of pie. We will be sending out reminders about that. What time is it?
038Oh, man. I'm gonna get y'all out. Like and follow the Ed Foundation on social media. Tracy Baker runs that. It's amazing. Grab some literature and a donation card and don't forget your magnets. Thank you for all the ways you invest in Lynburg City Schools and have a great day.