001- 3711 A1 of the code of Virginia for the purpose of discussion or consideration of prospective candidates for >> Thank you. Is there a second? A second by Mr. D. >> Okay. All in favor? Opposed? Motion carries. We never [snorts] You ready? >> Good afternoon everyone. Good evening everyone. Once again at this moment we need to come out of close. Is there a motion to come out of close? >> Move by Mr. Pierce. Is there a second? Second, >> Miss Tucker. matters. Get closer to the mic. >> Closer. judgement. >> Yes. There was no action from close session. Is there a motion to adjurnn? >> Moved by Mr. Peters. Is there a second? >> Second, >> Mr. Davis. Thank you, >> Miss Ch. Maybe back there in the background. Two more members coming. question. >>
002Yes. It's like a You're >> mad live. That was amazing. That was it. >> Okay, great. >> Your time is fine. Okay. Did you do it up? Testing. One, two. Testing. Testing. Testing. Testing. Testing, testing. Two, >> testing, testing. Testing, testing. Okay. Good afternoon everyone. The time now is 5:01 p.m. and we would like to call our regular school board meeting to order. Miss Davis, if you recall the role, please. >> Mr. Senior >> here. >> Mr. Senior >> here. >> Mr. >> Here, >> Mr. Tucker here. >> Mer. >> Thank you, Mr. James. Board members will move to 1 A. Approve of the agenda. There are no changes. Is there a motion? >> So moved by Mr. Pierce. A second. >> Second, >> Mr. N. All in favor? >> I motion carries. Next we
003move to 1B moment of silence. Mr. >> family of Miss Ken, former PCPS educator, and her passing on Wednesday, September 24th, 2025. >> [clears throat] >> Miss Patrice Thornhill and family and the passing of her stepfather deacon Jeffrey Leslie senior on Sunday October 12th 2025 the family of Miss Kriceette Mayfield University School administrator passing on Thursday October 16th 2025 Mr. Robert Bates and her family in the passing of his mother Miss Diane Paul Bates on Saturday October 18th 2025 Mr. Agent senior and his family in the passing of his niece Miss Lisha S. Lewis on Thursday October 23rd 2025 and Miss Gw and family in the passing of her mother Miss Mary L on Thursday October 3rd 2025. >> Thank you. At this time we have a moment of silence. Thank you. Next we move
004to 1C pledge of allegiance. To the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you. Thank you for Thank you. In moments of grief, we find strength in God's promises and in the love of those around us. Thank you for your prayers, your support, and for remembering our loving wife, mother and nana, with such compassion. Your kindness and care have lightened our hearts in a time of loss. the family of Angela H February 1st 1954 to September 27 2025 thank you thank you Mr. Davis. Next we move to recognitions number 28. This room thank you board champion and school board members. We're excited this evening that we are going to provide our 2025 Virginia School Board
005Association School Board Academy Awards for 2023 to 2025. And so we'll start off with our award award of distinction for being a leader, an advocate, and a supporter of public education in alignment with our VSBA principles. And so tonight, we'll start by congratulating our first recipient is our very own vice chair, Mr. Steven Pierce, for his commitment to effective schoolboard governance through his participation in the VSBA School Board Academy 2023 to 2025. So congratulations to vice chair. [applause] Our next award of distinction is given to board member Mr. Hal Miles for his also for his commitment to effective school board governance through his participation in the VSBA school board academy 2023 to 2025. So congratulations. Well done. Thank you. Um, board member Miles. [applause] Our next award of distinction is none other than our esteemed
006CH board chair, Mr. Kenneth Pritchette, for his commitment to the effect of schoolboard governance through your participation in the VSBA schoolboard academy for the years 2023 to 2025. Congratulations. Well done, Warchair Pritchette. Our [applause] next award of recognition goes to our newest member of the board, Mr. Kari Tucker, um for her commitment and to effective schoolboard governance through her participation also in the BSBA school board academy 2323 2023 to 2025. Congratulations, Miss Tucker. I know this is your first year participating in the VSBA, so congratulations. [applause] Next, we have board member um Eleanor Proctor um who will say for her award of distinction for her commitment to effective schoolboard governance also for her participation in the VSBA schoolboard academy 2023 2025. Thank you. Congratulations um board member. [applause] Our next award of distinction goes to
007our board member Mr. Bernard Lundy also for his commitment to effective schoolboard governance through his participation in the VSBA schoolboard academy 2023 2025. Thank you. Well done. Congratulations board member. [applause] Next we have our very own Mr. Adrien Dance board member. Um, also congratulations on receiving the award of distinction for your commitment to effective schoolboard governance through your participation in the VSBA Schoolboard Academy 2023 to 2025. Congratulations on that. [applause] Okay. And our last recipient award of excellence. This is awarded. This award is presented to Miss Yolanda Yolanda Brown for the commitment of effective schoolboard governance through your participation in the VSBA School Board Academy 2023 to through 2025. Congratulations, Miss Brown. >> Thank you. [applause] >> Okay. Next, we move to the approval of our consent agenda. This round we have 3 A, B,
008and C, personnel minutes, and donations. >> Thank you, boy. Chair Richard and school board members. For 3A, the approval of the consent agenda. It is the superintendent's recommendation that the school board approved the personnel agenda dated for 115 2025 with the exception of item number four um as provided. For 3A, we'll now move to 3B. It is the superintendent's recommendation that the school board approve the minutes of the 1012025 close session meeting, 1012025 regular board meeting, 106 20225 student disciplinary hearings meeting, and the 1013 2025 student disciplinary hearings meeting, the 10:15 2025 close session meeting, and then the 10:15 2025 work session meeting, the 10:27 2025 student disciplinary hearings meeting, and the 1029 9 2025 student disciplinary hearings and reviews as provided. And then for 3C, our donations received by PCPS. It is the superintendent's
009recommendation that the school board approved the donation received for November 5th, 2025 as provided. And if you'll look at the screen, it's for the time period of October 16th, 2025 to October 31st, 2025 division donations. So, we want to say thank you to all of our PCPS donors for your kind donations to every part of our our our um school community. >> Any questions from board members? Is there a motion to accept the approval of the consent agenda? >> Moved by Miss Proctor. Is there a second? Mr. Pierce. All in favor? >> I oppose. Motion carries. Next we'll move to number four our superintendent staff and guest reports 48. Miss Brown please. >> Thank you board and school board members. Our very first presentation of this afternoon slasheing is our our connecting you to Virginia
0104 aligned with junior mrs and that's going to be given by Mr. Kristoff Minus and Nicole Switson from our very own Virginia State University. >> [applause] >> or should I say the Virginia State University Good morning everyone. I'm sorry. Good evening. How's everyone doing? >> Good. How many minutes do we have? >> Three. >> Okay. Yes. All right. So, good evening once again. My name is Nicole Swinson. I am the youth development associate specialist at Virginia State University with Virginia Cooperative Extension. >> And good afternoon everybody. My name is Kristoff Miners. I'm the school community garden associate here at Virginia State with Extension. >> So, we have been working with Petersburg High School for almost three years now. And so we wanted to come and share some of the great things that have um been
011happening here in the community um in different states nationally um with alignment with VSU in Virginia Cooperative Extension. And so the youth that we have here that we're working with, the club is called a culture. And so it's rooted and grounded in agriculture, but it's also allowing young people to find their spark in anything that they want to do. So, I don't know if you all know, but I can tell you a little bit about myself. I um grew up in rural North Carolina. I grew up on land, around land, surrounded it, and it never clicked for me that agriculture was the key. And so, when I got to college, I went to the North Carolina State University in Greensboro, North Carolina. We uh I met some great people that said, "You should do agriculture.
012You should do agriculture." It never clicked for me until I tell y'all what it was when I was in my 30s, literally. And so my primary focus now in my career is that I support young people earlier in understanding the promise of agriculture. Now, I don't know if you all know, but agriculture is in everything that we do. It's in everything from the tablecloths to the chairs to the floors, who purchased it, how it was purchased, how it was made, created, boxed, and sent to you. agriculture is in everything we do. So there's a part of agriculture for every young person um not only in the Commonwealth but in the world. And so that is a part of my goal in my career is [clears throat] that I help reach and ignite that spark for
013them for me. So my story is a little different. Born and raised in Nassau Bahamas, right? Um so I was introduced to art culture in middle school. And then I decided to turn it into a career. I went out and studied art culture. I went to the illustrious North Carolina anti-state university as well. Um and then it really opened my eyes to different branches of art culture. So I was excited about that. And then I entered um into the classroom. So I taught middle school art culture in North Carolina for four years. And um I really enjoyed it so much and I realized that when students enter the classroom um I would like my classroom to be more of an experience um and I want them to remember what they did and what they learned
014in the classroom they can practice at home. And now I stand before you as a student community garden associate um being able to reach many different types of audiences students youth as well as adults um on gardening workshops. If you look at the different schools around Petersburg, we touch every school. There's a garden at every school. Um, and we run different programs to kind of monitor those gardens. Um, and the students really enjoy what they do. So, it's very happy to be here and continue doing what I'm doing. >> So, by show hands, can anyone tell me if you have heard of 4 before? >> Okay, that's good. Show hands. Can you show me if you've heard of manners before? matter. >> Okay, that's all right. It's okay because if everybody knew, we'd be in
015the wrong room, right? So, Manners is is a a national program that supports young people in networking and career readiness in the fields of agriculture and related sciences. For age, if you haven't heard of it, it's it's an organization as well. um it's rooted in agriculture some but it's also in making sure young people thrive whatever their spark is whatever it is if need be needle making sewing uh tiling whatever it could be if that woodworking uh if that's their interest we find that we try to find a spark and ignite it for them we try to give them focus and support so they feel heard and seen and that their youth voice is um leveraged because we want them to know that they are Thank you. So, um this is a presentation. We've done
016this a couple of times already. Um we do it for different audiences, but it's it's both to share how we align both of the programs here at Petersburg High School and plan to do it through throughout the Commonwealth. And so, it's just here's the mission for 4. It empowers young people to become confident, capable, caring leaders through hands-on learning, through agriculture, science, and community service. the core areas STEM, healthy living, civic engagement and leadership development. Uh we serve we serve the state um where um as like 4 agents only serve their locality but we are we do support our 4 agents in every locality. manage mission provides exploration academic achievement increase youth engagement in the agriculture science workforce empowers youth through mentorship and community involvement state and local impact engaging youth in Petersburg and other
017areas connecting them to mentors resources and opportunities and agricultural sector now looking at both of those missions can you all see why I wanted to connect them just doubles the opportunities for our young people and we're going to show some of what those opportunities have done when we get later on in the presentation. So the key areas as you saw STEM education uh we integrate a culture and environmental science into the STEM curriculum. One of the main things that Mr. Mus has done is is through his program he starts gardens in the high schools and the middle schools. You want to talk about that a little bit? >> Yes. So we have established gardens throughout all the schools in Petersburg. I think I think Petersburg High is the first one. And then we ended up
018at Vernon Johns. We got a garden at Bford all the elementary schools. Um and then Pleasant Lane they work with Petersburg Healthy Peops. Um but yeah, we [clears throat] do different these different gardens so students can know uh practice what they can eat, what they can grow, different times of the year, things that they can practice at home. also creating these green spaces for students as well as staff, not just the students. So, if you want to ever want to get time away from your computer or the kids acting up, just take them out there, they can smell some basil, smell some herbs. It's very therapeutic as well. Um, this year we also partnered with the Crimson Clinic right around the corner and they built a sensory garden for them um for their behavioral clinic
019where they work with their patients. So you can walk through that garden and experience touch, sight, smell, and even hear um different things in the garden. So but it's like I said before, it's more of an experience that we're going to be able to be students. Mentorship opportunities. So we've been here working with young people here for about two and a half years now. Um, I wanted to help support Petersburg High School and the youth understanding that after high school there's something else for them. So, not only do we have young people that weren't a part of the club, but now they are mentors, peer support, um, they're able to speak about the program and share some opportunities that we have. um as we go, we'll I'll show you all the great things. But one
020of the downfalls um that we have to such a great impact in being a part of um both organizations is that once our young people get empowered and they realize all of the great things and opportunities that are available for them, they just get too busy for us. So they either find jobs, they either um start at the the community college or they're out um just being successful young people, you know, and so I don't even know that's a downfall. That's just one of those things that we become accustomed to working with the young people here at Petersburg High School. And so they become mentors and they become um that peer support for other young people um their age or younger. And the community engagement goes along with it. With the gardens, they are able
021to come back, assist with the gardens. They're able to help us with um the travel opportunities that we do as mentors. Um some some have gone to um 4 camp to be uh teen counselors. And so they're able to be engaged in the community even more. So, we started it here at Petersburg High School um just because this is where Virginia State um is located and of course we want to make a bridge way for our young people to go to BSU, but they they can go anywhere in the world they want to after they complete high school. Um but we started it here because this is this was the home ground. We are the first junior manners in the Commonwealth um to ever be created and that is something that I would say everywhere
022I go and I'm very proud of. One thing that was important for us was that we had um support with the principal. Principal Fields um was very connected to making sure that this happened. And so um on every Friday we meet here from 11 to 1:00 and we are able to provide speakers for our young people. We have snacks. Sometimes we're able to do lunch but we're able to engage with them so that they can um go and compete on national levels. they can go and present some of the work that they've been doing with the gardens and um they're able to not just be here in Petersburg, but they have a footprint across the nation. >> So these these are just some of our key initiatives. >> All right. So our culture club is
023focused on >> Okay. Pushing through y'all. Uh the key focus on agriculture and environmental stewardship and leadership while utilizing outreach to introduce you to careers in agriculture sciences and related fields. Collaborative workshops and events. Career exploration days featuring agricultural professionals. Experential learning opportunities to agricultural centers and university research labs. Local partnerships working with local schools, community centers, and agricultural organizations to engage youth. Um we want to build them a supportive network so that whatever it is whatever it is they decide to do um they are feel supported and they feel engaged and that they understand that there is value in in them and that others see them. So, here are some exponential opportunities we were able to provide them with uh over the past couple of years, and I'm going add a few more, too,
024because we're now we're headed towards 2026. So, we got some great things coming. Um, they were able to travel to Podesta, Maryland, Washington DC, Chicago, Illinois, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Blackburg, Virginia, Crossville, Tennessee. Um, there was a healthy living summit in uh Which field? >> Witz, Witz, Virginia. Um, there was a leadership institute in Blackburg, Virginia. They have since then, since this has been created, they have been to Memphis, Tennessee. Um, >> We're going to Dallas, Texas in in March and April. We'll be in um No, we just came from Crossville, Tennessee in September. and um where else? DC, Washington DC. We take a quite quite a few trips to Washington DC. But these are some of the opportunities that they have been um able to um experience um because of the partnership that we
025have with um you all and with Virginia State and Virginia Cooperative Extension. Oh, here comes the good part. This is my favorite part. This is my brain board. So you all may see have seen some of these faces before um on campus throughout the days. These are some of our young people and it's not all of them at this point. We have about 30 30 young people that are part of a culture. We started with with 12 and then by the mid semester we had 13. And so now we have over 30. We do have a few that have graduated. Last year we had six young people to graduate from Petersburg High School. This year we're expecting about 10 to graduate. I would say all of them but one green. Um have uh majored in
026agriculture in some sort of field. Um there are some that attend Virginia State University State University and then [clears throat] like see she's at Northol. So we have a long discussion about that but she wants to be a nurse and so yeah we believe in empowering to do what they what they have their heart desires set on. So we don't do this alone. We have a a healthy team that supports us. Um these are just some of the the individuals at Virginia State that um are supportive of what we do as a team working with that culture. And so uh we we have a great finance team. I I have to say their names, Jen Beaver and um Liz. They work really hard to make sure that our plane tickets are handled and our reservations
027and our hotels are taken care of. So, we have a great team that works with us. And these are some more of our great students because we're going to be sharing with you all of y'all online. And then here's just some more pictures and some of the experiences that they had over the past two and a half years. And we're excited to continue to work with you all. And we feel supported. Principal Fields has made sure that we have had we have had everything that we've needed as a conference room or the auditorium when we got too big for the conference room and um just the teachers understanding that their young people are going to miss maybe a class on Friday. So we thank you all for your support. We just wanted to come by
028and share. We also got one more. We also got a chance to take a couple of students to um Punto Dominican Republic year before last, which was a great experience. They were able to train some other teams to be 4 counselors. And then we had a three-day 4 camp for young people that had never experienced 4 at all. And so that was a great opportunity. And so we just want to keep the momentum going. Are there any questions, comments, concerns, accusations? [laughter] >> Thank you. We appreciate it. >> Mr. Mad, >> if you can, you don't have to answer this, but um if you can, can you give us um because Miss Fields probably could give it to us, but uh anyway, when you the Peace Kids that participate and went to these different places
029and stuff like that, we'd like to be aware and keep up with those those individuals. >> Absolutely. because um you know we hear about it and and I know you have more than just peace be high that you take with you right at Virginia State you have other schools and stuff like that so just the peace be high kids we would like to know when you know like maybe their their resume >> well absolutely we have one with us today Michelle [applause] >> [applause] >> You stand up. [applause] >> Any other questions? Miss Brown, >> thank you very much. This is amazing. And so can you talk a little bit about I know the interest that you had like how's it grown over time? I may have missed it but I just want to know
030how has it grown? You started at a certain number and then kind of is this the highest year of participation you know or what the goal is ultimately. So as we work on the goal we're really competitive and we want to get better and better and better for kids. So if you could talk a little bit about that that would be helpful. >> Yes. >> Well I believe in progression. Okay. >> So we did start with 12. Um, we started we just put flyers on the on the columns here.