A protest by the Hate-Free Schools Coalition ended the Albemarle County School Board’s work session minutes after it began Thursday. Members were scheduled to vote on a revised student dress regulation that emphasizes “respect for diversity” but stopped short of explicitly banning Confederate symbols. “I wish the meeting would have gone better,” School Board member […]
Tag: Albemarle County
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African-American Teaching Fellows helps to combat turnover
Area’s high cost of living contributes to short classroom stints The first time LaNika Barnes had an African-American teacher was in middle school. The teacher, Mr. Vines, saw that the school’s students of color were not being placed in advanced math and science classes, and he pushed his students to take them. “My […]
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Southwood kids learn to swim, build community
On a recent afternoon at the Fry’s Spring Beach Club pool in Charlottesville, children splashed with friends and families and showed off new tricks. At one side, several clustered around an instructor who was teaching a child to float on his back. The lessons are free, thanks to the Benjamin Hair Just Swim for Life […]
Posted inHow we learn
‘This is home’
Benjamin F. Yancey Elementary School and its predecessors have anchored Southern Albemarle’s African-American community for almost 150 years. In 2017, Albemarle County closed the school in response to low enrollment and a loss of funding.
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Albemarle superintendent holds community forum at AHS
Matt Haas, superintendent of Albemarle County Public Schools, continued his countywide listening tour with a community forum at Albemarle High School on Wednesday evening. Haas, who officially assumed his position on July 1, is seeking input from Albemarle students, parents, employees and community members to help him develop a strategic and operational action plan. During […]
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Scottsville bridge replacement plans shared with public
The Virginia Department of Transportation plans to replace a “structurally deficient” bridge over Totier Creek in Scottsville by 2023. The James River Road Bridge is a one-lane, wooden bridge with steel beams. VDOT estimates that 1,100 vehicles travel across the bridge every day. “Most times, you find lower volume secondary roads — usually 400 cars […]
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Seminole Square redevelopment partially approved
Seminole Square’s aging shopping center is getting a facelift. The Charlottesville Planning Commission unanimously approved a redevelopment of Seminole Square that could allow the 32-year-old center to provide a more pedestrian-focused experience. As Charlottesville’s Entrance Corridor Review Board, the planning commission has the power to approve or deny designs in entrance corridors like the city’s […]
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Pilgrimage to begin with film screening on lynching
As a student in Albemarle County, Hannah Ayers learned about the lynchings of African-Americans, but that history always was in the sidebar of her textbooks. Several years ago, Ayers and her husband, Lance Warren, decided to make a documentary to bring that history into the center of the American story. Ayers and Warren edited the […]
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Albemarle to decide where to preserve land
Dina Gilison Brigish spent her childhood in the New York countryside, 35 miles from Manhattan. As the years passed, the city began to absorb the area she knew. “I literally saw every piece of property get divided up into a subdivision and it all go away,” Brigish said. “I always felt if there was anything […]
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City Council to set aside $186k for first-time homebuyers
Geraldina Gonzalez found out about her current home in Charlottesville through a lucky accident. When Gonzalez was about to close the deal on one house, her Realtor sent her a group email meant for other clients. “As soon as I saw the house, it clicked. It was the perfect location, the perfect setup for us,” […]
