Dr. Sue Davis
Danville Public Schools Superintendent
Email: sdavis@mail.dps.k12.va.us
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Textbooks, pencils, paper, book bags, schedules, and testing, etc., are the nuts and bolts of education; unfortunately, too often such details overshadow the priority of learning, which involves engaging young minds. The critical need to inspire and motivate students involves passion, determination, and expertise, along with high expectations. Great educators find a way to transcend the nuts and bolts by delivering not only academic lessons, but engaging life experiences. The seeds of life-long learning planted by an educator may sprout years after the last school bell has sounded, but those seeds will then grow and multiply in ways one can only imagine.
It may be simplistic, but it is true that education is the key to any child’s future. Danville Public Schools is no longer just an educational organization, because it must be a primary workforce provider. If we do not prepare our students for the remainder of their working careers, they will spend their adult lives unproductive and/or underproductive.
Parents play a pivotal role in this process. We must have parents who continue to be involved and interested in their children’s education from preschool to graduation. Furthermore, Parents should come to conferences, read and sign progress reports and report cards, ask about homework and tests, inquire about their children’s satisfaction with the school, and be knowledgeable about the general curriculum. We also expect parents to hold their children accountable for their learning and actions, to require their best behavior and academic performance, and to encourage them to come to school everyday on time. Strong student achievement requires regular attendance. DPS student attendance has increased steadily for the past 5 years to approximately 94%. Many of our schools have a higher average, approaching 96%.
Offering numerous opportunities for students to excel in academics, athletics, and the arts is critical for Danville Public Schools. We provide an extensive array of choices from year-round school schedules, opt-in opportunities for out-of-zone students, to International Baccalaureate programs.
Purposeful learning starts early with Grove Park Preschool providing a comprehensive program including pre-reading and mathematics instruction, music, physical activities, and art. Grove Park serves 250 two-, three-, and four-year-old students. The vast majority of these little ones enter kindergarten ready to learn.
All elementary schools have talent development and academically gifted programs, art, music, and extra-curricular activities including community service events. Five elementary schools have foreign language instruction. Woodrow Wilson Elementary School made the Governor’s VIP Excellence in Education list for the past three years and was recognized as a Title One Distinguished School. Forest Hills Elementary School made the VIP list for the past three years on the Governor’s and the State Board of Education’s lists. I. W. Taylor Elementary School was recognized as a Title One Distinguished School and made the VIP Competence to Excellence list. All of our elementary schools are fully state SOL accredited.
Our middle schools offer advanced academic classes, eight sports programs, foreign language instruction (French, Spanish, and Latin), First Lego League and robotics classes, visual arts, talent development, and academically gifted classes. The National Junior Honor Society inducts students annually and recognizes their academic achievement. A strong music program consisting of band, orchestra, and chorus involves students who matriculate to the secondary level. All middle schools are fully state SOL accredited.
Our secondary schools continue an abundance of choices from a comprehensive program at George Washington High School to an International Baccalaureate Program at Galileo Magnet High School, along with optional enrollment in the Piedmont Governor’s School for Math, Science, and Technology. Students can take college level courses, and 388 or 24% took advantage of these classes. This percentage increased from 378 or 19.3% last year. Secondary students can also earn an associate’s degree. Three Danville Public School students earned both an advanced high school diploma and an associate’s degree at the conclusion of the 2009-10 school year.
In addition, we offer an alternative sixth through twelfth grade school setting at Langston Focus School which achieved the No Child Left Behind standards for Adequate Yearly Progress for the past two years.
Our arts programs annually receive superior ratings at numerous competitions, and our athletes are recognized regionally, state-wide, and nationally for talent and expertise. George Washington High School ranked in the top 10 for the past 6 years in the Virginia High School League’s state-wide Wachovia Cup Competition. Publications such as Euantes and Cavalier win first place awards each year with the Virginia High School League, the National Scholastic Press Association, and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.
Galileo made the Newsweek list of the top 1500 schools in the nation for the past four years and the U.S. News and World Report list for the past three years. These national recognitions are noteworthy for our school division and the city of Danville. George Washington High School and Galileo Magnet High School are fully state SOL accredited.
To complete the loop of the comprehensive services provided by Danville Public Schools, our adult and career education program graduated the highest number ever with 249 GED’s and 3 adult high school. This program also serves as a Workforce Career Center sponsored by the West Piedmont Workforce Investment Board. A counselor assists adults in exploring career opportunities or obtaining appropriate employment after completing high school credentials.
Our adult working population is already competing with overseas workers. Our high school graduates compete with students from China, India, and elsewhere. America’s monopoly on creativity, intelligence, work ethic, and education are no longer the rule as the rest are quickly surpassing us. Therefore, our students need exciting and meaningful learning experiences that spark interest, but most importantly, that create a sense of wonder, an awareness of wellness, and a questioning attitude about a lot of current cultural issues. Our students, whether they are two or seventy-two, must be inspired and challenged to become life-long learners.
Our mission in this endeavor is to raise this community’s level of expectation for our students and young people—one citizen at a time. Every single person in Danville must become more aware of the importance of education, the availability of the new employment opportunities, and the drug-free requirements to qualify for and to succeed in these jobs. Danville Public Schools will continue to plan and execute community-based activities that raise the awareness of education.
Collectively, the Danville Public Schools know how to get a tough job done; and we have the talent, expertise, and work ethic to exceed our own and this community’s expectations, but we need the community’s assistance and support.
Together, we make a positive difference in Danville!
Thank you!
Sue B. Davis
Danville Public Schools Superintendent