BRVGS Welcomes Ms. Goodwin as Online Learning Coordinator!

BRVGS welcomes Ms. Liz Goodwin to her first full week as our new full-time Online Learning Coordinator!  Ms. Goodwin has actually been working part-time with BRVGS since July, as she has transitioned from her position as PVCC Career Coach at Louisa County High School over the past four months, but started full-time only this past Friday, November 1st.   

Ms. Goodwin brings a great deal of experience as both a classroom teacher and Instructional Technology Resource Teacher in both Fairfax and Louisa Counties.  She has also worked for Piedmont Va. Community College for many years, both as an adjunct faculty member and as a career coach.  A native of Louisa County, Ms. Goodwin resides there with her husband Christian and two children, Grayson, a 5th grader, and Savannah, a 10th grader in BRVGS at Louisa County High School.  

When asked why she wanted to join the BRVGS Team, Ms.Goodwin noted that "BRVGS has a reputation of being comprised of unique and a high-level thinking group of students that I knew would challenge me to be a better teacher, mentor and educator. Plus we take GREAT field trips!"  She also says, "I am most looking forward to building relationships with the students as they progress through the BRVGS program and marvel in their growth and accomplishments as they enter their collegiate years. #cantwait"

Ms. Goodwin has many interests and hobbies, including decorating, shopping, eating out, tech gadgets and running a small side business, Oaksby Designs.  Her favorite quote is "One kind word can change someone’s entire day!" - and she has already put that into practice quite a bit as she has come on board with BRVGS.  We are looking forward to having Ms. Goodwin as part of the BRVGS Team as we work to expand learning opportunities for students, and we invite all of our students and staff to join us in welcoming her to BRVGS!

Mr. Reynolds Retires

October 31st is a scary day for many, but it is a sad day for BRVGS - it will be Mr. Jerry Reynolds' last day as the BRVGS Online Learning Coordinator.  He is retiring after a long and successful career in public education, and he will be greatly missed by students and staff thoughout BRVGS.  BRVGS is looking forward to the addition of Ms. Liz Goodwin as the new Online Learning Coordinator, beginning Nov. 1st - more on Ms. Goodwin in an upcoming article. 

Since his start with as a part-time online Computer Science instructor for BRVGS in the 2002-2003 school year, Mr. Reynolds has worked with just about every student in Blue Ridge.  For many years, he taught what was then called "BRVGS Computer Math," all while teaching mathematics to students at Louisa County High School during the school day.  Known also for his... "interesting?"..."quirky?"...perhaps, "corny?"...sense of humor, he has collected and shared thousands of jokes in his online courses, and more recently, in his weekly BRVGS emails.  

In the bigger picture, Mr. Reynolds has been an important member of the BRVGS team throughout his time with the program, helping to establish a welcoming and supportive environment across Blue Ridge (and particularly in our online courses), and working with BRVGS staff and teachers to help design and implement a variety of learning experiences for our students.  He has also been a big part of the BRVGS culture, bringing humor and a strong philosophy of support for students to everything he has done with the program - one example of that is his emergence as "Pizza Jerry" for his constant chant of "2 pieces, 1 chip, 2 cookies, 1 drink!" chant at BRVGS pizza lunches (click here to see an animated version of "Pizza Jerry").

Many students expressed their feeling about Mr. Reynolds in a recent "Farewell to Mr. Reynolds" doc that was shared throughout Blue Ridge.  Messages included many notes like this, "Thanks for everything Mr. Reynolds! You never fail to make me laugh! We’ll miss you lots!", as well as appreciations for his support such as this one, "In my entire three years of the blue ridge experience, you are one of the brightest characters and personable that I know, From the emails you send out every week, down to your lunch time jingle, you are an amazing person and have made my entire BRVGS class worth it  I'm gonna miss you, have a happy retirement!"

Mr. Reynolds and his wife plan to relocate to Florida, where they will be close to family AND to Disney (and, to be honest, Mr. Reynolds really considers Disney to be "part of the family").  We in BRVGS will say "au revoir," rather than "goodbye" to Mr. Reynolds, because while we know that Florida is a long way away, we hope that Mr. Reynolds will find time to continue to be part of the online instructional program at BRVGS.  No matter what, though, he will always be part of the BRVGS family.  Au Revoir and Bon Voyage, Mr. Reynolds!

Lots Going On in BRVGS This Fall!

There are lots of things to celebrate with BRVGS as Fall gets fully under way.  Aside from our recent BRVGS school events such as 9th grade DC trips, AP Biology's Arabidopsis experiment and other ongoing projects, etc., BRVGS students and staff have been busy with a variety of activities and recognitions.  Here are a few of those:

Left to Right: J Reynolds (chaperone), Tristan Montero (Fluvanna), Anthony Caruso (Fluvanna), Brandon Avram (Goochland), Jenna Valesquez (William Monroe), and Henry Pritchard (William Monroe)On Saturday, October 19, five BRVGS students woke up bright and early to travel to Roanoke Valley Governor's School for Science and Technology for the annual Shelly STEM Challenge. Students from several Governor’s Schools across Virginia got together and did a great job solving an industry challenge involving power outage, all organized and sponsored by the local power company (Appalachian Electric Power).  Our students represented BRVGS very well! While this event was about problem-solving and overcoming challenges in a group, the firm did award gift cards to the judge’s top two teams, with Jenna’s team placing first, and Tristan’s team placing 2nd. Great job, everyone!

BRVGS/Nelson County High School AP Biology teacher Dr. Teresa Justice and her husband were recently recognized by the nationally-syndicated radio program "The Loh Down On Science" for their research on what kinds of light are most attractive to bugs.  You can see the summary of their findings at https://www.lohdownonscience.com/bug-bait/  It is great to see real science recognized in this way.                                                                                     

Two BRVGS seniors have recently been recognized as an "Airflow Student Athlete of the Week" for their respective athletic accomplishments. Brice Wilson of Nelson County HighSchool was featured in September and Jared Knights of William Monroe was featured in October.  Congratulations to both of these hard-working student athletes for their well-deserved recognitions!                                                                          

Please send any other recent BRVGS student or staff accomplishments to the BRVGS staff by emailing information to admin@brvgs.k12.va.us.

BRVGS Seniors Fundraise For Great Causes

BRVGS Seniors are raising funds for a variety of great causes as part of their senior internship, research and community service projects.  For example, Willow Mayer and Anna Ryder of Madison County High School are raising funds to support an overseas school - you can see more on their efforts in a recent Madison Eagle article titled "Paying It Forward."

In Louisa, Ethan Snyder is helping to fundraise for the proposed new William A. Cooke Sports Complex in Louisa County through a GoFundMe page.  Alex Lagon of Louisa is raising funds to buy sanitary supplies for women in need in Lousia County, and has also established a GoFundMe page for that cause.  Riley Bass of Goochland is hosting an archery game fundraiser on November 3rd to support a 3D Archery Team at GHS (see our facebook page for Rilie's flyer and more info on that). 

BRVGS is appreciative of any support offered to these students through their fundraising mechanisms, and we encourage other seniors who may be working on raising funds through promotions or website donations to contact Mr. Carraway so that BRVGS can assist with promotion of these causes.  

BRVGS Application Process for 2020-21 Gets Under Way

UPDATED Oct. 1, 2019:

Applications for entry into Blue Ridge Virtual Governor's School for the 2020-21 school year is now available in local middle school counseling offices (most schools) or through gifted coordinators at our member district middle schools. 

A downloadable, printable Microsoft Word version of the application is now available on the admissions page our website at: /application2/.  A Google Docs version is available by clicking on "BRVGS Student Application 2019-20" - the doc can be copied or downloaded by clicking on "File at the upper left-hand side of the doc.  

As part of the application process, BRVGS Director Marc Carraway will conduct informational meetings at all member district middle schools, on the following dates and times:

Fluvanna High School Auditorium	9/26 @ 6:30 PM
Goochland Middle School	10/28 @ 6:30 PM
Greene: Wm Monroe Middle School	10/17 @ 6:00 PM
Grymes Memorial Secondary Fair	10/10 @ 6:00 PM
Louisa Middle School	10/16 @ 6:00 PM
Madison: Wetsel Middle School	10/21 @ 6:00 PM
Nelson Middle School	9/30 @ 6:00 PM
Orange: Locust Grove Middle School	10/1 @ 6:00 PM
Orange Prospect Heights Middle School	10/3 @ 6:00 PM

Please contact your local middle school counseling office, middle school gifted coordinator, or BRVGS Director Marc Carraway at mcarraway@brvgs.k12.va.us for more information on these meetings, and we look forward to seeing parents and students at the meetings listed above soon.