In February 2021, Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) kicked off a year-long initiative called Reflection on a Legacy: Building for the Present through Persistence, Perseverance and Pride. This multi-generational project will bring together current VBCPS students and the graduates of the Princess Anne County Training School, the first and only high school for Black students, established in 1938 by African Americans in what is now Virginia Beach. The desegregation plan of 1969 eliminated that school, and commencement exercises that year conferred diplomas on the last graduating class. Over the course of a year, about 100 current students will explore the stories and shared experiences of the 38 Black former students who were eligible to integrate into VBCPS. These young scholars will have the opportunity to reflect on that legacy, to learn how persistence and perseverance effects positive change, and how the past and the present can inform our future. This project will culminate with a gala event in February 2022 where the interviews and collected data will be presented to the community through student-created artifacts.

<strong>Contact: </strong>

Sebrina A. Lindsay-Law, Ed.D.Coordinator, Equity and Opportunity Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

<a href="mailto:Sebrina.Lindsay-Law@vbschools.com">Sebrina.Lindsay-Law@vbschools.com</a>

757-263-1005