Last week, we celebrated our incredible School Nutrition Services team with a well-deserved "Night of Elegance" banquet. 🌹
Everyone traded their aprons for their finest attire, enjoying a delicious meal, special awards, and exciting prizes. It was a beautiful evening dedicated to honoring the hard work, dedication, and heart this team pours into our schools daily.
To our School Nutrition team: You are essential to everything we do, and we appreciate you today and every day! 👏
#CPSCelebrates
Jason Ayoro - Deep Creek HS
Emily Bowen - Great Bridge High
Danica Pinkoski - Grassfield High School
Tyler Trago - Hickory High School
Kesley Argueta Gomez - Indian River High
Gabriel Laney - Oscar Smith High
Camryn Clark - Western Branch High School
We appreciate your support of our students and your continued partnership with the Chesapeake Public Schools Educational Foundation! #CPSCelebrates
Our SCA's visited Chesapeake City Park to participate in service projects that support local organizations. Thank you to the Youth Volunteer Corps for partnering with our students and the Chesapeake Kiwanis Club for providing a fantastic lunch! 🔨❤️🍔
We Want Your Input: Advanced Placement Textbook Adoption 📚
We are currently selecting new instructional materials for the following courses:
- Advanced Placement (AP) Biology
- Advanced Placement (AP) Physics 1 & 2
- Advanced Placement (AP) Environmental Science
Now through June 5, 2026, parents, staff, and community members can review digital copies of the proposed textbooks and share their input.
Click here for full details, digital previews, and the feedback form: https://www.cpschools.com/article/2803941
Join us as we remember and honor our heroes . ❤️🤍💙
There were endless smiles, plenty of laughs, and definitely some happy tears! To our amazing seniors: We are so proud of you, and we can’t wait to welcome you back home as full-time teachers in a few short years!
Join us in giving a round of applause to the Class of 2026, and the future CPS Teachers of Tomorrow! 👏
Graduation season is here, and for many seniors, the biggest question is: “What’s next?” In our latest district podcast episode, we hear from three seniors whose journeys reflect our focus on the “three E’s” after graduation: enrollment, enlistment, or employment. 🎓
Featured guests include:
- Myah Evans (Deep Creek High): U.S. Navy enlistment
- Parker Sylvia (Western Branch High & Chesapeake Career Center): welding certification and employment with Collins Machine Works
- Sophie Rambo (Grassfield High): University of Georgia track scholarship athlete
From military service and skilled trades to college athletics, each student shares how preparation, mentorship, and opportunity helped shape their next step after high school. Listen at cpschools.com/amplified or wherever you get your podcast. 🎧 🎉
Grassfield High’s STEM students made serious waves at the Virginia Digital Maritime Center's "Digital Ship Challenge" last month! 🤖
Special congratulations to these winning teams from the Programming Strand coached by Mr. Jason Gabel:
- FIRST PLACE in Tech Division: The Cyber Waves 🥇
- SECOND PLACE in Tech Division: The Hydroscapers 🥈
The celebration continued this past Sunday at Nauticus's "Weld it, Build it, Sail it" event. Our first-place champions showcased their winning robotic device at the Virginia Digital Maritime Center booth and took home official First Place Award Banners to proudly display at GHS!
We are so proud of these talented students and their amazing achievements. Way to represent Grassfield High! 🐻
#CPSCelebrates #STEM
We are proud to celebrate Melodie Surratt of Deep Creek Middle School for being named the 2026 Virginia Department of Education Computer Science Champion for Grades 6–8. This recognition highlights her leadership in computer science education and her commitment to innovative, future-ready learning experiences aligned with Virginia’s Computer Science Standards of Learning. Her dedication continues to make a meaningful impact on students and STEM education across Chesapeake Public Schools. Congratulations on this outstanding honor! 🎥 Watch this video to learn more about the impact Melodie has on her students and Chesapeake Public Schools. #EmpowerCPS #CPSCelebrates
While many of our schools took home awards for exemplary customer service and teamwork, we want to give a special shoutout to our top award winners of the night:
🏆 Butts Road Primary – Excellence in Safety and Compliance Award
🏆 Indian River Middle – Performance and Excellence Award
We’d like to say thank you to our entire custodial staff. We are so proud to have them on our team! ❤️
#CPSCelebrates
This morning, Dr. Jared A. Cotton’s Superintendent’s Community Engagement Council highlighted the power of student leadership, community collaboration, and workforce innovation in Chesapeake Public Schools. ✨
Mrs. Andrea Vail, director of engagement, and Addison Mawyer from Great Bridge High School shared highlights from the annual student-led Teen Summit event and the positive impact it continues to have on students and families across the division. Mr. Michael Bailey, director of human resources, and Mrs. Mindy Green, assistant director of human resources, also provided updates on recruitment initiatives focused on attracting and supporting exceptional educators and staff.
Special thanks to Trane for sponsoring this morning’s event, and if you're interested in joining our team, visit cpschools.com/careers to explore current opportunities.
Held at the House of BlessingFood Bank at Harvest VA Assembly Church, students helped sort and organize an incredible outpouring of community donations. Their hard work ensures that local families have the support they need this season. 🫶
Thank you to our wonderful SECEP teachers for making this experience possible and guiding our students in such meaningful community service. We are so proud of this team!
#CPSCelebrates #SECEP
Congratulations to teams from Thurgood Marshall Elementary and Great Bridge Intermediate for their incredible showing at the WHRO Great Computer Challenge.
Check out these incredible results:
Thurgood Marshall Elementary School 🐯
- Superior Rating: Visual Programming/Block Coding (Level 1)
- 1st Place: Desktop Presentations (Level 2)
Great Bridge Intermediate 😺
- 1st Place: Graphic Design (Level 2)
- 2nd Place: Video Editing (Level 2)
- 2nd Place: Visual Programming/Block Coding (Level 2)
Join us in celebrating these talented students and their coaches! 👏
#CPSCelebrates #STEM
Together, we honored 166 dedicated employees whose service, leadership, and compassion have helped shape the lives of students, staff, families, and our entire community. Together, they represent 3,499 collective years of commitment to public education and student success. #CPSCelebrates #EmpowerCPS
📸 See the photo gallery from the ceremony: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ThqnjmPcaGbTH7Lw7
📖 View the full list of retirees: https://canva.link/cpsretirement2026
🎥 Watch the full ceremony: https://youtube.com/live/7niBtbGHZgs
From classrooms and cafeterias to buses, offices, and beyond, we thank our retirees for the lasting difference they have made across our district. 🌟
#CPSCelebrates
“Mr. Casassa has made a profound impact on my junior year. He is my STEM teacher, and while he is great at teaching global communications, I appreciate him even more as a person. He is always willing to help me, but he does it in a way that actually makes me learn. He doesn't just give me the answer; he makes me really think about the material taught and try to apply it in different ways. He tries to remind us each day that in the real world, things won't just be handed to you, and I wish more teachers did that. I adore going to his class, and every day he pushes me to become a better person.” -A Student
It's not too late to shout out your teacher! Use this link: https://www.cpschools.com/article/2843125
#CPSCelebrates #CPSTAW26
This Teacher Appreciation Week, we’re sharing messages that remind us why we love our teachers to the moon and back.🌏 Here’s a message for Jakrya Jefferson at Oscar F. Smith Middle:
“I just want to say thank you for being my teacher, I could talk to you about anything. You love me like I was your child, and I'm forever thankful for that.” - A Student
It's not too late to shout out your teacher! Use this link: https://www.cpschools.com/article/2843125
#CPSCelebrates #CPSTAW26
“I just want to share how grateful I am for Ms. Melissa Hopkins and the impact she’s had on my son. I’ve watched him grow so much in her class, especially in how he communicates and expresses himself. It truly feels like he’s taken off under her wings.
That kind of growth comes from a teacher who genuinely cares, and it’s been incredible to witness as a parent. Thank you for the patience, support, and heart you bring into the classroom every day. It truly makes a difference.”
- A Parent
It's not too late to shout out a teacher! Use this link: https://www.cpschools.com/article/2843125
#CPSCelebrates #CPSTAW26
“Thanks for caring enough to reach the kids a lot of folks leave behind. Also you're hilarious and kids need funny teachers.” - A Colleague
Want to shout out a teacher? Use this link: https://www.cpschools.com/article/2843125
#CPSCelebrates #CPSTAW26
