Voters will elect 3 candidates to the Jefferson County Board of Education this year. Read what the candidates are saying. Read the Full Story >>
Jefferson County Schools
Jefferson Virtual Academy Offers Online Options
al Academy is part of Jefferson County Schools’ commitment to offer education options to meet the academic, social, and emotional needs of a diverse student population. Read the Full Story >>
A Place to Call Home
After many years of absence, the Cheer Booth returned for the 2021 Christmas celebrations in Charles Town. The spirit of the crowd lining the downtown streets at this year’s parade was lifted both by unseasonably warm weather and the welcome return of a sorely missed tradition. Read the Full Story >>
What Drives A Community
What is community? The members of the Country Road Car Club certainly have enjoyed getting together weekly since 1998. While they gather for friendship and a shared hobby, they also collect their energy – and donations – for charities, including weekly food donations to the Jefferson County Community Ministries food pantry in Charles Town Read the Full Story >>
Jefferson County Schools Plans Two New Facilities
Jefferson County Schools (JCS) manages 16 schools — 2 high schools, 4 middle schools, and 10 elementary facilities — and during the 2020-21 school year enrolled 8,478 students. Jefferson County is one of only three counties in West Virginia that expects growth in student population over the next four years. Read the Full Story >>
Navigating A Difficult Road
The Observer asked Stephen Willingham to explore how the local public school system is managing through the current public health crisis. The author interviewed the Superintendent and also spoke with teachers about their experiences in the classroom and online. Read the Full Story >>
The Challenges of Feeding Kids During the Pandemic
In 2007, Diana Wall found herself called to a mission. Working with Community Combined Ministries, she founded a program to source, assemble and distribute food packages through the Jefferson and Berkeley County School Districts. Kidz Power Pacs (KPP for short) is designed to provide children food for weekends and school breaks, filling a gap not served by weekday, in-school nutrition programs funded by the government. Read the Full Story >>
Barrat Leads Way in AI Research
Robbie Barrat’s revolutionary research relating to artificial intelligence (AI) has earned him numerous plaudits, an art exhibition in France, as well as a place in a new documentary about high school science fairs. Read the Full Story >>
We Went Back to School and Asked: What’s for Lunch?
Ask random adults what school lunches were like when they were kids, and the answers can range from great to awful, depending on when and where they went to school. Schools are required to provide healthy lunches, but children must want to eat them. The Observer decided to see and taste-test some of today’s lunches in Jefferson County schools. Read the Full Story >>
Life Beyond the Classroom
West Virginia University President Gordon Gee spoke with juniors and seniors at Jefferson and Washington High Schools last month. While extolling the benefits of an education at WVU, the overall message he delivered is one that resonates with many working in education today: education beyond high school is more important than ever. Gee made it Read the Full Story >>
Area School Systems Eye New Year on the Horizon
With schools slated to re-open on August 20, both Jefferson and Berkeley County (WV) school systems are continuing to see an upward trend in enrollment, which they are juggling while rolling out new programs for both students and faculty. Read the Full Story >>
Scholarship Program Allows JC High Schoolers Opportunity to Invest in Themselves
Arthena Sewell Roper, Cultural Diversity Facilitator for Jefferson County Schools, recently announced the development of an initiative called the Re-Imagine Scholarship—a life-skill enrichment project involving students from both Jefferson and Washington High Schools. Read the Full Story >>