Late coach McGuire's memory lives on through Tucker High field; 'more consistency' needed in discipline, school board says
The softball field at J.R. Tucker High School will now be called the “Coach Pat McGuire Field” in memory of a legendary Henrico softball coach who passed this past December.
Consistent implementation of the HCPS disciplinary code is still a challenge, Henrico School Board members said, with only 61% of teachers saying the code is consistently enforced.
24 high school seniors from all nine high schools were selected for Henrico Schools’ “Teacher Scholars” program.
'He mentored hundreds of players'
The last message Tucker High softball player Kendall Shockley received from her coach James “Pat” McGuire read, “Kendall, I can’t wait to get back coaching and watching you play!”
McGuire, the longtime head softball coach for J.R. Tucker High School, died Dec. 17 at age 73, but Shockley still wears his name on her visor as a memento to how much McGuire meant to her as a coach and a mentor.
“Coach McGuire meant so much to me, so many words can’t even describe it,” she wrote in a letter to Tucker Principal Art Raymond. “Losing Coach Pat really hurt and affected me, but what is even more important is not letting him down and doing everything how he would have wanted.”
61% of teachers say rules are applied
The Henrico School Board will vote on a number of changes to the Henrico Schools’ Code of Student Conduct June 6, including the addition of a self-defense clause and reducing the time student athletes can be suspended from their teams.
Other proposed changes, which the board discussed at a meeting April 18, include more guidance on how teachers should handle artificial intelligence and removing a restriction from the dress code that banned “cut-off jeans” and “ripped clothing.”
Current cell phone policies, which ban students from using cell phones during class time unless authorized by the teacher but do allow students to bring phones to school, remain unchanged in the disciplinary code suggested for the 2024-2025 school year.
However, school board members pointed out that the code of conduct is often not consistently enforced at all schools across the division, with some schools enforcing the code or parts of the code more harshly while other schools take a more lax approach.
24 new homegrown teachers
Henrico Schools announced April 1 that 24 high school seniors were selected as Teacher Scholars, earning a guaranteed spot as a teacher in HCPS once they complete college.
The Teacher Scholars program, created in 2015, aims to address critical teacher shortages in Henrico Schools, particularly in content areas where there are not enough qualified applicants, with “homegrown talent.” Each year, HCPS chooses a cohort of high school seniors to participate in the program.
The students must agree to complete their undergraduate degree in one of the content shortage areas from an accredited college or university. Once they graduate, they are assigned to a minimum three-year stint at a school that is struggling with teacher shortages and are eligible to receive a $5,000 signing bonus.
Photos of the week
It was signing day this week for many high school athletes, congrats to all the students!! (photo creds to @godwinhcps @drwildcats.official @gohshsfootball)
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