Alleghany Highlands Public Schools

Alleghany Highlands Public Schools Division Superintendent Kim Halterman has been appointed to a statewide committee that has key input on teacher licensure.

With the start of the upcoming school year fast approaching, it’s time for students and parents to start collecting school supplies.

Alleghany County is being awarded the prestigious Virginia Association of Counties’ Best Achievement Award for its role in creating Alleghany Highlands Public Schools, representing the association's highest honor for 2023.

Transportation patterns in the vicinity of Covington Middle School will change on Aug. 23 to accommodate changes in bus and vehicle traffic. All Alleghany Highlands Public Schools students in grades 6-8 will attend Covington Middle School at 606 S. Lexington Ave. in Covington (former Covington High School).

LOW MOOR — Six Alleghany High School band students recently participated in a valuable educational experience by attending a popular summer symposium at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, N.C.

The former Clifton Middle School building has a new name — Clifton Academy.

Alleghany Highlands Public Schools is celebrating an important honor for its communications specialist, Darrell Gleason. Gleason has been awarded a Publications and Digital Media Excellence Award from the National School Public Relations Association.

An innovative reading initiative at Jeter-Watson Elementary School has gained statewide notoriety by being listed on the Virginia School Boards Association’s 2023 Showcases for Success directory. The directory highlights successful K-12 programs in Virginia public schools.

Alleghany Highlands Public Schools is extending its Summer Food Service Program through the month of July.

The Alleghany Highlands Public Schools Division Board has approved the appointments of two assistant principals at Alleghany High School.

A new policy regarding the use of cell phones will be in effect when Alleghany Highlands Public Schools students return to classrooms in August.

Thank you to all the Alleghany, Covington, and Boys Home Seniors who participated in the Give Local Alleghany Highlands giving day.

Covington High School student Nicole Frye recently won first place on the high school level in the Virginia School Boards Association’s Blue Ridge Regional Art Contest.

The Alleghany Highland Public Schools Division will provide limited transportation service for summer remediation (summer school) which will be held at Mountain View Elementary School June 5-29.

Alleghany Highlands Public Schools still has openings for its Virginia Preschool Initiative (pre-kindergarten) program.

The Alleghany Highlands Public Schools Division will provide free meals to children during the month of June at designated locations in Covington, Low Moor, and Clifton Forge.

Alleghany Highlands Public Schools facilities will be unavailable for public use this summer due to preparations for the consolidation of students in the fall.

Both AHS and CHS Graduation Ceremonies will be streamed live online.

Sidney Donnan has been named valedictorian of the Alleghany High School Class of 2023, and the salutatorian is Aiden Williams.

Lauren Bragg has been named valedictorian, and Aubrey Brown and Erica Spinks are co-salutatorians of the Covington High School Class of 2023.

The Alleghany Highlands Public Schools Division has been approved as part of a rural area that can offer multi-day meal pick-ups this summer. The program would operate June 5-29. AHPS is considering establishing two sites for meal pick-ups.

The Alleghany Highlands Public Schools Division Board has appointed Lori Mattson as an assistant principal at Covington Middle School. Her appointment is effective July 1, 2023.

Chris Jones has been appointed principal of Sharon Elementary School, effective July 1,2023.

The Alleghany Highlands Public Schools Division Board has unanimously approved an elementary school attendance zone redistricting plan for the 2023-2024 school year.

Alleghany Highlands Public Schools will hold a parent information session about its Virginia Preschool Initiative (pre-kindergarten) program on Tuesday, May 9. The session will be held at Jeter-Watson Elementary School in Covington from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

While we know the redistricting process is not yet complete, our goal is to provide families with as much information as we can as efficiently as possible. Therefore, we have made related attendance zone transfer request forms accessible for your use here online and at our schools. We anticipate that the school board may finalize a redistricting plan at its May 8, 2023, regular meeting.

At the AHPS board meeting on April 6, a proposed redistricting plan including a map and designated attendance zones was presented. If interested, please submit feedback by using the form provided. Questions may be directed to Laura or Christina at (540-965-1809). A public hearing is scheduled for 6:00 pm on April 17 at the AHPS monthly board meeting.

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has launched K-12 Learning Acceleration Grants for tutoring and similar services. Awards are made in the amounts of $1,500 and $3,000 for family-selected services from approved vendors statewide. Funds are released for individual children and must be applied for by interested families.

The Alleghany County/Covington Health Department will be onsite in schools in May to administer vaccines to Alleghany Highlands Public Schools students who will enter grades 7 and 12 in the upcoming 2023-2024 school year.

Bath Community Hospital, Bath Community Physicians Group, and LewisGale Hospital-Alleghany will be providing free sports physicals to Alleghany Highlands Public Schools Division student-athletes.

A new statewide tool known as the Virginia Visualization and Analytics Solution (VVAAS) can be used to generate test score reports for families. Many assessments reported in VVAAS are SOL assessments. Along with all other school divisions in the Commonwealth, AHPS will distribute VVAAS reports to appropriate families in late spring.

The College of William and Mary is conducting a statewide survey about academic year Governor’s Schools. The survey is for interested adults and is available through April 25.

Monday, April 17, will be a virtual learning day for secondary students (middle school and high school) in Alleghany Highlands Public Schools. Elementary students (grades 5 and below) will attend classes in person, as usual.

Alleghany Highlands Public Schools elementary schools will hold orientations on Thursday, April 20, to begin registering kindergarten students for the 2023-2024 school year. The orientations will be held at each elementary school from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

The Alleghany Highlands School Board will hold a special called meeting at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 6, 2023, at the Central Office Complex in Low Moor.

The Alleghany Highlands Public Schools Division Board has appointed Thomas “Ty” Dobbs as the school division’s activity director and administrator on special assignment.

Cindy Fox has been named as the Alleghany Highlands Public Schools Division’s supervisor of customized learning.

The Alleghany Highlands Public Schools Division will hold summer remediation (summer school) for students in grades K-12 at Mountain View Elementary School June 5-29, 2023.

The Alleghany Highlands Public Schools Division has hired an operations and project manager to strategically assist with day-to-day operations, construction, and capital projects.

A traffic safety analysis of Covington is part of overall planning for the full consolidation of Alleghany Highlands Public Schools in the fall

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) is partnering with Project Tomorrow to survey stakeholders in the areas of instructional technology and virtual learning.

The Alleghany Highlands Public Schools Division is joining 132 other school divisions throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia in celebrating School Board Appreciation Month in February.

Teachers in Alleghany Highlands Public Schools are creatively drumming up enthusiasm for band and choir programs with full consolidation of schools coming in the fall.

LOW MOOR — Joey Stull has the important task of overseeing the network and security of the Alleghany Highlands Public Schools Division.

LOW MOOR — Dr. Shannon Fuhrman of Alleghany Highlands Public Schools helps influence learning and technology initiatives in Virginia’s public schools by serving on two committees.

LOW MOOR — Kim Halterman, superintendent of Alleghany Highlands Public Schools, is a member of a Virginia Department of Education committee that aims to address issues affecting at-risk youth.

Prekindergarten students at Jeter-Watson Elementary School learned an important lesson when they delivered some holiday cheer to Ridgeline Physical Therapy on Wednesday, Dec. 14.

Ginni Philips has been very productive in her relatively-new role as coordinator of the Alleghany Highlands Healthcare Advancement grant program.

Alleghany Highlands Public Schools teachers and students may see an extended Christmas holiday break under action taken by the School Board on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022.

Lisa M. Hansford has been appointed principal at Callaghan Elementary School, effective July 1, 2023.

Holiday musicals and programs are returning to Alleghany Highlands Public Schools this December after COVID-19 restrictions forced cancellations and changes the past two years.

The Alleghany Highlands Public Schools Division and other community organizations will benefit from generous donations that were awarded by the LewisGale Hospital-Alleghany Volunteers on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022. The donations were handed out on “Giving Tuesday,” a day that is held annually to encourage people to give back in whatever ways they can.

In keeping with a strategic timeline that was adopted earlier in October, the Alleghany Highlands School Board has approved three key principalship appointments for the 2023-2024 school year.

The hosts of the Outdoor Channel’s Fishing University visited Alleghany High School on Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, to encourage students to consider a career in the outdoors. A variety of interested Alleghany and Covington High School students were present in the audience.

Due to the possibility of inclement weather associated with the remnants of Hurricane Ian on Friday evening, football games involving Covington High School and Alleghany High School have been rescheduled.

Some of our schools are having issues with P-EBT cards issued to students by the Virginia Department of Social Services.

All students enrolled in Alleghany Highlands Public Schools in the 2022-2023 school year will receive a nutritious breakfast and lunch free of charge under the federal Community Eligibility Provision.

Edgemont Primary - JWIS School Proposal

Dee Ann E. Tickner has been appointed the assistant principal at Jeter-Watson Elementary School. Mrs. Tickner’s appointment as an administrator was approved by the Alleghany Highlands School Board on Monday, Aug. 8, 2022.

Covington High School is preparing for the 2022-2023 school year by scheduling orientation for eighth graders and Class Day for students in grades 9-12

The Alleghany Highlands Public School Division will hold open houses at its elementary schools and middle schools on Monday, Aug. 15, 2022, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Kimberly Halterman and Melinda Snead-Johnson Lead AHPS

Dew Named Interim Assistant Principal

School Board will hold its first ever meeting

Cynthia Morgan has been named interim principal