Henrico Schools to open new ‘Centers for Innovation’ at 2 middle schools

Henrico Schools will establish two new middle school specialty centers at John Rolfe Middle and Quioccasin Middle that will focus on “innovation, design thinking, and entrepreneurship.”

The Centers for Innovation will be one of the first non-honors specialty programs in HCPS open to all students, according to Henrico School Board Chair Kristi Kinsella. The program will introduce students to “diverse career options” – particularly careers in STEM – and teach students “real-world problem solving,” HCPS leaders said at a Nov. 9 school board meeting.

“It seems to be one of the first specialty things that we’ve done for a normal student – non-honors, non-IB [International Baccalaureate], non-gifted,” Kinsella said. “It’s for everyone.”

HCPS will partner with Virginia Commonwealth University’s da Vinci Center for Innovation to open the centers at John Rolfe during the 2024-2025 school year and at Quioccasin during the 2026-2027 school year. The da Vinci Center will help with teacher training and curriculum design for the program and will place VCU graduate design students directly into middle school classrooms.

Rather than have a traditional middle school block schedule, the centers will combine English and social studies into one period and math and science into another period for “cross-disciplinary, project-based learning.” World languages and visual and performing arts also will be offered by the center.

HCPS leaders hope the center will address the middle school “engagement cliff.” Data collected by HCPS showed that students’ learning motivation and enthusiasm significantly drops during grades six through eight, which HCPS leaders said often is due to increased academic demands, social emotional changes, and more impersonal environments in middle school.

“It can often happen because of the overzealous focus on standardized testing and lack of experiential and project-based learning pathways for students and the lack of pathways for students who will not go on to college,” Fairfield District School Board member Roscoe Cooper said. “So we are challenging the engagement cliff, and I’m excited that once again HCPS is at the forefront of being responsive to our students’ needs.”

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The centers will prepare students with skills needed for entrepreneurship and STEM jobs, such as data analysts, content creators, entrepreneurs, AI engineers, cybersecurity analysts, and health services providers, according to HCPS Director of Middle School Education Deia Champ. She also said the Centers for Innovation likely would lead more students to join the Advanced Career Education centers and other specialty centers in high school.

All students are eligible to apply to join the centers as long as they demonstrate interest and have completed previous grade-level requirements, HCPS Superintendent Amy Cashwell said. Students will be chosen through a lottery system, with 150 spots available at each center – 50 per grade level.

“Our target audience for these centers include middle school students with a passion for learning pathways that emphasize empathy, communication, collaboration, and design thinking,” Champ said. “We seek those with a unique desire to explore career opportunities early in their academic journey.”

The first batch of students eligible to apply will be at middle schools zoned for the John Rolfe Center for Innovation: Brookland Middle, Elko Middle, Fairfield Middle, George Moody Middle, John Rolfe Middle, and L. Douglas Wilder Middle. The second batch will be from schools zoned for Quioccasin’s center: Holman Middle, Hungary Creek Middle, Pocahontas Middle, Quioccasin Middle, Short Pump Middle, and Tuckahoe Middle.

Students zoned for John Rolfe can apply during this year’s Nov. 29-Dec. 20 application window and will hear about acceptance by Jan. 12. If not accepted, students will be placed on a waitlist and will be contacted by Feb. 9 if they receive a spot.

HCPS will work to recruit and train teachers in Henrico and other divisions along with teacher residents from VCU to staff the centers, Champ said. Funding for the centers will come from reallocating current funding, grant opportunities, and partnerships with businesses.

Since Quioccasin Middle will not be rebuilt until the 2024-2025 school year, its center will not open until the 2026-2027 school year. Tuckahoe District board member Marcie Shea said the new building will give a boost to the new Center for Innovation at Quioccasin.

“I’m just really excited about the location of this, but also with the new building coming and all of this energy and synergy around Quioccasin Middle School,” she said.

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Cooper, however, expressed concerns about the zoning of the two centers, with John Rolfe having all schools from Eastern Henrico and Quioccasin sporting schools from the West End. All middle schools zoned for John Rolfe are accredited with conditions except for Elko Middle, which became accredited this school year, and many are designated as ‘Opportunity Schools’ due to high numbers of staff vacancies.

“I can’t help but notice that all of the zoned schools for the John Rolfe Middle Schools are currently accredited with conditions except for Elko, which changed this year. Alternatively, all the zoned schools for Quioccasin are accredited,” Cooper said. “Additionally, half the schools for John Rolfe are opportunity schools. Alternatively, that’s not the case for Quioccasin’s middle schools.”

Cashwell said that HCPS would be sure to provide “wrap-around supports” for students at the center and ensure that all students are “ready and prepared to participate in this program.”

“I think it’s important that as we’re advertising these innovative opportunities for students, that all students have the opportunity to see themselves, no matter which middle school they’re currently attending, no matter what the accreditation status of that middle school is,” she said.

School board vice-chair and Varina District member Alicia Atkins also said that she was concerned about how John Rolfe’s Center for Innovation will be placed in the existing building while Quioccasin’s center will be a new construction due to the rebuild, saying that she wanted the learning environment at John Rolfe to match the program’s focus on innovation.

“We do not have more than four windows I believe at [John Rolfe]. So I’m appreciative of Dr. Cashwell in trying to do the best we can with the money we have and we’re going to make it as awesome as we can, but let’s be very clear indeed – if we’re going to have an innovation center, it cannot sit in a traditional setting, which is what we have,” Atkins said. “What I’m equally excited about is Quioccasin, getting a brand new building with a brand new center. And Quioccasin is going to be fantastic, but it needs to be equally fantastic at John Rolfe Middle School.”

Cashwell said that although funds are limited, HCPS will provide both Centers for Innovation with new furniture, lighting, and supplies.

“I want you to know you’re heard,” Cashwell said to Atkins. “Certainly we want it to be a world class program and we want the teaching and learning environments to match.”

HCPS will hold an in-person information session on the Centers for Innovation from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 29 at New Bridge Auditorium, 5915 Nine Mile Road. Students and families also can learn more on this site.

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Liana Hardy is the Citizen’s Report for America Corps member and education reporter. Her position is dependent upon reader support; make a tax-deductible contribution to the Citizen through RFA here.