Table of Contents
Proud parents clutching cameras. Check.
TV reporters lining up to interview hot prospects. Check.
Coaches looking on with satisfaction. Check.
Official pens and letters-of-intent awaiting recruit signatures. Check.
Baseball caps with logos on hand for photo ops. Check.
All the fanfare was in place, but not a star athlete was in sight as the crowd gathered last week at Junior Achievement of Central Virginia offices in Libbie Mill Library.
Instead, the hot prospects were students in Henrico Schools’ Career and Technical Education program, and their coaches were teachers and mentors representing both the school system and the employers providing them with jobs.
Billed as the first annual “Career and Technical Letter-of-Intent Signing Day,” the March 28 event was the brainchild of Mac Beaton, director of CTE for Henrico Schools.
Believing that student athletes aren't the only ones deserving of recognition of their achievements, Beaton and his colleagues conceived of the idea of a ceremonial signing of letters-of-intent, outlining what is expected of students as part of their future employment and what the employer will provide in return.
Behind the students as they signed were large video screens bearing the logos of their employers, which included Branscome Inc., Rolls Royce, RJ Tilley, Richmond Ford West, Howell's Heating and Air, Pearson Mazda and Progressive Engineering. Company representatives cited benefits the new employees will enjoy, such as training, paid vacation, health insurance, and tuition reimbursement if they choose to advance or change fields.
"This is a celebration of students . . . [who have] chosen to maximize their high school opportunities for career training and industry certifications, with an eye on becoming successful and financially secure much earlier in life," Beaton said prior to the event.
"Signing Day is a way of recognizing their hard work and the value of the career-preparation training they've received through Henrico Schools."
Students who signed with businesses at the event were:
• Sovan Brooks and Dylan Milam (Rolls-Royce);
• Justin Blythe (Progressive Engineering Co.);
• Joshua Harris and Mark Vella (Howell's Heating and AC);
• Tyler Campbell, Timothy Grimes and Tyshawn Walker (Branscome Incorporated)
• Nicholas Mitchell (KSB, Inc.);
• Dominic Patterson (Richmond Ford West);
• Ryan Tilley (RJ Tilley Plumbing & Heating);
• Correll West (Tolley Electrical Corp.);
• Christopher Williams (Pearson Mazda)
