Seeing, hearing, touching, and exploring: HRA’s first graders apply what they have learned in the classroom across a wide array of subjects at the Virginia Beach Farmers Market

Within the four walls of a classroom, students can hear about where their food comes from and how members of their community produce it. But when students get outside and witness these processes first-hand, the lessons come alive, and young learners truly understand how their daily experience is linked to a wider world.

On Thursday, October 8, Hampton Roads Academy’s first-grade classes had the opportunity to engage in such vivid, hands-on learning about agriculture, nature, nutrition, and the regional community when they spent the day at the Virginia Beach Farmers Market.

True hands-on learning: students try “milking” a model cow during their trip

The year-round marketplace, featuring a bakery, a creamery, seafood and butcher shops, and a host of other farm-related businesses, offers a wealth of educational programming that dovetails with the first-grade curriculum at HRA. Through interactive activities that allowed them to see, touch, and listen to stories about animals, plants, and farm life in the past and present, students applied and expanded upon their classroom coverage of science, social studies, math, English, and health. The first graders explored Virginia agriculture, discovered the connections among animals, plants, and food, and investigated how farmers and other hardworking professionals supply the goods that meet consumers’ wants and needs.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for them to see how learning across different subject areas connects in the real world,” said first-grade teacher Kelley Rhodes—“all within an authentic community setting.”

“Excitement and Curiosity”: A Day Full of Interactive Learning

A field trip to the Virginia Beach Farmers Market has been a staple of the first-grade fall calendar for the past six years. As an educator who has engaged with statewide Agriculture in the Classroom programs for nearly a decade and a half, Rhodes is especially passionate about this tradition, which helps students connect more deeply with both their studies and the local community.

Each year, Rhodes and her fellow first-grade teachers, Staci Lanier and Kim Morgan, collaborate with the Rural Heritage Center to craft a Farmers Market experience full of enriching, hands-on activities.

Students plant seeds to learn about life cycles, natural resources, and where their food comes from

Complementing the first-grade science curriculum, covering natural resources and basic plant structures and life cycles, students visited the Children’s Garden, planted seeds, investigated composting worms, and had the chance to observe honeybees and chickens. Through crafts and stories delivered by program facilitators, the first graders gained a deeper appreciation for the contributions of pollinators, the significance of natural resources, and the ways in which plants become the foods they eat, in turn helping them understand how to make nutritionally sound dietary choices.

These lessons, according to Morgan, “gave the children opportunities to explore nature and learn about the important roles that insects, animals, plants, and the Earth play in our everyday lives.”

The Farmers Market visit was an equally valuable complement to first-grade social studies. In their classes, students learn about communities, occupations, geography, and such economic concepts as goods and services and the relationship between producers and consumers. By meeting farmers and exploring the work they do in the field, in their homes, and in the marketplace, students witnessed a tangible illustration of all of these concepts in action.

Exploring farm work from centuries past: students have a blast churning butter by hand

The first graders also had the opportunity to discover farm life first-hand by milking a life-sized model cow and trying out historical agricultural tasks, such as pumping water and grinding corn into cornmeal by hand, washing clothing with a traditional washboard and tub, and churning cream into butter.

“These activities allowed them to experience how people lived and worked in the past while developing a greater appreciation for where the things they use every day come from,” Morgan said. “What I enjoy most is seeing the excitement and curiosity the children have as they explore.”

Along the way, students practiced math skills as they counted and packaged eggs and sorted and weighed vegetables at a farm stand, applying their number sense and measurement abilities to practical scenarios. They even utilized crucial language and communication skills, from speaking and listening to vocabulary development, as they observed program facilitators’ presentations and asked questions to advance their learning.

The field trip reinforced not only classroom curricula, but also a range of hands-on experiences on HRA’s campus. Students help care for the Lower School Garden by weeding, watering, and harvesting ripe fruits and vegetables. In the state-of-the-art Martha H. Patten Hydroponics Lab & STEAM Classroom, Lower Schoolers join their older peers in cultivating such foods as strawberries and lettuce, learning about plant biology while also serving their community by providing produce to the Mary and Larry Pope Dining Hall and to families throughout the region. Like their visit to the Farmers Market, these learning opportunities throughout the year underscore how coursework across disciplines relates to the roles students play, and will continue to play as adults, as citizens of Hampton Roads.

“The Entire System Becomes Visible to Them”

First graders develop math skills by counting and packaging fresh eggs

Among the most valuable aspects of the Virginia Beach Farmers Market trip, according to Rhodes, is that “students can directly see how Virginia’s land, natural resources, people, and businesses work together to meet the needs of a community.”

“The entire system becomes visible to them,” she said. “Farms use natural resources, farmers and other producers create goods, those goods are brought to market, and consumers and their families purchase them. For first graders, concepts like producers, consumers, goods, services, and natural resources can feel fairly abstract in the classroom. At the Farmers Market, those ideas become something they can actually see and experience.”

“It brings so much of our classroom learning to life for our students,” Lanier added. “I loved seeing their excitement as they got to touch, explore, and experience things that they have only talked about in the classroom. It was such a memorable, hands-on experience for our first graders, and I loved watching their curiosity and wonder throughout the day.”

Indeed, this field trip not only illuminated connections between the curriculum and the real world, but also made learning about nature, health, agriculture, and the community undeniably fun. From the Farmers Market’s highly interactive educational programming to an outdoor picnic lunch and the opportunity to enjoy a freshly made sweet treat at the on-site creamery, it was a day full of activities that would bring a smile to any young learner’s face.

“The children absolutely love the experience,” Rhodes said. “It is the kind of field trip they remember and talk about for years!”

A day full of fun memories for the first graders

At Homecoming 2025, varsity swimming coach Jeff Scott (center) celebrates on the field with his son Patrick and alumni and former HRA swimmers (standing, left to right) Mitchell Finch ’08, Chase Suttle ’17, Caroline Thatcher ’16, and Peyton Baldwin ’15

Continuing a tradition initiated at Homecoming 2025, Hampton Roads Academy will proudly recognize Navigator varsity teams celebrating landmark anniversaries of conference and state championships at halftime during this year’s Homecoming varsity football game against The Covenant School on Friday, October 23.

The special spotlight embodies the spirit of Homecoming, a time for all Navigators—whenever they attended the Academy—to return to campus and honor the strong relationships and legacy of excellence that have defined the school’s history since it opened its doors in 1959.

Players and coaches from years past will begin gathering on campus at the annual All-Alumni Tailgate at 5:00 pm, gearing up for a 6:30 kickoff. Around 7:00, championship teams will join alumni from all eras and parade onto the field for a salute to their remarkable accomplishments.

The 15 exceptional teams recognized this fall are an embodiment of the long-running record of athletic achievement that has brought distinction to the Academy and continues to this day on the court, on the field, and in the pool.

“I love that recognizing HRA’s championship teams at Homecoming has become a tradition,” said Director of Athletics Laura Stoner. “It’s a meaningful way to reconnect with our alumni, celebrate the Navigators who helped shape HRA’s athletic history, inspire today’s student-athletes, and build pride in what it means to be part of the HRA community.”

Decades of Excellence

Davis Wildman ’77 smacks a home run over the fence during the spring 1977 baseball season

“It’s a wonderful tribute to our Athletics Department over a long period of time that this decade championship anniversary year spans half a century and includes nine different sports,” said Director of Alumni Relations Tommy Yevak ’83, a star player and longtime coach of HRA baseball.

Marking an incredible 50 years since they won the Commonwealth Conference championship in their respective sports are two outstanding 1977 teams. That spring, boys tennis, coached by the late math teacher Col. Robert B. Short, came out on top in all but one of their singles and doubles contests in a four-team conference championship tournament held at Richmond’s Trinity Episcopal School. Meanwhile, Navigator baseball, led by second-year coach Jack Marr, had its strongest season up to that point in HRA history, with an impressive 16-3 record. Also clinching the conference title at Trinity, the baseball team capped off the championship game with an unforgettable grand slam by HRA Athletic Hall of Famer Bill Shelly ’77.

All-Conference golfer and medalist Charles Wentworth ’89 tees off in spring 1987

The spring 1987 golf and girls track teams will celebrate the fortieth anniversary of their championships at Homecoming this year. Under the late great Hal Tayloe, a longtime English teacher as well as a beloved coach, Navigator varsity golf suffered only two losses all season and claimed the TCIS tournament championship title. That same year, coached by the late Larry Knight, girls track posted their fifth consecutive undefeated season, with top honors at the TCIS meet as their crowning achievement.

Three teams spanning all sports seasons will celebrate 30 years since they each won a TCIS tournament championship. In fall 1996, boys soccer, led by longtime coach, history teacher, and Athletic Hall of Famer Kelly Alford, notched their third consecutive conference title with a triumphant 2-0 win against Norfolk Academy. Later that school year, both the winter 1997 girls swim team, under Coach of the Year Barbara Schmidt, and the spring 1997 golf team, under Coach Art Burke, won their second straight TCIS championships. Navigator golf was honored to have five players claim medalist positions that season.

Then-seventh grader Taylor Wingo ’12 takes a powerful swing during the varsity girls tennis team’s historic 2006 season

This fall marks the twentieth anniversary of the historic 2006 girls tennis season, during which the team was undefeated, with a perfect 15-0 record, and went on to win the regular-season, TCIS tournament, and state championships. Head Coach Ray Smith, an honorary 2026 All-Alumni Tailgate host, received his well-deserved sixth TCIS Coach of the Year award for his leadership that season. Alongside Smith’s decorated tennis team, HRA will also recognize Coach Jim Lewis’ winter 2006 and winter 2007 boys swim teams for the fourth and fifth in an amazing run of five consecutive TCIS tournament championships.

Rounding out this year’s Homecoming halftime recognitions will be a remarkable five state championship teams celebrating a decade since their memorable wins. HRA will shine a spotlight on the winter 2016 and winter 2017 boys and girls swim teams, all coached by honorary tailgate host Jeff Scott, who still helms the Academy’s varsity swimming program. The boys and girls swim teams notched their respective fifth straight state championships in 2016, followed by their sixth in 2017, both on their way to an unmatched run of seven titles. In 2017, both teams were also TCIS runners-up, with junior Nick Schoenig ’18 named conference MVP. Coach Scott’s four teams will be joined on the field by the state champion spring 2017 boys track team, led by current head coach and Upper School history teacher Chris Joyce, the voice of HRA Athletics.

A Celebration of Talent, Dedication, and Navigator Spirit

Director of Alumni Relations and HRA baseball player and coach Tommy Yevak ’83 reconnects with Barbara Schmidt, who coached the Navigator girls swim team to multiple championships, at the 2025 All-Alumni Tailgate

While it is still a new tradition at HRA, honoring the Academy’s most accomplished teams during Homecoming has already made both alumni and coaches past and present feel more connected to the history of the school and to one another.

“I know that some of these championships only occurred due to some remarkable team and individual performances in clutch situations,” Yevak said. “I love sharing those celebrations with fellow alumni and hearing those stories. As former student-athletes, those are some of the most fabulous moments of our lives.”

“On a personal note,” he added, “it’s very rewarding to be able to say I either have friends from or taught folks from all of these teams. I just wish I had coached one of them!”

As the coach of one of this year’s recognized teams, Smith noted that his enthusiasm for Homecoming extends well beyond gathering with his undefeated, triple-champion girls tennis team. “I’m hoping I’ll see not only players from 2006, but also others who played here,” he said.

Former soccer player Andrew Ross ’98 celebrates the thirtieth anniversary of his team’s 1995 TCIS tournament championship with his old coach, HRA Athletic Hall of Famer Kelly Alford

For Smith, the most gratifying aspect of coaching has been watching his athletes, some of whom started on his team as early as the seventh grade, grow into mature, confident young adults with families and successful careers of their own. Every former HRA athlete is a testament to the talent, dedication, and spirit of the Academy’s student body, and Smith looks forward to reconnecting with sporting Navigators from all eras on Friday night and throughout Homecoming weekend.

There is still time to register for all Homecoming 2026 events! HRA invites Navigators from across the decades to celebrate our championship teams, tailgate with their fellow graduates, cheer on our football players under the lights, and stick around for an on-campus reunion party on Saturday night. With delectable food, delicious libations, live music by alumni Doug Parsons ’81 and Susannah Hornsby ’01, and enough nostalgia to make 20 years feel like the blink of an eye, this Homecoming will be a weekend no Navigator will soon forget.

National Merit Commended Students Ellie Richardson ’27 and Indira Hartke ’27

Hampton Roads Academy is honored to congratulate seniors Indira Hartke ’27 and Ellie Richardson ’27, who were recently named National Merit Commended Students.

This prestigious recognition is awarded annually by the nonprofit National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) to exceptional high school seniors across the country based on their scores on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). Beyond the results of a single assessment, Hartke’s and Richardson’s designation as Commended Students underscores their commitment to their studies within a rigorous, enriching, and well-rounded college-preparatory curriculum.

As Assistant Head of School and Director of Upper School Ben Rous explained, “Their performance on the PSAT puts them in the top 3% of the roughly 1.2 million students who took the test last fall, a significant achievement and a testament to their hard work and diligence as students. This accomplishment reflects not only Ellie and Indira’s dedication and excellence, but also the commitment of Hampton Roads Academy to fostering academic distinction and inspiring future scholars.”

For the two seniors, both HRA Anchors who have attended the Academy since Pre-Kindergarten, recognition by the National Merit Scholarship Program marks the latest in a long series of outstanding achievements.

Hartke, the senior class president, is as dedicated to co-curricular involvement as she is to her work in the classroom. She is the captain of the varsity girls tennis team and a member of the varsity girls soccer team, and she serves as president of HRA’s Varsity Club, Women in STEM and Engineering (WISE) Group, and Operation Smile Club. An aspiring physician, she participated in a highly selective international surgical program in Honduras with Operation Smile this past May. Over the summer, she gained further hands-on experience in her chosen field by shadowing surgeons at the University of Virginia and Bon Secours through HRA’s REACH Initiative. Alongside medical practice, Hartke has a strong interest in scientific research. In the past year, she earned BACE (Biotechnology Aptitude and Competency Exam) certification, a credential equipping her to work professionally in the biotech industry, and she presented her independent research on the ecological role of green algae at the Virginia Junior Academy of Science (VJAS) Symposium at Hampden-Sydney College. HRA recognized Hartke in 2026 with the AP Chemistry Award and the Princeton Book Award.

Like Hartke, Richardson has set herself apart through a wide array of activities both on and off campus. She holds a number of leadership roles, including co-chair of HRA’s Honor Council, president of the National Art Honor Society and regional Youth Volunteer Corps, and manager of the Navigator Athletics concession stand. In summer 2026, she proudly represented the Academy in the American Legion Auxiliary’s Virginia Girls State program. Previously, as a sophomore, she was nominated by the faculty of HRA to attend the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Conference, returning the following year as a junior counselor. A talented writer, Richardson has contributed to SO Free Teen magazine, earned the top prize in the writing portion of the 24th Annual Jewish Peninsula Holocaust Writing and Visual Arts Competition, and attended the Virginia Governor’s School for the Humanities. She is also active in school sports, as a valued member of the varsity girls field hockey and track and field teams. At HRA, her recent accolades include the 2026 Frederick Douglas and Susan B. Anthony Award and the prestigious Head of School Junior Honors Award.

Presented with their Letters of Commendation during Upper School Homeroom on Thursday, September 24, Hartke and Richardson have carried on HRA’s long-running tradition of distinction through the National Merit Scholarship Program. During the previous school year, one fifth of the entire senior class was recognized by the NMSC, including two National Merit Scholarship winners. With their latest honors, Hartke and Richardson have cemented their place in the legacy of excellence that defines HRA.

For over four decades, devoted parent volunteers have made Fall Festival one of the HRA community’s most cherished traditions

This autumn, Hampton Roads Academy will continue one of its most beloved campus traditions as the Navigator community celebrates the 43rd anniversary of Fall Festival.

Scheduled for Friday, October 16, from 2:00 to 5:30 pm, the much-anticipated event will bring students and faculty from all three divisions together with parents, alumni, extended families, and friends for an afternoon of carnival games, exciting contests, delicious treats, and fall fun for all ages.

Highlights will include a petting zoo, a haunted house, a rock climbing wall, a crazy train ride, a cake walk, raffles for gift baskets generously donated by Navigator parents, a pickleball tournament held on the HRA tennis courts, and so much more—all executed on an unprecedented scale.

The festivities would not be possible without a dedicated and growing team of parent volunteers focused on creating an unforgettable experience for every student and a sense of belonging for every family.

New heights of excitement for all ages: Fall Festival features a wealth of unforgettable activities every year

Leading the Fall Festival Planning Committee is a trio of HRA moms who serve on the Academy’s Parents Council. Eleventh-grade representative Julie Patterson and tenth-grade representative Sonja Seutter are Fall Festival veterans, having volunteered and taken on greater leadership roles since their children joined HRA eight and ten years ago, respectively. They are joined by Parents Council Pre-Kindergarten and Lower School division representative Gema McGuiness, who is new to HRA and views her first Fall Festival as an opportunity for her family and others to connect with fellow members of the Navigator community and meaningfully contribute to the life of the school.

“I raised my hand because I did not want to spend the year on the sidelines hoping the community would find us,” McGuiness said. “I wanted our family to be part of building the welcome, not just receiving it.”

HRA invites every Navigator family to join our parent volunteers in building the welcome at this year’s Fall Festival. “It’s simply the best,” Seutter said—“the excitement, the divisions coming together, seeing new and old faces in the community, and creating a lifetime of memories for HRA students.”

A Storied Tradition

Student volunteers serve up cotton candy at the first Fall Festival in 1983

The Fall Festival that the HRA community knows and loves today is the product of a transformation that has spanned more than half a century.

In 1969, when the Academy still served only students in Grades 7 through 12, a devoted group of parents formed the Parents and Friends Committee, a body dedicated to bringing Navigator families together and raising funds to elevate the HRA experience. An annual Spring Festival soon became one of the committee’s signature events.

By 1980, the organization grew into the Parents’ Association, which made the decision to move the yearly festival from spring to autumn in 1983. The inaugural Fall Festival set an ambitious goal: to raise $25,000 for a computer lab at HRA. The event was a resounding success, helping the Academy fully equip the lab the following December, and it would not have been possible without the 144 parents—a group more than a third the size of the entire student body at the time—who stepped up to do their part.

Every fall since then, the remarkable efforts of parent volunteers eager to support HRA have carried on a cherished tradition, strengthened the school community, and helped unlock opportunities for generations of students.

Sweet treats never go out of style: Upper School volunteers scoop snow cones for their fellow Navigators at last year’s Fall Fest

The newly formed HRA Parents Council, an evolution of the former Parents’ Association, will continue this legacy as it hosts its first Fall Festival this October. With a parent representative for each grade level, from Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12, the Parents Council works in close collaboration with school leaders to align their volunteer efforts with the needs and objectives of the Academy and provide a touchpoint for all Navigator families to support the school and come together for special events throughout the year. Whatever an HRA parent’s background or schedule may be, the Parents Council provides opportunities to connect with a community of adults who share a commitment to providing an exceptional education for their children.

According to Patterson, the Parents Council’s leadership of the Fall Festival Planning Committee “has increased how many parents contribute to the event’s success, giving more parents a sense of accomplishment and pride in Fall Fest and the fun students have at it.”

McGuiness agreed, suggesting that the planning process marked a promising start for the Parents Council’s role in family engagement throughout the school year, fostering “a culture that welcomes parents as partners.”

“Expanding the Footprint”

Always a hit at Fall Fest, the petting zoo will be expanded this year

As the tradition of Fall Festival enters a new chapter, it will evolve in two principal ways.

First, in a departure from prior years, when the event fell on the same date as the Homecoming game, this year’s Fall Festival will be held the previous Friday. This change will extend an annual autumn celebration of the Navigator community into an even more expansive season of festivities, with the fun beginning at Fall Festival, continuing through Spirit Week, reaching new heights as alumni join current families on campus for Homecoming on October 23 and 24, and culminating with parents, grandparents, graduates, faculty, staff, and friends of the Academy gathering to support Navigator Athletics at the 34th Annual HRA Golf Classic on October 29.

The new date will also facilitate a second change. No longer sharing the campus with Homecoming events on a single afternoon, Seutter explained that she and her fellow volunteers will have more space available for “expanding the footprint” of Fall Festival.

A good sport: Middle and Upper School choir director Marshall Severin takes a plunge in the dunk tank during Fall Fest 2025

As a result, the Planning Committee has laid out a more ambitious vision for this year’s event. The festival will feature a larger haunted house, more food choices, a wider array of activities tailored to the interests of older students, and an expanded petting zoo, featuring not only the familiar sheep, goats, llamas, and pigs, but also snakes, bunnies, chickens, and more. In partnership with Amazing Entertainment, the committee will also introduce new bounce houses, rides, and interactive entertainment options.

For her part, Patterson cannot wait to see the students’ “excitement when they race out of school at the start of the event.”

Upper Schoolers run a face-painting station for their peers

Assisting HRA parents as the festival kicks off, all Upper School students will volunteer—either individually or as members of clubs that will be fundraising at the event—painting the faces of their fellow Navigators, facilitating crafts and carnival games, and serving up snow cones, popcorn, cotton candy, and other craveable snacks. Middle Schoolers will have the opportunity to help out as well, both on their own and as members of participating clubs.

With so many fun ways for students and parents across all three divisions to get involved and connect with fellow Navigators, this year’s Fall Festival will be a celebration no member of the HRA community will want to miss.

“I want people to arrive, run into someone they know, meet someone they don’t, and leave later than they planned,” McGuiness said. “I am looking forward to faces becoming names, to seeing students from every division in one place, and to helping host the kind of event that makes a new family say, ‘This is home.’”

There are still plenty of opportunities to volunteer for Fall Festival. Sign up to help carry on this wonderful HRA tradition!

Bubbling with excitement: Fall Festival is where memories are made and lasting connections are built

Emily Goodson ’03 returns to HRA to provide Upper Schoolers and eighth graders with strategies for cultivating confidence, resilience, and self-advocacy

After delivering inspiring remarks for the Class of 2026 at their May graduation, Hampton Roads Academy alumna, author, public speaker, and disability rights advocate Emily Goodson ’03 returned to campus on Tuesday, September 22, for a moving and engaging presentation to students on building confidence and finding one’s voice, regardless of what others may say.

The morning assembly for the full Upper School and eighth-grade student body, held in the Svein J. Lassen Auditorium, included practical, actionable advice and resources drawn from Goodson’s personal experience as a person with a disability who worked for many years to achieve self-acceptance. Goodson detailed this journey in her acclaimed 2025 memoir Dating Disability: 15 Stories of Dealing with the BS and Building Confidence, from which she shared anecdotes during her visit.

Goodson’s message for the students was simple to understand but often challenging to internalize: “It is normal for all of us to feel self-conscious for a variety of reasons, and there are things you can do to have a better relationship with that voice in your head that is making you self-conscious.” She explained that subjects such as disability, mental health, and the value of speaking up for oneself and one’s peers were not widely discussed when she was growing up and struggling with her own “internal gremlins.”

“That’s why I like speaking in schools so much,” she said—“to help promote those conversations.”

According to Assistant Head of School and Director of Upper School Ben Rous, hearing an alumna, within the first month of school, tell her story of persevering through remarkable adversity and developing pride in her identity set the tone for HRA’s 2026-2027 Year of Resilience.

“This is resilience personified,” Rous said. “Not only has she overcome [her disability]—she is thriving,” touching countless lives with her empowering message through her writing, consulting work, and speaking engagements like her visit to her alma mater. “She transformed her journey into a roadmap for others.”

A Standout Student and an Accomplished Alumna

Having taken a long journey to self-acceptance, Goodson is in her element in front of audiences of students, sharing lessons she wishes she had learned as a teenager

When she was eight years old, Goodson suffered a brain injury that resulted in partial paralysis on the entire left side of her body. The next several years brought a difficult road to recovery, as she relearned how to speak, adapted to typing with one hand, and adjusted to walking with legs of different lengths. As Goodson recalled, however, physical therapy only helped her address one set of obstacles. Undoing the negative self-concept she formed after developing her disability—the true key to resilience in the face of disappointment—would take her decades.

Goodson never let the challenges she confronted stand in the way of academic, artistic, or professional success. Faculty members at HRA remember her as an exceptional student, an asset on the yearbook staff and forensics team, and a regular presence on stage in school plays and musicals. “You knew about Emily Goodson even if you didn’t have her in class,” said Rous, who started teaching at HRA during her time as a student. “She was a bright light on campus, … a go-getter,” and “a force for positivity at the school.”

After graduating from the Academy in 2003, Goodson went on to major in English and minor in education at Wake Forest University, then earned a master’s in student affairs practice in higher education from the University of Virginia. She taught and worked in education administration for a short time before pivoting into human resources, launching her current work to advocate for inclusivity in the workplace as well as schools. In 2020, Goodson founded the consulting firm CultureSmart, through which she engages in dialogue with partners from boardrooms to high schools on such topics as confidence, self-advocacy, identity, and the importance of embracing people’s differences.

Now a published author, she is able to reach wider audiences than ever before. But the opportunity to return to HRA, she explained, was especially meaningful, as she offered advice she wished she could have heard when she was a student at the Academy.

“The Intersection of Asking for Help and Resilience”

A highly interactive presentation: students respond to real-time digital survey questions exploring themes covered during the assembly

Goodson’s visit with HRA’s Upper Schoolers and eighth graders represented a continuation of a discussion she began with graduates and their families at Commencement 2026. Addressing a larger portion of the student body, she shared invaluable lessons from her journey toward greater confidence and emotional resilience. The highly interactive assembly included digital polling and word cloud activities, opportunities for students to reflect and jot down ideas on strategies for self-advocacy and self-care, and accessible live captioning for audience members who process information best visually. Goodson left ample time to engage directly with the younger Navigators, fielding questions about her personal and professional path, her most effective coping strategies, and (to her delight) her favorite Broadway shows.

The author drew on such episodes from Dating Disability as a Middle School social in HRA’s Multi-Purpose Room in the late 1990s, after which she concluded that a dance with her crush had not led to a relationship because she could not walk or move on the dancefloor like her peers. Later in her life, she told the students, she realized that her greatest hurdle was not her disability, but rather the sense of shame she had allowed to shape her vision of herself.

The climax of the presentation focused on the three “buckets” of resources Goodson has learned to tap in order to maintain a positive outlook and remain resilient in the face of challenges: knowledge of oneself and the knowledge of mentors, authors, and other experts; mindfulness tools, such as meditation, journaling, and exercise; and, perhaps most important of all, relationships.

Stressing “the intersection of asking for help and resilience,” Goodson challenged the students to consider how their relationships could make them more resilient by providing a network of support. “For a long time, I thought being resilient was doing it all by yourself” and “powering through,” she said. “That’s not true resilience.”

She also called students’ attention to the benefits of breathwork exercises, which she uses alongside meditation and auditory stimming to center herself when she feels overwhelmed.

Upper School counselor and AP psychology teacher Elizabeth Rous, who was instrumental in organizing Goodson’s visit, commented that this section of the assembly dovetailed perfectly with weekly work she has done with Upper Schoolers covering intentional breathing, cognitive reframing, and sleep hygiene. Goodson’s story of hard-won self-acceptance foreshadowed self-care topics she will cover in the year ahead, “with an emphasis on neuroplasticity and how negative patterns of thinking affect our emotions and behaviors,” Rous said. “Changing patterns is hard and often uncomfortable, which builds the resilience ‘muscle.’”

As Goodson observed during her presentation, the skills and strategies she outlined are ones that will pay dividends not only during students’ years at HRA, but throughout their lives. Her three “buckets” of resources are no different whether she is speaking at a school or in a corporate setting. HRA’s students, she insisted, will be better set up for success in their personal relationships and in their careers for having developed these strategies at a far earlier age than most adults—herself included.

Takeaways for the Year of Resilience—and Beyond

A fond reunion: Goodson with the team that brought her back to HRA (left to right)—Assistant Head of School and Director of Upper School Ben Rous, Upper School counselor and AP Psychology teacher Elizabeth Rous, and Director of Alumni Relations Tommy Yevak ’83

Following the assembly, Goodson sat down for lunch in the Lisa and Peter W. Mertz Meeting Room with school leaders, who expressed their deep gratitude for the words of wisdom she had imparted to the students.

Ben Rous shared his hope that students, regardless of how their individual experiences may differ from Goodson’s, see the resonance of her story in their own lives.

“School is adversity,” he said. “Even if we try to make it as comfortable and fun as possible, our students are challenging themselves, and there is the risk of failing.” From academic struggles and social stumbles to losses in sports and theatrical roles they do not land, setbacks await students throughout their educational journeys, especially at a rigorous school like HRA. By providing a supportive environment where students feel safe to take risks, experience disappointments, and try again, the Academy equips students with the resilience and confidence they need to navigate challenges in college, in their careers, and beyond.

If Goodson’s story proves one thing, it is that obstacles are unavoidable, but what we do when we encounter them is very much within our control. During the Year of Resilience, the entire HRA community will take this lesson to heart.

Students sign the Honor Banner during the 2026 Middle School Honor Assembly, signaling their commitment to HRA’s core values

For Abigail Whorley, Director of Middle School at Hampton Roads Academy, “the Honor System is about who we are becoming, both as individuals and as a community.” 

“Middle School gives students countless opportunities every day to make choices, some small and some significant, about how they will show up, how they will treat other people, and what they will do when no one is watching,” she said. “The Honor System gives us a shared framework for those choices.”

On the afternoon of Monday, September 14, students in Grades 5 through 8 joined with faculty members in the Svein J. Lassen Auditorium to affirm their dedication to that framework at the 2026 Middle School Honor Assembly. The event followed a similar gathering for the Upper School the previous Thursday and featured remarks by senior Honor Council co-chairs Adair Loos ’27 and Aniyah Solomon ’27, who (along with Ellie Richardson ’27) are charged with upholding the school’s Honor Code. These parallel and collaborative exercises underscored HRA’s unified commitment to integrity, responsible conduct, and moral as well as academic excellence.

“Honor is the value that defines our community,” said history teacher and Middle School Dean of Students Kerry LiBrando. “In order to ensure this value remains the foundation of our school, is it essential that there is a shared language and commitment across the grade levels and divisions.” The goal of the Middle School Honor Assembly, she explained, was to frame expectations and invite students to signal their intentions for the year ahead, both to themselves and to their classmates, by signing the Honor Banner.

As LiBrando observed, “Starting the year with a public commitment to honor sets your compass for how to approach your classes as well as your peers, coaches, and teachers.”

“The Foundations of a Strong Character”

“The bedrock, the foundation of our lives here at Hampton Roads Academy”: Head of School Jay Lasley describes honor as the character trait that unites and defines the Navigator community

The Honor System, Head of School Jay Lasley told students during the Upper School Honor Council Assembly, is “the bedrock, the foundation of our lives here at Hampton Roads Academy.”

To be a Navigator is to adhere to the three pillars of the Honor System—HRA’s core values of honesty, respect, and responsibility—not only in one’s work as a student, but in all activities both on and off campus. For students, the most visible and tangible reminders of their commitment to the Honor Code are their signatures on the Honor Banner and on each assignment they complete throughout the year, but the code provides a lodestar that extends far beyond academics. 

As Lasley noted, “Honor guides every choice we make on paper, in conversation, and yes, online.”

The framework provided by the HRA Honor Code is especially important for Navigators in Middle School, which LiBrando described as “an era when students are truly in the deep work of building their personal and social identities.” For current fifth graders and Middle Schoolers who are new to HRA, this year’s Honor Assembly marked the first time they had publicly dedicated themselves to the Honor System. The exercises allowed them to launch this chapter of their Navigator journey with a clear ethical sense of direction that will serve them well past their Middle School years.

According to Honor Council faculty sponsor and Upper School English teacher Jeremy Clover, the Honor System “helps set the foundations of a strong character that will stay with the students throughout their lives, regardless of whether they are Anchors or only stay with us for a short time.”

A Public Commitment to Honor

Director of Middle School Abigail Whorley shares a personal story with fifth through eighth graders to illustrate what it means to choose the “hard right” over the “easy wrong”

The Middle School Honor Assembly opened with remarks by Whorley to provide an overview of the Honor Code and its role in the HRA community. Drawing on her personal experience of making the hard choice to admit to an act of academic dishonesty and face the consequences during her own middle school years, the director stressed each student’s role in fostering and upholding “a culture of integrity, mutual respect, and personal responsibility.”

“Creating that culture,” Whorley said, “isn’t something that simply happens. Instead, it is a conscious, consistent decision to continually do the next best thing over and over again. It’s the decision to see our mistakes as opportunities to show up differently, to make a different choice, and to truly grow.”

Next to take the podium was Clover, who introduced himself to the Middle Schoolers in his role overseeing the Honor Council before inviting student co-chairs Solomon and Loos to address the students. Taking turns, the two seniors discussed how their younger peers can embody HRA’s core values of honesty, respect, and responsibility every day.

“As Middle School students, you are given more privileges than Lower School students,” Solomon said. “But a privilege is something you earn” by embracing “a responsibility to act with maturity and integrity.” She urged the Middle Schoolers to show respect for every person and and every opportunity they encounter on campus, as by using their school-provided iPads only for approved purposes and maintaining open communication with their teachers, who “spend hours creating a curriculum that best prepares you for your future.”

Senior Aniyah Solomon ’27 addresses the student body, joined by fellow Honor Council co-chairs Ellie Richardson ’27 (left) and Adair Loos ’27 (right)

As an HRA Anchor, Solomon explained that she could feel the difference that a culture of honor made from the moment she became a Navigator at age four. She encouraged her audience to continue this tradition through the choices they make. When challenges arise, as they inevitably will, she explained, students need not sacrifice their honor, but rather turn to the plethora of resources and support available to help every Navigator succeed.

Echoing her fellow Honor Council co-chair, Loos stressed the many ways in which the Honor Code creates a uniquely positive student experience at HRA. She emphasized the timeless relevance of the Honor Pledge that Navigators write and sign after each assessment, keeping students accountable for their learning even in the age of generative artificial intelligence. The senior also pointed to honesty and respect among the student body as they reason that HRA can maintain lockers without locks and allow students to leave personal belongings unattended without fear of theft.

As role models for younger Middle Schoolers, eighth graders are the first to sign the Honor Banner for their division

“Today, you’re going to make a promise to yourself and your teachers that you will follow the Honor Code,” Loos told the younger students. “The Honor Council and your teachers trust you, and we hope that you choose to make the right decisions this year.”

To close the assembly, the eighth graders made their dedication to honesty, respect, and responsibility official by signing the Honor Banner as leaders and role models for the rest of the Middle School student body. Fifth, sixth, and seventh graders affixed their signatures to the banner during their TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) advisory periods the following day, completing a lasting monument to honor that will hang outside the Middle School office for the rest of the year.

“Choosing the Hard Right over the Easy Wrong”

The Middle School Honor Assembly marked not a completed achievement, but rather the beginning of a yearslong process of growth for HRA’s students.

“In Middle School, honor doesn’t mean never making a mistake,” LiBrando said. “It means accepting accountability, leaning into the learning, and making adjustments to do better.”

This stage of the Navigator experience, according to Whorley, provides a safe environment in which students can “practice doing the right thing before the stakes are much higher.”

Developing confidence and agency: Whorley congratulates Middle Schoolers as they reaffirm their dedication to personal growth through adherence to the Honor System

“We want students to develop the confidence and agency to make good choices because they understand why those choices matter, rather than out of fear of a consequence,” the Middle School director said.

During HRA’s Year of Resilience, this process of productive struggle informed by HRA’s Honor Code takes on new significance.

“Sometimes resilience means choosing the hard right over the easy wrong, especially when telling the truth, admitting a mistake, or taking responsibility feels uncomfortable,” Whorley explained. “And when students do get it wrong, resilience is having the courage to own that choice, learn from it, repair what needs to be repaired, and move forward. We talk a lot in Middle School about failing fast and failing forward. A mistake doesn’t have to define a student, but what they do next matters.”

“That’s what we want our Middle Schoolers practicing now,” she added: “not perfection, but the courage and character to make good choices, take responsibility for themselves, and grow from the moments when they fall short. The Honor System gives them a framework for doing that with increasing independence as they move through HRA and beyond.”

HRA Parents Council members Sonja Seutter and Julie Patterson volunteer at last year’s Fall Festival

At HRA, we believe one of our greatest strengths is the partnership between our families and the school. When parents are engaged, connected, and involved, our students benefit, and our entire community becomes stronger.

This year, HRA is taking a fresh approach to parent engagement with the launch of the HRA Parents Council.

The Parents Council is part of an exciting reimagining of the former Parents’ Association, with a simple goal: to make it easier for every HRA family to find a meaningful way to connect and contribute.

A Parent in Every Grade

Each grade at HRA will have a designated Parents Council representative who will serve as a friendly connection point between families, teachers, and the school.

Throughout the year, Parents Council representatives will help keep families informed about opportunities to:

Support the classroom. From classroom needs and special projects to activities and celebrations, parents will know where an extra set of hands can make a difference.

Connect with your grade. Representatives will share grade-level activities and opportunities that bring families together and help build those important relationships beyond the classroom.

Get involved school-wide. Parents will hear about volunteer opportunities for HRA events, traditions, programs, and special initiatives throughout the year.

Stay connected to the HRA community. Sometimes involvement is as simple as knowing what’s happening, showing up, cheering on our students, or lending a hand when you can.

There’s a Place for Everyone

Parent involvement doesn’t have to mean taking on a major commitment. In fact, one of the goals of the Parents Council is to create more ways to participate that fit the many different schedules, talents, and interests of our HRA families.

Maybe you have an afternoon to volunteer. You can help with a class project. You’re the person who loves organizing, decorating, welcoming new families, or making sure there is always enough HRA swag in the bookstore.

Whatever your gift, there is a place for you at HRA.

Why It Matters

Our students see what we do.

When parents volunteer at an event, attend a performance, cheer from the sidelines, help in a classroom, or simply show up for the moments that matter, our children see first-hand that their school is important to us.

And those connections matter. Strong partnerships among parents, teachers, and the school create a community where students feel supported, encouraged, and celebrated.

That is what the Parents Council is about: connection.

It’s about making sure families know how they can be part of the HRA experience and creating opportunities for us to come together around the students we all care about.

A New Chapter for HRA Families

The Parents Council represents a new chapter in parent engagement at HRA, and we are excited to see where it takes us.

We are not looking for a handful of parents to do everything. We are looking for lots of parents to do something. Fall Festival is the first major event at HRA that could really use parent support. For those of you who already answered the call to volunteer, we thank you.

So, when you hear from your grade-level Parents Council representative, we hope you will say yes to an opportunity that works for you. Come volunteer. Come cheer. Come connect. Come be part of the HRA experience.

Because when families get involved, opportunities abound—for connection, for community, and, most importantly, for our students.

Here’s to a wonderful year of Navigator pride, family connection, and being in it together!

Preview opportunities to get involved and support Hampton Roads Academy! A list of Navigator community events for the 2026-2027 school year is available here.

To kick off the 2026-2027 school year, Middle School student support specialist and varsity football head coach Rodney Taylor (left) joins Director of the Student Support Center Lisa Thatcher (right) as the SSC expands its services beyond the Upper School

The beginning of the 2026-2027 school year marks a new chapter for Hampton Roads Academy’s Student Support Center (SSC), an invaluable campus resource that empowers student excellence.

Having helped more than 70 Upper Schoolers boost their academic performance and develop personalized strategies for success since it opened its doors last August, the SSC will now expand its services to the Middle School with a slate of executive functioning skills courses for students in Grades 6 through 8, among other resources tailored to the developmental needs of Navigators at this stage of their education.

To provide targeted instruction and mentorship for HRA’s Middle Schoolers, Director of the Student Support Center Lisa Thatcher and Upper School Spanish teacher Noelle Rennolds will be joined by a new member of the SSC faculty, Middle School student support specialist Rodney Taylor, who also serves as head coach of the Navigator varsity football team. Taylor’s arrival coincides with the start of Abigail Whorley’s tenure as Director of Middle School and history teacher Kerry LiBrando’s appointment as Middle School Dean of Students, filling out a leadership team that shares the SSC’s focus on providing students in this division with the skills and confidence they need to excel in Upper School, in college, and beyond.

As Upper Schoolers return to the SSC this fall and Middle Schoolers visit it for the first time, they will step into a space that not only offers a wider range of services, but has also been physically transformed.

A bright, modern space designed around student needs: Thatcher excitedly surveys the transformed SSC

Thanks to generous support from former trustee and past Navigator parent Trip Ferguson ’67 and partnerships with current parents Lee Lockwood (a flooring professional as well as a former trustee) and Ruth Deibler (an interior designer), new carpeting and LED lighting were installed throughout the SSC over the summer. In late August, HRA added tables with whiteboard surfaces, comfortable chairs, and a banquette bench spanning the full length of a wall in room 2113. In the coming years, Thatcher envisions further renovations to optimize the student experience in the facility, including individual study booths and acoustic panels for the walls of the SSC. The director explained that she plans for students’ preferences and needs to guide her innovation within the space.

“The reimagining and ongoing expansion of the Student Support Center reflects the HRA community’s shared commitment to ensuring that all students—at every level—receive the personalized resources they need to achieve their goals and take ownership of their college-preparatory experience,” said Head of School Jay Lasley. “During our Year of Resilience, the SSC will play a critical role in helping our students grow into confident scholars who embrace setbacks as opportunities for improvement.”

Successes in Year One

The SSC is entering its second year with significant momentum on which Thatcher and her team are eager to build.

Though the program was without precedent at HRA, Upper School students and families enthusiastically welcomed the launch of the SSC, with approximately 40% of the entire student body in Grades 9 through 12 using its services and achieving an average GPA increase of 13% in the first year alone.

Pivotal to these impressive outcomes was the staff of six specially trained peer tutors who earned community service credit as they assisted their fellow Upper Schoolers in sessions ranging from 15 minutes to an hour before and after school or during study hall and flex periods. Thatcher delighted in observing older students review an assignment they had completed in one of their classes the year before and “translate it to teen-speak,” meeting tutees where they were.

Two tutors also provided homework help for Lower Schoolers, creating what Thatcher hopes will prove to be the foundation for a more robust interdivisional peer tutoring program. The preexisting Homework Club offered through HRA’s Extended Care Enrichment, the director suggested, could provide a framework for such collaboration as the SSC continues to grow.

Learning strategies for managing work in school and beyond: students practice “juggling” responsibilities during an SSC orientation activity

During the spring 2026 semester, the SSC carried out a successful pilot program with the powerful, research-based educational platform MindPrint Learning. Beginning in January, students already utilizing the Center’s services completed the online MindPrint assessment, generating a personalized profile with insights into how each student learns best and resources to optimize academic performance based on one’s present strengths and areas for improvement.

Among the many promising results the SSC achieved, Thatcher pointed to “the atmosphere that the students have built in the guided study halls” as the most significant success story. Proctored by Thatcher and Rennolds, these study halls helped new Navigators and those attending for “grade recovery” develop valuable organizational skills as they prepared for upcoming assignments and exams. With guidance from educators who provide active mentorship, Thatcher observed, the students “are academically maturing, figuring out how they learn best, and really caring about their results.” Most importantly, they have capitalized on every resource available to them and dispelled any stigma around seeking support.

“That is, hands-down, the greatest thing that could’ve happened in this first year,” Thatcher said.

The SSC director is a firm believer in the motto “What is necessary for a few is good for all.” Other members of the HRA community heartily agree. Assistant Head of School and Director of Upper School Ben Rous has cited the SSC’s guided study halls as a potential model to emulate division-wide. Parents of students whose GPAs have risen above the threshold for “grade recovery” have expressed interest in having their children continue to utilize the SSC’s services, hoping to build on the exceptional benefits they have experienced in the past year. In addition to helping students improve their grades and study habits, the SSC has provided a roadmap for navigating collegiate-level student support resources once they advance to the next stage of their education.

Phase Two: Expanding to the Middle School

Incoming ninth graders complete the MindPrint assessment, generating personalized learner profiles to inform their Upper School studies

For the Upper School, the SSC’s second phase began during this August’s ninth-grade orientation. Launching what Thatcher described as “a much more intensive MindPrint experience,” each member of the incoming freshman class completed the platform’s online assessment and entered the Upper School with an individualized learner profile to inform their study habits for the next four years and beyond. These students will have the opportunity to reinforce crucial learning skills through MindPrint’s BOOST courses during Advisory periods throughout the year, and their teachers will be able to use their profiles to tailor their instruction to the various learning styles represented in the classroom. Within four years, every Upper Schooler will benefit from MindPrint’s unmatched insights and resources.

The greatest transformation for the SSC this year, however, will be its expansion into the Middle School. In response to overwhelmingly positive parent feedback on Middle School counselor Ashley Spruill’s fifth-grade course InFOCUS, helping new Middle Schoolers learn how to learn through an exploration of organization systems, conflict resolution, self-advocacy, and resilience, the SSC has introduced similar executive functioning skills classes for Grades 6 through 8.

This year’s offerings, taught by Coach Taylor, include the quarter-long courses School Skills for sixth graders and Level Up for seventh graders, along with the semester-long eighth-grade class My Notebook, pioneered by Thatcher during her time as the Middle School counselor (1996-2020). During his TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) periods, Taylor will also work in the SSC with students with learning accommodations.

Navigators meet with members of the team who will support them through their college-preparatory experience (standing, left to right): Director of College Counseling Elizabeth Cavallari, Upper School counselor Elizabeth Rous, SSC director Thatcher, and Coach Taylor

Taylor, an educator with extensive experience as a middle school teacher and counselor as well as a mentor to student-athletes, helped Thatcher design a curriculum rich in experiential learning, employing games to simulate challenging learning situations and spur reflection on setbacks students might face in their school work within a low-risk environment. Across its Middle School classes, the SSC will introduce students to the reading comprehension improvement application ReadTheory, teach note-taking techniques, and discuss how to keep lockers clean and binders organized.

“The Student Support Center should be a place where students can make mistakes, ask questions, try different strategies, and learn without feeling judged,” Taylor said. “I want students to develop the confidence to approach a challenging assignment, a busy week, or an unexpected problem with a plan rather than feeling overwhelmed. I want them to understand that executive-function skills are learnable skills, not qualities that you either have or don’t have.”

As Taylor joins her team, Thatcher is excited to see him work closely with the Middle School faculty to help students understand how they learn best. “Being able to do that when you’re 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 years old is such a gift,” she said. “And then they’ll build on that as they get into Upper School.”

The Path Ahead

While guided study halls, peer tutoring, and the rollout of MindPrint Learning in the Upper School laid the foundation for the SSC to expand to the Middle School, Thatcher now hopes executive functions courses for sixth through eighth graders will provide a model for similar offerings for older Navigators.

Organization, time management, and the ability to take ownership of one’s own learning are among the most sought-after skills for college and career success. As part of a cohesive college-preparatory experience that begins the moment a student joins the Academy, HRA aims to strengthen these abilities early and reinforce them as students approach graduation.

The SSC will continue to play an important role in this vision as it grows further in years to come. The Center’s team plans to launch their third phase as soon as the 2027-2028 school year, with the addition of a dedicated Lower School reading specialist who will extend the facility’s services to all three of HRA’s divisions.

With Thatcher at the helm, the Student Support Center is poised to become one of the most impactful facets of the Navigator experience. “Her work there is immeasurable,” Lasley said. “I’m so excited to think about the future of this program under her leadership, because we’re just getting started with it. As we remain focused on cutting-edge academic programming for all of our students, we will continue to cultivate opportunities for them to develop academic confidence and resilience.”