BY JOE BURNSWORTH
COURTHOUSE — I am both grateful and humbled by this recognition – not just for me, but for all the others you recognize with this resolution.
You recognize the hardworking, passionate and dedicated teachers of this division with whom I have been privileged to work, like my nephew, Larry, and his wife, Becky, who have each given 22 years to our schools and the young people of this city.
You recognize community volunteers and change agents such as my friend, Dr. Wendy Howard, who has picked up the leadership mantel and will guide the Green Run Collegiate Governing Board into the school’s second decade.
You honor the creative thinkers and leaders who value the voices of their students and create a family where differences are accepted and appreciated, like the international baccalaureate coordinator and head of school at Green Run Collegiate, Tonia Waters and Rianne Patricio.
You honor members of the Human Rights Commission and the Green Run Collegiate Governing and Foundation boards past and present.
Others who have supported me along this journey sit among you on the dais: Joash Schulman who has become a trusted advisor; Worth Remick, who served with me on the Green Run Collegiate Foundation, who is also a neighbor and friend; and my friend Michael Berlucchi, who has encouraged me and is always ready to provide support to me and the Green Run Collegiate family.
Nothing I have accomplished would mean anything or even be possible without my husband, Bill Walters, who has been by my side for the past 21 years.
But the people who should really be standing here are my parents, Enoch and Irene Burnsworth, who taught me what leadership and service are through their own sacrifice and example. It was they who brought a naïve 21 year old who had never lived on his own to Virginia Beach from a small town in West Virginia to start a career as a theatre arts teacher at Princess Anne High School.
In 1977, I was one of more than 30 new teachers to the school. The population of our city had begun to explode, and this new class of teachers was recruited from West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and other points north. I remember vividly driving down Princess Anne Road to the school administration building thinking, “Where am I going?”
Past Edwin Drive, there were few houses, and the two-lane road was boarded by deep ditches on both sides. I remember going to my first staff convocation at The Dome and thinking, “Wow, there is nothing this cool in West Virginia.”
In those days, the student population of Princess Anne was growing with those who would eventually become zoned for Green Run, and I taught behind a curtain on stage while massive study halls gathered in the auditorium.
Now, I proudly live in a city where the number of high schools has more than doubled since those early days of my career. I no longer think I’m lost when traveling down Great Neck Road to Cox, and soon a surf park will be located where the Dome once stood. Some of those first students I taught now have grandchildren attending our schools, and the vast majority of the colleagues I started teaching with that year are retired.
In 1977, I would have been addressing a City Council of all white males who would never have thought of recognizing Pride month, let alone an openly gay man for having done something he loves, something that fills his heart with the joy giving back to the community gives me.
But look at us. I look at the diversity on the dais and in this room with pride. I’m thrilled that, as city, we are inching our way to true neighborhood representation on City Council. These are things of which to be proud and grateful.
I want to challenge you with two things.
First, please continue to put programs and funds in place that support those who are marginalized in our community. Among them are the economically challenged, those whose first language is not English, the LGBTQ and trans members of our community, the elderly and those who are handicapped or have issues with mental health. They need you to protect their human rights and lead by example.
As a principal, I always told my teachers that, when making a decision, visualize the face of your most vulnerable student and make the choice that will benefit them the most and then make adaptations for others. Certainly, never make a choice based on what is easiest or most beneficial to you. I ask you to use that same method when making your decisions that impact the citizens of Virginia Beach.
And, if you have not done so already, visit Green Run Collegiate, Virginia’s first public charter school. For the past 10 years, this school has been the best kept secret in our city. It was designed to and currently provides an equitable opportunity for any student in Virginia Beach to successfully complete the rigorous international baccalaureate curriculum without first being selected based on test scores, grades or the opinion of others.
It is a school that conforms to the needs of the student, rather than the student conforming to an image created by the school. We take preparing the future citizens of our community seriously and have instituted programs that are designed to inspire students to think critically, work collaboratively and seek creative, innovative solutions to unique, relevant tasks.
I am so proud of the work done by the staff at Green Run Collegiate. By purposefully meeting students where they are and providing the resources they need, next week, 100 percent of our senior class will graduate on time, and this is taking place for the seventh consecutive year. GRC is the only public school in Tidewater to achieve such a remarkable record. I encourage you to visit and see firsthand the impact that equity and opportunity can have on the life of a student and their dreams.
It has been my honor to serve the city as a member of the Human Rights Commission and the most important profession in the world – that of educator.
I thank each of you for your service to our city and her citizens.
The author retired from Virginia Beach City Public Schools in 2017 after 40 years of service as a teacher, building principal and assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction. Since retirement, he has served on the Green Run Collegiate Governing Board and founded the Green Run Collegiate Foundation. He served four years on the Virginia Beach Human Rights Commission.
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