Powhatan High School

🎃 It’s almost time for Trunk or Treat at Powhatan High School! 🎃🍬 Join us tonight from 5:00–6:30 p.m. in the bus loop for candy, games, music, and fun with our student-run trunks. Costumes welcome! 👻
Stick around after for the football game. It’s going to be a great night of community and school spirit. 🧡 #WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

Students in Mrs. Duncan’s AP Human Geography class at Powhatan High School explored the theme of population migration through a series of engaging, hands-on stations in the library earlier this month. 🌍 Stations included participating in a refugee simulation and using VR goggles to compare rural and urban landscapes – even taking a virtual trip to Antarctica. Students also examined examples of forced and voluntary migration, both past and present. Special thanks to librarian Mr. Smartschan for organizing the interactive stations that brought geography to life! 🧡 #WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

Good afternoon PCPS Community. We are back again with another installment of the Powhatan County School Board Recap. As always, the goal of this newsletter is to help people who don't have the time to come to or watch full school board meetings still stay abreast of what is going on in our school division. We wish you a safe and happy weekend!
Link to School Board Recap: https://secure.smore.com/n/m6bjw
#WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

Several of Mrs. Hazelwood’s Cosmetology II students at Powhatan High School competed in the SkillsUSA competition at the Virginia State Fair. The students competed in several categories: Total Fantasy Look, Total Fashion, Competition Promotional Bulletin Board, and Fantasy Mannequin. Thank you to our amazing students for representing PHS in this state competition. 🧡 #WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

Powhatan High School’s SPEAR and ARROWS teams kicked off their robotics season in September with fun, hands-on activities to get the creativity and teamwork flowing! 🤖💡 Led by club sponsor Mr. Beasley, students geared up for another exciting year of building, problem-solving, and competition. 🧡 #WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

Students in Mrs. Long’s dual enrollment English 12 classes at Powhatan High School recently spent SPEAR time hearing a special presentation on using college databases from a Reynolds Community College librarian. The visit helped students strengthen their research skills, which is an essential part of their college-level coursework. 📚🧡 #WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

🔬 At Powhatan High School, students in Mrs. Stump and Miss Adams’ Ecology class recently practiced their observation and inference skills by dissecting owl pellets, uncovering bones like skulls, scapulas, and even a spinal column. From their findings, students made inferences about where the owl may have lived and what it had eaten. #WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

✨ Love working with little learners? Powhatan County Public Schools is hiring a VPI Teacher for 3-year-olds! 🧡 Join us in helping our youngest students grow, explore, and shine. Must hold a valid Virginia teaching license. Apply today at on the PCPS website. #WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

Watershed program receives statewide award
POWHATAN, VA – Powhatan County Public Schools (PCPS) is proud to announce that its Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE) has been named a 2025 Virginia Association of Counties (VACo) Achievement Award winner. This award recognizes innovative programs that make a lasting impact in communities across the Commonwealth.
Since 2018, the MWEE program has engaged all fourth-grade students – about 350 each year – in a two-day outdoor learning experience at Fighting Creek Park. The annual MWEE event for the 2025-2026 school year will occur this fall.
What makes this initiative unique is its peer-led model: Powhatan High School students from AP Environmental Science and Ecology classes serve as instructors.
Through hands-on science stations, fourth graders explore watershed health, human impacts on ecosystems, and environmental stewardship, while their high school mentors develop leadership, confidence, and communication skills.
This impactful experience is made possible through strong partnerships with the Powhatan Extension Office, Monacan Soil and Water Conservation District, James River Master Naturalists, Master Gardeners, and the Virginia Department of Forestry.
PCPS extends a special thank-you to Mrs. Stump and Mrs. DeHart for preparing high school students to lead this award-winning program.
PCPS is proud that the MWEE program reflects the division’s Strategic Plan by advancing Academic Excellence through authentic, hands-on learning and strengthening Family and Community Engagement through meaningful partnerships.
PHOTOS: Photos were taken during the 2024 MWEE event in Fighting Creek Park.

Powhatan County Public Schools would like to share an important update regarding the structure of School Board meetings.
Until now, the board has held two separate monthly meetings: a workshop session at 4:00 p.m. used primarily for closed session items and a regular business meeting at 6:00 p.m. Beginning with the October 14, 2025, meeting, the board will move to a single combined meeting format.
The meeting will begin at 4:00 p.m. with time reserved for closed session (from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., unless otherwise noted). At 6:00 p.m., the board will reconvene in open session and continue with the remainder of the meeting.
This change is intended to improve transparency, clarity, and the overall flow of the School Board’s work. With one meeting instead of two, the agenda will use an improved structure designed to make it easier to follow discussions and decisions.
Agendas will continue to be posted the Thursday before each regular Tuesday meeting, and moving forward there will also be a single YouTube recording of the meeting, which we hope will reduce confusion.
We appreciate your attention to this change and your continued engagement with the important work of the School Board.

Powhatan High School students in Mr. Beasley’s engineering class put their designs to the test earlier this month! ⚙️ They built wind turbines and used a wind tunnel to measure how many volts their creations could generate – a hands-on way to combine problem-solving, design, and real-world application. 🧡 #WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

🌟 Astronomy students at Powhatan High School got creative during a Constellation Exploration Stations Project in the library. 🔭They explored how ancient cultures looked to the night sky, finding patterns that became constellations. These star maps weren’t just stories – they served as calendars for agriculture and guides for navigation and trade, helping early civilizations survive and evolve. 🌃 ✨ #WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

The Powhatan County School Board will hold a closed session meeting on Wednesday, October 1, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. at 4290 Anderson Highway, Powhatan, VA. The board will enter into closed session, pursuant of Section 2.2-3711(A)(8) of the Code of Virginia 1950, as amended, to consult legal counsel regarding the Pocahontas Landmark Center.

Every day in class is a step toward the future. 📚✨ Strong attendance builds the consistency and skills students need to succeed in Career and College Readiness programs and beyond. We love having our students in class!🧡 #WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

Students in Mrs. Hazelwood’s Cosmetology II class at Powhatan High School recently practiced their permanent waving skills with a fun mohawk perm style. ✂️ 🧡 #WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

Powhatan High School hosted its Back-to-School Night on Tuesday evening! Families had the opportunity to meet teachers, visit classrooms, and learn more about the year ahead. Thank you to all of the parents and guardians who came out, and to the PHS staff for the time and effort they put into making the event possible. 🧡 #WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

Earlier this month, the local chapter of Alpha Delta Kappa, an international honorary organization of women educators, surprised our new teachers with a little treat as a welcome. Pictured here, office assistants delivered goodie bags to a few Powhatan High School teachers. 🍎 Since its charter in 2005, the Powhatan chapter has carried out a variety of service projects, including raising funds each year to provide a $1,000 scholarship to a graduating senior pursuing a degree in education. The goodie bags are a special tradition to recognize new teachers and share a little encouragement as they begin their journey in PCPS. 🧡 #WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

🌟 REMINDER 🌟
Join us for Non-Traditional High School Options Night on Sept. 23 at Powhatan Middle School.
Meet representatives from Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School, Appomattox Regional Governor’s School, CodeRVA High School, and the Powhatan HS/Reynolds Community College Advanced College Academy.
Learn about programs, applications, and opportunities beyond the traditional high school path. Applications are limited to current 8th graders enrolled in Algebra 1, but the information night is open to students in grades 5–8 and their families. *
Applications open: Oct. 1 on the PCPS website
Application deadline: Dec. 1
* Private and homeschool families seeking applications will need to schedule an appointment with Ms. Antone to come to Powhatan Middle School and provide proof of residency for their student’s application to be verified and accepted.

Ninth grade Honors Biology students in Ms. Heinike’s class at Powhatan High School recently explored the importance of water’s unique properties. 💧 Through a six-station lab, students saw these properties in action — with the bubble station earning the biggest smiles! Hands-on science makes concepts come alive. #WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

Students in Ms. Burks’ World History II class at Powhatan High School recently connected literature and history by discussing “Romeo and Juliet” to help explore key concepts of the Renaissance. This approach gave students new perspective on the time period and the impact of its ideas. #WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan