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R.E.B. Awards for Distinguished Educational Leadership

The R.E.B. Awards for Distinguished Educational Leadership recognizes principals who go beyond the day-to-day demands of their position to create an exceptional educational environment. Four principals will be publicly recognized, one each from local school districts in Chesterfield, Hanover, Henrico and City of Richmond.

For over 30 years, the R.E.B. Foundation and the Community Foundation have worked in partnership to promote excellence in public education. Through awards programs for public school teachers and principals, we are proud to honor those individuals who work tirelessly to ensure that youth have the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in school and in life.


Our Timeline

September 14, 2023: Nominations Open
November 2, 2023, by 5:00 pm: Nomination Deadline
February 26, 2024: Finalist Interviews
Early March 2024: Recipients Announced

What We Look For

Nominees must be principals who:

 

  • Have been a principal of their school for three years
  • Manage effectively to promote excellence in education
  • Demonstrate leadership and exemplify commitment
  • Inspire their students and are advocates for their school and faculty
  • Encourage team spirit
  • Foster cooperation between the school and the community
  • Maintain dialogue with students, parents, faculty and staff

Assistant or Associate Principals are not eligible for this awards program.

Nominations may be submitted from the school community and from the public at-large. However, principals may not nominate themselves.

All nominations and letters of support must be submitted online. Click the "Nominate Here" button below to access the online system. Please review all requirements carefully and completely before you begin.

Nominators should write a letter explaining the nominee's distinguished educational leadership and address the personal and professional qualities of the nominee as they relate to the criteria of this award. The letter of nomination should be no more than two 8 1/2" x 11" typed pages in length. The nomination may be accompanied by up to three (3) additional one-page letters of support. Nominations must be submitted through the online system by the deadline. No hard copies, faxes or emails are accepted.

Past winners become eligible for nomination again at the beginning of the fifth program year following their last award (e.g. 2023 winner is eligible for nomination again for 2027-2028 program year for a potential award in 2028).

Each district will establish a committee for screening its nominations in accordance with the above criteria and will select two nominees for consideration by the selection committee. Finalists must be selected from the current year nomination pool. In addition to the nomination and letters of support, the local panel may consider additional factors, including but not limited to: quantifiable student achievement, student attendance, promotion and retention rates, faculty recognition, faculty attrition, school-community relations, parent involvement, school safety records, etc. This information may be provided to the local panel at the discretion of the Superintendent’s office. Personnel and individual student records may not be requested. The local panel will provide to the Award Selection Committee a brief summary of those factors, which the panel considered in recommending the candidate for further consideration.

Additional requirements for finalists:

  • Professional vitae
  • Brief description and budget of proposed school project
  • Interview with the Award Selection Committee

Each award will consist of a $10,000 cash grant to the principal and an additional $20,000 for school projects chosen by the principal.

Additional information is available from the Superintendent's Offices in Chesterfield, Hanover, Henrico and Richmond City. You may also contact Alicia Dickinson at (804) 409-5606.

Nominate a Principal

The R.E.B. Foundation will consider the following items in selecting final candidates:

1

 

Nomination

Complete Nomination Form

The nominator should upload a letter (no more than two typed 8 1/2" x 11" pages) that describes the nominee's distinguished educational leadership and addresses the personal and professional qualities of the nominee as related to the criteria of this award. Nominations must be submitted through the online system by the deadline. No hard copies, faxes or emails are accepted.

The nomination deadline is November 2nd, 2023 by 5pm.

2

 

Letter(s) of Support

The nomination may also include up to three (3) additional one-page letters of support from other individuals. The nominator will be responsible for uploading the letter(s) of support to the nomination in the online system. If you plan to include letter(s) of support with your nomination, be sure to obtain the letter(s) before completing the online nomination process.

 

Selection Process

Each district will establish a committee for screening its nominations in accordance with the above criteria and will select two nominees for consideration by the selection committee. All final candidates will be asked to supplement their candidacy by submitting a professional vitae and a brief description and budget of their proposed school project. Each final candidate will also be invited to interview with the Award Selection Committee.

4

 

Announcement of Awards

The next award recipients will be publicly announced in March 2024. Decisions of the Board of the R.E.B. Foundation are final.


Nomination Instructions

Nominations for this year have ended. Nominations will open again in September 2024.

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For technical support and general questions about the R.E.B. Awards, our experts are here to assist you.

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