Former Northampton School Superintendent named Va. Superintendent of the Year by VASS

Former Northampton Schools’ Superintendent Walter “Rick” Clemons was named Virginia Superintendent of the Year this week during the Virginia Association of School Superintendents Annual Awards Luncheon in Roanoke.

Clemons left Northampton Schools in 2014 after serving in the top post for three years. He has served as the superintendent of Gloucester County Public Schools for the last eight years.

Clemons was selected by the presidents of the Virginia Board of Education, the Virginia Education Association, the Virginia Parent and Teacher Association, the Virginia School Boards Association, the Virginia Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, the Virginia Association of Elementary School Principals, and the Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals, with support by the President, President-Elect and Secretary/Treasurer of the Virginia Association of School Superintendents.

According to the Virginia Association of School Superintendents, also known as VASS, Clemons was chosen for the honor due to his leadership during the pandemic, which served as an example for other Virginia school divisions. He balanced the tension in his community between those with concerns for the learning and social needs of Gloucester’s students, and those with concerns for the health and safety for all.

“Rick has done an outstanding job representing all Virginia educators as a staunch advocate for the state’s public-school students,” VASS President Zeb Talley said when presenting the award. “He is a skillful leader who stands firm in doing what is best for students while providing everyone in his community with the opportunity to share their opinions about what quality public education means.”

The Gloucester County school division was one of the first in the region to return to in-person learning through a phased-in hybrid approach.

.