South River Elementary School

Abstract

In October 2005, the Rockingham County Public Schools Web site announced exciting news: For the third consecutive year, all 20 of the districts schools were fully accredited by the Virginia Department of Education. This accomplishment was particularly impressive since it meant that South River Elementary, a school that struggled to consistently achieve during its first eight years of existence, once again had attained a high level of success. Though Principal Mark Keeler was reluctant to take credit for the schools performance, it was no secret that South Rivers improvement began when he was named principal a few years earlier. But what had he done to turn the school around? And how had he helped the school sustain success?