Our Hampton Roads Roots
Launched in Hampton Roads. Built by Hampton Roads Educators. Committed to the Region.
Virtual Science Teachers (VST) was founded in Hampton Roads, and the region remains the center of our work. Our resources are shaped by Hampton Roads teachers, refined in Hampton Roads classrooms, and delivered directly to Hampton Roads students and educators through professional development, curriculum partnerships, and community STEM events.
Hampton Roads isn’t an outreach area for us. It’s our home.
And what we build here, we share with everyone. Because why not?
Let's Work Together
If you teach or lead science instruction anywhere in Hampton Roads, we want to partner with you.
- Free professional development for your science department, school, or district. We can meet in-person or virtual, scaled to your needs.
- Custom resource development that matches what your teachers and students actually need. Tell us the topic, the standard, or the gap and we’ll work with your team to build it.
- Ongoing classroom support as teachers implement VST resources, with direct access to our team for feedback and iteration.
This isn’t a pilot program or a trial offer. It’s how we’ve always worked with Hampton Roads schools — and we’re actively expanding capacity to say yes to more regional partners.
Reach out: admin@virtualscienceteachers.com
Hampton Roads Impact at a Glance
- Thousands of Hampton Roads learners engage with VST digital resources each reporting period
- Thousands of underserved Hampton Roads students served, based on regional free/reduced lunch data
- 200+ Hampton Roads teachers reached through VST professional development
- 1,000+ Hampton Roads students engaged face-to-face through community STEM events
- 100+ interactive Mini-Challenges developed with direct input from Hampton Roads teachers
Statewide Recognition
Virtual Science Teachers has been shared with Virginia educators by the Virginia Department of Education as a classroom instructional resource.
Districts & Regional Partners
Hampton Roads School Districts: Portsmouth Public Schools • Chesapeake Public Schools • Norfolk Public Schools • Virginia Beach City Public Schools
Regional Partners: COVA STEM Hub • Hampton Roads Workforce Council • Coastal Virginia STEM Ecosystem • Hampton Roads Community Foundation • Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation • Chesapeake Education Foundation • Southeast Community Foundation • Virginia Association of Science Teachers (VAST)
Curriculum Built with Hampton Roads Teachers
VST’s resources are shaped by Hampton Roads educators who test them in real classrooms and help guide every revision. We actively collaborate with teachers across Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Newport News, and Virginia Beach Public Schools on curriculum development, Mini-Challenge design, and classroom feedback.
Our 20+ member Academic Review Board, which includes Hampton Roads teachers, guides resource design, usability, and standards alignment.
Free Professional Development for Hampton Roads Educators
VST delivers free professional development to Hampton Roads science teachers, with a signature focus on data analysis, graphing, and claim-evidence-reasoning (CER), skills directly tied to student success in STEM careers.
Recent PD partners include Norfolk Public Schools, Portsmouth Public Schools, and Virginia Beach City Public Schools, along with regional sessions at the VAST Conference. VST’s resources are free to everyone. Our PD shows teachers how to use them to engage students, save planning time, and strengthen instruction.
Want PD for your school or district? Just ask. Email admin@virtualscienceteachers.com and we’ll design a session that fits your team’s goals, schedule, and grade levels, at no cost to Hampton Roads schools.
Hampton Roads STEM Events
VST engages thousands of Hampton Roads students each year at career events, STEM nights, community programs, and camps.
Recent events include:
Worlds of Work (Hampton Roads Workforce Council) • Expedition Port of Call (Virginia Beach City Public Schools) • COVA STEM Hub STEM Exploration Day • Newport News STEM Community Event • Portsmouth Public Schools STEM Night • Chesapeake Public Schools STEM Camp • REACH Foundation STEAM Day • STEM events at Naval Station Norfolk and Langley Air Force Base • ongoing STEM activities at Hampton Roads schools.
Hosting a Hampton Roads STEM event? We’d love to be there! admin@virtualscienceteachers.com
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Expanding Our Hampton Roads Investment
- Data analysis resources connected to Hampton Roads STEM careers: Interactive activities paired with authentic, career-connected datasets linking classroom science to regional industries including shipbuilding, maritime research, and aerospace.
- Deeper district integration: Direct LMS integration with Canvas and Schoology, enabling Hampton Roads teachers to assign VST activities and receive performance data inside their existing systems.
- Sustained teacher partnership: Continued curriculum co-development and expanded regional PD, free to Hampton Roads schools.
Let's Build Something for Hampton Roads
Teachers, schools, and districts: free PD, custom resources, and ongoing partnership are all on the table.
Funders and regional partners: your support directly extends this free work into more Hampton Roads classrooms.