Longwood University faculty and staff, community leaders and parents from Prince Edward County gathered Wednesday to meet Dr. Barbara Johnson, the newly hired superintendent of schools.

Longwood President W. Taylor Reveley IV said “this has been just a glorious day. To have a few hundred people come out to meet the new superintendent on a summer morning is a special thing.”

Those in attendance expressed support for Johnson, whose four-year contract begins July 1. She brings a wealth of experience, including having served as executive director of instruction in the Baltimore school system, assistant superintendent of a division in Illinois and a principal in Washington, D.C. She began her career in Fairfax County as an English teacher.

Attendees expressed their confidence in Johnson as a leader and noted changes they would like to see.

“New people always bring new ideas, new energy, new experience. I think having that new perspective will be helpful for the schools,” said Sarah McElflresh, mother of two students at the county’s middle school. “I hope overall the aura of the school and the morale of the teachers … will improve.”

Navona Hart, a Farmville Realtor, said she’s “very pleased that we have somebody that is energetic and willing to get out and meet the community.” She also mentioned that she would like to hear more of the schools’ success stories.

Johnson agreed. “People take pride in the things that they commit themselves to and are invested in, so the goal is to make sure everybody is committed to making sure our children have quality experiences and they invest themselves. It will pay off, and with all of that comes great pride.”

Rita Mosely, a retired staff member at Prince Edward High School, said she’s “looking forward to seeing what changes (Johnson) would like to make.”

Catherine Franssen, an assistant professor of psychology at Longwood, mentioned the need for more attention to gifted students.

“There’s a lot of energy toward the remediation parts and a lot of attention given to the needs of our community, which are valuable and important, but I’m hoping to see some attention given to our excellent students,” she said.

Johnson said her goal in academic programming is to serve “children on all ends of the spectrum” and ensure “they all receive an exceptional education, so that no matter what program you are in, you are getting an appropriate educational experience, that has been challenging and rigorous, so that you are nationally competitive. I want our students to have a place at the table.”

Reveley, who hosted the reception, called Johnson “a home run for the community.”

“She’s got this wonderful engaging personality, she’s got vision for what the public schools can be in the future as part of a wonderful two-college town, and she’s got a glittering resume and a powerful desire to be here and do great things right here in Prince Edward.”

Newly elected school board member Timothy Corbett said he’s “really glad that we have her, and I am looking forward to working with her. I believe that she’s the person to take us to the next level.”

Johnson said she would like to see the Prince Edward County Schools work more tightly with area businesses and community organizations.

Attendees expressed challenges that Johnson may face early in her tenure.

“I think people are scared of change, and I think if she comes in with a change agenda that people will be scared,” Hart said. “I’m worried that a scared attitude will create a negative feedback.”

Added McElfresh, “You don’t want to change things just for the sake of change.”

Johnson said, “I’m sure that there are issues and people have personal concerns, but at the end of the day everybody wants the absolute best for their children. That’s what they want, that’s what they should have, and we will work toward that.”