It’s always pleasing when any school division in Western Tidewater reaches a milestone in academic or even athletic achievement. As a recent example of the former, Southampton County was named on Wednesday as one of only five school divisions in Virginia to earn a place on the 7th Annual AP District Honor Roll. The announcement was made by the College Board, which is the nonprofit organization that administers the Advanced Placement program.

More specifically, Southampton and others school divisions have been expanding participation in AP courses. At the same time, they’re also maintaining or increasing the number of students earning scores of three or higher on AP tests. Those are generally accepted indicators of students ready to advance their education after high school.

As Supt. Dr. Gwendolyn Shannon noted on Friday, the recognition speaks to the planning, work and dedication of the Southampton High Principal Allene Atkinson, the faculty and, of course, the students.

We share her pride that the school division continuously strives to provide excellence in education.