Paige Smith of Short Pump Elementary named runner-up for prestigious annual recognition
Dr. Jessica Seal, principal of Short Pump Middle School, has been named the recipient of the 2026 REB Award for Distinguished Educational Leadership for Henrico County Public Schools.
The Community Foundation and the REB Foundation present the award to four principals annually — one each from the school divisions of Henrico, Chesterfield and Hanover counties and one from the city of Richmond. The award recognizes principals who go beyond the day-to-day demands of their jobs to create an exceptional educational environment. Seal was surprised with the news Friday at a school celebration, attended by her family, staff members and HCPS leaders.
“I have an incredible team, and without them and the support of the people who have been mentors to me, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do for kids every day,” Seal said. “And my family shows up for me all the time. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to do the work that I do. It means so much to me, and Short Pump means so much to me … This is incredible.”
Seal will receive a $10,000 cash grant and an additional $20,000 for school projects. The school grant will go toward expanding the Middle School Cornerstone project, a student leadership course she implemented at Short Pump Middle more than three years ago. The grant will help the course expand to the division’s other middle schools.
This is Seal’s fourth year as principal at Short Pump Middle School. She began her career as a science and history teacher before working as the coordinator of assessment and remediation at Quioccasin Middle School, assistant principal at Glen Allen High School and associate principal at Mills E. Godwin High School.
Seal held her 16-month-old daughter, Reagan, as she accepted her award. She said the award means “so much more” with her own child there to celebrate.
“Becoming a parent while serving the Short Pump community has been very powerful … I know what parents are doing when they send their children to me,” she said. “For my daughter and my family to be able to see the passion and the work, it just means the world to me.”
Paige Smith, principal of Short Pump Elementary School, was runner-up for the award and receives a $10,000 grant for her school. Smith was also surprised with the news by school leaders and her family, and she was treated to a parade which led her through applauding students and staff who lined the hallways of the building.
Previously, Smith was the school’s associate principal before becoming principal in 2020. She began her HCPS career in 1999 as a teacher at Echo Lake Elementary School and spent several years as a gifted resource teacher serving multiple schools in the division. Her recognition coincides with the 100th anniversary of the school’s founding — a deep history that has involved her family for a long time.
“Short Pump is my community, born and raised here, and it’s a privilege to lead the school where my dad attended many years ago and to see the progression,” she said. “We turned 100 years old this year, so it’s a beautiful milestone, but just the beginning point of what the school community can do.”
For more information about the REB Awards for Distinguished Educational Leadership, visit cfrichmond.org/receive/scholars-educators/educators/leadership.