Ernestine Reid graduated in 1969 from Wyatt High School, Emporia, VA. In 1973, she received her B.S. in Education from St. Paul's College, Lawrenceville, VA. That fall, she began a 38-year career teaching fifth grade at Orange Elementary School. She retired in 2011.
Ernestine has been the recipient of numerous awards: Student Teacher Academic Excellence Award, Orange Elementary School 2010 Teacher of the Year, the Orange County Education Foundation “Lifetime Contribution Award” in 2016, Martin Luther King Jr. Observance Committee’s Civil Service Award, and the NAACP Community Service Award.
In 2011, School Board member Lou Thompson established in her honor the Ernestine Reid Teacher Innovation Grant Fund, administered by the Orange County Education Foundation to support instructional creativity. Ernestine has played an intricate role in building support for the Academic Scholars Institute, a program designed to inspire outstanding academic achievement among young African American boys. In 2017, the Virginia General Assembly passed Senate Joint Resolution #288 lauding her as a devoted educator and inspirational civic leader. Ernestine is a life member of the Orange County Branch NAACP, Director of the College Youth Council, Director of the Little Zion Baptist Church Senior Choir, and a Board Member of the Orange Boys and Girls Club. As a retired educator, she continues to serve the community through tutoring and mentoring.
