The newest face on Waynesboro School Board is Nigel Stewart, a 2019 Waynesboro High School graduate, who hopes his new position will become a stepping stone into local politics.
At 24, Stewart is the youngest to serve on Waynesboro School Board or City Council. He hopes that Waynesboro‘s youth are inspired by seeing a young Black man serve on the school board.
“It’s important not only that [children] see a board that reflects them but, I think, it’s also important they see a young Black man who is also active,” Stewart said. His biggest hope when running in the fall for the November seat was that Waynesboro‘s youth would see it is possible for youth to follow their dreams. “And, even if it wasn’t their dreams, just to give back.”
Waynesboro School Board is now majority Black and continues to be majority female representing Waynesboro Schools. Waynesboro elected its first Black mayor, Kenny Lee, in January.
Stewart, who attended William Perry Elementary School as a child, will continue as a mentor in Wenonah Elementary School‘s male mentorship program. He has a passion for mentoring others at work.
“When I was approached to [mentor at Wenonah], it was just a no brainer,” he said of the mentorship opportunity he began in September.
He said he feels representation is important.
“It’s going great,” Stewart said of the program and having taken two field trips with his 8-year-old mentee. Wenonah mentees and mentors traveled to the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton and to P. Buckley Moss Gallery in downtown Waynesboro.
Stewart used to mentor children at the Waynesboro YMCA.
“It teaches you patience. Kids are so innocent. So you’re able to kind of relax around kids. They teach me more than I teach them,” Stewart said. “I often find that they are more observant and emotionally intact than most adults. Children are sponges, so if we continue to give them positivity then that’s what they will continue to absorb.”
Stewart said he recognizes that he was fortunate to grow up with male mentor figures such as his grandfather and with strong women in his life, including his mother and grandmother. So he wants to be available for a child who does not have a strong male figure in his life.
“I think we should be giving back [in our communities],” Stewart said. “And everyone should be given the opportunity to have someone in their life to make a positive impact.”
A 2023 honors graduate of Virginia State University, where he earned a degree in accounting and finance, Stewart works in the corporate office of a bank in Richmond. His dream is to work in governmental accounting some day. Stewart is already enjoying the Waynesboro Schools budget process.
“I’ve always had a passion for politics,” Stewart said. Joining school board is “the most direct and impactful way for me to give my heart to a community who has given me so much.”
Stewart’s goals on school board align with other members to expand CTE programs at Waynesboro High and further create career pathways for students and Virginia‘s future workforce.
“Expanding pathways for students who maybe college isn’t their first choice,” Stewart said.
Expand community partnerships is another goal of Stewart and other members of the board.
“We hope to continue good work,” he said.
He thanks his family for their support, especially his mother who raised him and his younger brother as a single mother, as well as his grandparents, aunts and uncles. His grandfather who served as a mentor when Stewart was a child died more than a year ago.
“He was a huge motivation. He was one of those male figures in my life who transformed me into the man that I am today. I owe all thanks to him. And, of course, give thanks to God who makes all things possible. Without those people and my faith, I certainly wouldn’t be here today,” Stewart said.
Stewart was elected by Waynesboro voters in November to replace Rick Wheeler, who chose not to run again for the school board.
Related stories:
Waynesboro: Mentors are ‘an extension of our family’ at Wenonah Elementary School
Kenny Lee proud to be first African American mayor in Waynesboro
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Rebecca Barnabi
