Send announcements to the Alexandria Gazette Packet, by e-mail to gazette@connectionnewspapers.com. Deadline is Thursday at noon for the following week’s paper. Photos are encouraged. Call Rebecca Halik at 703-917-6407 with questions.
Mount Vernon is currently accepting applications through May 21 for its History Teacher of the Year award from Washington, D.C., metropolitan area history teachers. Any teacher in the Washington, D.C., area who teaches American History in grades 3-12, and has at least two years of teaching experience, is eligible to apply for this annual award. Visit mountvernon.org/teacheroftheyear.
Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) elementary schools are holding open houses and/or school tours designed primarily for parents of rising kindergartners and other new ACPS students. If unsure to which school assigned, call 703-824-6710 or refer to the online Attendance Zone Locator, at http://www.acps.k12.va.us/enroll/zonelocator.php. Schedule:
* Charles Barrett Elementary School, 1115 Martha Custis Dr., Alexandria, 703-824-6960 — Tours take place from 9 to 10 a.m. on Wednesdays. A date is not yet finalized for a children’s kindergarten visit that will take place in April.
* George Mason Elementary School, 2601 Cameron Mills Road, Alexandria, 703-706-4470 — An open house will take place from 1 to 2 p.m. on March 27. Tours are offered at 9:15 a.m. every Wednesday.
* James K. Polk Elementary School, 5000 Polk Ave., Alexandria, 703-461-4180 — An open house will take place on May 20. Tours may be arranged by calling the school.
* William Ramsay Elementary School, 5700 Sanger Ave., Alexandria, 703-824-6950 — Tours are available by appointment upon request.
* Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School, 435 Ferdinand Day Dr., Alexandria, 703-933-6300 — An open house will take place from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on April 23. Tours are available by appointment upon request.
The City of Alexandria’s Jerome “Buddie” Ford Nature Center, 5750 Sanger Ave., will offer a weeklong nature day camp for youth ages 7 to 10. The camp is scheduled for April 6-10, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily. Campers will participate in fun, nature-based learning activities, including woodland hikes, live animal exhibitions, journaling, story time, and nature games and crafts. Campers may be dropped off at 8:30 a.m. The camp fee is $275 for City residents ($300 for nonresidents) for the entire week. Registration is ongoing, and advance registration is required for all campers. Space is limited. To register, or to receive additional information, call the Naturalist staff at 703-838-4829.
StagePlay's Midsummer Drama Camp for ages 5-14 will run weekday afternoons June 28-July 2, July 6-10 & July 13-24 at St. Aidan's Episcopal Church. The program includes Shakespeare and more. For full details e-mail bardsplay@aol.com or visit www.stageplay.tv.
Alexandria Tutoring Consortium needs volunteer tutors to work with 1st and 2nd grade ACPS students. Tutors focus on improving literacy skills in one-on-one sessions with students. 703-549-6670 ext. 119, www.alexandriatutors.org.
Messiah Lutheran Church is offering pre-school for children ages 2-4. Call 703-765-5003 or visit messiahelca.org for more.
Campagna Center introduces Afternoon Adventures for children in half-day preschool to receive childcare at John Adams Elementary, 5652 Rayburn Ave. or Jefferson Houston Elementary, 1501 Cameron St., from 3-6 p.m. $14/day. To register, visit www.campagnacenter.org or 703-549-0111 ext. 112.
Three Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) teachers received National Board Certification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). The newly certified teachers are Suzette Adams, counselor at Cora Kelly School for Math, Science and Technology; Jennifer Larsen, first-grade teacher at George Mason Elementary School; and Celia Ochs, second-grade teacher at James K. Polk Elementary School.
A team of students from Bishop Ireton High School of Alexandria competed with teams from Stonewall Jackson High School of Manassas and Walt Whitman High School of Bethesda on It's Academic, the high school quiz program. The competition was spirited, and Walt Whitman won the match. The program will air Saturday, Feb. 7, at 10:30 a.m. on NBC4, Channel 4. The Bishop Ireton team consists of Captain Ben Dahljelm, Emily Conron, and David Bernier. Their faculty coach is Ron Umbeck.
George Mason Elementary School is one of 162 Virginia public schools earning the 2009 Governor’s Award for Educational Excellence. Douglas MacArthur Elementary School, James K. Polk Elementary School, Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy and Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School are among 544 schools and 24 school divisions to receive the Board of Education Excellence Award, the second-tier honor in the VIP program. Charles Barrett Elementary School is one of 276 schools and 10 school divisions to receive the Board of Education’s Competence to Excellence Award.
Four T.C. Williams High School students who received awards at the DECA District 10 Leadership Conference held on Jan. 8 at Potomac Mills Outlet Mall will compete at the State Leadership Conference set for March 13 to15 in Norfolk. Students who will advance to the next level of competition include Tiffany Bruce, second place emotional intelligence role-play, second place overall in the apparel and accessories management level; Michael Bullock, second place promotion role-play, second place overall, food marketing; Cecilia Najera, first place marketing information management role-play, second place overall, quick-serve restaurant management; and Roberto Small, second place economics role-play, third place promotion and second place overall, restaurant and food service management.
Jared L. Kuhmerker, son of Peter and Lynne Kuhmerker and a graduate of T C Williams High School, was named to the dean’s list at Bucknell University.
The following Alexandria residents were named to the dean’s list at University of Virginia’s College at Wise: Naana Akoto Denning, Daniel Allen Hobbs, Joshua Jamal Jordan, Tyler David Willey and Emily Barrett Witucki.
Kateleen Bashkansky of Alexandria has been named to the fall 2008 dean's list at Hofstra University. Bashkansky is currently studying biology at Hofstra.
Jordan James Hatchell of Alexandria was named to Union University's President's List for the fall 2008 semester.
The following students at Coastal Carolina University students from your coverage area who earned dean's list status: John W. Northington Jr., Arlington; Casey L. Rolla, Arlington; and Anna L. Tupy, Alexandria.
The following students were named to the high list, Episcopal High School’s academic honor roll: Elizabeth Stuart Agnew, freshman; Pendleton Clark Agnew, Jr., sophomore; Claire Gratz Battis, senior; Quinn Topper Caslow, freshman; Peter Angus Markoski, senior; Paige Anne Micklem, senior; Angelique Lynn Phillips, sophomore; Charles Davidson Snow, junior; and William Winkenwerder III, junior.
Bishop Ireton senior Emily Conron has been named a National Merit Finalist.
Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy is one of 27 finalists for the National Schools of Character Education competition, sponsored by the Character Education Partnership. Lyles Crouch, the only finalist from greater Washington, D.C., advanced to the national competition after winning the statewide competition for having the most outstanding character program of all the schools in Virginia.
Three long-time Alexandria community organizations — the Rotary Club of Alexandria, the Goodwin House, and the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra — recently collaborated to sponsor a music competition for juniors and seniors in area high schools. Six outstanding Alexandria student musicians participated in the Alexandria Rotary’s annual Music Competition. Judging the competition, and then leading the students in a follow-up “Masterclass” one-on-one instruction, was Kim Allen Kluge, music director of the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra.
Annie Trimber, a flutist and a senior at West Potomac High School, was awarded the Rotary Club of Alexandria’s Gold performance award and will now move on to compete in the Regional competition for the $5,000 in music scholarships awarded each year by Rotary District 7610.
While Trimber took the top Gold honors, Silver performance awards went to three students at St. Stephens & St. Agnes School: Kelly Bragg, a vocalist; Will Jakes, a cello player, and Ian McLeod, a pianist. Bragg and McLeod are seniors and Jakes a junior. Bronze performance awards went to Tia Norris-Towler, a violin player who is a T. C. Williams junior, and to Dorothea Kamara, a senior at West Potomac High School.
On Feb. 28, the T.C. Williams High School Titans Debate Team competed in the Virginia High School League (VHSL) Patriot District Tournament. Titan debaters Yasmin Faruki and Saif Chames-Eddine qualified for VHSL Regionals when both won their elimination round.
Fairfax County Public Schools students have been named to the Virginia All-State Chorus for 2009 and will perform as a group April 23-25 at Massaponax High School in Fredricksburg. FCPS students selected for the 2009 Virginia All-State Chorus are: Kimmy Hann, Alex Pham, Ali Ruth, and Alexa Silverman, from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, and Edgar Blancas, Sally Henrehan, Dorothea Kamara, Rachel Mattis, Kate Mullen, and Shayna Oakley from West Potomac High School.
George Washington Middle School's 7th grade Patriots team held its second quarter awards program on Feb. 17. Among the 20 students honored were four children enrolled in Community Lodgings Youth Education Program: Gerson Pena, Carlisha Green, Wylmer Diaz and Kevin Cruz.
Seven Alexandria residents have recently been named to the dean's list at Boston University for the Fall semester: Erin T. Coffey, Patrick R. Fitzsimmons, Thao T. Nguyen-Le, Dale S. Placek, Benjamin B. Rhodeside, William J. Tortolano IV. and Alison M. Yates.
In the search for The Country’s Funniest College Student, RooftopComedy’s 2nd Annual National College Comedy Competition named T.C. Williams High School graduate Chris Stephens to Columbia College Chicago’s Comedy Team.
T.C. Williams High School Graphic Design student Sarah Davis created the winning artwork in the City of Alexandria’s annual contest to make a logo for the city’s Earth Day celebration. Davis’ collage depicting a tree with roots made up of pictures of earth-friendly transportation modes will be used for all promotional materials advertising this year's event, which will be held at Ben Brenman Park on April 25. Several students entered the competition. Second place went to Neeracha Sunthontip, a T.C. Williams Art 1 student.
Three T.C. Williams High School Chamber Choir students attended the District Ten Honors Choir during February. Participants included junior Jessica Palma and seniors Maham Ayaz and Christian Jimenez. Ayaz was chosen as a soloist for the performance on Saturday afternoon. In a separate audition at the event, Jimenez was selected to be one of two district representatives for Tenor 1 at the All-Virginia Honors Choir in April.
Jefferson-Houston School for Arts and Academics third-grader Narisse King is among the winners in Delegate David Englin’s first annual Youth Art Contest. King’s abstract skateboard design was displayed in the General Assembly building in Richmond. She will receive a custom skateboard deck and a T-shirt from Convoy Skateboards.