Education

Langley High Choirs Complete Fall/Winter Season

The Langley High School Madrigals recently completed a busy fall and winter season with a performance at the Providence Baptist Church Twelfth Night Feast on Jan. 8. The Madrigals, a small vocal ensemble that performs mostly Renaissance music with an emphasis on independent and a cappella singing, also took part recently in a Tallis Scholars Masterclass with Peter Phillips at Christopher Newport University in Newport News.

Week in Great Falls

Langley Pyramid Helps Stop Hunger Now

For the fourth year in a row, Langley pyramid schools are raising money for the Stop Hunger Now. This year the goal is to raise $25,000, which is enough money to purchase 100,000 meals for school age children. To contribute to this fundraising effort, visit Stop Hunger Now at http://events.stophungernow.org/LangleyPyramid2015. Each 25¢ raised = 1 meal.

Deborah Jackson Named Learning Forward’s President

Deborah Jackson, special projects administrator in Fairfax County Public Schools, began her term as president of Learning Forward at the conclusion of the association's annual conference in Nashville, Tenn., on Dec. 10, 2014. Jackson succeeds Julie Blaine, executive director of the Central Regional Professional Development Center at the University of Central Missouri. Blaine now serves as past president.

After Defeat of Jefferson Site Project: What Next?

Unanswered questions divide County Board on proposal.

With the defeat of the proposed Thomas Jefferson Elementary School at the Arlington County Board, the public schools face overcrowding and a widening of the school “relocatables” program.

McLean Theatre Company Presents ‘Big Fish’

The McLean High School Theatre Company (MTC) premieres the musical “Big Fish” to the Metro DC area this February. Led by Artistic Director, Amy Poe, and Music Director, Bobby McCoy (1st Stage, Keegan, McLean Community Players), the award-winning company brings this big-hearted musical of a father's story, a son's journey and life's epic adventure.

Two Lee HS Students Get Full Ride to College

Yishak Desta and Sarah Neufcourt receive Posse Foundation scholarship.

Seniors Sarah Neufcourt and Yishak Desta received four-year scholarships to college from the Posse Foundation. The Robert E. Lee High School students were chosen among 16,000 students nationally. Neufcourt, 17, plans to study animal science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Desta, 17, is headed to Lafayette College in Pennsylvania and plans to study engineering.

Reboot for Youth

Local high school students provide computers to families in need.

Technology plays a prominent role in classrooms throughout Fairfax County, but the reality is that many students are still unable to afford personal computers of their own to use for basic things like homework. But a team of students at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) has made it their goal to eradicate cost as a barrier to technology for low-income families.

Navy Band To Visit Arlington's Yorktown High School

Concert to include students.

At the upcoming performance of the U.S. Navy Band, the uniformed professionals will be joined by members of the event host, Yorktown High School Band. The free concert will be held in Yorktown’s auditorium this coming Saturday evening.

Mount Vernon High School Hosts ‘Care Packing’ for Deployed Soldiers

There are all kinds of flash mobs. Instead of a marriage proposal or elaborate dance routine, more than 200 Mount Vernon High School students and members of the community descended on the school’s cafeteria on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to assemble care packages for deployed soldiers.

School Holds Bullying Prevention Week

The week of Jan. 12, Churchill Road Elementary School students participated in Bullying Prevention Week. Organized by school counselors Jamie Meyers and Alex Mantel, peer mediators created thematic posters and fifth and sixth grade students filmed anti-bullying skits that were aired on the morning Bobcat News broadcast.

Tysons Chamber, LearningRx Kick Off Job Shadow Program

Maureen Loftus, executive director of LearningRx of Vienna and Reston is leading the kick-off of the Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce (TRCC) job shadow program for 11th and 12th grade students of Oakton, Madison and Marshall high schools in Fairfax County, where students will shadow professionals in various industries in January and February.

Schools to Expand by $856 Million

Capital Improvement Plan approved, rising enrollment causes concerns about classroom space.

Five more school buildings and renovations for several existing ones may be approved by 2020. The Fairfax County School Board approved the $856 million Capital Improvement Program (CIP) at the Jan. 22 meeting to set priority on the projects the school system wants done in the next five years.

Strategy to Succeed

Students master their own learning styles to overcome challenges.

Students who have learning and financial challenges often also face challenges getting into and attending college.

College Prep for All

The ANA Project offers college test preparation tools to students at all income levels.

Amir Mousavi of Arlington, owner of Langley Prep, a provider of private, in-home tutoring for standardized tests, says students with limited financial resources are often at a disadvantage when it comes to preparing for college admissions examinations such as the SAT and the ACT.

Demolition at Langley Begins

Three-year renovation project will update local school.

Phase one of Langley High School’s renovation project has begun. The building, built in the 1960s, will receive its first major overhaul in an effort to update the building to create a more effective learning environment for students.

The Connection