Education

Oakcrest School Announces Artwork of the Year Awards

Oakcrest School recently announced the winners of the Artwork of the Year Awards at Fine Arts Night: Grace Allen, seventh grade, won among middle schoolers and Jane North, 12th grade, at the upper school level.

Teacher of the Year

Longfellow Middle School CTE teacher recognized by the Southern Business Education Association.

Search the faces of Helene Safford’s students, and you won’t find one look of boredom. No signs of restlessness or clock-watching either. In fact, the expressions on the seventh and eighth graders’ faces in Safford’s speech arts class portray nothing but enthusiasm. On a recent Monday afternoon, the computer-lined classroom featured students milling about, and the noise level was high. But Safford wouldn’t have it any other way. The students were working in groups, consulting with their peers and with Safford on a broadcasting technology project.

Spring Hill Students Win Earth Day Awards

The school celebrates Earth Day with a multi-media celebration and contest.

Spring Hill Elementary School kicked off a new tradition this year for Earth Day. The entire student body shared their own interpretation of the importance of Earth Day through a school-wide art show and talent contest. The students created a variety of artistic creations, ranging from visual art to poetry and performance art. The celebration concluded with a recycled-goods fashion show.

Schools

School Notes

Email announcements to centreview@connectionnewspapers.com. Photos are welcome. More than 300 JMU students embarked on 30 spring break trips around the country and world. Students spent the week living simply, focused on service in their destination community but also on teamwork and reflection within their group. The following students participated in alternative spring break: Emma Stewart, Adrienne Lowry and Rachael Donnelly

Success at SkillsUSA Competition

Students in the SkillsUSA District 5 Chantilly Academy, A Governor’s STEM Academy, were honored at the 49th Annual SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skill Conference held in Roanoke on April 20 and 21.

Turbo Tutoring Scholarship

Turbo Tutoring, the local SAT accelerated prep company, awarded its first scholarship (for $500) to Kelly Duncan.

Newly Elected School Board Members Clash Over Raises for Teachers

Now budget heads to City Hall, where council members will determine appropriation.

School Board members traditionally try to present a unified front to City Hall, where members of the Alexandria City Council have the final say over how much money is transferred to the Beauregard Street headquarters of Alexandria City Public Schools.

Elephant Artist Inspires Youth

On Thursday, April 11, 30 children from The Apple Tree School of Fairfax had the opportunity to paint alongside Kelly Ann, a 17-year-old Asian elephant with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, at the George Mason University Patriot Center.

South County Student Awarded Scholarship

Tyrone Simpson receives $5,000 from Northern Virginia Urban League.

The Northern Virginia Urban League awarded $50,000 in scholarships to local high school students at its annual Community Service and Scholarship Awards Dinner Friday, April 19. The organization, whose mission it is to enable disadvantaged youth to achieve economic and academic success, awarded one scholarship to South County Secondary School senior Tyrone Simpson.

‘The Music Man’ Marches Into South County High

Cast of over 50 presents the award-winning classic musical.

Katie Murray, a South County High School senior and Fairfax Station resident, remembers vividly the first time she saw a rendition of Meredith Wilson’s classic musical “The Music Man.” Her younger self was home sick, channel surfing, and stumbled upon the 2003 film remake starring Matthew Broderick and Kristin Chenoweth.

Saratoga Students Discuss Oil Spill on Earth Day

Disaster response subject matter experts from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), spoke to 100 students at Saratoga Elementary School in Springfield on Wednesday, April 17, about how NGA assisted the U.S. Coast Guard in the cleanup of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which dumped more than 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.

‘A Sweet Story From a Simpler Time’

Fairfax High presents musical, “Hello, Dolly.”

Rousing music and a tender romance in turn-of-the-century New York—Fairfax High’s FX Players bring it all to life in the musical, “Hello, Dolly.”

Fairhill Elementary in-school Banking Days

April is National Financial Literacy Month and Sandy Spring Bank is celebrating by taking to the classroom to give children hands-on experience learning about money. On Wednesday, April 17, at Fairhill Elementary School, the bank set up its weekly in-school branch to help teach children about banking in a real world atmosphere.

Lake Braddock Theatre Revisits ‘Rashomon’

Director and fight choreographer also worked on school’s 1994 production.

Nineteen years ago, Lake Braddock drama teacher R.L. Mirabal and local choreographer Casey Kaleba worked together on “Rashomon,” the staged version of Akira Kurosawa’s 1950 dramatic film rooted in Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s Japanese folkloric stories and "In a Grove."

Potomac School Notes April 24

School notes for Potomac natives

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