Education

State May Takeover Struggling Alexandria School After Decade of Failure

Increasing pressure for progress at Jefferson-Houston School.

A decade of efforts to improve Jefferson-Houston School have failed, and now state leaders are increasing pressure on Alexandria City Public School leaders to turnaround the turnaround.

Oakton Girls Swim & Dive Wins AAA State Championship Title

Oakton High School’s Varsity Boys and Girls Swim and Dive teams participated in the Virginia AAA State Championship Friday, Feb. 15, and Saturday, Feb. 16, at George Mason University. The girls placed first with 275 points over Yorktown (128) and McLean (119). The boys placed third with 192 points behind Robinson (218.5) and James Madison (192.5). This is the second consecutive AAA State Title for the girls’ team.

Vienna Shopping Center Donates $1,000 to Kilmer Middle School

Principal challenges students to match donation.

Vienna Shopping Center merchants donated $1,000 to Kilmer Middle School last month. Upon notification of the donation, Principal Douglas Tyson challenged students to match the donation and give the funds to a local food bank.

Collecting Books for Buddy School

For the second consecutive year, Churchill Road fourth grade students—all 144 of them—collected new books for the fourth grade students at their buddy school, Dogwood Elementary in Reston.

Winning the Spelling Bee at Great Falls Elementary

Great Falls Elementary held its annual School Spelling Bee on Wednesday, Feb. 6.

WES To Present ‘Little Mermaid Jr.’

Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr. will be performed by the sixth-grade class of Washington Episcopal School, on Thursday, March 14 at 7 p.m., Thursday, March 15 at 7 p.m., and Saturday, March 16 at 12:30 p.m.

Potomac School Notes Feb. 27

School notes for Potomac natives.

Arlington School Notes Feb. 27

School notes for Arlington natives.

Crew Rows for Humanity

The ergometers were in place and in action by 10 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23 at Ballston Commons.

Spring Hill Hosts Parental Presentation

Michelle Kriebel gives strategies on dealing with peer pressure.

Parents from Spring Hill and Churchill Road Elementary School got a few lessons in parenting Tuesday, Feb. 21, at Spring Hill Elementary School. Educator and presenter Michelle Kriebel spoke to more than 40 parents about strategies parents can take to set boundaries for their young children and deal with external factors such as peer pressure.

Choosing a Summer Camp

Region offers programs to tempt children with interests ranging from sports to drama to science.

While most of Washington is braving the winter weather, April Toman has been planning for summer. At the top of her list: choosing a camp for her two children, Claire, who is in fifth grade, and Will, who is a second grader. “I start thinking about it in January,” said Toman, who lives in Alexandria. “I talk to my kids about what they are interested in taking. There are so many options and the popular camps fill up quickly.”

‘Free Money’ for Schools

Fairview Elementary School No. 1 in area in collecting Box Tops.

Since the beginning of the school year, Fairview Elementary School students have collected more than 25,000 Box Tops, which equates to $2,500 cash for the school and school programs. As of their recent contest, which ended Jan. 31, Fairview moved into first place out of 1,069 schools in a 25 mile radius and into eighth place out of 2,197 schools in a 50 mile radius, according to the Box Tops for Education website. The school is 13th in Virginia, and 778th out of 89,127 schools enrolled in the program across the nation.

Fourth Annual Running to Remember Josh

Josh Anderson Foundation remembers teen, aims to prevent teenage suicide.

On March 18, 2009, the world lost Joshua Lee Anderson—a beloved son, brother and friend—to suicide. He was 17 years old. The Josh Anderson Foundation (JAF) was formed for two purposes: to keep Josh's memory alive and to collect funds for the education and prevention of teenage suicide. JAF's goal is to promote youth mental health awareness by bringing innovative, creative and effective programs directly into high schools. By the end of the 2012-2013 school year, JAF will have funded programs in eleven schools and impacted over 17,000 students.

TJ Students Promote Science

Science Innovation and Inspiration Youth Conference at Langston Hughes Middle.

The study of science and technology among youths was given a boost on Saturday, Feb. 9, at the Langston Hughes Middle School. The Science Innovation and Inspiration Youth Conference (ScI2YC), a STEM conference aimed at encouraging the study of science and technology among middle school students was hosted by Project BEST.

Spelling Bee Champion

On Feb. 11, Churchill Road crowned a new spelling bee champion. After 12 rounds among 20 finalists, 6th grader Matthew Cox took first place by correctly spelling the word “salubrious.” He will go on to represent CRS at the county bee on March 12 at Lanier Middle School. Sixth graders Soumya Peri and Eric Gan placed second and third, respectively.

The Connection