Education

History Awards

Six individuals were honored April 25 who have made noteworthy contributions to the preservation of the historic, cultural and artistic heritage of Alexandria.

Over fifty years the thousands of children’s feet walking up and down the stairs at Herndon Elementary School [HES] have worn indents in the stone steps. Those patches are a testament to the strength of repetition and consistence, two attributes that can also be ascribed to education at the school.

Vienna Teen a Robowiz

Local team scores big in robotics in international competition.

Neeraj Prasad, a Vienna 13-year-old 7th-grader, loves science and technology so much so that he lives for science and technology.

Yorktown Band Hosts Chili Cook Off and Spring Sale

A dozen plus pots filled with chili filled the tables in the cafeteria for the Chili Cook-Off and spring sale on Saturday, May 5.

Marshall High Students Win DECA Competition

A three-student team from Marshall High School won first place at the DECA International Career Development Conference held last week in Salt Lake City. Annie Greenwood, Art Kapplow, and Ali Skahan took top honors for their Entrepreneurship Promotion Plan. Marshall High School is a Fairfax County public school.

McLean Student Named Presidential Scholar

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced the selection of Priya Krishnan of McLean, who attends Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology in Alexandria, as a 2012 U.S. Presidential Scholar.

Longfellow’s Science Olympians Win State Championship

Longfellow Middle School is celebrating its Science Olympiad team’s recent victory in the Virginia state championship. This year’s state tournament featured 29 schools, including local rival Kilmer MS, which had narrowly defeated Longfellow last year. This time, Longfellow pulled well clear of the competition with an outstanding performance: team members won the gold medal in 12 of the tournament’s 23 events, and placed second or third in 8 other events.

McLean Gymnast Wins State Championship

Margo Gurian, 9, a third grader at Spring Hill Elementary School in Mclean, won the All Around title at the Level 5 Virginia State Gymnastics Championships held at Radford University on April 28.

Enriching Churchill Road’s Garden

Churchill Road second graders began working with local mosaic artist Bonnie Fitzgerald in February to create tiles for an outdoor mosaic depicting the lifecycle of the Monarch butterfly.

McLean Students to Celebrate National Bike to School Day

Fourth graders at the Langley School in McLean will join schools from around the country to celebrate National Bike to School Day on May 9.

Musicians and Patrols Get Awards

McLean Woman’s Club honors middle- and elementary-school students.

The musicianship of four students from Cooper and Longfellow middle schools was recognized by the Woman’s Club of McLean at a ceremony on Tuesday, May 1, where the students also performed on their instruments.

School Board Names New Jefferson Principal

The Arlington School Board appointed Keisha Boggan as the new principal of Jefferson Middle School.

McLean High Examines Youth Survey Numbers

Students report less bullying, inhalant use, more alcohol, binge drinking than county numbers.

The McLean High School PTSA hosted a meeting Wednesday, May 2 to discuss the McLean High School pyramid-specific results from the 2010 Fairfax County Youth Survey. The annual survey, which is filled out by eighth, 10th and 12th graders (as well as a modified version taken by sixth graders) is meant to gather data on student behavior, both positive and negative.

Responding to Natural Disasters

West Potomac High School students from Frances Coffey’s Advanced Placement Human Geography class were treated to a visit from Cathi Hoefler and Steven Keating from the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency recently. Hoefler and Keating discussed the importance of using data to better predict and respond to natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and the 2011 earthquake off the coast of Japan and tsunami. Students asked questions about how relief efforts are influenced by geography. The speakers also discussed how understanding cultural values and norms is important in military efforts worldwide.

Academic Excellence Award for Waynewood

On Monday, April 30, Acting Assistant Superintendent Deborah Tyler and Mount Vernon School Board Representative Dan Storck presented Waynewood Elementary School and Principal James Meier with the Academic Excellence Award for the fourth year in a row. Retiring teacher Eileen Deaver accepted for the staff.

The Connection