Education

South Lakes Hosts SingStrong

A cappella music event benefits Alzheimer’s charity.

Before last weekend, Randy Trott, 16, of Springfield didn’t know too much about a cappella music. "I thought it was pretty much like the beginning of [Queen’s] ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ a lot of singing soft, slow music," he said. "I had no idea that singing groups could do so much with just their voices, turn them into instruments of their own."

County Takes Aim at Bullying

Survey helps county create bullying outreach, cyberbullying prevention.

Monitoring aggressive behavior is a primary concern of Fairfax County when conducting the annual Youth Survey. While fewer than 5 percent of students report gang activity or carrying a weapon, a majority of students have experienced bullying from one side or the other.

Promoting Arts and Music at Mosby Woods

One of the highlights of the year, the annual School Site Visit, continues to attract art supervisors, principals, and their art and music teachers to see exemplary arts education and arts integration programs in a local school.

Clearview Elementary Wins the A+ School Principal Challenge

This month, Clearview Elementary School of Herndon was all "a buzz" as it celebrated winning the annual A+ School Principal Challenge. Sponsored by Giant Food, this competition rewards school spirit by inviting principals to submit creative and unique challenges that they personally can meet in order to raise much-needed funding for their programs.

Transitioning from Cub to Boy Scouts

Herndon’s Cub Scout Pack 913 awarded 18 of its Webelos II scouts with the Arrow of Light Award at Dranesville Elementary School on Friday, March 23.

‘Express Yourself’ at Herndon High

Herndon High School Fashion Show features 14 designers, 125 other students.

On Wednesday, March 14, student designers at Herndon High School expressed themselves in the Fashion Marketing program’s annual fashion show.

Robinson Band Jazz It Up

The Robinson Secondary School Jazz Band trumpet section performs with the rest of the band at the Chantilly Invitational Jazz Festival this past weekend.

Chantilly Students Are On A Roll

Ninety are honored for their achievements.

Some 90 students were honored recently for their academic growth and achievement at Chantilly High’s second-quarter On-A-Roll ceremony. But it meant much more than the certificate they received.

Robinson Goes to World Choir Games

Thousands of the world’s best singers will arrive in Cincinnati for the 2012 World Choir Games this July, a competition that kicks off with Olympic-style fanfare.

Mountain View Department Awards Are Presented

Mountain View High School’s department awards were presented Feb. 3. The recipients were as follows:

State Champions at Rocky Run

MathCounts team captures first place.

Besides bringing home a state championship from Richmond last weekend, members of Rocky Run Middle School’s MathCounts team had another goal, as well.

Honored at the Pentagon

A private tour for seventh-grader who wants to become a U.S. Army Ranger.

"What do you want to do when you grow up?" This question, posed so often to young adults, typically results in ambiguous, pie-in-the-sky answers. Lake Braddock seventh grader and Springfield resident Travis Catina had a very specific response to that question, one that when published in the Dec. 30 Children’s Issue of The Connection caught the attention of U.S. Army officers at the Pentagon and earned him and his family a private tour.

At Engineering Fair

Megan McKinney, a junior at Mount Vernon High School, stands next to her finished project board in the Robinson Secondary School field house just before the start of the 57th Fairfax County Regional Science and Engineering Fair on March 16.

Mount Vernon School Notes March 21

Send announcements to the Mount Vernon Gazette, by e-mail to gazette@connectionnewspapers.com. Deadline is Thursday at noon for the following week’s paper. Photos are encouraged. Call Steve Hibbard at 703-778-9412 with questions.

Does Music Make Children Smarter?

During Music In Our Schools Month, musicians raise awareness of impact of music education on lives of students.

Can playing the piano strengthen a child’s reading and math skills? Can joining a school band be a catalyst for building self-confidence? Does one develop strong analytical abilities by taking violin lessons? Some music experts say yes.

The Connection