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FCPS capped a busy week in late May with exceptional math results, international science honors, school renovation progress and new academic programs taking shape across the division.
Among the standout developments: every sixth-grader enrolled in Haycock Elementary School’s Algebra I pilot passed the state exam, while nine students earned awards at the International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix.
FCPS also launched “Shining a Light on Success,” a video series sharing strategies used by schools to improve student experiences and outcomes.
Justice High School Principal Sean Rolon highlighted the school’s CORE framework, centered on community, opportunity, rigor and empowerment. The strategy combines stronger student connections with expanded access to demanding courses, including the International Baccalaureate program, as well as AVID and peer mentoring. Justice posted a 17-point gain on Virginia’s School Performance and Support Framework.
West Potomac High School Principal Jessica Statz and resource teachers Scherrie Dalton and Brian Bishop described their response to chronic absenteeism rates that had reached 27%. Personalized outreach, attendance report cards and the Wolverines Recovering Attendance Program helped the school remove barriers and achieve sustained reductions in absenteeism.
Nine FCPS students received honors at the International Science and Engineering Fair. Langley High School students Bennett Huang and Jason Pan won the European Union Contest for Young Scientists Award, one of the event’s top 10 prizes. The pair will travel to Germany for the 2026 European Contest for Young Scientists.
Marshall High School student Polina Anfilofyev received an Outstanding Award from the Consortium for Mathematics and its Applications. Her project, “Optimizing Alzheimer’s Treatment: A Spatiotemporal Agent-Based Model of Combination Therapy in the Hippocampus,” earned her a cash prize, a one-year consortium membership and free entry into one of three mathematical modeling contests.
The Fairfax County Council of PTAs recognized students and community members at an awards ceremony at Gatehouse Administration Center. Honors included 2026 senior scholarships, Shining Stars awards, Virginia PTA awards and National PTA grants.
At a McLean Citizens Association meeting, community members discussed the Dunn Loring Elementary School project along with capital improvement and budget issues. The Dunn Loring building has served students, employees and families since 1939. A commemoration of its history was planned for 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 30, at the Dunn Loring Center.
Students tackle history, literature and algebra
At Thoreau Middle School, students in Julia Brimage’s seventh-grade history class debated whether Japanese Americans retained meaningful agency during World War II or whether government injustice restricted it. Earlier lessons had explored how people facing discrimination and unfair laws can still express themselves, influence their lives and help others.
Multilingual learners in a class taught by Michelle Adams and Maria Stavrogianni discussed Alan Gatz’s novel “Refugee.” Its three storylines follow a Jewish boy escaping Nazi Germany, a Cuban girl traveling toward Florida by raft and a Syrian boy displaced by civil war.
Students in Algebra I classes taught by Margaret Schuck, Katie Bitner and Jodi Griffith prepared for Standards of Learning exams through a “Graffiti Wall Brain Dump.” Teams rotated through 10 chart-paper stations, reviewing vocabulary, formulas, notation, graphs, tables and different problem-solving methods.
Great Falls Elementary School, meanwhile, is preparing to introduce a Montessori program during the next school year. Principal Sara Harper provided a tour of the space planned for the program.
Students in a Japanese immersion classroom led by Lili Kennington, Cynthia Rinehart and Ayaka Monheim were also practicing Japanese songs for a spring play.
The school’s Tae Kwon Do program currently serves 26 students. Andrew Bellino, owner of Lead by Example Tae Kwon Do in Great Falls, leads the activities. Courtney Barber coordinates participation, mentoring and family permissions, while counselor Emma Litch helps oversee and support the program.
Herndon expansion approaches fall 2026 debut
Students at Herndon Elementary School were working on weather, letter sounds, nouns, writing and small-group reading during classroom visits with Principal Monika Vereb and her administrative team.
The lessons involved teachers Brittany Portugal, Rachel Barranco, Anisha Goveas-Foti, Lyida Gough and Pamela Galyean, along with Alaina Bear and reading specialist Ashley Tingler.
Outside the classrooms, a major renovation is modernizing the existing school and upgrading its mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems.
The project will add approximately 51,000 square feet. Plans include a two-story addition, a new library, an expanded cafeteria and kitchen, a larger administrative suite, a new main entrance vestibule and other site improvements.
Construction on the addition is scheduled to be completed in time for students to use it in fall 2026. Design and Construction Director Scott Eschbach, Vereb and other project team members participated in a tour of the site.
At the Fairfax Education Association retirees’ annual luncheon, Delegate Marcus Simon discussed work in Richmond and the importance of education funding in the upcoming budget.
A separate meeting with Fairfax County faith leaders covered artificial intelligence and religious holidays on the FCPS calendar.
Sixth-graders dominate Algebra I exam
Haycock Elementary School reported near-perfect advanced results during the first year of its elementary Algebra I pilot, which provides an accelerated mathematics path for sixth-graders.
All 58 students enrolled in Algebra I passed the state exam. Fifty-seven earned pass-advanced scores, and 20 achieved the maximum score of 600.
In Clark Levine’s Algebra I Honors class, students were creating digital games to teach major algebra concepts. Classmates will play the completed games, which will also remain available for students entering the course next year.
Students credited Levine with making difficult material enjoyable and creating an environment where they feel comfortable asking questions and learning from mistakes.
Community members also gathered at West Springfield High School to discuss potential boundary adjustments for the middle and high schools attended by Rolling Valley Elementary School students from Student Planning Area 8922.
The discussion also covered the Keene Mill Elementary School attendance island and nearby Cardinal Forest and White Oaks elementary schools.
Fiscal 2027 budget and literacy gains outlined
The governing board approved the FCPS fiscal year 2027 budget during its May meeting. The spending plan is intended to sustain educational programs while the division faces financial pressure and uncertainty, with an emphasis on efficiency and careful spending priorities.
An academic presentation at the meeting focused on literacy instruction and intervention in middle and high schools. Division data indicated that more students in grades seven through 11 were reading at or approaching grade level compared with the previous year, while the number considered at risk had declined.
Current efforts include professional learning for teachers and administrators, individualized reading plans for students receiving intervention and expanded assistance for multilingual learners and students with disabilities.
FCPS reported that 12.8% fewer 12th-graders performed below expectations on the Measure of Academic Progress Growth assessment in fall 2026 than in fall 2025.
Among high school students who demonstrated risk by scoring below the 50th percentile on the fall MAP Growth assessment, 26% completed more than 100% of their expected annual growth within one semester.
The inclusive Advanced Placement Seminar offered as English 10 recorded a 99% overall exam pass rate the previous spring. Students with disabilities achieved a 100% pass rate.
Other accomplishments recognized during the meeting included two Capital Emmy Award nominations for the FCPS Office of Communications. One nominated production examined girls flag football, while the other covered the history and renovation of Louise Archer Elementary School.
Herndon Middle School family liaison Fannie Salazar Lasky received a Distinguished Service Award at the Herndon Mayor’s Volunteer Appreciation Reception.
Mount Vernon High School Orchestra Director Alberto Rodriguez was named a quarterfinalist for the 2027 Grammy Music Educator Award. Edison Academy students were also recognized for winning state championships in skilled-trades competitions.
A football coaches showcase at Robinson Secondary School brought together hundreds of student-athletes and coaches from around Fairfax County.
Performers bring the week to a close
The final student performance of the school year at Gatehouse featured the Lees Corner Elementary School Orff Ensemble, which includes students in grades four through six and school employees.
Music teacher Leah Kmetz said the ensemble performs music written by Carl Orff and Guinild Keetman, adapting the pieces to incorporate singing, instruments and movement. This year’s performance centered on a fictional “Blizzard Bakery.”
At West Potomac High School, Luke Pierce’s Music Technology class presented an advance concert for its forthcoming album. Students produce, write, record, audio-engineer and perform a full-length album each school year. The concert allowed the public to hear songs live before their release on streaming platforms.
With graduation season approaching, students, employees and families were encouraged to extend patience to one another during a period that can be both celebratory and stressful. The May 26 update concluded by recognizing Memorial Day and the people commemorated by the holiday.