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Fairfax County Public Schools opened February with a packed week of student achievements, community meetings, school visits, athletic events and discussions about the future of education.
The week began with news from Irving Middle School, where eighth-grade physical science teacher Marissa Bossard and eighth-grade student Adelaide Schmitz were selected for the JASON Argonaut program. Only 10 teachers and 10 students from across the country are chosen for the annual expedition, and it is unusual for a teacher and student from the same school to participate.
Bossard and Schmitz will travel to Portland, Oregon, for a week of design thinking, research development and place-based problem-solving. Their work will examine how the Columbia River Gorge’s changing landscape affects the organisms that live there.
Lake Braddock Secondary School graduate RaMell Ross also earned national recognition. “Nickel Boys,” which he directed and released last summer, received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Ross graduated from Lake Braddock in 2000 and later attended Georgetown University, playing basketball at both schools before pursuing photography. His 2018 documentary, “Hale County This Morning, This Evening,” won a creative vision jury award at the Sundance Film Festival and received an Academy Award nomination in 2019.
Sixteen students from Robinson Secondary School and Centreville, Chantilly, Oakton, Mountain View and Westfield high schools traveled to Richmond through Virginia Sen. Stella Pekarsky’s High School Youth Leadership Program for the 2025 legislative session.
The juniors and seniors watched Virginia General Assembly committee hearings and floor debates, toured the state Capitol and joined panels with advocates, lobbyists and political leaders. They also met lawmakers and staff members and were introduced by Pekarsky on the Senate floor.
Community service was another focus. During the Give Together Day of Service at the James Lee Community Center, volunteers honored the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. by packing 300 snack bags for students at Glasgow, Holmes, Key and Poe middle schools. Educate Fairfax delivered the bags to the four Title I schools the following week.
The event brought together Educate Fairfax, Volunteer Fairfax, Wegmans, FCPS students and other volunteers. Participants also wrote 129 thank-you cards for Global Ambassador Teachers. The cards were scheduled for distribution throughout February with discounts and resources from Lakeshore Learning Store.
Boundary review and student priorities
FCPS held virtual community meetings Monday and Tuesday about its comprehensive school boundary review. A final virtual meeting was scheduled for Feb. 10 from 6:30 to 8 p.m., with attendance capped at 400 people and language interpretation available.
At South Lakes High School, the Family Vision group for Quad 1 discussed the boundary review with Facilities and Capital Programs chief Janice Szymanski. Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services Noel Klimenko led a conversation about reading intervention and literacy.
Parents and caregivers also raised middle school start times, the FCPS and school budgets, the Capital Improvement Program and snow removal.
At Woodson High School on Tuesday, representatives from every FCPS high school met through the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council. Their conversation addressed five areas connected to the 2023-30 Strategic Plan: attendance under Goal 2; grading standardization and student workload under Goal 3; inclusion under Goal 4; and college and career access under Goal 5. Another discussion was planned for March.
A visit to Weyanoke Elementary School included a look at the school’s new literacy materials and samples of student writing. The school, led by Principal Felicia Usher, was also preparing to celebrate a special anniversary.
FCPS then convened the first meeting of the 2e Superintendent’s Advisory Committee at the Gatehouse Administration Center. The term “twice exceptional” applies in FCPS to students who qualify for subject-specific, part-time or full-time Advanced Academic Program services and also have an Individualized Education Program or a 504 Plan.
Tuesday concluded with a varsity girls basketball game between Robinson and Lake Braddock secondary schools at Robinson.
Schools recognized for communication and inclusion
The annual FCPS Communicators Conference took place Wednesday at Robinson Secondary School. The event serves employees responsible for school newsletters, websites, social media and other family communication, including technology specialists, administrative assistants, assistant principals and principals.
Falls Church Academy and Weyanoke Elementary received newsletter awards. Chantilly High, Whitman Middle, Annandale Terrace Elementary and Bryant High were recognized for outstanding websites. Annandale High and Columbia Elementary earned social media honors, while Woodson High won Best in Show.
Later Wednesday, FCPS leaders and students joined the Department of Information Technology’s Mid-Year Virtual Conference for a discussion of artificial intelligence, its educational challenges and its potential to reshape learning. The subject connects with Goal 5 of the district’s strategic plan, which focuses on innovation.
At Thursday’s All-County Principals meeting at the Willow Oaks administrative office, the focus shifted to inclusive schooling and Goal 2 of the strategic plan: ensuring students are safe, supported, included and empowered.
Dr. Julie Causton and Dr. Kristie Pretti-Frontzak of Inclusive Schooling discussed the principles of inclusive education, research on its benefits and practical methods for putting it into practice.
Robinson Secondary School’s Rambunctious Theatre Company provided Friday’s arts showcase with a performance from “Seussical.” The production brought together middle school performers and crew members with high school mentors and student leaders.
More than 200 people helped create the show, including 41 middle school cast members, 101 middle and high school crew members and 38 high school designers, managers and directors, along with adult volunteers. High school students choreographed the entire production. Performances were scheduled for Feb. 14-23.
Friday night brought another varsity girls basketball matchup, this time between Langley and Herndon high schools at Herndon.
Record job fair produces immediate hires
FCPS held its most highly attended job fair to date Saturday at Lake Braddock Secondary School. Nearly 80 schools interviewed 236 applicants and extended 63 contract offers. Forty-four candidates accepted immediately, while schools arranged dozens of follow-up interviews with other applicants.
The district’s next instructional job fair was scheduled as a virtual event on Feb. 22. The hiring effort supports the strategic plan’s goal of developing a diverse, adaptable and supported workforce.
South Lakes High School added a student voice to its recruiting team. Senior Merlyn Canas spoke with applicants about attending Dogwood Elementary, Langston Hughes Middle and South Lakes High, as well as her connection to the Reston community.
Some applicants returned to the South Lakes table after their first conversations with her. Canas said the experience showed her how much time, planning and care goes into hiring classroom teachers. Her leadership has also been strengthened through JROTC.
Robinson Secondary School hosted the Washington Arlington Catholic Forensics League’s final regular-season tournament for speech and Lincoln-Douglas debate on Feb. 1. The league includes public and private schools from Fairfax, Loudoun, Arlington, Prince William and Montgomery counties, Alexandria and the District of Columbia.
More than 250 students competed across three events, with over 75 adult judges providing scores and critiques. Public forum, student congress and policy debate competitions were scheduled separately because of the league’s size and space limitations.
FCPS wrestlers claim six zone championships
At Hayfield Secondary School, 211 girls from six school districts competed in one of Virginia’s first VHSL girls wrestling zone qualifiers. The wrestlers sought top-four finishes and advancement to the state championships, scheduled for Feb. 26-27 in Henrico.
The field originally included 265 entrants, but more than 50 withdrew because of illness or injury. FCPS supplied 151 competitors, with 29 advancing to the state meet.
Six FCPS wrestlers won tournament championships:
- Allison Hegg of Oakton at 114 pounds
- Zoe Rodriguez of Westfield at 120 pounds
- Jayelle Jones of Thomas Jefferson at 126 pounds
- Raya Fowle of Westfield at 132 pounds
- Hana Coutts of Oakton at 145 pounds
- Eja Gatewood of Herndon at 235 pounds
Hayfield’s staff and wrestling team handled the event setup and scoring tables. Organizers included Hayfield activities administrator Jeff Herbert, head coach Ian Mills, Seth Cameron and Rick Adams of Brentsville.
New state system changes high school accountability
FCPS also continued examining the Virginia Department of Education’s 2024 School Performance and Support Framework. One of its central components is the “3E Ready for Life” measure, which evaluates preparation for college enrollment, meaningful employment and military enlistment.
The measure replaces the College, Career and Civic Readiness Index used under the former Standards of Accreditation system. For high schools, 3E results account for 25% of total framework points, making them the largest individual measure in high school accountability.
Schools receive points for graduating or completing students based on their highest eligible experiences across their high school years.
Within the enrollment category, the system considers dual-enrollment courses and qualifying scores on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate examinations. College-ready performance is defined as at least a 3 on an AP exam, a 4 on an IB Higher Level exam or a 5 on an IB Standard Level exam.
A school can receive 1.25 points when a student earns an associate degree while in high school. It receives one point when a student becomes an Early College Scholar or completes at least three college-ready experiences, defined as a grade of B-minus or higher in dual enrollment or a qualifying AP or IB score.
One or two college-ready experiences earn 0.75 points. A school receives 0.5 points when a student completes at least one advanced experience, such as earning a C-minus or higher in dual enrollment or taking an AP or IB exam without reaching the qualifying score.
These points apply to schools and do not affect an individual student’s transcript, grade-point average or other academic record.
The approach overlaps with two areas of the FCPS strategic plan. Goal 3 tracks successful completion of advanced classes, including dual-enrollment grades and AP and IB results. Goal 5 addresses work-based learning and successful transitions after high school.
The week’s literacy spotlight featured Readers Are Leaders, a 10-week partnership between Annandale High School and Braddock Elementary School. Annandale athletes receive training and use materials from Benchmark Advance, the district’s new K-6 language arts curriculum, to mentor Braddock third graders.
The program is intended to strengthen academic progress and engagement while building relationships between younger students and their high school mentors. At the end of the program, Braddock students visit Annandale to cheer for the athletes and present medals during a ceremony.