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Fairfax County Public Schools marked a packed week of student achievements, community events and policy discussions, from Pi Day experiments and culinary awards to a state basketball championship and changes to Virginia’s school accountability system.
Students celebrated Pi Day on March 14 with activities designed to bring mathematics to life. At Bush Hill Elementary School, parent volunteers helped third graders rotate through six stations featuring circumference-to-diameter calculations, Spirograph art, card games, poetry, compass art, word searches and math puzzles. The class also shared dishes ranging from homemade ham pot pie to vegan blueberry pie while recognizing Albert Einstein’s March 14 birthday.
Braddock Elementary students joined the celebration with Pi-themed shirts and a playful lesson built around the formula πr².
FCPS students also found success at the 13th annual Real Food for Kids Culinary Challenge. Herndon High School took first place with gnocchi stew, garlic breadsticks and a romaine salad containing clementines, dried cranberries, feta cheese and balsamic dressing. The winning meal is expected to appear on a school lunch menu.
Jackson Middle School placed third with its Beantastic Medley, Crunchy Munchy Salad, Crispy Okra and Caramelized Banana Parfait. The competition connects nutrition and health with culinary training, workforce development and career preparation.
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology senior Ray Zhang finished 10th among 40 finalists in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, earning a $40,000 award. Zhang studied drug-resistant Fusarium fungal infections, including how the fungus forms sticky cell communities that resist treatment. His research found that a combination of drugs controlled the fungus more effectively.
Area high school students took the stage Monday at Signature Theatre in Arlington for “Failureland,” an original comedy exploring self-doubt, courage and definitions of success. Students from Robinson Secondary School and Langley, Fairfax and South County high schools participated in the cast and crew.
On Tuesday, FCPS leaders met with faith leaders at the Gatehouse Administration Center. Their discussion included job losses, food insecurity and stress associated with recent federal government layoffs.
A tobacco-prevention effort followed Wednesday at Fort Belvoir Upper Elementary School. Superintendent Michelle Reid and Fort Belvoir Commander Col. Stewart spoke with students about tobacco’s health risks and filmed a “Take Down Tobacco” public service announcement.
That evening, the FCPS Family Vision Group for Quad 1 met at Hughes Middle School. Assistant budget director Matthew Norton led a discussion of the fiscal year 2026 budget, while Assistant Superintendent Noel Klimenko addressed the division’s effort to have every student complete Algebra 1 by eighth grade. Participants also discussed Department of Education changes, introducing science standards in earlier grades and age-appropriate homework.
Career preparation and expanded athletics
At Thursday’s School Board meeting, FCPS highlighted Career and Transition Services for students with Individualized Education Programs. Classroom instruction and work-based learning through more than 50 business and community partners help students prepare for employment, independent living and other postsecondary paths.
The division operates four Secondary Transition to Employment programs at Mount Vernon High School, Chantilly High School, Davis Career Center and South Lakes High School. Davis and Pulley career centers serve students ages 18 to 22.
FCPS also has 47 employment and transition representatives serving all high schools and several specialized centers, plus 19 academy resource teachers working across six career academies. Course offerings include Work Awareness and Transition, Education for Employment and Education for Employment Opportunities. College visits, job-shadowing trips and career fairs provide additional access to college, trade and technical options.
The School Board also reviewed progress toward equitable access to electives, extracurricular programs and enrichment activities. FCPS added girls wrestling and boys volleyball at all 25 high schools this year, drawing 239 girls and 440 boys. Winter cheer was added last year.
Other recognitions included Lake Braddock Secondary School’s gymnastics team winning its 13th state championship. Officials also discussed an initiative involving school-bus stop arms intended to improve student safety during boarding and drop-off.
On Friday, the Quad 3 Family Vision Group met at Oakview Elementary School. Chief of Facilities and Capital Programs Janice Szymanski led a discussion about the Comprehensive School Boundary Review, while Klimenko addressed reading intervention and efforts to strengthen literacy.
Weekend events culminate in a state championship
FCPS held its annual Family Summit at South Lakes High School on Saturday. An extension of the Special Education Conference, the event carried the theme “Beyond Labels: Nurturing a Culture of Belonging.”
Authors, speakers and inclusion advocates Julie Causton and Kristie Pretti-Frontczak delivered the keynote presentation, sharing inclusive-schooling practices and evidence-based strategies for families, particularly those supporting students with IEPs and 504 Plans. Attendees could also choose from more than a dozen breakout sessions.
The Pathways to PEARLserverance: Young Ladies Summit was held at First Baptist Church in Vienna. PEARL represents being Precious, Empowered, Anointed, Resilient and Loved. The program focused on civic participation, personal care and preparation for the future. Speakers included FCPS Chief Equity Officer Dr. Nardos King and Fox 5 anchor Marissa Mitchell.
At Langston Hughes Middle School, students gathered for a districtwide Carcassonne tournament associated with the Appian Board Game Club. The club, sponsored by Appian Corporation through the Middle School After-School Program, gives students weekly opportunities to play the strategy game, in which competitors build medieval landscapes and score points by claiming completed roads, cities and fields.
Saturday ended with an all-FCPS matchup in the Virginia High School League Class 6 boys basketball championship at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. South Lakes defeated Woodson to repeat as state champion. Students, employees, families and community members turned out to support the Seahawks and Cavaliers.
Virginia accountability changes draw scrutiny
FCPS is also preparing for significant changes under the Virginia Department of Education’s 2024 accountability system. The School Performance and Support Framework changes how multilingual learners, students enrolled for only part of an academic year and students whose parents refuse state testing factor into school ratings.
Under the previous Standards of Accreditation system, multilingual learners could attend Virginia public schools for as many as 11 semesters before their Standards of Learning test results counted against a school’s performance. That window reflected research indicating language acquisition generally requires eight to 14 semesters.
The new framework allows only three semesters, or 12 instructional months in U.S. public schools, before a multilingual learner’s results enter accountability calculations.
The previous system also excluded from a school’s rating the performance of students who had received most of their instruction elsewhere. Under the new framework, test performance will count toward the school where the assessment was administered when a student has attended that school for at least half of the academic year.
Testing refusals will carry new consequences as well. Under Virginia’s original federal Every Student Succeeds Act plan, a student whose parent or guardian refused testing received a zero, but that result did not count against the school. The new system counts the zero toward a school’s overall rating when participation falls below 95%.
FCPS officials said the changes will affect how schools communicate with families about testing and prepare students for SOL assessments, including circumstances outside a school’s direct control. The division plans to monitor academic performance under Goal 3 of its 2023-30 strategic plan.
The spring Employee Conversations series begins March 18 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Haycock Elementary School. Additional meetings are scheduled for April 29 at Providence Elementary School, May 1 at Burke School and May 7 at Weyanoke Elementary School. Separate Community Conversations will also provide opportunities for families and other residents to offer feedback.