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Fairfax County Public Schools entered a busy stretch in May with a renovated elementary school, statewide and national honors, historic student achievements and a new round of community meetings on potential school boundary changes.

The activity followed the 2025 FCPS Summer Extravaganza, which drew more than 1,000 attendees, 78 volunteers and 60 community partners. Families participated in STEM experiments, student performances, soccer drills, Zumba and other learning activities.

The Office of Community Relations led the event, with sponsorship from Educate Fairfax and participation from FCPS departments, local organizations and student-led initiatives.

FCPS also received the Best Communities for Music Education designation from the National Association of Music Merchants Foundation for the 12th time. Now in its 26th year, the national program evaluates school districts on factors including funding, graduation requirements, student participation, instructional time, facilities and support for music programs.

Spencer Jamieson, an elementary mathematics specialist in the FCPS Instructional Services Department, was named the Virginia Council for Mathematics Supervision’s 2025 Math Leader of the Year.

The council recognized Jamieson for his knowledge of elementary mathematics and teaching methods, his work leading professional learning and his involvement with state and national organizations. It also highlighted his leadership in Math Forward, an effort that brought Virginia school divisions together to collaborate and share resources.

Woodson High School, meanwhile, reached the championship match of the Gallaudet University National Academic Bowl for the first time in school history. Established in 1996, the competition promotes academic achievement and sportsmanship among deaf and hard-of-hearing students.

Woodson fell two points short in the national final. Team members Sonan Sahgal, Maggie Smallwood, Karine Jelalian and Salma Diriye competed under coaches Julie Clinch and Shan Pillai. Smallwood was selected as an all-star, placing her among the tournament’s top players.

In a recent episode of “Our Voices, Our Future,” author, former FCPS teacher and FCPS parent Hanh Bui discussed arriving as an eight-year-old refugee from Vietnam and later becoming an educator and writer. She recalled how an act of kindness from her first teacher, Marilou Shaida, helped inspire her career. Bui also described connecting with a young refugee from Guatemala.

FCPS honored longtime employees at its We Honor You retirement ceremony, including Joyce Sisk, who has worked at Bailey’s Elementary School for more than 50 years. Her family’s ties to the school span generations: her sons attended Bailey’s, one granddaughter works there as an instructional assistant and her great-granddaughter is a student. Sisk lives across the street from the school.

Military families and student support

At a Monday evening meeting at the Gatehouse Administration Center, the Military-Connected Youth Family Advisory Council discussed challenges facing students whose families experience deployments and frequent relocations.

The meeting produced plans for additional support, including consideration of a divisionwide social event later in the summer.

FCPS is also working toward becoming a Purple Star Division by the 2026-27 school year. The Purple Star designation recognizes schools that provide strong support to military-connected students. Access to emotional, behavioral, mental and physical health services is included in Goal 2 of the FCPS 2023-30 Strategic Plan, “Safe, Supported, Included, and Empowered.”

On Tuesday morning, FCPS representatives joined the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in recognizing individual and team Virginia High School League state champions from the 2024-25 winter sports season.

Louise Archer renovation preserves a piece of history

Louise Archer Elementary School marked the completion of a major renovation with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday.

The project added a two-story classroom wing surrounding an interior courtyard, along with a new cafeteria and kitchen. It also created a secure entrance vestibule and updated classrooms, workrooms, the library, gymnasium and other program spaces. Mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems were upgraded as well.

A restored exterior wall from the original Louise Archer School House now serves as the centerpiece of the main lobby. Much of the schoolhouse’s original wood was reused.

Former students Gloria Carter and Alees Coates-Richardson, both now in their 90s, attended the ceremony and shared memories of the school, which served African American children from the greater Vienna area during segregation.

Later Tuesday, a visit to Robinson Secondary School focused on how a visually impaired student uses Meta AI glasses in school and whether similar technology could benefit other students.

The Superintendent’s Teacher Advisory Committee held its final meeting of the school year Wednesday at Kilmer Middle School. Each FCPS school has a representative on the committee, which gives instructional staff a channel to provide feedback and raise concerns with division leaders. Representatives then report meeting results to colleagues at their schools.

That collaboration supports Pillar C of the FCPS 2023-30 Strategic Plan, “Diverse, Adaptive, and Supported Workforce.”

At Centreville High School, the Choral Broadway Pops concert featured music and choreography drawn from Broadway productions, films and pop music from the 1970s through the present.

Choral Director Susan Kraft said the students prepared a program that included Broadway numbers, pop songs and senior solos. Centreville’s choral program had 56 singers when Kraft began teaching at the school in 2023. More than 100 students had signed up for the following school year, nearly doubling participation in two years.

More boundary meetings scheduled

FCPS held Boundary Review Community Meetings at Robinson Secondary School and Oakton High School, where participants used a customized Boundary Explorer Tool to examine possible school boundary scenarios.

Six additional hybrid meetings were scheduled before summer break:

• Monday, May 19, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Herndon High School.

• Friday, May 23, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Lewis High School.

• Wednesday, May 28, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Annandale High School.

• Thursday, May 29, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Whitman Middle School.

• Friday, May 30, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Chantilly High School.

• Friday, June 6, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Glasgow Middle School.

Participants may attend in person or through Zoom. Childcare will be available for in-person attendees, while language interpretation and translation will be offered as needed. Another round of community meetings is planned for the fall.

Students earn scholarships and serve the community

The Asian Educators Association held its third annual Asian Leadership Alliance Scholarship Banquet on Friday evening at the Gatehouse Administration Center.

Three students received scholarships:

• Sophie Zhang of McLean High School received the Tae Family Scholarship. She plans to study business, with a focus on finance and policy, at the University of Pennsylvania.

• An Duong of Woodson High School received an Asian Leadership Alliance Scholarship and plans to study business information technology at Virginia Commonwealth University.

• Kimberly Hoang of Lewis High School also received an Asian Leadership Alliance Scholarship and plans to study business at Virginia Tech.

The banquet brought together students, families, educators, community leaders and partner organizations to celebrate the recipients and emphasize advocacy, visibility and representation for the Asian, Pacific Islander and Desi American community.

On Saturday morning, Rachel Carson Middle School hosted its fourth annual Charity Chess Event. Langley High School sophomore Ameya Haldankar organized the student-run fundraiser.

Proceeds from the 2025 event were designated for SPARC, a charity supporting people with disabilities. In earlier years, the chess event benefited hospitalized children and young people recovering after the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.

The School Board also met Saturday for a retreat focused on issues affecting the division’s work on student opportunity, equity and academic excellence.

Later that day, Carson Middle School hosted a Guru Vandana program organized by the Hindu Education Foundation. Meaning “salutations to the teacher,” Guru Vandana expresses gratitude and respect for educators in Hindu tradition. The event included student performances.

On Sunday morning, the First Baptist Church of Vienna celebrated the Rev. Dr. Vernon C. Walton’s 11 years as pastor.

A celebration of life for former School Board member Janie Strauss was also held Sunday at McLean High School. Strauss represented the Dranesville District, including the McLean, Great Falls and Herndon areas, for nearly 30 years.

She also chaired the Cappies, a national initiative supporting student theater and journalism that she founded with her late husband, Bill Strauss.

Global fellows complete senior-year projects

The Global Leaders of Fairfax County program held its closing ceremony Sunday afternoon at Oakton High School.

During their senior year, participating fellows complete projects addressing one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in the Fairfax County community. They also meet national and global leaders and take field trips intended to deepen their understanding of international affairs.

Program destinations included the Chinese Embassy, the World Bank, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art, Hillwood Estate and a Lincoln assassination tour. Several groups presented their projects at a Brookings Institution Center for Universal Education public event in April.

The ceremony recognized the graduating members of the Class of 2025 and their work on global issues.

FCPS also highlighted Timber Lane Elementary School’s multilingual learner team: Clara Villalobos Cortes, Catherine Muha, Scott Taggart, Tricia Tyskowski and Elizabeth Smith.

Principal Benjamin Chiet nominated the group for FCPS CARES of the Month for its work implementing the Benchmark Express curriculum while supporting multilingual learners and general education teachers.

The educators were recorded teaching Benchmark Express, and the resulting videos are being used for professional development across Region 2. Chiet said the team’s collaboration, adaptability and willingness to share its expertise had strengthened instruction for English-language learners while providing an example for other educators.