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Fairfax County Public Schools entered a busy stretch in May with major student and staff achievements, a completed elementary school renovation 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. The event featured STEM experiments, student performances, soccer drills, family Zumba and educational resources. The Office of Community Relations led the program with sponsorship from Educate Fairfax.

Students and staff earn major recognition

For the 12th time, the National Association of Music Merchants Foundation named FCPS one of the Best Communities for Music Education. Now in its 26th year, the designation evaluates school systems on music funding, participation, instructional time, facilities, graduation requirements and program support.

The Virginia Council for Mathematics Supervision selected Spencer Jamieson, an elementary mathematics specialist in the Instructional Services Department, as its 2025 Math Leader of the Year. The organization highlighted his expertise in mathematics instruction and professional learning, as well as his leadership of Math Forward, which helped school divisions across Virginia collaborate and share resources.

Woodson High School’s team made school history by reaching the championship match of the Gallaudet University National Academic Bowl. The competition, established in 1996 for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, tests knowledge across subjects including mathematics, science, literature, current events and popular culture.

Woodson fell two points short in the final. Team members Sonan Sahgal, Maggie Smallwood, Karine Jelalian and Salma Diriye were coached by Julie Clinch and Shan Pillai. Smallwood was selected as one of the tournament’s all-star players.

FCPS also recognized Joyce Sisk as she prepared to retire after more than 50 years at Bailey’s Elementary School. Sisk spent her entire FCPS career at the school, which is across the street from her home. Her sons attended Bailey’s, one of her granddaughters works there as an instructional assistant and her great-granddaughter is a student.

In an episode of “Our Voices, Our Future,” author, former FCPS teacher and FCPS parent Hanh Bui discussed fleeing Vietnam as an 8-year-old refugee and later becoming a teacher and author. She credited her first teacher, Marilou Shaida, with inspiring her career through an act of kindness. Bui also described connecting with a young refugee from Guatemala.

Renovated Louise Archer school opens a new chapter

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

The project added a two-story classroom wing with an interior courtyard, a new cafeteria and kitchen, and a secure entrance vestibule. Classrooms, workrooms, the library, gym and program areas were updated, along with the school’s mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems.

The main lobby now features the restored exterior wall of the original Louise Archer School House. Much of the schoolhouse’s original wood was reused.

Former Louise Archer students Gloria Carter and Alees Coates-Richardson, both in their 90s, attended the celebration and discussed their experiences at the school, which served African American children from the greater Vienna area during segregation.

At Robinson Secondary School, FCPS officials also met with a visually impaired student to learn how he uses Meta AI glasses at school and whether the technology could benefit other students.

Boundary review sessions continue into June

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

Six additional hybrid meetings were scheduled before summer break:

  • May 19, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Herndon High School
  • May 23, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Lewis High School
  • May 28, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Annandale High School
  • May 29, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Whitman Middle School
  • May 30, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Chantilly High School
  • June 6, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Glasgow Middle School

Participants could attend in person or through Zoom. Childcare was available for those attending in person, while interpretation and translation could be requested for all participants. Another round of meetings was planned for the fall.

FCPS also met with the Military-Connected Youth Family Advisory Council to discuss challenges facing students whose families experience deployments and frequent moves. The meeting produced plans for a possible division-wide social event later in the summer.

The school system has set a goal of becoming a Purple Star Division by the 2026-27 school year. The Purple Star designation recognizes schools that provide strong support for military-connected students.

Championships, scholarships and growing programs

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors recognized FCPS teams and individual athletes who won Virginia High School League state championships during the 2024-25 winter sports season.

At Centreville High School, the Choral Broadway Pops concert featured music and choreography drawn from Broadway, movies and pop songs spanning the 1970s through the present. Choral Director Susan Kraft said the program had grown from 56 singers when she arrived in 2023 to more than 100 students registered for the following school year.

The Asian Educators Association’s third annual Asian Leadership Alliance Scholarship Banquet honored three students:

  • Sophie Zhang of McLean High School received the Tae Family Scholarship and planned 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 planned to study business information technology at Virginia Commonwealth University.
  • Kimberly Hoang of Lewis High School received an Asian Leadership Alliance Scholarship and planned to study business at Virginia Tech.

Organizers said the banquet brought families, educators and community leaders together to celebrate student achievement, culture, advocacy and representation in the Asian, Pacific Islander and Desi American community.

Rachel Carson Middle School hosted its fourth annual Charity Chess Event, organized by Langley High School sophomore Ameya Haldankar. Proceeds were designated for SPARC, which supports people with disabilities. Previous editions raised money for hospitalized children and young people recovering from the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.

Carson also hosted a Guru Vandana program organized by the Hindu Education Foundation. The tradition, whose name means “salutations to the teacher,” honors educators and included student performances.

Community partnerships and student leadership

FCPS concluded the school year’s final Superintendent’s Teacher Advisory Committee meeting at Kilmer Middle School. Each school has a representative on the committee, which allows instructional employees to raise concerns and provide feedback to the division’s leadership.

Community events included a visit to First Baptist Church of Vienna marking the Rev. Dr. Vernon C. Walton’s 11 years as pastor.

A celebration of life at McLean High School honored former School Board member Janie Strauss, who represented the Dranesville District—covering the McLean, Great Falls and Herndon areas—for nearly 30 years. Strauss also chaired the Cappies, the student theater and journalism initiative she founded with her late husband, Bill Strauss.

At Oakton High School, the Global Leaders of Fairfax County program held its closing ceremony. During their senior year, participating fellows complete projects addressing United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in Fairfax County, meet national and international leaders and take field trips focused on global affairs.

Destinations included the Chinese Embassy, World Bank, 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 event in April.

FCPS also celebrated the multilingual learner team at Timber Lane Elementary School: Clara Villalobos Cortes, Catherine Muha, Scott Taggart, Tricia Tyskowski and Elizabeth Smith. Principal Benjamin Chiet nominated the educators for FCPS CARES of the Month for their work implementing the Benchmark Express curriculum and supporting students and general education teachers.

Videos of the team teaching the curriculum were selected for professional development across Region 2, extending their instructional work to educators beyond Timber Lane.