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Fairfax County Public Schools returned from spring break with a packed schedule of academic programs, student achievements, community events and budget discussions across the division.
The week coincided with the Week of the Young Child, an annual April observance recognizing early learners and their educators. FCPS serves more than 7,100 early-learning students through programs designed to develop language, social-emotional and cognitive skills, including services for children facing economic and educational risk factors.
Holmes Middle School multilingual learner specialist Sherisse Kenerson is also set to bring the school’s nationally recognized after-school Cursive Club to television. Kenerson and the club, previously featured by The Washington Post and NPR, will appear on The Kelly Clarkson Show at 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 14, on NBC. Some participating students have begun taking classroom notes in cursive.
FCPS is also observing the Month of the Military Child in recognition of more than 14,000 military-connected students and their families. The division encouraged the community to wear purple for Purple Up Day on Wednesday, April 15.
Students and staff earn statewide recognition
Westfield High School’s Jemon Price was named the Virginia High School League Class 6 Boys Basketball State Player of the Year, while Kevin Harris received Coach of the Year honors.
Lake Braddock’s Nate McComb and Westfield’s Isaiah Brown made the boys’ All-State First Team. South County’s Johnny Anderson and McLean’s Jake Bell were selected for the Second Team.
On the girls’ side, Oakton’s Sophie Toole and South County’s Laila Tull and Natalia Wooten earned First Team recognition. West Potomac’s Dawn Houston, Langley’s Mariah Armah and Centreville’s Malia Siriwardene were named to the Second Team.
During spring break, FCPS Superintendent Michelle Reid and Executive Director of Activities and Athletics Tom Horn also discussed division athletics, particularly football, on the All Hitches NoVA Football Podcast. The program is produced by Woodson High School teachers Daniel Mesa and Ramine Dash.
A Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology team was meanwhile selected as a Virginia winner in the 2026 Presidential Artificial Intelligence Challenge. Alexander Cordova, Andrea Oraze and Audrey Na created “Discern,” an AI application designed to help users determine whether online content is real or fake.
The national challenge invites K-12 students, educators, mentors and community teams to address local problems with AI-powered tools. The TJHSST students will next compete in the Southeast regional round.
County budget hearings approach
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, which supplies approximately 70% of FCPS funding, is scheduled to adopt its fiscal 2027 budget on May 5. Public hearings at the Government Center Board Auditorium are planned for 4 p.m. April 14 and 3 p.m. on both April 15 and April 16.
As the decision approaches, FCPS highlighted several academic measures. Nearly half of students in grades five through nine passed an above-grade-level Math Standards of Learning test, almost twice the statewide rate.
During the 2024-25 school year, 32% of FCPS high school students took Advanced Placement courses, compared with 26% statewide. The division has 88 candidates for the 2026 U.S. Presidential Scholars program, accounting for 43% of Virginia’s candidates, and 37% more National Merit Semifinalists in the Class of 2026 than in the previous graduating class.
The division’s 2026 Special Education Family Conference is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 18, at Marshall High School. Educator and inclusion advocate Shelley Moore will deliver the keynote address. The event will also include a student showcase, breakout sessions and an exhibitor hall, while eligible FCPS employees can earn professional-development hours.
Bus drivers put safety skills to the test
FCPS transportation employees competed in the 2026 Transportation Roadeo through driving and safety exercises that included parallel parking, backing, student-loading procedures and pre-trip inspections.
Sandy O’Grady of Area 4 won the standard Type C big-bus division, followed by Area 4 floater Gauge Campbell and Area 3 floater Min Kang.
Natasha Watford-Sturgis of Area 2 placed first in the lift-equipped special-needs Type C small-bus division. Il Seon Kim of Area 4 finished second, and Lucia Valentino of Area 1 placed third.
O’Grady and Watford-Sturgis will represent FCPS at the Region IV School Bus Roadeo in Dumfries on April 18 and at the Virginia State Bus Roadeo in May. Jessica Carroll, Peter Gado and Lisa Ellis received special recognition for coordinating the local competition.
Spring Sprouts adds learning during the break
Reid visited Spring Sprouts programs at Lynbrook, Annandale Terrace, Sleepy Hollow and Pine Spring elementary schools. Offered at selected Title I schools, the four-day program uses small-group, hands-on lessons to strengthen math and literacy skills.
At Sleepy Hollow, students connected movement to the plant life cycle through the Yoga 4 Classrooms Metamorphosis lesson. They imagined themselves as seeds responding to rain and sunlight before growing into plants and turning toward the sun.
At Lynbrook, third graders explored the roles of buyers and sellers through a farmers market activity. Kindergarten students estimated and calculated sums using colored dice, while first graders searched the building for real-world shapes and drew what they found.
The program supports the “Strong Start: Pre-K-12” goal in the division’s 2023-30 Strategic Plan.
Reid also attended a Lake Braddock girls’ soccer game against McLean before meeting employees at Newington Forest Elementary School. Staff discussed the math pilot, alignment with Virginia standards, instructional materials, reassessment practices and student readiness. They also raised concerns about budget limitations, shortened instructional weeks and inconsistent uses of time among schools.
At a Quad 3 Family Vision Group meeting at Oak View Elementary School, families and employees offered feedback intended to shape an FCPS resource about artificial intelligence.
Reid later joined northern Virginia school board leaders and new state education officials during a Public School Leadership Network meeting at Mason Square.
FCPS details its approach to English development
During the School Board’s strategic-plan update, FCPS reviewed its English Language Development model. Federal law requires school divisions to advance students’ English skills while removing language barriers that restrict access to grade-level coursework.
At the elementary level, FCPS uses Benchmark Express alongside its Benchmark Advance language arts materials. Secondary students receive both targeted English-development courses and co-teaching support in core classrooms.
The division said foundational resources are intended to provide consistent instruction across schools, explicitly address reading, writing, speaking and listening, and allow teachers to focus on adapting lessons to student needs.
Specified materials include Benchmark Express for elementary schools, HMH English 3D for academic discourse in middle schools, and Cengage National Geographic Learning’s LIFT and Pathways programs in high schools, with Pathways serving the most advanced learners.
Technology, school meals and international ties take center stage
At the Fairfax County Government Center, students participated in the Shark Tank Tech Challenge. Supporting the county’s Economic Success Plan, the competition asks students to create devices or applications that could help older adults, adults with disabilities or caregivers live more independently.
The Taste of FCPS event then showcased the Office of Food and Nutrition Services’ work on student wellness, menu development and student feedback. Reid sampled school menu items prepared by FCPS executive chef Tim Jones and highlighted the division’s use of healthier food and scratch cooking.
At Washington’s Tidal Basin, Fox Mill Elementary School’s Japanese Immersion students joined a celebration of America’s 250th birthday and Japan’s gift of 250 additional cherry trees to the United States. The students delivered a speech and performed a Japanese song accompanied by sign language.
Reid later attended the Herndon Pyramid Art Show at Herndon United Methodist Church, where work from elementary through high school students was displayed together.
Her final Friday school event was Langley High School’s production of Grease. The show featured numbers including “Summer Nights,” “Greased Lightnin’” and “Born to Hand Jive.” Theatre director Brian Kaufman credited the cast, crew and pit musicians with contributing ideas and talent throughout rehearsals that began in February.
That evening, Reid watched the Integrity capsule land safely in the Pacific Ocean after the Artemis II mission traveled approximately 695,000 miles to the moon and back. She connected the mission’s emphasis on innovation and exploration with efforts to prepare students for careers in science and engineering.
A weekend of sports, hiring, history and the arts
Reid opened Saturday by throwing the ceremonial first pitch at Great Falls Little League’s Opening Day, where players, coaches, families and volunteers gathered to begin the season.
She then visited an instructional job fair at Lake Braddock Secondary School before attending Langley High School’s 60th-anniversary celebration. Langley opened in 1965 amid growth and desegregation in FCPS. The anniversary program included tours, a time capsule and memories shared by alumni and current community members.
At Terra Centre Elementary School’s Fun Fair, students and families participated in games and activities. The event included a tortoise and a hare that live together rather than race. It also highlighted Terra Centre’s environmental education efforts and Get2Green leader Laure Grove, who recently received a national award for sustainability leadership and hands-on learning.
The week concluded with Justice High School’s production of The Sound of Music, where the Wolfpack Theatre cast and crew presented the musical with an emphasis on vocals, collaboration and student creativity.