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Fairfax County Public Schools marked a busy mid-March week with student advocacy, science and technology programs, financial-literacy lessons, school visits and community events across the county.
The week opened under the possibility of stormy weather, with Superintendent Michelle Reid saying FCPS would continue monitoring conditions and provide updates as needed.
The school division also recognized Women’s History Month and celebrated Pi Day on March 14. Students and staff across FCPS used the mathematical holiday to explore pi, the constant ratio between a circle’s circumference and diameter.
During National Social and Emotional Learning Week, Justice High School students traveled to Capitol Hill with Principal Sean Rolon and central-office staff. They described how social and emotional learning has influenced their school community and discussed their work through the Student SEL Advisory Committee.
Robinson senior earns national recognition
Robinson Secondary School senior Abby Huisman was named one of five national finalists in the Air Force category of Operation Homefront’s Military Child of the Year award, which recognizes military-connected students for their influence on their families, schools and communities.
Huisman is a varsity captain on Robinson’s girls soccer team and vice president of Rambassadors, a 200-member organization that welcomes students arriving at the school, including children from military families.
Having moved seven times while growing up, Huisman understands the difficulty of entering a new school. She said Rambassadors helps incoming students adjust and supports Robinson’s status as a Purple Star School.
“Watching his 28 years of service in the Air Force shaped my understanding of commitment and sacrifice, so representing Air Force families through this award feels really meaningful,” Huisman said of making her father proud.
She is expected to graduate this summer with a 4.5 GPA and plans to study biology at the University of Virginia beginning in the fall.
Great Falls experiment headed toward edge of space
Fourth graders at Great Falls Elementary School are preparing to send pepper seeds toward the edge of space as part of a classroom science experiment.
Christina Wenks, a NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Solar System Ambassador and trained volunteer, visited the students and introduced the program. The children handled the experiment’s launch vehicle and developed hypotheses about how rapid changes in altitude, pressure and temperature could affect the seeds’ germination, growth, flowering and fruit production.
The class also considered the conditions inside and outside a rocket and why astronauts require space suits.
A hydrogen balloon carrying student experiments is scheduled to launch from Deer Trail, Colorado, on April 11, weather permitting. The FAA-approved launch is planned for 8 a.m. Mountain Time, or 10 a.m. in Virginia, although it could begin closer to 9 a.m. Mountain Time or move to another date because of weather.
Viewers will be able to follow the balloon’s path and monitor readings such as speed and altitude online. Once the seeds return, students will plant them and compare their development with seeds that remained on Earth.
Special education conference set for April 18
The 2026 Special Education Family Conference will take place at Marshall High School from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 18.
Dr. Shelley Moore will deliver the keynote address. The event will also include a Student Showcase, breakout sessions presented by FCPS employees and community partners, and an Exhibitor Hall with county and community resources.
The annual conference is intended to give families and educators practical strategies, tools and connections. Participating FCPS employees can earn continuing professional-development hours. The event supports the school division’s 2023-30 Strategic Plan commitment to helping every student feel safe, supported, included and empowered.
Meanwhile, Advancement Via Individual Determination students from Lewis High School visited the Amazon Skills Center in Arlington through an Educate Fairfax grant. Students participated in hands-on activities involving artificial intelligence and cloud computing and learned how those technologies support modern companies.
For many participants, the trip was their first visit to a major technology workplace and offered a look at careers in rapidly expanding industries.
Sensory learning, STEAM and attendance support at Deer Park
Reid began a Tuesday tour of Centreville and Fairfax City schools at Deer Park Elementary School with Principal Bob D’Amato.
At Bucky’s Rest Stop, preschool students practiced motor skills using sensory obstacles. The space also serves children who need a quiet setting in which to calm and regulate themselves. The room and Bucky’s STEAM Lab have been renovated in recent years with assistance from FCPS partner Asha-Jyothi.
The STEAM lab, developed with Asha-Jyothi funding and a concept from School-Based Technology Specialist Mat Campet, includes wall-mounted marble runs, two 3D printers, building materials and educational games.
Students playing “magnet chess” learned about magnetic attraction and repulsion by attempting to place stones without allowing them to connect. In an art class, sixth graders practiced computer skills, including keyboard shortcuts and right-clicking, while making digital artwork.
D’Amato also demonstrated how Deer Park’s collaborative learning teams track attendance, academic results and other measures. Staff members seek the underlying reasons some children struggle to attend school or engage in class and then develop individualized support.
“They’re kids first,” D’Amato said, emphasizing that students are not defined by identification numbers or test scores.
Cub Run students build belonging and care for trout
At Cub Run Elementary School, Reid met Principal Melissa Miller, Assistant Principal Nausheen Haider, Student Council President Lola and members of the Green Team.
The student leaders described helping teachers and younger children while promoting a sense of belonging. Lola also introduced the school’s baby brook trout, which students are raising for eventual release into local lakes and streams. Caring for the fish teaches students about aquatic habitats as well as responsibility.
Cub Run’s Cubbie Den program encourages cooperation among grade levels. Students earn C.A.R.E.S. tickets by acting responsibly, arriving ready to learn, demonstrating empathy and making safe choices.
Classes were also competing in ST Math’s March Mathness challenge to see which could finish the most puzzles.
During Benchmark Advance literacy lessons, second graders studied poetry and rhyming words while first graders discussed technology. Some children designed paper laptops and selected the apps they considered most useful for learning. Another class explored forms of technology ranging from the alphabet and pencils to artificial intelligence.
Fairfax Villa combines literacy and communication
At Fairfax Villa Elementary School, Reid visited Principal Linda Textoris and Assistant Principal Mary Burke.
First graders in Jessica Wright’s and Claire Werrlein’s classrooms practiced identifying phonemes, an early-literacy skill involving the ability to hear and manipulate sounds within words. Reid also observed an advanced mathematics lesson in Ainsley Marsh’s sixth-grade class and a debate in Melissa Eddy’s sixth-grade classroom. Eddy has taught at Fairfax Villa for 30 years.
In the library, Librarian Jennifer Case and Advanced Academic Teacher Catherine Wilkins led a partner exercise designed to strengthen precise verbal communication. One child constructed a LEGO figure behind a tabletop screen and explained how to reproduce it using only descriptive and directional language. The partner attempted to build a matching model before the screen was removed five minutes later for comparison.
Fairfax Villa has also begun circulating Family Literacy Activity Bags, funded by an Educate Fairfax grant. Introduced during Read Across America Week, the bags include books and activities about subjects such as science, mathematics, architecture and art.
Some kits contain companion objects, including a plush Pete the Cat paired with a related story. Families also receive directions and interactive reading and writing exercises intended for learners of different ages.
Later Tuesday, Reid attended a Fairfax County Council for Economic Opportunity meeting at the Fairfax County Government Center. Participants discussed artificial intelligence, innovation, economic opportunity and cooperation between state and local organizations.
That evening, she attended a 123 Club dinner in Tysons featuring Marvin Lewis, George Mason University’s assistant vice president and director of Intercollegiate Athletics. The conversation included the university’s traditions and future plans.
Science questions and financial reality
On Wednesday morning, Reid met Lorton Station Elementary School sixth grader Armaand, who participated in the school’s first SPARK Expo.
Armaand explained his thinking about how the theory of relativity and Newton’s three laws helped begin to describe the science behind the Big Bang. He also identified what he believes remain gaps in current understanding. His work is expected to appear in a future “Our Voices, Our Future” video.
Sixth-grade teacher CasSandra Tynes and STEAM teacher Huda Atari discussed the thinking behind Lorton Station’s first science fair. Tynes said allowing students to pursue ideas that interest them gives educators opportunities to challenge and deepen their learning through experiments.
Reid then joined Katherine Johnson Middle School eighth graders at Junior Achievement’s Finance Park in Fairfax City.
Each student received a randomly assigned scenario containing a career, income, credit score, education level and family structure. They calculated taxes and net monthly income before visiting more than a dozen simulated businesses.
The students budgeted for insurance, household appliances, vehicles and mortgages while also accounting for savings, vacations, entertainment, pet care and other expenses. The program teaches a “pay yourself first” approach in which savings and debt payments are treated as regular monthly obligations.
Reid discussed FCPS’ financial-literacy partnership with Junior Achievement of Greater Washington CEO Dr. Monica Goldson.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Superintendent’s Advisory Committee for Twice-Exceptional Programming held its March meeting. Members learned about FCPS’ multi-tiered systems of support, considered student focus groups underway at some schools and discussed ways to promote the Special Education Family Conference.
The meeting concluded with updates on production assignments connected to the 2025-26 Project Plan for twice-exceptional programming.
Pi Day pies and a packed gym
Hayfield Secondary School held its annual Pi Day fundraiser Thursday morning in support of the Math Honor Society.
During lunch, students paid $1 for an opportunity to hit a teacher or administrator with a shaving-cream pie in the cafeteria courtyard. The activity combined a mathematics celebration with fundraising and community building.
That evening, Glasgow Middle School hosted Hoop It Up Night. A crowded gym watched school employees and student athletes demonstrate their basketball skills.
Students push for stronger support and new forms of assessment
Reid went to Justice High School on Friday to record a public-service announcement with military-connected students ahead of April’s Month of the Military Child.
Justice is seeking Purple Star designation and is developing a student ambassador program, stronger transition services for general- and special-education students, and additional measures to welcome new arrivals.
Reid also met senior Dayana to discuss her college options and interest in law or international business. Dayana was recognized for demonstrating leadership and resilience during a challenging period for students.
At Bailey’s Upper Elementary School, fifth grader Valentina presented an independent project that used songwriting to express her concerns about high-stakes testing.
Valentina had emailed Reid about the project, which argues that students should not be required to take Virginia Standards of Learning assessments and calls for other ways to demonstrate what they know and can do. Reid said she understood the concern and acknowledged that more work is needed on assessment.
Friday night brought a performance by the Rose Hill Elementary School Players at Edison High School. Teacher Danny Adams and other supporters helped students contribute in numerous roles both onstage and behind the scenes.
Books, jobs and family events fill Saturday
Saturday began with White Oaks Elementary School’s Eagle Trot Fun Run, supported by school employees, parents and community partners.
At Lake Braddock Secondary School, FCPS held a Special Education and STEM Job Fair. School leaders and human-resources employees met prospective educators interested in joining the division.
The Reading Opens the World Book Drive and Family Literacy Fair followed at the Lorton Community Center. The effort distributes books to children in need, including students at Title I schools, children with disabilities and military-connected students.
More than 10 million books have been distributed to families and educators through the broader initiative. The Fairfax County Federation of Teachers hosted the local event for a third year with support from the American Federation of Teachers and First Book.
Organizers plan to give 30,000 books to the Fairfax community this year. Each student may receive as many as 10 books, while educators may select up to 50 for their classroom libraries.
The program supports the academic-growth and excellence goal in FCPS’ 2023-30 Strategic Plan. Children who are not proficient readers by the end of third grade are four times more likely to leave high school without graduating, while literacy is associated with education, income, health and civic participation.
Two fifth-grade teachers from Bonnie Brae Elementary School were among the educators selecting books for their classrooms.
Later Saturday, Beech Tree and Spring Hill elementary schools held Fun Fairs that filled classrooms and hallways with students, employees, families and volunteers.
Hundreds gather for regional science fair
The week concluded with the 71st annual Fairfax County Regional Science and Engineering Fair at Robinson Secondary School.
Hundreds of young scientists and engineers from schools across Fairfax County presented projects covering a wide range of subjects. The event gave students an opportunity to practice collaboration, critical thinking and skills involving science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics.
FCPS school leaders and a central-office team led by Ann Wong helped coordinate and celebrate the students’ work. Sponsors, science and administrative employees, and Office of Communications staff member Maple Chou, who created the event poster, also supported the fair.