Poverty in the Classroom: Low-Income Students Scattered Through Northern Virginia
Where are the region's highest poverty schools?
When Carla Castro-Claure was approaching the age when she would soon attend Kindergarten, her mother became increasingly concerned about Hybla Valley Elementary School.
Sharing A Passion for STEM
Summer Keating of Fairfax Station starts STEMaze group.
Summer Keating is only in sixth grade at Silverbrook Elementary School, but the 11-year-old Fairfax Station resident is already sharing her passion for science and math with the community. “We don't do enough hands-on science, there is too much work for SOLs,” Summer said. “When we do science, it’s not as creative as I would like.”
National Merit Scholarship Winners
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) has named 31 Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) students winners of $2,500 National Merit Scholarships. The students are part of a group of approximately 2,500 National Merit finalists chosen to receive scholarships primarily financed by the NMSC. Winners of the scholarships, with their probable career fields in parentheses, are:
Communities to Discuss School Start Times
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) will hold eight community meetings—one per cluster—in May and June to gather feedback from students, parents, employees, and community members on proposed adjustments to school start times. Participants are welcome to attend the meeting that is most convenient for them.
Fairfax County School Board Addressing Budget Shortfalls
Budget shortfall is $17 million.
The Fairfax County School Board is considering options to close a $17 million shortfall in their 2015 budget. Superintendent Karen Garza presented the board with possible adjustments at a work session on April 28. The school board is set to adopt their final budget on May 22. On April 29, the Board of Supervisors approved the FY 2015 budget, including a school transfer of three percent, short of Garza’s requested 5.7 percent increase.
South County Senior Awarded Scholarship
Christian Canales will be first in his family to attend college.
For his work as a leader in the Hispanic community, South County High School senior Christian Canales has been awarded a $1,000 from the Fairfax County Hispanic Leadership Alliance. Canales will be attending James Madison University in the fall where he will study education, and plans to be a high school teacher. “I want to help others and be a teacher, and help guide kids in the right direction. I just want to do the same for others that my teacher did for me. A lot of families don’t put education first, but I believe if you’re not educated, you won’t have a successful life,” Canales said. Canales will be the first in his family to attend college, which he says is a huge deal for him. “It’s not a weight on my shoulder, but I have to set the example,” Canales said. “I think me going to school and trying to show my cousins and other family that you need to go to school. I’m like a role model to them. I want them to go by my example and continue their education.”
Robinson Students Receive Scholarships
Claudia Torres and Carolina Castedo honored by Hispanic Leadership Alliance.
Claudia Torres, a senior at Robinson Secondary School, and Carolina Castedo, also a senior at Robinson, both moved to the United States at a young age over 10 years ago. Torres is Peruvian, and Castedo is Bolivian and Chilean. Burke residents Torres and Castedo, both 18, wrote about challenges they have overcome as newcomers to the United States, as well as reasons they wish to attend college, in an application for a Fairfax County Hispanic Leadership Alliance Scholarship. “I didn’t know how to speak English, and that was hard for me when I got here,” Castedo said.
Despite Advances, Many Virginians Remain Uninsured
Affordable Care Act expands coverage, but more than 800,000 still have no health insurance.
What is the state of the uninsured in Virginia?
South County High Presents ‘The Producers’
Could you use a good laugh and a burst of spring? South County High School Theatre delivers just that with the musical comedy, “The Producers”, May 2-3, and May 9-10, 2014, at Dale Rumberger Performing Arts Center.
Musical, Murder Mystery Whodunnit Comedy
It’s ‘Curtains’ for Robinson’s Cappies play.
A whodunnit, murder mystery, musical comedy, “Curtains” is Robinson Secondary’s upcoming Cappies play. Show times are Thursday-Saturday, May 8, 9, 10, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 at www.robinsondrama.org.
Magic of Mothers Host Math Mania
Students ages 6-12 compete, share love of math.
Students from elementary and middle schools in Fairfax Station and Lorton practiced their math skills and experienced the excitement of competition by participating in the Magic of Mothers Math Mania competition on April 26.
Fairfax County School Board Examining Later Start Times
High schools could start as late as 9:15.
Two years after the Fairfax County School Board adopted a resolution in favor of later start times, exhausted teenagers are one step closer to getting a full night’s sleep. The Children’s National Medical Center recently presented the school board with options for later start times, of which the school board selected four for public discussion. The new start times could be implemented as early as the 2015-2016 school year.
Area Students Recognized In Fair Housing Contest
Sharon Garrott of Lake Braddock and Brianna Camp of Robinson win awards.
Burke resident and Lake Braddock junior Sharon Garrott and Robinson senior Brianna Camp were recently recognized for their submissions to the Fairfax County Student Human Rights Commission competition. This year’s theme was “Fair Housing: Opening Doors to Equal Opportunity.” Garrott was selected as a winner in the literary category for her poem, “Battle Within these Walls.” Brianna Camp won the contest’s art category with her painting.
For Congressional Candidates, No Common Ground on Common Core
Democrats in Virginia's 8th Congressional District divided on national education standards.
Should American schools share national standards? That's a question that divides the 10 Democrats seeking to replace longtime U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (D-8), who is retiring after 24 years in the House of Representatives. During a recent candidates forum, the Democrats were asked if they support the Common Core State Standards Initiative, two candidates said they disagreed and eight candidates said they agreed.
French Students Visit Robinson
American and French students learn language, culture through exchange program.
For Monica Jugnet, a French teacher at Robinson Secondary School’s International Baccalaureate Program, teaching French is more than just advising students on grammar or learning verb conjugations. Exchange programs like the one taking place at Robinson this week is what makes learning a language worthwhile, she says.