Fairfax Education

Fairfax High’s Musical: 13 Cappie Nominations

‘9 to 5’ is in the running for Best Musical.

The 2014 Cappie nominations were unveiled last Monday, May 19, and Fairfax High’s production of ‘9 to 5’ received a whopping 13 nods – a school record – including Best Musical.

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.”

Week in Fairfax

News happenings in the Fairfax area.

‘Look Around and See the Smiles’

Special-ed students enjoy Day Prom at the Waterford.

Last Thursday, May 8, some 400 students got all dressed up and went to their prom at the Waterford in Fair Oaks.

2012 Woodson Grad Wins Scholarship

Cochlear implants help him overcome deafness, find success.

Fairfax’s Will Andes lost his hearing as a newborn. A preemie, he developed an infection, and a high bilirubin level plus treatment with the antibiotic gentamicin caused a profound hearing loss. But he didn’t let it hamper his desire to accomplish to lead as normal a life as possible and accomplish worthwhile things. And now, he’s one of just five students in North America to receive a Graeme Clark Scholarship from Cochlear Americas.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A Classic Romance Comes to the Stage

Woodson High presents ‘Pride and Prejudice.’

Featuring a cast and crew of 100, Woodson High will present the classic, romantic play, "Pride and Prejudice." And there’ll be entertainment, both on and offstage.

Achievement Gap Addressed at Budget Hearings

Admissions to Thomas Jefferson, cuts to Summer School, later start times discussed.

Of the 487 students admitted to the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, only 10 are black. Eight of these students are Hispanic. This is even though 177 black students and 214 Hispanic students applied for admission to the school. “Unless you actually believe that black and Latino children have some type of intellectual deficiency that prevents them from competing for admission to TJ, you have to believe there is a failure in the Fairfax County Public School system in terms of preparing these students to adequately compete for admission to TJ,” said Tina Hone, former school board member and founder of the Coalition of the Silence (COTS), at the FY 2015 budget public hearing on April 8.

Fairfax Connection