Superintendent's Weekly Reflections
Wow, what another great spring weekend !! Well, it is hard to believe it is already the last full week of April !! May is upon us next week and the wonder of an evolving spring. It finally feels like spring with the energy and enthusiasm that being outdoors brings.
Last Tuesday night, I joined the Global Classroom Project Showcase at Luther Jackson Middle School. With a future yet to be imagined, one thing we know is that the ability to use a variety of durable skills in different contexts and transfer them in interconnected ways will open doors in relationships, perspectives, and future careers. Our Global Classroom Project students are collaborating across continents, being global and ethical citizens, while communicating their solutions to issues that are important to them and to their future. That’s our Portrait of a Graduate in action! The online interactive map on our website shows students partnering with schools as far away as South Korea and across multiple contents to tackle challenges that include Clean Water and Sanitation, Sustainability, Zero Hunger, and Clean Energy, to name just a few! At the event, students shared their ideas with local government officials, organizations, companies, and other stakeholders that can help move their ideas into action. Our students will continue to lead us!
I was also able to join the Robinson Rams softball game Tuesday night, not just to see some amazing athletes in action, but also to be a part of a very important pre-game activity. Before the first pitch, students hosted a ceremony to provide resources and bring awareness about mental health and suicide prevention. As it was shared with me, mental health is a major concern for our athletes, and it is important that we talk about this topic and let student athletes and others know that they are not alone. It is Robinson’s third year running this program to fight the stigma, provide support, and educate the players and fans in attendance. I continue to be inspired by the amazing students across FCPS who are showing how they care for others, and our community in ways that are necessary now more than ever.
Our students are committed to caring not just for each other, but also for our beautiful planet. Thank you to Will Friedman and Greg Hjemo, students at West Potomac High School, for sharing the above photo from the West Potomac High School Youth Conservation Leadership Institute (YCLI) Tree Planting on Tuesday. Will and Greg partnered with Fairfax County’s Urban Forest Management Division and Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District to host a tree planting and educational event. Participants planted eight large trees consisting of three different native species. Will shared that they wanted to convey to their peers the critical need for stewardship, advocacy, and protection of our tree canopy in Fairfax County and the volunteer opportunities available through Volunteer Fairfax. Will says, “One tree at a time; plant a tree, remove invasives, and care for and protect our trees in place.” Coming from “The Evergreen State”, I’ve marveled at the majesty of the many trees native to Virginia. With students like Will and Greg and the many other volunteers, I know that we are in good hands to preserve and protect them!
Congratulations to Centreville Elementary School (CES) for receiving the National Association for Professional Development Schools (NAPDS) award for “Exemplary PDS Achievement”. Pictured above are Assistant Principal Rachel Forte, and Assistant Principal Jennifer Killingsworth, George Mason University’s Dr. Charlene O’Brien and Principal Josh Douds. Principal Douds shared, “It was a true honor to receive this award at the annual NAPDS conference in March and can be attributed to the symbiotic relationship between teacher candidates, GMU, and Centreville Elementary. Our vision at CES is to ensure our teacher candidates experience a sense of belonging, which in turn augments their clinical preparation and their impact on our school community. Through a focus on belonging and agency within our PDS partnership, our teacher candidates have developed and implemented school-wide initiatives, rooted in research, that have generated new knowledge, and collective inquiry and growth. We have kept the NAPDS essentials at the heart of our work. We are proud to say that many of our past teacher candidates are current teachers and mentors, impacting both students and rising educators daily.” Nurturing the next generation of educators is critical work and I thank our partners at George Mason and the team at Centreville for their commitment. This work matters!
Wednesday evening, I joined Educate Fairfax, our 501c3 non-profit, to celebrate 12 distinguished alumni at the second annual FCPS Hall of Fame induction ceremony. More than 120 people attended the event at the Tower Club. Each of the honorees, shown in the above photo, credited a teacher, guidance counselor, administrator or other FCPS staff as someone who helped them become who they are today. It was so gratifying to hear about the impact one trusted adult can have on a student. This year’s Hall of Fame members include an Army general, an ambassador, entrepreneurs, a scientist, a doctor and philanthropist, and non-profit leaders in Fairfax. Read more about the event and our outstanding alumni on the Educate Fairfax website. It is always exciting to shine a light on the important ways the excellent FCPS education shows up in our local and global community!
Thursday morning, I visited Colin Powell Elementary School with school board member Stella Pekarsky to celebrate the school’s 20th anniversary. Two student reporters asked me some tough questions before the celebration began. Then, I mingled with current and former students and staff, and other members of the Powell community who are living examples of puma pride. I met Powell's first two principals, Brian Hull and Linda Clifford, who laid a great foundation for current principal Jamie Luerssen. Following the meet and greet, we participated in a march around the school, and we received a warm puma greeting from students before entering the gymnasium to the sounds of the Brass Quintet of the United States Air Force Band. Colin Powell once stated, "If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters." Powell Elementary School is excellent in both little and big things!
Thursday evening, I hosted the first two of four teacher and classroom instructional staff town halls at West Springfield High School. I appreciated the honest conversation, feedback, and questions around topics including compensation and benefits, behavior, grading and testing policies, and safety, among others. I will be hosting two more sessions next Tuesday at Herndon High School. Please register to attend. I hope to see you there!
Friday evening I was thrilled to attend the Herndon HS theatre production of Kiss Me Kate. It was a great show and provided a full house a great experience with talented acting and support. It was also inspiring to have Theatre instructor Scott Pafumi share his thoughts; “As a veteran FCPS Theatre educator these last 28 years, I have been asked many times about the professional success of my alumni students on Broadway and Hollywood. Indeed, I have seen many of them on TV and film, and gracing the boards of the Broadway stage. However, the ones I am most proud of are the ones who come back to FCPS as Theatre teachers. The following 6 FCPS alums have gone from my classroom, to college, to creating their own drama classroom in Fairfax County.
- Jenny Girardi, I taught at Hughes MS in 1996/1997, class of 2001 South Lakes. Served as the Theatre teacher at South Lakes HS
- Pat Mitchell, I taught at Westfield HS, class of 2002. Currently serving as the Theatre teacher at Hayfield Secondary, previously Holmes MS
- Megan Thrift, taught at Westfield HS, class of 2005 Served as the Theatre teacher at Poe MS and Robinson Secondary
- Rachel Harrington, I taught at Westfield, class of 2008. Served as the Theatre teacher at Westfield HS
- Phoebe Dillard, I taught her at Westfield HS, class of 2010. Currently serving as the Theatre teacher at Whitman Middle School.
- Emma Harris, I taught at Herndon MS & HS, class of 2022. Awarded contract for employment with FCPS Teachers for Tomorrow, currently at GMU for Theatre Ed.
- Stacey Jones – current Theatre teacher at Luther Jackson MS – I taught her in a Theatre Ed semester grad course at George Mason
- Pelin Belinder – current Theatre teacher at Poe MS – I taught her at Northern Virginia Community College, within my tech and acting semester courses
I am proud to call them my colleagues, and continue to mentor them as needed. Each of them have earned many accolades as award winning teachers and directors.” This is an inspiring example of the legacy moves that each and every one of us nurtures.
Saturday morning was busy beginning with a stop at Mount Eagle ES where students, staff, and the community celebrated Earth Day. This is an annual community event that the school has been holding for the past 10 years. Everyone worked on the garden, shared crafts and connected as a community. This year, they held the official dedication of the outdoor art pieces completed by a former Mount Eagle student and now senior at Hayfield SS, Norah Nijbroek. Nora created these incredible works during the pandemic. Principal Jean Consolla and her staff are definitely proof that learning happens best in community. I also appreciated meeting Kindergarten Instructional Assistant Juana Tlatelpe and two of her daughters who teach in FCPS. It is such an important reminder that each of us builds on the strengths of one another.
Later Saturday afternoon, I had the opportunity to stop by the 5th Annual Environment Expo at Fort Hunt Park. Riverside ES was well represented by science resource teacher Kathleen Herron who shared the work of Riverside students and staff. It was educational to be a part of the conversation about all that we can do to better support our environment. Our FCPS Get2Green team was also in attendance and shared tips on how we can best nurture a sustainable environment; together all things are possible.
Finally next week, the School Board will participate in a work session to review the Strategic Plan feedback that has been gathered so far. We are moving closer to have clear and specific goals that will drive our work from now until 2030. Please continue to stay up to date by visiting the Strategic Planning website.
In thinking about the fabulous spring week ahead, I am reminded that; “One’s life has value so long as one attributes value to the life of others, by means of love, friendship, indignation and compassion.” – Simone de Beauvoir. Hoping you and yours enjoy an audaciously adventurous week; these are our very best days...
Warmest regards,
Michelle Reid, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Fairfax County Public Schools
