Superintendent's Weekly Reflections
Well, it has been another beautiful and active fall week here in this amazing community. It is hard to believe that we will be in November next week ;>) There continue to be such inspiring moments, large and small all over this amazing division. As we contemplate the evolving innovation conversation in our division, I found the following quote to be both productive and provocative: “Discovery is seeing what everybody else has seen, and thinking what nobody else has thought.” —Dr. Albert Szent-Gyorgyi (1893-1986) Nobel Prize Winner. As we move forward, together, let’s continue to re-imagine the possibilities…
As the quarter ends, I’d like to start by giving an “A+” to our transportation team for stepping up and ‘simply doing the right thing’ by helping another school system in need. Earlier this week, a bus from the District of Columbia Public Schools was in an accident in Fairfax County. Without hesitation, Transportation Director Francine Furby and the team stepped up and provided buses to ensure that the students could get back to D.C. safely. Our drivers Latika Barnes and Barnabas Musimwa didn’t hesitate in extending our caring culture to help out. As the great basketball coach John Wooden once said, and I now paraphrase, character is what you do when no one is watching. I am so proud of our quiet acts of kindness every day. Community matters!
Congratulations to the team at Justice High School! The school has been selected to serve as a National Demonstration School at the 50th Annual National Association of Black School Educators (NABSE) Conference. As defined by NABSE, a demonstration school will carry the distinction of being one of a select group of exemplary majority-minority schools that all schools across the nation will be eager to emulate. Earlier this month, I visited Justice HS with School Board Member Ricardy Anderson, to learn more about the plans and programs led by Principal Tiffany Narcisse. She is truly a catalyst for change and has a vision for excellence and equity that reverberates throughout the school. I am inspired by Principal Narcisse and her leadership; she and her team are making a difference.
In other great FCPS news, Mosaic Elementary School Principal Mahri Aste is one of only nine school leaders recognized nationally by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a recipient of the 2022 Terrell H. Bell Award for Outstanding School Leadership. The award recognizes outstanding school leaders and the vital role they play in guiding students and schools to excellence, frequently under challenging circumstances. “In her 32 years as a teacher and leader, Dr. Aste has been a dedicated and skilled educator and leader among her peers,” says Douglas Tyson, assistant superintendent of Region 1. “The most evident example of how Principal Aste’s leadership has impacted the school can be seen in the achievement of Mosaic students. In the last three years, Mosaic has made significant strides in closing achievement gaps for Black and Hispanic students and English language learners. We are proud to have her impact in our community recognized by the Department of Education.” We are so blessed to have exceptional principal leaders and educators in our FCPS family; it matters. I continue to be so inspired by how here in FCPS, we care just a bit more !!
After last week’s shout-out to Daniels Run and Providence elementary schools for their recognition as Virginia Naturally Schools, I learned that Katherine Johnson Middle School (KJMS) was also recognized for the ninth time. Principal Tammy Silipigni shared the following: “KJMS is a proud United States Department of Energy Green Ribbon School and an Eco School Permanent Green Flag School. We were the first to receive these awards at the state and national levels, and we have helped to lead the way for other FCPS schools to follow. Each year, our students learn how to care for our local environment with hands-on experiences in our courtyard growing gardens and tending to the pond of fish. We have showcased our students’ environmental talents with annual participation and several awards such as Caring for Our Watershed and eCYBERMISSION submissions.” Learn more in this short video. So many transformational works for good!!
Thursday evening, I attended a reception at Lewis HS hosted by Principal Alfonso Smith, and attended by family members of the late Congressman John R. Lewis as well as several school board members, for the community partners, staff, and students who have been influential in the creation of the Lewis Leadership Program. The program adopts the principles of Congressman John Lewis’s life through a curriculum that focuses on government, public policy, leadership, and human rights. Interested students may become more involved through field experiences, guest speakers, service learning, specialized coursework, internships, and university partnerships. More to come as this exciting program develops. A big thank you to all involved in this work. Stay tuned!
As a school community, we recognize that our work extends beyond teaching and learning. Our students and families depend on us as a community hub for resources and support. I recently read this article from K-12 Dive about the youth opioid crisis across the nation and how schools have been placed on the front lines. From the article, “The opioid crisis has plagued the nation for the last three decades and will likely impact the education system for years to come. It knows no boundaries as it affects the rich and poor, the young and old, and communities and households in rural, suburban, and urban locations.” Sadly, Fairfax County is not immune. As a result, FCPS, in partnership with the Virginia Department of Health, will now stock each school with Narcan. Narcan is a medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designed to rapidly reverse an opioid overdose. FCPS has placed an order for Narcan with the Virginia Department of Health. Once the shipment is delivered, each school’s Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist (SAPS) will collaborate with school administrators to stock their automated external defibrillator (AED) units and clinics. The SAPS will check all school AED cabinets on a monthly basis to determine if replacement Narcan doses are needed. In the event that a dose of Narcan is administered, a school administrator shall immediately inform the SAPS. I am grateful that we have these resources, but I recognize the greater importance of teaching our students about the dangers of substance use and supporting students who are struggling. Please know that we are committed to advocacy at the local and state level for mental health and substance use treatment support for our youth; it matters.
On Tuesday, I joined School Board Member Stella Pekarsky for visits to Westfield High School as well as Bull Run and Virginia Run elementary schools. At Westfield, Principal Anthony DiBari shared how he used ESSER funding to purchase dictionary tools to assist multilingual students with communication barriers. We then stepped into Kathleen Glasgow’s African American Studies class. Westfield HS has the largest number of students taking this class across the county. Westfield is also working on offering AP African American studies next school year. Next, we viewed the collaborative learning space created for teachers and students to gain new perspectives from peers. Principal DiBari cultivates Westfield pride and develops the next generation of leaders by allowing students to express their ideas for improving Westfield through the Principal’s Council. Go Bulldogs!!
At Bull Run Elementary School, Principal Jason Pensler took us to observe how second graders approach literacy. I also learned how the school creates connections with the Newcomer and First Friends programs. We know that learning happens best in community and when students feel safe and connected to the school community. We concluded our tour with “un-bull-lievable vocals” from Kelly Butler-Noel’s fifth grade chorus class. Though I must share that the song being rehearsed gave me pause as it was all about snow…. I cannot even begin to think that snow will soon be a possibility ;>)
Finally, I went to Virginia Run Elementary School, where Principal Liz Bumbrey spoke about how she fosters a sense of community and Virginia Run pride. We also saw how Virginia Run used ESSER funding to create learning labs for students (pictured above).
Thursday, I visited Weyanoke and Glen Forest elementary schools with School Board Member Ricardy Anderson. At Weyanoke, Principal Felicia Usher explained that social-emotional learning, as well as science, are a big focus at the school. Our first stop was to the second-grade classroom of Rebecca Otaizo, where students were participating in a STEAM lab and learning about pumpkins, such as guessing their weight and the number of seeds each pumpkin might hold. I had fun estimating with our energetic students! Go Woodchucks!!
At Glen Forest Elementary School, I was welcomed by Principal Diane Herndon-Wilson and three outstanding student ambassadors, Hoda, Noona, and Shlok. They shared with me all the reasons why they love their school! In Meredith Jessen’s fifth grade class, students were learning about denominators in fractions, and in Sherry Holland-Senter’s fifth grade class, students were very curious to learn exactly what a superintendent does, and how someone becomes a School Board member. Our students are simply the best !!
On Friday, along with School Board Member Laura Jane Cohen, I had the opportunity to attend a luncheon hosted by FCCLA students and staff at Lake Braddock SS. The program was instructive and the menu was tasty and nutritious, well maybe all but the dessert cupcakes ;>) This is such a great leadership program for our students. Family, Career and Community Leaders of America is a nonprofit national career and technical student organization for students in Family and Consumer Sciences education and our very own LBSS senior Skyler Kim is the VA FCCLA President!! We are so blessed to have such dedicated staff support for our students in these and so many other programs, especially Ms. Ragland, Mr. Prassa, and Ms. Moyer to name jut a few.
Later on Friday evening, along with School Board Member Karen Corbett Sanders, I had the opportunity to attend the Mount Vernon home football game and experience the excitement of a pyramid night event with students, staff, and principals from all across the Mount Vernon pyramid. The evening was fabulous, the game spirited, the new marching band uniforms looked sharp (the music performance was amazing!!) and the dance, drill and cheer teams flawless in their presentation and contagious in their energy. The halftime parade even included a Jedi Dinosaur ?? Hmmmm…
The Marine JROTC were on cannon duty and presented the colors with precision. I even had an opportunity to ‘save Mount Vernon Woods ES Principal Gina O’Neal’ from a pass play rapidly coming to our sideline spot’ ;>) If you haven’t had a chance yet; spending time at a co-curricular or extra-curricular event is so energizing!! Thank you to Principal JoVon Rogers and her team for hosting us. Go Majors!!
Our Strategic Plan work is building momentum! Wednesday afternoon, principals from across the division gathered to learn about the critically important role they will have in shaping the direction of the division and hearing from their students. On Thursday, the champions of each of the planning teams convened for their kickoff meeting. A lot of their discussion centered on what role they will have in leading their planning team and supporting the overall development of the Strategic Plan.
Students will have their voices centered in this strategic planning work and both a video for our younger students and a video for our older students have been created and will be shared as we move into this phase of our planning work. A special thank you to our Student School Board Member Michelle Togbe for supporting this important video work.
Looking ahead, the Strategic Plan Student Survey will launch, via email invitation, to all students in grades 3-12 who are not opted out of the survey. I am so excited about the opportunity for principals to lead focus groups in their schools next month and learn from students what is going well and where we can improve. Throughout this process, we hope to hear from as many students, families, staff, and community members in the development of our new strategic plan. If you haven’t seen it yet, our amazing OCCR Team created this short video to explain the vision for the process. Together, great things are possible!
I will be out all weekend taking in the amazing sports, events, and activities that FCPS has to offer. Be sure to follow me on Instagram – you never know when I might give a shout out to your school :>)
And so, as I end my reflections this week, I want to share a favorite quote from the late Congressman John R Lewis; “What I try to tell young people is that if you come together with a mission, and its grounded with love and a sense of community, you can make the impossible possible.” I see it happening each and every day here in FCPS!!
Best,
Michelle Reid, Ed.D.
Superintendent
