Dear FCPS Community,
Our new school year is off to a strong start! Thanks to our incredible staff, students, families, and community members for your role in this early success.
It is such a tremendous honor to serve as your superintendent and work toward ensuring each and every one of our students reach their greatest, unique potential. Together, all things are possible!
My heart beats strongest when I am visiting our schools. Walking into a building fills me with great energy and a renewed sense of purpose. It keeps me centered in my work and reinforces my belief in the power of public education. There are so many wonderful things happening that it was hard to choose just a few to include in Sharing our Success.
Looking back on the 2023-24 academic year, we have so many successes to celebrate, and we can’t wait to share them with you. Last year, we increased the number of students taking Advanced Placement (AP) exams, as well as the number of students enrolling in Algebra I by 8th grade. Nearly all of our schools saw an improvement in the rates of chronic absenteeism. To support student mental and physical wellness, we started track and field and cross country running at each of our middle schools. We amplified student voice on food and nutrition, resulting in new menu items including culturally diverse options and increasing our sustainability initiatives.
We have steadily decreased our number of teacher vacancies and found innovative ways to recruit skilled teachers from around the world to enhance and diversify our roster of talented educators.
I am excited to build upon those successes this school year, especially as our 2023-30 Strategic Plan — our North Star — guides us toward the ultimate goal of ensuring excellence, equity, and opportunity for each and every student. With your support, we are already making measurable strides in this direction. This work matters!
We hope you enjoy Sharing Our Success, our annual look back at some of the great things that happened in FCPS last school year. I trust you will agree that we can all feel enormous pride in our incredible achievements.
Wishing you all a joyful and rewarding school year!
Michelle C. Reid, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Fairfax County Public Schools
Celebrating Excellence in 2024
FCPS Quick Facts
FCPS is committed to creating a learning environment where every student thrives. A key focus of that plan is addressing chronic absenteeism, where a student misses 18 or more days of school in a school year.
FCPS has made significant strides in reducing student absences by fostering a caring, collaborative school culture that prioritizes student engagement and motivation. This approach aligns with Goal 2 of the 2023-30 Strategic Plan and has been implemented through School Improvement and Innovation Plans.
By working closely with families and the community, FCPS is addressing the complex factors that contribute to chronic absenteeism. Schools have established teams to provide targeted support to students and families facing attendance barriers. These teams work diligently to identify root causes of absenteeism, such as transportation issues, health concerns, or family challenges, and develop tailored solutions.
Effective communication is at the heart of FCPS’ attendance improvement efforts. By providing clear health advice and emphasizing the link between attendance and academic success, schools are fostering an open and collaborative environment that empowers families to become active partners in their child’s academic success.
Ninety-seven percent of FCPS schools reduced chronic absenteeism rates this year. Several schools have achieved extraordinary progress, including Bucknell Elementary School, Brookfield Elementary School, Poe Middle School, and Mountain View High School. These schools employ a variety of strategies to address attendance concerns, including proactive communication with families, positive reinforcement through Good News phone calls, personalized attendance plans when necessary, and targeted outreach to support families facing challenges. As a result, they have experienced significant improvements in student attendance and academic outcomes.
Building upon these successes, FCPS will sustain and expand its attendance improvement efforts in the 2024- 25 school year. We will continue to invest in data analysis, professional development, and community partnerships, and implement evidence-based practices to further reduce chronic absenteeism. FCPS will expand its focus on early intervention and prevention by strengthening family engagement through the FCPS Family Academy and community partnerships. Additionally, the district will explore expanded course offerings beyond the traditional school day to enhance student engagement. Finally, FCPS will continue to ensure that all students feel safe, supported, included, and empowered, as these positive conditions for learning are the building blocks for positive attendance habits.
Through ongoing collaboration, innovation, and a steadfast commitment to student success, FCPS aims to create a district where every student attends school regularly and achieves their fullest potential.
Hayfield Elementary School Principal Jessica Lewis said when her team sat down to review biannual Social- Emotional Learning Screener data, they knew they wanted to do something to increase students’ sense of belonging.
The makeup of the school had changed since the pandemic, and there was work to be done: at this point in the 2022-23 school year, roughly 14.6% of Hayfield students were chronically absent.
Lewis challenged staff to have short daily chats with students who had self-reported feeling like they didn’t belong — the daily two minute check-ins were supposed to be about anything EXCEPT school.
The portion of students deemed chronically absent has dropped to just six percent this year at Hayfield.
“When students feel they’re part of a school community, they’re going to want to be sure they’re here every day,” said Kristin Turner, social and emotional learning systems educational specialist with FCPS.
Explore the FCPS Strategic Plan 2023-30 and see more examples of the plan in action.
Woodson High School freshman Heman Bekele moved to Virginia as a 4-year old. But he never forgot where he was born: Ethiopia.
Heman, crowned TIME’s 2024 Kid of the Year and “America’s Top Young Scientist” after winning 3M’s Young Scientist Challenge, was struck by the differences in skin cancer survival rates in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa compared to places where high-tech cancer treatments are available.
He was determined to find a better way. So Heman researched skin cancer, learning about dendritic cells, which he says help protect skin by boosting immune response. Then he spent months playing with salicylic acid, glycolic acid, and tretinoin, trying to find the right combination to help treat skin cancer. He developed SCTS, which stands for skin cancer treating soap, and works by reactivating dendritic cells.
The process taught him the value of persistence, Heman says, with one major challenge being how to find the right combo to ensure the soap held together without flaking into pieces. Using 3M Cavilon (a moisturizer and barrier cream), coconut oil, and organic shea butter, he was able to make that happen.
His diligence exemplifies Goal 5 of the FCPS Strategic Plan – Leading for Tomorrow’s Innovation, which seeks to ensure students are preparing for the future.
All told, Heman’s product can be made for $0.50 a bar, or $8.50 for a pack of 20 bars, he says. He believes using the soap every few days can help treat certain forms of skin cancer.
A vast improvement over a $40,000 operation.
Technology (TJHSST) students are scanning a Chutes and Ladders game board, trying to determine the smallest possible number of moves to get from the starting square to the finish.
The solution: create an algorithm through coding, a kind of artificial intelligence, that could do the computations for them, instructor Malcolm Eckel says.
Artificial Intelligence, or AI, has garnered a bad rap, with programs like ChatGPT getting blamed for making it easier for students to cheat.
Eckel and his colleague Peter Gabor, who teaches an advanced class at TJHSST on machine learning, said they want students to learn to harness AI for good. That could mean writing AI tools of their own that could be used to solve Sudoku puzzles or simplify classroom life by having a camera take attendance every day by recognizing images of student faces, so time isn’t wasted going through the class roster.
Read the full article to learn more.
Marshall High School students are lobbying Congress to pass legislation they helped draft designating secondary schools as voter registration agencies.
Samad Quraishi, a junior at Marshall, says the effort is necessary because studies show only half of eligible youth voted in the 2020 election.
Samad and a group of fellow Marshall students have met with more than 250 congressional offices, as well as the White House’s counsel to the vice president about their legislation.
“Meeting with the vice president’s team is one of the coolest things I’ve ever gotten to do,” said Vedansh Garg, also a Marshall student. “This all happened the day of the PSAT — we took that test and then went straight downtown for this.”
The students said they first met in a school Young Democrats Club, and received support from World History Teacher Amanda Schall as well as Geography Teacher Lucas Kline, who previously worked on political campaigns and as a lawyer.
Read the full article to learn more.
In May, Rachel Carson Middle School seventh grader Ankita Balaji represented Fairfax County Public Schools at the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee, placing 60th in the competition.
“I’ve been trying to do that for a while,” she said. “I’m just really proud of myself and how far I’ve come on my journey.”
Spelling runs in Ankita’s family. Her big sister Akshita, a rising senior at Westfield High School, competed in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2019 and 2021.
“I always expected her to go to nationals,” said Akshita.
FCPS hosted the 8th National Junior Japan Bowl, a quiz-bowl-style Japanese language and culture competition. The 2024 virtual event showcased spirited participation from 517 elementary and middle school students representing 26 schools and 10 states. More than 200 FCPS students competed, and we had many winners across multiple categories.
For the first time ever, our middle school students had the option to participate in extracurricular competitive sports.
Funding from the athletics budget supports the student well-being initiative at no cost to students.
First came cross country running in fall 2023, followed by track and field in spring 2024.
The response was overwhelming with many students eager to represent their school in a team sport each weekend. In cross country’s inaugural meet, nearly 2,000 students from across the county participated.
At Luther Jackson Middle School, Principal Raven Jones said that it was fantastic to see FCPS provide this opportunity at no cost to students. “It is absolutely exciting to see students get to play sports at the middle school level in Fairfax free of cost for them,” she said. “So many of our families cannot afford to pay for their children to go to an outside provider to be able to participate in a sport, to be able to gain those skills that students can learn only on the sports field or on the court. “All of our students from every background enjoy middle school sports.” Matt Hoffert, Jackson’s after-school program specialist, added that the program brought unexpected benefits to the school community. “Our practices were held for one hour after school and a lot of those students then stayed and participated in other after-school activities during that second hour. There were a lot of kids who had never participated in our after school programs before so it added a bunch of kids to those programs.” The American Academy of Pediatrics also reports that physical activity benefits children in other ways, such as increasing focus in school, improving sleep, reducing stress, and helping teens avoid risky behaviors such as smoking, drinking alcohol, and using drugs.
Read more about the FCPS middle school sports program.
Seven FCPS high schools offered African American Studies, a new course in the Advanced Placement (AP) program, in the 2023-24 school year. The course just completed its second year as a pilot program and will be offered to all U.S. high schools in the 2024-25 school year. AP African American Studies is an interdisciplinary course that teaches students about the diverse experiences of African Americans, from early African kingdoms to today’s challenges and achievements. Students taking the course analyze authentic historical sources, from ancient coins and sculptures to photographs and writings, to better understand the events and movements that shaped Black experiences. By the end of the course, students can trace the African American experience to its earliest African roots and contextualize the major social movements of the modern age.
Christopher Jones, a sixth grade teacher at Woodlawn Elementary School, is explaining fractions to his students, asking them to find the ratio of chickens to alpacas on a farm with three sheep, two alpacas, and five chickens.
“The answer is 5 to 2, if you did it right I wanna hear you say, ‘Ya Mon!’,” Jones says.
Jones is a teacher with 16 years of elementary education experience in Jamaica. He came here through a new Fairfax County Public Schools initiative with Participate Learning. This year, it delivered 31 “Global Exchange” teachers, all of whom have bachelor’s degrees, some of whom have Ph.D.s, and who have a combined 274 years of teaching experience between them, straight into FCPS schools.
As an ambassador teacher, Jones says he hopes to instill an appreciation for other cultures and countries in his students.
That’s exactly the type of mentality the program aims to bring, says Felicia Hamilton, an FCPS diversity, equity, and inclusion employment specialist who is overseeing the new initiative. The program also supports FCPS Portrait of a Graduate objectives, such as “helping students to be ethical and global citizens.”
The 31 ambassador teachers working in FCPS this year come from eight countries (Argentina, Barbados, Colombia, Ecuador, Jamaica, Philippines, South Africa, and Zimbabwe). In order to participate in the program, ambassador teachers must have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in teaching or education, two years of teaching experience, a driver’s license, be fluent in English, and commit to teaching here for five years.
School leaders are hoping their students take away the idea that there are different approaches to education and many ways to guide children to be successful, Washington Mill Elementary School Principal Bradley Bennink says.
“Anytime we can help kids to see there is a world beyond our immediate community, our immediate country, it opens their minds that we are all part of something bigger,” Bennink said.
Learn more about this and other programs to support teachers in FCPS.
In Spring 2024, for the first time in decades, the Fairfax County School Board conducted a comprehensive review of the FCPS Boundary Policy (Policy 8130) to consider possible updates that will provide a clear roadmap for any potential future boundary changes to provide students the most effective and safest instructional experiences. This holistic policy review was designed to address the community’s concerns about a host of issues, including temporary classrooms (trailers), instructional program locations, overcrowding, facility renovation timelines, and transportation. The policy changes were approved by the board in July. Comprehensive community engagement will take place before any potential future boundary changes are considered.
FCPS also has a robust Capital Improvement Program which includes money for renovations, modular classrooms, additions to existing schools, and construction of new schools. Here you will find some of our recently completed, ongoing, and planned projects.
Centreville High School
Scope: Renovation will bring the future building area to approximately 410,000 square feet and will include a new cafeteria, new library, and common areas.
Funding: Planning/design was funded by the 2021 bond, with construction expected to be funded by the 2025 bond.
Current Status: In planning/design
Estimated Completion: Summer 2029
Cooper Middle School
Scope: The renovation with additions will bring the total future building area to approximately 179,000 square feet and will include new classrooms, new library, and administrative spaces.
Funding: Planning and design was funded by the 2015 bond, with construction funded by the 2019 bond.
Current Status: Under construction
Estimated Completion: 2024
West Potomac High School
Scope: An addition was constructed at West Potomac High School to accommodate increasing enrollment. The building was used at 119% of its capacity during the 2021-22 school year. The completed project includes science classrooms and a cafeteria.
Funding: The project construction was funded by the 2019 bond. The planning and design phase was funded by the 2017 bond.
Current Status: Completed
The FCPS Solar Power Purchase Agreement allows us to purchase renewable energy with little or no upfront operational costs while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and electricity costs across nine schools with solar installations.
Preparing to enjoy a delicious three-course lunch for just $12, local retiree Carol Deedy asks, “Where else can you get a meal of this quality at this price?”
Deedy had another reason to stop by Edison Academy’s Bistro 1093 that day; her granddaughter Adriana Riley was one of the Culinary Arts students preparing the Italian pasta fagioli soup for the international-themed lunch.
Adriana was too busy working through the line of people collecting their take-out orders to be nervous about her grandmother’s assessment. “She always says she likes my food,” she said, smiling.
Bistro 1093 — named for the number of patents held by Thomas Edison — has been welcoming guests at the pop-up restaurant inside the Academy for many years. Along with offering great food, the lunch service also fulfills a community purpose. Diners, who are often neighborhood senior citizens, return week after week to socialize and meet new people.
“To provide a space where the community can come together and enjoy everything Bistro 1093 has to offer, while our students get real-life experience of the hospitality industry, is fantastic," said Edison Principal Mandy Burke, a regular at the cafe.
On most Thursdays between January and May, approximately 20 diners pay $12 for a three-course lunch that includes freshly baked bread and beverages from a menu researched, designed, tested, and prepared by Culinary Arts students.
Under the guidance of Chef Glenn Walden, 10th-12th graders enrolled in Culinary 1, 2, and 3, run the show, front and back of house, as if working at a traditional restaurant.
They are responsible for setting the tables with perfectly positioned silver and glassware. Students welcome diners and guide them to their tables, taking care of ordering and explaining menus, while others handle the 100-plus “to-go” orders. Behind the scenes, students are chopping, stirring, sautéing, and prepping plates as the orders come in.
“This is a class where work is done every day,” explained Walden. “Each student is expected to prepare and do their duties each day, as if they were in a paid position. The adrenaline rush is real. The team works together to ensure everyone succeeds.”
Read more about Edison Culinary Academy.
Michael, a Marshall High School graduate, has always been interested in cybersecurity. After taking an introductory class on the topic, he asked his counselor what he could take next, and they suggested an academy class. He took the Computer Systems Tech A+ class that provided CompTIA A+ certification. “From that point, I was hooked!” he said.
Michael’s dream job is to become a chief information security officer (CISO) and then a professor after retiring.
“I was so convinced that I was really good at computers and troubleshooting, but as I got into the class, I realized that I was at the bottom of the ladder and there were so many things to learn,” he said. “I have earned more than 23 industry certifications in the two years I’ve been in the program.”
In his Career and Technical Education (CTE) classes, Michael said he learned “how to learn.” He discovered how to study and learn completely new content and apply it practically. “This skill has helped me to be successful not only in my cybersecurity classes but in all my classes,” he said.
Goal 5 of the FCPS Strategic Plan — Leading for Tomorrow’s Innovation — is meant to ensure every student graduates ready to thrive in life after high school. The district offers an array of Career and Technical Education courses in every middle and high school to help students learn the technical applications of many occupations. Course offerings include accounting, child development, culinary arts, fashion design, animal science, dental careers, emergency response, nursing, pharmacy, rehabilitation, auto repair, marketing, and more.
Explore Careers, Prepare for College With Career and Technical Education
FCPS students said farewell to processed corn dogs and sugary breakfast items and hello to healthy global dishes, ample fresh fruit and veggies, and a program of scratchmade cooking during the last school year.
Executive Director Shaun Sawko, in his first year on the job, and the FCPS Food and Nutrition Services team rolled out improvements to their menu that better reflect the diversity of our student body and focus on fresh, healthy food.
Sawko and his team hosted more than 200 students from across elementary, middle, and high schools to taste test around 30 different menu concepts last November to get their input on what entrees should be added to school menus.
The new offerings include scratch-made hot breakfast sandwiches and freshly made fruit and yogurt parfaits for students as they start their school day, as well as lunch offerings such as black bean burgers, chicken parmesan sandwiches, chicken fajitas, meatball marinara subs, fresh garden vegetable flatbread, and BBQ pulled chicken sandwiches.
Many new options focused on plant-based proteins to be more inclusive of vegan, vegetarian, kosher, and halal families.
“It is important that our menus reflect the students that we serve and also that we provide as much access to fresh, locally sourced fruits and vegetables as possible in our meals,” Sawko said.
The menu changes follow another FCPS initiative that ensured each of our schools has salad bars in their cafeteria this year. Sawko is also working to deepen relationships with local farms and producers, as the district aims to illustrate the concept of farm-to-table eating in our schools and bring scratch-cooking to all schools.
“We know, and research supports, that students learn better when they have access to healthy food,” FCPS Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid said.
Learn more and explore the new menu options in schools.
In late October 2023, McLean High School sophomore Riley Staats and 15 other girls on Team USA claimed the inaugural WBSC U-15 Women’s Softball World Cup title in Tokyo, Japan.
“I didn’t believe it at first,” she said. “It’s just like, ‘Wow, [the trophy] is right in front of me. I’m holding it.’ It was very breathtaking.”
Staats helped widen Team USA’s lead against Puerto Rico to 3-0 in the final. At the bottom of the sixth inning, she hit a single down right field, allowing teammate Samantha Alekman to score.
Staats shared this advice for student-athletes aiming to win: “Don’t let anything hold you back, don’t let anything get in your way. Just be you. You have to be yourself to play how you want to. Don’t let other people discourage you or hold you back.”
See more about Riley including a video about her experiences.
Every day at Chesterbrook Elementary School in McLean, roughly 30 students are showing up at school almost an hour early.
Physical education teacher Jay Levesque has been leading his kindergarten to sixth-grade Fitness Warriors program for 12 years now at Chesterbrook, starting each day at 7:40 a.m. with a before-school workout.
The students, bursting with energy, tear through the door ready to warm up by shooting hoops, doing laps, jumping jacks, push-ups, and squats to start their day.
Then, led by Levesque and a handful of fifth- and sixth-grade junior instructors, they play games like Pick a Card Fitness, Fitness Impossible, and FitnessOpoly — a game in which teams compete to make it through a board game-like style challenge of completing different calisthenics routines.
“Some of the kids who attend Fitness Warriors don’t play organized sports and completely thrive here,” Levesque said.
Students as young as first grader Sebastian Scott are recognizing the benefits themselves. “I feel like I’m ready for the day,” Sebastian says. “I think doing this helps me get more work done so I’m not just running around my class.”
On Monday, November 13, Fairfax County Public Schools hosted its inaugural “Future of FCPS Student Food Show.” The Office of Food and Nutrition Services invited more than 200 students from 24 elementary, middle, and high schools to sample and provide feedback on various breakfast and lunch recipes. The food show is necessary as FCPS cafeterias begin crafting scratch-made meals for every student.
Discover how Fairfax County Public Schools' Food and Nutrition Services is empowering student voices through student-driven menu options! These new meals are designed to celebrate the diversity of our students by offering flavorful, healthy dishes.
Meet Riley Staats, the determined young athlete who led Team USA to victory at the WBSC U-15 Women’s Softball World Cup. Her unwavering spirit and dedication both on and off the field serve as an inspiration to student-athletes everywhere.
It’s no secret that great Americans are known for their speeches. From Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream,” the power of the spoken word can inspire positive change and leave a lasting impact. Students at Haycock Elementary School in Falls Church experienced that power firsthand in an exciting lesson that tied history and theatrical performance together.
Ford’s Theatre selected Haycock’s fourth grade class to participate in the Abraham Lincoln Oratory Residency and Festival. The program allows D.C.-area students to recite a famous American speech on the theater’s legendary stage. Many of the selected speeches come from President Abraham Lincoln, who was assassinated at Ford’s Theatre in 1865.
“I’m amazed, I can’t believe we get this opportunity,” said teacher Jon Baker. “We were shocked that we were selected.”
Across five workshops, the students studied the art of oratory performance from a Ford’s Theatre teaching artist. They learned how to memorize and recite their selected historical work and use tone, gesture, and inflection to capture the meaning behind the words.
By sharpening their oratory skills and working together to craft a performance, the students became better communicators and collaborators — skills outlined in FCPS’ Portrait of a Graduate. Some students found ways to apply these skills in other areas minutes after their first workshop ended.
“I have to give a speech at my church. It could help me with that,” said Mr. Baker’s student, Grace.
Another student, Krish, is thinking ahead to his next class presentation. “I could practice my speech and posture,” he said. After this world class performance, these students are sure to impress their next audiences!
Read the full article to learn more.
The Oakton High School Marching Cougars, a prestigious 25-year Virginia Honor Band, won Metallica’s inaugural marching band competition, For Whom the Band Tolls. Members of Metallica, the classic heavy metal band, chose the overall winner from five finalists. The Marching Cougars won a $15,000 prize.
Band Director Jamie VanValkenburg selected the show to align with his vision of the Marching Cougars as a band that engages performers and the audience through thrilling visuals and dynamic sound.
“It is a huge honor to win the inaugural competition. It means national recognition for our program,” VanValkenburg said. “The kids, their parents, and I are excited — especially to have had the chance to play Metallica’s music all fall — to win a competition with their name is incredible! The prize money will help us substantially, as we need a new marimba and vibraphone.”
Watch the Marching Cougars perform Metallica songs on the field and read more.
Woodson and Fairfax Academy graduate Jack Hopewell starred as the lead in the 50th anniversary tour of “Jesus Christ Superstar” in 2024.
On a sunny April day, students from Centreville Elementary School traveled to the Elizabeth Furnace Recreational Area in the Shenandoah Valley. In small groups, they released young trout into Passage Creek. These trout are special — the students raised them, hatching them from eggs in classroom fish tanks.
Centreville has participated in the Trout in the Classroom program for more than a decade. Spearheaded by the school’s student/teacher Green Team and taught in cooperation with the Virginia Council of Trout Unlimited and the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, the program teaches students how to raise native Virginia brook trout and then release them into their natural habitat. In doing so, the students learn the importance of conservation.
Trout in the Classroom incorporates many STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) learning elements. Since the beginning of the school year, the students were responsible for cleaning the fish tanks, regularly checking the temperature and pH levels of the water, and of course, feeding and caring for the trout.
Through it all, Centreville Elementary students learned surprising things about the fish. Reflecting on the experience, sixth grader Isabela Sofia Rodriguez-Gomez says she was impressed with “how high they can jump because some of them jumped out of the tank!”
Centreville STEAM lead MaryAnn Settlemyre says outdoor, hands-on lessons like this help students better conceptualize what they’re learning in the classroom.
“I think the students understand what we mean by ‘environment,’” she explained. “I think they understand after spending time in the woods and seeing the fish. Now when I say, ‘OK, we have to work towards saving this environment,’ they know what the environment is. So they walk away with a sense of understanding of something that’s always been abstract.”
Read more to see the full story.
Every Friday, before students at Willow Springs Elementary School board the bus, they first visit a food stand at the school where they can buy inexpensive farm-fresh produce. The students love the fresh apples. Parents love to try new recipes with fresh ingredients. “My mom and I have made zucchini bread, with the zucchini from here,” said Arina, a sixth grade student. “We’ve never made zucchini bread before that.” In a world where processed food dominates supermarket shelves, it’s a lesson for students and families on where the freshest foods come from.
In January 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted FCPS $16.5 million to purchase 42 new electric school buses. The additional buses will more than double FCPS’s electric bus fleet! FCPS set a goal to transition every school bus and fleet vehicle to zero-emission by 2035.
In May 2024, Bush Hill Elementary School participated in the Little Feet Meet, a Special Olympics program modeled after a school track meet, at Meridian High School in Falls Church City. Seventy general education students at Bush Hill volunteered their time as partners to the roughly 60 competing athletes.
Bush Hill has participated in the Little Feet Meet for at least six years. At the event, students and their partners from several Northern Virginia schools move from station to station, competing in running events — sometimes with general education students pushing students with disabilities who have difficulty walking in a stroller — as well long jump, softball throw, and other activities. Ahead of the event, the Bush Hill students met twice a week during the school day to practice, in 30-minute sessions on Mondays and Thursdays.
Roughly 70 out of the nearly 700 students at Bush Hill are enrolled in self-contained special education programs. The school became involved in the Little Feet Meet when staff members noticed some fifth and sixth graders had started eating lunch with peers in the school’s program for students with intellectual disabilities.
“We noticed they had really bonded together, and we were looking for other ways to continue and build on that relationship,” said Principal Mary Duffy. Lydia Peters, a multiple disabilities teacher who oversees the program, says the Little Feet Meet has become a schoolwide source of pride.
“There has been a real growth of leadership in our entire school community, as well as an increased sense of belonging for everyone,” Peters said.
Read the full article to learn more.
With days to go before graduation in June 2024, seniors at Chantilly Academy scrambled to finish an important final project. Working together, students in the Academy’s Engineering and Physical and Occupational Therapy (PT/OT) classes designed a mobile, adjustable, and customizable medical bed for an incoming Chantilly High School student.
Liam Bruen has nemaline myopathy, a type of muscular dystrophy that leaves him nearly paralyzed. After his former nurse of 14 years retired, Liam spent his eighth grade year receiving homebound instruction while FCPS worked with his mother to find a new specialized nurse.
Knowing Liam missed being in school and hanging out with his friends, teachers, and therapists, the Engineering and PT/OT students put their heads together and came to the rescue. The engineering students designed a bed that addressed Liam’s needs, getting feedback during the design process from the PT/OT students, professional engineers, and Liam’s physical therapist.
The bed needed to feel comfortable and carry Liam’s equipment, including a feeding tube, oxygen tank, and ventilator. It needed a power supply that wouldn’t fail in an outage and storage space for Liam’s books. The bed also had to fit through every door in Chantilly High School. The PT/OT students helped with the test drive.
This project could help even more students like Liam — the Engineering students put their designs on a George Mason University database for others to download and use.
See and here from the students who engineered enahanced accomodations for Liam.
Clermont Elementary School’s Military Kids Club creates connections between students from military families. The club, in which students play games and read stories tied to their experiences as military children, boasted 50 student members during the 2023-24 school year.
Roughly 7.5% of Clermont Elementary’s 540 students are military-affiliated. Those students often move with their families from base to base, frequently enrolling in new schools with new social norms. Multilingual learner teacher Tiffany Velishka, who is married to an active duty field artillery U.S. Army soldier, stepped up to help lead the club after watching her own children handle multiple moves.
Beyond creating connections between military students, the Military Kids Club also aims to build an additional support system for children and develop a sense of pride in students whose families are serving our country. In addition to activities tied to their experiences, the group also writes letters to veterans and labels spots where their family has served on a map, showing how extensive their combined military service is around the world.
Curtis Roberts tried something new in his senior year. Roberts, who has autism, attends Cedar Lane School in Vienna, which provides smaller class settings for students who require additional support. He also interned at Brooke Rental Center in Vienna, a familyowned small business that offers customers anything from banquet chairs and outdoor tents to chandeliers and street lamps for parties.
Aida Roberts, Curtis’ mom, says she wanted to be sure that Curtis obtained work experience as he got closer to aging out of school. For some students with special needs, however, a usual teenage after-school job can be trickier to navigate successfully.
Cedar Lane offers employment assistance programs for teens at their school, at least 80 of whom have worked through partnerships the school has created with local businesses.
During the pandemic, Brooke Rental Center — like many other small businesses — was struggling to find reliable employees. When Anna Veltri, an FCPS employment and transition representative, knocked on Brooke’s door and asked them to take a chance on hiring Cedar Lane students as interns, owner Jim Brooke gave it a chance.
He had no idea how well it would work: the first Cedar Lane student he brought on is now a full-time employee.
South Lakes High School offered a new class, Inclusive Fine Arts, during the 2023-24 school year. The class mixes neurotypical students and students with intellectual disabilities.
The students can make whatever they desire, with their choice of medium, whether it’s paint, pencils, markers, or clay. Art Teacher Matt Ravenstahl says the class helps students “find their language” in art.
“It’s just a positive environment,” explained Ravenstahl. “Typical kids are sitting with non-typical kids. They treat each other like people. I think that’s fantastic.”
“I enjoy the students making choices about their work,” said Special Education Teacher Claudia Harvey, who co-teaches the class. Students with intellectual disabilities “often experience art with formulaic lessons that limit their ability to express themselves. Working with Dr. Ravenstahl is nice. We both see the value in a relaxed atmosphere. We are a good team.”
Andrea Bregstone, speech language pathologist at Woodley Hills Elementary School, “just loves kids.” Her remarkable tenure is proof — she’s in her 56th year of employment with Fairfax County Public Schools and has been at Woodley Hills for the last 26 years.
When Andi was in college to become a teacher in the 1960s, she took a class on speech therapy for teachers. After that one class, she changed her major.
The love of the kids” is what Andi says has kept her working for so many years. “I love seeing their progress, even if it’s at a snail’s pace,” she said. “It is my purpose in life to help the children reach their full potential.” She generally meets with students for a half hour at a time either one-on-one or in small groups. Some students need support in conversation, building vocabulary, or articulation. “You meet each child where they are,” she said.
Thanks to our custodial team, we all have a clean, safe place to learn, teach, and work. Fairfax County Public Schools employs more than 1,300 staff to maintain our more than 28 million square feet of infrastructure. One of them is last year’s Outstanding School-Based Operational Employee Leonard Roberts, a custodian at Bull Run Elementary School.
“Mr. Leonard,” as he is known, embodies a positive, nurturing, and caring demeanor, along with an infectious smile and energy. He often asks students about their interests and serves as a mentor, eating lunch with some of them. “He is calm, caring, and kind with them; setting a wonderful example as a role model,” Principal Jason Pensler said. “He treats Bull Run Elementary as more than a ‘job.’ It is ‘home.’”
In addition to working at Bull Run, Leonard also coaches little league and flag football and is the Westfield High School junior varsity basketball coach.
Read more about "Mr. Leonard."
FCPS employs more than 1,500 drivers and attendants who transport an estimated 131,000 students safely to and from school each day. All bus drivers complete a five-week training program and take a road test to attain their Commercial Driver’s License (CDL).
School Bus Driver Synnethia Pacheli knew exactly how to respond when the unexpected happened. While her bus was waiting at a stop sign, the car in front of her was struck by a truck and rolled over. Pacheli secured her bus and jumped into action. She and three bystanders pushed the car up and pulled out the occupants: a newborn baby, a young child, and their mother. Pacheli gathered the children, brought them onto the bus to shelter them from the cold, and kept them safe and calm until rescue personnel arrived.
“It is tough to find the words to express how impressive her response was,” said Transportation Coordinator Jeremy Doxer.
Learn more about Synnethia and the great transportation team at FCPS.
Annandale High School’s orchestra teacher, Annie Ray, whose work with children with disabilities has drawn praise, was named the winner of the 2024 GRAMMY Music Educator Award.
Ray traveled to Los Angeles to receive the honor during a whirlwind weekend in February where she mingled with the stars, who applauded her dedication and commitment to her students.
The prestigious annual award recognizes current educators who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the music education field and who also demonstrate a commitment to the broader cause of maintaining music education in schools.
Ray was one of 10 finalists selected from more than 2,000 initial nominations submitted. She received a $10,000 honorarium and matching grant for the school’s music program.
During her years at Annandale, Ray founded the Crescendo Orchestra, which serves students with severe developmental or intellectual disabilities.
In addition, she is a founder of the popular FCPS Parent Orchestra, where parents of music students have the opportunity to learn the same instrument as their child.
See more including news media coverage.
Laura Senturia, a fourth-grade teacher at Colin Powell Elementary School, was named the 2024 Washington Post Teacher of the Year, chosen from a group of 19 finalists who teach at schools in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.
Senturia has taught at Powell Elementary School since it opened in 2003 and is known for fostering a welcoming, collaborative environment.
One weekly activity is giving each student in her class the name of a classmate and asking them to write that child a compliment. The exercise is designed to encourage students to identify positive character traits and learn to see another person’s perspective.
Her efforts outside the classroom include supporting students by attending Little League games, sponsoring the Student Council Association, serving as a mentor for fellow teachers, leading fundraising to provide a service dog for a veteran, buying books for a school in need, and other charitable causes. Read more about Laura Senturia.
Cadi Doyle, an adapted physical education teacher at Waples Mill and Oakton elementary schools, was named the National Teacher of the Year for Adapted Physical Education by the Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE).
Doyle, who developed a unified basketball team where students with and without disabilities play together as teammates, was chosen for the award for going above and beyond her job duties. She also developed a secondary transition program guide for teachers to use to support students 14 years and older to help them prepare for life beyond high school.
As part of the award selection process, Doyle submitted a video of her gymnastics instruction. In the lessons, she paired students up, again combining students with and without disabilities, and challenged them to develop a sequence of gymnastics movements that they practiced and presented to the class. Read more about Cadi Doyle.
It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood at Katherine Johnson Middle School.
Science Teacher Eric Haapapuro was honored by the Fred Rogers Institute with a Helper Award. Inspired by the legacy of Fred Rogers — famed children’s television host — the award recognizes individuals who care for children in their daily and professional lives.
In his previous career with the U.S. Park Police, Eric was near the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. He was responsible for keeping citizens in the area safe and calm.
As he prepared to retire, Eric returned to school as part of a career switcher program to become a teacher.
Eric realized he was living science every day. Fighting fire, being a paramedic, and flying were science. That is how he decided to teach science.
“I started to understand [science] a lot more because [Mr. H] gives so many examples that are easy for kids to understand,” one of his students said. Read more about Mr. H.
Afghan refugee Samiullah Luddin, who graduated from Annandale High School in June 2024, began his American public school experience in 2020. Samiullah — whose family left Afghanistan after his father survived being kidnapped by the Taliban — picked up a laptop on his first day of school in the U.S., ready to embark on virtual learning like students across the country during the early days of the pandemic.
Samiullah recalled thinking, “I’m trying to learn English and I don’t even know how to use a computer, how is this gonna work?”
Samiullah, supported by friends, family, and dedicated teachers, made it work.
First, he mastered virtual learning on a laptop computer. Then, he and his siblings were the first students to enter their school building to resume inperson learning in 2021. They eagerly signed up for summer school that year as well.
Outside of school, Samiullah turned the Dunya Club for refugee students into a place where kids from a variety of countries could play pick-up cricket — with equipment funded by a Community Foundation grant — and bond over the challenges of acclimating to a new culture.
By May of this year, one obstacle stood between him and graduation: the Reading Standards of Learning (SOL) exam, which Samiullah had taken and failed thirteen times. On May 15, he passed.
And in June, Samiullah graduated from Annandale. He plans to enroll at Northern Virginia Community College in the fall, where he’ll study business administration. Multilingual Learner Teacher Tricia Kapuscinski, who worked with Sami on his SOL retake efforts, hopes he will think back on his SOL experience as he goes through life.
“I hope whatever challenge he has in the future, he thinks back on this and tells himself, ‘I am going to do it, I am working hard, putting in the effort, and it will pay off.’”
Educate Fairfax energizes the power of the community to invest in educational excellence and prepare students for the future. We believe a strong and vibrant school system is part of what makes Fairfax County a great place to live and work.
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