Mount Vernon Education

Bringing Spring Cheer to UCM Families

Girl Scout Troop 1838, based in the Belle View Elementary School area, spent part of their school spring break on a service project to prepare festive Easter Baskets for families in UCM’s Transitional Housing program.

Storck Sets Office Hours

Dan Storck, Mount Vernon District School Board member for Fairfax County Public Schools, will host Community Office Hours at the Lorton Library in the Conference Room on Saturday, May 10, from 10 a.m. to noon, and at the Sherwood Regional Library, Conference Room 3, on Saturday, May 10, from 12:30-2:30 p.m.

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.”

Protecting the Potomac

ASF program teaches community stewardship.

More than 300 students from T.C. Williams International Academy and Minnie Howard STEM Academy spent the morning of April 25 at the Alexandria Seaport Foundation participating in a hands-on program to celebrate community stewardship.

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.

Teaching Financial Skills

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine and former Gov. Frank Keating, president and CEO of the American Bankers Association, visited Hollin Meadows Elementary School on Friday, April 11 to teach a financial literacy lesson to the school’s fourth graders. The event was sponsored by American Bankers Association and was part of its 18th annual Teach Children To Save Day.

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.

Junior ROTC Supports UCM

Each month this school year, the Army Junior ROTC students at West Potomac High School volunteered their time on a Friday afternoon at the UCM Food Pantry to organize and bag the USDA commodities for UCM’s clients.

International Night at Hybla Valley

Hybla Valley Elementary held an International Night on Thursday, April 3. Student-made decorations were used by the physical education, art and music teachers to transform the hallways into several Halls of Nations. Even the ceiling was lined with kites inspired by international cultures.

Fairfax Arts Programs Receive Federal Grants

Seven local organizations involved in the arts and literature are receiving a total of $230,000 in federal grants from the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA), U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-11) said.

Elementary School Students Partner with ASO

Orff Ensemble works with El Sistema consultants in workshops.

John Adams Elementary School in Alexandria and the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra held their second week-long El Sistema workshop during the week of March 24.

Stratford Landing Hosts Annual Science and Engineering Fair

Stratford Landing Elementary School students presented 304 projects at the annual Science and Engineering Fair on Tuesday, Feb. 25. Students displayed and explained their investigations to 25 visiting experts from West Potomac High School and the Geological Society of America. All of the visiting experts engage in teaching and studying advanced biology, chemistry, geology, and physics.

Mount Vernon Gazette