New programs launched at local schools

Memory bricks at Annandale High School. [Atoms Athletic Boosters]

This is the first in an occasional series highlighting programs and activities at local public schools.

Holmes Middle School is one of four FCPS schools selected to participate in the after-school Capital One Coders program during the spring semester. Volunteers from Capital One will teach participating students software engineering principles and practices and the development of apps for mobile devices. There are 20 slots; interested students need to apply by Feb. 3.

Falls Church High School is hosting a professional clothing shop Jan. 24 to help students be competitive in the job market. Students from the school’s Ladies of Honor, Men of Honor, and Young Life groups; the Falls Church Academy; and entrepreneurship classes have helped organize and display the clothes and will help students select clothing that helps them look professional.

The Atoms Athletic Boosters at Annandale High School are raising funds by selling “memory bricks” on the walkway outside the athletic lobby. Parents, students, and alumni can have a brick engraved with their name, leaving a lasting impression at the school. Orders are due Feb. 28.  For more information, contact [email protected].

Does your senior want to take a year off before heading to college? FCPS’ School Counseling Services and Dynamy are co-hosting a Gap Year Fair on Feb. 7, 7-9 p.m., at George C. Marshall High School. Representatives from more than 40 organizations offering gap year programs will be on hand.

Students at Holmes Middle School have been invited to apply for 12 slots in the 25th anniversary Future City Competition, a project-based learning program where sixth, seventh, and eighth-graders imagine, research, design, and build cities of the future. The after-school program will take place at the James Lee Community Center on Thursdays.

Eighteen students from the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program at Canterbury Woods Elementary School participating in a communications competition earlier this month sponsored by the Optimist Club of Greater Vienna. The contest is aimed at showcasing students’ writing and public speaking skills.

Holmes Middle School was awarded a $500 grant from the Clean Fairfax Council to establish a gardening club.