School news: farming, Arabic, and more

The following news items about schools in the Annandale/Mason District area are from Fairfax County Public Schools.

Hydroponic farming – Engineering students at Luther Jackson Middle School are growing spinach and lettuce in a vertical farm in a shed behind the school. The produce they harvest will be donated to Poe’s food pantry. 

The shed also has a large circular water tank where students are raising about 50 tilapia. The fish waste will nourish the plants, while the plants will filter the fish’s water.

The system uses no dirt and only about two gallons of circulating water a month.

“The students have worked on every part of this,” said Mark Smith, director of Jackson’s ESTEEM Center. “They’ve adjusted the lights, adjusted the temperature with fans and heaters, adjusted the water levels, all of it. They have to get the environment just right for this to be successful.”

Support for Afghan refugees – Annandale High School has been awarded a grant to continue to support its Afghan relief and resettlement efforts.

The school works on language and academic support. A staff member works with student leaders to run a weekly afterschool club for Afghan students. There’s also a weekly English Club for them. The school is planning college visits and cultural field trips for the Afghan students.

Dental screening – Dental Careers Level 2 students at the Falls Church Academy spent two days at Mason Crest Elementary School in March providing dental screening, oral hygiene, and nutrition education to kindergartners and first graders. The academy students used their language skills to speak to students for whom English is a second language.

Earlier this year, they provided dental services to K-1 students at Sleepy Hollow Elementary School.

Growing interest in Arabic – Fairfax County schools are seeing a big jump in the number of students enrolled in Arabic language courses, the FCPS Office of Communications and Community Relations reports.

During the current school year, 838 students are taking Arabic 1-4 and International Baccalaureate Arabic courses, representing a 193 percent increase since 2012-13.

Justice High School junior Jenna Kassem says she started studying Arabic in elementary school because she wants to have deeper conversations about global concepts.

Arabic instructor Nader Hussein says most of his students at Justice had zero knowledge of Arabic before enrolling in his courses and do not come from families who speak the language at home. Most of Hussein’s students are seeking International Baccalaureate diplomas.

“We recognize the importance of bilingualism and multilingualism in today’s globalized world, and we strive to provide our students with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive in a diverse and interconnected world,” Hussein says.

Other schools in Mason District that offer Arabic instruction include Annandale High School, Glasgow Middle School, and Beech Tree and Sleepy Hollow elementary schools.

Atom mentors – Annandale High School is partnering with Columbia Elementary School on a mentorship program. Annandale students serve as mentors for Columbia fifth graders.

Jewelry wanted – The Belvedere Elementary School PTA is seeking donations of costume jewelry for its annual Jewelry Shop in early May. Every student will be able to earn a ticket to “shop” for one free piece of jewelry for their mother, stepmother, grandmother, or other special person for Mother’s Day.

You can drop off jewelry you no longer wear – necklaces, bracelets, pins, and earrings – in a donation box in the Belvedere front office. You can also contact Ann Sisson at 703-945-0228 or [email protected] to arrange a pickup.

Mental health – Fairfax County Public Schools has partnered with Hazel Health to offer virtual mental health services to high school students via live video sessions with a licensed therapist. Mental health teletherapy will be available starting on April 10, Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Learn more here.

A global perspective – Sulekha Subhash, an emotional disabilities teacher at Luther Jackson Middle School, has received a prestigious Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program award.

The awards were announced by the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. Recipients share knowledge and foster meaningful connections between communities in the United States and abroad.

Subhash will travel to Colombia in July to participate in research collaborations. She says the award has helped her “motivate my students to look beyond their own lives and develop an understanding of other cultures and people.”

FCPS educates adults, too – The FCPS Adult and Community Education Training and Scholarship Foundation empowers adults of all ages and backgrounds to advance in their careers.

The ACE Training and Scholarship Foundation awarded 14 scholarships this spring. Applications for fall will open in June.

One recent scholarship recipient, Darlene Wilcher, took Adult and Community Education courses in plumbing with the goal of having her own plumbing company one day.

Another scholarship recipient, Miguel Anco, an electrician, took ACE courses to stay up-to-date with the electrical trade – by learning about innovations in technology and new codes and regulations.

The streamlined ACE scholarship application process asks students about their financial needs and how a scholarship would help them in their careers. Applicants do not have to submit financial records or transcripts or undergo a background check. For more information, send an email to [email protected].