School news roundup

First-graders at Wakefield Forest Elementary School used teamwork to celebrate the 110th day of school

The news items and photos here about schools in the Annandale/Mason District are from Fairfax County Public Schools or individual schools.


Wind winners – Glasgow Middle School students Arthur Prudius and Darren Nguyen won the Dominion Energy KidWind Challenge. They used engineering skills to design, build, and test a  functional wind turbine.

Mulch madness – The Annandale High School PTSA Mulch Madness Sale is accepting orders through March 19. Proceeds from the sale support senior scholarships and the All Night Graduation Celebration. Mulch can be picked up at the school on March 28, 8 a.m.-noon, or customers can have it delivered by the AHS boys lacrosse team. Order mulch here.

Scholarship winner – Students in Frost Middle School’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing program participated in the Optimist Club of Fairfax’s competition for public speaking. Three students qualified for the district-level competition, and one Frost student, Ryan Chelline, won and was awarded a $2,500 scholarship.

Bailey’s Elementary School students pose by a classroom door decorated in honor of Black History Month.

Fit kids – Camelot Elementary School is bringing back the Camelot Fit Club this spring. It’s a training program to get students in grades 3-6 excited about physical activity by introducing them to basic running, strength training, and stretching. The program meets Mondays after school and Fridays before school and includes relay races, interval training, and training for the Jaguar 5K, which includes a one-mile fun run.

Mental health – Nine Woodson High School students have completed Teen Mental Health First Aid training and are now certified mental health First-Aiders. The training, offered through FCPS’s Our Minds Matter Clubs, teaches teens how to recognize and help friends who might be experiencing mental health or substance abuse problems.

Lobby Day – Eighth-graders at Glasgow Middle School identified problems in their school or community and created an advocacy plan for lobbying a decision-maker about the issue. On Lobby Day, students presented their plans to parents, school board members, and Superintendent Scott Brabrand. Some of the issues students addressed include the need for increased fitness for Virginia residents, adding more counseling staff at Glasgow, controlling litter, and stopping cyberbullying.

Apprenticeship Fair – FCPS’s Career and Technical Education department and the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry are hosting a Registered Apprenticeship and Career Fair on April 16, 6-8 p.m., at George C. Marshall High School. This free event offers high school students, parents, guardians, recent graduates, and members of the community an opportunity to learn about apprenticeship programs that provide work-based learning experiences for youths and adults.

Summer programs – Registration is now open for Luther Jackson Middle School’s summer camp programs. Transportation, breakfast, and lunch are provided for all sessions. These are the topics:

• Summer Bridge Program for reviewing English and math skills: July 6-24. Free, except for a $20 cooking and art elective. 
• TJ Prep Camp: July 27-31. $300. 
• How to Survive (and thrive in) Middle School: July 27-31. For rising seventh-graders. $100. 
• Jaguar Jumpstart: for rising ninth-graders, July 28-30, at Falls Church High School. $10.
• LJ Basketball Camp: July 6-10. For rising fourth, fifth, and sixth-graders. $100 (tuition assistance available).
• LJ STEM Camp: July 13-17. Explore robotics, digital video production, coding, engineering design, and 3D printing. $200. 
• CORE Tennis Camp: Several sessions in July for kids 10 and under and ages 11-13. Half-day $195, full-day $325.