School news roundup

The following news items feature schools in the Annandale/Mason District area.

Science star – Heman Bekele, a ninth grader at W.T. Woodson High School, was named the 2023 winner of the 3M Young Scientist Challenge. 

Heman, age 14, created compound-based Skin Cancer Treating Soap, an affordable soap solution that could improve skin cancer outcomes. Over the next five years, he hopes to refine this product and create a nonprofit organization that will distribute the soap to communities in need.

In addition to earning the title of America’s Top Young Scientist, Heman was awarded $25,000 and a chance to ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange.

The 2023 Young Science Challenge tasks contestants with harnessing the power of science to create an innovation that will improve lives and solve a global challenge.

After Hemen was selected as a top finalist in the competition, he worked with a mentor, Deborah Isabelle, a product engineering specialist in 3M’s Abrasives in the Automotive Aftermarket Division, who helped him transform his idea from concept to prototype.  

Healthier school lunches – U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack joined Annandale Terrace Elementary School second graders for lunch Oct. 11 during an event highlighting National School Lunch Week and National Farm to School Month.

Vilsack enjoyed a chicken parmesan sandwich with a low-sodium tomato sauce and fresh basil garnish, one of the new items on the school lunch menu.

FCPS Food and Nutrition Services have swapped out processed corn dogs and sugary breakfast items with healthier, global fare, such as black bean burgers, chicken fajitas, meatball marinara subs, veggie wraps, and fresh vegetables. All schools now have salad bars.

FCPS is offering more plant-based proteins to accommodate students who are vegan, vegetarian, or who adhere to a kosher or halal diet.

Vilsack also visited Annandale Terrace’s learning garden, where students and staff are growing beets, radishes, and red peppers. All students at the school are eligible for free breakfast and lunch, regardless of their family’s ability to pay.

A USDA grant helped fund a centralized local procurement pilot program enabling FCPS to serve more than 180,000 pounds of locally grown produce in schools last year.

Woodson name change advances – The Fairfax County School Board voted unanimously on Oct. 12 to proceed with the renaming process for W.T. Woodson High School.

The school board will hold a public hearing on the proposed name change on Oct. 24, 5:30 p.m., at Luther Jackson Middle School. The board will take formal action on the issue at its Nov. 9 meeting.

The public is invited to attend a community meeting on the name change on Oct. 23, 6:30-7:30 p.m., in the Woodson High School cafeteria. An online feedback form will be available through Nov. 9.

The school is named for Wilbert Tucker (W.T.) Woodson, who served as FCPS superintendent from 1929 to 1961. The name change had been discussed for years due to Woodson’s opposition to integration.

Related story: School board to consider renaming Woodson HS for Carter Woodson

Braddock School Board member Megan McLaughlin announced that additional research turned up a memo written by Woodson in 1959 that says: “The order to desegregate schools is highly improper and infringes on human rights. To force integration of schools is to force social mixing, since attendance in public schools is usually compulsory.”

The school board is considering changing the school’s name to Carter G. Woodson High School. Carter Woodson is known as the “Father of Black History.” Born to enslaved parents in New Canton, Va., he became the second African American to earn a PhD from Harvard University.

In 1915, Woodson helped found an organization aimed at promoting the study of African American history. He later established a scholarly journal and wrote several books on the subject, and among other accomplishments, launched the precursor of Black History Month.

Bingo fundraiser – The Mason Crest Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization invites the community to Bingo Night on Oct. 27, 5:30-7:30 p.m., at the school. The event is one of the PTO’s biggest fundraisers of the year.

The PTO will be raffling off some great items, including Caps and Nationals tickets, gift cards to local organizations including Wild NOVA, Merrifield Garden Center, FXA Sports, and Artechouse.  

Community members can preorder raffle tickets along with tickets for bingo cards and pizza.

Art inspiration – Third graders at Columbia Elementary School are participating in the Emerging Visions program with the Reston-based Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art.

The students took a field trip to Tephra ICA this month to see the Choosing to Portage exhibition, interact with the Buoyant Force sculpture, and participate in an artmaking experience.

After the field trip, Noelle Garcia, one of the artists featured in Choosing to Portage, visited Columbia ES to share her artworks, share her experience as an artist, and lead the third graders in a drawing activity.

The students will then create their own artwork inspired by the themes, concepts, and materials the students encountered during their field trip and visit from Garcia.

In the late spring or early summer, some students might have an opportunity to have their artwork included in the Emerging Visions exhibition at Tephra ICA.