School news roundup

Students and parents gather at the Falls Church Academy’s second annual Healthcare College and Career Fair at Falls Church High School.

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


Coding winners – Braddock Elementary School is one of two winners in the Computer Science in Your Neighborhood competition, a joint project of the Virginia Department of Education, the Science Museum of Virginia, and CodeVA.

Teacher Joyce Matthews, who manages Braddock’s after-school STEM programs, asked students in the Maker Space, Coding, Robotics, and Science Club to create one-minute videos on the topic, “What computer science means to me.” CodeVA is giving the school a set of robots.

Peace awards – Annandale High School IB diploma candidate Manoucher (Manny) Precht will receive an FCPS Student Peace Award for his efforts working with Earth Sangha, an organization committed to removing invasive plant species.

The GirlUp Club at Justice High School will be honored with a Peace Award for providing free feminine hygiene products in restrooms, which led to a pilot program in 37 county schools. The awards will be presented on March 1 at the Sherwood Community Center in Fairfax.


Art awards – Falls Church High School student Colin Page is one of four FCPS students nominated for the best-in-show American Visions Award in the 2020 Regional Scholastic Art Awards program.

Of the 372 students in grades 7-12 who received a Gold Key, Silver Key, or honorable mention award in the Scholastic program, 25 attend Falls Church HS, 17 attend Justice HS, 12 are from Woodson HS, 10 are at Annandale HS, four are from Frost Middle School, two are from Holmes MS, two are from Poe MS, and one is from Glasgow MS.

The Gold Key and Silver Key artworks will be displayed at Northern Virginia Community College’s Ernst Community Cultural Center in Annandale through March 15. There will be an award ceremony on March 4.

Summer programs – Registration is underway for FCPS summer programs, including the CTE (career and technical education) Summer Academy, Elementary Institute for the Arts, Institute for the Arts, Tech Adventure Camp, and CTE Summer Career Academy. Register online.

Invention Convention – Sleepy Hollow Elementary School encourages students to apply basic science skills in a creative and productive manner by participating in the school’s second annual Invention Convention Feb. 24.

Students use the Engineering Design Process to identify a need, solve a problem, improve an existing product, or create a new one.

Justice High School students work in small groups in an IB math class.

School construction – The school board approved a Capital Improvement Program for FY 2021-25 Feb. 6 that includes planning funds for an addition at Justice High School and renovations at Falls Church High School, along with other projects countywide aimed at improving capacity.

Day of Service – The Bren Mar Park Elementary School PTA hosted a service project at the school on Martin Luther King Day. More than 60 people showed up to donate school supplies for a homeless shelter and make Valentine’s Day cards for a retirement community.

Mentors at Justice – The On-Time-Graduation mentoring program trains staff members at Justice High School to serve as mentors to seniors to ensure they are on track to graduate on time. Once a week, staff members meet their mentees – during an elective class, lunch, or after school – to help them make sure they complete their required courses and to review their attendance history, grades, and test results.

Outdoor classroom – Weyanoke Elementary School is having a Boosterthon Fun Run with the goal of raising $5,000 for creating an outdoor learning space. The Boosterthon is a two-week fitness and character-building program that will start with a pep rally on Feb. 26 and include a fun run on March 6. Families will gather pledges for every lap their child runs. 

Acting principal – Katie Madigan, the former assistant principal at Glasgow Middle School, has been appointed acting principal, replacing Shawn DeRose, who started a new job Feb. 3 as principal of Annandale High School. Before coming to Glasgow in August 2016, Madigan was a sixth-grade academic principal at Alexandria Public Schools.

Related story: DeRose named principal of Annandale High School

Mulch sale – The Justice High School PTA is selling mulch to raise funds for seniors’ All-Night Graduation Party. Students who deliver mulch earn volunteer hours and money for their school club or team. A three-cubic foot bag of mulch is $6. Delivery is $25, or you can pick it up at the school at no charge. Delivery is free if you order 30 bags or more. Order mulch by March 21 here.

FCPS budget – The Fairfax County school board adopted a $3.2 billion FY 2021 advertised budget that would increase funding by $172.2 million (5.8 percent) over the FY 2020 approved budget.

The school board requests a 4.2 percent increase ($89.7 million) in funds transferred from Fairfax County, primarily to fund compensation and benefit increases and to cover the costs associated with enrollment growth and changes in the student population.

The proposed budget includes $50.1 million for a step increase for eligible employees, $15.4 million for additional salary scale enhancements, and $25.3 million for a 1 percent market scale adjustment.

The budget also includes increased funding for special education, schools with greater needs, and laptops for middle and high school students.