School news roundup

Jim Acosta speaks at Annandale High School.

Law Day at AHS – Annandale High School hostied CNN’s Jim Acosta, an alumnus of AHS who worked on the student newspaper, the A-Blast, and American Bar Association President Bob Carlson on May 1 for Law Day.

Law Day is an annual event established in 1959 to promote civic education and the rule of law. This year’s theme is Free Speech, Free Press, Free Society.

The Art Festival at Westlawn Elementary School.

Students took part in a school-wide assembly. Several local officials participated, including state Sen. Dick Saslaw; Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross; and school board members Sandy Evans (Mason), Megan McLaughlin (Braddock), and Karen Keys-Gamarra (at large); and Del. Mark Keam.

Jaguar Jumpstart – Falls Church High School is launching a new event this summer to get rising ninth-graders to make a smooth transition from Jackson Middle School. The Jaguar Jumpstart program is July 30-Aug. 1, 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., at Falls Church High School.

The program will help incoming students learn about their new school and meet their future teachers and classmates. The cost is $10, which includes breakfast, lunch and a T-shirt. Transportation is provided. Register online.

Journalism award – The A-Blast, the Annandale High School student newspapers, took home the first-place award in the Newspaper Broadsheet category in the National School Press Association’s competition. The award was presented at the group’s National High School Journalism Convention in Anaheim, Calif.

Camelot Elementary School celebrated Superhero Day as part of Acceptance Month. The day’s theme was “Be a Superhero, Be a Friend.”

Singing stars – The Falls Church High School Vocal Ensemble has won the Alexandria Choral Society’s Sing-Off Competition, which includes a $1,000 grant for the FCHS music program. The Vocal Ensemble will perform at the choral society’s Spring Concert on May 18.

Bike to School – Motorists are urged to be especially careful on May 8, as it’s national Bike to School Day. The event is aimed at promoting physical activity and reducing traffic congestion and pollution near schools.

Among the many Fairfax County public schools that registered for Bike to School day are these schools in the Annandale/Mason area: Columbia Elementary, Frost Middle, Glasgow Middle, and Poe Middle.


Rocket stars – The Falls Church High School Rocketry Team is the only team from Fairfax County to qualify for the National Finals of the Team America Rocketry Challenge. The competition is sponsored by the U.S. Aerospace Industries Association and the National Association of Rocketry.
This year’s contest challenges students to design, build, and fly a rocket carrying three raw eggs in a capsule to an altitude of 856 feet and return it to the ground with the eggs intact within 43-46 seconds.

Curriculum Night at Weyanoke Elementary School, where parents learn how to help their children at home.

Energy excellence – Fairfax County Public Schools was been named an Energy Star Partner of the Year for Sustained Excellence.

The award, presented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy in Washington, D.C., April 11, recognizes these accomplishments:

• FCPS has the most schools meeting Energy Star standards of any school district in the country.
• FCPS saved more than $5 million in energy costs in 2018. 
• More than 50 schools have an energy conservation program that includes student-conducted home energy audits.
• Twenty-seven schools participated in the Battle of the Buildings energy-conservation contest.
• Energy Star-certified equipment, LED lighting, and other energy-saving measures are undertaken in building construction and renovation projects. 
• The Get2Green program engages students in environmental actions, such as recycling, composting, building wildlife and native plant habitats, conserving energy, and growing food.  

Young entrepreneurs – The Phillips Programs, a nonprofit that operates a school in Annandale for youths with behavioral health needs and who have failed in traditional schools, received a $25,000 grant from the Community Foundation. The grant will help Phillips Programs develop a business ownership path for youths to help them achieve “economic success, the dignity of meaningful work, and a sense of belonging.”

New head at Congressional – Edwin Gordon will be the new head of school at Congressional School, as of July 1. Gordon’s most recent position is head of school at Palm Beach Day Academy in Florida. Congressional is an independent private school on Sleepy Hollow Road serving infants through eighth-graders.