School news roundup: Students shine in science, music, journalism, and more

Science Olympiad team at Justice High School.

Biking at Bailey’s – The physical education team at Bailey’s Elementary School received two grants – a Community Foundation Healthy Kids grant and a Virginia Safe Routes to School grant – to teach students how to ride a bicycle. Students will learn bicycle skills, safety, and will learn how to use bike riding to stay fit and healthy. The grants will pay for bicycles, helmets, and pumps.

Students learn bicycle safety at Bailey’s Elementary School.

Science stars – Students Justice High School took home several medals in the Science Olympiad. Sonny Nguyen was awarded the first-place prize in the Boomilever category, outscoring students from 23 other schools. Seniors Tiffany Duong and Mindy Truong medaled in two events: Dynamic Planet (fourth place) and Water Quality (sixth place),


Acceptance at Camelot – April is Acceptance Celebration Month at Camelot Elementary School. The school’s acceptance team planned a series of activities to give students the tools and knowledge they need to fully accept one another and be a friend to everyone.

On April 11, students will have an opportunity to walk in the shoes of a student with disabilities to see the world from a different viewpoint. Other activities during the month will focus on celebrating diversity and cultures and preventing bullying. Camelot has a program for students with intellectual disabilities and a preschool program for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Top journalists – The Annandale High School student newspaper, the A-Blast, was honored with a Gold Crown Award in the hybrid news category in a competition hosted by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.

Justice students at OrlandoFest.

Music stars – All five of the music ensembles at Justice High School won first place at OrlandoFest, a competition in Orlando, Fla., that included schools from all over the Eastern and Southern United States.

The Justice Wind Ensemble was named Grand Champion band with the highest score of all bands. The Justice Wolfpack Choral Group was the Grand Champion chorus. Senior Isabelle Lesmana, a violist in the school’s chamber orchestra, was recognized as one of three outstanding soloists.

Success with volunteers – GrandInvolve, a nonprofit that connects older adults with Fairfax County public schools classrooms, won the $5,000 first-place Best Practice Award from the Commonwealth Council on Aging.

GrandInvolve volunteers offer their time, skills, and talents to work directly with students by engaging in a variety of helpful activities designed by teachers. Currently 160 volunteers work in 18 Title I schools, including Parklawn and Weyanoke elementary schools in Mason District.

Breakfast winners – Two Fairfax County schools, Annandale High School and Pine Spring Elementary School, were named winners in the 2019 Virginia Breakfast Challenge.

The Virginia Breakfast Challenge, an initiative of No Kid Hungry Virginia, the Virginia Department of Education, the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth, Virginia Hunger Solutions, and the Dairy Alliance, is aimed at connecting more students with school breakfast to ensure academic success.
Annandale High had a 100 percent increase and Pine Spring had a 311 percent increased in the number of students participating in a breakfast program.


Environmental cooperation – The Fairfax County School Board and Board of Supervisors formed a Joint Environmental Task Force April 2 to discuss ways to collaborate on initiatives related to climate, energy, and the environment. One example where the two governmental entities could work together is better coordination on preserving trees at school construction sites. Another proposal calls for the county government to support student-led environmental initiatives.