Former Arlington Public School special education students born between 1974 and 1977 should contact the APS Student Services records department by July 1 if they would like a copy of their school records. Students must provide a request in writing for records and include their name, birth date, the school from which they graduated and the graduation date. Students should send their request to: Arlington Education Center, Attention: Student Services Records Department, 1426 N. Quincy St., Arlington, VA, 22207. In accordance with Commonwealth of Virginia guidelines, any special education school records for students born from 1974-77 that are not claimed by July 1 will be destroyed.
The 16th annual Teenage Parenting Program recognition ceremony will be held on June 15 from 3:30–5:30 p.m. at the Arlington Public Schools Career Center, 816 S. Walter Reed Drive.
The APS 2004–2005 GED (General Educational Development) graduation ceremony will he held on June 17 at 7 p.m. in the Washington-Lee auditorium, 1300 N. Quincy St.
Arlington County students Michael J. Feinberg and Emily C. McConnelly, both seniors at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology, have each been awarded a college-sponsored Merit Scholarship. Arlington Public Schools pays the education costs for Arlington County students who attend Thomas Jefferson in Fairfax County. Michael J. Feinberg has been awarded the Carleton College Merit Scholarship. At Carleton, located in Northfield, Minn., Michael plans to study mathematics. Emily C. McConnelly will attend Hope College in Holland, Mich. Her Hope College Merit Scholarship will be used to study veterinary science.
Ten-Star All-Star Basketball Camp. Final Applications are now being evaluated. The Camp is by invitation only. Boys and girls ages 10-19 are eligible to apply. Players from 50 states and 17 foreign countries attended the 2004 camp. College basketball scholarships are possible for players selected to the All-American Team. The nearest camp location is in Blacksburg, Va. For a free brochure call 704-373-0873.
Washington Redskins, Art Monk Offers Summer Youth Football Camp. For boys ages 7-18 to have the rare opportunity to learn football from some of the best players and coaches in the NFL. 10-15 of the Baltimore Ravens and Redskins offer this camp in two locations this summer. June 26-30 at George Mason University, Fairfax, VA. July 12-16 at McDaniel College, Westminster, MD. Boys can stay overnight or commute daily. Enrollment is limited! For more info visit www.footballcamps.com or call toll free 1-800-555-0801.
Alexander Ponomareff, 2001 Yorktown High School graduate, received a bachelor degrees in philosophy and history cum laude from the College of Arts and Science at New York University. He successfully defended his honors thesis in history and also was recognized as a New York University 2005 Founders Day Honors Scholar.
Philip Emerson Gardner of Arlington received a Bachelor of Arts in political science May 15 from Duke University in Durham, N.C.
Molly Guilfoyle of Arlington received a Bachelor of Science degree from Costal Carolina University in May.
Amy McDowell, a graduate of Yorktown High School, received a Bachelor of Arts degree magna cum laude from the College of Wooster on May 16.
Peyton Randolph School celebrated the official authorization of its International Baccalaureate, Primary Years Program (IB PYP) on April 29. The school was transformed into a showplace for students' work and accomplishments. The program opened at 7 p.m. when Randolph staff members performed "Randolph's Citizens of the World," written and composed by Carol Erion, supervisor of arts education. Guests included representatives from the Embassy of Paraguay and the School Board. The evening included international music and dancing, and multi-cultural and multi-lingual stories and songs. The evening climaxed with a trumpet fanfare and the unveiling of the Randolph sign with the IB logo.
Twelve elementary schools participated in Arlington's Math Dice Tournament on April 30 at Claremont. Participating schools included: Abingdon, Arlington Science Focus, Arlington Traditional, Ashlawn, Campbell, Carlin Springs, Claremont, Henry, Hoffman-Boston, Key, Long Branch and Oakridge. Each school had a four-person team. Winners of the school team competitions were:
1st place - Arlington Traditional
2nd place - Arlington Science Focus
3rd place - Oakridge
Student “stockbrokers” from Kenmore Middle School were honored May 18 at a banquet at George Mason University. The team, led by social studies teacher Jeff Fishbein, competed in the 2004 Stock Market Game sponsored by The Washington Post. Kenmore finished in third place out of almost 300 teams in the Northern Region of Virginia and first in the Northern Region middle school division. The Stock Market game pits teams from around the state in a competition to determine which teams can make the most money in an eight-week contest. Kenmore students made over $20,000 profit on a pretend $100,000 investment.
Twelve sixth-grade students from Jefferson Middle School participated in the Komen Race for the Cure on June 4 with English teacher Sandy Tevelin. The students, who are members of the Turbo Tiger team, painted garden rocks and sold them to raise money for Komen Breast Cancer Research.
Seven Key Elementary School fifth-grade Spanish-immersion students participated in a student exchange with the American School in El Salvador in February. The students stayed with families and attended school in San Salvador for 10 days. Last month, the El Salvadoran students spent 10 days with their Key School partners while attending Key. A highlight of the visit to San Salvador included an opportunity to meet with El Salvador President Tony Saca. Teachers Donna Sacco and Leah Stein chaperoned the trip.
Under the guidance of teacher Lynn Stawchansky, five McKinley fifth-grade students and one third-grade student have been published in an anthology titled “A Celebration of Young Poets.” The poetry contest was sponsored by Creative Communications.
For the second consecutive year, Gunston Middle School earned the "Best in Show" honors at the recent Arlington Youth Film Festival. The winning piece, “The Life of B. B. King,” was an animated biography of the jazz legend. It was produced with the help of Gunston art teacher Peter Fitzgerald, with guidance from project coordinator Harry Costner. Gunston earned a total of seven awards at this local film festival, which is sponsored by the Arlington Independent Media and the Partnership for Children, Youth and Family.
A team of students from Williamsburg Middle School have won the highest honors in this year's Wordmasters Challenge, a national language arts competition entered by over 225,000 students. Competing in the Gold division of the Challenge and supervised by teachers Carolyne Meehan, Ashby Rushing and Sher Wall, the school's seventh-graders placed eighth in the nation in the year's third meet held in April. Four of the school's students won highest honors for individual achievement as well. Williamsburg students also excelled in the National Language Arts Contest, which involves 200 schools across the country. Eighth-graders at Williamsburg scored in the top 5 percent of the nation, sixth-graders tied for sixth place, and seventh-graders scored the third highest in the nation.
Debbie Jones, former Arlington Education and Employment Program (REEP) teacher and current volunteer, has been announced as one of the recipients of this year's James B. Hunter III Community Hero Awards. The awards recognize Arlington County volunteers who are making a significant contribution to the community. Debbie is being recognized for the work that she has been doing as a volunteer working with adult ESL students at REEP.
Liz Hannegan, APS library and information services supervisor, and Sharon Grover, youth services collection development specialist for the Arlington County Public Library wrote an article entitled, “Not Just for Listening: Integrating Audiobooks into the Curriculum,” which has been published in the May 2005 issue of Book Links: Connecting Books, Libraries and Classrooms. The article shares instructional strategies, current titles and curriculum integration ideas for using audiobooks for both pleasure and educational listening.
Eleanor Dasenbrook, a Project Pathways teacher at Jefferson, has had a story published in "Growing Up on Memory Lane," published by Small Town USA Press, Pleasanton, Calif. The book is a collection of stories about growing up in small towns in the United States and the impact the experience has had on family life and the importance of sharing and preserving family storytelling for future generations. "Growing Up on Memory Lane" is available at local book stores.
On April 30, Gunston drama teacher Sharon Steen racewalked the 26.2 miles of the Country Music Marathon in Nashville, Tenn. Steen was part of Team in Training of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She raised approximately $3,300 for the Society's research projects.
The Arc of Northern Virginia, representing children and adults with cognitive, intellectual and developmental disabilities, has awarded Arc 2005 Educational Leadership Awards to 11 Arlington Public School employees in recognition of their efforts to make a difference in the lives of students with disabilities. The award ceremony was held on June 2 at the Northern Virginia Community College Annandale campus from 5:30-6:30 p.m. The keynote speaker was the Virginia Secretary of Education Belle Wheelan. The APS employees being recognized include: Peggy Brennan (Yorktown); Esther Green, Eva Ingram, Ed Brawand, Maria Castellon, Dalis Blanco, Maria Snyder, Scott Ogden, Patty Walsh (Career Center), Jennifer Zimmerman (Washington-Lee) and Joan Mountain (Special Education Department). Yorktown student Peter Scampavia also will be recognized.
Rebecca Brust of Arlington has been named to the Crescent organization at Converse College in Spartanburg, S.C. Crescent is a sophomore organization at Converse whose purpose is one of leadership and service to the college and the surrounding community. Rebecca is the daughter of Rev. Canon and Mrs. Ellis E. Brust.
On Friday, May 6, the Williamsburg Middle School Music Department traveled to Hershey, Pa., to participate in the Music In The Parks Festival. This is a regional competition bringing together students from across Virginia, D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The WMS eighth-grade Mixed Chorus earned an "Excellent" rating (the second highest possible) and second place in their division. The sixth-grade orchestra earned the third highest rating of "Good" and the seventh and eighth-grade orchestra earned an "Excellent." The seventh and eighth-grade orchestra was additionally awarded "Overall Best Orchestra" in the middle/junior high school divisions. The sixth-grade Concert Band earned an "Excellent" rating and second-place win in the Concert Band II category. The seventh and eighth-grade Symphonic Band earned an "Excellent" rating and first-place win in the Concert Band II category. The Wind Ensemble earned the highest rating of "Superior" and the award of "Overall Best Band in the middle/junior high school divisions.
Rebecca Haines, an Arlington resident who attends Goucher College in Baltimore, has been named to the Dean's list. As a junior, she was required to maintain a 3.7 average.
William A. Albright, an Arlington resident who recently graduated from Hampden-Sydney college, received the Gammon Cup, an award given out at the college for character, scholarship and athletic ability. Albright was the president of his fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha, and was on the dean's list. In the spring, he was a defense-men on the school's lacrosse team.
Wakefield High School alumna Alicia Madalena, who majored in Southwest studies, received her bachelor’s degree from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo., at spring commencement on April 30.
Margot MacDonald, an eighth-grader at Kenmore Middle School, received first place in Virginia for her musical composition entry in the National PTA Reflections arts competition. Her song, "Quiet Hero," was awarded Outstanding Interpretation of this year's theme, "A Different Kind of Hero." Margot's piece has advanced to compete at the national level.
Hasina Rahman of Wakefield High School was named a Gates Millennium Scholar, joining 21 students in Virginia who were awarded scholarships through the Gates Millennium Scholars program. One thousand highly motivated, low-income minority students from 46 states and the District of Columbia were awarded scholarships in recognition of their high academic achievement and strong leadership skills.
Brian Canepa, of Arlington, Va., Jennie Geisner, of Alexandria, Rob Mandle, of Arlington, Megan Schilling, of Arlington, and Darren Smith, of Alexandria, worked on the winning East Falls Church Metro Area Plan, which lays the groundwork to revitalize the area surrounding the Metro station. The plan also outlines market-feasible land use and transportation treatments reflecting community goals that include compatible density, pedestrian orientation with human scale, central public places, a gateway creating community identity, connectivity among residential areas, efficient land use near transit facilities, non-motorized vehicle options and economic development with diverse opportunities and affordable housing.