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.
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.
Stage Door, a three-week theater experience for young artists ages 10-14, has a new director, Adrienne Nelson. An accomplished actress, Nelson has assembled a roster of Metro-area all-star talent that includes Helen Hayes Award-winning actor Steven Cupo, Mary Goldwater, award-winning director Suzanne Richard and Arena Stage affiliate artist Susan Lynskey.
In this program, pre-teens and teens learn varied performing arts disciplines as they work through the process of creating, rehearsing and performing an ensemble theater piece. The program will culminate in two 90-minute performances.
Stage Door has limited space available for this Arlington-based summer program, which runs July 11-29, Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at Thomas Jefferson Middle School, 125 S. Old Glebe Road. Extended-hours programs also available 8:30-10 a.m. and 4-5:30 p.m. for parents who work early or late.
Call 703-548-1154, ext. 2 or visit www.encorestage.org.
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.
Meredith Pease of Arlington, a graduate student in psychology at Kansas State University, received the Dunlap Prize given to outstanding graduate students in the industrial/organizational psychology program.
Rob Mandle, of Arlington, a graduate student studying urban and regional planning in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech, recently received the National American Institute of Certified Planners Certificate award. This award is bestowed to a graduate student with exceptional academic achievement.
Arlington Traditional fifth-grader Lianna Yang has been named a finalist in the third national "InvestWrite" stock market student essay contest. More than 7,900 students entered the competition. Yang is one of 30 students nationwide who is being honored for her analysis of the investment potential of various publicly traded stocks, their overall understanding of the stock market and the manner in which they expressed their investment ideas in essay form. She is the daughter of Yan Zhang and Xianhua Yang.
H-B Woodlawn senior Jennifer “Jenna” Dutcher has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship by the Lee-Jackson Educational Foundation. She is one of 27 students in Virginia who has earned one of the scholarships, which are given for outstanding essays that demonstrate an appreciation of the exemplary character and soldierly virtues of Generals Lee and Jackson. Essays are judged based on historical accuracy, quality of research and clarity of written expression. Dutcher is the daughter of Timothy and Kathryn Dutcher. She plans to attend the College of William & Mary in the fall where she will study classics and old languages. She has been a student at H-B Woodlawn since sixth grade.
Ng Kwet Foong "James" Ng Sui Hing, Perry Ellis and Elizabeth Peters, all of Arlington, have been chosen by Virginia Tech as Pamplin Leaders for the 2005-2006 academic year. This year, 254 students, in all majors, were selected. The Pamplin Leader Award is a one-year, merit-based $1,000 tuition scholarship awarded annually to qualified students from public high schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia who have been accepted to and are planning to attend Virginia Tech. Each award applicant must have at least a 3.75 overall grade point average and/or be ranked in the top 10 percent of his/her class. The applicant is required to submit an application that demonstrates academic accomplishment, leadership experience and community service activities.
Sophie Cantell of Arlington, a graduate student of urban and regional planning in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech, was recently awarded the C. David Loeks Award. The Loeks Award is given to an outstanding second-year graduate student studying urban and regional planning.
Wakefield juniors Rudbel Alfaro and Alyson Powers have been selected to attend the 2005 High School Leadership Academy at the Zane D. Showker Leadership Institute of Bridgewater College, Bridgewater, Va. The academy, which runs from July 31–Aug. 5, will focus on team building, communication skills, ethical empowerment and creative problem solving to assist students in developing their leadership skills.
Alfaro is the son of Julio and Ana Lovo. He is a member of the Wakefield boy's Cohort program, which challenges minority males to do well in Advanced Placement courses. He is also an active member of the school’s teen advisory board. Alfaro plans to pursue a career in politics after earning a degree in legal studies or law.
Powers is the daughter of Robert and Gwyn Leigh Powers. She is enrolled in two Advanced Placement classes this year and is scheduled to take several more next year. Additionally, she is a member of the school basketball and volleyball teams and is a peer mediator. Powers also works with new students each year to help them adjust to high school. She will serve as the school’s Student Government Association president next year.
Yorktown teacher Allyson McKowen has been selected by the Virginia Junior Academy of Science as its “Science Teacher of the Year." The award is given to an outstanding science teacher each year at the group’s annual conference. She was recognized at the 2005 conference, which was held in Harrisonburg on May 19. McKowen will receive an all-expense-paid trip to the 2006 annual conference in St. Louis, Mo.
McKowen was nominated by her colleagues. The award recognizes her diligence in helping prepare her students to present their science projects/papers at the Virginia Junior Academy of Science annual conference last month. Of the 100 students who completed science projects this year, eight of McKowen’s students presented at the conference. Ninth-graders Brendan Doyle and Samuel Strongin received first place in their respective categories. Ninth-grader Rebecca Barlas also won a cash prize from the Speological Society for her project relating to caves in the earth science category.
Glebe Elementary School third-grade teacher Andrea Reyes has earned a Marymount University “Academic Excellence” award. The award, presented by the School of Education and Humanity Services at Marymount University, is presented annually to one graduating student for superior academic performance and for contributions to their department or field of study through curricular and co-curricular activities. It is the department’s highest award. She was nominated for the award by Marymount faculty and advisors. Reyes earned her master’s degree in education this spring, graduating with a 4.0 grade point average.
Nicholas Brendan Von Hagel from Arlington graduated June 9 from King’s College. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre.
Taylor Christian Hall of Arlington has been selected by the University of Mary Washington for "honors admission" this fall. Hall is an honor student and a member of the National Honor Society, as well as the symphonic, marching and jazz bands. He is an athlete and has partcipated in Habitat for Humanity through the United Methodist Youth fellowship and tutored elementary students. He will graduate from Yorktown high school this June and is the son of Keith and Dorrie Hall of Arlington.
Lincoln C. Cummings IV of Arlington has graduated from the Rochester Insitutue of Technology with a master's in industrial engingeering. He graduated from St. Stephens and St. Agnes High School in 2000 and is the son of Martha A. Klein and Lincoln C. Cummings of Arlington.