School Notes are for awards and achievements, as well as special events. Send information via e-mail to vienna@connectionnewspapers.com, or mail to 7913 Westpark Drive, McLean VA 22102. Deadline is the Friday before publication. Entries will run as space is available. Call 703-917-6449 with questions.
On Saturday, March 17, Oakton High School will be hosting the Dance Team Clinic of 2007, sponsored by OHS Athletic Boosters. The camp will take place from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. and a performance will be held at 5 p.m. Participation is open to students in grade 7-12 from any Fairfax County High School district or private school.
Pre-clinic registration will cost $50 and at-door registration will be $55. Registration forms are available at an OHS Activities Office or from an OHS Dance Team member.
For more information, visit www.oaktonathletics.org, e-mail Missy Isakowitz at isakowitz5@cox.net or Coach Rowley at Karen.Rowley@fcps.edu.
Oakton High School needs help in organizing the All Grad Night Celebration this year. The graduation will take place on Thursday, June 14. Any junior parents that would be interested in volunteering can contact Barbara Fielding at 703-391-0317.
Annie Ellis, a 2006 graduate of Madison High School, was recently named to the dean's list with distinctions for the fall 2006 semester at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. Annie is an engineering major in the College of Engineering. She is the daughter of Angela Ellis and David Ellis.
Lindsay Hochman, the daughter of Kathy and Joel Hochman of Oakton and a 2003 graduate of James Madison High School, has been named to the dean's list at the University of Virginia for the fall semester of 2006. She has completed her fourth year in the School of Architecture.
Heather Mella of Oakton, a recent 2006 graduate from James Madison High School, has been named to the dean’s list for the fall semester at Christopher Newport University.
Donations to local groups: the Dyer-Gunnell Post (Post 180) of the American Legion, based in Vienna, and Louise Archer Elementary PTA can benefit from on-line shopping, especially during the holiday shopping season. Visit http://Fundraising.ExtraRebates.com and click on any of the 410 participating stores, then complete an on-line purchase. The groups will receive a cash rebate or a percentage of the purchase, from 1 to 25 percent.
Reserve a place in history at Cunningham Park Elementary. Buy an engraved brick that will be placed in the courtyard to raise funds to improve the school grounds. Obtain order forms at the school office, or contact Paula Williams at 703- 689-8928.
Club Phoenix Teen Center. Vienna Community Center features a big screen TV, jukebox and CD player, Dreamcast, pool and ping pong tables and more for Vienna-area middle-school students. The free after-school program operates weekdays, 2:30-6:30 p.m. Get help with homework or enjoy cooking classes, book clubs and sports and fitness activities. Call 703-255-5721.
James Madison High School Athletic Booster Club is undertaking a campaign to build the Warhawk Dream Field, a technologically advanced synthetic sports turf to be installed on their stadium field. To raise their portion of the installation, the JMHS Boosters are offering the entire community the opportunity to buy one square foot of the stadium field for $50.
The JMHS campus has limited field space, causing many of the school's teams to practice on other sites around Vienna. Unlike a grass field, a turf field can withstand both games and practices without any deterioration of the field condition. The field will also be available for community use by youth sports leagues when not needed by the school.
To take advantage of this 'square' deal, send a $50 check to JMHS Booster Club, 2500 James Madison Drive, Vienna, VA 22181. For information, contact the school at 703-319-2360.
For its 2006-2007 A+ Performance Series, the Robert Ames Alden Theatre has expanded the number of performances with reduced price tickets for area high school and college students. The cost of a student ticket averages less than half of the cost of a full-priced ticket. The Alden Theatre is located at 1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean.
Student ticket prices are available for a number of selected upcoming erformances. Student tickets can only be purchased at the Alden Theatre Box Office. A student ID will be required. Call 703-790-0123, or visit www.mcleancenter.org.
The Fairfax County Public Schools Office of Community Relations has received six awards from the Chesapeake Chapter of the National School Public Relations Association for publications, web and television communications produced during the 2005-06 school year.
The following publications were cited by CHESPRA: Budget Update series, periodical publications on the FCPS budget process, Award of Excellence; Supergram, online employee newsletter, Award of Excellence; Familygram, newsletter with information for FCPS families, Award of Merit.
The following electronic communications entries were cited by CHESPRA: SchoolScene show no. 9, featuring stories on the Reclaiming Youth Leadership program at Bryant Alternative High School; the Heritage Language Literacy Club at Bailey’s Elementary School for the Arts and Sciences; a partnership between Stone Middle School and the Warriner School in Oxfordshire, England; and how to create an award-winning marching band, Award of Excellence; “smart” public service announcement (PSA) campaign, Award of Merit; Videostreaming news stories from the biweekly news program, SchoolScene, onto the FCPS Web site, www.fcps.edu, Award of Merit.
The television program, videostreaming project, and series of PSAs were produced by the FCPS Department of Information Technology in cooperation with the Office of Community Relations.
Fairfax County Public Schools has a new telephone parent information line available in Korean and Spanish. Parents who speak Korean or Spanish have a new resource — a telephone information line — available to help them learn general information about FCPS and to receive support if they are having difficulty communicating with their child’s school due to a language barrier.
The parent information line numbers are: Spanish — 703-764-7361 and Korean — 703-764-7363.
A parent may call at any time, leave a message in his or her language, and receive a return phone call in that language from an FCPS staff member within 24 hours.
The Alumni Association of George Mason University is seeking nominations for Alumnus of the Year, Alumni Service Award, Faculty Member of the Year and Senior of the Year for their annual Celebration of Distinction dinner and awards ceremony. These awards are designed to recognize alumni, faculty and students that are making a difference at Mason and in their community.
More than 60 percent of George Mason University alumni live in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area and without a doubt are making a difference in the local community.
The next Celebration of Distinction will be held April 18, 2007. Award criteria and nomination forms can be found online at www.gmu.edu/alumni/awards. Contact Katie Thomasson at kthomass@gmu.edu.