Area Students to be Featured in Sleepless in America
Students from Langley High School and Oakton High School, Superintendent Karen K. Garza, and Fairfax County School Board member Sandy Evans will be featured in Sleepless in America, a television show on sleep deprivation produced by the National Geographic Channel, premiering Sunday, Nov. 30, at 8 p.m.
Uncovering Family History
A note of warm greetings from Mark Turner III.
I would like to thank everyone who attended last Wednesday’s Great Falls Historical Society program. It was great to see new & old faces and be able to share the history of my family who resided at the Turner Farm property on Georgetown Pike and Springvale Road from 1840 until the time the last five acres with the farmhouse was sold to the Fairfax County Park Authority in 2011.
‘An Evening in Vienna’ at Langley High
The Langley High School Orchestra performed its first concert of the year on Thursday, Nov. 20, in the Langley HS Auditorium.
Renovation Keeps Rolling at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria
New wing showcased at Nov. 14 ribbon-cutting.
Thomas Jefferson senior Thomas Rogers is big on the laser cutter. “You can cut anything you want,” said the McLean resident, “like exact designs on sheet metal.” Rogers was enthusiastic about the device, but wouldn’t fire it up during the Nov. 14 tour of the Science and Technology Governor’s School’s new two-story wing with 14 research spaces.
High Schools to Start Later Next Year
School Board approves later start times.
Phyllis Payne has been fighting for more sleep for a decade. On Oct. 23, it all paid off. The co-founder of Start Later for Excellence in Education Proposal - or SLEEP - saw the Fairfax County Public School Board approve to move high school start times ahead by 30 minutes, 11-1.
Langley High Teacher Receives National Award
Leah Puhlick a recipient of the Yale Educator of the Year Award.
Katherine Tan may have graduated from Langley High School last year, but one teacher has made an impact on her to this day. The Yale University freshman nominated her former Advance Placement [AP] chemistry teacher, Leah Puhlick, for this year’s Yale Educator of the Year award - and she was one of this year’s recipients.
Fairfax County Calendar
Your guide to entertainment in Fairfax County.
For those looking to fill their calendar with some home-brewed, Fairfax County fun stuff (read: entertainment and diversion), The Connection's Fairfax County Entertainment Calendar has many options: weekend jaunts and larks; date night inspiration; winter-to-spring fun; day-long festivals and events; art-outings; family fun-and-learning fusions; plays and shows; beyond-Small Business Saturday local shopping and bazaars; markets of handcrafted wares; music; 1Ks to marathons... the list goes on. If you know of an event not listed in our entertainment calendar, email it to south@connectionnewspapers.com for happenings in south Fairfax County or north@connectionnewspapers.com for entertainment in the northern parts of the county.
Stage Presence
Cappies recognized among arts leaders at Arts Council awards.
After Bill Strauss first approached Judy Bowns about creating a student-driven arts awards and journalism organization 16 years ago, the ensuing creative partnership resembled a pair of cartoon characters.
Texting While Driving Examined at Langley
Langley High School students learn safety through simulator.
Hanna Hunt was behind the wheel, phone in hand. When a text popped up, she had a choice. Would she answer it? Hunt, a senior at Langley High School, was playing a simulated driving game during lunch, so when she “crashed” her car earlier that day, she walked away with zero consequences. The simulator was a part of the school’s theme of the year - road safety - in partnership with AT&T’s It Can Wait campaign to give students a reality check on Oct. 16 for how texting on their phone affects their driving.
Fractured Shaft Stops Colvin Run Mill
Tours and interpretations of the Great Falls historic site continue.
Grinding with the main stones at Colvin Run Mill Historic Site has come to a stop for the next few months. Miller Mason Maddox found a crack in the main axle of the site’s water wheel, which catches the water flowing through the millrace and powers the mill.
Fairfax Education Summit to Be Held on Oct. 25
The Fairfax County School Board will host Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) fifth annual Education Summit, Mapping Your Student’s Unique Journey: Explore the Many Choices in Fairfax County Public Schools, on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 8 a.m. at Edison High School.
Langley Student Has Voice on School Board
Harris LaTeef ready to represent students on big issues.
Harris LaTeef isn’t used to wearing a suit, but he’s getting good use from the ones he owns this year. The School Board’s student representative, a senior at Langley High School, will provide the board with a unique perspective that represents 187,000 people in the county for important issues this year.
Students, Parents and Teachers Plea for Later Start Times
Students, parents and advocacy groups flooded the School Board’s public comment period with pleas to approve later start times for students next year during Sept. 19 meeting.
Portrait of a Graduate Approved
The Portrait of a Graduate has been drawn. This “portrait” - a part of the plans for the proposed strategic plan - was passed unanimously at Thursday’s Fairfax County School Board meeting after the board discussed it for more than an hour.
A Different Path to a 4-year Degree
NOVA’s Guaranteed Admissions Program gives students opportunities to attend their dream schools.
Noor Naveed immigrated to the United States from Pakistan with her family shortly after the 9/11 attacks. The family settled in Northern Virginia and, years later, Naveed graduated from Hayfield Secondary School in Alexandria. She dreams of becoming the first person in her family to graduate from college.