Celebrating Student Success - Fall 2021 Highlights
Dear FCPS Families:
After a long week of classes, work, and family obligations, it is the perfect opportunity to pause and recognize the many ways our children continue to shine in Fairfax County. This issue features various highlights and recent examples of student success.
Congratulations to our 2022 National Merit Semifinalists and other students who have done well and continue to excel in the classroom and in our community. October kicks off Disability History and Awareness Month and I am inspired by "Logan's Story" and FCPS's commitment to ensuring success for ALL students. All of our amazing students make us proud!
Last weekend, I had the honor to attend Virginia’s 24th Annual Showcase of Bands Marching Competition at Herndon High School Stadium. On Tuesday, I joined my colleague Board Chair Stella Pekarsky for the Sully District Virtual Town Hall. Thank you to Chair Pekarsky for the invitation to join her to engage with the Sully community. I truly appreciated the chance to receive and respond to questions submitted by families and concerned citizens. I am excited to join School Board Member Karen Corbett Sanders for the Mount Vernon Virtual Town Hall on Wednesday, October 6, 7:00 p.m. to address your questions and issues impacting our students and schools.
Stay well and enjoy the weekend.
 Inside this issue:
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10/6 Mount Vernon District Virtual Town Hall with School Board Member Karen Corbett Sanders
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Students from 16 FCPS High Schools Named National Merit Semifinalists
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Making “Good Trouble”: John R. Lewis High School Student Honors Hispanic Heritage Month by Paying It Forward
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Celebrating Student Success for ALL: 2021 Disability History and Awareness Month
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Fairfax County SAT Outcomes Stay Strong Despite Pandemic Testing Challenges
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2022-23 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Opens October 1
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Supporting Positive Student Mental Health and Resiliency
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Stay Connected: Announcing New School Board Twitter Account
10/6 Mount Vernon District Virtual Town Hall with School Board Member Karen Corbett Sanders
 I am delighted to join Mount Vernon District Representative Karen Corbett Sanders for the Mount Vernon District Virtual Town Hall to address any questions or concerns you may have.
To respond to as many questions as possible, we invite you to use this online form to submit your questions in advance. You may also submit questions through the form during the town hall. If time permits, we will address questions submitted via chat during the town hall.
When: Wednesday, October 6, 2021
Time: 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM EST
Where: ZOOM Web Link - Click here to join
 Students performing and soaring to new heights during Virginia's 24th Annual Showcase of Bands Marching Competition at Herndon High School Stadium.
Students from 16 FCPS High Schools Named National Merit Semifinalists
Congratulations to our 214 from 16 high schools from across Fairfax County Public Schools have been named semifinalists by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation for 2022.
The number of students honored this year during the pandemic is higher than last year when qualifying test scores were taken in 2019 before COVID-19 hit. The increase serves to indicate consistently high levels of academic achievement remain despite the challenges of the pandemic.
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) 2022 National Merit semifinalists are:
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Centreville High School: Elaine Chang, Rachel Choo, Ji Ye Yoon.
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Chantilly High School: Jordan Elasfari, Joshua Gao, Aarthika Krishnan, Yukta Ramanan, Adita Tarigoppula, Noyanika Vattahara, Jessica Yang, Srindhi Yelimati.
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Hayfield Secondary School: Dan Nguyen.
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Herndon High School: Nathan Ho, Jillian Schmid.
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Langley High School: Nathan Cao, Binh Huynh, Ryan Jones, Erika Li, Casey Lim, Chan-Ho Oh, William Orr, Elaine Zou.
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Madison High School: Aaron Dubois, Anika Gupta, Vaneesha Gupta, Shawn Malik.
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Marshall High School: Arini Bhargava, Grace Chamberlain, Matthias Kebede, Zion Kim
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McLean High School: Avery Barnett, Jack Deutsch, Nathaniel Garcia, Emilie Kim, Paul Kim, Cynthia Ma, Victor Pan, Songhan Pang, Joyce Qi, Juliana Toro, Stefan Van Biljon, Kelvin Yuan, Cathy Zhang.
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Oakton High School: Arielle Kim, Jayden Liu, Anmol Malviya, Anthony Nguyen, Anjana Rajesh, Charles Tatum, Jaden Wang.
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South County High School: Ronit Reddy.
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South Lakes High School: Caroline Amsbary, Nicole Cheban, Mina Tunley.
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Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST): Anand Advani, Ryan Angle, Aarav Bajaj, Shaina Banduri, Anirudh Bansal, Saloni Bedi, Sydney Belt, Hai Lun Bian, Shyla Bisht, Ari Bobesh, Elizabeth Brown, Ashley Chen, Caroline Chen, Emily Chen, Justin Chen, Lynelle Chen, Victoria Chen, Joanna Cheng, Aditya Chezhiyan, Sehyun Choi, Justine Chu, Jeb Cui, Lauren Delwiche, Michelle Du, Maria Dubasov, Pulak Dugar, Annika Duneja, Michael Fatemi, Jessica Feng, Daniel Frank, Medha Gaddam, Hari Gajjala, Harrish Ganesh, Sameeksha Garg, Eugene Gonzalez, Meghana Gopannagari, Alyssa Gorbaneva, William Graf, Arya Grayeli, Ramya Griddaluri, Pesandi Gunasekera, Sagar Gupta, Sahil Gupta, William Hancock, Garrett Heller, Anna Hsu, David Hu, Andrew Huang, Jennifer Hunsinger, Mirza Hussain, Kareem Jaber, Arjun Jagannathan, Arjun Jagdeesh, Pratyush Jaishanker, Joniel Jerome, Leon Jia, William Jiang, Ayesha Kabduwal, Nitin Kanchinadam, Esha Karlekar, Aarav Khanna, Anuj Khemka, Raffu Khondaker, Darius Kianersi, John Kim, Tae Ha Kim, Anwitha Kollipara, Sudiksha Konanki, Amit Krishnaiyer, Alexander Kuebler, Yoo-Bin Kwon, Andrew Lam, Chaemin Lee, Edward Lee, Elliot Lee, Jonathan Lee, Rachel Lewis, Edward Li, Elaine Li, Valerie Li, Yeefay Li, Joshua Lim, Isaac Lin, Michelle Lin, Derek Liu, Michelle Liu, Sheryn Livingstone, Angelina Ly, David Lyons, Darin Mao, Harold Margeta-Cacace, Pranav Mathur, Shreyas Mayya, Aditya Menachery, Autin Mitra, Maria Molchanova, Trishal Muthan, Hasita Nalluri, Tanisha Pagadala, Anjali Pagidi, Akash Pamal, Anya Parekh, Bryant Park, Ian Park, Aishani Patnaik, Akash Piya, Pravalika Putalapattu, Rolina Qu, Elena Rangelov, Rishi Raturi, Mahika Rawat, Isabelle Trini Rogando, Owen Rollins, Michelle Ru, Amrita Sahu, Jasjeet Sandhu, Kendall Sano, Isra Satiar, Allison Seo, Zacharia Shah, Aviraj Singh, Shreya Singh, Aarush Sivanesan, Alison Song, Lauren Spehlmann, Candace Sun, Ashwitha Surabhi, Isabella Tian, Rachel Trainer, Erin Tran, Samhita Vinay, Alison Wan, Marina Wang, Max Wang, Melissa Wu, Natalie Wu, Grant Xiao, Manda Xie, Keertana Yalamanchili, Jason Yi, Megan Yu, Albert Zeng, Bowen Zhang, Jason Zhong.
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West Potomac High School: Geoffrey Dubay, Grant Hamilton, Matthew Morris, Cara Omohundro.
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West Springfield High School: Sarah Kim.
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Westfield High School: Benjamin Cho, Hannah Ewell, Anika Joshi, Isabelle Lee, Pratham Mehta, Adithi Prasad, Aaryan Rawal.
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Woodson High School: Aaron Amartuvshin, Ja-Zhua Cheng, Ilse Eskelsen, Enoch Li, Megan Yi.
Approximately 16,000 high school seniors were named National Merit Scholarship semifinalists for 2022. More than 1.5 million juniors entered the 2022 National Merit program by taking the 2020 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which serves as the initial screen of program entrants.
All semifinalists are eligible to compete for 7,500 National Merit Scholarship awards worth more than $30 million, to be awarded in spring 2022.
Read the full FCPS announcement and additional local news coverage online.
Making “Good Trouble”: Celebrating John R. Lewis Student Honors Hispanic Heritage Month By Paying It Forward
On September 20, FOX 5 celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month by recognizing with a young man who is paying it forward by giving back to the communities most in need.
FOX 5’s Maureen Umeh and the Pay It Forward Crew caught up with Omar Fulcar at John R. Lewis High School. The 15-year-old sophomore volunteers with different organizations throughout Fairfax County.
Omar helped organize and distribute backpacks for kids returning to in-person learning, packed and distributed boxes of food for needy families, and distributes flyers and help day-laborers sign up to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
His aunt, Claudia Morcelo works for the Fairfax County Department of Health. She says Omar really put his heart into helping others. "From a small kid to now, he loves to serve.
Easterns Automotive Group was moved by Omar’s dedication to helping his community. They awarded him with a $250 Visa gift card and will make a $1,000 donation to one of the non-profit organizations involved in Omar’s service.
Omar was surprised at the generosity and said, "This money will go a long way with helping those who need help. I’m very happy."
Watch Fox5 News video coverage to learn more about how this Lewis Lancer is making Good Trouble in our community.
 Celebrating Student Success for ALL: 2021 Disability History and Awareness Month
October is Disability History and Awareness Month in Virginia. We honor those with disabilities and promote equal opportunities for all. FCPS celebrates students like Class of 2021 Graduate Logan.
After completing FCPS’s Preschool Autism Class (PAC), Logan attended both Centreville Elementary School and Colin Powell Elementary School. From first grade onwards he attended a mainstream class where he was bolstered by a special ed support assistant.
In second grade, his family sat with him as they explained what his condition was and how it affected his development and caused the quirks of his behavior that they dubbed ‘Loganisms.’
The determined little boy, then aged seven, read a book to his classmates to explain all about autism and why his behavior may seem a little different to a neurotypical child?. De La Cruz stood at the back of the classroom and remembers having a tear in her eye.
With the dedication of caring staff, Logan started to excel academically while continuing to receive additional therapeutic support in other areas of his development. Making social connections and learning life skills that should come naturally, presented a greater challenge. But from case workers, speech therapists and psychologists to teaching staff and administrators, all have played a role in his growth.
Read more about Logan’s Story and watch an inspiring tribute to his FCPS success story.
Fairfax County SAT Outcomes Stay Strong Despite Pandemic Testing Challenges
The Class of 2021 in Fairfax County continued to perform well above state and global averages on the SAT, according to results recently released by the College Board.
The Fairfax County overall mean score of 1201 surpassed both the state average (1151) and the global average (1060). Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (601) and Mathematics (600) in Fairfax County likewise posted above the state and global averages.
According to local news coverage from The Patch, disparities still remain between ethnic and racial groups. Asian students at FCPS had the highest mean score (1294), followed by white students (1220), multiracial students (1213), Hispanic students (1095) and black students (1054). Nevertheless, each racial or ethnic group's mean score outperformed their peers on the Virginia and global level.
The pandemic had a major impact on SAT participation worldwide, due to COVID-related exam cancelations, combined with family reluctance to send their students in person for testing. The College Board reported a 31.4% drop in SAT participation globally, with a 33.4% drop in Virginia. Fairfax County’s participation rates were substantially less affected, with a participation drop of only 4.4%.
For more information, visit the FCPS website and read local news coverage.
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The 2022-23 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Opens October 1; College Access Fairfax Is Here to Help
 Parents of current high school seniors—did you know that the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will open on October 1? Parents are encouraged to work with their students to complete the FAFSA as early as possible, but definitely before March 1, 2022, as you prepare for your child to begin college in the fall of 2022. Parents and students should start by creating an FSA ID and then begin the FAFSA.
Our partners at College Access Fairfax will offer a number of webinars on completing the FAFSA and finding/applying for scholarships over the next two months. Information on these programs and how to access them can be found at the College Access Fairfax website.
In addition, College Access Fairfax staff are available for virtual one-on-one help sessions to complete the FAFSA. Interested families should email appointments@collegeaccessfairfax.org to request an appointment.
Visit College Access Fairfax and the U.S. Department of Education blog to learn more about the importance of FAFSA and the role it plays as a first step students and families should take to access federal dollars for college or career school.
 Supporting Positive Student Mental Health and Resiliency
Many students struggle with emotional and behavioral issues that can affect their learning and overall wellness. Children and adolescents are faced with adversity and life challenges each and every day that can undermine mental health and interfere with learning. These challenges include:
- Academic difficulty or pressure to succeed
- Family problems
- Peer relationship struggles or conflict
- Bullying and harassment
- Health Issues
- Pressure to use drugs or alcohol
- Poverty
- Crises
If you have any concerns about anxiety, peer relationship problems, depression, or other social and emotional issues your child may be experiencing, please contact your school psychologist, school social worker, or school counselor. They are available for consultation and support.
Adults play a critical role in promoting positive outcomes for youth. Whether as parents or guardians, school staff, or community members, we have an opportunity to foster assets in youth to help them manage stress, make better choices, and develop healthy habits.
Visit the Mental Health and Resiliency and Student Wellness: Tips and Strategies web pages to learn about mental health resources and fostering resiliency in your child.
Stay Connected: Announcing New School Board Twitter Account
Follow @KeysGamarraFCPS on Twitter. My newly launched account is dedicated to sharing news about School Board and FCPS-related priorities, updates and information. Note: Posts reflect my own thoughts and may not reflect the views of FCPS or the Fairfax County School Board.
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The views contained within this newsletter reflect the views of the individual school board member who is the publisher of this newsletter and may not reflect the views of the Fairfax County School Board.
© 2021 Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax County, Virginia
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