In this email...

• From Your Academy Admin Spoiler Alert: No Academy classes June 7!
• Program Highlight: Korean
• Staff Highlight: Young Ju Lee & Hyewon Kang, Korean
• Upcoming Events: Signature Showcase & Academy Awards
• Fairfax Academy Student Interns Highlight
• New Academy Support Team Members: Academy Counselor & Career Experience Specialist

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From Your Academy Admin

Fairfax Academy Community,

We have had a great start to the 4th quarter with a fantastic MCTFest, return of Fashion in Motion to in-person and our touching Dance Showcase: Art in Motion. Check out our social media for photos and videos of the event. We hope you are able to join us at Signature Theatre for our Senior MTAS Showcase. You are also warmly invited to our annual Academy Awards on May 23. The night features amazing performances by many of our programs, student projects on display, and a celebration of a few key students for each of our 12 programs in addition to the coveted Academy Excellence Award. The event is free to all and we hope to see you there!

A gentle reminder to let us know if your student is testing at all in the coming weeks (our online attendance form is linked here). Unfortunately, base schools do not let us know when students have testing or modified schedules. 

Fairfax High School is graduating at FHS on June 7th. All Fairfax Academy classes and shuttles are canceled on June 7th. All feeder students will remain at their base school. (The last day for shuttles and Fairfax Academy feeder students is June 9th.) 

We ask that all students start checking for any materials that need to be returned to the Academy. Those should be brought in as soon as possible. 

We know the end of the year can be overwhelming. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us!

In partnership,
Mrs. Cook

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Program Highlight: Korean

The Korean language program is a comprehensive language course that covers levels one through five, with the aim of providing students with a solid foundation in the language. The course is designed to teach students basic elements of the Korean language, including speaking, reading, writing, and listening skills. The program follows the ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) standard and FCPS World Language standards and emphasizes communicative and practical language use.

The course is taught in a cultural context, which enables students to understand and communicate in the cultural context. By learning the language in its cultural context, students are better able to become proficient communicators.
The program also incorporates the POG (Portraits of Graduates) which encourages students to take an active role in their learning. The ultimate goal of the Korean language program is to foster continual and wholesome learning so that students can use the language effectively in various contexts.

Overall, the Korean language program is an engaging and dynamic course that offers students a well-rounded education in the Korean language and culture.

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Staff Highlight: Young Ju Lee, Korean

Ms. Lee has worked at Fairfax High School since 2016 and started teaching Korean at Fairfax Academy in 2018. Her passion for learning languages has led her to major in French and minor in Japanese and Chinese and audited Arabic and Hindi. 

She taught Korean language at the University of Alabama and English in Korea at a language institute. Recently she has developed a new interest in American Sign Language (ASL). She supports Korean club activities like K-pop, Nanta, and a drama team. 

She enjoys creating innovation lessons like skits where she can appreciate students' creativity and a sense of humor. Her ultimate goal as a teacher is to inspire a love of learning in her students. She is proud to say that a former student attended Harvard, then studied in Korea, and built a a diplomatic career. Every day, she is amazed by the growth of her students and their willingness to pursue their dreams.

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Staff Highlight: Hyewon Kang, Korean

Hyewon Kang is thrilled to bring her wealth of expertise to Fairfax Academy this year as a Korean language teacher. Originally from California, Hyewon began her professional journey as a chemist after completing her undergraduate degree at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her interests later led her to pursue a graduate degree in New Media Art from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. She developed children's English education programs. 

Ms. Kang’s career took her to Seoul, South Korea where she spent 12 years teaching English and Korean in various companies, K-12 and universities. During the work experience, she could develop differentiated teaching methods for different ages and levels. 

Her hobbies are gardening and traveling. Now settled in Virginia for the past 6 years, Hyewon enjoys gardening and sharing the fruits of her labor with others. Her love of culture and exploration led her to travel extensively, and she is on a personal mission to visit 100 countries around the world. 

Ms. Kang’s travels have given her a deep appreciation for the importance of understanding other cultures and languages. Her passion for exploring and learning has led her to give back to the people she meets along the way. Her enthusiasm and dedication to education and cultural exchange make her an asset to the Fairfax Academy community.

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Musical Theatre & Actor's Showcase Presents: Signature Showcase

This year's artistic partnership between Signature Theatre and Fairfax Academy's Musical Theatre & Actor's Studio comes to an exciting conclusion with the Signature Showcase.

The evening will feature the songs, selections, and monologues from twenty-one seniors who are beginning their careers in the performing arts, as well as some familiar industry professionals. Join us for this celebratory culmination of hard work and give these students a theatrical send-off as they continue on to the nation's top performing arts colleges and conservatories! 

For more information, visit mtasacademy.weebly.com or contact Erich DiCenzo (erdicenzo@fcps.edu)

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2023 Academy Awards

Save the date for our annual Academy Awards - our end-of-year event featuring student work and performances, awards presented to students in each Fairfax Academy program, and more! May 23, 7 p.m., at Fairfax HS. This event is free of charge. 

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Internship

Check out our amazing spring interns!

Here’s a note from our Ignite Partner, Julie Johnston: “There is magic created when you empower teens to share their passions with younger children. Bonds are formed, trust is built and confidence grows - for both parties. I have been blown away by the impact my Fairfax Academy Jr. Directors have had on the Drama Program at Mantua Elementary and on me. It’s a unique internship opportunity that brings out the best in them in every way, while also teaching them leadership, responsibility and great communication skills. I would never direct a show without them on my team.”

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Welcome to our New Support Team Members

We have two new support team members joining us next year as Academy Counselor and Career Experience Specialist! We look forward to having them join us this summer!

Luke Donald, Academy Counselor

Hello, my name is Luke Donald and I’m so excited to continue to support my Fairfax family as the new Fairfax Academy Counselor. I have served FCPS at all levels in many roles supporting students and have been working within Fairfax City the past 6 years as a school counselor at both Katherine Johnson Middle School and Fairfax High.

I have my B.S. in Psychology and M. Ed. in Counseling and Human Development from George Mason University. Additionally, I have been performing and writing music since I was 10 years old, and I’m so grateful to unify my two passions in life of supporting students find their way and the Arts.

I’m looking forward to serving you all in a new capacity as the Fairfax Academy Counselor next school year.

 

Amy Hard, Academy Career Experience Specialist

Ms. Hard is ecstatic to embark on this new adventure with our Fairfax Academy for Communications and the Arts Team as it blends her primary passions: education/students, languages, the arts, and community. She is a proud FCPS graduate, and mother of both an FCPS graduate, and current second-grader.

As a former French, Dance, and Theatre major at George Mason University, she looks forward to what’s ahead after her 23 year career as the Middle School Theatre Director and Department Chair at Robinson Secondary School. As an educator, she has enjoyed her roles dedicated to building relationships, supporting students, and bringing community together. She has served as Robinson’s Graduation Coordinator, SGA Advisor, FCPS Great Beginnings Coach and Mentor to Novice Teachers, International Guest Director at the American School of Sofia, Bulgaria, VDOE and FCPS Theatre Curriculum Writer/Developer, and recipient of the 2019 FCPS Team Excellence Award for the premiere theatre-based Global Classroom Project with partners in China. Additionally, she has led international and NYC performing arts focused student tours, including directing student performances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. 

As a theatre maker and dancer/choreographer, Ms. Hard has taught, choreographed, and directed in the area for decades- serving as Cappies Assistant Director, Choreographer for Cappies International, Advisor for Arena Stage’s prestigious Voices of Now Festival, and performing/directing/teaching regionally at theatres such as Studio Theatre, Keegan Theatre, Classika Theatre, Tsunami, Port City Playhouse, Little Theatre of Alexandria, Silver Spring Stage, and Washington Improv Theatre among others. 

Ms. Hard is committed to providing authentic opportunities that assure every student has the skills and resources to thrive and succeed, both in our classrooms and beyond, through engaging and relevant curriculum, dynamic instruction, and meaningful programming.

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Upcoming Events

• May 15 | MTAS Signature Showcase at Signature Theatre
• May 23 | Academy Awards
• June 7 | FHS Graduation: No Fairfax Academy classes and shuttles
• June 9 | Last day for Academy shuttles

Check out our events page for more information.

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FCPS Cares

Do you want to celebrate a Fairfax employee who does ordinary things in an extraordinary way, or goes beyond what is expected? If so, then click here to share with everyone.