Message from the Principal

Dear TJHSST Parents and Guardians,

Please enjoy this last bulletin of the 2023-2024 school year.

I so enjoyed conferring diplomas on 439 seniors who are now officially Alumni for the Class of 2024. In my congratulatory remarks at the commencement ceremony, I highlighted examples of the many achievements by the class. In four years they went from virtual to valiant! I reminded them that as TJ students, they were so much more than a GPA and we remained their GPS. They received a compass as a parting gift symbolizing how they are now equipped to always find their way. I enjoyed the Class of 2024 and will miss them!

Our remaining students finished the year strong with 100% passing all the state-level assessments administered this year. On the social-emotional front, our final SEL screener results showed that 74% of students this past spring feel a sense of belonging at TJ, which was a 10% increase since the fall. Also, we had 86% of students reporting that they had a teacher or other adult from school who they could count on to help them, no matter what. We will continue to work on academic and SEL goals for the upcoming school year.

Best wishes to all for a fulfilling and joyful summer!

Sincerely, 

Dr. Ann N. Bonitatibus 

TJHSST Proud Principal

From Virtual to Valiant - TJ Comes Together to Honor Class of 2024

The Class of 2024 had one of the more unique TJ experiences. Born from the COVID-era, the students spent the majority of their freshman year virtual, with a good percentage spending the entire year that way. That meant they missed out on the full IBEST experience and had to meet their classmates through group chats and computer screens. For many, the first day of their sophomore year was the first time they stepped foot on TJ's campus.

Still, this class persevered! They made up for lost time and made the most of their TJ experience. We made sure to recognize them for that at their commencement ceremony on June 8 at EagleBank Arena. 

Honoring all 439 graduates, TJ Principal Dr. Ann Bonitatibus recognized that 100 percent of them will be heading to college, the military, or into the workforce. They reported accepting over $9 million in scholarships among them, a new TJ record.

For all that they overcame to reach this moment, that is why we say they have gone from virtual to valiant! Congratulations to the Class of 2024! 

Class of 2024 Celebrates at All Night Graduation Party

After graduation, the newly minted Alumni from the Class of 2024 had a chance to let loose in the halls of TJ with the All Night Graduation Party. Sponsored and run by parent volunteers, it featured games, activities, and raffle prizes. Mainly, it was a chance for the newest TJ alumni to celebrate with each other in a safe manner.

Thank you, parent volunteers and the supportive PTSA, for all your hard work putting together this event and honoring our Class of 2024!

Thank You for Your Service to FCPS! TJ Staff Members Recognized for Years of Service

As the year comes to an end, we'd like to recognize the following staff members for reaching these years of service milestones with FCPS. We appreciate all you do for our kids and TJ!

Goodbye and Thank You for Making a Difference - Retirements and Farewells

We would like to recognize English teachers Rochelle Levy and Jennifer Seavey, as well as history teacher Aaron Sacks, who are all retiring at the conclusion of the school year. We thank you for everything you have done for the students and TJ, and wish you all well as you embark on your new adventures!

We also wish to recognize and give best wishes to Student Information Assistant Rae Kobren and Administrative Assistant Elizabeth West who retired earlier in the school year.

We are saying goodbye and thanking the following colleagues who are departing TJ this next school year, or taking a leave of absence, for professional and personal reasons: Malcolm Eckel (Computer Science), Alexandra Feliciano (Art), Phoebe Ferguson (Mathematics), Monica Geiger (Lab Technology), Aaron Green (Biology), Jennifer James (Lab Technology), MaryBeth Kochman (English), Rae Kuprenas (Lab Technology), Fumiko Kuriki (Japanese), Lien Le (Biology), Whitney Louchen (Physics), Kylie Murray (Theatre Arts), Gina Tallon (Mathematics), and Dr. Tiffany Wilson (Mathematics).

Finally, special thanks to the long-term substitute teachers who helped us throughout the school year: Tahira Batool, Saba Javed, Genny Pamas, Betsy Sandstrom, and  Charles Shernick. 

Thank You Volunteers!

Part of what makes TJ so great are the wonderful volunteers we have year-in and year-out. The 2023-24 school year was no different. We had approximately 300 volunteers contribute over 2,800 hours of service during the school year!

From everyone at TJ, thank you to all of our volunteers for everything you to make our school run!

New Attendance Reporting Feature Launching in ParentVue for 2024-25 School Year

FCPS is excited to announce an important update beginning with the start of the 2024-25 school year. Parents and guardians will have the option to submit their student's attendance directly through ParentVUE. The new process begins on the first day of school, August 19, 2024. This new feature aims to streamline the attendance reporting process and enhance communication between parents and schools. This change will make it more convenient for parents and schools to manage students' attendance while ensuring the highest level of security.

ParentVUE offers a more secure and reliable platform for managing students' attendance information. ParentVUE replaces the current attendance forms, which were discontinued at the end of the 2023-24 school year.

We will provide detailed instructions and support resources to help all users navigate this new feature as we get closer to the first day of the 2024-25 school year.

Five TJ Projects Earn Grand Awards at International Science and Engineering Fair

Editors Note - This message ran last week. The number of projects and amount of students winning awards was correct, however one of the projects was inadvertently left off. We apologize for the omission and are rerunning this article in full. Congratulations to all the winners.

Five projects and eight different TJ students won honors at the prestigious Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair that took place on May 17. Here is a list of the winners and their category.

• Anant Khandelwal, Siddhant Sood, and Sritan Motati - First Award in Technology Enhances the Arts and a US Air Force Special Award for their project Diffusion-Based Conditional Mesh Synthesis for Rapid 3D Visual Design.

• Medha Pappula - Second Award in Behavioral and Social Sciences
  for her project Identifying Underlying Brain Connections in Pediatric ADHD: A Pathway to Early Diagnosis and Reduced Secondary Effects.
• Ray Zhang - Second Award of $2,000 in Microbiology for his project Biofilm Composition in Fungi Fusarium and Development of a Multi-targeted Antifungal Treatment To Inhibit Proliferation 

• Sanchali Banerjee - Fourth Award in Environmental Engineering for her project A Novel Framework Using Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) to Create Land Resource Management Strategy Through Economic-Environmental Payoff Optimization.
• Ryan Singh and Surbhi Singla - Fourth Award in Materials Science for their project Utilizing the Chirality Induced Spin Selectivity Effect Through Chiral Carbon Nanotubes to Polarize Current for Spin-Transfer Torque in Spintronic Devices.

For a complete list of winners visit the Society for Science website. 

National Merit Scholarship Corporation Announces 8 TJ Students Win College-Sponsored Scholarship

Last week we revealed that 17 TJ students have been named winners of $2,500 scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). This week, the NMSC revealed its College-Sponsored Scholarship awards, with 8 TJ students earning this honor.

Winners of the scholarships, with their probable career fields in parentheses, are as follows: 

• Brij Bhagat (mechanical engineering), National Merit University of Texas at Dallas Scholarship.
• Anusha Das (bioengineering), National Merit University of Minnesota Scholarship. 
• Ryan Liu (biology), National Merit University of Texas at Dallas Scholarship.
• Sanjay Ranjith (engineering), National Merit Purdue University Scholarship. 
• Benjamin Rubin (mathematics), National Merit Washington and Lee University Scholarship.
• Austin Thomas (computer science), National Merit University of Maryland Scholarship. 
• Lawrence Yang (finance), National Merit University of Southern California Scholarship. 
• Ryan Yi (computer science), National Merit University of Maryland Scholarship.

Congratulations to all of the winners. View the FCPS Release for more information and to see all 13 winners from the entire county.

Kudos

In each newsletter we want to give some quick shout outs to TJ staff, students, teams, and alumni.

• The CAPPIES is an award program that honors high school theatre arts programs for their work during the school year. At the award ceremony at the Kennedy Center on June 6, with all the trappings of Tony Awards, the TJ theatre program was fortunate to win the Cappie for Best Critic Team! Congratulations on all your hard work this year!
• Congratulations to 2021 TJ graduate Zoe Winston for being named West Point's first Astronaut Scholar! The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, created by astronauts of the Mercury 7 mission, funds scholarships for college students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics across the United States.

TJ Athletics Sees Championship Success in 2023-24!

It was an amazing year for TJ athletic teams!

This year TJ had 945 student-athletes (Fall-224, Winter-317, Spring-404). 215 athletes played more than 1 sport!

The Class of 2024 had 129, Class of 2025 had 171, Class of 2026 had 236, and Class of 2027 had 194 athletes.

TJ had 7 teams that earned National District Champion titles: Girls Cross County, Boys Cross Country, Girls Swim and Dive, Boys Swim & Dive, Gymnastics, Girls Tennis, and Boys Tennis.

The Girls Tennis team went on to also win the Occoquan Region Championship and finished as State Runner-Up!

The Colonials had 19 individual or relay district champions, and four regional champions. A total of 19 Student-Athletes earned 1st Team National District Recognition, while 17 Student-Athletes earned 2nd Team National District Recognition. Three student-athletes were named Player of the Year, and three coaches were named Coach of the Year.

We are so proud of everyone and look forward to another banner-raising year next year!

TJ Parents Decorate the Rock All Year Long!

Did you notice the many colorful goat-themed renderings of the rock in front of TJ this year? A merry band of senior class parents, led by Chris Semonsen’s artistry, kept us guessing every few weeks. We hope you enjoyed being greeted by this wonderful gift. Thank you to all the parents who make TJ ROCK!

How to Contact Us

Need to get ahold of someone at TJ? Here is some commonly requested contact information:

Main Office - 703-750-8300

Attendance Office - thomasjeffersonhigh.attendance@fcps.edu

Student Services - 703-750-8340

Student Activities - 703-750-8333

Security - 703-750-8331

Administration Contact Information

Dr. Ann Bonitatibus - Principal

Mr. Shawn Frank - Assistant Principal (oversees Class of 2025 and World Language, Art, Music, and Physical Education Division)

Ms. Yaara Crane - Assistant Principal (oversees Class of 2026 Science and Technology Division)

Ms. Chrystal Benson - Assistant Principal (oversees Class of 2027 and  Mathematics and Computer Science Division)

Ms. Volita Russell - Assistant Principal (oversees Classes of 2024 and 2028 and Humanities Division)

Ms. Sara Genetin - Director of Student Services (oversees Counselors, Social Worker, School Psychologist and other staff providing student support)

Mr. Dylan Forshay - Director of Student Activities (oversees Activities Office, 8th Period, Athletic Office, Building Maintenance, Custodians, Food Services)

Mr. Leo Resquin - Director of Technology (oversees Technology Team, Testing Tech Support, tjSTAR, Safety and Security/Transportation)

Mr. Mike Roth - Communications Specialist (oversees NewsYouChoose and eNotify, Event promotions,  print/digital text, photo, video, Social Media accounts, TJHSST Webmaster and Visitors US & International (TJPF)

For another specific staff member, please use our Staff Directory to find contact information. 

Follow TJ on Social Media!

Be sure to visit Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology On its official social media channels!

Visit our X (Twitter) account @TJHSST_Official  for news, upcoming events, reminders of important deadlines, and updates of all the fun activities going on at the school.

Visit our Instagram account @OfficialTJHSST for pictures and highlights of those fun events!

We'd love it if you give us a follow!

Important Calendar Reminders

June 24: TJ Virtual Summer School begins

July 12: News You Choose Midsummer Update released

August 15: New student orientation in the morning (still to be determined)

August 19: First day of the 2024-25 school year.

6560 Braddock Rd, Alexandria, VA 22312 | Main Office: 703.750.8300
Attendance: 703.750.8315  | Web | Twitter