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Dear TJHSST Families,
It's getting busy here at TJ as we are close to beginning the home stretch of the 2024-25 school year. I'm going to be taking over these introductory messages, with Mr. Mukai filling in on occasion when he has some important announcements.
Academic Advising season has just about concluded and your child has likely made their course selection for the 2025-26 school year (unless they are a senior of course). We do need you to sign off on your child's choices, information on how to do so can be found in a note in the Important Updates section.
We also have some very important reminders when it comes to picking up your child at the end of the day, and for seniors families, information on everything that is coming up for your child's final few months at TJ!
We also had a lot to celebrate this past month. We have both groups and individuals winning state and national awards along with classes putting on fun competitions that kept the students entertained!
As always please feel to reach out if you have any questions. My email is mbroth@fcps.edu. I may not always have the answer (although most of the time I do!), but I will be able to direct you to the person who does.
Sincerely,
Mike Roth
TJHSST Communications Specialist
#OneTJ
Calling all TJ Alumni! - Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology opened in the Fall of 1985 and will be celebrating its 40th anniversary this fall!
We are excited to announce that the weekend of Oct. 24, 2025, we will be holding an extended anniversary event! There will be a home football game that Friday, along with several other exciting activities. More details will be forthcoming, but for now save the date and make your plans to come back home to Northern Virginia and celebrate!
The following is a message from our Safety and Security Team:
The top priority of the TJ Safety and Security team is to ensure the safety and security of our students at all times. Recently there has been an uptick in some dangerous driving behavior during dismissal time. Here are a few reminders about how dismissal works and where to go if you are picking up your student.
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At dismissal students are only to exit out of doors 1, 7, 9 and 12. Students are to be picked up in the back parking lot only.
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All Students need to use the cross walks and sidewalks.
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At dismissal time, 4:00, no cars will be permitted to the front of the school. The buses will have their red signal lights on and their driver-side stop sign activate. This prohibits access to cars in this area, and forbids cars from passing the busses (similar to when you encounter the bus on the street). Violations can be ticketed by law enforcement. This is a reckless driving charge. Our school resource officer will be stepping up enforcement of this law.
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Traffic will be held starting at 4:10, until all buses have exited school property.
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Those picking up students on the Access Road/Minor Lane are not to double park. You must park in a parking space. The access road is a one-way street. Violations can be ticketed by law enforcement.
- In addition, please do not park on the local side streets expecting to pick up your students. We have received numerous complaints from local residents. While we do not have control of this area since it is off our property, the residents are within their right to call law enforcement if they feel a violation is occurring.
Finally a few reminders about student drop-off
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The school day starts at 8:40 a.m.
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During arrival time, at 8:38 a.m., traffic into the school will be directed to the right. All traffic will be directed to the visitor lot. Students need to be dropped off there and enter door 1. They will need to sign in and will receive a pass. Drivers need to continue right, up the Access Road /Minor Lane and exit the property via Little River Turnpike.
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Student drivers that arrive late will need go through the visitor lot, then continue up the access road, park and enter door 1. They too will sign in and receive a pass.
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Students are not to park in the visitor lot or in staff parking spaces. Parking tickets will and have been issued.
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During school hours students should not be dropped off or picked up in front of the school. The yellow curbs and signs state that these are fire lanes. Please enter the visitor lot and drop off your student there.
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There should be no U-turns in front of the school.
As we bring academic advising for the 2025-2026 school year to a close, TJHSST Counselors are wrapping up meetings with each student to review and lock in course selections for next year.
Parents and Guardians, if you haven’t done so already, we invite you to review your child's course selections by logging in to ParentVUE, then select your child, and click on “Course Request.” Submit the Course Request Verification Form to indicate to your child’s counselor that you have reviewed and approved the course selections.
You have until Friday, March 21 at 4:00pm to request changes to your child's course selections for the 2025-2026 school year. After that date, we go to work staffing our building with talented teachers and building an optimum master schedule using the students' course selections; therefore, we do not honor requests to change courses after March 21, 2025.
Prior to this date, if you would like to request a change in your child's course selections, please email your child's counselor or encourage your child to see their counselor in Student Services.
Graduation for the Class of 2025 is less than 100 days away. It is set for Eagle Bank Arena on the campus of George Mason University on Wednesday, June 11 at 9:30 a.m.
TJ administrators held a webinar for senior parents/guardians on March 6 and a senior class meeting on March 7 where they went over all the remaining senior events, including prom, graduation, final exam schedule, and outstanding obligations. For those who missed the webinar, we emailed you a copy of the video via Schoology on Thursday.
For all end of the year information, senior families are encouraged to visit our Class of 2025 Information Page.
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Any student who has failed to return an overdue textbook or library book, did not pay a course fee (Design & Tech, Robotics and Art), activity fee, field trip fee, or owes any other fee is on our TJ Obligation List. All outstanding obligations should be cleared from your child's account as soon as possible.
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How do I know if my child has any overdue obligations?
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Individual emails will be sent out in the next few weeks to students (sent to their fcpsschools.net accounts) who have any outstanding obligations. Emails will also be sent to parents/guardians. If your child owes more than one obligation, multiple emails (one per overdue item) will be sent. The emails will also explain how to return/pay for the overdue items.
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Thank you in advance for helping your child clear all outstanding obligations.
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Questions? Please email the TJ Finance Office at TJHSSTFinance@fcps.edu or call (703)750-8336.
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TJ families - you can now preorder the 2025 edition of Techniques, our school yearbook. This is a tremendous keepsake put together by TJ schools documenting all of the fun that occurred during the 2024-25 school year!
You can pre-order yearbooks by visiting www.yearbookordercenter.com (school code 13621) until April 26. The yearbook cost is $100; Threshold literary magazine and Teknos scientific journal can be picked up for free with a yearbook purchase.
Please note that we sold out last year and had to inform some families who inquired in May that we did not have an available copy for them. The only way to guarantee your copy is to pre-order, so don’t delay!
2025-26 TJHSST Mentorship Outreach Brochure
For over 30 years the TJ Mentorship Program has partnered with various agencies in the research community to allow our students the opportunity to expand their research capacity by working in a professional environment outside of the school setting.
Our students’ continued passion for STEM research has led to a surge in the number of applicants to our program!
We are currently seeking STEM-related professionals and practitioners with ongoing projects or new project ideas that could participate as primary mentors or co-mentors during the 2025-26 school year.
For more information please click on the brochure above or contact our mentorship director Dr. Andrea Cobb at kacobb@fcps.edu.
Finishing Strong in the Second Semester!
One of the most effective ways to support your student’s academic success is to encourage them to be organized, have efficient time management, and put in to practice effective study skills.
Keys to Weekly Organization and Time Management:
- What is coming up for each class?
- How long will it take?
- When is it due?
- What is the priority (1, 2, or 3)?
- 1’s – Must be done tonight
- 2’s – Could be done tonight, but can wait until tomorrow
- 3’s – Can be done by the end of the week
Effective Study Skills:
- Active studying (don’t just stare at your notes); elaborate in writing or out loud with a peer, teacher, family member, etc.
- Compare/contrast content/concepts and ask yourself how they are applied in daily life
- Use flash cards
- Spaced Practice: spend 15-20 minutes per night on what you learned that day/week even if there is no urgent task due the next day; learn as you go, don’t wait until the last minute to review one unit the night before an assessment.
- Start with a blank slate when beginning to study:
- What are two to three things I learned about a given topic today? Do this daily to build capacity, scaffold, and connect the new to the known.
- Blank Slate – write as much as you can about a concept on a blank sheet of paper without looking at any notes or text. Then, compare it to your notes to identify what you know and what you don’t know.
- Focus on the unknown
- Quiz yourself on the unknown
Free/Reduced Application information and forms for qualified families (Online Submission)
FCPS offers nutritious meals every school day. Your child may qualify for free meals or reduced-price meals at TJHSST. Students who qualify for reduced-price meals receive breakfast and lunch at no cost. For information on how to apply for Free and Reduced-price meals, please visit the link above. The online free and reduced-price meals application is available in 8 languages and can be completed on mobile devices. It needs to re-apply annually.
Consent to Share Form (PDF)
If you have children eligible for the Free and Reduced-price meals program, they may also be eligible to participate in other FCPS fee-based programs without paying a fee or by paying a reduced fee.
This would include things that are specified in FCPS Notice 5922. Those are:
- Musical Instrument fees
- Driver Education fees
- Student Parking fees
- Career and Technical Education Certification fees
- Fine Arts fees
- Technology and Engineering Education Material fees
- Online Campus fees
- Advanced Placement fees (after six exams)
- Returned Check fees
You are also eligible to receive information about scholarships, classes and services that are provided by agencies and organizations other than FCPS.
In order to receive the benefits, you have to fill out the Consent to Share Form (please visit the link above), a written agreement allowing FCPS staff to share information about your children's meal eligibility status.
The Code of Virginia, 22.1-273.2 requires schools provide, on an annual basis, parents/guardians educational information regarding eating disorders for students in grades five through twelve.
According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA 2023), Eating disorders are serious but treatable mental and physical illnesses that can affect people of all genders, ages, races, religions, ethnicities, sexual orientations, body shapes, and weights. In the United States, 28.8 million Americans will suffer from an eating disorder at some point in their lives. There is no single cause of an eating disorder. Rather, it is a complex combination of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors that converge and set off an individual’s predisposed genetic vulnerability.
In collaboration with the Fairfax County Health Department, FCPS has developed a web page with detailed information and resources to be provided to parents and guardians of Fairfax County Public Schools. This information may be found at Eating Disorders.
Teens skip things that don't interest them, including lectures from their parents. But young people die from fentanyl overdoses in Fairfax County each year — so it's important to have short, impactful talks with your teen, whether or not you think they’re at risk.
As a parent or caregiver, you have the power to become “unskippable” and talk with your teen in a way they will listen.
See our tips for talking with your teen about fentanyl and other difficult subjects. Watch this video to learn more about becoming Unskippable.
Photo Gallery of Black History Month Celebration on Instagram
The February student-led monthly cultural celebration was for Black History Month and was put together by our Black Student Union (BSU) club!
The event held afterschool featured displays, multiple fantastic student performances, speeches from professionals in various industries, a fashion show, and of course lots of food!
Thank you BSU for organizing and to the TJ PTSA for your generous donation to make this and all of our cultural celebrations possible!
Story from FCPS
Fairfax County Public Schools announced its 2025 Student Peace Awards recently. These are given to an individual or group from each of FCPS' 27 high, secondary, and alternative schools who work as peacemakers.
For TJ this year the honor went to the Send-a-Smile Club! Operating out of eighth period, Send-a-Smile is dedicated to supporting TJ and the wider community. By building positive relationships with established groups and individuals, it uplifts and empowers others by sending smiles and messages of compassion and solidarity.
Club members have found numerous opportunities to provide practical and emotional support to others, including people with breast cancer, younger students at nearby elementary schools, the TJ bus drivers, women at a nearby shelter, and Moroccan citizens after a devastating earthquake.
Thank you for all your efforts and congratulations on receiving this award!
Photo Gallery of Wednesday Water Balloon Toss from Instagram
Photo Gallery of Friday 8th Period Competition from Instagram
The Class of 2028 Class Council organized and put on the annual IBEST Olympics the week of Feb. 24-28. A full week of competition and activities between the 7 IBEST cohorts was designed to allow the Class of 2028 to relax, have some fun, and celebrate completing their first semester of high school!
A couple of highlights of the event were a water balloon toss during lunch on Wednesday, and an eighth period competition featuring live-action Hungry, Hungry Hippos and a game of knockout!
All in all the IBEST teams had a blast throughout the week as the entire class came together! This group is special and we look forward to seeing them grow throughout the next three years!
TJ Rocketry NASA Student Launch Team completed its vehicle demonstration flight on Feb. 22 in Culpepper, Virginia. The team launched an 8ft-tall rocket, 5.5 inches in diameter, high power rocket to an altitude of around 4800 ft.
Members of the team worked hard yearlong to put this together, from writing the proposal, developing preliminary and critical design reports, and constructing the actual high-power rocket vehicle. The team will now prepare for the flight readiness report and will have the final NASA presentation and interview. TJ Rocket will be showcased at the Rocket Fair at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
TJ Latin sponsored the biggest Certamen event of the year on March 1, with more than 45 teams from the entire region competing for glory in the Latin language, ancient history, Roman culture, and classical mythology.
Great thanks go to the 60+ TJ volunteers and parents who made it happen, and a special shout-out to Latin certamen officers Alex Bakalov, Philip Cho, and Sarah Trainer who put in so many hours of work into this endeavor.
In each newsletter we want to give some quick shout outs to TJ staff, students, teams, and alumni.
- Junior Chingiz Bahadur has been named the Division 1 Young Marine of the Year by the Young Marines youth organization. He will now compete with the other 5 division winners for the National Young Marine of the Year award! Congratulations and good luck Chingiz!
- Over Super Bowl Weekend, senior Josie Clayton was recognized as the NFL Girls' Flag Football Player of the Year by the National Football League! She has been the star player for the Virginia Hurricanes this season, playing both safety and wide receiver! Josie and her family were gifted a trip to the Super Bowl in New Orleans by the NFL in honor of her accomplishment. Check out this profile from the Washington Commanders!
- Senior Grace Sharma of TJ Media has been named the 2025 Virginia Journalist of the Year by the Virginia Association of Journalism Teachers and Advisors! She will now represent Virginia in the national contest run by the Journalism Education Association!
 Some of TJ's physics students stopped by Mr. Mukai's office to thank him for finding a way for them to take F=MA test despite it being a snow day.
- We want to give a shoutout to our principal Mike Mukai, physics teacher Dr. Adam Smith and FCPS Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid for coming together in the clutch and making sure our students had the chance to have an opportunity they had been working on for a long time, despite some bad weather.
- You may remember that Feb. 12 was a snow day with all activities canceled. It was also the day of the F=ma exam, a national test that gives students the chance to make the US Physics team and compete against students from around the world.
Given that this a national test, there is no makeup allowed and it looked like all of their hard work to prep for this and chance to represent Team USA was all for naught.
But thanks to Dr. Smith giving Mr. Mukai the heads up, he was able to advocate for an exception from FCPS to allow them to take the test here at TJ.
Dr. Reid even got involved and made sure a VDOT crew cleared Braddock Rd and our parking lot to make sure these kids could safely make it in.
Mr. Mukai also invited students from McLean and Langley who were scheduled to take the test to come join our students. In total about 60 students were able to take the F=ma test and didn't miss out on their chance to potentially represent Team USA!
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Two teams of TJ students have qualified for the The Conrad Challenge's 2025 Innovation Summit! Each group will bring their project to the finals at the Space Center Houston from April 22-25! Good luck everyone!
On Feb. 14, a large group of TJ students traveled to Baltimore for the to the Black Engineer of the Year (BEYA) conference.
This was part of the BEYA Sustained Mentorship program. They got to interact with mentors in the engineering world and see some neat interactive exhibits!
TJ's College & Career Center is known for helping our students as they search for the college that is right for them, but did you know they also help them take an early look at what career paths they might be interested in? Our College and Career Center director Ms. Kendel Gilchrest recently took 34 students to the Instruction 2 Industry Career Expo at Inova Fairfax Hospital on February 18 and 13 students to the George Mason STEM Experience on Friday, February 22.
At each fair they had the opportunity to interact with professionals in a variety of fields, learning what steps they need to take in order to purse them.
Photo Gallery of Future of FCPS Food Show on Instagram
With over 180,000 students in Fairfax County Public Schools, it is important they they have access to nutritious and tasty meals. That is the job of FCPS Food and Nutrition Services. They want to make sure students have a say in what they get served so they held their second annual "Future of FCPS Student Food Show" on Feb. 27.
TJ was one of eight high schools, eight middle schools, and 12 elementary schools that were invited to participate. Seven of our students representing grades 9-11 made the trip and got to taste samples at 24 different stations. They then rated the food, gave their opinion about what was good and and bad about it, and whether they would like it to be served at their school in the future.
In addition, FCPS Student School board rep, TJ's own Megan Sawant, addressed the group and talked about the importance of student advocacy in all of FCPS' decisions.
Food and Nutrition services will use feedback gained at today's event to decide what changes to make to their district wide menus for the 2025-26 school year. Thank you for inviting TJ, we had a blast!
Here are some updates courtesy of the TJ Athletic Office:
Winter Sports Round Up
The Winter Sports season has ended. Congratulations to our Wrestling National District Champion Jonathan French (113lbs). Congratulations to Jayelle Jones, Occoquan Region Champion (126lbs). Girls Basketball senior Kaiden Kerkulah received the National District Player of the Year honors, named to the National District All Defensive Team, and was voted 1st Team All Occoquan Region. Julia Baer was named to the National District All Rookie Tam. Boys Basketball senior Chetan Maviti was named 1st Team All National District. More recognitions can be found on the @TJHSST_Sports Instagram account.
March is National Athletic Training Month
This year’s theme is Athletic Trainers (ATs) are Champions in Health Care. Do you know who is taking care of your kids? Dr. Heather Murphy and Ms. Caroline Taylor are TJ’s Athletic Trainers. Each FCPS High School has 2 AT positions, and thanks to the School Board, in the next 3 years all 50 will be full-time positions. In just the fall season, TJ had 305 athletes, and the ATs saw 144 athletes for an issue, 47% of rostered athletes. They had 1350 encounters-times when an athlete came to them for care. 2745 treatments were given for the 306 injuries during the fall season. Dr. Murphy was named the National Secondary School Athletic Trainer of the Year in 2024 by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association. Both Dr. Murphy & Ms. Taylor have received FCPS Cares Recognitions this school year. Athletic Training is a unique allied heath care profession. For more information on ATs, view www.nata.org and www.atyourownrisk.org. See you on the sidelines!
Save the Date!
Save the date! The TJ Athletic Trainers will be hosting their annual fundraiser, Sports Physical Night, on Tuesday, May 27. Every athlete needs a new athletic physical every school year so save some time and come out to TJ on May 27, 2025, and support the TJ Athletic Training Program. The physical is $50 for pre-registered students. All money goes to support TJ Athletic Training.
FCPS Athletic Trainers get $0 from the county for supplies.
We are still looking for medical professionals that can volunteer at our fundraiser. This is a popular at school event benefiting both the athletic training program and our athletes. Please email if you can volunteer. Volunteers (MD, DO, PAC, NP, RN, PT) are needed to run physicals. Your expertise and a few hours of your time will greatly benefit our TJ athletes.
Email Dr. Murphy if you can volunteer or have questions.
For two weeks in February, more than 20 student teams and one brave staff team left it all on the court in TJ’s annual volleyball tournament. The teams consisted of four players and one alternate, and games were played during lunch.
The Class of 2026 Class Council did a great job organizing the event, working around multiple snow days. As the single-elimination tournament progressed, there were ever-larger crowds of spectators.
The final match came down to a tie-break game between two fiercely competitive teams. The tournament was a great way for the TJ community to come together for fun and physical activity.
This is a new section that covers general information and reminders that will remain important throughout the 2024-25 school year.
TJ Writing and Math Centers Now Open
The centers are now open for tutoring!
Student-tutors offer all kinds of help, from writing scientific papers and creative writing/personal narratives, to helping students at all levels of mathematics. The tutors are excited to work with their peers!.
Testing Information
Looking for information related to testing? You can find it all on Schoology in the All Parents/Guardians course! Once in the course, you will find a folder labeled “Testing”, click on that and then you can navigate to the specific test information you are looking for. Information will be updated as it comes in, so check back often.
Student Food Deliveries to TJ
As a reminder, per FCPS safety and security protocol, students may not have food and drinks delivered to the school campus during the academic day. Allowing external deliveries can create potential security risks and disrupt the learning environment. Our primary goal is to maintain a safe and orderly atmosphere for all students and staff.
Spring Sports
Spring Sports will start on Monday, February 24, 2025. Spring sports are Baseball, Crew, Lacrosse, Soccer, Softball, Tennis, & Track and Field. Several teams are already holding out of season practices. Students must have a valid VHSL physical dated May 1, 2024, or after to participate in out of season practices and tryouts. VHSL physicals can be dropped off during the school day in the Activities Office, and after-school in the Athletic Training Office.
Families must also complete athletic registration each year before tryouts.
You can reach out to Mr. Arthur or Dr. Murphy if you have questions or concerns.
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
Mr. Michael Mukai - Principal
Ms. Volita Russell - Assistant Principal (oversees Class of 2025 and Humanities 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)
Mr. Dylan Forshay - Assistant Principal (oversees Class of 2028 and World Language, Art, Music, and Physical Education Division)
Ms. Sara Genetin - Director of Student Services (oversees Counselors, Social Worker, School Psychologist and other staff providing student support)
Mr. Dave Arthur - 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.
Be sure to visit Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology On its official social media channel on Instagram @OfficialTJHSST for pictures and highlights of all the fun events and activities going on at TJ! (Please note that we have discontinued use of our X/Twitter account).
We'd love it if you give us a follow!
TJ Anchor/Blue/Red Day Calendar
Mar. 17 - This is a modified Anchor Day - there will be a 60 minute advisory and no JLC.
Mar. 26 - AP Government field trip during day for seniors.
Mar 28 - End of third quarter
Mar. 29 - Senior Class Prom Capital One Hall, Tysons, VA - 7:00-11:00 p.m.
Mar. 31 - No school for students or staff (Eid-al-Fitr)
Apr. 1 - Teacher Work Day - no school for students
Apr. 2 - This Wednesday that begins fourth quarter will be a traditional Anchor Day
Apr. 4 - April News You Choose newsletter is released
Apr. 14-18 - Spring Break - no school for students or staff
Apr. 21 - This is a modified Anchor Day - there will be a 60 minute advisory and no JLC.
Apr. 28 - This is a modified Anchor Day - there will be a 60 minute advisory and no JLC.
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