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Mason District Community,
Spring is upon us and I hope you and your students have been able to rest during Spring Break and are ready for a fruitful fourth quarter. There are many items to discuss – from the proposed Middle School Start Times in the Mason District to the FY26 Budget work, the Board has been very busy.
Our community has been concerned and engaged regarding the proposed cuts to the Middle School After School Activities by the Board of Supervisors. The middle school after-school program is an important provision for our students and I do not support discussions to potentially charge students a fee, fixed or sliding, to participate.
We have much to celebrate in the Mason District. Please see below for recent honors, awards, and grants recognizing Mason District students, schools, and staff.
I value the input I receive from the Mason Community and am happy to address questions or concerns via email or phone. You can reach me by email at rjanderson@fcps.edu. If you are interested in scheduling a phone call, please reach out to my assistant, Cristy Coffey, at cmcoffey@fcps.edu to arrange a time.
In this issue:
2024 Advanced Placement School Honor Roll
The College Board announced that 17 FCPS high schools have been named to the Advanced Placement (AP) School Honor Roll. This annual opportunity is based on criteria that reflect a commitment to increasing college-going culture, providing opportunities for students to earn college credit, and maximizing college readiness.
Congratulations to Falls Church High School for their Silver Distinction recognition!
Full list of schools named to the AP School Honor Roll.
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Student Peace Awards
The Student Peace Awards of Fairfax County began in 2006 serving to recognize and encourage students to think about peace as both a means and an end.
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Students from twenty-eight schools were honored with the 2024-2025 award for their impressive and inspiring projects. Take a moment to read about the important work being done by the award recipients from the Mason District:
Annandale HS: Sage Nagle
Falls Church HS: Shri Bala
Justice HS: Muslim Student Association
TJHSST: Send a Smile Club
A complete list of student profiles is available on the Student Peace Awards webpage.
Region Champions - Annandale High School
Congratulations to the Annandale Theatre Company, recently named the VHSL Occoquan Region One-Act Champions!
Martin Luther King Jr. Day Initiative Art Competition
In January, Glasgow Middle School held a Martin Luther King Jr. Day Art Competition themed “Social Justice and Civic Responsibility.” The event was a showcase of student talent and a celebration of introspective thought, community engagement, and a powerful reflection on freedom, justice, and civil rights. The event encouraged students to explore justice and global perspectives, bridging interdisciplinary knowledge in art, history, and civics. The top three awards went to:
1st place: Wintana Fikru
2nd place: Jibril Naaman
3rd place: Dayana Garcia Flores
Congratulations to all of the event’s creative participants!
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EcoSchools U.S. Awards
Twenty-two schools across Fairfax County Public Schools were honored with a Green Flag award from the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) through the EcoSchools U.S. program. This student-led program provides opportunities for youth leadership, raises environmental awareness, connects students to the natural world, and drives positive environmental change.
This year, only 56 Green Flags were awarded nationwide and several Mason District schools were honored. Congratulations to Green Flag awardees Beech Tree ES, Belvedere ES, Edison HS, North Springfield ES, and Woodson HS.
Five FCPS schools earned a Silver Award, including Annandale Terrace ES - Congratulations!
Distinguished Purple Star Schools
Purple Star Schools have been recognized by the Virginia Department of Education and the Virginia Council on the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children for their dedication to helping military-connected students and their families.
Current Purple Star Schools include several schools serving students in the Mason District:
- Bren Mar Park ES
- Columbia ES
- Edison HS
- North Springfield ES
- Woodson HS
Learn more about the Purple Star Program.
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Outstanding Communications Awards
FCPS recently recognized nine schools with awards for outstanding school communications. Congratulations to the following FIVE Mason District Schools!
Newsletters
- Jill Burrer from Falls Church Academy
- Erin Hughey from Weyanoke Elementary School
Outstanding Websites
- Ingrid Badia, Ashley Ireland, Candice Raynor, and Nicole Scher from Annandale Terrace Elementary
Outstanding Social Media
- Jen Cory, Shawn DeRose, and Jae Lee from Annandale High School
- Mike Astudillo, Sarah Boludart, and Shannon Dumont from Columbia Elementary School
Learn more about each awardee and their commitment to informing and engaging their school communities.
Regional Scholastic Art Awards
Congratulations to the following Mason District students who were recognized for their art by the 2025 Regional Scholastic Art Awards program:
- Glasgow MS: Kate Holbrook
- Poe MS: Caleb Candia Chambi
- Falls Church HS: Chloe Brown, Jenn Quiroz-Fernandez, and Christopher So
- Justice HS: Camila Churata Sierralta, Colleen Early, Bee Fish, Ella Galway, Pilar McKitrick, My Nguyen, and Ella Palmer
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Regional Scholastic Writing Awards
Congratulations to the following Mason District students recognized for their writing talent by the 2025 Regional Scholastic Writing Awards program:
Justice HS: Roselyn Lobo Lemus
Langley HS: Molly Raiden
Woodson HS: Brigid Lyons
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Regional Science and Engineering Fair
The 70th annual Fairfax County Regional Science and Engineering Fair showcased roughly 400 high school science projects. More than 600 students presented their research projects in a wide variety of science and engineering fields. Projects were judged by more than 200 professionals and 40 professional organizations and businesses.
Congratulations to the Mason District School students earning awards:
Annandale High School: Nolawi Abeje, Harper Chapman, Bin Chen, Madelyn Duran, Lizzie Gronberg, Katherine Halen, Adriana Holder, Kelly Holtz, Bao Hua, Ayub Hussen, Ayat Ismael, Muskan Khalid, Frieda Lamar, James Le, Zoe Ligairi, Sayeda Arezo Mahboob, Isabella Mercado Hurtado, Hailey Mose, Megan Murray, Jennifer Nguyen, Stephanie Nguyen, Tram On, Alyssa Pardo, Lily Rumpf, Sofia Saavedra, Anna Salamon, Axel Segura, Riya Vlcan, Sophie Yamaoka, Nuh Yesuf
Falls Church High School: Zachary Bloom, Binh Do, Johnson Escobar Juarez, Aslesha Gurung, Charlotte Henry, Josephine Huynh, Chengzi Lin, Angelina Taimouri, Khue Vu, Celia Winter
Justice High School: Zoe Andonegui, Tejal Bhasin, Amelia Bonnaffon, Malakai Brock, Henry Carter, Bryana Cespedes-Paico, Juan Corado Najarro, Clay Cornette, Sofia Cruz Alvarez, Brooke Ehmann-Jones, Shalom Elias, Emy Fase, Mohamed Amine Ferhoune, Bibi Maryam Hakimi, Marufa Hasan, Sama Hemat, Raine Jeff, Sarah Mayom, Sasha-Madison Nowlin, Eliza Meyers, Jeysi Ortiz Gutierrez, Angie Reyes-Ordonez, James Rocha, Zahra Shahzadi, Anna Lucia Stavlund, Laura Stoker, Zakirya Sultani, Clara Thomas, Biruh Yilma, Dylan Zurita
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Real Food for Kids Culinary Challenge
Students from area middle and high schools participated in the 2025 Real Food for Kids Culinary Challenge last month.
Congratulations to two schools serving Mason District students for their awards:
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Luther Jackson Middle School - 3rd place with their Beantastic Medley, Fried Okra with Mint Chutney and Crunchy Munchy Salad & Caramelized Banana Parfait.
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Falls Church High School - breakfast community choice award with their Vegetarian Breakfast Burrito.
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Readers Are Leaders
The Readers Are Leaders partnership between Annandale High School and Braddock Elementary School is a ten week program that brings together Annandale athletes and Braddock third graders for literacy mentorship.
The high schoolers receive training and use materials from Benchmark Advance, the new K-6 Language Arts curriculum, to support what the younger students are learning in the classroom. The program is leading not only to academic progress and more school engagement, but students are also making meaningful connections with their older mentors.
Watch this Readers Are Leaders video to see the program in action.
Mentors at Glasgow Middle School
Glasgow Middle School is the largest middle school in Fairfax County, with more than 1,800 students. Its mentoring program goes above and beyond to make the large campus feel more like a close-knit community. Currently, there are more than 60 volunteer mentors at Glasgow and that number is growing. Read more about the mentoring program at Glasgow and learn how to become a mentor in FCPS.
Wolf Trap Grant Recipients
Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts has awarded grants to 14 teachers at public high schools and middle schools in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., to fund music, dance, and theater projects in their classrooms.
Two teachers serving Mason District students were among the grant recipients:
Stacy Jones from Luther Jackson Middle School for the project “Reviving Ghanian Traditions Through the Blues Workshops.”
CJ Redden-Liotta from Falls Church High School for the project “75th Anniversary Composer Residency.”
Participating high school students will perform at The Barns at Wolf Trap on April 28. Congratulations to all grant recipients and participating students! Read more about these exciting projects.
Justice Teacher Named Global Educator of the Year
 Kirsten Salonga was named the 2025 AFS-USA Global Educator of the Year. Ms. Salonga is a biology and environmental science teacher for multilingual learners and the science department chair at Justice High School.
The Global Educator Award recognizes educators who have demonstrated excellence in integrating cultural diversity, global competence, and internationalized concepts into their instruction with the aim of cultivating active global citizens. Read more about Ms. Salonga’s award.
Finalist for Presidential Award
Ms. Salonga has also been named a state finalist for the 2025 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. The award, regarded as the nation’s top honor for K-12 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics teachers, recognizes educators who have both deep content knowledge of the subjects they teach and the ability to motivate and enable students to be successful in those areas.
A national review committee will review the applications of the 2025 state finalists, and the winners of the 2025 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching will be announced by the White House.
Educate Fairfax 2024-2025 Grants
The annual Educate Fairfax Grants have been announced for the 2024-25 school year after a very competitive application process.
This year, the team at Educate Fairfax was able to financially support 107 grants across 100 Fairfax County Public Schools, including 24 Title 1 Schools, totaling $180,273 in funding to directly impact nearly 36,000 students.
The following grants were awarded to schools for their projects serving Mason District students:
- Annandale HS - Launching Careers Through NOVA
- Beech Tree ES - Ozobots for ALL
- Belvedere - Third Grade Gardening and Seed Sale
- Bren Mar Park ES - BMP StrongStart
- Columbia ES - Building Bridges: Fostering STEAM and FLES through LEGO® Ed
- Edison HS - Edison Academy Arcade
- Falls Church Academy - Academy Ambassador Collaboration
- Falls Church HS - Field Trip to Northern Virginia Community College
- Glasgow MS - 3D Printed Atoms
- Glen Forest ES - After School Club Access
- Holmes MS - Stories in Harmony: Personal Journeys through Music Improvisation
- North Springfield ES - 4th Grade Goes to Jamestown
- Parklawn ES - Parklawn Pizza Professionals
- Sleepy Hollow ES - STEAM for All: Inclusive Tools for Future Engineers
- Timber Lane ES - Pathways to Participation: English Learning for School-Community
- Westlawn ES - Audio Books for All
- Woodburn ES - Typing Club
- Woodson HS - College Partnership Program (CPP)
School Anniversary Proclamations
The School Board recently recognized three Mason District schools with proclamations in celebration of their anniversaries:
Sleepy Hollow Elementary School's 70th Anniversary proclamation was presented at the February 6, 2025 School Board Meeting.
Bailey's Upper Elementary School's 10th Anniversary proclamation was presented at the March 13, 2025 School Board Meeting.
Weyanoke Elementary School's 75th Anniversary proclamation was presented at the March 27, 2025 School Board Meeting.
School Start Time Pilot
At the March 27 School Board meeting, the Board voted to approve the development of a cost-neutral plan to implement a pilot of later start times in as many of the Mason District middle schools (Glasgow, Holmes, and Poe) as possible for implementation in the 2025-26 school year. The plan should minimize start time changes for the pyramid high schools. In addition, elementary school start times should not be adjusted to be later than they are at present.
On April 10, 2025, the Superintendent posted the initial proposal for the review of the Board and the public, however, I expect additional revisions which would remove North Springfield and Braddock elementary schools as those schools are physically located in the Braddock District and to revise the Sleepy Hollow ES proposed start time.
Policy Revisions
The following revised policies were approved by the Board at the April 10, 2025 School Board meeting:
Policy 2108 - Policy regarding students living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
Policy 2115 - Policy regarding the reporting of suspected child abuse and/or neglect.
Policy 2220 - Policy regarding admission of postgraduate students.
Superintendent's Boundary Review Advisory Committee
We are grateful for the service of the community members who volunteered to participate in the Boundary Review Advisory Committee (BRAC). These representatives serve to raise the issues important to their communities. Please use the pyramid email addresses listed below to share your feedback with your pyramid representatives.
Annandale Pyramid
AnnandalePyramidBRACrep@gmail.com
Lucas Castanos Jr.
Jacque Mosely
Falls Church Pyramid
FallsChurchBRACrep1@gmail.com
Lorena Katsantonis
Charla Ouertatani
Justice Pyramid
JusticePyramidBRAC@gmail.com
Aaron Alford
Ann-Marie Ward
Bus Stop Arm Cameras
Cameras have been installed on the stop arms of 50 school buses to identify drivers who pass stopped school buses while children are entering and exiting the bus (called a “stop arm violation”). Warnings for drivers began on Wednesday, April 9. After a 30-day warning period, citations will begin to be issued on Thursday, May 8.
More information about the stop arm cameras can be found on the School Bus Safety Program webpage.
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VIP Summer Camp Status
I have received numerous questions about the status of the VIP Summer Camp program, as the registration process has been put on hold.
The VIP Summer Camp is a joint initiative between Fairfax County NCS and the FCPS Middle School After-School Program. It is a 5-week program for rising middle school students. The program offers a broad spectrum of engaging activities to 1,000 middle schoolers a day to include enrichment activities, robotics, coding, Maker spaces, arts and crafts, sports, healthy cooking, physical fitness, team building, dance, and field trips.
The after-school specialists are the main staff managing the VIP Camps along with NCS merit staff and numerous hourly FCPS teachers and staff.
The recent budget reductions proposed by the County Executive eliminates all funding for the MS after-school program to include the salaries and benefits of the after-school specialists. The employment contract for the after-school specialists ends on June 30, which means they will not be available to staff the VIP Summer Camp in July.
Since funding for the after-school specialists and for the operational costs of the VIP Camp is not assured, a hold has been placed on accepting student registrations for the VIP Summer Camp. This places well over 1,600 families in a quandary as to summer camp options for their children.
Budget Transparency
In an effort to make budget data more accessible, staff have developed a portal to allow for easier management. Visit the FCPS Transparency Portal.
The Fairfax County Transparency Application allows users to search and view summary information about payments to specific vendors and budget vs. actual expenditures.
Amounts displayed are year-to-date aggregates through the selected month for a fiscal year. The FCPS fiscal year spans from July 1 through June 30.
Aggregated data from each month will be posted by the end of the subsequent month. The financial data available on this site is unaudited and therefore have not been reviewed for accuracy by an outside party. An audited Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) for each fiscal year is prepared annually and can be found on the Transparency website.
To view similar information for the Fairfax County Government, please visit the Fairfax County Government Transparency website.
Volunteer Opportunity - 2025 School Bond Referendum
A citizen’s committee supporting the 2025 School Bond Referendum is forming and seeking volunteers. The committee’s general duties will be sharing information that supports passage of the bond to HOA boards, other organizations, and chambers of commerce; and distributing information electronically and in print.
This is an organized, positive, and short-term way to support Fairfax County Public Schools. Along with the distribution of information, the volunteers will be invited to strategize on approaches and execution at 2 to 3 meetings between June and November.
If you live in the Mason District and are interested in serving, please contact my assistant, Cristy Coffey, at cmcoffey@fcps.edu by 5 p.m. on May 12, 2025.
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Dr. Reid's Community Conversations
Spring 2025 Community Conversations with Dr. Reid were scheduled across the division. These events are an opportunity for you to share your thoughts and ask questions.
The final event will be held on Wednesday, April 23 at Mason Crest Elementary School from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Childcare and interpretation services will be provided. Register for the event.
Upcoming Theater
Annandale Theatre Company presents
Little Shop of Horrors
May 1-3
Tickets
FCHS Spotlight Theatre Company presents
Addams Family
May 2-4 & 10-11
Tickets
Glasgow Middle School Theatre Group presents
Back to the 80's (The Totally Awesome Musical)
May 9-10
Luther Jackson Middle School Drama presents
Mean Girls Jr.
May 1-3
Tickets
Woodson Drama presents
Mamma Mia
May 2-3 & 9-10
Tickets
Thomas Jefferson Theater Arts presents
Big Fish
April 25-26 & May 2-3
Tickets
NOVA 2025 Vision
FCPS and Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) are offering an opportunity for students with disabilities interested in attending NOVA to learn about available options. The orientation will include presentations from Accommodations and Accessibility Services and Counseling Services, a mock NOVA classroom experience for students, and a NOVA student panel with Q&A session.
April 23, 2025
4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA), Annandale Campus
Click here to register.
George Mason University - New Exhibition
A new exhibition at Mason Exhibitions Arlington closely examines the book, Nothing Personal (1964), a collaborative artwork in book form by two legendary American artists, James Baldwin, the African American writer, public intellectual, and civil rights activist, and Richard Avedon the Jewish fashion and portrait photographer. Nothing Personal is a unique cultural object, presenting images of celebrity and the celebration of exceptionalism alongside depictions of the corrosive effects of capitalism and racism on society. The exhibition runs until May 3, 2025. Mason Exhibitions Arlington is located at 3601 Fairfax Drive. Learn more about the exhibit.
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Memorial Scholarship
In honor of her lifelong dedication to justice and education, the Michelle Leete Memorial Scholarship was established to support students who exemplify the values she championed. This scholarship will be awarded annually to high school seniors who demonstrate a commitment to advocacy, leadership, and community service. Four scholarships will be awarded to outstanding Black students in Fairfax County: one at $1,000 and three at $500 each. Learn more and apply before the May 9, 2025 deadline.
Academy Day 2025
High school and middle school students interested in the United States service academies, register for Academy Day 2025 taking place in Fredericksburg on April 26, 2025.
Upcoming School Board Meetings
Regular School Board Meetings (Luther Jackson Middle School)
- April 24, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.
- May 8, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.
Work Sessions (Gatehouse Administration Center)
- April 22, 2025 at 6:30 p.m.
- May 6, 2025 at 11:30 a.m.
All meetings will be broadcast live on Channel 99 (Verizon channel 11) and on the FCPS website. The meetings are recorded for future viewing and posted to the FCPS School Board YouTube channel.
Would you like to share your ideas and concerns with the School Board and staff? Register HERE to speak at a regular meeting or public hearing.
Reuniones de la Junta Escolar de FCPS en Español
Para ver las reuniones de la Junta Escolar grabadas o para ver en vivo durante las reuniones regulares en YouTube, por favor vaya al canal de YouTube de FCPS en Español o escanee el código QR.
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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.
© Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax County, Virginia
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