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Herndon's Success Spotlight
Staff Show Their Heart on National Wear Red Day ❤️
The staff proudly participated in the FCPS Wear Red Challenge on February 6, 2026, in recognition of Heart Health Month and National Wear Red Day. Their vibrant show of red demonstrated a shared commitment to raising awareness about cardiovascular health and supporting a culture of wellness across the Herndon community.
Creative Hands at the Discovery Summit
 During the Discovery Summit, students tapped into their creativity and focus as they crafted colorful paracord bracelets, carefully weaving patterns that reflected their personal style. They also designed intricate iris paper folding heart cards, layering vibrant strips of paper to create beautiful, handmade keepsakes to share with others.
Hornets Soar with Big Win Over Statesmen
 The boys basketball team celebrated Senior Night in style on Friday, February 13, 2026, earning an exciting victory over the George C. Marshall High School Statesmen. Fueled by a spirited home crowd and standout performances from their seniors, the Hornets closed out the regular season at home with pride and momentum.
 
February: VSBA School Board Appreciation Month
February 09-18: Rising Junior Individual Academic Advising & Course Selection through English 10
February 17: Student Holiday (Teacher Workday for Staff)
February 17: Religious and Cultural Observance | Lunar New Year
February 18: Religious and Cultural Observance | First Full Day of Ramadan (begins sundown 2/17 and continues with daily fast and nightly prayer until 3/18)
February 18: Religious and Cultural Observance | Ash Wednesday
February 18: Rising Sophomore Academic Advising Presentation, 4th pd Flex, Various Locations
February 20: Orchestra’s Chick-fil-A Spirit Day, North Point Village CFA
February 23- March 02: Rising Sophomore Individual Course Selection (World History 1 & English 9 ML), Student Services
February 25: Partners in Safe Teen Driving Presentation, 6:00 pm, Auditorium
February 27: Parent Coffee, 8:30 am or 6:30 pm, Cafeteria
Herndon HS Calendar of Events
VSBA School Board Appreciation Month
Thank you to the Fairfax County School Board for all they do throughout the year. Want to contact your school board representatives to share your appreciation? Visit their website to find your school board member and contact them.
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Lunar New Year / Ramadan begins at Sundown (Teacher work day)
Ramadan Mubarak to those in our community who observe! In Islam, Ramadan is the most sacred month of the year. During this month Muslims abstain from food and drink from dawn to sunset each day while striving to increase their spirituality, through prayers, charity, and good deeds. Muslims believe it was during this month that God revealed the first verses of the Holy Quran to Prophet Muhammad. #OurFCPS
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Ash Wednesday/First Full Day of Ramadan
Wednesday, February 18, is Ash Wednesday and the first full day of Ramadan. FCPS has designated this day as a religious and cultural observance day. There is school on these days, however specific events that cannot be made up will not be held on these observance days. See the complete school year calendar.Throughout the year, as we celebrate and recognize various cultural holidays and observances, families are encouraged to contact their child’s principal regarding accommodations, including but not limited to those around lunch, prayer/meditation and silent reflection spaces and times, and instruction.
On February 18, 2026, school counselors will hold a mandatory meeting with their rising sophomores. This session informed students of the upcoming and important academic advising and course selection process. To support this important process, students will meet individually with their school counselors through their Social Studies and English 9 (for Multilingual Learners) class sometime between February 23 and March 02. Course selection materials and information are available on Herndon's course selection website.
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February 18: Rising Sophomore Academic Advising Presentation, 4th pd Flex, Lecture Hall, Auditorium, Cafeteria, Various Locations
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February 23- March 02: Rising Sophomore Individual Course Selection (World History 1 & English 9 ML), Student Services
Additional information is available on the Herndon HS website.
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Warm Up FCPS – Divisionwide Spirit Day
Tired of all the cold weather? Let’s warm up with a little school spirit across the division!
Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid is encouraging all FCPS students, teachers, and staff to shake the wrinkles out of their brightest outfits and tropical wear to help brighten everyone’s moods on Thursday, February 19.
At North Point Village, Chick-fil-A
1494 North Point Village Center, Reston, VA 20194
Friday, February 20, 2026 • 6:00am - 10:00pm
Come support HHS Orchestra by placing a mobile pickup, dine-in, Drive-Thru, or curbside order. When ordering in the store or Drive-Thru, let the team member know you are here for the Spirit Event. You can also support through the Chickfil-A® App when completing the order using the CODE ORCHESTRA (all caps). You get to enjoy a great meal or snack and HHS Orchestra will receive a donation of 25% of today's sales that are marked Spirit Event in our system.
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Survey on Student Rights and Responsibilities (SR&R) Now Open for All Families and Middle and High School Students
On Monday, all FCPS parents/caregivers and middle and high school students received an email to participate in a voluntary and confidential survey. (Please check your spam folder if you have not received it.)
Questions refer to proposed changes to FCPS’ SR&R document for next year. This document outlines the rules that students are expected to follow, and guidelines for consequences if those expectations are not met. Possible changes include:
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Universal Discipline: Charts will list consequences and supports for students. They will help ensure that two students of the same grade will be treated fairly and receive the same level of support.
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Standards for In-School Suspensions of Students with Disabilities: Creating standards for how in-school suspensions are handled for students who have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or a 504 Plan.
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Accommodations for Multilingual Learner Student Statements: Providing translation accommodations when Multilingual Learner students provide statements about disciplinary incidents.
The survey will be open until Friday, February 20. Survey materials are available online.
Public Schools Week
Public Schools Week is an annual celebration that brings together school leaders, educators, parents & community leaders to recognize the importance of our nation’s public schools.
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Prepare for the road ahead! All 10th-grade students in Health and PE 10 must attend the Partners in Safe Teen Driving Presentation with a parent or guardian to complete their Driver Education requirements. This event will be held on February 25, 2026.
Rooted in Resilience: Echoes of Excellence
Families and community members are invited to reflect on the past, celebrate the present, and uplift the voices shaping our future at FCPS’ Second Annual Black History Month Celebration. Rooted in Resilience: Echoes of Excellence will take place on Wednesday, February 25, at 6 p.m., at Carter G. Woodson High School.
The event will honor the rich history, strength, and contributions of the Black community through inspiring student performances and a powerful keynote address by Rev. Vernon C. Walton, pastor of First Baptist Church of Vienna. Light refreshments will be available.
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☕Parent Coffee
Join Dr. Cheronda Farrish, Interim Principal, for a Parent Coffee at Herndon High School on Friday, February 27, 2026, at 8:30 am or 6:30 pm in the cafeteria. This is a great opportunity to meet and get to know Dr. Farrish. We look forward to seeing you!
Honoring Dr. Noto’s Legacy, Embracing New Leadership
As captured in this heartfelt video from former Herndon HS PTSA President Richard Culatta, we celebrate Dr. Liz Noto’s inspiring tenure as principal of Herndon High School and her exciting transition to become principal of Louise Archer Elementary School, where she will continue her passionate leadership and dedication to students and families. At the same time, we warmly welcome Dr. Cheronda Farrish, who brings her strengths and experience from Cedar Lane School to Herndon High as interim principal. This moment marks both a fond farewell and a promising beginning, honoring Dr. Noto’s lasting impact while embracing Dr. Farrish’s leadership as the Herndon community moves forward together.
New Addition to Herndon
Beginning this week, Assistant Principal Sara James will be joining Herndon High School from the South Lakes administrative team. Sara has a proven track record of fostering warm, empowering, and inclusive learning environments for both students and staff. She brings over 20 years of diverse experience in education, serving as an assistant principal at South Lakes and a Civics & Economics teacher at Hayfield Secondary School. She has been a Collaborative Learning Team (CLT) Lead, the Faculty & Staff Advisory Council Lead Facilitator, and a co-founder of the Positive Pressure Initiative (PPI). She also supported the Equity and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) teams and served as a mentor teacher.
Sara also brings a wealth of knowledge from her experiences in various educational settings. She has taught in District of Columbia Public Schools, Halifax County Public Schools, Brunswick County Public Schools, and Alexandria City Public Schools. She also worked with Phillips Programs of Fairfax, where she created a therapeutic learning environment for students with various disabilities. Additionally, as a former Director for Knowledge Learning Corporation,
Sara holds an Administration and Supervision Certification PreK-12 from the University of Virginia. She also holds a Master of Arts in Education from Central Michigan University and a Master of Science in Psychology from Capella University. Sara received her Bachelor of Science in History & Social Sciences from Saint Paul’s College.
Welcome Sara to Herndon High School.
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Prepare for Summer Learning and Fun for Students
Registration is open or will be available soon for summer camps and learning opportunities offered by Fairfax County Public Schools for all students.
Career and Technical Education and Institute for the Arts Camps
Career and Technical Education camps and Institute for the Arts camps will be held in July at Robinson Secondary School from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bus transportation will be available from select FCPS middle and high schools. Tuition assistance is available to FCPS families eligible for free or reduced meals.
CTE Summer Academy (CSA) is a week-long enrichment program that allows students in grades 6-11 to dive deeper into CTE program areas, develop skills, and begin career exploration. Watch this video about CTE camps. Registration is open for these programs through Friday, June 5.
Institute for the Arts (IFTA) is a two-week camp for students currently in grades 6-11. Students select from nearly 60 classes in art, dance, music, and theater. Rising freshmen have the option to take Health and PE 9 through IFTA as well!
Production Camp is a four-week summer theatre intensive for students in grades 6-11. Students in performance or technical theatre tracks rehearse, design, and build a musical in a collaborative atmosphere. The show is presented to the public at the end of camp.
New this year: Students in the above camps can also register for aftercare, which is available from 2 to 5 p.m.
Self-Directed Economics and Personal Finance
Summer is a great time for high school students to fulfill the Economics and Personal Finance course requirement. During the self-directed course, students work independently to complete the requirements. Registration is now open. Students must register by Friday, June 5. For more information, see the Summer Learning information page.
Summer Online Campus
Take advantage of the opportunity to earn a high school course credit via this summer’s Online Campus program. Registration is now open. Students must register by Friday, June 5. Mathematics, health and physical education, career and technical education, English, science, social studies, and world language courses are available to eligible middle and high school students.
Meal Kits for Fasting Students
From February 18 to March 19, students who are fasting during the day can take school meals home. These kits include one breakfast and one lunch to be eaten after the school day ends.
Families must fill out a request form each week for every student who wants a kit. The first deadline is Wednesday, February 11, for the week of February 16. Please note other important details below:
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Cost: Meals are charged just like a normal school day.
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Pickup: Students must grab their kits at the end of the school day.
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Menu: Kits include school meals that are easy to heat at home.
Visit the Food and Nutrition webpage for forms, deadlines, and other information. Please contact the Office of Food and Nutrition Services with any questions at FCPSFNS@fcps.edu or 703-813-4800.
FCPS News
In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics:
- FCPS at the Olympics
- Coaches Making History
- Divisionwide Spirit Day
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving this weekly newsletter, please sign up today.
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