We've successfully completed the first week of AP testing! One more week to go (followed by makeups and more SOLs). Monday will be the biggest day of the testing season as nearly 650 students take one of the two versions of the AP Calculus test in the morning, while nearly all of our sophomore class becomes the first ones at TJ to take the AP Seminar exam in the afternoon.
As a reminder, the entire AP test schedule can be found here.
With testing being the main focus, I don't have many updates this week. I do have information on Techstravaganza and athletic tryouts for the 2026-27 school year, as well as a few celebratory items. Parents of seniors, please be sure to check your inbox as I sent an E-Notify reminder with tjSTAR information on Thursday.
As always, please reach out if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Mike Roth
TJHSST Director of Communications
TJ's annual Techstravaganza will be held on Saturday, May 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This event is free to attend for all families throughout the DMV area.
Hosted by Tomorrow's Women in Science and Technology (TWIST) club with the help of a generous grant from the TJ Partnership Fund, our students work to bring their love of STEM to kids throughout the entire DMV.
Different tables will set up where kids will get to do fun things like make slime, look through microscopes and play with drones! This year the grant from TJPF will allow us to bring in over 20 Title I schools and provide them lunch.
Thank you to TWIST, the TJ Partnership Fund and its partners for putting on this amazing annual event!
For all of our families whose students are interested in playing sports at TJ during the 2026-27 school year, we now have the available tryout information for each season, so mark your calendars!
Fall Sports Tryouts (2026–27)
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Monday, July 27, 2026 – Golf
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Monday, August 3, 2026 – Cheer, Field Hockey, Football, Girls/Boys Volleyball, Cross Country
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Monday, September 14, 2026 – Girls Flag Football
PLEASE NOTE: Fall sports begin in early August. If possible, families should plan summer vacations for June/July to avoid missing tryouts and the start of the season.
Winter Sports Tryouts (2026–27)
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Tryouts begin Monday, November 9, 2026 – Boys/Girls Basketball, Gymnastics, Indoor Track, Swim & Dive, Wrestling, Girls Wrestling, Sideline Cheer
Spring Sports Tryouts (2026–27)
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Tryouts begin Monday, February 22, 2027 – Baseball, Crew, Girls/Boys Lacrosse, Outdoor Track, Girls/Boys Soccer, Softball, Girls/Boys Tennis
Sport-specific questions
If you have sport-specific questions, please contact the coach directly. Coach contact information: Visit www.tjsports.org
Required steps before attending workouts or tryouts
Each athlete must complete both items below prior to any off-season workout or tryout:
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VHSL Physical
- The VHSL Physical Form can be found HERE: VHSL PHYSICAL FORM
- Turn in your completed physical to the Activities Office or our Athletic Trainer: Heather Murphy – hrmurphy@fcps.edu
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Online Athletic Registration (required each school year)
- Families and student-athletes must complete the online athletic registration each school year.
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Registration Link: please visit tjsports.org after July 1st.
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. You will need 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.
As our school community grows and changes, more of our students and families are facing practical needs. That’s why we’re excited to have the Jefferson Junction, our brand-new non-perishable food and hygiene resource for students.
But we can't do it without your help.
We're asking our amazing TJ parents and families to partner with us in stocking the pantry shelves. Whether it's some healthy snacks or hygiene essentials, every donation makes a difference. We will collect donations on a rolling basis to keep the pantry stocked. All donations will be used to support TJ students.
🛒 Want to help? Here’s how:
- Visit our Amazon Wish List and have items sent directly to the school: https://a.co/giHCfQN Attention: Danielle Armstrong, Social Worker
- Drop off non-perishable donations at the school: Attention: Danielle Armstrong, Social Worker
From all of us at TJ, thank you for stepping up and helping Jefferson Junction become a place where every student knows they’re seen, valued, and supported.
Every student can take advantage of Varsity Tutors’ services at no cost, including weekly live online classes; on-demand 24/7 chat tutoring; essay editing; and study resources such as recorded content, practice problems, and diagnostic tests.
Learn more about online tutoring with Varsity Tutors.
Is your student experiencing anxiety, behavior changes, or challenges with peer and family relationships? If so, you may refer your child for weekly therapy with a licensed therapist through Hazel Health. Visit the FCPS Teletherapy webpage for information on this service.
Congratulations to the TJ Electric Vehicle Grand Prix Team: Fikir Ashenafi, Chingiz Bahadur, Wasim Daghmash, Duchmaa Ariunbold, Ipsa Mahajan, Aanya Shekhar, and Thomas Yi.
Under the guidance of Mr. Seyler, Dr. Parilla, and Mr. Behling, this Engineering Senior Research team completed the design and build of a 3-wheel electric vehicle and participated in the DC Electric Vehicle Grand Prix this past weekend. Teams had to complete as many laps as possible on a single battery charge. In TJ's first participation, our team completed 33 laps in the 1-hour run and placed 7th overall and 4th in the Stock Division. These 36 High School teams came from across the DMV, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and as far away as Italy! In addition, the TJ "Pink Panther" made its way to victory in receiving the Projotech Award for innovation and the Best New Team Finish award for placing in the top 10 as a first-time competitor.
Last weekend the TJ History Bowl Team went to the International Academic Competition (IAC) Varsity National Championship and took third place in the Varsity Division! Congratulations to team members Anthony Zhao, Matt Ryan, Jerry Huang, and Justin Yuan!
While they were competing independently, a quick shoutout to a pair of members of the TJ Science Olympiad team who competed in other competitions at that event. Justin Yuan won the National Biology Exam, while Nathan Liang took second place in the National Science Bee!
 Congratulations go to TJ”s Science Bowl for finishing 12th in the National Finals this past week! They earned $1000 for the school.
Thank you to Coach Elissa Levy for the photo above (which was taken last month when they won the regional championship). From left to right, we have:
Rohan Bairi, grade 10
Hrishi Bhooma, grade 12
Sophia Guo (captain), grade 12
Eshaan Venkata Sombhatta, grade 11
Eric Hao Xie, grade 12
You can check out how they did on the National Science Bowl results page.
TJ’s Latin certamen teams had great showings in the State Finals this past weekend:
- The Novice Team (Chi Nguyen, Rohan Packer, and Iulia Zbarcea—all 9th graders) placed 3rd
- The Intermediate team (Emery Mize, Isha Stauber, and Sophia Wang – all 10th graders) placed 1st
- The Advanced team (seniors Ethan O’Hara, Sam Payne, and Aidan Wright, along with junior Vir Maniar) – placed 1st and held on to the Howard Chang Trophy for another year!
Earlier this spring Advanced Certamen players Ethan O’Hara, Vir Maniar, Sarah Trainer, Sameeha Shaik, and Aidan Wright had an even more impressive victory at the Harvard Certamen Tournament, where they won first place at this prestigious and highly competitive event. This victory on April 11 represented a sort of Triple Crown, as they swept 1st place at the Yale, Princeton, and Harvard Certamina this year – an extremely rare and impressive feat!
 
Thank you to the TJ PTSA for providing a staff lunch to end Teacher Appreciation Week on Friday!
This was actually a bonus lunch as the PTSA already did a big event a couple of weeks ago due to AP Testing taking up so much of our bandwidth during the actual Teacher Appreciation Week.
Today, the staff was treated to delicious wraps, salads and of course deserts. Thank you TJ PTSA for once again making us feel so appreciated!
Need to get in contact with 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. Betsy Fawsett - Associate Principal
Ms. Yaara Crane - Subschool Principal (oversees Class of 2026 and Science and Technology Division)
Mr. Shawn Frank - Subschool Principal (oversees Class of 2027 and Mathematics and Computer Science Division)
Mr. Dylan Forshay - Subschool Principal (oversees Class of 2028 and World Language, Art, Music, and Physical Education Division)
Ms. Volita Russell - Subschool Principal (oversees Class of 2029 and Humanities Division)
Ms. Sara Wright - Director of Student Services (oversees Counselors, Social Worker, School Psychologist and other staff providing student support)
Ms. Leah Conte - Director of Student Activities (oversees Activities Office, 8th Period, Athletic Office, Building Maintenance, Custodians, Food Services)
Mr. Mike Roth - Communications Specialist (oversees Jefferson Journal 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's Anchor/Blue/Red Day Calendar
May 4-May 15 - AP Testing at TJ
May 20 - tjSTAR at TJ during morning
May 20 - Band Spring Concert, 7 p.m. in auditorium
May 21 - Orchestra Spring Concert, 7 p.m. in auditorium
May 22 - J-Day in afternoon. There will be a Modified Red Day schedule to accommodate with more information to come.
May 25 - Memorial Day - no school for students or staff.
May 26 - Teacher Workday - no school for students.
May 27 - Religious or Cultural Observance Day (Eid-al-Adha) - no school for students or staff.
May 28-June 2 - Senior Final Exams
June 5 - This Friday will be a Modified Anchor Day with dismissal at 10:30 a.m.
June 6 -TJ Class of 2026 Graduation at Eagle Bank Arena, 7 p.m.
June 11 - Underclassman Final Exams Periods 1 and 2 - half day with dismissal at 11:55 a.m.
June 12 - Underclassman Final Exams Periods 3 and 4 - half day with dismissal at 11:55 a.m.
June 15 - Underclassman Final Exams Periods 5 and 6 - half day with dismissal at 11:55 a.m.
June 16 - Underclassman Final Exams Periods 7 and makeup exams - half day with dismissal at 11:55 a.m.
June 17 - This is the 2-hour day; school will be dismissed at 10:40 a.m. Last day of school for students.
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