201617annualreportfinalx

A paid supplement to the Loudoun-Times Mirror

Superintendent’s 2017 Message

The 2016-17 school year was

extraordinary on many levels as Loudoun

County Public Schools (LCPS) continues

its tradition of exceptional student

achievement while implementing

instructional initiatives that enrich

students’ learning.

Fifteen LCPS schools served as

pilot sites for personalized learning, and

another ten will join them in 2017-18.

Personalized learning provides assistance

with significant content for students who may have learning gaps; challenging lessons for students who have already shown basic mastery; and relevance for all students as their interests help shape the direction of their learning.

LCPS also will have its first computer science immersion elementary schools in 2017-18. Three innovative schools – Meadowland, Moorefield Station and Round Hill – will implement a model designed by Code to the Future.

LCPS remains focused on its mission of empowering all students to make meaningful contributions to the world. To achieve this, we have articulated our profile of a graduate – young people who are knowledgeable critical thinkers, communicators, collaborators, creators and contributors. We seek to develop these attributes by engaging students in solving authentic, challenging problems through project-based learning (PBL).

Madison’s Trust Elementary opened in 2016-17. We will open the doors of the new Brambleton Middle School at the start of this (Continued on page 2)

SUPERINTENDENT’S 2017 MESSAGE (Continued from page 1)

new school year, and we excitedly watch the construction underway on the Academies of Loudoun site just off Sycolin Road.

LCPS also remains committed to expanding universal full-day kindergarten. We anticipate providing full-day kindergarten to approximately 82 percent of the students entering kindergarten this year. That is a significant increase from 11 percent who were offered fullday kindergarten during the 2014-2015 school year. Recently, the School Board adopted staff’s 100% FDK Plan: A Pathway to Universal FDK.

Lastly, I would like to point out that we capture many of our students’ accomplishments on our website and within our social media, and I invite you to view these and celebrate with us. We remain committed to and thankful for a community that supports our efforts.

Table of Contents

Best wishes,

Eric Williams, Ed.D. Superintendent

Academies of Loudoun...........................................................3 U.S. News & World Report Ranks Six LCPS

High Schools Among Best...............................................3 2016-2017 Honors and Awards..............................................4 Ferguson Takes an AOS Problem to Cambridge....................6 LCPS Has 10 Virginia Naturally Schools.................................6 2016-2017 Year in Review.......................................................7 Thompson is 2017 Teacher of the Year.................................10 Past Winners of the Loudoun County

Teacher of the Year Award.............................................10 VMEA Blue Ribbon Schools..................................................10 Gabriel is 2017 Principal of the Year.....................................11 Past Recipients of the Loudoun County

Principal of the Year Award............................................11 2017 Bond Referendum.......................................................11 Loudoun’s No. 1 Returning Alumnus....................................12 LCPS on College Board’s AP® Honor Roll............................12 14 State Championships & A Pair of Pro No. Ones..............13 An SRO Who’s Part of the Fabric of His School...................16 Class of 2017 Earns $54.7 Million in Scholarships...............16 99 Percent Accredited...........................................................17 New Teachers........................................................................19 Loudoun Education Foundation (LEF)...................................20 LCPS Receives 6th Energy Star Excellence Award.........20 Emerick Nominated as National Blue Ribbon School...........22 Loudoun Education Alliance of Parents (LEAP)....................23 Minority Student Achievement Advisory

Committee (MSAAC)......................................................23

L CPS

M o b ile

The LCPS App is available for a free download from both the Apple App Store and the Google Play App Store. The app will be helpful for anyone wishing to engage with information about LCPS, including parents, staff, students and members of the general public.

Once the app is downloaded, users can customize their access according to the specific schools they wish to follow. A parent with students in multiple schools, for instance, could customize his or her view to include all of the schools attended by their children.

The app is an aggregator that pulls together the district’s most frequently used web tools in one location. For example, the app includes access to school menus, the

A pp

lunch account software system, the student information management system, the online learning platform, sports information, calendars and social media feeds.

All users automatically have access to districtwide messaging.

Another feature of the app is push notifications. This will allow LCPS to send emergency messages to the phones of subscribers without incurring charges associated with texting.

A QR code, such as the one located below, can be used on communication tools to assist with locating the app in the online stores. Information about the app is available on the LCPS website at www.lcps.org/app

LCPS Students Ace Financial Literacy..................................26 School Meals Served Statistics for 2016-2017.....................27 Special Education Advisory Committee................................29 32 LCPS Students Named National Merit Semifinalists.......29 Mental Health Services.........................................................30 LCPS Schools Do Well in Niche Rankings............................30 LCPS Recognized Nationally for Music Education...............30 LCPS Students Excel at International Science Fair..............31 Backpack Buddies Program Grows......................................31 Dominion 2016-2017 RAMP School.....................................31 2017-18 LCPS School Calendar...........................................32 Loudoun County School Board.............................................32 2017-18 Student School Board Members............................32

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Published by: Loudoun County Public Schools Public Information Office 21000 Education Court Ashburn, Virginia 20148 For More Information:

(571) 252-1040 • www.lcps.org www.LCPS.org

Academies of Loudoun Prepares for 2018 Opening

“The word ‘standard’ does not apply.”

That’s how Academies of Loudoun Principal Dr. Tinell Priddy describes both the school she’s about to open and the process of getting that school ready to open.

The Academies of Loudoun will open for the 2018-2019 school year to serve as the home for three existing programs, the Academy of Science, the Monroe Advanced Technical Academy and the Academy of Engineering and Technology. A groundbreaking ceremony for the facility was conducted on its site just off Sycolin Road in June 2016 and more than a year’s worth of construction has now been completed.

“I was out at the construction site yesterday, and it looks like a building now,” Priddy said recently. “I’m so excited. When I started last summer, it was a muddy field. Each month, I went through this past year with a new phase – we were on the ground floor, and then we were on the second floor, and then we were on the third floor and then we were framing out doors and windows. When you drive up now, you drive on a paved parking lot, and you see trees that have been landscaped. You see a building there.”

When the Academies of Loudoun building opens, it will be the largest facility in the Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) inventory at three stories and 300,000 square feet.

The facility will include a number of specialized instructional areas, such as greenhouses, laboratories, automechanics garages and covered outdoor workspaces. The facility’s design emphasizes a “storefront” for branding the identity of each distinct academy while providing areas to encourage collaboration among students and faculty from the three academies.

Creating that culture of collaboration while moving three existing programs under the same roof is the challenge Priddy faces during

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the upcoming year. “We are building a new school, and I think, as the existing programs will eventually merge and become one school, there will be challenges just because it’s a different structure. But there’s a lot of potential with bringing the three academies together as one school. The deliberate, intentional collisions are opportunities for cross-collaboration between the academies.”

The logistics of equipping a large facility are weighing heavily on Priddy’s mind. “We have two challenges – relocating existing equipment and purchasing new equipment. Because relocating the equipment is certainly not going to fill the building… purchasing new equipment is going to be one of the primary things we work on this year. The transition of the (existing) equipment and personnel, starting in late spring through the summer, that’s going to be a very intensely busy time for us to make sure were are ready to go when school starts in the fall of ’18.”

Priddy says another obvious goal for the Academies of Loudoun will be scaling the programs up to fit their new space. “One of the challenges is going to be to take these programs that are small right now and grow them in size – starting with hiring staff to teach the students and supporting them with professional development and other learning opportunities to really be able to creatively integrate curriculum.”

Priddy says that the district’s experience with growth is providing her with the support she needs to accomplish this lofty goal. “What’s exciting is Loudoun County is not a stranger to building new schools, and I have many principals that have opened new schools before to learn from and collaborate with. Many of our leaders in the Department of Instruction have also opened their own schools so, thankfully, there is a model and resources and people to collaborate with as I work on those

same things that so many other principals in this county have done before me.”

Although the Academies of Loudoun will face numerous obstacles during the 2017-2018 school year, Priddy says that she and her team are ready to invent the future of this new school.

“There’s no challenge that’s too great for this project. We will create something here that Loudoun County is waiting for.”

U.S. News & World Report Ranks Six LCPS High Schools Among Best

U.S. News & World Report’s 2017 Best High Schools rankings features top-performing schools at the national and state level. The Best High Schools rankings evaluate data on more than 21,500 public high schools to identify which schools are best at preparing students for college and careers.

Six Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) high schools are ranked in this report (only one was ranked last year). Following are these schools, their state and national rankings and medal designation (gold, silver or bronze based on graduates’ college readiness):

• Stone Bridge High School, seventh in Virginia,

243 nationally, gold medal

• Briar Woods High School, ninth in Virginia,

327 nationally, gold medal

• Dominion High School, 10th in Virginia,

342 nationally, gold medal

• Broad Run High School, 20th in Virginia,

671 nationally, silver medal

• Loudoun County High School, 21st in Virginia,

673 nationally, silver medal

• Loudoun Valley High School, 22nd in Virginia,

705 nationally, silver medal

A seventh LCPS high school, Rock Ridge, was awarded a bronze medal (no state or national rankings are included with this designation).

To focus on student outcomes, U.S. News has included graduation rates as a major factor in its methodology – the first time graduation rates have been used to evaluate high schools on this scale. The 6,218 high schools receiving national recognition from U.S. News graduate their students at rates that are 15 percent higher, on average, than other schools across the country.

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2016-2017 Honors and Awards LCPS students and staff received many local, state and national awards during the 2016-17 school year. national awards, including the Virginia Theatre Association’s High School Theatre Festival State Championship, the Virginia High School Athletic League Conference 21B Championship, the Southeastern Theatre Conference Championship and the Virginia Thespian Society Chapter Select.

Kelsey Stiles, a third grade teacher at Rolling Ridge Elementary School, was named the inaugural winner of the Teaching in Loudoun County New Teacher of the Year Award for Elementary Schools.

Stiles is a 2010 graduate of Dominion High School, where she was a member of Future Educators of America, and a 2016 graduate of Christopher Newport University from which she received a master’s degree in teaching.

Stiles said she was inspired to pursue a teaching career because of her sixth grade science teacher, Rick Peck, who still teaches at Seneca Ridge Middle School. Peck was Stiles’ teacher honoree at the 2009 Excellence in Education Banquet.

Special educator

Will Herndon

of Blue Ridge

Middle School

was named the

first recipient

of the First Year Teacher

of the Year

Award for

Secondary

Teachers.

Herndon teaches in the school’s intellectual disabilities and multiple disabilities classroom. Herndon’s nominator described his gifts as an educator: “The most impacting, clear demonstration of his talent is in his ability to connect with children both emotionally and instructionally. For the students that he teaches it takes a special person – a person that sees potential and promise where others may see failure. His ability to instill in all his students a desire to achieve, to feel deeply cared for, and to create a culture of safe, authentic, acceptance are Mr. Herndon’s greatest assets.”

During an interview as part of the selection process, Herndon said that he was inspired to become a teacher, not just from being a child of educators, but because of his first job out of college working with a severe and profound special education class. He stated that year he found inspiration because of seeing the strides the students made. His biggest “a-ha” moment from his first year was in an IEP meeting. When asked by a parent about their child communicating more at home, he realized he didn’t know the impact he was making on kids all the time.

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Loudoun County Public Schools School Psychologist Dr. Charles Barrett was named School Psychologist of the Year by the Virginia Academy of School Psychologists.

This award recognizes practitioners who demonstrate best practices in serving Virginia’s families and students. Barrett was nominated by Dr. Heather Applegate, LCPS supervisor of diagnostic and prevention services.

In her nomination, Applegate cited Barrett’s commitment to providing services to disadvantaged students and his research, publications and presentations on serving and assessing culturally and linguistically diverse students.

Addison Bender, a visual arts teacher at Kenneth Culbert Elementary, was the recipient of the 2017 Shenandoah University Teacher of the Year Award for Loudoun County.

The 21 nominees for the award were honored on Thursday, May 18th, at Shenandoah’s Northern Virginia Campus in Leesburg.

This award, sponsored by Shenandoah’s Office of Outreach Education, recognizes teachers for excellence in the specialized areas of education. Teachers recognized by this award have dedicated at least five years of service to the students of Loudoun County and are nominated by their peers and students as well as by parents, parent-teacher organizations and administrators. This is the 23rd year the award has been presented.

Two LCPS students were honored as part of the 2017 Prudential Spirit of Community awards program.

Shishir Sriramoju, an eighthgrader at Stone Hill Middle School, was named Virginia’s top Middle Level Youth Volunteer. Shishir started a summer chess club to introduce this challenging game to elementary school students, while concurrently raising $1,500 for various charities.

Arianna Wright, a freshman at Tuscarora High School, was

named a Distinguished Finalist for the Prudential Spirit of Community Award. She played a lead role in reestablishing a car seat safety program, an effort that involved raising $10,000 to buy car seats for families in need and recruit and train car seat safety technicians. Arianna’s efforts led to the safe installation of more than 300 car seats and provided guidance to parents and caregivers.

Anish Susarla, a sixth-grader at Belmont Ridge Middle School, won the Virginia Geography Bee on Friday, March 31st, at Longwood University in Farmville.

Anish and Rohil Bhinge, of Frost Middle School in Fairfax, tied in the championship round. It took 29 questions before Anish was able to take the title.

Josh Ajima,

the technology

resource teacher

(TRT) at Dominion

High School and the

Academy of

Science, was named

a 2016-2017 Stanford FabLearn Fellow.

Ajima was one of 20 educators selected from a pool of 200 applicants.

As a fellow, Ajima will travel to Stanford University from October 14th through 16th to attend the FabLearn Conference.

The purpose of the program is to “bring together experienced educators from all over the world to contribute to research about the ‘makers’ culture and digital fabrication in education and to create an open-source library of curriculum.”

Rock Ridge

High School Theatre

Arts Teacher

Anthony Cimino Johnson was been

named one of three

recipients of the

International Thespian Society’s Inspirational Theatre Educator Award.

The award is presented annually to educators who have “inspired their students and dedicated themselves to providing quality theatre education.”

Cimino-Johnson was nominated for the award by several students from Thespian Troupe 8104 at Rock Ridge.

Cimino-Johnson’s productions have garnered several state and

GO GIRL (Genomic Opportunities for Girls In Research Labs), a partnership between Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS), Shenandoah University and the George Washington University Science and Technology Campus, was awarded a 2016 New England Biolabs Passion in Science Mentorship Award.

GO GIRL is a four-day summer educational outreach program designed to provide a unique opportunity for young women interested in gaining hands-on laboratory experience in molecular biology and genomics. It is held at the George Washington University Science and Technology Campus in Ashburn.

GO GIRL began in 2009 with 32 girls being served each summer between 2009 and 2011. Since 2012, 16 girls have participated each summer with a total of 176 participating in the program.

Woodgrove High School junior Derek Shockey was elected president of the Virginia Student Councils Association (VSCA) at the organization’s 91st Convention held March 24th through the 26th in Portsmouth. Shockey’s campaign message encouraged students to step out of their comfort zone and engage students in the elementary and middle schools that feed our high schools. More than 530 students from across the commonwealth attended the convention and cast ballots in the election. Shockey follows two other Woodgrove High School students in the role of VSCA president. Kelsey Briel (Class of 2012) and Ryan Thomas (Class of 2016) preceded Shockey in leading this state organization.

Two former LCPS athletes were among 11 athletes, coaches and contributors inducted into the Virginia High School Hall of Fame on June 25th in Charlottesville. Allen Pinkett, of Park View High School, and Blair Brown, of Loudoun Valley High School, were among the inductees.

www.LCPS.org

2016-2017 Honors and Awards

Andrea Weiskopf, the Latin teacher at River Bend and Seneca Ridge middle schools, has been named one of two recipients of the Excellence in Teaching at the Precollegiate Level award from the Society for Classical Studies.

Wyatt Pontius, a 2016 graduate of Potomac Falls High School and the Loudoun Academy of Science (AOS), was named the recipient of a $25,000 scholarship from the Davidson Institute for Talent Development’s Fellows Program.

The fellowship program seeks to recognize students “18 and under for completing a significant piece of work that has the potential to make a positive contribution to society” in a wide range of disciplines.

Rock Ridge High School Assistant Principal Dawn Dickerson received the Educator of the Year Award from the Sigma Mu Mu chapter of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.

Dickerson was recognized for her efforts in the areas of inclusion and acceptance. She coordinated a visit

by Freedom Rider Joan Trumpauer Mulholland to the school last year as part of Black History Month. She also plays an integral role in the planning of the annual Loudoun International Youth Leadership Summit.

Cameron Rico, a sixth-grader at Lunsford Middle School, became the first Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) student to be selected as a Fuel Up to Play 60 State Ambassador.

Fuel Up to Play 60 is the nation’s largest in-school wellness program.

Sponsored by the National Dairy Council and the National Football League, the program encourages students to practice good nutrition, get 60 minutes of exercise each day and lead efforts to make their schools healthier.

Dr. Barbara Gruber, the LCPS aerospace educator-in-residence at

the National Air

and Space

Museum Steven

F. Udvar-Hazy

Center, was

accepted into

NASA’s Space

Educator

Expedition Crew Program. This competitive program selects 36 K-12 teachers from across the country to collaborate in six regional Educator Expedition Crews to develop teacher leadership skills and STEM-based learning experiences.

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Eagle Ridge Middle School seventh-grader Sean McLaughlin entered his original composition in James Madison University’s Young Composers Competition. His piece, “Pearl” for piano, won for the middle school division and was performed at James Madison.

Sean is an active member of the Eagle Ridge band program, performing on alto saxophone in concert band and piano in jazz band.

LCPS Music

Supervisor

Michael

Pierson

was elected

to a two-year

term as

president of

the Virginia

Association of Music Education Administrators (VAMEA).

The organization represents fine arts administrators from across Virginia and operates under the Virginia Music Educators Association.

LCPS Financial Services Supervisor Lisa Frye was honored with the 2016 International Eagle Award from the Association of School Business Officials (ASBO).

The Eagle Award recognizes individuals who have exhibited outstanding and visionary leadership in school business management.

She received a $5,000 scholarship to award to a high school student of her choice. The scholarship funds were provided by AXA.

Frye joined LCPS in 2016. She has a 25-year career as a school business professional in three Virginia school divisions. She previously served as president and past president of the Virginia Association of School Business Officials (VASBO), implementing numerous statewide initiatives to enhance collaboration and communication among school business leaders.

Bruce Shafferman, Principal of

Lowes Island

Elementary School,

was named a

recipient of the

2017 School Bell

Award from the

Virginia

Association of

Elementary

School Principals (VAESP). The award is presented to school-based administrators who have made significant contributions to the organization, have won awards and honors or have published articles.

Recipients must be nominated by another VAESP member, and the nominator may not be the nominee’s subordinate.

The Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association Education Foundation (VRLTAEF) presented Monroe Technology Center (MTC) culinary arts instructor Joy Anderson with the 2017 Virginia ProStart Educator Excellence Award. Anderson joined other top educators for the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s (NRAEF) ProStart Educator Excellence Awards on May 19th in Chicago. This award is given to ProStart teachers who are leaders within their state program, and who have helped elevate the program and their students within their community.

Seneca Ridge Middle School eighth-graders Cameron Burke and Cora MacMillan were honored April 23rd in Richmond as part of the Holocaust Museum of Virginia’s Impact Art Contest.

Cora won second place and Cameron the honorable mention prize from120 entries from across the commonwealth. Students were asked to design a picture that showed the lessons that can be learned from the Holocaust. Seneca Ridge tied the contest into the “Diary of Anne Frank” in English class. Cameron chose “Hope” and Cora chose “Renouncement” as the themes of their artwork.

The top substitute teachers employed by Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) were honored at the Tuesday, May 23rd, meeting of the Loudoun County School Board.

Kris Lincicome, nominated by Loudoun Valley High School, is the Substitute Teacher of the Year at the high school level; John Owings, nominated by Harper Park Middle School, is the Substitute Teacher of the Year from the middle school level; and at the elementary school level, Jennifer Brandt, nominated by Aldie Elementary School, and Christine Ragan, nominated by Discovery Elementary, are the substitute teachers of the year.

George Mason University has honored Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) Supervisor of Safety and Security Suzanne Devlin with its Distinguished Alumna Award. Each department at George Mason has the opportunity to select an alumnus to honor for their achievements in meeting the needs of the community. Devlin was selected by the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.

LCPS Library

Media Services

Supervisor

Elissa Moritz is

one of 22 new

Lilead Fellows.

The Lilead

Fellows Program

is a unique,

nationally recognized professional development opportunity designed to empower, enable and equip school district library supervisors to think differently and creatively about library programs.

The Fellows work collaboratively with peers and mentors from districts across the country. They are charged with thinking critically and differently about the impact school libraries can make on all members of their school communities.

Lilead Fellows are selected from a competitive, nationwide pool of applicants.

Moritz is an educator and librarian with more than 28 years of experience in elementary and middle school classrooms and libraries. She came to Loudoun County after teaching in Maryland, Hawaii and Colorado. In her current position as library media services supervisor, she uses her knowledge to help librarians lead innovative library programs.

Dominion

High School

graduate Vivek

Rao has

been named an

Academic All American by

the National

Speech and

Debate

Association

(NSDA). The

award is

presented to

students who have earned the degree of Superior Distinction in the NSDA, while achieving academically and maintaining outstanding leadership and character. Fewer than 500 students across the nation have earned Academic All-American status from the NSDA.

PAGE 5

Ferguson Takes an AOS Problem to Cambridge

What would you call a student who worked on the same problem from high school through graduate school?

Brilliant.

Ashley Ferguson is taking a problem she first explored at the Loudoun Academy of Science to England as part of a Rotary Scholarship to Cambridge.

A member of the Stone Bridge High School Class of 2012, Ferguson went on to the University of Virginia, where she received a degree in biology. She traced the roots of her academic obsession on a recent visit to the Academy of Science (AOS).

“The questions I developed at AOS, I continued in college… That evolution of questions has been something unique to my research experience…

(At Cambridge) I’ll continue the questions that really started in (Jackie) Curley’s classroom as a high school junior.”

Ferguson’s research started with the understanding that cancer cells divide more often than normal cells.

“That’s sort of a universal feature of cancers. Similarly, another universal feature is that they uptake glucose… at greater rate than normal cells do. At AOS, I applied an herbal extract that stopped the cancer cell’s ability to use that glucose. What would happen to it?”

At U.Va., Ferguson tried to understand what the cancer cells did with the increased intake of glucose.

“The way they process it might have something to do with the cell’s mitochondria (the power generators of the cell)… At Cambridge, I’ll take it a step further as to why does mitochondrial behavior change in the context of cancer.”

Ferguson understands the unique nature of her research. “It’s a really unusual, but cool, evolution.

In high school, I became aware of a phenomenon. In college, I dug a little deeper into the biology behind it. Now,

PAGE 6

in graduate school, I’m going to try to understand the ‘Why?’.”

This isn’t a question Ferguson would have asked as a freshman entering the AOS. “When I started off at AOS, I actually think I was not that interested in science. I saw school and my classes as something to be perfected and to excel at.”

Her first AOS exam was not a precursor of scientific greatness (she got a “D”). “I’d never gotten any grade below an ‘A’ in my life…

Both myself and my parents had a little bit of a panic. I kind of felt like everything was over. I had no concept of how to recover from something like that. I had never failed in school before.”

That exam in particular – and the AOS in general – taught Ferguson how to find value in failure. “Failure is part of the scientific process.” She learned perfection is not possible, but also not enviable, because you should always have more questions.

Rather than retreat, Ferguson used the poor grade as an epiphany.

“That was the point in time that I knew to do well at this school – understand how to think scientifically – I wasn’t going to be able to superficially learn.

I was really going to have to invest deeply…

“I started understanding how to do the kind of thinking they want us to be doing here. That’s how I got excited about science.”

Ferguson’s love of research was born out of creating her own research project at the end of her second year at AOS. “They kind of told us we could study anything we wanted. That kind of independence or the ability to form an identity over my science; that was a real turning point.”

Studying biology during her third year at AOS is where Ferguson’s scientific curiosity reached critical mass. “Biology is really unique in letting you tell a story with the area of research that you’re doing. That was

Part of that program is creating your own project.

Friends of Ferguson have asked her what will happen if someone unlocks the cancer-glucose riddle before her. She has mixed emotions. On the one hand, she wants to get to the answer as quickly as possible. “For the sake of translating it into clinical care.” On the other, there’s the satisfaction of making the discovery.

Whatever happens with her question, Ferguson would like to work in research and maybe, later, teaching.

“My path has been changed so much by my education that I might want to teach at some point.”

She notes that AOS Director George Wolfe has definitely tried to recruit her.

really compelling to me.”

During her time at the AOS, Ferguson traveled to both Singapore and the Bahamas.

In Singapore, she learned that science is done differently in different countries. Singaporean research partners taught her how to plan experiments around the tools that are available. “That skill has come in handy when I’ve been in the college research laboratory where funding is limited and I have certain tools. How can you ask questions using those tools?”

The Bahamas signified the joys of discovering science (even though there were tests).

Ferguson’s doctoral program at Cambridge allows collaboration with the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

LCPS Has 10 Virginia Naturally Schools

Virginia Naturally Schools is the official environmental education school recognition program of Virginia, administered by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries with support from the Department of Education, Department of Environmental Quality and other resource agencies.

This program recognizes the efforts of schools to increase the environmental awareness and stewardship of our youngest citizens.

Schools earning the designation demonstrate leadership in the areas of administrative support for environmental education and conservation; staff development and curriculum integration related to environmental education; programs designed to conserve resources used by the school; and meaningful field experiences, such as community-based

projects or investigations on the school grounds.

The honored LCPS schools (with the number of years they have been honored) include:

• Blue Ridge Middle School, 10 years • Cedar Lane Elementary, four years • Dominion High School, 12 years • Harmony Middle School, one year • J. Michael Lunsford Middle School, five years • Mill Run Elementary School, two years • Park View High School, six years • Rolling Ridge Elementary, one year • Round Hill Elementary, one year • Sterling Elementary, five years

www.LCPS.org

2016-2017 Year in Review The 2016-17 school year saw the opening of a new school, Madison’s Trust Elementary, and Loudoun County’s student population passing 80,000.

Here are some of the highlights for the school year:

September

September 9: Loudoun County Public Schools undertook a number of ceremonies and classroom activities to mark the 15th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks. At Emerick Elementary, the student body and staff, accompanied by fire, rescue and law enforcement personnel, as well as many members of the community, gathered outside the school for the raising of the flag.

The honor of raising the flag was given to Army Sgt. Gabe Harcrow, an Emerick parent, who was about to begin a four-month deployment in Afghanistan.

September 18: Former Loudoun County Public Schools Superintendent Robert E. Butt, age 92, died. Mr. Butt brought about full integration of Loudoun County Public Schools during the 1969-70 school year.

When he retired in 1988, Mr. Butt was the longest-serving superintendent among Virginia’s 140 school divisions. Fourteen

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new schools were built during Mr. Butt’s tenure. In addition, kindergarten, vocational and adult education, special education and the middle school and alternative school programs were started when he was superintendent.

September 19: The Loudoun Education Foundation (LEF) raised a record $105,000 at its annual Golf Classic, which was held at Creighton Farms Golf Club. Of the money raised, $40,000 went directly to teacher classroom grants.

September 23: A sign was unveiled. A tree was planted. A school took on a new life. Hillsboro Charter Academy was formally rededicated during a ceremony on the school’s grounds. “This is the culmination of three years of hard work,” Rebecca Baldwin Fuller, the president of the charter’s Board of Directors told the student body and assembled guests. “It started with parents meeting because they were concerned about the school closing as far back as May of 2013.

And here we are in September of 2016…and we’ve got a building…

full of children who are engaged every day in new and exciting things.”

October

October 1: Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) Latin students took a field trip of “epic” proportions. They joined another 150 Latin students from across Northern Virginia to take part in a scavenger hunt at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. In ancient times, a museum was a center of learning dedicated to the muses. For the purposes of the field trip, students explored the works of art to learn why El Greco painted Toledo, Spain, into the background of a painting about the Trojan War and why characters from myth and history are often portrayed in clothing styles contemporary to the artist.

October 5: To celebrate National Walk to School Day, Girl Scout troops from (Continued on page 8)

PAGE 7

YEAR IN REVIEW (Continued from page 7)

Catoctin Elementary participated in a walk from Fox Ridge Park in Leesburg to Catoctin Elementary School. Several special guests were in attendance. Leesburg Town Council Member Kelly Burk greeted and welcomed the Scouts to kick off the walk. Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office Deputy First Class Travis Westgate addressed the girls on safe walking strategies and routes. Catoctin health and physical education teacher Michelle Maged warmed up and stretched the students prior to beginning the trek to school. Principal Janet Platenberg led the students in the walk to Catoctin.

October 6: Freedom High School conducted a grand opening celebration for its renovated media center. The purpose of the event was to introduce students and staff to the new technology features added to the facility. The renovation is the culmination of an ongoing process started last year by Principal Doug Fulton. Librarian Barbara Oliphant said the renovations created a “learning commons,” which is a “trend of the future.” A new design lab with iMac computers and Sketchup software for creating 3-D drawings is on one end of the library, while the opposite end contains a TV production studio with green screen.

October 6: The new class of Claude Moore Scholars – 67 strong – were presented their white lab coats during a ceremony at the LCPS Administrative Offices in Ashburn. “Health care needs you,” said Rahman A. Parker, the keynote speaker for the coating ceremony. “We have a shortage right now. We have a shortage of staff nurses in our clinic. We have a shortage of staff nurses that are inside this whole system.

We have a shortage of physicians. We have a shortage of other support staff; shortage of radiology techs, shortage of pharmacists. Health care needs you. Are you all ready to be a part of health care?... For those of you who say you’re ready for this, I’m glad, because it’s not going to be easy.”

October 15: Twenty-four LCPS teachers participated in a school garden training program at Willowsford Farm in Ashburn. The workshop was funded by a USDA Farm to School Planning Grant that was awarded to the LCPS School Nutrition Services Department. The workshop was coordinated by Sarah Holoway and Lea Howe of DC Greens. DC Greens is a non-profit organization that addresses food education, food access and food policy.

October 18: Ingenuity was put to a tough test at Seldens Landing Elementary. That’s when approximately 150 fifth-graders took part in the 8th Annual Egg Drop Challenge. The fifthgraders worked collaboratively to research, design, engineer and test contraptions to keep an egg safe during a fall from the school’s roof.

Research included learning about STEM fields, engineering processes, failure analysis and force and velocity.

October 18: Seven students and three staff members from Harper Park Middle School traveled to the White House to attended the arrival ceremony for Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and his wife, Agnese Landini. This was President Obama’s last official state visit, a fact noted by the president in his remarks. The ceremony took place on the South Lawn of the White House.

Harper Park students were fortunate enough to be placed in the front of the audience, which allowed them to shake hands with the president and the prime minister.

October 19: The 16th year of the Books for Babies program kicked off during a luncheon at Inova Loudoun Hospital. Books for Babies began as an idea by retired LCPS Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Sharon Ackerman in 1998. Ackerman secured $2,988 from the Loudoun Education Foundation and $900 from Phi Delta Kappa (the international education fraternity) to help purchase 1,666 “Read to Your Bunny” books to be sent home with newborns

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at Inova Loudoun. In the following years, packets of books – in English and Spanish – have been sent home with newborns.

October 20: The world got a little bit smaller as Loudoun Valley High School signed a sister school declaration with the Ady Endre Gimnazium in Debrecen, Hungary. The partnership was formalized during a welcome breakfast hosted by Loudoun Valley for the teacher and principal of Ady Endre Gimnazium, who arrived the previous day with 10 students from the school. Through their partnership, students from Loudoun Valley and Debrecen will be able to visit their sister school. Loudoun Valley Principal Sue Ross signed for her school, while Ady Endre Gimnazium Principal Gabor Rozsavolgyi signed on behalf of his.

October 28: Macaws – real and symbolic – were part of the dedication of Madison’s Trust Elementary. An excited student body got to meet a real-life Macaw, their school mascot.

The real Macaw, named Rita, was brought to the dedication by Dave Kramer, owner of DJ Feathers Aviary in Chantilly. The students learned that the 6-year-old Rita likes pizza (among several other foods). Assistant Principal Laura Ganley then revealed the name of the costumed representation of the mascot, which the students chose. The mascot’s official name is Max. Max was chosen by 33 percent of the student body, beating out Polly (28 percent); James (20 percent); and Marty (19 percent). (The school’s namesake, President James Madison, had a Macaw for a pet, which led to the school’s selection of a mascot.)

November

November 3: The Stone Bridge High School crew team christened a new four-man boat in front of the high school. Despite a light drizzle, athletes, coaches, Assistant Principal Kevin Tyson, Assistant Athletic Director Joan Windows and several supportive teachers gathered around the previously named “Rodney Dangerfield” to cheer on Head Coach Kayla McCormick, Principal Matthew Wilburn and Athletic Director Dave Hembach while they christened the boat. The Stone Bridge crew purchased the Resolute-brand shell from Duke University and took possession of the boat at the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta in Philadelphia.

November 4: Redskin great Clinton Portis used the occasion of National Jersey Day to instill some life lessons to fourth-graders at Hillside Elementary. Portis met the fourthgraders in the gym to run some agility drills and relay races; activities in which he is incredibly good, by the way. Then he sat the students down for a talk on fitness and goal-setting.

Since his retirement from the Redskins in 2010, Portis said he plays basketball, flag football and chases after his four sons in various sports.

“They think they’re faster and tougher than me.”

November 6: The Broad Run DECA Chapter headed to New York City with 49 students and six chaperones to raise awareness for the Loudoun Breast Health Network (LBHN).

The field trip surpassed all their expectations.

Not only did the students appear on the “Today” show, but they also made it on The Today Show Facebook LIVE page and got a personal interview from “Today” meteorologist Dylan Dreyer.

November 7: More than 500 elementary students have new reading material thanks to the hard work of 27 dedicated volunteers at Loudoun County High School. The volunteers – members of the high school’s Educators Rising (teacher cadets), Battle of the Books team and CAMPUS (plus two students from Briar Woods High School) – put together StoryBook Treasures book bags. Denise Corbo, a SEARCH teacher at Horizon and Steuart W. Weller elementary schools, started StoryBook Treasures, a non-profit organization, with the (Continued on page 9)

www.LCPS.org

YEAR IN REVIEW (Continued from page 8)

goal of providing books and reading materials to promote literacy and education for all children.

The entire program is run by volunteers. 100 percent of all donations are used for books and teaching materials.

November 10: A multidisciplinary unit on access to clean drinking water at Harper Park Middle School culminated with a 45-minute walk around the school campus. Students in all three grades at the school took part in both the lessons and the walk. Students in English classes read Linda Sue Park’s “A Long Walk to Water” to experience 11-year-old Nya’s twohour walk to clean drinking water in Sudan.

Students in science classes learned about the Chesapeake Bay watershed and the importance of caring for it. Students in math classes used a number of skills to tally contributions to a coin drive and track the results. Students in history classes learned about the relationship between water and Native Americans.

November 11: Loudoun County High School conducted an assembly for the veterans in its community; one of the many such ceremonies held throughout LCPS. The assembly opened with the presentation of colors by the school’s Naval Junior ROTC chapter. Members of the chorus sang the National Anthem. Cmdr. Jeremy Gillespie, NavyRetired, the commander of the Naval Junior ROTC chapter, delivered remarks. Gillespie recounted how he learned about veterans as a child by visiting with his great uncle in a nursing home in West Virginia. His great uncle was a veteran of World War I and was still suffering from the horrors of trench warfare some 60 years after the conflict. Gillespie explored the technological developments of “the Great War” and its relationship to the Armistice Day, which would later become known as Veterans Day in America. The highlight of the assembly was the performance of two of the school’s NJROTC drill teams. An unarmed, all-female team and an armed co-ed team performed the routines they would be using in competition the following weekend. Both performances elicited a standing ovation from the veterans in the audience.

November 11-14: A large part of Loudoun County’s state legislative delegation took part in Loudoun County Public Schools Take Your Legislator to School Day. “Hopefully, you will join the 1 percent of the 1 percent of Virginians who know what the attorney general does,” Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring told Tracy Cody’s senior civics students as he began a questionand-answer session at Loudoun County High School. “The attorney general is the guardian of public interest. How’s that for a job title?”

Del. Tag Greason (32nd District) visited Belmont Ridge Middle School and Riverside High School. State Sen. Jennifer Wexton (33rd District) and Del. John Bell (87th District) visited the third grade class of Grace Adams at Rosa Lee Carter Elementary. Wexton and Bell observed personalized learning in action as students rotated through math stations, including technology, flash cards, manipulatives and project-based activities. Later in the day, Wexton was joined by Del. Jennifer Boysko

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(86th District) at Park View High School. State Sen. Dick Black (13th District) spoke to several social sciences classes at Broad Run High School. State Sen. Barbara Favola (31st District) visited Seneca Ridge Middle School and Del. Jim LeMunyon (67th District) visited Little River Elementary and J. Michael Lunsford Middle School.

November 14: Fourth- and fifth-graders at Seldens Landing Elementary planted trees around their campus in partnership with The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC). PEC worked with Principal Garett Brazina, teachers and students to complete the planting of 66 Virginia native trees around the campus. After a quick lesson on the project and how to properly plant trees, the students, teachers and parent volunteers planted the trees together.

November 14: Students from River Bend Middle School had the opportunity to spend the day at Redskins Park in Ashburn as part of a partnership with the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation. Students began by warming up on the indoor practice field – kicking field goals and running passing routes. They then heard from Super Bowl XXII MVP Doug Williams on the importance of perseverance and hard work. Then the students played flag football with many of the Redskins players including Colt McCoy, Kendall Fuller, Pierre Garçon and Ryan Grant.

November 15: A low-pressure system in a bottle and a tornado in a box. Those were only two of the marvels on display at Meadowland Elementary. WJLA-TV meteorologist Brian van de Graaff came to Meadowland – along with the Storm Trak weather vehicle – to help students learn about the weather. Showing they were no weather slouches, the Meadowland students were able to name the different types of clouds: cumulus, cirrus, cumulonimbus and stratus.

November 15: A principal will usually give you detention if you are caught writing on a desk. But Liberty Elementary Principal Paul Pack encouraged guests to write on the desks at the dedication of his school’s new SMART Lab. It should be noted that those desks have white board tops on them and are just one of the collaborative tools in the repurposed space at the school. Guests gathered in the lab to view a video of how students in the school are using the new tools. Guests had an opportunity to try out the new technology, which includes Spherogolf, Makey, Ozobots, Osmos Coding, 3-D printing and video editing.

November 16: “You’re on the right track.”

That’s the assessment Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Vice Chairman Ralph Buona (Ashburn District) gave a group of Trailside Middle School seventh-graders during an after-school meeting. The seventh-graders worked to connect Westward Expansion topics (such as the transcontinental railroad, why people moved west and its impact) to the movement of people to Loudoun County and the impact of the expansion of Metro’s Silver Line. Students evaluated, critiqued and made recommendations on Loudoun’s plans regarding how to develop land around its portion of the Silver Line and how this would affect their community.

(Continued on page 17)

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Thompson is 2017 Teacher of the Year

Kathleen Thompson is Loudoun County’s 2017 Teacher of the Year.

Thompson is an English and public speaking teacher at Stone Bridge High School.

“I believe a great teacher imparts valuable knowledge (to) their students,” former Stone Bridge student Jennifer Stevens wrote in a letter supporting Thompson’s nomination. “But the mark of an exceptional teacher is one whose interest in their students extends well beyond the classroom, an unmistakable quality in Mrs. Thompson. Not only has she been an extraordinary gift in my own life, but Mrs. Thompson has been a light in the lives of many students before me and I’m confident she will be celebrated by many more who are yet to come.”

Jane Waldrop, who took Thompson’s ninth grade English class in 1994, wrote about the lasting effect Thompson had on her life.

“Kathy Thompson is a gift, not just to the students she reaches, but to the lives she changes and helps. Being a teenager is hard. Kathy makes it not just survivable, but enjoyable. I have never had an educator that has shown this level of caring and relatability to their students…

“In my own life, I credit Mrs. Thompson as the main reason I became a teacher…I want to pass on the kindness that Kathy Thompson spreads each and every day that she works with her students…I want my students to know that they are loved in my classroom – no matter what. These gifts that Kathy Thompson gave me as a high school student still guide me in my teaching and my relationships with my own children, my students and my former students.”

Beyond reading thousands of essays each year, Thompson is known for designing group projects that require and foster true teamwork.

She’s also known for team teaching with teachers from the Special Education Department and making sure individualized education plans (IEPs) are truly tailored to the needs

PAGE 10

of individual students. Thompson also has the ability to connect with, and challenge, students in advanced placement (AP) classes.

Donna Marteney, a fellow Stone Bridge faculty member, wrote about how Thompson worked with a special needs student who found a required reading objectionable. “He refused to read the assigned book and came to talk with Mrs. Thompson about it…She was compassionate and encouraging toward him, even telling him she was proud of the way he was advocating for himself.

She calmly discussed options with him, even though he was clearly agitated and somewhat oppositional. Mrs. Thompson was able to negotiate an alternative assignment that was reasonable for both the student’s needs and the requirements of the class. She went above and beyond to meet the needs of the student.”

VMEA Blue Ribbon Schools

Virginia Music Educators Association (VMEA) Blue Ribbon Schools are those that had band, choir and orchestra programs all receiving superior ratings in assessment.

The LCPS VMEA Blue Ribbon Schools include: • Broad Run High School • Briar Woods High School • Freedom High School • John Champe High School • Lunsford Middle School • Potomac Falls High School • Riverside High School • Rock Ridge High School • Simpson Middle School • Smart’s Mill Middle School • Stone Hill Middle School

Through the years, Thompson has led student- and faculty-centered activities, such as cheerleading, Forensic Club, English National Honor Society, Key Club, Student Council Association, National Honor Society, mentor training and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS). She has embraced concepts such as One to the World (OTTW) and projectbased learning. She is a member of two common learning teams (CLTs) that maintain equity and

consistency in commonly taught courses. The CLTs design assessments, evaluate student performance data and create and modify common lesson plans.

Thompson holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Virginia Tech and a master’s in instructional technology from George Mason University. She is an inaugural member of the Stone Bridge faculty, having served there since 2000. Thompson previously taught at Park View High School, joining the staff there in 1986.

Past Winners of the Loudoun County Teacher of the Year Award Include: • Linda P. Sheffield, Loudoun County High School (1984) • Fritz J. Scholz III, Loudoun County High School (1985) • Shirley G. Lynn, Elementary Gifted Program (1986) • Harold D. Berry, C.S. Monroe Technology Center (1987) • Margaret W. Vaughan, Loudoun Valley High School (1988) • Elizabeth R. Doerken, Sully Elementary School (1989) • Edith J. Middleton, Loudoun County High School (1990) • Everett W. Sutphin, C.S. Monroe Technology Center (1991) • Dean T. Drewyer, Loudoun Valley High School (1992) • Richard T. Gillespie, Loudoun Valley High School (1993) • Mary V. Young, Loudoun County High School (1994) • Mary Carol Elgin, C.S. Monroe Technology Center (1995) • Lee Daniel Kent, Loudoun County High School (1996) • Laura L. West, Meadowland Elementary School (1997) • Ann S. Haring, Farmwell Station Middle School (1998) • Elizabeth “Lyle” Skarzinski, Loudoun Valley High School (1999) • Lora A. Buckman, Meadowland Elementary School (2000) • Betty Hill Rankin, Sterling Middle School (2001) • Ronald W. Richards, Broad Run High School (2002) • Rachel P. Newell, Hillside Elementary School (2003) • Douglas M. Dillon, Harper Park Middle School (2004) • Victoria L. Lascomb, Evergreen Mill Elementary School (2005) • Elizabeth N. Korte, Stone Bridge High School (2006) • Sue Ann Gleason, Cedar Lane Elementary School (2007) • Patricia R. Herr, Smart’s Mill Middle School (2008) • Jim G. Jenkins, Mountain View Elementary School (2009) • Rhonda L. Alley, Douglass School (2010) • Kenneth David Keller, Stone Bridge High School (2011) • Andrea M. Schlegel, Heritage High School (2012) • Lisa A. Roth, Dominion Trail Elementary School (2013) • Allison M. Alison, Stone Bridge High School (2014) • Dawn M. Blevins, Guilford Elementary School (2015) • John T. Tuck, Rolling Ridge Elementary School (2016) • Kathleen N. Thompson, Stone Bridge High School (2017)

www.LCPS.org

Gabriel is 2017 Principal of the Year

John Gabriel, the principal of John Champe High School, is Loudoun County’s 2017 Principal of the Year.

Gabriel is noted for creating a successful school community in a rapidly growing area by maintaining a personal touch. “One of the qualities that most impresses me about John is his ongoing focus on personal, face-to-face interactions as part of his management strategy,” Assistant Principal Sara Genetin-Pilawa wrote in her nomination letter. “Despite the

Past Recipients of the Loudoun County Principal of the Year Award Include: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Mary Lee Phelps (1986) Bernice M. Nicewicz (1987) William L. Whitmore Jr. (1988) Francis R. Fera (1989) Terrence W. Hill (1990) Dennis A. Young (1991) Kenneth W. Culbert (1992) Michael A. Megeath (1993) Ronald E. Dyer (1994) James E. Person (1996) Mary B. Morris (1997) Wayne C. Mills (1998) Charles J. Haydt (1999) Laurie C. McDonald (2000) Nancy E. McManus (2001) Dr. Virginia M. Minshew (2002) Dr. Edgar T. Markley (2003) Dr. Susan P. Browning (2004) Dr. Jack H. Robinson (2005) Margaret A. Huckaby (2006) Eric L. Stewart (2007) Paul L. Vickers (2009) Dr. John Brewer (2010) Timothy J. Flynn (2011) James E. Dallas (2012) Janet A. Platenberg (2013) Andrew J. Davis (2014) Sherryl D. Loya (2015) Michael A. Pellegrino (2016) John G. Gabriel (2017)

*No award was presented in 1995 or 2008.

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fact the school continues to grow, he makes time for people as a means to have the pulse of the building and get feedback from staff members.”

Known for his detailed planning, Gabriel’s nomination packet also stressed what he’s not known for.

“Mr. Gabriel remarkably avoids the temptation to micromanage or control.

Rather, he empowers teachers, staff and students to make decisions; always monitoring progress and asking clarifying questions and providing them with additional resources as needed.”

A former colleague, Paul Farmer, noted Gabriel’s expertise as an instructional leader. “I first met Mr. Gabriel in 2001, when we hired him for the English Department chair position at Falls Church High School. His leadership abilities were immediately apparent. Within two short years he led his department from being the third-lowest-ranked in the district to the third-highest with 23 high school English departments trailing behind his. His attention to detail, tenacity on seeking solutions and overall energy

for leadership challenges makes him a perfect fit for school administration.”

“I am keenly aware of the importance of establishing relationships with students, parents and teachers to support the learning of growth for our kids,” Learning Resources Department Chair Shelley Wiederhold wrote. “I have never worked for a principal…who is so passionately committed to engaging with all of these groups to build a positive and forward-looking school community. From the Principal’s Advisory Team to spaghetti dinners for parents, Mr. Gabriel is there to listen to parents, students and staff and create a welcoming and encouraging atmosphere for all.”

“From the moment the school opened its doors in the fall of 2012, Mr. Gabriel has been fully invested in maintaining the school as well as his incredible relationship with students, their families and faculty,” wrote Rachel Clark, a member of the Class of 2015. “As president of the Class of 2015 for the three years we were at Champe, I had the opportunity to work

closely with Mr. Gabriel on several occasions and see for myself the kind of committed and caring leader we had running our school.”

One of Gabriel’s favorite acronyms is NBAU (not business as usual). “As with all superior educators, John models this mantra in all that he does,” wrote teacher Katherine McCown DelDotto. “Everything he does is purposeful and, as a teacher, I know that every interaction I have had with him has helped to develop me as a stronger practitioner.”

Gabriel has served as John Champe’s principal since 2011 when he began a year of planning for the school’s opening. He previously served as an assistant principal at Park View High School; English Department chair at Falls Church High School; as an English teacher at North Stafford High School; and as an English teacher at Lodi, N.J., High School. Gabriel holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Mary Washington College and a master’s degree in educational leadership from George Mason University.

2017 Bond Referendum

Bond funding for school construction will be up for voter approval in the Tuesday, November 7th, election.

On the referendum this year are $81,761,000 in school renovation and construction projects, security enhancements and funds for replacing school buses.

Among these projects are the renovation of the current C.S. Monroe Technology Center and Douglass School, installing turf fields and resurfacing tracks at Briar Woods and Freedom high schools, security improvements at 60 schools and replacing school buses.

This is not a referendum on whether these school projects should be executed. They have already been approved by the School Board and Board of Supervisors. This referendum seeks the authority to issue general obligation bonds to fund these projects.

The Board of Supervisors has selected general obligation bonds as the method of funding these projects.

General obligation bonds have historically been among the least expensive means of financing school construction and sold with a 20-year repayment schedule for construction projects. Using this method, people moving

into Loudoun will help pay for the schools that will be built for the county’s increasing school population.

If the bond referendum is not approved, the Board of Supervisors must find other means of funding for these projects that is typically more expensive and less timely.

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 7th.

Voter Deadlines:

In-Person Voter Registration Deadline: 5 p.m.

Monday, October 16th.

Last day to apply to have an absentee ballot be mailed to you is 5 p.m. Tuesday, October 31st.

Last day to vote an absentee ballot in person is Saturday, November 4th (registrar’s office will be open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.).

For more information, contact the Voter Registration and Electoral Board Office at 703-777-0380. This office is located at 750 Miller Drive, SE, Suite C, Leesburg, VA 20175-8916.

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Loudoun’s No. 1 Returning Alumnus

Jonathan Allen is coming home.

Sort of…

The 2013 Stone

Bridge graduate is

still trying to find his

way around his

“native” Ashburn. “I

really don’t know

it much anymore.

When I was first here,

One Loudoun wasn’t built, none of this was built. I’m still trying to learn it myself, honestly. Top Golf, none of that was here.”

Not that Allen’s complaining. “I love it way better; more to do.”

The changing landscape aside, Allen now works a few miles from Stone Bridge at Redskins Park after being selected 17th overall in this year’s NFL draft. The defensive end remembered vividly coming to the fields he now practices on to watch Redskins training camp.

“I came to a couple of practices when we first got Donovan McNabb (in 2010). That was big for the Redskins when we first got him.”

The rarity of playing professional for his hometown team is not something that has really struck him yet, Allen said after a recent practice. “You really don’t have time to reflect when you’re going through it. Right now, there’s so much going on, I can’t really focus on that…

“It’s pretty cool, but at the same time this is my job now. I might think about it later on but, right now, we’re just all a part of the same team.

Sometimes I catch myself but, for the most part, PAGE 12

we’re just all working toward the same goal.”

Working is a theme Allen constantly comes back to. Asked how he wants to be seen by kids watching him, Allen will sum it up in two words. “Hard worker. That’s what it’s all about, putting in the hard work.”

Allen comes to the Redskins after a stellar career at the University of Alabama. During his senior season, he was named the Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner, the Chuck Bednarik Award winner and the Ted Hendricks Award winner. Additionally, he was a unanimous firstteam All-America selection and finished seventh in Heisman Trophy voting.

But what he learned at Alabama can’t be placed in a trophy case, Allen said. “You’ve got to be mentally tough to play in the NFL. I really pride myself on being a mentally tough ballplayer.”

That toughness also was honed by the Stone Bridge football program. “I remember coming up at 6:30 in the morning, lifting. After the game on Friday, we could come up at 8 o’clock on Saturday for resistance. It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s worth it.”

Stone Bridge football coach Mickey Thompson and his wife, Kathy, Loudoun’s 2017 Teacher of the Year, were two of Allen’s favorite people in high school. “They meant a lot. Coach Thompson was the first person to play me on the defensive line. I owe a lot of credit to them.

Mrs. Thompson was a great English teacher. I just love the whole Thompson family.”

After reflecting a bit, Allen delved a little deeper into his feeling about becoming a Redskin. “Very special. I feel like this is the Alabama of the NFL. It’s definitely been a rough time lately, but we’re working toward the same goal; getting this team back on track. We’re just taking it day-by-day. We’ve got an attitude going right now, a good mentality and we’re just working.”

LCPS on College Board’s AP® Honor Roll

Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) is one of 433 school districts in the United States and Canada being honored by the College Board with placement on the 7th Annual AP® District Honor Roll.

Five Virginia school divisions received this honor. (The other school divisions are Middlesex County, Rockbridge County, Rockingham County and Southampton County.)

To be included on the 7th Annual Honor Roll, LCPS had to increase the number of students participating in AP courses while also increasing or maintaining the number of students earning AP Exam scores of 3 or higher. Reaching these goals shows LCPS is successfully identifying motivated, academically prepared students who are ready for AP.

www.LCPS.org

14 State Championships & A Pair of Pro No. Ones

While Loudoun County Public Schools varsity teams were busy winning a combined 14 state championships, a pair of Stone Bridge High School alums made national headlines as firstround selections in the 2017 NFL and Major League Baseball drafts.

Jonathan Allen is returning to Ashburn to begin his NFL career after being selected by the Washington Redskins with the 17th overall selection in the NFL Draft. “It’s truly a blessing to be able to go back home and say I’m a part of the Washington Redskins,” said Allen, a former Gatorade Virginia Player of the Year for coach Mickey Thompson at Stone Bridge.

Allen, a defensive lineman, earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in his senior season at the University of Alabama and finished second on the Tide’s career list with 28.5 sacks.

Following a stellar junior season at the University of North Carolina, another Bulldog alum, J.B. Bukauskas, is taking his elite diamond skills to the professional ranks. The Houston Astros selected the right-handed pitcher with the 15th overall selection of the Major League Baseball draft. Bukauskas was the Atlantic Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year and a first-team All-American in 2017.

He posted a 21-6 record with a 3.18 ERA in 42 career starts for North Carolina, finishing fifth in career strikeouts with 294.

Bukauskas tweeted, “Such an exciting day! So many people that helped me along the way. It’s been a dream come true.”

Another pair of LCPS alums - Allen Pinkett and Blair Brown - are part of the 2017 Virginia High School Hall of Fame class.

Pinkett rushed for more than 5,000 yards and 64 touchdowns at Park View. He was a four-year starter at Notre Dame and played six seasons in the NFL with the Houston Oilers.

Brown led Loudoun Valley to a state volleyball championship and was twice selected as Gatorade Virginia Player of the Year. She helped Penn State win four consecutive national championships and was the 2010 National Player of the Year.

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(Continued on page 14)

PAGE 13

Here’s a look at the Loudoun County Public Schools year in sports: SPORTS IN REVIEW (Continued from page 13)

Fall Sports Football

A total of 10 Loudoun teams - Briar Woods, Broad Run, Dominion, Heritage, John Champe, Loudoun Valley, Potomac Falls, Stone Bridge, Tuscarora and Woodgrove - earned spots in the Virginia High School League (VHSL) football playoffs.

Woodgrove gained the No. 1 seed in the 4A West Region playoffs after Coach Mike Skinner guided the Wolverines to an undefeated regular season. Potomac Falls and Stone Bridge each won eight games during the regular season.

Stone Bridge once again found another gear when the postseason began. Coach Mickey Thompson led the Bulldogs to their second straight 5A North Region championship and seventh trip to the VHSL state championship game since 2005.

The Bulldogs’ bid for a second state title in program history fell just short in the 5A championship game. Highland Spring scored the go-ahead touchdown with less than a minute left in regulation to prevail 35-29 and claim its second straight state crown.

Joshua Breece, Bradley Block and Leland Girdy combined to rush for 387 yards and five touchdowns in the loss. Girdy’s run for a twopoint conversion with 1:22 left gave the Bulldogs a 29-28 lead after Thompson opted to go for the potential win, instead of a game-tying extra point.

“This is a really good football team. It’s one of my favorites,” said Thompson, Stone Bridge’s coach since the school opened in 2000. “I’ve had a lot of great teams over the years, but as a group of guys, I really like this team.”

Another compelling playoff game surfaced in Purcellville where Dominion and host Woodgrove clashed in the 4A West Region semifinals. Dominion’s special teams unit was truly special in the final minute of a 30-23 victory.

After Ramon Blas converted a 31-yard field goal attempt with 55 seconds left to give the Titans a 24-23 lead, Dominion’s Vashon McCants blocked Cameron Gieseman’s 43yard field goal attempt and senior Billie Walker scooped up the ball and raced to the end zone for a touchdown as time expired.

“Our kids are in the zone. They refuse to lose. We are doing the little things so much better than we ever have,” Dominion coach Karl Buckwalter said. “Like tonight, we had to have that block. Their guy has a great leg. We came up with a big block and Billie scooped and scored. That’s huge.”

Woodgrove appeared on its way to a 12th consecutive win early. Mike Kovich connected with Russell Blackwell on a 31-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and Chima Kpaduwa scored on a 16-yard run early in the second quarter to give the Wolverines a 14-0 lead.

Volleyball

It doesn’t matter how many state championships the Loudoun County Raiders volleyball team wins. It never gets old. In the Group 4A title match, Loudoun County spotted Jamestown the opening set before winning the next three to cruise to the program’s fifth consecutive Virginia High School League championship and ninth in the past 10 years.

The ninth VHSL title is three more than the next-winningest program, and the run of five in

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a row surpasses the four straight the Raiders accomplished from 2007 to 2010.

Hailey Rubino led the Raiders with 15 kills to go with her 12 digs and eight service points.

Sela Carrington put down nine kills, four of the tap variety. Hannah Aycock delivered eight kills.

Rachael Cullen came up with 17 digs and Andersen Vaughan helped out with 41 assists.

Sherrilyn Hanna has seen all the championships, the first six as an assistant coach and the last three as the program’s head coach. Hanna said she feels “blessed to be part of an organization and a school that gets it done every year, year after year.”

In the Virginia 5A volleyball championship, Briar Woods went down in straight sets to Princess Anne. The Falcons (23-3) were denied a second state tourney trophy to accompany the one they won in 2014, when they defeated Princess Anne in a five-set, come-from-behind thriller.

The story of Briar Woods’ postseason was that the Falcons managed to make the state tournament at all. After placing second in the ultra-tough Conference 14 regular season, the Falcons dropped their conference tournament opener to Tuscarora. That required a defeat of top-seed Stone Bridge in the consolation match just to reach regionals.

That regional tournament became a gauntlet of road challenges, as the Falcons emerged victorious at Brooke Point and Marshall before coming from behind in Roanoke to survive a five-set nailbiter versus Patrick Henry.

All those close calls and near-misses set the stage for the Falcons’ epic intra-Loudoun showdown with Tuscarora for the Region 5A North title, which Briar Woods also took in five exciting sets – also on the road.

“We fought so hard to get here,” Megan Courtney said. “We just never gave up. I think that shows what our program is.”

Cross-Country

The Loudoun Valley Vikings ran away with the Group 4A boys’ team title at the VHSL State Cross-Country Championships. The Vikings placed six runners in the top 40 overall, highlighted by junior Peter Morris crossing the finish line first in 15 minutes, 14 seconds.

In addition to Morris winning the individual title on the Great Meadow course, the Vikings received strong finishes from Colton Bogucki (fourth place), Jacob Hunter (sixth), Jacob Windle (20th), Chase Dawson (29th) and Kevin Carlson (40th).

Loudoun Valley’s team total of 45 points was 45 points less than runner-up Midlothian.

The Vikings repeated as state champions despite the loss of 2015 Gatorade National Runner of the Year Drew Hunter to graduation.

Freedom, paced by Osman Humeida (ninth) and Connor Wells (12th), finished third as a team with 92 points.

Loudoun Valley (second), Rock Ridge (fifth) and Loudoun County (sixth) produced strong team finishes in the 4A girls’ race. Natalie Morris (18:19) of Loudoun Valley placed second individually.

Tuscarora led the local charge in the Group 5A meet. The Huskies placed second in the girls’ team standings and third in boys’. Emma Wolcott (18:01) and Ava Hassebrock (18:21) gave Tuscarora a pair of top five finishes in the girls’ race, while Derek Johnson (15:44) placed sixth in the boys’ race.

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Sports Photography Courtesy of Loudoun Times-Mirror www.LCPS.org

SPORTS IN REVIEW (Continued from page 14)

Winter Sports

Golf

Basketball

For a fourth consecutive season, Loudoun Valley boasted a state champion golfer. Junior Ryan Hammer continued the streak in 2016, shooting a two-day total of 141 to claim low medalist honors at the Virginia 4A state golf tournament. Hammer defeated Ward Wilkinson of Hanover in a playoff for the state title.

Hammer follows Loudoun Valley alums Brandon Weaver (2015, 2014) and Ian Hildebrand (2013) as a state champion. Hammer also placed first at the Conference 21-B and 4A West Region tournaments. “Watching Brandon win two state championships really makes me feel good to bring the fourth one back to Loudoun Valley,” Hammer said. “He was a big role model to me when I was a freshman.”

A strong showing on day two of the competition vaulted Heritage into second place in Group 4A. The Pride shot a four-player total of 608, just eight strokes off the pace of team champion E.C. Glass.

Eli Newman, Garrett Ganley, Josh Petrillo and Nick Rentsch factored in the Pride’s scoring. The runner-up finish caps a stellar season for Heritage, which won conference and regional championships.

Riverside placed third as a team in the Group 3A state tournament, Jack Gessaman, Chad Musa, Kellen Pluntke and Shreya Ganta helped Conference 28 champion Riverside produce a two-day total of 633.

Tuscarora and freshman Michael Brennan led the local charge at the Virginia 5A tournament. Brennan tied for fifth individually, and the Huskies placed fourth as a team.

Loudoun Valley and Monacan high schools have squared off in the Virginia 4A state boys’ basketball quarterfinals each of the last two seasons. Each time, the winner of that game has moved on to win a state championship.

Monacan accomplished that feat in 2016, knocking off a previously undefeated Loudoun Valley squad on its way to a state title. Loudoun Valley turned the tables in 2017.

Once again entering the state playoffs as conference and regional champions, Loudoun Valley won the quarterfinal rematch 83-61 before cruising to a pair of 32-point victories in its next two games to earn its first state title in program history.

“I’m very proud of these young men. They battled all year long,” Loudoun Valley head coach Chad Dawson said. “They are just a super group.”

Loudoun Valley put the finishing touches on its magical season with a stellar performance in the state final. The Vikings controlled play from start to finish in an 80-48 victory against 4A West Region champion Jamestown March 10 at the Siegel Center in Richmond.

“We definitely didn’t leave off on the right note last year,” Viking senior captain Nick Ball said. “It feels a lot better to get it this year.

We’ve been working every day for a long time for this.”

Junior Jordan Miller, the VHSL 4A Player of the Year, poured in a game-high 26 points and grabbed six rebounds in the title game. Ball scored 19 points and dished a game-high seven assists. Junior Dominic Peterson drained four 3-pointers on his way to 14 points.

Loudoun County (4A girls), Potomac Falls (5A boys) and Tuscarora (5A girls) also qualified for the state playoffs, each falling in the quarterfinal round.

Field Hockey

Field hockey was added to the LCPS varsity landscape at the beginning of the school year. Players and coaches alike were thrilled to be representing their school as the inaugural season kicked off August 22 with a doubleheader at Rock Ridge.

Potomac Falls coach Rob Groot noted the advent of varsity field hockey is a boon to female athletes aspiring to play in college or beyond. “Having it in school, you can now practice four times a week. No club can ever give you four practices a week. These girls could rise to the national level.”

Heritage enjoyed a stellar first season, winning conference and regional tournament championships. After netting the decisive goal in the conference final, sophomore Sydney Krieger scored in overtime to lift Heritage to a 2-1 victory against Fauquier in the 4A West Region championship game.

Briar Woods, Potomac Falls and Stone Bridge tied for first place in the Conference 14 standings. Taylor Merlino tipped in a shot from Hannah Hooper to lift Briar Woods past Potomac Falls 1-0 in the conference tournament championship game.

Competitive Cheer

A pair of Loudoun teams reigned supreme at the VHSL state championships. Broad Run earned 233 points on its final performance to claim the Virginia 5A championship, while Riverside scored 272.5 points on its final routine to win the Virginia 3A title. Both squads won regional championships earlier in the postseason.

All 15 local squads performed during the Loudoun County Public Schools Cheer Championships. Briar Woods led the local pack, followed by Broad Run, Stone Bridge, Riverside and Rock Ridge in the top five.

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Wrestling

Broad Run’s Michael Battista (170 pounds) and John Birchmeier (220 pounds), along with Arsam Jafaryzad (152 pounds) of Stone Bridge claimed Virginia 5A state titles in 2017.

Champe’s Elijah Boldin joined the party in Group 4A, winning the 285-pound state title.

Overall, 15 area wrestlers placed among the top six in their weight class at the state level.

Broad Run produced the best team finish among Loudoun schools, placing fifth in Group 5A.

With 11 top-six finishers, Freedom captured the team title at the Loudoun County Public Schools Wrestling Championships. The Eagles defended last year’s countywide title, which propelled five Eagles to top-six finishes in the 2016 state meet.

One of those five is senior Trevor LeMaster.

“For our team goals, this is number one on the list,” said LeMaster, wearing his third gold from the three-year-old LCPS event.

One of the top championship matches of the LCPS tournament surfaced at 106 pounds.

It’s rare when, after a hard-fought wrestling match to decide a gold medal in an event made for countywide bragging rights, both competitors are satisfied with how it turned out.

It’s even more rare when one of those wrestlers is a young woman and the other is a young man with only one leg. In the championship bout, LeMaster removed his prosthetic right leg and hopped onto the mat.

Waiting for him was Woodgrove senior Catie Cavallaro, reaching the finals of the LCPS Championships for the first time in her career.

The two wrestlers competed, LeMaster focusing on neutral-position technique, Cavallaro patiently seeking chances to (Continued on page 21)

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An SRO Who Was Part of the Fabric of His School

It would be hard to find someone who blended in – or stood out – more at Loudoun Valley High School than Bill Schoeb.

Like many at the Western Loudoun school, Schoeb has been part of the community since childhood.

He is, however, the only one to wear a uniform and tactical gear to work.

The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office started the School Resource Officer (SRO) program in Loudoun’s high schools in 1996. Schoeb, who has been a deputy for 32 years and is retiring August 30th, was the SRO at Valley for 17 years.

A 1977 Valley graduate, the 58-year-old Schoeb said he didn’t know if he’d like being an SRO when he first took the job. “Once I got into it, I realized I could coach and be a mentor, be part of the school system, working with kids…You get to see the end results for many, many years.”

(Some former Valley students are now Schoeb’s colleagues with the Sheriff’s Office, others have become coaches.)

“It’s incredible to see how everyone progresses. It’s a great, great field.”

Schoeb has coached football, lacrosse and, most recently, girls’ tennis. Tennis provided him with a new perspective on coaching. “It’s so different. It really challenges you as a coach, because I can’t make on-thefield changes like I could in lacrosse or football or substitutions. You have your players out on the courts and there are only certain times you can talk to them.”

Talking to faculty members wasn’t that difficult. Schoeb said Valley’s staff treated him as one of their own. “They will bounce things off me. I’ll bounce things (off them) and that’s what it’s all about – the working relationship that we have.”

Schoeb added he worked with everyone, including the custodial staff. The people he talked with most frequently, however, were students.

“It truly is about enforcing the law and county regulations, but the way we do it as SROs, they get to know you, they want to respect you, some-

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one they can look up to, somebody they can trust. Somebody who’s going to be a straight shooter with them.

They want clarity and they want guidelines. They truly want guidelines. They want to know where the boundaries are, how far they can go, and they don’t want to disappoint you if you build that trust. That’s what it’s about, because you want them to open up and give you that information…

“They’re not intimidated by the uniform…

“You’re very, very familiar with your environment here around the school and the personnel who you’re dealing with; the staff, the guidance counselors, the teachers, the students.

You see them on a day-to-day basis.”

Schoeb worked closely with the school’s security officers, who are school division employees, and county probation officers. “We work as a unit.

We work as a team. We work separately, but yet together. We share what we can share and we share for the good and well-being of the students, the school, the community.”

Schoeb said he was a typical student when he was at Valley. “I was a fairly good student and a semi-good athlete.”

He played football and baseball, was active in the choir, worked with the fire department and went on to Ferrum College after graduation. “I was just your basic country boy out of Round Hill, Virginia, growing up… We would bring our shotguns to school and leave them in the office and pick them up after school and hunt down the railroad tracks all the way back to Round Hill…Things have changed a lot.”

The biggest change Schoeb has seen during the past few years is the constant use of communication devices and social media.

Despite all the changes and challenges facing schools, Schoeb said he believes schools are very safe. “I truly believe that the students in this school, and most schools, feel safe. I believe that the community feels the schools are safe. Then, what happens is there will be a school shooting or an

incident somewhere…and then we have to regroup and say ‘What are we doing that we could do better?’

‘What can we do better as a school, as a team?’… ‘What can we do every single day to make it a better environment?’”

Schoeb said security gets better day-by-day, week-by-week. He said the camera systems, the communication, the training security personnel go to in the summer, the in-house training staff does with the Sheriff’s Office and Loudoun County Public Schools and the juvenile court system all make schools safer.

Another thing that marked Schoeb’s tenure at Valley is two battles with cancer.

The first involved a tumor on his neck discovered during a departmental physical. Schoeb said he felt a lump and didn’t address it. Like most people, he didn’t want to go to the doctor. Doctors at Georgetown University Hospital designed a personalized

treatment plan that involved 48 radiation sessions.

Cured, Schoeb went back to coaching football.

Then it was discovered he had colorectal cancer.

“It was like getting punched in the gut again.”

That required surgery and chemotherapy and led to a great number of physical changes for Schoeb. “It was a great fight. I would never wish it on anyone. I’m blessed to have the challenge that came with that. I appreciate the challenge.”

Throughout his struggles with cancer, Schoeb spoke with others who were going through similar situations to offer support. He said he never takes life for granted.

“I had faith. I had faith in the system. I had faith in the doctors, faith in the family, faith in the people around me, faith in God, faith in all those things that you need to get through something like that.”

Class of 2017 Earns $54.7 Million in Scholarships

The Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) Class of 2017 earned $54,768,301 in scholarships.

There were 5,257 members of the Class of 2017 of whom 1,613 received some form of financial aid. The largest percentage of scholarships (66.63 percent) were awarded by colleges and universities, followed by military/Navy ROTC scholarships at 13.18 percent.

Female students received 59.76 percent of the scholarships, male students 40.24 percent.

Other facts about the Class of 2017:

• 50.79 percent of the class was male, 49.21 percent female;

• 63.51 percent will be attending a four-year college;

• 25.55 percent will be attending a two-year college;

• 2.15 percent will be pursuing other continuing-education options;

• 1.62 percent will be entering the military;

• Ethnically, 55.75 percent of the graduates were white; 15.43 percent Hispanic; 15.33 percent Asian; 8.31 percent African American; 4.87 percent multi-racial; 0.25 percent Native American; and 0.06 percent Hawaiian/Pacific Islander.

The Class of 2017 was 5.3 percent larger than the Class of 2016. It also had one more graduation, as Riverside High School brought the number of LCPS high schools with a graduating class to 15. The Class of 2017 was 11.6 percent larger than the Class of 2015.

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YEAR IN REVIEW (Continued from page 9)

November 17: 300 LCPS juniors and seniors took part in the Loudoun SchoolBusiness Partnership’s Job for a Day program.

126 Loudoun businesses offered students a chance to experience one of 207 different occupations during the course of the day. The idea behind Job for a Day is that students get a real-life taste for a profession in which they have an interest.

November 17: Countryside Elementary was the recipient of a $2,000 K-12 educational grant awarded by the Dominion Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Dominion Resources. The money is being used to transform the school’s courtyard to an outdoor learning center with space for seats and a weather-proof chalkboard, along with a garden in which the students can plant, tend and harvest vegetables for healthy snacks and other uses.

November 18: More than 20,000 meals will be shipped to third world nations, thanks to the efforts of Broad Run High School. Students in the school’s six dual-enrollment English classes led a campaign that culminated in a special event with Stop Hunger Now. Stop Hunger Now operates meal-packaging programs at 20 cities in the U.S. and in South Africa, Malaysia, India, Italy, Peru and The Philippines.

English students organized committees for various activities involved in the meal packing, including fundraising and promotions. They communicated with students throughout the school via a video, pamphlets and posters.

Some held bake sales to raise needed funds for the non-profit organization. The One to the World (OTTW) experience ultimately involved 400 students at the school. The students bought $10 tickets to pack dehydrated meals to be shipped abroad. They worked in two shifts of 200 students each.

November 18: Students at J. Michael Lunsford got a full head of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) going.

The annual STEAM Day featured apocalyptic medicine, planning a garden, examining art (Picasso to Cubism), learning the physics of roller coasters, solving the mystery of the missing mug, learning how to be a veterinarian, constructing confetti launchers, racing cars powered by air and rubber bands and the science of making caramel corn.

November 21: Guilford Elementary continued its tradition of hosting Thanksgiving dinner. The school staff and a host of volunteers fed 700 people.

November 21-22: What happens when 500 fifth-graders from Cool Spring, Frances Hazel Reid, Frederick Douglass and Tolbert elementary schools spend an entire day with Heritage High School students? Hands-on inquiry-based science, that’s what. During the course of two days, the fifth-graders learned and reinforced Standards of Learning benchmarks and concepts through hands-on experiences related to flight and the Bernoulli principle; vortices; physical and chemical properties; physical and chemical changes; polarity and chemical bonds; cell structure and function; cell membranes; the importance of water, watersheds and links to pollution patterns; the emission spectrum and electromagnetic spectrum; and looking at stars and constellations in the Heritage High School planetarium.

November 22: “It’s the best day of the year!” So announced the T-shirts, and the students probably agreed that the Broad Run High School Adapted PE Field Day is the best day of the year. The event gathered students with special needs from all the Ashburn schools to participate in physical activity stations designed to build motor learning. The stations were designed by Broad Run High School physical education students in a One to the World lesson.

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December

December 4: 300 LCPS seniors were honored at the 34th Annual Excellence in Education Banquet at the National Conference Center in Leesburg. The seniors honored were those in the June 2017 graduating class from the county’s 15 high schools and Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology who have ranked in the top 5 percent of their class academically during the first three years of their high school career. 32 students were recognized for their selection as National Merit Scholarship semifinalists and seven for selection as a National Hispanic Recognition Scholar. Since its inception, the Excellence in Education Banquet has honored 5,013 students.

December 7: Harmony Middle School raised $2,600 for the Western Loudoun Food Pantry through its annual Empty Bowl Dinner.

To date, Harmony’s Empty Bowl Project has donated $13,900 to the Western Loudoun Food Pantry.

December 7: The Falcon Regiment Marching Band from Briar Woods High School participated in the 75th Anniversary Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade and Ceremony in Waikiki, Hawaii.

The Falcon Regiment Marching Band is under the direction of Duane Minnick. In addition to marching in the parade, the Falcon Regiment joined the Marine Corps Pacific Band and other bands in a mass performance of “God Bless America” at the parade’s opening ceremony.

December 8: The words of Emily Dickinson, Maya Angelou, Robert Frost, Thomas Hardy, William Blake, Langston Hughes and a score of other poets – classic and modern – filled the evening air in the Rock Ridge High School library. About two dozen Rock Ridge students took part in the local edition of Poetry Out Loud. Poetry Out Loud is a national competition that encourages students to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence and learn about literary history and contemporary life.

December 19: The holiday season got off to a festive start for elementary school students taking part in Riverside High School’s first annual National Honor Society Holiday Party.

Student guests and their families enjoyed crafts and games, a show featuring The Magic of Michael T, a dinner and dessert feast, carols featuring global holiday music and a visit from Santa and his elves for gift-giving. The colossal event in the high school’s media center was run by the Riverside High School National Honor Society (NHS), whose members worked relentlessly under the guidance of their sponsor, Riverside Assistant Principal Dr. Tripp Di Nicola.

December 20: Was it a birthday or an anniversary? Either way, it was very special.

“I went back and forth as to whether it was a birthday celebration or an anniversary celebration,” Catoctin Elementary Principal Janet Platenberg told a throng of students, staff and community members gathered in the school’s gym for Catoctin’s 50th anniversary celebration. “I really think it’s both. It’s the birthday of Catoctin, because we were born in 1966, but it also an anniversary because it was the marrying of a school and a community.”

(Continued on page 18)

99% Accredited 85 of 86 (99 percent) of Loudoun County public schools are fully accredited for the 2016-2017 school year by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE). Statewide, 81 percent of schools are fully accredited.

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YEAR IN REVIEW (Continued from page 17)

January

January 9: Jeff Morse, the Dulles District School Board member, was elected chairman of the Loudoun County School Board during the board’s organizational meeting. Morse was nominated for the chairmanship by former School Board Chairman Eric Hornberger (Ashburn District). This is Morse’s second term on the School Board. Hornberger had served as chairman since January 2012. Brenda Sheridan (Sterling District) was unanimously re-elected vice chairman.

January 18: The Riverside High School chapter of DECA donated $4,000 to the Loudoun Breast Health Network during a brief ceremony. DECA is an association of marketing students. The money was raised through DECA’s Pink Project in October. From October 20th through the 22nd, DECA staged a powder puff football game featuring the junior and senior girls; a 5K race; and special events at the varsity football game against Clarke County. A bake sale, raffle, prize wheel and T-shirts were all part of the fund-raising. The Riverside DECA chapter has 239 members.

January 19: It’s not every day you see a Butter Monkey. Or a Crakadol… Or even a Octakey… But if you went to Ashburn Elementary, you would have seen these fascinating creatures and many other activities as part of One to the World Night. The Butter Monkey and friends were part of a virtual zoo created by second-graders and displayed in the cafeteria. Students were asked to create a new creature and a habitat they would thrive in.

In the gym, fifth-graders used the medium of cardboard – combined with ingenuity and duct tape – to create successful carnival games using the concept of probability. Among the favorite games were basketball and water-bottle tosses and a low-tech variation of whack-a-mole.

January 26: Students from the Loudoun Academy of Science (AOS) were a part of the activities at Sugarland Elementary’s Family Science Night. STEM Lab teacher Darrielle Timothy found out at a Science Department contact meeting that AOS students might be willing to volunteer with the project. Timothy contacted AOS Counseling Director Dr. Jayne Fonash about collaborating for the event as well as having AOS students come to Sugarland in the future to give demonstrations and presentations. Timothy and Fonash are working toward creating a partnership between the schools.

February

February 2: Senior LCPS staff got a look behind the scenes at some high-tech weather forecasting at the National Weather Service Baltimore-Washington Weather Forecast Office in Sterling. Warning Coordination Meteorologist Chris Strong tutored LCPS Assistant Superintendent for Support Services Kevin Lewis, Director of Facilities Services Don Treanor, Director of Transportation Michael Brown and their staffs on the intricacies of forecasting winter weather. It’s this LCPS team that hits the road early (as in 2 a.m.) on the mornings when severe weather is forecast to check road conditions. The Sterling Office monitors weather from the Chesapeake Bay to the Appalachians, an area about 10 million people call home. Manned by a staff of 25, the office is open 24-7, 365. Strong said LCPS staff is always welcome to call the meteorologists on duty if they have a weather question.

February 8: LCPS students and educators attended an awards ceremony in Richmond in honor of Loudoun County’s recognition on the 2016 Advanced Placement (AP) Honor Roll.

The awards ceremony was held at the Patrick

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Henry Building and was attended by Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Superintendent of Public Instruction Steven R. Staples. Loudoun joined four other counties – Middlesex, Rockbridge, Rockingham and Southampton – in earning a spot on the AP Honor Roll. Only 433 school districts across the United States and Canada earned the recognition in 2016.

February 13: Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States, celebrated his 208th birthday with fourth grade students at Horizon Elementary. Honest! Well, it was actually Lincoln impersonator Greg Edwards in a stovepipe hat and overcoat – but he was wearing a visitor’s badge that read “Abe.” Edwards visited the school’s five fourth grade classes.

February 24: Stone Bridge High School students presented a check for $10,000 from the 2017 Giddy Up & Golf event to Dr. Michael Guerrera and two of his Lead RN’s at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. The mission of the Giddy Up events is to raise money and awareness for research supporting brain tumors, stroke brain injury (traumatic brain injury and concussion) and brain health research (Meningitis, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s), etc. Stone Bridge’s 2017 Giddy Up Team donated the proceeds from a series of events to help fund research in pediatric brain injury, tumor and stroke.

March

March 2: Rishubh Kaushal, an eighthgrader at Seneca Ridge Middle School, repeated as champion at the 35th Annual Loudoun County Regional Spelling Bee at Stone Bridge High School. On the face of it, that might seem like a pretty routine statement.

But there was nothing routine about the four-hour-and-46-minute bee, which ended at 11:29 p.m. For 23 rounds, Kaushal and Anoushka Upadhye, a seventh-grader at Stone Hill Middle School, competed in what could aptly be described as a “war of words.”

In several rounds, both spelled their words correctly; in others they both missed. When they got to the championship round, during which the winning speller must spell two words correctly in succession, they would miss. The winning word was “saffage” in the 33rd round.

For those of you who are not French artists, the word is defined as an accessory item in a landscape painting. Saffage was the 292nd word of the evening.

March 3: Good behavior can make a liar out of the weatherman. Despite blue skies and green grass (even some early blooming flowers), Moorefield Station Elementary had a “snow day.” Students and staff wore pajamas, drank hot chocolate and watched a movie, just as they would on a real snow day. These privileges were awarded for acquiring enough Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) points to fill a fish tank.

March 3: Latin students at Loudoun County High School cut the ribbon on a One to the World project two years in the making. Senior Jacquelyn Noel initiated the project last year while in Latin IV. She completed a hand-drawn map of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World in her sketchbook. She used the map to guide her work on a large, two-canvas painting. That still wasn’t big enough for Latin teacher Lynn Krepich, who wanted to see the map even bigger and displayed as a part of the school’s “Augustan Beautification Project.” Latin students at the school have long wanted to improve the condition of the school’s courtyard, just like the Roman emperor who transformed Rome from brick to marble. The map was traced on a large concrete slab that would support tile work. It was then recreated as a mosaic, complete with a compass rose and individual tiles depicting the seven wonders.

(Continued on page 19)

www.LCPS.org

YEAR IN REVIEW (Continued from page18)

March 3: The Belmont Ridge Boys’ and Girls’ Chorus sang the National Anthem before the Washington Wizards basketball game.

To add a challenge to an already-imposing assignment, a representative from the Wizards contacted Belmont Ridge’s chorus teacher, Lisa Washington, at 5 p.m. on the day before the performance to inform her the students also would need to sing “O, Canada” since the Wizards were hosting the Toronto Raptors.

Washington sent an email to her chorus students and at 7:30 a.m. on the day of the game, 40 students were practicing “O, Canada.”

In a few hours, Belmont Ridge’s students learned the music and words for the Canadian National Anthem and performed it in front of more than 15,000 fans at the Verizon Center.

March 20: Joseph Phillippi’s fourth grade class at Cardinal Ridge Elementary was the safest place in Loudoun County. That’s because a good part of the county’s first responder team was on hand to honor a member of that class, Vishnu Peechara. Vishnu participated in the school’s Kindness Week in January, selling lemonade and brownies, along with his younger sister, Prathibha, to benefit Loudoun’s firefighters. Vishnu presented Ken Chaletzky, the treasurer of the Loudoun First Responders Foundation, with a check for $264. But it wasn’t an ordinary check-passing ceremony. Battalion Chief Wayne D. Anderson from the Loudoun County Fire and Rescue and Maj. John Fraga of the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, led a host of fire, rescue and law enforcement personnel to Vishnu’s classroom as a surprise. Vishnu’s mother, Neelima, and sister Prathibha joined the crowd as they surprised Phillippi’s class.

(Prathibha said it was very hard to keep the secret from her brother.)

March 23: Four students earned Intel Finalist Awards at the 36th Annual Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) Regional Science and Engineering Fair at Riverside High School.

Orbital ATK sponsored the event. The four Intel finalists were Aditi Bawa (Loudoun County High School); Soham Dessai (Stone Bridge High School and Academy of Science); Devina Thapa (Potomac Falls and Academy of Science); and Josef Zimmerman (Woodgrove High School and Academy of Science).

New Teachers

LCPS hired 750 new teachers for the 2016-17 school year,

111 of whom are LCPS graduates and 39 of whom are former teacher cadets.

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March 26: Monroe Technology Center students Jack Fox and Zack Goldman won first prize at the George C. Marshall International Center’s inaugural Youth Film Festival at REHAU, Inc. in Leesburg. The George C. Marshall International Center announced the film competition last October. The purpose of the contest was to increase awareness of Marshall’s impact on American and European history during World War II and the years that followed. These “infomercials” also were designed to increase visitation at Dodona Manor (also known as the Marshall House), Marshall’s Leesburg home, which is now a museum. Fox and Goldman each won $250 for their video “A Glimpse of History.”

March 28: 180 students from Sterling Middle School heard a talk from, and met, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, first daughter Ivanka Trump and NASA astronaut Kay Hire during a field trip to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. The focus of the event was STEM (science, math, engineering and technology) and to celebrate Women’s History Month. It focused on girls and STEM with Ivanka Trump mentioning the underrepresentation of girls in computer science courses and urging them to “beat those statistics and advance the role of women in STEM fields.”

March 28: Countryside Elementary won the second annual Elementary Battle of the Books at the Cascades Public Library. Meadowland Elementary came in second and Algonkian Elementary third as students tested their knowledge about four books. The books were “The Terrible Two,” by Mac Barnett and Jory John; “The Map Trap,” by Andrew Clements; “The Fourteenth Goldfish,” by Jennifer L. Holm; and “Jack Strong Takes a Stand,” by Tommy Greenwald.

March 31: Students in Monroe Technology Center’s Graphics Communications program redesigned the logo for Invisible Wound.

Invisible Wound is a grassroots non-profit, focused on supporting veterans and their family members managing post-traumatic stress (PTS). Invisible Wound supports research-based programming and advocacy for those suffering in silence from the invisible wounds of war.

Monroe students Sophia Gutierrez, Stuart Hoke, Stefan Tesliuc and Allison Kasekamp and their instructor, Pam Smith, presented the new logo to Invisible Wound Executive Director Diana Veseth-Nelson at Monroe.

March 31: The second annual Loudoun Creates Film Festival was held at the LCPS Administrative Offices in Ashburn. The film festival showcased the best from Loudoun Creates, a collection of videos from each of Loudoun County’s 89 public schools. Students demonstrated their mastery of concepts across content areas in the videos.

(Continued on page 24)

PAGE 19

Loudoun Education Foundation

The Loudoun Education Foundation (LEF)

is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation that

raises private funds to enhance the quality of

education in Loudoun County Public Schools.

The Foundation supports projects that stimulate students’ curiosity and create exceptional learning opportunities.

In 1991, four members of the Loudoun County School Board (Fred Flemming, James Callahan, William White and Barbara D’Elia) founded the LEF. The foundation was modeled after a similar organization in Fairfax County. Since its formation, the LEF has given more than $3,618,383 to Loudoun’s students.

The Foundation supplies funds for teacher grants for innovative programs that help students learn and for grants that support STEM education. Focusing on helping families in need, provides food for students over the weekend through the Backpack Coalition Program. LEF sponsors the Loudoun County Public Schools International Youth Leadership Summit, the Regional Science and Engineering Fair and the Scholastic Art Reception. The Loudoun Education Foundation celebrates academic excellence by hosting the Excellence in Education Banquet in December and the Outstanding Teacher Dinner in the spring.

The LEF awards scholarships to current Loudoun County teachers for pursuing graduate degrees or advanced training. Classified employees are eligible to receive scholarships for pursuing teacher licensure.

The LEF officers for the 2017-2018 school year are:

• President: Wesley Clark

• Vice President: Rebecca Ottinger

• Treasurer: Casey Holm

• Secretary: Sarah Lieu

During the 2016–2017 school year, the Loudoun Education Foundation gave more than $739,483 to Loudoun’s schools. Monies distributed included:

• Teaching in Loudoun County program: ..............................$ 70,000

• Claude Moore Scholars program: . .....................................$ 25,000

• Claude Moore Future Leadership Scholarships: ................$ 10,000

• Claude Moore teacher scholarships: ..................................$ 25,000

• Classified employee scholarships: .....................................$ 3,750

• Staff Leadership scholarships: ...........................................$ 2,500

• Teacher classroom grants: . ................................................$ 43,853

• Excellence in Education sponsorship: ................................$ 40,950

• Claude Moore graduation project support: ........................$ 41,149

• Student college scholarships: . ...........................................$ 5,555

• Student achievement support: ...........................................$ 10,000

• Outstanding teacher recognition: .......................................$ 7,207

• Outstanding teacher recognition grants: ............................$ 7,000

• Loudoun International Youth Leadership Summit: .............$ 6,000

• Scholastic Art Reception: ...................................................$ 200

• Science & Engineering Fair sponsorship: ...........................$ 10,450

• Science Fair Teacher Willowcroft Grant: . ...........................$ 5,000

• College Now Program: . ......................................................$ 29,000

• EDGE Plus Program: . .........................................................$ 35,000

• Suicide Prevention Program: ..............................................$ 64,444

• YMCA After School Program: .............................................$ 22,000

• Coding Immersion Elementary Schools: . ...........................$ 25,000

• School Meal Support Program: ..........................................$ 11,000

• Backpack Coalition: ............................................................$163,000

• Community Outreach Coordinator: . ...................................$ 43,814

• Inspire Loudoun Conference: .............................................$ 12,026

• Academies of Loudoun support: ........................................$ 17,712

• Private Donation Support ...................................................$ 2,873

The Foundation is the primary sponsor of the annual Excellence in Education Banquet, which honors high school seniors who are in the top 5 percent of their class academically. This year’s banquet will be held at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Sunday, December 10th at the National Conference Center. Since 1983, the Excellence in Education Banquet has honored 5,013 of Loudoun’s best students.

The next major event for the LEF will be its 16th Annual Golf Classic on Monday, October 2nd, at The Club at Creighton Farms. Sponsorships for this event, LEF’s major fund-raiser, range between $500 and $20,000.

Sponsorship information can be obtained at the LEF website, www.LoudounEducationFoundation.org.

The Loudoun Education Foundation honored 27 of Loudoun’s best teachers and John Gabriel, the 2017 Principal of the Year, during a banquet on Friday, April 28th, at the Belmont Country Club.

Each of the 27 honored teachers and the Principal of the Year was awarded a $250 grant by the LEF to enhance their class offerings. The teachers were selected for this honor because they were nominees for The Washington Post’s Teacher of the Year Award from Loudoun County.

United Way contributions to the Loudoun Education Foundation may be made by designating the funds for Agency No. 8491.

Donations may also be made to the Foundation via the Combined Federal Campaign using Agency No. 20049.

Information about the Foundation can be obtained from its Executive Director, Dawn Meyer, at 571-252-1102 or lef.meyer@gmail.com. The LEF Web page is on the school system’s home page, www.lcps.org or www.lef-va.com.

PAGE 20

LCPS Receives 6th ENERGY STAR Excellence Award

Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) was

among 143 businesses and organizations honored

by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2016 (EPA)

and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)

as an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year on

Wednesday, April 26th, at the Marriott Wardman

Park Hotel in Washington, D.C.

LCPS was named an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award winner for the sixth consecutive year (the school division was an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for two years prior to that). Other six-year recipients of the Sustained Excellence Award included General Motors; Hanesbrands, Inc.; Kohl’s Department Stores; and Nissan North America.

Since 1993, the LCPS Energy and Environment Team has created a cost savings of more than $76 million that can be used for instructional purposes instead of operations costs.

For a building to be eligible for ENERGY STAR certification, it must earn an ENERGY STAR score of 75 or higher, indicating that it performs better than at least 75 percent of similar buildings nationwide.

LCPS facilities achieving ENERGY STAR certification (and the years they have been recognized) include: Algonkian Elementary (2015, 2016) Arcola Elementary (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Belmont Station Elementary (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Briar Woods High School (2011, 2012, 2013, 2016) Buffalo Trail Elementary (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Cardinal Ridge Elementary (2016) Rosa Lee Carter Elementary (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Cedar Lane Elementary (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) John Champe High School (2014, 2016) Cool Spring Elementary (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Countryside Elementary (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016) Creighton’s Corner Elementary (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016) Kenneth Culbert Elementary (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Discovery Elementary (2015, 2016) Dominion Trail Elementary (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Frederick Douglass Elementary (2014, 2016) Emerick Elementary (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Evergreen Mill Elementary (2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Forest Grove Elementary (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Freedom High School (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Hamilton Elementary (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Hillside Elementary (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Horizon Elementary (2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016) Hutchison Farm Elementary (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Leesburg Elementary (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Legacy Elementary (2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016) Liberty Elementary (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Lincoln Elementary (2014, 2015, 2016) Little River Elementary (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Lovettsville Elementary (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Lowes Island Elementary (2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Lucketts Elementary (2014, 2015, 2016) J. Michael Lunsford Middle School (2013, 2016) Meadowland Elementary (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Mill Run Elementary (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016) Moorefield Station Elementary (2015, 2016) Mountain View Elementary (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Park View High School (2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016) Pinebrook Elementary (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Potowmack Elementary (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Frances Hazel Reid Elementary (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016) Rock Ridge High School (2016) Round Hill Center (2016) Round Hill Elementary (2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Seldens Landing Elementary (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Seneca Ridge Middle School (2015, 2016) J. Lupton Simpson Middle School (2015, 2016) Sterling Elementary (2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Sterling Middle School (2016) Stone Bridge High School (2011, 2015, 2016) Sully Elementary (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Sycolin Creek Elementary (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Tolbert Elementary (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Trailside Middle School (2016) Tuscarora High School (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Waterford Elementary (2014, 2015, 2016) Steuart Weller Elementary (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Woodgrove High School (2012, 2013, 2014, 2016)

www.LCPS.org

SPORTS IN REVIEW (Continued from page 15)

counteract. With two key points from a near fall late in the final round, LeMaster outlasted Cavallaro for a 5-2 win that went the full six minutes.

“I was surprised. I thought he was going to kick my butt,” said Cavallaro with a laugh.

“Obviously he’s a state-place winner and I haven’t come close to states yet. But I did a lot better than I expected.”

Swimming

The Riverside Rams claimed the Virginia 3A state girls’ championship, while a host of local swimmers and relay teams won event titles at the state championships.

Allison Kopac and Claire Nguyen led the Rams’ charge. Kopac touched the wall first in two individual events and teamed with Nguyen, Ashley Bae and Hannah Ye to place first in a pair of relay races. In addition to her relay prowess, Nguyen paced the field in the 200 freestyle.

Dominion’s Matthew Popovich (100 free, 200 free) and Loudoun Valley’s Sean Conway (200 IM, 500 free) each swam to two individual titles in Group 4A boys, as did Rock Ridge’s Nicole Fye (200 free, 500 free) in 4A girls.

Fye also joined forces with Gabby Zhang, Emerson Davis and Allie MacMillan to place first in the 400 freestyle relay. Michael Burris of Heritage touched the wall first in the 4A boys’ 100 breaststroke.

A trio of Briar Woods swimmers - Abby Harter (200 IM), Camryn Barry (100 free) and Thomas Moore (100 breast) - won gold at the Virginia 5A meet. Charlotte Fieeiki of Potomac Falls showed the way in the 100 backstroke, while Jack Moore, Jackson Lucas, Stuart Pliuskaitis, Thomas Moore placed first in the 400 freestyle relay.

Briar Woods finished second as a team in Group 5A boys and girls, and Rock Ridge earned runner-up honors in 4A girls.

Ice Hockey

Sewn onto the upper right sleeves of the game day jackets worn by the Stone Bridge hockey coaches is a long list of numbers. The sequence starts with 2002 and ends with 2016, with five other numbers in between. Those numbers represent all the seasons in which the Bulldogs have won the championship of the Northern Virginia Scholastic Hockey League.

After Stone Bridge’s 6-0 clamp-down of neighborhood rival Broad Run in the NVHSL championship game, it’s time to fire up the sewing machine. They may need the other sleeve.

Behind a smothering defense backed by a scintillating performance in goal, and supported with a relentless and opportunistic offense, the Bulldogs claimed their third consecutive NVSHL crown and the eighth in the league’s 16 years.

It is Stone Bridge’s first three-peat.

“Oh my gosh, this feels so great,” raved Bulldog goaltender Sam Kukulich. “Just indescribable. Back-to-back-to-back, it just feels amazing. I can’t believe it right now.”

It marked the first-ever appearance in the NVSHL championship game for Broad Run, an accomplishment praised by first-year head coach Chris Kohlasch. Broad Run defeated Stone Bridge 6-4 during the regular season.

“Tonight certainly hurts, but the boys gave 110 percent,” Kohlasch said. “But they can look back and see that they went undefeated, beat Stone Bridge and made it to the championship.

The future is bright for Broad Run hockey.”

Gymnastics

Freedom High School junior Sydney Wrighte produced another meet to remember

571-252-1040

at the 2017 Virginia High School League State Gymnastics Open Individual Competition.

Wrighte totaled 38.975 points on her four events to win the all-around championship, finishing a full point clear of the field.

The Freedom standout placed first on the balance beam (9.775) and tied for first on both the uneven bars (9.8) and floor exercise (9.6).

Wrighte placed second on the vault (9.8).

Leah Trepal of Heritage and Claire Pettit of Tuscarora each produced strong finishes in individual events. Trepal placed third on the vault (9.75) and Pettit tied for eighth place on the balance beam (9.375).

A day earlier in team competition, Freedom placed second in Virginia 5A with 143.45 points.

Stafford won the team title with 145.750 points.

Freedom, coached by Laura Wrighte, won a state team championship in 2016.

Spring Sports Baseball

The Briar Woods Falcons won their first Virginia 5A state baseball championship in dramatic fashion. Briar Woods outlasted Halifax 5-4 in a title game that lasted 14 innings and nearly four hours under the blazing sun in Fairfax.

“You could see it in everybody’s eyes. They didn’t want to lose this baseball game,” Briar Woods coach Jason Miller said.

Facing a two-run deficit entering the seventh inning, Briar Woods filled the bases for senior Jake Kleifges. He smacked the first pitch he saw into right field, bringing Brandon Hamm and Jack Jaekle home to tie the contest.

Seven innings later, Sean Clark struck the decisive blow, singling up the middle to score pinch runner Jake Rayfield from second with the championship-winning run.

“This team fights. This team really fights,” Clark said. “There’s nothing this team can’t do.”

Riverside also enjoyed a tremendous season on the diamond. The Rams won conference and regional tournament titles on their way to reaching the 3A state final.

Riverside coach Sam Plank saw his team make big strides in just their second season.

“When I met these guys before last year, I had a bunch of 120-pound freshmen who could barely bench the bar. I told ’em, I came here to win championships,” said Plank, who guided Stone Bridge to the 2015 VHSL 5A state title before starting up the Rams’ program.

Plank continued, “These kids completely bought in, working hard every day. To win a championship in our second year, it’s pretty special.”

Softball

Since the inception of their softball program in 2011, the Woodgrove Wolverines have grown accustomed to winning a state title every even year, claiming crowns in 2012, 2014 and 2016.

Woodgrove broke the mold in 2017.

The Wolverines survived a pitchers’ duel versus Freedom in an all-Loudoun Virginia 4A final to win 2-0 and hoist their fourth state championship trophy.

Woodgrove’s Camryn Dolby and Freedom’s Cheyenne Van Pelt matched zeroes in the pitching circle until the Wolverines broke through for two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Dolby shut the door from there as Woodgrove (23-0) completed a perfect season.

Freedom, Conference 22 tournament champions, won a pair of regional playoff games on the road and defeated Powhatan 2-1 in the state semifinals to reach the title game for the first time.

(Continued on page 22)

PAGE 21

SPORTS IN REVIEW (Continued from page 21)

Lacrosse

A pair of Loudoun varsity teams claimed state titles in 2017. Potomac Falls repeated as VHSL 5A girls’ lacrosse champions, while Riverside won its first VHSL 4A boys’ lacrosse title in just its second season as a program.

Potomac Falls and George Marshall squared off for a second consecutive year in the 5A final. And for a second straight season, the Panthers came out on top 12-9 after an explosive second-half performance.

Senior Kelsey Curl scored five goals and senior Tori Birks prevailed on 15 of her 23 drawcontrol attempts for the Panthers (18-1). “It feels incredible,” Birks said. “You couldn’t think of a better way to end the season and high school career than with a win, and a big win.”

For Riverside, preparation and execution combined with a talented, deep roster - proved to be the proper formula for the second-year Rams to complete a perfect season with an 8-6 victory against E.C. Glass in the final.

The Rams built a 6-3 halftime lead before slowing the game down in the second half.

Riverside held E.C. Glass to its lowest scoring output of the season.

“Our staff did an unbelievable job gameplanning and our defense stood on its head,” Riverside coach Nick Worek said. “We had prolonged possessions. That’s something that we felt we needed to do to let our depth take over. When it took over, we were able to score some great goals late in possessions.”

Sophomores Danny Maltz and Taylor Musa continued to pace Riverside’s attack.

Maltz is part of a state championship team shortly after his brother Dylan Maltz - a Stone Bridge alum - played a key role in Maryland winning the NCAA Division I lacrosse title.

“It’s been unbelievable. Everybody has been excited and jacked up since the Maryland game,” Danny Maltz said. “I brought that energy just like my brother brought it.”

Soccer

After 80 minutes of regulation, 20 minutes of overtime and five rounds of penalty kicks was not enough to decide the VHSL 5A state boys’ soccer championship, Briar Woods senior goalkeeper Micah Scott grabbed control of the outcome.

Scott made a headlong dive to prevent Mills Godwin’s penalty kick attempt and immediately got up and strode confidently onto the field, ready to aim at the goal he’d just defended.

Scott’s strike was partially deflected by the opposing keeper, but the ball’s momentum trickled it barely across the goal and into the history books.

“This is a great achievement for the program,” Briar Woods coach Francois Bernard said. “We’ve won conference championships and region championships, but this was the one we hadn’t won yet.”

Scott registered 10 saves in net to go with his game-winning boot. Upon accepting his individual trophy, the senior keeper shared an embrace with each teammate. “This means everything to me,” Scott said. “This is the team that’s had the most heart and dedication. We couldn’t have made it if we weren’t so strong together as a team. These have been some of the greatest few months of my life.”

The 2017 Virginia 3A boys’ soccer championship match featured a budding program in second-year Riverside versus a Blacksburg team that has won 12 state titles. As it has throughout the season, Riverside proved up to the challenge.

Senior midfielder Michael Zhang buried a free kick into the right corner of the net with two

PAGE 22

minutes left in regulation to lift the Rams to a thrilling 1-0 victory.

Zhang’s late goal earned the unbeaten Rams (21-0-2) their first state title. Coach Kris Goodwin also guided Riverside to conference and regional crowns in 2017.

Track and Field

The Loudoun Valley Vikings racked up 58.5 points in eight events to claim the boys’ team championship at the Virginia 4A state track and field meet. Loudoun Valley edged runner-up Jamestown by three points for a second state crown in the last three years.

Rock Ridge senior Mikajah Hayes and Freedom senior Josh Heman-Ackah won individual event titles at the 4A meet, as did Stone Bridge senior Connor Steggerda at the Virginia 5A meet.

Hayes (56.62) placed first in the girls’ 400-meter dash and Heman-Ackah (46-01.75) outdistanced the field in the boys’ triple jump.

Steggerda (174-9) produced the top throw in the 5A boys’ discus.

Along with Loudoun Valley scoring in all three boys’ relay races, Colton Bogucki, Tyler Hunt, Jacob Hunter, Peter Morris, Akere Simms and Jacob Windle earned points in individual events for the Vikings.

Loudoun Valley’s best relay finish surfaced in the 4x800, where Windle, Hunter, Jack Tracy and Bogucki crossed the finish line second in a personal best time of 7:54.32.

Broad Run girls (third), Stone Bridge girls (fifth) and Stone Bridge boys (10th) each produced top 10 team finishes at the 5A meet.

Rock Ridge placed seventh in the 4A girls’ team standings.

Tennis

Rock Ridge sophomore Momin Khan knew he was part of something special by the midway point of the 2017 varsity tennis season. Khan, the team’s No. 1 singles player, noted that “we’re doing really well this year, and going far seems like a possibility.”

That possibility became reality June 10 as Rock Ridge won four of six singles matches and finished it off with a win at No. 2 doubles to defeat John Handley 5-2 in the Virginia 4A state boys’ tennis championship match.

The Phoenix - guided by first-year coach Chris Schamus - completed their third season as a program with a perfect 23-0 record.

Shawn Keswani, Everett Chou, Arjit Sarkar and Ethan McFerren each won singles matches in the state final for Rock Ridge, who also defeated Handley in the regional final.

Stone Bridge, which fell to Thomas Jefferson in the 5A boys’ state final, earned state titles in singles and doubles. Erick Rivas won the singles title and teamed with Brad Pappalardo to claim the 5A doubles crown.

Riverside’s Andres Deza also won a singles championship, defeating James Monroe’s Marshall Wood 7-5, 6-3 in the 3A boys’ final.

Emerick Nominated as National Blue Ribbon School

The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program was established in 1982 to honor America’s most successful schools.

Emerick is one of seven 2017 Virginia nominees for this award.

The last Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) school to receive the Blue Ribbon designation was Belmont Station Elementary in 2011. Other LCPS schools that have received this award include Meadowland Elementary (2003), Leesburg Elementary (2005) and Lincoln Elementary (2010).

www.LCPS.org

Loudoun Education Alliance of Parents (LEAP)

The Loudoun Education Alliance of Parents (LEAP) is a non-partisan network that promotes interaction between parents, teachers, School Board members and members of the Loudoun County Public Schools administrative team.

LEAP meetings provide a forum for the discussion and sharing of common educational concerns and ideas.

LEAP meets the second Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the LCPS School Administrative Offices, 21000 Education Court, Ashburn. The first meeting of the 2017-2018 school year will be on Wednesday, September 13th. Each two-hour program features a panel discussion on topics of interest to parents and members of the community-at-large.

Each LCPS school elects two delegates from its PTA or PTO to attend LEAP meetings. In addition, the meetings are open to all parents of LCPS students and members of the public.

LEAP was founded in 1989 with 20th Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Thomas D. Horne serving as its first president.

Following is a list of the LEAP officers for the 2016-2017 school year:

•

President: Stephanie Eskins-Gleason

•

Vice President Programs: Tonya Foust Mead

•

Vice President Communications: Sami Saleh

•

Treasurer: Jasmin Moser

•

Secretary: Truphelia Parker

Minority Student Achievement Advisory Committee (MSAAC)

The Minority Student Achievement

Advisory Committee (MSAAC) is dedicated to

work in partnership with Loudoun County

Public Schools’ parents and community to

further the academic, social and cultural

development of every student and to ensure that the needs of all minority students are met. MSAAC supports School Board and staff initiatives and parent efforts to ensure that our school community becomes culturally competent, providing the cornerstone to ensure fair and equitable instruction to all LCPS students. It encourages the development of school cultures where every minority student is afforded the opportunity to achieve his or her full potential, feels welcome and is recognized as an integral member of the student body.

MSAAC Objectives and Activities

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

Ensure advocacy on behalf of minority issues within the LCPS community; Promote parental involvement; Develop a process to facilitate the resolution of parental concerns; Encourage increased minority staff and volunteer presence in schools to: (1) reinforce efforts to achieve cultural awareness and cultural sensitivity; and (2) provide role models to assist minority students in developing self-esteem; Disseminate information regarding issues of interest, educational opportunities, strategies and support data; Participate in, and host, forums to encourage awareness and sensitivity and provide needed information to parents and staff; Increase school participation/accountability by ensuring each LCPS school has a delegate to represent their student body needs; Facilitate collaboration with local and national organizations and community resources; Advise the Loudoun County School Board regarding systemic issues affecting minority achievement; Facilitate communication between the community and Loudoun County Public Schools; Support School Board minority-achievement goals and activities within the school system and at participating schools as needed; Review test result data on an annual basis and make recommendations; And submit an annual report to the Loudoun County School Board.

All general MSAAC meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month at the Loudoun County Public School Administration Building, 21000 Education Court, Ashburn, in the School Board Meeting Room.

For more information or to find out how you can become involved with MSAAC, please contact:

Chair Wendy Caudle Hodge, chairmsaac@gmail.com

Vice Chair Natalia Beardslee, msaacvicechairnb@gmail.com

Secretary Cindi Washington, msaacsecretarycw@gmail.com

Communications Committee Chair Susan Hayden, msaaccommunicationsh@gmail.com

Membership Committee Chair Howard Sapp, msaacmembership@gmail.com

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YEAR IN REVIEW (Continued from page 19)

April

April 1: 380 members of the Loudoun County High School community packaged 20,000 meals in less than two hours to fight food insecurity through Generosity Feeds. All meals prepared at this event are being given to children in Loudoun County who struggle with hunger. They will be used to supplement Backpack Buddies programs during the summer.

April 1: Students at Trailside Middle School raised more than $13,000 to support pediatric cancer research in the school’s second annual Mini THON. More than 250 students from Trailside and Stone Bridge High School took part in the event.

April 5: Frederick Douglass Elementary’s fourth grade presented its One to the World project – Virginia History Symposium. The evening began with a rap about works authored by our founding fathers and musical selections about the regions of Virginia (Coastal Plain, the Piedmont, Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian Plateau and Atlantic Coastal Plain) and other matters Virginian. “Tonight our students have proven that Virginia is truly for lovers of history,” Principal Melissa Logan told a packed house in the school’s multi-purpose room. Assistant Principal Diane Herndon-Wilson then presented a tribute to Fred Drummond, the principal of the original Douglass Elementary that stood on the site of the present school. Drummond and his wife, Peggy, who served as the school’s secretary, passed away in recent months (the couple was married for 71 years). After a moment of silence, Herndon-Wilson presented a memorial plaque to the Drummonds’ son, Judge Jerome Drummond, and his wife, Kiwami.

April 6: Elementary school wax museum programs always have a surreal quality about them.

Figures from the distant past stand next to contemporary heroes on the global stage. Betsy Ross rubs elbows with Stephen Curry, Theodore Roosevelt chats up Taylor Swift and Bill Gates stands arm-in-arm with Steve Jobs. The line between school project and reality blurred even more at Lowes Island Elementary as the figure being depicted by a student listened to a presentation about herself. Gold medal-winning Olympic gymnast Dominique Dawes watched as third-grader Emma McFarland portrayed Dawes at the wax museum. (Emma’s aunt is a close friend of Dawes. When Emma was thinking about someone to impersonate for the Wax Museum, she selected Dawes.) Dawes even brought along an Olympic gold medal from 1996 for McFarland to use as a prop. Dawes held her cell phone up to record McFarland’s presentation about her.

April 19: Adults don’t always understand the social pressure facing teens; even though they say they do. That was the message delivered at Woodgrove High School by Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall, a mental health therapist. “The things that you all deal with; we did not deal with when we were in school… Every mistake you make, everything you do, every hiccup, everything, is broadcast across the entire world for everyone to comment on your pain, your embarrassment, whether you want it to be there or not. It’s different for you. It’s tougher for you in many ways.” Randall made her comments during an assembly in the school’s gym before the second annual We’re All Human Walk. We’re All Human is a group started at Woodgrove to promote positive relationships and mental health awareness.

April 27: Loudoun County High School hosted its 3rd Annual Community Table of Loudoun dinner. Approximately 150 members of the community were fed and families enjoyed a great meal, entertainment and fellowship with

PAGE 24

members of the Raider school community.

April 28: The spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. infused the 21st Annual Virginia High School League (VHSL) Ken Tilly Student Leaders Conference at Freedom High School. That spirit was channeled through voice actor Stephon Ferguson, who does a spot-on homage to King using the civil rights leader’s words. “This is a most important and crucial period of your life,” Ferguson, as King, told a packed gym. “What you do now may well determine what you do in the future.” King’s words were a complement to the conference’s theme, “Undefined Possibilities.” “‘Inclusive’ has always been a theme of our conferences, but the folks here at Freedom are taking it to another level with this year’s theme ‘undefined possibilities,’ which is all about refusing to limit your potential,” said VHSL Director of Activities and Student Services Lisa Giles. The two-day conference featured 865 participants from 61 Virginia high schools.

April 28: The Loudoun Education Foundation honored Loudoun County’s Teacher of the Year, Principal of the Year and 27 nominees for The Washington Post Teacher of the Year Award at the Outstanding Teacher Recognition Dinner at Belmont Country Club.

LEF President Wesley Clark, whose wife is a teacher, said he knows how hard teachers work, often without benefit of praise or recognition.

“If you are in this room, you are the hardest working person I know. I get to see how the hard work can really bear down and take a toll.

They can get overwhelmed with the amount of work they have to do. Sometimes it may seem like you’re not getting the recognition that you need.” Teacher of the Year Kathleen Thompson said she knew she had something in common with all of her fellow nominees. “You love what you do and it shows through the achievement of others. Your passion, not only for subject matter, but for people, is contagious. You have learned from some amazing people. You cherish the bonds that you form and hurdles you overcome with students. You enjoy helping other teachers.

You spend so much of yourself during the day that most days you’re exhausted when you get home. You think about your students when you’re not with them and you are thrilled when your students succeed.”

May

May 1: U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue visited Catoctin Elementary and Monroe Technology Center in his first official visit as secretary. Perdue was greeted at Catoctin by cadets from Loudoun County High School’s Navy Junior ROTC unit. He also met local farmers Chris Hatch and Sara Brown, who are featured on farmer trading cards created through an award-winning partnership between LCPS School Nutrition Services and Loudoun Economic Development. Perdue was joined for lunch with Catoctin students by Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kansas), chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

May 8: Lauryn Hutchinson, a 2009 Dominion High School graduate, has played international soccer for Trinidad and Tobago. A defender for Trinidad and Tobago since 2011, Hutchinson has played in World Cup qualifiers and the Pan American Games. But on this day, she was just another enthusiastic adult running soccer drills along with Cardinal Ridge physical education instructors Raymond Lemp, Jennifer Larmer and Alyssa Dabbenigno.

May 10: Teachers always remember where the smartest students sit. Seneca Ridge Middle School science teacher Rick Peck knew exactly where Jasmine Quynh Le sat when she was his student 14 years ago; left side of the classroom, second row, right seat. Le returned to Peck’s class as a teacher. During the years since she left Seneca Ridge, Le graduated from South Lakes High School in Fairfax County, earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and studio art from (Continued on page 25)

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YEAR IN REVIEW (Continued from page 24)

the University of Virginia and began working as a research technician at the Janelia Research Campus of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. In August, she began working on her doctorate in neuroscience at Brandeis.

May 11: LCPS honored almost 2,000 years of service to the school division at its annual Service Recognition Ceremony at Trailside Middle School. LCPS Superintendent Dr. Eric Williams honored employees with 25, 30, 35, 40 and, in one case, 50 years of service to LCPS. A total of 67 employees were honored; 29 for 25 years of service, 25 for 30 years, five for 35 years, seven for 40 years and one for 50 years. In what might be a first, Thomas E. Fields was honored for 50 years of service to LCPS. Fields began working for LCPS as a supply clerk in the Department of Support Services in 1965. Through the years, he has worked as a maintenance control clerk, field clerk, maintenance technician, wastewater technician, wastewater technician/storekeeper, waterworks, and wastewater technician.

May 16: A casual conversation at the School Board’s Legislative Breakfast last December 2nd led to a bill signing by Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe at Riverside High School.

Del. Tag Greason (32nd District) recalled speaking with Riverside’s Chad Musa and other student School Board members about the dangers of distracted driving during and after the breakfast. Greason spoke with the students about the potential of associating higher penalties with distracted driving, to which the students gave him an enlightening response.

“Delegate Greason, that’s interesting, but the tragedy has already happened. The accident has already occurred. Somebody has already died.

Now you’re going to lump on some penalties to make me feel even worse about this. So I said ‘OK, high school students, what would you like me to do?’” The students said they could start an awareness program featuring customized license plates. Greason ran with the idea, introducing HB 1763, which was approved by the General Assembly on March 3rd. The bill, which is for the supporters of highway safety, will lead to the issuance of a stop distracted driving license plate starting in July 2018.

May 23: A group of seven River Bend Middle School students joined representatives from the PGA of America, Lexmark Corporation, and Loudoun County Parks and Recreation to plant trees at the Potomac Lakes Sportsplex in Sterling. The students – Japheth Essien, Allen Frazier, Sammy Sergio, George Akladious, Shane Reed, Justin Sandoval, and Joshua Zimmerman – are part of the school’s young men’s leadership group AIM (Adventures in Middle). AIM, which focuses on leadership opportunities and community service, is led by health and physical education teacher Chad Eirich, History 7 teacher Nick Fisher and Eighth Grade Dean Brian Tompkins.

May 27: “I’m a world champion and I’m still behind on my homework.” That was the lament of Freedom High School junior Virginia Campbell, who was part of a seven-member team that took first place at the Odyssey of the Mind World Championships at Michigan State University. The Freedom team defeated 57 other teams from around the world. It placed first in long-term, first in spontaneous and second in style, soundly defeating the reigning world champions from New York.

May 30: “Education is the foundation that is laid so that opportunity and destiny can meet. Destiny is what is reached when hope and resilience make dreams come true.” With those inspirational words about the power of education, 2017 Virginia Teacher of the Year Dr. Toney Lee McNair, Jr. opened the LCPS Teacher Cadet Ceremony at the LCPS Administrative Offices. A total of 174 LCPS seniors received honor cords and certificates of completion for the program. Teacher Cadet programs

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are hosted in the district’s high schools in conjunction with Shenandoah University.

Students receive dual-enrollment credits from the university for completing the program. The goal of the program is to attract students to the education profession while they are still in high school and, hopefully, encourage them to return to their home school system as teachers when they finish their college studies.

May 30: Graduating seniors in Loudoun County’s CAMPUS program were honored at a special celebration held at Rock Ridge High School. CAMPUS is a college-preparation program for students who may be firstgeneration college students and/or who come from a socioeconomically disadvantaged background. A total of 102 students completed the program. Those students earned a combined $1.7 million in scholarship money.

Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) Superintendent Dr. Eric Williams delivered the welcome for the event, noting that his father was a first-generation college student.

May 30: A club that had been dormant for 15 years at Broad Run High School got new life with the induction of 28 members. Troupe 3564 of the International Thespian Society was rechartered during a ceremony held in the Black Box Theatre.

June

June 2: Federal Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price kicked off the annual Field Day at Lowes Island Elementary by encouraging students to put down their video games and engage in at least an hour of physical exercise each day during summer break. “My job is to make certain Americans are absolutely as healthy as they can be, which is why I wanted to come and see your field day today,” said Price. The secretary said he knew the students had physical education classes three times each week during school. It was their summer recreation habits – or lack thereof – that has him worried. “We want to make sure that the fun you have today and the exercise you have today are carried out throughout the entire summer. It’s important that you remember you have to exercise and have some activity about an hour a day, every single day. I want you to commit to yourself and your family that you’re going to exercise an hour a day.”

June 2: Drivers in Sterling Park may have been surprised to see a marching band followed by a sea of blue moving down the street. They weren’t imagining a mid-day parade. It was the annual Park View High School-Sterling Elementary Grad Walk. Last year, Park View Principal Kirk Dolson and Sterling Principal Jennifer Meres collaborated to start a new tradition in their community. Many of the students graduating from Park View attended Sterling for elementary school or have younger siblings who attend Sterling. The Grad Walk was a perfect way for the seniors to loop back around to the place their education began and to serve as role models for the younger students making their journey to graduation.

June 2: Fourth-graders in Katie Wheedleton’s class at Mill Run Elementary washed bicycles for charity. Hundreds of gleaming bikes stood at the east and west ends of the schools as Wheedleton’s students scrubbed and dried throughout the afternoon.

The fourth-graders ran a school bikewashing business through Real World Scholars all year. Their business, Cycle Scrubs, raised $660.92, which was donated to charity.

June 6: Students expect to learn about history in a social studies class. Few expect to make history. That’s exactly what students at Farmwell Station Middle School did with a One to the World project. Seventh grade students received an assignment from teacher Anthony Jay Dodson in the form of a question: What person, place or event in Loudoun County (Continued on page 26)

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YEAR IN REVIEW (Continued from page 25)

deserves the next roadside historical marker?

The place selected for the next roadside historical marker was the Ashburn Colored School on Ashburn Road. Students drafted the language to appear on the sign, then submitted their proposal to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and awaited approval. The approval was received in March, and the new historical marker was unveiled at a ceremony in front of the Ashburn Colored School.

June 6: Loudoun County High School celebrated 11,000 hours of community service through the Raider Outreach program with a showcase and banquet. “We started this program last spring and we really didn’t know where it was going to go,” senior Rayna Odegaard told parents and students during a pre-banquet program in the auditorium. “As it developed, it grew into something that had great potential.” Odegaard was part of the “Fab Four,” a group of seniors that planned Raider Outreach as a capstone project for the Class of 2017. (The other members of the “Fab Four” were Alexis Ballve, Jack Staples and Chris Updegraff.) Staples told the audience that Raider Outreach had 185 participants that helped 81 groups with the aid of 74 community sponsors.

June 8: There was nothing accidental about the graduation of 328 seniors from the Monroe Technology Center in the Tuscarora High School gym. While there might not have been any accidents during the ceremony, the theme of serendipitous outcomes resulting from accidents resonated through the remarks of the commencement speaker, LCPS Public Information Officer Wayde Byard.

Byard recounted how two accidents – a wrong phone number and confusion over his racial background – had positive long-term effects on his life. The wrong number led to his introduction to Brenda, his wife of 35 years. The confusion over his racial identity paired him up with an influential screenwriting mentor who shaped Byard’s writing to this day. “If there is one thing life has taught me is that accidental encounters and incidents have a way of shaping our lives far beyond our ability to plan. In fact, accidents are life’s opportunities in disguise,” Byard said.

June 9: All you need to know, you learn as a freshman in high school – at least if you attend the Loudoun Academy of Science (AOS). AOS Director George Wolfe reminded the Class of 2017 about the pledge they took at their freshman coating ceremony and how it will affect the rest of their life. He dispensed this wisdom at the AOS 2017 commencement at the LCPS Administrative Offices in Ashburn.

“I want you to ask yourself how much you’ve changed in these four years. And I want you to ask a second question ‘Who do I want to be in four years?’… If I could give you any advice, it would be in this pledge. ‘Today, I make a commitment to my education and training as a student at the Academy of Science. I acknowledge my responsibility to continue the pursuit of knowledge throughout my life. My classmates at the Academy of Science are now my colleagues…I owe to them the same support and encouragement to achieve their goals as I receive from them. I will work alongside my

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classmates and instructors with tolerance, with compassion and with honesty. I acknowledge the obligation to adhere to the Academy of Science Honor Code and to conduct myself with integrity and in an ethical manner at all times. I shall do all within my power to make myself an example of all that is honorable and good…’

I can’t give you better advice than to live this pledge that you made four years ago.”

June 11: It’s “the joy of starting something new in your hearts”, Del. J. Randall Minchew (10th District) stated, explaining the concept of the word, “Commencement” to a Heritage High School gymnasium teeming with excited graduates and celebrating friends, family and teachers. In his keynote address during Heritage’s graduation ceremony, Minchew encouraged his audience to think of graduation as a beginning rather than an ending. He chose to speak about an “element that shaped and continues to shape our society”, a “timeless element that is the basis for good government and sound business practice…Honesty, veracity, truth.”

June 11: With just 346 members, the Freedom High School Class of 2017 may be one of the smallest classes in school history. It also may be one of the most accomplished. The Freedom Class of 2017 had its commencement exercises at EagleBank Arena. Freedom High School Principal Doug Fulton recognized the class’ outstanding achievements, including more than 34,000 hours of community service over four years, three National Merit semifinalists, three delegates to Girls’ State, four delegates to Boys’ State, 21 conference athletic championships, a state championship and a world championship in Odyssey of the Mind.

The Class of 2017 was awarded $4.4 million in scholarships.

June 11: Dominion High School social sciences teacher Corey Burns gave the Class of 2017 the advice he wishes he’d gotten at graduation during the Titans’ commencement ceremony in the school’s gym. Burns said high school graduation is the starting line, not the finish line. “Believe me, for the work you’ve put in, it may feel like you’re crossing the finish line, but life is just starting for you.” He told the graduates not to fixate on the future. “If you’re feeling anxious about your future, remember you don’t always have to worry about tomorrow.

Tomorrow brings its own grief, worry about today and its distinct challenges. I bring this up because we often become so wrapped up in the future that we forget to live in the present.”

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LCPS Students Ace Financial Literacy

Five Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) students were named Centurion Scholars for scoring 100 percent on the Financial Literacy Certification Test administered by W!SE Financial Literacy.

These five students are: • Tarun Golla, Broad Run H.S. • Ryan Malla, Broad Run H.S. • Stephanus Muller, Stone Bridge H. S. • Alexis Van Lenten, Briar Woods H. S. • Shea Wenzler, Tuscarora H.S.

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YEAR IN REVIEW (Continued from page 26)

June 11: Author Leslie Morgan Steiner had some unique words of wisdom for the graduates of Rock Ridge High School. “Embrace your personal problems. This advice applies to parents too. Don’t let your kids’ problems or your own shape you. Be proud of the cards life deals you. Everybody gets some terrible hands. Obstacles and tragedies can actually be wonderful opportunities to discover your own courage. For the record, you can make a lot of mistakes in life and still grow up and leave the hard times behind you. Especially if you have a little help from friends and adults, teachers, parents, coaches who believe in you when you are not able to believe in yourself. Always ask for help. Always tell others your problems. You are never alone… Always face life head-on on life’s terms, on your own terms with hope and forgiveness in your heart and with laughter.

Joyful or cynical laughter, but laughter at all costs. Because if you want to be happy in life, no one can stop you.”

June 11: “Think about things you have in your life now and want to have in your life in the future. You’ll have to work a little bit harder to have a life filled with the adjectives you desire – healthy, positive, happy and clean laundry.” That was just one of the epiphanies of adulthood shared by Shannon Shepherd at Broad Run High School’s commencement exercises held at EagleBank Arena on the campus of George Mason University. Shepherd, who is a sports reporter for WIVB-TV in Buffalo, is a 2008 graduate of Broad Run and a 2012 graduate of St. Bonaventure University.

June 12: Loudoun Valley High School alumna Claudia Bolen-Sullivan delivered this year’s commencement address. Bolen-Sullivan is a member of the first graduating class of Loudoun Valley High School and taught history and government at Valley and Sterling Middle School for 10 years. She served as assistant principal at Blue Ridge Middle School for 22 years as well as principal at Harper Park Middle School. Bolen-Sullivan told the Class of 2017 that she graduated Loudoun Valley a half century ago and the world is a very different place today. Cell phones, Internet and social media did not exist when she was in school.

“Now, even though this generational gap may impact our perceptions, we still have one very important thing in common. And that is, we are all graduates of Loudoun Valley High School.”

June 12: Nicole E. Ivey, a member of the Briar Woods Class of 2010, urged the 2017 graduates to be willing to leave their former selves behind. During a commencement remarks at George Mason University’s EagleBank Arena, Ivey said a lot of the things you do in life are the result of repeat behaviors.

“You pick them up for reasons that don’t matter now or didn’t matter in the first place or for reasons that you don’t remember at all. It’s time to question. To continually uncover what makes you you and shed your past selves. This is important…Only when you let go of what was can you make way for what could be…Who you were does not dictate who you are…Pay attention to the things you catch yourself lying about that reveal things that you want to be true but simply are not. Lastly, remember that just as you are is not dictated by who you were, who you are does not dictate who you will be. Let go.

Open yourself up to your own evolution. Decide your own way.”

June 12: Family was the theme as the Stone Bridge High School Class of 2017 graduated at George Mason University’s EagleBank Arena. Valedictorian Christine Huynh began her valedictory address by thanking her family in Vietnamese. Huynh said people always ask her about the source of her success. “I can proudly say that my background is largely responsible for how I got here. My mother grew up in Saigon City, the youngest in a poor family of nine. Her days were kept busy selling trinkets

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in order to raise money and her nights were filled with studying.” Her mother’s hard work paid off as she also rose to the top of her high school class, Huynh added. “But her path was cut short when communism forced her family to flee here to America.” Huynh’s mother struggled to make her way while raising Huynh and her twin brother. “She has inspired me by her example… that all it takes is hard work to be successful.

Here, in free America, she pushes us to seize the chance we have to create the bright future that she has worked for every day since she was a little girl in Saigon. So, every day, I work to make her proud.”

June 12: Jhon Rodriguez Coto was quite literally head over heels to be among the first graduating class from Riverside High School. Coto performed a back flip on stage after receiving his diploma during a ceremony held in the school’s stadium.

Riverside High School opened in August 2015 without a senior class. The Class of 2017 (Continued on page 28)

School Meals Served The LCPS Department of School Nutrition Services had an innovative year in 2016-17.

Statistics for 2016-2017 996,927 Breakfasts Served. Increase

of 3.9% over 2015-2016.

4,725,727 Lunches Served. Increase of

10.6% over 2015-2016.

4,336 After School Snacks 7,029 After School Fuel Snacks (Park View High School)

34,874 Breakfast After the Bell Meals

(Smart’s Mill and Harper Park)

30,504 Summer Meals (2016)

Highlights from School Nutrition Services: • School Nutrition Services spent more than $70,000 on locally grown produce this year: strawberries, Bibb lettuce, Mesclun mix lettuces, apples, pears and potatoes lead the list.

• School Nutrition Services helped students complete 15 One to the World Projects, incorporating menu planning, nutrition regulations and school gardens.

• There are 51 active school gardens in LCPS, an increase of 37 during the past two years.

• Funds from the Farm to School Planning Grant were utilized to offer two teacher training sessions with an emphasis on integrating farm-to-school into existing curriculum. Approximately 40 teachers from elementary, middle and high schools participated. Several disciplines were represented among teachers, including economics, biology, family and consumer sciences, and mathematics.

• Approximately 100 vertical garden towers have been distributed to schools.

These growing towers are donated by the Health Department and include soil and tools.

• School Nutrition Services conducted eight tasting parties around the county (three elementary schools, two middle schools and three high schools). Student choices were considered when selecting products for 2017-18 menus.

• Citizens came forward and paid off all student owed meal debt at the end of the school year.

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YEAR IN REVIEW (Continued from page 27)

started at the new high school as juniors.

Jasmine I. Abuziad became the first Ram to graduate from Riverside. Principal Doug Anderson called 2017 “the year of the Ram” and noted that the school had earned six conference championships, five district championships, six regional championships and four state championships.

June 12: To thine own self be true.

Unless… Mario Zangla, a 22-year veteran English teacher, gave the Park View Class of 2017 some food for thought based on an oftcited line from “Hamlet” during graduation exercises at George Mason University’s EagleBank Arena. This passage concerns Polonius’ advice to his son, Laertes. “At the very end of the speech he tells his son ‘This above all, to thine own self be true.’ Sounds beautiful right? That’s the kind of advice that finds its way onto classroom walls or inspirational cards. But, if you think about it, is this actually good advice? What if you have some pretty serious character flaws? Do you want to be true to those? What if you are unkind, lazy, snarky? Being true to your nature might not be the best policy.”

June 13: Loudoun County High School conducted its 63rd annual Commencement Exercises on the lawn before the school’s main entrance. Principal Dr. Michelle Luttrell congratulated the graduates for making the school year at County, and their final year of high school, memorable. Luttrell’s message to the graduates was about leaving a legacy.

“Your legacy could be something tangible… but the legacy I speak of is far deeper and more meaningful; comprised of relationships, accomplishments, truths and values. Mark Twain said, ‘The two most important dates in your life are the date you were born and the date you find out why.’ My hope is that you are able to leave a piece of yourself behind to become part of the fabric of what makes Loudoun County High School so unique and special.”

June 13: In his first graduation as the Principal of Potomac Falls High School, Principal Brandon Wolfe conferred 378 diplomas to graduating seniors in the school’s football stadium. Valedictorian Mackenzie Dorsey began her remarks by alluding to the sweltering heat and humidity in the stadium. “I thought I’d start out with a few corny jokes to warm up the crowd. However, you guys are in luck because I don’t think there’s any warming up that needs to be done.”

June 13: Woodgrove held its sixth commencement exercises in the high school’s athletic stadium. Commencement speaker Richard Gillespie assured the graduates that the place they were from had prepared them for life. “Heritage has mixed in with all the people of this region. Be confident because of it. My message is simple, take heart, be confident… your upbringing in this place – even if you don’t realize it now – it will do you in good stead.”

June 13: “The only thing you absolutely need is passion… It also takes hard work.”

Tuscarora High School graduation keynote speaker Kevin McCarthy, film critic for Fox 5

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News, offered these motivational words at a ceremony held at Tuscarora’ Fortune Field.

McCarthy used his own experiences as a springboard to the words of encouragement he presented to the 375 graduates. He talked about his own unhappy high school experiences. “I was beat up and made fun of.

But, it does get better. The bullies who run the hallways are no longer going to run your life…

A quote changed my life…Do what you love and the money will follow.” McCarthy talked about his own determination to become a reviewer of movies. “I did the job for free for eight years.”

June 13: Susan McCormick, the founder and owner of the Wellness Connection, had some plainspoken advice for the 353 graduates of John Champe High School. “Most of life’s difficult lessons are difficult on purpose and they’re going to teach you something that matters,” she told a packed gym at the high school. When facing difficult situations, McCormick asked the graduates to clear their minds. Letting life’s problems drift from your mind is like sediment clearing from a lake after a storm. The lake soon becomes clear and everything in it visible. “When you quiet your mind, you have a connection to your soul, your inner spirit, you find out what you are made of and it’s really your purpose in life. So many think that things that happen in life are meant to be and I’m here to tell you that they are wrong.”

June 14: More than 600 LCPS teachers unleashed their awesome at Riverside High School. The teachers invested the first day of their summer break to attend the seventh annual Inspire Loudoun conference. Inspire Loudoun is a teacher-staffed professional learning day where teachers come together to share best practices in teaching with technology. Teachers exchanged ideas on collaborative practices, flipping the classroom, project- and problembased learning, use of mobile devices for teaching and learning and much more.

June 16: Future students at Brambleton Middle School met their administrative team during a student focus group at the LCPS Administrative Offices in Ashburn. “We are your 12th man,” said Principal Renée Dawson.

“We’re there for you in good times and bad times.”

June 30: Karen Elliott, the last original teacher still on staff at Rolling Ridge Elementary, ended her career after 42 years. “I was here when it opened. I always said I would be here when it closed, but I don’t think I can make it that long.” She never intended to stay that long when she took the job. “At that time of my life, I probably thought I would stay here until I got married.” (She married and raised two children while working at Rolling Ridge. Elliott said she had no life plan like the ones schools help children formulate today.) “I was more year-toyear. I certainly did not imagine being here 42 years.” So why did she stay? “This has always been like home to me. I have liked coming here for all these years…Structurally, it’s changed a lot, but internally I think it’s the same; it’s happy, friendly faces. The technology, all of that has changed a great deal, but the children come in and are so anxious to learn, especially the young ones. They’re always in awe of their teachers.

That’s something that hasn’t changed.”

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Special Education Advisory Committee

The Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) works with the School Board, administrators and teachers who are responsible for students receiving special education services, and parents.

How We Do It:

• Informative presentations for parents and educators at the monthly meetings;

When Are Meetings?

• Helpful and timely information via the SEAC website and Facebook page at www.lcps.org/seac and www.facebook. com/loudounseac;

• Annual recognition for Excellence in Supporting Special Education Awards Program honoring award recipients who demonstrate excellence in making a meaningful difference in the lives of individuals in the special education community;

• SEAC PTA/PTO representative appointment is encouraged at each school. Check the listing on the SEAC web page to confirm whether your school is represented;

SEAC meets monthly during the school year, generally the first Wednesday of the month, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) Administrative Offices, 21000 Education Court, Ashburn. Current information about meeting dates and location, as well as meeting presentation information, is available at www.lcps.org/seac.

Who May Attend Meetings?

All meetings are open to the public. SEAC welcomes anyone interested in special education. Tables are set up by school cluster, so there is an opportunity to connect with other parents from your school. There is a designated time for public comment during the meeting. This is an opportunity to share successful educational experiences and express concerns regarding educational issues for students with disabilities.

What SEAC Does:

• Advise LCPS of the needs of students with disabilities;

• Assist LCPS in the development of longrange plans, which will provide needed services for children with disabilities;

• Submit reports and recommendations regarding the education of students with disabilities to the School Board. The current and past annual report recommendations are available at www.lcps.org/seac;

• Review annually the LCPS special education plan and application for federal funding.

• Receive input from parents, caregivers, educators and other interested stakeholders during monthly meetings, and through

public comments, town hall meetings and

community surveys. This input assists

SEAC in identifying the needs of LCPS

students with disabilities.

2017-18 SEAC Executive Committee:

Chair Dr. Carol Williams-Nickelson, SEACChair@lcps.org

Immediate Past Chair Lorraine Hightower, SEACPastChair@lcps.org

Vice Chair, Communications Kristin Kane, SEACViceChairCommunications@lcps.org

Vice Chair, Planning Shehnaz Kahn, SEACViceChairPlanning@lcps.org

Vice Chair, Membership Sharon Tropf, SEACViceChairMembership@lcps.org

Secretary Allison McArthur, SEACSecretary@lcps.org

32 LCPS Students Named National Merit Semifinalists

Thirty-two LCPS seniors were named National Merit Semifinalists in the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program.

These students are: • Jennifer Baily, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology • Kevin Carey, Loudoun County High School • Joseph Chang, Freedom High School • Jacob Coleman, Loudoun Valley High School • Nathaniel Coombs, Park View High School • Noah Craig, Potomac Falls High School • Deepshika Dhanasekar, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology • Ishaan Gandhi, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology • Kyle Hess, Broad Run High School • Ashley Hirt, Rock Ridge High School

• Shivam Kollur, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology • Daniel Le, Rock Ridge High School • Nicholas Lee, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

• Elynnor Sandefer, Broad Run High School • Alay Shah, Freedom High School • Aakash Shukla, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

• Zainab Mahdi, Dominion High School

• Alexandra Soccio-Mallon, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

• Megan Marshall, Broad Run High School

• Louise Song, Rock Ridge High School

• Bharath Meka, John Champe High School

• Harim Song, John Champe High School

• Clara Na, Briar Woods High School

• Sneha Sudhakar, Dominion High School

• Samuel Ong, Briar Woods High School

• Matthew Traenkle, Dominion High School

• Swetha Prabakaran, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

• Varsha Vejalla, Broad Run High School

• Gautam Ramanathan, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology • Alyssa Sandefer, Broad Run High School

• Jessica Wang, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology • Nathan Whitaker, Freedom High School

These students are among 16,000 nationwide to receive this honor. They earned Semifinalist status based on their performance on the PSAT during their junior year. They are among the highest scorers in Virginia and represent the top 1 percent of test-takers.

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Mental Health Services

Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) Pupil Services Department will offer expanded mental health support to students during the 2017-18 school year, thanks to budget reallocations and improved staffing standards.

Pupil Services will add eight social workers, eight school counselors, five psychologists and two student assistance specialists under a plan to enhance staffing standards. Funding for the plan was included in the Superintendent’s Recommended Budget for fiscal year 2018.

Part of the funding for the new staffing was achieved through the reallocation of funds in a “professional services” line item. According to Superintendent Eric Williams’ budget presentation to the School Board, the rationale for the reallocation of funds to the new positions is that they “build on existing efforts to promote mental wellness and resiliency, increase early detection, provide social and emotional support and encourage help-seeking behavior and access to mental health treatment.”

The plan set forth in that budget proposal calls for the creation of “unified support teams.”

These teams would be comprised of psychologists, social workers, school counselors and student assistance specialists at high schools to better coordinate mental health services.

With the improved staffing, Pupil Services has outlined an ambitious plan of work for the coming year. It will conduct a comprehensive Mental Health and Wellness Conference.

“Navigating the Path to Student Wellness: Mental Health and Wellness Symposium” will be held from 8:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 14, at Riverside High School in Leesburg. The keynote speaker for the event will be Dr. Ann Masten of the University of Minnesota, the author of Ordinary Magic. She will speak on the topic of “Resilient Children, Families and Communities.”

Pupil Services also will increase schoolbased mental health training, supports and interventions. These efforts may include student clubs to improve messaging about social connectedness and hope. LCPS is working with community partners to implement Sources of Strength, a comprehensive wellness program

that focuses on suicide prevention but impacts other issues, such as substance abuse and violence. This evidence-based program trains teams of peer leaders mentored by adult advisors to change peer social norms about seeking help and encourages students to individually assess and develop strengths about their life.

Finally, the Pupil Services Department plans to increase collaboration with a number of community agencies, including: • Loudoun County Mental Health, Substance

Abuse and Developmental Services • Loudoun County Community Services Board • Domestic Abuse Response Team • Loudoun County Youth Resiliency Steering

Committee • Gang Resistance and Intervention Team • Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office • Drug Enforcement Agency • Commission on Suicide Awareness and

Prevention

These efforts will build upon several robust initiatives from the 2016-17 school year. The Parent Resource Center was re-branded to become Parent Resource Services and expanded its mission to create a parent series on mental health issues. Suicide Prevention Services expanded the training made available to students, staff and parents, including the SOS (Signs of Suicide) program. This classroom-based program teaches students the signs of depression and suicide and the steps to take if they encounter a situation that requires help from a trusted adult. Historically, this program was presented to all ninth-graders. LCPS expanded booster training of the Signs of Suicide program to all 10th-, 11th- and 12th-grade students.

LCPS adopted the most evidence-supported suicide screening protocol, Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale, to better identify whether someone is at risk for suicide and the level of supports they need. All school counselors, psychologists, social workers and student assistance specialists have been trained on this instrument.

Other community partnerships were launched with groups such as A Place to Be and A Will to Survive.

LCPS Schools Do Well in Niche Rankings

Forty LCPS schools have been recognized as being among the top 100 schools in Virginia, according to a list published by Niche.

Niche publishes their rankings by school type: elementary, middle and high.

Niche is a web service that provides information about schools and districts to parents researching schools. The organization compiled the rankings by exploring SAT/ACT scores, student-teacher ratio, the quality of colleges students consider and reviews from parents and students.

Twelve high schools made the list. They include (with state ranking):

LCPS Recognized Nationally for Music Education

Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) was again named as one of the 2017’s Best Communities for Music Education by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation.

LCPS has been awarded this designation each year since the 2008-2009 school year.

Only 15 school districts in the Commonwealth of Virginia were recipients of this award.

Now in its 18th year, the awards program recognizes outstanding efforts by teachers, administrators, parents, students and community leaders who have made music education part of the curriculum. Designations are made to districts and schools that demonstrate an exceptionally high commitment to music education. These districts and schools set the bar in offering students access to comprehensive music education.

PAGE 30

5.

16.

19.

20.

23.

27.

Stone Bridge High School 37.

Dominion High School 40.

Loudoun Valley High School 43.

Briar Woods High School 50.

Loudoun County High School 54.

Broad Run High School 56.

Freedom High School Woodgrove High School Tuscarora High School John Champe High School Heritage High School Potomac Falls High School

Thirteen middle schools made the list. They include:

10.

11.

16.

19.

22.

24.

30.

Farmwell Station Middle School J. Michael Lunsford Middle School Belmont Ridge Middle School Harper Park Middle School Eagle Ridge Middle School Blue Ridge Middle School Mercer Middle School

33.

40.

46.

52.

54.

84.

Stone Hill Middle School River Bend Middle School Harmony Middle School Seneca Ridge Middle School J.L. Simpson Middle School Smart’s Mill Middle School

Fifteen elementary schools made the list. They include:

55.

62.

63.

69.

71.

73.

78.

79.

Rosa Lee Carter Elementary School Sanders Corner Elementary School Round Hill Elementary School Arcola Elementary School Sycolin Creek Elementary School Kenneth W. Culbert Elementary School Meadowland Elementary School Mill Run Elementary School

82.

87.

88.

92.

95.

98.

99.

Belmont Station Elementary School Legacy Elementary School Newton-Lee Elementary School Little River Elementary School Evergreen Mill Elementary School Lowe’s Island Elementary School Liberty Elementary School

Late last year, Niche ranked LCPS as the No. 3 school district in Virginia, behind neighboring Arlington and Falls Church, and ahead of No. 4 Fairfax County. The service gives LCPS an overall grade of A+.

www.LCPS.org

LCPS Students Excel at International Science Fair

All five Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) students who went to the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair on May 18th and 19th in Los Angeles won major awards.

Devina Thapa, a senior at Potomac Falls High School and the Loudoun Academy of Science, won a $1,500, second-place award in Translational Medical Science. Her project was “Reinventing the Catheter: Inhibiting UTIs by Creating a Novel Material Integrated with Castanea sativa to Inhibit Quorum Sensing among Nosocomial Infection Causing Bacteria.”

Marissa Sumathipala, a junior at Broad Run High School, won a $1,500, second-place award in Cellular and Molecular Biology. Her project was “A Novel Systemic Approach to Cardiometabolic Disease with Dual Therapeutics.”

Aditi Bawa, a senior at Loudoun County High School, won a $1,000, third-place award in Material Science. Her project was “Development and Testing of 45S5 Bioglass via Acid and Base Sol-Gel Polymerization and Fusing onto Gallus

gallus domesticus Cervical Bones for Bone Grafting Treatment.” Bawa also won a special $1,000 award from the Society for Experimental Mechanics, Inc.

Soham Dessai, a senior at Stone Bridge High School and the Loudoun Academy of Science, won a $1,000, third-place award in Biomedical Engineering. His project was “Analysis of Retinal Fundus Images to Detect Macular Degeneration Using Machine Learning Methods.”

Josef Zimmerman, a senior at Woodgrove High School and the Loudoun Academy of Science, won a $500, fourth-place award in Physics and Astronomy. His project was “On the Stability of Bahcall-Wolf Cusps of Dark Matter Orbiting Supermassive Black Hole Binary Systems.”

Approximately 1,800 high school students from more than 75 countries, regions and territories were awarded the opportunity to showcase their independent research and compete for $4 million in prizes at the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair.

Backpack Buddies Program Grows

The LCPS Backpack

Buddies program has

grown significantly since

it started with 133

students in five schools in

January 2014.

During the 2016-17 school year the program, which supplies foodinsecure students with essential grocery items on weekends and holidays, served 1,339 students at 24 schools.

People are always surprised when LCPS Backpack Coalition Program Coordinator Barbara Mendoza talks to them about the need for student food support in Loudoun. “There are more than just at-risk students.”

Students are identified for the Backpack Buddies program by their school. Sometimes these students are the children of somebody who has just lost their job. Sometimes they have a parent in the hospital and insurance coverage has yet to kick in. “(The school will) notify the child and say ‘Maybe we can help you with a bag of food this week.’”

Students do not have to be eligible for free or reduced-price lunch to be in the Backpack Buddies program. Anyone who has a need can take part. “We have a lot of students who are eligible for free and reduced-price lunch and about 25 percent of those children are receiving food on the weekend. There are a lot of parents who feel like – if they’re put on a list – it’s going to hurt them with other sources (of food) they’re able to get.”

Backpack Buddies serves all grade levels. It has been extended to students in the Head Start program and to older students in alternative education settings.

Mendoza said there’s a definite relationship between hunger and academic performance.

“Imagine a child who is trying to do their studies, but all they hear is their stomach rumbling. They can’t concentrate. They can’t focus on their studies. They’re not getting their homework done. The thing that they are waiting for is Monday morning when they go in and get that breakfast or that lunch. That’s what they look forward to instead of getting their homework done.”

During the summer months, LCPS has distribution days at schools. Parents also are given information about food pantries where they can receive help.

The charitable organization One Hundred Women Strong saw a need within the school division because not every school had orga-

571-252-1040

nizational support for the Backpack Buddies program. There was a waiting list at most schools because outside organizations had limited resources. One Hundred Women Strong came to LCPS and said it would like to support all the schools that did not have organizational support. One Hundred Women Strong stated that if Mendoza raised $100,000 in two years, they would match it. She raised $100,000 in 14 months.

One Hundred Women Strong also partnered with Loudoun Hunger Relief to make sure that every student that needs food receives food.

“It’s not just single-serving food, but family style food,” said Mendoza. “We feed the whole family.”

The program costs $5 per week per child.

Backpack Buddies also gets food donations from programs like Wegmans’ Fill the Bus Campaign. The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank supplies Backpack Buddies with grants and deals on food. The Backpack Buddies Foundation provided LCPS with a $15,000 grant.

Mendoza’s position is financed by grants and she does grant writing to fund her position.

LCPS pays nothing for this position. (Her current grant funding expires in January.)

Dominion 2016-2017 RAMP School

The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) named Dominion High School as a Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) school.

The RAMP designation, awarded for aligning with the criteria in the ASCA National Model, recognizes schools that are committed to delivering a comprehensive, data-driven school counseling program and an exemplary educational environment.

Since the program’s inception, more than 650 schools have been designated as RAMP recipients.

PAGE 31

2017-18 LCPS School Calendar

August 24

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

September 4

Holiday (Labor Day)

October 9

Holiday (Columbus Day)

October 23

Student Holiday (County-Wide Staff Development)

November 3

End of Grading Period

November 6-7

Student Holidays (Planning/Records/Conference Days)

Loudoun County School Board The nine-member Loudoun County School Board began its term on January 4, 2016. Four-year terms of elected School Board members listed here expire December 31, 2019. To contact School Board members collectively, you may e-mail LCSB@LCPS.org.

Jeff E. Morse

Brenda L. Sheridan,

Chairman Dulles District (571) 420-2243 Jeff.Morse@lcps.org

Vice Chairman Sterling District (571) 233-0307 Brenda.Sheridan@lcps.org

Eric D. Hornberger,

Beth A. Huck

Ashburn District (571) 291-5685 Eric.Hornberger@lcps.org

At Large (571) 582-9540 Beth.Huck@lcps.org

Eric J. DeKenipp Catoctin District (571) 528-9640 Eric.Dekenipp@lcps.org

November 22-24 Holiday (Thanksgiving) December 18January 1

Winter Break (Classes Resume January 2)

January 15

Holiday (Martin Luther King Jr. Day)

January 26

End of Grading Period

January 29

MOVEABLE STUDENT HOLIDAY * (Planning/Records/Conference Day)

February 19

Holiday (Presidents’ Day)

March 26-30

Holiday (Spring Break)

April 2

Student Holiday (County-Wide Staff Development)

April 6

End of Grading Period

April 9

Student Holiday (Planning/Records/Conference Day)

May 28

Holiday (Memorial Day)

June 7

7 p.m., Monroe Technology Center graduation, site TBD

June 8

7:30 p.m., Loudoun Academy of Science graduation, LCPS Administrative Offices, Ashburn

June 10

2 p.m., Dominion High School graduation at Dominion High School

June 11

7 p.m., Tuscarora High School graduation at Tuscarora High School

June 13

LAST DAY OF SCHOOL/End of Grading Period

June 13

7:30 p.m., Heritage High School graduation at Riverside High School**

June 14

8 a.m., Loudoun County High School graduation on the lawn at Loudoun County High School

June 14

9 a.m., Loudoun Valley High School graduation in Leonard Stadium at Loudoun Valley High School

June 14

9:30 a.m., Stone Bridge High School graduation at George Mason University’s EagleBank Arena

June 14

10 a.m., John Champe High School graduation at John Champe High School

June 14

2 p.m., Freedom High School graduation at George Mason University’s EagleBank Arena

June 14

6 p.m., Rock Ridge High School graduation at Rock Ridge High School

June 14

7 p.m. Park View High School graduation at George Mason University’s EagleBank Arena

June 15

8 a.m. Riverside High School graduation at Riverside High School

June 15

8 a.m., Woodgrove High School graduation at Woodgrove High School

June 15

9 a.m., Potomac Falls High School graduation at Potomac Falls High School

June 15

2 p.m., Briar Woods High School graduation at George Mason University’s EagleBank Arena

June 15

7 p.m., Broad Run High School graduation at George Mason University’s EagleBank Arena

*NOTE: Parents with childcare or other weekday scheduling concerns Date of the Moveable Planning/Records/Conference Day between first and second semesters may change if the school calendar must be changed due to school closings for inclement weather or other emergencies. **This ceremony has been moved to accommodate the installation of Heritage’s new turf field.

PAGE 32

Joy R. Maloney Broad Run District (571) 577-0439 Joy.Maloney@lcps.org

Tom C. Marshall

Debbie K. Rose

Jill A. Turgeon

Leesburg District (571) 528-9610 Tom.Marshall@lcps.org

Algonkian District (571) 439-9651 Debbie.Rose@lcps.org

Blue Ridge District (571) 420-3818 Jill.Turgeon@lcps.org

2017-18 Student School Board Members

The student School Board members for the 2017-18 school year are: Briar Woods High School Jet Pathammavong

Heritage High School Michaela Ready

Riverside High School Skye Meyer

Broad Run High School Fionn Desmond

Loudoun County High School Kirby Howerter

Rock Ridge High School Nicholas Gothard

John Champe High School Gray Barker

Loudoun Valley High School Carleigh Rahn

Stone Bridge High School Kate Harwood

Dominion High School Noreen Tareque

Park View High School Saboor Malik

Tuscarora High School Nimra Tariq

Freedom High School Molly Kammerdeiner

Potomac Falls High School Lisa Ryan

Woodgrove High School Grace Kostal

Student School Board members are non-voting members of the Board appointed by their school’s administration. The students are allowed to comment on issues before the board and are afforded comments at each meeting.

www.LCPS.org