2017-2018 LCPS Annual Report by lcpspio

L O U D OUN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS 2017-2018 ANNUAL REPO RT .......................

SUPERINTENDENT’S MESSAGE .......................

The 2017-18 school year brought exciting changes to Loudoun County Public Schools, and it is my pleasure to share highlights of those with you in this report. Loudoun County continues to be one of the fastest growing counties in the United States, and the fastest growing in Virginia. This August, we will open three new schools: Goshen Post Elementary, Willard Intermediate and the Academies of Loudoun. The opening of the Academies of Loudoun will bring three unique programs under one roof: The Academy of Engineering and Technology, the Academy of Science and Monroe Advanced Technical Academy. This past school year, ten LCPS schools served as pilot sites for personalized learning, and in the coming year we will add fifteen more personalized learning schools, for a total of 25 across the division. Personalized learning complements project-based learning (PBL) and performance-based assessment, as we work to provide deeper learning experiences for all our students. 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 opened its first computer science immersion elementary schools in 2017-18. As we enter Year Two of the Computer Science immersion experiment, we are learning from those experiences and are developing a plan to integrate computer science in grades K-5 across the division. Our commitment to expanding universal full-day kindergarten has paid off, as we will

provide full-day kindergarten to 100 percent of the students entering kindergarten this year. That is a significant increase from 11 percent who were offered full-day kindergarten during the 2014-2015 school year. Recently, I brought to the attention of the School Board challenges we will face in sustaining universal full-day kindergarten after next year. 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. 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 to continually improve. Best wishes,

Eric Williams, Ed.D. Superintendent

TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................

18 12

36 4

Record Crowd for Business Breakfast

Making a Building That Fits Learning Academies of Loudoun

Redskins Host Middle School Students

Best New Teachers of the 2017-18 School Year

Sheriff’s Office Honored for SRO Program ~ Niche Ranks LCPS 2nd in Virginia

2017-18 State Athletic Champions

Paul Pack 2018 Principal of the Year

Loudoun Education Foundation

First Daughter Codes at Middleburg ~ Nobel Winner Speaks to Douglass Students

Secretary of Education Visits Moorefield Station ~ State Secretary of Education Tours Academies of Loudoun

2018-19 Student School Board Representatives

Past Teachers and Principals of the Year

Loudoun Recognized Nationally for Music Educaton ~ Emerick Named National Blue Ribbon School 2018 Shenandoah Teacher of the Year ~ Upadhye Is 2018 Spelling Bee Champion

Academic Ability, Leadership and Service

Corbo 2018 Teacher of the Year

LCPS Has 40 National Merit Semifinalists ~ Freedom’s Wrighte 5A Female Athlete of the Year

Liberty is a National STEM Excellence School

Fulton Is SCA’s Top Administrator ~ Thomas VSTE Teacher of the Year ~ Ajima Is VSTE Innovative Educator of the Year ~ Paul is Driver Education Teacher of the Year

2018 Science Fair Major Awards ~ All LCPS Schools Fully Accredited ~ Hough Named Custodian of the Year ~ Becker Named Outstanding Crossing Guard

34 27

Two Receive Heart Saver Hero Award ~ Minority Student Achievement Advisory Committee (MSAAC)

LCPS Honored for Dyslexia Education ~ LCPS Earn 7th EPA Sustained Excellence Award ~ Special Education Advisory Committee

Sully Becomes Imagine Nation Beacon School ~ Monroe Celebrates 40th Anniversary ~ Loudoun Continues Gains on ACT

Governor Names LCPS as a Distinguished School Division ~ Eight Schools Earn Virginia Naturally Designation

Guilford Continues Thanksgiving Giving

Emerick Leaves a Message for the Future ~ Three Elementary Schools Become Computer Immersion Schools

LCPS Budget Highlights Through the Years

Class of 2018

Seneca Ridge Team Wins Odyssey Worlds ~ LCPS Receives ASBO Excellence Award ~ Yu Earns World Bronze Medal in Chess

Six LCPS Schools Receive Schools to Watch Designation

Loudoun County School Board Members

2018-19 LCPS Calendar

Loudoun County Public Schools Public Information Office 21000 Education Court • Ashburn, VA 20148

(571) 252-1040 • www.lcps.org

Indicates that LCPS also has produced an online video story on a subject included in this annual report. Use the following URL to access the LCPS Annual Report video album, https://vimeo.com/channels/lcps2018.

LOUDOUN SCHOOL-BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP .......................

Record Crowd for Business Breakfast A record crowd of 853 attended the annual Loudoun School-Business Partnership Recognition Breakfast on Friday, March 9th, at the National Conference Center in Leesburg. The theme of this year’s breakfast was “Deeper Learning through Connections.” “Every day business owners – many of you here in the room – provide resources and staff to establish connections to our school children,” said School Board Chairman Jeff Morse. “These role models provide our children an array of knowledge about professions here in Loudoun, bringing authentic, challenging problems into the classroom and engagement with audiences and in work opportunities from outside the classroom…For all of those personal connections, I say ‘thank you.’” Five businesses were honored with the Partnership Award at the breakfast: Boulder Crest Boulder Crest Retreat is a non-profit organization that seeks to provide physical, mental, spiritual healing

among our nation’s veterans who are dealing with PTSD and other combat stressrelated conditions. Students in several LCPS schools, including Round Hill Elementary and Lowes Island Elementary, have found ways to support veterans as they participate in the retreat’s programming. Cheers Sports Cheers Sports and Cedar Lane Elementary were honored for a partnership that dates back to 2005. Since that time, owner Denny Petrella and Cheers Sports have been generous contributors of spirit wear for Cedar Lane staff members. Furthermore, Petrella has contributed $25,000 to the school to support a wide variety of PTA initiatives. Great Country Farms For more than a decade, Janell and Bruce Zurschmeide have provided both in-kind and instructional support to the students and staff of Round Hill Elementary School. The Zurschmeides have been generous contributors to various PTA activities,

providing kettle corn and passes to the farm for various school events. The Zurschmeides also work with the school’s Green Team to teach students about raising healthy produce. Morven Park Morven Park was nominated for recognition by both Frances Hazel Reid Elementary and Smart’s Mill Middle School. Each school has engaged different programs offered by Morven Park in order to provide authentic and challenging problems for their students. USGIF The partnership between the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) and Moorefield Station Elementary stretches across three school years and has resulted in a continuously improving model for teaching students about geography and how technology can improve our understanding of it. J. Knox Singleton, chief executive officer of Inova, was named the eighth winner of the J. Hamilton Lambert Award. This award

recognizes its recipient for leadership in education and community service. A Place to Be is the 2018 recipient of the Make a Difference Award. This honor recognizes business partners and individuals who make a significant, lasting, positive difference in the lives of our children, our community and our future. A non-profit, theater-arts group, A Place to Be has presented “A Will to Survive” and “Behind the Label” to thousands of Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) students in support of the school division’s mental-health iniative. LCPS Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources and Talent Development Dr. Kimberly Hough presented Apple Federal Credit Union with the 2018 Legacy Award. This distinction goes to a previous recipient of the Business Partnership Recognition Award that has exhibited a continued devotion to LCPS. Beginning with the 2016-17 school year, Apple Federal Credit Union has supported the New Teacher of the Year Award with an award given at both the elementary and secondary level.

WASHINGTON REDSKINS .......................

Redskins Host LCPS Middle School Students The Washington Redskins hosted students from Brambleton and Farmwell Station middle schools for gameopening festivities before Washington’s Thanksgiving game with the Giants. Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) Superintendent Dr. Eric Williams and Public Information Officer Wayde Byard also were on the field for special events that included a drop-in by the Golden Knights, the Army’s parachute

demonstration team. Colin Pollock, of Farmwell Station Middle School, took part in the pre-game coin toss along with Redskins great Gary Clark. Rohan Patel, of Brambleton Middle School, retrieved the tee after the opening kickoff. The LCPS delegation, accompanied by Tanya Snyder, wife of Redskins’ owner Dan Snyder, [to the right of Williams in the photo above] was introduced on the field during a firstquarter break in the action.

TEACHERS .......................

Best New Teachers of the 2017-18 School Year Matthew Frye, a seventh- and eighth-grade English teacher at Stone Hill Middle School, has been named the recipient of the Secondary First-Year Teacher of the Year Award. Katharine Christovich, a fifth-grade teacher at Sterling Elementary School, is Loudoun County Public Schools’ 2018 New Elementary Teacher of the Year. Members of the Stone Hill staff submitted these remarks in support of Frye’s nomination: “Being a first-year teacher can be very trying and stressful at times, but Mr. Frye has handled being split between teaching seventh- and eighth-grade English with extreme ease and professionalism. He is dynamic and innovative and is always creating activities to engage his students in their learning. He is a careerswitcher who has truly found his passion in teaching. “Matt is always willing to collaborate, divide and conquer the many tasks associated with implementing new lessons and units. He enjoys trying new strategies and techniques and spends time reflecting on ways to improve his teaching and reach all of his students.

“You will always find Mr. Frye in the hallways and locker areas greeting students by name, even if they are not in his classes. He is just as warm and friendly with the staff members. As one way of building school community, Matt joined a team of individuals called ‘Bus Stop Bandits’ that rewards student behavior on the busses. Mr. Frye understands that connecting and building relationships outside of the classroom is vital to student success. He frequents school activities such as the schoolwide spelling bee, co-hosting the holiday sing-along and facilitates Friday school. “Words to describe Matt Frye: engaging, supportive, welcoming, committed, relationships, collaborative and creative. “Clearly, Matt Frye embodies all the characteristics of an outstanding teacher and role model to his colleagues and students.” Frye holds a master of business administration and a bachelor’s degree in economics and business administration from Shepherd University. Statements on Christovich’s behalf included:

“Katharine Christovich is a teacher who lives by the belief that every child can and will learn, and she takes it upon herself to ensure they do. This belief in her students is the foundation of her work. She maintains the belief that her students are contributors, leaders, learners, and capable of every dream they have. “The first thing that comes to mind when I reflect on Ms. Christovich is her heart and passion for every child. She has an innate ability to build relationships with her students. Her love for her students is evident in every decision she makes. She pours her heart and soul into everything to make her students feel special every day through her praise, encouragement and strong belief in them. “Ms. Christovich invests so deeply in each child, knowing the likes, dislikes, hobbies, and other characteristics of every single student. Her students would move mountains for her. She is the teacher who doesn’t just use the hashtag #kidsdeserveit, but walks the walk daily and maintains an unwavering belief that her kids indeed deserve her very best moment of every day.

“Katie exhibits instructional practices representative of veteran teacher,” said Sterling Elementary Principal Jennifer Meres Short. However, Short said the individual attention Christovich shows her students goes far beyond instructional practices. “Even though the instructional component is so important, what students will remember is how they felt in her classroom.” Christovich attended James Madison University for her undergraduate and graduate studies. She received a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary liberal studies with a concentration in math, science and technology and minors in elementary education and exceptional education. Christovich received a master of arts in teaching in elementary education, pre-k - 6th from James Madison. Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources and Talent Development Dr. Kimberly Hough presented Frye and Christovich with their awards, along with a $500 check and trophy donated by the award’s sponsor, Apple Federal Credit Union.

TEACHERS .......................

Corbo 2018 Teacher of the Year

Denise Corbo, a SEARCH teacher at Horizon, Sugarland and Steuart Weller elementary schools, is the 2018 Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) Teacher of the Year. Corbo has served nine Loudoun County elementary schools (Meadowland, Ashburn, Dominion Trail, Lowes Island, Mill Run, Sugarland, Algonkian, Horizon and Steuart Weller) since 1992. In addition to her role as a SEARCH teacher, she has been a first grade and kindergarten teacher and a technology resource teacher. One of Corbo’s former students, Olivia Kim, who was Corbo’s kindergarten student in 2006, described her as a true role model. “Not only did she teach us fundamentals, like addition and subtraction and the difference between a consonant and vowel, but she also taught us concepts like kind-

ness, sharing and respect.” “Denise has this aura like sunshine that children are drawn to,” Sugarland Elementary teacher Shabana Shah wrote of Corbo. “She knows how to engage children and cultivate their thinking so they can thrive and grow as learners. She has a wealth of knowledge about teaching and child development that goes beyond her position as a SEARCH teacher. Denise is one of those rare educators who ‘just gets’ teaching and ‘just gets’ kids. That’s something you don’t learn in graduate school or professional development. No degree can grant you that wisdom.” “When she walks down the hallway, she is like a celebrity,” wrote Ciara Hope, a colleague at Steuart Weller. “Kids connect to her [and] want to share a wave, a smile, a hug. She elevates students to believe in them-

selves, creating a growth mindset where our struggling students feel like they are smart and successful. She is truly a gift.” At 27, former student Annie Warren remembered the confidence and pride Corbo instilled in her as a first-grader. “The truth is you really never forget the way people make you feel. The sense of pride and accomplishment that was instilled in me by Mrs. Corbo is something I will always remember. To have that gift and give it to children – and have it last for 20 years – is a remarkable one. She always went above and beyond for me and I will always be grateful for that.” Caitlyn Delaney, who was Corbo’s student as a first-grader, might have paid her the highest compliment: she became a teacher and Corbo’s colleague. “As a former student and co-worker,

her dedication to education is inspiring. She inspires children to love learning and reading and she inspired me to become a teacher myself.” Despite her reputation as a master teacher, Corbo seeks out professional learning opportunities. In 2011, she became a National Board-Certified teacher. Beyond school, Corbo created the non-profit StoryBook Treasures, which provides books and related toys to children who can’t afford them in Loudoun, Maryland and Florida. She also is the founder of Brainiacs4kids, providing critical thinking and problem-solving skills to pre-school students. Corbo holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in education from Marymount University with a gifted education endorsement from the University of Virginia.

PAST TEACHERS & PRINCIPALS .......................

Teachers of the Year

Principals of the Year

Recipients of the Loudoun County Teacher of the Year Award include:

Recipients of the Loudoun County Principal of the Year Award include:

1984

Linda P. Sheffield, Loudoun County High School

1985

Fritz J. Scholz III, Loudoun County High School

1986

Shirley G. Lynn, Elementary Gifted Program

Mary Lee Phelps

1987

Harold D. Berry, C.S. Monroe Technology Center

Bernice M. Nicewicz

1988

Margaret W. Vaughan, Loudoun Valley High School

William L. Whitmore Jr.

1989

Elizabeth R. Doerken, Sully Elementary School

Francis R. Fera

1990

Edith J. Middleton, Loudoun County High School

Terrence W. Hill

1991

Everett W. Sutphin, C.S. Monroe Technology Center

Dennis A. Young

1992

Dean T. Drewyer, Loudoun Valley High School

Kenneth W. Culbert

1993

Richard T. Gillespie, Loudoun Valley High School

Michael A. Megeath

1994

Mary V. Young, Loudoun County High School

Ronald E. Dyer

1995

Mary Carol Elgin, C.S. Monroe Technology Center

No Award was Presented

1996

Lee Daniel Kent, Loudoun County High School

James E. Person

1997

Laura L. West, Meadowland Elementary School

Mary B. Morris

1998

Ann S. Haring, Farmwell Station Middle School

Wayne C. Mills

1999

Elizabeth “Lyle” Skarzinski, Loudoun Valley High School

Charles J. Haydt

2000

Lora A. Buckman, Meadowland Elementary School

Laurie C. McDonald

2001

Betty Hill Rankin, Sterling Middle School

Nancy E. McManus

2002

Ronald W. Richards, Broad Run High School

Dr. Virginia M. Minshew

2003

Rachel P. Newell, Hillside Elementary School

Dr. Edgar T. Markley

2004

Douglas M. Dillon, Harper Park Middle School

Dr. Susan P. Browning

2005

Victoria L. Lascomb, Evergreen Mill Elementary School

Dr. Jack Robinson

2006

Elizabeth N. Korte, Stone Bridge High School

Margaret A. Huckaby

2007

Sue Ann Gleason, Cedar Lane Elementary School

Eric L. Stewart

2008

Patricia R. Herr, Smart’s Mill Middle School

No Award was Presented

2009

Jim G. Jenkins, Mountain View Elementary School

Paul L. Vickers

2010

Rhonda L. Alley, Douglass School

Dr. John Brewer

2011

Kenneth David Keller, Stone Bridge High School

Timothy J. Flynn

2012

Andrea M. Schlegel, Heritage High School

James E. Dallas

2013

Lisa A. Roth, Dominion Trail Elementary School

Janet A. Platenberg

2014

Allison M. Alison, Stone Bridge High School

Andrew J. Davis

2015

Dawn M. Blevins, Guilford Elementary School

Sherryl D. Loya

2016

John T. Tuck, Rolling Ridge Elementary School

Michael A. Pellegrino

2017

Kathleen N. Thompson, Stone Bridge High School

John G. Gabriel

2018

Denise Corbo, SEARCH teacher, Horizon, Sugarland and Steuart Weller Elementary Schools

Paul Pack

PRINCIPAL .......................

Paul Pack 2018 Principal of the Year What is of primary importance is that students are engaged in authentic learning that best prepares them for the future. Paul Pack was the recipient of The Washington Post’s Principal of the Year Award in 2018. Written testimonials from Pack’s nomination packet show why he was selected for this honor. “We spend a lot of time talking about creating a school ‘family,’ and treating others as we wish to be treated,” wrote LCPS Elementary Education Director Dr. Mike Martin. “Paul Pack is a walking testament to how these traits can influence an entire community and school system. With these traits ingrained as part of his leadership DNA, Mr. Pack created the conditions that produced a learning culture where diversity is not only accepted, but honored, and failure is only viewed as a necessary step in the journey to success.” “He has always been clear that students are more than test scores,” wrote reading specialist Christy Banks. “What is of primary importance is that students are engaged in authentic learning that best prepares them for the future.” “In some schools when a principal enters a teacher’s classroom it instills a feeling of panic,” wrote Liberty’s

Instructional Facilitator, Technology Nichole Thomas. “Teachers get nervous that the principal is ‘ watching’ and ‘judging’ them throughout the lesson. At Liberty, teachers welcome Paul into their classroom. They know that Paul will engage with the students in the lesson and will leave the teachers with an encouraging note or positive tweet.” Loudoun County School Board Chairman Jeff Morse noted Liberty’s faculty is always ready to show its classroom work to the world. “Teachers invite an outside audience without being prompted: because this is what teachers who are trusted with autonomy do. This is the environment present every day in every classroom.” Third grade teacher Turner Donaldson wrote of Pack’s staffing philosophy. “Paul once shared with me his ‘key to hiring’ and told me how he looks for people smarter than he is in order to put Liberty in the best hands it can be. This has resonated with me since the day he said it. Many leaders are worried to turn the reigns over or nervous to give away too much of their power. Paul Pack’s biggest strength is under-

standing when sharing leadership and responsibility is necessary and in the best interest of Liberty.” Before the 2016-2017 school year, Pack converted Liberty’s traditional computer lab into a SMART Lab that encourages students to work collaboratively with new technology. Liberty is known for its annual STEMmerday, where interactive technology draws a huge crowd of parents and students. “Mr. Pack inherited the STEMmerday educational model,” wrote parent John Hovell. “There was some initial concern that ‘new leadership’ might stop STEMmerday or shift it away somehow. Mr. Pack did quite the opposite; he learned the concept of STEMmerday and frankly pushed it even further.” Pack holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the State University of New York at Oswego and a master’s degree in K-12 administration from the University of Virginia. His entire career has been spent in Loudoun starting as a teacher, and later assistant principal, at Little River Elementary in 2002. Pack became Liberty’s principal in 2012.

VIP VISITORS .......................

Nobel Winner Speaks to Douglass Students

First Daughter Codes at Middleburg Middleburg Community Charter School (MCCS) had three high-level classroom aides on Wednesday, September 27th. Senior Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump; Brad Smith, Microsoft’s president and chief legal officer; and Hadi Partovi, CEO of the education non-profit Code.org, came to MCCS to take part in an Hour of Coding in the fourth/fifth grade classroom of Katie Brennen and Kelly Collins. Afterward, the trio met with the entire student body in the school’s great room. “I am really passionate about creating opportunity and breaking barriers for people so that they all achieve the American Dream,” Trump told the fourth- and fifth-graders. “Coding is not only really, really cool…but it’s so important for whatever it is that you want to do.”

Partovi came to America from Iran as a child and offered a personal testament to how coding can change your life. “I learned coding when I was 10 years old from my dad and it really changed my career and helped me get a job in technology. I realized that…in the 21st century, every kid should have at least the opportunity to learn this.” Smith said he hoped the fourthand fifth-graders know how fortunate they are to participate in exercises like the Hour of Code. “One out of 10 kids around the world have done the Hour of Code. Ten out of 10 kids in this room have done the Hour of Code. What that really means is – in most places you go around the world – nine kids out of 10 are not. You all have a head start and I think that’s really exciting…You all have the ability to go as far as you want.”

“Science does not demystify the world. Science makes the world more interesting. You can’t make this stuff up.” Those words of wisdom came from Nobel Prize winner Craig C. Mello, who spoke with students on February 16th at Douglass School. Mello, who was awarded the Nobel in Physiology or Medicine in 2006, was invited to Douglass by his brother, Roger, who teaches English there. “I was his first lab experiment,” said Roger, who is four years younger than his brother. Craig Mello talked to the students about how all life on earth is connected. “Biological mechanisms are so incredible. They deserve a theme song… We share 3 billion years of common ancestry with worms.” Mello, a professor of molecular medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, works on how organisms handle information. He said organisms developed mechanisms to handle huge amounts of information a long time ago. “I was always interested in ‘How did I get here?’ What is our origin?’” By understanding our origin, Mello said we learn useful things about biology and medicine, “our place in the universe.”

VIP VISITORS .......................

Secretary of Education Visits Moorefield Station United States Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos visited Moorefield Station Elementary School on Friday, December 8th. Moorefield Station is one of three Computer Science Immersion Schools in Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS). Meadowland and Round Hill elementary schools are the other “lighthouse schools.” DeVos spent 90 minutes touring Moorefield Station accompanied by Principal Karen Roche, Superinten dent Dr. Eric Williams, Chief of Staff Dr. Michael Richards, School Board member Jill Turgeon (Blue Ridge District),

Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Dr. Ashley Ellis, Director of Elementary Education Dr. Mike Martin, Elementary Supervisor Teri Finn and Digital Information Specialist Nick Grzeda. DeVos saw how computer coding was infused into various classroom settings, including Nicole Morris’ severe autism class. In first grade, Kaitlin Thomas’ students showed DeVos how they were learning to graph using the scratch program. In fourth grade, Shawn DeLuca’s students demonstrated animal robotics; programming a robot dog to get past a robot snake and safely into a doghouse.

State Secretary of Education Tours Academies of Loudoun Virginia Secretary of Education Atif Qarni got a tour of the Academies of Loudoun Building on Wednesday, April 18th. At a roundtable discussion with Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) staff after the tour, Qarni said he was very favorably impressed with the structure and the concepts behind it. “This model in Loudoun can really serve as a statewide model…This is really a forwardthinking approach.” Among the areas Qarni toured were nursing, pharmacy and technology classrooms and a greenhouse facility with sections that allow for the adjustment of temperature and light. Qarni said the state Board of Education’s

goal is promoting a STEAMH (science, technology, agriculture, math and healthcare) curriculum. “We want to focus on the jobs of the future…Loudoun is already leading the way. This really ties in to what the board is doing.”

ACADEMIES OF LOUDOUN .......................

Making a Building That Flexibly Fits Learning What we’ve done is made the facility to support the learning, not fit the learning into the facility that exists. That’s the best thing about this project. – Dr. Tinell Priddy – Academies of Loudoun Principal

ACADEMIES OF LOUDOUN ....................... “What we’ve done is made the facility to support the learning, not fit the learning into the facility that exists. That’s the best thing about this project.” Those are the words of Dr. Tinell Priddy, principal of the Academies of Loudoun, which opened for the 201819 school year. The new school houses the Loudoun Academy of Science, the Academy of Engineering and Technology and the Monroe Advanced Technology Academy. Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) has been working toward the opening of this specialized school for the better part of a decade. Priddy said the time and effort expended on the Academies has been well worth it. “This far exceeds what I thought we were going to do two years ago (when I became principal). I can’t wait to continue to improve. Just because we have something great, doesn’t mean we can’t step back and figure out what else we can do.” The thing that strikes one about the Academies is the openness and flexible spaces inside its walls. “There are design elements that make the space very flexible,” said Priddy. “There are also some specialized areas in the building that we call ‘commons areas’ that are set up to support collaboration and flexibility. They represent that learning can happen outside of four walls. We have moveable furniture throughout the building. We have a lot of glass walls

and windows to invite collaboration and welcome curiosity. ‘What’s going on in there? That’s really cool.’ The second floor of the auto service lab has glass walls so that when you’re walking along the hallway you can see what the students are doing…It’s really exciting to have the application of learning on display.” There are approximately 40 labs in the Academies’ structure, including a state-of-the-art makerspace. “Our maker space is modeled after the MIT ‘Fab Lab.’ We have looked extensively into maker space models. We have designed a very extensive maker space: metal fabrication, wood fabrication and digital fabrication. We’re taking what you can do in a maker space to a whole new level.” The makerspace will feature a variety of makes and models of 3D printers. “It supports learning in a whole new way.” Another feature in some labs are floor-to-ceiling white boards that will literally allow students to do the thing that horrified your parents; draw on the walls [albeit complex equations rather than rainbows and stick figures]. “They’re an instructional tool and not just walls holding learning in.” Even though the building is three stories, Priddy said natural light will be a prominent feature on every floor. “This building has the biggest walkout basement you have ever seen. It’s two floors above grade in the front and three floors above grade in the back. When you’re in a three-story concrete

structure, you expect that it would feel like a cave if you’re down in the middle of that bottom floor. Not in this building because of the way they’ve utilized windows and glass walls and these light cannons that push natural light throughout the whole entire building.” Light cannons are devices that magnify natural light and “shoot” it into a structure. At the Academies, they’re located on the roof and in the interior courtyards, which drop down through the middle of the building. “In this building, we have design elements that are absolutely amazing…You see a modern, state-of-the art facility when you walk in.” One feature of the building that’s noticeable immediately are the polished-concrete floors, “which is a great thing for schools because it means the custodial team does not have to shut down the whole building in the summer to wax the floors,” Priddy noted. Another notable feature is Monroe Advanced Technology Academy’s greenhouse, which will be 9,000 square feet (three times the size of the one at the former Monroe Technology Center). The new greenhouse will feature a retail space for Monroe’s semi-annual plant sale. The Academies will open with 1,700 students on an alternate-day schedule and expand to its capacity of 2,500 during the next four to five years. The growth will be organic. The Academies of Science will double the size of its incoming freshman class this (Continued on page 14)

Ground Breaking June 17, 2016. From left to right: Dr. Eric Williams, Eric Hornberger, Brenda Sheridan, Beth Huck, Eric DeKenipp, Jill Turgeon, Jeff Morse and Dr. Michael Richards

ACADEMIES OF LOUDOUN .......................

(Continued from page 13) year and each subsequent year. The Academy of Engineering started with a freshman class two years ago and has been adding a class each year. Priddy emphasizes that the three educational entities within the Academies are not separate schools. “We’re not three schools under the same roof.” Priddy said the three entities won’t be merged in the classroom – each must follow a set curriculum – but collaboration will happen naturally within the Academies’ open-concept architecture. “What we want to do – let’s say you have students doing research within one of the departments in chemistry – maybe we have other students doing research in engineering; maybe there’s an opportunity, since both kids are working on research projects, to possibly do some kind of chemical engineering research project. Likewise, if you have students in engineering research at AET who don’t have the prototyping background they need, they might be able to collaborate with the welders or the masonry students or the construction students to work together on a fabrication process.” There also will be clubs and activities for the entire Academies’ community.

“Lots of opportunities for students to interact…” “Learning shouldn’t be isolated. It shouldn’t be algorithms and rules. It should be the application of learning to the world around you: integration, cross-pollination, cross-functional teams. Bring different perspectives together and have them work on a problem together. That’s life.” During the two years, she’s been the Academies of Loudoun principal, Priddy has worked on building business partnerships to further STEM education in Loudoun. Her efforts have been met enthusiastically. “When you hear business partners who are excited about the STEM opportunities for students, that makes me excited. It means those people are going to come into our school and provide our students with additional opportunities. It’s a great thing.”

Fast Facts

Academies of Loudoun Building Size:

305,880 square feet Cost:

$125 million Specialized Labs & Instructional Areas:

Auto Service, Cosmetology, Engineering/Makerspace, Greenhouse, HVAC, TV Production, Research Sustainability Certifications:

Energy Star

Official Groundbreaking:

June 17, 2016

Opening Day:

August 23, 2018

Dedication:

10 a.m. October 30, 2018

Sheriff’s Office Honored for SRO Program

Niche Ranks LCPS 2nd in Virginia

The 2018 Niche website rankings list Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) as the number two school district in Virginia. LCPS trailed only Arlington Public Schools in the rankings. Niche gave LCPS an overall grade of “A+.” The district earned “A+” marks for academics and college preparation. “A” grades were awarded for teachers, clubs and activities, sports, diversity and health and safety. “A-” marks went to administration and resources and facilities. Food received a “B-” grade. Individual schools were ranked among the top 100 schools in their respective categories (elementary, middle, high). The following high schools earned top 100 recognition: 7. Stone Bridge High School 11. Dominion High School 19. Loudoun County High School 20. Briar Woods High School 24. John Champe High School 25. Loudoun Valley High School 27. Broad Run High School 35. Tuscarora High School 37. Freedom High School 46. Woodgrove High School 49. Rock Ridge High School 53. Heritage High School 63. Potomac Falls High School

The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office was honored to be named one of the best School Resource Officers Units in the United States after receiving the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) Model Agency of the Year Award. The Model Agency Award recognizes agencies that exemplify the NASRO Triad Concept: training, policies and standards. These practices ensure professional service to the school community. The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office has had a presence in Loudoun County schools for more than three decades, starting with the D.A.R.E. program. This was implemented in fifth grade classrooms in 1987. In 1996, the LCSO began its School Resource Officer (SRO) program on the heels of extraordinary growth in the county. This growth in population brought with it new schools and a need for the expansion of the SRO program. The LCSO initially began the SRO program with one deputy serving three high schools throughout the county. Today, there are 12 high schools, 13 middle schools and an alternative education school served by the LCSO, with each served by one of 26 SRO’s.

The following middle schools earned top 100 recognition: 8. J. Michael Lunsford Middle School 13. Belmont Ridge Middle School 14. Farmwell Station Middle School 19. Eagle Ridge Middle School 21. Harper Park Middle School 29. Trailside Middle School 33. Stone Hill Middle School 34. Blue Ridge Middle School 40. Mercer Middle School 52. River Bend Middle School 55. Harmony Middle School 67. J.L. Simpson Middle School 86. Seneca Ridge Middle School The following elementary schools earned top 100 recognition: 55. Mill Run Elementary 58. Rosa Lee Carter Elementary 60. Belmont Station Elementary 63. Round Hill Elementary 64. Pinebrook Elementary 67. Emerick Elementary 69. Sanders Corner Elementary 70. Newton Lee Elementary 71. Little River Elementary 73. Liberty Elementary 75. Legacy Elementary 77. Lowes Island Elementary 89. Evergreen Mill Elementary 93. Meadowland Elementary 96. John W. Tolbert Elementary 97. Sycolin Creek Elementary

STUDENTS .......................

Academic Ability, Leadership and Service

Chase Dawson

Marissa Sumathipala

Qualan Woodard

Chase Dawson, a senior at Loudoun Valley High School, joined the University of Virginia’s (UVA) Jefferson Scholars Foundation community as part of the Class of 2022. The Jefferson Scholars Foundation provides a full scholarship program benefiting select undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Virginia and has been named as one of the two leading scholarship programs in the country. The Foundation’s mission is to attract the most promising leaders, scholars and citizens in the world to UVA. In order to be named a Jefferson Scholar, candidates must undergo a rigorous, highly competitive, multistage selection process. This year, nearly 2,000 students were nominated for this scholarship. 116 finalists were invited to take part in a four-day competition at UVA, which included seminar discussions, essay and mathematics examinations, as well as interviews conducted by UVA alumni and faculty. The 36 selected recipients of the 2018 Jefferson Scholarship boast a number of significant achievements. Dawson, who has a 4.7 grade point average (GPA) won the Yale Science and Engineering Association Award at the 2017 Virginia Science and Engineering Fair. He has been an intern at the Janelia Research Institute. Dawson is captain of the Vikings’ National Champion Cross Country Team, runs track and has swum for Valley. In addition to receiving the full cost of attending the University of Virginia for four years, Jefferson Scholars benefit from a number of enrichment programs sponsored by the Foundation, including travel abroad, career networking activities, an outdoor challenge program and a leadership speaker series.

Marissa Sumathipala, of Broad Run High School, was named a 2018 Presidential Scholar by the United States Department of Education and was one of 150 students receiving a $20,000 scholarship from the CocaCola Scholars Foundation. One male and one female student from each of the 50 states are selected as Presidential Scholars, along with other students selected through other nomination processes for a total of 161 scholars. The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars selects students for recognition, based on their academic success, artistic excellence, essays, school evaluations, transcripts, community service, leadership and College Board test scores. The scholars choose a teacher for recognition as well. Sumathipala selected Broad Run’s Terence Vale as her honoree. Sumathipala was honored April 30th in Atlanta as a member of the 30th class of Coca-Cola scholars. She was selected for her leadership, service and academics. The 150 recipients were chosen from a pool of more than 140,000 applicants. Sumathipala’s recognition tops an impressive list of honors for her scientific research. She was a top-40 finalist in the 2018 Regeneron Science Talent Search Competition for developing a novel dual therapeutic for cardiac disease. Her research was featured in Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News. Last year, her work earned her Best in Category and the Grand Prize Intel Foundation China Award at the 2017 International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). She represented Loudoun County Public Schools at ISEF again (Continued on page 33)

Qualan Woodard, a senior at Loudoun County High School and the Loudoun Academy of Science, was awarded a $40,000-per-year college scholarship from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. He also will be part of the President’s Scholars Program (PSP) at Harvey Mudd College. Woodard is one of 106 recipients of the Cooke scholarship nationwide. This year, more than 5,000 students applied for the Cooke College Scholarship. Many of these students were identified through a partnership with the College Board, which connects scholarship organizations to students through their participation in the PSAT/ NMSQT and PSAT 10. The foundation evaluated each submission based on academic ability, persistence, leadership and service to others. The President’s Scholars Program (PSP) is a renewable, four year, fulltuition scholarship program that identifies and encourages outstanding young men and women who have the potential to be future leaders in engineering, science, mathematics and technology. They also are from backgrounds that are traditionally underrepresented at Harvey Mudd College or are the first in their families to attend college. This year, the college received PSP applications from 580 of the 4,111 applicants for freshman admission. Of the 580, 62 finalists were selected and 21 were deemed recipients. Harvey Mudd College (HCM) is an innovative college for undergraduates only. It has about 850 students. HCM offer majors only in STEM but requires students to complete about 30 percent of their courses in humanities, social sciences and the arts. HCM sends students to doctoral programs at the second-highest rate in America.

STUDENTS .......................

2018-19 Student School Board Representatives 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.

Student School Board for the 2018-19 school year include: Spencer Anderson, Tuscarora High School Joshua Baird, Loudoun Valley High School Alexandra Batchvarova, Potomac Falls High School Noah Burke, Freedom High School Sohan Daniel, John Champe High School Fairfax: 188,591 Prince William County: 90,595 Loudoun County: 80,965 Virginia Beach: 68,986 Chesterfield County: 60,976 Henrico County: 51,625 Chesapeake City: 40,656 Norfolk City: 30,787 Stafford County: 29,113

Carolin Fabian, Heritage High School Madison Ferris, Dominion High School Noelle Foster, Stone Bridge High School Asher Freese, Loudoun County High School Patricia Grace, Rock Ridge High School Newport News City: 28,684 Arlington County: 26,975 Richmond City: 25,015 Spotsylvania County: 23,808 Hampton City: 19,911 Hanover County: 18,000 Alexandria City: 15,802 Suffolk County: 14,359 Portsmouth City: 14,339

Grace Kostal, Woodgrove High School Skye Meyer, Riverside High School Hodan Mohamed, Broad Run High School Helene Nguyen, Park View High School Brian Schultz, Briar Woods High School

Roanoke County: 14,155 Albemarle County: 13,938 *As of September 30, 2017

Virginia’s Largest School Systems* 17

ATHLETIC EXCELLENCE .......................

2017-18 State Athletic Champions Loudoun County Public Schools had another successful year in interscholastic sports with 15 team state championships and 32 state championships involving individual athletes or relay teams. Athletic photographs provided by Chas Sumser Photography www.sumserphotography.com

ATHLETIC EXCELLENCE .......................

Team Champions 5A Cheer, Briar Woods High School

4A Boys’ Outdoor Track, Loudoun Valley High School

5A Girls’ Cross-Country, Tuscarora High School

5A Girls’ Soccer, Briar Woods High School

4A Boys’ Cross-Country, Loudoun Valley High School

4A Girls’ Soccer, Loudoun County High School

5A Gymnastics, Freedom High School

4A Softball, Woodgrove High School

4A Boys’ Indoor Track, Loudoun Valley High School

4A Boys’ Tennis, Riverside High School

5A Boys’ Lacrosse, Briar Woods High School

5A Volleyball, Tuscarora High School

5A Girls’ Lacrosse, Freedom High School

4A Volleyball, Loudoun County High School

4A Girls’ Lacrosse, Riverside High School

Individual State Champions Sam Affolder

Loudoun Valley High School

4A, Cross-Country

Sam Affolder

Loudoun Valley High School

4A Indoor Track, 1600 Meters

Sam Affolder

Loudoun Valley High School

4A Outdoor Track, 1600 Meters

Natalie Barnes

Stone Bridge High School

5A Indoor Track, Long Jump

Natalie Barnes

Stone Bridge High School

5A Outdoor Track, Long Jump

Johnathan Birchmeier

Broad Run High School

5A Wrestling, 285 pounds

Briar Woods High School

5A Swimming, Boys’200-Yard Medley Relay

Sean Conway

Loudoun Valley High School

4A Swimming, 100 Freestyle

Sean Conway

Loudoun Valley High School

4A Swimming, 200 Individual Medley

Jack Creamer

Dominion High School

4A Wrestling, 106 pounds

Sean Crumbliss

Freedom High School

5A Wrestling, 132 pounds

Clark Edwards

Rock Ridge High School

5A Outdoor Track, 800 Meters

Abby Harter

Briar Woods High School

5A Swimming, 100-Yard Breaststroke

Jacob Hunter

Loudoun Valley High School

4A Outdoor Track, 3200 Meters

Allison Kopac

Riverside High School

4A Swimming, 500 Freestyle

Loudoun Valley High School

4A Indoor Track, Boys’ 4 x 800 Meter Relay

Loudoun Valley High School

4A Outdoor Track, Boys’4 x 800 Meters

Loudoun Valley High School

4A Outdoor Track, Girls’ 4 x 400 Meter Relay

Mackenzie McConagha

Briar Woods High School

5A Swimming, 100-Yard Butterfly

Mackenzie McConagha

Briar Woods High School

5A Swimming, 100-Yard Backstroke

Thomas Moore

Briar Woods High School

5A Swimming, 100-Yard Breaststroke

Natalie Morris

Loudoun Valley High School

4A Cross-Country

Natalie Morris

Loudoun Valley High School

4A Outdoor Track, 3200 Meters

Ben Nibbelink

Tuscarora High School,

5A Outdoor Track, 1600 Meters

Claire Nguyen

Riverside High School

4A Swimming, 200 Freestyle

Sam Oliver

John Champe High School

5A Swimming, 500 Freestyle

Zoe Rice

Stone Bridge High School

5A Indoor Track, Triple Jump

Zoe Rice

Stone Bridge High School

5A Outdoor Track, Triple Jump

Riverside High School

4A Swimming, Girls’ 400-Yard Freestyle

Rachel Schlemmer

Dominion High School

4A Swimming, 100 Butterfly

Carson Stevens

Park View High School

4A Swimming, 100-Yard Breaststroke

Bill Zach

Woodgrove High School

4A Outdoor Track, 300-Meter Hurdles

Loudoun Education Foundation The Loudoun Education Foundation (LEF) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation that engages businesses and community partners to fund critical and exceptional programs that foster the academic success and well-being of students and teachers in Loudoun County Public Schools. In 1991, four members of the Loudoun County School Board (Fred Flemming, James Callahan, William White and Barbara D’Elia) founded the LEF. Since its formation, the LEF has given more than $4,410,131 to support Loudoun’s students and teachers. The foundation supplies funds for teacher and divisionwide grants that support innovative programs and special initiative grants to focus on our students’ well-being. We focus on helping families in need through our Community School Coordinator at Sterling Elementary School and the Backpack Coalition, which provides food for students over the weekend. LEF sponsors the Loudoun County Public Schools International Youth Leadership Summit, the Regional Science and Engineering Fair and various professional development opportunities, such as the Inspire Loudoun teacher conference. The LEF awards scholarships to current Loudoun County teachers and classified employees for pursuing graduate degrees, advanced training and teacher licensure. Each year, the Loudoun Education Foundation celebrates academic excellence by hosting the Excellence in Education Banquet in December and the Outstanding Teacher Recognition Dinner in the spring. The LEF officers for the 2018-2019 school year are: President: Scott Miller Vice President: Rebecca Ottinger Treasurer: Wesley Clark Secretary: Lynn Rubin During the 2017–2018 school year, the Loudoun Education Foundation gave more than $791,748 to Loudoun’s schools. Monies distributed included: Teaching in Loudoun County program: ..................$75,000 Claude Moore Scholars program:.......................... $25,000 Claude Moore teacher scholarships: .....................$30,000 Classified employee scholarships: ...........................$3,750 Teacher classroom grants: .....................................$54,292 HHMI Makerspace grants: .......................................$6,000 Multicultural grants: . ................................................$9,422 Excellence in Education sponsorship: ...................$52,249 Claude Moore graduation project support: ............$39,000 Student college scholarships: ..................................$5,600 Student achievement support: ...............................$10,000

Outstanding teacher recognition: . ...........................$6,586 Outstanding teacher recognition grants: . ................$9,000 Loudoun International Youth Leadership Summit: .$13,700 Science & Engineering Fair sponsorship: . .............$10,950 Science Fair Teacher Willowcroft Grant: ..................$5,000 CAMPUS Program: ................................................$10,497 EDGE Programs: ..................................................$110,000 Suicide Prevention Program: . ................................$67,680 YMCA After School Program: ................................$20,000 Coding Immersion Elementary Schools: ................$10,000 School Meal Support Program: . ............................$20,190 Backpack Coalition: .............................................$132,373 Community School Outreach Programs: ...............$40,759 Inspire Loudoun Conference: .................................$10,040 Academies of Loudoun support: . ..........................$10,000 Private Donation Support . .......................................$4,660 The Foundation is the host of the annual Excellence in Education Banquet, which honors high school seniors who are in the top five percent of their class academically. This year’s banquet will be held at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Sunday, December 9th, at the National Conference Center. Since 1983, the Excellence in Education Banquet has honored 5,338 of Loudoun’s best students. The next major event for the LEF will be its 17th Annual Golf Classic on Monday, October 1st, 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. This year, the Loudoun Education Foundation honored 35 of Loudoun’s best teachers and Paul Pack, the 2018 Loudoun County and Washington Post Principal of the Year, during a banquet on Friday, May 4th, at the Belmont Country Club. Each of the 35 honored teachers and the Principal of the Year were 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 website is on the school system’s home page, www.lcps.org or www.lef-va.com.

LCPS Has 40 National Merit Semifinalists Forty Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) seniors were named National Merit Semifinalists in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program.

THESE STUDENTS INCLUDE: Naman Baraya Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Saket Bikmal Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Adam Broshkevitch Loudoun Valley High School Karthik Budharaju Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology John Burroughs Woodgrove High School Samuel Campbell Broad Run High School Andrew Clark Loudoun Valley High School Elijah Conrow Loudoun Valley High School Lauren Ford John Champe High School Peter Forstner John Champe High School Anna George Broad Run High School Anoop Hariharan Freedom High School William Helmrath Stone Bridge High School Sachin Jain Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Cody Kim Stone Bridge High School Santosh Krishnan Rock Ridge High School Minna Kuriakose Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Quang Lam John Champe High School John Lebor Loudoun County High School Mia Lei Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Jessica Lu Loudoun Valley High School

Jessica Ly Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Sydney Maloney Briar Woods High School Surbi Mathur Rock Ridge High School Rebecca McFadden Loudoun Valley High School Varun Mosur Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Samuel Oh John Champe High School Samantha Paulus Tuscarora High School Owen Poisson Stone Bridge High School Rishika Randev Rock Ridge High School Akhil Rekulapelli Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Julie Shorey Stone Bridge High School Kamron Soldozy Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Arvind Srinivasan Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Tarunikha Sriram Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Neil Thistlethwaite Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Ryan Thomas Loudoun County High School Rohan Valluri Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Sophie Wong Broad Run High School Pranav Yanambakkam Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

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.

Freedom’s Wrighte 5A Female Athlete of the Year Freedom High School senior Sydney Wrighte was named Class 5 Female Athlete as part of the of the 2018 Allstate Foundation/VHSL Achievement Award Year on May 14th, at the Omni Hotel in Charlottesville. This is the highest honor given by the Virginia High School League (VHSL) to students who have excelled in the classroom, athletics and academic activities. A committee of high school athletic directors and Allstate representatives selected 19 state winners for a $1,500 scholarship from a pool of more than 200 students. Wrighte ended her high school athletic career as one of the most decorated gymnasts in VHSL history. She claimed six overall individual state championships, including back-to-back all-around titles in 2016 and 2017. Her other state individual crowns include bars, beam and two floor titles. In addition to her state accolades, Wrighte claimed eight all-around titles in conference and region competition during her four years. Overall, she finished with 32 individual conference and region titles. She also led Freedom to two state championships and two runner-up trophies. A four-time team MVP, Wrighte also served as team captain as a junior and senior. In the classroom, Wrighte had a 4.1 grade point average (GPA). She was a member of the National Honor Society, Math National Honor Society, Science National Honor Society and was a student representative on the Parent-Teacher-Student-Association. She also was a member of DECA, winning her district competition and competing at the state level. Her numerous volunteer activities include Young Life, Corpus Christi Catholic Church hospitality volunteer, Liberty Elementary School buddy volunteer, special needs babysitter, childhood cancer volunteer at Kyle’s Kamp and serving as a Freedom High School peer tutor. Wrighte will attend Auburn University, where she will compete on the Tigers gymnastics team and study pre-physical therapy/athletic training. Wrighte’s mother, Laura, teaches at Little River Elementary and coaches Freedom’s gymnastics team. Her father, Mark, is Freedom’s head baseball coach.

HONORS & AWARDS .......................

Liberty Is a National STEM Excellence School Liberty Elementary was recognized as a National STEM Excellence School at the Future Education in Technology Conference (FETC) in Orlando. Liberty was the winner in the Elementary Division from among three finalists. (Buck Lake Elementary in Leon County, Fla., and Union Elementary STEM and Demonstration School in Sumner County, Tenn., were the other elementary finalists.) FETC is the largest, national, independent education technology event. Liberty stood out as the finalist for the FETC award in part to its blending of STEM and PBL (project-based learning). In 2016, the school introduced the “Smart Lab,” which is a co-taught digital learning environment for teachers and students. Liberty began its STEM initiative in 2010 and the program has grown into a model.

Teachers provide mentorship and ongoing professional development to staff from the moment they start teaching at Liberty with an annual “STEM Boot Camp” in August. A STEM Leadership Team develops strategic professional development and annual family and student opportunities in STEM, such as STEMmerweek and Camp Code summer camps.

Budget Revenue Sources

HONORS & AWARDS .......................

Loudoun Recognized Nationally for Music Education Loudoun County Public Schools was named one of 2018’s Best Communities for Music Education by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation for

its outstanding commitment to music education. Only 13 school districts in the Commonwealth of Virginia were recipients of this award. Now in its 18th year, this 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 and access to music education. These districts and schools set the bar in offering all students access to comprehensive music education.

Emerick Named National Blue Ribbon School Emerick Elementary School officially became a 2017 National Blue Ribbon School during a ceremony for staff and parents on Tuesday, October 3rd, in the school’s library. This honor was conferred on only 342 of America’s more than 130,000 schools by the federal Department of Education. Honorees represent 44 states. 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 Elemen-

tary (2005) and Lincoln Elementary (2010). Emerick was one of seven Virginia schools selected for this honor. The other schools are Hickory High School in Chesapeake; Midway Elementary in Dinwiddie County; Mountain View Elementary in Rockbridge County; Stonehouse Elementary in WilliamsburgJames City County; Union

Hall Elementary in Pittsylvania County; and Trinity School at Meadow View, a private school in Falls Church. (The Council for American Private Education nominates private schools for Blue Ribbon awards.) National Blue Ribbon Schools are selected based on one of two criteria: performance on

state assessments, or in the case of private schools, performance on national standardized tests and high school graduation rates; or performance in closing achievement gaps between a school’s subgroups and all students during the past five years while increasing graduation rates for each subgroup. “That doesn’t come easy,” Emerick Principal Dawn Haddock said of meeting the award criteria. “It doesn’t happen overnight…This is really an accomplishment that you should be very proud of... Thank you for coming (to school) every day and not just giving a little, but giving your all.”

HONORS & AWARDS .......................

2018 Shenandoah Teacher of the Year Stephanie Worthley, a fourth grade resource teacher at Liberty Elementary School, is the Shenandoah University 2018 Loudoun County Teacher of the Year. 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 ave 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 24th year the award has been presented. “When hiring any teacher, a principal asks himself ‘Would I want my own child to have this teacher?’”

Liberty Principal Paul Pack wrote in his nomi nation for Worthley. “Stephanie takes the ideal to a new level as she truly treats each child as if they were her own…“Since the building is not officially open, Stephanie stands out side in the rain and snow to greet her children… to another early start by their smiling teacher. Using her extensive training… her students grow in competencies and confidence… Each child walks out of Liberty… knowing that, despite his or her disability, struggles and challenging day behind them (and one in front the next morning), their teacher believes in (them) and would do anything for (their) success.”

Upadhye Is 2018 Spelling Bee Champion

You know you’re a great speller when the pronouncer runs out of words. That point was reached after round eight of the 36th Annual Loudoun Regional Spelling Bee on March 1st at

Stone Bridge High School. Pronouncer Will Waldman told the four spellers remaining in the competition that they had gone through the 300 words they had been allowed to study in the official

School Pronouncers Guide. And so it was off into unstudied territory… The four spellers who had reached that stage of the competition were Anoushka Upadhye, an

eighth-grader at Stone Hill Middle School; Aleesha Khurram, an eighth-grader at Trailside Middle School; Tryphena Pilli, an eighthgrader at Eagle Ridge Middle School; and Akansha Bagga, a fifth-grader at Newton-Lee Elementary. By round 14, only Upadhye and Khurram were left in the competition. In round 22, Upadhye, last year’s spelling bee runner-up, won the competition by spelling cinematheque. For those wondering, a cinematheque is a small, one-room movie theater. As Loudoun’s spelling champion, Upadhye advanced to the 91st Scripps National Spelling Bee. Seventy-six spellers started the regional bee, representing public and private elementary and middle schools in Loudoun County.

HONORS & AWARDS .......................

Fulton Is SCA’s Top Administrator Doug Fulton, the principal of Freedom High School, was named the 2017-2018 Virginia Student Councils Association Administrator of the Year. Fulton received this honor on March 17th, at the Virginia Student Councils Association Banquet at the Founders Inn and Spa in Virginia Beach. Fulton was recognized for his work in creating a positive school climate and environment that promotes the success of all students.

Paul is Driver Education Teacher of the Year Eric Paul, an in-car driver education teacher at Park View and Dominion high schools, was named the Virginia Driver Education Teacher of the Year. Paul’s work as a behind-the-wheel instructor is a second career for him in his retirement. In addition to being a driver education teacher, Paul also runs a non-profit organization that helps non-violent offenders re-enter the workforce.

Ajima Is VSTE Innovative Educator of the Year Thomas VSTE Teacher of the Year Liberty Elementary Instructional Facilitator of Technology Nichole Thomas was named 2017 Teacher of the Year by the Virginia Society for Technology in Education (VSTE). Thomas was nominated for the award by Liberty Elementary Principal Paul Pack. In his nomination letter, Pack outlined the numerous contributions Thomas has made to the school and Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) as a whole. He specifically cited Thomas’ role in the school’s recognition as a STEM Excellence Award finalist at the Future Education Technology Conference (FETC) and in creating the school’s SMART Lab. Pack highlighted Thomas’ leadership in teacher professional development, Inspire Loudoun, Loudoun County’s STEM Day and “Camp Code.” Thomas has previously presented at the VSTE conference, as well as the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).

Dominion High School Instructional Facilitator for Technology Josh Ajima was named 2017 Innovative Educator of the Year by the Virginia Society for Technology in Education (VSTE). Ajima was nominated for the Innovative Educator Award for his efforts to incorporate makerspace technology into Dominion classrooms. To reach this goal, he designed a mobile makerspace cart that could be moved into various classrooms throughout the school as needed. Ajima and a team of teachers also collaborated to receive a grant from the United States Education Department to make over a Career and Technical Education (CTE) classroom with makerspace tools. Ajima has been involved in the fundraising for, installation of and training to use various realworld technology tools to help students solve authentic, challenging problems in their classwork. Ajima also serves as the instructional facilitator for technology for the Loudoun Academy of Science. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Virginia. After teaching three years and serving four years as director of instructional technology in Clarke County, Ajima became part of Dominion’s inaugural faculty in 2003.

HONORS & AWARDS .......................

All LCPS 2018 Science Fair Major Awards Schools Fully Accredited

Four students earned Intel Finalist Awards at the 37th Annual Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) Regional Science and Engineering Fair held at Riverside High School on Thursday, March 15th. Orbital ATK sponsored the event. The four finalists and their projects are: • Lucy Greenman (Potomac Falls High School and the Academy of Science): Preventing PreTerm Birth: Maximizing GSH Synthesis to Fight Oxidative Stress • Marissa Sumathipala (Broad Run High School): Next Generation Drug Discovery: A Novel in Silico Network-Based Approach to miRNA Drug.

Becker Named Outstanding Crossing Guard Dave Becker, the school crossing guard for Emerick Elementary and Blue Ridge Middle School, was named one of seven winners of the 2017-2018 Virginia’s Most Outstanding Crossing Guard Award. This award is presented by Safe Routes to School, a program of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). Becker was selected from 76 candidates nominated from across Virginia. In nominating him for the award, parents repeatedly commented on Becker’s “kindhearted approach and message.” He aids 18 walkers at Emerick each day and up to 200 at Blue Ridge.

• Gwyneth Schloer (Rock Ridge High School): Mathematically Accurate, Double-Axis Microgravity Simulator; • William Peterson (Loudoun County High School): Development of a Computer-Aided System for the Classification of Breast Lesions;

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has reported that all Loudoun County public schools were fully accredited for the 2017-18 school year. In order to be fully accredited, 75 percent of students in a school must pass an English Standards of Learning (SOL) test and 70 percent of students must pass SOL tests in math, history and science. Last year, Sugarland Elementary was identified as Partially Accredited for Science performance (63 percent). After completing a Peer Review of its instructional practices and developing a three-year improvement plan, Sugarland Elementary made sufficient progress to be Fully Accredited for 2017-18. The last time all Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) schools were fully accredited was for the 2012-2013 school year. LCPS has increased the proportion of schools reaching full accreditation since the 2013-2014 school year when seven schools were Partially Accredited. Statewide, 86 percent of schools were fully accredited by VDOE for 2017-18. LCPS is one of 65 divisions across the commonwealth to have all schools achieve full accreditation.

Hough Named Custodian of the Year The principal who first hired Richard Hough as a custodian, Ginger Minshew, let him know exactly what his role in her school was. “You are my backbone,” said Minshew. “Without you and the secretaries, my building would not run.” “I’ve always kept that in the back of my mind to make myself feel good,” added Hough.

Twenty years of being the backbone of his building led to Hough being named the recipient of the 2018 Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) Head Custodian of the Year Award. (There were 91 head custodians eligible for this award.) December 20, 2017, marked Hough’s 20-year anniversary as an LCPS custodian (a dozen years at Farmwell Station Middle School, the last eight at Harmony Middle School). Hough spent eight months as a custodian at Farmwell Station before being promoted to head custodian, a job he’s held ever since.

HONORS & AWARDS .......................

2 Receive Heart Saver Hero Award

Quick action turned what could have been a tragedy into an awards presentation. On Tuesday, November 14th, Steuart Weller Elementary kindergarten teacher Joanna Beane presented Jeremy Beck and Megan Poole with the American Heart Association’s

Heart Saver Hero Award. During Back to School Night at Steuart Weller on August 31st, Beane, a first-year kindergarten teacher, was meeting with parents and discussing the year ahead when she experienced cardiac arrest and collapsed. Parents raced from the room seeking help from nearby classrooms and called 911. Beck, a Steuart Weller physical education teacher, was attending the Back to School Night for his first-grade son and Poole, a Steuart Weller parent and nurse, responded to the emergency. Beck and Poole ran to the kindergarten classroom and quickly assessed the situation. They began CPR while an-

other staff member retrieved an AED. The AED was used to re-start Beane’s heart. First responders arrived, took over and stabilized Beane and transported her by ambulance to the hospital. Because of the quick thinking and action of parents and teachers, Beane has made a full recovery and has returned to teach her kindergarten class. Beane told the School Board that Beck and Poole definitely saved her life. The American Heart Association estimates that only four percent of cardiac arrest patients survive. Beane said that number triples if CPR is started during the first few minutes after a heart attack.

Minority Student Achievement Advisory Committee (MSAAC) The Minority Student Achievement Advisory Committee (MSAAC) is a School Board-appointed advisory group. MSAAC advises the School Board on matters that will further the academic, social and cultural development of every student and ensure that the needs of all minority students are met. MSAAC augments School Board and Loudoun County Public School (LCPS) staff initiatives and parent efforts to ensure that our school community becomes culturally competent; providing the cornerstone for fair and equitable instruction to all students. MSAAC speaks out on behalf of LCPS students and their families to encourage the development of school cultures that afford every minority student the opportunity to achieve his or her full potential, feel welcome and be recognized as an integral member of the Loudoun County academic community. MSAAC Objectives and Initiatives: • Ensure advocacy on behalf of minority issues within the LCPS community; • Promote parental involvement through focused parent opinion surveys and meaningful meeting topics; • Develop and bridge networks across various stakeholder groups to address parental concerns and questions; • Emphasize the need for increased minority staff and volunteer presence in schools to: (1) achieve cultural and social awareness and 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 involvement/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 to include: (1) discipline disproportionality; (2) equitable representation of diverse students in the Gifted and Talented programs; (3) unconscious bias training for all faculty and staff; (4) equitable technology access and usage; and (5) diversity in hiring; • 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 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 Administrative Offices, 21000 Education Court, Ashburn, in the School Board Meeting Room. For more information about MSAAC and how to become positive change agent in our academic community, please follow MSAAC on social media and/or contact the MSAAC Executive Board: Twitter: @lcpsmsaac Facebook: www.facebook.com/lcpsmsaac/ Instagram: @lcpsmsaac The MSAAC Executive Board: Chair Wendy Caudle Hodge, chairmsaac@gmail.com Vice Chair Natalia Beardslee, msaacvicechairnb@gmail.com Secretary Atoosa Reaser, secretarymsaac@gmail.com Communications Committee Chair Susan Hayden, msaaccommunicationsh@gmail.com Membership Committee Chair Howard Sapp, msaacmembership@gmail.com

HONORS & AWARDS .......................

LCPS Honored for Dyslexia Education State Sen. Dick Black (13th District) presented a Joint Senate Resolution honoring the Loudoun County School Board for its efforts regarding the improvement of dyslexia education at the board’s May 8th meeting. Black told the School Board this marked the first time in his two decades representing Loudoun that he felt moved to ask the General Assembly for

a resolution honoring the board. “It’s not to say there were not a multitude of good things done, but I thought this was truly exceptional.” Joining Black in presenting the resolution was former Loudoun County Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) Chair Lorraine Hightower. Black said Hightower spent three years educating him about the needs of dyslexic students.

LCPS Earns 7th EPA Sustained Excellence Award Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) received the 2018 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence Award for continued leadership and superior contributions to ENERGY STAR. LCPS has now received this award seven times, following two years of being named an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year. This accomplishment was recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy at a ceremony on April 20th in Washington, D.C. LCPS hired its first energy manager in 1993, teaming up with Energy Education (now Cenergistic) for a four-year comprehen-

sive energy management program. When the paid term of the contract ended, LCPS continued to monitor its energy use with a goal of saving energy wherever possible. Since 1993, LCPS has saved $81 million in energy costs. The school division’s energy conservation efforts are led by energy education specialists John Lord and Michael Barancewicz. The 2018 Partner of the

Year – Sustained Excellence Awards are bestowed upon companies and other organizations demonstrating continued leadership in energy efficiency and commitment to the ENERGY STAR program. Winners hail from small, family-owned businesses to Fortune 500 organizations – representing energy-efficient products, services, new homes, and buildings in the commercial, industrial, and public sectors.

Special Education Advisory Committee The primary role of the LCPS Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) is to advise the School Board on unmet needs of special education students. SEAC is composed of 21 members who are parents and at least one educator who volunteer their time to our community. They are appointed for two-year terms by the School Board through an application and recommendation process. The executive committee of SEAC is elected by its 21-person membership to lead the work of SEAC throughout the year. SEAC also requests that a PTA/PTO representative for each LCPS

school be appointed each year to attend meetings, participate in discussions, and report back to the school on matters that affect special education. SEAC has a very important role in working with the School Board, administrators, parents and teachers who are responsible for students receiving special education services to study and help identify unmet needs in LCPS special education and make recommendations to address those needs. SEAC focuses on the needs of the entire special education community and therefore seeks to identify themes and trends, rather than

focus on individual issues. According to the Regulations Governing Special Education Programs for Children with Disabilities in Virginia (effective January 27, 2010, page 120 8VAC20-81-230-D), the purposes of SEAC are as follows: Advise the local school system of the needs in the education of children with disabilities. Assist the LCPS in the development of long-range plans that will provide needed services for children with disabilities. Submit periodic reports and recommendations regard-

ing the education of children with disabilities to the School Board. Review annually LCPS’s updated special education plan and application for federal funding. 2018-2019 SEAC Executive Committee Dr. Carol Williams-Nickelson, Chair Amy L. Elledge, Vice Chair Communitions Sharon Tropf, Vice Chair Membership Shehnaz Khan, Vice Chair Planning Alison MacArthur, Secretary Lorraine Hightower, Immediate Past Chair

HONORS & AWARDS .......................

Monroe Celebrates 40th Anniversary

Sully Becomes Imagine Nation Beacon School Sully Elementary School was honored as an Imagine Nation Beacon School on Wednesday, November 1st, during a brief ceremony at the school. 13,789 schools across the United States use Imagine Learning Language and Literacy programs. Of these, 54 were chosen as Beacon schools with only two schools being selected in Virginia. This award is for above-andbeyond enthusiasm and innovative use of Imagine Language and Literacy. “This honor goes to a school that is very dedicated,” said Imagine Learning Area Partnership Manager Susan Provost. “Our biggest goal is to have students really love to read.” Imagine Learning is utilized as a part of a blended learning model at

Sully. Its digital content supports English Learners in the development of language and literacy. Sully Elementary has used Imagine Learning programs for the past five years. Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) has been an Imagine Learning client for six years. Sully Elementary Principal Colleen O’Neill was part of a pilot program at Evergreen Mill Elementary when she was an assistant principal there. “It’s here by Sully on demand,” said LCPS English Learner Supervisor Teresa Vignaroli. “When (O’Neill) came to Sully, she said ‘Why isn’t it at Sully?’” Vignaroli added Sully has become the go-to school for those seeking best practices on how to use Imagine Learning.

Loudoun Continues Gains on Students in the Loudoun County Public Schools’ (LCPS) Class of 2017 exceeded their state and national counterparts on the ACT. The average composite score for the LCPS Class of 2017 was 24.8. This was one point higher than the Virginia average and nearly four points

higher than the national average. LCPS students scored 24.8 on the English test, 1.3 points higher than the state average and 4.5 points higher than the national average. On the Math test, LCPS students posted an average score of 24.1, eight-tenths of one point higher than the state and 3.4 points higher

than the nation. The LCPS Reading average score of 25.6 exceeded the state by one point and the nation by 4.2 points. The LCPS Science average of 24.4 exceeded the state by nine-tenths of one point and the nation by 3.4 points. The ACT is scored on a 36-point scale.

Monroe Technology Center Principal Tim Flynn had a simple agenda for those attending the school’s 40th anniversary on April 19th. “The main goal for you is to come back home, because that is what Monroe has always been to us… Monroe is a home. It has never been a school. This school has always been a family.” Flynn noted that families always meet in the kitchen. In this case, celebrants gathered in the Culinary Arts Department, where retiring instructor Joy Anderson was catering her last event at the school. (This also was the last major event at technology center. It moved to the new Academies of Loudoun as the Monroe Advanced Technology Academy for the 2018-19 school year.) Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) Superintendent Dr. Eric Williams said, that while Monroe’s programs will have a new home, the spirit that has guided them through the decades will remain the same. “Anniversaries can be looked at in two ways – celebrations of the past or affirmations of the future – celebrating what is best in our past and carrying that spirit forward. “Today, as we celebrate 40 years of Monroe Technology Center serving Loudoun County, we do both. “Charles S. Monroe, for whom this building is named, saw the value in vocational education more than half a century ago. As a longtime principal and teacher, he established classes in agriculture, mechanics and home economics because he knew such skills were the foundations on which economic stability – both personally and as a society – are based.” As part of the anniversary celebration, 600 photos from Monroe’s history were displayed. Some of these photos featured younger versions of the five former Monroe students now on the staff.

HONORS & AWARDS .......................

LCPS Receives ASBO Excellence Award

Seneca Ridge Team Wins Odyssey Worlds A team from Seneca Ridge Middle School took first place at the Odyssey of the Mind World Championships from May 23rd through 26th at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. The Seneca Ridge team was one of 13 from Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) attending the Odyssey Worlds after capturing first or second place at the Virginia Odyssey of the Mind Tournament. In taking first place, the Seneca Ridge team competed against 57 teams from around the world. Teams from China and Japan placed second and third, respectively. This marked only the third time in the past decade that China didn’t win this competition. Seneca Ridge is the first LCPS middle school team – and second Loudoun team overall – to capture an Odyssey of the Mind world championship. The Seneca Ridge team’s problem this year was to design and build a 15-gram structure using only balsa wood and glue that, when tested by placing weights on it during an eightminute performance, supported 975 pounds. During the performance, the team had to transform the structure’s appearance to look like an animal, feed the animal and have the food supported by the structure during weight placement.

The team’s original performance began with the balsa structure, representing a bottle of hair conditioner, being swallowed by a killer whale named Shampoo. The team fed Shampoo, causing him to throw up the conditioner bottle, which then allowed the structure to begin being tested for weight. While the loaders were loading weight on the structure, the rest of the team explained through their humorous performance that Shampoo was actually a criminal who was wanted by the NSA for trading illegal hair products to other whales. In the process, Shampoo escaped the tank at Ocean World, causing the NSA and Ocean World employees to have to capture him and bring him back where he will remain in protective custody. Team members included:

Atash Barbic, seventh grade Tia Bhatnagar, seventh grade Peter Downey, eighth grade Audrey Husted, eighth grade Nikhil Mangat, seventh grade Brice Sandidge, eighth grade Jacob Wesoky, eighth grade

The team’s coaches were Tracey Downey, Carey Husted and Valinder Mangat.

The Association of School Business Officials (ASBO) has awarded the Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) Department of Budget and Financial Services with the Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting (COE). This marks the ninth year the department has won the award, which recognizes the school division’s commitment to financial transparency through the review of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) by a team of professional auditors. Sharon Willoughby is assistant superintendent for business and financial services.

Yu Earns World Bronze Medal in Chess Jennifer Yu, a sophomore at Stone Bridge High School, won a bronze medal at the World Junior Girls Chess Championship held from November 13th through 25th in Tarvisio, Italy. This tournament is the highest level of world competition for girls under the age of 20. It attracted many professional chess players from countries, such as Russia, Ukraine, China, India and Kazakhstan. A full-time student, Yu finished with six wins, four draws and one loss. It had been almost two decades since the last time an American girl won a medal in this tournament.

HONORS & AWARDS .......................

Governor Names LCPS as a Distinguished School Division Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) was among the 15 school divisions that earned the Board of Education Distinguished Achievement Award in 2017. In addition, 47 LCPS schools received awards from the governor and Board of Education. The school divisions and schools that received the Distinguished Achievement Award met all state and federal benchmarks and made progress toward the goals of the governor and the board. Other school divisions receiving the Distinguished Achievement Award include Botetourt County, Fairfax County, Hanover County, Montgomery County, Pittsylvania County, Poquoson, Roanoke County, Salem, Scott County, Virginia Beach, Williamsburg-James City County, Wise County, Wythe County and York County. Fifteen LCPS schools were among the 145 schools earning the Board of Education Excellence Award. These schools met all state and federal accountability benchmarks and made significant progress toward goals for increased student achievement and expanded educational opportunities set by the board. The honored LCPS schools included: Belmont Station Elementary Briar Woods High Cardinal Ridge Elementary Rosa Lee Carter Elementary Emerick Elementary Farmwell Station Middle Hamilton Elementary Hillside Elementary Legacy Elementary Little River Elementary Lowes Island Elementary J. Michael Lunsford Middle Stone Bridge High Sycolin Creek Elementary Waterford Elementary Thirty-two LCPS schools were among the 231 receiving Distinguished Achievement awards. The honored LCPS schools are: Ashburn Elementary Belmont Ridge Middle Blue Ridge Middle Broad Run High Catoctin Elementary Cedar Lane Elementary John Champe High

Cool Spring Elementary Creighton’s Corner Elementary Discovery Elementary Eagle Ridge Middle Freedom High Harper Park Middle Heritage High Horizon Elementary Liberty Elementary Lincoln Elementary Loudoun County High Loudoun Valley High Mercer Middle Mill Run Elementary Moorefield Station Elementary Mountain View Elementary Newton-Lee Elementary Pinebrook Elementary Rock Ridge High Sanders Corner Elementary Seldens Landing Elementary Stone Hill Middle John W. Tolbert Jr. Elementary Trailside Middle Woodgrove High

8 LCPS Schools Earn Virginia Naturally Designation

Eight Loudoun County schools were among 72 honored by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries as 2017 Virginia Naturally Schools. Virginia Naturally is the official environmental education school recognition program for the state. This program recognizes the efforts of Virginia schools to increase the environmental awareness and stewardship of students. Honored schools include: • Aldie Elementary • Algonkian Elementary • Blue Ridge Middle School • Cedar Lane Elementary • Dominion High School • Harmony Middle School • Park View High School • Round Hill Elementary Aldie and Algonkian are new to the list, while other schools have a long record of receiving the honor. Dominion High School received its 13th award, while Blue Ridge Middle received its 11th.

Loudoun County School Superintendents Since 1888 L.M. Shumate 1888-1908 W.A. Edmondson 1909-1916 Oscar L. Emerick, 1917-57 Clarence M. Bussinger, 1957-68 Robert E. Butt, 1968-88 Dr. David N. Thomas, 1988-91 Dr. Edgar B. Hatrick III, 1991-2014 Dr. Eric Williams, 2014-

COMMUNITY .......................

Guilford Continues Thanksgiving Giving People expect to stand in long lines during the holiday season, but sometimes what’s at the end of the line is well worth the wait. Such was the case on Monday, November 20th, as nearly 1,000 members of the Guilford Elementary community took part in the school’s annual Thanksgiving

Dinner. As has been the tradition, Guilford staff members seek donations from the community to provide a Thanksgiving dinner with all of the trimmings – turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn and apple or pumpkin pie – for the entire school community.

Staff members line up to serve the meals to the families who come to enjoy the feast. To expedite the wait time in those lines, the school has now set up two serving lines and dining areas. The dining areas are decorated with student artwork and are filled with

Loudoun Student Population

volunteers from local organizations, such as alumnae of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority and Reston Bible Church. Loudoun County School Board Vice Chair and Sterling District Representative Brenda Sheridan also was on hand to help serve the dinner.

Emerick Leaves a Message for the Future

In 2068, students at Emerick Elementary will open a time capsule and find out the coolest object a student could possess in 2018 was… …a fidget spinner. Emerick fourth-grader Soren Ogelman noted he would be 60 when the metallic, cylindrical time capsule is unearthed a half century from now during a June 1 ceremony to bury the capsule.

“I’ll probably have lived a good life and forgotten what a fidget spinner is.” Ah, but the time capsule won’t let old memories die, Soren noted. Having a fidget spinner in the time capsule means “my classmates and I can be haunted by fidget spinners for life.” Fifteen FUTURA students worked on what would go into the time capsule for six class days under the guidance of gifted resource teacher Jenny Harrop. The students developed a survey and administered it to the whole school asking how they could show people in 2068 how students lived and learned in 2018. Following are the items they sought to preserve for posterity: • 71 photos of students around school; • The aforementioned fidget spinner; • A squishy; • Slime recipe; • Mini-Rubik’s cube; • “Beauty and the Beast” playbill; • Hot Wheels car; • Glitter; • 1968 and 1967 pennies; • A report card; • A yearbook;

• A letter to the future; • A stuffed Eagle (school mascot); • A copy of the Purcellville Gazette; • A copy of the Blue Ridge Leader; • A Blue-Ribbon school magnet (a designation Emerick received this school year); • And a 50th anniversary picnic invitation. To make sure the time capsule won’t be lost in the sands (or dirt) of time, Principal Dawn Haddock was given a location letter that is to be passed down from principal to principal until 2068. (Hint to anybody reading this in 2068 in case the letter gets lost; the time capsule is buried right in the center of the front walkway under the granite plaque marked “Time Capsule.”)

Sumathipala

3 Elementary Schools Become Computer Immersion Schools Every student in every grade level at Meadowland Elementary, Moorefield Station Elementary and Round Hill Elementary took part in computer coding activities for at least 30 minutes every day thanks to a partnership with Code to the Future. LCPS has been named a “Lighthouse” school division by Code to the Future because these three schools will be the first in Virginia to participate in the program. (The schools were selected through an application process conducted within LCPS.) Students at the three elementary schools used Windows 10 devices, Chromebooks, LEGO Mindstorm EV3

kits, LEGO WeDo and chess sets. Software will include the Minecraft Education Edition and Eclipse. The goal is for students to be coding in Java by the end of fifth grade. The Code to the Future schools were being supported through a grant from the Loudoun Education Foundation (LEF). This grant is made possible by a $5,000 gift from Unanet and a $20,000 gift from the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia/ Chin Family Charitable Fund.

(Continued from page16) this year after being selected as one of the top winners at the 2018 Regional Science and Engineering Fair. Sumathipala’s research has been conducted at Johns Hopkins, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Janelia Research Campus and Harvard Medical School. She also was a member of the county’s first award-winning International Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM) team. She is attending Harvard.

HISTORY .......................

“Douglass High Students, April 1953” Winslow Williams Photograph Collection (VC 0003), 1925-1980, Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, Virginia.

LCPS Budget Highlights Through the Years During the preparation of the Fiscal Year 2019 Superintendent’s Proposed Budget, the Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) Budget Office researched budgets going back to the school division’s founding in 1870. Here are some budget highlights: 1887-1888 LCPS had 5,405 students enrolled, but only 2,963 attended school. There were 117 schools in the school division with many of the one- and two-room variety. 1916-1917 LCPS had 81 schools (again, many were one- and two-room) with 4,598 students enrolled (2,967 attending).

1940s A full, 12-grade system began during this decade. There were 23 schools in Loudoun, serving an average enrollment of 4,059 students. The average school budget was $500,000. During the 1943-44 school year, the 121 teachers earned an average salary of $1,143. For the first time there was a salary scale for teachers and principals. Supplemental courses – including home economics, industrial arts and agriculture – were added to the curriculum. To heat schools during the early 1940s, $7,100 was spent to purchase 200 tons of “stove coal” and wood to heat schools.

1950s The average budget was $1.3 million to serve an average student body of 4,881. Art and music are added to the budget. A master’s degree track is added to the salary scale. Workman’s compensation and Social Security appear for the first time as budget line items. Electricity is budgeted for at a rate of 2 cents per kilowatt. LCPS sets aside $250 per year for textbooks for students who can’t afford them. This is two percent of the total textbook bill paid by parents. Virginia’s appropriation to Loudoun for school lunches is $16,000 for (Continued on page 35)

HISTORY .......................

(Continued from page 34) seventeen LCPS schools participating in the federal lunch program at $1,029 per school. 1960s The average budget is $3.8 million per year with an average enrollment of 7,421. The National Defense Education Act funds foreign language, math, science and guidance programs at the high school level. Brick-laying, cosmetology, general mechanics, electronicselectricity and drafting are added to the vocational curriculum. Driver education is added to the budget. Educational television is budgeted as an instructional supply. For the 1968-69 school year, it was decided that all bus drivers would have to be adults because of child labor laws. Until this decree, there were 42 students serving as bus drivers. State law requires textbooks be provided to low-income students. A budget increase from $250 to $1,000 reflects this mandate. 1970s The average budget is $17 million with an average enrollment of 12,465. During the 1970-71 school year, it is estimated that $1 million per year will have to be added to the budget to account for increased enrollment, inflation and increased debt service. Enrollment is increasing by 600 students per year and inflation is increasing six percent annually.

The 1970-71 budget emphasizes subject-area teachers. For the first time, employee heath insurance is mentioned. The School Board sets aside $15 per month per employee to pay for health and accident insurance. Summer school is offered for the first time; expanding from high school to elementary school by decade’s end. Adult education is made available. Textbooks are furnished for free and made available to all students. 1980s Enrollment grows to an average of 13,290 with an average budget of $57 million. LCPS sees a decrease in students for the last time. The student population doesn’t return to its 1979 level until 1988. The average teacher workforce of 862 earns an average salary of $22,200. By law, family life education and elementary guidance program are added. Required testing of students for special needs also is mandated. A new keyboarding program is funded for students in seventh and eighth grade. State and federal funding ($400,000) is provided to reimburse LCPS for lunch and milk costs. Waterford and Arcola elementary schools add pre-school programs. 1990s Enrollment increased by more than 57 percent during the decade. 1998 alone saw the hiring of over 400 new

teachers to keep up with population (hiring was difficult because the area’s unemployment rate was 1.1 percent). Telecommunications (computer with modem) was added to all schools for student access. LCPS is among the first Virginia districts to meet Standards of Learning (SOL) in instructional technology, giving every student access to instructional computers with controlled Internet access (four computers in all regular-sized classrooms, one computer lab per elementary school, three computer labs per middle school, six to nine labs per high school). The Head Start program begins, serving 68 4-year-olds in the first year. 2000s From 2007 to 2018 LCPS’ budget grew from $691 million to $1.13 billion. Business and Financial Services supplied financial services, procurement and benefits for a school division that grew by 18 schools and 27,575 students. In 2018, the Department of Business and Financial Services finished the conversion to the Oracle enterprise resource planning system. Before this conversion, LCPS was using 30-year-old legacy systems to handle finance, accounting, payroll, procurement and employee benefits. The Fiscal Year 2019 average cost per pupil is $14,277. Adjusted for inflation, the FY19 cost per pupil would be 5.2 percent ($744) lower than the 2008-2009 school year.

FY19 Cost Per Pupil by State Category CATEGORY

4 5 6

1 2 3 4 5 6

Instruction................................. $11,504 Operations & Maintenance......... $1,077 Pupil Transportation...................... $745 Administration, Attend. & Health... $478 Technology.................................... $367 Facilities........................................... $59 Total Projected FY18 CCP..... $14,227

GRADUATION .......................

Class of 2018 Earns $58.5 Million in Scholarships

The Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) Class

of 2018 earned

$58,505,588 in scholarships. A total of

2,007 students earned some type of scholarship or grant to further their education.

Here are some other facts about the Class of 2018: • The class had 5,658 graduates; • The largest graduating classes (426) were

John Champe and Freedom high schools;

3,729 (65.91%) plan on attending a four-year college; • 1,210 (21.39%) are going to a two-year college; • 126 (2.23%) are enrolling in other •

continuing education opportunities;

102 (1.8%) have enlisted in the military; • 179 (3.16%) are going directly into the work force; • 312 (5.51%) marked “other” on the Senior Survey. •

SCHOOLS TO WATCH .......................

6 LCPS Schools Receive Schools to Watch Designation Five Loudoun County Public Schools middle schools – Belmont Ridge, J. Michael Lunsford, Mercer, Seneca Ridge and Smart’s Mill – have been re-designated as National Schools to Watch (STW) by The National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform. One middle school, Trailside, has received its initial designation as a National School to Watch. The goal of STW is to identify and recognize outstanding middle schools across the nation based on the following research-based criteria: 1. High-performing middle schools are academically excellent. All students are expected to meet high standards

and all teachers use instructional strategies that include a variety of challenging and engaging activities. 2. High-performing middle schools are developmentally responsive to the unique needs of the middle schoolaged student. The school creates a personalized environment, provides access to comprehensive services, encourages alliances with families and promotes the development of citizenship skills. 3. High-performing middle schools are socially equitable. Every student is provided with high-quality teachers,

resources, learning opportunities and support systems. 4. High-performing middle schools incorporate organizational structures that support these philosophies including school improvement planning, interdisciplinary teaming, use of data, culturally responsive instruction, exploratory curriculum offerings, gradelevel houses and places where time is allocated and scheduled to meet these goals. STW designation must be renewed every three years to show continuous growth in these areas. As the threeyear cycle comes around, the staff at the schools must again self-assess and re-evaluate their practices.

LOUDOUN COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD .......................

The 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,

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

Vice Chair 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

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

2018-19 LCPS SCHOOL CALENDAR .......................

The 2018-19 school started on Thursday, August 23, 2018, and will end on Friday, June 7, 2019. Following is the student calendar for the 2018-19 school year:

August 23:

First Day of School

September 3:

Holiday (Labor Day)

October 8:

Holiday (Columbus Day)

October 22:

Student Holiday (County-wide Staff Development)

November 2:

End of the Grading Period

November 5-6:

Student Holidays (Planning/Records/Conference Days)

November 21-23: Holiday (Thanksgiving) Dec. 21-Jan. 1: Winter Break (Classes Resume January 2) January 17:

End of Grading Period

January 18:

Moveable Student Holiday** (Planning/Records/Conference Day)

January 21:

Holiday (Martin Luther King Jr. Day)

February 18:

Holiday (Presidentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Day)

March 28:

End of Grading Period

March 29:

Student Holiday (Planning/Records/Conference Day)

April 1:

Student Holiday (County-wide Staff Development)

April 15-19:

Holiday (Spring Break)

May 27:

Holiday (Memorial Day)

June 7:

Last Day of School/End of Grading Period

**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.