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Loudoun Ushers In A New School Year
L if e s t yle s
Danielle Nadler & Mike Stancik
A Sea Of New Faces
Ashburn Today/Danielle Nadler
Cardinal Ridge Principal Ricardy Anderson welcomed students to the new Cardinal Ridge Elementary School in South Riding Tuesday. The day marked the start of a new academic year for more than 2,000 students in Loudoun.
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Cla ss if ie d
“Y
ay!” a student yelled as he barreled off a bus Tuesday morning and into the new Cardinal Ridge Elementary School. “We have a new school.” There was a lot to celebrate in Loudoun County Tuesday, from new schools and new students to new leadership. The school district welcomed a record 73,233 students—up by 2,375 over last year’s enrollment— and opened three new schools, to bring the county-wide count up to 87. “Are you excited for a new school year and a new school” Cardinal Ridge Principal Ricardy Anderson asked the 900 elementary school students who crowded into the gymnasium before 8 a.m. Tuesday. “Your teachers and I are so excited that you’re here.” Ryan Hodge-Ellison, a second-grader at Cardinal Ridge Elementary, was quick to point out how he was get
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County football and lacrosse player with helmet impact sensors, and Inova’s Neuroscience Research program offered to track data obtained from the sensors to determine if the devices are useful in combating head trauma. The sensors light up when an athlete takes a hard hit, indicating he or she should be checked for a concussion. Loudoun County Public Schools declined the offer, stating concerns that the Virginia High School League and the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment, which sets the impact standards for football helmets, had not certified Brain Sentry’s sensors. McGrath did not speak publically in support of the sensors, but he did not discourage parents in the booster club from purchasing 40 sensors for
ECRWSS
oudoun Valley Vikings football players will take the field Friday for their first game of the season without their head coach of seven years. Danny McGrath was abruptly fired last week. McGrath’s position as football coach was terminated just before 4 p.m. last Friday after a meeting with Principal Sue Ross. A termination letter obtained by Leesburg Today and signed by Ross does not give a reason for McGrath’s firing, but states that he will receive the full amount of his coaching stipend. The termination does not affect his teaching position at Loudoun Valley, where he
is a physical education instructor. Most parents of football players believe the coach’s firing was retaliation for speaking up during the past year about the high number of injuries Loudoun Valley football players endure because they are pitted against much larger schools. He actively pushed for a scheduling change so Loudoun Valley, one of the smallest schools in the county, would play schools closer to its size. School administrators did not change the schedule, arguing that the size difference between the Vikings and their opponents was not that great and noted the team went on to win eight of its 10 regular season games. Last spring, Bethesda, MD-based company Brain Sentry offered to outfit every Loudoun
the players to use. Loudoun Valley Assistant Principal Bill Oblas stopped a practice Aug. 8, minutes after the sensors were introduced. He told the coaches that players wearing the sensors on their helmets would not be allowed to continue to practice, according to teachers and parents who stood on the sidelines. So the sensors were peeled off and have not been used since. Athletic Director Kris Kelican and Principal Ross sent a letter to parents notifying them students were not permitted to use the helmet sensors. Dee Howard, whose son is a member of the team, described McGrath as “a coach that is all about safety.” When her son first joined the team, Continued on Page 47
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Loudoun Valley Parents Protest Football Coach’s Abrupt Firing
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