schools – Page 5 – Notes n Letters

Aquatic Center opens

The Round Hill Aquatic Center at Woodgrove Park opened last week, almost 24 years after it was proffered to Loudoun County in a rezoning that allowed development of the Villages of Round Hill, Mountain Valley and Lake Point.

The opening was the culmination of a decades-long process that included public meetings, shifting plans for the facility, an appeal by the developer and rulings by the county’s zoning administrator.

The indoor facility has drawn criticism because of its size and operational costs. With four 25-yard lap lanes, it will provide space for swim team practices but is too small to host meets. The facility was built with private funds, but it will cost the county about $400,000 annually to operate. About one-third of the cost will be recovered by user fees in the first year, county officials said.

Read full story…

Washington Post, May 31, 2015

Walk for Teen Suicide Awareness

Hundreds of walkers took part in a six-mile trek along Spriggs Road in the mid-county area last weekend to raise awareness about teen suicide.

Prince William County school officials estimated that more than 400 people participated in the walk, a round trip between Forest Park and Hylton high schools. Although most of the walkers were high school students, participants included young children, adults — some pushing strollers — and even a few dogs.

Students in Advanced Placement government classes at Forest Park organized the event as their final project, which their teacher, Shannon Geraghty, allowed them to do in place of a final exam.

Read full story…

Washington Post, May 31, 2015

Culinary arts luncheon

For two hours on a recent Wednesday, a corner of the Potomac High School library was transformed into a setting for a fine dining experience. A group of 18 guests sat at tables draped with blue cloths and decorated with colorful centerpieces. They were served a four-course meal featuring cuisine from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Caribbean.

The hosts were a team of students from the school’s culinary arts program. They organized the meal as the final project for their senior-level class. The students coordinated everything, from developing the guest list, invitations and menu, to preparing and serving the food, their teachers said.

Read full story…

Washington Post, May 10, 2015

Seeds of hope for students with autism

It’s called going over the cliff. When students with autism leave the public school system — and the network of support and therapy it provides — they often graduate to the couch. They struggle to find meaningful employment and to live independently, even though the majority have average to above-average intelligence.

Some special education teachers and parents in Loudoun County have been trying to change that. They created Legacy Farms, a nonprofit organization that introduces young adults with autism to farming. The goal is to help ease the transition from public school to the community.

School controversy defused

After receiving heavy pushback from mid-county residents, Prince William County Schools Superintendent Steven L. Walts backed down from a proposal to move the Mary G. Porter Traditional School from its location in Woodbridge to a site known as the Ferlazzo property, at Spriggs and Minnieville roads.

Instead, the school system will proceed with its original plan to build a facility that will serve local residents at the Ferlazzo site, Walts said…

Read full story…

Washington Post, April 26, 2015

School site controversy

The Prince William County Board of Supervisors is using the power of persuasion and its control of purse strings to try to defuse a controversy that has erupted in recent weeks over plans for an elementary school that is scheduled to be built in the mid-county area.

The school board is considering a staff recommendation to move the Mary G. Porter Traditional School from its current location in Woodbridge to a site at the intersection of Spriggs and Minnieville roads. That site, on land previously owned by the Ferlazzo family, had been planned for an elementary school for children who live in the mid-county area, scheduled to open in 2016.

Read full story…

Washington Post, April 19, 2015

Loudoun math tournament

Suppose that two middle schools and an elementary school hosted 600 students who were competing in a math tournament on five-member teams. One middle school hosted 12 fewer teams than did the other two schools. How many students competed at the elementary school?

That problem would be a breeze for many of the students who took part in the second annual Loudoun County Regional Math Tournament on March 7.

Washington Post, March 15, 2015

Teacher honored for excellence

Angie Wytovich’s approach to teaching is simple: She does whatever she can to help each child in her class succeed.

On Thursday, Wytovich’s dedication was rewarded when she was named as one of only 40 educators across the country to receive a $25,000 Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award this year.

Washington Post, March 15, 2015

Cyber-defense competition

Four eighth-graders from Bull Run Middle School in Gainesville tested their skills and knowledge of computer security last month in the National Cyber Defense Competition, which is sponsored by the Air Force Association. The Bull Run team placed 11th in a field of about 200 middle school teams from across the country.

Washington Post, February 15, 2015

Education Center at landfill

Prince William County officials last week unveiled plans for a STEM Education Center at the county’s sanitary landfill on Dumfries Road near Independent Hill.

Billed as an interpretative education center for science, technology, engineering and math, the facility would be used to teach students and the public about environmental issues and challenges.

Washington Post, February 1, 2015