Fairfax County Public Schools

JUST IN: Rumors of student bringing gun to Glasgow MS lead to boost in police presence

Published April 13, 2023 at 9:30AM | Updated April 13, 2023 at 10:54AM

Glasgow Middle School (via Google Maps)

(Updated at 10:55 p.m.) The presence of Fairfax County police and school security has been enhanced at Glasgow Middle School in Lincolnia today (Thursday) in response to rumors that a student might bring a gun.

Fairfax County Public Schools is working with the Fairfax County Police Department to investigate “third and fourth hand anonymous rumors” that a student had threatened to bring a gun to the school today, Glasgow principal Victor Powell said in a message sent to families last night (Wednesday).

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Kent Gardens ES to get new trailers, as FCPS continues reviewing possible crowding fixes

By Angela Woolsey

Published April 11, 2023 at 1:30PM

Fairfax County Public Schools is planning to remove seven trailers at Kent Gardens Elementary School and replace them with two new facilities (via FCPS)

Kent Gardens Elementary School is still bursting at the seams, but at least the trailers accommodating the overflow of students will soon get an update.

Seven old, one-classroom trailers behind the McLean school (1717 Melbourne Drive) will be removed and replaced by a four-classroom trailer and one with two classrooms, principal Holly McGuigan and Fabio Zuluaga, an assistant superintendent for Fairfax County Public Schools, recently told families.

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EXCLUSIVE: Abrar Omeish bows out of school board race to work with youth-focused legal nonprofit

By Angela Woolsey

Published April 6, 2023 at 1:30PM

Fairfax County School Board At-Large Representative Abrar Omeish at a Girl Scouts President's Circle dinner (courtesy Abrar Omeish)

The Fairfax County School Board will have a lot of new faces next year — and perhaps, a couple of members reemerging from its past.

The latest member to opt out of a reelection bid is at-large member Abrar Omeish, who told FFXnow that she has instead accepted a job with a nonprofit that focuses on youth law and advocacy.

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NASA astronaut returns to Robinson Secondary School with Sen. Kaine to inspire students

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 31, 2023 at 9:30AM

Robinson Secondary School graduate and astronaut Dr. Kjell Lindgren takes photos of Earth from the International Space Station in 2015 (courtesy NASA/Flickr)

More than two decades after he graduated, astronaut Dr. Kjell Lindgren has been drawn back into Robinson Secondary School’s orbit.

The Fairfax school will welcome its Class of 1991 alum back this afternoon (Friday) for a student assembly, where Lindgren will be joined on stage by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine.

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FCPS: Independent investigation finds no deliberate wrongdoing in merit award notice delays

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 30, 2023 at 9:30AM

Fairfax County Public Schools (file photo)

An independent investigation found no basis to claims that notices of National Merit Scholarship commendations were intentionally withheld from students, Fairfax County Public Schools announced last night (Wednesday).

Conducted by the law firm Sands Anderson, the review confirmed that eight schools didn’t notify students designated as “commended” by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) until after Nov. 1, 2022, but it “found no evidence that this was intentional or reflected any policy decision by FCPS” or any of the individual schools, according to FCPS.

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Vertical farm built by Luther Jackson MS students grows crops to feed local families

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 29, 2023 at 11:45AM

Luther Jackson Middle School student Vivian Nguyen is among 15 students who designed and built a vertical farm for their engineering class (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

In its quest to minimize waste, the vertical farm housed in a shed behind Merrifield’s Luther Jackson Middle School will one day be sustained by fish feces.

Barely the length of a fingernail, the larval tilapia swimming around a small tank in the shed will soon grow large enough to be transferred into a bigger bucket with a filter that separates fish poop and other solids from water.

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FCPS to offer high school students free virtual mental health services starting in April

By Acacia James

Published March 28, 2023 at 11:45AM

Fairfax County Public Schools (file photo)

Fairfax County high school students will soon have access to free mental health services. Starting April 10, Hazel Health will provide students with weekly virtual therapy sessions at no cost to families.

The school system’s website says Hazel’s therapists can help students with mood or behavior changes, anxiety, social skills, bullying, family relationships, and academic stress.

Countywide

UPDATED: Some FCPS students stay inside as burnt smell reported across D.C. area

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 27, 2023 at 1:20PM | Updated March 27, 2023 at 2:07PM

A Fairfax County Fire and Rescue truck (file photo)

(Updated at 2:05 p.m.) Many D.C. area residents who have ventured outside today (Monday) have reported a smoky or burning smell from a wildfire unfolding in North Carolina.

The scent has been reported from D.C. to Arlington and into McLean. The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department confirmed that it has gotten calls from around the county, as previously reported by FFXnow’s sister site ARLnow.

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FCPS student lives out dream with Broadway debut in ‘Parade’ revival

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 17, 2023 at 10:30AM

Fairfax Academy and Madison High School student Sophia Manicone made her Broadway debut in a "Parade" revival, which started at New York City Center (courtesy FCPS)

Sophia Manicone has come a long way from her “Vienna Idol” days.

The 18-year-old Vienna resident recently realized the dream of every theater kid with her Broadway debut in the revival of “Parade,” which officially opened yesterday (Thursday) at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre in New York City.

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Design phase of Reston’s Armstrong ES renovation nearly complete

By Fatimah Waseem

Published March 16, 2023 at 11:00AM

Proposed additions include a new library (via FCPS)

The design phase of the renovation at Reston’s Armstrong Elementary School is nearly complete.

The project — which would boost the building’s design capacity from 784 to 800 students and add 126,00 square feet of space — is on track to begin construction in the spring of 2024.