News

A student at Fairfax High School was convicted yesterday (Thursday) of assault and battery after being accused of groping more than a dozen of his female classmates.

Israel Christopher Flores Ortiz, an 18-year-old who is currently a junior at the school, was found guilty by a judge on nine misdemeanor counts that stemmed from numerous instances of what prosecutor Jenna Sands described as “grabbing butts.”


Countywide

Laasya Mohan, a fourth-grader at Floris Elementary School in Herndon, won the 2026 Fairfax County Spelling Bee on Sunday (March 22).

Mohan, who is 9, and first runner-up Aadhya Vijayakumar, 13, an eighth-grader at Rocky Run Middle School in Chantilly, will both advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington in late May.


Around Town

To students, the one to two months left until prom may seem like a lifetime away, but for anyone looking to get a head start on picking out their outfit, Reston Community Center (RCC) is once again here to help.

RCC’s annual Diva Central shopping event will return to its Lake Anne facility (1609-A Washington Plaza North) for a 24th year on March 14.


News

Fairfax County students again dominated in the 2026 Virginia Aviation Art Competition, sponsored by the Virginia Department of Aviation.

Students from the county won first place in all three age categories and won seven of nine overall awards in the competition, whose theme this year was “Fly to Save Lives.”


News

After losing a brother who experienced homelessness, Carter G. Woodson High School student Minn Vo became aware on a personal level of how vulnerable people without shelter can be — and how often they’re overlooked by society.

That was a call to action for Vo, who founded the nonprofit Hands in Hope to organize service projects and fundraise to benefit individuals experiencing homelessness in Fairfax County.


News

A West Potomac High School senior is representing Sudan at the inaugural World Taekwondo Under-21 Championships this month in Nairobi, Kenya.

Yousif Abdelrahman is a team captain at Yoo’s Martial Arts in Hybla Valley, and the 18-year-old grew up in Northern Virginia. He is among 682 participating fighters, and will compete on tomorrow (Thursday) in the men’s 63 kilogram division.


Countywide

Fairfax County school leaders see signs of improving mental health, but also some ongoing red flags, in the county’s most recent youth survey.

“This is always a bittersweet report to read,” at-large Fairfax County School Board member Kyle McDaniel said after Superintendent Michelle Reid detailed the report’s findings at the board meeting last Thursday (Oct. 23).


Countywide

Fairfax County supervisors are not sold on a staff proposal to revamp the Middle School After-School (MSAS) program, which would impose a new fee on parents of participants to offset taxpayer costs.

Though expressing support for the effort’s intent, the elected officials raised questions about its relative effectiveness, and why it attracts many more students at some schools than at others.


Countywide

Fairfax County Public Schools has managed to significantly reduce its bus driver vacancies, which in turn is bumping up on-time rates.

As part of her “Opening of Schools” report, Superintendent Michelle Reid reported last Thursday (Sept. 25) that 96% of bus routes were completed on time to start the current school year — a figure that astounded some School Board members.


News

A West Springfield High School student died earlier this week from a drug overdose, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) officials have confirmed.

FCPS Superintendent Michelle Reid announced the death in a letter on Wednesday (Sept. 3), sharing guidance for parents, students and community members.


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