Alexandria has now taken the crucial first step in the process to build a 50-meter competition pool at Chinquapin. In early March, a contract was awarded to the Hughes Group Architects to assess the feasibility of a 50-meter pool on the Chinquapin site. Hughes will notify the city by late March or early April whether or not a 50-meter pool is feasible there. If the answer is yes, the firm […]
In addition to selecting a new superintendent and implementing a significant change in middle-school structure, the school board is also in the middle of their annual budget process. In early March the board approved a budget that would increase the cost to the city by $7.4 million for the 2014-2015 school year, bringing the total ACPS budget to $235 million. By contrast, in his submission to the city council, the […]
On February 20, the Alexandria School Board voted to restructure the middle schools, consolidating the three schools at Francis Hammond and the two schools at George Washington into one school on each campus beginning with the 2014-2015 school year. A work-group made up of teachers, administrators, parents, students and community members had recommended in December that Hammond (FCH) be recombined into one middle school but that George Washington (GW) remain […]
Developments during the past two weeks regarding our schools have been fast and furious, and will have important ramifications for our students and families. I’ll be providing my take on four issues that have been in play lately, starting in this post with the appointment of a new school superintendent, and followed in subsequent posts by the change in middle-school structure, the debate over the program for the new Jefferson-Houston […]
The 2014-2015 Program of Studies is an important document for middle-school and high-school students and parents. It outlines all of the graduation requirements for both the advanced studies and standard diplomas, and provides descriptions of required and elective courses. A quick scroll through the Program of Studies illustrates the advantages that a high school as large as T.C. can offer students who wish to explore subjects as diverse as photography, […]
Last November, a group of parents* representing 15 former and current band students at T.C. Williams High School met with Principal Suzanne Maxey, Band Director Carlos Gonzalez and Athletic Director Steve Colantuoni to discuss the ongoing conundrum of students exiting the band program at 9th or 10th grade—before reaching the pinnacle of their high school band experience—because of the marching band requirement. Under the current program of studies, band students […]
On mornings when your student can turn off the alarm because of wintry weather—or when you are suddenly scrambling to find childcare—a school administrator has been up since 3 a.m. driving around the main streets and back roads of Alexandria. At regular intervals in the wee hours, Director of Pupil Transportation David Rose sends updates to Interim Superintendent Dr. Alvin Crawley and Chief Administrative Officer Tammy Ignacio* on road conditions. […]
If I could wave a magic wand, these would be nine of my wishes for our schools and students for 2014: 1. Six tennis courts would be completed at T.C. before the end of the spring season. Last month the City Council unanimously overruled a Planning Commission recommendation against including conduits for future lighting on the courts; with that uncertainty resolved, construction should begin as soon as weather permits. Funds […]
Achievement gaps have been highlighted recently in news reports about how the U.S. educational system falls short when compared with the rest of the world. And closer to home, they remain one of our school division’s biggest challenges. So when a friend (and long-time educator) mentioned the 2010 book by social psychologist Claude M. Steele, Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do (W.W. Norton & Co.), […]
More than 1,600 children in the city of Alexandria lack health insurance coverage. Children without health insurance are less likely to receive the medical, dental and vision care that they need and are more likely to miss school. Children with unmet medical needs are also likely to suffer from lower academic performance. A new report, prepared by the ACPS School Health Advisory Board (SHAB) and by Jennifer Tolbert, an ACPS […]
Port City Notebook 