Port City Notebook

News, views and random observations around Alexandria

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Recent Developments: Five Middle Schools Become Two

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 […]

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Recent Developments: New Superintendent Selected

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 […]

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Some Random Things to Know about the Program of Studies

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, […]

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What Role Should Marching Band Play in a High School Band Program?

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 […]

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How are Decisions Made about Weather-Related School Closings and Delays?

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. […]

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A 2014 Wish List

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 […]

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What I’m Reading: Whistling Vivaldi

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.), […]

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How Can We Connect Uninsured Children to Health Coverage?

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 […]

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What’s New and Different at Chinquapin?

The Chinquapin Recreation Center and Aquatics Facility re-opened earlier this month with a community celebration hosted by the Parks and Recreation Department and the Chinquapin Advisory Council. The building was closed in mid-June for major renovations and upgrades: replacing some of the key components of the HVAC system; new entrance doors and doors from the pool deck to locker rooms and office; new lockers; new paint and ceilings throughout; solar […]

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What Should Alexandrians Know about Jefferson-Houston?

A week ago I attended a program presented by Agenda:Alexandria regarding Virginia’s new OEI law (OEI stands for “Opportunity Educational Institution”), and what a state takeover of one of our schools would look like. David Foster, president of the Virginia Board of Education, gave a very helpful overview of the OEI law’s current status. (As background, “the law requires any school that has been denied accreditation and permits any school […]

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