Author: ARLnow.com

Sheriff Names New Chief Deputy — “Captain Jose Quiroz was named the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Monday, making him the first Latino Chief Deputy to serve in that role.” [Arlington County]

School Days to Still Feature Pledge — “Arlington students headed back to class on Aug. 29 will continue to be encouraged to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and engage in a minute of silence to start the school day, based on a policy affirmation made at the Aug. 18 School Board meeting… the Code of Virginia mandates that school systems conduct both.” [Sun Gazette]

Shorter Summer Break for HS Athletes — “So much for long, nearly two-month summer breaks from high-school sports, which for a long time used to be the case. With the preceding spring high-school sports campaigns lasting closer to the end of June these days, then practices for the next fall season starting Aug. 1 this year, the summer break was about a month long. July is becoming about all there is of the summertime anymore.” [Sun Gazette]

SOL Scores Lag Pre-Pandemic Benchmark — “The Virginia Education Department said students are still bearing the scars of prolonged pandemic-related school closures, releasing test scores from last school year that showed them performing behind pre-pandemic levels. While students saw across-the-board gains in the 2021-2022 school year compared to the previous academic year, state education officials said the progress was not enough, and pinned some of the good news on lowered standards — not on better student performance.” [Washington Post]

Catholic School Enrollment Ticks Higher — “It’ll be a smaller bump up in student population than a year before, but the 41 schools in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Arlington are building on a significant uptick from a year before. Total enrollment is expected to be nearly 17,000 students when classes return Aug. 24. That’s up about 2 percent from a year ago and higher by nearly 10 percent from two years before.” [Sun Gazette]

WHS Pole Vaulter is Second in State — “Looking back at his accomplished career as a high-school pole vaulter, perseverance might have played a bigger role in Justin Delgado’s success than his raw talent in the event. The 2022 Wakefield High School graduate recently capped his prep career in the sport with a runner-up finish at the Virginia High School League’s Class 6 outdoor boys track and field state meet with a personal best jump, by one foot, of 13 feet. The first-place winning height was 13-6.” [Sun Gazette]