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Glebe Elementary Receives $10,000 Grant from NFL

Published November 15, 2013 at 3:30PM | Updated November 15, 2013 at 7:57PM

The NFL Play 60 campaign is giving Glebe Elementary a grant for health and wellness programming or equipment. Washington Redskins players Alfred Morris, Joshua Morgan, Josh Wilson, Darrel Young and Nick Williams will present the school their check Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 9:30 a.m.

Glebe was selected as the D.C. area’s “NFL Play 60 Super School,” after sending the NFL essays “explaining how they planned to show their NFL team pride and incorporate football into their lesson plans,” and essays “on their school’s game plan for teaching students the importance of physical education and nutrition,” according to Arlington Public Schools.

W-L, Yorktown to Host Playoff Games Friday

By Ethan Rothstein

Published November 12, 2013 at 11:45AM

After their historic clash last Friday, the Washington-Lee and Yorktown High School football teams will each host a first-round playoff game this Friday night.

Washington-Lee (8-2, 7-0), the fourth seed in the Class 6A North region, will host 13th-seeded Stonewall Jackson (6-4) out of Manassas at 7:30 p.m. The Generals will be hosting a playoff game for the first time in several decades. Quarterback Sam Appel and running back/defensive back Daquay Harris will try to keep the Generals’ dream season alive.

W-L Stuns Yorktown, Wins National District Title

By Ethan Rothstein

Published November 8, 2013 at 10:45PM | Updated November 9, 2013 at 10:15AM

For the first time in 38 years, the National District football title will go to Washington-Lee High School.

The Generals stormed into Yorktown Friday night and shut out the Patriots, 10-0, handing the Patriots their first district loss in four years and clinching the Generals’ first undefeated district season in almost four decades.

W-L, Yorktown Meet for National District Title Tonight

By Ethan Rothstein

Published November 8, 2013 at 2:00PM | Updated November 8, 2013 at 2:29PM

That may seem like an exaggeration, but Washington-Lee (7-2, 6-0) hasn’t beaten reigning National District champion Yorktown (8-1, 6-0) in their last 30 regular season games. Yorktown has been the dominant football force in Arlington for decades, but this is the Generals’ best squad in years.

(Update at 2:30 p.m. — Washington-Lee students also released their own hype video.)

Yorktown, Washington-Lee Win in Week Before Showdown

By Ethan Rothstein

Published November 4, 2013 at 2:30PM

The Generals (7-2, 6-0) made short work of Wakefield, 56-21, in south Arlington Friday night. Washington-Lee quarterback Sam Appel had perhaps the best game of his career, throwing for 209 yards and five touchdowns. Receiver Trevor McManus was the main beneficiary with eight catches for 102 yards and three of those touchdowns. Running back Daquay Harris kept up his impressive season, and needed just 10 carries to rush for 108 yards and a touchdown.

Wakefield (2-7, 0-6) was led by running back Leon Young, who carried the ball 16 times for 94 yards, including busting free for a 44-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Wakefield’s long season will come to an end this week when they travel to face Mount Vernon on Friday.

Yorktown High School’s Food Trucks Told to Move

By Ethan Rothstein

Published November 4, 2013 at 10:00AM

According to a tweet from Yorktown’s School Resource Officer Cpl. Jim Tuomey, “the food trucks will no longer be parked at the school. This is to be in compliance with [Arlington Public Schools] rules & county code.”

In a subsequent tweet, Tuomey wrote, “This was not my call, I like getting a milkshake every now and then…”

Yorktown Wins Without Star, W-L Falls in Non-District Game

By Ethan Rothstein

Published October 28, 2013 at 12:30PM

Stewart, the senior North Carolina recruit leading the Patriots with 1,266 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns, was on the sideline Friday night with a sprained ankle, according to the Washington Post. That didn’t stop the Patriots (7-1, 5-0) from coming back from a double-digit second-half deficit and beating Chantilly (5-3, 2-1), 30-28. Stewart’s backup, Da’Jhuan Short, carried the ball for 90 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner in the third quarter. The Patriots play this Friday night on the road against Mount Vernon.

Yorktown’s companion atop the National District standings, Washington-Lee, lost its first game since Sept. 12 Friday night, 53-7 against Centreville. Centreville (8-0, 3-0) is the Post’s top-ranked team in Northern Virginia, and it has won all of its games by at least 21 points. The Generals (6-2, 5-0) got their only score in the first quarter on an 89-yard pass play from Sam Appel to Noah Harrington, who caught three balls for 111 yards on the day. The Generals next play on the road at Wakefield Friday night.

APS Considers Limiting Teacher Gifts

By Ethan Rothstein

Published October 28, 2013 at 10:00AM

APS is circulating a proposed change to its gift policy for employees that would limit the amount of gifts educators can receive to $50.

The School Board will consider adopting the policy at its meeting Dec. 5, according to APS spokesman Frank Bellavia. There is already an APS gift policy on the books, but it only has guidelines for gifts purchased for employees with APS funds.

Yorktown, W-L Continue Winning; Wakefield, O’Connell Fall

By Ethan Rothstein

Published October 15, 2013 at 12:45PM | Updated October 15, 2013 at 1:11PM

The Patriots rode their star running back again Friday night, giving senior M.J. Stewart 29 carries, which he took for 198 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winner in the fourth quarter. The Patriots needed every one of Stewart’s yards in a 19-14 home victory over Hayfield (1-5, 1-2). Through six games, Stewart already has 1,170 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns. The UNC recruit and the Patriots next host Wakefield at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Washington-Lee had to wait to play because of Friday’s intense downpours, but the Generals collected their fourth straight win Monday against Mount Vernon, 23-21. Mount Vernon had been 2-0 in league play, and the Generals’ victory means they would need to lose twice in the next three weeks to finish worse than second place in the National District. They play Friday night at home against Edison.

Photos: Walk and Bike to School Day

By Ethan Rothstein

Published October 9, 2013 at 1:00PM | Updated October 9, 2013 at 2:32PM

(Updated at 2:30 p.m.) Arlington Public Schools held its annual Walk and Bike to School Day today (Wednesday), encouraging the tens of thousands of students in the system to avoid driving or busing to school.

Every APS school participated in the event, according to APS spokesman Frank Bellavia, and three local farms donated apples that were distributed to six different schools.

W-L, Yorktown Keep Winning Streaks Alive

By Ethan Rothstein

Published October 7, 2013 at 3:30PM | Updated October 8, 2013 at 8:02AM

Washington-Lee (4-1, 2-0 district) won a statement game Friday night against Falls Church (3-2, 0-2), which had been 3-1 with its only loss coming to Yorktown last week. The Generals won 21-14, holding on after leaping out to a 13-0 lead. Duquay Harris, the running back that’s been leading the Generals this season, scored a touchdown, and quarterback Sam Appel threw for two scores. The Generals have won three straight games and seek their fourth consecutive win this Friday at Mount Vernon.

At the same time, Yorktown was riding its star running back, senior North Carolina commit M.J. Stewart, to its third-straight win. Stewart carried the ball 16 times for 230 yards — a ridiculous 14.4 yards per carry — and four touchdowns to lead the Patriots (4-1, 2-0) to a 42-7 victory over J.E.B. Stuart (0-5, 0-2). The Patriots scored all of their points in the first half, and didn’t allow Stewart to score a point until the fourth quarter, when the game had essentially been decided. Yorktown’s next game will be Friday at home against Hayfield.

No Grinding Allowed At Upcoming Homecoming Dances

By ARLnow.com

Published October 2, 2013 at 2:00PM

The grinding ban is nothing new, according to Arlington Public Schools spokesman Frank Bellavia. The policy, which appears on a list of “dance policy and rules” for Saturday’s homecoming dance at Wakefield High School, has actually been in place for 8-9 years, he said.

Bellavia said that Washington-Lee and Yorktown, which have homecoming dances this Saturday and Oct. 19 respectively, have similar policies in place.