Schools | ARLnow.com

Bishop O’Connell President Announces Resignation

Published February 11, 2013 at 7:25PM

Parents and students at the private Catholic institution, in Arlington’s East Falls Church neighborhood, were informed of the resignation this afternoon. Prebble is leaving to take another job outside of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, diocese spokesman Michael Donohue told ARLnow.com.

The diocese says it will begin a search for a new president “soon,” although a final decision has not yet been made about whether to keep the current leadership structure of the school, which includes both a president and a school principal.

Design of New Williamsburg Elementary School Approved

By ARLnow.com

Published February 11, 2013 at 4:45PM

On Thursday, the Arlington School Board unanimously approved the conceptual design of the new elementary school to be built on the Williamsburg Middle School campus in north Arlington.

The 93,578 square foot school will include 28 classrooms, a gymnasium, library, art room, media center, innovation lab, dining room and green roofs. It has a projected capacity of 630 students, to help address the capacity crunch at Arlington Public Schools.

LaHood to Attend School Bus Event At Tuckahoe

By ARLnow.com

Published February 7, 2013 at 3:45PM

The event, on Feb. 12, is being organized by the American School Bus Council for its Love the Bus campaign. The campaign is intended to “raise awareness and appreciation for the hundreds of thousands of school bus drivers who safely transport children to and from school.”

The American School Bus Council is supported in part by school bus manufacturers.

Del. Hope to Hold Town Hall on School Safety

By ARLnow.com

Published January 28, 2013 at 5:00PM

Hope was recently appointed to Gov. Bob McDonnell’s Task Force on School and Campus Safety, which was created in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. The task force has been charged with making recommendations regarding improvements to school safety practices at K-12 schools and at colleges and universities. Such improvements may include expanded use of school resource officers or security guards, new state or local programs or policies, and improvements to Virginia’s mental health system.

From 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, interested parents, students and residents are invited to discuss school safety with Del. Hope at the Wakefield High School auditorium (4901 S. Chesterfield Road). Hope will give an update about the work of the task force and listen to concerns and recommendations from the audience.

APS Closed; Traffic Volume Light

By ARLnow.com

Published January 28, 2013 at 8:10AM

Arlington was one of the only local school systems to not close early on Friday due to the threat of snow. It’s now the only school system inside the Beltway to close today; D.C., Montgomery County, Prince George’s County and Alexandria are all on a two-hour delay.

Meanwhile, with the federal government on a delayed opening, traffic volume on local roads and highways is very light.

Snow Could Snarl Commute, But APS to Dismiss on Time

By ARLnow.com

Published January 25, 2013 at 11:20AM

A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for Arlington and the D.C. region, warning of the potential for about an inch of snow between 2:00 and 9:00 p.m. Though relatively light, the snow could wreak havoc with traffic during the evening rush hour.

(On January 26, 2011, a much heavier snowfall during the evening rush hour resulted in motorists abandoning their cars on the GW Parkway.)

Parking Changes Proposed for Schools, Recreational Facilities

By Katie Pyzyk

Published January 24, 2013 at 10:30AM | Updated January 24, 2013 at 10:54AM

At its meeting on Saturday (January 26), the County Board is being asked to provide authorization for staff to advertise public hearings regarding the proposed amendments. The changes include revising parking standards for elementary and middle schools, permitting off-site vehicle parking at community swimming pools and allowing the County Board to modify parking standards.

The issue first arose during the public review process for the addition to Ashlawn Elementary School and the new school to be built on the Williamsburg campus. Arlington Public Schools felt that using the existing Zoning Ordinance for parking requirements would result in an excessive amount of parking. For instance, the addition to Ashlawn would require 228 parking spaces under the ordinance, when APS says it only needs about 100.

Favola Introduces Anti-Bullying Legislation

By Katie Pyzyk

Published January 18, 2013 at 10:55AM | Updated January 16, 2018 at 2:44PM

The legislation defines the term “bullying” and requires school boards to prohibit students and school employees from engaging in any actions that fall under the definition. The bill also requires local school boards to implement policies and procedures for reporting, investigating and addressing acts of bullying.

The part of the bill defining bullying reads:

APS Now on Social Media Websites

By ARLnow.com

Published January 14, 2013 at 11:45AM

Arlington Public Schools has joined several popular social media websites in an effort to better communicate with the community at large.

The school system is now on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. From an APS press release:

Three Arrested After Armed Robbery on Custis Trail

By ARLnow.com

Published January 10, 2013 at 2:05PM | Updated January 10, 2013 at 3:00PM

A jogger was robbed by the men around 12:30 p.m. on the trail near the Glebe Road bridge over I-66, according to ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. The victim struggled and was struck in the head — possibly with a pistol.

The men took a GPS watch and sunglasses and fled down the trail, Sternbeck said. A short time later, another trail user told police that one of the men pointed a silver handgun in his direction when he passed by.

EXCLUSIVE: Top Administrator Leaving APS

By ARLnow.com

Published January 7, 2013 at 6:15PM

Stukes has announced his retirement and his last day at the school system will be at some point later this month, APS spokesman Frank Bellavia told ARLnow.com. Bellavia said he did not know whether Stukes was taking a job with another school system.

As the top administrator in the Department of Facilities and Operations, Stukes is responsible for overseeing facilities planning, capital improvement programs, aquatics, building and grounds maintenance, custodial services, energy management, and transportation. In August, Stukes was caught up in a wave of parent anger over changes to enforcement of the school system’s busing policy.

Capitals Still Locked Out, but Kettler Hosts Yorktown Hockey

By Katie Pyzyk

Published December 19, 2012 at 11:05AM | Updated December 19, 2012 at 11:43AM

The Yorktown Ice Hockey Club has been in existence since 2003. The team has not been granted sports team status at the school, but is instead considered an “interest club.” It’s part of the Northern Virginia Scholastic Hockey League, which is the premier high school level league in Northern Virginia, and was bumped up from junior varsity to varsity this year.

One of the coaches boasted to ARLnow.com about having the league’s leading goal scorer on his team. Cameron Smith has scored 17 goals in three games, including a record-setting 11 in one game. So far this year, the team is 2-2.