Schools | ARLnow.com

Jeff Bridges and Gov. McDonnell Visit Barcroft Elementary

Published June 7, 2011 at 3:55PM | Updated June 8, 2011 at 2:09AM

Kids, teachers, school officials, politicians, photographers and reporters crammed into the school’s auditorium to watch the hour-long event, which was part press conference and part school assembly. Bridges, McDonnell and Vilsack were joined on stage by representatives from the Federation of Virginia Food Banks and the non-profit group Share Our Strength. Also on stage were a pair of wise-cracking vegetable puppets.

“I’m surprised that broccoli is here today,” said Vilsack, gesturing to one of the puppets in front of the youthful crowd. “I just had him for lunch.”

Prom-Bound Wakefield Students Learn About DUI Risks

By ARLnow.com

Published June 2, 2011 at 3:02PM

Wakefield High School held its annual Prom Promise anti-drunk-driving event today, but it was a bit different than years past.

Instead of a large indoor assembly with PowerPoint slides, a speaker and staged demonstrations, the police department decided to take things outside. Groups of students lined up to try their hand at driving golf carts around a cone course while wearing “drunk goggles.”

Jeff Bridges to Visit Barcroft Elementary

By ARLnow.com

Published June 2, 2011 at 9:35AM | Updated February 13, 2024 at 11:02AM

Actor Jeff Bridges, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Gov. Bob McDonnell will help launch a new statewide anti-hunger campaign at Barcroft Elementary School (625 S. Wakefield Street) next week.

The Academy Award winner is the national spokesperson for No Kid Hungry, a campaign that aims to “end childhood hunger in America by 2015.” The organization says they hope to do so by creating “public-private partnerships at the state level to break down barriers that prevent kids from accessing the food they need.”

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published June 1, 2011 at 8:57AM

Panel Recommends Building New Schools — An Arlington Public Schools advisory council has come out with a report that recommends new construction to help ease the looming school capacity crisis. The panel recommends building one or two new elementary schools and adding capacity at two existing middle schools. In addition to the construction, they suggest adding as many as 40 classroom trailers. Questions linger as to whether the county has enough debt capacity to follow the building recommendations. [Sun Gazette]

Adopt-a-Cat Month at AWLA — The Animal Welfare League of Arlington (2650 South Arlington Mill Drive) has declared June to be Adopt-a-Cat Month. With the shelter — and other shelters like it — inundated with homeless felines, AWLA is trying to find homes for its “Desperate Housecats” — cats that have been at the shelter more than four months. The adoption of such cats is free through the end of the month. [Animal Welfare League of Arlington]

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published May 23, 2011 at 6:00AM

APS High Schools Ranked in Top One Percent — Arlington’s public high schools each ranked in the top one percent of the Washington Post’s national Challenge Index rankings. H-B Woodlawn ranked the highest at #46, and was #1 among Washington area high schools. Wakefield was at the bottom of the pack at #367 nationally and #50 locally. The Challenge Index measures the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Cambridge tests taken by all students at a high school in 2010. [Arlington Public Schools]

Lopez Attracts Local Political Support — House of Delegates 49th District candidate Alfonso Lopez has named County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman and County Sheriff Beth Arthur as co-chairs of his campaign. Lopez will face Stephanie Dix Clifford in the August 23 Democratic primary. [Sun Gazette]

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published May 20, 2011 at 8:02AM

APS Names New Williamsburg Principal — The Arlington School Board has appointed Dr. Ann McCarty as the new principal of Williamsburg Middle School. McCarty, who has been a middle school principal in Falls Church, replaces Kathleen Francis, who was shown the door in February after sending a lengthy resignation letter to parents. The letter was harshly critical of Superintendent Dr. Patrick Murphy. [Arlington Public Schools]

Remembering Desegregation in Arlington — A town hall was held earlier this week to discuss the legacy of desegregation in Arlington. Stratford Junior High — now H-B Woodlawn — became the first school to integrate in Virginia in 1959. [WAMU]

Bomb Threat at Wakefield High School

By ARLnow.com

Published May 12, 2011 at 11:26AM | Updated May 12, 2011 at 1:00PM

(Updated at 12:55 p.m.) The all-clear has been given after a bomb threat at Wakefield High School.

The school was evacuated after the threat was called in to 911 at 10:45 a.m., from a pay phone within the school, according to police spokeswoman Det. Crystal Nosal. ~~The school~~ One class was in the midst of Advanced Placement testing at the time.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published May 9, 2011 at 9:18AM

CERT Graduates Number 500 — The Arlington Community Emergency Response Team program graduated its 500th resident on Saturday. CERT says this weekend’s graduating class of citizen emergency responders was their largest one yet.

More on Mala Tang — Rebecca Cooper, formerly of TBD.com, takes a look at Mala Tang, the new Chinese “hot pot” restaurant near Clarendon. Unanswered question: are there enough potential customers who are willing to sit down and learn the hot pot process — and who don’t mind their meal getting “a little messy?” [Washingtonian]

Secretary of Education Visits Randolph Elementary

By ARLnow.com

Published May 4, 2011 at 9:42AM

Duncan, an Arlington resident, greeted teachers and staff at the Douglas Park-area school during their PTA teacher appreciation breakfast. He congratulated Arlington Teacher of the Year Matt Tosiello — a third grade teacher at Randolph — as well as Gifted Teacher of the Year Pamela Clark and American Association of University Women Educator of the Year Jeanette Anderson.

“Children are lucky to have adults like you in their lives, working for them every single day,” Duncan told the teachers. “Thanks for the hard work and the difference you’re making in their lives.”

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published May 2, 2011 at 9:38AM

Above: A look back at last year’s presentation of a steel beam from the World Trade Center at Arlington County Fire Station 5. Firefighters from Fire Station 5, in Pentagon City, were among the first to respond to the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.

School Budget Approved — The Arlington County School Board has approved a new $475 million budget for FY 2012. The budget funds pay raises for teachers and staff, expands professional learning activities for teachers and eliminates ‘early release Wednesdays’ at four elementary schools. It also includes $1 million to study options for addressing the school system’s looming capacity crisis. [Arlington Public Schools]

Arlington Students Participate in White House Easter Egg Roll

By ARLnow.com

Published April 26, 2011 at 9:37AM | Updated April 26, 2011 at 2:25PM

Arlington schools were granted 250 tickets by the White House for this year’s festivities on the South Lawn. Each of the five schools were chosen because they had not participated in the Easter Egg Roll in previous years.

The schools were each granted 50 tickets. The tickets were good for a noon admission — after President Obama’s official participation in the festivities, but still in time to see some of the invited celebrities and musical acts.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published April 25, 2011 at 5:00AM

Arlington Students Head to White House – Two hundred fifty students from five Arlington elementary schools will be heading to the White House today to participate in the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. [Arlington Public Schools]

Student Project Heading to Space Station – A science game invented by a group of Barrett Elementary School students was the winner of a national NASA-run contest and will now be played aboard the International Space Station. [WUSA 9]