North Fairfax News

Superintendent's Weekly Reflections 

 Welcome back from our Winter Break, although the weather seemed a bit more like Spring Break to me! No complaints here, but I know snow lovers out there may be getting a little anxious. How many of you have heard that you should wear your pajamas backwards to get a snow day? Do you have another family tradition?

 This week I’m celebrating the concept of community in its varying forms. As I firmly believe, learning happens best in community! 

Wednesday evening, I attended the awards ceremony for the new Posse Scholars. FCPS has 24 Posse Scholars this year, including students from 15 of our high schools. A special shout out to John R. Lewis High School with six Posse Scholars! Go Lancers! 

Posse was founded in 1989 because of the words of one student who said, “I never would’ve dropped out of college if I had my posse with me.” The simple concept of sending a group of students to college together has now become a program that has given more than 10,000 students scholarship opportunities and experience to support them as they find their path. Posse Scholars have a 90% graduation rate! Together, great things are possible!

Congratulations to another community – the Woodson High School esports team of Greysen, Chance, Connor, and Andrew, and their coaches Michael Kuykendall and Johnny Shu. They won this year’s Virginia High School League esports Rocket League Championship! Go Cavs!

This is FCPS’ first year competing in this new VHSL offering, where students participate in a popular, soccer-like game where players compete by driving futuristic cars. VHSL has until the end of the 2023-2024 academic year to determine if esports will become a fully sanctioned and sponsored activity under the Emerging Activity guidelines. Esports has exploded over recent years. With more than 400 million viewers globally, this is an entirely new industry with a variety of careers. Colleges and universities are developing programs, including esports scholarships, to support this endeavor. For those of us of a certain age when “pong” first became popular, few anticipated this new world of competitive gaming as an industry! I challenge us all to keep an open mind to the possibilities of careers yet imagined for our students! 

On Thursday, I visited Mountain View High School at the invitation of School Board Member Stella Pekarsky, where I was met by Principal Catherine Stone and her administrative team. The school’s motto is Family. Love. Respect, and it is easy to see that in action as soon as you set foot in the school.

Original source can be found here