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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
SEPTEMBER 17 - 23, 2015 | PAGE 31
Fa l l s C h u r c h
School News & Notes
(L TO R) MIKE WINTERS SR., Rohini Winters, Mike Winters Jr., Major General (Select) Tim Fay, Director of Strategic Plans, HQ USAF, Kevin Lewis, President AFA D.W. Steele Chapter as Winters, Jr. receives the Air Force Association D.W. Steele Chapter Open Scholarship on July 14. (Photo: Courtesy of Mike Winters, Sr.) semifinalists. For more information, visit nationalmerit.org.
2 F.C. Schools Participate in Marching Band Competition
AN ARLINGTON COUNTY FIRE TRUCK (shown above) was called to Mt. Daniel Elementary School on Tuesday, Sept. 8, the first day of school, for what turned out to be a false alarm. The fire fighters reset the faulty smoke sensor and were back on the road within ten minutes. (Courtesy Photo)
F.C. Students Earn Academic Honors Across the Nation Several students from Falls Church earned academic honors from colleges, universities and other academic institutions across the nation during the spring 2015 semester. Alissa Forbes, a senior music major at James Madison University, made the president’s list at the university. Sinan Batu Kokuuslu, Jeremy S. Leopold, a journalism major, Taehoon Lim, a pharmacy major, Camila Adriana Simons, an engineering major, and Yael K. Urbach, a theater major, made the dean’s list at Northeastern
University, where students must carry a full program of at least four courses, have a quality point average of 3.5 or greater out of a possible 4.0 and carry no single grade lower than a C- during the course of their college career. Nancy Clare Ritter graduated magna cum laude from Wheaton College with a Bachelor of Arts in English. Eric D. Wendel graduated from Texas A&M University with a Master of Science degree in mathematics. Noah Thirkill, a ninth grader at Randolph-Macon Academy Middle School, was named to the school’s principal list for the academic year 2014-2015 fourth
A FALLS CHURCH CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS student chows down one of the menu items provided by Revolution Foods on Monday, Sept. 14: a hot dog in whole wheat bun, sweet potato cubes and an apple. (Photo: Courtesy of FCCPS Photo/John Wesley Brett)
quarter at the school, where students must earn between a 3.5 and 3.99 grade point average to be named to the list. He also received the Most Improved Award for world history. He also received the Most Improved Award for algebra I, the Presidential Education Award (which is awarded for earning a 3.5 or above GPA each grading period of this year) and the Certificate of Recognition for Outstanding Dorm Student.
Winters is Final ‘15 GM Grad Named National Merit Scholar Mike Winters, Jr., a 2015 graduate of George Mason High School, was named a National Merit Scholar in July. He’s currently attending Boston University as a freshman. He also received the Air Force Association D.W. Steele Chapter Open Scholarship over the summer. The three other National Merit Scholars to come out of the 2015 Mason graduating class are Jonathan Gilmour, Mary Keenan and Arijeet Sensharma. The National Merit Scholarship semifinalists from Falls Church have also been announced. Douglas Bossart and Carrinton Mauney of Mason, John H. Balch and Emma Fan of George C. Marshall High School and Sandra Kendall of Falls Church High School are the
Two Falls Church high schools, Falls Church and J.E.B. Stuart High School, are among the 13 award-winning high school marching bands located in Northern Virginia competing in the 30th Annual Oakton Classic on Saturday, Sept. 26. Student musicians and color guards will perform on the football field of Oakton High School, located at 2900 Sutton Road, Vienna, during the competition. The competition, which includes other schools like Annandale High School, Thomas A. Edison High School and West Potomac High School, will begin at 10 a.m. and run through the evening. Admission to the competition costs $5 for children between the ages five and 12 and seniors and $7 for people over age 12. Children under age five are admitted for free. Programs for the competition will cost $5. Parking for the competition at Oakton High School is limited, but there will be parking on Sutton Road and in the Vienna Metro parking lot. For more information, email oaktonclassic@oaktonbands.com.
Middle Years Programme Begins at F.C. Schools This year George Mason High School and Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School will begin implementing the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme as candidate schools, according to an email from the Falls Church City Public Schools system. The Middle Years Programme is designed for students in grades 6 – 10, providing a framework of learning that encourages stu-
dents to become creative, critical and reflective thinkers. It will build upon the knowledge, skills and attitudes developed in the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme. Also, it will aim to prepare students to meet the academic challenges of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in 11th and 12th grades.
Food ‘Revolution’ Begins at Thackrey and Mt. Daniel On Monday, Sept. 14, students at Jessie Thackrey Preschool and Mount Daniel Elementary School got their first taste of Revolution Foods’ breakfast and lunch meals. The Oakland-based food company will be providing food service at the schools for the 2015 – 2016 school year. The company won the bid by being able to meet Falls Church City Public Schools’ strict food service requirements; a minimum of 85 percent of the meals made from scratch, no precooked meats, and a minimum of five years cooking for schools. For more information, visit revolutionfoods.com/about.
Jefferson ES Holds Annual Instrument Petting Zoo Thomas Jefferson Elementary School’s annual Instrument Petting Zoo was held on Wednesday, Sept. 16, in the school’s gym. Students can try trumpets, saxophones, euphoniums, oboes, trombones, clarinets and more with help from George Mason High School’s band members. Also, Flippin’ Pizza held a fundraiser for the Falls Church City Band Boosters on Wednesday night 4 – 8 p.m., where a percentage of every purchase made went to benefit the Band Boosters organization.