Area Schools Set for New Challenges

Is there anyone who doesn't know it's "back to school" time? For some, school began this week. For most, including students in the City of Falls Church's system, school starts on Tuesday.

At Falls Church’s George Mason High School this Tuesday, new superintendent Dr. Lois Berlin welcomed the employees of the school system back at an annual "Back to School" breakfast, a forty year tradition of coming together before the rush of the school year takes hold.

In her speech to teachers, administrators, and staff following the breakfast, Berlin talked about the excitement she's feeling as she begins her work in Falls Church, commending the faculty and staff as the major factors contributing to student performance.

“Genuine improvement in student learning cannot be delivered by a single individual,” she said. “It’s not what I do; it’s what you all do with my support and the support of the School Board.”

The event highlighted the achievements of Falls Church educators, welcomed new faculty and staff and gave special recognition to some veterans of the schools.

The loud buzz among the attendees was a result of both the excitement and the anxiety about the changes this school year brings, which includes the construction underway of a new middle school on the George Mason campus and the renovation of Mt. Daniel Elementary school.

While the Falls Church School Ssystem is prepared to deal with these issues, other schools in the Greater Falls Church area are each focusing on their own changes as the doors open for the firs day of classes.

Principals from schools in Falls Church, Fairfax, and Arlington talked with the News-Press about the upcoming school year, new programs, new initiatives, and even some concerns that will become apparent with the arrival of their students.

George Mason High School

Change is the theme of this year at George Mason High School, according to Principal Robert Snee. “Since November of last year transition has been our mantra,” he said.

Next year George Mason High will go from a four year – 9th 12th grade -- high school, sharing a building with the middle school, to five year -- 8th to 12th grade -- school standing by itself.

“We will very clearly be a single school next year,” said Snee, anticipating the move of the middle school into its new building next September. “We don’t want to diminish what has been done here, but we also want to make sure that the incoming eighth graders are just as invested in the school as seniors who have been here four years.”

After the middle school is relocated to the new location, he said there will be an intense process of physically adapting the new space. As three grades are being moved out, many students who were taking classes in temporary trailers adjacent to the building will be moved in.

“It’s not like we’re getting a big bonanza of space,” he said. “The space that is going to be vacated is not an awful lot more than what we have had in our trailers.”

Still, the new space that is created will be modified to fit the specific needs of a high school. He pointed to a regrouping of the science labs, and the creation of more conference rooms. “Right now we’re tripping over each other to find space to hold meetings,” he said.

In the time leading up to the transition, the school is working closely with teachers and students from the eighth grade classes and involving them in the discussions about school development.

George Marshall High School

The emphasis at George Marshall High School this year will be critical non-fiction writing. Principal Leslie Butz said that across all disciplines, writing is being introduced into the curriculum. “Having to go through the exercise of writing helps improve students’ analytical thinking,” she said.

From math equations to multiple choice tests, students will not only be required to answer the questions, but to be able to validate and explain their answers. The program is the next step following an initiative to promote analytical reading skills among students.

With the help of other programs that include a "lunch and learn" hour, which promotes flexibility in student schedules in order to get specific assistance, enrichment, or independent learning opportunities, the school has seen a four year high in its Standards of Learning test scores and a 10 year high in its SAT scores, putting it in the top quartile of Fairfax County schools.

As has been the case at the beginning of every one of her five years as principal of the school, Butz is concerned about the safety of students walking from home to school. Located Right off of route seven, many students cross the busy street on their way home.

“Every year I’m holding my breath hoping that everyone makes it home safe,” she said.

Falls Church High School

The Freshman Advisory Program (FAP), proposed by two of the school’s teachers, is a mentoring program where incoming students are grouped with teachers and upper class students in order to help them through their first year in high school.

In many cases, the transition to the first year, because of the drastic change in culture from middle school, creates problems for the young students.

Together with the mentors, the students work to identify goals for the year and then outline a work plan in order to achieve those goals. Lloyd said that the goals will include increased performance, and involvement in higher level courses.

“We’re hoping that we can engage students with this,” said Lloyd.

JEB Stuart High School

“This is our third year with the year-round schedule and the teachers and students are starting to settle in to it,” he said.

The year-round schedule was adopted to assist in the language education of the school’s diverse student body, as it allows students to retain language skills, rather than forgetting the information over extended breaks.

As always, the school’s diversity makes the teaching of English and literacy one of the top concerns for the school’s faculty. “We want to make sure that everybody is a reader,” said Riddile. He said that the focus on enhancing language skills extends all the way from the English as a Second Language programs to Advanced Placement classes.

While the curriculum remains the same for many of the students, they were greeted with a pleasant change when entering the school for the first time this year. The renovation that has been continuing in the school for the past seven years was finally been finished and the halls are now clear of workers and equipment.

The results of the renovation can be seen in the new library on the second floor, a new dance studio and auxiliary gym, and computer labs throughout the building. “Stuart has one of the best computer to student ratios in the Fairfax County school system,” said Riddile.

He said that with the renovation, the school has all the benefits of a new school while retaining an older design that focuses on large windows and open space. “It’s a brighter, more attractive, learning environment,” he said.

McLean High School

After years of constant renovation of the high school, which created special challenges for McLean students, Wardinski said that the process, that if all goes as expected, should be completed this year.

Wardinski is excited about the prospect of leading the school. He said that while the new standards of learning tests have created an increased focus on test scores, there is more to teaching students than preparing them to take a test.

“Even with mandated testing, we don’t want to lose the face of the whole child,” said Wardinski. “I hope we never lose touch with that.”

For incoming students Wardinski recommended that they see their education for everything that it can be. “Students should take all the advantages that the high school experience offers,” he said. He pointed to sports, clubs, and other extra curricular activities.

George Mason Middle School

Principal Rochelle Friedman talked about the making sure that the students are able to perform at their best even as they face changes. “We’re meeting with fifth grade teachers and learning about what a five to seven school looks like,” said Friedman, referring to the fact that with the new school building, the middle school will shift to serving grades five through seven..

While trying to minimize the impact on the students, she said that they will be involved in the transition process. This year students will be involved in choosing a new school mascot and school colors. “We’re making sure that the school feels like their school.”

For middle school students in Falls Church, once the construction is completed it will be the first time that they will have their own building. Friedman said that though they have managed to continue to achieve while sharing a building with the high school, there are plenty of drawbacks to the present situation.

“The middle school philosophy is different than the high school philosophy,” she said. “Middle school is very exploratory in nature and it helps for students to stay in the same small cluster throughout the day.”

She said that with the current overcrowding in the shared school, classes are scheduled based on when rooms are available rather than curriculum needs. She pointed to the lunch situation as a prime example, where some middle school students have to eat lunch at 10:15 a.m. in order to make time for other classes.

Still, while they await the completion of the new school, Friedman is determined to take advantage of this coming year. “You go into every year with the idea that this will be the best year yet,” she said. After 16 years as principal she has had a lot to build on.

And for the students, she had simple advice. “Come in excited and ready to work,” she said.

Longfellow Middle School

“We know that attendance is one of the determining factors in a student’s performance,” he said.

Along with the attendance program, the school is steadily working towards tracking a student’s academic performance on-line as well.

While some teachers are still using the traditional grade book, more and more teachers are keeping track of grades by computer, enabling them to give up to the minute performance scores for concerned parents.

Currently the school also uses an on-line program known as “Blackboard” which posts student homework and projects so they are available at home for students and parents.

“Parents can really help keep their students involved,” said Lynch.

Mt. Daniel Elementary

While Halayko admitted that there might be some noise disruption, the construction will not force students to be moved out of their classrooms.

Along with adding new classrooms the plans focus on improving parking, traffic patterns, and drainage—as the school year begins the Mt. Daniel staff outnumbers the available parking spaces for the school—but a recent public outcry about the external renovation might cause delay in approving the plans.

“While I understand the concern, people should know that there is a great need for the renovation,” she said.

Throughout the area as schools prepare for the upcoming rush of students, as the notebooks and pens fly off retailers shelves, as kids start returning from vacations, the schools prepare to once again take them under their wing and continue to guide them along the path to adulthood.

As Falls Church City Council member Marty Meserve told the crowd at George Mason High School this Tuesday, “There’s always a little bit of magic in the first days of September.”