GMHS Italian Exchange Students Visiting Soon
Liceo Bertrand Russell School of Cles, Italy will be sending 15 female high school students to Falls Church this Sept. 19. These girls will be participating in the first science-based and Italian Exchange that George Mason High School (GMHS). 
GMHS Italian Exchange Students Visiting Soon
Liceo Bertrand Russell School of Cles, Italy will be sending 15 female high school students to Falls Church this Sept. 19. These girls will be participating in the first science-based and Italian Exchange that George Mason High School (GMHS).
Unlike past exchanges, the requirements for hosting these students are minimal: students must possess an interest to learn about a new culture. In comparison to many of the other foreign-language exchanges, knowing the language is not a requirement for the Italian program.
The 15 girls will be staying for 10 days in the homes of GMHS students ranging from freshmen to seniors. For many of the Italian girls, this will be their first time visiting the United States.
Throughout their visit, the Italian students plan to visit Washington D.C. and work on science projects with the ecology class of Dr. Peter Mecca, the man who initiated the exchange program.
Maggie Wiseman, a chemistry teacher at GMHS, has created the itinerary for the Italian students’ 10-day voyage in America, and is the supervisor of the exchange. The hosts will be able to visit their Italian friends in Italy after IB exams are over in May.
George C. Marshall H.S. Swim Team Holds Carwash
George C. Marshall High School’s swim team is hosting a car wash to raise funds for the fast approaching season. All size vehicles are welcome into the front high school parking lot, Sept. 19, anytime between 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Donations will be accepted.
FCPS Publications Named NSPA Pacemaker Finalists
Two Fairfax County Public School (FCPS) student publications have been named finalists in the National Scholastic Press Association’s (NSPA) Pacemaker Awards competition.
The student newspaper of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) was named a finalist in the category of newspapers of 16 or fewer pages. Teresa Ventura is the editor; Jennifer Seavey serves as the adviser.
Oakton High School students Emily Bagdasarian and Katie Smith were named finalists in the Design of the Year competition for their magazine page in Opus, the school’s literary magazine. Susan Sullivan serves as the adviser. Awards are scheduled to be announced at the Journalism Education Association’s National High School Journalism Convention in November. For more information, contact the FCPS Department of Communications and Community Outreach at 571-423-1200.
Area Schools Named as 2009 Blue Ribbon Schools
Several Falls Church area schools have been named as 2009 Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education.
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST), a Fairfax County public school and a Virginia governor’s school, is one of 264 public and 50 private schools named Blue Ribbon Schools today by U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan.
Trinity School at Meadow View in Falls Church, an elementary school, is one of 50 private schools in the country that the Department of Education also recognized.
Corpus Christi Elementary, an Arlington County Catholic Diocese school in the Falls Church area, was one of four Virginia private elementary schools selected for the award. In total, 16 of the 41 Arlington diocesan schools have been named Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence.
Blue Ribbon Schools are recognized for either placing in the top 10 percent on assessments or by showing dramatic improvement. In order to qualify, a school must have made adequate yearly progress under the No Child Left Behind Act for the past two years.
