City of Fairfax Schools
About the City of Fairfax Schools — Since 2002, Hope Gibbs has been the director of communications for the City of Fairfax Schools. She is the editor of City Schools Close-Up, a newsletter that circulates to 14,000 City of Fairfax residents and businesses. The goal was to educate them about the issues, programs, and accomplishments of the K-12 program, and to pass an $86 million bond to rebuild Lanier Middle School and Fairfax High.
Success Story — Whereas an earlier bond referendum to rebuild the schools had failed, in 2004 the bond request to rebuild Lanier and Fairfax passed with an 81% approval rate. In the years that followed, Close-Up kept residents up-to-date on the reconstruction project at both schools. The newsletter won six awards for writing and design from the National School Publications Association, and residents repeatedly informed then-Superintendent George Stepp and City School Board Chairwoman Janice Miller that they appreciated the information provided in the newsletter. For more, visit www.fairfaxva.gov/school/CloseUp.asp.
How creative are our kids? That’s the question authors Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman (pictured right) asked in their July 10 Newsweek article, The Creativity Crisis. Previously known for their 2009 New York Times bestselling book on child- rearing, “NurtureShock,” the authors — both science journalists — revealed research that Americans are becoming less creative.
The good news is that there are ways to increase creativity, says Merryman, who recently talked with Close-Up Online about this important topic.
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On behalf of the City of Fairfax School Board, I congratulate members of the Class of 2011 on successfully completing your high school education.
Graduation Day is a time to thank your parents and guardians for giving you support and teaching you discipline. It is also a time to thank the many other adults who have contributed to your success.
Why do so many work in the field of education and why do so many others enthusiastically support this work? I believe the answer lies in something I read a long time ago: We are all parents of the next generation, even if we do not have children of our own.
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“Personal trials and tribulations, upheavals at work, community tragedies, and a high level of national anxiety over economics mark our times, and can test one’s resilience,” writes Fairfax City School Board vice chairman in the May-June issue of City Schools Close-Up.
“But these challenges can also be accepted, respected, and turned into opportunities for improvement and success,” he continues. “I learned this lesson long ago. Being resilient is critical to success, and not just as a leader and manager. As a father, son, husband, student — and in my youth, a paperboy — I have had ample opportunity to respond to and recover from adversity.”
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By Carolyn Pitches
School Board Member
City of Fairfax Schools
In this issue of Close-Up we tackle the topic of college readiness. As a City of Fairfax School Board member, who is also an educator and a parent of two daughters, college readiness is a concept that is in the forefront of my mind.
Like many parents, I started considering college almost the minute my daughters were born. Now that they are older, and I have been on the School Board for nearly a year, I have a slightly different understanding of this process.
It is increasingly clear to me that, as parents, we not only need to make sure our children are able to get into the college of their choice, but will succeed in school—and beyond graduation. This “big picture” message came across loud and clear at the Fairfax Educational Summit last October when educational leaders explained the distinction between college readiness and “life readiness.”
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By Victoria Tran
Senior, Fairfax High School
2010-2011 Student School Board Representative
Like the other articles in this month’s issue of Close-Up, I wrote about diversity — but from a student’s point of view. When I think about what has it been like growing up in a multicultural community such as Fairfax City, my answer is simple. it has defined who I am. Because of my exposure to different people, ideas, and beliefs at an early age, I have become more open-minded and more knowledgeable of the many different cultures that coexist in our community. I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity to grow up in one of the most diverse regions in the world.
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By Janice Miller
Chairman, City of Fairfax School Board
As we welcome students and staff back to school this September, we are thrilled to invite you to celebrate the 75th anniversary of our beloved Fairfax High.
Festivities will begin with a Homecoming Parade on Friday, September 24, at 4:15 and continue through the evening. (See the entire list of events, at right.)
A new school year brings some other changes, including the redesign of our City School Close-Up newsletter. We’ll be publishing six issues this year, and in each one you’ll learn about something new and exciting in the field of education.
In upcoming issues, we’ll be interviewing local and national experts and writing about:
- The Importance of Diversity in Our Schools (November-December)
- The Value of Cultivating Creativity (January-February)
- How to Prepare Your Kids for College (March-April)
- The Power of Resilience (May-June)
- Graduation 2011 (July-August)
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By Janice Miller, Chairman
City of Fairfax School Board
This school year ended with much celebration at each of our four City Schools. Many of our students achieved at high levels this year in academics, activities, athletics and the arts. We are proud to be able to share some of these accomplishments in this issue of Close-Up Online.
The graduation at Fairfax High School was once again a very special event. I am always happy to sit on the stage and look out at the senior class, ready to go on to the next phase of their lives — so different from the children they were just a few years before.
Scott Mattock, the student graduation speaker selected by his peers, spoke of how much he, his classmates, and the world had changed in the four years that they had attended Fairfax High School (read his speech by clicking inside).
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By Janice Miller, Chairman
City of Fairfax School Board
jmiller@fairfaxva.gov
Each year, we take time to thank the community members who work with the schools because their hard work and dedication not only make what we do easier — it makes it possible.
Volunteers assist in classrooms, chaperone field trips, help improve the school grounds, mentor and coach children, raise money to fund student activities — and the list goes on and on.
Let me take a moment to publicly thank four community members.
Each of these individuals took on the responsibility of representing the City on Fairfax County Public Schools advisory committees. They attended many meetings, participated in the important work of each committee, and reported on the committee’s work to the City School Board.
They include: Joan Rizak, who represented us on the Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities; Laura Welke, who was the City’s representative on the Advanced Academic Programs Advisory Committee; Pam Jones, who sat on the School Health Advisory Committee; Mitch Sutterfield, former Fairfax High School teacher and the City’s delegate to the Superintendent’s Advisory Council.
Here’s to a great summer! We’ll talk to you again in July.
As always, if you have any questions or comments, send me an email: jmiller@fairfaxva.gov
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What Do Our Students Really Think About School?
By Ann Monday, Superintendent
City of Fairfax Schools
amonday@fairfaxva.gov
It was my honor to be at the April School Board Work Session where we heard from more than 20 middle and high school students about their perceptions of school.
This annual event is always enlightening, for as administrators we work hard to do the right thing for our students. Listening to their perspective is a welcome experience.
Click inside to hear what the students have to say.
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By Janice Miller, chairman
City of Fairfax School Board
The fundamental responsibility of any school is to provide a safe and secure environment for learning. This month’s Close-Up Online will focus on how our schools maintain positive environments and promote good citizenship.
Below, you’ll find information from City of Fairfax Police Chief Rick Rappoport, who at our March School Board Work Session shared information from the Northern Virginia Gang Task Force, which showed that community efforts to prevent gang activity are working.
Linda Burke, the Fairfax County Cluster Superintendent who supervises our schools, talked with us about how the County assesses school climate and what is in place in each of our schools to ensure student safety and positive behavior.
Scroll down for a recap of their presentations from Superintendent Ann Monday.
Read the entire issue here.
As always, the City School Board welcomes your feedback. If you have any questions or comments for us, email me at jmiller@fairfaxva.gov.
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