In April 2022, the Virginia Senate adopted Senate Bill 656, which addresses sexual content in school instructional materials. At the crux of the legislation, parent involvement in what materials their child sees is increased. The bill states schools must construct policies to identify sexually explicit content in instructional materials, notifyContinue Reading
In Nov. 2022, after two rejected drafts, VDOE was asked by the Virginia Board of Education to create a third draft of the K-12 Social Studies Standards. Released in Jan. 2023, these standards aimed to include elements of the prior two drafted standards. The head of the History Department andContinue Reading
Sophomore Ella Greher is using her craft prowess to support Iran in the wake of violence and protests. American media focused mainly on the issue after Iran’s morality police killed women’s rights activist Mahsa Amini in September, but conflict in the nation has continued to rise since. Greher said itContinue Reading
To some, software like ChatGPT is a new way to get work done; for others, it represents a growing fear that teaching is becoming obsolete. ChatGPT is a software that generates writing from prompts submitted by users to assist with tasks like writing emails, recipes and essays. English teacher MatthewContinue Reading
In the past month, over 2700 student and teacher absences have been reported, according to administrative assistant Maribel Sanchez. “It takes more time for students to learn,” Sanchez said. “Students get behind, and it’s so hard to keep up with homework.” Sophomore Katherine Shatokhin agreed. “There was a lot ofContinue Reading
In order to create a better environment for students, Fairfax County Public Schools conducts strategic plan surveys every few years to determine their goals. This year, in conjunction with the survey, Principal Jeff Litz set up meetings with students to hear about their experiences at school. Some of the meetingsContinue Reading
At 7 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 14, senior Ava Grim frantically spams her sister. She’s met with silence. Grim quickly checks her sister’s location to find she’s sleeping safe and sound in her dorm. She’s relieved—but the initial shock was frightening. The day before, Christopher Jones Jr. killed three studentsContinue Reading
Sophomores and seniors recently took the Fairfax County Public Schools Youth Survey, which aims to gain information about student wellbeing. Last year’s data, available on the FCPS website, yielded the highest rates of depressive tendencies in a decade. Though the Youth Survey is anonymous, students do take non-anonymous mental healthContinue Reading
Here’s a rank&recap of the Marshall Minds Matter therapy dog event during Learn on Thursday, Jan 11. Marshall Minds Matter brought in Alliance of Therapy Dogs to help students find healthy coping mechanisms for end-of-quarter stress.Continue Reading
Junior Minnah El-Berier’s move to Virginia this summer from Dubai brought her closer to her family and the IB curriculum, but it also led her to the girls basketball team. El-Berier has played basketball for almost 11 years, most of which was spent playing with boys teams, putting her atContinue Reading