School news: Student peacemakers

Members of the Glasgow Middle School VEX Robotics Team.

An occasional series highlighting programs and activities at schools in the Annandale/Mason District area and other school news. The information and photos here are from Fairfax County Public Schools and individual schools.

Peace awards– More than 30 students from 23 public schools have been named recipients of the 2018 Student Peace Awards, designed to recognize young people who work as peacemakers. Recipients will be recognized at a reception on March 11 at the Sherwood Community Center in Fairfax.

Among the award recipients are Annandale High School students Nahom Dagnachew, Dongun Kim, Victor Nguyen, and Kaa-lok Yap, who were recognized for their advocacy in defense of DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Yousof Omeish, the founder of the Muslim Student Association at Woodson High School, was honored for fostering increased tolerance and understanding while presenting facts on Islam and dispelling misinformation.

VEX Robotics– Glasgow Middle School’s first team in the VEX Robotics Competition, under the direction of teacher Angela DeHart, made it to the state-level event. The students’ team, MS4Robotics, had some technical setbacks, so they won’t go on to the world competition, but did end up winning the Energy award – and the students learned a lot about robotics and teamwork.

Just World Festival– The Just World Interact Club of Annandale High School is holding its 11th annual festival at the school March 16, 4-7 p.m. The Just World Festival, sponsored by Rotary International, aims to teach youths they are not only a part of their local community, but a global one. The event addresses such issues as fair trade, human rights, the environment, and social action.

The Just World Festival, open to the public, includes exhibits, vendors, food, international music and dance, speakers, and workshops.

STEM conference– Glasgow Middle School is partnering with Project BEST, a nonprofit organization that promotes science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education to promote the Science Innovation and Inspiration Youth Conference (ScI2YC) March 17 at Lanier Middle School in Fairfax.

ScI2YC is a free event that offers students the opportunity to participate in hands-on activities, develop critical thinking skills, listen to guest speakers, and make connections with their peers.

Mulch sale– The JEB Stuart High School PTSA is selling mulch to raise funds for the All-Night Grad Party for the Class of 2018, as well as other student activities. Mulch can be ordered online by March 29. The price is $5.50 a bag for brown or red mulch. Brown mulch comes in three-cubic foot bags, and red mulch is in two-cubic foot bags. The mulch will be delivered April 7. Orders of 30 or more bags will be delivered free. Delivery is $25 for smaller amounts.

A rock with a message.

Woodson rocks– The Woodson Minds Matter and Wellness Committee at Woodson High School teamed up for an initiative called #MoveMe. Rocks with inspirational messages were distributed in classrooms. As students and staff found the rocks, they reflected on the message, posted a picture of the rock on social media with the tag #moveme, then moved it to a new location to be rediscovered.

Spelling champs–Will Hemmens was named “Champion” at the Glasgow Middle School annual spelling bee. Charles Duong was runner-up, and Nadira Ga’al was the third-place winner. Hemmens will compete in the Fairfax County Spelling Bee March 18 at Lake Braddock Secondary School. The winner of the county Bee will represent FCPS at the Scripps National Spelling Bee May 26-June 1.

CyberPatriots– Teams from Frost Middle School earned first and third-place awards in the middle school division of the CyberPatriot program, the Air Force Association’s National Youth Cyber Defense Competition. Frost has two CyberPatriot teams; the Millennium Falcons placed first in the state, while the Frost Bytes placed third. The competition calls for schools to find and resolve cybersecurity vulnerabilities in simulated environments.

Summer learning– Registration is open for FCPS enrichment institutes and camps. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Camp, Tech Adventure Camp, Institute for the Arts, and the Elementary Institute for the Arts will be held at Lake Braddock Secondary School between June 25 and July 27.  Bus transportation is provided from select high schools and middle schools outside of the Lake Braddock pyramid.

Star teachers– Alissa Oginsky, a sixth-grade history teacher at Holmes Middle School is the Region 2 finalist for Outstanding Secondary Teacher of the Year.

Anthony Bombay, a special education teacher at Falls Church High School, has been named the FCPS Cares winner for Region 2 for the month of January. FCPS Cares provides an opportunity for parents, staff, and community members to recognize employees for going above and beyond to help others and show they care.