Virginia

Thousands of Northern Va. students are headed back to school – WTOP News

Published

1 year ago

August 21, 2023

Thousands of Northern Va. students are headed back to school – WTOP News

City of Alexandria Public Schools, Fairfax County Public Schools and Prince William County Public Schools head back to class Monday. Here’s what you need to know.

Thousands of students across Northern Virginia are gearing up for their first day of school.
(WTOP/Nick Iannelli)

WTOP/Nick Iannelli

“I’ve been out here since 5 a.m. and the students beat me here,” said Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid.
(Luke Lukert/WTOP)

As the school's band and cheerleaders led a pep rally, Principal Tracey Phillips said she is "all about making the excitement last throughout the first day and throughout the school year." (WTOP/Luke Lukert — As the school’s band and cheerleaders led a pep rally, Principal Tracey Phillips said she is “all about making the excitement last throughout the first day and throughout the school year.”
(WTOP/Luke Lukert)

Robinson Secondary School seniors gathered in the parking lot early Monday morning to watch the sunrise as a graduating class.(WTOP/Luke Lukert) — Robinson Secondary School seniors gathered in the parking lot early Monday morning to watch the sunrise as a graduating class.
(WTOP/Luke Lukert)

Students at Osbourn Park High School, the only high school in Manassas City, were up bright and early for a schoolwide pep rally at 6 a.m. (WTOP/Nick Iannelli) — Students at Osbourn Park High School, the only high school in Manassas City, were up bright and early for a schoolwide pep rally at 6 a.m.
(WTOP/Nick Iannelli)

The school's band, cheerleaders, choir and yellow jacket mascot gathered in front of the building to lead the festivities. (WTOP/Nick Iannelli) — The school’s band, cheerleaders, choir and yellow jacket mascot gathered in front of the building to lead the festivities.
(WTOP/Nick Iannelli)

Thousands of students across Northern Virginia are gearing up for their first day of school.

Multiple municipalities head back to class Monday, including Fairfax and Prince William counties, Alexandria and Manassas. Here’s what you need to know.

Fairfax County

At Robinson Secondary School, where students range in age from seventh graders to high school seniors, its band and cheerleaders led a pep rally to kick off the new school year.

Principal Tracey Phillips said the gesture is “all about making the excitement last throughout the first day and throughout the school year, and keeping students energized.”

Many students of the school’s senior class gathered in the parking lot early Monday morning to watch the sunrise as a graduating class. On their last day of school, they plan to meet up again — but for the sunset, marking the final chapter of their high school experience.

“It’s mainly just a way for all the seniors to get together and just celebrate finally being seniors and it being our last year at Robinson,” said Jeremy Coleman, a senior who joined his classmates for the sunrise.

Fairfax County is heading into its second year with Superintendent Michelle Reid.

Reid told WTOP that the excitement she saw from students this morning showed her “how much they missed being in school.”

“I’ve been out here since 5 a.m. and the students beat me here,” she said.

Reid also spoke to the county’s recently-released 7-year strategic plan: “We want every third grader to be a reader and minimally, every eighth grader in algebra moving forward because it is such a gatekeeping course.”

As classes begin, a number of safety-related policies are being considered across the district. Some of these initiatives are ahead of schedule, including efforts to replace classroom door locks, build vestibules and add security cameras.

The county is also considering installing weapons detection screeners at some of its high schools.

“Our security team is continuing to explore different vendors and options for that, as well as numerous other safety and security procedures, practices and products that we’re working with at different schools across the division,” Reid said of the technology.

The school board also recently approved a plan to provide naloxone and fentanyl test strips in all classrooms.

Lastly, school sports are coming to every middle school in Fairfax County this year. Each school will launch cross country teams in the fall, and track teams in the spring.

For Phillips, the change means that Robinson’s 7th and 8th grade students can now “engage in sports in middle school, it’s going to have that much more of an impact on our high school sports as well.”

Manassas

Students at Osbourn Park High School, the only high school in Manassas City, were up bright and early for a schoolwide pep rally at 6 a.m.

The school’s band, cheerleaders, choir and yellow jacket mascot gathered in front of the building to lead the festivities.

On the first day of her last year in high school, senior Kayley Cruz told WTOP she’s feeling “sad, emotional, broken,” but also excited for what the future holds. Her post-grad plan is to go to college.

Another senior, Angel Reyna, said he feels he has to “enjoy the moment.”

“Many people have told me, ‘You enjoy your last year because after high school, you gotta start working, going to college, like, life changes a lot,” Reyna said.

Manassas City is also preparing to open up its new Innovation Elementary School, which will be celebrated with a groundbreaking ceremony on Sept. 21.

Prince William County

Weapons detection screeners are coming to all Prince William County public schools this academic year, following the lead of Manassas City Public Schools, which voted in December to spend $435,000 on a four-year lease of four lanes of the equipment for Osbourn Park High School.

Prince William County students won’t come across the detectors for a couple of weeks. A spokesperson for the district told WTOP that the technology will be installed on a staggered basis, starting in mid-September.

In June, the school board approved changes to the district’s code of behavior. The updated policy includes new sections on “educator cultural competency” and a “multi-tiered system of supports.”

The school system has also launched a task force to review its grading policy. School Board Chair Babur Lateef said in May that, while the county implemented standards-based grading several years ago, there has never been a review to see “how it’s been implemented, the fidelity and integrity of it across the division.”

Like Fairfax County Public Schools, Prince William County is continuing to look at how to address absenteeism. Initiatives have included “re-engagement nights” and requesting medical documentation from students who miss 10 or more days of school.

City of Alexandria

Alexandria’s public schools are welcoming a new superintendent this year. Melanie Kay-Wyatt is officially the city’s first female Black superintendent, after serving as interim superintendent during the last school year.

Kay-Wyatt told WTOP that the theme for the upcoming school year is “future focus.” Targeting absenteeism remains a top priority.

“Chronic absenteeism has been a concern for many schools post pandemic,” Kay-Wyatt said. “And what I really want our community to focus on is that we are no longer in this pandemic era; we are really focused on where we are with learning.”

According to Kay-Wyatt, this effort includes a media campaign.

“There’ll be videos that will go out to the community to say what we expect from our students,” she said. “We want our students to come to school, we want them to want to come to school and stay in school, and really arrive on time.”

Monday also marks the opening of the district’s newly constructed elementary school, Douglas MacArthur Elementary.

In 2021, approximately 650 students from the original MacArthur School — which opened in 1943 — moved to the old Patrick Henry school. Starting Monday, students will return to the new and improved neighborhood school.

WTOP’s Scott Gelman, Neal Augenstein, Luke Lukert, Nick Iannelli and John Domen contributed to this report.

Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

Source link

Virginia

Big Tests On The Horizon For Virginia Tech Wrestling – FloWrestling

Published

8 hours ago

November 28, 2024

Press Room

Big Tests On The Horizon For Virginia Tech Wrestling – FloWrestling

At 3-0 with marquee victories over #6 Missouri (23-10) and #21 Rutgers (26-11), as well as a second-place finish in the Keystone Open with just a handful of starters competing, Virginia Tech has swept through a tough November and is prepared for a difficult December.

The Hokies, #12 in Flo’s team tournament ratings but top 10 in various dual-meet rankings, are next scheduled for an annual trip to Las Vegas for the Cliff Keen Invitational, featuring 27 teams, of which 14 are among Flo’s top 25. And then it’s another trip west to Stillwater on Dec. 19 to challenge #5 Oklahoma State in a rare Thursday match.

The early key thus far for the Hokies has been the ability to win the bouts they’re supposed to win and grabbing a fair share of so-called toss-up bouts.

To wit, Tech’s #18 Sam Latona downing Missouri’s #13 Josh Edmond (4-2) at 141, or #25 Rafael Hipolito majoring the Tigers’ #32 James Conway (11-3) at 157 and #15 Jimmy Mullen stopping #20 Seth Nitzel (4-2) at heavyweight.

That trend continued at Tech’s Moss Arts Center match against #21 Rutgers when Latona used a late takedown to defeat Joey Olivieri 7-5, #4 Lennox Wolak pinned veteran Jackson Turley at 174 and #9 Andy Smith slipped past #17 John Poznanski 4-3 at 197.

Hokies coach Tony Robie only took a few regulars to the Keystone Open in Philadelphia and, led by championship efforts by #1-ranked Caleb Henson at 149 and heavyweight Hunter Catka, Tech placed second behind Lock Haven. Latona placed third at 141 and Sam Fisher did the same at 184.

Robie opted to use the Hokies’ roster as freshmen Dillon Campbell (125), Matt Henrich (157), Luke Robie (157) and Jack Bastarrika (133) competed as did redshirt juniors Jackson Spires (165) and Ty Finn (174). Spires placed second.

Who’s Ready For Change?

With legislation on the NCAA’s table affecting scholarship and roster limits — unlimited scholarships and a roster cap — as well as revenue sharing, some college wrestling programs likely have a serious dose of trepidation while others are confident they can deal with whatever happens.

Virginia Tech sits in the latter category.

“I have no concerns whatsoever about that,” Robie said earlier this month. “I think a lot of it probably will happen. It’s hard to say whether it’s good or bad for the sport; that’s not really for me to say. What I will say is you have to adjust with what the rules are and what the landscape of college athletics looks like, and that’s what we intend on doing.

“Is it good for the overall health of the sport of wrestling? The kid that’s the 35th kid on your roster? Probably not. But I think definitely there were probably some things that needed to change; the pendulum was starting to swing significantly the other way. At some point, it’ll probably start to go back to the middle.”

Robie said all anyone can do is wait for the final decisions.

“We have some contingency plans based on what we think is going to happen and we’ll move forward with our plan and try to execute it,” he said.

A Pretty Good Gig

Robie, in his eighth year as head coach, has been at Tech since 2006 and as each season passes, the commitment and enthusiasm remain the same.

“Well, you get to do what you like to do. And it’s a pretty cool thing to be able to coach wrestling for a living and be a part of a pretty good program, and work with some great people and try to affect the lives of the kids in your program,” he said.

“I think anybody would want to do that. For me, I’m not young anymore. I turned 50 … who knows how long I’m going to do it, but I’m going to give it the best I can while I’m doing it and hopefully continue to improve as a program and try to try to help these guys as much as possible. But it’s good, Virginia Tech’s a great place to work, it’s a great place to live. I’ve got a great staff and it makes my life pretty easy.”

Source link

Virginia

VIDEO: UVA Football Players Preview the Virginia Tech Game

Published

15 hours ago

November 27, 2024

Press Room

VIDEO: UVA Football Players Preview the Virginia Tech Game

With the game of year looming this weekend, members of the Virginia football team were made available to to the media after practice on Tuesday morning to talk about the regular season finale against Virginia Tech in the Commonwealth Clash on Saturday night in Blacksburg. Watch the video below to hear what UVA senior safety Jonas Sanker, graduate tight ends Tyler Neville and Sackett Wood Jr., and graduate defensive tackle Jahmeer Carter had to say ahead of the Virginia Tech game:

Sanker is the team’s leader in tackles with 89 total tackles and also leads the ACC in solo stops with 60 unassisted tackles. He has racked up 8.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, four pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, and an interception as part of a strong senior campaign that should earn Sanker some serious consideration for a First-Team All-ACC selection.

A transfer from Harvard, Tyler Neville is Virginia’s second-leading receiver with 35 catches for 387 yards and two touchdowns. Sackett Wood Jr., meanwhile, has recorded three receptions for 18 yards and a touchdown this season. Between the two of them, Neville and Wood have combined to appear in 83 college football games and make 48 starts.

Saturday will be the 55th game in the five-year career of Jahmeer Carter, who has started nearly every game for the last four seasons at Virginia. This season, Carter has 30 total tackles, including nine solo stops, two tackles for loss, one sack, and a pass defender. For his career, Carter is up to 131 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 7.5 tackles for loss.

Saturday night will be the first time Virginia plays at Lane Stadium in front of fans since the 2018 season, as the 2020 edition of the Commonwealth Clash was played in front of only 250 fans due to COVID-19 restrictions and then the 2022 Virginia vs. Virginia Tech game was canceled due to the shooting tragedy at UVA.

Virginia is seeking its first road victory at Virginia Tech since 1998, as the Hokies have won the last 11 Commonwealth Clash games played at Lane Stadium. Virginia Tech has won 17 of the last 18 overall games against Virginia and leads UVA 61-38-5 in the all-time series that dates back to 1895.

Both Virginia and Virginia Tech bring a 5-6 overall record into the regular season finale and both need to win the game in order to reach the six-win threshold required for bowl eligibility. There is only one other game this weekend between FBS teams who are battling for bowl eligibility (Eastern Michigan vs. Western Michigan). Virginia and Virginia Tech played each other for bowl eligibility at the end of the 2014 season.

UVA Football: Players to Watch in Virginia vs. Virginia Tech

UVA Football Week 14 Injury Report: Kobe Pace, Kempton Shine, Trell Harris

Virginia Football Depth Chart vs. Virginia Tech | Takeaways, Analysis

Virginia Football Opens as Touchdown Underdogs at Virginia Tech

UVA Football Report Card: Handing Out Grades for Virginia vs. SMU

Source link

Virginia

Virginia Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 Night results for Nov. 26, 2024

Published

23 hours ago

November 27, 2024

Press Room

The Virginia Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Nov. 26, 2024, results for each game:

Mega Millions

Mega Millions drawings take place every week on Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m.

05-22-24-39-42, Mega Ball: 03, Megaplier: 3

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 3

DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.

Night: 7-3-0, FB: 2

Day: 7-2-1, FB: 5

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 4

DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.

Night: 1-6-6-8, FB: 5

Day: 7-4-5-8, FB: 4

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 5

DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.

Night: 0-5-4-9-9, FB: 2

Day: 6-9-5-3-2, FB: 0

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Cash4Life

Drawing everyday at 9 p.m.

04-11-13-30-39, Cash Ball: 02

Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Cash Pop

Drawing times: Coffee Break 9 a.m.; Lunch Break 12 p.m.; Rush Hour 5 p.m.; Prime Time 9 p.m.; After Hours 11:59 p.m.

Coffee Break: 04

After Hours: 05

Prime Time: 06

Rush Hour: 09

Lunch Break: 12

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Cash 5

Drawing every day at 11 p.m.

12-22-31-38-44

Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Center for Community Journalism (CCJ) editor. You can send feedback using this form.

Source link