Alexandria City High School | ALXnow

ACHS teacher raising funds to help students and teachers make better social media content

Published July 20, 2023 at 10:00AM

The Alexandria City High School marquee (staff photo by James Cullum)

A grassroots social media page at Alexandria City High School, run by students and teachers, is looking for some funding to help make better content for the school.

Alexandria City High School teacher Gabriel Elias was the example in a Washington Post story and a White House briefing in 2020 of teachers adapting to virtual classrooms and connecting with students digitally. Since then, Elias has been working with a volunteer team of students and teachers to make a positive social media hub at the school. Now he’s looking for some help to take the project to the next level.

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Police: Argument at Alexandria City High School led to teens shooting each other

By James Cullum

Published June 26, 2023 at 1:15PM | Updated June 27, 2023 at 4:23PM

Two people were shots in the 5400 block of Richenbacher Avenue on May 31, 2023 (Staff photo by James Cullum)

(Updated 4:20 p.m.) The two teens who allegedly shot each other on May 31 in the Seminary Valley neighborhood got into a fight earlier that day at Alexandria City High School, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.

The teens allegedly shot each other at around 8:15 p.m. in a residential area near Interstate 395 and N. Van Dorn Street. The Alexandria Police Department received multiple calls reporting 15-20 gunshots in a residential area in the 5400 block of Richenbacher Avenue.

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Alexander Duncan III hired as executive principal of Alexandria City High School

By James Cullum

Published June 23, 2023 at 10:45AM

Alexander Duncan III, the new executive principal at Alexandria City High School (via ACPS)

Longtime Alexandria City Public Schools administrator Alexander Duncan III was formally announced last night as the new executive principal of Alexandria City High School.

Duncan, the ACHS Minnie Howard Campus administrator, will replace ACHS Executive Principal Beter Balas, who announced his departure last month.

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Here are the two Alexandria City High School executive principal finalists

By James Cullum

Published June 13, 2023 at 2:50PM | Updated June 16, 2023 at 2:39PM

Marcia Rice and Alexander Duncan, the Alexandria City High School executive principal candidates, on Zoom on June 12, 2022 (via ACPS)

A longtime ACPS educator and a principal from Chesterfield County Public Schools are the finalists for the executive principal position at Alexandria City High School.

Alexander Duncan III, the Minnie Howard Campus administrator, and Marcia Rice, principal at Meadowbrook High School, answered a variety of questions Monday night in a Zoom meet-and-greet moderated by former ACHS principal John Porter.

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TONIGHT: Meet the two Alexandria City High School Executive Principal finalists on Zoom

By James Cullum

Published June 12, 2023 at 3:30PM

The Alexandria City High School marquee (staff photo by James Cullum)

Tonight, residents can meet the two candidates for the executive principal position at Alexandria City High School.

The candidates, whose identities aren’t yet public, will meet with community stakeholders at the Minnie Howard campus and on Zoom from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

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Bradlee Shopping Center stabbing suspect implicated by videos on his phone

By James Cullum

Published June 6, 2023 at 10:45AM | Updated June 6, 2023 at 3:09PM

Police at the Bradlee Shopping Center where 18-year-old Luis Mejia Hernandez was fatally stabbed on May 24, 2022. (staff photo by James Cullum)

The 17-year-old male suspect facing murder charges in last year’s fatal stabbing of 18-year-old Luis Mejia Hernandez was implicated by damning evidence police found on his phone, according to evidence presented Monday.

Monday’s bench trial will continue into today for the defense to present their case, and a speedy verdict on second degree murder and murder by mob charges is expected from Judge James C. Clark. The suspect faces between five-to-40 years in prison for the second degree murder charge and five-to-40 years for the murder by mob, or lynching, charge.

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PHOTOS: More than 900 Alexandria City High School seniors graduate at GMU’s EagleBank Arena

By James Cullum

Published June 3, 2023 at 2:53PM | Updated June 4, 2023 at 4:34PM

Proudly displaying a diploma at Alexandria City High School's graduation at George Mason University's EagleBank Arena, June 3, 2023 (staff photo by James Cullum)

It’s a day of happiness in Alexandria, as more than 900 Alexandria City High School seniors graduated this morning at George Mason University’s EagleBank Arena.

Perhaps student speaker Lenhle Vilakati put it best when she said: “Today we finally break apart and become our own people. Today we finally have to go off into bigger things and be amazing.”

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Police Chief says there’s a ‘plethora’ of guns on the streets of Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published May 23, 2023 at 2:00PM | Updated May 23, 2023 at 3:40PM

(Left to right) Agenda Alexandria's May panel to discuss crime in the city, on May 22, 2023 at the Lyceum

Amid a crime surge, Alexandria Police Chief Don Hayes said Monday night that the police force is seeing a “plethora” of guns out on the streets.

Alexandria’s gun-related crime jumped 100% in 2022 over 2021, and Hayes says that overall crime is up 27% for the year.

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ACPS says long lines at high school are part of adjustments to new security measures

By Vernon Miles

Published May 16, 2023 at 3:30PM

The Alexandria City High School marquee (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) said long lines to get into Alexandria City High School (ACHS) are part of the growing pains as the system adjusts to new security measures.

Earlier this year, ACPS approved new security measures including metal detectors and handheld wand devices. The security measures were in response to several security issues at the school in recent years. Earlier this year, a teacher at ACHS’ Minnie Howard Campus seized a handgun from a student.

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JUST IN: Alexandria City High School Principal Peter Balas announces move to Arlington

By Vernon Miles

Published May 11, 2023 at 7:55PM

Alexandria City High School Principal Peter Balas speaks at the commemoration of Noah and Josephus Lyles at Market Square in Old Town, October 10, 2022. (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria City High School (ACHS) Principal Peter Balas announced that, after graduation in June, he’s heading north to become the new principal at Arlington’s Wakefield High School.

Balas, who has been with Alexandria City Public Schools for 22 years, took over at then-T.C. Williams High School in 2017. Since then, Balas has navigated the school through Covid, the “One T.C.” decision, the school renaming and issues around violence in the school.

News

ACPS unveils new two-year agreement with police department for school resource officers

By James Cullum

Published May 8, 2023 at 3:30PM

Alexandria Police at Alexandria City High School’s Minnie Howard Campus. (staff photo by James Cullum)

After years in development, a new agreement was released between Alexandria City Public Schools and the Alexandria Police Department to provide school resource officers (SROs) at the city’s high school and middle schools.

The new memorandum of understanding between ACPS and APD has been a long time coming. SROs were defunded by the City Council in last year’s budget, and Alexandria City Public Schools spent the first few months of the 2021-2022 school year without the officers in its high school and middle schools. The officers were returned after ACPS pleaded with Council for their return in the wake of multiple incidents with weapons in schools.