Alexandria City High School

ACPS admits ‘internal breakdown’ kept defending debate champs from state title defense

Published April 29, 2025 at 1:30PM | Updated April 30, 2025 at 10:48AM

Alexandria City High School's Harlow Babic and Andrew Bell, the 2024 VHSL Class 6 Policy Debate State Champions, failed to register for this year's state tournament and didn't enter (courtesy image)

Last year’s win was unbelievable. Without coaching, organization, or outside help, Alexandria’s Harlow Babic and Andrew Bell won the Virginia High School League’s debate state championship.

This year, after spending hundreds of hours building arguments, the defending state champs from Alexandria City High School were gearing up for two wins in a row. Their hopes were dashed three days before the April 26 tournament at James Madison University when told that they missed the registration deadline and couldn’t participate.

Sports

Alexandria native Robert Longerbeam drafted by Baltimore Ravens

By Ryan Belmore

Published April 28, 2025 at 4:15PM | Updated April 29, 2025 at 7:58AM

Alexandria native Robert Longerbeam was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2025 NFL Draft (image via Baltimore Ravens)

The Baltimore Ravens selected Robert Longerbeam, a 24-year-old cornerback from Alexandria, in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL draft on Saturday (April 26). Picked 212th overall, Longerbeam is a graduate of T.C. Williams High School (now Alexandria City High School) and played college football for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights from 2020 to 2024.

At 5’11” and 175 pounds, Longerbeam is currently unsigned but shows promise as a draft pick for the Ravens. His college career demonstrates steady growth and improvement. In his first two seasons, he played 18 games, racking up 30 tackles, 10 pass deflections, and two forced fumbles.

News

Wells Fargo hosts financial literacy workshop for Alexandria High School students

By Ryan Belmore

Published April 24, 2025 at 11:15AM

Financial literacy workshop at the Mini Howard campus presented by Wells Fargo and Society for Financial Education and Professional Development, Inc. (via Wells Fargo)

Around 150 students from Alexandria City High School participated in a financial literacy workshop at the Minnie Howard campus on Monday (April 21). Wells Fargo and the Society for Financial Education and Professional Development, Inc. (SFEPD) organized the event as part of the Hands on Banking Initiative.

Students received personalized financial profiles and had to manage expenses within a set budget.

News

ACHS Senior Kalina Janevski earns top honors from Girl Scouts

By Ryan Belmore

Published April 11, 2025 at 5:00AM

Alexandria City High School Senior Kalina Janevski collecting registration forms. (contributed photo)

Alexandria City High School Senior Kalina Janevski recently earned two of the highest awards Girl Scouts can receive based on her volunteer service, including an initiative to register voters.

Inspired partly by her experience working as a Senate Page, Janevski initiated a voter registration drive, earning the Gold Award. Janevski hosted voter registration booths at local colleges and high schools, collecting 168 completed registration forms and helping others navigate the registration process. Janevski also partnered with the Center for Common Ground, the Black Student Union, and the National Honor Society to send out postcards to victims of voter intimidation and disenfranchised voters in Virginia and Florida.

News

Petition submitted to rename Parker-Gray Stadium field at Alexandria City High School after NFL linebacker alum Keith Burns

By James Cullum

Published April 3, 2025 at 2:15PM | Updated April 3, 2025 at 2:31PM

Alexandria City High School's homecoming football game against West Potomac on Friday, Oct. 15, 2021 (staff photo by James Cullum)

What’s in a name? Everything.

The School Board will consider three naming requests for Alexandria City Public Schools facilities at its meeting on Thursday night (April 3). One request is to rename Alexandria City High School’s Parker-Gray Stadium Field after Keith Burns, a 1990 graduate of the school and 13-season NFL linebacker.

News

Here’s why Alexandria City High School students are posting anti-tobacco stickers around the city

By James Cullum

Published April 1, 2025 at 6:30PM

Take Down Tobacco stickers at Alexandria City High School (staff photo by James Cullum)

Scores of Alexandria City High School students are descending on local businesses that sell tobacco today (April 1) with big red stickers.

News

Anonymous call put Alexandria City High School on ‘secure the building’ status earlier today; police investigating

By James Cullum

Published March 20, 2025 at 4:16PM

Alexandria City High School (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Alexandria City High School was placed on “secure the building” status earlier today when police received an anonymous phone call of a person with a firearm in the parking lot of the King Street campus (3330 King Street).

Executive Principal Alexander Duncan III sent the following note to parents:

News

Alexandria unveils historic marker honoring ‘The Minnie Howard Five’

By Ryan Belmore

Published March 8, 2025 at 12:45PM | Updated March 8, 2025 at 2:34PM

Members of the Belk and Bradby families joined public officials to cut the ribbon the new historic marker on Saturday, March 8, 2025. Photo Credit: Ryan Belmore

A new historic interpretation sign now stands at Alexandria City High School's Minnie Howard Campus, commemorating five young Black students who integrated the formerly all-white Minnie Howard Elementary School in 1960.

The sign, unveiled Saturday during a special ceremony attended by more than 100 people, honors Judy Belk, Vickie Belk, Marie Bradby, Deborah Bradby, and James O. Bradby – known as the "Minnie Howard Five."

News

ACPS safety report shows increase in fights but overall decrease in incidents

By Vernon Miles

Published February 24, 2025 at 1:15PM

Students get on school buses at Alexandria City High School's Minnie Howard Campus (staff photo by James Cullum

Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) data showed a decline in school safety incidents, but a notable uptick in fights/assaults.

The ACPS School Safety Data Review covers the first and second quarter of this 2024-2025 school year. Compared to the third and fourth quarters of last year incidents declined from 73 to 62, though that total still wasn’t as low as the first and second quarters from last school year at 57 incidents.

News

Historic marker honoring integration of Alexandria’s public schools to be installed next month

By Jared Serre

Published February 13, 2025 at 2:30PM | Updated February 14, 2025 at 10:52AM

A rendering of the marker honoring the key figures of integrating Alexandria Public Schools (photo via Judy Belk)

Fifty-five years after Black students walked through the doors of the original Minnie Howard School for the first time, a plaque will be installed honoring those whose efforts made it possible.

The historic marker, which will honor the efforts of two families who targeted the Alexandria School Board’s segregationist policies, is set to be unveiled in a ceremony on March 8.

News

Student injured by knife in fight during fire drill at Alexandria City High School

By James Cullum

Published January 29, 2025 at 7:00PM | Updated January 30, 2025 at 10:24AM

Alexandria City High School (staff photo by James Jarvis)

An Alexandria City High School student allegedly brandished a knife and injured a student in a fight on the school football field during a fire drill today (Jan. 29), according to a letter from the school’s principal to parents.

The Alexandria Police Department responded to the ACHS King Street campus at around 11:30 a.m. for report of a 14-year-old male student who was injured with a cut to his finger, according to dispatches.