Better get the Slip ‘N Slide out of storage, because this year’s Alexandria City High School seniors are getting their diplomas a week early.
The commencement ceremony will be held on Wednesday, May 28, at George Mason University’s EagleBank Arena, instead of on the first Saturday in June. Here’s why.
After a firestorm of criticism from city leaders and student journalists over proposed oversight changes to Alexandria City High School’s student newspaper, Theogony, this morning (May 2), the Alexandria School Board’s Governance Committee returned to the drawing board.
From reporting on a transportation controversy to investigations into the School Board, transgender policies, or even lampooning metal detectors in cartoons, Theogony student journalists take their roles seriously. Now, with City Council members warning of potential “censorship” and “authoritarian” behavior from the school system, student journalists are alleging a concerted effort from the administration of Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt to suppress touchy or controversial stories from appearing in the monthly publication.
It’s been an intense week in Alexandria.
Here’s a look back on this week’s top stories. Our most-read post was on the shooting of three men in Arlandria on Sunday night (April 27). Police found the victims with gunshot wounds shortly after being called at around 9 p.m. They were transported to area hospitals, and no arrests have been announced. Witnesses heard a barrage of gunfire, and the Alexandria Police Department is asking for help in the investigation.
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.
Spoiler warning: Alice doesn’t make it back from her trip down the rabbit hole in the Alexandria Children’s Theatre’s (ACT) dual language production at Mount Vernon Community School (2601 Mount Vernon Avenue).
“Que curioso,” Alice says, bewildered. “Everything seems so much different since I fell into that rabbit hole.”
Early childhood education and development is taking the spotlight this month in Alexandria.
This morning (April 7), Alexandria City Public Schools and city leaders recognized the first-ever Month of the Young Child at the Early Childhood Center at Minnie Howard. The school system is building on the annual National Association for the Education of Young Children‘s (NAEYC) Week of the Young Child (April 5-11) with a month of planned activities.
Scores of Alexandria City High School students are descending on local businesses that sell tobacco today (April 1) with big red stickers.
All 320 students at Cora Kelly School for Math, Science and Technology stepped into spring in brand new shoes on Wednesday (March 26).
For the second time this month, Operation Warm visited an Alexandria school to outfit hundreds of students with new shoes.
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:
After years under development, the ribbon was cut today on the new synthetic turf sports field at Patrick Henry K-8 School.
It took six years to construct the field in front of the renovated West End school at 4643 Taney Avenue, which reopened next to the old school in early 2019.
There’s nothing like a new pair of shoes. This afternoon, all James K. Polk Elementary School students in Alexandria’s West End received free sneakers.
That’s 770 pairs of shoes, all donated to the students by Pennsylvania-based nonprofit Operation Warm and Georgia-based builder Beazer Homes. The event was just one in a handful today across the country that the companies are offering to school systems.
