education | ALXnow

Virginia’s top education officials bring statewide listening tour to Alexandria

Published April 9, 2026 at 11:45AM

Virginia's Secretary of Education Jeffery O. Smith listens to concerns at Alexandria City High School's Minnie Howard Campus, April 8, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Virginia’s top education officials were in Alexandria on Wednesday as part of a statewide listening tour on public education needs.

Secretary of Education Jeffery O. Smith was joined by Virginia Department of Education Superintendent of Public Instruction Jenna Conway, Alexandria City School Board members and approximately 100 participants at Alexandria City High School’s Minnie Howard Campus. House of Delegates Majority Leader Del. Charniele Herring (D-4) attended an earlier roundtable with the officials.

Around Town

Code Ninjas Alexandria to host casting call for Netflix show

By Emily Leayman

Published April 9, 2026 at 10:30AM

Code Ninjas Alexandria will host a casting call for children's Netflix competition series "Schooled" (courtesy of Code Ninjas Alexandria)

An Alexandria learning center has been chosen to host an open casting call for a new Netflix children’s competition show.

Code Ninjas Alexandria will serve as a casting site for “Schooled,” a national competition series created by Mark Rober, a former NASA engineer who worked on the Mars Curiosity rover and now runs an engineering school called CrunchLabs Academy.

News

Councilmembers lobby for housing, school funding and gun safety laws in Richmond

By Emily Leayman

Published January 30, 2026 at 2:45PM

Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley testifies in support of a gun safety bill in the House Firearms Subcommittee (via Virginia General Assembly)

Members of City Council traveled to Richmond yesterday (Thursday) to advocate for more authority to expand housing options and increase state funding for school construction, among other goals.

Mayor Alyia Gaskins, Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley, Councilmembers John Taylor Chapman, R. Kirk McPike, Abdel Elnoubi and Canek Aguirre visited the state Capitol for a lobby day to advocate for their legislative priorities, which were set in December. They met with several lawmakers and members of Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s administration.

News

Regional foundation opens scholarship applications for Alexandria students

By Katie Taranto

Published January 14, 2026 at 10:45AM

From left to right: Deidre Smith and Da'Nasia Curtis, recipient of the 2025 Amin Family Scholarship Fund. Da'Nasia is a 2025 graduate of Unity Reed High School, and is pursuing her degree at Virginia Commonwealth University (courtesy of The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia)

A local community foundation’s 2026 scholarship cycle includes 11 awards that are now accepting applications from Alexandria students.

The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia opened applications for more than 30 regional scholarships on Monday. At least 11 awards are open to Alexandria students, including those studying medicine, music and the environment.

News

Alexandria-based ‘Rosie Riveters’ plans expanded STEM education with new grants

By Katie Taranto

Published November 17, 2025 at 11:45AM

Students work on a Rosie Riveters project (via Rosie Riveters/Facebook)

With two new grants, a STEM education nonprofit in Alexandria is looking to expand its programming to more Virginia students. Rosie Riveters plans to introduce its hands-on learning tools to […]

Around Town

Alexandria nonprofit Campagna Center wins award for ‘Wright to Read’ program

By James Cullum

Published October 28, 2025 at 11:45AM

(Left to right) Tutor Anne Marie DiNardo, Wright to Read director Katrina Foelsche, and 10th grader Nik Pirouz attended MENTOR Virginia's 2025 Champions of Mentoring Award at the Branch Museum of Architecture and Design (courtesy photo)

An Alexandria education nonprofit has been honored with a statewide award for one of its mentoring programs.

The Campagna Center was recognized by Mentor Virginia last month for Wright to Read, a program that has trained and paired reading tutors with elementary students in Alexandria for 45 years. The program received the 2025 Champions of Mentoring Award at a ceremony in Richmond on Oct. 23.

News

JUST IN: Polk Elementary 3rd grade teacher Sharon Phox named Virginia Regional Teacher of the Year

By James Cullum

Published March 12, 2025 at 3:58PM

James K. Polk Elementary School 3rd grade teacher Sharon Phox was named the Virginia Regional Teacher of the Year, March 12, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

A rapturous applause followed after a James K. Polk Elementary School teacher was officially named the Virginia Regional Teacher of the Year.

In front of an assembly of third graders, teacher Sharon Phox was presented the honor by Lisa Coons, Virginia’s superintendent for public instruction, as well as Alexandria City Public Schools leadership and her family.

News

Applications for affordable preschool program in Alexandria goes live later this month

By Vernon Miles

Published February 7, 2025 at 2:00PM

Child at preschool (photo via Erika Fletcher/Unsplash)

Parents with children ages 3 and 4 in Alexandria, mark your calendar: registration at the city’s ALX Preschool is scheduled to kick off on Monday, Feb. 17.

ALX Preschool is a program run by the Department of Community and Human Services, Alexandria City Public Schools, Center-based and Family Child Care homes to offer pre-school access — which can be famously cost-prohibitive in Alexandria — to families in need.

News

ACPS superintendent to present budget this week after city asks to keep increase modest

By James Cullum

Published January 22, 2025 at 11:30AM

ACPS Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt speaks at Mount Vernon Community School on Nov. 15, 2024 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt will unveil her fiscal year 2026 budget this week, and the city is asking the school division to keep the budget increase over last year’s budget modest.

In his budget presentation to the City Council in November, City Manager Jim Parajon outlined a 2%, or $5.5 million, combined funds budget increase for ACPS amounting to $278.5 million.

News

Tammy Mann announces departure as CEO of the Campagna Center

By James Cullum

Published September 18, 2024 at 1:20PM

Tammy Mann is stepping down as president and CEO of the Campagna Center (via Facebook)

After more than a decade at the helm, Tammy Mann is stepping down as president and CEO of Campagna Center.

Mann made the announcement in a press release this morning, and said that she will effectively leave the nonprofit on April 30, 2025.

News

How do Virginia’s new phones-in-schools guidelines line up with Alexandria’s policy?

By Vernon Miles

Published August 16, 2024 at 1:45PM

People on smartphones (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Ahead of the start of the school year, the Virginia Department of Education has released a draft of new guidelines for restricting student cell phone use, though for the most part this aligns with the pre-existing cellphone policy in Alexandria schools.

Alexandria City Public Schools approved regulations governing cell phone use in schools last year, effective for the 2023-2024 school year.