After receiving approval from the state, Mayor Justin Wilson announced on Twitter than Alexandria is moving into the next phase of vaccine distribution.
The new wave of distribution, listed as 1B, opens up the vaccine to several new essential professions. Healthcare workers were able to recieve the vaccine under phase 1A.
Alexandria Health Department Holding COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic for High-Risk Groups — “The Alexandria Health Department (AHD) is currently registering essential employees for a COVID-19 vaccine clinic. The clinic is also open to residents with “underlying medical conditions and those over 65.” [Zebra]
New 12-Acre Park Coming to Mount Vernon Area of Fairfax — “By the end of this year, a new 12-acre park will open at the new North Hill development site. At a virtual meeting Wednesday evening, members of the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) presented details on North Hill park.” [Alexandria Living Magazine]
Bridgette Adu-Wadier, editor of T.C. Williams High School’s Theogony student newspaper, has selected by PBS as one of the nation’s top 20-Under-20 up and coming storytellers.
In addition to acting as editor for the school’s paper, Adu-Wadier has written about racial inequalities in the school and other controversies at the school. Adu-Wadier also produces and moderates a series of panels with local journalists called Behind the Headlines.
Beyer Bill Would Make Police Misconduct Allegations and Settlements Public — “The Cost of Police Misconduct Act would create a public database of all misconduct allegations and settlements.” [Vox]
Del Ray Artist Creates Tiny Fairy Homes — “Thanks to a young Del Ray artist, fairy houses and businesses are popping up all around the neighborhood. Kate Young, who is also known as the ‘fairy realtor’ first started a magical project in 2017, but it has grown a larger set of wings during the COVID-19 pandemic.” [Alexandria Living Magazine]
With the school board voting to rename T.C. Williams High School and Matthew Maury Elementary School, the question remains: rename them to what?
Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) has opened that question to students with an essay and poster campaign.
With the Alexandria School Board approving changing the names of two Alexandria schools, the question is what to call the school formerly known as T.C. Williams High School?
Several alternatives have been raised in online forums and in meetings. Some have suggested other local figures that could replace Thomas Chambliss Williams, including longtime former principal John Porter or Petey Jones, a member of the 1971 championship team and an employee at the school who died last year.
After a unanimous vote at the Alexandria School Board meeting last night, the names T.C. Williams High School and Matthew Maury Elementary School were voted out — with the replacements still to be decided.
Over the next few months, the School Board will seek public feedback before settling on a new pair of names. The new names will be chosen by the Board in the spring and go into effect at the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year.
Heading into a School Board vote on Nov. 23, Superintendent Gregory Hutchings had thrown his support in with those supporting changing the names of T.C. Williams High School and Matthew Maury Elementary School.
Hutchings explained his support for the name change in an opinion piece in Tes, an educator trade magazine.
After weeks of speculation, ACPS announced today that the school’s winter sports season would be cancelled.
The cancellation will include this year’s boys basketball, girls basketball, wrestling, indoor track, gymnastics, ice hockey and swim and dive competitions.
Alexandria’s course toward social justice might be long, but hope remains for a better future. That’s the message behind the Alexandria Choral Society’s (ACS) Refuge project, and if all goes as planned the five-movement piece will be performed live next May by members of the T.C. Williams High School choir.
“There’s a lot of mileage that you have to go on that journey for a better future,” Refuge composer Jonathan Kolm told ALXnow. “There’s an uplifting arc of hope, but one that is tempered by difficult circumstances that we find ourselves in.”
The Loop Opens in Old Town — “The Loop at 215 (located at 215 N. Payne St. in Old Town) is finally open now. The mission is to help companies and individuals ‘work better, be better, and do better.’ The co-working space has a mixture of serviced private offices and open flex workspaces.” [Alexandria Living Magazine]
Three ACPS Students are National Merit Scholar Finalists — “Earlier this month, the T.C. Williams High School seniors discovered they had all been named National Merit Scholarship semi finalists after outstanding results in the PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test last October.” [ACPS]
