Fairfax County schools

Patriot Pop Quiz: North Campus

Lauren Reuscher — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 14:48:26 +0000

Patriot Pop Quiz: North Campus Lauren Reuscher Thu, 07/25/2024 - 10:48

Think you know a lot about ��AV? Let’s find out if we can stump you with this Patriot Pop Quiz.

Question:

Which nearby former high school building did ��AV once own and use as part of its campus?

From the Broadside photographs collection (#R0135)

Answer:

��AV once occupied the former Fairfax High School building, located on Fairfax Boulevard between Fairfax Circle and the intersection of Routes 50 and 29. From 1972 to 1983, George Mason operated a satellite campus, known as North Campus, at the location.

Façade of the campus building in 1975. From the Broadside photographs collection (#R0135)

The original Fairfax High School building opened in 1935. In 1972, the growing student population moved into a new building, the current Fairfax High School, located in the City of Fairfax on Lion Run.

George Mason was looking for additional facilities to host new programs in nursing, education, and business. Space on campus was limited, and enrollment was doubling every two years. The university purchased the former high school from Fairfax County Schools for $1.8 million. The property consisted of approximately 100,000 square feet of space (including classrooms, a cafeteria, library, and theater), and 16 acres of land, which included athletic fields.

Baseball field in 1974, featuring a game between George Mason and Georgetown. From the Broadside photographs collection (#R0135)

In 1983, George Mason sold the property to the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, which used the space for Pope Paul VI High School. Today, the historic building is part of the Boulevard VI housing development.

Follow the Special Collections Research Center on Facebook and Instagram for more ��AV history.

The cafeteria in 1976. From the Broadside photographs collection (#R0135)

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Student Ambassadors help military-connected families feel welcomed in Fairfax

Sarah Holland — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 13:55:40 +0000

Student Ambassadors help military-connected families feel welcomed in Fairfax Sarah Holland Mon, 07/10/2023 - 09:55

In a conference room in Merten Hall at ��AV 20 high school students sit in absolute silence.

At each table, teams of two play each other in a card game. But something is amiss: pairs look at each other across the table in confusion. Frustrated fingers poke at the score sheet, then to the pile of cards. Heads shake and nod emphatically as someone goes to take the pile, a wordless argument over who is right.

April Mattix Foster leads a session on intercultural competency. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

April Mattix Foster, associate professor of education In Mason’s College of Education and Human Development, then reveals the twist: “You are all playing by different rules.”

The silence rule lifted, and the room erupted: shock, surprise, and exclamations of “I knew it!”

This is a lesson, Foster explains, in intercultural competence. Every school has its own culture, its own rules, she tells them. Their challenge as student ambassadors is to support new students by sharing these new rules while also being mindful of the rules and expectations they’re bringing to the table.

This was one breakout room of the Student Ambassador Convening, a collaboration between the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD), the Military Families and Veteran Initiative (MVFI), the Virginia Department of Education, and Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS).

Nearly 100 student representatives and 20 advisors from 13 FCPS high schools gathered on Mason’s Fairfax Campus in June for a day of workshops and team-building activities to support the student ambassadors program: a school-based, student-led leadership program that brings together military and civilian peers to welcome all new students and create a sense of belonging in the school. As part of their Purple Star Designation, Virginia K-12 schools must show evidence of maintaining an active student ambassador program.

While there is an emphasis in the program on understanding the experiences of military-connected youth as they transition in and out of area high schools, any student transitioning into the FCPS system will be supported and assisted by the ambassadors.

“This is a peer-led program creating a sense of community in our schools,” explained Jennifer Drake Patrick, associate professor of education and member of the leadership team for MVFI. “They’re there to ensure that new students have someone to sit with at lunch, to show them to their classes, and to suggest clubs and extracurriculars. They help students feel welcomed and supported in whatever way makes the most sense for their school culture and community.”

Students spent the day learning about positive leadership, active listening, and holding intentional conversations. The day culminated in a brainstorming session which empowered the ambassadors to take the lead in considering how to improve their school’s programming in the fall.

Cedric Price, left, and Philip Wilkerson describe leadership to their breakout room. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding.

“The students take the ideas and conversations they’ve heard today from our speakers and their peers, and bring that all back into their schools,” said Cedric Price, BA Integrative Studies ‘21 and MEd Curriculum and Instruction ‘22. As the founding president of Educators Rising, Price was invited back to Mason to co-led a session with fellow alum Philip Wilkerson, MEd Counseling and Development ‘12, on using your assets to guide your leadership. “It makes the schools more community-centered, more friendly, and more inclusive for who they are meant to serve.”

While the hands-on workshops and networking opportunities are critical for the success and growth of the program, there’s another benefit to having the students convene at Mason: introducing high school students to higher education.

“As a school of education, we want to think about how we can create valuable partnerships with local schools, and this is a great opportunity to do so,” said Drake Patrick. “Many of these students have never been to a college campus. This gives them the opportunity to see who Mason is and what the college experience is like."

McKenna Seay, an integrative studies major with a concentration in education studies and Bachelors to Accelerated Masters (BAM) pathway student for elementary education, was also supporting the event through Educators Rising. She was a student ambassador when she was in high school and was excited to see how the program has grown. “Colleges and high schools can learn a lot from each other, so to see that collaboration at an event like this makes me happy.”

“College was put on such a pedestal when I was in high school, and while my teachers said I would do well, it felt so out of reach,” said Sophia Castle, an integrative studies major concentrating in social sciences for education and fellow member of Educators Rising. Castle is also in the BAM program, working towards an MEd in Curriculum and Instruction. “The more that high schools and colleges can connect with each other, it will help students realize that college is attainable.”

“Mason takes its role as a state and public institution very seriously. Opportunities like this allow us to serve the community and keep alumni engaged, all while giving our students experiential, hands-on learning in supporting military-connected youth,” said MVFI director Keith Renshaw, Psychology Department chair. “In the Washington, D.C., metro region, where we have a lot of military personnel, knowing that Mason is committed and cares for the community—specifically the military community—speaks volumes.”

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Military Veterans and Families Initiative (MVFI)

College of Education and Human Development

College of Humanities and Social Science

Fairfax County schools

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Award-winning Professional Development Schools offer an innovative solution for teacher retention

Sarah Holland — Fri, 16 Jun 2023 15:19:01 +0000

Award-winning Professional Development Schools offer an innovative solution for teacher retention Sarah Holland Fri, 06/16/2023 - 11:19

Over the past year, headlines from across the United States have warned of the pending educator exodus.

The New York Times, calling it the “Great Teacher Resignation,” cited a National Education Association survey in November 2022 in which 55% of teacher respondents said they were considering leaving the profession. A 2022 study by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission on behalf of the Virginia General Assembly reported that nearly all school divisions in Virginia indicated increasing difficulty in both recruiting and retaining teachers.

For Northern Virginia, ��AV’s College of Education and Human Development’s (CEHD) award-winning Professional Development School (PDS) program is a beacon of hope.

Katya Pocasangre, Centreville Elementary School teacher candidate, poses in the classroom. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding.

PDS programs offer an innovative alternative to the traditional method of internships—in which a teacher candidate (students who are working toward undergraduate or graduate degrees in education) is placed into a primary or secondary school with limited collaboration between the university and school divisions.

Instead, PDS programs are developed through reciprocal partnership between universities and school divisions, in which staff and faculty on both sides work in cooperation to create effective, impactful, and immersive teaching experiences for candidates. The Elementary Education Program in CEHD has utilized the PDS model for 20 years with multiple school divisions throughout Northern Virginia.

“It’s an incredible framework to be partners in teacher preparation and professional development with our school divisions,” Audra Parker, Mason professor and academic program coordinator for elementary education, explained. “School-based teacher educators are our partners in teacher preparation—together we engage in mutually beneficial, ongoing professional learning. They keep us current in what’s happening in the classrooms, and we maintain currency in research and best practices. Together we bridge theory and practice as we support teacher candidates’ professional growth.”

Soma Kochany, Centreville Elementary School teacher candidate, leads a lesson for her first-grade class. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding.

Scaffoldings of support allow for these teacher candidates to grow and thrive in the classroom environment, which in turn has a long-lasting impact on retention rates for teachers, particularly those who continue to teach in public schools. The program’s emphasis on practical classroom experience along with understanding, becoming part of, and even impacting the school’s culture helps teacher candidates feel welcome and supported—and therefore more likely to stay.

“We have mentor-teachers in these schools who are program-completers who were then hired into the school,” said Charlene O’Brien, university facilitator for PDS programming. “We’re planting the seeds and watching them grow, thrive, and support the next generation.”

“I’m getting a year-long interview with a future candidate, and that candidate is learning our school culture, the expectations of the job, and is building relationships with our faculty and staff,” said Joshua Douds, MEd Educational Leadership ‘05, principal of Centreville Elementary School (CES). CES is one of the schools in the program demonstrative of its vision and mission, evident in it receiving the National Association of Professional Development School’s 2023 Exemplary PDS Award. Almost 15 of CES’s current teachers were once teacher candidates at CES.

Andrea Barraza, Centreville Elementary School teacher candidate, will start teaching fourth grade full-time at Centreville Elementary School next academic year. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding.

“This award validates the work we’ve done, and gives national recognition to the PDS program, how important it is and how much better it is for teachers, schools, and districts,” Douds said.

The immersion of teacher candidates into the fabric of the classroom and the school system also allows for better education for all parties—teacher candidates, faculty, and students. “Teacher candidates from Mason bring in the newest ideas around education and their diverse perspectives, which forces us to reflect on our practices, which makes us stronger educators,” Douds explained. “And that, in turn, benefits the students.”

“The responsibility we expect of our candidates can be daunting, but because of the support and scaffolding, our students feel confident and are able to rise to those standards,” said Parker.

Teacher candidates aren't just improving the day-to-day management of classrooms and teaching; their impact extends to the systems and structures of the schools themselves. One recent community-mapping project led by teacher candidates at CES resulted in the development of school-wide daily mindfulness practices in order to improve mental health among staff, faculty, and students.

The teacher candidate who took the lead on that project is now a full-time faculty member at CES.

“Allowing our teacher candidates to spearhead this kind of innovation sends a message: ‘You help make our school better every day,’” O’Brien said. “And I just love that belief that they can do it.”

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Mason hosts 6th Annual Fairfax County Elementary and Middle School Science Fair

Melanie Balog — Thu, 09 May 2019 20:39:52 +0000

Mason hosts 6th Annual Fairfax County Elementary and Middle School Science Fair Melanie Balog Thu, 05/09/2019 - 16:39

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Patriot Pop Quiz: North Campus

Question:

Which nearby former high school building did ����AV once own and use as part of its campus?

Answer:

����AV once occupied the former Fairfax High School building, located on Fairfax Boulevard between Fairfax Circle and the intersection of Routes 50 and 29. From 1972 to 1983, George Mason operated a satellite campus, known as North Campus, at the location.

Topics

Student Ambassadors help military-connected families feel welcomed in Fairfax

In a conference room in Merten Hall at ����AV 20 high school students sit in absolute silence.

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Award-winning Professional Development Schools offer an innovative solution for teacher retention

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Learn more about the College of Education and Human Development

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Mason hosts 6th Annual Fairfax County Elementary and Middle School Science Fair

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Which nearby former high school building did ��AV once own and use as part of its campus?

��AV once occupied the former Fairfax High School building, located on Fairfax Boulevard between Fairfax Circle and the intersection of Routes 50 and 29. From 1972 to 1983, George Mason operated a satellite campus, known as North Campus, at the location.

In a conference room in Merten Hall at ��AV 20 high school students sit in absolute silence.