Wow, what a beautiful week!! The summer solstice is upon us and we have now officially entered the summer season (on Wednesday).

I want to take a moment and share how impressed I have been with all the different graduation ceremonies I have attended this spring.  I approach each graduation with a sense of wonder and am continually impressed with the quality, sense of dedication, strong relationships, and commitment everyone has brought to this important work. The graduates have been inspiring, the speeches thoughtfully written and passionately delivered, the music beautiful, the decorations and the elegant timeless traditions of the graduation ceremony itself beautifully continued. This event marks both an end and a beginning -- a timeless and significant tradition.

Thank you one and all, from kindergarten through high school classroom and support staff, for all your hard work and dedication, and congratulations on graduating the FCPS Class of 2023 !!  “For every one of us graduates, there’s a huge support system of family, friends, and everyone who just pours into us.” These are wonderful wise words from one of our graduates featured in the FCPS’ Class of 2023 video. Learning happens best in community, and I hope we will all pause this week and consider the impact that our work has made in the lives of our students and families.

Throughout all of the celebrations this season, it’s been a true joy to witness the pride, hope, and excitement of each and every one of our graduates. Every milestone has meaning. I bore witness to this Wednesday when I attended the GED and HS diploma ceremony at the Adult Detention Center on Wednesday. Congratulations to ALL of our graduates! 

This week was full of joyous occasions, including my first ever official Cappies Gala Monday night at the Kennedy Center. It was truly a night to remember!

For FCPS’ theater and journalism students, all of their hard work rehearsing, performing in, and reviewing FCPS plays and musicals throughout the year comes together during this annual awards show. Congratulations to this year’s winners and to all the nominees! I had the pleasure of attending many performances this year and continue to be awe-inspired by the talent across FCPS. Shout out and thank you to our future Cappies - Erin, Julianna, Ava and Carlyn - the publicity team for Lake Braddock Middle School’s production - for inviting me to attend their production of “A Wind in the Door.” I expect to see you all at the Kennedy Center in just a few years!

At Thursday night’s school board meeting, we celebrated the Winter 2022 and Spring 2023 Virginia High School League (VHSL) team recognitions. These teams are state and national championship winners across a variety of athletic and artistic endeavors.

From wrestling to esports to orchestra, I’m proud to say that FCPS students and their coaches are among the very best in the nation! A quick correction from my Weekly Reflections last week. Congratulations to the McLean Girls team (pictured above) for their second state championship win. Go Highlanders!

During the Academic Matters segment of Thursday night’s School Board meeting, I shared a variety of student successes from science and engineering, career and technical student organizations, art and writing, theater, music and performing ensembles, as well as academic achievements. You can watch my presentation or view the slides to see all the wonderful achievements.

Students weren’t the only ones celebrating their accomplishments this week! Wednesday, I was delighted to participate in the 2023 FCPS Honors Ceremony.

Awards are presented to exceptional instructional and operational employees. I’m so proud of the work that FCPS does to attract, retain, and recognize our world class staff, which allows us to remain a beacon of excellence in education. Congratulations to this year’s winners, including:

• Elogien I. Ali, Outstanding Elementary New Teacher
• Melvin Burch-Bynum, Outstanding Secondary New Teacher
• KJ An, Outstanding New Principal
• Alexa Pugnetti and Leonard Roberts, Outstanding School-Based Operational Employees
• Nicole C. Wheeler, Outstanding Nonschool-Based Operational Employee
• Katelyn M. Hagen, Outstanding School-Based Professional Employee
• Ken Wilson, Outstanding Nonschool-Based Professional Employee
• Karen J. Hertel, Outstanding School-Based Leader (pictured above)
• Alice Wigington, Outstanding Nonschool-Based Leader
• Laura Senturia, Outstanding Elementary Teacher
• Daniel J. Miller and Annie Ray, Outstanding Secondary Teachers
• April Cage, Outstanding Principal

Shout out to a young group of artists at Hunt Valley Elementary School who recently completed a collaborative art project using the skills they’ve learned through the Portrait of a Graduate program.

Together these sixth graders designed and painted ceiling tiles that will hang in their school for years to come. What a creative way to “leave a mark.”  ;>) 

After many months of dedicated work and input from thousands of diverse FCPS community members, I am excited to share that the FCPS School Board unanimously voted to adopt our new strategic plan! Student-centered and data-driven, this North Star will guide our students to the mountaintop of academic success through 2030. Through the power of this shared vision, we will deliver on the opportunities our learners need in order to reach their unique hopes and dreams.

Finally, Friday was the last day of school. Time for a deep breath and acknowledgement of your hard work. London Towne Elementary School recently shared their own special end-of-year commemoration with me, which took the form of a music video they had produced for students and staff. This touching video features London Towne’s Jason Hardy (instructional assistant) and Reis DeBruyne (special education teacher) performing “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong. What a special reminder, especially in these busy first days of summer, to slow down and be thankful for all that we’ve done and all that we have. I hope that whatever this summer has in store for you, you can find (and take!) the moments you need to reflect, recharge, and relax in this Wonderful World of ours!

And so, I wish for each of you a joyful summer respite and challenge you to reconnect with friends and family, reignite a passion you have perhaps let go, make time for the quiet and thoughtful introspection that gifts us with new insight into our lives, hopes and dreams, and celebrate this amazing time in our lives with a new adventure.  In thinking about the summer that stretches with promise ahead, F Scott Fitzgerald reminds us of "that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer."

Enjoy and warmest regards,

Michelle Reid, Ed.D.
Superintendent