Marcia St. John-Cunning has been a resident of the Franconia district in Fairfax County for 35 years. She and her husband, Dan Cunning, have raised three daughters who attended Rose Hill Elementary School (Spanish Immersion program), Twain Middle School and graduated from Edison High School, with one daughter attending the Fairfax Academy for musical theater.
She began her career as a legislative aide for Congressman Ronald Coleman where she also served as staff coordinator for the then newly formed Congressional Border Caucus. Marcia then joined Hispanic Magazine as administrative assistant to the publisher when it launched.
After starting a family, Marcia switched gears and joined Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) as a family liaison, Spanish language interpreter, and eventually Family Engagement Region 3 Representative. When FCPS launched its first elementary community school pilot, Marcia joined United Community to serve as the on-site Community School Coordinator (CSC) at Mt. Vernon Woods Elementary.
When she recognized the lack of affordable enrichment opportunities for students, she founded the free pre-pandemic reRoute US 1 Summer STEAM Program for students at Bucknell, Hybla Valley, and Mt. Vernon Woods elementary schools. Marcia also founded the Monarca Ballet Folklorico dance group that successfully operated for more than ten years at Rose Hill Elementary and then Bucknell Elementary.
As a community advocate, Marcia spearheaded the effort to convert the parent liaison role from hourly to a contracted unified pay scale position with the inclusion of full benefits. Additionally, she organized parents to successfully advocate to retain a de-funded position at Bucknell Elementary School and to bring turf fields to West Potomac High School and Mt. Vernon High School.
As the CSC, Marcia worked with the Successful Children and Youth Policy Team (SCYPT) to develop the template for the Neighborhood and Community Services (NCS) community school model. Marcia works closely with the CSC at Whitman Middle School to leverage partnerships for both schools which provide needed support that range from addressing food insecurity, parenting programs, dental and vision screenings, access to mental health services, and vaccination clinics.
Most recently, Marcia served on the FCPS Core Strategic Planning Committee as the Hispanic Education Association/Hispanic Leadership Alliance (HEA/HLA) representative.
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Contact Office of School Board Member Marcia St. John-Cunning
Marcia St. John-Cunning
- Phone: 571-423-1081
- E-mail: [email protected]
Mara Kaiser Braunger, School Board Staff Aide
- Phone: 571-279-1691
- E-mail: [email protected]