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School Board calendar

-June 24: School Board meets for boundaries vote. Meeting begins at 7 p.m. at Jackson Middle School, 3020 Gallows Road, Falls Church. More information on this meeting can be found at www.FCPS.edu.

-June 28 and 29: Clifton Elementary School facilities issues will be open to public discussion before the Fairfax County School Board. The meetings begin at 6 p.m. in the auditorium of Jackson Middle School.

Outstanding teacher award in Japanese language

Adam Podell, who teaches Japanese at West Springfield High School, has been named the winner of the Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher Award in the Japanese language category by the United States-Japan Foundation.

The Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher Award recognizes exceptional teachers who further mutual understanding between Americans and Japanese. The national award is presented annually to precollege teachers in two categories: Japanese language and humanities, and includes a $2,500 monetary award, $5,000 in project funds, and a certificate of recognition.

Podell was honored for advancing the use of technology in teaching the Japanese language, including using the school's world languages computer lab for PALS (Performance Assessment of Language Students) testing, and for exploring the feasibility of using iPod Touch devices to help his students learn Kanji (Chinese characters used in modern Japanese writing) through interactive software that will allow for practice, remediation and text collaboration.

He was also recognized for promoting Japanese culture in the community.

Podell sponsors the Japanese Garden project at West Springfield, a cross-curricular project with the science department that is maintained by students, teachers and citizens and is open to the community. He is sponsor of the Japanese Honor Society and the Japanese Club and a member of the National Council of Japanese Language Teachers. Podell has given presentations at the Foreign Language Association of Virginia's state conference and served as the vice president of the Mid-Atlantic Association of Japanese Teachers. He is former director of the Virginia Governor's Japanese Language Academy.

FCPS, Google announce education initiative

Fairfax County Public Schools and Google Inc. are pairing up to create an educational initiative in advanced Google Earth applications.

Google has pledged to train area educators to use Google Earth products. Teachers will then produce at least 24 curriculum packets -- to be aligned with state and federal educational standards -- which can be replicated in schools and distributed worldwide by Google. Working on the curriculum packets will be teachers, specialists in special education, English for speakers of other languages and advanced academic programs; librarians; school-based technology specialists; and central office staff members. Most training will take place during the summer, and teachers will receive stipends as part of the $35,000 donation from Google.

Google, whose federal offices are located in Reston, helped select the FCPS pyramid to participate in the initial training. Schools participating in the initial phase of the partnership are South Lakes High, Hughes Middle, and Dogwood, Forest Edge, Hunter Woods, Lake Anne, Sunrise Valley and Terraset elementary schools.

Summer exchange program

Two students from Fairfax Academy's Korean language classes are among 35 students nationwide selected to participate in a 20-day summer study program in Seoul, South Korea, co-sponsored by the Foundation for Korean Language and Culture in the U.S.A. and LABO (Language Laboratory). Fairfax Academy is one of six high school academies in Fairfax County Public Schools and is based out of Fairfax High School.

The two students, Jodie Choi and Victoria Ciavarella, are sponsored by the foundation and will stay with a South Korean host family. Choi and Ciavarella will attend cultural activities including an international youth camp, a peace camp and a Korean language and culture camp. In previous years, Fairfax Academy Korean language students have been selected for this competitive program, but this is the first time two students from Fairfax Academy will be part of the same summer scholarship study group.

Another group of Fairfax students will be part of an exchange group traveling to Seoul in July with Fairfax Academy's Korean teacher, Song Johnston. In 2009, FCPS signed a partnership agreement with Guro District in Seoul for an annual Fairfax Academy Student Korean Exchange program. Last summer, 15 students from Guro District visited Fairfax High School and Fairfax Academy, staying with local host families. Students from the host families now are eligible to travel to Seoul in July for a 12-day cultural and language program. The group will visit Seoul and Jeju Island, staying with South Korean host families for part of their visit. Families interested in participating in future Guro exchange visits may contact Song Johnston or Fairfax Academy at 703-219-2226.

Annandale area committees

The Fairfax County School Board seeks volunteers to examine overcrowding in the Annandale area middle and high schools. Volunteers will also review attendance area options for a new elementary school in the Annandale area.

PTA and PTO presidents of 21 schools in the Annandale Regional Planning Study have been asked by the School Board to nominate two participants to represent each of their schools -- which may include parents or community members who are not directly associated with the schools -- to serve on one of two ad hoc committees. Anyone interested in serving on a committee should contact the PTA or PTO president of his or her neighborhood school no later than Tuesday, July 20.

Participating schools in the study include Annandale, Edison, Falls Church, Lee, Stuart, West Springfield and W.T. Woodson high schools; Lake Braddock Secondary School; Frost, Glasgow, Holmes, Jackson and Poe middle schools; and Annandale Terrace, Beech Tree, Belvedere, Braddock, Columbia, Sleepy Hollow, Westlawn and Woodburn elementary schools. The School Board may enlarge the scope as the study progresses.

Two separate ad hoc committees will examine the issues. One committee will look at issues related to overcrowding at Annandale High. A second will examine the scope of study to establish boundaries for a new elementary school at the former Lacey site at 3705 Crest Drive in Annandale. This committee will also look at whether the new school should serve students in grades K-5 or K-6 and to determine the appropriate middle school into which it would feed.

Initial meetings for both ad hoc committees will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 20, in the Annandale High School cafeteria, during which time committee members will decide future meeting dates, locations and times. It is anticipated that the committees will continue their work until January 2011. For more information, visit www.fcps.edu/fts/planning/annandalestudy/index.htm.

Poe students leave mural

Students in the advanced eighth-grade art class at Poe Middle School in Annandale have left a lasting mark on their school in the form of a mural of a coral reef, visible as students and staff members descend the stairs from the second floor.

A special reception for parents and friends was held at the school Monday.

After brainstorming a number of ideas, the students selected a coral reef for the multitude of colorful images that could be included. Students researched images, chose creatures to paint and began to sketch ideas for the three walls of the site.

Students stayed after school to clean and prime the walls, then paint the background blues that represented the waters of the coral reef. To paint their images, the students learned to mix acrylic colors with mixing knives, use acrylic brushes and paint the images to give the illusion of three dimensions to the forms. Detailed drawings were then transferred to the wall, and students painted the images onto the wall.

The mural was completed Thursday, after which it was sealed with a protective coating. The 2010 mural joins a rain forest mural that is found in the upper part of the same stairwell and was created by a previous class.

NVCC's summer session begins June 29

There's still time to earn college credit this summer. Northern Virginia Community College's second six-week summer session starts June 29 and ends Aug. 9. This session is a convenient time for college students home for the summer to complete courses that may be transferred to their four-year residential colleges.

High school and home schooled students may be eligible to enroll at NOVA and get a head start on college. Interested students can learn more at http://www.nvcc.edu/future-students/enroll-for-classes/current-high-school-students/ or by contacting the nearest campus.

NOVA has campuses in Alexandria, Annandale, Loudoun, Manassas, Springfield and Woodbridge.

Students may apply and register 24 hours a day at http://www.nvcc.edu. To learn more, call 703-323-3000.

Kumar recognized for conservation efforts

Satvika Kumar, a sixth-grader at Nysmith School for the Gifted in Herndon, was named the 2010 state of Virginia winner of the Igniting Creative Energy challenge by representatives from Johnson Controls, school officials and the student's family. Satvika's efforts helped spread awareness in the community about the importance of environmental conservation. As one of 11 state winners in the U.S., Kumar received a solar-powered backpack that charges personal electronic devices, such as iPods. The Igniting Creative Energy challenge is a program that asks K-12 students to develop creative ways to conserve energy and encourage sustainability. 

Pisner honored for essay

Noah Pisner, a student at Robinson Secondary School, recently wrote the winning essay in the 23rd National Peace Essay Contest, which is sponsored by the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Noah's essay, "Satyagraha in Estonia and China: International Will for the National Cause," evaluated the conditions under which nonviolent civic actions are most likely to achieve justice, end conflict or lead to positive political and social change.

Upon announcing state-level winners, USIP president Ambassador Richard Solomon said "Efforts to engage the next generation of peace builders are more important than ever before. I congratulate Noah and his fellow National Peace Essay Contest winners for demonstrating a deep understanding of and interest in pressing international issues.