MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL- June 2010

As I write this, Prom is four days away.  I hope everyone had a safe and excellent time.  Many thanks to the class officers; teacher sponsor, Ms. Bonafide; and the class parents, particularly Ms. Doll, for their planning, creativity, and persistence in putting on this phenomenal event.   It is shaping up to be one of the high school events to be remembered forever.  I hope it was indeed a memorable event.

It’s now time to start thinking about end-of-the-year activities.  As we begin our long and heartfelt good-bye to our seniors we will continue to encourage them to stay engaged and positive until they leave us.  We have asked so much of them this year: our high academic expectations, my call for them to change traditions, and our daily encouragement for them to be positive, global citizens worthy of their role as good examples for our underclassmen.  These have been difficult challenges.  But, most have succeeded in achieving them and have learned more than I think they realize. 

We still have work to do.  Unfortunately, we have seen a rather unprecedented spike in honor code violations over the last two months.  We need your help in stressing the value and benefits of Langley’s honor code.  By “your help,” I’m referring to parents and teachers alike.  Even if you are sure your students act honorably all the time, it is important to discuss what students understand about the honor code and clarify any questions they might have.  Continuing this discussion as an entire school community will make a difference for those who find themselves at critical decision-making crossroads. 

I am extremely proud of the great majority of students that treat the honor code with respect.  I am also proud of our teachers on the Honor Council and all the teachers that enforce the code.  The most important lessons we can teach are not the quadratic equation or the causes of the Great Depression.  It is that students can learn how to learn without shortcuts.  Certainly, this is a lesson that will pay enormous dividends no matter where they go after high school.  If they learn this, they will be able to claim they learned with integrity and that their achievements were legitimately measured.  If they learn this, it will mean the difference between a diploma and a fancy piece of paper.  Thank you in advance for having this conversation with our young learners. 

The 2010-2011 school year is already shaping up to be an interesting and productive year.  We have several new ideas in the works that will provide students with unique learning opportunities and build on the high standards we already claim.  The most exciting idea is Langley Reads.  The idea is to read a book as an entire community.  Programs like these help unify us, promote literacy, and focus attention around a positive theme.  Everyone will have the opportunity to provide their input in selecting a book title.  Look for more details about this terrific program in this newsletter on page 9, on the website, and in Keep In Touch messages.  Great thanks to our Humanities teachers, particularly David Kuhn and Susan Broad, for bringing this idea to a reality. 

We have had tremendous success this year.  Just to name a few recent highlights:  We have an International Science Fair first place winner in Dennis Won. The Fairfax County Teacher of the Year is our own Brigitte Lavey.  We have the It’s Academic Coach of the Year in Leah Puhlick who also coached the Science Olympiad to a State Title!  We have three other Coaches of the Year in Travis Hess, Ryan Jackson, and Bo Amato.  And, we are a Blue Ribbon school for Music Appreciation.  Once again, we made the US News & World Report for the top 100 schools in the nation.  We are truly excited to be concluding a very successful year with the anticipation of building on our successes to make next year even better.  And, none of this happens without the efforts of the entire community.

One final and impressive example of this community effort is Cindy Miller for whom this is her last newsletter edit!  (This is one paragraph you may not edit out).  For nine years we have been so lucky not to have to worry about this monumental task.  Her efforts to bring the newsletter into the 21st Century will be her enduring legacy.  I cannot say I will miss the monthly reminder (or two or three) from CKM58 as they usually struck a sense of dread that I needed to complete something.  Cindy, I hope you stay in touch – with a new email address.  Countless thanks for nine years of service!


Matt Ragone, 703-287-2704, Matt.Ragone@fcps.edu

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