More Stories from the Week

More Stories from the Week
- ACPS

School Board Meetings

The School Board will hold a Special Called Board meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 4. For School Board meeting agendas and documents, visit Electronic School Board. You can also visit the School Board meeting web page for information on how to view meetings live and participate.

ACHS Students Recognized in C-SPAN Documentary Competition

Alexandria City High School (ACHS) students have been recognized for their achievement in producing an award-winning documentary. Elena Gutierrez, Alison Avelar Rafailan, and Helen Russell’s film “Dear Mr. President: History, or Progress?” highlights the impact of discrimination and racism nationwide, with a special focus on the Alexandria community. 

Elena, Alison and Helen have been a team since their freshman year at ACHS and this year, they were awarded an Honorable Mention in the C-SPAN 2021 StudentCam Documentary Competition. “Dear Mr. President: History, or Progress?” was written, directed, and produced by the trio. 

The students combined their individual passions for civic engagement, storytelling, cinematography, music, film and writing in collaborating to produce this documentary. In addition to the recognition from C-SPAN, Helen, Alison and Elena will take part in a two-day event held by Visionaries ALX on Nov. 9 and Nov. 13 at The Garden at Building Momentum in Alexandria.

Families Asked to Voluntarily Share Student COVID-19 Vaccine Documentation

ACPS is asking for families to voluntarily provide proof of the COVID-19 vaccination status for students age 12 and above. This information will assist schools with contact tracing and prevent any unnecessary quarantining of students who have been vaccinated.

This information is voluntary at this time. Families who are interested should complete the ACPS Student COVID-19 Vaccine Documentation Form, which requires one form per student. You will need:

This information will be stored in compliance with the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and ACPS Policy JO: Student Records. Please contact ask@acps.k12.va.us with any questions.

Red Ribbon Week 2022 Poster Contest Now Open

We can all do our part at ACPS to help our children grow up to be safe, healthy, and drug-free. Red Ribbon Week is the oldest drug prevention campaign in the nation that promotes a drug-free and healthy lifestyle. 

Students who are interested in participating in the 2022 Red Ribbon Week Poster Contest should submit their work by Nov. 15, 2021. Three winning posters will be chosen, based on artistic presentation and strength in messaging, to promote a drug-free lifestyle. 

  • Entrants must be students in Alexandria City Public Schools.
  • There are three contest categories: elementary, middle and high school.
  • Posters should include a message that promotes a drug-free lifestyle. You may come up with your own theme. 
  • Freehand, multimedia, computer-generated/assisted designs, markers, or crayons may be used in the design of the poster. Scan a photo, full color 300 dpi, or take a hi-res photo of it with a phone or camera in good light.
  • Posters are judged on the artistic presentation and the strength of the message. Please include a short paragraph describing your poster theme/message. 
  • Include the student’s full name, age, school, poster theme and message description, phone number and email.
  • All posters must be turned in and postmarked by Nov. 15, 2021, to:
    Ms. Daniela Perez-Bravo
    The Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Center
    1340 Braddock Place, 5th Floor
    Alexandria, VA 22314
  • Electronic versions can be submitted to face@acps.k12.va.us
  • A parent or legal guardian must submit the entry on the student’s behalf. By submitting an entry, you have confirmed that ACPS/FACE and its partners have permission to reproduce the images and post on social media or other communication channels.

And during this Red Ribbon Week, all students can show their commitment to living drug-free. Print out the Red Ribbon Theme sign, add your name, hold it up and post a photo using the hashtag #LivingDrugFree. Find @RedRibbonWeek on Facebook and Twitter. You can also celebrate Red Ribbon Week by planting red flower bulbs. When they bloom in the spring they will serve as a reminder of the beauty of a drug-free life.