• The Beet

    Party for Tardy

    It's everyone's favorite feeling: rushing through the halls as the clock strikes 8:40 a.m. The bus was late, or there was traffic, or maybe you just slept in. Either way, you’re late. But not to worry, the staff of ACHS is ready to help with their new tardy policy, a plan that will make you even tardy-er than you were.

  • News

    Students Walk Out In Protest of Titan Lunch Cancellation

    On January 24, the Independent Student Lunch Committee (SLC) hosted a walkout to show the mass support for the Titan Lunch proposal. The walkout came after ACHS Executive Principal Peter Balas announced that the new extended lunch period would not be implemented for the second half of the 2022-2023 school year as planned. Theogony reported that Superintendent Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt and her Central Office Leadership Team blocked the plan the previous week. This decision created immediate uproar from students, parents and staff.

  • In a classroom, chairs are stacked upon each other to form a barricade in front of a window with drawn blinds during a summer ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) drill.
    News

    Students, Safety and the State of ACHS

    When the beep of the loudspeaker sounds in the middle of third period, the room falls silent. Eyes flash up as everyone holds their breath. Just over a year ago, during the morning of October 6, 2021, the PA system notified a building of 10-12th graders that the school was placed in lockdown. As the lights were turned off and blinds were pulled, the lockdown bled into lunch. Some teachers continued with their lessons. Phone screens lit up, and the words “an abundance of caution” flooded the thoughts of thousands of kids behind locked doors. A few hours later, the student with a gun was escorted away by police with…

  • News

    Meeting the New Superintendent: Dr. Kay-Wyatt

    After a tumultuous school year, Alexandria City Public School’s Superintendent Gregory Hutchings announced on June 10 that he would not renew his contract after nearly four years. His official resignation came into effect on August 31. Starting September 1, Melanie Kay-Wyatt serves as the interim superintendent through the 22-23 school year or until the school board can appoint an eligible candidate into the permanent position. 

  • Three students sit at the sign for Alexandria City High School with a trans flag wrapped around their shoulders. The students are Chris, Michael Goldsberry, and KD Bectel.
    News

    In the Face of the Transphobia Epidemic

    On September 16, the Virginia Department of Education released new model policies for school boards addressing the treatment of transgender students. The models mandated misgendering, outing, and sex-based bathrooms, alongside optional parental restrictions on student counseling services. Immediately, the policies sparked widespread reactions throughout social media. Twitter thrummed with thousands of opinions, calls to action, and profile picture changes as the country, state, and community weighed in on Governor Youngkin’s latest swing at student rights in the name of “empowering parents.” 

  • Schoolboard member Abdel Elnoubi, left, speaks at the September 10 listening session. Councilmember Canek Aguirre, right, writes down notes.
    News

    The Frustrations of a Community: Alexandria School Safety Community Listening Session

    Alexandria City Councilmember Canek Aguirre and ACPS School Board member Abdel Elnoubi hosted a community listening session about school safety at Beatley Library on Sunday, September 10. The session was permeated with discussions surrounding the Student Law Enforcement Partnership (SLEP) initiative, media response, and community involvement in legislative processes. Elnoubi said that the decision on what to do with school resource officers (SROs) will be made in October or November, whether that be to leave, remove, or reimagine the role of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the city and schools. This decision will come with the recommendations of the SLEP committee. 

  • A School Board meeting. Matt Smith speaks over Zoom.
    News

    Homework Survives… For Now

    On Thursday, August 25, the ACPS School Board held a special-session meeting about a proposal to change their grading policy. Citing a lack of teacher input and a less than “ideal time,” the lengthy discussion concluded by tabling the overall proposal, including a section that would have eradicated the function of homework in the classroom. The Board voted to adopt aspects of the proposal, including regulating a 60/40% summative and formative grading ratio and abolishing class rank.