langley eNews 
2/25 /2016 

sophomores
Join us Fri, Mar 4 at NOON for a lunch time discussion on Easing the College Admissions Process. We'll hear from experts on how to decrease stress in college prep and how to leverage social media platforms as part of a new Coalition app. The meeting is at the Markwart home, 6605 Heidi Ct, McLean (Langley Oaks). If you can help by bringing something to the lunch, click here.
 
juniors
The Junior Class Dinner & Guidance Night has been rescheduled for Mar 2 at 6 pm. This event, hosted by Student Services, introduces juniors and their parents to the college application and admissions process. Our program will begin with our class fundraiser dinner in the cafeteria from 6-7 pm. Following dinner, students and parents will be directed to breakout sessions led by college admissions representatives. 
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quick links
  Langley PTSA
Communications Committee
 
Lezlie McBride 
Jane Riddle
  Anne Whipple
 
enewslangley@gmail.com
editor's note: Send submissions and photos by deadline. To keep  eNews concise, submissions will be edited for style and length, and links added to the appropriate webpage.
 
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The PTSA eNews is published by volunteers who try to present only news that pertains to FCPS, LHS & PTSA. Any opinions expressed therein are those of the submitter & not necessarily those of FCPS, LHS or PTSA.
brownie points
I am interested in understanding as much as I can about how the world (including human society) works. ~ Scott Stone
 
Before becoming a teacher at Langley, Scott Stone attended Yale for his undergraduate and law degrees and was an anti-trust and trade lawyer at Patton Boggs for over 30 years. After putting his girls through college, Mr. Stone came to Langley to share his love of learnin g through teaching. Mr. Stone was not only a physics teacher, Model UN and Fellowship of Christian Athletes sponsor, tutor and mentor to many, he was also the  kids' biggest fan, always taking time to get to know them as people, not just students.
 
His passion for his students shone brightly and made them want to be the best they could be. Many of us are fortunate to have one or two people who truly affected the trajectory of our lives. I can say with certainty that Scott Stone had that impact on many of the students who passed through his classes over the last five years. As PTSA president, I had the privilege of talking with him almost weekly and found his dry sense of humor, genuineness, and cheerleader attitude infectious, so much so that I began to think that even I could learn physics! Whether it be his daily Blackboard posts explaining theories and formulas for students who didn't quite grasp the concepts in class, or Joke Mondays, or his ability to teach meteorological physics through his "snow day" humor during the Blizzard of 2016, Mr. Stone's presence at Langley will be terribly missed by students, faculty and parents.
 
His legacy will live on in those students whose lives he touched in the time he was here, as we will likely hear an acceptance speech to the effect of, "I would like to dedicate this award to my Langley AP Physics teacher, Mr. Stone, for making science fun again!"  Why is this article called "Brownie Points"? Well, almost weekly Mr. Stone would bake brownies for his class and encourage students to come to school with their "brownie points" to earn one. So, the next time you have a brownie, think of the ways Mr. Stone showed how to make a difference in someone's life. He would have loved that.
 
~ Terri Markwart, PTSA President
memories of mr. stone
Do what you love, follow your dreams, and if your dreams don't work out, you are smart enough to get a job and pay the mortgage.

Click here to read the entire touching message from Scott Stone to his students in May 2014.
 
one student's tribute: "The last thing I'll say about Mr. Stone is that he cared about every single one of his students. This went beyond academics. He would frequently ask students about how their clubs or sports were going. He would reorganize his schedule to fit yours if you had a match or debate the night before.  Then, right before you arrived to take the make-up exam he planned all for you, he ' d ask you about how it went."
Click this link to read the entire piece by Brendan Coffey, Managing Editor of the
Saxon Scope.
 
services: The funeral will be held this Sat, Feb 27, at 2 pm at the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Falls Church. The counselors have collected some tips on helping your children through grief, which you can find here
 
honoring his memory: The PTSA will make a donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to honor the extraordinary contributions made by Scott Stone to the Langley community. Click here for the Washington Post obituary and to make a contribution to the LLS in his memory.
case day highlights
The student solicitors, judges and other committee chairs were invited to the Supreme Court to hear the actual oral arguments of the case they argued during Case Day. After hearing the arguments, they had lunch and met with Justice Elena Kagan (in the past, Justice Antonin Scalia always was available to them), who answered all their questions and had a few of her own for the students. Finally, they had a Q&A session with US Supreme Court Clerk Scott Harris.
 
This year marked the 24th Annual Case Day started by Justice Scalia in support of his many children and grandchildren who passed through Langley HS. The students noted the black-draped chair behind the bench in honor of his recent passing.
 
This unique program is spearheaded by US Government teachers Allison Cohen, Micah Herzig and Josh Henry. The Connection newspapers ran a wonderful story on the day, with photos and details here.

 
senior ethics day volunteers needed 
We need parent and community volunteers to serve as table leaders at the annual Senior Ethics Forum to be held on Wed, May 18, at TEGNA (formerly Gannett) headquarters in McLean. Seniors rotate through four modules where an ethical dilemma is presented, followed by small or large group discussions. We need table leaders to work with groups of eight students to facilitate small group discussion and to help students rotate through the modules.
 
Senior parents, teachers and school staff do not serve in this capacity, so we need parents of underclassmen or adults outside of the Langley parent community. The time commitment includes a brief training session on May 11 at 7 pm, in addition to the forum on May 18, 8:30 am - 2:45 pm. Click here to sign up.
 
If you have any questions please contact Kim Wenk, KBWenk@verizon.net . Feedback from the past senior classes has been overwhelmingly positive. We have table leaders who return year after year and truly value spending the day with Langley seniors. Don't miss the opportunity to participate in this important program.
everybody has a story
As a complement to this year ' Langley Read theme, students have had the opportunity to hear several speakers share their stories. Former Langley student Chris Bennett described his experience at LHS. He was an all-American kid who excelled in athletics and academics, but during high school he struggled with depression, drug and alcohol addiction, and the law. His journey led him to become a behavioral health interventionist. Using his own experiences as a starting point, Chris engaged the students in an interactive conversation about the overlap of stress, mental health, and drug and alcohol use. A video of his presentation is now available on the PTSA website.

Lance Cpl. USMC Ret. Sal Gonzalez, a retired active duty Marine who was wounded in the line of duty, spoke to the students about his work with the Wounded Warrior Project. Inspired by the events of 9/11, Lcpl Gonzalez joined the US Marines Corp. Assigned to Ramadi, Iraq, serving as a machine gunner, he was hit by an explosion and ultimately had to have his leg amputated below the knee. He shared stories about his rehabilitation, including the challenges he faced not only with his physical injury but also its emotional impact. Lcpl Gonzalez shared his passion for music with the students by singing and playing his guitar to the delight of the audience. We were unable to record his presentation but his message can be seen at this website .
sports 
basketball: Please congratulate these Langley athletes on their recent awards:  

Boys: 1st Team, Tavon Tarpley & Nate Shafer; Player of the Year, Nate Shafer;
Coach of the Year, Scott Newman
Girls: 1st Team, Paige Galiani; Co-Player of the Year, Paige Galiani   

The girls' team continues to rise through the regional tournament. They will play Oakton HS in the semifinals at Lake Braddock HS on Friday night. 
 
swim & dive: Congratulations also go out to the boys and girls Swim & Dive teams that completed their season Friday and Saturday at Virginia 6A State Championships. The girls team finished in fifth place and the boys finished in second place, for only the second time in (recorded) school history, last in 2010.
 
Participants included Ryan Ha, Casey Storch, Devin Truong, Carter Bennett, Grace Gent, Celeste Pace, Joanne Fu, Kendall Heebink, Michelle Owens, Isabella Rongione, Casey Storch, Micaela Grassi, Dylan Reed, Justin Rose, Duncan Proxmire, Adam Fischer, Max Wingo.
  
Full meet results are posted on the PVS Swimming website.
sadie hawkins dance 
Last Saturday, almost 700 students attended Langley's Sadie Hawkins dance. The dance was a huge success and fun was had by all. A big thank you to Ms. Hamilton, Ms. Conrad, Ms. Landis, Mr. Barrs and Mr. Rogers for chaperoning Proceeds from the dance will go toward Langley Guidance Counselor Georgia McKain's daughter's fight against SMA-Type II. Thank you also to the Leadership Class for putting on what many hope will be an annual event. 

 
service learning 
activity hour opportunities: Students at Langley HS are engaged in monthly service during their school day. They pin, sew and iron pillowcases for children hospitalized with life-threatening illnesses for Case for Smiles; they fold origami cranes for Cranes for Cancer, whose mission is to provide baskets of 1,000 cranes to cancer patients to bring hope and uplift spirits; they color postcards and write notes to active duty servicemen at a USMC Base in Okinawa, Japan ; and they prepare lunches and make blankets for Embry Rucker Community Shelter, a 70-bed residential shelter and provides emergency housing for families and single men and women. 

  
 

service learning opportunity: Please come out to support the Parkinson Foundation of the National Capital Area (PFNCA) Symposium. This program is intended to help people with Parkinson's learn how to live with this life-long disease. Help is needed with set up and various tasks during the symposium. The event will take place at the Fairview Park Marriott in Falls Church on the following days:

Fri, Mar 18, 7 - 8:30 pm (Set up night before program)
Sat, Mar 19, 7:30 - 10:30 am
Sat, Mar 19, 3 - 6 pm
 
Please click here to sign up. For additional information, please contact Nihith Chaturvedula, Langley High School sophomore, at cnihith@yahoo.com.
special screening
You're invited to a screening of The  Hunting Ground  on March 5 at American University's Katzen Center  from 7-9 pm. The main leads in the documentary, Annie Clark and Andrea Pino, along with DC Councilmember Anita Bonds and psychoanalyst Joy Kassett, PhD will take part in a short discussion following the movie.  
 
This Oscar-nominated documentary is especially important for families with juniors and seniors going off to college. It explores how young women and men can become victims of sexual violence on college campuses and what universities and colleges are doing to address the problem.
 
Come learn more about how your children can protect themselves during their high school and college years. It is never too early to have conversations about sex and how alcohol and drugs can change the landscape of sexual encounters. Please bring your students with you to the movie and discussion. Buy your tickets on Eventbrite.
free breakfast! 
FCPS Food and Nutrition Services is celebrating National School Breakfast Week with free breakfast to staff and students on Wed, March 9. Breakfast will be served from 7:30-8:30 am and again from 9:30-10:15 am. Only one breakfast per person (while supplies last).
 
Breakfast items that will be served are bagels, mini pancakes, cinnamon rolls, fruit and juice. Students will need to know their lunch account number (different than their student ID #) and staff will need to know their employee ID number.
calendar
Feb 25 Band concert at Herndon HS
Mar 1
SCHOOL CLOSED (Election Day)
Mar 2 Junior class dinner & guidance night
Mar 4 Sophomore class coffee, 12 pm
Mar 6
Orchestra concert at South Lakes HS
Mar 7
Meet the coaches night
Mar 21-25
Spring break!
Mar 28 Student holiday, school planning day

For additional details about these events, visit the Langley calendar