Although we are just now approaching the start of spring, we have already begun making preparations for next Fall. The slate of the PTSA Executive Officers for the 2022-2023 school year was announced at last week’s PTSA General Membership Meeting (GMM). The following positions will be voted on at the May 4 GMM:
1st VP Communication—Joy Hohenthaner
2nd VP Membership—Melissa Schwartz
3rd VP Fundraising—Susan Connery
4th VP Appropriations—Heather Murphy Capps
The President will be Jamie Loving, who succeeds to the office after having served as President-Elect this year. Secretary Jackie Grayer and Treasurer Julianna DeLong will each serve a second one-year term.
Thank you to these amazing volunteers who have agreed to share their time and talents with us next year. I am confident that our PTSA will continue to thrive, providing vigorous support and ample funding for our students, teachers, and families, under their competent and enthusiastic leadership.
~ Clare Bradshaw, PTSA President
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Just announced! Students, you can receive one hour of community service when you submit your art to DIVERSEartLANGLEY. All you have to do is submit and then attend the exhibit along with your art.
Note that you are welcome to submit your original art also shown in the Langley Pyramid Art Show.
Submissions can be in any of these forms: photography, painting/drawing, sculpture, literature (short stories) music, dance, theater/cinema, architecture, and should answer any (or all) of these questions:
Diversity: What does diversity look like in my community?
Equity: What does equity mean to me?
Inclusion: Are you able to be your authentic self and still be safe and accepted?
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Submission hours extended: Fri, Mar 18 and Mon Mar 21 between 7:45–8:10 am in Langley Hall. Working on something but can’t get it done by Monday? Contact: heathermcxx@gmail.com or stefaniestayin@earthlink.net. Note: Be sure to record any audio or visual submissions (music, dance, theater, film) on a flash drive.
- Prizes will be awarded to the top three submissions.
- Submissions to Langley Pyramid Art show are also welcome.
Parents, mark your calendars! The DIVERSEartLANGLEY exhibit is Mar 24 from 6–7 pm in the Langley Hall, followed by a moderated discussion to reflect on the exhibit. Discussion will be 7–8 pm in the Library and will culminate in the announcement of prize winners.
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The ANGP-sponsored Community Outdoor Yard Sale & Craft Fair Fundraiser is on Sun, Mar 27, from 8 am – 2 pm! This community event is free and open to the public. Local businesses, community artists, and those with no-longer-needed clothes, household goods, and gently used sports equipment will be on hand to sell their items. In addition, a bake sale, 50/50 raffle, performances by Langley students, and food trucks (Captain Pell's Seafood and Babu Ji Mediterranean & Halal) will round out the event.
Many volunteers are needed on the day of the event and to contribute to the Bake Sale. Community service hours will be offered. Sign up below:
Vendor spaces are still available. Rent a selling space (2 parking spaces) for $30. Larger spaces are available. Vendors must provide their own tables, display racks, and tents/covering.
Langley clubs, organizations, and teams are encouraged to use this event to fundraise for themselves. Vendor fees and individual donations go towards helping the Langley Class of 2022 ANGP, while participating vendors keep all profits they earn. Register online here.
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student peace awards: Langley junior Caroline Martell is one of 23 FCPS students named recipients of the 2022 Student Peace Awards of Fairfax County. These awards recognize young people who work as peacemakers. Caroline has worked to end gun violence, including starting a Langley chapter of March For Our Lives, the student-led group initiated after Parkland in support of gun violence prevention legislation. Read more about Caroline’s work and that of the other recipients here.
mcc youth candidate: Charlotte Loving is Langley’s candidate running for a youth seat on the McLean Community Center Governing Board. Click here for more info and to read Charlotte’s personal statement and those of the other candidates. Voting opened yesterday and closes at 5 pm on Wed, May 18.
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langley's girl up fundraiser |
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Join Langley’s Girl Up Club this Sun, Mar 20 from 1-4 pm in the Cafeteria for their International Day fundraiser. Langley’s Girl Up Club supports Girl Up, a global organization that advocates and assists girls in need, domestically and internationally. The goal of the International Day fundraiser is to raise funds to purchase menstrual products and much-needed health supplies for the women and girls’ aid organizations BRAWS and Days for Girls.
Bring a cultural food dish to share and enjoy a fun cultural talent show featuring Langley students. All families in the Langley community are invited to attend and donate what they can. Co-Presidents Nava Berwick and Anupriya Roy extend their deep thanks to Ms. Kathleen Vargas, who was the first to donate to the fundraiser!
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college admissions discussion |
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Author Jeff Selingo returns to Langley this coming Mon, Mar 21 at 7 pm in the Auditorium to discuss his book Who Gets In and Why. This bestseller is filled with insights gleaned from Jeff’s year in the trenches with college admissions directors and includes research done at Langley! Join us for a discussion on topics such as the test-optional choice, applying early decision and creating a balanced list for college apps.
This event will be held in person. All LHS families and staff are welcome. See you next Monday!
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Join Langley's Psychologist and Social Worker for a discussion about some of the challenges of parenting today. In anticipation of best-selling author Julie Lythcott-Haims' visit to McLean in April to present the talk Throw out the Checklisted Childhood: Tips and Strategies for Raising Successful Kids, the PTSA is hosting an in-person Langley parent book talk on Julie's most-acclaimed book, How to Raise an Adult, on Wed, Mar 23, 11 am, in the Lecture Hall.
No worries if you haven't read the book--all are welcome to join in! School Psychologist Anna Davis and School Social Worker Catherine Kennedy will facilitate the discussion and share their thoughts on the aspects of the book that are especially relevant to Langley families. Click here to purchase the book from Amazon. If you think you can make it, please send an email to chrissielavin1@gmail.com just to give us a sense of how many chairs we need.
If you're not able to attend Langley's Mar 23 discussion, McLean's Safe Community Coalition (SCC) is hosting a virtual parent book club tomorrow, Fri, Mar 18 at noon, facilitated by two McLean psychologists. Click here for the SCC website, which will post the Zoom link just prior to the event.
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9th Grade Parents, the Student Services department is looking for volunteers to help out during AP testing season! Currently they are in need of additional test proctors to help administer AP testing from May 2–May 13. Tests generally run around three hours in length and you will mostly be expected to assist school staff in proctoring and overseeing the AP Exam. The exam timings are generally 8 am and 12 pm. Use this form to sign up and specify your availability. The only stipulation is that none of your students can be currently enrolled in an AP course for a test you would be slated to proctor. Thank you for considering volunteering some time to this important school event!
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The Career Connections Committee is excited about the amazing response we’ve had from Langley parents who have signed up to present about their career during Langley’s Annual (virtual) Career Fair!
Are you interested in speaking about your profession with LHS students to help them learn more about different careers? The students would love to hear about your career journey on Wed, Apr 13 (for Business, Government and Medical Careers) or Tues, Apr 19 (for Science, Tech, the Arts, and Communications). Sessions on each day will be held on Zoom from 10:30 am - 11:15 am. Interested or want more info? Contact LHSCareerConnections@gmail.com by Fri, Mar 25.
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The Legacy Tree is growing! Two hundred leaves, birds, and acorns have been added to the Legacy Tree, across from the school's Main Office.
It's not too late to buy a leaf … but place your order soon if you want to have your leaf up by the end of the school year! (Especially nice if you're honoring a graduating student!)
One more courtyard to landscape! By donating a leaf (copper $50, silver $100, gold $200) or bird or acorn ($500) you'll be helping to complete the renovation of Langley's courtyards. You get to choose the engraved message and create a lasting legacy for your family. Leaves make great tributes to family, teachers, friends, coaches, and grads!
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Last call for plaque donors! Those who donate $1,000 or more by the end of the month will be included on the Courtyard Benefactor Plaque, which will be adjacent to the Legacy Tree. Your contribution of $1,000 includes your choice of six gold leaves or two birds or acorns.
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Need Spring Cleaning Supplies? Shopping for Graduation Gifts? Getting a Head Start on Dorm Room Decor? Support your Langley PTSA by purchasing through AmazonSmile, and Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases. It all adds up!
Click here to set your AmazonSmile account to Langley PTSA. Or, in the mobile app, click on the 3-lines in the menu bar and choose “Gifting & Charity,” then “AmazonSmile” from the drop down menu and follow the on-screen instructions to “Turn on AmazonSmile” and select “Langley High PTSA” as your charity.
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fcps school board student rep |
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Interested in leadership or public policy? Apply for the student rep position to the FCPS School Board. The student rep serves in a nonvoting, advisory capacity to the Board, representing the interests of FCPS students.
Applications are due Mar 22 at noon. All FCPS students in grades 9-11 are eligible. Applicants do not need to be current members of the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council (SAC). Click here for more info and to apply.
Questions About Getting Elected or Serving as Student Rep? Contact Current Student Rep and Langley senior Pranav Choudhary, pbchoudhary@fcps.edu.
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This year, Langley has a new computer science teacher who has had a tremendous impact on the Langley community. Ben Young teaches general and AP computer science, which has proven to be a successful and popular class among students. Computer science is generally seen as a difficult subject with lots of material and concepts that are hard to understand.
“I take a different approach to computer science. Computer science to me is a very creative art kind of thing more than math,” Mr. Young said. He teaches computer science with less stressful methods and more hands-on project-based learning. He structures the class in hopes to make it less restrictive and inclusive of the different aspects of computer science.
“It’s a very free, open environment where [students] can do whatever they need to do to learn computer science and they have a lot of self choice and direction on where they want to go,” Mr. Young said.
Mr. Young is an LHS alum and rowed for the Langley crew team. He is now one of the coaches for this year’s crew team. Like many students on the crew team, Mr. Young is proactive about balancing coaching with school, and had to be very aware of all the time commitment that rowing would take in the spring season.
Mr. Young got into teaching after working at a summer camp, teaching programming to other kids. He got his undergrad at Ohio State and went to grad school at UVA, where he got his degree in aerospace engineering. One of his favorite things about Langley is that he is able to implement a chill and relaxed atmosphere in his classes while teaching challenging topics.
“I really appreciate the hands-off culture at Langley where I feel like I can do what I need to do to make the class successful,” Mr. Young said.
Whether it’s on the water or on a computer, Mr. Young interacts with the students creating a learning environment they enjoy being in.
~ Jewell Alcorn, Saxon Scope Reporter
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hockey: Congrats to the 15 Saxon ice hockey players who were awarded this year with NVSHL All-Academic Honors. Kudos to Andrew Abousleiman, Eric Bellino, Adam Cole, Jamison Huang, Zach Jordan, Siannen Keough, Kameron Khazai, Drew Kim, Mike Kuligowski, Max Moser, Brady Nicholas, Haakon Osland, Harrison Smith, Christopher Valko, and Alston Zhang.
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Upcoming sports! Langley Athletics provides free access to our games online on the NFHS Sports Network. Watch the events live here.
A sampling of this week's competitions:
Thurs, Mar 17
JV/Varsity Boys Soccer vs Thomas Jefferson @ Langley, 5:45 p.m., 7:15 p.m.
JV/Varsity Girls Soccer vs Thomas Jefferson @ Thomas Jefferson, 5:45 p.m., 7:15 p.m.
Boys Tennis vs McLean @ McLean, 4:00 p.m.
Girls Tennis vs McLean @ Langley 4:00 p.m.
Fri, Mar 18
Varsity Baseball vs Westfield @ Westfield, 6:30 p.m.
Varsity Softball vs Westfield @ Langley, 6:30 p.m.
JV Baseball vs Westfield @ Langley, 6:30 p.m.
JV Softball vs Westfield @ Westfield, 6:30 p.m.
JV/Varsity Boys Lacrosse vs Falls Church @ Langley, 5:45 p.m., 7:15 p.m.
Saturday, March 19
Crew Polar Bear Regatta @ Sandy Run Regional Park
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2022 langley volleyball camp: Come join the fun! The Langley Saxons volleyball team will host a week-long volleyball camp this summer Jun 13-17. The daily camp schedule will be from 9 am - 2 pm. Emphasis will be on learning the basic skills and improving on volleyball knowledge. Boys and girls between the ages of 8 - 14 are encouraged to come and join the fun! No experience needed! Cost is $250. Camp Applications and/or online registration links are available here. Need more info? Contacting Coach Susan Shifflett at 703-287-2752, susan.shifflett@fcps.edu.
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spring sport yard signs: You can still get a yard sign for spring sports! Support Langley Athletic Boosters and your spring athlete and purchase a limited time yard sign for only $45 each. Click here to order.
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This past weekend a West Point Cadet died of a fentanyl overdose while on spring break. Here is the story. Teens and young adults who are experimenting/using drugs could be getting something laced with fentanyl without their knowledge.
Every high school in FCPS has a substance abuse prevention specialist. Kelly Rankin (Krankin@fcps.edu) is assigned to Langley. Ms. Rankin is available if you are not sure how to talk to your child about the dangers of all drugs, especially the increase in deaths from fentanyl. It only takes a small amount of fentanyl to cause an overdose.
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Read below for class news. Click the green class buttons to go to each class's webpage.
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mandatory grad fee: The mandatory graduation fee of $50 has been set by the school and is payable in MySchoolBucks as “Class of 2022 Senior Dues.” If this fee is not paid, it will be listed as an obligation towards the end of the year. Students will not receive their cap, gown, or graduation tickets until it is paid.
photos needed for senior slideshow: Please submit photos of your senior or groups of seniors here or email them to langley2022.photos@gmail.com. Photos are requested from this year as well as freshman, sophomore and junior years. Group photos should include only Langley seniors (but we are flexible). Questions? Contact Melissa Schwartz at mcschwartz@hotmail.com.
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class forum: Save the date! Our next Junior Class Forum is Tues, Apr 12, 9:30-11:00 am.
donations wanted: Donate to the Junior Class, via the Class Donation icon on MySchoolBucks, to help us meet our fundraising goals. These funds are used for Treat Days, to offset Senior Year expenses and ANGP. Due to Covid restrictions, our class has not met its fundraising goals.
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Sophomores and parents, mark your calendars! Our Sophomore College Case Studies Night is Thurs, Apr 14 at 7 pm! Parents should have received an email on Mar 16 from Hannah Wolff with a registration link.
You won’t want to miss this! Parents and students will work alongside a college admission representative as part of a mock admissions team. During the sessions, you:
- Review applications and discuss applicants’ strengths and weaknesses.
- Gain a better understanding of the college admission process to plan for the rest of your high school experience.
We have reps from over 50 colleges and universities joining us, and you will hear from those that read applications for our high schools.
Parents and students are both invited to attend - one registration per family. After registering, you’ll receive updates including the materials for the evening.
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Back by popular demand, former Stanford dean and New York Times best-selling author Julie Lythcott-Haims presents Throw Out the Checklisted Childhood: Tips and Strategies for Raising Successful Kids.
This free program, sponsored by the Safe Community Coalition (SCC) and The Potomac School, takes place Tues, Apr 26 from 7-9 pm at Temple Rodef Shalom. It’s open to all, but space is limited and registration is required. Visit the SCC website for more info and registration.
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teen character awards: The McLean Citizens Association is again sponsoring Teen Character Awards to recognize teens of exceptional ethical and compassionate character. Teens who have, on their own and without compensation or formal recognition, cared for elderly relatives or younger siblings, or who have helped out in the neighborhood or community (defined as the Greater Washington D.C. metro area), deserve to be recognized not only for themselves but as an example to others.
Nominations are due Fri, Apr 22. Every teen who is nominated and meets the criteria will receive an award on the stage at McLean Day on Sat, May 21 at 3 pm.
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virginia pta scholarships: Graduating Seniors, the Virginia PTA announced its 2022 Scholarship Program, and there are multiple awards of $500 available in each category:
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College/University - Students enrolled in a four-year academic degree program
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Technical Scholarship - Students enrolled in a two or three year approved technical, vocational, and associate degree program
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Fine Arts Scholarship - Students enrolled in school of arts, college of design or institute of the arts degree program
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Special Education Scholarship - Special education students (Identified with a current Individual Education Plan-IEP) entering approved technical, vocational, associate degree or a four-year academic program
All Langley High School graduating seniors are eligible. Applications are due Mar 30. For more info and to apply, click here.
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college fair: George Mason University invites high school students to attend the Northern Virginia Regional College Fair on Thurs, Apr 7, 6:30-8:30 pm. Join more than 1,500 high school students from from the Northern Virginia area and make connections with over 200 institutions from across the United States! Click here for more information.
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law enforcement: Juniors, are you interested in a career in law enforcement? If so, the Virginia Youth Cadet Law Enforcement Program will be offering a program from June 26 – July 1, at the Richmond Police Academy.
This is a hands-on program that will teach you the following skills:
● Criminal investigation
● Patrol techniques
● Accident and crime scene investigation
● Shooting firearms
● Water safety techniques
● Driving a police car at high speeds
● Working with K-9s (Dogs)
Click here for more information. Questions? See Ms. Morrison in the Student Support Services Office.
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Mar 20: Girl Up Club Fundraiser, 1-4 pm, Cafeteria
Mar 21: College Admissions Discussion with Jeff Selingo, 7 pm, Auditorium
Mar 23: Family Network Book Club, 11 am, Lecture Hall
Mar 27: ANGP Yard Sale & Craft Fair, 8 am - 2 pm
Mar 31: End of Third Quarter – Two Hour Early Release
Apr 1: Student Holiday
Apr 4-8: Spring Break
Apr 12: Junior Class Parent Forum, 9:30am, Lecture Hall
Apr 13: Career Connections, 10:30 am
Apr 14: Sophomore College Case Studies Night, 7 pm
Apr 19: Career Connections, 10:30 am
Apr 26: SCC Discussion with Julie Lythcott-Haims, 7 pm, Temple Rodef Shalom
May 1: Bands on the Run 5K and Fun Walk
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Join the LHS PTSA! Click Here.
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LHS PTSA eNews Editors
Gary Coetzee, Ghida Damirji, Michelle Francis, Helen Miller and Amy Prewett
Stephanie Maxwell (Technical Advisor)
Amy P
The Langley eNews is published by PTSA volunteers and includes news that pertains to LHS, PTSA and FCPS.
Any opinions expressed herein are those of the submitter and not necessarily those of LHS, PTSA or FCPS.
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