Arlington Public Schools - Communities In Schools of NOVA

After-School Clubs Ramping Up at Wakefield

It is hard to believe that APS students began the second semester two months ago! As we enter the second half of our year, several CIS partners are returning to Wakefield to continue their work enriching the lives of students, and building key assets in the areas of community service, civic engagement and learning marketable skills. Below are a few updates from our two of our partners: Liberty’s Promise After working with nearly 50 students in their civic engagement program during the fall semester, Liberty’s Promise will return to Wakefield to begin work with their spring cohort. Students in Liberty’s Promise Civics and Citizenship [...]

Madelon Brennan2020-03-08T14:26:40+00:00April 1st, 2016|0 Comments

A Community of Support for Students with Dental Needs

28 Arlington Mill High School students woke up early before 6:00am on Saturday, March 12th, to take advantage of a free dental clinic called Mission of Mercy. The program, created by the Virginia Dental Association, provides uninsured and low-income adults with high-quality dental care during a two-day event at the Northern Virginia Community College Medical Education Campus in Springfield, VA. With support from the Arlington County Department of Human Services, Communities In Schools of NOVA was able to register and refer students to Mission of Mercy for cleanings, teeth fillings, and other important dental needs. Volunteers and dentists from the Northern Virginia [...]

Madelon Brennan2016-03-21T15:56:16+00:00March 21st, 2016|0 Comments

Seeking Volunteers for Wakefield’s Sophomore Career Day 2016

Each year, the Wakefield counseling department and Communities In Schools of NOVA coordinate a Career Day for sophomore students. After hearing from a keynote speaker, volunteer speakers rotate between tables of students, sharing their stories and perspectives, for approximately 10 minutes (completing 4-5 rotations). Also during this time, students ask volunteers questions about their career and education paths, learning invaluable information about the importance of education, networking, and a firm handshake! To volunteer, please contact CIS Site Coordinator Dan Howard at dan@cisofnova.org or (703) 228-2384 and register USING THIS LINK. Sophomore Career Day 2016 Date: Wednesday, March 30th Time: 8:30am – 11:30am [...]

Madelon Brennan2016-08-16T15:27:16+00:00March 14th, 2016|0 Comments

Empowering Students through STEM & Robotics

The Robotics Club at Gunston Middle School, part of the Emerging Leaders Program through Edu-Futuro and in collaboration with the Minority Achievement Office, entered two teams in their first competition this past Saturday, February 27, at the Arlington Career Center. The Adam Nesbitt Robotics Challenge, named in honor of the late technology teacher at Gunston, included morning workshops for the students and an afternoon of completing challenges against three other Arlington schools. As the date of the competition drew closer, the two Gunston teams competing in Saturday’s Challenge dedicated every single afternoon to practicing with their robots. One seventh grade student named Tania, who [...]

Madelon Brennan2016-08-15T15:07:31+00:00March 4th, 2016|0 Comments

Hyatt-Regency at Crystal City Explores Career Readiness, Hospitality

CIS of NOVA is partnering with Hyatt-Regency at Crystal City this spring to explore topics in career readiness, and careers in the hospitality field. During last year’s program, students created resumes, practiced interviewing skills, and visited the Hyatt-Regency in Crystal City to see what happens behind the scenes at one of the busiest places to work in Northern Virginia. During the February 11th session, freshmen students met with representatives from Hyatt to discuss personal branding, and the basics of networking. From identifying aspects of well-known brands such as Apple and Nike, to brainstorming ways that students can present their own “brand”, the [...]

Madelon Brennan2016-03-01T15:35:21+00:00March 1st, 2016|0 Comments

Diversity within Arlington Mill High School & the Arlington Career Center

By Cristian Pineda, Arlington Mill High School CIS Site Coordinator Before the first bell rings at 8am, the Arlington Career Center is filled with over 1,000 students coming from all over Arlington County. There are students who come from other high schools to take the career and technical classes, those who stay here full-time in the special programs of the school, and there even is Arlington Mill High School based inside the Career Center. It is a buzzing bee’s hive, and while all the students are worker bees in their own respective way, their differences are what unite them as future leaders [...]

Madelon Brennan2016-08-16T15:32:11+00:00February 26th, 2016|0 Comments

African-American Read-In Coming To Gunston Middle School

The African-American Read-In will be held in the Gunston Middle School Library from February 17 through 19, 2016. The African-American Read-In is held during Black History Month, and there is a special focus on encouraging young people of color to read and enjoy literature. At Gunston, classes from all grades throughout the day will visit the library for a special reading by visitors, administrators, faculty, and staff. Readers can choose from a selection of books by African American authors, or choose their own book that is special to them. To make this great event even better, Gunston’s partnership with Reading Is Fundamental [...]

Madelon Brennan2016-08-16T15:26:15+00:00February 10th, 2016|0 Comments

Gunston’s National Geographic Bee Has A Winner

Gunston Middle School held its National Geographic Bee at the school-level the first week of February! Every grade at Gunston took an assessment during their respective social studies classes, and the top scorers from each grade were brought together on Wednesday morning for the second elimination round. Forty-five Gunston students competed at this level, and eleven made it to the final level of the competition, held on Thursday, February 4, 2016. The final competition was held in the traditional “bee” fashion, with students being asked oral questions, round by round. The final showdown was between four students, and it took a few [...]

Madelon Brennan2016-02-10T17:03:04+00:00February 7th, 2016|0 Comments

The Challenges of Rising School Enrollment

Over the next ten years, Arlington Public Schools is anticipating to add 6,655 students across all schools, exceeding the current projected capacities in nearly every school. Rising enrollments bring obvious challenges (maintaining student:teacher ratios) and not so obvious challenges (how to fit 5 lunch periods into the school day!). While school districts must focus on the logistical challenges that rising school enrollments will present, CIS of NOVA is working to ensure that each student not only receives The Five Basics, but has the opportunities to fully grow in the 40 Developmental Assets. In recent surveys conducted by the Arlington Partnership for Children, Youth and [...]

Madelon Brennan2016-08-16T15:26:02+00:00February 5th, 2016|0 Comments

Leadership Arlington 2015 Reflection

By Dan Howard, Wakefield High School CIS Site Coordinator I recently finished the Young Professionals program through the Leadership Center for Excellence's Leadership Arlington. Over the past four months, I participated in workshops and seminars focused on developing leadership skills, learning about civic engagement in Arlington and interacting with my peers and regional leaders. On Tuesday, January 12th, I graduated from the program as a proud member of the Young Professionals Class of Fall 2015, ready to bring my new found knowledge and tools back to Wakefield High School and CIS of NOVA. One particular session focused on finding your "Why?", an idea [...]

Madelon Brennan2016-08-16T15:32:44+00:00January 25th, 2016|0 Comments