Alexandria Buzz

The Washington Post Young Journalists Development Program (YJDP) today announced that Lauren McCracken, a T.C. Williams High School senior and managing director of student newspaper “Theogony,” will receive the Young Journalist Leadership award in recognition of her significant achievements and contributions to high school journalism.

Besides being an exceptional journalist, Lauren is an outstanding student. She has a 4.857 grade point average at the end of second quarter and is a member of the National Honor Society. Lauren plans to study journalism or political science at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.

For winning the award Lauren  will receive automatic acceptance into select 2012-13 YJDP programs, mentoring opportunities with “Post” reporters and members of the editorial board, framed certificates and personalized trophies. The Washington Post Young Journalists Development Program provides year-round skills training workshops, seminars, scholarships and mentoring opportunities to high school journalists and advisers across the Washington area.

To view the full press release, visit the Alexandria City Public School’s website here.

Nice shout out to our very own Dairy Godmother in this morning’s New York Times. However, they did make a mistake and placed Potomac Yard’s Best Buy in Arlington, and not Alexandria.

Should we demand a correction?

Take a break from Cinco de Mayo festivities this weekend and stop by the Del Ray Artisans to see the 15th Annual Student Art Show featuring works from thirteen students from the T.C. Williams High School Art Department

And if you have too much of a hang-over, no worries. The show runs through  Sunday, May 13.

For more information, including gallery hours, call the artisans at 703-838-4827 or visit their website.

The Del Ray Artisans is located at 2704 Mount Vernon Avenue.

KaBOOM!, the national non-profit organization dedicated to working with  mayors, city council members, parks and recreation departments, school districts and community leaders build to a place to play within walking distance of every child in America has named Alexandria a “Playful City USA” Community.

Alexandria joined 213 cities and towns from 41 states in receiving this recognition.

“Some of the most innovative concepts and cost-effective programs are being developed in Playful City USA communities,” said Darell Hammond, Founder and CEO of KaBOOM!  “They are key allies in the fight to combat the play deficit and serve as outstanding role models for government and community leaders across the country.”

And why should we care about play? According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, play is critical to healthy brain development. It allows children to use their creativity while simultaneously developing imagination, dexterity and physical, cognitive and emotional strength.

However, today’s children spend less time playing outside than any previous generation in part because only 1-in-5 live within walking distance of a park or playground. The resulting play deficit is having profound consequences for kids physically, socially and academically.

So this weekend, take a chance to celebrate this achievement in the most fitting way possible: if you have children take them to a playground and let them loose to just play. And the big picture: Alexandria is now eligible for $15,000, $20,000 and $30,000 grants via Let’s Play, a community partnership led by Dr Pepper Snapple Group, to get kids and families active nationwide. Grant recipients will be announced on June 4, 2012.

Teenage heart throb and star of the Twighlight Movie series Robert Pattinson made a surprise visit to The Majestic, located on King Street in Old Town, over the weekend.

According to Hollywood Life, Mr. Pattinson stopped into Majestic to take in some local cuisine, and he even signed a menu for 13-year old Eve Armstrong, daughter of Majestic Chef Cathal Armstrong.

That is one vote for Team Edward.

The Washington Post is reporting that Episcopal High School Graduate Danny Coale was drafted in the seventeenth round of the NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys.

According to the Post Mr. Coale “is the Cowboys’ first offensive selection in the draft. Some scouts have doubted Coale’s potential as an NFL receiver, given his 6-foot, 200-pound frame, but others believe he has the skills and guile to to succeed in the NFL.”

After playing at Episcopal High School Mr. Coale played for Virginia Tech, where he was second-leading receiver in the school’s history.

The Virginia Department of Education announced that the Alexandria City Public Schools was one of several school districts that received grants to increase content knowledge and sharpen classroom skills of teachers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics – subject areas known collectively as “STEM.”

Specifically, the Alexandria School District received grants for Building Fundamental Mathematics for Number Sense, Modeling Mathematical Ideas for Rational Numbers and Proportional Reasoning,  21st-Century Teaching Leads to 21st-Century Learning: Functions Algebra Project, and The Virginia STEM Collaborative Nurturing Network to Enhance Content-focused Teaching.

To see the full press release from the Department of Education, click here.

According to The Washington Post officials have suspended federal grants that support Alexandria City School’s adult education program until they complete an investigation into alleged testing irregularities.

According to an email from Alexandria school’s spokeswoman Kelly Alexander the adult education program is continuing to operate normally, and school officials anticipate that any problems will be resolved “in the very near future.”

Francis C. Hammond 1 Middle School Principal Keisha Boggan announced today that she will leave at the end of this school year to accept a position at Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Arlington.

“It is very hard to leave the city, students and community that I love so dearly,” Boggan said. “I am grateful for the experiences, friends and colleagues that have resulted from working in this great school division. However, I am looking forward to this unique opportunity for my personal and professional growth in a sister school division (Arlington).”

Ms. Boggan is completing her 17th year as an Alexandria City Public School educator and her sixth year as a middle school principal. In 2011 she  received The Washington Post Distinguished Educational Leadership Award.

To read the complete press release, visit the school district’s website.

The Washington Examiner has an interesting piece comparing Alexandria to our District neighbor on how elected leaders have dealt with ethics and corruption in the city.

In DC “city council voted in December to create a new ethics board to address official misconduct, [however Mayor] Gray has over the last five months failed to appoint anyone to serve on it.”

Compare that to Alexandria, where “after a slew of ethics violations committed by city employees last year, Alexandria officials moved quickly to address the problem: setting up an ethics committee, making it easier for whistle-blowers to alert the city, and increasing ethics training for employees.”

“Dealing with it quickly was important — letting people know we wouldn’t tolerate this, that we would prosecute,” said Bruce Johnson, the city’s chief of staff. “We just try to get everyone on board with what the expectations are.”