It was a night of celebration at the Manassas School Board meeting as students from across the city were recognized for excellence in academics, fine arts, and public speaking.
The evening opened with a standing ovation for this year’s Spelling Bee champions, including Charlotte Vargas, an eighth-grader at Metz Middle School, who emerged as the division champion.
“Charlotte emerged as our overall winner and we want to congratulate her for representing Manassas City Public Schools this year,” said MCPS spokeswoman Al Radford.
Vargas and her fellow school-level winners qualified for the regional competition at Garfield High School in Prince William County earlier this month. Other top spellers recognized included:
- Jaden Defoe Chenda, Baldwin Elementary (3rd grade)
- Leopold Ibanez, Dean Elementary (4th grade)
- Elias Martinez Johnson, Hayden Elementary (3rd grade)
- Danika Patel, Round Elementary (3rd grade)
- Kayden Jacobs, Weems Elementary (4th grade)
- Noreen Lisko, Baldwin Intermediate (6th grade)
- Haiyan Joshi, Mayfield Intermediate (6th grade)
From spelling to song, the board also celebrated the accomplishments of the Osbourn High School Fine Arts Department, which brought home high marks across multiple music disciplines.
“Osbourn’s top-performing band, choir, and orchestra all earned superior ratings this year,” said Andrew Wassum, director of bands. “That makes us a Blue Ribbon School, and that’s not something you see every day.”
The Virginia Music Educators Association Blue Ribbon Award is the highest honor given to school music programs in the state. It marks Osbourn’s third time receiving the award, previously winning in 2019 and 2022.
Students selected for All-State Choir included Nayla Abrego (Alto 1), Adriana Willard (Soprano 1), and Isaac Quintanilla (First Alternate, Bass 1). Wassum also recognized three All-District Band students—Jude Lopez, Theodore Wainer, and Valeria Lozano, who earned first chair in District 9.
The orchestra, under the leadership of LaToya Lemans, earned superior ratings for both its Symphonic and Honors Chamber groups.
Even with all the music and melody, one of the night’s most buzzed-about achievements was Osbourn’s first-ever Speech and Debate team, which launched this year and already made a name for itself.
“In our very first year, we competed in six tournaments and won medals in five,” said coach Mark Whitley. “We even had a team qualify for Super Regionals. Not bad for our debut season.”
Student debaters Medina Habib and Amelia Breeden represented the school at Super Regionals this past weekend. Both students were work-based learning interns at Potomac Local News in 2023.
Board members and audience members beamed with pride as students posed for pictures and received certificates.
“These students make us so proud,” said School Board Chair Suzanne Seaberg. “Whether it’s spelling, singing, or speaking, they show the region what Manassas City students can do,” she said.
