Manassas City Public Schools Archives - Page 9 of 18

Published October 25, 2024 at 11:00AM

Arbender Robinson, a Broadway Guest Artist in Residence, taught a masterclass to Osbourn High School students from Oct. 15 to Oct. 18. [Photo courtesy of Manassas City Public Schools]

Robinson made his Broadway debut in the Tony Award-winning production of “Hairspray” as Seaweed. Since then, he’s been in various Broadway productions, including “Disney’s The Little Mermaid,” “Hair,” “Ragtime,” “The Lion King,” “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” “The Book of Mormon” and “Les Misérables.”

During his three days with the choir, Robinson taught a three-hour masterclass, discussed his journey to Broadway, provided students with industry insights and took questions from students. A ninth-grade student, Maliya Trammell, performed “Rise Up,” and Robinson provided acting tips through song.

Manassas

Inside the Decline: What’s Happening in Manassas City Schools?

By Uriah Kiser

Published October 18, 2024 at 8:54AM

We just wrapped up an important discussion on the state of Manassas City Public Schools in our latest podcast episode, featuring insights from local education leaders and school board candidates. This special forum covered pressing issues facing our schools and presented diverse perspectives on how we can collectively move forward.

In this episode, you’ll hear from Robyn Williams, an eight-year school board member now running for City Council, and Caitlyn Meisner, our dedicated local editor covering Manassas City Public Schools since 2023. Several candidates endorsed by the city’s Republican committee, running for four open school board seats, also joined the discussion, including Allie Forkell, Javanese Hailey, Dayna Jackson-Miles, and Maidy Whitesell.

Manassas

Metz Middle School Faces Pressure to Improve SOL Scores, Absenteeism

By Uriah Kiser

Published October 16, 2024 at 2:34PM | Updated October 17, 2024 at 1:40PM

Following months of heated discussion about Grace E. Metz Middle School’s declining Standard of Learning (SOL) scores and school culture, new Principal Juliet Finnegan vows to lead the school toward improvement.

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Manassas

Manassas Shows Decline in SOL Score Averages

By Caitlyn Meisner

Published September 18, 2024 at 2:06PM | Updated September 20, 2024 at 3:10PM

This one’s for the people who really care about local news. Locals Only members get deeper reporting, more context, and fewer shortcuts. Think that’s you? 👉 Join Locals Only Already a member? Sign in

This one’s for the people who really care about local news.

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News

Manassas School Board Sets FY26 Budget Adoption Schedule

By Caitlyn Meisner

Published August 29, 2024 at 2:30PM

Photo by Mikhail Nilov via Pexels

At the Aug. 27 regular meeting, the Manassas City School Board unanimously adopted a draft budget schedule for fiscal year 2026, which would start on July 1, 2025.

The first budget work session will take place on Oct. 1 in the Manassas City Public School’s central office and they will discuss MCPS’ capital improvement plan. The expected adoption date is to be determined, but the Board will present the budget to City Council in a joint meeting on April 2, 2025, at the Public Safety Facility (9608 Grant Ave.).

Manassas

Manassas School Board Candidate Forum Tonight

By Uriah Kiser

Published August 19, 2024 at 8:53AM

The event will be held at 9118 Wharton Court and live-streamed. All Manassas School Board candidates, including Zella Jones, Suzanne Seaberg, Allie Forkell, Dayna Miles, Maidy Whitesell, Diana Brown, Javanese Hailey, and Christina Brooks, have been invited.

Democrats endorse Seaberg (incumbent), Jones, and Brown. Republicans endorse Forkell, Miles, Whitsell, and Hailey. Brooks (incumbent) is running as an independent.

Manassas

School Board Members Vote Down Monthly Attendance Reports

By Caitlyn Meisner

Published August 16, 2024 at 2:10PM | Updated August 19, 2024 at 8:50AM

Sara Brescia defending her position on monthly attendance reports to her fellow School Board members on Aug. 13, 2024.

Manassas City Public School Board members did not approve a resolution to require monthly attendance reports be made public in a 4-2 vote Tuesday.

The issue of attendance at MCPS was born from a meeting on Oct. 10, 2023, where Chevese Thomas, executive director of student services, gave a 36-slide presentation on attendance. Board Member Sara Brescia expressed concerns and presented this resolution to the Board in February, but the discussion was postponed to this meeting, the first of the 2024-2025 school year.

Schools

Manassas City Schools Launches New Website, App For 2024-25 School Year

By Caitlyn Meisner

Published August 15, 2024 at 2:45PM | Updated August 15, 2024 at 4:50PM

Manassas City Public Schools has launched a website and a mobile app for the start of the 2024-2025 school year.

The first day of the new year was Monday, and the launch was presented to the Manassas School Board on Tuesday at their first regular meeting of the school year. Almeta Radford, director of public communications for MCPS, showcased the new website and app to the board.

Schools

Osbourn High School Unveils New ‘Phone Home’ Initiative at Meet-the-Principals Night

By Uriah Kiser

Published August 6, 2024 at 9:00AM

Photo: Sara Brescia, Manassas City School Board

At the Meet-the-Principals Night on Monday, August 5, 2024, Osbourn High School in Manassas introduced a new initiative to enhance the learning environment: the “Phone Home.”

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Originals

Evolving Grading Policies in Manassas: A Deep Dive with Sara Brescia

By Uriah Kiser

Published August 1, 2024 at 9:30AM | Updated August 4, 2024 at 8:48AM

In this episode, I talk with Manassas City School Board member Sara Brescia about the evolving grading policies in the school district. Listeners will learn about the significant post-pandemic changes, including the controversial 50-100 grading scale and removing the 55 minimum grade provision. Sara Brescia provides a deep dive into the rationale behind these changes, the challenges faced, and the pushback from the community.

The conversation also touches on the broader implications of grading policies on student behavior and engagement, the importance of setting deadlines, and the balance between flexibility and accountability in education. Sara shares her vision for the future, emphasizing the need for productive dialogue and the importance of preparing students for the real world.