WOODBRIDGE, Va. – At first glance, it looked like a typical hospital simulation: blinking mannequins, beeping monitors, and focused students practicing CPR and drawing blood. But for 14-year-old students like those in the room at Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center, it was a first glimpse into what a future career in medicine might look like.

Sixteen rising 8th and 9th graders from Prince William County Public Schools spent a week at the hospital as part of the Sentara Healthcare Career Camp, a free summer program designed to expose youth to the wide array of healthcare professions beyond just doctors and nurses.

“A lot of young people, when they think of a career in medicine… they think, oh, yeah, there’s a doctor and there’s a nurse,” said Jon Radulovic, spokesman for the hospital. “But in actuality, there are careers that span the whole hospital.”

Throughout the week, students rotated through departments such as imaging, respiratory care, surgery, heart and vascular, and pharmacy. In the simulation lab, they practiced drawing blood from prosthetic arms, learned how to detect stroke symptoms, and suited up in full PPE to learn about infection prevention.

“The coolest thing is they have a simulation lab, and they have these mannequins that are really realistic,” said 14-year-old Aleah Cody, who will attend Osbourn Park High School in the fall. “One of the mannequins, they blinked, and I got scared.”

The students came from schools across the county, including Rippon Middle School, Marsteller Middle School, and Potomac High School. Many were drawn to the program by personal experiences with family in the medical field.

“My mom had a stroke,” said 13-year-old Christopher Brown II, a rising eighth grader at Marsteller Middle School. “So I wanted to learn more about the medical field and how to look for stuff at home, like symptoms of different sicknesses.”

Lorraine Gyamfi, 13, who also attended Rippon Middle School and is headed to Osbourn Park, said her sister’s experience inspired her in the school’s biomedical program.

“Originally, I just always wanted to be a doctor because it’s very interesting, like how the hospital works and stuff like that,” she said. “That made me want to go there, and also for the nursing program later on in high school.”

The camp was first launched at Sentara hospitals in 2023 in response to a growing concern about the shortage of healthcare workers following the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the second summer the program has been hosted in Woodbridge, part of a broader effort to encourage students—especially those who may have limited exposure to the healthcare system—to consider careers in science, technology, and medicine.

“We’re looking down the road—by 2036, there are going to be millions of vacancies for healthcare providers,” said Radulovic. “Who’s going to be taking care of us when we’re going to need a lot of that care?”

Each day started with breakfast in the hospital’s conference center, followed by a full day of learning and exploration. By Friday afternoon, students were ready to present what they had learned during a graduation ceremony with their families.

For Cody, who’s headed to Potomac High School, the week opened her eyes to the many options available in medicine.

“I know I want to do something in the medical field,” she said. “Right now, I think anesthesiology is what I want to do, but I’m still deciding.”

Press release:

Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) is proud to announce the winners of the 2024-25 Outstanding Educator Awards. These exceptional employees have demonstrated a profound commitment to the success and well-being of our educational community. This year, PWCS recognized finalists in the categories of Support Employee, Novice Teacher, Teacher, and Principal of the Year.

Each winner received a $1,500 award, sponsored by PWCS business partner, Apple Federal Credit Union.

Congratulations to these exemplary employees.

• Support Employee of the Year, Connor Sadler, administrative assistant at Potomac High School.
• Novice Teacher of the Year for grades Pre-K-5, Destiny Fauntleroy, Sinclair Elementary School.
• Novice Teacher of the Year for grades 6-12, Sara Antillon, Gainesville High School.
• Teacher of the Year for grades Pre-K-5, Kristen Hao, Westridge Elementary School.
• Teacher of the Year for grades 6-12, Kelly Wasson, Independence Nontraditional School.
• Principal of the Year for grades Pre-K-5, Heather Goode, Sinclair Elementary School.
• Principal of the Year for grades 6-12, Amanda Johnson, The Nokesville School.

Also honored at the ceremony were the educators who received or renewed their National Board Certification.

Congratulations to all our winners, finalists, and nominees for being outstanding role models to PWCS students and staff. Your dedication and commitment have not only been recognized but have also played a crucial role in helping our students thrive.

This post has been corrected. 

Osbourn Park High School has received the Virginia School Breakfast Award from the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) for its success in expanding breakfast access, maintaining nutritional integrity, and serving more scratch-cooked meals. The school is one of three recipients this year.

Cafeteria manager Nidia Bruno expressed gratitude for the recognition, emphasizing the team’s dedication to feeding students. Andrea Early, director of Food and Nutrition, noted that breakfast participation at Osbourn Park has increased by 30% and praised the cafeteria team for efficiently managing the expanded program. The school benefits from the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Program, which provides free breakfast and lunch to all students.

PWCS has seen a district-wide increase of 2,000 more breakfasts served per day compared to last year. The menu includes hot and cold options, along with seasonal smoothies for middle and high school students. VDOE officials will visit Osbourn Park during School Breakfast Week in March to present the award.

More in a press release:

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) awarded Osbourn Park High School with the Virginia School Breakfast Award. This award recognizes schools achieving success in school breakfast, including expanding breakfast access to students, maintaining the nutritional integrity of foods offered, and serving more scratch-cooked foods. Osbourn Park High was one of three recipients this year.

Nidia Bruno, cafeteria manager at Osbourn Park, shared her excitement surrounding the award. “I feel so thankful and so happy for my team. We all work so hard and being recognized like this keeps us going,” Bruno shared. “At the end of the day, the most important thing for us is to feed our kids at Osbourn Park. We have a good family here.”

Andrea Early, director of Food and Nutrition, said Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) is serving more breakfasts per day compared to last year with Osbourn Park seeing an increase in breakfast participation by about 30%.

“All of our schools in PWCS do such a fabulous job with breakfast service. We are serving about 2,000 more breakfasts per day this year compared to last year,” Early said.

She commended the Osbourn Park cafeteria team for ensuring a smooth breakfast process for students.

“Nidia and her team have really responded to this school being added to the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Program,” Early shared. “CEP means that all students receive free breakfast and lunch but if they have to wait in long lines, they may not access breakfast. This team has worked hard to open extra breakfast lines so that they can get kids the good nutrition they need.”

Along with expanding the breakfast program, PWCS school breakfast menus offer a wide range of choices such as hot and cold food options and a seasonal smoothie for middle and high school students.

Members of the VDOE plan to visit Osbourn Park to present the award during School Breakfast Week, which is held the first week of March.

Press Release:

The Virginia Department of Education has selected Greendale Elementary School in Washington County and Belmont Elementary School in Prince William County as Virginia’s two 2024 ESEA Distinguished Schools.

Recognized for exceptional student performance for two consecutive years, Washington County’s Greendale Elementary School made noteworthy gains in reading and science SOL scores, improving by nine and fourteen points respectively in the last year. The school implemented key literacy initiatives, such as targeted reading interventions, an open library, and ongoing professional development for school staff. The school also focused on data driven instruction such as formative and summative assessments to guide differentiation; explicit teaching with clear demonstrations and guided practice; tailored instruction for personalized interventions; and small group instruction and remediation.

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