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Happy Friday and welcome to Spring Break! I hope everyone has a safe and restful break. Remember to leave your laptops at school, and delete work email from your phones. No work should be done until we return on April 6.
AEA ballots were sent out via inter office mail earlier this week. If you have not received a ballot yet, please email admin@aeava.org and we will send a replacement.
Congratulations
Congratulations to the following members who were named Support Employee of the year of Teacher of the Year!
Support Staff of the Year
Abingdon Elementary School – Aminta Branco
Arlington Career Center – Sabreena Swann
Arlington Science Focus School – Andrea Ross
Ashlawn Elementary School – Kimberly Boyle
Campbell Elementary School – Tanya Dunbar
Eunice Kennedy Shriver Program – Bayarjargal Altankhuu
Hoffman-Boston Elementary School – Duana Brooks
Wakefield High School – Garibaldy Requena
Washington-Liberty High School – Dionte Lawley
Yorktown High School – Jhaquelin Loayza Vela
Teachers of the Year
Abingdon Elementary School – Nicole Thorpe
Alice West Fleet Elementary School – April Sommer
Arlington Career Center – Kyle Godfrey
Arlington Community High School – Gail Jabbour Bailey
Arlington Science Focus School – Hannah Anderson
Arlington Traditional School – Jill Congelio
Ashlawn Elementary School – Dana Crepeau
Barcroft Elementary School – Brian Glosh
Barrett Elementary School – Susan Garman
Campbell Elementary School – Nasima Ludovico
Cardinal Elementary School – Jessica Davis
Carlin Springs Elementary School – Katherine Olden
Claremont Immersion School – Zandra Comas Betancourt
Discovery Elementary School – Lynne Stein
Dorothy Hamm Middle School – Julie Westcott
Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary School – Kirstin Riddick
Escuela Key Elementary – Kelsey Barnes
Eunice Kennedy Shriver Program – James Cooney
Glebe Elementary School – Rachel Landry
Gunston Middle School – Harry Costner
H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program – Christine Gill
Hoffman-Boston Elementary School – Teresa Fields
Innovation Elementary School – Megan Malloy Moran
Integration Station – Sonia Wurzel
Jamestown Elementary School – Nancy Kauffunger
Jefferson Middle School – Stephanie Smith
Kenmore Middle School – Robin Stewart
Long Branch Elementary School – Kylah Jackson Lott
Montessori Public School of Arlington – Sean McGee
Langston High School Continuation Program – Johanna Giraldo
Nottingham Elementary School – Brooke Gavin
Oakridge Elementary School – Megan Price
Randolph Elementary School – Vincent Smith
Swanson Middle School – Cynthia Chiu
Taylor Elementary School – Abigail Brocato
Tuckahoe Elementary School – Aja Campbell
Wakefield High School – Michelle Robinson
Washington-Liberty High School – Theresa Severin
Williamsburg Middle School – Heather Martin
Our Union is There for You in Praxis PrepNEA will offer a spring series of Praxis Blended Learning, with 90-minute online sessions run by teacher leaders across the nation. Sessions will meet weekly for four weeks, from April 13 - May 9 and are free to NEA members. Feel free to register for as many sessions as you need; a different course is covered every day. Space is limited. |
You are invited to attend the Arlington Trans Youth Quilt Unveiling & Reception on 4/8! |
Equality Arlington invites you to attend the Arlington Trans Youth Quilt Unveiling & Reception on Wednesday, April 8th from 6-7:30 PM at Arlington Central Library! This event, co-sponsored by Arlington Public Libraries will include a short program, video about the making of the quilt, and reception with light refreshments. Be sure to bring your phones/cameras for lots of pictures with the quilt! The Arlington Trans Youth Quilt includes 54 decorated squares in the middle 6-by-9 grid made by transgender and non-binary youth between the ages of 5 and 19 years old in Arlington County, responding to the prompt “What does Freedom to Be mean to Me?” This project, organized by Equality Arlington, an LGBTQ+ advocacy nonprofit in Arlington, Virginia, asked youth to anonymously express their identity, joy, and strength at a time of intense political attacks against transgender and non-binary youth and adults. The outer border of 34 squares was made by allies and parents, enclosing and by extension, protecting, the youth and their right to be who they are. All squares were hand-stitched onto the quilt face by allies at a community event on March 7, 2026. Final quilt assembly was done by Kristi Huckabone. The Arlington Trans Youth Quilt Project was launched in a time of crisis for the transgender community, as a call-back to the AIDS quilt of the 1980s and 1990s. The AIDS quilt launched in 1985 during deadly and harrowing times for the LGBTQ+ community, as HIV/AIDS spread and killed millions of people and much of the world refused to help. In response, a group of activists launched the AIDS quilt project to honor their loved ones who’d been pushed out of society, voices silenced; it grew to become the largest piece of community artwork in history, with over 50,000 panels. Today, trans youth face a similarly hostile world. Powerful forces across the country are attempting to erase their very existence. In 2025, the Trump administration launched an unprecedented set of attacks on trans and non-binary youth and the organizations that serve and support them. Arlington and neighboring schools are being threatened with the loss of federal funding, hospitals have been forced to stop offering gender affirming care, insurance companies have been pressured to drop vital coverage, kids have been removed from sports teams, and many states have revoked basic rights and privileges. Many trans people, fearing for their safety, have chosen to leave the country. This quilt is meant to give voice to the trans and non-binary youth under attack. Through the quilt, trans and non-binary youth assert their right to celebrate their identity and their right to live openly as their true selves. While the AIDS quilt was a memorial to lost lives, this quilt is a celebration of joy and the rich diversity of our youth. However, the black square acknowledges that there are kids whose voices can’t be on this quilt because they are no longer with us. There are kids who fear sharing their truth, even in this safe format. There are kids who can’t be out to their family and friends. The black square is a reminder that despite all the joy on this quilt, we are still in a battle for the very lives of transgender and non-binary people in this country. Thank you for joining Equality Arlington in our advocacy to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ residents in Arlington County! |
Join the Virginia Dept. of Education Listening Tour – April 8
Dear APS Community,
We invite you to participate in an important opportunity to share your voice and help shape the future of public education in Virginia. The Virginia Department of Education, in partnership with the Secretary of Education, is hosting a Listening Session as part of the Commonwealth Listening Tour. This session will take place in Alexandria:
📍 Alexandria Listening Tour Session
🗓 April 8
⏰ 6:00–7:30 p.m.
📌 Alexandria City High School
This event is designed to bring together educators, families, students, and community members to share experiences, highlight successes, and discuss ways to strengthen support for all learners.
Who should attend?
We encourage participation from:
Educators and school staff
Students and families
Community members and partners
Why attend?
This is your chance to:
Share what is working well in our schools
Identify challenges and opportunities for improvement
Help inform state-level decisions impacting education
Discussion topics will include:
What is working well and where challenges remain
Literacy and math instruction supports
Student preparedness for college and careers
Strategies to recruit and retain excellent educators and staff
While the session is hosted in Alexandria, voices from across the region—including APS—are essential to this conversation. Your perspective matters, and we hope you will consider attending.
Thank you for your continued support of our students and schools.
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