The curtains are drawn and the house lights are flickering. The crowd’s whispers descend into silence. The music rises, and the scene is unveiled; in the auditoriums of George Washington Middle School, Francis C. Hammond, and Alexandria City High School, a new world takes precedence.
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Critically Thinking Through CRT
Critical Race Theory, frequently shortened to CRT, has been recently transformed into a rallying cry and a political death sentence; in short, it has become scholarly gunfire. In the midst of loaded statements, tumultuous think-pieces, and competing propaganda, Virginian students, parents, and citizens are left dangling between spheres of competitive influence where policy has forbidden an elusive ‘something’ that previously was rarely given name outside of higher education. The slew of misinformation that haunts its rhetoric has not been aided by recent talking points. Demystifying the surreal imagination of CRT in Virginian schools, students and teachers of ACHS speak on its impact.
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MASK-ON: ACHS Students Hold Demonstration Against Virginia Mask Mandate Lift
On Tuesday, March 1, 2022, Virginia Senate Bill 739 went into effect in public schools across the state, removing the mask mandate for students. When word spread about the impending removal in late February, students at Alexandria City High School took it upon themselves to organize a demonstration during Lunch and Learn against the bill’s passage and what it means for the future of COVID-19 policy in Virginia. On social media, in the hallways, and around the city, multiple names were given to the event: a walk-out, a protest, a demonstration, civic obedience. To the organizers and attendees, however, it held much more weight than a Canva poster.
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ACHS Senior Wins Best Actor Award at District One-Acts Competition
Act festival is held by the Virginia High School League (VHSL) at district, regional, and state levels, in which student-directed plays are evaluated on direction, acting, and ensemble effect (coordination).
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Work Hard, Stay Kind: Spotlight on Academy 2 Principal, Mr. Thompson
Mr. Christopher Thompson is the Academy 2 principal at Alexandria City High School. Throughout his years, he has been a U.S. Marine, gone to Harvard University, and worked on capitol hill. His story begins in Jamaica, where he lived until moving to Florida at 11.
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Teachers Adjust to Changing COVID-19 Policies
In the aftermath of a year of virtual learning, the 2021-2022 school year has swept in an array of change and renewal at Alexandria City High School. In the midst of COVID-19, the student resource officer debate, and a new grading policy, teachers are receiving the brunt of the impact.
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Governor Ralph Northam Visits Alexandria City High School
Governor Ralph Northam took to the hallways of Alexandria City High School on December 6 to announce a proposal for a 10% teacher salary increase and affirm his support for Virginia public schools. Fellow local officials and policymakers, including Councilmember and Delegate-elect Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, ACHS Principal Peter Balas, and Superintendent Gregory C. Hutchings.
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Overseas to Old Town: Five Multicultural Alexandrians Tell Their Stories
The students of Alexandria City High School come from 145 countries and speak 132 languages. Theogony asked five ACHS students who are immigrants or children of immigrants about their culture and what being from different places means to them. This is what they said through email. The responses have been edited for clarity.
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SROs Are Back. What’s Next?
The City Council and School Board will reconsider their permanent presence after the November election. Yahney-Marie Sangaré Staff writer On October 12, the Alexandria City Council voted to temporarily reinstate the Student Resource Officer (SRO) program in Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) after it was dissolved by a 4-3 vote in May. On October 18, the two previous officers serving as SROs returned to campus. They will remain for the rest of the 2021-2022 school year. The $789,909 initially reallocated from the SRO program was intended to fund additional mental health positions at Alexandria City High School; these positions were never filled. The backlash following the removal of SROs coincided…
