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ISSUE 11 • APRIL 2015
Inside This Issue:
Principal’s Letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Statesmen Theater . . . . . 3
. . . . . 3
Choir Boosters & Music
Department Awards. . . . 4
Awards. . . . 4
All Night Grad
Celebration. . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Celebration. . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Culinary Challenge . . . . . . . . . . 7
Regional Science Fair. . . 8
Fair. . . 8
Treasurer’s Report. . . . . . 9
Report. . . . . . 9
International Night . . . . . . . . 10
Marshall Museum. . . . . . . 11
Museum. . . . . . . 11
SOL Test Schedule. . . . . .11
DECA Competition. . . . .
Competition. . . . . 12
GCM
George C. Marshall
High School
Home of the Statesmen
7731 Leesburg Pike
Falls Church, VA 22043
www.gcmptsa.org
703.714.5400
Fax: 703.714.5497
Attendance: 703.714.5447
Activities Hotline: 703.883.4740
The GCM PTSA newsletter
designed by Jennifer Smyth Church
and edited by Aisha Kashif
Message from the PTSA President • Mary Pope
S
pring is here, and just as the weather is transitioning, so is the PTSA.
Through the winter, we continued our traditional role in supporting the
Marshall community, and we have been excited to try out a few new ideas.
We look forward to the many year-end activities for all of our students as
well as the special celebrations that congratulate and bid farewell to our
graduating seniors. Along with the senior students go our senior parents
too, and, thankfully, the response to our call for new volunteers and board
members has been energizing.
The PTSA has continued many of its traditions throughout the winter. The Hospitality
Committee hosted and organized the Science Fair volunteer breakfast, the Valentine Tea for
Teachers and Staff, the Custodian Appreciation Picnic Lunch, and the School Counselor Appreciation Luncheon. The 93 parent and community volunteer science judges were instrumental
in the success of this year’s Science Fair, where more than 430 students presented 300 research
projects. The Marshall music and theater departments continue to represent our school well
and provide our community with fabulous entertainment. International Night celebrated our
diverse school community with great food, student performances, and community spirit.
Our members have provided new ideas that have allowed more student participation.
DECA, FBLA, and Best Buddies club representatives presented an overview of their activities
during the January, February, and March monthly meetings. We will hear from Reveille, Marshall’s literary magazine, in April as a finale to this year’s student speaker series. These student
presentations have been so helpful in providing insight to help us determine how to best support our student clubs.
During February, we teamed up with Student Services and the Davis Center to help kick-off
the 2015-16 student course selection process. Counselors were positioned in the lobby, armed
with freshly baked Davis Center star cookies, ready to answer questions and encourage students
to hone their talents, goals, and interests by taking at least one honors or IB class.
As we move into the last quarter of the school year, we will continue to have lots of opportunities for you to get involved. In particular, the All Night Grad Committee will be looking
for over 100 volunteers to support the celebration. If you are a parent of an underclassmen, a
great gift you can give to the senior families is your time. As little as a few hours of your help on
graduation night will make a big difference for our graduating seniors and families. Then, when
your student is a senior, you’ll be glad to know that they will receive the same support. Watch
the weekly Blasts for more details on this and other year-end activities.
Our PTSA meetings are open to all Parents, Teachers, and Students. They’re a great place to
get connected, to share your ideas, to learn from each other, to get involved, to make a difference, and to have some fun! Any time is a good time to join. I look forward to celebrating with
all of you in our PTSA community as we end this school year, and I’m so excited to continue
our traditions and to explore new ideas for the next school year. To our numerous volunteers
and members, thank you for your support. —Mary Pope
George C. Marshall High School I PTSA Newsletter I Issue 11 I April 2015
1
Message from the Principal • Jeffrey D. Litz
Principal Litz
at the Grand
Reopening
Ceremony.
Greetings!
W
OW! What a fantastic Grand Reopening Ceremony!
I was very pleased so many people were able to celebrate
the official reopening of our newly renovated school. We celebrated not only new bricks and mortar, but more importantly,
the entire Marshall Community. The tremendous amount of
support we give to our students and our school is unparalleled.
I want to thank all of the students, parents, faculty and staff
who made the event such a great success.
This week, I had the opportunity to
watch our baseball, softball and soccer
teams play in our new sports facilities.
Our new stadium scoreboard is in
operation for the first time. It is beautiful! How nice it is to be able to print the
names of teams and run video on the
scoreboard as well. This adds an almost
collegiate feel to many of our sporting
events.
Now that our building is looking
pretty and new, we will continue our
journey as a high-achieving professional learning community. Continuous
improvement is paramount for any
school. As I have said many times this
year, one of our goals is to open our
honors and IB courses to those who
may not have considered them before.
Clearly, research demonstrates this is
best for kids. Already our Social Studies
department has changed their course
sequence and our English department
is looking at a new IB course which
may be appropriate for many of our
students in English 11 and 12. We will
spend next year studying this option
and possibly implement it in the 20162017 school year.
As I write this, there are over 2,000
students registered for the 2015-2016
school year! This is the first time in
our school’s history we have exceeded
2,000 students. With our increased size
come challenges we have never faced.
It is important we look for ways to
keep our small school feel, even as we
welcome an unprecedented number of
students into our school. This means
we need continued parent, faculty and
staff involvement both in and out of
the classroom to help ensure we are
At right, the official
ribbon cutting at the
Grand Reopening.
Below, Sharon Bulova,
Chair of Board of
Supervisors speaks.
The Statesmen Singers open the celebration
by singing the National Anthem.
George C. Marshall High School I PTSA Newsletter I Issue 11 I April 2015
Fairfax County
Superintendent
Dr. Karen Garza
supporting each and every one of our
students appropriately.
Another area of importance for
our community is finding ways to help
the whole student. Through leadership
from our PTSA and Cindy Blakeley,
we were able to offer an informational
session at our spring Touching Bases
about Mindfulness. Mindfulness is a
program designed to help both adults
and students manage the stress and
challenges of everyday life. We are
committed to helping students find
balance in their lives so they can grow
up to be healthy contributing members
of our community.
I hope that every member of our
community enjoyed a relaxing spring
break. Surely you deserved it. Once
we return to campus, we will be busy
preparing students to take their IB and
SOL exams in May. I am confident our
students will perform well.
Once again, thank you for supporting our children and community.
Go Statesmen!
—Jeffrey Litz, Principal
2
Statesmen Theatre
Statesmen Theatre is
having an exciting spring!
•
First, Marshall scored its third consecutive
Conference 13 One-Act Championship with its
modern twist on Charlie Brown, Dog Sees God—
Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead;
• Next, the company presented the world premiere of
The Ukulele, an adaptation of Carlo Goldoni’s classic
The Fan by Liz Carlson GCM ’15 which saw the Black
Box Theatre transformed into a New York City street
which was the setting for a lively comedy performed
for enthusiastic audiences; and
• Soon, the auditorium will be transported to Transylvania,
as Dr. Fredrick Von Frankenstein and a zany cast of
characters present Mel Brooks’ musical version of Young
Frankenstein. The spring musical—always a highlight of
the season—runs for five performances Wednesday, April
29 through Saturday, May 2. Tickets are $15 for adults
and $10 for students/seniors.
Above, Statesmen Theater won the Conference 13 One-Act
Championship for the third year in a row!
Please visit http://statesmentheatre.org for more
news and details. Come out, enjoy the show and help support
Marshall’s five-time state champion theatre!
—Doug Chapin
Statesmen Theatre Boosters
SCENES
from...
“The Ukulele”
George C. Marshall High School I PTSA Newsletter I Issue 11 I April 2015
3
Message
Marshall Choir
from the President • Mary Pope
D
espite a snowy first day of Spring,
Marshall Choir shined on March 20
at the annual assessment held this year at
Madison High School. All four choirs—
men’s, women’s, treble, womens’ chamber
and the Statesmen Singers—scored straight
“1s” (the top score) and one judge even gave
the Statesmen Singers a perfect score!
This spring also saw the debut of two a
cappella groups—the Marshall Melodies
and Five-Star Fellas—who performed at
the Pre-Assessment concert on March 11.
Those two groups and the rest of
Marshall Choir will be back on stage in the
auditorium on June 4 and 5 at 7pm for the
Annual Pops Concert, which will feature
numbers big and small (and everywhere in
between) taken from the movies.
For tickets and other details please visit
http://gcmarshallchoral.org
I
n addition, Marshall Choir will be holding
its Spring Car Wash on Saturday,
April 11 at the Dunn Loring Sunoco
Service Center (2212 Gallows Road).
Choir members will wash your vehicle for
a donation, which will help support the
choir program’s various shows and activities
throughout the year. Bring us your grimy,
salty cars yearning to be clean!
—Doug Chapin
Marshall Choral Boosters
GCM Music Department Achieves Blue Ribbon Status
The Virginia Music Educators
Association (VMEA) is a nonprofit
organization whose mission is
to promote the advancement of
music education through schools
and other educational institutions.
The VMEA annually assesses
middle and high schools bands,
choirs and orchestras in Virginia,
much like the SOL assessments
common for other high school
coursework. Marshall High School
previously received Blue Ribbon
distinction in 2010 and 2011.
Thank you to the teachers behind
the success: (left to right) Paul
Vesilind, Director of Bands; Keri
Staley, Choral Director; Catherine
Bond, Orchestra Director.
Top Band, Choir,
Orchestra All Earn
“Superior” Ratings
M
arshall’s music department has
earned “Blue Ribbon” status
thanks to the outstanding performances of its top ensembles, who each
recently earned “Superior” ratings at
their respective VMEA state assessments.
BAND—The band has also earned “Honor Band” status since the Marching
Band scored a superior rating last fall.
ORCHESTRA—The Philharmonic Orchestra also received a Superior rating,
and the Sinfonia Orchestra was one of only 4 ensembles at the entire Orchestra
Assessment to receive STRAIGHT superior ratings!
CHOIR—All four choirs received all STRAIGHT Superior ratings and Statesmen Singers earned a perfect score from one judge!
GUITAR—Mr. Kulikosky took the Statesmen Guitar Ensemble to the Guitar
Assessment for the first time. They do not use a rating scale, but the judges
gave great compliments about the ensembles performance! It was a great first
experience for this new program!
—Doug Chapin
George C. Marshall High School I PTSA Newsletter I Issue 11 I April 2015
4
GCM Hospitality Committee Reports
I
n 2008, I was volunteering during a Field Day at Stenwood
Elementary school by the snow cone machine. As we were
standing there, I casually mentioned to a friend of mine who
shall remain nameless…Marcia Wise who is all the way to the
left in this picture…that I would like to be involved a little bit
more at the high school.
She visibly brightened (which I now realize was like the
face of a fisherman who just landed a big one) and explained
that, on the GCM Hospitality Committee, they were in need
of a third person to coordinate the food donations…remember, we were antiquated back then and Sign Up Genius was
just a twinkle in some computer geek’s eye.
From there, it was kind of like going downhill on a sled—
going faster and faster, the snow blowing up in your eyes…
you can’t see…you are getting more and more out of control
and faster and faster and all of a sudden…you hit a tree with
your head and you stop…you’re somewhat stunned because
after all, you hit your head…and then you realize that the fun,
thrilling ride is over.
The
Hospitality
Committee now
has more than
the three volunteers of those days…we have many worker bees who do a
fantastic job helping to coordinate Appreciations of Teachers,
Custodians, Administrative Assistants, Bus Drivers and more.
Sigh…but no one wants to be in charge. Trust me,
it’s not that hard. Sign Ups can be transferred, points of
contact introduced…and you can even give it a whirl before
this year ends, to see if it floats your boat…or sled.
I have had a great ride, loved most minutes of it, and
would do it all over again in a heartbeat. What about you?
Want to be more involved? Have a friend who would want to
share the job? Want to see me visibly brighten like Marcia?
Think about it, maybe wax your sled runners, and before
the snow melts, give it a try…take a ride!
—Mary Hagopian • [email protected]
T
he GCM PTSA Hospitality Committee began its 2015
season in February with the GCM Teacher and Staff
Valentine Appreciation Tea. Although there was very
little tea served (does bottled Snapple count?), there was
punch! We had hot foods including cocktail meatballs, pot
stickers, egg rolls and wings, a scrumptious chocolate fountain with all kinds of tidbits for dipping, and a wide array of
salads, sandwiches and desserts.
Many thanks to those who contributed all of the delectable foods, and to those who worked to help set up, serve and
clean up. Much appreciation to those of you who also took
the time to decorate your contributions in the loving spirit of
Valentine’s Day!
In February, Hospitality also celebrated Custodian
Appreciation and we served the 20 custodians a picnic
style lunch in their office space complete with checkered
tablecloths. Fried Chicken (well, really is was baked), coleslaw, potato salad, BBQ and more was laid out at about 2pm
to accommodate the incoming shift and outgoing shift of
those individuals who clean up after our children and keep
our newly renovated school looking its best.
And finally, we celebrated School Counselor
Appreciation with a lunch during the day when all the
Counselors stay late to meet and greet the myriad of eighth
graders and their parents as they visit the High School where
they will be attending next
year. Soup, salad, bread and
dessert was the fare as they
dined in their conference room space…I think they actually
held a meeting at the same time so it was a productive opportunity!
GCM Hospitality looks forward to Librarian
Appreciation in April along with our Principals and
Administrative Assistants Appreciation, and then it is on to
Teacher Appreciation in May and the End of Year Award’s
Ceremony in June. Thanks again to all who have contributed
and to all those who will in the future.
George C. Marshall High School I PTSA Newsletter I Issue 11 I April 2015
5
All Night Graduation Celebration (ANGC)
P
lanning for the All Night Graduation
Celebration (ANGC) has been ongoing since before the start of this school year!
The evening begins at 10:30 pm the day of
Graduation, Wednesday, June 17, and
ends at 4:30am on June 18.
ANGC is held at Spring Hill Rec Center
and is a fun filled, alcohol and drug free
celebration for all of our GCM Seniors to
savor their accomplishments in a festive
and safe environment.
There are prizes, games, food, a casino
and more! Much planning and preparation
occurs to reach a successful culmination
of this event including our ANGC Online
Auction, the largest fundraiser of our
committee.
Many thanks go to Alice Ferguson
and Shane Stahl, who spear headed this
effort, as well as the numerous individuals
who donated personal items, gift cards, or
services for the auction, walked the streets
of Georgetown and Tyson’s mall soliciting
GET
CONNECTED
to what is
going on at
Marshall!
Web: gcmptsa.org
Follow us on
Twitter
@GCMPTSA
for real time updates
goodies, and all those who invested their
time and energy into completing the myriad
of small jobs that needed to be done.
Special thanks to our GCM
Administration and our Principal, Jeff Litz,
for their overwhelming support of the event
and the Auction.
Whether you have a Senior this year,
or not, we encourage all parents/guardians
to help out that night…from dealing Black
Jack, to running a Bingo game, to sitting in
a chair ready to sound the alarm in case of
fire, to watching Seniors flail around trying
to grab money in the Money Machine, or
just helping to decorate the Rec Center…it
takes over 100 adult volunteers to manage
this evening and ensure a smooth and safe
night.
Please consider now volunteering to
help…anyone 18 and over is welcome
including college students home from
school. In May, we will send out a Sign Up
Genius for the various jobs divided into
two shifts as well as any non perishable
donations needed.
It’s a fun, action packed night and I
will make you a personal promise…you
will be glad you came and were a part of
it…Senior in your house or not!
Questions about
volunteering at ANGC?
Contact Mary Hagopian
[email protected]
George C. Marshall High School I PTSA Newsletter I Issue 11 I April 2015
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Marshall PTSA
Marshall
Best Buddies!
The Best Buddies
chapter at Marshall
would like to thank
all of those who have
supported its expansion, promotion, and
progress this year and
in years past! We continue to grow in both
numbers and passion
with every school year.
Look out for restaurant night fundraisers
this spring to help
support the chapter
in its mission to send
four officers this
summer to Best
Buddies Leadership
Conference at Indiana
University—an intensive four days of
learning and experiences. We appreciate
your support!
6
Student Course Selection Process
D
uring February, the PTSA teamed up with Student
Services and the Davis Center to help kick-off the
2015-16 student course selection process. Counselors were
positioned in the lobby, all set up with freshly baked Davis
Center star cookies, ready to answer questions and encourage
students to hone their talents, goals, and interests by taking at
least one honors or IB class.
At right, Director of Student Services Cindy Blakeley
greets students with cookies, a smile, and enouragement during the course selection process.
Culinary Arts
Congratulations to Chef Devlin and his
Culinary Arts students for winning this year’s
Feeding Academic Success Culinary Challenge!
F
or the past three years, Real Food for Kids has hosted this
culinary challenge. This year’s event was held at Marshall
High School on Tuesday, March 10. The schools that
competed were Chantilly Academy, Edison Academy and
Marshall Academy. Judging this year’s event was: Michelle
Poteaux, chef and owner of Bastille Restaurant; Jay Comfort,
Executive chef of Lebanese Taverna; Maria Perrone, chef,
FCPS Food and Nutrition Services and an RDN Specialist;
Ben Press, a Madison High School student and a Real Food
For Kids board representative; Harris LaTeef, a Langley high
school student and FCPS School Board representative. Chef
Bonnie Moore was Mistress of Ceremonies.
The challenge was for the culinary classes to come up
with a healthy “grab and go” entrée. The goal is to be able
to find and incorporate healthy, affordable meals into FCPS
cafeterias.
CONNECT WITH US on PTSA website: gcmptsa.org
Like us on Facebook: “George C. Marshall PTSA.”
. Now you can also follow your PTSA on Twitter
@GCMPTSA for real-time updates and prove to
yourself that you have not been left behind!
Real Food for Kids was
established by parents who
were concerned about what
their kids were eating in
school. The focus on this organization is to get schools to use
fresh and healthy foods that
taste good, rather than heavily
processed foods.
With their Oriental Grilled Chicken Salad with Sesame
Ginger Dipping Sauce Glaze, Soba Noodles, and Vegetable
Salad with Toasted Sesame Seeds, Marshall Academy
Culinary Arts won the Five Star Award (first place) in this
challenge as well as “Taster’s Choice”! The Marshall Academy
Culinary students: Brian Andrade (McLean HS), Alex Cerda
Obando (Marshall HS), Anthony Panetta (Langley HS), and
Stephen Pungello (Langley HS) were each presented a $200
cash award, a Wüsthof Chef ’s knife, Wüsthof paring knife,
and Williams-Sonoma kitchenware.
—Kandi Brown
Administrative Asst. Marshall HS Academy
George C. Marshall High School I PTSA Newsletter I Issue 11 I April 2015
7
Regional Science Fair
C
ongratulations to our Marshall Scientists. Every one of
our students who was able to go to the Regional Science
Fair, held March 20-22 at Robinson Secondary School,
received one or more awards.
The following students won first place awards
in their categories.
•
The team of Shah Saeed and David Ignacio
•
Maxwell Carpenter
•
Julia Walker
Earning a 3rd Place Award:
•
They are eligible to go to the State Science Fair, held at
VMI on March 27-28, 2015:
The team of Devyn Lee and Emeline Walker, who also
received a certificate of merit from the American Water
Works Association
•
Salim Roustom
•
Andrew Cowen in Animal Sciences
•
Alex Cherney
•
The team of Joey Welsh and Jacob Han in
Animal Sciences
•
•
Katey Noone in Physics and Astronomy
The team of Omar Safsaf and Gareth Ramsey, who
also received an invitation to the Herndon Science
Competition from the Aerospace Corporation
•
Abby McShane in Plant Sciences
Earning a 2nd place award:
•
Ashwin Arora, who also received a 3rd place book
award and subscription to Chance Magazine from the
Washington Statistical Society
•
Margaret McAden, who also received a $25 gift card from
the Society of Women Engineers
•
Lydia Rees, who also received a certificate of merit from
the Patent and Trademark Office Society
•
Tatiana Brown, who
also received a first
place $1300 and an
invitation to a banquet
from the Armed Forces
Communications and
Electronics Association
•
The team of Inga Schlier
and Olivia Barrand
•
The team of Kevin
Fogarty and Jack Jones
•
Ryan Laughrey, who
also received $100 for a
“Rodger H. Flagg
Memorial Award for
Innovation” from
Express Search
Receiving an Honorable Mention:
•
Elnaz Ghajar-Rahimi, who also received a certificate of
Achievement in Optics and Photonics from the Optical
Society of America
•
Sam Hassett
—Janet L. Kahn
Below, Marshall students celebrate a job well done at the
Regional Science Fair.
George C. Marshall High School I PTSA Newsletter I Issue 11 I April 2015
8
Message
Treasurer’s
from
Report
the President • Mary Pope
Dollar$ & Cent$
T
he school year is almost ¾ complete
and the PTSA has been busy aptly
utilizing money raised through your
membership dues and donations. We’ve
already used over $17,000 of our $36,000
budget. The major areas for which PTSA
disburses money are Student, Staff &
Facility Enrichment representing 87% of
our total budget, and PTSA State & County
Dues and expenses comprising the remaining 13% of our budget—even the PTSA
must render unto Caesar.
So far this year, the PTSA has
supported the following groups and activities with monetary contributions: FBLA,
Best Buddies, DECA, Model UN, Hugh
O’Brian Scholarship, Senior Ethics Day,
International Night, Academic Letters.
We’ve also provided a substantial
amount of money to purchase items on
Teachers’ Wishlists that are just not covered
in either the school’s or County’s budgets.
Some of the items we were able to help
finance are:
•
Electrical test kits for the Automotive
Technology program
•
Augmentative speech device for the
special education program
•
Cameras for the IB Film class, public
address systems for the Fine &
Performing Arts program
•
Classroom library books for both the
English department and the IB Math
program
•
3D Printing Supplies for the Tech
Education program
•
Leveled readers for the ESOL program
•
Software for instructional technology
and algebra
•
We were also able to purchase a foosball
table for the Teacher’s Lounge!
Our Hospitality committee has hosted
events almost monthly to show our appreciation for School Staff, Bus Drivers, Food
Service Workers, Science Fair Judges and
more. In addition, our Beautification
committee has provided plants to spruce
up the Sr. Courtyard as well as supplies for
an Eagle Scout project to construct a Cold
Frame in the Senior Courtyard where it will
be easily accessible to the Culinary program.
Planned expenditures for the remainder of the year include contributions for:
Senior Baccalaureate, Freshman Retreat,
Sophomore Class Event, Junior Focus Day,
Virginia Science Fair entrants and end-ofyear awards for Teacher and Staff Member
of the year as well as the Debbie Witherow
Award that recognizes a student who is
considered an unsung hero or silent soldier.
So if you’re not yet a member of PTSA,
it’s not too late to join and have your
membership dues make an immediate
impact to an activity that will directly affect
your child.
Have questions about anything in
this article? Feel free to contact your
PTSA Treasurer, Linda Baker (treasurer@
GCMPTSA.org). Better yet, come to the
next PTSA meeting on Monday, April 13
at 7:00pm in the school Library.
SAT-ACT
Test Prep
Continuing our partnership with Catalyst
Test Prep, we held a
successful diagnostic
SAT/ACT exam on
February 28. Students
took a full length
exam with questions
from both the SAT
and ACT in an attempt
to determine the best
test to focus their
preparation efforts.
A “score back night”
was available for
participants to explain the results on
Wednesday, March 18.
We will offer another
SAT weekend bootcamp the weekend
of April 25 and 26
before the May SAT.
Registration information will be available
in the Blast.
Questions? email
christinekenny@
verizon.net
—Linda Baker
[email protected]
Standards of Learning (SOL) End of Year tests will begin in May.
(See page 11 for more dates and details). Due to the large number of
students taking these tests and the number of International Baccalaureate (IB) tests also being given in May, the SOLs will be administered
over several weeks.
George C. Marshall High School I PTSA Newsletter I Issue 11 I April 2015
9
Marshall International Night was a Great Success!
T
he GCM PTSA held an incredible International
Night on Thursday, February 5. A planning
committee worked for several months to ensure
the program was delivered flawlessly. There were
booths and displays from countries and regions.
The food selection was amazing. Hundreds of
students and families attended the event.
Several area international restaurants
participated, including: Bombay Tandoor, Pure
Pasty, Natta Thai, Lebanese Taverna, Maggios,
Neighbors, and more. After the food and cultural
displays, participants were entertained by a multicultural talent show. Our community at Marshall is
remarkably diverse with students who were born
in 82 different countries.
We had a great turnout at International Night
and hope to see you all again next year!
George C. Marshall High School I PTSA Newsletter I Issue 11 I April 2015
10
George C. Marshall Museum Launched!
T
he George C. Marshall Museum and
its opening exhibition, “George C.
Marshall—Student, Statesman and His
Legacy,” debuted last month along with the
high school’s Grand Reopening. Marshall
High School is a “key element in Gen.
Marshall’s legacy” and the Museum is a
“work in progress,” explained history teacher
Tom Brannan. The opening exhibition is
a tribute to the creativity and energy of a
dozen students, many of them members
of the Social Studies Honor Society,” said
Brannan, “and to the steady support from
Principal Jeff Litz.”
The opening exhibition, “George C.
Marshall—Student, Statesman and His
Legacy,” features three exhibits: Marshall’s
“Early Years” growing up in Uniontown, PA,
where he admits to being a not-very-good
student, except in history; “The Marshall
Plan,” including a display of six colorful
posters by European artists in
1950 promoting their countries’ participation; and the
“Marshall Legacy” featuring
photographs and artifacts from
the 1962-63 opening year of
Marshall High School, including correspondence from Mrs.
Katherine Tupper Marshall and
former President Harry S. Truman.
The Marshall Museum Project has
received encouragement from the George C.
Marshall International Center in Leesburg,
Va. and the George C. Marshall Foundation
and Research Center in Lexington, Va. “We
hope to build on those relationships to
benefit our students by bringing significant
artifacts from General Marshall’s military
and diplomatic career to our new museum,”
said Brannan.
The Museum is located just inside the
lobby of door 13. It will be open for the April
24 Activities Fair for rising 9th graders; a
regular
schedule
of hours
for
visitors
is under
development.
Principal Litz,
Tom Brannan and
Marshall Museum
student
participants
find artifacts on
a recent trip to
Lexington, Va.
George C. Marshall High
School is the only high
school in the nation which
bears the 1953 Nobel
Prize winner’s name.
Quotes from
student museum
participants:
“I’ve been walking
the halls of GCM for
2 years, but this was
the first experience to
give me insight into
the history about the
man who shaped
the values of
George C. Marshall
High School ”
—Shromona
Mondal
“It was interesting
learning about
Marshall’s younger
years in Pennsylvania. I feel really
proud of what we’ve
accomplished for the
school.”
—Otilia Lampman
Upcoming SOL Testing Dates
SOL
Students will test as follows:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
May 12—Students in IB English 1 classes test: English Reading SOL
May 13—Students in English 11 classes test: English Reading SOL
May 19—7th period—Students in 7th period SOL classes test
May 22—1st period—Students in 1st period SOL classes test
May 26—2nd period—Students in 2nd period SOL classes test
May 27—3rd period—Students in 3rd period SOL classes test
May 28—4th period—Students in 4th period SOL classes test
May 29—5th period—Students in 5th period SOL classes test
June 1—6th period—Students in 6th period SOL classes test
June 2 –June 5—makeup and retesting
George C. Marshall High School I PTSA Newsletter I Issue 11 I April 2015
P
lease do not make appointments for your
student or plan to take your student out
of school during these important test times.
If you have questions, contact your student’s
counselor or the MTAC offices:
Barbara Carlson • 703-714-5462
Mark Fredenburg • 703-714-5543
Tim Kane • 703-714-5542
—Barbara A. Carlson
School Test Coordinator
11
DECA Dominates at State Competition!
Forty-one out of forty-nine students earn
recognition for their outstanding achievement
and candidate for VA DECA State Action Team
wins FCPS DECA Region 2 Vice President
O
n March 3, 49 marketing students from George C.
Marshall High School and Academy attended the
DECA State Leadership Conference in Virginia Beach, Va.
A breakdown of the results:
1st Place Winners/State Champions:
*Qualify for ICDC
• Lithe Abushaikha—Human Resource Management
• Noah Daniel—Principles of Business Management and
Administration
• Gillian McIntyre—Buying and Merchandising Team
Decision Making
• Belle Sexton—Buying and Merchandising Team
Decision Making
• Brenda Henriquez—Principles of Hospitality & Tourism
Finalists: *Qualify for ICDC
• Kristen Fritzeen—Apparel & Accessories Marketing
Series
• Liam Colwell—Professional Selling Event
• Surya Mehta—Quick Service Restaurant Management
• Logan Murtha—Advertising Campaign
• Kevin Fogarty—Advertising Campaign
• Claire Heiden—Advertising Campaign
• Sean Hoffman—Marketing Communications Team Decision Making
• Tarek Saoud—Marketing Communications Team Decision Making
• Caroline Mubiru—Marketing Communications Team Decision Making
• Rachel Shaw—Marketing Communications Team Decision Making
• Sam Hassett—Fashion Merchandising Promotion Plan
• Sarah Cole—Fashion Merchandising Promotion Plan
• Nicholas Sherr—Principles of Hospitality and Tourism
• Maddie Choi—Principles of Marketing
• Thando Muchemenyi—Hospitality Services Team Decision Making
• Ally Ramella—Hospitality Services Team Decision Making
• Drew Cameron—Buying and Merchandising Team Decision Making
• Addie Clark—Buying and Merchandising Team Decision Making
• Arman Khan—Principles of Finance
• Tatiana Brown—Hotel and Lodging Management Series
• Joey Welsh—Business Finance Series
Above, seasoned DECA GCM Competitors
shine at the March 2015 DECA State
Leadership Conference.
At left, Kevin Fogarty, Claire Heiden,
and Logan Murtha (left to right)
campaign to help Claire Heiden win
FPCS DECA Region 2 VP.
(continued)
• Morgan Stahl—Sports and Entertainment
Promotion Plan
• Charlie Dziedzic—Business Finance Series
• Owen Crizer—Sports and Entertainment Promotion Plan
• Kate Bock—Sports and Entertainment Promotion Plan
Notables: *These students earned top 10 honors in
freshmen-only Fundamentals Events
• Sydney Jones—Social Media
• Maya Casey—Job Interview
• Corrine Polk-Trauman—Job Interview
• Damir Hrnjez—Selling
• Alexandra Stadler—Social Media
Runners-up:
•
•
•
•
•
*ICDC Alternates
Andrew McDonald—Sports and Entertainment Marketing Series
Caroline Hammond—Food Marketing Series
Kiran Sullivan— Principles of Marketing
Teddy Daniel— Principles of Finance
Shreeyas Satish Kumar—Principles of Finance
For additional information about Virginia DECA,
visit http://www.vadeca.org
George C. Marshall High School I PTSA Newsletter I Issue 11 I April 2015
—Angie Rogers • [email protected]
12
Marshall FBLA’s Operation: Pack It Up!
G
eorge C. Marshall Future Business Leaders of America
(FBLA) was able to “step up to the challenge” this school
year by initiating Operation: Pack It Up, a military care
packaging event, as a way to make a meaningful impact on
both local and international communities. This project was
significant to several FBLA members, as many of them have
family and friends who are actively serving in the military.
Caitlin Dickson, Anna Shipman, and Angela Zadrima
were the three project leaders in charge of organizing this
community service project. FBLA was put into contact with
Major Mariah Taylor, who is currently stationed in Kuwait,
through Colonel John Leggieri (an army veteran known by
a parent of an FBLA member). After corresponding with
Colonel Leggieri and Major Taylor, we were excited to have
the rewarding opportunity to send military care packages to
Camp Beuhring. The original goal of
the project was to send 30 care packages to troops stationed in Kuwait,
and to raise $700 to cover shipping
costs and extra supplies.
After reaching out to local businesses such as The Fresh
Market in Vienna and Cornerstone Government Affairs
(Colonel Leggieri’s employer) as well as Marshall’s PTSA,
we were pleased to receive overwhelming support from
the community, allowing us to surpass our original goals.
We shipped 60 care packages and fundraised over $1,500.
Marshall FBLA was able to “Step Up to the Challenge” with
Operation: Pack It Up as a result of our dedicated and
enthusiastic members and the outpour of communal support.
—Anna Shipman
2014-15 Marshall PTSA Board Members
President – Mary Pope
Vice President – Debbie Tosi
Treasurer – Linda Baker
Secretary – Margaret Walter
Standing PTSA Committees
Activities Booster
Joan Sahlgren
All Night Grad
Patty Coppola
Cheryl Elder
Baccalaureate
Helen Schaefer
Band Booster
Barb Cressman
Beautification
Amy Anderson
Choral Booster
Doug Chapin
Communications
Polly Colwell
County Council •
Legislation
Representative
Julie Heiden
Directory
Tatiana Glennie
Fundraising
Christine Kenny
Grocery Rewards
Maureen Quattrocki
Hospitality
Mary Hagopian
Mary Chapin
Alison Koludrovic
Grace Boinay
Mary Krafft
International Night
Nancy Garcia
Annie Klockner
Liaison Kilmer
Adrienne Fenley
Newsletter
Jennifer Church
Aisha Kashif
Orchestra Booster
Barb Cressman
Liaison
Longfellow
— OPEN —
Parliamentarian
Julie Heiden
Liaison Thoreau
Mary Williams
Public Relations
Joanne Paul
MAEF
Kathryn Culbertson
Marilu Plata
Senior Ethics Day
— OPEN —
Membership
Barb Perlowski
George C. Marshall High School I PTSA Newsletter I Issue 11 I April 2015
Valentine Tea
Grace Boinay
Volunteers
Maureen Quattrocki
Web Curator
Polly Colwell
Special Education
Barb LaMonaca
Theatre Boosters
Doug Chapin
13