Stafford County Public Schools offers high school programs that teach students vocational skills in several fields. The Culinary Arts program, offered at Stafford, Brooke Point, and Mountainview High Schools, provides students the opportunity to learn basic cooking techniques, work in a real-world setting, and gain valuable industry certifications.Â
Stafford High School’s Chef Josh Raven said the program aims to educate students not only in cooking, but also in the essential skills required for a successful career in the food industry. Raven, who took on the role of Culinary Arts instructor during the COVID-19 pandemic, has over 25 years of experience in fine dining, corporate kitchens, catering, and fast food. He said the only challenge of leading the program is simply having enough space for the number of students who want to join.Â
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Juliocesar Flores, a senior at Potomac High School, achieved success in regional and state FBLA competitions and earned second place at the National Leadership Conference. He attributes his accomplishments to the guidance of his teacher, Felix Sandy, and the skills gained through FBLA as he prepares to pursue a career in business.
Press Release from Prince William County Public Schools:
Juliocesar Flores, a senior at Potomac High School, has achieved significant success by participating in conferences offered by the world’s largest business career and technical student organization, the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). As a junior, Flores won in accounting at both the regional and state levels, which led him to the FBLA’s National Leadership Conference, where he placed second.
“After placing first at regionals and at states respectively, I qualified as one of four students to represent the state of Virginia at nationals” Juliocesar stated. “With hard work, support from family and my school, I competed and placed second out of over 200 competitors from all 50 states in the country. In addition, Canada and China were also represented.”
Flores credits his passion for accounting to his sophomore year teacher and mentor, Felix Sandy. In Sandy’s class, Flores gained knowledge about the fundamentals of accounting and their impact on businesses, society, and the world.
The following year, Flores continued his passion and enrolled in the Advanced Accounting course offered at Potomac High. This course not only provided additional instruction and exposure in the field of accounting but also allowed Flores to become a trusted advisor to his peers, further developing his leadership skills.
Flores credits the FBLA with teaching him valuable skills “such as organization and reasoning.” The FBLA aims to arm students with the ability to leave the educational system and be better equipped for the professional world. Their mission is to “inspire and prepare students to become community-minded business leaders in a global society through relevant career preparation and leadership experiences.”
Flores aspires to further his knowledge to pursue opportunities in the business realm, and therefore, striving to leave his mark on the world. He believes that “success is never-ending, nor is failure ever final.”
Read more about the participation of other PWCS students at the FBLA national conference.
Press release:
The University of Mary Washington and George Mason University have renewed existing partnerships designed to accelerate student success and open the door to additional agreements between the two schools beginning as early as next year.
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Press Release:
The Claude Moore Charitable Foundation (CMCF) has granted $75,000 to UVA Health to support its mission to build a strong foundation of healthcare workers in the Culpeper Region. The grant is for a Regional Collaborative Program Coordinator, who will be the central point of contact for the new initiative that will enhance and strengthen connections among key Culpeper stakeholders in education and healthcare.
UVA Health is leading the effort in conjunction with Culpeper County Public Schools, Culpeper County Government, and Germanna Community College. Their goal is to build a sustainable pipeline of talent to support the healthcare needs of individuals in the UVA Health footprint.
The Culpeper Regional Collaborative is designed to overcome current challenges in the area by creating programs that expose students to healthcare careers and offer educational opportunities early in academic careers. It also will prepare high school teachers to teach medical terminology to better prepare graduating students for entry-level healthcare careers and/or entry into college with the credentials to move directly into healthcare degree programs.
Another pillar of the program will be to prepare and provide dual-enrollment educators who can support both high school academic needs and meet community college academic requirements for healthcare education.
“Claude Moore is excited to help UVA Health launch this new collaborative for the Culpeper region, and see this program as a great example of building a healthcare ecosystem that will benefit the entire area and all of its residents,” said J. Lambert, CEO of CMCF.
“We are more than grateful for the support of the Claude Moore Foundation in our efforts to help fill gaps in healthcare needs here in the Culpeper region. With this grant, we can better support those who need quality healthcare and those who want to create a successful career in healthcare,” said Donna Staton, Chief Operating Officer UVA Health Culpeper Medical Center and Chief Operating Officer, UVA Health’s community medical centers and clinics in Northern Virginia and Culpeper.
CMCF is a recognized leader in the healthcare workforce field in Virginia and has invested more than $24 million in workforce programs and initiatives designed to provide entry points and advancement in healthcare careers.
The Claude Moore Charitable Foundation
Founded in 1987, The Claude Moore Charitable Foundation’s mission is to provide assistance exclusively for charitable and educational purposes. In addition to the annual support for the Loudoun County Education System and local charities, significant contributions have also been made to the Claude Moore Heritage Farm Park, the University of Virginia School of Medicine, University of Virginia School of Nursing, the University of Virginia Medical Library, the Roanoke Higher Education Center, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center at Washington Dulles International Airport, James Madison’s Montpelier, Inova Health Systems, and the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties.
For more information, please visit www.claudemoorefoundation.org
Falmouth Elementary School’s parents received an email on July 10 from Dr. Sallie Burch advising that she would resign as Principal effective July 31. Dr. Burch said after 12 years in Stafford County Public Schools, stating briefly that she would be leaving to pursue a new opportunity.
Burch served as Assistant Principal at Falmouth from 2012 to 2015 before becoming Principal in 2015. Burch thanked the community for their support through the years, saying, “The school will continue to thrive and achieve great things with the continued dedication of this wonderful community.” According to her LinkedIn profile, Burch also serves as a part-time Longwood University Supervisor for student teachers.
Mary Foreman will be the interim Principal for Falmouth. Stafford Schools Spokesperson Sandra Osborn said Foreman is a veteran Stafford Schools administrator with over 25 years of experience. Foreman served as the assistant principal at Falmouth ES for five years before becoming the principal of Stafford Elementary School for 19 years. Osborne said Foreman is currently at Falmouth ES, working with Burch and Assistant Principal Tia Gilliam-Wilson to ensure a smooth opening of the new school year.
Children in kindergarten through 5th grade attend Falmouth Elementary. The school boasts an enrollment of nearly 730 students.
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Virginia Military Institute (VMI) received 5 stars; William & Mary (W&M), University of Virginia (UVA) and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VA Tech) all received 4.5 stars.
Money Magazine uses a unique star rating system and includes metrics like the net price of a degree, average borrowing rates, and median earnings. It also calculates "value add" to measure a school’s actual performance against predicted outcomes, assessing how effectively a college impacts graduates' success.
