Fairfax County will be getting a new superintendent at the end of the school year in response to the retirement of current superintendent Jack Dale.
The search firm Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates was commissioned by the School Board to search for a new superintendent by collecting input from employees, parents, and the Fairfax County community.
Principal Jay Pearson, along with other high school and middle school principals, collectively provided feedback for the qualities the school board wants in a superintendent.
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In an effort to promote the information technology field, the Computer Science club hosted an information and activity session at Kilmer Middle School on Feb. 11.
A club that focuses on exposure to the IT field and implementing cheap technology solutions, the Computer Science club was started three years ago by senior Sherif Sarhan in an effort to “create a community for students to have a place where they can learn more about computers,” Sarhan said.
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Teen artists recently submitted their best creations to the Scholastic Art & Writing competition designed for artists, photographers and writers.
Several different types of prizes can be awarded to those who submit, beginning with recognition in either a regional or a national award. Each of these types of recognition consists of a gold, silver and honorable mention category.
According to the Scholastic website, artandwriting.org, “approximately seven to ten percent of all regional submissions are recognized with Gold Key Awards and all are considered for national-level recognition.”
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The CyberPatriots team, sponsored by Jason Simeon, is sending two teams of students to the national finals competition of cyber-security on March 17.
Because the team has a high number of members, they will be sending two teams to the competition to compete against each other and against other teams from all over the United States and some from Canada.
At the semi-finals cyber competition, two Marshall teams were placed in the top twelve, and therefore both teams will be competing in the national competition.
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After a one year gap, students interested in medical science have a club again. Although the club technically existed last year, it was inactive due to lack of interest.

The medical science club plans on studying and doing activities based on and around particular illnesses by investigating them and watching videos about them.

The club essentially exists to give students a background in the knowledge they will need for a medical job.

“One major activity is to show students what goes on in a [medical] job,” club sponsor and science teacher Sunny Nieh said.

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Just like the rest of voting America, the Young Democrat and Young Republican clubs are counting down the days until the elections. But for them, that day will be less important than those leading up to it.

These remaining weeks before the elections will be filled with canvassing, phone banking and other activities to support their respective candidates, in an effort to affect the election in a way that will have more of an effect than simply voting would.

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The start of a new school year brought renewal to the Marshall Anime Club. Designed to provide a friendly environment for students interested in the unique styles of Japanese animation, the club has undergone major “revisions” this year according to club Vice-President Alexis Benjamin, senior.

Anime, unlike western animation, is characterized by its exaggerated physical features, stylized facial expressions, and outrageous actions. Much of the art style of anime is influenced by traditional Japanese calligraphy and painting.

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In celebration of Marshall’s 50th anniversary, a Gala will be held on Nov. 9. As well as providing a reunion for alumni and involved parents, the event will serve as a fundraiser for the new space created by recent renovations.

The Gala will “provide an opportunity to celebrate a milestone in this school’s history,” principal Jay Pearson said. “It’s a chance to look back, and also look forward.”

Planning for the event began last year, event chair Malou Rennert said. The theme decided on for the event will be “Fifty Years under Five Stars.”

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May 21 marked the end of an era for students currently taking drama or band classes.

On that day, the auditorium and band classrooms began the process of a complete renovation. New seating, carpets and walls are just a few of the expected changes. The construction is tentatively slated to end in late November of this year, although all school activities that use the rooms will most likely need to use an alternative venue for the first half of next school year.

For now, the whole place is undergoing a process of being stripped “down to its bare bones,” band director Paul Vesilind said.
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Sophomores Ann Bryan and Emily Casey received a bronze medal at the International Sustainable World Energy Engineering Environment Project Olympiad, which took place May 3 to 7.

“They had a great idea and they ran with it and they worked very hard to work together,” science teacher Joelle Lastica said.

Lastica added that Bryan and Casey’s project was an example of how far students can advance with their project.
The team’s project looked at how to purify water. It did so by evaporating water multiple times.

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