People might judge Marshall by the outside of the building, but our statesmen are the ones that really let us stand out. The National Merit Scholarship Program picks national semifinalists each year in every state based on their PSAT state scores. The semi finalists are narrowed down to 1600 fromContinue Reading

The thought of video cameras lurking in the corners of school cafeterias and lobbies may soon become a reality for FCPS. The rash of food fights last spring at high schools across the county spurred the High School Principals Association to petition the school board for indoor surveillance cameras inContinue Reading

After getting elected to the Student Government Association,  sophomores Will Ferrer, Sarah Kenny, Daniel LaBarbera and juniors Emily Sexton and Kevin Lam plan to accomplish far more than overseeing homecoming.     “Planning, running and kind of dealing with all of homecoming” is the group’s primary responsibility, SGA sponsor Matt Axelrod said.Continue Reading

Robert Hanson joined the administration as the first dean of students.
He serves as a “resource” to manage attendance and academic performance.
When beginning the three year–long construction, manageability needed to be more “proactive” than “reactive.”
“When you have so many people, you have to be accountable of what students are doing,” Hanson said.
Hanson’s position is specifically geared towards the student population.
“I work with tardies, lateness to school, attendance,” Hanson said. “I also I have a schedule of kids with three or more D’s and F’s.”
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A drastic decrease in parking options are leaving certain students, who were once able to drive to school, to find other ways to first block on time.
In the past, any student with a license and a car was able to apply for a parking pass. However, this year a decision was made by the administration to hold a lottery for the 45 parking spaces available to students. This lottery was only open to seniors.
“It was basically just pulling names out of a hat, except that we did it through a computer,” security specialist Steven Williams said.
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One of the contenders in the up coming FCPS school board election can trace his political roots straight to Marshall: Ryan McElveen was Marshall’s class of 2004’s senior president.
The 25 year-old McElveen, the GCM alumnus whose father teaches at Kilmer Middle School, is looking to replicate the Marshall experience throughout Fairfax County and to give a voice to student concerns.
“I’ve been a student advocate and we really need that perspective on the school board,” he said. “My goal is to… give students more of a voice.”
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Senior IB students recently learned of the departure of English teacher and IB coordinator Eston Melton. Carlota Shewchuk, world language and fellow IB coordinator, replaced Melton as IB coordinator for the class of 2012. Melton now serves as the assistant principal at West Potomac high school.
With Melton’s departure, a role opened for history teacher Matt Axelrod, who has taught both AP and IB classes, as IB coordinator for the class of 2013.
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A museum dedicated to the school’s namesake will be unveiled along with a display of letters and relics concerning the 50th U.S. Secretary of State.
When architects began planning renovations two years ago, it was principal Jay Pearson’s idea to ask if a museum could be included in the renovation plans.
The school already had a display, Pearson said, so “why don’t we kick it up a notch and add a museum?”
The idea was inspired by a box of letters Pearson discovered while he was assistant principal, which “were written from the school to many of George C. Marshall’s contemporaries.”
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FCPS Superintendent Jack Dale proposed ten modifications to the county’s disciplinary procedures after “listening to … parents and members of the community,” Dale said in a press release late March. The school board subsequently adopted Dale’s proposals in principle, though the specific implementation has yet to be determined. “It prettyContinue Reading

After its recent first place win at the Spring trip in Chicago, band is back and preparing for its spring concert taking place next Tuesday. The preparations for the spring concert have been slightly skewered because of the strange timing of the spring trip to Chicago and the spring breakContinue Reading