News of the achievements of local students and members of the Armed Forces.
** William Welch of Oakton has received academic honors for the academic year at Saint Francis University, where he is studying organizational leadership.
** Kristin Joostema of Great Falls, who currently is pursuing a master of physician-assistant-studies degree, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship by Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) to attend graduate school at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
Joostema graduated in May 2020 from the University of Richmond, where she was involved with ODK as service chair and in other capacities while working as a certified nurse assistant in assisted-living and memory-care units.
** A total of 408 Fairfax County Public Schools students earned the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, and 58 students earned the IB Career-Related Certificate during the 2020-21 school year, county school leaders announced recently.
The IB Diploma Program is a two-year program for juniors and seniors that comprises a core curriculum and six subject groups. Students complete internal and external assessments as well as exams, community service and a 4,000-word extended essay.
Students who earned the IB diploma attended Annandale, Edison, Justice, Lewis, George C. Marshall, Mount Vernon and South Lakes high schools and Robinson Secondary School.
The IB Career-Related Program enables students to pursue a career and technical education field of interest in addition to taking IB courses. Students who earned the IB Career-Related Certificate attended Lewis, Mount Vernon and South Lakes high schools.
** The Fairfax County School Board has contracted human-resources firm GR Recruiting to conduct a nationwide search for the next superintendent of the county’s school system, officials announced Oct. 22.
The company will begin working with the School Board immediately to ensure Superintendent Scott Brabrand’s successor is selected and in place by July 1, 2022.
“We look forward to working with GR Recruiting in the months ahead,” said School Board Chairman Stella Pekarsky (Sully District). “It is critically important that we have a robust search process with meaningful participation from parents, students, staff and the community to help determine the characteristics we are looking for in our next superintendent and ultimately hire the best person to lead our school division into the future.”
GR Recruiting has a proven record of hiring top-quality education candidates across the nation, Fairfax County Public Schools officials said. The School Board selected the company based on its depth of superintendent-search experience with large K-12 school districts, its understanding of the community-engagement process and its focus on future transition support for the School Board and new superintendent.
Brabrand in July announced he would not seek an extension of his current contract when it expires at the end of the 2021-22 school year. He will continue as superintendent until June 30 next year to assist the School Board with the transition.