Washington County Public Schools

🎉 Celebrating Our WCPS Retirees Today, we had the honor of celebrating some truly incredible individuals at our WCPS Retirement Reception -- staff members who have dedicated their time, talent, and heart to our schools, students, and community. From classrooms to cafeterias, buses to offices, their impact has been felt in every corner of our division. While we'll miss seeing them every day, we know they're off to well-earned adventures, relaxation, and maybe even a few late mornings! Thank you for your service, your smiles, and your commitment to Washington County Public Schools.

Say Cheese Our 8th grade Ag Science students at Glade Spring Middle School traded textbooks for taste buds -- by making their very own mozzarella cheese! From science to snacks, these students are learning how farm-fresh ingredients turn into delicious results!

☀️ Free Summer Meals Washington County Public Schools is excited to announce two great meal programs this summer for all children and teens 18 and under! On-Site Meals in June: Stop by one of four WCPS locations for free breakfast and lunch – no-sign up needed. Just come and enjoy your meal, and fuel up for summer fun. No application required. Please Note: Meals must be eaten on-site. Grab-and-Go Meals in June and July: Thanks to our partnership with Feeding Southwest Virginia, families have the opportunity to pick up multiple Grab-and-Go breakfasts and suppers at various locations – no need to stay onsite and eat! Children do NOT need to be present for meal pick-up. Enrollment is required through Feeding Southwest Virginia - forms will be available at each pick-up site. In addition, a QR code will be shared in the near future to sign up for Grab-and-Go meals before the first meal distribution date. You may only get meals from one location. 📅 Check out our full schedule for locations, dates, and times in the graphics below. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ☀️ Comidas de verano gratis ¡Las Escuelas Públicas del Condado de Washington se complacen en anunciar dos excelentes programas de comidas este verano para todos los niños y adolescentes menores de 18 años! Comidas en junio: Pase por una de las cuatro ubicaciones de WCPS para disfrutar de desayuno y almuerzo gratis; no es necesario registrarse. Simplemente venga y disfrute de su comida y recargue energías para la diversión del verano. No se requiere solicitud. Tenga en cuenta: las comidas deben consumirse en el lugar. Comidas para llevar en junio y julio: Gracias a nuestra asociación con Feeding Southwest Virginia, las familias tienen la oportunidad de recoger múltiples desayunos y cenas para llevar en varios lugares, ¡sin necesidad de quedarse en el lugar y comer! Los niños NO necesitan estar presentes para recoger la comida. Se requiere inscripción a través de Feeding Southwest Virginia; los formularios estarán disponibles en cada sitio de recogida. Además, en un futuro próximo se compartirá un código QR para registrarse para recibir comidas para llevar antes de la primera fecha de distribución de comidas. Solo puede recibir comidas en un lugar. 📅 Consulte nuestro calendario completo para conocer ubicaciones, fechas y horarios en los gráficos a continuación.

Students in Mr. Burress's Auto Collision class at the Washington County Career & Technical Education Center have outdone themselves - just look at this beautifully restored 1951 Ford! With hours of hard work, craftsmanship, and attention to detail, these talented students brought this classic car back to life - and the proud owner couldn't be happier! This project is more than just shiny chrome and fresh paint -- it's a showcase of real-world skills, teamwork, and dedication.

Rolling into School It was a picture-perfect morning for the recent Damascus Middle School Roll into School event, led by Communities in Schools SSC, Brandon Dale! 25 students and several parents kicked off their day with a bike ride from Damascus Town Park to DMS! Huge thanks to Adventure Damascus for providing bikes, helmets, and support, and to the Town of Damascus employees for keeping everyone safe along the way.

Stay Connected Be sure to check out the latest edition of The Washington Way! It's our division newsletter to help you stay updated with what is going on across the WCPS system. Visit this link to read the news: https://shorturl.at/nVcz8

We Want Your Feedback WCPS invites parents and families to review potential math textbooks for upcoming use in our classrooms. The textbooks are currently on display at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center and will remain available for review until early June. While you're there, look for the flyer onsite with a QR code that links directly to our feedback form. We appreciate your input!

WCPS Alumni Spotlight: Bryson Senter ~ John S. Battle High School ~ Class of 2020. We are thrilled to highlight Mr. Bryson Senter, a proud John S. Battle High School graduate! Are you a graduate of Washington County Public Schools? If so, we'd love to hear from you! We're excited to learn about your accomplishments and share your story and advice with our current students, families, and community. Please click here, to fill out a submission form: https://forms.gle/7qzqxJCpCjryVsfW8 OR Do you know a graduate from Washington County Public Schools who has made a positive impact in their community? Nominate them to be featured in our Alumni Spotlight Series! Click here, to nominate a WCPS graduate: https://forms.gle/LFV1PwdpHnLfYRhn8

In Case You Missed It -- Big things are growing at Holston High School, and WCYB recently stopped by to showcase the innovation happening right inside the greenhouse! Check out this special feature highlighting Andrew Greer, Holston's Greenhouse Manager, and his instructor Mr. Lawrence Cox, as they share details of the school's aquaponics system -- a powerful blend of fish tanks, fresh produce, and real-world learning. Watch the full story here: https://wcyb.com/news/local/holston-high-senior-discovers-passion-through-growing-lettuce# A great example of sustainability, student leadership, and hands-on education in action!

📍 New Resource Alert | SchoolSearch for WCPS Do you know someone thinking of moving to Washington County or do you just want to learn more about our local schools? We're excited to introduce a new resource called SchoolSearch, an easy-to-use tool that helps families find their school attendance zones based on a home address. Simply enter your address to see which WCPS schools your child would attend -- or use the "Find on Map" feature to explore all schools in our county! Try it out here: https://app.guidek12.com/washingtonva/school_search/current/

Happy School Communicators Day to our outstanding School Outreach Specialist ~ Ashley Hoak!!

Big things are growing at Holston High School Catch WCYB this evening at 5:00 p.m. for a special feature on Andrew Greer, Holston's incredible Greenhouse Manager, and his instructor Mr. Lawrence Cox, as they share more on the innovative aquaponics system. From fish tanks to fresh produce, this project is a true lesson in sustainability, hard work and hands-on learning!

Third Grade Engineers in Action What do you get when you mix a pulley, a lever, and a whole lot of imagination? A compound machine, of course! Valley Institute Elementary's third graders wrapped up their study of the six simple machines (inclined plane, wheel & axle, pulley, lever, screw, and wedge) by designing and presenting their own compound machine projects -- using at least two simple machines to solve a problem or complete a task. We're so impressed by their innovation and creativity!

🎓📚 Big congratulations are in order for two of our own! WCPS librarians Dr. Brenda Sprinkle and Dr. Sarah Mitchell officially earned their doctorates in Educational Leadership from Liberty University today! We're so proud of their hard work, dedication, and passion for learning -- and even more excited that our students get to learn from such inspiring educators!

🌸 A Blooming Thank You Shoutout to the incredible staff at the Ballad Health Center for Early Learning! Our Early Childhood Education students at the Washington County Career & Technical Education Center put together handmade bouquets and heartfelt notes to show their appreciation. Thank you for welcoming our students into your classrooms and for the amazing work you do every day to care for our littlest learners.

🎉 Congratulations to Embree Quillen -- a talented Washington County Career & Technical Education Center welding student and John S. Battle High School student. Embree has been awarded the SVAM (Southwest Virginia Alliance for Manufacturing) Scholarship! She recently participated in the SVAM Signing Day, where she received multiple letters of intent from local manufacturers and from VHCC. Mr. Matthew McClure, welding instructor and WCCTEC are incredibly proud of her achievements!

Happy National School Nurse Day! Today, we're giving a BIG shoutout to the superheroes in scrubs who keep our schools healthy -- our amazing WCPS nurses! From bandaging scraped knees to managing complex health needs, they are always there with compassion and care. Check out the video below to see just how incredible our nurses are in action: https://youtu.be/1LtB6eG4Bug To every school nurse in WCPS: Thank You! You are the heartbeat of our schools, and we appreciate you more than words (or thermometers) can measure!

🦋 Holston High Students Honor Holocaust Victims Through Art & Literature Students in Mrs. Mitten's English classes and Mr. Harlow's Art classes at Holston High School recently took part in The Butterfly Project -- a powerful memorial activity honoring the 1.5 million children who lost their lives during the Holocaust. As students glazed ceramic butterflies, Mrs. Mitten read "The Butterfly" by Pavel Friedmann, a poem written during the Holocaust that inspired reflection on the butterfly's symbolism of hope and resilience. This project gave students a creative and meaningful way to connect with history and remember those lost.

Happy National Teacher Appreciation Week! And today -- May 6 -- is the main event: National Teacher Appreciation Day! To our incredible WCPS teachers: You inspire. You encourage. You challenge. This week, we're celebrating YOU -- the real MVPs of our schools! Whether you're rocking a science lab, leading a history discussion, or helping our young students learn their ABCs with a smile, you make a difference every single day. Let's show some appreciation! Tag a teacher. Share a memory. Send a note. Let's lift up the educators who lift up all of us!

🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️ Greendale Elementary School's Run Club recently crushed it at a local race hosted by Abingdon High School's Coach Brent Swiney! After 12 weeks of afterschool training, featuring everything from hill sprints to high-fives, our student runners were more than ready to hit the course. ✨ 45 runners rocked the 5K ✨ 9 took on the one-mile race ✨ All brought the energy, determination, and school spirit! Students, parents, and staff laced up together to show what dedication, teamwork, and a love for movement can do. We're proud of the GES community and can't wait to see the Run Club grow in the years ahead.