School Notes

Here are some people and events making news at your Fairfax County Public Schools.

• The Oakton High Theater Department presents Suite Surrender on Thursday, November 8, through Saturday, November 10, at 7 p.m. In 1942, two of Hollywood’s biggest divas descend upon the luxurious Palm Beach Royale Hotel, complete with assistants and luggage in tow and carrying on a legendary feud. Things take a turn for the worst when they are assigned to the same suite. The show features mistaken identities, overblown egos, double entendres, and a lap dog named Mr. Boodles in a classic farce from the 1930s and 40s. Tickets are available at the door.
• Steve Dietz’s Dracula, a stage production of the classic Gothic horror novel by Bram Stoker, will be presented at West Potomac High on Thursday, November 8, and Friday, November 9, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, November 10, at 2 and 7 p.m. This is the first in a series of “frightful” plays that will be produced at West Potomac High this season. Tickets are available at the door.
• White Oaks Elementary students will get their hands dirty on November 8, 9 and 13, beginning at 9:15 a.m. as they participate in an archaeological excavation on school grounds. One of the fifth grade advanced academic program (AAP) classes created handmade artifacts to be buried while the other class is responsible for unearthing the items. Each excavation team will have a crew chief, diggers, measurers, recorders, screeners, washer-baggers, and a photographer. The excavation enables students to reconstruct and analyze the nature of cultures and is based on David Macaulay’s Motel of the Mysteries. Students will have the opportunity to use archaeological processes and documentation during the dig.
• Students at Sunrise Valley Elementary are holding their annual Thanksgiving food drive through Friday, November 9. The drive, sponsored by the sixth grade spirit and leadership team, is responsible for sorting the items. Donations of nonperishable food items are being accepted from the Sunrise Valley community. All food will go to Herndon-Reston FISH (Friendly Instant Sympathetic Help).
• Fifty years of Marshall High will be celebrated at the school’s 50th Anniversary Gala on Friday, November 9, at 6:30 p.m. at the Fairview Park Marriott in Falls Church. The gala, which is open to the public, includes a silent auction, band and two keynote speakers: Marshall alumna Katherine Switzer (1964), the first woman to enter and run the Boston Marathon, and Rachel Thompson, director of special projects at the George C. Marshall International Center at Dodona Manor in Leesburg.
• The Tony Award winning play Cabaret will be performed at Centreville High on November 9, 10, 16, and 17 at 7:30 p.m. and November 11 at 3 p.m. Cabaret tells the story of the Kit Kat Club, a seedy cabaret in Berlin in the 1930s. As the Nazi party gains strength, the story follows two romances set before the backdrop of decadence and music. Tickets are available online at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/272030 and at the door.
• Congratulations to the winners of the quarterly WebStar Awards, given to three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school by the Department of Communications and Community Outreach. Sites are evaluated for usefulness of content, clarity of design, frequency of updates, ease of navigation, adherence to FCPS web policies, and use of FCPS template. Winners for the first quarter of the 2012-13 school year are Little Run Elementary School, Maggie Gawen, curator, and Sharon Baumgarten, principal; Oakton Elementary School, Leslie Borkenhagen, curator, and Chris Gray, principal; Woodlawn Elementary School, Brian Lachance, curator, and Dawn Hendrick, principal; Cooper Middle School, Heather Dorman, curator, and Arlene Randall, principal; and Chantilly High School, Shawn Heilemann, curator, and Teresa Johnson, principal.