Schools Champions

Glebe Elementary is an important part of the North Glebe Road community between Lee Highway, Washington Boulevard, Fairfax Drive and North Quincy Street. Glebe students attend Spanish class three times a week and participate in the school’s S.M.Art (Science, Math, Art) Project. Glebe has a weekly Bike, Walk & Roll to School Day to encourage active, healthy lifestyles and several teachers bike to school daily. Glebe is aiming to be a Gold Champion in 2015-2016!

Abingdon Elementary School, opened in 1950, introduced its fine arts and technology program, Project GIFT (Guiding Instruction through Fine Arts and Technology), to increase student achievement while providing personalized instruction. Abingdon Elementary also participates in healthy biking and walking events including Walk/Bike to School Day in October, Bike/Walk to School Day in May, and Bike to Work Day for staff, also in May. In addition, Abingdon conducts student travel tallies, and shares transportation information with staff. The school is planning to celebrate “Super Commuter” employees in the 2015-2016 school year as well as continuing to participate in bike and walk events.

The Arlington EAP provides services to employees of the Arlington County Government and Arlington Public Schools and their family members. The mission of Arlington Employee Assistance Program is to have happy, healthy and productive employees. The EAP staff walks, bikes and uses transit as much as possible, and encourages all APS employees to do the same!

Facilities and Operations Management provides oversight and authority for facilities planning, capital improvement programs, aquatics, building and grounds maintenance, custodial services, energy management, and transportation. Approximately 3.9 million square feet of space in 39 buildings and more than 400 acres of land are managed and maintained. About 240 buses, vans, pickups, sedans, trailers, and moveable equipment are included in the bus and support vehicle fleet. In addition to all of that, APS Facilities and Operations supports ATP’s Champions program by working to reduce vehicle traffic around all APS locations.

Ashlawn is a close-knit neighborhood school and has a well-deserved reputation for being a friendly, caring place where most of the families know each other by name. The diverse student population reflects the changing demographic in Arlington, with families from over 30 different countries and cultures. Located next to Bluemont Park, Bon Air Park and several convenient multiuse trails, Ashlawn has plenty of opportunity for biking and walking. Ashlawn staff and students take pride in taking care of the planet and understand the importance of sustainable transportation.

The H-B Woodlawn Program is based on a proposal developed by Arlington students and teachers over forty years ago. The program is designed to give students more control over their education, and prizes self-motivation and self-discipline. Students, chosen by lottery from across the County, make choices in use of time and personal behavior; educational goals; and school governance. By participating in the Champions program, the H-B Woodlawn Program seeks to encourage different transportation choices for students and staff alike.

The Syphax Education Center is the location of APS’ Department of Instruction, which provides leadership in the development of curriculum and the implementation and evaluation of the instructional program. The staff works with schools on methods of assessing student learning, emphasizing a variety of approaches which include objective tests of knowledge and skills as well as more complex measures of students’ abilities to apply what they have learned.

The northernmost Arlington middle school, Williamsburg Middle School has been around since 1954. The Williamsburg Wolves were recognized as one of 12 schools in Arlington that earned a 2014 Virginia Index of Performance (VIP) award for advanced learning and achievement. Along with its new neighbor, Discovery Elementary School, Williamsburg encourages biking, walking and carpooling for staff and students to help the environment and to be more active.