Schools Champions

As an Arlington Public School (APS) site, you can be recognized and rewarded for your dedication to sustainable transportation.

Through the APS partnership with Arlington Transportation Partners (ATP), your school or site will see immediate benefits, including:

  • Reduction of vehicle traffic around/to school and around neighborhoods
  • Improved employee health, well-being, and productivity
  • Increased school sustainability goals
  • Neighborhood and community enhancements
  • Arlington County site plan compliance

As a Schools Champion, you will receive great perks and opportunities to be featured around the County. Every Champion is recognized and rewarded; however, the higher your level, the more benefits your school receives.

JOIN CHAMPIONS

Learn more: 2018-2019 Schools Champions | Criteria | Blogs

2018-2019 Champions

The 2018-2019 Schools Champions year has closed. We are excited to continue to work with Arlington Public Schools to take each Champion to the next level.

Arlington Community High School

Arlington Community High School is an alternative high school for students whose life circumstances have interrupted their schooling. Arlington Community High School seeks to support students in their goal of graduating from high school as well as planning individualized goals for future college and career pathways. Staff and students understand the importance of public transportation, biking and walking as a way to help achieve goals. Arlington Community High School, with a slightly older student population, is a huge and active supporter of Capital Bikeshare and has set a school-wide goal of rapidly moving up Champions levels.

Discovery Elementary School

Discovery Elementary School opened in September for the 2015-2016 school year as the first net-zero school built in Virginia, and only one of three that exists in the United States. It was recently designated a US Department of Education Green Ribbon School for its efforts in sustainable activities such as recycling and limiting food waste. Discovery Explorers know that transportation plays a major role in sustainability, so being in Champions and promoting walking, biking, carpooling, and riding transit comes naturally. Discovery aims for Platinum by embracing a multimodal, green lifestyle.

Oakridge Elementary School

Oakridge Elementary School, a Platinum Champion for two consecutive years, is a vibrant school with students from many states and over 50 countries, representing all seven continents. In 2016, the school had the APS Safe Routes to School bike unit, where all second graders learned to ride bikes. Oakridge created a staff Commuter Lounge, regularly celebrated staff Super Commuters and saw an increase in walking and biking overall. Oakridge was designated a Silver Level Bicycle Friendly Business by the League of American Cyclists. Always striving to improve, Oakridge looks forward to a new year of healthy, green transportation.

H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program

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.

Key Immersion Elementary School

Key School/Escuela Key is a bilingual immersion school in Courthouse that teaches students in English and in Spanish, emphasizing cooperation, creativity and community. Through Champions, Key will expand its cooperation and community by educating staff and students about healthy and green transportation options. By the end of the year, everyone will be as fluent in transportation choices as they are in English and Spanish.

Williamsburg Middle School

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.

Yorktown High School

Yorktown High School is a community of learners engaged in the process of systematically building connections to knowledge, to each other and to the world. We believe in working together to validate knowledge and give meaning to community, citizenship, career, leadership, integrity and civility beyond success in school.

Ashlawn Elementary School

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.

K. W. Barrett Elementary School

Kate Waller Barrett Elementary School has been educating students in the Ballston-Buckingham area since 1939. Barrett Elementary School is a hands-on, science-focused school with almost 50% of its diverse student body walking to school on a regular basis. Staff have also begun to embrace healthy commuting, with an increase in walking and transit ridership. Through Champions, Barrett aims to increase carpooling and make it fun for everyone to walk, bike, ride the bus and share the ride.

Syphax Education Center

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.

Arlington Career Center

Arlington Career Center is a special program for Arlington Public School students offering a range of classes and education opportunities. Students experience hands-on learning while earning real-world certifications ranging from aviation technology to culinary arts and sciences. The staff embrace transportation options while encouraging students to expand their horizons the same way. The Career Center supports transit training and is created a bike library during the 2017-2018 school year, complete with an app.

Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary School

The staff at Kenmore Middle School is committed to providing educational programs that stimulate academic excellence and intellectual curiosity. It is our expectation that every child who attends Kenmore will plan to attend college.

We are prepared to work together with each member of our community – each student, each parent and each staff member – to achieve these goals in an atmosphere that fosters respect and understanding.

Each of us will have an important role to play as we recognize and appreciate one another’s individual contributions to the growth and success of Kenmore and our students.

2018-2019 Schools Criteria


After completing BRONZE, SILVER, and GOLD Levels, complete this action:

  • Share or update your transportation success story, quote, or school highlight

Complete one additional action:

  • Complete four additional GOLD or SILVER Level items (at least two must be GOLD Level)
  • Refer a new school to Champions and receive credit after their enrollment meeting
  • Consult with ATP and advise on development of future educational materials
  • Achieve a 10% reduction in staff drive-alone rate or the APS Go! goal of 75% staff drive-alone rate
  • Achieve the APS Go! goal of 30% students biking and walking
  • Conduct a project that incorporates staff and student transportation habits throughout the year,
    and present findings to the School Board

Champions 2018-2019 activities must be completed by May 16, 2019.

After completing BRONZE and SILVER Levels, complete three actions:
*Site plan schools must be in compliance with County requirements to achieve Gold Level or higher.

  • Conduct a staff transportation survey, discuss Modeify and transportation goals
  • Participate in an ATP training and/or webinar
  • Increase participation in the APS TDM benefit
  • Form at least one new staff carpool
  • Provide priority carpool parking
  • Host a transit training or vanpool formation meeting for staff
  • Form a new vanpool or add new riders to existing vanpools via Vanpool Connect
  • Provide non-mandated shower and/or locker facilities onsite for staff
  • Provide non-mandated secure, indoor bike parking for staff
  • Create a bike repair kit for staff
  • Awarded Bicycle Friendly Business designation
  • Additional unique program recognized by ATP representative

After completing BRONZE Level, complete three actions:

  • Invite ATP to present to your staff annually
  • Conduct staff travel tallies twice per year
  • Create or enhance changing facilities for staff who bike, walk, or run
  • Create or install a transportation display promoting multimodal transportation options
  • Encourage staff participation in events:
    • Walk/Bike to School Day (October)
    • Bike/Walk to School Day (May)
  • Recognize at least three staff who regularly bike, walk, carpool, or ride transit as Super Commuters
  • Host a bike or pedestrian education event for staff
  • Adopt an ART bus stop
  • Participate in at least one ATP program:
    • Density map
    • Feedback survey
    • Focus group

Complete these actions:

  • Host an enrollment and a follow-up Champions meeting
  • Distribute transportation brochures, Quick Glances, and Guaranteed Ride Home information to staff

Complete one additional action:

  • Promote at least one transportation program or APS benefit to staff:
    • BikeArlington/WalkArlington/CarFreeAtoZ
    • Capital Bikeshare
    • Carsharing/On-demand services
    • Public transportation
    • Vanpool Connect/Carpool Community
  • Include bike, walk, rideshare, and transit information on school/department website


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