Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts won’t unveil the artists booked for its upcoming summer season for a few more weeks, likely in late January or early February. But regardless of who’s on stage, Filene Center visitors can expect at least one improvement in 2024: an updated concessions area.
Construction on the new Meadow Commons building began in September after the demolition of the existing concessions stand, which had served patrons since the Filene Center opened in 1971.
Almost twice the size of its two-story predecessor, the three-story Meadow Commons is on track for completion in late spring, according to the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, the nonprofit that helps fund and program the park. That would be in time for the new season, which typically kicks off around Memorial Day.
“This new building will create just a wonderful new opportunity for patrons,” Beth Brummel, the foundation’s chief operating officer, said. “It’s probably one of the more visible [improvements] because it’s so connected to the experience of going to the concerts as well…So, we’re just really excited about it.”
Featuring a larger, modernized kitchen that can support a bigger menu as well as expanded restrooms, including family and ADA-accessible stalls, Meadow Commons constitutes the second phase of renovations slated for Wolf Trap under a park master plan updated in 2022.
The first phase replaced temporary vinyl tents near the Ovations restaurant with permanent pavilions. Finished in late July 2021, that project coincided with the park’s 50th anniversary season and aimed to encourage more year-round usage and visitation.
Meadow Commons, a $15 million project funded by a capital campaign that ultimately drew $75 million from donors over two years, was designed to improve the patron experience and make the Filene Center more accessible, Brummel says.
The new building will include elevators that finally connect the 7,000-seat amphitheater’s upper and lower levels, which can currently only be reached by stairs. The park’s lower levels will also be easier to access from the ADA parking and the picnic pavilions via a new, fully accessible path.
“The restrooms, the food service and the elevator in particular is a game changer to allow people with any kind of mobility issues to be able to access all of the different levels of the Filene Center without assistance,” Wolf Trap National Park Superintendent Ken Bigley said, adding that the National Park Service is “so thankful for the foundation’s support in making this happen.”
The accessibility improvements build off an earlier reconfiguration of the Filene Center’s front orchestra, which now have aisles so those seats could be reached from the back, Brummel noted. The amphitheater was also outfitted with screens in 2018 to give patrons on the lawn a better view of the stage.
In addition to the enhanced accessibility and expanded restroom and concessions space, Meadow Commons will bring modernized electrical, plumbing and stormwater management capabilities and a rooftop deck that will offer a panoramic view of the surrounding meadow and woods.
“I think it’s one of the flagship views of the park,” Bigley said. “So, there’s a section of this new building that will allow people to sit and enjoy a meal or enjoy a drink and look out on this beautiful view of the meadow.”
The upgrades at Wolf Trap won’t stop with the new concession area. Other changes proposed by the master plan include a pedestrian tunnel to replace the existing at-grade crossing at Main Circle and Barn roads, a new arrival hub, a 65-space accessible parking lot and a reconfigured circle in front of the Filene Center’s main gate to improve vehicle circulation.
Brummel says the Wolf Trap Foundation and National Park Service haven’t established a list of priorities or schedule for those additional projects yet. For now, they’re just looking forward to finishing Meadow Commons and seeing how it’s received by visitors when the Filene Center reopens.
“We’re excited [to make] the action, the process of visiting Wolf Trap to be just a little bit easier, whether it’s food service or accessibility or restrooms,” Bigley said. “It is already a very special place that we’re very proud of, and this will just take it to the next level.”
New Sushi Restaurant Opens in Lorton — “An all-you-can-eat hibachi and sushi restaurant is slated to open Dec. 26 at Gunston Plaza in Lorton. Sushi Ohayo — pronounced ‘Ohio’ — is a full-service Japanese restaurant with an extensive menu of appetizers, entrees, bento boxes, sushi and sashimi…This is the second location for Sushi Ohayo, which opened its first restaurant in Chantilly a few months ago.” [On the MoVe]
Stabbing Under Investigation in Fairfax — “City of Fairfax Police detectives are investigating a stabbing that occurred Christmas Eve in the 9800 block of Fairfax Boulevard, according to a 5:50 p.m. post on the department’s X/Twitter account. As of 10 a.m. on Tuesday, the victim was in stable condition at a nearby hospital, according to a police spokesman.” [Patch]
Rehab of Bridge Over I-395 Complete — “The Virginia Department of Transportation has completed the rehabilitation of the bridge on Duke Street over Interstate 395 in the Lincolnia area. The contractor, Martins Construction of Falls Church, replaced the concrete bridge deck and beams, upgraded the westbound sidewalk to a shared-use path, and widened the eastbound sidewalk.” [Annandale Today]
Virginia to Lose Community Health Workers — “Virginia is set to lose about 60 Community Health Workers employed at local health districts by July 1, 2024. More than 25 additional workers will follow in the year after that. There are 112 CHWs employed at 25 of Virginia’s 35 health districts as of July 2023.” [DCist]
Retiring McLean State Lawmaker Honored — “Before stepping down from the House of Delegates at year’s end, Del. Kathleen Murphy (D-McLean-Great Falls) accepted plaudits and a parting gift Dec. 21 from the Greater McLean Chamber of Commerce. Chamber president Paul Kohlenberger presented her with an engraved platter noting her public service to the McLean community and Virginia.” [Gazette Leader]
Local Libraries Plan New Year Celebrations — Families with kids of all ages are invited to “Noon Year’s Eve” parties at the Oakton, Chantilly and Patrick Henry libraries. Starting at 11 a.m. in Chantilly and at 11:30 a.m. in Oakton and Vienna on Saturday (Dec. 30), the festivities include dancing, crafts, games and countdowns to noon. [FCPL]
It’s Wednesday — Expect showers and possible thunderstorms after 1pm, along with patchy fog and a high near 56. New rainfall amounts could be between three quarters and one inch. At night, showers are likely with potential thunderstorms and patchy fog before 1am. Night will be mostly cloudy, with a low around 47 and a 60% chance of precipitation. [Weather.gov]
Christmas Day has come and gone, but the trees festooned with lights and tinsel for the occasion need to stay up for another week if you’re counting on a curbside pickup.
For the roughly 10% of residents served by Fairfax County, the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services will collect live trees for recycling from Jan. 1-13 as part of its regular waste services.
Private trash companies licensed to operate in the county are also required to pick up trees 8 feet or shorter that are set outside in single-family and townhouse communities during the first two weeks in January.
“At the end of the two-week collection period, residents serviced by the County can schedule a brush pick-up for trees,” DPWES said in a news release. “Those who utilize a private company should contact their hauler with questions regarding collection of Christmas trees following the two-week period for special tree collection.”
Community members can also dispose of their trees directly at the I-66 Transfer Station (4618 West Ox Road) and I-95 Landfill Complex (9850 Furnace Road) in Lorton during their operating hours, though both have a $9 recycling fee for Christmas trees.
Trees that get recycled are turned into mulch that the county offers to residents.
Lights, ornaments, stands and other accessories must be removed before disposal.
“DPWES asks residents to dispose of tree lights in their recycling or trash because they get tangled in our machinery and their components are bad for the environment,” the department said, noting that lights can be dropped off at the county’s e-waste disposal sites or potentially local hardware stores.
For artificial trees, the county advises donating them to a charitable organization or church if they’re still in good condition. Local options include the Springfield nonprofit ECHO, which accepts Christmas trees in November and December, and GreenDrop sites, which also accept decorations.
In the Town of Vienna, curbside collection services will be provided for natural Christmas trees throughout January, and Town of Herndon residents can get trees picked up on their regularly scheduled trash day from Jan. 3-5 and Jan. 10-12.
(Updated at 4:05 p.m. on 1/2/2024) The Rincon family business has officially staked a claim in Merrifield.
The Tex-Mex chain Guapo’s, which the Rincons have owned since 1990, welcomed diners to its new location in Gatehouse Plaza for the first time last Thursday (Dec. 21). The building at 3052 Gate House Plaza was last occupied by Chevys Fresh Mex, which closed over four years ago now, per Annandale Today.
Guapo’s soft opening came months later than its originally anticipated launch of early 2023, but the initial response from the community suggests the wait was worthwhile.
“People have been expecting it for a while now, and yesterday was very, very busy,” Guapo’s marketing manager told FFXnow by phone on Friday (Dec. 22). “So, customers are really, really happy that we brought it to Merrifield.”
Residents of Virginia since the late 1970s, the Rincon family opened its first Guapo’s in D.C.’s Tenleytown neighborhood in 1990. The flagship location has operated at 4515 Wisconsin Ave. NW ever since, though there were reportedly plans to move down the street in 2016 that got nixed.
According to Guapo’s, the business is now run by the founders’ children, who all graduated from Fairfax County schools and universities. It has expanded to Arlington, Fair Lakes, Bethesda, Gaithersburg and Georgetown, and the spin-off Charcoal Chicken and Taqueria can be found in Herndon and Manassas.
The expansion to Merrifield was inspired by the family’s history, according to the marketing manager.
“When the family first came from Colombia to Virginia, they lived in Gallows Road that’s why they chose Merrifield to honor their beginnings in the United States,” she said.
All locations are owned and operated by the Rincons, who haven’t tried franchising. Guapo’s says they plan to “stay local for now before we decide to expand nationwide.”
While the look of the Merrifield restaurant is more modern, the owners were committed to keeping the same recipes and level of customer service seen at other locations, according to the marketing manager.
The menu features many staples of Tex-Mex cuisine, including enchiladas, fajitas, burritos, tacos and a variety of meat, seafood and chicken dishes. There are also salads, soups and brunch options, such as omelets and eggs benedict.
Guapo’s is open in Merrifield from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. during the week and from 10 a.m. until midnight on Saturday and Sunday. A grand opening celebration planned for Jan. 10 will be highlighted by a live DJ and salsa music from a band at 5-10 p.m.
(Correction: This story previously misstated Guapo’s hours of operation and timing of the band’s performance at the upcoming grand opening.)
Located northwest of the Route 50 and Gallows Road intersection, Gatehouse Plaza is also home to Sweetwater Tavern, Uno Pizzeria and Grill, a Wendy’s, Starbucks, Panda Express and a Sunoco gas station.
One Found Dead in Christmas Morning Fire — “One person was found dead in a Christmas morning fire at a townhouse in the Centreville area of Fairfax County, according to firefighters. Firefighters from Fairfax County Fire and Rescue arrived at the home in the 14100 block of Red River Drive early on Monday morning, they said in a release.” [NBC4]
Affair at Center of Frying Pan Area Killings — “A website that caters to people with sexual fetishes may have been used as part of a ploy to draw a man to a Herndon home before he and a woman living in the house were killed, according to new allegations laid out in the Fairfax County bond hearing of an au pair charged with murder in the case.” [Washington Post]
FCPS Concludes Review of Privacy Breach — “An investigation into how Fairfax County Public Schools accidentally shared other students’ private information with a parent during a fall meeting has concluded, Superintendent Michelle Reid said in a letter to families Thursday. The external review…found that the data breach occurred because the parent had access to old thumb drives with unredacted files, the school division said. [WTOP]
Demand High for Route 1 Hypothermia Shelters — “Fairfax County hypothermia shelters are filling up but have room for more people to come in out of the cold, according to figures provided by the Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) just before the longest night of the year…On the Route 1 corridor, during the week of Dec. 11, an average of 53 men and women per night slept in hypothermia shelters, according to HCD.” [On the MoVe]
County Police Report Rise in Violent Crime for 2023 — “The new report, released by Fairfax County Police in coordination with the Major Cities Chiefs Association, tracked violent crimes such as homicide, rape and robbery in 2023. Fairfax County ranked seventh among 69 participating jurisdictions, reporting an 8.7% increase in violent crimes overall, and increases in the number of rapes and aggravated assaults.” [WTOP]
Site Plan Approved for Restaurant Replacing Falls Church Motel — “The indoor-outdoor restaurant planned for the old Stratford Motor Lodge site can move forward after a site plan approval by the Falls Church Planning Commission Wednesday…A date for project completion is not yet known, but Dominion Wine and Beer’s Arash Tafakor told the Planning Commission it may come to fruition next year.” [Patch]
Firefighters Visit Kids at Inova for Holidays — “Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Santa, his elves, and reindeer ‘dropped in’ to spread holiday cheer to the kids at Inova Childrens Hospital. Members of #FCFRD @FairfaxCountyPD @PWCFireRescue rappelled ten stories, stopping at windows to say hi to kids and their families.” [FCFRD/Twitter]
New Bikeshare Stations Added in Tysons Area — “NEW STATION ALERT Check out the newest stations in Fairfax County(@ffxconnector), Prosperity Ave & Avenir Pl (funded by @novatransit) and Old Meadow Rd & Old Meadow Ln.” [Capital Bikeshare/Twitter]
It’s Tuesday — Expect rain mainly after 1pm, with cloudy skies and a high near 51. Precipitation chances are at 70%, with less than a tenth of an inch possible. Tuesday night will bring more rain and a low around 48. Precipitation chances increase to 90% for between a quarter to half an inch. [Weather.gov]
Home sales in Northern Virginia declined 9.8% in November from the same month in 2022, but were up 12.5% from October, according to new data from the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors.
The year-over-year decline continued a trend that has been ongoing since the middle of 2022 although it was not as much as in some prior months. And prices rose 5.7% from November 2022, NVAR reported.
“November data show that the market continues to adjust in this post-COVID time, and we haven’t quite found a new normal. We do know that housing inventory remains limited which drives down home sales. That in turn drives up demand for those limited homes to choose from, which leads to higher home prices,” said Casey Menish of Pearson Smith Realty and an NVAR board member. “I am optimistic that as mortgage rates fall, we will see more people ready to sell their homes, and more buyers ready to pick up their home searches where they left them.”
The months’ supply of inventory in November was 1.05, up just slightly (0.3%) from November 2022 but down from October’s 1.23 months. The average days on the market in November was 20, down significantly (23.1%) from the prior year but a little higher than October’s 17 days.
Homebuyers continued to have few options and that meant higher prices. The median sold price for a home in November was $656,500. That’s up almost 22% from the pre-pandemic November 2019 median sold price of $538,250.
NVAR’s newly released 2024 economic housing forecast, produced in conjunction with George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis, indicated that the residential and commercial real estate markets have not yet reached a post-pandemic normal. The forecast reported a possible downturn despite the economy attracting regional workers and creating jobs. As such, overall sales activity is expected to decline in 2024.
Another COVID outcome cited in the forecast is an increase in intraregional migration patterns — especially to distant suburbs — spurred by more work-from-home options.
“We expect home values to continue to increase due to historic low housing inventories across the region,” said Ryan McLaughlin, CEO of NVAR. “But we remain hopeful that recent spikes in mortgage rates will moderate and stabilize and help create ownership opportunities.”
The Northern Virginia Association of Realtors data include home sales in Fairfax and Arlington counties, the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax and Falls Church and the towns of Vienna, Herndon and Clifton. Here are highlights from the November report:
- Closed sales: 1,054, down 9.8% from November 2022 and also down from November 2019’s 1,430 closed sales.
- Average sold price: $780,193, up 9.2% from November 2022.
- Active listings: 1,407, down 23.9% from November 2022.
- Pending sales: 996, down 19% from November 2022.
Photo via Tierra Mallorca on Unsplash. This article was written by FFXnow’s news partner InsideNoVa.com and republished with permission. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.
Local government offices are closing early today (Friday) to give staff a head start on Christmas weekend.
With Christmas Eve falling on Sunday (Dec. 24) this year, Fairfax County, Fairfax City and the towns of Vienna and Herndon are all instead observing the occasion with a half-day today. All local government offices will shut down at noon, though schedules vary for some other public facilities and services.
Government offices will close all day on Monday (Dec. 25) for Christmas. The county courts, which are closing at noon today, will pause operations through Tuesday, Dec. 26, as will Fairfax County Public Schools, whose students have been on winter break since Dec. 18.
Here are other notable closures and schedule changes coming for the holidays:
Trash and recycling
Fairfax County won’t provide trash and recycling collection services on Christmas Day, bumping all customers back by a day throughout the week. The I-66 Transfer Station and I-95 Landfill Complex’s recycling and disposal centers will be closed Sunday and Monday.
The Town of Vienna and Fairfax City will both collect waste and recycling for both Monday and Tuesday customers on Dec. 26. Vienna won’t pick up brush and yard waste that day.
The Town of Herndon will make trash pick-ups as usual, but Monday recycling will be collected on Tuesday instead.
Transportation
Metro is running modified service on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, with trains and buses following Sunday schedules. Rail stations will be open from 7 a.m. to midnight.
Fairfax Connector will operate on a Sunday service schedule on Christmas Day, and its customer service center will be closed. In Fairfax City, the CUE bus system will follow its regular schedules except on Dec. 25, when the service will be closed.
Like it did for Thanksgiving, the Virginia Department of Transportation is suspending most highway work zones and lane closures on major roads, starting at noon today and continuing until noon on Tuesday, Dec. 26. Rush-hour tolls for the I-66 Express Lanes inside the Capital Beltway will be lifted on Christmas Day.
Community centers
The McLean Community Center will be closed on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
The Reston Community Center will close its Lake Anne facility on both days, but Hunters Woods (2310 Colts Neck Road) will open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 24. The Terry L. Smith Aquatics Center will be open from 9 a.m. to noon on Sunday before closing for Christmas Day.
The Herndon Community Center is open today from 7 a.m. to noon and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. It will close on Dec. 24-25. The Bready Park Tennis Center and Herndon Centennial Golf Course will also be closed on Christmas.
The Vienna Community Center will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It’s also observing holiday hours of 8 a.m. to noon today and 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. from Dec. 26-29.
Libraries, Parks and Recreation
Fairfax County Public Library will close all branches at noon today, followed by closures on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Libraries will open tomorrow (Saturday) according to their regular hours.
All Fairfax County Park Authority facilities are open today except for the carousel at Clemyjontri Park in McLean and Sully Historic Site in Chantilly. For Christmas Eve, park visitor centers and other amenities will be closed, but all rec centers will open from 8 a.m. to noon, except for the George Washington Rec Center in Mount Vernon, which is opening at 9 a.m.
The park authority will close all facilities for Christmas Day.
In Fairfax City, both the Fairfax Museum and Visitor Center and Historic Blenheim are closed through Dec. 25.
Region’s Busiest Travel Period Underway — “If you’re someone who travels out of the D.C. region for the holidays, one of the busiest winter holiday travel days has arrived…While the regional airports might sound busy, AAA Mid-Atlantic predicts the vast majority of travelers in the D.C. metro area, 98%, will be driving to their destinations.” [WTOP]
Two Arrested for Fatal Franconia Shooting — “Two juvenile suspects have turned themselves in for their involvement in the Franconia shooting that left a Woodbridge man dead. [On Wednesday], officers were notified of two juvenile suspects who turned themselves in to Arlington Police. Both juveniles were transported to Fairfax County and charged.” [FCPD]
ICYMI: Child Hospitalized by Chantilly Crash — “A child has been hospitalized after they were hit by a driver just down the road from Chantilly High School. Fairfax County police officers responded to the intersection of Stringfellow Road and Poplar Tree Road around 5:09 p.m. for the crash.” [FFXnow]
Report Shows County’s Progress on Affordable Housing — “Fairfax County invested $51.9 million in affordable housing during the past fiscal year, according to the newly-released Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s (FCRHA) fiscal year 2023 annual report.” There was construction on 1,219 new homes with another 1,210 “in predevelopment,” and 936 people were moved from shelters into permanent housing. [FCRHA]
Winter Weather Outlook Suggests Potential for Snow — “Brian Lasorsa, lead meteorologist with the National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington Office, joined Courtney Arroyo, the Department of Emergency Management and Security’s community engagement manager, for a special winter weather outlook for Fairfax County and Northern Virginia…While the overall winter may be mildly warmer, Lasorsa expects things to turn a bit colder and snowier as we head into January, based on long-range forecasts.” [Fairfax County Emergency Information]
Commonwealth’s Attorney Gives Grants to Nonprofits — “Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano on Dec. 19 awarded grants to five Fairfax County nonprofits that serve child victims of crime and victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence. Descano awarded the $5,000 grants through the second annual Community Partnership Grant Program, an initiative he unveiled last year.” [Gazette Leader]
Assault Prompts Security Changes at Fort Belvoir — “The Fort Belvoir Garrison Commander temporarily suspended the garrison’s Trusted Traveler Program effective Dec. 19 due to the investigation of an alleged assault on the installation in the early morning hours of Dec. 18…Everyone in a vehicle who is 16 years of age or older will need to show a DoD or military ID card or obtain a visitor’s pass.” [On the MoVe]
Route 123 Pipe Replacement Finishes Early — “When a portion of sewer pipe on Chain Bridge Road was found to have deteriorated and needed immediate attention, Fairfax City crews and contractors were able to complete the project more than a week ahead of schedule, despite frigid temperatures and high wind conditions.” [City of Fairfax]
It’s Friday — Expect a gradual transition from mostly cloudy to sunny skies, with temperatures reaching a high of around 46 degrees. Friday night will be partly cloudy, with lows around 33 degrees, and a southeast wind ranging from 3 to 5 mph. [Weather.gov]
(Updated at 12:50 a.m. on 12/22/2023) No holiday miracle was necessary for the McLean Central Playground Team to reach its goal of raising $400,000 to update the play equipment at their local park.
The group of moms announced on Tuesday (Dec. 19) that they have reached their fundraising target with days to spare before a year-end deadline set by the Fairfax County Park Authority, which is responsible for the planned renovation of the playground and tot lot at McLean Central Park (1468 Dolley Madison Blvd).
“We are amazed and humbled by the incredible generosity of our community and all of the partners who’ve supported us in achieving this milestone,” said Jessica Wu, one of seven mothers who collaborated on the fundraising campaign.
The park authority proposed a new playground for the 28-acre park as part of a development concept updated in 2022, but it only had enough funding — about $175,939 — to replace the school-aged equipment, leaving the slightly newer tot lot untouched.
When the park authority started soliciting public input on its concept in 2021, however, a group of moms led by McLean resident Cara Schantz began advocating for a more ambitious design. They wanted both facilities to be renovated, relocated the same place in the park and enhanced with accessible features.
The FCPA ultimately incorporated their design into its McLean Central Park development concept but tasked the moms with raising the additional funds needed to implement it.
Launched in early March, the fundraising campaign required “countless volunteer hours” spent on outreach to the community, meetings and organizing events that often involved partnerships with local businesses, according to a press release.
After hitting a lull around October, the effort got a boost from the McLean Community Center, which contributed $50,000, and the park authority, whose board approved a $20,000 grant. Organizers say the many smaller donations made by community members “helped significantly.”
“Every contribution, big and small, helped get us across the finish line,” Sarah Farzayee said, adding that she hopes the new playground “will stand as a symbol of community spirit and civic duty in Fairfax County.”
Expected to begin in spring 2024, the renovation will include updated equipment, more seating, poured-in-place rubber safety surfacing, fencing around the tot lot, sensory play options, an inclusive merry-go-round and more swings, including an adaptive tandem swing designed so that children and caregivers can stand face-to-face.
“Every playground should be accessible to children of all abilities,” mom Angie Golder said. “We hope that the new McLean Central Playground underscores the importance of inclusion in all public spaces.”
The playground team, which also includes Jenny Gregory, Lacey Obry and Rebecca Antzoulatos, says the Fairfax County Park Foundation, the park authority’s nonprofit supporter, can continue accepting donations until the second week of January at the latest. Any additional contributions “will be used to enhance the playground further.”
“We can’t wait to see the joy and excitement on the faces of children of all abilities and family and community members as they enjoy the renovated playground,” Gregory said.
With ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence-based tools becoming increasingly mainstream, Fairfax County Public Schools officials have started discussing potential guidelines to govern how the technology is used in the classroom.
The Fairfax County School Board broached the topic at work session forum on Nov. 28, led by outgoing board chair and Dranesville District representative Elaine Tholen and Sully District representative Stella Pekarsky.
While the discussion wasn’t recorded, Tholen says the school board felt it was a way to make the public aware that FCPS is developing a strategy for how it will handle AI, which is getting integrated into industries from public safety and health care to filmmaking.
“The School Board and FCPS recognizes that a comprehensive AI strategy is crucial for preparing students and educators for the future, enhancing the learning experience, and ensuring the school division remains competitive and adaptive in the rapidly evolving educational landscape,” Tholen said.
AI has been utilized for educational purposes for years, as apps like Duolingo and iNaturalist rely on algorithms that allow them to process data, identify patterns and adapt. But the recent advent of generative AI — which can create text, images and sound based on that data, with OpenAI’s ChatGPT and DALL-E as two high-profile examples — has raised new practical, legal and ethical questions.
In response to fears that students will use AI to cheat or do their homework, New York City Public Schools, Los Angeles Unified and other school districts have banned ChatGPT from their networks, while elsewhere, teachers suggest it could be a useful tool if handled responsibly.
The Highlander, McLean High School’s student newspaper, found that many students have at least experimented with AI, with 40% of 223 surveyed students admitting to utilizing it for at least one school assignment.
Fairfax County Federation of Teachers President David Walrod says the union’s members haven’t raised a lot of concerns about students using ChatGPT, but he’s aware that there are concerns “from teachers more generally across the country.”
“I do think it will require a change to some teaching practices, but I also see potential for positive change,” he told FFXnow.
In addition to using tools that can identify AI, similar to ones used to detect plagiarism, teachers may have to adjust what kinds of assignments they ask students to do at home versus in school, Walrod says. They could also put more emphasis on tasks that require students to show their work, such as an outline, graphic organizer or even a handwritten first draft for an essay.
While the technology presents challenges, it could help teachers by reducing or streamlining their workload. As examples, Walrod shared a hypothetical math lesson plan and discussion questions on the children’s novel “Bud, Not Buddy” generated by ChatGPT, noting that they could serve as “an effective starting point.”
“This doesn’t do all the work for me; I still need to generate examples, I need to find the materials to distribute, etc,” Walrod said by email regarding the math lesson plan. “But it does give me a general outline to follow and allows me to focus on preparing and creating the materials.”
According to the Highlander, some administrators in FCPS are also deploying AI tools “on a consistent basis,” using ChatGPT to help them write newsletters and other messages to the community, for instance. The school system approved ChatGPT and fellow chatbot Google Bard for staff use this year and has started providing training, the McLean High School students reported.
However, a clear framework is still needed to create boundaries and consistency around how FCPS students and employees use generative AI, which can produce results of questionable quality and accuracy and too often regurgitate biases from their underlying data.
According to Tholen, issues that future policies could address include:
- Ethical uses
- Cybersecurity and data privacy safeguards
- Equity and inclusion, including monitoring for any unintended consequences
- Professional development
- Accessibility
- Transparency around when and how the technology is used
- Guidelines for integrating AI into the curriculum
FCPS could also collaborate with outside experts, universities and other partners to support AI education and implementation.
Tholen says she’s “excited” to start that “groundbreaking work” after the school board voted earlier this year to contract the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) for a Lighthouse School pilot program, which will test “best practices for bringing innovation to learning.” About $500,000 for the pilot was included in the current fiscal year 2024 budget.
“Setting a solid foundation for future work in AI and Quantum will help us adapt as technologies continue to evolve,” Tholen said. “We must prepare our students for the future of work and society and position our school district as forward thinking and committed to providing a modern, relevant education.”
Walrod says he’s “very curious” to learn about FCPS’ plans for ensuring AI is used safely and effectively by students and teachers, noting that any policy should recognize that technology isn’t a substitute for people.
“Tools like AI cannot replace the human element, either in teaching or elsewhere in the workforce,” Walrod said. “Like any tool, AI has the potential to allow work to be done more effectively, but it still requires a skilled professional to oversee and fine tune it.”
Photo via Rolf van Root on Unsplash
