Annandale Students, Families, and Community:

Congratulations to the Class of 2026 on an incredible four years at Annandale High School, which came to a close on Monday at our graduation ceremony at EagleBank Arena.

During the ceremony, Senior Class President Tea Akl reflected on the people, passions, and experiences, that shaped her high school journey. She reminded her classmates that while academic success matters, some of the most meaningful moments come from pursuing what you love, investing in your interests, and sharing those experiences with others. 

We also heard from Annandale alumna Kelsey Knoche, Director of Operations for the University of Virginia men's basketball program. She encouraged students not to rush to life's milestones, but to appreciate the moments that may seem ordinary today but often become the memories we treasure most. Drawing from her own experience pursuing opportunities far from home, she shared how growth often comes from stepping outside our comfort zones and embracing uncertainty.

These messages capture the spirit of the Class of 2026. Their accomplishments, whether in the classroom, on the athletic field, on the stage, or through service to others, reflect the strength of a school community that challenges students to grow while providing the support they need to succeed.

I am grateful to everyone who has contributed to their success and proud to be part of a school where students are encouraged to challenge themselves, support one another, and discover strengths they may not have known they possessed. 

Shawn DeRose, Principal

Important Dates

Now through June 16 - Underclass Exams
June 17 - Last Day of School (Dismissal 10:10am)
June 22 - Annandale Summer Camps Begin
August 3 - Start of Fall Sports

Now through June 16 - Final Exams (Dismissal 11:25am): Final exams for our underclass students continue through Wednesday. See the exam schedule above. On exam days, students will be dismissed at 11:25am. Students can pick up a grab-and-go lunch before leaving for the day.

June 17 - Last Day of School (Dismissal 10:10am): Wednesday, June 17, is a two-hour day with students being dismissed for the year at 10:10am.

June 22 - Annandale Summer Camps Begin: Looking for fun activities for your child this summer? Annandale High School is offering a variety of summer camps this year for current elementary and middle school students led by our own Annandale coaches. Help spread the word to friends, family and neighbors! Registration for all camps can be found here. See descriptions of the various camps below. Campers can bring their lunch or purchase lunch at camp, and they should bring a snack and a water bottle each day. Cash or checks are accepted. Checks should be made out to “Annandale Athletic Boosters.”

June 22 - July 2 - Summer Meals at Annandale High School: Free breakfast and lunch will be served to all children ages 18 and under at Annandale High School from June 22 through July 2, Monday through Friday. Breakfast will be available from 9:00am to 10:00am, and lunch will be served from 12:00pm to 1:00pm. Meals are first come, first served, and children must remain on site while eating. If you have any questions regarding the Summer 2025 meal service, please contact us at SummerMeals@fcps.edu or at 703-813-4800. For more information and additional meal service sites, visit the FCPS Food and Nutrition Services webpage. 

Awesome Atoms

Annandale Leads the Way with FCPS's Only Operational FarmBot: we celebrated the grand opening for our Cat B Garden with a celebration and the unveiling of Annandale High School's FarmBot, generously donated by Hands on Harvest. Students were recognized for building the garden from the ground up, and attendees had the opportunity to see the FarmBot in action. As the only FCPS school with an operational FarmBot, Annandale is leading an innovative project that promotes inclusion, sustainability, and community engagement, with produce grown to support local families through Hands on Harvest.

Cat B Prom Highlights the Best of Annandale: Last Friday, Cat B Prom transformed into an enchanting forest filled with laughter, music, and celebration. Students arrived dressed in their finest attire and enjoyed a day of dancing, delicious food, and time with friends. The event provided a great opportunity to celebrate our students and make lasting memories together. 

Finish Strong

End of Year Attendance Requirements: The last day of school for underclass students is Wednesday, June 17. With testing in full swing, there is still much going on in our classrooms. Teachers and teams are continuing to plan high quality instruction that will prepare students to be successful not only on final exams, but in the coming years. In some cases, students are working on certifications or other requirements for graduation. All students are expected to attend school each day to complete these activities and finish the year strong.

This week, school will be held from 8:10-11:25am. During this time, students will complete their end of course exams. These culminating activities assess students’ mastery of the standards and skills they have been learning throughout the year.

Final Exams: In each class, the final exam or culminating activity counts for 10% of a student’s grade, regardless of the impact on the final grade. Per FCPS policy, a student whose absence from the final examination or activity is unexcused will receive an F for that examination. Exceptions to this must be approved by the principal. Final exams are not eligible for retakes.

It is important for students to recognize the impact their final exams will have on their grades, and take steps to prepare so they can do their best. In W4 Advisory, we held one-on-one check-ins with each student, reviewing their current grades, and helping them create a plan to prepare.

Congrats to the Class of 2026!

Class of 2026 Farewell Message: Congrats to the Class of 2026. Check out the farewell message in the final Class of 2026 Newsletter. 

Class of 2026 Video: Annandale Senior Anibal Escobar-Chanez created a special surprise video for the Class of 2026 that was shown on the big screen just before the graduation ceremony. The video featured memories, photos, and moments from the senior class's journey through high school, providing graduates and families with a chance to reflect before the celebration began. Thank you to Anibal for sharing his creativity and helping make graduation even more memorable. Check out the video here.

Important Information

Medication Pickup: The school health room is reminding parents and guardians that all medication stored in the health room must be picked up no later than 12:00pm on Wednesday, June 10. Medications left in the health room after that time will be discarded. It is school policy that medications must be picked up by the parent or guardian, however, with parent or guardian written permission, a high school student may transport over-the-counter medications to and from the health room. If you have any questions, please contact the School Health Aide Larry Cooper Sr. at 703-642-4110, or the Public Health Nurse Michelle Dierkes.

Updated FCPS Cellphone Policy Starts July 1: Under a new Virginia cellphone law (SB108) and the updated FCPS Cellphone Policy, high school students at FCPS will no longer be able to use cellphones and other smart devices during lunch time, starting July 1. This includes watches that serve a dual purpose, such as smart watches, as well as earbuds, headsets, smart glasses, and other items connected to the internet. During the school day, including during lunch time, high school students will have to keep cellphones and other smart devices off and stored in a locker, backpack, pouch, purse, etc. This policy does not apply to school-issued devices. Visit the FCPS Cellphone Policy webpage for more information.

Required Immunizations for Rising Seniors: Additional immunizations are required for students entering grade 12. All students entering 12th grade are to receive one dose of Meningococcal vaccine (MenACWY) prior to the beginning of school. To meet the MenACWY 12th grade requirement, the vaccination must be administered at age 16 or older. Please consider getting your child’s immunizations early so that they can attend school in the fall. Summer is a busy time for families and healthcare providers. Additional resources are available on the FCPS Immunization Resources webpage and the Fairfax County Health Department. 

Underclassmen Keep Their Laptops Over The Summer! As we prepare for the end of the school year, we want to share an important update regarding student device collection. Beginning this year, Annandale High School will only be collecting devices from graduating seniors and students who are withdrawing. All other students will keep their assigned devices over the summer. This change is intended to help students maintain access to educational resources, summer learning opportunities, and school-related activities.

As a reminder, students are responsible for properly caring for and securing the device over the summer. Devices must return with the student at the start of the next school year in good working condition. Students and families remain responsible for any obligations, fees, or fines related to lost, stolen, or damaged devices and accessories. If there are any concerns about keeping the device over the summer, students may turn in their device June 11-16 in room 328 after they have completed final exams.

End-of-Year Reminders: The last day of school is Wednesday, June 11! Here are a few reminders to finish out the year:

• Remind your child to return all library books.
• Check your child’s MySchoolBucks account and pay any balances. 
• Pick up any medications: A parent/guardian must pick up in person.
• Bookmark the 2026-27 school year calendar for next year. 

New from the AHS PTSA Pantry

Message from Norma Foti, Founder and AHS PTSA Pantry Coordinator: I am so proud of what we have accomplished together. Thank you everyone who has been a thread in the AHS PTSA Pantry’s fabric this school year. Especially our volunteers, community partners, donors and school administrators and staff.

We fulfilled our pantry’s mission by supporting our students and their families who are food insecure and raised awareness around food insecurity in our community.

Data for 2025-2026 school year:
   - 20 Distributions
   - 30 Hours opened for distributions
   - 50+ Volunteers comprised for students, community members and AHS staff
   - 54.4 - visits per hour opened
   - 82 - average number of visits per distribution
   - 1632 - total number of pantry visits
   - 7706 - total number of family members supported through pantry distributions

As we say in the pantry, “The fabric of our community is stronger when we weave together.”

Summer Distribution Opportunities: There are several opportunities for families to recieve groceries over the summer.

• Every Sunday: Fresh produce is available at Braddock Elementary School 3:00pm
• Tuesday, July 21 9:00-11:00am: AHS PTSA Pantry Summer Distribution
• Pantry Reopens: The AHS Pantry  for the New School Year Wednesday, August 26 3:30-5:00pm

Red Bag Donation Opportunities: Thank you to our Food for Neighbors Red Bag Donors! If you aren't a FFN Red Bag Donor please sign up. Collections are picked up 5 times a year from your door. Donations are used to fill our grab and go student snack stations at school. This past school year we had 111 AHS Red Bag Donors and received 195 bins of snacks to distribute. To learn more and to sign up please click here.

Opportunities

Summer 2026 Inspire Immunization Events for All FCPS Students: Inspire Health Alliance, in partnership with FCPS, will be providing school-required immunizations during Summer 2026. Immunizations will be provided at no out-of-pocket cost to students or families. Registering families will be required to provide insurance information, if applicable, but students without insurance may still participate. Summer 2026 event dates are available on our FCPS and Inspire Health Alliance Student Immunization Events | Fairfax County Public Schools webpage. Additional event dates will be made available throughout the upcoming school year, 4 - 5 weeks before the event, on the public webpage. Additional immunization resources are also available.

Free Bus Passes Available: All Fairfax County middle and high school students can get a Student Bus Pass SmarTrip card to ride the Fairfax Connector and Fairfax CUE buses for free! With the pass, fares are free from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week, all year. Learn more about the Student Pass and access the application, which can be returned to the front office. Additionally, our students can ride Metrobus for free. Visit the Fairfax County website for details and approved Metrobus routes and to access the application. Children 12 and younger ride for free on the Fairfax Connector with a paying adult. It’s not just for kids! Fairfax Connector’s Transit Ridership Incentive Program (TRIP) provides 50% off fares for low-income residents ages 18-65. Learn more about the TRIP program and how to apply.

News from Students Services

No-Cost Virtual Therapy for High School Students: Virtual therapy sessions are available to FCPS high school students at no cost to provide a safe space to address concerns such as: Mood/behavior changes, motivation, grief/loss; Anxiety, worry, fears; Social skills, bullying, peer and family relationships; Academic stress.

Students can be referred by a guardian or designated school staff member. You may refer your child by calling 571-749-2940 or by contacting our school counselor, social worker, psychologist, or director of Student Services. Visit the FCPS Teletherapy webpage for more information.

SAT School Day and PSAT/NMSQT 2026: SAT School Day and PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT) exams for the 2026-27 school year will be held at each high school on Wednesday, October 7, at no cost to families. The digital SAT School Day exam is offered to 12th grade students, and the digital PSAT/NMSQT exam is provided to 10th and 11th grade students. 

Because these exams are operated by the College Board, students do not automatically receive testing accommodations or multilingual learner (ML) supports. If you have a student with disabilities entering 10th, 11th, or 12th grade, please review the accommodations request process and return forms to the high school by Monday, August 3, to request new or updated College Board testing accommodations. 

If you have a multilingual learner entering 10th, 11th, or 12th grade, please review the ML support request process and return forms by Thursday, August 27, if you wish to request ML supports for the October 2026 PSAT/NMSQT or SAT School Day. Find out more about SAT and PSAT assessments in FCPS.