News from the Homefront:
Star at UVA:
Star is a group of University of Virginia students who organize a semesterly enrichment program for 9th- to 12th- grade students from Virginia. On November 15th at UVA, undergraduates will teach one-hour seminars on topics ranging from public biology to supernatural history. This event is entirely free of charge and will include free meals, a day of educational courses, and personal development opportunities. We are running this event in cooperation with the University Police Department’s Office for Youth Protection. All volunteers will be background-checked. Sign ups are now open through this form. Contact them or their executive board with any questions at [email protected].
AP Exams
Initial WAHS AP Exam Registration will be open from October 1, 2025 - October 31, 2025. Families have to register for their exam no later than TOMORROW to avoid the late registration fee of $40.00 per exam. Families who need financial assistance can request that on the registration form. This year, we will be accepting Exam Registration through MySchoolBucks, regardless of the method of payment. Here is a copy of the AP Exam Schedule. Please see our school website for all information regarding exams
Governor's School – DEADLINES THIS SATURDAY!
It's that time of the year! Summer Residential Governor's School offers programming in the area of academics, visual and performing arts, and world languages. Programs are prestigious and highly selective. Albemarle County pays the tuition for the program (there are usually fees for each program which run about $200). Academic and VPA are 3 weeks long. World Language is 3 weeks long. Governor's School is only for students in 10th and 11th grades. I will be setting aside 2 warrior periods a week to meet with people who want help with applications. Please look for these sessions in Adaptive Scheduler.
Here are key dates you will need:
Senior Privilege: Lunch Off Campus!
Here are the details you need to know about this senior privilege. Please note that if these rules are not followed, this privilege may be revoked.
Star at UVA:
Star is a group of University of Virginia students who organize a semesterly enrichment program for 9th- to 12th- grade students from Virginia. On November 15th at UVA, undergraduates will teach one-hour seminars on topics ranging from public biology to supernatural history. This event is entirely free of charge and will include free meals, a day of educational courses, and personal development opportunities. We are running this event in cooperation with the University Police Department’s Office for Youth Protection. All volunteers will be background-checked. Sign ups are now open through this form. Contact them or their executive board with any questions at [email protected].
AP Exams
Initial WAHS AP Exam Registration will be open from October 1, 2025 - October 31, 2025. Families have to register for their exam no later than TOMORROW to avoid the late registration fee of $40.00 per exam. Families who need financial assistance can request that on the registration form. This year, we will be accepting Exam Registration through MySchoolBucks, regardless of the method of payment. Here is a copy of the AP Exam Schedule. Please see our school website for all information regarding exams
Governor's School – DEADLINES THIS SATURDAY!
It's that time of the year! Summer Residential Governor's School offers programming in the area of academics, visual and performing arts, and world languages. Programs are prestigious and highly selective. Albemarle County pays the tuition for the program (there are usually fees for each program which run about $200). Academic and VPA are 3 weeks long. World Language is 3 weeks long. Governor's School is only for students in 10th and 11th grades. I will be setting aside 2 warrior periods a week to meet with people who want help with applications. Please look for these sessions in Adaptive Scheduler.
Here are key dates you will need:
- Visual and Performing Arts:
- Commit to Adjudicate due 1 November (NB, if this is not completed by 1 November, students will not be able to apply to VPA Gov School)
- Adjudication films/video/portfolio due: 10 November (NB. Come see me to find out what is needed for local adjudication
- Application due: 9 January (for those who go through the county's adjudication)
- Academic Governor's School School Level Application (should be available on 10 October)
- Commit to Apply due: 1 November (NB, if this is not completed by 1 November, students will not be able to apply to Academic Gov School)
- Application due: 5 December
- World Languages Academy:
Senior Privilege: Lunch Off Campus!
Here are the details you need to know about this senior privilege. Please note that if these rules are not followed, this privilege may be revoked.
Virginia National Bank Opportunity
Virginia National Bank (VNB) is proud to announce that it is currently taking applications for its 2026 Finance Career and Leadership Academy (FCLA, Academy)!
The FCLA is an in-depth and challenging educational program that offers students in high school the training and skills necessary to understand and manage one’s personal finances, obtain employment and excel as a professional, AND potentially lay the groundwork for a promising career in the banking and finance industry. The Academy is open to high school juniors and seniors and is free to those that are accepted into the program.
The 2026 FCLA in-person, evening classes are scheduled for the weeks of January 19 through May 29, 2026 (first class on Tuesday, January 20th), at Virginia National Bank’s Pantops office. The FCLA application deadline is Friday, November 21, 2025. Up to ten students will be accepted into the program. Upon completion of the Academy, high performing FCLA participants become candidates for VNB’s College Program.
We will be holding two free informational presentations for interested parents and students. The location, dates, and times for the presentations are listed below.
Charlottesville
November 6th (Th) or 10th (M)
6:30 – 8:00 PM
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Virginia National Bank
404 People Place, Basement Level
Charlottesville, VA 22911
Refreshments will be served. Seating is limited; therefore, an RSVP sent to [email protected] from those interested in attending would be greatly appreciated.
For more information regarding the Academy check out their page: www.vnb.com/fcla
Virginia National Bank (VNB) is proud to announce that it is currently taking applications for its 2026 Finance Career and Leadership Academy (FCLA, Academy)!
The FCLA is an in-depth and challenging educational program that offers students in high school the training and skills necessary to understand and manage one’s personal finances, obtain employment and excel as a professional, AND potentially lay the groundwork for a promising career in the banking and finance industry. The Academy is open to high school juniors and seniors and is free to those that are accepted into the program.
The 2026 FCLA in-person, evening classes are scheduled for the weeks of January 19 through May 29, 2026 (first class on Tuesday, January 20th), at Virginia National Bank’s Pantops office. The FCLA application deadline is Friday, November 21, 2025. Up to ten students will be accepted into the program. Upon completion of the Academy, high performing FCLA participants become candidates for VNB’s College Program.
We will be holding two free informational presentations for interested parents and students. The location, dates, and times for the presentations are listed below.
Charlottesville
November 6th (Th) or 10th (M)
6:30 – 8:00 PM
__________________
Virginia National Bank
404 People Place, Basement Level
Charlottesville, VA 22911
Refreshments will be served. Seating is limited; therefore, an RSVP sent to [email protected] from those interested in attending would be greatly appreciated.
For more information regarding the Academy check out their page: www.vnb.com/fcla
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Submit Your Work to the Myriad!
La Ofrenda de la Biblioteca de WAHS
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College Visits:
Sign up in Schoolinks!
Tomorrow is a(n) B day
Upcoming Events:
Sign up in Schoolinks!
- 5 November – Roanoke
Tomorrow is a(n) B day
Upcoming Events:
- 3-4 November – Teacher Work Day and Professional Development Day (no school for students)
- 13-16 November – The Outsiders
- 19 November – School Picture Make Up Day
- 26-28 November – Thanksgiving Break
- 7 December – Winter Band Concert
- 18 December – End of 1st Semester
- 18 December – Winter Break
- 5 January – Return from break
- 19 January – MLK Day, No School for Students
- 16 February – Teacher Work Day, No School for Students
- 17 February – Professional Development, No School for Students
- 13 March – End of 3rd Quarter
- 13 March – Better Together!
- 19 March – Professional Development, No School for Students
- 20 March – Teacher Work Day, No School for Students
- 27 March – Arts Fest in the West
- 6-10 April – Spring Break
- 23-25 April – High School Musical
- 12 May – Last Day of Classes for Seniors
- 22 May – Graduation
- 25 May – Memorial Day
- 29 May – Last Day of School (1/2 Day)
Use Your Brain for Fun (&$)!
Photo by Joe Ciciarelli on Unsplash
Humanities & Social SciencesSubmit your work to the Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize at the Kenyon Review. Sophomores and Juniors are eligible. Submit by 30 November
Literacy in Place Rural Teen Writing Contest invites you to submit work on their theme of Rural (Re)Imagined: Connecting Past, Present, and Future. Submit by 1 December. Kemper Human Rights Education Foundation invites you to submit an essay. The deadline is 10 December. One Teen Story publishes three stories from teens aged 13-19. Submit your selection by 1 December Scholastic Arts and Letters awards open today. The competition is open to students in grades 7-12. This is a very prestigious competition. |
Photo by ThisisEngineering on Unsplash
STEMSTEAM in AI invites you to apply to be part of their program. Applicants work with mentors on research. Apply by 20 November.
Join the Presidential AI Challenge! Do you have a plan for how AI could solve a community issue? Then you have a project! Dream with Us is an engineering challenge for students in grades 6-12. Get a team together and register for it by 21 November. NASA invites you to their Student Launch Challenge. This is a 9 month challenge for those interested in aerospace engineering! Programmers, get your plans in place for the Congressional App Challenge. WAHS has had a winner in the past so we can definitely do it again! Check the contest out! |
Visual and Performing ArtsThe Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards is open for submission. This is a prestigious award. Submit your work by 1 December.
Scholastic Arts and Letters awards open today. The competition is open to students in grades 7-12. This is a very prestigious competition. The Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award is given to students ages 8-18 for music. It's worth up to $10,000. Apply by 15 November The Concerto Competition is open to students in 9-12 grades. Sponsored by the US Marine Band, it's worth $5,000 and due by 15 November. Frame Your Future is taking submissions beginning today. Create a piece that envisions your future and submit it for a chance at a $2,000 scholarship |
Scholarships for Seniors
The Virginia Junior Chamber International Senate (VA JCI Senate), an affiliate organization of the Virginia Jaycees, is proud to continue to offer the future leaders of America an opportunity to earn scholarship money for the pursuit of higher education. The application, requirements, and student checklist may be found on our web site at this link:
https://www.vajcisenate.org/scholarship or here: https://usjcisenate.org/index.php/scholarship-program
Please note that in addition to scholarship funds for four-year colleges/universities, a scholarship offering for students planning to attend trade, vocational, or technical schools is also available. Last year, there was only one applicant for this program from within Virginia and was an automatic winner. We strongly encourage these students to apply. Applicants should select “Vocational Application” at the link provided above.
Application Instructions
Download and complete the application from the link provided above.
Students should assemble their application into a single PDF file ensuring that ALL attachments are included. The pdf document should be no larger than 25 MB. There are two methods of submitting the applications to me. Students may email the completed application in pdf format to this email address by the deadline. The second option is the send the hardcopy application via USPS or other delivery service such at FedEx. In order to send hardcopy, applicants or their parents MUST email me at [email protected] for specific mailing instructions for hardcopy applications. Please see additional instructions at the Virginia JCI Senate website. Emailed applications are not required but are appreciated.
Applications must be postmarked no later than January 12, 2026.
The completed application in PDF format should be emailed [email protected] by midnight January 12, 2026.
Two scholarships for college/university and one vocational scholarship will be awarded by the Virginia JCI Senate. Winners are eligible to compete for additional scholarships from the US JCI Senate and will be notified with instructions for forwarding the completed hard copy application with original signature to Cindy Kinney, Virginia JCI Senate Scholarship chair.
The NC State University Park Scholarship application is now available. This is a full tuition/room and board scholarship to NC State University. If you believe you’re qualified for the Park Scholarships based on our selection criteria of scholarship, leadership, service and character, we welcome you to apply. The application processes for Park Scholarships and NC State undergraduate admissions are separate, so be sure to follow the instructions below. The application for 2025-2026 is now open!
Eligibility Requirements: To be eligible for the Park Scholarships program, candidates must:
The Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship:
Eligibility: US Citizen
Judging Criteria: Academics, Leadership, Service, Financial Need.
Applications can be found here
Awards between $4,000-$30,000
Deadline: Nov. 12th.
The Flusche & Fitzgerald Undergrad Scholarship Contest Award: $500 scholarship
Deadline: November 30, 2025
Where to Apply: The Flusche & Fitzgerald Undergrad Scholarship Contest
https://www.vajcisenate.org/scholarship or here: https://usjcisenate.org/index.php/scholarship-program
Please note that in addition to scholarship funds for four-year colleges/universities, a scholarship offering for students planning to attend trade, vocational, or technical schools is also available. Last year, there was only one applicant for this program from within Virginia and was an automatic winner. We strongly encourage these students to apply. Applicants should select “Vocational Application” at the link provided above.
Application Instructions
Download and complete the application from the link provided above.
Students should assemble their application into a single PDF file ensuring that ALL attachments are included. The pdf document should be no larger than 25 MB. There are two methods of submitting the applications to me. Students may email the completed application in pdf format to this email address by the deadline. The second option is the send the hardcopy application via USPS or other delivery service such at FedEx. In order to send hardcopy, applicants or their parents MUST email me at [email protected] for specific mailing instructions for hardcopy applications. Please see additional instructions at the Virginia JCI Senate website. Emailed applications are not required but are appreciated.
Applications must be postmarked no later than January 12, 2026.
The completed application in PDF format should be emailed [email protected] by midnight January 12, 2026.
Two scholarships for college/university and one vocational scholarship will be awarded by the Virginia JCI Senate. Winners are eligible to compete for additional scholarships from the US JCI Senate and will be notified with instructions for forwarding the completed hard copy application with original signature to Cindy Kinney, Virginia JCI Senate Scholarship chair.
The NC State University Park Scholarship application is now available. This is a full tuition/room and board scholarship to NC State University. If you believe you’re qualified for the Park Scholarships based on our selection criteria of scholarship, leadership, service and character, we welcome you to apply. The application processes for Park Scholarships and NC State undergraduate admissions are separate, so be sure to follow the instructions below. The application for 2025-2026 is now open!
Eligibility Requirements: To be eligible for the Park Scholarships program, candidates must:
- Have a minimum unweighted GPA of 3.8.
- Be a United States citizen, permanent resident of the U.S., or graduating from a high school located in the U.S. (regardless of citizenship status).
- Apply for fall, first-year admission into a baccalaureate program at NC State.
- Apply for undergraduate admission to NC State.
- Complete the Park Scholarships application.
- Two recommendations
- Information about advanced coursework completed
- Two essays
The Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship:
Eligibility: US Citizen
Judging Criteria: Academics, Leadership, Service, Financial Need.
Applications can be found here
Awards between $4,000-$30,000
Deadline: Nov. 12th.
The Flusche & Fitzgerald Undergrad Scholarship Contest Award: $500 scholarship
Deadline: November 30, 2025
Where to Apply: The Flusche & Fitzgerald Undergrad Scholarship Contest
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Self Care:
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Scholarships
Do you need money to make post high a reality? Start with these two databases!
Hagan Scholars receive up to $7500 per semester through all of their college time. Other perks include workshops and study abroad. Apply by 1 December
Dell Scholars receive $20,000 for their education in college. Submit your application by 15 December. Jack Kent Cook Young Artist Scholarship is open to students ages 8-18. It's worth $10,000 and open until 15 November. Regeneron Talent Search is looking for your work. You must apply by 6 November. It's worth up to $250,000 for college. The Elks' Most Valuable Student Scholarship is worth up to $50,000. Apply by 12 November The National Space Foundation Keynote Scholar application is open for submissions. The winner gets up to $20,000. Apply by 17 November. The Voice of Democracy is worth up to $35,000. There is a specific prompt to respond to. Complete this by 31 October. The Stamps Scholarship is a full ride (tuition, room and board, and fees) scholarship that partners with various universities in the US. You must go through the partner institutions. The Jack Kent Cook Scholarship awards artists up to $10,000 for college. It's open to people 8-18 so get your fall app in! It's due by 15 November Do Good Things for PeopleSupport the Shelter for Help in Emergency on Saturday with their 5K run
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"The Best School" and "The Best School for You" should be one and the same. You're not buying a pair of shoes. You're going to school for four years. Just because it's a good brand name, doesn't mean it fits you or that you're comfortable there.
College Corner
Berry College
Setting Up Your Portal
Seniors who have applied or will apply to college will soon encounter something called a “Portal.” No, it’s not your entré into another dimension exactly, but it kind of is.
The College Portal is how you will communicate with the schools you have applied to. Generally after you submit your application, you will get a notification to set up your portal. Look for it in the first 1-3 business days after you submit. What’s tricky is that you get a lot of spam so you do have to be vigilant about watching for it. Always open any mail from schools you have applied to. It's annoying, but it's important.
Through this portal you can communicate with admissions to your schools. Left something off your application? Find out through your portal how to add it. Won an award after you submitted? See if you can send the information through the portal. Need to ask admissions about something? Portal. Looking for additional scholarship options? Portal, portal, portal.
Moreover, your portal is where you will get information about your application status. Most of your parents and I waited for a letter in the mail and agonized over whether the envelope was thick or thin. Not so in our miraculous 21st century! You will be told of your acceptance through your portal and that is also where you will find out if you have earned entry into honors college, been awarded scholarships, or received financial aid.
Every year someone comes to me and says they didn’t know there was a portal they had to set up. Will you be that person this year? Of course not! You are all ready and set for success now!
The College Portal is how you will communicate with the schools you have applied to. Generally after you submit your application, you will get a notification to set up your portal. Look for it in the first 1-3 business days after you submit. What’s tricky is that you get a lot of spam so you do have to be vigilant about watching for it. Always open any mail from schools you have applied to. It's annoying, but it's important.
Through this portal you can communicate with admissions to your schools. Left something off your application? Find out through your portal how to add it. Won an award after you submitted? See if you can send the information through the portal. Need to ask admissions about something? Portal. Looking for additional scholarship options? Portal, portal, portal.
Moreover, your portal is where you will get information about your application status. Most of your parents and I waited for a letter in the mail and agonized over whether the envelope was thick or thin. Not so in our miraculous 21st century! You will be told of your acceptance through your portal and that is also where you will find out if you have earned entry into honors college, been awarded scholarships, or received financial aid.
Every year someone comes to me and says they didn’t know there was a portal they had to set up. Will you be that person this year? Of course not! You are all ready and set for success now!
On the Town
- Continuity opens this evening
- Mrs. Warren's Profession is being shown tonight
- Friday is Symphonic Masquerade
- Tomorrow is Queen Lear
- Saturday artists Corinne Diop and Mary Pontillo are in conversation
- The Laughening is Saturday
- Saturday is the Montpelier Races
- Enjoy JJJJerome Ellis Sonic Bathhouse on Saturday
- Saturday you can enjoy an Arts and Crafts Fair
- Monticello invites you to Climb the Mountain on Saturday
- Saturday there will be a Fall Feast at Highland
- Kevin Moffat will be at New Dominion Saturday
- Saturday is Robert Plant's Saving Grace featuring Suzi Dian
- Sunday is a Flute Recital
- A Still Small Voice will be screened on Sunday
- The UVA Chamber Music Series continues on Sunday
- Monday Poetics of Immanence opens
