Thursday Round Up

13 November

Photo by Elisa on Unsplash
News from the Homefront: ​

WAHS Theater:
Western Albemarle High School Drama invites families to A Night of One-Act Plays, featuring three student performances: Play With Your Food, The Outsiders, and 8 Minutes Left. Each one-act play runs about 35 minutes, offering an engaging evening of theater suitable for ages 12 and up.
Showtimes (WAHS Auditorium):
  • Thursday, Nov. 13 | 6:30–8:30 p.m.
  • Friday, Nov. 14 | 6:30–8:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, Nov. 15 | 6:30–8:30 p.m.
  • Sunday, Nov. 16 | 2:00–4:00 p.m.
About the Performances:
  • Play With Your Food — A witty comedy performed by the Drama 3–4 class.
  • The Outsiders — This year’s main fall play, a serious drama based on the novel by S.E. Hinton.
  • 8 Minutes Left — A reflective piece on what we value most and this year’s competition selection.
Tickets:
  • Students/Seniors: $5
  • Adults: $8
Tickets are sold at the door, and all proceeds support the junior and senior Drama students traveling to New York City this April.
We hope you’ll join us for this outstanding showcase of student talent.


Rho Kappa:
​Rho Kappa, the History Honor Society, sponsors a panel discussion of veterans each year.  We need help finding people who are willing to come to Western Albemarle High School to serve on the panel.  If you know a veteran who would be willing to come to WAHS during our Warrior Period or lunch period, please fill out this form.

Giving Tree at WAHS:
This holiday season, help bring warmth and cheer to Western families in need through our Holiday Giving Tree! 

The Giving Tree will support approximately 150 children, including Henley & WAHS students plus siblings, this holiday season. The counselors at Henley Middle School and Western Albemarle High School identified these families, who remain anonymous to Giving Tree organizers, as those most in need of community support. Due to health & safety concerns, we are opting to solicit funds to purchase gift cards, allowing families to do their own shopping. Our campaign​ will run from mid-November until Friday, December 5th. 

Your generosity will brighten the holidays for neighbors who could use a little extra support this year. Together, we can make sure every family experiences the spirit of giving, hope, and community.
Angel Tree:
Homerooms have made a commitment to support families this season. Please bring in your money to your homeroom!
Senior Photos:
Governor's School:
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:  
    • Adjudication films/video/portfolio due to the state: 3 December-14 January (please do not wait until 14 January!)
    • ​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)​
    • Application due: 5 December
  • World Languages Academy:

WAHS Library Speaker Series!
Join us in the library! Sign up in Adaptive Scheduler
Tomorrow is a(n) B day 

​Upcoming Events:​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
  • 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
  • 24 March – In School SAT Day
  • 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 (&$)!

Humanities & Social Sciences

The Mentoris Essay Contest invites you to write about trailblazers in multiple subject areas. First prize is $1,000 and it is open to 11th and 12th grades.

Submit 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 are open. The competition is open to students in grades 7-12. This is a very prestigious competition.

STEM

The Department of Defense offers the SMART Scholarship. It's not just money for college, but internship, and job afterwards. Apply by 1 December

STEAM 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!
Picture
Photo by Ari He on Unsplash

Visual and Performing Arts

The Smithsonian has a photo contest that is taking submissions until 1 December

The 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 Flusche & Fitzgerald Undergrad Scholarship Contest Award: $500 scholarship
Deadline:  November 30, 2025
Where to Apply: The Flusche & Fitzgerald Undergrad Scholarship Contest
Self Care:
​Scholarships
Do you need money to make post high a reality? Start with these two databases!
Burger King offers a $50,000 scholarship for students who will graduate this year and plan to go on to college. Applications ar open until 15 December.

Cards Against Humanity sponsors the Science Ambassador Scholarship for women and nonbinary people. It's worth up to $20,000. Apply by 15 December.

Equitable Excellence offers up to $20,000 for students who are graduating in 2026 and will be entering college in the fall of that year. Submit by 18 December.

G2 Overachievers Grant awards up to $100,000 to people who go above and beyond in their community. Apply by 15 December.​

Amazon's Future Engineer Scholarship is worth up to $40,000 for students who have demonstrated need. 

Military Child of the Year is a $10,000 scholarship for the child of someone serving in the military. It is open to students ages 13-18 and the application is due on 2 December.

The Department of Defense offers the SMART Scholarship. It's not just money for college (full tuition!), but internship, and job afterwards. Apply by 1 December

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. 

Do Good Things for People

Support Cultivate Charlottesville and enjoy some great Pickle Ball!

Support Morven Farm with a workday on Saturday

"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. 

How to High School

WAHS!

Third Quarter Will Be Here Soon.

​At Western Albemarle High School we grade by the year. This means that the grade that matters is the one that you can see on PowerSchool that is under the Y heading. We have two terms, Term 1 and Term 2. Each term is made up of two quarters. BUT there’s a catch. The quarters do not average to make a term. They are continuous. Think of the end of 1st and 3rd Quarter as the twice a year dental cleaning you get. It’s just to check and see where you are. It’s not a final referendum on the state of your teeth. 

First Quarter is the settling in quarter. New classes, new teachers, sometimes new school. For the first couple weeks we’re just figuring out if the classes you’re taking will work for you, and if you’ve chosen the right levels. It’s a process of settling in after the summer away, and it’s over before you know it.

Second Quarter is usually off to a bang. Spirit Week(s), HOCO, Trunk or Treat, and more take center stage this quarter. And we have some nice breaks built in as well. Time off on election day followed by Thanksgiving a few weeks later. You’re in the groove and can get work done now. With the winter break coming at the end, you can look forward to a nice long rest.

And then there is the dread Third Quarter. If your grades are going to tank, this is the quarter it will happen. This is the quarter with February in it, the longest month of the year (and yes, I get the irony). Tensions tend to be high this quarter. It’s dark. It’s cold. It can be disrupted by snow, and while having a snow day seems like a gift, generally we don’t use those days to catch up (I know I don’t use them that way). This is the quarter where you’re going to get sick and miss school and need to make up work and then it won’t be a Friday A day and it will be hard to do. We’re cooped up inside and it’s weird because there will be those three days when it’s oddly 75° and then it snows. Spring Break will never get here. March stretches on forever. We’re most off our game during Third Quarter and we think that we’ll be ok because we can make it up in Fourth Quarter.

But we can’t. Fourth Quarter is the disappearing quarter. In mid March we are exhausted. We drag off to Spring Break and think to ourselves “well after break I’ll be on top of everything.” And then we’re back. And three weeks isn’t enough to drag the Third Quarter back because in a month AP and SOL exams start. There are less than five weeks between Spring Break and the last day for seniors and seven weeks for the rest of us. Before we know it, you’re doing final projects, completing IDMs, and turning in your computers. The year is finished.

Right now we are five weeks to Winter Break. I promise you that this is the time of year to get yourself in overdrive. Don’t wait to make up the test, turn in the essay, or finish that presentation. Third Quarter looms. You can triumph over it or crash out. You control your attitude and your effort. Don’t wait on that.

On the Town

Photo by Jared Sluyter on Unsplash
Events:​​​​