Bredesen Protocol Alzheimers Treatment in Fairfax, VA

Officials from Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax school systems announced the hiring of a new principal for the city's middle school.

Michael O'Connell, Patch Staff

|Updated Thu, May 2, 2024 at 3:09 pm ET

FAIRFAX CITY, VA — Daniels Run Elementary School Principal Chris Smith was named the new principal at Katherine Johnson Middle School on Thursday afternoon, according to a release from the City of Fairfax Schools.

CFS Superintendent Jeff Platenberg and Fairfax County Public Schools Region 5 Assistant Superintendent Rebecca Baenig announced Smith's appointment at a meeting on Thursday with KJMS staff at the school.

Smith will succeed Dr. Tammy Sillipigni, KJMS' current principal, who announced earlier this year that she would retire on July 1.

"This decision was not made lightly, as my time at Daniels Run has been incredibly rewarding and fulfilling," Smith said, in a letter sent to parents on Thursday afternoon. "Over the past six years, I have had the privilege of working alongside an exceptional staff, engaging with our bright and talented students, and forming strong bonds with our supportive families. Your dedication, passion, and commitment to our school community have truly made a lasting impact, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have been part of it."

Prior to becoming the principal at Daniels Run Elementary in 2019, Smith was an assistant principal at Brookfield Elementary in Chantilly and at KJMS, when it was known as Lanier Middle School.

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In 1998, Smith began his career in education as a social studies teacher/department chair for FCPS and neighboring district. A graduate of the University of Maryland at College Park, he earned a bachelor of arts in secondary education. He went on to earn a master of education in educational leadership from George Mason University.

"The City of Fairfax welcomes Chris back to Katherine Johnson MS, and is grateful he will remain in our City school community," Platenberg said. "I have had the honor of working with Chris and admire his strong leadership, collaboration, and calm demeanor. I know our students benefit by having him in our City of Fairfax family and look forward to his tenure at KJMS."

Smith told DRES parents the transition to his new role be smooth.

“FCPS Region 5 and the Department of Human Resources are committed to working closely with the DRES community and the City of Fairfax Schools Leadership in the coming weeks," he said. "Their goal is to appoint a new principal who will continue to foster a caring and responsive culture of high expectations for all, ensuring the school's continued success.”

An engagement process involving parents and the community is expected to begin in the coming weeks to choose the next principal for Daniels Run Elementary, according to a CFS spokeswoman.

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These Covid tracking pages are no longer being updated. Get the latest information from the Centers for Disease Control, or find archived data from The Times’s three year reporting effort here.

Daily Covid-19 admissions in the Fairfax County area

About the data

Data is from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hospitalization data is a daily average of Covid-19 patients in hospital service areas that intersect with Fairfax County, an area which may be larger than Fairfax County itself.

The number of daily hospital admissions shows how many patients were admitted to hospitals for Covid and is one of the most reliably reported indicators of Covid’s impact on a community.

Total population

Ages 65 and up

Total population

Ages 65 and up

An updated vaccine is recommended for adults and most children. Statewide, 22% of vaccinations did not specify a home county.

Nearby hospitals

Share of I.C.U. beds occupied

About this data Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Notes: The hospitals map shows the average I.C.U. occupancy at nearby hospitals in the most recent week with data reported. The data is self-reported to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services by individual hospitals. It excludes counts from hospitals operated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Indian Health Service. Numbers for hospitalized patients are based on inpatient beds and include I.C.U. beds. Hospitalized Covid-19 patients include both confirmed and suspected Covid-19 patients. The C.D.C. stopped reporting data on cases in May 2023.

How trends have changed in Fairfax County

About this data Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Notes: Weekly county death data prior to Jan. 2021 was not reported by the C.D.C. and is sourced from reporting by The New York Times. Hospitalization data is a weekly average of Covid-19 patients in hospital service areas that intersect with Fairfax County. Hospitalization numbers early in the pandemic are undercounts due to incomplete reporting by hospitals to the federal government.

Historical trends in Fairfax County

The data in these charts has been archived and they are no longer being updated.

About this data Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data in these charts has been archived and they are no longer being updated. Weekly county case data prior to Jan. 2021 was not reported by the C.D.C. and is sourced from reporting by The New York Times. The C.D.C. stopped reporting data on cases in May 2023. Test positivity data is based only on test results reported to the federal government and is a seven-day average.

By Jon Huang, Samuel Jacoby, Jasmine C. Lee, John-Michael Murphy, Charlie Smart and Albert Sun. Additional reporting by Sarah Cahalan, Lisa Waananen Jones, Amy Schoenfeld Walker and Josh Williams. See a full list of contributors to The Times’s Covid-19 data reporting here.

About the data

Data on this page is reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Population and demographic data is from the U.S. Census Bureau. Hospitalization data is reported by individual hospitals to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and it includes confirmed and suspected adult and pediatric patients. The C.D.C. does not provide complete vaccinations data for some counties and caps its vaccination rate figures at 95 percent.

The C.D.C. may make historical updates as more data is reported.

The C.D.C. stopped reporting data on Covid cases in May 2023.

Located at the intersection of Little River Turnpike (Rte. 236) and Chain Bridge Road, the Historic Fairfax Courthouse has stood here since construction was completed in 1800. The Historic Fairfax Courthouse is the third iteration of the Fairfax County Courthouse, the first being built near Tyson’s Corner around 1742. In 1752, the Courthouse was relocated to Alexandria following pressure from Alexandrian businessmen. Virginia ceded Alexandria to the Federal Government in 1789, to make room for the construction of a “federal territory,” now known as the District of Columbia. As the county court could not meet outside the boundaries of the county, a new location was earnestly sought. In 1798, Richard Ratcliffe donated four acres of land for the construction of the Fairfax Courthouse in the town of Providence (now the City of Fairfax).

In 1799, work started on the new courthouse using a design by architect James Wren. The first court session was heard in the new courthouse on April 21, 1800. Situated at a county crossroads (Little River Turnpike and Chain Bridge Road), the courthouse would have been surrounded by open fields. Providence was a very rural town, but the presence of the courthouse soon demanded certain amenities. A large tavern built opposite the courthouse, known as the Wilcoxen Tavern, served as hostelry and unofficial offices for the justices and lawyers who travelled here each month for court. In 1844, a cupola and bell were added to the courthouse for the purposes of calling court into session.

Court was interrupted during the Civil War, and damage to the courthouse interior was inflicted by both Union and Confederate troops. Immediately after the war, the courthouse was renovated. Photographs taken in the early twentieth century show several renovations of the interior, including changes in the orientation of seating and wooden paneling behind the judge’s bench.

The last major changes to the courthouse occurred during the 1967 renovation by architect Walter Macomber, who was directed to give the interior a more historic feel. Changes included the addition of 19th century benches from Jerusalem Baptist Church, and more colonial-style wainscoting. Circuit Court was held in the Historic Fairfax Courthouse until the creation of the Judicial Center in the 1980s, and Juvenile Court was held here until 2008.

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The woman who sued Fairfax County Public Schools for millions of dollars after accusing a classmate of raping her in middle school lost the case.

On Wednesday afternoon, a federal jury ultimately rejected all of her allegations.

The victim says when the verdict came down, she was confused, hurt, and even felt numb.

Fairfax County Public Schools cleared of wrongdoing in middle school rape case

Fairfax County Public Schools cleared of wrongdoing in middle school rape case

She exclusively told FOX 5's Sierra Fox, "I’m the one struggling with life-altering injuries that I’ll suffer with for the rest of my life, and they get to walk away from this case with no consequences, but I have to live with it forever."

This 24-year-old victim, identified as B.R. in court documents, said more than a decade ago she was repeatedly bullied, sexually harassed, and even gang-raped as a seventh grader at Rachel Carson Middle School in Herndon, Virginia..

Related

A 24-year-old woman told jurors Tuesday that she was repeatedly raped and sexually harassed a decade ago as a seventh-grade student in Virginia, and that school officials reacted to her pleas for help with indifference.

"It makes me feel so terrible because I know some other survivors have told me when you go through trials, it feels like the memories resurface; you have flashbacks, you feel similar feelings that you did when you experienced the trauma," said B.R. "But I felt like I literally relived this with the same administrators, the same teachers, just acting with no remorse, no care, no regard."

She claims Fairfax County Public Schools ignored her cries for help and even retaliated against her. However, after a lengthy trial lasting more than five weeks at the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, a jury decided the school board was not guilty of any wrongdoing.

Fairfax County Public Schools cleared of wrongdoing in middle school rape case

"I feel extremely sad and disappointed," B.R. said. "I feel like this was yet another failure and miscarriage of justice."

Fairfax County Public Schools sent FOX 5 this statement, The jury’s verdict today affirms that the FCPS board and nine current and former educators acted in a caring, respectful, and professional manner to support the plaintiff when she was a student 12 years ago. We are grateful to the jury for their careful evaluation of the evidence and their service on this important case."

Related

Fairfax County Public Schools is accused of turning a blind eye to a horrific sexual abuse case.

"I have no regrets. I know the school board wants me to feel ashamed for bringing this, but I’m extremely proud of myself for fighting this for 12 years. I’ve been in this lawsuit for five," B.R. said.

The victim said she doesn’t want any other child to have to go through the traumatic experiences she did.

"I think it’s important to speak up. I know that you may see things like me losing my case, which may look like a deterrent from coming forward because it feels like the system fails victims like me, but we’re stronger together than speaking up alone," B.R. said.

She plans to explore other legal options and believes this case is far from over.

During unprecedented upheaval in the world, it is worth remembering and reminding each other that plenty of reasons to feel hopeful, happy and helpful still exist. Among them are inspiring and impactful projects and stories created within our own community.

This spring many Fairfax County Public Library staff members joined in team efforts to sew cloth face masks for donation to local frontline workers and at-risk populations and to assemble face shields for distribution through Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services (NCS).

Additionally, FCPL staff collaborated with the student-run Youth COVID-19 Relief Organization (Project YCRO) to help make personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline workers in the Washington, D.C., metro area. Project YCRO first contacted Pohick Regional Library about using its 3D printers to produce face shields. When the library’s printer beds proved too small for the clear face shield part, staff from several branches met to brainstorm other ways to contribute to the project.

The solution was to print the smaller face shield comfort strip part — to which the clear section attaches — instead. FCPL printed hundreds of strips for donation to Project YCRO.

As the special collection of history and genealogy resources within the FCPL system, the Virginia Room quickly identified the need to capture primary source material regarding this unique time in history. In April it opened an online submission portal and began collecting digital material relating to the pandemic experiences of people who live and work in Fairfax County. The project has received a great variety of material, including photographs, artwork, handwritten journal entries and poems, as well as links to podcasts and personal blogs.

Submissions came from all age groups and all parts of the county, and many people submitted multiple times. This project not only creates a fuller record of an historic event, but also allows residents to connect their experiences with the wider world — easing the isolation felt by many while staying at home.

For more information on the Virginia Room project or to submit your own story, read the Fairfax County Emergency Information blog post. Visit the Virginia Room's COVID-19 Project BiblioBoard to see some of the digital materials already shared.