Welcome to another edition of our Hornet Highlights. Here’s a look at what has been happening in classes, in competition, and in the lives of our students and staff over this last weeks. We hope you feel connected to and informed about the work that we’re doing at Herndon High School. Thanks for reading

Sincerely, Liz Noto    

The annual Herndon High School Science Fair took place last week. With the help of staff, parent, and community judges, student scientists presented their project ideas and results with the hope of placing in their prescribed category. It was a very exciting afternoon – our cafeteria was buzzing!  

Assistant Principal Mrs. Maria Sneed showed off her training skills by running a workshop for all administrators in Region 1. Mrs. Sneed meets weekly with the All County Assistant Principal planning team and works closely with Mr. Douglas Tyson, Assistant Superintendent for Region 1. This most recent workshop included an opportunity to think about the alignment between student tasks and student learning. Our Herndon High Administrative Team learned a lot this week! 

For the last time in their high school career, our very own Herndon High School senior wrestlers posed for a photo at a regular season home meet. Our team has seen a lot of success this fall under the direction of our new coach, Mr. Pat Smith. You still have time to see our team in action this Saturday at the district competition at McLean High School beginning at 10:00am. Good luck, Team! 

Did you hear that our Step Team won the “Bring It” talent competition through Reston Bible Church? The team’s grand prize was $3,000! In addition to this recent award, the team was also invited to perform at an A10 basketball game next month. We are so impressed by the work of this group under the direction of Mrs. Tiffany Murphy, Ms. Regina Mauren and with support from former HHS steppers Byron Renderos and Katie Patrum

The Herndon Dance Team saw some exciting successes last week! The team placed first in the Jazz category during the Regional Dance Competition at Lake Braddock Secondary School on Sunday. Wow! They will take their talents on the road in the near future as they travel to the National Competition in Orlando, Florida. Good luck, Dancers! We can’t wait to see what you can do at the national level! 

Monday was a day away from school for students, but the classrooms and conference rooms at Herndon High were filled with staff members. That’s because we had the day planned for staff development. In this photo, the administrative assistants were participating in a communications workshop called “Did you really just say that?!” It was such fun to explore how the way we think translates to what we say and do!  

The Girls Basketball Team had a close match against South Lakes on Friday. During our last battle with South Lakes, our ladies pulled out a late (and very exciting) win! This time we were not quite as lucky, but fans were on the edge of their seat. The Boys team also participated in a nail-biting game, but they, too, were unable to overpower the Seahawks. Both teams battle Langley this Friday. Girls will be on the road and Boys will be home. Best of luck to these teams!  

Herndon senior, Amelia, attended the Gold Award ceremony at Herndon United Methodist Church last Sunday. Amelia spearheaded the new Math App group, which seeks to find the use of math in everyday life. In attendance were Math App sponsor Mrs. Jonnel Floyd and Social Studies Department Chair (and Amelia’s Gold Award sponsor) Mr. Chris Gannon. Mr. Gannon even shared a few words at the ceremony. Way to go, Amelia! 

English teachers gathered recently to discuss course requirements and pacing guidelines for each of the high school English classes. We call these “Vertical Articulation Meetings.” It was a great opportunity for teachers to compare notes and to ensure students are set up for success regardless of which classes they select from year to year. Kudos to our teachers for their dedication!