![Standing center stage, senior Ananya Akula conducts the Phoenix Chorale. “[Conducting and teaching] is really fun,” Akula said. “Music education is what I want to do.” On the day of the choir assessment, Akula found out that she received the President’s Music Scholarship – a full ride to the University of Miami Frost School of Music.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ananya-1200x800.jpg)
![With the energy and effort the Bolts were bringing to the game, the Phoenix had to step up and match them to make it through their first game of the season. Many of the girls on the team, including freshman Nazly Rostom, have been playing soccer since their childhood and have grown a love for the sport as a result. “It was fun to see how we actually played in a [real] game,” Rostom said. “Even though the outcome was not what we were hoping for, I’m still happy we got to play together.”](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_0154-1200x800.jpg)
![Held up by a group of cheerleaders, flyer sophomore Leyu Yonas poses as part of a stunt, also supported by flyer junior Shayne Mitchell behind her. (Left) Prior to the pink out football game on Oct. 13, the athletes practiced in the aux gym from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Right) On Oct. 19, the cheerleaders competed in their District Championships at Woodgrove High School. “We definitely put all our effort on the mat [at Districts], and it showed,” Mitchell said. Left: Photo by Nadia Shirr. Right: Photo by Steve Prakope via Victor O’Neill Studios.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/feature-image-1200x823.png)
![Sophomore Xavier Smith (6), the Phoenix quarterback, runs the ball as his teammates help hold up the defense. “My [offensive] line collapses, so I just [have to run], and its a good way to get first downs because [Tuscarora’s] defense was really good,” Smith said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_5383-1200x897.jpg)
![As the referee throws the ball up for the tip-off, freshman Simone Diby leaps towards the ball to get it in Phoenix possession. Diby is a new member of the Phoenix girls basketball team, and despite it being a change, she finds it enjoyable. “It’s definitely a different experience if you’ve never played on a team, [but] I think it’s still fun.”](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/DSC_0057-1200x662.jpg)
LCPS School Board Works to Remain Open Through Omicron Surge
On Jan. 11, the LCPS School Board met to discuss the new CDC guidelines, updated LCPS COVID-19 protocols, and the county’s commitment to in-person learning.
On Jan. 11, the school board met to discuss the rising COVID-19 cases within the county and how LCPS is addressing the surge using newly-released CDC guidelines.
February 8, 2022
On Jan. 10, the seven-day COVID-19 positivity rate in Loudoun County was 34.4%, a 6.7% increase from Jan. 3, according to data from the Virginia Department of Health. The rate was 8.5% higher than the seven-day rate for the U.S.
At the LCPS School Board meeting the next day, Jan. 11, Superintendent Scott Ziegler reviewed the new CDC guidelines issued on Jan. 6 and how it would affect LCPS policies. The newest change is the shortened isolation and quarantine period from ten days to five days for students and staff who test positive or are identified as a close contact. Ziegler also outlined the county’s plans to combat both the virus and staff shortage with the main goal of avoiding a county-wide shift to virtual learning.
In March 2021, the Virginia law Chapter 456 was enacted by the Va. General Assembly, which requires school board members to provide in-person learning to students enrolled in their school division for five days a week. For LCPS, this means that in-person instruction can be temporarily stopped due to COVID-19, but the time spent in virtual learning must be limited to meet the standards set by the state.
“We are seeing an uptick in infections in our community, and that is causing some staffing difficulties,” Ziegler said. “[Chapter 456] gives us limited authority to close certain schools, classrooms, or even the [entire school district] in a limited time frame to stop the spread of COVID-19.”
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Ziegler explained that LCPS could reach a point in the Omicron surge where staffing levels aren’t sufficient to safely supervise students, and schools would “need to revert to distance learning; either synchronous or asynchronous for a short period of time.” LCPS would refer to the quarantine period to determine the amount of time spent in virtual learning, currently set to five days, in order to meet the standards set by Chapter 456 for limited closures to halt the spread of COVID-19 and return students and staff to school.
In addition to breaking down the new CDC guidelines, Ziegler described additional measures the county is taking to overcome the issues accompanying the growing number of COVID-19 cases in the county. One such measure is the establishment of COVID-19 testing sites at all high schools county-wide by Jan. 31. These sites will allow LCPS employers with over 100 employees, as it is federally mandated, to test those who are unvaccinated weekly. Additionally, LCPS continues to require mask wearing, contact tracing, and high-touch surface disinfecting on campuses.
David Goodfriend, Director of the Loudoun County Health Department, also provided a LCPS COVID-19 update using data recorded by the VDH which tracks official confirmed cases, excluding those who test positive with at-home testing kits. As of Jan. 11, an average of 857 new cases were reported per day in LCPS, with the county average of 210 cases per 100,000 people. Recording an average high of more than 100 cases per 100,000 population, LCPS has been labeled an area of high transmission.
Goodfriend also reviewed the county’s positivity rates. “Along with the number of cases we are seeing, we are also seeing a very rapid increase in percent positivity,” Goodfriend said. “We want to be below 8% for [COVID test] positivity, and right now we are at 34%; one out of every three tests that are done on average comes back positive.”
Goodfriend ended his presentation with a series of possible scenarios for the future of COVID-19. According to Goodfriend, these potential scenarios consist of the Omicron surge abating by February with transmission rates dropping below the significant level by the end of March, current variants spreading more easily, or new variants being unaffected by the current vaccine.
The next school board meeting will take place on Jan. 25.
![Standing center stage, senior Ananya Akula conducts the Phoenix Chorale. “[Conducting and teaching] is really fun,” Akula said. “Music education is what I want to do.” On the day of the choir assessment, Akula found out that she received the President’s Music Scholarship – a full ride to the University of Miami Frost School of Music.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ananya-600x400.jpg)
![Senior Fatima Qaderi grew into the person she wanted to become when she was younger and continues to work towards growing more confident in using her voice when it matters. “I didnt get treated the way I wanted to be treated, and I realized that it wasnt just them treating me the wrong way, it was me treating me the wrong way,” Qaderi said. “I forced them to like to look at me in a way where Im someone who needs to be respected; they cant just disregard me, they cant just look over me because I have a different opinion, because Im a woman, because Im Afghan, because Im Muslim, or whatever. It just took going through different experiences to figure out how [I wanted to] be heard.” Photo courtesy of Fatima Qaderi.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_3870-600x471.jpeg)
