On Tuesday, Jan. 11, the Loudoun County School Board met to continue unfinished business from the last meeting, discussing the FY24 budget. Senior and School Board Representative Srikar Bangaru represented Rock Ridge as a student voice to the board.

The meeting began with the Acting Superintendent Daniel Smith presenting the Superintendent’s Report. Neil Slevin was named the LCPS acting chief of staff after serving LCPS as a principal for over 20 years. Slevin began his career as a social sciences teacher at Riverside Middle School, and later served as the assistant principal at Stone Hill Middle School.

Principal of Loudoun County High School Michelle Luttrell also spoke about two updates for a plan called “One LCPS,” which is a 5-year plan that targets employing more qualified staff members for all LCPS schools. Specifically, the plan hopes to search for “high performing team professionals” and place more power in the students’ hands to ensure that students’ futures are secure. This plan will also allow for students to have more specialized teachers to make sure they make the best choices for themselves.

Bangaru attended the meeting and highlighted various aspects of Rock Ridge’s school environment. His remarks focused on recognizing the SCA and their accomplishments following the pandemic. Bangaru highlighted e Frost Fest, the Student vs. Staff Volleyball game, Clash of Classes Kickball game, and Homecoming. He also shared that through the Pie-a-Teacher in the Face event, the SCA partnered with the Dulles Food Pantry to raise over 100 cans of food for charity.

Athletic updates from Bangaru included that the football team set many school records this year, finishing the season strong. Wrestling also had a strong performance throughout their season, with senior Ilias Cholakis recently crowned as the champion of the Rock Ridge competition. Track athletes also qualified for nationals in the 4x 200, and members of the League of Legends team in the esports club were runner ups at the ESports VHSL tournament on Dec. 17, 2022. 

Bangaru also noted that the school publications departments continued to win awards and set new records, with the yearbook qualifying for the Genesis, a prestigious award. “My favorite part of being a representative is talking to all the different people on the school board, finding out all the ins and outs of the county, finding out what makes school possible, and making all that funding possible,” Bangaru said. “It’s pretty cool to hear about all of that.”

The board also announced an information item of an annual proclamation of National Counselors Week for the first week in February. The proclamation shared that counselors contribute to students’ well-being and academic success, serving as their support system and advocates. 

During the public comment section, community members frequently spoke of how the school board focused too much on social justice rather than merit and academic excellence. Some want the board members to release documents and more agreements so that the general public can understand and be aware of what is happening and discussed. Those documents include information about their kids and the students of the schools. 

The next school board meeting will take place on Jan. 24.