ACPS students take the stage for the first time this year Students at Western Albemarle High School practice with drama director Caitlin Pitts. (Source: wvir) By Elizabeth Holmes | April 1, 2021 at 1:04 PM EDT - Updated April 1 at 1:04 PM
ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (WVIR) - For the drama students at Western Albemarle High School, COVID-19 felt like closing the curtain, an “end scene” to their time on stage.
“This department has been my life for four years. I put in so much time into all of these shows,” WAHS senior Baylee Hughes said. “You let out a lot of your emotional baggage on a stage and it’s very therapeutic to act, so losing that and losing that space to express yourself is a huge loss and it’s very hard to deal with.”
WAHS senior testifies to Virginia Senate subcommittee
WAHS senior testifies to Virginia Senate sub-committee By Andrew Webb | February 3, 2021 at 10:05 AM EST - Updated February 4 at 5:17 PM
ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (WVIR) - A Western Albemarle High School student had the opportunity to testify to members of the Virginia Senate.
Virginia Young Democrats Southside Regional Chair Hadrien Padilla spoke to a subcommittee about a bill that would grant middle and high school students one excused half day per school year to be involved with civic or political engagement.
Padilla says it will allow his demographic to make their voice heard better.
“We represent middle and high school students, which is 22% of the commonwealth’s population, and the problem is that Congress and the Virginia legislature meet during normal business hours which is when we’re in school,” the student said.
ACPS teachers helping students process the violence that erupted in the Capitol
ACPS teachers helping students process the violence that erupted in the Capitol By Rachel Hirschheimer | January 8, 2021 at 11:27 AM EST - Updated January 11 at 9:42 AM
ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (WVIR) - As violence erupted at the U.S. Capitol Wednesday, January 6, teachers in the Albemarle County Public School district began helping their students process everything that was unfolding.
Steve Whitaker, a social studies teacher at Jack Jouett Middle School, says students are hyper aware of what’s going on in the world and that’s why it’s important to bring that to light.