F.C. Bulletin: May 8, 2026
1) Falls Church Women's History Walk, Tomorrow May 9
2) FCC School Board Updates; Switch in Student Cell Phone Policy
3) City Announces Selection of Firm to Assist in City Manager Search
4) Homestretch Hosts 21st Annual Benefit Breakfast To Celebrate Work Of Graduates
5) FCPS Adult and Community Education Instructor Featured in National Story on Whole-Grain Baking
6) Notices & Announcements
Falls Church Women’s History Walk, Tomorrow May 9
What could be better than a springtime stroll in Cherry Hill Park on a Saturday morning? The Farmers Market in full swing, the sound of Children at play, trees blooming and scenting the air . . .
And, on this particular Saturday morning, May 9, – an additional pleasure for the senses – you'll have the opportunity to amble around Cherry Hill at your leisure and peruse all 70 “Her Story” stations of the Falls Church Women’s History Walk, installed throughout the park . . . and you will be inspired!
But, that's not all, no! – You'll also have the opportunity that very same morning to experience the Falls Church Garden Club’s Annual Plant Sale at the Community Center to learn about native plants and butterflies and to find something wonderful to bring home and plant in your garden!
Details:
Addresses: Cherry Hill Park at 312 Park Ave.; Falls Church City Community Center at 223 Little Falls St.
• Open from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., the Falls Church Women’s History Walk” is a self-guided stroll throughout Cherry Hill Park.
• The “Her Story” stations, which comprise the Walk, represent the Falls Church Women’s History “All-Stars,” showcasing their stellar contributions to our community from the 1600s through today
• Docents will be on hand to provide guidance and entice you to participate in our Women’s History Scavenger Hunt. Look for them at tables situated in and around the park.
• At Noon – Please Join us for a special ceremony on the front porch of Cherry Hill Farmhouse to recognize this year’s Grand Marshals: Marty Behr, Sharon Schoeller, Sandy Tarpinian, Melissa Teates.
And, at 1:00 p.m. – A Special Recognition for the Young Women of Action
Other Signs and Stations featured in and around the Park:
▪ Young Women of Action from our Middle and High Schools
▪ Local Civic Group Displays: the DAR, Creative Cauldron, VPIS, LWV, AAUW, the Victorian Society, the Girl Scouts, and the MRS Library
• The Farmhouse will be open to the public from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m for the occasion, and Judge Riley may be making a surprise appearance.
The Falls Church Garden Club Plant Sale: featuring Plants, Pots, Tools, Gifts, and Décor will be held in the Community Center Gym.
This special one-day event is presented by The Falls Church Women’s History Group.
For more information about Women’s History Walks, past and present, visit our website at fallschurchwomenshistory.org
Many thanks to the event’s generous sponsors: Laura and Christian Downs; VPIS; Citizens for a Better City; The Daughters of the American Revolution, Falls Church Chapter; Louise Hilsen and Donald Foley; Falls Church American Legion Post 130; The City of Falls Church; and Falls Church City Public Schools.
The Women's History Walk was founded by the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation.
For questions, please contact us at fallschurchwomenshistory@gmail.com.
Parking:
For our story about last year's Women's History Walk see below:
Christopher Jones
FCC School Board Updates; Switch in Student Cell Phone Policy
A major turnaround on student cell phone use in K-12 Virginia public schools recently emerged from Richmond with Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger's approval. Instead of requiring high school students to simply put away their phones during instructional and free time, the new policy bans student cell phone use altogether during the entire school day, i.e., from "bell to bell."
"Cell phone bans will be strengthened at Virginia’s K-12 schools after a bill from a Fairfax County state senator was signed into law. The bill tightening restrictions from state Sen. Stella Pekarsky (D-36) was signed by Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) [April 5] and will take effect on July 1," Fairfax Now reported. "It will require schools to prohibit student cell phone use from the bell-to-bell every school day, including breaks between classes and the lunch period. However, the law forbids school divisions from suspending or expelling a student for a cell phone violation."
“Some school districts interpreted last year’s law as allowing leniency during breaks or lunch, so we just updated the code to ensure the prohibition of cell phone usage during the school day is very clear,” Pekarsky told FFXnow. “It does not prohibit possession of a cell phone.”
Superintendent's Views
In August, 2025, we asked incoming School Superintendent Dr. Terry Dade for his thoughts on school cell phone policies for the City of Falls Church. Here's what we wrote:
Cellphones in the Classroom
Asked if FCCPS has adopted new classroom cell phone use policies since Va. Governor Youngkin’s stated policies last year to make Commonwealth classrooms “cell phone free,” Dade suggested a measured approach. “Right now I’m following the School Board’s direction and they had a meeting this past June where – unless they heard further clarification, further details from Governor Youngkin, and [Virginia Department of Education] VDOE, that we were going to maintain the policy that was in place last year.”
“From an outside perspective and now being a part of FCCPS, I also heard some concerns about consistency. I think that’s where I come in, to just make sure I’m working with our students and staff to make sure that if there’s a policy in place that we’re being consistent in that enforcement. So, I think that will be my first look – just seeing if there’s consistency in how it’s being implemented across our campuses.”
"Asked about parents/guardians who might have increased security concerns if their children are not reachable during a school day emergency on campus such as a school shooting, Dade emphasized the importance of listening to the experts. 'Something I really want the Falls Church City community to know about me is that I’m the son of a law enforcement officer,' he said. 'My dad is a retired police officer, detective (under cover) in Washington, D.C. So I defer to the expertise of those who are charged with keeping us safe.'”
“I will say that some of the prevailing research from law enforcement concerns what is getting in the way of their doing their job," he said. "And cell phones are one of the things they talk about frequently, with regard to who’s controlling the message of reaching out to parents and things of that nature,” during an incident.... One of the anecdotes I’ll take from our law enforcement team back in New York is when you’re in that environment, you want [those in the building] as quiet and out-of-the-way as possible. Cell phone use could, if they’re on them, indicate where students, staff, and others are."
Here's the article:
Christopher Jones
The Falls Church City School Board is now exploring how best to implement the new cell phone restrictions at Meridian H.S. Whereas students were allowed access to their phones during free time, lunch, in bathrooms, etc., their phones will likely be subject to confiscation if the new "bell-to-bell" band is strictly enforced against repeat violations.
The School Board Chair's Views
FCC School Board Chair Kathleen Tysse talked to us in October, 2025, about cell phone policies in the City of Falls Church:
“It’s certainly one of the big topics right now,” Tysse said. “And I certainly understand and share the same concerns about screen addiction and fractured attention. I have the same challenges as every other parent has right now in my own house with four kids. So when we decided last year to draft a policy, we first did a lot of listening. We invited the school leadership to a public discussion at a School Board meeting and then we hosted four separate town halls for the community, one for students, one for staff, one for parents, and one in Spanish, so we could really learn more about the issues and the nuance.”
“What it really came down to in the end – the hardest part of the decision – was whether or not to fully ban phones at the high school every minute of the day or to take a more measured approach in this first year of the policy. And it’s just the first year because we’ve written into the policy that it will be re-visited annually. So, we’re sort of holding ourselves accountable to stay mindful on the issue. So, for this first year, we ultimately voted to take up the more measured approach."
“In large part – at least what informed my vote – and it wasn’t the only reason, but a reason, was listening to the teachers and staff who are the professionals, who are with these students all day and really know the ins and outs of their students and would also be the ones responsible for implementing and enforcing whatever policies we set. Now, no group is a monolith, but they were pretty clear, by and large, that they were supportive of this more moderate approach where students do have access for certain parts of the day to their phones.”
“Whether or not we should ban them the entire day without exceptions? I always quote my colleague on the School Board who says, ‘This is a place where reasonable people can disagree.’ And the challenge with policy work like this is that it impacts students age 14, fresh out of middle school, but also students who are legal adults, well over 18, who are on their way to college or the work force. So these sorts of policies are not going to perfectly meet every student’s needs and that’s a real challenge.”
“But we’ll have to consider what implementation will look like and the logistics and the reality of it and then whether the challenges of that will be worth the benefit of a full ban. Lots of districts around us do have a full ban and are doing it in lots of different ways with varying approaches and varying degrees of success. So I’m grateful we’ve taken this year to get more feedback from the community, learn from the surrounding districts how their approaches are going, learn more about getting new legislation, and then if we get to the point where we need a stricter policy, we’ll see. I feel like I’m always listening and learning and staying open and look forward to revisiting it in the winter and learning more at that time.”
Asked if she thought Meridian H.S. Principal Peter Laub’s argument before the School Board last year [in 2024] that older IB students need to learn how to use their phones responsibly during non-instructional times was reasonable, Tysse said, “I really had those students in mind as I was weighing all the factors. Because of course phones can be a distraction and of course they can prevent kids from being productive, but they're also a really valuable tool for helping our kids both be productive and to manage their executive functioning and keeping track of all of their reminders, and their calendars, and their grades. And also, our building is seven stories and it’s really hard to find your friends if you don’t remember where the club is meeting or you want to find which friend you want to eat lunch with. Our students are really lucky they have some real independence throughout our campus and if we want to support their social needs during their downtimes, I think their phones can be a real positive tool for that.”
Here's our article:
Christopher Jones
Meridian Principal Laub's Perspectives
Principal of Meridian H.S. Peter Laub told us in Nov. 2024 he would "enforce whatever cell phone policies" were required, but he strongly advocated allowing older students access to their phones not only as learning tools, but to help them manage their busy lives before going off to college. Under an IB program, and as students take on greater responsibilities in life, they need to "learn how to “self-regulate” and to maturely integrate e-devices into their lives as they progress toward adulthood, college, and/or careers.
We asked Principal Laub if he thought Meridian's approach allowing students access to their phone's during "non-instructional time," or with the teacher's permission was a "progressive" approach. “Yes," [he answered], especially, in this context for high school, you’re talking about kids ages 14-up-to-18, so progressive in that sense as well,” Laub said. “These 18-year-olds are sometimes in school for only two or three classes because they’re managing the shop where they work, or they’re running their service organization, or organizing their Eagle Scout project, or whatever they do. So, they’re in eight different places, which is the appropriate transition toward the next level.”
Here's our article:
Christopher Jones
The School Board in Action
"The Virginia legislature recently passed (with near unanimity) a law requiring school boards to develop and implement policies that ban student cell phone usage during the school day," wrote FCC School Board member Dr. Jerrod Anderson on his School Board blog. Anderson provided a YouTube clip capturing the School Board's discussion of new policies surrounding student cell phone use in schools. "You can find a discussion of how the schools plan to implement this new policy here," he wrote.
On the Falls Church City Parents list-serve May 4, we received this update on the drastic change in school cell phone policy and other updates from Dr. Anderson:
We have finalized a new cell phone policy due to a change in Virginia law (which requires schools to ban student cell phone use during the school day). We have begun work on an AI policy to guide the schools in AI usage (thank you to all the committee volunteers who have put in so much work and thank you to all the city residents who came to our town halls). We have also developed a budget for the 2026-2027 school year, and while revenue looks healthy and is predicted to be higher than what was thought in December, the City Council seems poised to break its revenue share agreement, meaning that the schools may not be able to engage in the enhancements for student learning and more efficient contractual management that we left out of the budget in order to meet city council guidance. Click here for more details. Best, Jerrod Anderson
City Announces Selection of Firm to Assist in City Manager Search
Following is based on a May 6 Falls Church City press release:
City Council Commences Recruitment Process, Solicits Community Input
Wednesday, May 6, 2026 – The City of Falls Church has selected Raftelis as the executive recruitment firm to assist the City Council in the search for the next City Manager. In March, current City Manager Wyatt Shields announced his forthcoming retirement, effective this September after 23 years of service to the City.
Raftelis is a well-respected consulting firm that specializes in serving local governments and has a strong track record in successful executive recruitment. The City’s contract with Raftelis will ensure a comprehensive search process that will start with an opportunity for community members and staff to provide feedback to the City Council on attributes the City should look for in its next City Manager. The Raftelis feedback form can be accessed here. The feedback form is currently open and closes at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, May 21.
“The City Council is committed to a thorough and transparent process for recruiting and selecting the next City Manager for the City of Falls Church. It's important that we choose an effective leader to continue to help move the City forward in partnership with the governing body, staff, and community members,” said Mayor Letty Hardi.
In the City’s Council-Manager form of government the City Council is responsible for the appointment of the City Manager for the City of Falls Church. Under the City Charter, the City Manager is “the Executive Officer of the City responsible to the Council for the administration of the City government in furthering the Council's goals and objectives.” The City Council’s goal is to conduct a successful recruitment process and have the City Manager position filled by Labor Day this fall.
The City and Raftelis will provide regular updates for the public throughout the City Manager recruitment process.
Homestretch Hosts 21st Annual Benefit Breakfast To Celebrate Work Of Graduates
Following is based on a May 8 Homestretch press release:
FALLS CHURCH, VA – Yesterday, Homestretch, a Virginia non-profit dedicated to empowering individuals and families experiencing homelessness, hosted its 21st Annual Benefit Breakfast at the Fairview Park Marriott in Falls Church, Va. to celebrate the work being done by graduates on their journey to self-sufficiency.
The event gathered hundreds of attendees, including Homestretch partners, supporters and donors who contributed donations to fund Homestretch’s programs dedicated to providing housing, job training and educational opportunities to empower homeless parents with children. The event featured inspirational testimonies from several graduates who shared their individual journeys to successful futures with the help of the program.
Also at the event, Homestretch premiered a new video that highlights real stories of resilience, hope and success made possible through Homestretch:
Watch video HERE.
“Homestretch has been transforming lives by providing pathways to self-sufficiency for over 35 years,” said Barfonce Baldwin, executive director of Homestretch. “Today’s celebration is a testament to the resilience of our graduates and our community’s commitment to supporting them every step of the way. Watching families move from crisis to stability reminds us of why this work truly matters. We're not just helping families navigate a broken system; we're helping them overcome it. We are grateful for every partner, donor and volunteer who has joined us in our efforts today and every day.”
For more information about Homestretch, its programs and how to get involved and support homeless families in our area, visit https://www.homestretchva.org/ .
About Homestretch: Homestretch, an acclaimed 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization, makes self-sufficiency possible for dozens of homeless parents with children every year. In operation since 1990, Homestretch provides homeless families with safe housing in neighborhood homes while they progress through a rigorous two year program designed to build their finances, restore their health, improve their life skills, and launch them into careers. At the end of their time at Homestretch, families graduate from the program into permanent housing they can afford on their own income. And 95% of Homestretch families remain housed and employed years after exiting the program. To learn more about Homestretch visit www.homestretchva.org.
For more on Homestretch, see our stories below:
Christopher Jones
Christopher Jones
FCPS Adult and Community Education Instructor Featured in National Story on Whole-Grain Baking
Following is based on a May 6 FCPS ACE press releasew:
Springfield, Va. — Fairfax County Public Schools Adult and Community Education (FCPS ACE) is proud to celebrate ACE instructor Nicola “Nikki” Hofstetter-Phelps, who was recently featured in a national Civil Eats article highlighting the growing movement toward whole-grain and locally sourced baking.
In the article, Hofstetter-Phelps shared her passion for baking with ancient and local grains during a workshop held at the Plum Center for Lifelong Learning in Northern Virginia. Drawing on her training in the pastry traditions of her native Germany, she teaches students how to work with specialty grains while exploring the flavors, techniques, and nutritional benefits of whole-grain baking.
“Nikki represents the outstanding expertise and real-world experience that FCPS ACE instructors bring to the classroom every day,” said FCPS ACE administrator Paul Steiner. “Our instructors are accomplished professionals, artisans, educators, and subject-matter experts who are passionate about sharing their knowledge with the community.”
Hofstetter-Phelps teaches a variety of baking and culinary courses through FCPS ACE, including specialty workshops that celebrate authentic European baking traditions and hands-on learning experiences for adults of all skill levels. Her classes reflect the ACE mission of lifelong learning, personal enrichment, and community connection.
FCPS ACE offers hundreds of courses throughout the year in areas including culinary arts, professional development, technology, languages, health and wellness, business, skilled trades, and more. Programs are designed to help community members gain career skills, explore personal interests, and connect with expert instructors in a welcoming learning environment.
To learn more about FCPS ACE classes and programs, visit www.fcpsace.org.
About FCPS Adult and Community Education
FCPS Adult and Community Education (ACE) provides lifelong learning opportunities for adults throughout Northern Virginia. ACE offers high-quality educational, enrichment, and workforce development programs designed to support personal growth, career advancement, and community engagement.
Here's a YouTube video about the Plum Center for Lifelong Learning:
Notices & Announcements
WETA's Signature Dish Visits Falls Church's La Tingeria Restaurant
Remember to tune in to WETA's 'Signature Dish' on Monday, May 11, at 9:00 p.m.
Here's our story including an interview with show host Seth Tillman:
Christopher Jones
West Falls:
Trivia Night Tournament
- Dates: Every Thursday starting May 7 through June 11
- Time: 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
- Location: Commons Park
Barre3 Pop-Up Series
- Dates: Every second Saturday starting May 9
- Time: 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.
- Location: Commons Park
Compiled by Christopher Jones
Member discussion