The Prince William County School Board elected Justin David Wilk, Potomac District, to a one-year term as the vice chairman of the board Jan. 2, 2019. He replaces Lillie Jesse, Occoquan District representative, who had been vice chairman for several years. The School Board recently changed its by-laws so the vice chairman serves a one-year term and cannot succeed himself or herself.

Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom wants children to discover how farmers provide healthy meals for them.That’s why the nonprofit organization selected Right This Very Minute by Lisl H. Detlefsen as its 2019 Book of the Year. The book will be read by volunteers across the state during AITC’s annual Agriculture Literacy Week, March 18-22.

National Inventors Hall of Fame® (NIHF) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) invite Washington, D.C.-area teachers and school district officials to attend an “Innovation Day” professional development workshop focused on inquiry-based learning.

Currently, many community college programs intended to train students with applied skills require them to take general education courses before advancing to essential skills-based courses. To best prepare students with the skills needed for high-demand, well-paying jobs, VCCS will work to redesign career pathways so that skills training begins at the start of each program.

Occoquan Elementary School is known for the camaraderie of its employees, volunteers, parents, and students. When Mary Alexander announced her retirement, her colleagues were happy for her but sad to say goodbye. Alexander, library media assistant, has served at Occoquan for 32 years and is now working with the children of many former students.

Proposed attendance boundary changes may impact students now attending 19 schools in eastern Prince William County, including all six elementary schools in Lake Ridge, nine in Woodbridge and four in Dale City. The changes are due to one new school being built and five schools where classroom additions are under construction.

It’s official. Half of Amazon's second headquarters will be coming to Northern Virginia. The company will invest about $2.5 billion and create 25,000 jobs over 12 years, according to a news release from Virginia Business. Over the next 20 years, the state will pay an annual incentive to Amazon based on number of jobs and salary levels, make transportation improvements to ease mobility in the region and invest in technology education from kindergarten through master's degree levels with matching funds from educational institutions.

Parents can earn about specific specialty programs during upcoming open houses this week at some PWC middle schools. Representatives of the specialty programs will be on hand during their scheduled session to answer questions and provide detailed information about their respective programs. Most students start specialty programs in sixth grade.