ACPS School Board Chair Graham Paige and I had a terrific visit with assistant principal Tireese Lewis and the Walton staff last Monday. We really appreciate Tireese for taking time for a tour as well as the hospitality of all the staff. One thing I really liked seeing was the skylight installation project from this past summer. It is a part of our ongoing classroom modernization work in ACPS. If you are familiar with Walton, you know that there are blocks of interior rooms with no windows to access natural light. This summer, several of the rooms in the school had skylight installations to capture sunlight shining down on the school and to reflect it within the rooms until it is very bright! Monday was overcast, and the lights were still super bright! 

Also, behind the school, Mr. Paige and I got to see a big improvement: a new, air-cooled chiller to help the school’s air stay dry and comfortable all year! I digress, but if you want to learn more about all the things we are doing to ensure your safety in the schools through modifications and improvements to the HVAC systems, check out our Health and Safety Practices page on the Return to School website. 

All around the school, we met up with staff following safety protocols as well as students disembarking from buses to come in and learn. We even got to visit with students in the library as they logged in to be with their advisory teachers for morning meeting time. In fact, if you look closely at the student’s screen in the photo here, you can see Math Teacher Marissa Spurlock checking in! Hi, Ms. Spurlock!

I love sharing photos of staff. It is my way of saying, “We see you and appreciate you!” We see you, C-base teacher Ms. Prince! We see you, C-base TAs Ms. Hart and Ms. Carroll! We see you learning coach Jean Spradlin! We see you Ms. Curry, TA and learning coach! We see you, lead bus driver Ms. Geer! We see you A-base teacher Ms. Hoffman. And we see you, school nurse Daniela Marden! 

I want to give a special shout-out to Lutrice Cooper-Simpson, Walton's outstanding office associate. I cannot think of any time over the years when I have visited Walton and not seen Ms. Cooper-Simpson in the front office, directing affairs and taking care of everyone's needs with a super positive approach. Thank you, Lutrice!

Monday, October 5, 2020