James Monroe High School Hosts African American Read-In

by Adele UphausMANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT In the 1980s, members of the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English began talking about hosting a nationwide read-in of African American authors as part of Black History Month celebrations. The goal was to encourage communities to read together, and especially to read aloud, works […]

City School Division Seeks Teacher Input into Phone-Free Policy

Forty middle and high school teachers gathered for a working lunch this week. Fredericksburg City’s middle and high school teachers who attended a working lunch on Tuesday agree that the division needs to become phone-free and that the best way to achieve this is by locking student devices in secured pouches during the school day. […]

Beginning to Plan for Three Elementary Schools in Fredericksburg

When the new middle school opens next year, the building that now houses Walker-Grant Middle School will be converted into a third elementary school. As work continues on Fredericksburg’s new middle school, division administrators are beginning to plan for the conversion of the current middle school into a third elementary school. The new $77 million, […]

Not Just Your Average School Lunch Program

Fredericksburg is turning a negative – a high percentage of students who qualify for free- and reduced-price lunch – to a positive; creative, healthy foods for students. The kids at James Monroe High School in Fredericksburg, Viginia, love to complain about the cafeteria food.  “It’s soggy and gross,” says one.  “It’s just nasty,” another chimes […]

Vaping in School is a Growing Problem

Education is the main way to tackle it, administrators believe. James Monroe High School held a mandatory assembly for all grade levels about the dangers of vaping earlier this month, following a number of health emergencies at the school. “It appears there’s lots of vaping going on in the bathrooms,” Matt Eberhardt, deputy superintendent, told […]

COMMENTARY: Renwick and James Monroe, a Natural Fit

Once envisioned for the old Maury School, could the University of Mary Washington be the perfect partner for a world-class presidential library? Editor’s Note: This column by Shaun Kenney appeared in June, while the Fredericksburg Advance was operating under a different name. With spring fully upon us, and the future of the Renwick building again […]

Proposed City School Budget Has Unfunded Needs

by Adele UphausMANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT There are $4.7 million worth of unfunded needs in the budget for fiscal year 2025 proposed by Fredericksburg City Public Schools superintendent Marci Catlett. Catlett and the division’s chief financial officer Jennifer Brody presented the budget to the School Board at a special meeting on Thursday. The division expects […]