• Piper Phillips of McLean and Elizabeth Tippens of McLean were part of an Emerson College contingent that took park in the New Fest new-play workshop.
Phillips is a design/technology major and Tippens is a majoring in stage and production management.
In addition, Phillips and Emily Kilbourn of Vienna, a musical-theater major, participated in the recent Emerson Stage production of “Cabaret” at the university.
• The head of the organization that sponsored an Aug. 12 forum on artificial intelligence aimed at local youth expressed pleasure at how the event turned out.
The all-day event took place at Capital One Hall in Tysons. Several hundred students in grades 6-12 attended.
Students heard from more than a dozen speakers and took part in workshops where they were able to submit business pitches using “AI” designed to improve the world.
“I was tremendously overjoyed to see all of the students gathered at the Youth AI Summit, coming to the judging panels to pitch their ideas that ranged from new novel silicon photonics to using AI for art restoration,” said Brian Zhou, CEO of the Girls Computing League.
Organizers said they were grateful for the help Fairfax County Public Schools provided in supporting the summit. Speakers from the school system “were all incredibly engaging to our students,” Zhou said.
He also thanked some returning speakers for their presentations, and said all of the presenters fielded questions from the audience.
“We’re extremely appreciative to both the students for stepping up to the podium, and to the speakers who gave incredible answers and sparked new passions in these students,” Zhou said.
This was the third in-person AI summit sponsored by the organization; the previous two were held prior to the pandemic.
For more information, visit www.girlscomputingleague.org/aisummit-2023.
• George Mason University has welcomed 6,000 students moving into residence halls on its campuses as the 2023-24 academic year begins to hit its stride.
“Families, friends and members of the Mason Nation helped these Patriots get settled into their new homes on campus,” university officials said. “Bittersweet goodbyes and exciting new beginnings abounded.”
Photos from move-in events can be found at https://photo.gmu.edu/Events-/2023-Welcome-Activities/Freshman-Move-In/.
• Registration is open for the 2023 Mason Nation Thriving Togther 5K and 1-Mile Run/Walk, to be held on Saturday, Oct. 14 at the university’s Fairfax campus.
Participants also can take part “virtually“ from anywhere in the world. Proceeds will support Mason students in need.
The cost is $20 for Mason students, $35 for others. For information and registration, see the Website at https://mason5k.gmu.edu.
The race is among the efforts that has earned George Mason a silver-level designation in the Exercise is Medicine on Campus initiative.
• Registration for the fall 2023 session of Girls on the Run of Northern Virginia is now open and will continue through Sept. 15.
The out-of-school program is designed to help young girls build key life skills in programs led by trained volunteer coaches who lead by positive example and have a passion for helping others. Approximately 80 teams are forming throughout the region.
The 10-week program will begin the week of Sept. 11 and conclude during celebratory 5K evens the weekend of Nov. 18-19. Teams typically meet twice per week for 75 to 90 minutes.
Programming is designed for elementary-school-age girls starting in third grade, while the complementary Heart & Sole programming is created for middle-school girls.
The initiative recently was cited by U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy as an example of a program that increases participants’ overall physical activity and helps them learn critical life skills, including conflict resolution, helping others and making intentional decisions.
While many teams meet at schools, community teams based out of neighborhoods, community centers and parks also are offered.
For information about the effort, including sponsorships and volunteer opportunities for adults and youth ages 16-18, see the Website at www.gotrnova.org.
• The Virginia Department of Education says it is delaying release of performance indicators for local districts to allow more time for information to be finalized.
“Retake data and appeals are still being processed,” Katie Carroll, deputy superintendent of student performance and support at the state agency, said in an e-mail to local superintendents of schools.
“A date for public release of accreditation data, annual pass rates on state assessments, graduation data, and federal accountability performance measures under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) has not been determined, but will be provided as soon as it is established,” Carroll wrote.
Release of information had been scheduled for the week of Aug. 14-18.
