Getting into Virginia colleges—and finding the right fit for your student.

High school parents—ever wonder what it really takes to get into UVA, Virginia Tech, JMU, and more? Join guest speaker Bernadette Smith from NovaStar Prep at our PTSA Community Meeting on Wednesday, October 15th at 7:30 PM via Zoom to uncover the secrets of Virginia college admissions. Get insider tips, learn about different colleges in VA, and discover exactly what schools want—big and small. Perfect for parents and students, freshman through senior—it’s never too early (or too late) to start planning. Zoom link emailed the day of the event!

PSAT/SAT DAY: Soph, Jr. & - Sr. Freshmen are home that day.

On Wednesday, October 8th, Sophomores and Juniors will take the PSAT at school. Seniors may take the SAT if they request it. Freshmen will participate in asynchronous learning from home. Please note that Wednesday is an early dismissal day.

From Wheels to Meals: Let’s Show Our Thanks!

The Hospitality Committee is organizing our annual appreciation event for Marshall’s bus drivers, bus monitors, assistants, and food service workers. These 75 dedicated staff members play a vital role in keeping our students safe and cared for each day. To thank them, we’ll be distributing gift bags—and we’d love your help! Please consider supporting this effort with a donation.

Every Form of Art. One Powerful Theme — “I Belong.”

Are you ready to show the world what “I Belong” means to you? The National PTA’s Reflections Art Contest is calling all creatives — dancers, filmmakers, writers, musicians, photographers, and visual artists — to make their mark!

Submit your original work in one (or more!) of the six categories: Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography, and Visual Arts. A Marshall winner will be chosen in each category — and those winners can move on to District, State, and even National levels, where scholarships of up to $800 are up for grabs!

🗓️ Deadline: November 14

📩 Teacher Sponsor: Ms. Makalla Shernick – mcshernick@fcps.edu

🌐 Learn More: Visit gcmptsa.org and click the “Reflections” tab for contest details, forms, and updates.

❓ Questions? Email reflections@gcmptsa.org

Step up. Stand out. Express yourself — because your art belongs.

Attention Sophomores & Juniors!

Have you ever wondered whether the SAT or ACT is the better fit for you? October is the perfect time to find out! The PSAT/SAT is coming up this week, and now is your chance to try the new Enhanced ACT in a mock test setting on October 25th. This updated ACT is shorter, with 44 fewer questions, more time per question, and an optional Science section.

✅ Practice only – no scores reported

✅ Digital workbook with hundreds of practice questions

✅ Free consultation- review your results, get analysis, and a personalized prep plan with a Test Prep Advisor

Don’t miss this opportunity to compare your scores and see which test plays to your strengths!

Price:$39 - Use Code TESTREADY25 and pay just $25.

Register by October 23rd.

GCM Statesmen Theatre Presents Ten Minute Play Festival

Come join the GCM Statesmen Theatre on October 9th at 7:00 P.M for a staged reading of four short plays.

These plays are original Student works and the festival is FREE!!

Dine-In/Dine-Out supporting the GCM Band 

Support the GCM Band by eating at or ordering from Chicken Salad Chick (dine-in, dine-out), on October 18th, ALL DAY!!!!

Just make sure to mention "you're with the GCM Band" and 15% of your orders will be donated to the band.

Rich Resig – History Teacher (Government 10, IB HOA 11, & IB Topics 12) I work in the best Department, with the best people. They are brilliant, wholly devoted to bettering themselves professionally, giving for the success of each student, and completely selfless, self-sacrificing in supporting each other always. My love of finding new ways to make others school day better and learning easier is exponentially easier with people like this lifting me up every day.

What’s one fun fact students might not know about you? One fun fact about me is that I did Musical theatre through High school and college and Community Theatre, and was in an All-Male Acapella group in College called the Buffalo Chips.

Do you have a hidden talent or hobby outside of school?  A hidden talent outside of School is that I do a lot of fine craft woodworking and home remodeling projects. Making Furniture, home accessories, Kitchen items, plumbing, electrical, and structural remodeling. I love it, and it's relaxing and rewarding.

If you weren’t in education, what would you be doing instead? IF not in education, I would probably be doing something with building and homes. I am a certified Home Inspector and working on my Real Estate license. It's fun, and I love engineering (structural) oriented areas.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? If I could travel anywhere in the World, it would be to Greece. I love ancient history, but I also love hiking mountains and water locations. Greece would be perfect for all of that.

What advice would you give to students about making the most of high school? Making the most of High School is about trying as many things as you are interested in and challenging yourself. Genuine effort is critical for success, but exploring all the opportunities available in high school is about finding yourself and learning about your interests and abilities. "Get messy, take chances, make mistakes"- Ms. Frizzle

What’s one thing you hope students take away from your class or role? I always hope that students can take away a little bit of my energy and excitement about Social studies, but also that they feel more comfortable supporting others and confident in themselves in learning, exploring, challenging, and growing. "Be Curious, Not judgmental".

If you could swap places with a student for a day, what class or activity would you pick? If I swapped with a student, I would 100% take Auto-tech. I love working on my car when I am able, with small repairs. Learning more about that and getting more hands-on with cars would be awesome!

If your students gave you a “superlative” (like in the yearbook), what would it be? Superlative -- Most Competitive (in School Spirit)

If you could give one piece of advice to Marshall's parents, what would it be? Teachers are always wanting to help your child grow and succeed on their own. Self-advocacy and personal interaction are two of the biggest factors in life. Help them speak up for themselves (especially to adults/teachers), and know what they want of themselves, and how to communicate clearly.

What’s one thing parents can do at home to support their student’s success? Love, caring, and interest are highly contagious. Just by showing your child that you care about them and school, loving them regardless of performance, and showing interest in everything they do and encouraging them to always go for it spreads to them and others like wildfire.

What do you wish more parents understood about today’s high school experience? It's way more hard work with much more pressure today than it was when we were in High School. Have Grace, Compassion, and Encouragement to help kids navigate.

What would you like the Marshall Community to know about you? I love cooking meals for my department and bringing in people's favorite desserts on their birthdays to show that they are awesome and we are a team. My parents always exemplified the idea to me that to whom much is given, much shall be expected. I really hope my colleagues and students know how incredible they are and how thankful I am to work with and them each day.

Who is making Marshall Shine!

Do you know a teacher, student, or parent who is making a real difference in our Marshall community? We’d love to hear about them! Fill out the Google Form below to recommend someone for a future feature. While we can only highlight one Standout at a time, every nomination helps us celebrate the incredible people who make Marshall shine.