Prince William County Public Schools is committed to providing a high quality, comprehensive and meaningful education for all students. Our progressive school division is located in Northern Virginia, 35 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., and 80 miles north of Richmond. We value the individual and our commitment to the belief that every child can learn. Students learn to their fullest potential and ascertain the skills to become life-long learners. The third largest school division in Virginia, Prince William County Schools serves over 63,109 students in 80 schools. Over 7,724 employees function as an integral method of delegated management, providing an improved quality of education for all students. Prince William is repeatedly asked by the Virginia Department of Education to share its innovative programs with other school divisions. Specialty Programs – Elementary School Eight elementary schools in Prince William County have specialty programs. Students must complete an application in order to enter a specialty program. For students residing in Prince William County before January 1, 2005, the deadline for all applications is February 15, 2005. Students moving into the County after January 1 should call the program of interest. Elementary Foreign Language Program Foreign language programs are available in six elementary schools in grades one through five. Each student in these grades receives twenty minutes of foreign language instruction three times each week. The instruction addresses concepts included in the Standards of Learning. Four schools offer Spanish. Enterprise, Mullen, River Oaks, and Tyler. Two schools, Lake Ridge and Signal Hill, offer French. Elementary School Mathematics and Science Program Belmont and Sudley elementary schools each offer an intensive program of study in mathematics and science in grades four and five. These programs challenge and motivate students while developing their critical thinking skills through discovery and exploration. For further information, call Belmont at (703) 494-4945 or Sudley at (703) 361-3444. Pennington & Porter Specialty Schools Pennington School, a school of choice in western Prince William County, serves students in grades one through eight. In September of 2004, a second school of choice, Porter School will open in eastern Prince William County. This second program will open with grades one through six and will grow to become a school with grades one through eight. These specialty programs stress rigorous academic instruction, strong performance expectations, and high behavioral standards. They use research-based innovative instructional strategies within the framework of a traditional education. Every child and every family must contribute a specified number of hours of service to the school. Students are required to wear uniforms. For further information on Pennington School, call (703) 369-6644. For further information on Porter School, call (703) 791-7400. Middle School Specialty Schools At the middle school level: Fred Lynn, Lake Ridge, and Parkside Middle offer special Foreign Language Programs in French and Spanish; Graham Park and Marsteller Middle Schools have Mathematics and Science Programs which challenge students through discovery and exploration. Godwin and Stonewall Middle Schools both offer challenging, comprehensive academic studies through their International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme. As a specialty school, utilizing innovative instructional strategies, Pennington & Porter stresses rigorous academic instruction, strong performance expectations, and high behavioral standards. The high school specialty programs feature Biotechnology located at Freedom High School. This program offers a challenging environmental and biological science curriculum with a strong emphasis on technology and the interrelationships among scientific disciplines. The Cambridge Program, located at both Potomac and Brentsville District High Schools, offering an international, pre-university curriculum to academically able students. Forest Park High School and Battlefield exposes students to a wide array of Information Technology Programs in three main areas; graphics and multimedia; hardware and networking; and math and computer programming. Global Awareness is Hylton High Schools area of comprehensive study. This program advances understanding of global issues with respect to cultures and languages; information and communication; and political, economic, and environmental systems. Woodbridge High School features art, instrumental and vocal music, theater, creative writing and dance in their center for the Fine and Performing Arts. Stonewall Jackson and Gar-Field High School each offer the international baccalaureate program, a rigorous academic program based on international perspectives, an enriched curriculum, community involvement, and written and oral communication skills. Prince William County Schools strive to provide an atmosphere wherein the value of the individual is foremost. We hold the belief that every individual can learn. Respect and appreciation for our diversity allows for greater unity in a school division characterized by 50.2 percent minority student membership. School employees are committee to assuring that each student has the opportunity to reach his or her fullest potential. We believe that decision-making is a collaborative process and that effective communication is critical to success. Prince William County Schools have been acknowledge by Newsweek, Time Magazine, The Washington Post and the Association of School Business Officials International for our significant accomplishments in the arena of education. After demonstrating exceptional productivity and excellence in education, Prince William County Schools was the only school division in Virginia to receive the Medallion of Excellence Award, issued by the United States Senate. This award represents the highest level or recognition and is presented to organizations for their implementation and application of quality principles. Our school system will continue to strive improvement and excellence in education.