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Tag: langley high school

  • Fairfax Co. students launch nonprofit to help kids with school resources, summer camp activities – WTOP News

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    Langley High School students Sophie Li and Lily Zhang launched The Rising Star Fund, a nonprofit that aims to support students at Title I schools across Fairfax County.

    The Rising Star Fund held a summer camp at Garfield Elementary last summer.(Courtesy The Rising Star Fund)

    As sophomores at Langley High School, Sophie Li and Lily Zhang began to notice significant inequities within their Fairfax County neighborhoods — disparities that inspired them to launch a nonprofit supporting students at the county’s Title I schools.

    They wanted to make a difference in their community, with a focus on helping underserved students who may not have access to programs or experiences they have been exposed to.

    Now seniors, the pair launched The Rising Star Fund two years ago, a nonprofit that aims to support students at Title I schools across Fairfax County. Those are school communities with large percentages of low-income students that are eligible for free or reduced price meals.

    Since then, the group of nine students who attend different schools in the area has helped fund summer camps, after-school programs and new school equipment.

    “We saw that there were really big disparities in access from these Title I schools just a few miles away compared to wealthier schools in McLean, like Langley High School and McLean High School,” Li said. “And we were hoping to really bridge that gap.”

    To accomplish that, the group started to fundraise through bake sales, lemonade stands and other community events. They’ve raised over $10,000 to buy document cameras and projectors for Dogwood Elementary and revive after-school programs at Garfield Elementary.

    While high schoolers couldn’t always volunteer during the after school offerings, the nonprofit did raise money to pay the teachers who oversaw the clubs, so they didn’t have to offer their time without being paid.

    “Every single kid deserves a chance,” Sophia Ji said. “We are so privileged to be where we are right now, and also have these opportunities, and even have the opportunity to go to a college and afford that kind of thing. We want to give all these kids a similar kind of chance, something that they can just enjoy.”

    After learning that students at Garfield Elementary didn’t have access to nearby affordable summer camps because of budget cuts, the nonprofit came together to plan their own.

    They hosted a weeklong STEAM program for 15 kids last summer. The group planned activities, such as making slime, toothpaste and tie dye.

    Before the activities, there was a daily science lesson.

    One of the school’s classrooms was used as a venue, and the campus provided snacks and lunches. Some kids were so eager to attend that their parents walked them to the school each day, because they didn’t have access to a car, senior Grace Chun said.

    “Throughout the summer camp, we did try and educate them for science,” Zhang said. “But I think what had a lasting impact on all of us were the children that we met.”

    Chun had an internship to be a teacher’s assistant around the same time the nonprofit started working at a Title I school: “And I think that made it very clear to me how I wanted to help others.”

    While the students leading the nonprofit are all seniors, they’re hoping to bring the concept with them to their college campuses this fall. And each summer, they’re planning to come together again, with the hope of expanding access to summer camps for kids who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend one.

    “I know that there are a bunch of other people our age who are interested in helping underprivileged students,” Zhang said.

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    Scott Gelman

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  • Fairfax Co. high schoolers launch club for students who want jobs in medical fields – WTOP News

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    The Medicine and Disease Club has 30 regular members who attend weekly meetings to hear from guest speakers and prepare for competitions.

    A photo of Medicine and Disease club members at Langley High School. (Courtesy Lillian Su/Langley High School)

    Not long after Milan Le and Eesha Kaushik launched the Medicine and Disease Club at Langley High School, they spent hours outside of a Northern Virginia grocery store with a trifold and flyers, asking people to consider donating to their efforts.

    Intrigued by the setup, one community member stopped to learn more about why they were there. He asked about their career goals and what motivated them, and congratulated them on their hard work. And then, before walking away after a nearly half-hour exchange, he donated $100.

    The moment was validating for the two Fairfax County students, who launched the club as sophomores in 2023 and are now seniors. It was their first fundraiser, and they didn’t know how many shoppers would even listen just for a few minutes.

    Years later, the club has 30 regular members who attend weekly meetings to hear from guest speakers and prepare for competitions. Their fundraising totals recently reached $5,000.

    “We had talked about the fact that there wasn’t very many clubs at our school that were for pre-medical students, just because there are a lot of students who are still exploring what they want to do in high school, and they might not have those distinctions,” Kaushik said.

    Le and Kaushik, who’ve been friends since elementary school, initially envisioned the club as a place for students to study and earn community service hours. But now, there’s a core group in place, and younger students view older ones as mentors.

    Using the U.S. Medicine and Disease Olympiad as the framework, the group regularly prepares for competitions. They present lessons on diseases and other medical conditions, and sometimes plan for interactive activities.

    In one instance, leaders brought in pillows and stuffed animals for a lesson on CPR. Guest speakers, including psychiatrists and an internal medicine doctor, have shared details about their jobs too.

    “I was teaching them how to read blood pressure, and a lot of them, this was the first time they were ever using a stethoscope, which is really cool,” Le said. “It’s a tangible first step into the field and you can really see and feel, understand. You can feel like you’re in the field.”

    The pair, Kaushik said, is filling a void.

    “What we found is the vast majority of the clubs offered that were academic were primarily individual,” Kaushik said. “They were, ‘We can help you study for something, but for the most part, you’re going to work on it on your own.’ And then the ones geared toward service were meeting infrequently and were more about, ‘You come here, get some service hours and that’s about all that happens.’”

    Now, the club’s sense of community has grown so large, its members are disappointed when a meeting has to be canceled. One student made handmade bookmarks and stickers with the club logo to hand out during fundraisers.

    Many of them “have shown so much interest and passion in it,” Kaushik said.

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    Scott Gelman

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