Chris Croll

If you have not yet watched the streaming video series “Ted Lasso,” I highly recommend you do. The show centers around an American football coach, Ted Lasso, hired by the new owner of a UK football (soccer) club to manage her fledgling team. Lasso’s positivity and cheery optimism raise eyebrows everywhere he goes. Within the first few episodes, viewers realize that Lasso’s good mood is not just a shtick; he views being happy as a choice he makes every day. The irony is that Lasso has just as many reasons to grump as everyone around him, but he chooses to ignore the haters, empathize with his detractors, and give others the benefit of the doubt. 

The month of September is national youth suicide prevention month. September also happens to be childhood cancer awareness month. What youth suicide and childhood cancer have in common is that they can strike any family, in any community, of any religion, race, economic status, or ethnicity. But while childhood cancer is usually not preventable, youth suicide is preventable. But to keep our kids safe, we, the adults in our community, must band together to create a culture that fostered acceptance, inclusion, and connection for all.

All over the country, COVID-19 cases are on the rise, and we are hearing that the virus is now attacking young healthy people, including children. The COVID-19 vaccine is highly effective at reducing the severity of illness from the virus, but, according to the Virginia Department of Health, more than 35% of children in Loudoun County who are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine have not yet been vaccinated.

There has been a lot of noise in our community these past few months about public education. The volume of that noise has been amplified by the national news media who reward the loudest screamers with appearances on prime-time TV. So, why the kerfuffle, and what is really going on in our schools?

When public school teachers in the Commonwealth of Virginia refuse to honor a student’s asserted name and pronouns because it conflicts with that teacher’s religious beliefs, they are breaking the law and, soon, they will be violating the terms of their employment.

Prior to the pandemic, there were more than 15 school divisions in Virginia that operated on a year-round schedule. While students who attend school year-round are in class for the same number of days as they would be on an August to June school calendar, research shows that year-round students retain more of what they learn. For some student populations in Virginia, year-round school has also been shown to dramatically increase SOL test scores.

“There’s no racism in our highly-educated, high-income, diverse community,” some might say, and yet the incidents I am about to share with you were told to me by people who experienced them first-hand. These events all took place here in Loudoun County within the past few years.

Summer school is being embraced this year by parents and students across the country as an opportunity to augment K-12 education. Many parents of elementary age students are looking for opportunities to help their children fill in learning gaps, reinforce concepts and stay on pace with state standards. Middle and high school students are taking classes during the summer so they can accelerate their coursework, meet graduation requirements, and expand their options for in-school electives. There are more education programs available this summer for Loudoun students than ever before.

By Chris Croll Are teens really more depressed during COVID-19? It depends on who you ask. For many months, parents