There’s a new face at Dominion who isn’t teaching at Dominion. Chelsea Northman was hired this year for the Academy of Global and Linguistic Studies (AGLS) which will open next year. She did her undergrad at Michigan State University and received her master’s degree in transformative teaching from Geroge Mason. Northman has worked as a teacher in Kansas, as well as an administrator in Prince William County.
Northman’s official position is the Coordinator of AGLS. “I’m a connection between Dominion High School and the administrative and faculty teams here and our central office partners who work primarily in the Office of Teaching and Learning” said Northman. She works closely with the Department of Social Sciences and Global Sciences, as well as the Department of World Languages and Cultures.
The admissions will only be available to rising high school freshmen and there are no prior requirements to apply for the academy. Similar to the Academies of Loudoun’s Monroe Advanced Technical Academy (MATA), AGLS will be using a lottery system for admission.
Admissions open on December 1st and close on January 16th, where 50 students will be accepted per pathway for a total of 100 students. 34 seats will be reserved for Seneca Ridge Middle School students and the rest will go to any other student who applies and there will not be any GPA requirements or prerequisite courses. Northman said, “The lottery does not take into account when you applied, you have the same likelihood [of being accepted] as somebody who applied January 16th”.
AGLS is open to any rising freshman from LCPS, private schools, and homeschooled students. The admissions process stays consistent, the only difference is that the application portal will be slightly different for private schools and homeschooled students.
If a student wishes to also apply to the Academies of Loudoun or any other academy in LCPS, they can apply to as many as they wish. If a student is accepted into more than one academy, they may choose whichever academy they prefer.
For students attending AGLS and going to schools other than Dominion, transportation is a big concern. AGLS’s transportation network will be using a system called a hub stop system where a group of students will meet at a specific location. Northman said “usually it’s the closest elementary or middle school site location to where that student lives is where they would be picked up”. However, this system is still under the works and is subject to change.
AGLS students will be double blocked for a language class, and they will also take a special world history ll class that focuses specifically on global issues. They may also be cohorted into a study hall together so they have the opportunity for field trips and public speakers coming in.
For 11th and 12th grade AGLS students, they will not be double blocked for a language class which will help them have opportunities for more electives. The academy is also planning to have a dual enrollment course focusing on conflict resolution or global studies. However, this is still under planning as the academy is searching for an organization to partner with. The academy will not strictly take place on A-Days or B-Days, but rather split classes between both.
An exciting opportunity that the AGLS students will have as seniors, will be taking a spring trip where students in the Mandarin pathway will visit a Mandarin speaking country while the students on the Arabic pathway will visit an Arabic-speaking country.
The courses taken at the academy will be accounted for credits towards a student’s diploma, especially language courses which will count towards the advanced diploma. One thing the academy is looking forward to offering is the seal of biliteracy test. The seal of biliteracy is an award that formally recognizes a student’s high proficiency in 2 or more languages.
AGLS will not have a special wing in Dominion and no future construction for the academy is planned. An Arabic teacher is currently being hired from Independence High School and the academy is in search of a Mandarin teacher. For the rest of the teachers needed, Ms. Northman said “We’re going to look at pulling from the really high quality staff that we have here at Dominion”.
There are two pathways of the academy, the Arabic and Mandarin pathway. The Arabic pathway will focus on international diplomacy, global cooperation and politics. The Mandarin pathway will focus more on CTE courses that will deal with business components, international corporations, financial markets, and understanding the global business landscape.
AGLS will be holding an information night on October 9th, where more information on AGLS will be given out. You can learn more about AGLS through this link.
