U.Va. orders 25K ‘welcome back kits’ ahead of fall reopening

By The Associated Press
June 8, 2020 | 1:44 PM

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The University of Virginia says it will spend nearly $400,000 on protective equipment in hopes of safely reopening this coming fall.

The Daily Progress reported Friday that the school in Charlottesville has ordered 25,000 “welcome-back kits” from a business called Bright Ideas LLC. The kits will include two cloth face masks, two containers of hand sanitizer and a tool that can pull on door handles.

UVA has also updated its policy book to require faculty and students to wear masks inside campus buildings and on buses. The school also plans to keep large classes online.

UVA plans to start the fall semester on Aug. 25.

With pool and pod-style classrooms, Fairfax Co.’s newest high school prepares to welcome students

By Scott Gelman
August 20, 2026 | 8:21 AM

In the weeks leading up to the start of the new school year, leadership at Skyview High School held "come in unity" events. The goal, Principal Dave Jagels said, was to generate ideas from students and their families about traditions they may want to adopt. Because it is Fairfax County, Virginia's first new high school in decades, they're starting from scratch. The homecoming dance will be its first, and the marching band, chorus and orchestra programs have just a few dozen students. The chance to create something new is what drove Jagels, entering his 33rd year in education, to leave retirement to lead the new school. Days before the formal ribbon-cutting, scheduled for Thursday, signage was still being installed outside and on interior walls, and furniture was still being arranged. On Monday, the Herndon campus will welcome about 1,000 ninth and 10th grade students. Virginia's largest school division paid $150 million to acquire the land and infrastructure at the site of the old King Abdullah Academy. The property was fully vacated last July, and the district just received the necessary permits about six months ago, Jagels said.

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