A message for MW Students:
Dear Green Dragons,
As we head into Final Exams and SOL testing, I want to take a moment to speak from the heart.
These tests are just one chapter in your journey—not the whole story. They are opportunities to show what you’ve learned, but they do not define your worth, your intelligence, or your potential. What truly defines you is the curiosity you bring each day, the resilience you show in the face of challenge, and the courage it takes to try—even when success isn’t guaranteed.
Remember: excellence doesn’t mean perfection. It means doing your best with the tools you have today. And I’ve seen your best—it’s powerful, thoughtful, and deeply inspiring.
Take care of yourselves and each other. Rest. Hydrate. Breathe. Show up not just with sharpened pencils, but with confidence in who you are and how far you’ve come.
You’ve got this. We believe in you.
Warm Regards,
Dr. Smith
Acting Director
Senior Showcase is Coming:
On Wednesday, 5/21/25, we will be holding our annual Senior Showcase Event! Senior Showcase is a required Maggie Walker Activity. All students are required to attend. Showcase attendance is one of the factors that will be considered during the mentorship application process. Failure to attend the event will also cause you to forfeit your final exam exemptions for Thursday and Friday exams. At this exciting event, each Senior will give a presentation on what they have been doing in their Seminar Class or their Mentorship. Every student will be able to attend four sessions and learn a little more about this senior requirement. It is a great opportunity to learn about the Mentorship Program and what it is like to be part of a Seminar Class. Students will complete a survey to rank which presentations they want to attend. Senior Showcase is a required Maggie Walker Activity. If you have questions, please email Les Cook ([email protected]).
Senior Showcase: Wednesday, May 21st
Session 1 – 8:50-10:10
Session 2 – 10:20 – 11:40
Session 3 – 12:20 – 1:40
Session 4 – 1:50 – 3:10
Senior Showcase Invitation to Parents of Seniors:
You are invited to this year’s Senior Showcase Event to watch your student give their Mentorship or Seminar Presentation. It is a wonderful event where every senior presents their work and celebrates the conclusion of this MLWGS requirement. You can view the schedule for the day using the link below. To RSVP to the event for quicker check-in when you arrive, use the link below. Once the student lot is filled, visitors can park in the Moore Street Baptist Church lot(1408 West Leigh St.) or the Virginia Union lot between the softball field and football field (on Lombardy Street on the other side of I95). If you have questions, please email Les Cook ([email protected]).
Notice: Closed Special Meetings of the Regional School Board
Pursuant to Virginia Code Section 2.2-3712(B), notice is hereby given that two closed meetings of the Regional School Board will be held for the purpose of first and second round interviews of candidates for the executive director of Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School at an undisclosed location within 15 days
of this notice.
Upcoming Senior Events 2025
Athletic Signing Day: Monday, May 19th at 3:45 pm, Forum
Maggie Walker will recognize all students participating in varsity athletics at their selected college on Monday, May 19th.
Senior Exams: Monday, May 19th – Friday, May 23rd
Check with your student about which exams they will be required to take. All exams and any outstanding coursework need to be completed by Thursday, May 22nd for a student to walk at graduation on May 27th.
Senior Recognition Night: Monday, May 19th
Students need to report to the gym by 6:30 PM for the line-up (the event starts at 7:00 PM), where they will also receive the letters they wrote themselves as freshmen. Students should wear professional/business attire; caps and gowns are NOT worn for this event.
Direct any questions regarding Senior Recognition Night to Kara Love.
Baccalaureate: May 22nd, 7:00 pm
Richmond First Baptist Church, 2709 Monument Avenue. A dessert reception will follow.
Senior “Check Out” Forms & Senior Financial Obligations:
Due on or before Friday, May 23rd
The “check out” form will be available to students after APs are over. Each student is responsible for collecting all required signatures and returning the form to the School Counseling Office by Friday, May 23rd. Ms. Charity will be available each day to sign forms until 3:00 pm (provided all signatures are obtained) and will restart the following morning. Outstanding MLWGS obligations must be paid to Ms. Charity in the main office (in room 219A) prior to 3:00 p.m. on May 23rd.
Last Academic Day for Seniors before Graduation: Friday, May 23rd
Seniors are expected to attend all classes and complete all coursework, including any Dual Enrollment exams or required end-of-course exams, no later than Friday, May 23rd. Also, the Senior Check-Out Form must be completed and returned to Counseling by this date. If a senior is exempt from an exam, they are not required to be on campus.
Graduation – Streaming live this year
Due to the limited tickets available for graduation, we have secured the services of Seagram AV to stream our ceremony. Click here to watch the ceremony live.
Graduation Rehearsal: Tuesday, May 27th, 2:30 PM,
Dominion Energy Center, 600 E. Grace Street, Suite 400
Due to the number of students, a run-through is crucial to the success of our event. Please make sure that students are on time, as we will be starting at exactly 2:30 pm. Information about parking will be shared as we get closer to May. ANY STUDENT WHO MISSES REHEARSAL WILL NOT BE PERMITTED TO WALK IN THE ACTUAL GRADUATION CEREMONY.
SENIORS ARE REQUIRED TO STAY AT THE THEATER IN BETWEEN PRACTICE AND THE CEREMONY. Please have students bring something to eat/snack on.
Graduation: Tuesday, May 27th, 6:00 pm,
Dominion Energy Center, 600 E. Grace Street, Suite 400
The exterior doors to the building will be open to families and friends between 5-5:30. The doors to the theater seats will not be opened until 5:30 pm. All guests must produce a ticket and go through a bag check and a metal detector before entering. For organizational reasons, the area used for line-up is off-limits to parents, relatives, and friends until after the ceremony; we appreciate your understanding. Accessibility seating is available on both floors of the theater, and ushers will be available in the lobby to assist families.
Cap, gown, and tassel are the most required items for the day, but students are asked to dress appropriately: dark dress pants, collared shirts with ties, skirts, or dresses. Students may wear cords earned as part of their membership in our Honor Societies (as has been our custom). They may also select one piece of additional pre-approved regalia, which they have earned as a member of an enduring MLWGS organization. All pieces of regalia will be distributed by sponsors in the days leading up to graduation.
Perhaps the most important clothing decision for the day, however, is shoes. Remember, you are walking up and down steps and across a long stage. Dress shoes with socks or low-heeled dress shoes are the most appropriate; “flip-flops” and athletic shoes are not permitted.
Guests are permitted to bring flowers inside the theater, but please no balloons or noise makers.
Link to View the Showcase Schedule: https://drive.google.com/file/d/106THL2cNPMZX6hDjp1fnLHzEt9QhKHmX/view?usp=sharing
Link to RSVP for Quicker Check-In when you arrive: https://forms.gle/KUBqS18xAvmtvQDSA
Senior Check-Out Form Information
Attention Seniors! Happy Last Day of Regular Classes! The Senior Check-Out Form is a hard-copy form that is available for pick-up in Counseling. The form must be signed by ALL of your teachers (except Ms. Bowman for study hall) as well as a few key personnel to ensure you have returned all classroom materials, library resources, sports uniforms, parking passes, and tech equipment. After all of those individuals have signed off that you have returned items OR write the amount owed, you must visit Ms. Charity in the second floor main office for her to sign off that you do not owe any fees (BTW, she has a note of who still owes AP fees). You may not go to her until you have obtained all other signatures (yes, you still need Coach Hawkins’ signature even if you never played a sport). After you have gotten Ms. Charity’s signature, THEN you may return the form to your senior counselor (either Ms. Forquer or Dr. Loving). If you have completed your senior survey in Naviance already, then all check out is complete and you may leave your form with us and do not have to wait for a signature. The counseling office is the final destination. The check-out process must be complete by Friday, May 23rd at 3:30pm in order to participate in graduation and have your transcript released to your college.
SOL Testing Information
The remaining SOLs will be held during the last week of school. Students only need to attend on the day they have a scheduled SOL. Exact testing locations will be announced later this week. If they are unable to attend, please complete this form: SOL Absence Notification (https://forms.gle/SEeeZDBhaU7hg9fRA)
- May 27: Reading (Juniors) & U.S. History (Sophomores)
- All juniors will take the Reading SOL and it will be given by English 11 classrooms: Odd blocks in the morning and Even blocks in the afternoon
- The U.S. History SOL will be given to sophomores taking AP US History or Honors US History (or any junior who did not take or pass World History II last year): Odd blocks in the morning and Even blocks in the afternoon
- May 28: World History II (Sophomores)
- All sophomores who are not also enrolled in US History, will be taking the World History SOL. This exam will be given by Global Studies classrooms: Odd blocks in the morning and Even blocks in the afternoon
- May 29: Biology (Freshmen)
- All freshmen will take the Biology SOL and it will be given by Biology classrooms: Odd blocks in the morning and Even blocks in the afternoon
Note: All sophomores are expected to take a social studies SOL– they will take US History if enrolled in US History and World History if they are not enrolled in US History.
VCU Dual Enrollment Course Placement (sent scores or purchase ALEKS Access Code ASAP):
Thank you for completing your VCU Dual Enrollment application. The next step is placement. VCU Photo (PHTO 243) and VCU Film Studies (PHTO 243) do not have a placement requirement, but the following courses do: VCU Statistics (STAT 210 and 314), VCU Calc 200 (MATH 200), VCU Calc 201 (MATH 201), VCU Biopsych (PSYC 401). Students who signed up for MATH 201 and PSYCH 401 will need to have their AP scores officially sent to VCU. If you are taking the test THIS MAY, follow these instructions to have your score sent for free:
To send AP scores to a college through MyAP, you first need to sign in to your College Board account and navigate to the My AP Profile, then select the “Score Send” tab. Here, you can search for the college you want to send your scores to and save them. You have one free score report per year, so you can send scores without a fee by the designated deadline, which is June 20, 2025. After the deadline, you can still send scores for a fee of $15 per report.
Students taking STAT 210/314 or MATH 200, may use an SAT, ACT, or AP score for placement, according THIS CHART. Students who qualify to use one of these scores for placement will need to send their scores to VCU using the collegeboard.org or act.org right away (if you didn’t do this by April 30th). Sending an SAT for a May arrival will cost a fee. Students who do not already have a qualifying score will need to take the ALEKS placement test on May 29th. Students who have determined they need to take the ALEKS placement test, must use the VCU V# they received 3-5 business days after submitting their application to purchase an ALEKS Access Code by May 22nd, 2025 and sit for the test at Maggie Walker on May 29th, 2025.
Click here to access the full presentation for all students, with a specific presentation on math and a required surrey (QR code) embedded within: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1a9xmXSEN21u11m8qj6GHwpxEwKLwPs3G2U0mxEB3oAk/edit?usp=sharing
VHSL Film Festival
Congratulations to Tyler DeHaven and his film-making collaborators Thomas Short, Des Unice, and Reagan Keeton! Their commercial “Durogizer” has been selected as a finalist in its category for the VHSL Film Festival! Final results coming on June 7!
Security Corner:
Please do a final check of the Lost and Found boxes! May 23, 2025 everything goes!
To maintain the safety and security of our campus community, all students and guests are required to enter the building exclusively through the Bluestone Lobby during school hours. (Lunch exceptions apply) Please be advised that all other entrances will remain secured and monitored. Attempting to access the building or allowing others in through unauthorized doors is strictly prohibited and will be addressed as a serious security breach.
Anyone leaving campus during school hours must have approval and sign out!
College Boot Camp
Attention rising seniors and parents! Dr. Loving and Ms. Forquer are pleased to offer a college application “boot camp” from August 4-6, 2025. This program is three half-days (choice of morning or afternoon) and aims to have members of the Class of 2026 enter their senior year with their Common Application complete and their primary essay in completed draft form. Spots are limited, so please reserve your place ASAP. Registration is complete when students have selected a spot on the Sign Up Genius below and paid on OSP. Registration will close May 30th. If paying for College Boot Camp is a financial hardship, please see your counselor for more information.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4FAAAD2BA6FEC16-56263009-mlwgs#
MWTech: LockDown Browser Installation on student BYOD devices.
Starting the second semester, PowerSchool communications were sent requesting installation of the LockDown browser on all student devices. As MLWGS is a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) school, we very much need cooperation from our families to facilitate this task. Teachers have expanded the use of the testing application through Schoology courses, and MWtech does not have loaner device capacity, especially during the May window of online AP and SOL test administration, to provide additional devices to students. If your student’s device does not have the LockDown browser installed to date, they can still accomplish the task in class through Schoology, our Learning Management System. Thank you for your continued support!
IMPORTANT INFO from the SCHOOL NURSE
ALL RISING SENIORS: It is a requirement that each student provide documentation of receiving at least 2 Meningococcal conjugate vaccine or 1 if given after the age of 16yrs PRIOR to starting 12th grade. You will not be able to start 12th grade without this information on file.
[Meningococcal Conjugate (MenACWY) Vaccine – Effective July 1, 2021, a minimum of 2 doses of MenACWY vaccine. The first dose should be administered prior to entering 7th grade. The final dose should be administered prior to entering 12th grade.
If no doses have been given, one that is given after age 16 is sufficient. ]
Please email the school nurse with a scanned copy of the vaccination record to [email protected] or send in hard copies to drop off at the clinic and it will be added to your student’s file.
If you have any questions or concerns, please call Alisa Shapiro, RN at 804-354-6800 ext 1010
Medication Pick up:
Also, If your student had medications in the clinic, please make arrangements to pick them up before the end of the year. Please bring this medication release form signed by a parent or guardian if the student plans to get the medications. The only exception is for students who ride the bus. Medications are not allowed on the buses, so in that case, a parent must come to get them.
If any meds are not picked up by the last day of school, I will dispose of them.
From Mr. White:
Attention, Class of 2026: It’s time to schedule your senior portraits! Lifetouch/Prestige will conduct a two-day senior portraits photo shoot at Maggie Walker on July 7-8. Lifetouch/Prestige offers $30 Essential Sessions (three outfits) and $20 Mini Sessions (two outfits). The link to schedule a session at school is https://prestigeportraits.com. You can search for MLWGS’s Prestige Portraits event by selecting your city and state and then putting in your first and last name.
In addition to the July 7-8 event, seniors can schedule to have their images done at one of Lifetouch/Prestige’s senior portrait studios by going to the same link above. Studios will open for the GY26 Senior Season in June/July. Also, there will be makeup portraits shot at MLWGS on Sept. 4 (signups will available in the summer). Questions? Contact Lifetouch/Prestige or Mr. White.
Scholarship Opportunities for MLWGS Seniors
For last minute scholarship opportunities, check out the MLWGS Class of 2025 Scholarship List: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1t1CNmRcjxs9SSXjTh1g5Z-oDDQ8XLlZJN57s9cAWrvs/edit?usp=sharing
Check Out the New and Improved Foundation Website and Newsletter
The MLWGS Foundation has added some great new features to its website. The new Stories tab at the top provides links to the Foundation Blog–lots of great stories about MLWGS happenings–and a News page with local and national media stories highlighting alumni and current students and teachers. On the News page you’ll also find an archive of the latest Foundation newsletters. Check it out today to see some of the great things going on at MLWGS and how your support of the Foundation makes it all possible. If you did not receive the newsletter via email last week, you can read it on the News page and sign up for it there as well.
GO DRAGONS!!!
“Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” – Warren Buffett
