February 13, 2026 Newsletter

February 13, 2026

Dear Patriot Families,

Thank you for your support this week. We know many of our students and families are impacted by the recent loss in our community. Please let your child’s counselor know if there is anything we can do in the coming weeks.

Enjoy the long Presidents’ Day Weekend.

Sincerely,

Dr. Kevin Clark

Principal

In this message: 

• What’s Happening at Yorktown
• Counseling Corner
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Activities Updates
• Senior Updates
• Technology Corner
• Upcoming Dates

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT YORKTOWN

Congratulations Literary Magazine Scholastic Award Winners

The following Lit Mag students were honored for their entries to the Scholastic Writing Competition this year:

• Chloe Oh (12th) received an Honorable Mention for her short story “Glasera.”
• Cameron Lauret (10th) received a Gold Key for her speculative fiction “God’s Soldiers.”
• Samantha Spindler (10th) received an Honorable Mention for her short story “Zauberland” and a Silver Key for her novel “Lethologica.”
• Olivia Ross (11th) received a Sivler Key for her short story “From an Imaginary Friend.”
• Charlotte Davis (10th) received an Honorable Mention for her speculative fiction “A Shattered Glass Is A Lot More Sharp.”

Congratulations to the Gymnastics and Girls Swim/Dive Teams

The gymnastics team won the Northern Region Championship on Wednesday night and will compete in the state tournament on Friday, February 20 in Virginia Beach.  Teagan Wielechowski won the all-around championship and will participate in the individual competition on Saturday, February 21.  The girls swim & dive team took second in their Northern Region Championships last weekend and will participate in the state championship meet on Saturday, February 21 in Stafford.  Good luck to both teams.

COUNSELING CORNER

Advisory Information

Tuesday, February 17: 9th-12th Grades: Review Student Code of Conduct

Kindness Week

For Virginia Kindness Week, “The Dailies” (student led announcements) highlighted the importance of showing kindness throughout our school community.  The School Counseling Department helped bring that message to life by hosting a kindness table during all lunches on Thursday, February 12th.  Students were invited to write thank‑you notes to staff members, offering heartfelt appreciation that will be placed in staff members’ mailboxes to spread joy.

Mid-year Transcripts for 12th Graders

We recognize that 12th graders may be hearing from the colleges and universities to which they applied asking for mid-year transcripts by a certain date.  Typically these are mass generated notifications, and those schools understand that not all high schools run on the same timeline.  We will upload and send all mid-year transcripts the week of Tuesday, February 17th.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

Black History Month Guest Speaker Series

Throughout the month of February (and into the beginning of March), we will host several guest speakers who will share their experiences as Black professionals, including their personal journeys, educational and career paths, challenges they have navigated, and insights from their current or retired professional lives. The goal is to provide all students with meaningful exposure to a wide range of professional fields while also highlighting the voices, stories, and contributions of Black individuals.

Foods of the Diaspora Event

On Thursday February 26, we will host a Foods of the Diaspora event in the cafeteria during Patriot Period. To accommodate the event, 3rd period will end at 10:30am and Patriot Period will be held from 10:35am-11:20am. Much more information to come!

ACTIVITIES UPDATES

Spring 2026 Detailed Tryout Information 

Spring sports will begin on Monday, February 23 with outdoor track starting Monday, March 2.  All students must be registered with a valid VHSL physical uploaded into the registration system prior to participating in tryouts or practices.  Physicals are valid for 14 months and families are responsible for maintaining a current, valid physical in the registration system at all times.

It is highly recommended that the Sport registration should be completed by Thursday,  February 19th, so that any issues can be resolved prior to tryouts on Monday, February 23rd or this could delay the student from tryouts on Monday.

Due to the renovation of Yorktown’s turf field, tryouts for all sports which use the turf stadium field will NOT be held at Yorktown as the renovation will not be finished until March.

Tryout information is currently available at this link.

Detailed information for each sport will also be posted on Team App so students are encouraged to download and signup for each sport using the naming convention “YHS – ABCD” where ABCD is the sport name.  For example, softball can be found under YHS – Softball

Winter Sports – Spectator Information

Many sports are in the playoffs.  A schedule of events is available on www.yorktownsports.org Games held in the gym are available online on www.nfhs.com Tickets for events in the gym are available online at www.gofan.co Playoff games are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Backpacks, as well as outside food or drinks, are not permitted.  Students in middle school or below need to be accompanied by their parent/guardian for admission to sporting events.

Club of the Week- Black Student Union

The purpose of the Black Student Union is to create a community among black students and anyone who appreciates black culture at Yorktown High School. The overall school environment is enhanced when black youth at school can feel supported by peers and sponsors. See Ms. Bhatti for more information.

Upcoming Home Events

Where to find Athletics Information

Athletic Website – www.yorktownsports.org

Athletic Twitter – @yhssports

Athletic Instagram – @yhssports

Athletic Specific Sport Information – www.teamapp.com

Athletic Registration – https://yorktownhs-ar.rschooltoday.com/

Looking Ahead – Fall 2026 Sports 

Fall 2026 sports will begin on Monday, August 3 for cheer, volleyball, field hockey and JV/V football.  Freshmen football and cross country will likely begin Monday, August 10.  Dance team tryouts will be May 19.  The start date for golf (no earlier than July 30) and girls flag football (no earlier than August 17) have not yet been finalized.

SENIOR UPDATES

Be sure to bookmark the Seniors website which is linked on the Yorktown HS home page under Quicklinks and loaded with information for senior year.

Senior Experience

Students wishing to participate in Senior Experience (May 18-June 8) will need to access the Senior Experience Canvas page and submit the application. Please take your time to review all information and materials on the page, and take the quiz!

A few dates to note:

– Student Application Due by 3/13

– Mentor Application Due by 3/13

– Parent Authorization Due by 3/13

– Senior Experience Kick Off Meeting on 5/15

– Senior Experience from 5/18 to 6/8

– Senior Experience Seminar on 6/9

Senior Dues

Senior class dues have increased to $85.00 beginning January 1, 2026. Senior families can pay their class dues using this link. All students are expected to contribute to class dues. Students will be unable to participate in Senior activities such as Senior Experience, prom, Senior Picnic, and graduation.

Graduation

Looking ahead for graduation planning – Yorktown’s graduation will take place at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, June 10th at 3:00 PM. Each student will receive 5 guest tickets to be distributed with the caps and gowns at graduation rehearsal.  Families anticipating needing more tickets should contact peers as we do not anticipate having additional tickets due to the size of the senior class.

Graduation Announcements

Graduation announcement cards are typically sent to extended family and close friends to share the exciting news of your upcoming graduation (they are not an invitation to attend). If you wish to order graduation announcements, or any other senior memorabilia please visit the Herff Jones Virginia website and search for Yorktown High School.

TECHNOLOGY CORNER

LightSpeed Parent Opt-In

With a variety of instructional tools and learning methods available to your student, your active engagement in your student’s learning is more important than ever. To help keep you informed about your student’s use of internet resources, APS has partnered with Lightspeed Systems to give you visibility into your student’s internet usage while using APS-issued devices, and more control of their use at home and after-school hours.

There are two types of reports you can receive: the Weekly Online Student Activity Report and the detailed Parent Portal dashboard.  All the information in the Weekly Report and on the Parent Portal can be viewed and enabled on desktop or mobile devices. Instructions on how to opt-in to the Weekly Online Student Activity Report are here.

Laptop Reminder

Please remind students to shut down and fully charge their laptops each night so they arrive at school ready to learn. A fully charged device helps ensure students can participate in class activities without interruption. Thank you for your support!

UPCOMING DATES

See YHS Calendar or the APS Calendar for more information

• Monday, February 16 – Presidents’ Day Holiday – No school