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The
Board of Supervisors presentation for this initiative
will occur later this spring (due to weather).
BOARD
MATTER
December
6, 2004
Mr.
Chairman: Recently, Delegate Steve Shannon brought to
my attention that the fourth grade students at Freedom
Hill Elementary School, in Providence District, have
made a discovery - Kyanite. Kyanite is a shiny translucent
gemstone named after the Greek word kynos which means
"blue". Kyanite is mainly used for jewelry
but is also used in the manufacturing of spark plugs
and heat resistant ceramics and is known for its color
zones and variation in hardness.
During
their journey of discovery, in their social studies
class, the students found that Virginia does not have
a designated mineral or fruit. They decided to pursue
their research on Kyanite which took them to the Kyanite
Mining Corporation where they learned the functionalities
and characteristics of Kyanite.
Fueled
by their research, the students contacted Delegate Shannon
and asked for guidance in legislating Kyanite as the
Commonwealth's mineral. Due to this student interest,
Delegate Shannon contacted my office to express how
impressed he was with both the students and the teaching
staff at Freedom Hill Elementary School. He will be
examining the interest in other parts of the state for
pursuing this matter.
In
the meantime, I wish to commend the fourth graders of
Freedom Hill Elementary for exemplifying the outstanding
achievement of the students in Fairfax County's Public
School System. I am especially proud to commend their
performance because they chose to make decisions based
on research and go as far as they could to bring attention
to their discovery of Kyanite.
Therefore,
I move that at the January 24, 2005 Board meeting, the
fourth graders of Freedom Hill Elementary, their teacher
Mr. Miller and representatives of the school be invited
to come before the Board in acknowledgement and appreciation
of the achievements of the students of Freedom Hill
Elementary School.
Freedom
Hill Elementary School's Web site
Delegate
Steve Shannon's Web site
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