Ms. Schires Recognized as FCPS CARES of the Month Recipient!

March 2022 FCPS Region 1 Recipient

By Department of Human Resources
Spotlight
May 23, 2022

Congratulations to school counselor Ms. Beth Schires on being recognized as the March 2022 Region 1 FCPS CARES Recipient of the Month by the FCPS Department of Human Resources.

The FCPS CARES Program is an opportunity for parents, staff, and community members to recognize FCPS employees for going above and beyond to help others and show they care. We invite you to submit your story below, so we can all acknowledge the good work of FCPS employees.

Below is the write-up submitted by a Carson MS eighth-grade student.

It is an honor to recommend my club’s sponsor Ms. Elizabeth Schires, to receive the Cares Award. When the Fairfax Country Public School District transitioned to virtual classrooms during the Spring of 2020, there were many students who were concerned about the transition. I heard from students in my neighborhood about how they were nervous about conducting classes virtually and wanted to form study pods with their friends. This is when I came up with the idea of forming a tutoring club and reached out to some elementary school students who might want to connect with middle schoolers to help them with their math homework. The formation of the Helping Minds Club, which has become a very popular after-school program, would not have been possible without the incredible support and assistance of Ms. Schires. When I first discussed the idea, Ms. Schires was very open to my idea and suggestions, and she has been amazingly hands-on in helping me contact feeder elementary schools as well as helping me set up a strong foundation so that we can expand our club. She is kind, loving, fun, and caring and always offered encouragement during difficult times when we first tried to establish the club during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Without her, we would not have been able to properly setup our club’s FCPS Blackboard (which we used in 2019-20) as well as the FCPS Schoology page (which we are currently using for 2021-22).  More than anything, she is always there for us during our virtual club meetings and provides the leadership needed to strengthen our partnership with our feeder school, Coates Elementary. I cannot think of anyone more deserving to be recognized for the Cares Award, and I hope you will give her every consideration for this award.