Academic Concentrations

How It Works

List of 3 items.

Eligibility & Requirements
A student may apply to participate in the Academic Concentrations program in the spring of her first year at Foxcroft (usually freshman year), and eligibility is reviewed annually.
To be eligible, a student must:
- Have a proven record of motivation and achievement
- Demonstrate competency in the Concentration
Requirements to earn the Academic Concentration transcript designation vary from discipline to discipline but generally include the following:
- Rigorous course work at a high level of achievement
- Internships each year that a student is enrolled
- Annual commitment to community service in the concentration field
- Independent study and/or a culminating project
A student who enters Foxcroft after her freshman year may be eligible to transfer courses, internships, and community service from another school in order to meet the requirements; final approval for transfer credits rests with the department chair and the Assistant Head of School for Academics.
Application Process
To apply, a student should
- Meet with the Assistant Head of School for Academics
- Meet with Lead Concentration Mentor in her Concentration area
- Prepare a written proposal
- Submit a transcript and a list of co-curricular and leadership activities
Progress & Support
Each student will have:
- A “concentration mentor” — a faculty member who will guide the student through the three-year program and track her progress towards fulfilling requirements
- A “concentration committee” comprised of the mentor and two additional faculty, to review project proposals and final presentations
- A variety of internships and community service opportunities established by the School to choose from. The student may also devise her own.

News

Academic Concentration Projects Culminate in Final Presentations to the Community
6/3/2022
Last Wednesday, May 25, the Academic Concentration program’s eight graduating seniors made their final presentations to family and community members during the culminating event for the program. Presentations took place between 9am and 2:30pm in 30-minute time slots, with options for friends and family to attend in person or via Zoom. These students also received special recognition at Commencement on Friday, May 27, when their Concentration designations were shared as they received their diplomas.
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A Grand Finale for the Academic Concentrations
6/4/2021
From Director of STEM Education Kristine Varney

This year the Academic Concentration program graduated ten students, the largest class since the program began in 2018. Topics of study among these seniors varied widely, from Global Studies student Shuhan L.’s exploration of non-profit organizations through her work with the Operation Smile program to Gracie S.’s STEM research about the history of humans as an outdoor and indoor species, which culminated in some self-experimentation with living exclusively indoors and then outdoors for several days last summer. Global Studies student Dami O. merged several areas of interest as she looked at the effects of history, identity, and culture on modern-day U.S.-China relations.
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Equine Science Class Participates in Hoof and Distal Limb Dissection at Piedmont Equine Practice
2/21/2020
Animal Science Concentration Coordinator and STEM teacher Katie Hergenreder recently took her Equine Science students on a field trip to the Piedmont Equine Practice in The Plains, VA, to participate in a dissection of the hoof and distal limb of a horse. Students worked with veterinarians Dr. Jena Porto and Dr. Christy Moore and received a tour of the facility after the dissection. Following are two student reflections on the experience.
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Vox Media Reporter Alex Ward Speaks to Global Studies Students
2/21/2020
by Hayden E. ’21

Last week, Global Studies students had the opportunity to hear a special speaker, Alex Ward from Vox Media. He is not only a reporter but also the son of Senora Sánchez, one of Foxcroft's Spanish teachers. In addition to covering international security and defense issues, he also hosts a podcast.
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Foxcroft Girls ROCK at Foxstock!
10/25/2019
On Friday evening, a talented group of Foxcroft students brought Foxstock music festival to FoxHound Auditorium. Through an array of performances featuring many female singer-songwriters and classic tunes, each girl showed the community her “true colors” (with Mimi S. ’20’s Cyndi Lauper number) and gave the audience more than “one reason” (during Abby A. ’20’s rendition of Tracey Chapman’s hit) to cheer and applaud. By the finale with the whole company singing KT Tunstall’s “Suddenly I See,” the audience truly was “held captivated in [their] palms!”
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Concentration Mentors

List of 4 members.

Kristine Varney

Director of STEM Education

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A native Pennsylvanian, Kristine has taught and served as a teacher leader in a variety of school settings. Her passion for teaching developed as a student at Middlebury College, where she earned her B.A. in Physics. It was there, as one of only a handful of female physics majors, that she became committed to making physics and STEM accessible to all. Kristine has also earned an M.A. in Teaching from Duke University and an M.Ed. in Administration and Supervision from the University of Houston. She is currently pursuing her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy at Vanderbilt University's Peabody College of Education.

Prior to coming to Foxcroft, Kristine taught physics and math in public schools in Brooklyn, NY, for six years and served as the Upper School Physics Teacher and Science Department Chair at the Emery/Weiner School in Houston, TX, for five years. She joined the Foxcroft faculty as the Director of STEM Education in 2018, bringing a collaborative, mission-driven approach to leadership and a student-centered, inquiry-based philosophy of teaching.

Interested in the intersection of music and physics, Kristine has taught several summer courses on the science of music. She currently sings with Voce Chamber Singers in Vienna, VA, and enjoys yoga and cooking in her spare time.
Katie Hergenreder

STEM, Animal Science Concentration Coordinator, Dorm Parent

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Katie Hergenreder worked as a private tutor, teaching assistant, and radiation oncology research assistant at the University of Maryland Medical Center before joining the Foxcroft faculty in 2016 to teach physics and math and run the Learning Center’s STEM Lab. She also teaches Animal Science and Equine Science as part of the Animal Science Concentration program which Katie developed and coordinates.

Katie’s STEM skills and interests include computer programming and robotics along with math and physics. She is also a Tae Kwon Do black belt and was a member of the University of Maryland's Equestrian Club, serving as the Director of Lessons. She earned her M.Ed. from Vanderbilt Peabody College in the summer of 2021.

Katie lives on campus, is a member of the Orchard Dorm team, and has a lovable yellow-lab mix dog named Khaki. She enjoys riding off campus and is a member of the Middleburg Hunt.
Lindsay O'Connor

English

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Lindsay O’Connor came to Foxcroft from Charlottesville in 2016 to teach in the English Department. Her study of literature began at Tulane University where she earned a B.A. in English and philosophy.

Lindsay served as a graduate instructor for the English Department at the University of Virginia, where she earned her M.A. in English and received her Ph.D. in 2016. She taught courses in writing and in American and global Anglophone literature.

At Foxcroft, Lindsay serves as the advisor to Foxcroft's student literary magazine, Chimera, and lives in Brick House. Fitness is a central part of Lindsay's life, and a part that she shares with the Foxcroft community as a Pilates instructor for both students and adults. As an avid cyclist, she spends her free time traveling to rides and races and enjoying Loudoun County's beautiful rural roads.
Julie Fisher

Department Chair, Fine Arts

540.687.4380

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Julie Fisher joined Foxcroft's Fine Arts Department in 2017 as our Digital Arts Instructor. She supervises and teaches in The Innovation Lab @Foxcroft School. She leads classes in photography, digital design, and engineering, and also sponsors the yearbook.

From 2005-17, Julie taught all levels of photography, art, and graphic design at Atlee High School (Hanover County, VA), where she also served as Fine Arts Department Chair and National Art Honor Society Sponsor. One of her accomplishments was implementing an International Baccalaureate program in Visual Arts and Photography at the school.

Julie completed a B.F.A. in Studio Art with a concentration in photography at James Madison University and earned an M.F.A. in Photography from New Hampshire Institute of Art. She continues to pursue art at a professional level, showing her work at a variety of galleries and art centers on the East Coast. Her art combines her interests in photography technique and family genealogies, an interdisciplinary approach combining art and history that no doubt benefits our students.

Julie, her husband, Rick, and their two children, Rick and Allie, reside on campus.