I have been fortunate to serve as legal counsel for FCCPS for the past eight years and to live in Little City and send my children to our amazing schools for the past four. I practiced education law at a private firm for eight years before coming in-house and I have loved the challenge — and the joy — of providing advice and counsel to our School Board, Superintendent, Chiefs, Directors, and building leaders.

To me, FCCPS’ Secret Sauce is the connection within and between the community. My colleagues in the Central Office became friends first and then neighbors. The teachers and staff in our buildings became instructors and cheerleaders for my daughters.  Students who I supported behind the scenes (through ensuring equitable policies, fair enforcement of federal and state laws, and protection of student data – among other things) became my childrens’ friends and teammates (who I have been lucky to coach in basketball and soccer). There is an interest and an investment in our schools and in our staff by our community that I am fortunate to witness daily.  We care for each other, look out for one another, and enjoy the work of educating and encouraging our students — even when that work is challenging.

I had a meeting at Mount Daniel Elementary School around the holidays this year. When I told my daughters I would be going to their former school, they insisted I bring cookies and notes to their former teachers.  When I arrived (cookies in hand), I was greeted by Mr. Brian – who had personally greeted me and one or both of my daughters every day from the fall of 2020 (when we participated in supervised learning during Covid) through the spring of 2024 (when my youngest child “graduated” to Oak Street Elementary School).  At the end of my meeting, as I headed out of Mount Daniel, I was greeted by a neighbor (whose daughter I coach in basketball) who shared the good news of her son’s college acceptance to his first-choice school.  As we chatted, another amazing teacher, whose daughter is dear friends with my oldest child, interrupted for a quick hug.  A third teacher poked her head out of her classroom to say happy holidays (we bonded last year as we worked together to respond to a subpoena), and a fourth teacher waved as she ran down the hall (I usually see her walking her dog around the neighborhood since I’m not at Mount Daniel often these days).  This is a snapshot of one afternoon in one building, but it happens for all our staff and students throughout all of our buildings: we are seen, known, and cared about.

As a parent and a community member, I’ve coached five seasons of soccer (for my youngest) and am coaching both of my girls in basketball.  My first season coaching basketball with Falls Church City Parks and Recreation was the winter of 2021-22 when the Meridian girl’s basketball team was making a run for the State Title.  One of the talented Senior players volunteered to help coach the team.  My team of 2nd and 3rd-grade players adored and idolized Rianna. The team regularly attended games at Meridian, holding handmade signs and cheering for their coach and teammates.  When the Mustangs won the Region Championship, my daughters and their friends/teammates danced and cheered, gathered under the basket as the Mustangs cut the net, and then asked the Meridian players for their autographs.  Every player on the basketball team – who were celebrating this amazing achievement with their teammates, coaches, and families – took the time to sign autographs, hug and fistbump my players, and thank them for coming to cheer (all in masks, since this was February 2022!).  This is one of the many snapshots of the students in FCCPS demonstrating care for each other.  Like the adults in our community, our students look out for and support one another.  There is a true sense of community when you walk around our schools.

Before every School Board meeting and School Board work session, the Superintendent and his Leadership team meet for dinner at a restaurant in the Little City or pick up local food to eat in our Central Office kitchen before the evening work begins. Anyone presenting at the meeting — sometimes building or division leaders, other times outside consultants – is invited to join.  We talk about the upcoming meeting and our personal lives outside of work.  We know who will drink Diet Coke, who will get a side of tots, and who always orders tacos at the local Irish restaurant.  We share stories about our work days and our families and know that the time we spend in late-night meetings helps move the district forward in supporting students and staff.

The majority of our FCCPS staff do not see me walk into the building as the school lawyer and come running over for hugs (despite the snapshot above!).  However, there is one student who has greeted me with a hug almost every time that I visit Meridian High School during the school day.  This young lady served as a volunteer basketball coach for my second grade team last season.  She is the same Meridian student who seated us for our team dinner at The Falls restaurant before a Board meeting this August, and who asked me (as we headed to the Board meeting) if I would review her personal statement for college.  These connections we have in our community, inside and outside our school buildings, are incredibly special – and there are thousands of them.

One final vignette of our connected, collective caring: Last Spring, I was excited to chaperone the fifth-grade trip to Williamsburg but learned that I would miss my second grader’s wax museum exhibit — a culminating project that she had been working on for weeks, and which was scheduled to take place the same day as the field trip. Upon learning this, the Superintendent’s Leadership team decided to take their own field trip to Mount Daniel, lining up to hear my daughter, acting as Michelle Obama, talk about what it was like to be the First Lady and how she enjoyed her time expanding the White House vegetable garden.  As I rode on the bus with a group of loud, happy 5th graders, I was inundated with text messages and photos from my colleagues, raving about their wonderful wax museum experience.  It meant so much to me that my friends, Peter, Kristen, William, Marybeth, John, and Marty, cheered on my child and her classmates and encouraged her learning when I was not able to be present.  I was not surprised by their care, and I am grateful to live and work in this community.

About Trish Minson: The Chief Officer of Legal Services for Falls Church City Public Schools, Trish received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia and Juris Doctor from the University of Richmond.  A resident of the Little City, she has two amazing daughters who attend FCCPS.