TJHSST Alumni Association

The Official TJ Alumni Site

TJHSST Alumni Association
6560 Braddock Road
Alexandria, VA 22312
alumni@tjhsstalumni.org
Š2004

Thomas Jefferson High School
for Science & Technology
Alumni Association
October 2, 2003

If you did not receive this newsletter via email, update your contact information in the Alumni Directory.

My Fellow Alumni,

It has been quite some time since the Alumni Association has been in direct contact with the membership, but many developments over the past few months are worth passing along. Understanding that folks emails change and we lose touch, please take a few minutes to forward this email to other Jefferson alums you are in touch with so they can stay current.

First off, I would like address solicitations apparently sent to many Jefferson alumni by a for-profit company which has registered the domain tjhsstalumni.COM. While you certainly can submit information to them, they are not sanctioned by the school or this association, but rather are gathering data for money-making ventures. Our association is housed at www.tjhsstalumni.org, which you can always link to through Jefferson's website, www.tjhsst.edu. We already have plans in place to move alumni information on our site into a password protected area and we will be contacting this commercial vendor shortly. (I would be interested in hearing from anyone with particular expertise in this area.) Obviously, if you have updated your information on that site it is not reflected in our current directory of alumni. Now on to more important matters...

I know I am writing to folks in all parts of the country (and many parts of the world) but we still share a common thread: our time at Thomas Jefferson. I've had the privilege of speaking twice recently, first at commencement exercises for the class of 2003 (the 15th Science & Tech graduating class) and again during the first week of school to the current student body. Though the school has and will continue to change with the times, I can assure you that the same spirit I remember from my years is still alive and well.

ALUMNI DIRECTORY

The online directory of alumni has undergone some upgrades and though still working through some of the kinks, it is fully functional, which makes it very important that you update your contact information, especially your email and postal mailing address. If you have any problems, please send an email to directory@tjhsstalumni.org.

REUNIONS

The Class of '98 held their five year reunion this summer and the Class of '93 is holding their ten year later this fall. You can check out reunion news on the website to find out what plans are being made for yours and how you can get involved by contacting your class representative.

Remember, that all alumni have a standing invitation to visit Jefferson the last day before the Winter Break, which this year is Friday, December 19. If you are in town or will, mark you calendars. It certainly is important that we maintain a physical connection to Jefferson from time to time.

TJ IN THE NEWS

In light of the Michigan affirmative action decision, the Fairfax County School Board has discussed the impact this may have on the Jefferson admission process. Both the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal have covered the issue at TJ and those are among many news items on the website's Front Page.

ALUMNI NEWS

There is now space on the website for individual news, but clearly we can only post what you tell us about. Send anything you think might be of interest to news-updates@tjhsstalumni.org.

COMING SOON

Among other plans, the association will soon begin offering alumni mugs and Frisbees as an initial foray into an online store. If you have ideas or want to get involved, please check out the "Get Involved" section of the website or send an email along with your ideas and how you can help to alumni@tjhsstalumni.org.

Best wishes,
Jay Briar '94
TJAA President