[caption id="attachment_164045" align="alignright" width="300"] UMW grads Amelia Carr (left) and Shelby Press met during their first college class and became best friends. Press was named Fairfax County Public Schools’ Outstanding Elementary New Teacher this year. Carr received the honor in 2021. Photo courtesy of Fairfax County Public Schools.[/caption] When Shelby Press and Amelia Carr walked into their first ever college class at 9 a.m. Monday morning of their freshman fall semester, little did they know they were about to embark on a lasting friendship. As they began talking, they realized they had a lot in common. They had both played field hockey, they both wanted to be teachers and they graduated from rival schools in Fairfax County: Edison High School and Hayfield Secondary School. The two became so close over the next few months, they decided to become roommates their sophomore year. The pair pursued the same path at the University of Mary Washington, both earning a master’s degree through UMW’s College of Education. Seven years later, Press and Carr, who are still roommates, now have something else in common. They’ve both been recognized at Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Honors as the Outstanding Elementary New Teacher. Press, a second-grade teacher at Riverside Elementary School in Alexandria, received the honor this year. Carr, a kindergarten teacher at Bucknell Elementary School in Alexandria, received the award in 2021. Read more.