Fine Arts Festival Returns May 16 & 17connectionarchives.com/PDF/2015/040815/Reston.pdfthe Fairfax...

Reston Connection ❖ April 8-14, 2015 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Opinio

n, 0

❖

Entertainm

ent, Page 13

❖

Spo

rts, Page 12

❖

C

lassifieds, Page 14

online at www.connectionnewspapers.comApril 8-14, 2015

Pho

to

by R

yan D

unn/ T

he C

onnectio

n

HomeLifeStylePage 8

HomeLifeStyleHomeLifeStylePage 8

RestonReston

FIRST Promotes‘Gracious

Professionalism’News, Page 16

GRACE to PresentPatterson Clark:

EdicoleCalendar, Page 13

Fine Arts FestivalReturns May 16 & 17

News, Page 7

Fine Arts FestivalReturns May 16 & 17

News, Page 7

In addition to viewing the craftwork of artists,visitors to the 2014 Northern Virginia Fine ArtsFestival at Reston Town Center enjoyed musicof the South Lakes High School Orchestra.Pictured are students Marisa Liles, VanessaSmith and Benjamin Bond.

2 ❖ Reston Connection ❖ April 8-14, 2015 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com


News

By Tim Peterson

The Connection

Fairfax Station residentSteven Hunt, retiredU.S. Navy, put it bluntly:“Votes count, words

don’t.” That was following a votein which all but two members ofthe Fairfax County School Boardvoted against an amendment to the2015-2016 calendar that wouldhave made Veterans Day a schoolholiday.

Hunt and Steve Martinez ofFairfax, recently retired from the AirForce, spoke before the SchoolBoard in favor of the amendmentat the board’s March 26 meeting.

“Our nation realizes veterans de-serve recognition and has set asidea day specifically to do just that, theeleventh of November, always theeleventh,” Hunt said in his remarks.“This should not be just anotherschool day.”

Martinez, who moved to North-ern Virginia in 2010, said he was“shocked” that Fairfax County would be “contradict-ing state and federal law.”

The amendment, proposed by Springfield Districtrepresentative Elizabeth Schultz, would have givenstudents the day off on Nov. 11, as well as shifted ateacher work day from the end of the school year inJune to the beginning in late August.

Shifting the schedule to accommodate these changes,Schultz said, would even out the number of days ineach quarter in a year that starts unusually late due tohow Labor Day falls.

“A 37-day first quarter, 53-day second quarter; thatis as choppy and up and down as it gets,” said Schultz.“We could have 43, 47, 47, 43. That’s pretty stable interms of grading, having a balanced calendar.”

But the more emotional case from Schultz came inasking why veterans weren’t honored with a day offfrom school the way Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jrand presidents are.

“We don’t refuse to teach our children about MartinLuther King on Martin Luther King day because they’renot there on Martin Luther King day,” she said.

Martinez made the same point in his remarks, say-ing “It sends a very negative message to our studentsthat it is not as important as other holidays, such asColumbus Day or Washington’s Birthday, and there-fore should be corrected immediately.”

But other board members argued students had plentyof opportunities to learn about and respect veteransin a structured way. They gave examples of schoolsaround the county organizing large, well-attendedcelebrations and remembrances that both educated stu-dents on the meaning of Veterans Day and involvedmore military parents and other veterans that had theday off themselves.

“I’ve seen the power of this in the classroom,” saidMount Vernon representative Dan Storck. “I see andhear frequently from parents and students about whatthey’ve learned that day, the benefit they receive from

having veterans come in there, how it makes it easierfor them to do that.”

Others opposed to the amendment called it “imprac-tical” to re-arrange the calendar at this point and thatthe month of November is already fairly jagged in termsof days off school.

“It doesn’t work for attendance,” said Sully Districtrepresentative Kathy Smith. “We need to have morecontinuity of instruction in November.” Braddock Dis-trict representative Megan McLaughlin, who supportedthe amendment, wasn’t convinced from her stance.“Why do surrounding jurisdictions honor this federaland state holiday and we don’t?” she said. “Is it thatwe think we’re doing it better, the Fairfax way, thatsomehow everyone else just doesn’t get it?”

Schultz reminded the board that the calendar hadnot been published, and though it was scheduled tobe voted on at a meeting at the beginning of Marchthat was canceled due to snow, it was “exactly” thetime to make needed changes.

Steve Hunt agreed: “If it’s too far along,” he said,“then why are they here?”

Schultz’s amendment was ultimately voted down;the original calendar motion passed unanimously.

The Board also approved establishing a new Ad-vanced Academic Program Center at Poplar Tree El-ementary School. The aim is to relieve overcrowdingat close by Greenbriar West Elementary School.

Beginning in September, the new center will includestudents from third and fourth grade. Rising fourthgrade students who attend the Advanced AcademicProgram Center at Bull Run Elementary School, whosebase school is Cub Run Elementary School, will be ableto choose to stay at Bull Run or request a pupil trans-fer to Poplar Tree.

For more information on the new Advanced Aca-demic Program Center at Poplar Tree, call the FairfaxCounty Public Schools Office of Communication andCommunity Relations at 571-423-1200.

Still Honoring Vets in SchoolsFairfax County Public Schools Board votes downcalendar amendment to make Veterans Day a holiday.

U.S. Navy retiree Steve Hunt of Fairfax Station (left) andU.S. Air Force retiree Steve Martinez (right) spoke at theMarch 26 Fairfax County School Board meeting in favor ofmaking Nov. 11 a school holiday in honor of Veterans Day.

Reston Connection Editor Kemal Kurspahic

703-778-9414 or [email protected]

SATURDAY/APRIL 11Basic Internet and Microsoft

Office Tutoring for Adults. 1p.m. Herndon Fortnightly Library,768 Center Street, Herndon.Schedule an appointment to getone-on-one help with computers,applications, and navigation of theinternet.

MONDAY/APRIL 13Adults Writers Group. 7 p.m.

Herndon Fortnightly Library, 768Center Street, Herndon. All levelsare invited. The group reviewswork-in-progress from up to 3members each month.

Bulletin Board

To have community events listed in the Connection, send to [email protected] by the Friday prior to the following week’s paper.

Two “p”s become promi-nent and problematicthis time of year: pol-

len and potholes. The VirginiaDepartment of Transportationcan at least do something aboutthe latter, if not the former.

“One of the busiest times forfilling is right as the winter ends,”Virginia Department of Transpor-tation spokesperson JenniferMcCord said in an email. “Theconstant freeze and thawthroughout the winter usuallyresults in a burst of potholes.”

According to McCord, statemaintenance crews and contrac-tors have already filled over25,000 potholes in Northern Vir-ginia; Virginia is on pace to matchits total of around 146,000 filledlast year statewide.

Repairing potholes fall underthe $256 million Northern Vir-ginia maintenance program,which also includes grass mow-ing, patching, paving and snowremoval. That program covers

most roads in Fairfax, Loudounand Prince William Counties, aswell as interstates and primaryroads in Arlington.

Citizens can report an existingpothole or file a claim if their ve-hicle was damaged as a result ofencountering one. The VirginiaDepartment of Transportationcustomer service line, open 24hours a day, seven days a week,is 800-367-7623 (ROAD), whilethe website for reporting a prob-lem is www.virginiadot.org/travel/citizen.asp.

Claim-processing time can belengthy, McCord said, as theclaims department must exam-ine factors such as whether ornot the pothole in question wasalready scheduled for repair andif there was reasonable time forthe repair to occur.

For more information about pot-hole repair, visit www.virginiadot.org/info/faq-potholes.asp.

— Tim Peterson

The Pothole Picture

Photo courtesy of Virginia Department of Transportation

Virginia Department of Transportation estimatesabout 25,000 potholes have been repaired in North-ern Virginia so far in 2015.


Governor Terry McAuliffe announced thatBechtel Corporation, one of the world’s largestengineering, construction and project manage-ment companies, will relocate 700 jobs toFairfax County from its Frederick, Md., opera-tion as a result of global restructuring. Thecompany will invest $10 million in the FairfaxCounty location as a result of the move.

Bechtel will lease up to 175,000 square feetin the Reston area of Fairfax County for the ex-pansion.

“This is the second time in less than fouryears that we have had the pleasure of announc-ing Bechtel job growth, which speaks volumesabout the confidence the company has inFairfax County as a business location,” saidGerald L. Gordon, Ph.D., president and CEO ofthe Fairfax County Economic DevelopmentAuthority (FCEDA). “Bechtel is a great corpo-rate citizen, and we are delighted that thecompany can take advantage of the businessassets and quality of life that the county offers.”

“Since relocating our global operationalheadquarters to Reston in 2011, we have en-joyed immense support from the businesscommunity of Fairfax County and the Common-wealth,” said Bechtel Chief Executive OfficerBill Dudley. “Reston has proven to be an ideallocation for Bechtel. Conveniently situated be-tween two airports, it facilitates international

and domestic travel, which is key to our busi-ness, provides access to a highly skilledworkforce, and offers an enjoyable work/lifeenvironment for our employees.” Dudley addedthat the company also considered Texas andArizona.

Bechtel was the lead partner of Dulles Tran-sit Partners, the contractor responsible forbuilding the first phase of the Metro Silver Linewith five stops in Fairfax County: four in TysonsCorner and one in Reston. The company hasbeen active in community and civic affairs in thecounty, with senior leaders serving in key roleson northern Virginia boards and chambers ofcommerce.

The FCEDA worked with the Virginia Eco-nomic Development Partnership to secure theproject for Virginia. Governor McAuliffe ap-proved a $500,000 grant from the Governor’sOpportunity Fund to assist Fairfax County withthe project.

The governor also approved $4 million infunds from the Virginia Economic DevelopmentIncentive Grant (VEDIG). VEDIG was estab-lished as a self-funded program ofperformance-based incentives that the Com-monwealth awards to exceptional economicdevelopment projects with large numbers ofemployees and very high wages relative to av-erage wages for that particular area.

Bechtel to Expand in Reston

Founder’s Dayto be Celebrated

Reston Historic Trust (RHT) and Museumwill host Founder’s Day, celebrating Reston’s51st anniversary and founder Robert E.Simon. Jr.’s 101st birthday on Saturday,April 11, 12 - 1:30 p.m. at WashingtonPlaza, Lake Anne Village Center.

Elected officials representing Reston onCapitol Hill, in Richmond and in FairfaxCounty will participate in a fun game of“Random Reston,” emceed by Reston’s ownChuck Veatch. A variety of local talent willprovide musical entertainment. The dedi-cation of commemorative bricks will be fol-lowed by birthday cake and more music.

Founder’s Day raffle tickets are on salenow, offering an opportunity to support theReston Historic Trust & Museum Endow-ment Fund. This is your chance to win stun-ning “inside out” diamond hoop earringsvalued at $2,500. These earrings, donatedby Aspen Jewelry Designs, contain 50 dia-monds weighing 1.01 carats. Tickets are$10 each, 3 for $25 and 7 for $50. Theycan be purchased at the Museum, online atrestonmuseum.org or at the Wine Cabinetat North Point Village Center. The drawingwill follow the celebration. You do not haveto be present to win.

Admission is free. For more information,contact the Museum at 703-709-7700;email [email protected] orvisitwww.restonmuseum.org.

Serco NamedOne of America’sBest Employers

Forbes magazine announced its list of“America’s Best Employers for 2015" andReston-based Serco Inc. was rated as thetop business services employer and one ofthe top 40 overall best employers. Serco wasranked #39 out of the 500 companies thatmade the list.

Serco, a provider of business and profes-

sional services primarily to the U.S. govern-ment, was also ranked #1 of all companiesin the Washington D.C. metro area.

“On behalf of the 10,000 Serco employ-ees, we are honored to be named on theForbes list of America’s Best Employers. Wepride ourselves in creating a culture thatengages our people and makes Serco a greatplace to work,” said Dan Allen, Serco’sChairman and CEO.

More information about Serco Inc. can befound at www.serco-na.com.

Reston HospitalCenter to HostHealthcareDecisions Day

On Thursday, April 16, Reston HospitalCenter will be hosting a National HealthcareDecisions Day event in the Main and Pavil-ion II lobbies of the Reston Hospital Cen-ter, 1850 Town Center Parkway. From 9 a.m.to 1 p.m. case management team will pro-vide education and information about ad-vanced planning. The community membersare invited to stop by during this event toask questions and obtain copies of an ad-vanced directive.

April 16 has been designated NationalHealthcare Decisions Day, a collaborativeeffort of national, state and community or-ganizations committed to ensuring that alladults with decision-making capacity in theUnited States have the information andopportunity to communicate and documenttheir healthcare decisions. Our goal onNHDD is to provide much-needed informa-tion to the public, reduce the number oftragedies that occur when a person’s wishesare unknown, and improve the ability ofhealthcare facilities and providers to offerinformed and thoughtful guidance aboutadvance healthcare planning to their pa-tients.

For more information, visit Reston Hos-pital Center’s Facebook page atfacebook.com/RestonHospital.

Week in Reston


Send school notes to [email protected] by Friday.

From examining the genes in themonkey flower, to exploring the Rev.Martin Luther King’s political, socialand theological beliefs, to epilepsytherapies, to sustainable tourism, 38University of Virginia under-graduates will pursue 36grant-funded research projects thissummer. Thirty-five of the proposalsreceived Harrison UndergraduateResearch Awards and another stu-dent has had his researchunderwritten by the Stull family ofDallas. This marks the 16th year of theprogram, which helps further a keycomponent of the U.Va. student expe-rience: hands-on research.

The research awards support stu-dents who present detailed plans forprojects that have been endorsed bya faculty mentor. In February, a Fac-ulty Senate committee selected thewinners, who receive up to $3,000.Faculty mentors who oversee theprojects receive $1,000.

This year’s Harrison Undergradu-ate Research Award winners andtheir research topics: include

❖ Emma Kitchen, 21, ofHerndon, a third-year distinguishedhistory major, is researching the 19th-century naturalist Louis Agassiz, who

helped popularize science in America, inorder to shed light on the relationshipbetween science and society during animportant period in both American sci-ence and the history of the theory ofevolution.

❖ Debbie Pan, 20, of Herndon, athird-year biology and Spanish doublemajor, is researching the stability ofmicroDNA, small extrachromosomal cir-cular DNA found in various tissues, inorder to characterize this newly discov-ered type of DNA.

Four Fairfax County Public Schools(FCPS) students have won nationalawards in the 2015 ScholasticWriting Awards Competition. Six-teen FCPS students won regional GoldKey awards, and 29 students won re-gional Silver Key awards.

❖ Olivia Dabich of Marshall HighSchool for Flash Fiction, “A Defector andFamily’s Guide to the Aftermath of Defec-tion from North Korea.” Dabich won aGold Key award for this entry in the re-gional competition.

❖ Peiqi Wang of Carson Middle Schoolfor Critical Essay, “A False Dichotomy:Privacy and Security in the Digital Age.”Wang won a Gold Key award for thisentry in the regional competition.

National Silver Medal award winnerswere:

❖ Mei Baek of Thomas Jefferson High

School for Science and Technology(TJHSST) for Poetry, “Grandmother.”Baek won a Gold Key award for thisentry in the regional competition.

❖ Samiksha Kale of Kilmer MiddleSchool for Poetry, “3-2-1 Fun, MySpark of Inspiration, The Jewel ofIndia, Wretched Soul.” Kale won aGold Key award for this entry in theregional competition.

Regional Gold Key award winnersare:

❖ Colleen Flanagan of HerndonHigh School for Poetry.

❖ Olivia Dabich of Marshall HighSchool for Short Story and Poetry.

❖ Tara Abrishami of TJHSST forPoetry.

❖ Suzie Bae of TJHSST for Per-sonal Essay-Memoir.

❖ Pooja Chandrashekar of TJHSSTfor Writing Portfolio, Critical Essay,and Personal Essay-Memoir.

❖ Richa Gupta of TJHSST for Po-etry.

❖ Joyce Hong of TJHSST for ShortStory.

❖ Ahnaf Khan of TJHSST for Per-sonal Essay-Memoir.

❖ Anna Weidman of TJHSST forPersonal Essay-Memoir.

❖ Jonathan Zheng of TJHSST forHumor.

❖ Cleo Elizabeth-Robertson ofWoodson High School for Poetry.

School Notes

News

Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE) hasannounced that more than two-hundredartists across the nation have been noti-fied of acceptance for the 24th annual

Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival (NVFAF) on Sat-urday, May 16 and Sunday, May 17. Festival jurorshave selected artists in ten categories of fine art andcraft to exhibit and sell their works at GRACE’s event,which is one of the largest independent outdoor artfestivals on the east coast, attracting crowds of30,000 – 50,000 over two days.

GRACE will present NVFAF on the streets of RestonTown Center with more than 200 booths featuringoriginal paintings, photography, mixed-media, sculp-ture, jewelry and fine craft, plus live music perfor-mances and much more for all tastes and ages. Newat the festival this year, GRACE’s free hands-on artactivities for children will take place in Reston TownCenter Pavilion while at Town Square Park, a monu-mental public art sculpture by internationally re-nowned earth artist, Patrick Dougherty, will be dis-played. Dance performances choreographed to re-

spond to the sculpture will be presented during theweekend by Reston Community Center, one of thefestival’s Signature Community Sponsors.

NVFAF booths are open for two days, rain or shine,Saturday, May 16 from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. and Sun-day, May 17 from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. at Reston TownCenter, at 11900 Market Street, Reston. The festivalbegins with GRACE’s Festival Launch Party in thePavilion, sponsored by The M Group, on Friday, May15 from 6 until 8:30 p.m. with food, entertainment,a silent auction, plus a chance to mingle with theartists in town for the big weekend event. Ticketsfor the party are $75 per person. Weekend festivaladmission is a voluntary donation of $5 per adultwhich provides a program with map and dining cer-tificates from local restaurants. For more informa-tion, call GRACE at 703-471-9242 and visit theirwebsite, www.restonarts.org.

The festival brings 200+artists from around thenation to Reston.

Fine Arts Festival ReturnsMay 16 & 17

The streets ofReston TownCenter were full ofvisitors seeing thebooths displayingthe crafts andworks of artists atthe last year’sNorthern VirginiaFine Arts Festival.

Photo by Ryan Dunn/

The Connection

To honor Mom on Mother’s Day, send us your favoritesnapshots of you with your Mom and The Connection willpublish them in our Mother’s Day issue. Be sure to includesome information about what’s going on in the photo, plusyour name and phone number and town of residence. Toe-mail digital photos, send to:

[email protected] to mail photo prints, send to:

The Reston Connection,“Me and My Mom Photo Gallery,”

1606 King St., Alexandria, VA 22314Photo prints will be returned to you if you include a stamped,self-addressed envelope, but please don’t send us anythingirreplaceable.

“Me and My Mom”

8 ❖ Reston Connection ❖ April 8-14, 2015 Reston Connection ❖ April 8-14, 2015 ❖ 9www.ConnectionNewspapers.com www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

*Select GE Profile™ Series and GE® appliances are now available in slate and stainless steel for the same price or lower than traditional finishes.** Via mail-in and/or online rebate. See rebate forms for details and lists of eligible models. Your card is issued by MetaBank pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. This card is a GEVisa prepaid card. Each time you use the card the amount of the transaction will be deducted from the amount of your available balance. Terms and Conditions apply to the card, includinga $1.50 ATM access fee each time the card is used at a cash dispensing machine. The operator of the ATM or any network utilized to effect the transaction may also impose a fee. Subjectto applicable law, a monthly maintenance fee of $3 (USD) applies, but is waived for the first six months after the card is issued. No additional fees will be assessed once the card balancereaches zero. Cards can be used at merchants that accept Visa debit cards. GE reserves the right to substitute a check of equal value in lieu of a Visa prepaid card at its sole discretion.

Sterling21800 Town Center Plaza

Sterling, VA 20164703-450-5453

Leesburg1051 Edwards Ferry Road

Leesburg, VA 20176703-771-4688

www.sterlingappliance.com

$29.99

Playground Chips& Organic Compost

cu. yd.

FREE Fill

BulkMulch$19.99 cu. yd.

Bagged,ShreddedHardwood

Mulch$3.49

9023 Arlington Blvd.,Fairfax, Virginia

2 miles west of I-495 on Rt. 50. 1 mile from I-66 (Vienna Metro)

Open 7 days a week703-573-5025

Visit our new Web site: www.cravensnursery.com➠

Patios, Walkways, Retaining Walls,Paver Driveways, Landscaping!




50-75% Off Pottery50-75% Off Pottery50-75% Off Pottery50-75% Off Pottery50-75% Off Pottery60606060606060

Free EstimatesFree EstimatesFree EstimatesFree EstimatesFree Estimates

Concrete Fountains,Benches, Statuary and

Birdbaths 25% off


Birdbaths 25% off


Birdbaths 25% off


Birdbaths 25% off


Birdbaths 25% off

(3 cu. ft bags)

Lowest Prices Since 2008!Lowest Prices Since 2008!Lowest Prices Since 2008!New Shipments ofHerbs & Perennials

Have Arrived!

New Shipments ofHerbs & Perennials

Have Arrived!


Have Arrived!


Have Arrived!


Have Arrived!Tree Clearance Sale

30% OFFAll Trees 2014 & Prior

Tree Clearance Sale30% OFF

All Trees 2014 & Prior







More Citrus & FloweringTropicals are Coming

Tomatoes& Peppers

Arrive Friday!

Tomatoes& Peppers

Arrive Friday!

Tomatoes& Peppers

Arrive Friday!

Tomatoes& Peppers

Arrive Friday!

Tomatoes& Peppers

Arrive Friday!

Tomatoes& Peppers

Arrive Friday!

By Marilyn Campbell

The Connection

Local interior design enthusiasts willhave an opportunity to tour amuch-anticipated unveiling thisweekend when the 2015 Design

House opens in McLean on Sunday, April 12at noon, with ticket sales benefiting theChildren’s National Health System.

The 8,869-square-foot home was built byArtisan Builders and designed by HarrisonDesign to look like an old American farm-house. Then, 24 local designers were cho-sen to design a room in the home — theeighth annual design house — using inspi-ration that ran the gamut from American artto the home’s natural surroundings. Orga-nizers hope the varied styles will make thehome’s design appear to have evolved overmany years.

THE KITCHEN was designed by PaulLobkovich and Emily Neifeld, of LobkovichKitchen Designs in Tysons Corner. Antiquewhite walls accented by a custom hood inboth black and stainless steel create a simple,

but elegant gathering space.If this kitchen is the hub of a home’s ac-

tivities, then the butler’s pantry is where thepreparation for those celebrations begins.That notion was the inspiration for MargeryWedderburn’s design. “This butler’s pantryis the celebration of a good life,” saidWedderburn, of Margery Wedderburn Inte-riors, LLC in Vienna. “One enters the heartof the home, the kitchen and family room,through this butler’s pantry, so the room iscasually elegant, but doesn’t take itself tooseriously. It is happy, bright and fun.

“This home was designed to have a coun-try farmhouse feeling, and we were inspiredby the architecture plus the Virginia coun-tryside,” she said, explaining that nature wasalso a big inspiration. “We have the casualgreen leaf wallpaper, plus we designed acustom, faux-wallpaper on the ceiling whichlooks just like repurposed wood. We bringthe outdoors in with the green and bluetones of the space, including the fun pea-cock color, which ties in with our peacockfeathers in the umbrella stand.”

Even the chandelier is peacock, and theSisal rug features blue stenciling, while

green and blue stripes on the back of thecloset tie everything together. Meanwhile,accessories give the space a contemporaryfeel. “Because this area of McLean is so cos-mopolitan, we wanted to give a nod withstylish, hip vases, barware and details thatmove the space forward into the next de-cade while complimenting the past,” saidWedderburn.

Another active hub of the home is the backstair hallway, which connects all three floors.Although it’s windowless, designer DavidBenton’s goal was to create a warm, wel-coming and stylish space. “Using furniture,lighting and accents, we visually divided thehall into two zones,” said Benton of RASpaces, the interior division of Rill Archi-tects in Potomac, Md. Benton even createda “virtual window” with a commissionedpainting, “Old Dominion Sky.”

The first-floor space is accented with acustom, tufted bench and unexpected popsof color to create a formal space betweenthe butler’s pantry and dining room. “Thehall space that connects the garage, mud-room and kitchen is anchored by a consoletable and wool rug,” said Benton.

Open shelving and a built-in desk offeradditional display areas. Benton finished thespace with a chandelier by Circa Lightingand photo art. Those accessories “deliverfresh takes on period furnishing,” saidBenton. “The classic Eames bright blue fi-berglass shell chair introduces an unex-pected Americana twist.”

One of the design challenges Benton facedon the second floor was creating an aestheti-cally appealing area rather than a simpleconnection between two spaces. He decidedto transform the walls into a dramatic back-

drop using wallpaper by Cole and Son that featuressilhouetted stems of cow parsley against an etchedbackground.

“Like the house, which feels like it has been addedto over time, we wanted the interior to feel like anacquired collection of pieces,” said Benton. “The use-ful storage bench and custom sweater rug give thespace warmth and style. The fun and inexpensiveswag light is another way we added flair and utility.”

INSPIRED BY A SAILING TRIP through the fjordsof New Zealand and by the bright oil-on-canvas paint-ing, “Mountains and Sea,” designer Lisa Tureson, of

McLean showcase home opens to the public April 12.

D.C. Design HouseHomeLifeStyle D.C. Design House

956 Mackall Farm Lane, McLean, Va., will be open to thepublic starting Sunday, April 12, noon-5 p.m.

❖ Regular Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.;Thursday rvenings 5-8 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, noon-5 p.m.Closed Mondays. (Visitors must arrive one-half hour beforeclosing time to take the tour.)

❖ Last day: Sunday, May 10, noon-5 p.m.❖ Admission: $30. Purchase tickets at

www.dcdesignhouse.com or at the door.

Studio Artistica in Oak Hill, created a powder roomthat she said resembles “a little art gallery.”

Tureson hung a custom, hand-etched mirror andeight paintings in the space. “My goal was to create apictorial space since I’m an artist and painter,” shesaid. “The subtle sparkle on the walls … adds piz-zazz.”

When designing the room known as the gentleman’sretreat, Scott Cooke, of Scott Cooke Design in Alex-andria, wanted to “honor the architecture of the houseitself, with a room that’s rustic in nature, and thatfeels in sync with the time period the house evokes,”he said.

From the wooden poster bed and canopy to the rugand art, Cooke used neutral hues throughout theroom. He drew inspiration from the home of the latefashion designer Bill Blass, which was, “done in amonochromatic color story ranging from white andparchment, to caramel, chocolate, espresso andblack,” said Cooke.

Transforming this grand house into a home was amammoth undertaking, but one designers say waswell worth the effort.

“It is an honor to be a part of this amazing group ofdesigners,” said Wedderburn. “The great thing aboutthe group is that everyone is wonderful and helpfulto each other. There is a special camaraderie here andwe are all drawing inspiration off each other.”

Photo by Angie Seckinger/D.C. Design House

The 2015 D.C. Design House opens to the public on Sunday, April 12.

Photo by Angie Seckinger/D.C. Design House

With eight paintings adorning the walls, the powder roomlooks like an art gallery. Lisa Tureson of Studio Artistica inOak Hill wanted the space to be both practical and func-tional.


Every year is an election year in Vir-ginia.

Here are a few examples that dem-onstrate that while elections are

ubiquitous in Virginia, they are neither simplenor unimportant. Wade in, a lot depends onfiguring this out and voting. This is not in-tended to be a comprehensive list of candi-dates.

The choices begin April 23.Almost every state and local elected office

in Virginia will be in play. Democrats willchoose their candidates in the primary on June9. Republicans will choose candidates for in-dividual offices at caucuses, firehouse prima-ries and conventions, beginning April 23 andfinishing by June 9.

By Paul Gilbert

Executive Director of NOVA Parks

One hundred and fifty years ago, onthe same day General Lee surren-dered at Appomattox, Fairfax County

witnessed the last gun battle of the war.Just five months earlier, Confederate Colo-

nel John Mosby had been authorized to ex-pand his force that had effectively harassed theFederal forces around Washington. On Satur-day, April 8, half of Mosby’s force left Uppervilleon a mission to attack a train on its way toAlexandria. On Sunday, April 9, the same dayGenerals Lee and Grant were meeting to signthe Confederates’ surrender, the Southern

Rangers were nearing Burke where they weregoing to attack the train station. At this time,the Federal forces at Fairfax Station heard ofMosby’s forces and sent the 11th Illinois Cav-alry under Captain Warner to intercept them.

For four or five miles, the two groups engagedin a galloping fight. Once they formed intobattle lines against each other, but the rest ofthe time Union Cavalry chased Mosby’s Rang-ers towards Bull Run, the stream that servedas an informal dividing line between the FairfaxCounty that was under Federal control, andPrince William and Loudoun Counties that wereless secure from a Union perspective.

Mosby’s forces crossed the stream at WolfRun Shoals in the Clifton area, and the Union

forces did not chase them any farther.The next day, two of Mosby’s Rangers who

had been involved in this fight were talkingand Lieutenant James Wiltshire remarked, “hasit never struck you as being a notable fact thatthe first big fight of the war occurred on BullRun and the last shots of the war in Virginiawere fired on the banks of that same stream?”The bookends to the Civil War in Virginia thatWiltshire was referring to was the First Battleof Manassas, and this last fight in FairfaxCounty the day that Lee was surrendering 150miles away.

Today NOVA Parks owns most of the FairfaxCounty side of the Bull Run and Occoquan riv-ers, an area rich in history.

On the Banks of Bull Run 150 Years Ago

Failing ThoseMost in NeedTo the Editor:

My name is MaurineHouser and I am writing inresponse to your article[“Moving: From Institutionto Community”] printed onApril 2 regarding theNorthern Virginia TrainingCenter.

I am the younger sister andguardian of my 57-year-oldbrother Kim Houser. Until recently,he resided at the Northern VirginiaTraining Center. Kim is non-verbal,non-ambulatory without assis-tance, has the cognitive ability ofa nine month old and is medicallyfragile.

Your article states that the stateDepartment of Behavioral Healthand Developmental Services hasprovided a multitude of commu-

nity placement op-tions for family mem-bers. However, it hasbeen my experienceand others that theplacements offeredare inappropriate anddo not have the skillsor supports necessaryfor the medically dis-abled and behavior-ally challenged popu-

lation remaining at the NorthernVirginia Training Center to sur-vive. Not only are the placementsunrealistic, they are not in North-ern Virginia. My brother was of-fered placements in Williamsburgand Petersburg, Va., that were notin line with the standards of caresuitable for him. My other alter-native was to allow the State ofVirginia to relocate Kim to theCentral Virginia Training Center inLynchburg, Va,, which the state in-tends on closing in 2020 and ulti-

mately start the process of dis-charge all over again.

I came to realize unless I wasproactive on behalf of my brother,his future would be severely com-promised. Through my own re-search and efforts, I connectedwith Good Neighbor CommunityServices who are now caring formy brother in Spotsylvania, Va.The discharge process was exten-sive, cumbersome and extremelyemotional. None of the profession-als could predict the future of theMedicaid Waiver, which is now mybrother’s source of funding, noranticipate how he would react toa new home, staff and routine. Thedischarge process encompassed aseven-month period; including butnot limited to 20 state employees.

I feel fortunate I have found aprovider that will take good careof my brother. However, I fear thatthe remaining residents will not beso lucky. How can moving

someone’s severely disable childhundreds of miles away not be inviolation of the American with Dis-abilities Act? The populations atthe training centers are aging andmany individuals have elderly par-ents who will be unable to seetheir children due to travel con-straints. Similarly, Virginia re-mains glaringly non-compliantwith the U.S. Department ofJustice’s findings as highlighted bythe increase of individuals waitingfor Medicaid Waiver funds andservices. The process ofdeinstitutionalization in theorymay work for most individuals butfor those who are the 1 percent ahasty, underfunded, unsupportedprocess will result in catastropheas did the rapiddeinstitutionalization and nonex-istent funding for the mentally ill.

Maurine HouserReston

Letters to the Editor

Contributed

Kim Houser

Opinion

For example, the Republican candidate forSully District supervisor will be chosen in afirehouse primary on Saturday, April 25 atWestfield High School, with three candidatesseeking the nomination to replace retiringMichael Frey. The three candidates are BrianSchoeneman, John Guevara and JohnLitzenberger, and the winner will likely faceDemocrat Cathy Smith on Nov. 3. Smith is va-cating her Sully District School Board seat torun for Sully District supervisor.

This year’s elections begin May 5 with elec-tions in the Town of Vienna with three candi-dates vying for three positions on the ViennaTown Council. For more, see http://w w w. f a i r f a x c o u n t y. g o v / e l e c t i o n s /upcoming.htm .

IN FAIRFAX COUNTY, all 10 members of theBoard of Supervisors are on the ballot includ-

ing district members and the chairman. Alsoon the ballot: all members of the School Boardincluding district members and three at-largemembers; Constitutional Officers Sheriff, Clerkof Court and Commonwealth’s Attorney; andthree members of the Northern Virginia Soiland Water Conservation District Board Direc-tors.

Every seat in the Virginia General Assemblywill be on the ballot, including all State Sen-ate and House of Delegates seats. With sev-eral key retirements, including Del. RobKrupicka (D), Del. Tom Rust (R) and Sen.Toddy Puller (D), it’s clear that there will besome change. Del. Scott Surovell (D) will giveup his seat to run for Puller’s Senate seat, sothe musical chairs continue.

— Mary Kimm

[email protected]; on

twitter @marykimm

Register, research,vote. And vote again.

A Big Election Year in VirginiaEditorial

www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

@RestonConnect

An independent, locally owned weeklynewspaper delivered

to homes and businesses.Published by

Local Media Connection LLC

1606 King StreetAlexandria, Virginia 22314

Free digital edition delivered toyour email box. Go to

connectionnewspapers.com/subscribe

NEWS DEPARTMENT:[email protected]

Kemal Kurspahic Editor ❖ 703-778-9414

[email protected]

Amna RehmatullaEditorial Assistant

703-778-9410 [email protected]

Ken MooreCommunity Reporter

[email protected]

Jon RoetmanSports Editor ❖ 703-752-4013

[email protected]@jonroetman

Ryan DunnContributing Writer

ADVERTISING:For advertising information

[email protected]

Trisha HamiltonDisplay Advertising

[email protected]

Andrea SmithClassified Advertising, 703-778-9411

[email protected]

Debbie FunkNational Sales703-778-9444

[email protected]

David GriffinMarketing Assistant

[email protected]

Editor & PublisherMary Kimm

[email protected]@MaryKimm

Executive Vice PresidentJerry Vernon

[email protected]

Editor in ChiefSteven Mauren

Managing EditorKemal KurspahicPhotography:

Deb Cobb, Louise Krafft,Craig SterbutzelArt/Design:

Laurence Foong, John HeinlyProduction Manager:

Geovani Flores

Special Assistant to the PublisherJeanne Theismann

[email protected]

@TheismannMedia

CIRCULATION: [email protected]

Reston


Opinion

By Kenneth R. “Ken” Plum

State Delegate (D-36)

The first person I everknew who wrote aweekly newspapercolumn was a teacher

in the high school I attended whowrote a column during the period1961-1965 entitled, “A HundredYears Ago: The Civil War Day ByDay.” He did not have to think of a new topicevery week; he simply reported what wasknown to be going on a 100 years beforeduring that week.

I do not propose to revive his idea for aweekly feature other than for this weekwhen 150 years ago Richmond was beingsacked and burned by federal troops andwhen President Abraham Lincoln had vis-

ited the capital of the Confed-eracy on April 4 and on April 9Lee surrendered to Grant atAppomattox, Va. Activities havebeen going on for several yearssponsored and encouraged by theCivil War Sesquicentennial Com-mission the General Assembly es-

tablished to commemorate this pe-riod of history.

Civil War historian and presidentof the University of Richmond, Ed-ward L. Ayers, is quoted in the pressas saying that, “People are beginningto see, in a way they didn’t see be-fore, that you can’t walk around his-tory. You can’t walk away from his-

tory. You have to walk through history toget to any future that’s worth having.” Theinstitution of slavery and the attempted useof states’ rights as an argument to protectit are difficult to understand today. We needto learn from the events of the past lest ourideological differences lead us to events thatfuture generations will similarly find diffi-cult to imagine or rationalize.

Jane and I took a mini-vacation recentlywhere we went to the Blue Ridge Moun-tains and stayed in a log cabin that had beenbuilt from logs from a previous cabin thathad been occupied by a man who died inthe Civil War at age 28. We had to lowerour heads as we walked about the cabin soas to not hit the beams in the ceiling, andthe sleeping loft had only the warmth thatseeped through the floor. Our “roughing it”in a cabin as we had been wanting to do for

a long time was made infinitely easier by agas heater as an auxiliary to the fireplaceand a bathroom with running hot water thathad been added to the back.

One thought that continued to passthrough my mind while we were there waswhy the young man who lived in the origi-nal cabin and who clearly was not a slaveowner would leave his home and go to fighta war when his neighbors not far to the westhad split off to form the new state of WestVirginia because they did not support sla-very or secession. The answer I am sure isas complex as understanding the Civil Waritself, but the War and the thousands of itspersonal stories remind us to take a closelook at our personally held beliefs as wellas our public policies to ensure that theydo not include the kind of discriminationthat marked the events of 150 years ago.

A Hundred Fifty Years AgoCommentary

Write The Connection welcomes views on any public issue.The deadline for all material is noon Friday. Letters must be signed.Include home address and home and business numbers. Letters areroutinely edited for libel, grammar, good taste and factual errors.

Send to:

Letters to the EditorThe Connection

1606 King St., Alexandria VA 22314Call: 703-917-6444.

By e-mail: [email protected]

TakingException on‘EducationTaxes’To the Editor:

It’s the lofty tone of certaintythat grates. Bob Simon (“TurningEvery Rock for Education Budget,”Reston Connection, April 1-7),who, I hazard a guess, is comfort-ably able to pay ever-rising REtaxes, suggests that the county’srate should be jacked up yet again— an extra penny yielding $22million in revenue. Why didn’t weall think of this? Why not two pen-nies for $44 million?

With 15 applicants per teacherjob opening, he pleads the causeof “short-changed” teachers, whoreceived 4 percent and 5 percentraises 10 years running between2000 and 2009 and again in 2014(Fairfax County Taxpayers Alli-ance). How well are teachers do-ing in the classroom? Well, 2014ACT test results for county publicschools show only 53 percent ofstudents as being prepared for col-lege.

Searching for yet more of otherpeople’s money to spend, MrSimon resurrects the idea of a

“meals tax”. “No one is hurt,” heblithely intones. Well, not if youoverlook increased meal prices,staff layoffs, and the poor folkswho are hit hardest by regressivetaxes.

Upset at why there’s not evenmore money to spend on a union-ized group (teachers) enjoyingearly retirement at 75 percent ofsalary, perhaps Mr. Simon mightfind the answer in a proposed2016 county budget that managesto downsize the 12,000 countygovernment employees by a whop-ping 45!

Harry LocockReston

Keeping RestonPollution Free

To the Editor:The work on the New Herndon

Monroe Metro station has begunand will negatively impact the sur-rounding Reston community al-most immediately. A huge new,ugly parking lot(s) is being pro-posed on the east side of the cur-rent parking lot. The new metroand this parking lot will draw sig-nificant traffic through the Restoncommunity leading to visual andnoise pollution, increasing traffic

Letters to the Editor

jams and more safety and securityconcerns for the neighborhood.Our Reston Community has a veryshort window to mitigate this im-pact by persuading the Countyplanners with the correct transpor-tation planning option for Reston.

Option 1 (Not preferred):The first option is what traditionaltransportation planners may un-dertake especially if the RestonCommunity and the Reston Asso-ciation does not get involved now.Under this option the County maydecide to broaden the nearbyroads like Sunrise Valley and makegrade-separating interchangesacross Fairfax County in Reston —check the Fairfax County ex-changes at Fair Lakes and Monu-ment Drive as examples. Costly tobuild, time consuming to imple-ment, ugly for the community,negatively impacting our neigh-bors, these grade-separating inter-changes must be avoided in Restonto preserve its beauty.

Option 2 (Preferred): Thebest alternative is to ensure thatno new metro or the new parkinglot related traffic enters the Restoncommunity or the Sunrise Valleydrive but is all neatly directed be-hind the Sprint building adjoiningthe Dulles toll road and the newmetro parking lot. Currently, traf-fic from around Woodland Parkand nearby communities wantingto reach the toll road, and theHerndon Monroe Parking lottraverses the Sunrise Valley drive.This makes the Sunrise Valley inReston very crowded. Our sugges-tion is to create a new exit for theDulles Toll road at the MonroeStreet (#666). This recentlybroadened Monroe Street will nowbecome an additional exit gatewayto the toll road, the new metro and

the parking lot, thus decreasingthe traffic on Sunrise Valley drivesignificantly.

The Reston community mustorganize to present the option 2to the community transportationplanners and the local county rep-resentatives on April 22 whenthere is a public hearing to discussthese issues. The Reston Associa-tion can play a pivotal role in thisendeavor and so can communitynewspapers like yours and Restonhouseholds by registering on so-cial media sites like http://Nextdoor.com.

Please assist the community inbringing these issues to the fore-front and helping keep Reston citybeautiful and pollution free.

N. PradhanReston

ConsiderTaxpayersTo the Editor:

The following open letter wasaddressed to Board of SupervisorsChairman Sharon Bulova andSully District Supervisor MichaelFrey.

We want to protest the increasein the projected total rate of$1.1135 (includes storm water taxand infestation prevention tax).We believe that this projected rateshould be no more than the infla-tion rate. We have had increasesin our real estate taxes that havemore than doubled the inflationrate for the last eight years.

In the past eight years, our realestate taxes have increased from$5,752 to a projected $7,774 for2015 for a whopping 32 percent

increase. For the same period oftime, inflation increased 15.4 per-cent as reported by the U.S. Bu-reau of Labor Statistics. Their fig-ures show a projected rate for2015 as 2 percent, 1.6 percent for2014, 1.5 percent for 2013, 2.1percent for 2012, 3.2 percent for2011, 1.6 percent for 2010, minus0.4 percent in 2009, and 3.8 per-cent in 2008. These statistics showthat our real estate taxes have in-creased twice the inflation rate forthat eight year period. This is out-rageous. Our current assessmentis projected to increase by 3.99percent while the inflation rate isprojected to increase by 2 percentfor this year.

According to the Fairfax CountyTaxpayers Alliance (FCTA), theresidential real estate taxes in-creased $3,359 between FY2000and FY2016. This simply meansthat, during this period, accordingto the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statis-tics, inflation increased almost 40percent during this 16-year periodwhile the residential real estateincreased 140 percent or morethan three times the inflation rate.How can you really justify increas-ing real estate taxes more thanthree times the rate of inflation?For decades, the County Board hasbeen raising the budget and taxesmore than two to three times theinflation rate. Isn’t it time to givethe county taxpayers a break?

In conclusion, we feel that thereal estate tax rate should be rolledback to the current rate of infla-tion. We look forward to your com-ments. Thank you for your atten-tion.

Charles McAndrewLinda McAndrew

Oak Hill


Langley Boys’ Lax toHost Two Games

After starting 3-3, including a 9-1 lossto defending state champion Robinson,the Langley boys’ lacrosse team returnsfrom spring break with a pair of homegames this week.

The Saxons will host Cold Spring Har-bor on Wednesday, April 8, and Fairfaxthe following evening. Both games startat 7:15.

Langley opened the season with its firstloss to McLean in program history. TheSaxons responded with wins overYorktown and Dominion. Langley thenlost to Robinson and Chantilly beforebeating Battlefield.

Langley has played in four of the lastfive state championship games, includ-ing last year, when the Saxons lost toRobinson, 9-7.

McLean BaseballWins Tournament

The McLean baseball team won the“Let’s Play Two” tournament over springbreak, defeating Mountain View 12-4 inthe championship game on April 1.

After beating Langley and losing to

Stone Bridge to open the season, McLeancompeted in the tournament, beatingEdison, losing to Hylton, and then defeat-ing Potomac and Mountain View.

McLean returned from spring break witha 4-2 record.

“At the start of the year the biggest ques-tion mark was going to be pitching,”McLean head coach John Dowling wrote inan email. “We graduated two very, verygood high school pitchers ([Joey] Sullivan,who has been getting some solid playingtime at VT and Colin Morse, who is throw-ing extremely well for a top 15 rankedShenandoah team). Those two threw a tonof important innings for us last year. We

knew we had six or seven guys that couldreplace them, but given the limited oppor-tunities and injuries last year (Billy Gerhardthad a UCL repair and Jon Clines had an el-bow strain that prevented him from pitch-ing) the group was just unproven.

“As a coaching staff we were very confi-dent that as a group they could fill Joey andColin’s shoes, it just might end up beingfour, five or even six guys throwing impor-tant innings as opposed to basically two.Over the start of the season, we have done,in every game but one, exactly what weneed to do to be successful: throw strikes(and even when we didn’t throw strikesagainst Mt. View, Minamino was able to

limit the damage, and gave us five qual-ity innings). When our pitchers eliminatewalks we can be successful on the de-fensive side simply because we know ourdefense is going to make the routineplays. Big innings are tough to come bywithout the help of walks and errors, sowhen we eliminate those things we elimi-nate the possibility of big innings andensure we stay in games.”

McLean returns some talented playersfrom its run to the 2014 state tourna-ment, including shortstop ConorGrammes and catcher Caleb Beatty.

McLean faces some tough competitionin the near future. The Highlanders willtravel to face Chantilly at 6:30 p.m. onWednesday, April 8 in a rematch of lastyear’s 6A North region championshipgame. McLean will travel to face peren-nial power Madison on April 14.

Herndon Boys’ Soc-cer Undefeated

The Herndon boys’ soccer team returnsfrom spring break with a 2-0-1 record.The Hornets beat South County andWoodson and tied Madison.

Herndon will host Thomas Jefferson at7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 8 and willtravel to face Oakton at 7 p.m. the fol-lowing night.

GunnarOkeson, left,and the Lan-gley boys’lacrosse teamlook to re-bound from a3-3 start.

Photo by Craig Sterbutzel/The Connection

Sports Briefs

Sports

By Jon Roetman

The Connection

In 2013, the Madison boys’ lacrosseprogram was one of the best in Vir-ginia. Led by 16 seniors, theWarhawks won the Northern Region

championship and reached the state final,where they fell short against perennialpower Chantilly.

The following year, an inexperiencedMadison team led by a new head coachfailed to even qualify for the regional tour-nament.

Now in 2015, second-year Madison headcoach Alex Gorman is hoping last year’s sub-par season, which included a first-round con-ference loss to McLean, was simply an aber-ration for an otherwise successful program.

“Yes, we want to get back to the regionalgames,” said Gorman, who was an assistantunder Rich Hodge when Madison finishedstate runner-up in 2013. “That’s sort of ourgoal. We missed out on that stuff last year.We had a long meeting at the end of lastseason and the goal for the kids was to getback to the region [tournament], where thisteam should be.

“There’s no reason for us ever to be outof that regional tournament.”

Three current Warhawks were contribu-tors to the 2013 team: junior attackmanCheech McLallen, senior midfielder RobbieMcLallen and junior midfielder Palmer Lloyd.

Cheech McLallen started hot on Mondayagainst Washington-Lee, scoring theWarhawks’ first three goals while some ofhis teammates took their time returning tofull speed following spring break. Madisonscored the final four goals of the first half

and improved to 4-0 on the season with a16-9 victory in Arlington.

“The spot I was in was pretty much anopen spot,” McLallen said. “We had a goodtwo-on-one game going on right there.”

McLallen, who has started since his fresh-man season, was one of eight Madison play-ers to score at least one goal. MidfieldersStephen Gerdon and Jackson Franks eachscored three goals, attackmen JP Ugast andJacob Stein each had two, while midfieldersSammy Borak, Robbie McLallen and Lloydeach had one.

“[Cheech McLallen is] the face everybodyknows on this team,” Gorman said. “In thepast, teams have scouted us and they seehim. This year, it’s a little bit different. We’vegot guys that can score goals. Cheech isdefinitely, by far, one of our best players,but he’s not the only player out there. I thinkthis year, we have a more balanced offensethan we’ve had in the past.”

Washington-Lee head coach Chris Coreysaid the Generals opened the game in a zonedefense with the intent of slowing CheechMcLallen. W-L tied the score at 4-all earlyin the second quarter, but Madison scoredthe final four goals of the first half andpulled away during the final 24 minutes.

“[Our defensive approach] worked forapproximately a quarter-and-a-half,” Coreysaid, “and then they called timeout andmade a really good adjustment to it.”

Madison will travel to face Vienna rivalOakton at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 11.

Warhawks improve to4-0 with victory overWashington-Lee.

Madison Boys’ Lax Returning to Winning Ways

Junior attackman Cheech McLallenscored Madison’s first three goalsduring a 16-9 win over Washing-ton-Lee on Monday.

JP Ugast and the Madison boys’lacrosse team improved to 4-0 witha win over Washington-Lee onMonday.

Pho

to

s by Lo

uise K

rafft/T

he C

on

nectio

n

Reston Connection Sports Editor Jon Roetman

703-752-4031 or [email protected]


COMMUNITIES OF WORSHIPCOMMUNITIES OF WORSHIP

bTo Highlightyour Faith

Community,Call Karen at703-917-6468

7:45 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite I9:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite II

Sunday School: preschool - grade 2Music: grades 3 - 7

10:25 a.m. Sunday School Grades 3 to 6Music 4 years to 2nd grade

11:15 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite II5:00 p.m. Come Just as You Are Contemporary Service

Nursery care provided at 9:00 a.m. service

The Rev. James Papile, RectorThe Rev. Laura Cochran

703-437-6530www.stannes-reston.org

1700 Wainwright Dr., Reston

ST. ANNE’SEPISCOPALCHURCH • Reston

Welcoming, Diverse, Progressive

Select yourproducts from

our MobileShowroomand Design

CenterFully Insured &

Class A LicensedEst. 1999

Free Estimates703-999-2928

Celebrating 15 Years in Business!

Visit our website: www.twopoorteachers.com

Bathroom Remodel Special $6,850

TWO POOR TEACHERSKitchen and Bathroom Remodeling

The Greater Reston Arts Center is presentingPatterson Clark: Edicole, an exhibition exploringa new series of “weed shrines” that encase a print,or a natural object, in elaborate constructions cre-ated entirely of hand-harvested invasive woods.Clark’s exhibition will also include new, large-scalewoodcuts that blend natural themes with historicreligious iconography. Edicole will run from April16 – July 3, 2015, at the gallery, located at theReston Town Center. Opening Reception will beheld Saturday, April 18, 5-7 p.m.

Patterson Clark: Edicole will share space in theGRACE gallery with a photographic exhibitiondocumenting the work of artist Patrick Dougherty,an artist who shares Clark’s affinity for naturalmaterials. Dougherty’s site-specific sculptural in-stallation for Reston Town Square Park, just out-side the gallery, will be in progress during themonth of April.

Greater Reston Arts Center is located at 12001Market Street, Suite 103, Tel: 703-471-9242;restonarts.org; [email protected]

GRACE to Present Patterson Clark: Edicole, April 16 – July 3

Courtesy photos

Patterson Clark: Edicole will include new, large-scale woodcuts that blend naturalthemes with historic religious iconography

Send announcements to [email protected]. The deadlineis the Friday prior to the following week’spaper. Photos/artwork encouraged.

THURSDAY/APRIL 9 FIT2FINISH: Keeping Young

Players in the Game. 7 p.m.Reston Regional Library, 11925Bowman Towne Drive, Reston. Dr.Wendy LeBolt, author of “Fit2Finish:Keeping Your Soccer Players in theGame” will discuss how you can helpyour athletes play their best, preventinjury and have fun. Dr. Lebolt is anexperienced coach with a PhD inSports Physiology. Adults and Teens.

FRIDAY/APRIL 10Empty Bowls Fundraiser. 5:30-8

p.m. Floris United Methodist Church,13600 Frying Pan Road, Herndon. AnEmpty Bowls fundraiser for thebenefit of Food for Others and hungerrelief in Northern Virginia. Hosted bythe Giving Circle of HOPE. Tickets are$25 and guests will receive ahandcrafted ceramic bowl to keep anda simple soup supper. All proceedsraised will go to hunger relief inNorthern Virginia. Pre-event ticketscan be purchased by mailing a checkmade out to Food for Others and sentto Giving Circle of HOPE, P.O. Box8832, Reston VA 20195 or purchasetickets onlineatwww.givingcircleofhope.org.Prepaid tickets will be held at thedoor. For questions please [email protected] call 703-665-9334.

SATURDAY/APRIL 11Casino Night. 7-10 p.m. Reston

Community Center, 2310 Colts NeckRoad, Reston. Buy tickets Now forReston Community Orchestra’s annualfundraiser. Advance ticket: Single $65/ Couple $125. At Door $75/$140.Ticket covers food, drink, starter chipstack, raffle prizes. An evening of fun,fortune, and friends. http://restoncommunityorchestra.org/reston-community-orchestra-annual-benefit/

SUNDAY/APRIL 12Jumping Jamboree. 2 - 3 p.m. Walker

Nature Center, 11450 Glade Drive,Reston. Ages 3 to 5. Bring yourjumping shoes as we learn aboutfrogs, grasshoppers, rabbits and more.Participate in a jumping contest andsee if you can leap as far as a frog or ahigh as a flea. Make a jumping craftand look for hopping creatures alongthe trails. Reservations required byApril 9. Fee: $7/child RA members,$9/child Non-members. For moreinformation, [email protected], or call 703-476-9689 and press 5.

MONDAY-TUESDAY/APRIL 12-13Fascinating Fish. 10 - 11 a.m. Walker

Nature Center, 11450 Glade Drive,Reston. Ages 18 months to 35 months.Which fish live in Reston’s lakes andstreams? Get up-close looks at localfish, both wild and not-so-wild. Enjoya fishy snack, make a fishy craft, andlisten to a fishy story while learningabout our wild fish. Reservationsrequired by April 8. Fee: $7/child RAmembers, $9/child Non-members. Formore information, [email protected], or call 703-476-9689 and press 5.

WEDNESDAY/APRIL 15Home Food Preservation. 5 - 7 p.m.

Walker Nature Center, 11450 GladeDrive, Reston. Adults. Thisintroductory class will cover foodpreservation methods, including

canning, fermentation, drying/dehydration, and freezing. Learnabout the science behind foodpreservation, safety precautions,kitchen set up, and jar and equipmentprep as well as food and recipeselection. There will be a “dry” demoof the procedure for filling jars andample time for questions. GuestPresenter: Katie Strong, VirginiaCooperative Extension. Co-sponsoredby Reston Community Center.Reservations required by April 10.Fee: $5/person RA members, $7/person Non-members. For moreinformation, [email protected], or call 703-476-9689 and press 5.

Wonderful Ones. 11 a.m. HerndonFortnightly Library, 768 Center Street,Herndon. Age 12-23 months withadult enjoy buidling an early literacyfoundation through rhymes, songs,

stories and music.

THURSDAY/APRIL 16Senior Container Gardening. 1 -

2:30 p.m. Walker Nature Center,11450 Glade Drive, Reston. Adults.Learn what flowers and herbs growbest in containers and how to arrangethem creatively. Listen to apresentation then plant a smallcontainer to take home. [email protected] or 703-435-6530for reservations. Reservations requiredby April 10. Fee: $10/person RAmembers, $14/person Non-members.For more information, [email protected], or call 703-476-9689 and press 5.

Poetry Readers Roundtable. 7 p.m.Reston Regional Library, 11925Bowman Towne Drive, Reston. Aninformal discussion of the life, times,

and work of Edgar Allan Poe. Adults.Spring Gala. 7-9 p.m. ArtSpace

Herndon, 750 Center Street, Herndon.Enjoy a spring evening at ArtSpaceHerndon honoring Elma “The Queenof Herndon” Mankin while enjoyingthe beautiful chamber music of theBeau Soir Ensemble.Sparkling Water,Wine, Champagne, Imported Teas,Elegant Buffet of Hors D’Oeuvres,Petit Desserts and Confections will beserved. Raffle and door prizes.Tickets, per-person, $25 in advance,$30 at the door. Semi-formal.Proceeds from this event will godirectly to the continuation andenhancement of fine artsprogramming at ArtSpace Herndon.http://www.artspaceherndon.com/spring-gala/

FRIDAY/APRIL 17Frying Pan Farm at the Library. 2

p.m. Herndon Fortnightly Library, 768Center Street, Herndon. Friends of theLibrary invite age 6-11 to celebratespring. Visit with a chicken and builda kite to fly outside. Openings.

Jewelry Making Workshop. 7 p.m.Reston Regional Library, 11925Bowman Towne Drive, Reston. Youwill learn the basics of jewelry makingand create your own original piece inthis hands-on workshop. We providethe materials, participants bring theimagination! Registration is requiredfor this event. Adults.

WEDNESDAY-SUNDAY/APRIL 22-26Reston Friends Big Book Sale.

Wednesday, April 22— 5 - 8 p.m.Preview Night Thursday, April 23—10 a.m. - 8 p.m. Friday, April 24— 10a.m. - 5 p.m.Saturday, April 25— 10a.m. - 4 p.m. Sunday, April 26— 12noon - 3:30 p.m. (Library itself opensat 1 p.m.) Reston Regional Library,11925 Bowman Towne Drive Reston.Come and browse thousands uponthousands of great books in greatcondition. From the latest populartitles and classic favorites to the rareand unexpected fiction and non-fiction. The Reston Friends havesomething for everyone! Yes, we dorestock, for as long as supplies last.

THURSDAY-SATURDAY/APRIL 23-25“Book of Days.” 7 p.m. Hunter Woods

Elementary School, 2401 Colts NeckRoad, Reston. Langley High Schoolpresents “Book of Days,” a murdermystery that raises questions aboutsmall town politics and society.

SATURDAY/APRIL 25-26Performance of Act I Cinderella.

Classical Ballet Theatre HerndonStudios, 320 Victory Drive, Herndon.Don’t miss Cinderella and her FairyGodmother as they teach thestepmother and stepsisters that nicegirls do finish first.

Calendar


TRUSTEE’S SALE OF12913 Alton Square, Unit #116

Herndon, VA 20170

Pursuant to the terms of this subordinate Deed of Trust in the original amount of $50,000.00 dated April 1, 2008 and record-ed on November 10, 2010 in Deed Book 21362, Page 1833 of the Fairfax County land records, default having been made In the payment of the note thereby secured, the undersigned ap-pointed Substitute Trustee, pursuant to the request of theholder of the Note thereby secured, will offer for sale at public auction at the front of the Fairfax County Circuit Court (Fairfax County Judicial Center, 4110 Chain Bridge Road) at Fairfax Virginia on April 23, 2015 at 11:30 AM the property more par-ticularly described in the above Deed of Trust, located at the above address and briefly identified as follows:

Condominium Unit Number 12913-116 in WORLDGATE CON-DOMINIUM, a Condominium, together with an undivided inter-est in the Limited Common Element Parking Space G1-33 and any other limited common elements appurtenant thereto,established by Condominium instruments duly recorded in Deed Book 8837 at Page 672, et seq., and any and all subse-quent amendments thereto, among the land records of Fairfax County, VirginiaTax Number: 016414040116The property and improvements will be sold in “as is” physical conditionwithout warranty of any kind.TERMS OF SALE: Cash. A ten percent (10%) bidder’s deposit in cash or certified check payable to the Trustee shall be re-quired of the successful bidder at the time at the time of the sale before the bidding will be closed; settlement must be made within twenty (20) days or property to be resold at cost of defaulting bidder. The holder of the Note may credit bidthe amount owed under the Note. Additional terms will be an-nounced at the time of sale and the successful bidder will be required to execute and deliver to the Substitute Trustees a memorandum or contract of the sale at the conclusion of bid-ding. All costs of conveyancing, examination of title,recording charges etc. will be at cost of purchaser. Neither the Trustee or any other party guarantees or covenants to deliver, or in any way, obtain possession of the premises for any third party purchaser.This property is subject to the following liens: (1) Deed of Trust from Jahangir Parandeh, a married man, to Suellen W. Wohl-farth, Trustee, securing GreenPoint Mortgage Funding, Inc., in the original principal amount of $108,000.00, dated October 3, 2001, recorded October 4, 2001, in Deed Book 12276 at Page 786, corrected and re-recorded in Deed Book 20964at Page 55 (corrects the legal description), assigned to GMAC Mortgage, LLC by Notice of Assignment recorded in Deed Book 21991 at Page 645; (2) Deed of Trust from Jahangir Par-andeh, a married man, to Suellen W. Wohlfarth,Trustee, securing GreenPoint Mortgage Funding, Inc., in the original principal amount of $13,500.00, dated October 3, 2001, recorded October 4, 2001, in Deed Book 12276 at Page 810, assigned to 15 HELOCS Financing, LLC,by Assignment of Deed of Trust recorded in Deed Book 19166 at Page 1891, assigned to ARM Recovery Trust, by Corporate Assignment of Deed of Trust recorded in Deed Book 23785 at Page 1986; (3) Judgment in favor of HL Mall Venture against Multinational Traders Inc. and Jahangir Parandeh, in the amount of $220,920.61 plus interest at 18% from August 17, 1990, plus interest from the date of judgment at 9% pluslate charges of $11,046.03, dated August 10, 1992, docketed August 25, 1992 as Judgment Number 217327; (4) Judgment in favor of Worldgate Condominium Unit Owners Association against Jahangir Parandeh, in the amount of$4,672.72, plus interest at 6% from September 1, 2005, and costs of $38.00 and Attorney's fees of 20%, dated August 30, 2006, docketed September 14, 2006 as Judgment Number 414642; (5) Judgment in favor of Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., Inc., d/b/a Elle Decor against Jahangir Parandeh,a/k/a John Parandeh and Versailles Design Center, Inc., d/b/a Versailles Design Center, Versailles Gallery, and Versailles, in the amount of $57,000.00, plus interest at 9% from August 25, 2006, plus costs and attorney's fees, dated October 15, 2008, docketed October 15, 2008 in Judgment Book 155 at Page 1741; (6) Judgment in favor of WorldgateCondominium Unit Owners Association filed against Jahangir Parandeh, in the amount of $9, 171.00 plus interest at 6%, and costs of $53.00 and attorney's fees of 20%, dated April 9, 2009, docketed April 16, 2009 in Judgment Book 161 at Page 1601; (7) Judgment in favor of Luis M. Neto and Julie N. Neto, against Versailles Developing Corp., Inc., a/k/a VersaillesDevelopers Corp., and Jahangir Parandeh, in the amount of $36,000.00, plus prejudgment interest in the amount of $3,060.00, dated February 19, 2010, docketed March 15, 2010 in Judgment Book 171 at Page 1778; (8) Judgment infavor of Worldgate Condominium Unit Owners Association filed against Jahangir Parandeh, in the amount of $8,339.00, plus interest at 6% from January 1, 2009, plus costs of $53.00 and attorney's fees of $1,600.00, dated October 1, 2010, docketed October 15, 2010 in Judgment Book 180 at Page 2179; (9) Judgment in favor of Valpak of' Virginia, Inc., againstVersailles Gallery, Inc. and Jahangir Parandeh, jointly and sev-erally, in the amount of $1,700.00; plus interest at the rate of 18% from June 11, 2011, plus 33.33% attorney's fees, dated October 30, 2012, filed January 7, 2013 in Judgment Book.207 at Page 1550. In addition, a judgment was been docketed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia onAugust 20, 2014, in favor of Irina Dmitriev in the amount of $130,600.00 with prejudgment interest to commence on Sep-tember 1, 2010.Bond Consultants, LLC Substitute TrusteeThis communication is from a debt collector. This is an attempt to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.FOR INFORMATION CONTACTDavid Charles Masselli PC (Attorney for the Substitute Trustee) 4113 Lee Highway Arlington, VA 22207 [email protected] (703) 741-0402

21 Announcements 21 Announcements

Zone 1 Ad Deadline:

Monday Noon

703-778-9411

Zone 1: • Reston

• Herndon • Loudoun

Home & GardenHome & GardenCONTRACTORS.comconnectionnewspapers.com

Recessed LightingCeiling FansPhone/CATVComputer Network CablingService UpgradesHot Tubs, etc…

Office 703-335-0654Mobile 703-499-0522

Licensed/Bonded/Insured

[email protected]

ELECTRICAL ELECTRICAL

GUTTER CLEANINGGutters and Downspouts Cleaned

Small Repairs • Gutter Guards

PINNACLE SERVICESlic/ins 703-802-0483 free est.email [email protected]: lawnsandgutters.comFriendly Service with a Friendly Price!

GUTTER GUTTER

General RemodelingResidential & Commercial

Specializing in:Kitchen/Bathroom/Basement RemodelingPlumbing • Electrical • Custom Carpentry

Doors Windows • Hardwood FloorsCrown Molding • House Cleaning

Interior/Exterior Painting • Brick/Stone WorkCeramic Tile • Decks, Fences, Patios

HOA Maintenance, Granite Counter TopsRealtors Work and Much More

Hand and HandHandyman

Licensed and Insured Serving Northern Virginia

703-296-6409

HANDYMAN HANDYMAN

LicensedInsured

We Accept VISA/MC

703-441-8811

You have tried the rest - NOW CALL THE BEST!!Proudly serving Northern VA - 46 yrs. exp.

The HANDYMANA DIVISION OF NURSE CONSTRUCTION

BATHROOM REMODELING, DRYWALL,PAINTING, CERAMIC TILE, CARPENTRY,POWER WASHING & MUCH MORE

A&S Landscaping

703-863-7465LICENSED

Serving All of N. Virginia

• All Concrete work• Retaining Walls • Patios• Decks • Porches (incl. screened) • Erosion & Grading Solutions• French Drains • Sump Pumps• Driveway Asphalt Sealing

IMPROVEMENTS IMPROVEMENTS

R.N. CONTRACTORS, INC.Remodeling Homes, Flooring,Kitchen & Bath, Windows,Siding, Roofing, Additions &Patios, Custom Deck, Painting

We Accept All Major Credit CardsLicensed, Insured, Bonded • Free Estimates • Class A Lic

Phone: 703-887-3827 Fax: 703-830-3849E-mail: [email protected]

www.rncontractors.com

Remodeling Bathrooms, Kitchens & Basements

Picture PerfectPicture Perfect

Exterior & Interior Repair, Painting, Carpentry,Wood Rot, Drywall, All Flooring, Decks

Licensed – Bonded – Insured“If it can be done, we can do it”

http://www.pphionline.com/

•FREE Estimates•FAST & Reliable Service

•EASY To schedule•NO $$$ DOWN!

Handyman Services Available

(703) 590-3187(703) 590-3187

R&N Carpentry

✦BASEMENTS ✦BATHS ✦KITCHENSForeclosure specialist/Power washing

✦Exterior Wood Rot More!Deck & Fence repair, Screen Porches

No jobs too large or smallFree est. 37 yrs exp. Licensed, Insured

703-987-5096

IMPROVEMENTS IMPROVEMENTS

JUAN’S LANDSCAPING Since 1987

Res./Com. • Free Estimates

• CELL 703-732-7175

• COMPLETE TREE SERVICE • MASONRY • LEAF REMOVAL• GUTTER • CHIMNEY CLEANING • HAULING • POWER WASHING• HANDYMAN • PAINTING • TRASH REMOVAL • DRYWAL

LANDSCAPING LANDSCAPING

J.E.S. ServicesYour neighborhood company since 1987

703-912-6886

Landscaping & Construction

All work Guaranteed

• Planting & Landscaping Design• Drainage & Water Problems• Concrete Driveways, Replacement or New• Patios and Walks • Masonry Work or Dry Laid• Paver, Flagstone, Brick, any style you choose• Retaining walls of all types

Free Estimates - Fully Licensed & Insured

MOWING, TRIMMING, EDGING,MULCHING & TRIM HEDGES

PINNACLE SERVICES, INC.LAWN SERVICE

Friendly Service for a Friendly Price

703-802-0483703-802-0483

Alfredo’s Construction Company, Inc.

www.alfredosconstructioncompany.com

Phone:

VA: (703) 698-0060 • MD: (301) 316-1603

•Concrete Driveways•Patios •Sidewalks

•Stone •Brick

New Installations & RepairsStone - Flagstone - Brick - Concrete

Potomac Masonry703-498-8526

FREE ESTIMATES!!Lic. & Ins

potomac-masonry.com

MASONRY MASONRY

GOLDY BRICKCONSTRUCTION

Walkways, Patios, Driveways,Flagstone, ConcreteFREE ESTIMATES

Licensed, Insured, Bonded

703-250-6231

PAVING PAVING

Quality Tree Service& Landscaping

Reasonable prices. Licensed & insured.

24 Hour EmergencyTree Service

25 years of experience – Free estimates 703-868-5358

Spring Cleanup...Tree removal, topping & pruning,shrubbery trimming, mulching,leaf removal, planting, hauling,gutter cleaning, retaining walls,

drainage problems, etc.

TREE SERVICE TREE SERVICE

HAULING

ANGEL’S HAULING

703-863-1086703-582-3709240-603-6182

Junk Trash Removal, Yard/Construction

Debris, Garage/ Base- ment Clean Out,

Mulching.

Bathrooms, Kitchens,Flooring, complete

remodeling.703-863-7465

A&S CONSTRUCTION

JUNK HAULINGJunk, Rubbish,Homes, Offices,

Commerical,Yard/ConstructionDebris, Lot Clearout, 24 hrs day,

General Hom Work.

703-520-3205 N-VA

TREE SERVICE

ANGEL’S TREE REMOVAL

Angeltreeslandscaping-hauling.com

Brush & Yard Debris Trimming & Topping

Mulching & Hauling

703-863-1086703-582-3709240-603-6182

LANDSCAPING

LANDSCAPING

The biggest things are always the easiest to do because there

is no competition.-William Van Horne

ClassifiedClassified


Zone 1: • Reston

• Herndon • LoudounClassifiedClassified

21 Announcements 21 Announcements 21 Announcements





A loving, caring couplelong to share our hearts and home with a

newborn.Education and dreams come true await! Expenses Paid Maria/Rob

1-800-586-4121 or OurWish2Adopt.com

117 Adoption 117 Adoption26 Antiques

We pay top $ for STERLING, MEN'S WATCHES,

JEWELRY, COSTUME JEWELRY, FURNITURE,

PAINTINGS AND CLOCKS.Schefer Antiques

[email protected]

Zone 1 Ad Deadline:

Tuesday 4 p.m.

703-778-9411

Zone 1: • Reston

• Herndon • LoudounEmploymentEmployment

Kenny Lourie is an Advertising Representative forThe Potomac Almanac & The Connection Newspapers.

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

The FactIs Not YetThe Matter

I don’t know which is worse: the extra-special, extra-expensive, dental cleaning(the kind that requires Novocain andinvolves the actual dentist, not merely thehygienist) that I have scheduled for April 8th– or my next hopefully-not-do-or-die CTScan, moved up a month from my usualthree-month interval because of a suspi-cious formation seen on my most recentscan back in mid-February. Either way, thenext two Wednesdays following by the fort-night Friday, April 24th appointment withmy oncologist – to discuss the scan resultsfrom the 15th, should be noteworthy in thelife of this cancer patient.

To think that my cancer-affected life isgoing to just roll along with nary a blip inassessment, treatment, protocol, scheduling,availability, etc., is both totally unrealisticand wishful thinking of the highest naiveté.And if anything can be said about yourstruly, it is that I am well aware of, and rea-sonably well adjusted to, the slings andarrows of outrageous misfortune with whichI have been forced to live, live being theapplicable word, these last-six-going-on-seven years.

Given that symptoms I’ve felt previously– or not felt previously – have, on varyingoccasions, been positive and negative, feel-ing or not feeling has never been a sure-fireindicator of anything. As an example, onetime I felt a pain in my chest/lungs (where Iknow the biggest tumor is located); it turnedout to be scar tissue growing over a shrink-ing tumor, a good result. Another time, thesame pain/same area indicated the tumorwas growing, a bad thing. In general, feelingsomething has sometimes meant nothingand feeling nothing has sometimes meantsomething – and vice versa. I wouldn’t say Iwas damned if I did and damned if I didn’t,but I would say – with apologies to OliverHardy: It’s a damned fine mess in which Ifind myself so regularly entangled. Andapparently, from what I understand, theonly thing likely to change in the future isnothing. And as fortunate as I am, com-pared to so many others who have suc-cumbed to this terrible disease, beingpresent and discussing even a problematicfuture – six years post-diagnosis – is as goodas it gets for a patient originally diagnosedwith a terminal form of cancer: stage IV, nonsmall cell lung cancer. Still, it doesn’t (and Imean never) minimize the stress.

Somehow, managing this process/ experi-ence has to include a methodology for man-aging expectations and minimizing thatstress. Moreover, anything one can do tolighten the load emotionally, and build insome positive reinforcement and words-to-the-maybe-not-so wise, goes a long waytoward accomplishing some level of relativepeace and perhaps even a little quiet.

Of course, the process is Imperfect –with a capital “I.” There are always baddays; you just want your share of goodones, too. Acknowledging what you can’tcontrol and being grateful for what you canhelps to compartmentalize and find thatbalance between living in the present anddying in the future. Some days, doing“normal” things – like visiting the dentist,seem to help. Other days, it feels pointless.Oddly enough, it all sort of mirrors mysymptom history: it matters, it matters not. Ijust hope that on April 24th, the mattersdon’t hit the fan.

Zone 1: • Reston

• Herndon • LoudounClassifiedClassified

Educational InternshipsUnusual opportunity to learn manyaspects of the newspaper business.Internships available in reporting,photography, research, graphics.Opportunities for students, and foradults considering change of career.Unpaid. E-mail [email protected]

For a free digital sub-scription to one or allof the 15 ConnectionNewspapers, go towww.connectionnewspapers.com/subscribe

Complete digital rep-lica of the print edition,including photos andads, delivered weeklyto your e-mail box.

Questions? E-mail:[email protected]

CLASSIFIEDDEADLINESZones 1, 5, 6 ....................Mon @ noonZones 2, 3, 4 ....................Tues @ noon

E-mail ad with zone choices to: [email protected] or call Andrea @ 703-778-9411

EMPLOYMENTDEADLINES

Zones 1, 5, 6 ....................Mon @ noonZones 2, 3, 4 ....................Tues @ noon

E-mail ad with zone choices to: [email protected] or call Andrea @ 703-778-9411

Newspapers & Online

HOW TO SUBMIT ADS TO

ZONESZone 1: The Reston Connection The Oak Hill/Herndon ConnectionZone 2: The Springfield Connection The Burke Connection The Fairfax Connection The Fairfax Station/Clifton/ Lorton ConnectionZone 3: The Alexandria Gazette Packet

The Mount Vernon Gazette

Zone 4: Centre View North Centre View SouthZone 5: The Potomac AlmanacZone 6: The Arlington Connection

The Vienna/OaktonConnection

The McLean ConnectionThe Great Falls

Connection


News

By Valerie Lapointe

The Connection

This past weekend the annualGreater DC Regional FIRST (ForInspiration and Recognition ofScience and Technology) Robot-

ics Competition was held at the Patriot Cen-ter: 48 teams primarily from WashingtonD.C., Virginia, Maryland created robots tocompete in this year’s game “Recycle Rush.”

Six weeks before competition, teams aregiven identical starter kits that have all therudimentary parts required to produce arobot with the necessary functionality tocompete. However, the kit alone is notenough for complex maneuvering andteams must get creative, using materialsfrom an approved supply list to build a trulycompetitive robot.

Obtaining the necessary materials can bean expensive endeavour for a high schoolrobotics club, and so many teams enlist cor-porate sponsors for help.

“Having corporate sponsorship is the onlyway this really works,” said Jerry Stueve, aparent volunteer from the Herndon Highteam. “When people from within the indus-try come out and help, together with thestudents, parents, and teachers, it becomesa real team.”

Herndon High School’s team “EpsilonDelta” in partnering with NASA headquar-ters was able to acquire three 3D printerswhich allowed them to build scale modelsof the arena, and some parts they used ontheir robot.

EACH TEAM is given six weeks of buildtime before the competition to get their ro-bots ready.

They are asked to complete changes an-

nually, this year’s theme centering onsustainability. The game is played by twoteams of three robots each. Robots scorepoints by stacking totes on scoring plat-forms, capping each of those stacks withrecycling containers and properly dispos-ing of pool noodles thrown into the fieldarena, representing litter. In keeping withthe year’s theme, all game pieces used arereusable or recyclable.

While the competition is the center stageevent, FIRST’s mission to encourage “gra-cious professionalism” extends well beyondthe arena.

“The robotics is really just a small por-tion of what this is all about,” said Com-puter Science teacher Oliver Small. “It’s allabout safety, outreach, visibility, engineer-ing, and teamwork. It’s a kid driven eventthat allows them to decide what they wantto learn, and find a way to learn it.”

Many students participating have STEMinterests, like Abbey Kasanagottu, a juniorat Centerville HS. “I wanted to be a dentistbefore joining this team, but now I am seri-ously considering a mechanical engineer-ing.” But since the project is completely stu-dent driven, not just when building the ro-bots but in fundraising, crafting grant pro-posals, and doing outreach, others use thecompetition as a way to feel different inter-ests.

Caleb Wilkinson, a student on theHerndon HS team wants to go into media.“For this competition I focused all my ef-forts on documenting our project visuallyand promoting outreach as our media rep-resentative.” said Wilkinson. “Not everyonehere wants to go into a STEM field, someof us want to go into business or even writ-ing and this serves as a platform for us toexplore those interests.”

AT THE END of two long days of competi-tion it was the coalition of the RoHawksfrom New York City, Cougar Robotics fromOakton HS, and the CAV-ineers fromSevern, Md., who emerged victorious, ad-vancing to Nationals in St. Louis, Mo. Teamsfrom Chantilly HS, Marshall HS and Battle-field HS received judges awards and willalso be going to Nationals.

George Marshall High School team, winner of the 2015 Rookie All Star,celebrating their award.

Cougar Robotics of Oakton High School winning alliance member allsmiles.

FIRST Promotes ‘Gracious Professionalism’Robotics Competitionheld at the PatriotCenter: Oakton andMarshall teams goto Nationals.

Langley High School team making on the fly repairs to their robot. JunChoi, Chris Laronis, James Bollinger, Sepmta Khaashnoid, Brandon Kimand Brandon Sodgewich of McLean.

Gryphons -George Marshall

High Schoolteam — happywith mid-dayresults. From

left: EmilyCarson, Vienna;Joshua Shipler,Vienna; Marie

Farson, mentorand engineering

teacher;Alexander

Roman, Vienna;Chester

Cabauatan, FallsChurch; Chris-

tian Cabauatan,Falls Church;

ParhamMohammadi,Falls Church;and Bah-Cin

Kumaran.

Photos by

Terrance Moran

The Connection

Fine Arts Festival Returns May 16 & 17connectionarchives.com/PDF/2015/040815/Reston.pdfthe Fairfax...

Documents

Transcript of Fine Arts Festival Returns May 16 & 17connectionarchives.com/PDF/2015/040815/Reston.pdfthe Fairfax...