children’s & teens’ connection 2018 december 27 -...

Children’s & Teens’Connection 2018

online at www.connectionnewspapers.com December 27 - January 2, 2019

Postal CustomerECR WSS

Attention Postmaster: Time sensitive material.

Requested in home 12-28-18

PRSRT STDU.S. Postage

PAIDEaston, MDpermit #322By Julia Torbert, 6, Grade 1,

Wakefield Forest Elementary, Art Teacher Brittani Ko

2 ❖ Fairfax Connection ❖ Children’s & Teens’ Connection 2018-2019 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Select yourproducts from

our MobileShowroomand Design

CenterFully Insured &

Class A LicensedSince 1999

Free Estimates703-214-8384 Visit our website: www.twopoorteachers.com

TWO POOR TEACHERSKitchen and Bathroom Remodeling

10% downnothing until the jobis complete for the

past 17 years

10% downnothing until the jobis complete for the

past 17 years

Same Company, Same Employees,Same Great Value - Now Celebrating 20 Years!

Laurel Ridge

Elementary

See Reflections, Page 7

ReflectionsWritten by students in Grade 4 at Lau-

rel Ridge Elementary School, submitted byAdvanced Academic Resource TeacherLinda E. Simon.

The best thing that has ever happenedto me is having everything that I needor wanted from the beginning of my life.I didn’t have to live on the streets orhave to be something I’m not. I havepeople who look out for me so I can livemy life, like my school, friends, family,sports, clubs, band, and trusted adults.There is happiness all around me (it’s alittle but it means a lot).

— Katie McCormick, 9

One of the best things that happenedto me is when I was born being theyoungest child. One of the reasons whyI love being the youngest is because Inever get in trouble, and another reasonis because my mom thinks I am thesweetest. One of the worst things thathas happened to me is one night I wokeup to get some water or something likethat and I stepped out too far and myfoot slid on the carpet and I hit my headon the corner of the bed. Then I ran tomy mom and tried to tell her what hap-pened but I had lost my mind! I didn’tknow what had happened so in themiddle of the night, me, my mom andmy dad ended up going to the hospital!Thank goodness I was okay. Just so EV-ERYONE knows, I still LOVE being theyoungest!

— Norah O’Mary, 9

The worst thing that has ever hap-pened to me is when I was seven I wasriding my scooter down a hill and whenI was almost all the way down I hit apothole and fell off my scooter andlanded on my arm. I chipped my toothand broke my wrist. I went back to myhouse and sat down at the kitchen table.My mom was focused on my mouth butmy sister Anna was focused on my arm.She asked if I could move it and I saidno. My mom got me into the car and myneighbor came to the car door. She wascrying and she asked me if I was okay. Isaid I was (I was not!). The end.

— Charles Hanus, 10

I would like to see all the changes andnew things to do in 2019. I want toknow how school will be with newteachers and friends. I hope that in thesummer of 2019 we have a good timetoo. I hope I can go to the beach or poolor I can just have fun. I also cannot waitfor my birthday in April. I will be turn-ing 10. I can’t wait to learn new thingsin 2019. There will be so many fun andexciting class jobs and work. I think2019 will be a very amazing year.

— Troy Kang, 9

The thing I am most looking forwardto in 2019 is football. I play footballevery year. Next year my friend Troywill be on my team. My dad will be thecoach. I will have fun. I like playing foot-ball because it is a really fun sport. Youplay with your friends and with family,but you can get hurt a lot. I have gottenhurt a few times in my three years. Ithink my team will be good next year.Hopefully we can win the champion-ship.

— Dalton Seay, 9

What I am most excited about in 2019is going to 5th grade because you learnnew things! In 5th grade you make new

friends and new adventures come to-wards you. I will also gain new dreamsthat I want to come true. I am also ex-cited to turn 11 because it is one stepcloser to achieving my dreams. Prob-ably, I will gain new friends who willinspire me to do new things that I didn’teven know I was capable of doing.Anyways, that’s what I am excited for in2019!

— Gabby Betancourt, 10

I can’t wait until 2019. There will beso many new things to learn. Afterschool I go to a place where the do TaeKwon Do, Judo, Hapkido and it is calledOSA, which stands for Oriental SportsAcademy. I am a nominal black belt sofar but in 2019 I will test for my blackbelt. To test for my black belt I need toknow all moves, all of the forms (aftermy black belt test I will learn Korean)and I need to know over 100 words inKorean by memory. I am working onfive words a day and I can’t wait until2019!

— Eitan Miller, 9

I am most looking forward to bring-ing out my lemonade stand in thesummer of 2019, but there’s a twist: themoney I make isn’t my allowance. Say Imake $100. Cha-ching! Another buckfor charity, meaning it’s a gift for theneedy, not my allowance. Pretty gener-ous, right?

— Isaac Klontz, 9

The thing I am most looking forwardto in 2019 is the World Scout Jamboree!I want to go to the jamboree because mydad might be part of the staff and itsounds really cool, although I don’tthink I can do too much because it’s fora higher level than I’m at in scouts. I alsowant to go because I know some peoplethat went and it sounded very fun. Theyalso gave me a cool gift, a handkerchiefslide. I can’t wait!!

— Chris Jones, 9

If I could give my family any gift thatdidn’t cost money, it would be love. Ifthey pass away, I would pray and makesure they got accepted into heaven. Iwould give them a kiss, hug and I willmiss them when they go. I’ll be a goodhost if they come to my house. I will usegood manners if I’m going to their place.I will pray for them if they’re sick. I willachieve if they want me to. I will cher-ish them forever! That is what I woulddo for my family and relatives.

— Lauren Nagler, 9

If I could give my parents, family orfriends any gift that didn’t cost money,I would give them me. Even though itwouldn’t be much of a gift for my par-ents because they have to take care ofme and that stuff, so it might be a bet-ter gift for my friends, because theydon’t have to do anything for me exceptbe kind to me. It might also be a bad giftfor my older brother because sometimesI annoy him a lot! I would also like togive everybody happiness, becausewhen somebody is sad I get sad too. AlsoI don’t think anybody likes being sad!

— Olivia Kucharski, 9

If I could give my friends or parentsa gift that didn’t cost money, I wouldhelp them take care of my younger sib-lings. I would help out in the house, andfor my friends I would be kind and ifsomeone gets bullied I would stand up

Submitted by Linda E. Simon. Advanced Academic Resource Teacher

Fairfax Connection ❖ Children’s & Teens’ Connection 2018-2019 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Children's & Teens'

Dear Readers:This week, the Fairfax Connection turns

over its pages to the youth and students.We asked principals and teachers from

area schools to encourage students to con-tribute their words, pictures and photos forour annual Children’s & Teens’ Issue.

The response as always was enormous.While we were unable to publish every piecewe received, we did our best to put togethera paper with a fair sampling of the submit-ted stories, poems, drawings, paintings,photographs and other works of art.

We appreciate the extra effort made byschool staff to gather the materials duringtheir busy time leading up to the holidays.We’d also like to encourage both schools andparents to mark their 2019 calendars forearly December, the deadline for submis-sions for next year’s Children’s & Teens’Connection. Please keep us in mind as your

children continue to create spectacularworks of art and inspiring pieces of writingin the coming year.

The children’s issue is only a part of ouryear-round commitment to cover educationand our local schools.

As always, the Connection welcomes let-ters to the editor, story ideas, calendar list-ings and notices of local events from ourreaders. Photos and other submissionsabout special events at schools are espe-cially welcome for our weekly schoolspages.

Our preferred method for material isemail, which should be sent [email protected], butyou can reach us by mail at 1606 KingStreet, Alexandria, VA 22314 or call 703-778-9414 with any questions.

— Editor Kemal Kurspahic

Come Visit Virginia, by Harley Malig, 9, Grade 4, Fairhill Elementary, ArtTeacher Sarah Florjancic

By Aslesha Gurung, Grade 3, Mantua Elementary, Submitted by NathalieShirley, art specialist.

By Michelle Nguyen, 9, Grade 4, Mosby Woods Elementary,Art Teacher: Lois Shumway

By Ivy Johnson, 8, of Annandale, Grade 3, Wakefield Forest Elementary,Art Teacher Brittani Ko

By Jennifer Xu,10, Mosby WoodsElementarySchool, teacherCourtney Stevens

Welcome


Fairhill Elementary Artwork submitted by Art Teacher Sarah Florjancic

GraceMcPeak,10, Grade7, Trans-formedEnviron-ment

PaolaSanchez,

10, Grade5, Trans-

formedEnviron-

ment

CatherineBaylyff,

10, Grade5, Trans-

formedEnviron-

ment

DjaberBibet, 7,Grade 2,Neighbor-hoodFriends

KingaGiemza,6, Grade4, ComeVisitVirginia

EssayAwoke, 7,Grade 2,

Neighbor-hood

Friends

RoryHooker,7, Grade2, Neigh-borhoodFriends

NatalieMejia-

Ramos,10, Trans-

formedEnviron-

ment


Children's & Teens'

What Do I Want to be When I Grow Up?I want to be a veterinarian when I grow up! Veterinarians are awe-

some people, and you may not realize just how important they are!Pets are like a key to friendship, and you are the lock. If your pet getssick or injured, veterinarians help a ton by taking care of your belovedfriend. They may even save the day! Veterinarians need to study a lotof different subjects like biology and math, which I think is pretty in-credible (math is definitely not my favorite subject, but I would doanything to be a vet!). I have always loved animals, and I even have adog of my own. I also think that if I am a vet, and I help an animal getback to being healthy, then I would also help the family as well! Youmay have to operate on the animals or give the animal an injection. Iknow I am going to have to be brave and hardworking, so I can per-form these important tasks. That’s what I want to be when I grow up,so I hope you’ll reach for the stars too, so you can know what YOUwant to be when you grow up!

— Evelyne You, 11, of Fairfax Station

Grade 6, Oak View Elementary School

Teacher, Mrs. Heaney

GlassesI have lost my glasses,I need them to seeI cannot think of what will become of me,For I am nearsightedAnd not so delightedYes, my pair of glasses ARE LOST!

— Sarah Chaykin, 9, of Burke

Grade 4, Keene Mill Elementary By Sara Yoshikawa, MosbyWoods Elementary, Grade 5

HaikuWe see the beautyOf things when we look close.Nothing from afar.

— Sara Yoshikawa

Mosby Woods Elementary, Grade 5

Art classes with Ms. Sui Yanshun.

Girls with Big Hats by Monica Xu, 4,from Fairfax

I Love My Home by Monica Xu, 4,from Fairfax


Mantua Elementary

By Shambi Kumaran, Grade 6

By Victoria Pham, Grade 5

By Katie Rose Klemm, Grade 4

By Grace Taylor, Grade 4

By Isaac Villa, Grade 5 By Aviva Aschan, Grade 2

By Audrey McCarthy, Grade 1 By Arthur Daberkow, Grade 1

By KeiraCheng,Grade 6

Submitted byNathalie Shirley,

art specialist.


Your “Nicely Done” Kitchen or Bath is Right Around the Corner!A “One-Stop Shop” That Goes Above and Beyond Your Imagination

Kings’s Park Shopping Center8934 Burke Lake Road, Springfield VA 22151703-764-3748 www.nicelydonekitchens.com

Find us on Houzz,Facebook, & Angie’s List!

• Family & Pediatric Vision Care• Comprehensive Eye Exams • Treatment of Eye Diseases

• 21 years Naval Service, 6 years Active Duty• Laser Vision Consultants • Over a thousand frames in stock• We carry all major brands of contact lenses • In-house lab

DR. GENE SWEETNAMDR. GRACE CHANG

O P T O M E T R I S T S

5206A Rolling Rd.Burke Professional Center

Burke, VA 22015703-425-2000

Most Insurances Accepted:Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Care First, Medicare, Tricare In-network Doctor,Cigna, DavisVision, Vision One Discount, Avesis, Aetna HMO/PPO/POS, PHCS,VSP® Network Doctor, EyeMed Vision Care, United Healthcare, VA Medicaid

WE WELCOME YOUR DOCTOR’S PRESCRIPTION

www.drsweetnam.com • www.sightforvision.com

LIVING SAVIOR PRESCHOOL

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES & CURRICULUM INCLUDE:

SPANISH • MUSIC • MOVEMENT • CHAPELS.T.E.A.M. PROJECTS • FIELD TRIPS

• IN-HOUSE PRESENTATIONS • NATURE HIKES

CONTACT US TO SCHEDULE YOUR TOUR TODAY:

[email protected]

5500 OX ROAD, FAIRFAX STATION, VA

REGISTRATION

FEBRUARY 6 CURRENTLY ENROLLED

FEBRUARY 7GENERAL PUBLIC

PROGRAMS FOR AGES 2.5 - 5 YEARS OLD

3 AND 4 HOUR PROGRAMSEXTENDED HOURS

4 DAYS A WEEK

These materials are neither sponsored nor endorsed by the Fairfax County School Board, the Superintendent or this school.

ReflectionsFrom Page 2

Laurel Ridge

Elementary

See Reflections, Page 15

for them. I could do whatever theywanted me to do or if they give me adirection when my parent or teacherasks me. I would show respect to myparents and listen to whatever she or heis telling me. I would give a craft thatthey do not know how to make withpaper. You don’t have to be rich or poolto be a good friend or son.

— Ethan Green, 9

If I could give my family anything thatdoesn’t cost any money, I would givethem happiness, because I want my par-ents to be happy every day and I don’twant them to stress or get worried. I alsothink that some people say you can buyanything in the entire world withmoney. I think that is not true—youcan’t be love or imagination or happi-ness. So I could give them happinessthat’s worth more than anything you canbuy. That way we wouldn’t fight overthings, or argue over useless stuff, andthen everyone would be happy! Thenthat could influence their friends, andthen more people could always behappy!

— Kai Luther, 9

The best gift I have ever been given ismy life, but second would be my PlayStation 4 because it is the way that I canenjoy myself. Life is a gift that’s thebrightest thing on planet Earth, andback to the PS4: although it’s a videogame it still makes me happy. I havemany ideas of what I want to be when Igrow up. I want to work for NASA ormaybe be a paleontologist, an archae-


Wakefield Forest ElementaryArtwork submitted by Brittani Ko, Art Teacher.

By Claire Campion, 12, Grade 6, of Annandale

By Rachel Harrar, 12, Grade 6, of Annandale

By Lydia Yu, 5, Kindergarten, of Annandale

By Selah Yoon, 5, Kindergarten, of Fairfax

By Amy Goldberg, 12, Grade 6, of Fairfax

By Rowan Santos, 9, Grade 4, of Annandale

By Emma Ishikawa, 9,Grade 4, of Fairfax

By Lindsay Kim,10, Grade 4, ofAnnandale

By Avery Simmons, 6,Grade 3, of Annandale

By Jesse Thomas, 11,Grade 6, of Annandale


WEEKDAYS • SATURDAYS • EVENINGS 24 HOUR EMERGENCY CAREMET LIFE, DELTA, BCBS/CAREFIRST, & UNITED CONCORDIA PROVIDER

Fairfax County Parkway WideningFairfax County

Public Information Meeting

Monday, January 7, 2019 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Presentation starts at 7 p.m Inclement Weather Date: Monday, January 14, 2019

Robinson Secondary School 5035 Sideburn Road, Fairfax, VA 22032

Find out about plans to widen Fairfax County Parkway (Route 286) from four to six lanes between Route 29 (Lee Highway) and Route 123 (Ox Road). The proposed project design also includes an interchange at Popes Head Road and the future Shirley Gate Road extension, improvements to the existing trail in the Fairfax County Parkway right of way and construction of a new shared-use path to make the trail continuous within the project limits.

Stop by between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. to view displays and learn more about the project and its preliminary design, includ-ing Popes Head Road interchange options under consideration.

will be available to answer your questions.

Review project information at the VDOT project website (www.virginiadot.org/projects), at the information meeting, or

at 4975 Alliance Drive in Fairfax. Please call ahead at 703-691-6710 or TTY/TDD 711 to ensure appropriate personnel are available to answer your questions.

Give your written comments at the meeting, or submit them by January 22, 2018 to Mr. Sitaram Kodali, P.E., Virginia Department of Transportation, 4975 Alliance Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030, or email [email protected]. Please reference “Fairfax County Parkway Widening” in the subject line.

VDOT ensures nondiscrimination and equal employment in all programs and activities in accordance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. If you need more information or special assistance for persons with disabilities or limited English

TDD 711.

State Project: 0286-029-259, P101, UPC: 107937, Federal: STP-5A01 (775)

Gallery

Submitted by students in the Fairfax area.

Happy Timeby EmmaYuan, 5,from Fairfax,in Kinder-garten atDaniels RunElementarySchool withMs. Bayder.

Car Washerby AidanQiao, 6,from Fairfax,in Grade 1 atNavy El-ementarySchool withMiss Coreno.

Photo of apet beardeddragon byJasmineSklarew, 11,from Fairfax,in Grade 6 atOak ViewElementarywithhomeroomteacher Mrs.Heaney.

By HannahDai, 11,Fairfax,Grade 5,NavyElemen-tary,TeacherAshleyYamoah.

By ElizabethDai, 8,Fairfax, Grade3, iNavyElementary,Teacher:LauraDelaney.

By Annie Zeng, 5, Fairfax Villa Elementary By Nora Li, 7, from Fairfax, Grade 2 atGreenbrier East Elementary School withteacher Tammy Ashforth.


Fairfax Villa Elementary

Submitted by Danielle Paramore.

By Sam P., Kindergarten

By Korbin Y.,Kindergarten

By Ella P., Grade 1 By Audrey O., Grade 1 By Natai N., Grade 3

By Ava N.,Grade 6

By Layla R., Grade 2 By Surya B., Grade 2


bCOMMUNITIES OF WORSHIP

bTo AdvertiseYour

Community of WorshipCall 703-778-9418

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church

8304 Old Keene Mill Rd. 22152www.poplc.org 703-451-5855

Regular Worship

Saturdays 5:30 PM

Sundays 8:15 & 11 AM

Sunday School & Adult Education 9:45 AM

No Children’s Sunday School Dec. 30

“loving people to life”

4650 Shirley Gate Road, FairfaxBill Frasnelli, PASTOR 703-383-1170

New Year’s Eve Gathering at 6 PM

Worship Gathering – Sunday 8:45 & 11 AMSunday School 10:10 AM

Sun. Evening – Realtime Worship & Youth 6 PMFamily Night – Wednesday 7:15 PM

Home Life Groups, College/Young Adult Ministries, and Living Free Support Groups

Visit our Website: www.jccag.org

Gallery

My Playdate by Miranda Xu, 6, from Fairfax, Grade 1at Colin Powell Elementary

Sisters on a Swing by MirandaXu, 6, from Fairfax, Grade 1at Colin Powell Elementary

One Morning in the Spring by Miranda Xu, 6, from Fairfax, Grade 1at Colin Powell Elementary

Art classes with Ms. Sui Yanshun.


Eagle View ElementaryArtwork submitted byart teacher Jessica Chinn.

Cultural Identity Self Portrait by AndrewJones, Grade 3.

Cultural Identity Self Portrait by BurakKiraz, Grade 3.

GlobalHero Masksby Iaan Ha,Grade 5.

CulturalIdentity SelfPortraitby BatuMunkhsaikhan,Grade 3.

NameDesign by

ArushiTambade,

Grade 6

Name Design bySama Al-Ani,Grade 6

NameDesign by

BriannaVelasco,Grade 6

Neighborhood Friends by Chason Cai, Grade 2

Neighborhood Friends by Caleb Gunn, Grade 2


Mosby Woods Elementary Submitted by art teacher Lois Shumway

By Meena Rose, 8, Grade 3 By Caitlin McCluer, 9, Grade 4 By Zoe Van Eyck, 7, Grade 2

By Hannah Wibowo, 8, Grade 3 By Juha Choi, 8, Grade 3

By Charlie Taylor, 8, Grade 3By Vivian Kim, 8, Grade 3


Laurel Ridge Elementary

ReflectionsWritten by students in Grade 6 at Lau-

rel Ridge Elementary School.

When I grow up I want to be a profes-sional soccer player. The reason I wantto do this is because soccer is my pas-sion. A second reason I would want todo this is because good soccer playersmake a lot of money. Right now, I playon a U13 travel soccer team, “SYC”. Myteam is third in the state of Virginia. Myteam won the state cup last summer, itmade me feel very accomplished. It alsomade me want to keep striving to goprofessionally. The team I would like tostart off with is DC United and this iswhy I want to be a professional soccerplayer.

— Caleb Malekzadeh, 12

Over the years, I have wanted manydifferent jobs. Some of them include anactor, a marine biologist, band artist,and a dentist. These occupations havetheir different values, but none of themfelt quite right. One day, my mom gaveme a piece of advice that I will neverforget. She told me that I should have ajob that benefited the world and not justmyself. I thought about the people whofight and die for our country every day,and then I realized what I wanted tobecome more than anything. I know itwill be hard, unforgiving, dangerous,and sometimes tedious, but being a Fed-eral Agent for the military andprotecting those that protect us, therecould be no greater honor.

— Violet Taylor, 12

I’m sure you know that the world isadvancing and fast. The arts are fueledby new creators, sciences are poweredby improving technologies. So manyfields are getting better, but the two Imentioned really inspire me. That’s whywhen I grow up I want to be an actor ora quantum physicist. “Why?” you mightask. “These jobs are so different!” Well,my friend, actors can represent who orwhatever they want. I’ve performed ina few plays, and it’s cool to stand infront of an audience! Physicists usemath and science to figure things outs.I take classes for physics, and it’s evenimproved my math! Both professions re-quire mighty creativity, and everyonegets something from creativity.Maybe…I’ll be both!

— Sahara Martin, 11

What I want to be when I grow up isa teacher for children who have autism.I would like to be a teacher because Ithink that teachers have super powersthat make amazing children who growup to be great people. The reason I wantto be a teacher for children with autismis because I want them to also have theopportunity to be great people just likeeveryone else. The thing that inspiredme to want to be a teacher for autisticchildren is that in 5th grade I would usemy Friday recess to go down to PE whenthe classes with students with autismwere there, and it was really inspiring tosee how hard the kids worked and per-severed to accomplish everyday things,so I want to become a teacher for thosekids.

— Abby Meehan, 11

When I Grow UpThis Question alwaysshows up in some way.

Adults ask it andexpect Little

However, They don’t

think we will say

anything with alarge amount ofthought.

I have takenmy interests andformed them into

a fun and interestingjob

One I think issuited for me

and many otherpeople

To strive for thisprofession will bequite tough

however, my lovefor art and technology

will help throughoutthis journey

The job I wouldlike is one in

Design and Engineering— Elena Paulson, 11

I want to be a children’s author andillustrator when I grow up because itwould be a fun and cool job. Also, youcan work at home. I think it would befun to make stories for little kids like me.I also believe that it would be cool toread your own book to your kids.

If I were an author, I would writebooks like the Elephant and Piggybooks. The books would be aboutfriends who are different animals and gothrough problems that little kids actu-ally go through. I would illustrate simplethings and only the main ideas of thepage.

This is the job for me because I’m anartist and I like to write short, fictionalstories about animals. I would enjoyworking at home because I could stayhome with my kids and dogs but still beworking. Being a children’s author andillustrator would be a fun and cool job.

— Julie Davis, 12

When I grow up I want to open a res-taurant with my co-worker Dahlia. Shewould make the main course and theappetizers and I would make the des-serts. It would be called ‘C and D’sCatastrophe.’ I have many reasons forthis incredible idea. One reason I wouldwant to do this when I’m older is be-cause you get to make people happywith your delicious creations. I mean,who can be sad while eating dessert?You can also eat on the job! The bestwin-win ever created! I could also getfamous because of my restaurant’samazing food. Doing what you love andgetting famous for it sounds like the bestlife ever.

— Cate Fleck, 11

When I’m older, I want to either be anelementary school teacher, or a teacherfor kids with autism. As the oldest offour, I’m around kids a lot. I think whatI’m attracted to is their energy and ea-gerness to do what they love. As a sixthgrader at Laurel Ridge Elementary, I getto have a kindergarten buddy, who Ispend time with every other Friday. Wedo things ranging from playing on theplayground, to doing projects for holi-days, and I really love spending timewith younger kids.

My interest in being a teacher to kidswith autism was sparked last year whenI spent my Friday recess doing gym classwith the autism class. I loved seeing

their determination, excitement to bewith other kids like them, and theirgood friendships with each other. Thisenergy in younger kids is why I want tobe an elementary school teacher.

— Aine Maloney, 11

One thing I would change about myschool is to go back to half days on Mon-day. I don’t know about other schooldistricts, but in Fairfax County we usedto have a 2 hour early release on Mon-days, but they stopped doing it aroundthe time I started 1st grade. One of thereasons I want to go back to this is be-cause Mondays are always so boring,and it’s right after the weekend so youcould ease right into the week. And I betlots of people have activities that theyhave to do in the afternoon. If you dis-agree with me I’ll be surprised.

— Gabe Presidio, 12

The one thing I would change aboutmy school is to have art twice a week. Iwould change this because I think arthelps you relax, opens your brain to thecreative side, and it also lets your brainrest from the hard work you had beendoing. We get two hours of P.E., andtwo hours of music a week, so why can’twe get two hours of art, or at least oneand a half hours. We could also combineP.E. and art, or music and art, so we canstill have two hours of P.E. or music.

— Lilah Cohen, 12

If there could be one thing I couldchange about school, it would be remov-ing school in general. When people areborn, they could have education chipsinserted into their brains so that theyalready know everything. Whenevernew information is discovered, the chipscan be updated to hold the information.Kids can make friends during a newholiday on Tuesdays called FriendDay,where kids in the same area in the sameage range can come together for fivehours. Boom! School problem solved.

— Nora Prather, 11

What I would change about myschool is we would have no school butstill be smart. I guess that doesn’t hap-pen on its own and that’s not changingsomething about school, because therewould be no school. The problem withschool is that it is 90.5% boring. Itwould be a lot less boring if I could bringmy all-time best friend/cat, Lilly. She’sgreat! She has white fur and blue eyes.She is so pretty! Animals help me focusa lot and they make me happy when Iam stressed or upset. That is only one ofthe long crazy list of possibilities tochange about school.

— Sarah Lockard, 11

One thing I would like to changeabout our school is the way students andteachers are put together. I think thatthe students and teachers should bothbe able to assess each other and thatthey should be put together based ontheir preferences. I think that it is unfairhow teachers randomly get paired withstudents because some students mighthave specific teachers in mind that theythink will bring out their full potential.In the teachers’ point of view, theymight also have some students in mindwho they think will be best suited fortheir teaching. Of course, not everyone’spreferences can be fulfilled, but by try-ing to listen to the voices of the studentsand the teachers, I think that our schoolwould be more harmonious. By lettingteachers pick students and students pickteachers, students’ overall performancecould improve because of a more suit-able method of teaching for them.

— Grace Im, 12


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

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

Back to Abnormal

ReflectionsFrom Page 7

Laurel Ridge

Elementary

The FairfaxChildren’s Connection

is published byLocal Media Connection, LLC.

A digital version of this publicationand 14 sister publications available at

www.connectionnewpapers.com/documents

For information on advertising [email protected]

For information on local content [email protected]

ologist and/or a scientist, but when I grow up Iwant to have a good job.

— Juan Pable Osorio Daza, 10

My best gift from school is a Lego set that myteacher gave me. I built it as soon as I got home. Ialso got a coding book from her. I can’t wait for myUSB to arrive!!! I want to code at home. I’m goingto miss my teacher, still I can’t wait to move backto my base school. I’ll miss the big playground al-though our lobby is pretty cramped. My baseschool’s lobby will be much bigger. I’ll miss AAP aswell, well at least I’ll get out early and see myfriends at the playground and I’ll also see Tyronethere. It will be fun but I won’t see Aiden much, butI will get to see my brother in school.

— Lucas Johnson, 9 3/4

If I could change something in our school itwould be the food. I would change the food be-cause (no offense) it’s not that good. For example,in Puerto Rico they would give you a full meal likean empanada with real meat, hot rice with salsa.Here they give you two breadsticks filled with coldcheese. The best thing here is the pizza and that’sonly on Fridays, but sometimes there’s not eventhat. I think if the food was better people wouldbuy it and the school would make more money forother stuff.

— Alfonso Cordero, 10

One thing I would change about school is thateveryone can go to recess whenever they want,because now it might be recess time and somepeople are tired, so when they are outside they justsit there. Later when they feel energetic they arestuck in their classrooms. There will be some ruleslike you can’t go to recess in the middle of a testor during specials, and students still have to do alltheir work. I think that will make school better.

— Aayam Dhakal, 9

One thing that I would change about school is Iwould make school have way more recess, becausewe do not have enough recess in our schools. Lotsof people in our school would like more recess andmore people would probably like to go to thisschool if we had more recess. That’s what I think.

— Ethan Paulson, 9

One thing I would change about school is that Iwould have more recess and a shorter school time.My mom thinks that recess should be longer andschool should be shorter because when she was inschool the recess was longer and the school wasshorter. I would also change that we should notrepeat subjects and that they start school earlier.

— Brandon Rebeyro, 9

When I grow up I want to be an astronaut. WhenI did a report on Neil Armstrong, I got hooked onastronomy. I have been researching/studying spacesince 2nd grade. Neil Armstrong inspired me to dowhat I love most, which is space. At first, I wantedto be an engineer but I learned about space andsomehow got connected. I wanted a telescope lastChristmas and Santa Claus brought my dream tool/toy! Even though my dog broke it, it’s still useful.Remember: even if other people hold you back, youcan still reach your dreams no matter what!

— Mary Grace Andersen, 10


ALEXANDRIA TOYOTA

FOR YOUR TOYOTA

WELCOME TO ALEXANDRIA TOYOTA’SPERSONALIZED CAR CARE EXPERIENCE

SPECIAL SAVINGS

children’s & teens’ connection 2018 december 27 -...

Documents