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Chantilly Connection ❖ February 18-24, 2015 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.comFebruary 18-24, 2015 online at www.connectionnewspapers.com
Calendar, Page 12
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Chantilly
Fair Oaks ❖ Fair Lakes
Chantilly
Fair Oaks ❖ Fair Lakes
Overcoming Adversity,Achieving Success
News, Page 2
‘Start with a Box of Metal’News, Page 3
Combining HealthAnd Mental HealthNews, Page 4
CelebratingBlack History MonthA+, Page 9
New grad Trong Bui of Chantillywith his mom, Hong Le.
Page 9
2 ❖ Chantilly Connection ❖ February 18-24, 2015 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
News
See Graduation, Page 5
By Bonnie Hobbs
The Connection
New Centreville High PrincipalDave Jagels is no longerMountain View High’s leader,but he still kicked off the
school’s winter graduation last week witha heartfelt address to the new grads.
The ceremony was held Tuesday, Feb. 10,in Centreville’s auditorium, and it seemedlike old times as Jagels gave his welcomespeech, congratulating the seniors on “thismomentous occasion.”
“Many students who come to MountainView have been broken by circumstancesor failure, and that led them to believe they
weren’t good enough,” he said. “But atMountain View – with its motto of ‘Family,Love and Respect’ – the belief is that anystudent, armed with the right tools, can besuccessful.”
Jagels said the school has helped “changethe direction of people’s lives” by putting apremium on relationship-building and on“a connectedness that unites us all.” He alsonoted that it makes students more respon-sible when they realize that every personcontributes to the success of the whole.
“The timber wolf is the school’s mascot,”he told the students. “And like them, youcan change your own environment, as well,and even change the course of the lives of
Student speaker Zubeyda Tebrareceives her diploma from ActingPrincipal Lee Holt.
Tom Orellana receives the PersonalAchievement Award from AnneHoffman.
Jeff Jones presents the PersonalAchievement Award to AlejandraGonzalez.
Veronica Perez (left) receives theCitizenship Award from MichelleOhanian.
Student speaker DiboraEshete
Counselor Ellen Fay (on right) gives theFaculty Award to Maggie Zhong.
New grad Veronica Perez (third from left) of Centreville with (from left)in-laws Jose Yucra and Cristina Pereyra, husband Brian Gamboa, momIvonne Pina and sisters Tania, Martha and Diana Perez. In front, fromleft, are Veronica’s daughter, Stephanie Rivera, 4, and Tania’s daughter,Brisa Perez, 2.
Centreville’s Brianna Richardson (with flowers) celebrates her gradua-tion with (from left) nieces Chinnell and Makayla Watson, friend JodyGreen, dad Jerry Richardson and friend Taleah Thompson.
Overcoming Adversity, Achieving SuccessMountain View holds winter graduation.
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Chantilly Connection ❖ February 18-24, 2015 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
News
By Bonnie Hobbs
The Connection
Besides participating in roboticscompetitions, team Robowiz alsodid community outreach via the
START (Spreading Technology And Ro-botics Together) program. It partneredwith the Autism Society of Northern Vir-ginia (ASNV) to encourage children withautism to develop an interest in robot-ics.
The nonprofit, grassroots organizationis based in Merrifield and serves North-ern Virginia. According to ASNV Execu-
tive Director Sarah Peterson, it “builds com-munity for individuals and families affectedby autism through education, advocacy andsupport.”
Jugnu Agrawal is a special-education pro-fessor at GMU and was formerly on ASNV’sboard of directors. Her daughter Radhikais on the team and asked Peterson aboutdoing a service project with ASNV.
So the Robowiz members put on a robot-ics-education program for eight autisticchildren in grades four through eight. Theyheld a series of sessions for four weeks inNovember and December 2014 to teach thechildren the basics of robotics design and
programming.“We had a really positive response from
all the participants,” said Peterson. “After-ward, one boy — who hardly ever initiatesconversations — was asking questions andproudly discussing what he’d learned. Andone girl’s mom told me that her daughter— whose classmates had told her that girlsdon’t like math and science — was happyto attend the sessions. She said they vali-dated her daughter’s own interest in thosesubjects and gave her girl role models.”
Peterson, too, was pleased. “I was amazedby the generosity displayed by these robot-ics students and their sensitivity to the needs
of the participants,” she said. “They dem-onstrated a tremendous amount of ma-turity, and it made me feel hopeful forthe future.”
The effort was meaningful to the team,as well. “I enjoyed the community out-reach we did because we made a realimpact,” said team member ShomikGhose. Agreeing, teammate Josal Patelsaid, “The community outreach was areally great experience. I learned that it’sa lot tougher to explain something youknow to someone else. But it felt reallygood and I felt privileged to do some-thing like this.”
Team Members Teach Children with Autism
See Pursuing, Page 11
By Bonnie Hobbs
The Connection
It’s a big deal when a team, academicor athletic, reaches the state champi-onships. But it’s even more impres-sive when that team does it in two,
different states.Meet team Robowiz — 10 local students
who’ve reached that level in both Virginiaand Maryland. The eight boys and two girlslive in Centreville, Chantilly and Fairfax andare in grades eight through 10.
“Over the last eight years, my co-coachesJugnu Agrawal and Ashish Kulkarni and Ihave seen unsure, tentative and sometimesshy elementary-schoolers turn into bright,young, patient and articulate high-schoolers,” said head coach Suprotik Ghose.“They help other teams at tournaments, yetcompete professionally in the robotmatches.”
The teammates meet a few times a weekat Kulkarni’s Fair Lakes home to work ontheir robot and prepare for competition.They vie under the auspices of FIRST (ForInspiration and Recognition of Science andTechnology), which encourages youngpeople to be science and technology lead-ers, plus well-rounded and self-confident.
Robowiz won top honors in the FTC(FIRST Tech Challenge) Jan. 31 at the NorthCentral Virginia FTC Tournament in OrangeCounty. It took home the overall Champi-ons Award (Inspire) and was captain of therobot, game-winning alliance. Both awardsautomatically qualified Robowiz for states.
“What makes it special was that the kidswere aware of a rule supposedly prevent-ing them from winning the Inspire awardtwice — they had also won Inspire in Mary-land, a couple weeks earlier,” said Ghose.“They immediately told the tournament di-rector, but the Virginia FTC hadn’t faced thissituation before.”
After the director spoke with USFIRST
national headquarters, they allowedRobowiz to keep both the Inspire and win-ning-captain alliance awards since it wonthem in separate states — with the under-standing that it won’t be able to win Inspireat both state tournaments.
“According to USFIRST, this was the firsttime a team had won the Inspire award inthe same season in two, different states,”said Ghose. “So I give a big shout-out tothe team members for their honesty, dedi-cation and hard work.”
The Maryland state championship, with24 teams, is Feb. 21 at Johns Hopkins Uni-versity. Virginia’s 52-team, state champion-ship is Feb. 28 at St. Christopher High inRichmond.
Each year, FTC has a new challenge, andthis year’s was called the Cascade Effect.Games last 2 minutes, 30 seconds, with fourteams in each round; two teams vie againsttwo others. “You’re allied with another teamfor one round of the five-round competi-
tion,” said Chantilly’s Jami Park, a sopho-more at Thomas Jefferson High School forScience and Technology (TJ). “There aredifferent alliances in each round.”
In the challenge, each team’s robot hadto pick up Wiffle balls and golf balls fromthe ground and get them into its tube, orgoal. Robowiz’s robot has three goals, 30,60 and 90 centimeters tall each. And, saidTJ classmate Adarsh Kulkarni, of Fair Lakes,“The way to earn the most points was tomove the rolling goal to a ramp. Scoring isbased on the height of the balls you placeinside the goal.”
During the first 30 seconds of the 2.5-minute round, the robot is preprogrammedto move on its own. “The second two min-utes are driver-controlled,” said Park.
“The last 30 seconds of that two minutes,you put the balls into the goal,” added TJ’sCedric Bernard of Centreville’s HamptonForest community. “It’s a Plexiglas tower [inthe center of the robot].”
On Jan. 18 in Potomac, Md., Robowizcame in first out of 27 teams, and did thesame thing Jan. 31 in Orange Countyagainst 25 other teams. Both times, it wonthe Overall Champions, or Inspire, awardfor being the best team, plus its communityservice, engineering notebook and overalldemeanor — called “gracious professional-ism” — at each tournament.
Radhika Agrawal, a TJ sophomore fromFair Oaks, said Robowiz’s engineering note-book contained the team’s planning, eventsattended, photos, fun facts about the mem-bers and information about how they builttheir robot. “We started in August and fin-ished the majority of it in November,” shesaid. They then overhauled it over theThanksgiving and Christmas breaks.
“We changed our entire game strategy tofocus on getting rolling goals, instead ofgetting the balls,” said Agrawal. That’s be-cause each rolling goal, moved to different
‘You Start with a Box of Metal’Local robotics teamheads to two statechampionships.
Surrounding theirrobot are (from left)Cedric Bernard,Shomik Ghose,Saarthak Sethi, JosalPatel, AbhishekMishra, Jami Park,Adarsh Kulkarni,Radhika Agrawal andAnushka Jain.
Photo by
Bonnie Hobbs
The Connection
4 ❖ Chantilly Connection ❖ February 18-24, 2015 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
News
By Kenneth Moore
The Connection
One teenager who attemptedsuicide revealed that if any-one had asked him beforehand whether he was think-
ing of hurting himself, he would have saidyes.
That message rang loud and clear toTeresa Gallahan, school nurse at a Catholicschool in Chantilly. The teen was part of atraining video for a course on Youth Men-tal Health First Aid, offered by the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board.
Gallahan, from Herndon, was impressedthat the instructor urged her to enter thephone number for the CSB Crisis Hotlineinto her cell phone on the spot.
“I’m trained to look for resources,” saidGallahan, a Herndon resident, who hasworked at St. Veronica School for approxi-mately 7 years. Gallahan and her principalhave now organized all teachers and staffto take the CSB training.
“Most parents appreciate that we keep aneye on their children,” Gallahan said.
Since 2012, 1,750 have taken the CSBFirst Aid Mental Health Training. More than10,000 people have taken the CSB onlineyouth suicide prevention program.
Mental Health First Aid is one of the waysthe Community Services Board serves allresidents in the community.
TRACEY PHILLIPS was 24 weeks preg-nant when her labor began.
She had three premature triplets; her sec-ond baby didn’t survive, and her son anddaughter spent five and four months in theneonatal intensive care unit.
“I had to recover from a C-section, we hadto plan for my son’s funeral, and we hadtwo very sick children in the NICU,” shesaid. “The human spirit finds a way.”
Phillips’ family was immediately helpedby the CSB’s Infant and Toddler Connec-tion, which provides evaluations and earlyintervention services for infants and tod-dlers who might have developmental or in-tellectual disabilities or developmental de-
lay.“We would be looking at a very different
picture had my family not been given earlyintervention,” Phillips said. “When mydaughter started to walk I was sure she wason the right track.”
Phillips’ children, now six, both have spe-cial needs. Phillips now works for the In-fant and Tod-dler programand is gratefulshe can giveback to otherfamilies whoare beginningtheir specialneeds jour-neys.
“There’s awhole move-ment of people with lived experience whohave something to offer,” said CSB Execu-tive Director Tisha Deeghan, of hiringpeople like Phillips. “That voice is absolutelymagical in helping.”
“Even with all that happened to us, I havefound other families that have been throughmuch worse,” Phillips said. “We have beenthrough the worst of it, we can see a fu-ture.”
During FY 2014, the CSB served 3,164children through the Infant and ToddlerConnection.
THE COMMUNITY Services Board plans,organizes and provides services for peoplewho have mental illness, substance use dis-orders, and/or intellectual disability. TheCSB served 21,249 residents during lastyear’s fiscal year.
Most CSB services are primarily for peoplewhose conditions seriously impact theirdaily functioning. But anyone with a relatedconcern may contact the CSB for help infinding appropriate treatment and re-sources.
“We are here for everybody,” saidDeeghan, who moved to Fairfax for her newjob in September. “We are the agency thatdeals with the most difficult and complexsituations.”
Deeghan took the helm at the Commu-nity Services Board in September 2014,coming from Michigan with 33 years of ex-perience in mental health and substance usedisorder treatment and prevention. Most re-cently, Deeghan was the senior vice presi-dent and chief operating officer for GeneseeHealth System in Michigan for 13 years.
Deeghan re-places GeorgeBraunstein whoretired in 2014 af-ter serving as ex-ecutive directorsince 2008.
“I’m learning theFairfax way, theVirginia way.There is so muchwealth here, but
there are two Fairfaxes,” said Deeghan ofher new home. “There is the wealth andthe resources and the tremendous supportfrom the Board of Supervisors. But there’sanother Fairfax, where people are very vul-nerable, people who cannot find jobs,people who can’t access services.”
CSB’S NEW MERRIFIELD CENTERopened late last month at 8221 Willow OaksCorporate Drive, and offers an integratedsystem of care, allowing people who are re-ceiving services for mental health issues,substance abuse to receive other medicalcare at the same time.
“It’s state of the art,” Deeghan said. “It’sthe best example that I know of of an op-portunity to bring integrated-care servicesto people.”
Primary health care, pharmacy, dentalclinic are available at the same location, aswell as emergency services, entry and re-ferral services, and more.
As one example, having a pharmacyonsite so patients are certain to receive their
medications as soon as they are pre-scribed is a major advantage.
“It’s exciting to me to see this sys-tem and all the creative community-based services in place,” said Deeghan.“We’re seeing much less need for high-end or restrictive services, such as hos-pitalization or residential placement,because we are getting so good at pro-viding community-based services.”
Providing inte-grated services isa national move-ment, Deeghansaid. She cited astudy a few yearsago that showedthat people withserious mentalhealth issues of-ten die 25 yearsor more earlier than others from treat-able illnesses, because they didn’t haveaccess to health care.
Of the people served at the CSB lastyear, only 40 percent said they had aprimary health care provider.
One in every five people live with amental health problem, according toCSB documents. Two-thirds go with-out treatment. “Mental illness andsubstance abuse disorders impact ev-ery single layer of economics,” saidBelinda Buescher, of the CSB.
What Is the CSB?The Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services
Board is the public agency that provides servicesfor people who have mental illness, substance usedisorders, and/or intellectual disability. The CSBalso provides crisis intervention and suicide pre-vention services.
The Community Services Board serves threemajor populations: people with mental illness,people with substance abuse disorder, and peoplewith intellectual disability and/or developmentaldisability. http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/csb/
Who To Call for HelpIn emergency situations (24/7)❖ CSB Emergency Services, 703-573-5679, TTY 711❖ Fairfax Detoxification Center, 703-502-7000, TTY
703-322-9080❖ CrisisLink suicide hotline, 703-527-4077❖ CrisisLink suicide text hotline, 703-940-0888❖ Call 911 for a life-threatening emergencyDuring business hours:❖ CSB Entry & Referral Services, 703-383-8500,
TTY 711❖ Infant & Toddler Connection, 703-246-7121, TTY
703-324-4495For basic needs: food, housing, medical care, etc.,
703-222-0880, TTY 711Staff at all of the numbers listed above can take
calls in English and Spanish and can accessother languages when needed.
Community Services Board provides emergency services,prevention and treatment.
Combining Health and Mental Health
Fairfax County Community Services’ Board opened its new facility inMerrifield.
Tisha Deeghan, a Fairfax resident,became executive director of theFairfax County Community ServicesBoard in September 2014.
“We are here for everybody.We are the agency that dealswith the most difficult andcomplex situations.”
— CSB Executive Director Tisha Deeghan
Sign Up for MentalHealth First Aid
www.fairfaxcounty.gov/csb/events/mental-health-first-aid.htm
“The humanspirit finds away.”
— Tracey Phillips
Pho
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Chantilly Connection ❖ February 18-24, 2015 ❖ 5www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
WEEKDAYS • SATURDAYS • EVENINGS 24 HOUR EMERGENCY CAREMET LIFE, DELTA, BCBS/CAREFIRST, & UNITED CONCORDIA PROVIDER
See Overcoming, Page 7
News
From Page 2
Graduation at Mountain View
Grad Raheem Woodson ofCentreville and girlfriendKristen Rivera.
From left are friends TomOrellana of Centreville andMarcos Perez Vasquez ofReston.
your family and your children bygraduating and getting a good job.You may have grown up in pov-erty, but you have the opportunityto change lives for generations tocome.”
Jagels then thanked eachteacher and staff member for “be-ing a shoulder to cry on and a per-son the students knew they couldcome to” for help, encouragementand advice.” Telling the seniorshow proud he was of them, hesaid, “It’s been one of my greatestgifts to be your principal. Gochange your environment, gochange the world, know you canalways come home and know thatyou’ll always be a timber wolf.”
Taking the podium next werethe two, student speakers. DiboraEshete was born in Ethiopia andraised by her mother and grand-mother. “Education was importantto my family and, in 10th grade, Icame to the U.S. to live with mydad and to get a good educationand a good job,” she said. “But itwas hard to leave my mom be-cause I didn’t know when I’d seeher again. She’s always been mymotivation, inspiration and hope.”
Eshete spent a year with her fa-ther in Maryland, then moved toVirginia to help her aunt with herthree children. She attendedHerndon High, but wasn’t on tar-get to graduate until 2016, so sheswitched to Mountain View wheremore flexible scheduling would lether graduate earlier.
“This school is where you seereal family, love and respect,” shesaid. “I’ve had lovely teachers andmade good friends. Every studenthas a second chance, and myteachers also taught me about life.I want to major in public healthadministration in college and re-turn to Ethiopia to bring medicalhelp to people in the rural areas.I’ve learned that, no matter whoyou are or where you come from,you can succeed.”
Also sharing her story wasZubeyda Tebra. “Some of us workall night, go to school and then gohome to take care of a kid,” shesaid. “It hasn’t been easy, andwe’ve all had our ups and downs.”Born in Baghdad, Iraq in 1995,Tebra moved with her parents toStockholm, Sweden in early 2000.
“But it was hard there,” she said.“Students there have more free-dom than here, which wasn’tgood. Then, when I was 17, mymother decided to move to theU.S. with my sister. I thought itwould be a new start to straightenup my life. But I changed schoolsthree times.”
Frustrated that it was going to
take her a long time to graduate,in summer 2013, Tebra went toMountain View to look around. “Italked to a man in the parking lotfor an hour,” she said. “He told meit’s never too late and that oneman had graduated from thisschool at age 34. I learned laterthat the man I was talking to wasMr. Jagels.”
After becoming a student atMountain View, she said, “I lovedthe hope, care and encouragement
I got here. And I could see that thehappiness in people’s eyes wasreal. People even congratulatedme on passing my SOLs. It mademe so happy knowing my successmattered to them, and I’m grate-ful for getting to meet and knoweveryone here.”
However, Tebra told her teach-ers and classmates, “I couldn’thave done it without the help,love, knowledge and patience you
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By Logan Alexander
Editorial Team, Mountain View
Student Newspaper
While the Mountain View HighSchool Foundation refocuseson micro-scholarships in STEMand vocational training, Moun-
tain View students focus on raising money forThe Foundation and their own future.
On Feb. 28 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., the CentreRidge Chipotle, located at 6317 Multiplex Dr.in Centreville, will donate half the proceedsfrom lunch to the Mountain View High SchoolFoundation.
Students are busy on their mobile phonesand social media rustling up hungry custom-ers. To help The Foundation and improve stu-dents’ chances of getting money for college,bring this flyer (visit http://tinyurl.com/psnchkp) to the event or simply say “Moun-tain View” when you purchase lunch.
The Mountain View High School Foundationis a nonprofit organization based in Centreville,with a mission to provide college scholarshipsto graduating Mountain View students. Over
the years The Foundation has provided morethan a half century of college to deserving highschool graduates by funding the first semesteror two as students transition to college life.
Foundation Manager Sharon DeBragga said,“Our new focus is expanding to provide mi-cro-scholarships with complete support for thestudent over the lifecycle of the scholarship.”
These micro-scholarships, between $500 and$2,500, are enough to become a computer ser-vice technician ($1,548), web developer($1,903), welder ($2,685), network technician($1,956), certified nursing assistant ($1,400),pharmacy technician ($1,655), EMT ($1,941)and many other careers; 100 percent of thedonations to the Mountain View High SchoolFoundation flow through to student scholar-ships.
“The scholarship awardees have been vettedby the school’s faculty. The Foundation care-fully approves every program in which we placescholarship money. We provide mentoring,personal finance and tutoring. We’ll even work
through life issues. If a student needs trans-portation, we’ll show them where and how toget a cheap car. We also assure quality jobplacement opportunities when they are done,”DeBragga said.
Mountain View Alternative High, inCentreville, is part of Fairfax County PublicSchools and serves students with nontradi-tional needs. The school’s students are bothminors and adults, students who are pregnantor parenting, students returning to school af-ter major life events forced them to drop outand students accelerating their high schooleducation. The school is not intended for stu-dents with severe disciplinary problems.
DeBragga said, “We are trying to serve asmany needy and deserving Mountain Viewgraduates as possible. Providing micro-schol-arships turns High School graduates into tax-paying citizens with good jobs to support theirfamilies. We are thankful for these high schoolstudents working to raise scholarship money,and thankful for Centre Ridge Chipotle.”
For more information contact email [email protected] or call 703-227-2388.
Foundation Building Micro-ScholarshipsCommentary
By Jim LeMunyon
State Delegate (R-67)
The General Assembly passed the mid-point of the 2015 session this week.The House of Delegates is now con-
sidering Senate bills, and vice versa. Ten bills Iintroduced passed the House of Delegates, allunanimously, and two other bills I introducedwere incorporated into other bills that passed.Information about these bills may be found ath t t p : / / l i s . v i r g i n i a . g o v / c g i - b i n /legp604.exe?151+mbr+H223C. They are re-lated to transportation, education, eliminatinggovernment waste, mental health, ethics, andother issues.
On Monday, Feb. 9, it was my privilege tointroduce to the House of Delegates Miss Vir-ginia Teen 2015, Ann Kutyna, and her parentswho came to visit the Capitol. They reside inOak Hill and Ann attends Oakton High School.She will be competing in the Miss Teen USApageant this summer.
The House and Senate also acted this weekon amendments to the 2014-2016 state bud-get. The two-year budget was approved lastyear through June 2016, but several “mid-course” amendments were recommended bythe Governor, some of which were approvedby the General Assembly, along with otheramendments proposed by members of theHouse and Senate.
The differences between theHouse and Senate amend-ments are relatively minor, andI expect a compromise will beworked out during the nextfew days. The state budget willremain balanced. Details aboutthe budget amendments maybe found at http://leg1.state .va.us/cgi -bin/legp504.exe?ses=151&typ=bil&val=Hb1400.
Included in the House-passed amendments is a payincrease for public schoolteachers if matched by localschool boards. Also, an amend-ment I offered, which passedunanimously, would withholdthe state subsidy to the Wash-ington Metropolitan Area Tran-sit Authority (Metro) startingin July 2015, unless the Au-thority completes its long over-due annual financial audit.
The Authority’s fiscal yearended in June 2014, and theaudit was expected in October2014. Taxpayers and bus andtrain fare payers deserve toknow that Metro’s financialhouse is in order, or what prob-lems exist if it isn’t. The annualfinancial audit is key to the transparency andaccountability of Metro’s operations. The an-nual Virginia subsidy to Metro is approximately$200 million. I’m told that the completed au-dit is expected in April. If so, funding will con-tinue.
Remember, you can review my voting record
Crossover: Final Hurdle for Bills
Photo Contributed
Del. Jim LeMunyon welcomes Miss Virginia Teen2015 Ann Kutyna and her parents who came tovisit the Capitol.
Commentary
on all bills in committee and on the House floorat http://services.dlas.virginia.gov/webservices/frmLISVotIng1.aspx. Be sure to select my namefrom the delegate drop down box. Please feelfree to contact me anytime [email protected] or 703-264-1432.The phone will forward to our Richmond office.
Write The Connection welcomes views onany public issue. The deadline for all material
is noon Friday. Send to:Letters to the Editor
The Connection1606 King St., Alexandria VA 22314
Call: 703-917-6444.By e-mail:
Chantilly Connection ❖ February 18-24, 2015 ❖ 7www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
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2ND ANNUAL
Friday, March 6, 2015The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner
The Boys & Girls Clubs of GreaterWashington/Fairfax Region helphundreds of at-risk youth every dayright here in Fairfax County.
We invite your organization to consider sponsorshipopportunities for our 2nd Annual Boys and Girls Clubsof Greater Washington, Fairfax Region Casino Night.
Casino Night is a fun-filled evening featuring:• Full complement of staffed gaming tables including Texas Hold ’em, Black Jack and Craps, Roulette• Fabulous dinner buffet * open bar * amazing raffles, live and silent auction• Celebrity Emcee with music and dancing.
The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner1700 Tysons Boulevard, McLean, Virginia 22102 • On the Silver Line
Friday, March 6, 20156:30-11:30pm
Tickets: $95.00 per person,$175.00 per couple
Special Overnight Guest Room Rateat the Ritz-Carlton for
Friday March 6, 2015 -- $119.00
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington/Fairfax Region help boysand girls of all backgrounds build confidence, develop character, and acquireskills fundamental to becoming productive, civic-minded, responsible adults.
BGCGW provides a safe and positive environment for our youth.
Tickets: www.bgcgw.org/fairfax/casino-night/
Boys & Girls Club Fairfax Casino Night
OF GREATER WASHINGTONFAIRFAX COUNTY REGION
News
Overcoming AdversityFrom Page 5
“You have theopportunity tochange lives forgenerations tocome.”
— Dave Jagels, formerMountain View principal
shared with me. Today, I appreciate every, little thingGod has blessed me with. So I want to tell you tohave faith and don’t give up your dignity and honorfor any reason.”
Before the grads received their diplomas, Moun-tain View staff honored four of them with specialawards. Math Department Chair Anne Hoffman pre-sented the Personal AchievementAward to Tom Orellana. Notingthat it recognizes a student’s suc-cess despite personal obstacles,she said Orellana has a nearly full-time job, yet maintained a 3.7GPA, “while struggling to learn anew language and culture.” Hehopes to someday be an electricalengineer.
Also receiving the PersonalAchievement Award was AlejandraGonzalez. In his presentation,physics teacher Jeff Jones de-scribed her as determined and resilient in the face of“difficult, personal circumstances” this past semes-ter.
“She embodies the values of ‘Family, Love and Re-spect’ and will be serving as an AmeriCorps volun-teer,” he said. “It’s been a privilege to have taughtand learned from her.”
The Citizenship Award went to Veronica Perez. “Shehelped build a positive school community through
her own example,” said ESOL Department ChairMichelle Ohanian. “She helped her fellow studentsand, as a single parent to a daughter, she served as arole model to our pregnant and parenting students.”
The Faculty Award — given to the student who’sachieved the greatest academic and personal success,despite significant obstacles — went to MaggieZhong. “She came here in 2011 as a beginning ESOL
student and is leaving at its high-est level,” said counselor Ellen Fay.“She held a job and still excelledin school because of her organiza-tional and planning skills.”
Furthermore, noted Fay, Zhonggot the highest grade in everycourse she took. “She gave uplunch and stayed after school,when necessary, and reviewedmaterials at home,” said Fay. “Shekept striving for success and over-came the barriers of language andculture, but never lost hope.”
“Maggie had high expectations, and her GPA in 14courses is 4.0,” continued Fay.
“Her overall GPA is 3.6. She received a $5,000scholarship and is thinking about a possible careeras an elementary-school teacher. In an essay aboutherself, she wrote, ‘People used to laugh at, stare atand fail to understand me. But I turned this into posi-tive energy to overcome it, change my life and influ-ence others.’”
8 ❖ Chantilly Connection ❖ February 18-24, 2015 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Sports
By Jon Roetman
The Connection
A reporter interested in Tyler Love’sperformance during the 195-pound championship match atthe 6A North region wrestling
tournament decided to first interview a win-ner from a previous match before turninghis attention to Love.
Too late.Love, the defending 195-pound state
champion, pinned Yorktown’s Jason Kappelin 31 seconds to win a second straight re-gion title in his home gym on Feb. 14 atCentreville High School.
“He stopped the first move I tried to do,”Love said.
“We got back on our feet, he took a shotand it was almost just instinct. I just kindof tossed him right to his back and thensqueezed real tight and hoped for the best.”
The win was part of a dominant perfor-mance for Love, who earned Most Outstand-ing Wrestler for the tournament and wasrecognized for pinning three opponents ina combined 2 minutes, 6 seconds.
“It’s an awesome win because it’s atCentreville — the home turf,” Love said,“but … it’s just a stepping stone to the statetournament.”
Centreville’s VictorEcheverria and Michael Vualso reached their respec-tive championshipmatches.
Echeverria won the 113-pound title, beatingBattlefield’s MatthewAsper, 7-2. Vu lost toWestfield’s Justin Yorkdalevia pin in the 132-poundfinal. Yorkdale was one ofthree Westfield grapplers to win a regionchampionship. His brother, Ryan Yorkdale,pinned Lake Braddock’s Tyler Matheny inthe 138-pound final, and senior heavy-weight Austin Knies won a 10-4 decisionagainst Madison’s Drew Smith.
Knies placed fourth at regionals as asophomore, but wasn’t able to compete asa junior due to injury.
“That’s why this means a lot to me,” Kniessaid, “because I didn’t get a chance to com-pete at region my junior year when I felt Ihad a chance at winning.”
Chantilly’s Brian Kim finished runner-upat 220, losing to Annandale’s Tony Gibbs,4-3, in overtime in the final.
Other individual winners includedPatriot’s Killian Cardinale (106),Battlefield’s River Curtis (120), Lake
Braddock’s Ryan Haskett (126), Robinson’sAustin Riggs (145) and Cole DePasquale
Centreville’s Tyler Love pins Yorktown’s JasonKappel to win the 195-pound championshipduring the 6A North region wrestling tourna-ment on Feb. 14 at Centreville High School.
Centreville’s Victor Echeverria, top, won the113-pound title at the 6A North region wres-tling tournament on Feb. 14 at Centreville HighSchool.
Westfield’s Ryan Yorkdale, top, beat LakeBraddock’s Tyler Matheny to win the 138-poundregional championship on Feb. 14.
Westfield’s Justin Yorkdale won the 132-poundregion championship.
Westfield heavyweight Austin Knies, left,wrestles against Madison’s Drew Smith in the285-pound final at the 6A North region tourna-ment on Feb. 14 at Centreville High School.
Chantilly’s Brian Kim finished runner-up in the220-pound bracket at the 6A North regionwrestling tournament on Feb. 14.
Centreville’s Love Repeats as 195-Pound Region ChampionWestfield produces three individual wrestling champions.
(182), McLean’s ConorGrammes (152) and MackMcCune (170), and WestPotomac’s Joshua Carter(160).
Battlefield won the teamtitle with a score of 188.5,followed by Osbourn Park(142.5), Robinson (141),Westfield (134.5), McLean(131.5), Chantilly (122),Annandale (120) and
Centreville (116.5). The state meet is sched-uled for Feb. 20-21 at Robinson.
“He stopped the first move I tried to do. Wegot back on our feet, he took a shot and itwas almost just instinct. I just kind of tossedhim right to his back and then squeezed realtight and hoped for the best.”
— Centreville senior Tyler Love
Pho
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Volunteer Opportunities
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED❖ The Sully Senior Center in Centreville
needs a certified personal trainer,preferably with experience working witholder adults.
❖ Meals on Wheels needs drivers inChantilly and McLean. Substitute driversneeded throughout the county.
❖ Korean Meals on Wheels needsKorean-speaking volunteers todeliver meals in Centreville, Annandaleand Falls Church. For these and othervolunteer opportunities, call 703-324-5406,TTY 711 or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/olderadults and click on Volunteer
Solutions.The Northern Virginia Long-Term Care
Ombudsman Program needs volunteeradvocates for residents in assisted living andnursing facilities. Training is provided inMarch. Call 703-324-5861, TTY 711 or [email protected]. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/ltc for me.
Meals on Wheels needs drivers in Chantilly,Clifton, McLean and Falls Church onMonday, Wednesday and Friday. Substitutedrivers needed throughout the county. Forthese and other volunteer opportunities, call703-324-5406, TTY 711 or visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/olderadults and clickon Volunteer Solutions.
Chantilly Connection Sports Editor Jon Roetman
703-752-4031 or [email protected]
Chantilly Connection ❖ February 18-24, 2015 ❖ 9www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
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MARCH3/4/2015.............................................................Wellbeing3/11/2015.................HomeLifeStyle Real Estate Pullout3/18/2015.......................................A+ Camps & Schools3/25/2015.......Spring Fun, Food, Arts & EntertainmentFCPS Spring Break 3/30-4/3
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Reaching Suburban Washington’s Leading Households• Alexandria Gazette Packet• Arlington Connection• Burke Connection• Centre View• Chantilly Connection
• Fairfax Connection• Fairfax Station/Clifton/Lorton Connection• Great Falls Connection• McLean Connection• Mount Vernon Gazette
• Oak Hill/Herndon Connection• Potomac Almanac• Reston Connection• Springfield Connection• Vienna/Oakton Connection
Newspapers & Online703-778-9431
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Award-WinningAward-
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SPECIAL CONNECTIONS CALENDAR
By Marilyn Campbell
The Connection
Fourth grade student Eli West crafted a poemthis month that was modeled after MartinLuther King, Jr.’s famous, “I Have a Dream”speech. As part of February’s month-long
celebration of the history and culture of African-Americans, fourth grade students at Norwood Schoolin Bethesda, Md., wrote and delivered poems remi-niscent of the speech that the fa-mous civil right leader deliveredin 1963. The students also deliv-ered their verses beforeNorwood’s lower school commu-nity.
“I learned more about MartinLuther King, Jr. I learned that hewas a very spiritual man,” saidWest.
“Black History Month is a timeto honor the accomplishments ofthe African-American men andwomen who have made contri-butions to the world in spite ofthe injustice they faced,” saidSandi Hannibal, Director ofMulticultural and Ethical Educa-tion at Norwood School inBethesda, Maryland. “One mightask why it is necessary to high-light these accomplishments in 2015. After all, wehave lived through the Civil Rights Era and the CivilRights Act was passed in 1964. We have a black presi-dent. We have made so much progress. All of this istrue, but in some schools the contributions and ac-complishments of African-Americans are not woveninto the overall curriculum, so it is important thatBlack History Month provides an opportunity to learnabout prominent African-Americans in a very inten-
tional manner.”Some educators are encouraging students to take
time to ponder the history of African-Americans. “It’smore than just the Jim Crow Laws. There’re a wholehost of things that African-Americans have done,”said Lisa Styles, school counselor at Arlington PublicSchool’s Career Center in Arlington.
St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School, in Alexandria,will host a Middle School Student Diversity Confer-ence on Friday, Feb. 20.
“Students at the middle schoolage are trying to learn who theyare. We want to expose kids tothe ideas of identity, inclusivebehavior, and respect, and to letthem know that what they feelmatters,” said KiKi Davis, St.Stephen’s & St. Agnes School di-rector of multicultural education,diversity, and equity initiatives.“We want to give them tools tobecome leaders in their ownschools, and it starts with beingable to talk about diversity andsocial justice issues at their de-velopmental level. What it lookslike to them, in their lives, at thisage.”
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Schoolin Potomac, Md., hosted a re-gional diversity conference ear-
lier this month called “Diversity in the DMV” Con-ference. More than 200 representatives from inde-pendent schools in the District of Columbia, Mary-land and Virginia explored some of the tools neededfor cross-cultural understanding.
Among the observances in Fairfax County Virginia,George Mason University Potomac Arts Academy andGeorge Mason University School of Music will presenta Black History Month celebration concert on Satur-day, Feb. 21, called, “The Dream Lives On.”
The Mason Wind Symphony and Vocal Studies Stu-dents, Mason Spiritual Ensemble will join localchurch choirs and elementary school choirs in a per-formance of gospel, spirituals, jazz and original com-positions. The concert is designed to honor the legacyof Martin Luther King, Jr. and other African-Ameri-can leaders.
Local students learn about the history andaccomplishments of African-Americans.
Black History Month Celebrations
Black History MonthCelebration Concert
Saturday, Feb. 21, 11a.m. at the GMU Center for the Arts,Fairfax. $5 for children, students and seniors; $10 for adults.For tickets, call 888-945-2468 or visit http://cfa.gmu.edu/calendar/1830/. For program questions, call 703-993-9889
“Black History Monthis a time to honor theaccomplishments ofthe African-Americanmen and women whohave madecontributions to theworld in spite of theinjustice they faced.”
— Sandi Hannibal, Director ofMulticultural and Ethical
10 ❖ Chantilly Connection ❖ February 18-24, 2015 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
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PRIVATE SWORD
COLLECTION FOR SALEAntique swords from the United
States and United Kingdom. Call 703-371-1765
26 Antiques 26 Antiques21 Announcements
ABC LICENSEPojangmacha, Inc trading as Sikgaek Pocha, 13860 Brad-dock Rd, Ste A, Centreville, VA 20121. The above estab-lishment is applying to the VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL for a Wine and Beer/Mixed Beverage Restau-rant on Premises license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages. Yun Sik Kung, President
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Chantilly Connection ❖ February 18-24, 2015 ❖ 11www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
News
Team Robowiz withits trophies: Backrow, from left, areAbhishek Mishra,Shomik Ghose,Adarsh Kulkarni,Jami Park and JosalPatel; and, frontrow, from left, areSaarthak Sethi,Cedric Bernard,Radhika Agrawaland Anushka Jain.(Not pictured;Robinson sopho-more Sid Bhatnagarof Fairfax).
Photo by
Bonnie Hobbs
The Connection
Pursuing Two State ChampionshipsFrom Page 3
places, is worth 30 points. One of just twogirls on the team, she said, “We all pitch inequally and work well together. We play offeach other’s strengths and have growncloser since the team began.”
The other girl, Frost Middle eighth-graderAnushka Jain of Fair Oaks, said she was ini-tially shy when she joined the team, but“they let me fit in on the first day. It’s fun totackle the challenges together and designthe parts of the robot, like the chassis.”
“We do CAD, computer-aided design, tomake sure it’ll work before wasting time andenergy to build it,” added Agrawal. “Istarted robotics in fifth grade and it sparkeda passion in me.
I like seeing how things come togetherand work. You start with a box of metalparts and build something that moves andcan be programmed to do various things.And with FIRST, you get to network andtalk with other people at the tournamentsand get a real-world experience.”
TJ sophomore Abhishek Mishra of LittleRocky Run said the team worked to makeits robot more reliable and move easier. “Ithink we’ll do well at States because wehave a strong robot, nice community out-reach and a well-made engineering note-book,” he said. “We’re well-rounded, whichis what the judges look for.”
Classmate Shomik Ghose of Fair Lakes
said robotics doesn’t require hand-eye co-ordination. “It’s more of a mental sport, andI enjoy learning cool things with people Ilike,” he said. “We have fun as a team andmesh well together. And we used GoPro andcell-phone cameras to see what was goingwrong with our robot and how to fix it.”
Another classmate, Josal Patel of Fairfax,scouts the other teams to learn about theirskills and determine whether they’d makegood alliances for Robowiz during a com-petition — and also in case they becomeopponents. “I watch every match in the tour-naments, analyze the teams and write downwhat they’re good at and what they strugglewith,” he said. “So I’m able to pick the bestteams that could help us win the mostpoints.”
TJ freshman Saarthak Sethi of Chantillysaid all the Robowiz teammates love work-ing on the robot, so it’s tough breaking upthe tasks. But it works out because “all ofus are good friends who come together towork for the same purpose that we’re pas-sionate about.”
“USFIRST has provided these future tech-nologists a superb platform to learn the sci-entific and engineering process,” addedCoach Ghose. “When one sees all the young,determined and hardworking participantsat the tournaments, it provides ample as-surance that the future of our country is inextremely capable hands.”
Email announcements to [email protected]. Include date, time, location, de-scription and contact for event: phone, email and/or website. Photos and artwork welcome. Deadlineis Thursday at noon, at least two weeks before event.
CHANTILLY HIGH SCHOOLNew Information System. Chantilly High
School is part of a pilot program for a newstudent information system. Beginning inFebruary, Chantilly High School will pilotStudent Information System Parent Accountsthat will allow parents to access studentinformation. After Feb. 23, each registeredparent/guardian will receive in the mail a letterwith registration and account activationinformation. This account is separate from theBlackboard Parent View accounts. ake sure youremail address is accurate and current in theschool’s information system. Check thisinformation by logging in to WeCare at:
www.fcps.edu/news/wecare.shtml.
MULCH SALESWestfield High School. Mulch delivery is
scheduled for April 10-11. Order early toguarantee driveway delivery. Delivery limited tothe WHS boundary area only. Visit http://ptsa.westfieldhs.org/parents/mulch-order-form.html to order online.
THURSDAY/FEB. 19Republican Club Meeting. 7 p.m. at Sully
Government Center, 4900 Stonecroft Blvd.,Chantilly. Liberty Republican Women’s Clubmeeting with Supervisor Pat Herrity andSupervisor Michael R. Frey as guests. This willbe a panel discussion with Q&A regardinghappenings in Sully District and Fairfax County.Bring questions. Social hour at 6 p.m. Call 703-378-4190 for more.
Bulletin Board
EmploymentEmployment
Administrative Assistant position immediately available for SAG
Corporation, conveniently located in Annandale, Va. The position offers a
competitive salary, ample free parking and flexible hours (20 to 25 hours a week).
The position involves clerical work, book-keeping, and office management, as well as greeting customers and answering the
phones. U.S. citizenship is required. Good communication, organizational and office
skills are essential. Familiarity with QuickBooks, website maintenance,
government contracts, accounting and human resources is preferred, but not
required.
Please send resume and cover letter to [email protected]
Or to: Ms. Kathleen Bova, SAG Corporation, 4115 Annandale Rd, Suite
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Editorial Assistant/Assistant EditorFull-time assistant editor to help with allaspects of producing award-winning weeklynewspapers, including daily web and socialmedia updates.Must be a prolific, efficient, accuratewriter/rewriter with good basic knowledgeof AP style and clean copy. Self-starter withexcellent time management skills who can towork independently and collaboratively withstrong organizational skills, high productivity,attention to detail. Exciting opportunity tolearn from excellent editors.Essential Responsibilities:Generating local content daily for print andonline, including calendar & entertainmentlistings, news briefs, crime reports, businessbriefs, school and education notes, faith notes,photo galleries, etc.Monitor never-ending email, prioritize,download, edit, compile, post.Community engagement, communicationwith readers and sources. Continuouslyseeking new sources of local information.Copy editing, fact checking, familiarity withAP Style.Design and paginate weekly entertainment,calendar and notes pages for multiple papers.Update websites daily, post to social media.Stay on top of local breaking news, work witheditor and reporters to update.Help transition to digital first workflow.Salary approximately $30K, health insurance,paid vacation. Office is 2 blocks from KingStreet Metro station. Free parking.Send letter, resume, three clips or examples ofwork to [email protected]
Educational InternshipsUnusual opportunity to learn many aspects ofthe newspaper business. Internships available inreporting, photography, research, graphics.Opportunities for students, and for adults consid-ering change of career. Unpaid. [email protected]
I’m not a night owl. More of an earlybird, worms notwithstanding. But giventhe contents of last week’s column,“Scantsy,” I find it difficult to write aboutanything else while waiting for the resultsof my CT Scan. I mean, nothing mattersmore than these results in determiningmy next course of treatment/quality oflife/life expectancy, so to pretend other-wise is a bit naive; and expecting a soundsleep is equally challenging, so here I am,2:04 A.M., early Sunday morning,February 15th.
I can take it, really. I can function. Youcouldn’t tell by looking at me or talking tome to know that I think my life may hangin the balance. After nearly six years ofscanning and waiting, I’ve found mylevel. I’m not morose or depressed or pre-occupied, but I am something. Stuck in akind of neutral, sort of. And though I amstill positive about this negative, to say Ican joke about it/be dismissive about it,or be unaffected by the potentially hugelycomplicated result as yet unknown,would be a bit presumptuous on my partand define “naive” in an entirely newway.
Certainly I understand that cancer is adisease and not necessarily impacted bymy hopes and prayers; still, I’ve neverwanted to be disrespectful of it. I’ve neverspoken or written arrogantly about anysuccess I’ve had combating this terribledisease any more than I would kick a manwhen he’s down. If, for the time being,cancer is not having its way with me, andI am able to semi go about my regularbusiness – until the next CT Scan threemonths hence that is, then I am one luckyson-of-a-gun and humbled by my amaz-ing good fortune. And until I know theresults – definitely by my next appoint-ment on Friday, February 20th, I amsleeping at night only intermittently andliving my days fatigued by the lack ofsleep accumulating from the previousnights before. I’m not complaining. I’mjust saying why it’s 2:34 A.M. and I’m sit-ting on the edge of my bed hunched overand scribbling into this notebook.
The related problem is the speculation;being able to leave well enough alone, ifit is well enough. And therein lies thedilemma. Somewhat surprisingly, myscheduled infusion went in as scheduledthis past Friday. Typically, if there hadbeen a change for the worse, treatmentwould have been delayed until my nextappointment, where the oncologist andteam Lourie would discuss the options.But that didn’t happen. Does that meanthat my scan results were still encouragingand thus there’s no reason to change, orwas it too close to the appointment tobother stopping and restarting again, if infact that was our decision? Maybe?Perhaps? What if? What do I know? Moreimportantly: What does my oncologistknow?
So we wait. I’m not happy about it, butI am used to it. And even my wife, Dina,has gotten used to the delay; my brother,Richard, also. Still, it doesn’t make it anyeasier, as odd as that may sound. Justfamiliar. I wish there were a differentmeans to this madness, but apparently,there isn’t. Cancer rules, and I’m here toplay fair – out of respect.
Kenny Lourie is an Advertising Representative forThe Potomac Almanac & The Connection Newspapers.
By KENNETH B. LOURIE
Real-Time,Really Late
12 ❖ Chantilly Connection ❖ February 18-24, 2015 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
C E N T R E V I L L EThe Anglican Church of the Ascension
TraditionalAnglican Services
1928 Book ofCommon Prayer
1940 Hymnal
13941 Braddock Road, (north off Rte. 29) Centreville, VA703-830-3176 • www.ascension-acc.org
Holy Communion 10 A.M. Sundays(with Church School and Nursery)
COMMUNITIESOF WORSHIP
To highlight your faith community,
call Karen at 703-917-6468
Email announcements to [email protected]. Include date,time, location, description and contact forevent: phone, email and/or website. Pho-tos and artwork welcome. Deadline isThursday at noon, at least two weeks be-fore event.
ONGOINGThe Airbus IMAX Theater at
National Air and SpaceMuseum Udvar-Hazy Center,14390 Air & Space Museum Parkway,is showing movies including“Interstellar”, “D-Day: Normandy1944”, “Hubble,” “Fighter Pilot” and“Hidden Universe”. Visitairandspace.si.edu/udvarhazy or call703-572-4118 for the movie scheduleor to schedule an IMAX On Demandshow for groups of 50 or more.
Jamie Netschert, Featured Artistof the Month Exhibit. ThroughSaturday, Feb. 28; Monday-Saturday,10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sundays, 10 a.m.-8p.m. at Clifton Wine Shop, 7145Main St, Clifton. The Art Guild ofClifton presents a local wildlifephotographer. Following a life-longpassionate journey, he cares for thenatural world through veterinarymedicine and photography. Seewww.artguildofclifton.org orwww.thecliftonwineshop.com.
Sully Historic Site. 3650 HistoricSully Way, Chantilly. Enjoy guidedtours of the 1794 home of NorthernVirginia’s first Congressman, RichardBland Lee. $7/adult; $6/student; $5/senior and child. Hours are 11 a.m.-4p.m. 703-437-1794.
Singing. 7:30 p.m. at Lord of LifeLutheran Church, 13421 Twin LakesDrive, Clifton. The Fairfax Jubil-Airesrehearse every Wednesday whichincludes training by an award-
winning director. Visitwww.fairfaxjubilaires.org for more.
CAMPS, CLASSES & WORKSHOPS2015 Summer Programs.
Registration is now open for FairfaxCounty Public Schools summercamps. Students should register forprograms based on the grade theyare in during the current 2014-15school year. Visit www.fcps.edu/is/summer/index.shtml for more.
PET ADOPTIONSAdopt a Dog. Fridays, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
and Saturdays, 1-4 p.m. at PetSmart,12971 Fair Lakes Center, Fairfax.Adopt a puppy or dog. Visitwww.lostdogrescue.org for more.
Adopt a Dog. Saturdays, 12-3 p.m. atPetco, 13053 Lee Jackson Highway.Visit hart90.org for more.
Adopt a Dog. Sundays, 1-4 p.m. atPetco, 13053 Lee Jackson MemorialHwy. Adopt a puppy or dog.Visitaforeverhome.org for more.
FRIDAY/FEB. 20“Hoodie-Hoo Day.” Noon, at the
Main Street Pub, 7140 Main Street,Clifton. The ever-popular NorthernHemisphere “Hoodie-Hoo Day.” Atnoon, everyone yells “Hoodie-Hoo” tochase away winter and usher inSpring.
SATURDAY/FEB. 21Boxwood and Flowering Shrubs.
10 a.m. at Merrifield Garden Center,12101 Lee Highway, Fairfax.Discover the many new and differentvarieties of boxwood and discussflowering shrubs to complement yourboxwood. Visit
www.merrifieldgardencenter.com orcall 703-968-9600.
Live Raptor Show, 2-3 p.m. at CliftonTown Hall,12641 Chapel Road,Clifton. Learn the difference betweena raptor and a passerine and get upclose and personal with some of thefastest birds on earth. Join KentKnowles and his feathered friends.Kids of all ages will enjoy this specialpresentation and introduction tobirds around Clifton. The RaptorConservancy of Virginia is anaccredited 501(c)(3) focusing onrehabilitation of injured birds. Visitwww.cliftonva.org.
SUNDAY/FEB. 22Hands On Modeling Day. 1-4 p.m. at
at Fairfax Station Railroad Museum,11200 Fairfax Station Road, FairfaxStation. Learn how to paint anddisplay model trains and scenery foryour displays. Museum members,free; adults 16 and over, $4; children5-15, $2; under 4, free. Visitwww.fairfax-station.org or call 703-425-9225.
Mariachi Estrellas: Musical Tourof Mexico. 2-4 p.m at the ChantillyRegional Library, 4000 StringfellowRoad, Chantilly. Tour Mexico withMariachi music and dancers.Children and adults clap, sing anddance along with this educationalshow highlighting Mexico’s regionaldifferences. Register at https://va.evanced.info/fairfaxcounty/lib/eventsignup.asp or call 703-502-3883.
FRIDAY/FEB. 27-MARCH 12015 Capital Remodel and Garden
Show. Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-9p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at theDulles Expo Center, 4320 Chantilly
Shopping Center, Chantilly. Morethan 375 companies will be on handto showcase the latest products andservices in remodeling, homeimprovement, gardening,landscaping and home décor. Specialguests include Jeff Devlin, host ofHGTV’s I Hate My Bath and DIY’sGood, Better …Best; Chris Lambton,host of DIY’s Yard Crashers andGoing Yard; and Mike McGrath,WTOP’S garden editor. Adults, $6-$10; children 6-12, $3; children 5and younger, free. Visitwww.CapitalRemodelandGarden.com.
SATURDAY/FEB. 28Pruning Made Easy. 10 a.m. at
Merrifield Garden Center, 12101 LeeHighway, Fairfax. Understanding justa few techniques and principles willtake pruning from a confusing choreto an enjoyable pastime. Bundle upand get ready to go outside (weatherpermitting) for a hands-ondemonstration. Visitwww.merrifieldgardencenter.com orcall 703-968-9600.
TUESDAY/MARCH 3National Pancake Day. Participating
local IHOPs celebrate by giving awayone free short stack of pancakes withthe hopes that patrons will make adonation to The Leukemia &Lymphoma Society’s National CapitalArea Chapter in lieu of payment forpancakes. Visit www.ihop.com formore.
SATURDAY/MARCH 7Grass Roots Initiative. 10 a.m. at
Merrifield Garden Center, 12101 LeeHighway, Fairfax. The U.S. NationalArboretum has studied the love affair
that Americans have with theirlawns. Learn their findings about therole of turfgrass in the environmentand see how you can have a beautifullawn and protect the environment atthe same time. Visitwww.merrifieldgardencenter.com orcall 703-968-9600.
SATURDAY/MARCH 14Gardening for Year Round
Interest. 10 a.m. at MerrifieldGarden Center, 12101 Lee Highway,Fairfax. With planning and patience,you can have a beautiful garden in allfour seasons. Peggy will show youhow to combine trees, shrubs,perennials and annuals to make yourlandscape special. Visitwww.merrifieldgardencenter.com orcall 703-968-9600.
Casino Night. 7 p.m., at Temple BethTorah, 4212-C Technology Court,Chantilly. Enjoy a night of craps,blackjack and roulette. Professionalinstructional dealers and raffle prizesprovided. Cash bar and assorteddesserts. Live art auction. Open toadults over 21. $36 per individual;$54 per couple. Call Jennifer Harding703-217-8938 or visitwww.BethTorah.net.
SUNDAY/MARCH 15Model Trains Running. 1-4 p.m., at
Fairfax Station Railroad Museum,11200 Fairfax Station Road, FairfaxStation. Museum members andchildren 4 and under, free; children5-15, $2; adults 16 and over, $4.Visit www.fairfax-station.org or call703-425-9225.
SATURDAY/MARCH 21Perennials in Every Garden. 10
a.m. at Merrifield Garden Center,12101 Lee Highway, Fairfax. There isa perennial that is just right for everygarden. Learn about new varietiesand some time-honored favorites toconsider adding this spring. Visitwww.merrifieldgardencenter.com orcall 703-968-9600.
SATURDAY/MARCH 28Growing Herbs. 10 a.m. at Merrifield
Garden Center, 12101 Lee Highway,Fairfax. Bring out the best in recipeswith home-grown herbs. Learn howto plan, plant and harvest an herbgarden that will look as good as ittastes. Visit www.merrifieldgardencenter.com or call 703-968-9600.
Festival of Colors and Kites. noon-6p.m. at Bull Run Park, 7700 Bull RunDrive, Centreville. Presented byIntenseDMV, thousands of peoplefrom all walks of life are invited tocome together for a day of peacefulcelebration with dancing, liveperformances, a variety of food, kiteflying and color throwing. $5 perperson. Visit intensedmv.com.
Children’s Gardening Workshops.2 p.m. at Merrifield Garden Center,12101 Lee Highway, Fairfax. Theseseminars are ideal for parents andgrandparents who want to introducechildren, ages 6-12, to gardening.Children will work on a gardenproject to invite nature into theirhomes. An adult must be present.Space is limited. Call 703-968-9600or visit merrifieldgardencenter.com.
SATURDAY/APRIL 4Amazing Container Gardens. 10
a.m. at Merrifield Garden Center,12101 Lee Highway, Fairfax.Discover the rewards of gardening incontainers. Learn how to combineplants for intense, striking displays ofcolor and review soil mixtures,planting and care instructions tomake sure plants stay beautifulthroughout the season. Visitwww.merrifieldgardencenter.com orcall 703-968-9600.
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