Great Falls Connection ❖ April 4-10, 2012 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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Great Falls

April 4-10, 2012

Great FallsGoes Egg

HuntingNews, Page 3

Wendy and Jorge Adeler pass outEaster eggs to children at the GreatFalls Village Green, Sunday, April 1.

Possible Future forHistoric Buildings?News, Page 6

Langley Presents‘The Crucible’

News, Page 9

Possible Future forHistoric Buildings?News, Page 6

Langley Presents‘The Crucible’

News, Page 9

WellbeingPage 5

WellbeingPage 5

Great Falls

2 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ April 4-10, 2012 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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NewsGreat Falls Connection Editor Kemal Kurspahic

703-778-9414 or greatfalls@connectionnewspapers.com

Children are unleashed to the Great Falls VillageGreen to hunt for Easter eggs Sunday, April 1 duringthe annual egg hunt.

Great Falls GoesEgg HuntingOptmist Club hosts annualChildren’s Spring Festival andegg hunt.

By Alex McVeigh

The Connection

The Great Falls VillageGreen was littered with7,000 brightly colored

eggs Sunday afternoon. Most ofthe eggs were filled with candy,but 900 of them contained$10,000 worth of gemstonesdonated by Jorge Adeler ofAdeler Jewelers.

“I was hoping for some choco-late, but I got this purple jewel,”said Samantha Bertram, 5. “Mymom said I should enjoy thecandy in the other eggs andmake sure I save the jewel.”

The egg hunt capped an af-ternoon at the annual GreatFalls Children’s Spring Festival,which also featured hayrides,games, moon bounces andother carnival games. Almost700 people attended the event,the proceeds of which went tothe Great Falls Optimist Club fortheir community programs.

Just before 4 p.m. the crowdsmade their way to the VillageGreen and gathered around theborders. Adeler got the childrenfired up, imploring them to starta chant of “We want eggs!”

As the children were un-leashed, it took less than twominutes for all the eggs to dis-appear into children’s bags andbaskets. They didn’t have to gofar to start breaking them open

to check out the contents inside,most just curled up on the grassas soon as it was apparent therewere no more eggs.

“I read recently about howegg hunts around the countryhave been cancelled because ofaggressive parents, so it’s niceto see the kids get a chance tofind eggs themselves,” saidNancy Smith of Great Falls.

For those children whoweren’t able to get eggs duringthe first go-round, they couldmake it to the gazebo in thecenter of the green, whereAdeler and his daughter Wendyhanded eggs out to children.

“I like that it’s a community-type event where they make sureeveryone can get eggs, it’s notabout filling up baskets, it’s aboutgiving every kid a chance to gettheir own eggs,” said StephenClark of Great Falls. “It helps usremember that it’s just about hav-ing a good time, nothing else.”

This is the 28th year Adelerhas been involved with the EggHunt, and he says it’s somethinghe hopes to continue as long ashe can, and that his daughterscan continue after him.

“In Great Falls, children canhave everything they need intheir houses, but it’s still niceto get people together to comeout and have fun,” he said.“Things like this are what de-fines a community.”

Fasten Your SeatbeltsVDOT officials say I-495 Express Lanes will be just that.

Tim Steinhilber, Transurban-Fluor Express Lanes manager, explains the benefits of thenew 495 Express Lanes, on track to open in December 2012. “The 495 Express Laneswill fundamentally change how the region thinks about and uses the Capital Beltway inVirginia,” Steinhilber said.

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Crews observe large steel beams placedover I-495 to support the future ExpressLanes Connection at Jones Branch Drive inTysons Corner. All lanes of the Beltway wereclosed to accommodate the massive lift.

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By Victoria Ross

The Connection

Predictable, safe and reliable is not howmost motorists would describe driving onthe obstacle course known as the CapitalBeltway.

But at a news conference last week, VDOT offi-cials said that’s exactly what’s in store for drivers inthe coming year as several billion dollars’ worth ofNorthern Virginia transportation megaprojects movesforward.

“The mild winter and early spring helped put uson schedule for our projects,” said Steven Titunik,VDOT’s communications director.

Construction of the 14-mile HOT lanes, now for-mally called the 495 Express Lanes, is 90 percent com-plete, and the two new lanes - in each direction fromSpringfield to just past the Dulles Toll Road - are ontrack to open in December 2012, said Tim Steinhilber,Transurban-Fluor’s Express Lanes manager.

“The great news is that construction is ending.Drivers will have faster, more reliable and more pre-dictable trips on the Capital beltway,” Steinhilbersaid.

The 495 Express Lanes will provide much-neededrelief to heavily congested Northern Virginia, accord-ing to VDOT officials. In a Transportation Institute2011 Urban Mobility Report, the Washington, D.C.area had the worst traffic congestion in the UnitedStates, and yearly commutes that are twice as longas the national average.

“The 495 Express Lanes are the first roadway oftheir kind in the region,” said Gregory A. WhirleySr., VDOT Commissioner. “As with anything new,there is a learning curve and we want to make suredrivers and the community are educated andequipped to use the lanes.”

FOR THE FIRST TIME, officials said, motorists willhave choices that can make the ride smoother:carpools with three or more occupants travel free onthe Express Lanes, and cars with fewer riders canpay a toll for a faster trip on the Express Lanes, oruse regular travel lanes. See Express, Page 22

Instead of toll booths that create cattle-chute con-ditions, tolls on the new lanes will be collected solelywith E-Z Pass transponders read by overhead moni

‘Know Before You Go’The HOT Lanes, now formally known as the 495 Express

Lanes, will provide new options for a faster, more predictabletrip on the Capital Beltway in Virginia and help drivers con-trol how and when they get to their destination, according toVDOT officials.

A new website launched last month is the first step in ayear-long education campaign focused on educating the com-munity on how to take advantage of the new travel optionswhen the lanes open in late 2012.

“That’s one of our main messages to motorists: know be-fore you go,” said Steven Titunik, VDOT’s communicationsdirector.

He said the name of the new traffic project has changedfrom HOT Lanes to Express Lanes because all the on-roadsignage will say ‘EXPRESS,’ and officials want customers tobecome familiar with what they will see on the road.

The website includes everything from detailed maps out-lining how each interchange will work to information aboutsafety in the lanes

For more information, visit 495ExpressLanes.com.

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4 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ April 4-10, 2012 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Great Falls Connection ❖ April 4-10, 2012 ❖ 5www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Wellbeing

Surviving Spring Allergies

Cherry blossoms and tulips made an early appearance this spring. Experts say those who are allergic to pol-len can expect an intense and prolonged allergy season.

Local allergistsoffer suggestionsfor coping.

Dr. Heidi Isenberg-Feig, an allergist withJohns Hopkins Com-munity Physicians,says that this year’sspring allergy seasoncould be more severethan usual.

Allergist Dr. SabaSamee, of Alexandria& Clinton AllergyAssociates, advisesallergy sufferers totake a shower afterentering their home towash away pollenfrom skin and hair.

Dr. Jean Glossa, medi-cal director for theFairfax County Com-munity Health CareNetwork, MolinaHealthcare advisesallergy sufferers toconsider wearing amask when mowingthe lawn or gardening.

By Marilyn Campbell

The Connection

The Washington region’s un-seasonably mild winter ledto the early arrival ofspring. While many de-

lighted in the balmy temperatures andblossoming flowers, some who sufferfrom allergies began sneezing earlierthan usual.

“The pollen started coming out earlyand a lot of people were blindsidedby their allergy symptoms,” said aller-gist Dr. Heidi Isenberg-Feig, a Potomacresident and allergist at JohnsHopkins Community Physicians inNorth Bethesda. “The tree pollencount has been high already which isunusual.”

The American Academy of Allergy,Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) esti-mates that 35 million Americans suf-fer from allergies due to pollen andmold. Symptoms include sneezing, astuffy or runny nose and itchy, wa-tery eyes. This allergy season is ex-

pected to lastlonger and bemore intense thanusual. Local aller-gists offer strate-gies for survivingspring allergy sea-son.

“Although thereis no cure for aller-gies, symptomscan be managed,”said Dr. JeanGlossa, medical di-rector for theFairfax County

Community Health Care Network andMolina Healthcare. “It is possible toreduce or eliminate exposure to aller-gens. Minimize walks in wooded ar-eas or gardens and stay indoors asmuch as possible on hot, dry, windydays when pollen counts are highest.Think about wearing a mask whenmowing the lawn or gardening anddon’t hang linens or clothes out todry.”

TIPS TO HELP manage symptoms:❖ Decrease your contact with pol-

len. “The best way to do that is to closethe windows of your car and house,”said Isenberg-Feig. “Even if it is a niceday, the pollen count can still be a littlehigh.” Pollen can drift through openwindows and settle onto carpet andupholstery.

❖ Take showers at the end of the day.“Shower and change clothes as soon as youget home to wash pollen from your hair andskin,” said allergist Saba Samee, M.D. ofAlexandria & Clinton Allergy Associates.“Leave your purse or book bag at the frontdoor. Don’t drop them on the sofa or bedbecause they are all covered in pollen. Thesame goes for shoes.”

❖ Use sunglasses to defend against pol-len. “If you have problems with itchy, wa-tery eyes, wear sunglasses when you’re out-side and avoid being outside on windy daysif you can,” said Samee.

❖ Stay ahead of allergies. “If you aresomeone who suffers from allergies, try totake your medicines before things get toobad,” said Samee. “If you wait until you’re

absolutely miserable the medicines don’twork as well.”

❖ Eat fruits and vegetables judiciously.Many people with seasonal allergies alsosuffer from pollen food allergy syndrome.“Some people experience itching hands ormouth or a scratchy throat if they eat cer-tain raw fruits or vegetables because of thecross-reaction between the pollen and cer-tain fruits and vegetables,” said Isenberg-Feig.

❖ Use air filters to help create a pollen-free home. “Ensure that the filters fit prop-erly and are changed regularly,” saidSamee.

❖ Know the pollen count. “This infor-mation is readily available on the web orthe weather section of the news,” saidIsenberg-Feig. The National Allergy Bureau(NAB) tracks and reports current pollenand mold spore levels. A local pollen countcan be found at http://www.aaaai.org/glo-bal/nab-pollen-counts.aspx

“IF YOU NEED long lasting relief, nasalsprays and allergy shots may be recom-mended,” said Glossa. “However, if symp-toms persist for more than a week or twoand tend to reoccur, make an appointmentto see your doctor. The good news is thatmost allergies are not lifelong conditions.By following your doctor’s advice and tak-ing control of your environment, allergiesshouldn’t keep you from enjoying spring-time.”

“Althoughthere is nocure forallergies,symptomscan bemanaged.”— Dr. Jean Glossa

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6 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ April 4-10, 2012 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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News

The Forestville Schoolhouse has been proposed for a possible Visitor’sCenter by a group of Great Falls community members.

Community members have come up with a possible concept for betterutilization of the Grange.

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See Grange, Page 7

Possible Future for Historic Buildings?Community members come up withconceptual plan for Grange, schoolhouse.

By Alex McVeigh

The Connection

Having historic properties suchas the Grange and theForestville Schoolhouse inGreat Falls has become a bit

of a mixed blessing for the community. Onone hand, the properties represent living his-

tory, both are in the National Register of His-toric Places, and are relics of a different age.

On the other hand, they are under-usedand expensive to rent out for communityuses, and both buildings are in need of thou-sands of dollars worth of maintenance, re-pair and upgrade costs. With that in mind,several Great Falls residents and commu-nity members are trying to come up with a

way to take ownership of the two buildings.

NEITHER BUILDING is compliant withthe Americans with Disabilities Act, whichis required by the Department of Justice,and has been estimated by the Park Author-ity to cost several hundred thousand dol-lars.

“Our conceptual idea will be to lease itfrom the Park Authority,” said MichaelVandergrift, senior vice president at Wash-ington First Bank and president of the GreatFalls Business Professional Association.

“One of the things that we’re talking aboutis creating an organization, creating by-lawsand enter into a lease with the county, andwe can put it to the county that they areresponsible for making the buildings ADAcompliant.”

Vandergrift, along with Jorge Adeler ofAdeler Jewelers, is searching for organiza-tions who are interested in helping makesuch a partnership. Their goal is to turn thebuildings into a self-sustaining venture fi-nancially, run by a nonprofit, that could also

Fairfax Symphony Announces 2012-2013 SeasonThe season will mark the beginning of a new three-year focus inprogramming called ‘Mischief in Music: Wit, Insolence and Insurrection.’

The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra(FSO) and music director Christo-pher Zimmerman announced the

2012-2013 season repertoire, with six Mas-terworks performances at George MasonUniversity’s Center for the Arts in Fairfax.The season will mark the beginning of a newthree-year focus in programming called“Mischief in Music: Wit, Insolence and In-surrection.”

“So often sym-phonic music is re-garded as some-thing abstract andemotionally unspe-cific. Over the nextthree years the or-chestra will playmusic by a variety ofcomposers whosemessage and expressive aims are deliber-ate, be they light-hearted, semi-provoca-tive or completely out of the box. Next sea-son we will feature, for example: JohnAdams’ Chairman Dances (Mao Tse Tungdoing a foxtrot), Beethoven’s SymphonyNo. 2 (check out the light-hearted surprisesin the last movement), Strauss’ TillEulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks (he finally getscaught and strung up for his mischief-mak-ing), Ives’ The Unanswered Question, and

Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, the finalmovement of which, in one fell swoop,changed the entire perspective of how com-posers would or could round off their com-positions in expressive, emotional terms,”Zimmerman said.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS of the season are anall-Beethoven concert featuring the violin con-

certo, an all-Straussconcert contrastingthe music of Johannand Richard Strauss,and a celebration ofthe anniversaryyears of bothGuiseppe Verdi andRichard Wagner,with an evening ofopera arias and

overtures to end the season. The FSO is alsoplanning two Virginia premieres, a co-com-missioned piece to begin the season, EllenTaaffe Zwilich’s “Shadows” for piano and or-chestra, and Jonathon Leshnoff ’s Flute Con-certo. Special guest artists throughout theseason will include Jeffrey Biegel, piano,James Dick, piano, Christina Jennings, flute,and Benjamin Beilman, violin. As in the past,the symphony will offer free pre-concert lec-tures by noted musicologists beginning at 7

p.m. before each concert. The FSO will alsohold master classes with its world-re-nowned guest artists, along with open dressrehearsals for students and patrons.

The FSO will continue its commitment tothe students of Fairfax County by offeringits Student Passport Club. Concert ticketsfor all students ages 6-18 are always $5,and members of the club receive a stamp intheir passports for attending, gifts from lo-cal music stores, and special program noteswith an activity sheet to accompany eachconcert.

FOR SUBSCRIBERS, the FSO offers acompletely flexible custom series of three,four, five or all six concerts. Subscribers cancreate their own packages and save between5 and 25 percent off single ticket prices. Sea-son and subscription information is avail-able on the FSO website,www.fairfaxsymphony.org, or by calling703-563-1990. Single tickets will go on saleon Aug. 1, 2012 through the FSO’s websiteor by calling 888-945-2468.

Subscriptions are available now by call-ing 703-563-1990 or on the web atwww.fairfaxsymphony.org. Single tickets forthe 2012 - 2013 season are priced from $25- $55 and will go on sale Aug. 1 throughthe symphony’s website or 888-945-2468.

“So often symphonic musicis regarded as somethingabstract and emotionallyunspecific.”

— Christopher Zimmerman

To honor Mom on Mother’s Day, sendus your favorite snapshots of you with yourMom and The Connection will publish themin our Mother’s Day issue. Be sure to includesome information about what’s going on inthe photo, plus your name and phone num-ber and town of residence. To e-mail digitalphotos, send to:

greatfalls@connectionnewspapers.comOr to mail photo prints, send to:

The Great Falls Connection,“Me and My Mom Photo Gallery,”

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

“Me and My Mom”

Great Falls Connection ❖ April 4-10, 2012 ❖ 7www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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From Page 6

GrangeRevisited

offer space and facilities to thecommunity at an affordable cost.

“We know it needs to producerevenue, it needs to sustain,”Vandergrift said. “We know that ittakes approximately $35 to 40,000per year for Fairfax County to op-erate it. It would be the responsi-bility of a board to make sure we’regenerating revenue.”

Ideas for revenue include hold-ing weekly Bingo Nights (whichcannot be done at the new GreatFalls Fire Station), raffles, galas,children’s birthday parties,farmer’s markets and more. Otheroptions mentioned would be mak-ing the schoolhouse into a sort ofVisitor’s Center for the community.

“This is only going to work if itis a fair representation of all thecommunity interests,” Adeler said.“If it’s just a narrow group ofpeople, it’s never going to work.The county won’t like it, the com-munity at large won’t like it.”

“When this concept went out, Igot a lot of feedback from peoplein the community that I had nevermet who were excited about thisopportunity,” Vandergrift said. “Ifwe want to raise $150,000 a year,the buildings would have to gen-erate $411 a day. Of that, we’rethinking of three rooms, the topfloor of the Grange, bottom floorof the Grange and the school-house, each one would have togenerate about $137 per day,$5.71 per hour for an eight hourday.”

Glen Sjoblom of the Great FallsCitizens Association and GreatFalls Historical Society said theGFCA has also been looking at asolution to this issue.

“The citizens association hasbeen concerned about this issuefor a long time, and it finally cameinto focus as part of our long rangeplanning efforts,” he said. “Thishas been tried before, but weknow it was tried when the ParkAuthority had just put into placeits lease program. Since they haveput it in 10 years ago, the leaseprogram has not worked, it hasn’tgenerated the revenue or the use.”

OTHER COMMUNITY MEM-BERS say they would like to havea place that can be considered the“go to” spot in Great Falls.

“The Grange used to be the cen-ter of the town, if something washappening, you’d go by theGrange,” said Laura Nichols ofGreat Falls. “The part I like aboutthis plan is having the organiza-tions serve on the same board aseach other, to have all these peoplecoordinating together and alwaysknow when something is happen-ing, go to the Grange.”

8 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ April 4-10, 2012 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Opinion

Please Share Call for Mother’s DayPhotos, and Father’s Day.

Share Your Poetry:April Is Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month. We invite localpoets of all ages to send in submissions for in-clusion in our papers and/or online. Are you a

poet? The Connection will print poetry submitted by read-ers this spring, and occasionally throughout the year. Emailyour poem to greatfalls@connectionnewspapers.com

Be sure to include the poet’s name and address (we’llprint your town name, not your full address). Photos ofthe poet are also welcomed.

Every year at this time, the Con-nection puts out the call forphotographs of moms and theirchildren, grandmothers and

their children and grandchildren. Mostyears, we’re lucky enough to receive somephotos include four generations — great-grandma and all the rest.

Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 13, andonce again the Connection will publish aselection of Mother’s Day photos, cel-ebrating the mothers who make so manythings possible in families, businesses,communities, schools and other institu-tions in local neighborhoods.

Email photos, including the fullnames of the people in the picture, theapproximate date and location the pic-ture was taken, the ages of the chil-dren and sentence or two about thepeople and/or event.

Father’s Day is June 17; soon it willbe time to send photos of Dads andchildren, grandfathers and childrenand grandchildren.

You can upload your photos on ourwebsite atwww.connectionnewspapers.com/mothersday or email them togreatfalls@connectionnewspapers.com

Letters to the Editor

County AttractsNew ResidentsTo the Editor:

When the Census Bureau re-leased their American CommunitySurvey of County-to-County Mi-gration last week, I was happy tohear that Fairfax County was thenumber one destination for peoplemoving to the Washington Metro-politan region. The migration sta-tistics help demonstrate whatmany Fairfax residents alreadyknow: Fairfax County is a greatplace to live, work, play, and growolder comfortably.

Fairfax County is home to oneof the best K-12 school systems inthe country. We are also one of thesafest jurisdictions of our size inthe United States. Many top com-panies that have relocated herecite our top-flight education sys-tem as the number one reason forchoosing Fairfax County as theirnew home. We are also a uniquelygreat place to start a business, aplace where we can insure a stablebusiness-friendly climate and ac-cess to a highly educatedworkforce.

Fairfax County offers an impres-sive menu of recreational oppor-tunities, with attractive parks, golfcourses, and bike trails to choosefrom. We also can claim a well-es-tablished arts community, worldclass shopping and dining, andnumerous historical and culturalattractions.

It’s important to recognize thatFairfax County is attractive to newresidents because of our diversity.We are home to people of manydifferent backgrounds and cul-tures and consider our diversityone of our greatest assets.

Apart from all of the statistics,facts, and figures, I believe thereis another more intangible reasonthat Fairfax County tops the region

in new residents. Everywhere I goacross the County, I continue tohear that people enjoy the “mood”here in Fairfax County. We are acommunity that is innovative, cu-rious, resilient, and caring. Evenduring tough economic times wehave worked together in a positiveway to maintain the quality of lifethat our community values.

Sharon BulovaChairman, Fairfax County

Board of Supervisors

It TakesCommunity ToPrevent BullyingTo the Editor:

As a private, not-for-profitagency focusing on bullying pre-vention and intervention in north-ern Virginia since 2009, we atFairfax Partnership for Youth, Inc.are pleased to see your recentpieces focusing on this critical is-sue for youth [“Interrupting Ha-rassment and Bullying: Empower-ing Bystanders to Intervene, Stu-dents to Set Boundaries,” Connec-tion, March 28-April 3, 2012]. Wehave been encouraged by theFairfax County Public SchoolSystem’s efforts to provide a struc-ture within which each individualschool can improve its bullyingprevention and intervention re-sponse, and have been pleased tooffer feedback as they have devel-oped it. However, this issue is notthe concern of the schools alone;youth can be bullied anywherethey interact. And providing safeenvironments for them to interactis a tremendously complex job thatrequires the cooperation and lead-ership of all of the adults in thecommunity, especially parents. Weare hosting our third Bullying Pre-vention Symposium to promote

this kind of community-wide co-operation on April 25, and all 224seats were reserved within 1 weekof the day we opened registration.It’s clear our community is dedi-cated to eliminating bullying, butwe must all contribute to the ef-fort, by learning, sharing whatworks, and supporting the localschools and private organizationsthat are working hard to provideclear solutions that promote re-spect and understanding amongyouth.

Kristen BrennanExecutive Director, FairfaxPartnership for Youth, Inc.

www.fairfaxyouth.org

Opportunity toSucceed

To the Editor:My name is Kyle McCauley and

I’m a senior in high school wholives in McLean. Having just re-ceived my acceptance letter to theCollege of William and Mary, Icould not be more grateful that myparents were able to send me to aprivate school. I have attendedprivate schools since kindergarten;while it has not always been easyfor my family, I really appreciatethe sacrifices that my parents havemade because I believe it gave mean extra advantage in some areasof my education.

For generations, families in com-munities statewide have beenforced to send their children tofailing schools, limiting their op-portunities to succeed. VirginiaSenate Bill 131 seeks to give low-income children the opportunity toattend the school of their choice.S.B. 131 was passed by the Sen-ate thanks to the tie-breaking voteof Lieutenant Governor BillBolling.

This bill provides tax credits to

WriteThe Connection welcomes views

on any public issue.The deadline for all material isnoon Friday. Letters must besigned. Include home address

and home and business numbers.Letters are routinely edited forlibel, grammar, good taste and

factual errors.Send to:

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By e-mail:greatfalls@connectionnewspapers.com

companies that grant scholarshipsto low-income children and it willallow parents to have more op-tions for their children’s education.Too many institutions fail to notonly adequately prepare their stu-dents for the work force, but alsofail to motivate them to exploreevery opportunity to succeed. Thisincludes helping them find schol-arships and determine their per-sonal path to achievement. Lieu-tenant Governor Bill Bolling’s tiebreaking vote is all about givingour state’s less-advantaged chil-dren a competitive stake in attend-ing the many public and privateVirginia universities that areamong the best in the nation.

Again, I want to take this oppor-tunity to thank Lieutenant Gover-nor Bill Bolling for his advocacyfor low-income Virginia families.I consider myself very fortunate tohave had the opportunity to attendthe school of my choice and I hopethat all children in Virginia areafforded with this same invaluableopportunity.

Kyle McCauleyMcLean

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Great Falls

Great Falls Connection ❖ April 4-10, 2012 ❖ 9www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

News

The girls of Salem try to revive Betty Parris, played by Rachel Mayman, during LangleyHigh School’s upcoming production of “The Crucible.”

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Langley Presents ‘The Crucible’Tale of Salem Witch Trialswill be performed blackbox style.

Langley High School seniors LaurenFernandez, as Abigail Williams, argueswith Brian Patterson, as John Proctor,during the school’s production of “TheCrucible.”

By Alex McVeigh

The Connection

When it came time to present theirSpring show, Arthur Miller’s “TheCrucible,“ the Langley Theatre De-partment decided to think a little

inside the box. A black box theater, that is.Student’s will perform the 1952 play, which tells

the story of the Salem Witch Trials, with the audi-ence in seats onstage with them, giving the play amuch more intimate feel.

“We’ve never done a black box before, so this isdefinitely an experiment,” said senior AlexLichtenstein. “I think it works for this kind of play, alot of the outbursts will get a reaction, and the audi-ence should get a sense that they’re in the sameroom.”

The show will be Langley’s Cappies show, whichmeans it will be viewed by critics from other areahigh schools for the annual theatre competition.

“It’s been an exciting experience,” said senior KevinNejad, who plays Thomas Putnam. “There’s a lot ofemphasis on things like facial expressions, becausepeople will be able to see that more clearly, ratherthan just projecting your speech.”

Senior Jack Sullivan, who plays Giles Corey, sayshe’s never experienced anything like it as an actor.

“I’ve never had my back to the audience before,”he said.

The play tells the tale of the hysteria that grippeda small Massachusetts town in the late 17th centurywhich led to many executions by a Puritanical soci-ety fearing infiltration by the devil.

“It’s a classic play, and I like the idea of everyonefeeling as though they’re being deceived, that youdon’t know what the truth is,” said senior Justin Cecil,who plays Judge Hathorne.

After a questionable ritual leads to girls in the town

falling ill, residents both male and female fall undersuspicion of being involved in witchcraft.

Senior Taylor Goodson, who plays Elizabeth Proc-tor, said the play was a change of pace for her.

“Comedy is my forte, so I wanted to dive into some-thing different, because change is good,” she said.“It’s different because comedy uses a lot of facialexpressions to get the point across, but here more isless. It really opened my eyes to the dramatic side,where my character is very subtle, she’s quiet andnever comes out and says what she is feeling.”

Saxons OnstageThe Langley Theatre Depart-

ment will perform Arthur Miller’s“The Crucible” April 19, 20 and 21at 7:30 p.m. All shows will takeplace in the Langley Auditorium.

Seating is limited because theshow will be performed in a blackbox theater style. Tickets can bepurchased at www.saxonstage.com.

10 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ April 4-10, 2012 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Above and BeyondFirefighters honoredfor heroism in GreatFalls.

News

By Jeanne Theismann

and Alex McVeigh

The Connection

The water was swiftly rising as alone woman was frantically cry-ing for help from the roof of hercar during the deadly flash

flooding that devastated Great Falls on Sept.8, 2011. By the time first responders fromFire Station 39 arrived on the scene, thevehicle had been swept 150 feet into thewoods by the force of water and was nowwedged against a tree.

With no rope or shoreline support,Firefighter Cory Parry and Technicians Tho-mas Barnes and Rolando Contreras madethe decision to walk through the surgingwaist deep waters to reach the vehicle andbring the woman to safety.

Nearby, a man was sitting in his car asrapidly rising flood waters flowed aroundhim, causing his vehicle to shift perilouslyclose to the edge of the road and steep cliffbeyond. Fire Station 39 first responders

again took action as Lt. Erick Weinzapfel,Master Technician Reginald Wadley andTechnician Michael Frames entered thewater, pulled the victim to safety throughthe vehicle’s sunroof and placed him in abasket from Tower Ladder 401 just as largesections of asphalt began breaking up.

For their acts of heroism in Great Fallsthat day, the men were honored March 21with Bronze Medals of Valor at the FairfaxCounty Chamber of Commerce ValorAwards. Also honored for their rescue ef-forts in the two incidents were TechnicianMichael Eddye, Firefighter Namaste Bosse,Firefighter Brandon Winfield, Capt. WayneWentzel and Technician Peter Kehne, whoeach received Lifesaving Awards.

At the event at the Hilton McLean TysonsCorner, the Chamber recognized 108 of thecounty’s first responders at the 34th AnnualValor Awards. Members of the FairfaxCounty Police Department, Sheriff’s Office,Fire and Rescue Department, as well as fromthe Towns of Herndon and Vienna, weregiven awards.

Thirty-five responders were given Bronzeor Silver Medals of Valor, and their childrenwill receive post-secondary education schol-arships from the Valor Scholarship Fund, a501(c)3 foundation. To date, more than$250,000 in scholarships has been awarded.

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Firefighter Brandon Winfield, Technician Michael Frames, FirefighterNamaste Bosse, Technician Rolando Contreras, Master TechnicianReginald Wadley and Lt. Erick Weinzapfel were honored March 21 at theFairfax County Valor Awards for their acts of heroism in Great Fallsduring the flash flooding of Sept. 8, 2011.

The flash flooding of Sept. 8, a result of 6to 10 inches of rain that deluged the area,brought numerous calls for water-relatedrescues and 18 Fairfax County Fire and Res-cue personnel were honored for their ef-forts that day. The firefighters saved doz-ens of lives by rescuing people who weretrapped by rising water, in danger of wash-ing downstream or were otherwise trappedby the severe weather conditions.

The Chamber also awarded 48 lifesavingawards and 25 certificates of valor duringthe ceremony.

“We have heard some remarkable ac-counts of heroism today,” said DougBrammer, chair of the Valor ScholarshipFund. “Having done this for a number ofyears, it just reinforces that when things areat their worst, our first responders are attheir best.”

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Great Falls Connection ❖ April 4-10, 2012 ❖ 11www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

To have community events listed in theConnection, send tovienna@connectionnewspapers.com.Deadline is Friday.

SATURDAY/APRIL 7Fairfax County Women in the

NAACP Meeting. 11 a.m. Suite D,5818 Seminary Road, Falls Church.Help implement a National VoterRegistration Drive. Voter registrationdates and training will be provided.703-470-2137 orwww.fairfaxvawin.com.

MONDAY/APRIL 9Great Falls Historical Society. 1-5

p.m. Great Falls Library MeetingRoom, 9830 Georgetown Pike, GreatFalls. Meeting Mondays throughApril. www.gfhs.org.

Technology Class for BabyBoomers and Beyond. 1:40 p.m.Vienna Community Center, 120Cherry St. S.E., Vienna. Mondaysthrough April 30. The class consistsof a formal presentation for one hourfollowed by an additional hour aftereach class for personalized questionsabout your equipment. $40 for Townof Vienna residents, $50 for out-of-town participants. 703-255-6360 andreference class number 441241 A1 orregister at www.viennava.gov.

TUESDAY/APRIL 10Great Falls Citizens Association

Townhall Community Forum.7:30 p.m. Great Falls Grange, 9918Georgetown Pike, Great Falls. Del.Barbara Comstock will discuss localissues as well as the recent legislativesession in Richmond. Refreshmentsand one on one discussions. Free andopen to the public.bcanis@yahoo.com.

Dog Obedience Classes. ViennaCommunity Center, 120 Cherry St.S.E., Vienna. Two seven-weekcourses, covering the basiccommands of sit, down, recall, downstay and loose-lead walking plus howto deal with jumping, mouthing andbiting, and pulling. All training isdone using a positive motivationalapproach. $80 residents, $100 out-of-town participants. Register at 703-255-6360 or www.viennava.gov.

❖Level 1, for puppies12 weeks-sixmonths of age. 6 p.m.

❖Level 2, for dogs over six months ofage with little or no previoustraining. 7 p.m.

Tysons Corner Kiwanis ClubMeeting. 7:30 p.m. at George C.Marshall High School, Room 124,7731 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church.Meeting is public and Individualslooking to volunteer in theircommunity welcome. Meetings thesecond and fourth Tuesday of themonth.www.tysonscornerkiwanis.org.

Oakton High School Dance TeamPre-tryout Clinic. 4 p.m. OaktonHigh School, 2900 Sutton Road,Vienna. alphajane@aol.com.

Fairfax County presentsCaregiving 101. 8:30 a.m.Unitarian Universalist Congregationof Fairfax, 2709 Hunter Mill Road,Oakton. Free. Register at 703-324-5205, TTY 711,www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs/olderadultservices orcaregiver@fairfaxcounty.gov.

WEDNESDAY/APRIL 11Advisory Committee for Students

with Disabilities MonthlyMeeting. 6:45 p.m. GatehouseAdministrative Center, 8115Gatehouse Road, Falls Church. 703-204-3941 TDY 711 or www.fcps.edu/dss/ACSD.

Virginia Chronic Pain SupportGroup Meeting. 1:30 p.m. atKaplan Center for IntegrativeMedicine, 6829 Elm St., Suite 300,McLean. Group leader, Jodi Brayton,LCSW. 703-532-4892.

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12 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ April 4-10, 2012 Great Falls Connection ❖ April 4-10, 2012 ❖ 13www.ConnectionNewspapers.com www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

County Aims to Prevent Substance Use and AbuseAlcohol use down,painkiller and inhalantuse on the rise.

Percentage of students reporting use of selected substances in the pastmonth, according to the 2010 Fairfax County Youth Survey.

Past month prevalence of alcohol use, by selected demographic character-istics, according to the 2010 Fairfax County Youth Survey.

By Alex McVeigh

The Connection

Third in a three part series.

Twenty-one questions in the 2010Fairfax County Youth Surveydealt with substance abuse. Thesurvey asked about lifetime use

of alcohol, marijuana and cigarettes, as wellas use in the past month of 13 different sub-stances.

According to the survey, the most fre-quently used substance by Fairfax Countystudents is alcohol, with 45.5 percent say-ing they had consumed it in their life, 21.1percent reporting use in the past 30 daysand 10.5 reported drinking five or moredrinks in one sitting. While all those num-bers are below the national averages, sev-eral community groups are at work tryingto get them even lower.

“Quite simply, alcohol is a danger to theirfuture,” said Diane Eckert, executive direc-tor of the Unified Prevention Coalition ofFairfax County, which recently received a$200,00 state grant to reduce underagedrinking. “Once you start drinking at ayoung age, you’re priming yourself to be-come dependant as you grow older, whichof course we don’t want.”

Lifetime alcohol use in the county hasdecreased since the 2001 Fairfax CountyYouth Survey by 13.8 percent across allgrades.

Access is a key part of the prevention mecha-nism, since students are under the age of 21and cannot purchase it themselves. Many com-munity groups reach out to places where al-cohol is sold to increase awareness of the con-sequences of providing alcohol to minors.

“We participated in Operation StickerShock, which marks beer and wine at gro-cery stores with “Stop” signs to discourageshoppers from purchasing them for under-age children,” said Debbie Witchey, presi-

dent of the Safe Community Coalition, whichserved the Langley and McLean High Schoolpyramids. “We also held a program wherefifth and sixth graders wrote notes to jun-iors and seniors attending prom, remindingthem that they are role models and askingthem to make responsible decisions, espe-cially when it comes to drugs and alcohol.”

Prescription drugs, particularly opioidpainkillers, are a concern for the commu-nity since they canbe readily availablein students’ homes.Painkiller use hasrisen from 4.9 per-cent reporting usewithin 30 days inthe 2009 survey to5.7 percent in2010. Non-pain-killer prescriptiondrug use has alsorisen from 3.9 percent within the last 30 daysin 2009 to 4.1 percent in 2010.

“Prescription drugs abuse wasn’t even onour radar a few years ago, now it is becauseof the youth survey,” Eckert said. “We knowwe have to develop more awareness, be-cause a lot of parents aren’t aware of theeffect an unlocked medicine cabinet canhave on teenagers.”

The rise has led to county-sponsored pre-scriptions drug drop-off events several timesa year, where residents can bring medicinethat is no longer needed to county facilitiesfor proper disposal.

According to the survey, prescription drugs

were the only non-alcohol, tobacco, inhal-ant or marijuana substances used by morethan 1.7 of the students. Other drugs sur-veyed include LSD, ecstasy, cocaine/crack,methamphetamine, heroin and steroids.

Inhalants are another area of concern, par-ticularly because Fairfax County’s usage sta-tistics are higher than the national averagein all grades. Any fumes or gas that is in-haled to get high falls under this category,

which can in-clude householditems such asglues, aerosols,butane and sol-vents.

Inhalants werethe second mostabused substancebehind alcohol ineighth-graders,above marijuana

(which was the second most abused sub-stance in 10th and 12th grades).

According to the survey 6.9 percent ofeighth graders reported using inhalants inthe past 30 days, while the number droppedto three percent in 10th graders and 1.8percent in 12th graders.

“The survey has shown inhalant use start-ing at a younger age, which means we haveto make sure to check for it at a youngerage,” said Capt. Bruce Ferguson, commanderof the Fairfax County Police Department’sYouth Services Division. “They’re anotherone of those substances that can be foundat home, so it’s more difficult to control ac-

cess, and can be something younger studentstry and experiment with.”

Inhalant use in the past 30 days has goneup and down since 2001, falling as low as2.6 percent in 2008, but is currently at itshighest measured rate. In eighth-graders, ithas gone up by 1.5 percent since 2009.

Marijuana was the second-most used drugby 10th and 12th graders. While 5.3 per-cent of eighth graders reported using it, 19.3percent of 10th graders and 36.7 percent of12th graders reported the affirmative.

Eckert also said the UPC focuses on mari-juana use because “the perception of harmand parental disapproval seems to be goingdown, and that usually leads to usage num-bers going up.”

Coalitions like the Unified Prevention Coa-lition and the Safe Community Coalition areworking on new ways to spread awarenessof the dangers of substance abuse. Dr. BillGeary of the Community Anti-Drug Coali-tions of America recently spoke to schoolofficials, police, parent organization leadersand coalition members about how to ap-proach the problem.

“We use a Strategic Precognition Frame-work that’s based on the Public HealthModel, where we look at the agent as thesubstance that causes the change and the hostas the people who use it,” he said. “The pointat which the host interacts with the agent isa problem, but if that was the only one, we’donly need prevention programs. But we alsohave to look at the environment, and someare easier than others when it comes to al-lowing the host to interact with the agent.”

Geary said that programs, while often apart of a comprehensive prevention strat-egy, coalitions play a more central role inwhat he called “community level change,”which requires looking at the whole picture,the host, agent and environment.

“If the goal is to spread change to impactthe maximum amount of people, then a com-munity level change is most likely with acomprehensive community coalition,” hesaid. “A coalition does not just run programs,but they oversee and implement what roleprograms might have in that strategy. Coa-litions are in a unique position because itmeans no one single agency is in charge ofeverything.”

The County Line

Presenting Realities of Alcohol AbuseThe Unified Prevention Coalition will present “The Perils of College Drinking Culture,” a pro-

gram designed to educate students and parents about the realities of binge drinking on collegecampuses. The presentations will include a screening of the award winning documentary “Haze,”as well as a question and answer session with a panel of law enforcement, medical and legislativepersonnel.

The programs will take place:❖ Tuesday, April 17, Fairfax High School❖ Tuesday, April 24, Herndon High School❖ Wednesday, May 16, Mount Vernon High School❖ Wednesday, May 23 at Northern Virginia Community College Annandale Campus Ernst Com-

munity Cultural CenterAll programs will be from 7 to 9 p.m. More information can be found at

www.unifiedpreventioncoalition.org.

Area high schoolstudents reflect onalcohol, drugs intheir communities.

Viewpoints

The Connection high school interns – Nikki Cheshire (Langley High), Monika Bapna (MarshallHigh) and Mary Grace Oakes (Madeira) – asked area high school students:

❖ Do you feel that legal substances (alcohol, tobacco) are being abused more or less than illegalsubstances (marijuana, painkillers)? Why?

❖ Do you think regular drinking or irregular binge drinking is more prevalent in your community?

DiscussingSubstanceAbuse

Belle Therriault,Grade: 10, Marshall High

“I think legal substances are abused more. This ismostly because it is legal, and easier to get if peoplehave older friends that they can get it from.”

“Irregular binge drinking definitely happens morebecause teenagers don’t have a steady flow of it sowhen they do they tend to drink too much.”

Sophia Therriault,Grade: 12, Marshall High

“It really depends. Prescription drugs aresomething that kids abuse a lot. But it re-ally depends on the age group.”

“Binge drinking, hands down. Teenag-ers usually don’t get a chance to drink veryoften, and when they do they often gooverboard.”

—Monika Bapna

Tracy Soon,Grade: 11, Marshall High

“Legal substances for sure are moreabused. I mean, they are easier to get toand the illegal things probably cost more.”

“I think teens do regular drinking more.As they get older they want more free-dom, so they go to more parties wherealcohol is often free flowing.”

“Prescription drugs abusewasn’t even on our radar afew years ago, now it isbecause of the youth survey”

—Diane Eckert

Makenzie Parent,Grade: 12, The Madeira School

“Alcohol is probably the substance that is most abused be-cause it’s easiest to obtain.”

“I think many kids binge drink. Since parties are really theonly place for kids to drink, they tend to go all-out becausethey feel like they need to cram everything into one night,which is inevitably more dangerous.”

Annie Wattenmaker,Grade: 12, The Madeira School

“I think legal substances are abused more often since they’reeasier to get and aren’t as risky. Although alcohol is illegal toteenagers, it isn’t as big a risk as weed or other illegal drugs.But, because alcohol is so easy to get, kids abuse it and don’trealize how dangerous it can be.”

“I’d say binge drinking is definitely more prevalent. Onweekends, kids get so excited over the opportunity to drinkand don’t know when to stop. It’s a problem when parentsand the law absolutely forbid kids to drink wine at dinner,where the environment is safe. It causes them to feel a sense

of freedom when they’re at a party over the weekend andthey completely abuse the opportunity.”

Kristen Bilowus,Grade: 12, The Madeira School

“I think legal substances are more commonly abused mainlybecause of their accessibility. Cigarettes are easiest to come by,and many kids either have or know someone who has a fake IDto buy alcohol. This leads to a very widespread abuse of alcoholby kids in our area. Illegal drugs are less common, but are entic-ing to kids because of the danger surrounding them. Often, drink-ing and cigarettes lead to abuse of illegal substances. Peer pres-sure at parties combined with intoxication can lead to skewed

decision making and maybe illegal drug use.”“Irregular binge drinking is more prevalent. Kids drink at parties to be social, rather

than by necessity. I wouldn’t say I know anyone that drinks regularly by necessity.”

Miles Laubinger,Grade: 12, Langley High School

“Different things run in different crowds. Alcohol is moreprevalent, but the illegal drugs are more of a problem be-cause people that buy prescription drugs off the street runthe risk of encountering shady people instead of just storeclerks.”

“You run into both regular drinking and binge drinking,depending on the responsibility of the individual. Big team

parties have more binge drinking versus someone who does it responsibly.”

Gabrielle Zuccari,Grade: 11, Langley High School

“Alcohol is probably the most common, but it depends onwhat group you’re in more than anything. It definitely seemslike alcohol and cigarettes are easier to get than, say, mari-juana.”

“There’s a fine line for kids our age between regular andbinge drinking. I do think that casual drinking is more popu-lar, but it depends on the group and the environment.”

Norah Bazarov,Grade: 11, Langley High School

“Illegal drugs are probably used less, because you have toask around for it. Legal drugs are easy to get because they’resold by a lot of people. Also, a lot of families have alcoholaround the house, not marijuana.”

“Regular drinking happens more often, because you canjust sit down with a group of friends. It’s more casual.”

—Nikki Cheshire

Michaela Burton,Grade: 10, Langley High School

“I think it’s probably easier for people to get their handson legal substances, like from convenience stores or even athome. There certainly is a lot of usage of both, but I thinklegal drugs are abused more.”

“Binge drinking, since more people just drink and don’tthink about it. I don’t think teenagers have the self-controlto just have one drink for dinner.”

Jennifer Oler,Grade: 12, McLean High School

“I think that both illegal and legal substances are being usedthe same. Lots of kids at this age drink alcohol and smoke mari-juana.”

“I definitely think it is prevalent in my community.”

—Mary Grace Oakes

14 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ April 4-10, 2012 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Neil Patil, a senior at Langley High Schoolattained the rank of Eagle Scout. BSATroop 55 from Great Falls held a court of

honor to honor Patil’s Eagle Scout rank achievementat the St. Francis Church on March 17. Del. BarbaraJ. Comstock (R-34) was the guest of honor. Del.Comstock presented Neil with a commendation let-ter from the Virginia Commonwealth House of Del-egates along with a State flag that was flown overthe Capitol in Neil’s honor.

Garret Pan, BSA Troop 55 Scout Master, presentedthe Eagle award rank to Patil. Edward Phillips, assis-tant scout master was the Master of the Ceremony.

Langley Senior Receives Eagle Scout Court of HonorSujata Ambardar, Rigg Mohler, Rick Entsminger alongwith additional Troop 55 Adult leaders, boy scoutsand their families attended this event.

Patil’s Eagle Scout service project included installa-tion of a 180-feet long 3-split rail fence on the banks ofPotomac River at Riverbend Park in Great Falls. Thisfence helps to control soil erosion in the Potomac Riverand increase growth of riparian vegetation. This projectalso helps to meet the objectives of Virginia CoastalProgram of the Department of Environmental

Quality by improving the river’s water quality, wild-life habitat, shoreline stability and property valuesfor the local community.

Scouting

From left: Parents Sangita and Raj Patil, Neil Patil and del. Barbara Comstock.

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Palm Sunday ServiceSunday, April 8th 10:00 am

Good Friday ServiceApril 13th 7:00 pm

Candlelight Easter Resurrection ServiceSaturday, April 14th 11:00 pm

For the complete list of Holy Week Services, go towww.greekorthodoxloudoun.org.

The Greek Orthodox Parish of Loudoun County welcomes all peoplesearching for a place to worship the Holy Trinity

according to the practice of the ancient Christian Church.

Day and Evening Servicesheld during Holy Week

Easter Agape ServiceSunday, April 15th 11:00 am

Great Falls Connection ❖ April 4-10, 2012 ❖ 15www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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Prefinished Flooring

Scouting

Boy Scout ReceivesEagle Scout Medal

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Boy Scout Troop 673, a char-ter organization of theGreat Falls United Method-

ist Men, has been developing ex-emplary young men for sixtyyears. Michael George Melendez,son of George and TheresaMelendez of Great Falls, is knownwithin the scouting communitysimply as “Fuz.” A senior in Lan-gley High School, Fuz has beenactive in scouts since joining as aTiger Cub in first grade. He crossedover to Troop 673 in 2005, afterearning his Arrow of Light. Sincejoining the troop, Fuz has served innumerous leadership positions asChaplain Aide, Patrol Leader, Assis-tant Patrol Senior Leader, and Se-nior Patrol Leader. Fuz has attendedeight summer scout camps and theNorthern Tier High Adventure. Hewas elected to the Order of the Ar-row (“Scouting’s National Honor So-ciety”) in 2008. He also earned theJunior Shooting Team award.

For his Eagle Project, Fuz wasresponsible for installing the foun-dation of the Japanese FriendshipGarden at Great Falls ElementarySchool. The initial planning of thegarden began in 2006 after he re-turned from Japan with his Japa-nese Immersion classmates. Fuzand his Japanese teacher, SaharaSensei, met with Ernie Leighty,principal of Great Falls Elementary,

in 2007 and requested that a Japa-nese garden be included on themaster plan for the renovation ofthe school. Coordinating withmultiple specialists and school of-ficials, and with help of over sixtyvolunteers, Fuz completed hisEagle Project the summer of 2010.

Fuz was honored to receive hisEagle Scout medal from hisbrother, Staff Sergeant JustinSmallwood. Smallwood, a 2003graduate of Langley High School,has served his nation during threetours of duty in Iraq and Afghani-stan. Smallwood has been an in-spiration for his brother, earningnumerous medals and commenda-tions during his service, includinga Purple Heart.

Michael Melendez (on theleft) with his brother, StaffSgt. Justin Smallwood.

From left, Richard, Mark, Denise, and Andrew Paulson atthe Eagle Court of Honor ceremony.

Mark Paulson, son of Ri-chard and DenisePaulson and the late

Cindy Davis Paulson, celebratedhis Eagle Court of Honor recently.He crossed over to Troop 673 in2006 from Cub Scout Pack 673. Hehas attended Boy Scout Summercamp ten times, both with Troop673 and as a provisional camperat other area scout camps. In histrail to Eagle, Mark earned 43merit badges, Order of the Arrow,the Japanese Interpreter Award,and the World ConservationAward. He has participated in nu-merous troop backpacking trips,Sea Base in 2008, and on aPhilmont High Adventure back-

Paulson Celebrates Court of Honorpacking trip in 2010. Mark per-formed leadership as Troop Scribe,Quartermaster, and as AssistantSenior Patrol Leader. Mark wasinspired by his Eagle Scoutbrother, Andrew, who earned hisEagle rank at age 16.

Mark’s Eagle Project improvedand helped preserve the SwampTrail at Great Falls National Parkby constructing and installingraised walkways for the trail. Thewalkways provide a safer routeover the trail and help preserve theplant life adjacent to the trail.

Mark is a senior at Langley HighSchool and will attend either PennState or James Madison Universityin the fall.

16 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ April 4-10, 2012 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

SportsGreat Falls Connection Sports Editor Rich Sanders

703-224-3031 or richsand8@aol.com

Saxons’ Softball Enters Spring Break With Winning MarkLangley shuts down South Lakesfor Liberty win; in girls’ lacrosse,Saxons, Highlanders meet in earlyseason cross-town match.

By Rich Sanders

The Connection

Going into this week’sspring break, theLangley High girls’softball team, under

head coach Jessica Roche, hadput together a winning recordat 3-2.

The Saxons, in a high-scoringroad game last Thursday, March29 versus Liberty District oppo-nent Stone Bridge High inAshburn, lost to the Bulldogs 11-7. Langley opened the game’sscoring in the top of the firstinning with two runs, the high-light being a two-run double offthe bat of senior third basemanJulia Weeks. However, the hometeam Bulldogs, an inning later,answered with three runs in thesecond and four more in thethird to build a 7-2 lead.

Langley got to within 7-3 offan RBI single from secondbaseman Kaitryn Evans. Settingthe table that inning were EmilyTemplin and Gabi Pijaca, whoboth singled.

Stone Bridge continued togenerate good offense and builtan 11-3 advantage through fiveinnings. But the Saxons werenot about to give up as they tal-lied four runs in the top half ofthe sixth inning to get withinstriking distance at 11-7. Asingle by freshmen shortstopMaggie Natal started the in-ning. Following a few StoneBridge errors, Weeks knockeda triple for the big hit of theinning.

Back in the ball game, Lan-gley relief pitcher Jenna Dunntook over on the mound in re-lief of starter Templin (5 in-nings) and held the Bulldogsscoreless in the bottom of thesixth inning. In Langley’s finalat-bats in the top of the seventh,Evans reached base on a singlebut could never advance and thegame ended at the 11-7 score.

TWO DAYS EARLIER in a dis-trict road game at South LakesHigh School in Reston, Langleyearned a decisive 12-1 victoryover the Seahawks. Templinpitched all five innings in the

shortened five-inning game, al-lowing just one run, two hits,and three walks along with fivestrikeouts. Langley was relent-less at the batter’s box with 11hits, including triples by Pijacaand Templin. Defensively, theSaxons received fine infieldplay by second baseman Evans,who had two putouts and fourassists to help her team securethe win.

In its first three games thisspring, Langley soundly de-feated visiting non-district op-ponent Robinson, 16-4, in theseason opener on March 16.Four days later, on March 20, theSaxons opened their districtschedule with an 8-0 win atMarshall High.

In the shutout win over theStatesmen, Templin went thedistance on the mound to earnthe victory, allowing four hitsover seven innings of workwhile striking out nine Rebelshitters. At the plate, Langleyhad four doubles in the win,the two-baggers coming fromTemplin, Weeks, Evans, andAshley Panetta. Weeks led theSaxons with four RBI, whileNatal had three singles andstole a pair of bases. Othersingles came from CarinaSturm, Pijaca, and MelanieDronfield. The game ended ona spectacular diving catch bycenter fielder Panetta on a deepfly ball.

The win over Marshall im-proved Langley’s record to 2-0.

Langley lost its first game ofthe season, 4-2, in a districthome contest versus Fairfax onMonday, March 23.

The Saxons are currently en-joying a busy spring break weekin Myrtle Beach, S.C., compet-ing at the GSSC Tournament.Langley was scheduled to playa game per day from Monday,April 2 through Friday, April 6.

Next week, Langley will re-sume its district schedule witha home game versus Madisonon Tuesday, April 10. Later nextweek, the Saxons will play atdistrict opponent JeffersonHigh on Friday, April 13. Bothgames are scheduled to beginat 6:30 p.m.

Langley High junior midfielder Hayley Soutter (13) goes to the goal during the Saxons’Liberty District home girls’ lacrosse game versus McLean on March 28. Mackenzie May,a senior midfielder, is the Highlander on the right

Saxons Beat McLean in Girls’ Lacrosse Action

In a Liberty District, cross-town rival matchuplast Wednesday, March 28, the Langley Highgirls’ lacrosse team defeated traditional oppo-

nent McLean High, 19-7, in the Saxons’ districtopener.

Langley jumped to an early lead on its home fieldand controlled the action throughout most of thecontest. Eleven different Saxon players scored goals,led by juniors Olivia Sisson and Grace Goettman,who both netted three apiece. The Highlanders wereled by junior Alex Lockhart’s four goals.

Following this week’s spring break, the Lady Sax-ons, currently ranked eighth in Laxpower’s Virginiastate rankings, will face a tough schedule with fourof their seven remaining regular season games setto be played against Top10 ranked opponents.

Playing under clear skies and mild conditions, theSaxon starting squad, in last week’s meeting withMcLean, immediately showcased a blistering displayof offense, scoring eight times in the game’s firsteight minutes.

Junior Rachel Wagner drew first blood on a feedfrom behind the crease by senior captain EllieGlasgow. Senior Nicky Pritchett combined withSisson, and then Goettman tallied a score on an ath-letic solo move. Glasgow netted a nifty crossing passfrom Sisson, who then scored herself on a penaltyshot. Junior Hayley Soutter assisted on a goal byGoettman, who completed her hat trick unassistedbefore Glasgow scored again to give Langley an 8-0lead with 17 minutes, 10 seconds remaining in thehalf.

The Langley scoring continued as Soutter scoredon a set play from a feed by senior Margo Swomley;followed by senior Ann Frances Davis rifling a shotat close range to make the score 10-0.

The Highlanders (2-3) broke through on a pen-

alty shot by freshman Elise Koehl, but the respitewas brief as Langley sophomore Jordan Simonidesexecuted a terrific pickoff, run and left-handed goal.

Following saves by Saxon goalie Erin Long andMcLean’s Miranda Matheny, the Highlanders scoredtwo goals off turnovers from Lockhart and seniorJacki Kleger. It was left to Saxon freshmen JuliaByrne to finish the first half’s scoring at 2:39 with afeed from fellow frosh Nicole Lee to make it 12-3 atthe break.

The second half was much the same as Langleyhead coach Richard DeSomma continued to rotatehis team and provide younger players valuable play-ing time. Sisson was a dominant presence duringthe half, scoring early off a half field set and han-dling the ball for extended periods of time.Simonides scored on yet another deft feed fromSoutter and Pritchett opportunistically scooped in aground ball among a crowd near the crease.Swomley tossed a goal in off a clever double-clutchmove.

Following two scores by Lockhart of the Highland-ers, junior Nikki Dunne tallied for Langley to makethe score 17-5 with 10 minutes left. The Saxons werethen content to play good defense and move theball around the perimeter on offense. Junior AvaMirsadegan scored for McLean and Lockhart com-pleted a fine showing with her fourth goal. Follow-ing an extended display of stick handling and move-ment by the Saxons, Sisson completed her hat trickwith a weaving goal at 3:36 and a freshman duofinished the Saxon scoring with Maggie Prendergastscoring on a feed from Aubrey Zarella with timerunning off the clock.

— Lacrosse Report Correspondent/

Peter Mahoney

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Great Falls Connection ❖ April 4-10, 2012 ❖ 17www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

6715 Georgetown PikeMcLean, Virginia

April 6 – Good Friday• Noon – 3:00 p.m. Meditations andMusic. Meditations by the Rector andThe Seven Last Words of Christ by JosephHaydn sung by the St. John’s Choir ~Please come for as much of the serviceas you can.• 7:30 p.m. Good Friday Liturgy andCantata 159, Crucifixus from Mass in BMinor, and the final chorus from St.Matthew Passion by Johann SebastianBach with soloists, strings, oboe and organ

April 7 –Easter Vigil• 7:30 p.m. – Holy Eucharist and Renewalof Baptismal Vows

April 8 – Easter Day• 7:30, 9:00, 11:15 a.m. – Holy Eucharist.Music with brass and timpaniaccompaniment• 7:30 p.m. – Holy Eucharist

For more information:703-356-4902 or

www.stjohnsmclean.org

Invites you to Good Friday & Easter Worship

Visit These Houses of Worship

Assembly of GodVienna Assembly of God ...

703-938-7736Washington Christian Church...

703-938-7720Cristo Es Mi Refugio...

703-938-7727

Baha’iBaha’i Faith for Northern Virginia ...

703-821-3345

BaptistGlobal Mission Church ...

703-757-0877Peace Baptist Church ... 703-560-8462

Bethel Primitive Baptist Church... 703-757-8134

Cartersville Baptist Church ...703-255-7075

Fellowship Baptist Church ...703-385-8516

First Baptist Church ...703-938-8525

The Light Mission Church ...703-757-0877

Vienna Baptist Church ...703-281-4400

New Union Baptist Church...703-281-2556

BuddhistVajrayogini Buddhist Center...

202-331-2122Church of the Brethern

Oakton Church of the Brethern ... 703-281-4411

CatholicOur Lady of Good Counsel ...

703-938-2828

St. Athanasius Catholic Church ...703-759-4555

St. Mark’s Catholic Church ... 703-281-9100

CharismaticChristian Assembly ... 703-698-9777

Church of ChristBerea Church of Christ ... 703-893-7040

Disciples of ChristAntioch Christian Church ... 703-938-6753

EpiscopalChurch of the Holy Comforter ...

703-938-6521Church of the Holy Cross ... 703-698-6991

St. Francis Episcopal ... 703-759-2082

Jehovah’s WitnessJehovah’s Witnesses ... 703-759-1579

LutheranEmmanuel Lutheran Church...703-938-2119

Christ The King Lutheran Church...703-759-6068

St. Athanasius Lutheran Church...703-455-4003

MethodistAndrew Chapel United Methodist ...

703-759-3509Church of the Good Shepherd ...

703-281-3987The Vine Methodist Church ... 703-573-5336

Ephiphany United Methodist ...703-938-3494

Great Falls United Methodist...703-759-3705

Oakton United Methodist ...703-938-1233

Vale United Methodist ...703-620-2594

Smith Chapel United Methodist ...571-434-9680

Wesley United Methodist ...703-938-8700

Non-DenominationalCelebration Centerfor Spiritual Living

... 703-560-2030Christian Assembly Church ...

703-698-9777

PresbyterianGrace Orthodox Presbyterian Church

...703-560-6336Korean Central Presbyterian ...

703-698-5577Vienna Presbyterian ...

703-938-9050

QuakerLangley Hills Friends...703-442-8394

Seventh-Day AdventistNorthern Virginia ChristianFellowship ... 703-242-9001

Vienna Seventh Day Adventists ...703-938-8383

Unitarian UniversalistCongregation of Fairfax ...

703-281-4230

UnityUnity of Fairfax ... 703-281-1767

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF VIENNA

450 ORCHARD STREETVIENNA, VA

703-938-8525fbcvoffice@verizon.net

www.fbcv.org

Dr. KENNY SMITH,PASTOR

SUNDAY WORSHIP, 7:45 AM & 11:00 AMMIDWEEK SERVICES, WED. 7:00 PM

11321 Beach Mill RoadGreat Falls, VA 20165

It’s like coming home

Rev. D. J. Zuchelli, Pastor

SmithChapel@live.comwww.SmithChapelUMC.com

SMITH CHAPEL UM CHURCH

WORSHIP HOURS SUNDAY: 11:00 AM

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

Sunday school/Music: preschool - grade 210:25 a.m. Sunday school/Music: grades 3 - 1211:15 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite II5:00 p.m. Come Just as You Are Contemporary Service

Nursery care provided at 9:00 and 11:15 services

The Rev. James Papile, RectorThe Rev. Jacqueline Thomson

The Rev. Denise Trogdon703-437-6530

www.stannes-reston.org1700 Wainwright Dr., Reston

ST. ANNE’SEPISCOPALCHURCH • Reston

Progressive & Welcoming

To Highlight Your Faith Community call Karen at 703- 917-6468

Faith

St. Francis Episcopal Church in Great Falls recently presented threeperformances of Children of Eden, a two-act musical with musicand lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Based on the Book of Genesis,

Children of Eden is a lproduction of song and dance suitable for allages. Act I tells the story of Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel. Act IItells the story of Noah and the Great Flood. Melissa Coombs, assistantmusic director for the church, directed the production, with musicaldirection by Virginia Sircy.

‘Children of Eden’ at St. Francis

Sarah Marsden and Graham Marsden (center) playedNoah’s wife and Noah.

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Faith Notes

Faith Notes are for announce-ments and events in the faithcommunity. Send togreatfalls@connectionnewspapers.com.Deadline is Friday.

Great Falls United Meth-odist Church, 10100Georgetown Pike in Great Falls,has announced their sermon se-ries for the Feb. 26-April 8 10a.m. services will be “Journey toHope.” 703-759-3705 oroffice@greatfallsumc.org.

❖Thursday, April 5.Maundy Thursday. As we remem-ber this important gathering, wetoo share the cup and break breadin an experiential Lord’s Supper.

❖Friday, April 6. Good Fri-day services. Recognize ourshortcomings and the messagethat in the darkest of times, God’slight still beckons us to Hope.

❖Sunday, April 8. Easterservices. When all hope feels lost,it has truly just begun.

St. Francis EpiscopalChurch, 9220 Georgetown Pikein Great Falls, offers three Sundayservices and a host of musical,educational, outreach, and fel-lowship ministries to enrichspiritual growth. 7:45 a.m. Wor-ship Service without music; 9a.m. Worship Service, Children’sChapel and Children’s Choirs; 10a.m. Sunday School and AdultForum; and 11 a.m. Worship Ser-vice with Adult Choir.703-759-2082.

HUMANE SOCIETY OF FAIRFAX COUNTYHours: Monday-Friday 10-4 and Saturday 10-3 • 703-385-PETS

Adoptions: By appointment only. • www.hsfc.org

THIS IS“MEGAN”

Megan is an adorable littlegirl who loves to play andwould love to find a home tocall her own. She gets alonggreat with other cats. Comemeet Megan and be readyto fall in love!

18 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ April 4-10, 2012 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Entertainment

See Entertainment, Page 19

Send announcements togreatfalls@connectionnewspapers.com.Deadline is Thursday for the followingweek’s paper. Photos/artwork encour-aged. For additional listings, visitwww.connectionnewspapers.com

THURSDAY/APRIL 5Ringling Bros. and Barnum &

Bailey Circus. 7 p.m. GeorgeMason University Patriot Center,4500 Patriot circle, Fairfax. “FullyCharged.” Pre-show Party one hourbefore show time, free to ticketholders. $14-$30. 800-551-SEAT orwww.ticketmaster.com.

Art History Lecture Series. 10 a.m.Great Falls Library, 9830Georgetown Pike, Great Falls. 801-361-5464.

Aztec Two-Step 40th AnniversaryTour CD Release. 7:30 p.m.Jammin’ Java, 227 Maple Ave. E.,Vienna. www.jamminjava.com.

George Winston. 8 p.m. The Barns atWolf Trap, 1551 Trap Road, Vienna.New Orleans R&B oriented, melodicfolk piano and stride piano. Includescanned food drive. $35.www.wolftrap.org.

FRIDAY/APRIL 6“Side Man.” 8 p.m. 1st Stage, 1524

Spring Hill Road, Tyson’s Corner.Turmoil in a jazz musician’s family ashis career crumbles at the dawn ofrock-and-roll. $25. 703-854-1856 orwww.1ststagetysons.org.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum &Bailey Circus. 1 p.m. and 7:30p.m. George Mason UniversityPatriot Center, 4500 Patriot circle,Fairfax. “Fully Charged.” Pre-showParty one hour before show time,free to ticket holders. $14-$30. 800-551-SEAT or www.ticketmaster.com.

Rocknoceros Happy Family Hourat 7 p.m.; Jimmy Gnecco withFull Band at 10 p.m. Jammin’ Java,227 Maple Ave. E., Vienna.www.jamminjava.com.

George Winston. 8 p.m. The Barns atWolf Trap, 1551 Trap Road, Vienna.New Orleans R&B oriented, melodicfolk piano and stride piano. Includescanned food drive. $35.www.wolftrap.org.

Friday Afternoon Chess Group. 1p.m. Great Falls Library, 9830Georgetown Pike, Great Falls. Allages and skill levels welcome703-757-8560.

SATURDAY/APRIL 7“Side Man.” 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. 1st

Stage, 1524 Spring Hill Road, Tyson’sCorner. Turmoil in a jazz musician’sfamily as his career crumbles at thedawn of rock-and-roll. $25. 703-854-1856 or www.1ststagetysons.org.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum &Bailey Circus. 11:30 a.m., 3:30p.m. and 7:30 p.m. George MasonUniversity Patriot Center, 4500Patriot circle, Fairfax. “FullyCharged.” Pre-show Party one hourbefore show time, free to ticketholders. $14-$30. 800-551-SEAT orwww.ticketmaster.com.

Children’s Show: Banjo Man &Friends Family Show. 10:30 a.m.Jammin’ Java, 227 Maple Ave. E.,Vienna. www.jamminjava.com.

Barefoot Truth and Taylor Carsonat 7 p.m.; Politicks Reunion,Future and Stella and the Fireat 10 p.m. Jammin’ Java, 227 MapleAve. E., Vienna.www.jamminjava.com.

Easter Egg Hunt. Nottoway Park,9537 Courthouse Road, Vienna.Registration 9:30 a.m. Hunt times: 11a.m. for age 1-3, 11:20 a.m. for age

4-6, 11:40 a.m. for age 7-9. Hunt foreggs, candy and Easter toys. Winprizes, visit with the Easter bunny.Bring a basket. $7 per child, proceedsbenefit Nottoway Parkimprovements. Sponsored by FairfaxCounty Park Authority and theFriends of Nottoway. 703-324-8566.

Northern Virginia CountryWestern Dance Association.Luther Jackson Middle School, 3020Gallows Road, Falls Church. Linedance lesson at 7:30 p.m., mixerdance lesson at 8 p.m. Open dancing8:30-11 p.m. Admission $5-$12.www.nvcwda.org or 703-860-4941.

SUNDAY/APRIL 8“Side Man.” 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. 1st

Stage, 1524 Spring Hill Road, Tyson’sCorner. Turmoil in a jazz musician’sfamily as his career crumbles at thedawn of rock-and-roll. $25. 703-854-1856 or www.1ststagetysons.org.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum &Bailey Circus. 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.George Mason University PatriotCenter, 4500 Patriot circle, Fairfax.“Fully Charged.” Pre-show Party onehour before show time, free to ticketholders. $14-$30. 800-551-SEAT orwww.ticketmaster.com.

FunkMnkyz, Black Alley andCastro. 8 p.m. Jammin’ Java, 227Maple Ave. E., Vienna.www.jamminjava.com.

MONDAY/APRIL 9The Rebuilt Machine,

Breakthrough and ElephantPistol. 7 p.m. Jammin’ Java, 227Maple Ave. E., Vienna.www.jamminjava.com.

Tiny Tot Time. 10:30 a.m. Dolley

The Artists’ Atelier Gallery presents a printmaking showby members of Great Falls Studios. The show runs throughApril 28. A reception open to the public will be held Fri-

day, April 13, 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. The Artists’ Atelier is locatedat 1144 Walker Road, Suite G in Great Falls. The gallery and stu-dio is open every Saturday noon – 4 p.m. or by appointment,703-944-3165.

“Majestic Struggle” by artist William R. Tuthill. Theprint is a Japanese woodblock print known as MokuHanga.

Printmaking Show

Great Falls Connection ❖ April 4-10, 2012 ❖ 19www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Madison Library, 1244 Oak Ridge Ave.,McLean. Songs, rhymes andactivities. Age 13-23 months withadult. 703-356-0770.

TUESDAY/APRIL 10Dance Every Tuesday. 7:15 p.m.

Colvin Run Dance Hall, 10201 ColvinRun Road, Great Falls. Introductorydance lesson 7:15 p.m., dancing 8-10:30 p.m. Swing, Latin, waltz,country and more. $10 per person,includes lesson and snacks. Nopartner necessary. colvinrun.org. orEd Cottrell@macp.org.

Marcus Foster and Sam Bradley.8 p.m. Jammin’ Java, 227 MapleAve. E., Vienna.www.jamminjava.com.

Book Discussion Group. 7 p.m.Dolley Madison Library, 1244 OakRidge Ave., McLean. Call for title.Adults. 703-356-0770.

The Leadership Legacy of theOSS: Before the CIA. 7 p.m.Patrick Henry Library, 101 MapleAve. East, Vienna. Retired CIAagent, Linda McCarthy, on how theOffice of Strategic Services (OSS)got its start during World War II.Discover how America essentiallycreated an intelligence serviceovernight. Adults. 703-938-0405.

Tuesday Storytime. 10:30 a.m.Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library,7584 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church.Stories, songs and activities. Ages 1-2

From Page 18

Entertainment

Entertainment Events

A Triumph of Artistry

From left: Sun King Davis, Kevin Hasser,Patrick Bussink (center in stripedsweater), Maboud Ebrahimszadeh andChris Mancusi in the 1st Stage productionof ‘Side Man.’

‘Side Man’ arrives at 1st Stage.

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By David Siegel

The Connection

Director Michael Dove has created an un-flinching, poignant look into deep cor-ners of lives unraveling. His productionof “Side Man” is a strong play for adults

who want to be fully transported by awe for whatcreative talent can accomplish.

“Side Man” is a memento tracing the lives of jazzmusicians and their families in the decades after theKorean War. These were the peaks and valley yearsof jazz and big bands. The play focuses on how asingular passion takes its toll on lives.

The play was written by Warren Leight. It wasawarded a 1999 Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prizefor Drama.

Dove, also the Artistic Director for the multi-HelenHayes Award nominated Forum Theatre, assembledan exceptional technical design team that adds theirown notes of understated allure tothe production and its written script.

Steven Royal’s imaginative set de-sign gives off a dusky mood. It be-gins in shadows with color drainedout. Over various scenes, the set isfluidly transformed as furniture andprops are lugged in by the actorspiece by piece. The lighting designby Stephanie P. Freed captures facesintimately by shining little halos ofslim light. Sound designer ThomasSowers has found period jazz musicthat matches the dialogue to underpin emotions.

A terrific acting ensemble works together with avelvet touch; as smooth as the jazz music that waftsthrough the production.

The centerpiece of the evening is Lee Mikeska

Gardner as wife and mother to a musician at the heightof his skills. We follow her initial naiveté through ajourney into alcoholism and breakdowns. She has theability to move through deadpan comedy to erratic

emotions and heartbreak that is ex-ceptional.

Patrick Bussink is the son. He nar-rates the unfolding life stories andthen smoothly moves into his char-acter who constantly asks “why wasI born.” Chris Mancusi is the trum-pet player who marries, but with-out a clue. We watch as he connectsonly with his horn. He is a man inlove with music to the detriment ofall others. Not so much a bad man,just unavailable.

The ensemble includes three musician buddies anda woman who gets her kicks by being close to theaction. Maboud Ebrahimzadeh is one of the buddies;he is a very distinctive actor by imbuing his charac-ter with real life albeit one full of pain.

Where and When“Side Man” performed at 1st

Stage, 1524 Spring Hill Road inMcLean,. Performances throughApril 22, 2012. Fridays 8 p.m.,Saturdays, 2 & 8 p.m., Sundays,2 & 7 p.m. Tickets: $15-$25. Call703-854-1856 or visitwww.1stStageTysons.org. Note:Adult language and situations

with adult. 703-790-8088.Personalized Internet Training.

2:30 p.m. Tysons-Pimmit RegionalLibrary, 7584 Leesburg Pike, FallsChurch. A 45-minute one-on-oneInternet training session with atechnology volunteer. Call forappointment. Adults. 703-790-8088.

Practice Your English. 6:30 p.m.Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library,7584 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church.Conversation group for adultslearning English. 703-790-8088.

WEDNESDAY/APRIL 11Tyler Hilton, Dion Roy and Dakota

& Will. 7:30 p.m. Jammin’ Java, 227Maple Ave. E., Vienna.www.jamminjava.com.

Dan Navarro and Tracy Grammer.8 p.m. The Barns at Wolftrap, 1635Trap Road, Vienna. $20.www.wolftrap.org.

Splish Splash. 10:30 a.m. DolleyMadison Library, 1244 Oak RidgeAve., McLean. Rain stories andactivities. Age 3-5 with adult. 703-356-0770.

Vienna Arts Society. 10 a.m. ViennaArt Center, 115 Pleasant St. N.W.,Vienna. A free demonstration offlower painting by Pauline Lorfanoand Grace Rooney. 703-319-3971 orwww.ViennaArtsSociety.org.

THURSDAY/APRIL 12Ringling Bros. and Barnum &

Bailey Circus. 7 p.m. George

Mason University Patriot Center,4500 Patriot circle, Fairfax. “FullyCharged.” Pre-show Party one hourbefore show time, free to ticketholders. $14-$30. 800-551-SEAT orwww.ticketmaster.com.

Vous êtes Des Animaux. 7 p.m.Jammin’ Java, 227 Maple Ave. E.,Vienna. www.jamminjava.com.

Robbie Schaefer and Ellis Paul.The Barns at Wolftrap, 1635 TrapRoad, Vienna. $18.www.wolftrap.org.

Vienna Arts Society. 7:30 p.m.,Vienna Art Center, 115 Pleasant St.,NW, Vienna. With artist and architectRobert Gilbert. Free. 703-319-3971or www.ViennaArtsSociety.org.

FRIDAY/APRIL 13“Side Man.” 8 p.m. 1st Stage, 1524

Spring Hill Road, Tyson’s Corner.Turmoil in a jazz musician’s family ashis career crumbles at the dawn ofrock-and-roll. $25. 703-854-1856 orwww.1ststagetysons.org.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum &Bailey Circus. 10:30 a.m. and 7p.m. George Mason University PatriotCenter, 4500 Patriot circle, Fairfax.“Fully Charged.” Pre-show Party onehour before show time, free to ticketholders. $14-$30. 800-551-SEAT orwww.ticketmaster.com.

Tommy Stinson (from Guns n’Roses & The Replacements)and The 27s. 8 p.m. Jammin’ Java,227 Maple Ave. E., Vienna.www.jamminjava.com.

20 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ April 4-10, 2012 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

ClassifiedClassified

OBITUARY

Courtenay Amanda Nash, 18, of McLean, Virginia, passed away suddenly on March 22nd, 2012 in New York where she was attending Syracuse University. A freshman, she had elected to study Economics as well as Philosophy and European Literature. Courtenay graduated from McLean High School in 2011.

Courtenay was born April 13th, 1993, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. She was the cherished daughter of Andrew John and Sonya Denise Nash and loving sister of Lachlan William Nash. Courtenay was the beloved grand-daughter of William Peter and Elaine Mavis (deceased) Nash, and Patricia Grace and William Ramsay.

Courtenay will be greatly missed and forever remembered.

A Memorial Service for Courtenay will be held Monday April 9th, 2012 at 10:30am at the McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave, McLean, Virginia.

The family would like to thank all our extended family and friends for their support.

We request that no flowers be sent. In lieu, if you would like to make a small donation in remembrance of Courtenay a Memo-rial Registry has been established to support a cause which was close to her heart – A Forever-Home Rescue Foundation. https://www.justgive.org/registries/memorial/donate/courtenay-nash. To sign the guest book, please visit www.kruegrfh.com or www.facebook.com/KruegerFuneral Home

21 Announcements 21 Announcements

Looking to finish the school year strong?

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Tutoring Experience. Actg/Finance Degree. Can teach many subjects at all

grade levels. Specializes in Math, Spanish and English.

Call Hal @ (703)864-6616$40/hr rate

102 Instruction 102 Instruction

26 Antiques

We pay top $ for antique furniture and mid-century

Danish/modernteak furniture, STERLING, MEN'S WATCHES, jewelry

and costume jewelry,paintings/art glass/clocks.

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CompletePrint EditionsOnline!

The full print editions of all 15Connection Newspapers are nowavailable on our Web Site in PDFformat, page by page, identicalto our weekly newsprint editions,including print advertising. Go toConnectionNewspapers.comand click on “Print Editions.”

Zone 6 Ad Deadline:

Tuesday 11 a.m.

703-917-6464

Zone 6: • Arlington • Great Falls

• McLean • Vienna/OaktonEmploymentEmployment

Special Events Assistantand Volunteer Coordinator

McLean Community Center, an agency of Fairfax Countygovernment, is seeking a multi-skilled professional to helpthe special events director plan, produce, design andimplement festivals and specialty shows. Related dutiesinclude developing the center’s volunteer program,maintaining databases, developing budget spreadsheetsand the ability to use graphic design programs to createevent layouts and published programs.

Minimum qualifications: College degree in recreation orrelated field. Two years leisure services/recreation anddatabase management experience preferred. Positionrequires some weekend work.

20 hours per week; $17.50-$22.00 per hour, based onqualifications and experience. There are no paid leave ormedical insurance benefits associated with this position atthis time. A background check is required.

Apply by submitting a resume and a cover letter ofqualifications to Sam Roberts, by e-mail(sam.roberts@fairfaxcounty.gov), fax (703-556-0547) ormail, McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave,McLean, VA 22101.

For more information, contact the McLean CommunityCenter, 703-790-0123. Open until filled.

AccountantPrepare, examine & analyze accounting records to assess accuracy & conform-ance w/uniform acctg classifications.

Implement acctg policies & procedures. Knowledge of Allegheny is must. Req.

Master in Accounting, Finance or Economics or Bachelor w/5yr exp.

40hr/wk. Resume to Ali’s Family, Inc 2511 N Harrison St.

Arlington, VA 22207

AccountantPrepare, examine & analyze accounting records to assess accuracy & conform-ance w/uniform acctg classifications.

Implement acctg policies & procedures. Knowledge of Allegheny is must. Req.

Master in Accounting, Finance or Economics or Bachelor w/5yr exp.

40hr/wk. Resume to Ali’s Family, Inc 2511 N Harrison St.

Arlington, VA 22207

Nysmith Schoolfor the Gifted Herndon, VA

Nysmith School, Preschool through 8th GradeHiring for 2012-2013 Academic Year

College Degree Required:• Preschool Co-Teachers• Elementary Co-Teachers

• All subjects• French

• Middle School Co-Teachers• Computers-knowledge of Photoshop Elements, Lego Mindstorms, MSWLogo, Storytelling Alice and XHTML a plus• Science (H.S. Level) Part/Full Time• Math (H.S. Level) Part Time• Latin

Extended Care Counselors:Min. high school diploma plus 6 months childcare exp.$8-$15/hr. based on exp.Flexible after school hours

Immediate Openings:Accounting/Admin Assistant-Responsible for AP/AR functions, order sup-plies, data entry, front office team member and all other duties as assigned.Job is a 10-month position with a few additional days in the summer.

Qualifications:1. Posses accounting degree or 2+ years of relevant accounting workexperience2. Proficiency in Quickbooks, Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook3. Be able to work independently and as a team4. Possess good organization and time management skills5. Pay excellent attention to detail6. Have excellent written and verbal communication skills, along with a posi-tive and professional demeanor7. Be able to maintain confidential information8. Ability to multitask and meet deadlines

Join our Playground Team!Looking for several people to assist teachers in monitoring children at recesson the playground. Fun and friendly environment – Flexible Hours. $12/hr.

Send resumes to resume@nysmith.com ; Fax 703-713-3336

P/T BOOKKEEPER/RECEPT(GREAT FOR MOMS or

RETIRED!)Small management firm in McLean,

Virginia seeks detail oriented part-time bookkeeper/receptionist 2-3 days per week 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Applicant will oversee all aspects of front desk

administration. Excellent accounting, organizational and communication skills

required. Call 703-356-2041.

RECEPTIONIST: Mature person for busy Old Town Alexandria law firm to answer

multiple phone lines, greet visitors, perform light clerical duties. Experienced individual

preferred. Excellent benefits. Please fax resume to 703-683-6134.

VETERINARY ASSISTANTSmall animal hosp. Great Falls. Will train. 703-757-7570 • www.ourvets.com

BUSINESS OPP

NATIONAL CHILDRENS CENTERNo sell! Salary + Bonus + Benefits!

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DENTAL ASSISTANT TRAINEESNEEDED NOW!

Dental Offices now hiring. No experience?Job Training & Placement Assistance Avail.

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Trainees NEEDED NOWMedical Offices now hiring. No experience?Job Training & Placement Assistance Avail.

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EDUCATION TRAINING

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

E-mail ad with zone choices to: classified@connectionnewspapers.com or call Andrea @ 703-778-9411

EMPLOYMENTDEADLINESZones 5, 6...........................Tues @ 11:00Zones 1, 3.............................Tues @ 4:00Zone 2.................................Wed @ 11:00Zone 4...................................Wed @ 1:00

E-mail ad with zone choices to: classified@connectionnewspapers.com 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

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. E-mailinternship@connectionnewspapers.com

The biggestthings arealways the

easiest to dobecause there isno competition.

-William Van Horne

Great Falls Connection ❖ April 4-10, 2012 ❖ 21www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Zone 6 Ad Deadline:

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The futurecomes one day

at a time.-Dean Acheson

22 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ April 4-10, 2012 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

tors allowing motorists to pass throughat highway speeds while deducting the tollfrom their E-Z Pass accounts. Single occu-pancy or two-passenger vehicles will paythe tolls. VDOT officials said the tolls willhave “dynamic pricing,” because there is notheoretical ceiling for tolls.

Toll prices are based on demand, and of-ficials said it’s difficult to predict exactlywhat the tolls will be at any given time.

“We expect they will range from as lowas 20 cents per mile during less busy times,to approximately a $1.25 per mile in somesections during rush hour. An average tripcost is estimated to be between $5 and $6,”Steinhilber said.

Buses and vehicles with three or morepassengers can use the Express Lanes forfree by using a new E-Z Pass Flex, whichgives drivers the option of a flipping a switchto avoid the tolls on the Express Lanes.

“It’s all about choices,” said John Lynch,the Virginia Department of TransportationRegional Program Director. “By giving mo-torists more choices on the Beltway, thetransportation picture in Northern Virginiagets another dimension that was not avail-able before.”

The project also includes the replacementof more than $260 million of aging infra-structure including 58 bridges and over-passes.

Steinhilber noted that construction of anew median and safety shoulder, which willdivide I-495 north and south-bound traffic,will enhance safety and cut-down ongridlock in the event of accidents.

“The new median will provide an enforce-ment and staging area for Virginia State Po-

lice and dedicated inci-dent management crews.The key is to keep trafficfree-flowing,” he said.

“The 495 Express Laneswill fundamentallychange how the regionthinks about and uses theCapital Beltway in Vir-ginia,” said Steinhilber.“Between the new exitsand on-ramps, the newtravel options and the sig-nificant increase in capac-ity, the Beltway will bewholly different than justa few years ago.”

THE EXPRESS LANESPROJECT is a partnership between VDOT,the Virginia Department of Rail and PublicTransportation, and Transurban-Fluor, twoprivate companies in a joint venture to buildand operate the new lanes.

VDOT officials said motorists can expectto encounter the following in the comingmonths:

❖Extensive milling and paving along theentire Express Lanes corridor, which means400,000 tons of asphalt placed in 2012.

❖Construction of new ramps and bridgesin the middle of I-495, providing direct ac-cess between the Express Lanes and 10major access points.

❖Installation of new tolling equipmentand crews conducting on-site testing of theequipment, which includes automatic inci-dent detection cameras, which can quicklynotify Express Lane operators of accidentsand radio frequency identification (RFID)

technology to communicate with vehicle E-Z pass transponders to process trips anddetectors and video cameras for quick li-cense plate detection.

❖Installation of lane separators everyeight feet throughout the corridor to segre-gate the Express Lanes from the regularBeltway lanes.

In addition to the Express Lanes project,other megaprojects include the Dulles Cor-ridor Metrorail; the Telegraph Road inter-change in Alexandria; the Fairfax CountyParkway extension; and the proposed I-95HOV/HOT lanes. Together, these projectsrepresent several billion dollars’ worth oflocal transportation improvements.

For more information on construction,visit www.vamegaprojects.com. Go towww.495ExpressLanes.com for informationon tolling and the Express Lanes system willwork.

From Page 3

News

Express Lanes 90 Percent Complete

Phase 1 of Metrorail 67 Percent CompletePhase 2 hits a snagas Loudoun CountySupervisors debateopting out.

By Victoria Ross

The Connection

VDOT officials delivered goodnews and bad news on the 23-mile Dulles Corridor Metrorail

project during a news conference March29 at the VDOT Virginia Megaprojectsoffice.

The good news: crews took full advan-tage of the mild winter and pushed phase1 construction of the Silver Line to nearly70 percent completion. The first phase,which extends from East Fall Churchthrough Tysons Corner to Wiehle Avenuein Reston, is currently under construc-tion and expected to open in the sum-mer of 2013.

“The system is currently in place for11 new stations, five in Phase 1 and six

in Phase 2,” said Tom Fahrney, VDOT’sBRAC coordinator, who stepped in for theMetrorail project spokesperson last week.

According to Fahrney, Wiehle Avenue andTysons East stations are the furthest along,and rail bridges dominate the Route 7 cor-ridor.

The bad news: phase 2 of the project –which is planned to extend into LoudonCounty and provide a one-seat, no-transferride from Dulles Airport to downtown Wash-ington – may come to a screeching halt.

Loudoun County’s Board of Supervisorsis currently debating opting out of the sec-ond phase of the project, which would jeop-ardize completion of the $2.7 billion project.

The cost of phase 2, which is slightlylower than originally estimated, assumesthat Loudoun and Fairfax counties jointlypay for construction of the Route 28 metrostation and five parking garages, which in-clude 8,900 parking spaces.

Loudoun’s supervisors have until July todecide whether to continue with the project.

Highlights of Phase 1:❖Construction of Phase 1 began in spring

of 2009. According to Kevin Volbrecht,deputy director of construction for the

project, the section of the aerial guide-way that crosses the Capital Beltway willbe complete this spring, connecting theTysons East guideway to the Tysons Cen-tral 123 guideway. “This piece of workwill mark the dramatic completion of theguideway over the region’s busiest road,I-495,” Volbrecht said.

❖Since the spring of 2011, the projecthas had numerous lane closures of boththe north and southbound lanes of I-495to complete the bridges that will carrythe trains of the Silver Line.

❖Crews have started work on the foun-dation of the pedestrian pavilion at theTysons East Station where the pedestrianbridge will connect to the south side ofRoute 123.

❖At the Wiehle Avenue Station inReston, crews are putting the finishingtouches on the floors and walls of thestation and have started laying the foun-dation for the pedestrian pavilions andbridge columns.

For more information on the DullesCorridor Metrorail Project, go towww.dullesmetro.com or call 703-572-0506.

New bridge piers are under development tosupport completion of project construction in theSpringfield Interchange.

So here I go again; heavy-duty chemother-apy for the first time in nearly three years. Assuch, I thought I’d try and write another col-umn while actually sitting in the Barcaloungerat The Infusion Center (as I did three years ago:“Chemo-Cocktailing at the Depot” was thatcolumn’s title) and see what my pen has to say.This is not my first return engagement, how-ever. I have been at this Center nearly everythree weeks for the past two and one-half yearswhile being infused with my maintenancedrug, Avastin, until a few months back when adiagnostic scan indicated some “progression.”Consequently my oncologist decided to restartthe “big” chemotherapy, as I call it, and moveon to plan “B.” Moreover, I have made multi-ple other visits here for miscellaneous scans,doctor’s appointments and Emergency Roomvisits; I know the route – and I know the rou-tine. “On the whole, I’d rather be in Philadel-phia” (as was intended to be W. C. Fields’ epi-taph), but I’m not. I’m in Rockville. And pre-sumably, my time spent here has kept me alive,way beyond my oncologist’s original “13-month to two-year” prognosis, for which I’d becrazy to complain. And those who know meknow I don’t complain.

I do kid though. And as a cancer patientwho’s been characterized/determined/ diag-nosed as “terminal” (when your oncologistadvises taking “that vacation you’ve alwaysdreamed of,” you’re terminal), the bloom isdefinitely off the rose; and as Dorothy said toToto in “The Wizard of Oz”: “We’re not inKansas anymore.” Nor am I. We’re in Marylandand we’re in trouble. Considering the fact thatstage IV lung cancer patients rarely live beyondfive years, and I’m now at the beginning ofyear four (miraculous in and of itself, I’m told),if ever there was a time to retain one’s sense ofhumor, it would be, in my opinion, when fac-ing the kind of adversity that statistically speak-ing, I’m likely to face in the unfortunately not-too-distant future.

But as a lifelong Boston Red Sox fan, hopesprings eternal. And just as Red Sox Nation wasrewarded in 2004 and again in 2007 withWorld Series Championships breaking the 86-year-old “Curse of the Bambino,” strangerthings have happened. Apparently one ofwhich is yours truly still being alive after myoncologist “prognosed” in March of ‘09 that I’dlikely be otherwise engaged by now, so I am abeliever. In fact, I’m living proof. However,there are hardly any guarantees here. Thereare, as I sit in this room with half a dozen otherindividuals being similarly infused, lots of hopeand fear – and anxiety. If one doesn’t embrace– or find humor somewhere, while enduringthis excruciating mental ordeal, one would beneglecting, anecdotally speaking, the leastexpensive and most effective treatment avail-able. Humor might not heal, but it likely willdo more good than harm; the chemotherapy,in its infinite design wisdom and effect, isprobably doing enough of that. As myPublisher – and fellow cancer survivor, MaryKimm, is fond of saying about chemotherapy:“Kenny, they’re poisoning you, that’s why youfeel the way you do.”

But three years later, apparently the chemo-therapy has done/is doing enough of its tumor-fighting/shrinking thing to keep me in this chair.And though it may not be my first choice – ofwhere I’d rather be, I’m grateful that at least Istill have a choice I’m able to make.

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

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

Infusing IsSemi Amusing

Great Falls Connection ❖ April 4-10, 2012 ❖ 23www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

24 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ April 4-10, 2012 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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