touring criminal justice...

Chantilly Connection ❖ July 29 - August 4, 2015 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.comJuly 29 - August 4, 2015 online at www.connectionnewspapers.com

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Fair Oaks ❖ Fair Lakes

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Touring CriminalJustice AcademyNews, Page 3

Developer Proposes 355Apartments at Trinity Centre

News, Page 2

Wynton MarsalisMentors

Westfield StudentNews, Page 7

Lt. Mike Shamblinwith a dummy thatpolice practice tack-ling and subduing.

2 ❖ Chantilly Connection ❖ July 29 - August 4, 2015 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

News

By Bonnie Hobbs

The Connection

As the area office marketcontinues to stall, moreand more land-use appli-cations are proposing to

replace planned office uses with resi-dential communities. One of the lat-est proposals is at the Trinity Centre,off Route 29, in Centreville.

Representing JLB Partners, attorneyMark Looney presented details of theplan during the June 16 meeting ofthe West Fairfax County Citizens Assn.(WFCCA) Land-Use Committee.

“Our rezoning application goes be-fore the [Fairfax County] PlanningCommission on Sept. 16,” he said. “Sowe’ll probably return here [to theWFCCA] in September.

Once envisioned as the heart ofCentreville — a place where peoplewould gather for various events andspecial occasions — Trinity Centrewas originally planned for 1.8 millionsquare feet of office space. Also therewould be 250,000 square feet of retail uses,plus 336 homes.

But what’s actually been built there so farare two office buildings totaling 576,000square feet, three restaurants totaling about19,000 square feet, a 75,000-square-foothotel, the Life Time Fitness center (90,000square feet), another office building of11,000 square feet and the 336 homes.

“Since the area was rezoned in 1987, justone-third of the approved offices were de-veloped,” said Looney. “It’s now approvedfor two office buildings of 536,000 squarefeet total — or one 120,000-square-footoffice building and 10,000 square feet ofretail services.”

So, he said, JLB would replace the twooffice buildings (within what’s called LandUnit J) with a residential project of 355apartments. Also included would be a six-story parking structure in the middle. The

units would be within a building that’s fourstories in front and five stories in back, be-cause of the topography of the site.

The building would be constructed adja-cent to the existing lake and would havetwo internal courtyards. There’d be an out-door pool, and the lower-level units wouldbe walk-outs. In addition, the builder would

seek LEED certification, and the lake wouldbe an integral part of the project.

“The idea is to amenitize the lake andprovide more opportunities for people innearby communities to use the lake for fish-ing or passive recreation, without feelinglike they were intruding on a private resi-dential project,” said Looney. “And, of

course, it’s also for the [enjoymentof] the people living there.”

He said the amenities by the lakewould be a fenced-in, off-leash, dogarea; benches, chairs and “climbablelandscape installations” for youngchildren. Planned, as well, is an out-door area for senior citizens to usefor games such as chess and bocceball. “There’ll be trails connecting itto the office development,” saidLooney. “We’ll also be improving thetrail and pedestrian connections tothis area.” Sully District PlanningCommissioner John Litzenbergersaid the applicant met with him andSupervisor Michael R. Frey (R-Sully),plus county staff, and “staff liked it.”Looney noted that some workforce-priced housing will be available, andthere’ll be an electric charging sta-tion. He also said all the apartmentswill be rentals.

“I think it’s a great plan,” saidWFCCA’s Chris Terpak-Malm. “Thereare already restaurants there and ashopping center [Centreville Square

across Route 29] people can walk to.”“This is significantly lower [density] than

the two office buildings would have been,so that’s good,” said At-Large Planning Com-missioner Jim Hart. “But is there schoolcapacity, if we add all these units?”

Looney didn’t know, offhand, but saidhe’d look into it and get him the answer.

Artist’s rendition of the Trinity Centre east façade of the apartments. The Trinity Centre Meadow Way view of the entrance.

Homes Are Planned Instead of OfficesDeveloper wants to build 355 apartments at the Trinity Centre.

The Trinity Centre site plan showing the proposed new apartments.

Email announcements to [email protected]. Includedate, time, location, description andcontact for event: phone, email and/orwebsite. Deadline is Thursday at noon,at least two weeks before event.

MONDAY-THURSDAY/AUG. 10-13Vacation Bible School. 9:30 a.m.-

12 p.m. at Oakton Baptist Church,14001 Sullyfield Circle, Chantilly. See Bulletin, Page 8

Bulletin Board

The presentation is titled“Unknown to us, known to Him.”Call 703-631-1799.

SATURDAY/AUG. 29“Navigating the Caregivers

Maze: Finding Support andPlanning for Your CaregivingJourney.” 8:30 a.m.–12 p.m. inthe Board Auditorium of theFairfax County Government

Center, 12000 Government CenterParkway. AARP and the PhilippineAmerican Foundation for Charitieswill present a program geared towardeducating people about options forsenior caregiving. Listen to a lecture,participate in a discussion and havequestions answered by experts fromFairfax County Services for OlderAdults. Free. RSVP requested but notrequired. Call 1-877-926-8300 or signup online at aarp.cvent.com/

Fairfax829VA.

THURSDAY/SEPT. 10Registration For ESL Classes. 7

p.m. at Lord of Life LutheranChurch, Fairfax Campus, 5114Twinbrook Road, Fairfax; orClifton Campus, 13421 TwinLakes Drive, Clifton. Register for

Chantilly Connection ❖ July 29 - August 4, 2015 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

See Residents Tour, Page 5

News

Free Carseat InspectionsCertified technicians from the Sully District Police Station will

perform free, child safety carseat inspections Thursday, July 30,from 5-8:30 p.m., at the station, 4900 Stonecroft Blvd. in Chantilly.No appointment is necessary. But residents should install the childsafety seats themselves so technicians may properly inspect andadjust them, as needed.

Because of time constraints, only the first 35 vehicles arrivingon each date will be inspected. That way, inspectors may haveenough time to properly instruct the caregiver on the correct useof the child seat. Call 703-814-7000, ext. 5140, to confirm datesand times.

CLRC Seeks Fall InternsThe Centreville Labor Resource Center (CLRC) is currently seek-

ing bi-lingual (English/Spanish) fall interns to help with the dailyoperations of the worker center, its new labor-justice projects andwith producing a worker-created community newsletter. ContactCLRC Director Molly Maddra-Santiago [email protected] for more details.

In addition, CLRC is holding a volunteer orientation on Friday,July 31, from 6:30-9 p.m. at the center, 5956 Centreville CrestLane in Centreville. Said Maddra-Santiago: “This is a great wayto learn more about us, even if you aren’t thinking about volun-teering – yet.”

Food Donations for WFCMWestern Fairfax Christian Ministries’ food pantry needs dona-

tions of 1-2 pound bags of rice, canned fruit (all types), cannedpastas, canned meats (tuna, ham, chicken), cold and hot cereals,spaghetti and sauces, peanut butter, canned vegetables (includ-ing spinach, collar greens, beets) and cooking oil.

Toiletries needed, which WFCM clients cannot purchase withfood stamps, include facial tissues, toothpaste, shampoo and soliddeodorant.

Bring all items to WFCM’S food pantry, weekdays, 9 a.m.-1:30p.m., at 13888 Metrotech Drive, near Papa John’s Pizza and KumonLearning Center, in Chantilly’s Sully Place Shopping Center. Avolunteer stocker/bagger is needed Wednesdays, 4-6 p.m. Con-tact Annette Bosley at 703-988-9656, ext. 110, [email protected].

Learn about Police DepartmentThroughout the year, the Fairfax County Police Department will

host a series of lectures as part of its 75th anniversary.❖ Aug. 10 – SWAT – Tools, Tactics, and Technology, 11 a.m. at

the West Springfield District community room https://www.eventbrite.com/e/swat-tools-tactics-and-technology-tickets-15374108372

❖ Sept. 16 – Helicopter Division, 10 a.m. at the Criminal Jus-tice Academy https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fcpd-helicopter-di-vision-tickets-15374129435

❖ Oct. 2 – Early days of Diversity, 11 a.m. at the Massey Build-ing A Level conference room https://www.eventbrite.com/e/early-days-of-diversity-tickets-15374156516

❖ Nov. 4 – Criminal Justice Academy, 11 a.m. at the CriminalJustice Academy https://www.eventbrite.com/e/criminal-justice-academy-tickets-15374248792

❖ Dec. 14 – Crisis Negotiations Team, 11 a.m. at the CriminalJustice Academy https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fcpd-crisis-nego-tiations-team-tickets-15374274870.

Give Caregivers a BreakFairfax County needs Respite Care volunteers throughout the

county to give family caregivers of a frail older adult a well-de-served break.

Volunteers visit and oversee the safety of the older adult for afew hours each month. Volunteers are matched with families inor near their own neighborhoods. Support and training is pro-vided. Contact Kristin Martin at 703-324-7577, TTY 711, [email protected].

Roundups

By Bonnie Hobbs

The Connection

About 30 local residents recently got a behind-the-scenes look at the Fairfax County Crimi-nal Justice Academy. They learned what re-

cruits go through to become police officers and par-ticipated in a training scenario.

Held June 10, it was sponsored by the Sully Dis-trict Police Station and its Citizens Advisory Com-mittee. “Tonight is to let you see what we, as policeofficers, deal with,” said the station’s assistant com-mander, Lt. Matt Owens.

The Criminal Justice Academy opened in 1985 inan elementary school in Annandale. Then in 1996,officers began using their current, more modern fa-cility in Chantilly. Lt. Mike Shamblin, a supervisor inthe Law Enforcement Training Unit, has worked inthe academy for more than 22 years.

“We train officers for the Fairfax County PoliceDepartment, Sheriff’s Office, the towns of Herndon

and Vienna, the Fire Marshal’s Office and AnimalControl,” he said. “This facility is dually run by po-lice and sheriff personnel. We do basic training forall recruits. The Law Enforcement Training Unit trainsthe entire Police Department, and the Sheriff’s Of-fice runs in-service training and keeps track ofeveryone’s certifications.”

Normally, about 40 people are in a recruit class.But in-service training for topics such as first aid andCPR is also held at the academy. Officers attend, aswell, to requalify for skills such as handcuffing andusing a baton, Taser and pistol; some are also rifle-or shotgun-qualified there.

“The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Ser-vices [DCJS], headquartered in Richmond, is respon-sible for the standards of training within the state,”said Shamblin. “It certifies and [confirms] policepowers on the officers and maintains all trainingrecords.”

All officers must meet 1,370 DCJS training objec-tives dealing with professional and legal matters,communications, patrol, investigations, defensivetactics, weapons use, plus driver, physical and fieldtraining. And it involves both written and practical-

Lt. Todd Kinkead (on left) and Mountain View grad Leo Becerra (on right) listen toLt. Mike Shamblin discuss how officers train in the gym.

Lt. Mike Shamblin talks tovisitors touring theacademy’s gym.

Lt. Todd Kinkead poses inside the bank replica within thetraining academy.

A Look at Officer TrainingResidents tour county’sCriminal Justice Academy.

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Chantilly

See Scrap Toll Plan, Page 11

‘Is Nothing Sacred?’To the Editor:

The massacre of nine African-Americansin Charleston, S.C., by a suspected domes-tic terrorist has left the entire nation shell-shocked and horrified. The deadly shoot-ing took place at the Emanuel AfricanMethodist Episcopal Church during aBible Study session. It is terrifying to thinkthat these nine individuals were mur-dered while praying and studying scrip-ture in a place of worship and brings thisphrase to the forefront of my mind: “Isnothing sacred?”

Unfortunately, over the past few years,this phrase has become more and morerelevant, whether it be in regards to theWisconsin Sikh Temple Shooting in 2012or the mass murder of 86 Ahmadi Mus-lims in their mosque in Lahore, Pakistanin 2010. These tragedies force us to ex-amine the racial and religious relationsand tensions that not only exist through-out the world, but have become a moti-vation for violence in our own nation. Inhis Farewell Sermon, the ProphetMuhammad advised his followers withthese words: “A white has no superiorityover a black nor a black has any superi-ority over a white except by piety andgood action.” As Americans, we can takeinto account this timeless advice as weremember the brave men and womenwho lost their lives in this horrific trag-edy.

Shumaila AhmadChantilly

Letter

Opinion

By Del. Jim LeMunyon

State Delegate (R-67)

The following letter was addressedto Aubrey Layne, Virginia Secretaryof Transportation.

This letter [dated July 21] is to re-spectfully request that you termi-nate plans to place a toll on I-66inside the Beltway to fund the

walking trails, bike paths and other multi-modal projects inside the Beltway de-scribed in your March 12, 2015 pub-lic presentation on this subject. In-stead, I request these plans be re-placed with different and much improved plansto address the chronic congestion problems onthis corridor. I hope the creation of new andimproved plans would include substantial in-teraction with members of the General Assem-bly from Northern Virginia, not just local gov-ernment officials.

VDOT’s own figures show approximately900,000 hours of time is wasted by NorthernVirginians every business day due to trafficcongestion. Governor McAuliffe speaks oftenabout the “New Virginia Economy.” An essen-tial element of improving economic growth inVirginia is to reduce the 900,000 figure as rap-

idly as possible, so that more of thepeople’s time might be spent on eco-nomic activity among other things.Ensuring that transportation projectsin Northern Virginia would be selectedon the basis of merit, and congestionreduction in particular, is why I

thought the General Assembly enacted H.B.599 (2012) and H.B. 2 (2014) with strong bi-partisan votes. It is therefore surprising thatthe Administration’s plans for I-66 inside theBeltway were not evaluated to determine the

expected congestion reduction im-pact, if any, prior to making a publicannouncement in March. You mayrecall that I recommended doing do

in my June 24, 2014 memo to you.As you may know, the Northern Virginia

Transportation Alliance, which consists of lead-ing business organizations, has characterizedthe McAuliffe Administration’s plans for I-66inside the Beltway as “Fire! Aim! Ready!” not-ing a lack of analysis and data to support keyassumptions. Also, as you know, the LoudounCounty Board of Supervisors recently votedunanimously to oppose the plans.

I share these sentiments, and my concernsabout the plans include but are not limited tothe following three issues. I would appreciateand value a response to the questions and re-quests for information that are presented inthis letter, and the alternative concepts recom-mended at the conclusion.

Additional Capacity Is Needed Nowon I-66 Inside the Beltway, Not De-cades from Now

The need to widen I-66 inside the Beltwaynow, not in 10 to 25 years as the McAuliffeAdministration has proposed, is intuitivelyobvious to all but the congestion-deniers. Toll-ing without expanding capacity on a road sobadly in need of capacity improvements is anidea that is way out of step with public senti-ment. Tolls have been established on I-495, I-95, and are planned for I-66 outside theBeltway, all coincident with vehicle capacityexpansion. It seems peculiar, to say the least,that tolls would be added to I-66 inside theBeltway without additional vehicle capacity,Keep in mind this corridor has significant con-gestion regularly on weekends and mid-day onweekdays, not just during traditional weekdaypeak periods. By putting off the issue of wid-ening the road, the Administration’s proposalignores the congestion problem outside of peakperiods. The plans are so far afield that noteven fixing the chronically congested intersec-tion of the Dulles Toll Road Connector (east-bound) and I-66 is included in the plans.

Moreover, making it easy for traffic to travela mile or so eastbound inside the Beltway inthe morning and westbound in the evening topark and ride at the West Falls Church Metrostation (which has plenty of available parking),without being subjected to HOV restrictions ora future toll, is one of the most obvious andleast expensive ways to promote the use oftransit in Northern Virginia. But this is also notpart of the Administration’s plan, Calls for moremulti-modal options along the I-66 corridorring rather hollow by ignoring this opportu-nity.

Coincidentally, as I am sure you know, mis-management at the Washington Area Metro-politan Transit Authority has led to a very re-cent proposal to reduce service on the OrangeLine, which parallels I-66. This comes afterpeak period weekday service was already re-duced by 42 percent a year ago to accommo-date the transfer of train cars to the Silver Line.Any additional reduction in service on the Or-ange Line will likely result in more traffic con-gestion on I-66, making vehicle capacity ex-pansion even more necessary.

The Plan Lacks Transparency and theFacts Necessary to Evaluate its Meritsor Lack Thereof

Information about key toll and congestionimpact parameters was not presented at theMarch kickoff meeting. These include the pricerange of proposed tolls, the impact of tolls ontraffic volume and congestion on I-66 and theNorthern Virginia transportation system as awhole, the specific times of day that tolls wouldbe imposed, and the number and cost of theprojects that would be funded with the tollrevenue and the amount of expected revenue.Public information meetings have been heldabout the project, but the public is being keptin the dark without this essential information.

Assuming the Administration believes thereare projects that should be funded by the toll,what happens when these projects are com-pleted and the toll revenue keeps flowing?

Given the nature of the proposal, I am con-cerned that, depending on yet unknown tollpricing and timing, the plans might createrather than reduce congestion by diverting traf-fic to U.S. 50, U.S. 29, Rt. 7, I-495, or neigh-borhood streets in Arlington, McLean, and FallsChurch. After all, if it is assumed that tollingwould reduce congestion on I-66, but no addi-tional road capacity would be added, then thiscan only mean that some existing traffic wouldno longer use I-66 and go elsewhere instead.Does the

Administration believe that the traffic thatwould no longer use I-66 inside the Beltwaywould convert to carpooling, transit or bi-cycles? If not, the plans would not reduce con-gestion, only re-arrange it.

You, I and many others have worked hard toend “politics as usual” with respect to trans-portation policy and bring more transparencyand accountability to the process of selectingand funding transportation projects with thepeople’s money. A key element of this processis to ensure that projects are selected based onmerit according to objective criteria. The plansfor 1-66 inside the Beltway presented so fardon’t do this. Regrettably, this project looks alot like politics as usual.

With respect to H.B. 2, I’m told there is anopinion shared by some in the McAuliffe Ad-ministration that the nature of this projectsomehow exempts it from the requirements ofH.B. 2. If this is the Administration’s position,I would appreciate and value a legal analysison this point. Even if this were true, theMcAuliffe Administration should want to scorethis proposal according to H.B. 2 anyway as ademonstration of its commitment to the prin-

Scrap Toll Plan for I-66 Inside the Beltway

Commentary


News

Residents Tour County’s Criminal Justice AcademyFrom Page 3

experience tests.Fairfax County officers also receive train-

ing beyond what the state mandates. Thoseattending the academy must learn and mas-ter an additional 172 Criminal Justice Acad-emy training objectives, for a total of nearly1,550 objectives. These extra objectives in-clude, for example, completing a half-miletimed run in less than 4 minutes and run-ning an obstacle course in 1 minute, 20 sec-onds. Both these skills are related to find-ing and apprehending a suspect.

“We do 26 weeks of training, includinglegal exams, spelling tests and a DCJS finalexam,” said Shamblin. “Officers also receivetwo weeks each pistol and firearms train-ing — both night and day — plus drivertraining. They learn defensive tactics withtheir bodies. They’re also exposed to pep-per spray — and then have to talk on thepolice radio and run through an obstaclecourse to show you can run through thespray. We do this because, when police useit, some of it blows back on them, too.”

Physical fitness includes running andstrength training. Driver training includespractical exercises, such as driving on slip-pery surfaces and correcting a vehicle afterdriving off the road. And on the drivingtrack, officers learn how to handle their cars

and not lose control even when travelingat speeds up to 107 mph.

“We also require on-the-job field training,running through various scenarios an officercould face,” added Lt. Todd Kinkead, whoheads the Sully District Station’s CriminalInvestigations Section. And every two years,the state requires officers to be retrained tomaintain their certification.

“Some people wash out,” said Shamblin.“It’s a reality check when you get outsideand realize people actually want to hurtyou.”

The residents then toured the facility, in-

cluding the gym. Painted in large letters onthe walls are the words, “Police, don’t move”and “Training is everything.” And on staffis a physical therapist to rehabilitate offic-ers who’ve been injured. “She’s rehabbedme several times,” said Kinkead. “She’s aphenomenal resource.”

There’s a black-walled room where offic-ers can get used to being outside at nightwith their blue, cruiser lights flashing. Andanother room has mats on the floor and adummy for police to tackle and subdue withtheir weak hands — i.e., their left hands, ifthey’re right-handed.

In a room called the “maze,” officers prac-tice clearing a room and searching a build-ing without getting shot. There’s also anarea set up like an apartment, also forsearching, with doors on each side of a longhall. “It’s an absolutely miserable place tosearch,” said Shamblin. “It’s horrible be-cause there are so many doors.”

In addition, there’s a practical-exercisearea resembling a section of a town whereofficers may run different scenarios. In it,they respond to pretend calls for help atvarious businesses, such as a bank, restau-rant, pizza parlor, bar, sporting-goods store,quick mart and a thrift shop, plus a park.

And during the tour, residents whowanted to get a better idea of the dangerofficers face every day got to participate in

several, different scenarios in the “bar.” In-dividually, volunteers assumed the role ofa police officer responding to a call for a“disturbance,” but received no other infor-mation before heading inside. So they hadno idea how many people were involved,exactly what led up to the incident andwhether anyone had a weapon.

Armed with a pretend gun in a holster,the “officer” entered the “bar” and encoun-tered two men fighting. The “officer” thenhad to quickly assess the situation, decidewhat was going on and whether or not todraw his or her weapon before the “officer”or someone else got hurt or “killed.”

After each scenario, MPO Nancy Cottrellexplained to the volunteers what theyshould or shouldn’t have done in each sce-nario, and why. “We appreciate you guyscoming out and learning,” she said. “Youcan be a big help by getting involved [whenyou see something amiss] by calling us andproviding us with good information.”

June Mountain View High grad LeoBecerra — who hopes to eventually attendthat academy and become a police officer,himself — then expressed gratitude on be-half of the residents. “Thank you, guys, forgiving us this opportunity and opening upour eyes to what you do every day,” he said.“I know we don’t thank you enough, butwe really do appreciate it.”

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Lt. Mike Shamblin in the blackroom with visitors Eileen Mackrelland Jack Spencer.


News

Troop 1548: Through All Kinds of Weather

Photo by Phil Quinn

After riding length of C&O canal, Scouts finish at Lincoln Memorial.Photo by Steve Klosky

The Scouts leave their Camporee Camp Site for the challenge course.

Photo by Dave Mowbray

Troop 1548 with the cairn marking Baden Powell’s thinking spot.

Photo by Pat Rayermann

The Scouts tested their knots and lashing skills with Huckfin days ofconstructing bamboo rafts and floating down the Potomac River in PawPaw, W.Va.

the first official Scout Camp, Camp LookWide, reaffirming their Scout Oath at thecairn marking the spot where Powell final-ized the creation of the Boy Scouts.

After returning from these experiences, theScouts gathered for their Annual PlanningMeeting in August. Some events in their planfor the year included the Troop’s 12th annualIron Chef Competition (Cooking MeritBadge), Paul Bunyan Days (Wilderness Sur-vival, Rifle, Shotgun, and Archery MeritBadges), and the Annual Naval (AmericanHeritage, Radio and Citizenship in the Na-tion Merit Badge) weekend. This year’s tripincluded cake with Benjamin Franklin on hisbirthday. The Troop’s Scouts also affirmedtheir annual trek to New York to retrieve theLight of Peace and participate as Messengersof Peace by bringing this eternal flame toVirginia, sharing it with Troops in the D.C.,Maryland, and Virginia area, and arrangingto relay it on to other Troops across the

United States. This year’s cold weather didnot hold the Scout’s back as they plannedand prepared for a winter backpack in a blan-ket of snow and the weather did not fail todeliver. The term All Weather Troop symbol-izes the Scout Motto to always be prepared,for any kind of weather, providing Scoutswith challenging growth experiences bal-anced with prudence and planning to assuresuccess in their adventures — the Scoutsbackpacked through 8 to 12 inches of snowand learned the difficulties and fine art oftrekking through a foot of snow.

Spring Break is generally the Troop’sTriathlon of Backpacking, Canoeing andCycling over six days and 100 miles. Thisyear the Scout chose to ride the entire lengthof the C&O Canal — a distance of 184 miles.With snow, wind, rain and sunshine, theolder Scouts were joined on the last two daysby the two new joining Patrols. The Troopfinished in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

Troop 1548, led by ScoutmasterPhil Quinn, is known as the AllWeather Troop. They concludedthis year’s activities with a

splash in the mud during the Marine CorpsMarathon’ Run A-Muck. Held each year atMarine Corps Base Quantico, Scouts bravedthe four miles of mud and obstacles dressedas super heroes, while the adults came outas super villains.

The year started off with younger scoutsattending Tuckahoe Summer Camp as theVenture Patrol departed for England to be-gin their 85-mile coast-to-coast hike ofHadrian’s Wall. Based out of Dilston ScoutCamp, the Venture Patrol made daily treksalong the 1900-year-old wall. Local BritishScouts created nightly opportunities for fel-lowship around the campfire and lastingfriendship. Besides witnessing ancient arti-facts being uncovered, the Patrol made thehistorical journey of Lord Baden Powell to

Photo by Pat Rayermann

Backpacking the Appalachian Trailin a foot of snow.


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News

By Mike Ashenfelder

The Connection

Dylan Cooper, a jazz pianist from Centreville,will perform with the Summer Jazz Acad-emy, directed by Wynton Marsalis, at the

Castleton Festival this weekend.Cooper, 17, joins 42 other gifted U.S. high school

jazz students selected by Jazz at Lincoln Center toparticipate in the new advanced training program.

This is the first year for the Summer Jazz Acad-emy, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s first music educationand performance high school summer program. It isalso the Castleton Festival’s first all-jazz endeavor.

The Summer Jazz Academy is hosted by theCastleton Festival, a not- for-profit performance se-ries and training program for young artists, foundedby conductor-violinist-composer Lorin Maazel andhis wife, Dietlinde Turban Maazel, to mentor talentedyoung professional musicians in a harmonious, sup-portive setting. Lorin Maazel and Marsalis announcedtheir partnership shortly before Maazel’s death in July2014.

“At Jazz at Lincoln Center, we believe in a holisticeducation,” Marsalis said. “We believe in a ‘hands-on’ approach to education. We will teach kids to play

at the highest level, butwe also want the Jazz atLincoln Center SummerJazz Academy experienceat Castleton to be transfor-mative and to inviteyoung people into thefeeling of jazz.”

The two-week instituteis designed and instructedby Marsalis and an elitefaculty. Students study

jazz aesthetics, culture, and history, and they per-form in big bands and small combos. The curricu-lum and format are based on Jazz at Lincoln Center’s27-year history of education in jazz performance andappreciation. The students will be on the bill thisSaturday and Sunday, Aug. 1 and 2, with the Jazz atLincoln Center Orchestra. Marsalis will headline bothshows. Cooper, who performs during the school yearwith the Westfield High School Jazz Band, said thatthe Summer Jazz Academy has been “intense” andinvaluable for his growth as a musician. He describes,for example, the pianist/instructor, Helen Sung, dem-onstrating a mambo style on the piano for the en-semble. “Just from watching her I learned how toplay the style and how to keep a repeated accompa-niment interesting,” said Cooper. “She would playthe pattern, then throw in a run up the scale andthen hit a chord and go right back to the patternagain. She is pushing me out of my comfort zone,which is great.”

Mentored by Wynton MarsalisWestfield studentparticipates inSummer Jazz Academy.

Dylan Cooper

By Victo

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Sports

By Jon Roetman

The Connection

High school was a difficult timefor Kara Moore. Whether itwas medical issues or prob-lems fitting in socially, Moore

was plagued by stress for much of her fouryears at Westfield.

She was diagnosed with a panic disorderat the age of 10. As she got older, she expe-rienced seemingly random illnesses. Sheunderwent 12 surgeries in high school. Shewould eventually be diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: Hypermobility and Pos-tural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndromeafter collapsing during a college basketballpractice.

While much of high school was hard onMoore, the golf course was her sanctuary.In 2007, she was the only freshman to makethe girls’ golf team. Moore ended up a four-time regional qualifier for the Bulldogs, butgolf at Westfield was about more than bird-ies and pars for the shy, slender girl whostood 6 feet tall.

Golf gave Moore a place to get away fromthe stress of everyday life.

“When things were on the golf course,things were significantly different,” Mooresaid. “… I didn’t have any panic attacks oranxiety on the golf course.”

Moore’s teammates were also her friends.“It was light-hearted,” she said. “… They

were really accepting. … That was some-

thing I was searching for sinceI wasn’t good socially. When Idid get sick, they were the onesto check in on me.”

Moore, now 22, graduatedfrom Westfield in 2011 and at-tended Marymount Universityin Arlington. At the time,Marymount offered men’s golfbut did not have a women’steam. After joining the men’steam for one season, Moorehelped create a women’s pro-gram.

“With the help and supportof President Dr. MatthewShank and the WashingtonGolf & Country Club commu-nity, I spent Summer 2014 cre-ating the team I promised,”Moore wrote in an email. “Thetrue test was practice in August2014. We needed at least sixplayers to be a team and 11showed up ready to play.

“Marymount Women’s Golfplayed its inaugural season in2014-2015. None of the schools in our con-ference had golf teams so we played any-one and everyone who would play us. I trav-elled up and down the mid-Atlantic coastwith my team having the time of my life.We were not first-place winners everymatch, but the creation of the team was achampionship of its own.”

While golfing was the most enjoyable ac-tivity of Moore’s high school experience,interest in the sport dwindled at after shegraduated. Golf is now a co-ed sport at

Westfield, and Moore is focused on tryingto bring back a girls’ team.

For a girls’ team to exist, Westfield wouldneed at least four golfers — a numberMoore doesn’t see as a problem.

A low interest level and financial re-straints make it unlikely for Westfield tofield a girls’ team this fall, but Moore saidshe’s dedicated to making it happen in thefuture, and would like to help as a volun-teer assistant coach.

“I would tell [any interested girls] that

they don’t need to have swunga golf club in their life as longas they’re interested in play-ing,” said Moore, who volun-teers with The First Tee ofGreater Washington, D.C. “Iwas not confident in myself atall going into high school. Ididn’t think I was going tomake the team, at all.”

Moore said those girls inter-ested in playing golf shouldcome to tryouts for theWestfield co-ed team on Aug.3 and 4 at Chantilly NationalCountry Club.

“It may take a year, it maytake two years to separate the[the boys’ and girls’ teams],”Moore said. “… I would like tosee girls’ varsity golf with itsown tab on the [Westfield ath-letics] Web site again.”

Moore has experienced ad-ditional hardships of late aftergraduating from Marymountwith a bachelor’s degree, in-

cluding job-related struggles and graduateschool rejections. She’s currently back homein Centreville working in the golf depart-ment at Dick’s Sporting Goods.

While times can be tough, Moore can stillfocus on golf.

“I owe it to [girls interested in golf] to tryand get this back up and running becauseit meant so much to me and I feel it mightchange the life of somebody else,” Mooresaid. “I would love to be around Westfieldgirls’ golf again.”

Westfield Grad Wants to Bring Back Girls’ Golf TeamKara Moorerecalls the benefits.

Kara Moore, pictured in 2009, has fond memories ofher time with the Westfield girls’ golf team.

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Poplar TreeCompetes inNVSL Division 4IndividualChampionships

The third time was the charmthis year at Virginia Run for abeautiful sunny day.

In the Battle Royale of NVSLDivision 4, the Pirates showed theybelonged with 60 best times andtwo records set.

In the 8 and under boys, BlakeMadsen bested his records with a

breaststroke time of 21.90 and a17.96 in the fly.

Eight Pirates qualified for theAll-star meet on July 30: NehaBalaji (9-10 girls’ breaststroke(10th)); Mary Kominski (13-14girls’ breaststroke (10th)); JuliaYoung (girls’ 13-14 backstroke(6th), girls’ 13-14 100 IM (19th));Lauren Young (girls’ 13-14freestyle (3rd), girls’ 13-14 butter-fly (1st)); Lauren Hensley (15-18girls’ backstroke (5th), 15-18 girls’100 IM (6th)); Ben Farello 8&Uboys’ freestyle (10th), 8&U boys’butterfly (3rd)); Blake Madsen(8&U boys’ breaststroke (2nd),8&U boys’ butterfly (1st)); and KaiTaft (9-10 boys’ butterfly (16th)).

Swim Notes

The Poplar Tree Pirate all-stars: (from left) Mary Kominski, Lauren Young, JuliaYoung, Lauren Hensley, Neha Balaji, Kai Taft, (front) Blake Madsen, and Ben Farello.

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beginning, intermediate or advancedESL classes starting on Sept. 15 andrunning through Nov. 19. Classes willbe held Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7-9p.m. There is a $15 registration feeand the textbook costs $25. Visitwww.lordoflifeva.org.

ELECTRONICS RECYCLINGResidents Can “E-cycle” at the I-66

transfer station. It is free but

residents may be asked to show proofof residency. Personal waste only.The I-66 station is located at 4618West Ox Road, Fairfax and open from8 a.m.-4 p.m. from Monday-Saturdayand from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sundays.Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/recycling/electric-sunday.htm.

DONATIONSThe student Auto Sales Program

operating from Centreville High

School works in conjunction with theCVHS automotive technology classesto bring in donated automobiles,boats and motorcycles for students towork on. Some refurbished vehiclesare sold, with 75 percent of theproceeds going back to the auto techprogram. The program is in need ofcars, trucks or motorcycles, which arefully tax deductible, for studenttraining. Contact Lyman Rose at 703-802-5588 or by [email protected] for more.

Cell Phones for Soldiers is acceptingdonations of old cellphones so thattroops can call home. Patrons maydrop off donations at 14215ECentreville Square, Centreville.

SUPPORT GROUPTelephone Support Group for

Family Caregivers of OlderAdults. 7 p.m. every second Tuesdayof the month. This telephone supportgroup is designed to help caregivers

share experiences, gain supportwithout having to travel. These areone-hour free sessions. Register atwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs/olderadultservices.

Fair Oaks Parkinson’s SupportGroup for people living withParkinson’s disease, caregivers andfamily, meets on the fourth Saturdaymonthly, 10 a.m.-noon at Sunrise atFair Oaks, 3750 Joseph SiewickDrive, Fairfax. Call 703-378-7221 orvisit www.fairoaksparkinsons.com.

Bulletin Board

From Page 2


News

By Tim Peterson

The Connection

In their last meeting of the summer,Fairfax County School Board mem-bers began by remembering formersuperintendent Dr. Robert Spillane,

who recently died, and recognizing outgo-ing members of the school system’s leader-ship team.

“He was one of the first people to reachout to me as I came on as superintendent,”said Dr. Karen Garza. The current superin-tendent called him “a gracious and impres-sive gentleman,” adding: “He’s a personwho’s had a tremendous impact on this sys-tem.” Assistant superintendent of humanresources Dr. Phyllis Pajardo and Dr. KimDockery, chief academic officer, each re-ceived resolutions honoring their years ofwork and service in Fairfax County PublicSchools.

Pajardo’s career with Fairfax Countyspanned 34 years and included positions ofteacher, assistant principal, principal andcluster leadership roles. In 20 years,Dockery was also an assistant and princi-pal, as well as assistant superintendent ofspecial services, before reaching her finalposition as chief academic officer.

During citizen participation, severalspeakers also praised Dockery. Sheree

Brown-Kaplan, founder and chair of theFairfax Alliance for Appropriate Public Edu-cation, said, “Through my personal experi-ence as a parent and as a special educationadvocate, I have observed Kim bring sub-stantive change toward a problem-solvingapproach to special education disputes.”

TAKING HER TURN at the microphone,Dockery thanked the board for the honorand closed by saying, “The classroom iswhere everything happens and we have tomake sure that politics doesn’t overshadowthe quality of the teacher in the classroomand the great administrators — those twothings are the most important things to oursuccess.”

Two of the main items the board tookaction on were the Fiscal Year 2015 finalbudget review and Fiscal Year 2016 AuditPlan.

Providence representative Patty Reedmade the motion to pass the final budgetreview, which included revenue and expen-diture changes versus the Fiscal Year 2015Third Quarter Budget Review.

“It reflects hard work and prudent spend-ing,” Reed said. “It funds Strategic Plan pri-orities,” she added and “sets aside moneyfor Fiscal Year 2017, when we’re going toneed every penny we can get. It’s respon-sible action.”

The variances between the Third Quar-ter and Final reviews amounted to $33.2million in funds available.

Of those, this final budget review includes$23.9 million that’s set aside, along with$4 million already earmarked from the Fis-cal Year 2015 Third Quarter Budget Review,for a total of $27.8 million as a total begin-ning balance for Fiscal Year 2017.

“Given what we know the county is fac-ing in 2017,” said Braddock representative

Megan McLaughlin, referring to a projected$100 million shortfall, “I believe my col-leagues are truly trying to help this schoolsystem find the best footing possible.”

Kimberly Adams, president of the FairfaxEducation Association teachers’ union,praised past budget work for funding theon-time full-step increase in teacher com-pensation, and making “good on the prom-ise of turf fields.”

“We appreciate work that started weeksago, with joint board committees,” Adamssaid. “We need to see more work by bothboards, more quickly. Our quality of lifedepends on it.”

When called to a vote, the board unani-mously passed the review.

At-large member Ilryong Moon next mo-tioned for approving the Fiscal Year 2016audit plan, intended to improve the effi-ciency and efficacy of the school system.Moon explained that in addition tocarryovers from the Fiscal Year 2015 audit,new components for 2016 would includeperformance audits of the online campus,homebound and home-based instruction,and business process and turnover audits.

Garza commended the work of the auditcommittee, which most recently held a work

session July 13.“It’s a good approach to include the com-

prehensive evaluations,” Garza said, thatwill have “a significant impact throughoutthe system.”

The audit plan also passed unanimously.

AS A FOLLOW-UP, the board then votedto approve the process by which commu-nity members can apply to be part of theaudit committee, as well as a timeline forhow and when that group will operate. Thecommittee comprises four School Boardmembers and two appointed representa-tives from the community. Those two servestaggered two-year terms.

The request for community member ap-plications began July 24 and will last untilAug. 21, with the first meeting scheduledto be held in October.

“We clearly will, with the addition of com-munity members, accomplish our goals ofmany years ago,” said Mount Vernon rep-resentative Dan Storck, “to have a highlyfunctional, independent audit process.”

During new business, School Board mem-bers received information about the futureof the Family Life Education CurriculumAdvisory Committee, which is made up ofcommunity members, teachers, administra-tors and members of the central office staff.

As of the meeting, two School Board ap-pointments to the committee were unfilled,along with four student representative ap-pointments, a physician and a middle andelementary school administrator. The re-mainder of the committee members’ termlasts until June 30, 2016.

The Family Life Education CurriculumAdvisory Committee meets twice yet thisyear — Oct. 8 and Nov. 12 — at theGatehouse Administration Center from 7-9p.m.

‘Trying to Find the Best Footing’School Board honorsretiring leadershipteam members,adopts budget reviewand audit plan.

Dr. PhyllisPajardo

Campers in the Fairfax County Park Authority’s REC-Pac summer pro-gram gather to break into the Guinness Book of World Records.

Crime Prevention Officer Michelle Alexander and School ResourceOfficers Joe Woloszyn and Josh Kennon.

Gathering to Break into Guinness Book of World RecordsC

rime Prevention Officer MichelleAlexander and School ResourceOfficers Joe Woloszyn and Josh

Kennon helped break a world record onThursday, July 23 at the Udvar-Hazy Air andSpace Museum.

Along with more than 1,200 REC-Pac

campers, officers highlighted the bullyingissue by striving to break into the GuinnessBook of World Records.

The group stood in front of the museumand formed a shape of a heart with theirhands for two minutes.

Previously, the record holder in this cat-

egory stood at 554 youths. If approved, thecampers and all in attendance will make the2016 record book.

The campers were assisted by 42 volun-teer stewards from Fairfax County PoliceDepartment, Fairfax County Public Schools,Fairfax County Fire & Rescue along with

local residents. REC-Pac, which stands for“Pretty Awesome Children,” is operated bythe Fairfax County Park Authority and is asummer program for Fairfax County chil-dren. The campers range from 1st gradersto rising 7th graders. Visit http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/rec-pac/.

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Kim Dockery


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On ATangent

Not that I live day-to-day or even month-to-month, but I do live – in my head any-way – quarter-to-quarter; that interval rep-resenting the usual and customary timebetween my recurring diagnostic scans. Thetime when the rubber hits my road. Thetime when push comes to shove. The timewhen my oncologist tells me whether mywarranty has been extended for the nextthree months or not. Not that I anticipatethat my time will run out that quickly after adisappointing scan result; still, bad newsseems to travel faster and cause adverseconsequences quicker than good newscauses relief, a sort of “disharmony,” toquote James Cagney from the movie, “MisterRoberts.”

But what else is new? Nothing, really.Because to live the life of a cancer survivoris way better than not living, or casting your-self as a victim, which, for those who knowme, know I never do. Where’s the future inthat? Blaming, “woeing-is-meing,” “self-dis-satisfying?” To what end? Misery might likecompany but it’s boring to be around miser-able people. And to survive a potentiallydevastating and depressing set of circum-stances – expected or not – associatingand/or being exposed to/subjected to peo-ple who look at life through black-rose-col-ored glasses provides no help whatsoever.

I don’t want to feel better about myselfby being around people who feel worseabout themselves. I want to feel better bybeing around people who feel good andact/behave positively. Strength may indeedcome from numbers, as they say; but whenyou’re a cancer patient/survivor, strengthcomes from attitude: yours, your fellow can-cer survivors and the people with whom yousurround yourself. I don’t want to have over-come someone else’s negativity. I want to beovercome by their positivity. I want/need tofeel good about everything I do/attempt todo. I don’t want/definitely don’t need tofeel/be made to feel bad about anything.Granted, it’s a subtle line between encour-agement and disappointment where youmight be suggesting one thing and minimiz-ing another. Yet, finding a middle groundbecomes imperative. Not that cancerpatients’ psyches are fragile and easilyaffected by the words and deeds of others;however, cancer does exert some subcon-scious and even unconscious control andconsequently, you might end up feel-ing/emoting/reacting differently than youever have or ever anticipated. As an exam-ple: I tear up regularly while watching televi-sion, and not just at “tear-jerkers,” either:news, weather, sports, comedies, dramas,fiction, non-fiction; anything, everything.

Mastering one’s domain, in a non-Seinfeld-type context is crucial to surviving acancer ordeal. Taking the ups and downsand all-arounds in some sort of stride, eventwo steps forward and one step backwardisn’t so bad. At least your net movement isforward. And forward is the goal. CertainlyI’m not looking forward to my next scan inOctober but it is something to look forwardto; it’s progress, sort of; it means that life isstill being lived. It’s not ideal, but ideal leftthe building on February 27, 2009 when Ireceived my initial face-to-face diagno-sis/prognosis. Nevertheless, I remain positiveabout my negative. In my opinion, the alter-native serves no purpose.

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From Page 4

Opinion

ciple of project selection based on merit.Please allow me to call attention to the

fact that the provisions of H.B. 599 applyto “all significant transportation projects”in Northern Virginia. This legislation wasnot amended or superseded by H.B. 2; Iwould appreciate and value an explanationregarding why the Administration is pro-ceeding with plans for I-66 inside theBeltway without having first performed ananalysis pursuant to H.B. 599 as requiredby law. If there is some ambiguity about thisprovision of law, please let me know,

The Administration’s proposal also ig-nores the fact that 30 percent of the por-tion of H.B. 2313 (2013) tax revenue dedi-cated to Northern Virginia is allocated tolocalities for transportation and can be usedat their discretion, including for walkways,bike paths, and multi-modal options. On topof this, Fairfax County approved $100 mil-lion in bonding authority in 2014, mis-named “transportation,” of which $86 mil-lion is dedicated to walkways and bikepaths. I would appreciate and value an ex-planation regarding why the revenue al-ready available to localities in Northern Vir-ginia for walkways, bike paths, and othermulti-modal options is not sufficient, andthat toll revenue is needed.

Similarly, 70 percent of the portion of H.B.2313 tax revenue is allocated to the North-ern Virginia Transportation Authority, whichcan fund roadway and multi-modal projectsalong the 1-66 corridor inside the Beltway.Why is this existing tax revenue, plus therevenue collected by the state from H.B.2313 and prior legislation, not sufficientand toll revenue necessary?

A related issue is who would pay the tolland who would benefit from it. While I willawait the completion of the appropriateanalysis, it would seem likely that many, ifnot most of the expected toll payers liveoutside the Beltway, while the projects thatwould be funded by the toll would benefitmostly those living inside the Beltway, iftrue, this raises a fundamental issue of fair-ness. Likewise, it is unfair for motorists topay a toll to drive on a road that tax dollarshave already paid to build and maintain.

Assigning the Northern VirginiaTransportation Commission andnot the Northern Virginia Trans-portation Authority or the CTB toSpend Toll Revenue Doesn’t MakeSense

After years of having no money to spendon transportation projects, the NorthernVirginia Transportation Authority was putinto business with a portion of the tax rev-enue from H.B. 2313. While the Authoritystill has significant progress to make in or-der to meet the expectations of H.B. 2313,it has established a project selection pro-cess that is funding all modes of transpor-tation in Northern Virginia, including alongthe I-66 corridor, and has established pro-cesses to facilitate project implementation.NVTC has none of this in place, but has a

substantially overlapping membership oflocalities including certain elected officialswho attend both NVTC and NVTA meetings.(Disclosure: I am a member of the NVTC).

So I’m sure you can understand why I’msurprised by your willingness to give theNVTC, and not the NVTA or the Common-wealth Transportation Board, the role ofspending toll revenue as noted in yourMarch 25, 2015 letter to the heads of gov-ernment in Arlington, Fairfax County, andFalls Church. Choosing NVTC would createa redundant and unnecessary local govern-ment bureaucracy at the NVTC to do whatthe NVTA and the CTB are already doing.No well-run business would organize itsdecision making processes in this way. De-cision making with public money should notbe designed to a lower standard. My con-cern is amplified by the fact that the NVTCis not subject to the project selection-by-merit approach used by the NVTA and theCTB. I would appreciate and value yourexplanation of why the NVTC was chosenamong the alternatives.

In conclusion, I would be happy to workwith you and your team to develop newplans for I-66 inside the Beltway. Ratingproject options according to H.B. 599 andH.B. 2 should be among the first steps taken,so that state and local decision makers, aswell as the public, can evaluate the optionsbased on expected congestion reductionrelative to cost. Options for evaluationshould include several scenarios, such aswidening I-66 inside the Beltway by one ortwo lanes in each direction, all the way tothe Potomac River, as well as part of theway through Arlington. The analysis shouldalso include the congestion reduction im-pact of fixing the I-66/Dulles Connectorintersection, and removing HOV restrictionsbetween the West Falls Church Metro sta-tion and the Beltway, with direct access tothe station from I-66.

Given the proximity of I-66 to Washing-ton, D.C. and important national securityassets in Northern Virginia, the analysisshould also examine the degree to whichdifferent scenarios would be expected toimprove regional mobility and save lives inthe event of a homeland security emergencyin Washington or Northern Virginia, as spe-cifically referenced in H.B. 599.

lf our collective purpose is to put meritand objectivity ahead of politics as usual,then we should neither hesitate to evaluatethese kinds of options pursuant to H.B. 599and H.B. 2, nor fear the results.

Scrap I-66 Toll Plan

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public issue. The deadline for all material isnoon Friday. Letters must be signed.Include home address and home and

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C E N T R E V I L L EThe Anglican Church of the Ascension

TraditionalAnglican Services

1928 Book ofCommon Prayer

1940 Hymnal

13941 Braddock Road, (north off Rte. 29) Centreville, VA703-830-3176 • www.ascension-acc.org

Holy Communion 10 A.M. Sundays(with Church School and Nursery)

COMMUNITIESOF WORSHIP

To highlight your faith community,call Karen at 703-917-6468

All Summer • One Service 10 a.m.

Email announcements to [email protected]. Include date,time, location, description and contact forevent: phone, email and/or website. Pho-tos and artwork welcome. Deadline isThursday at noon, at least two weeks be-fore event.

ONGOING“Evenings on the Ellipse” Concert

Series. Thursdays, 5:30-7 p.m. atthe Fairfax County GovernmentCenter Ellipse (Backyard),12000Government Center Parkway.Chairman Sharon Bulova of theFairfax County Board of Supervisorshosts weekly live music events. Relaxto the music and enjoycomplimentary samples of localwines. Free. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks.

Summer Reading Program.Through Sept. 5 at all regionallibraries. Come to the library forbooks and other fun events. All ageswelcome. Free. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/ for locations andinformation.

Toddlin’ Twos. Tuesdays, 10:30 and11:30 a.m. at the Chantilly Library,4000 Stringfellow Road. Earlyliteracy storytime with songs andactivities included. Age 2 withcaregiver, free. Call 703-502-3883 toreserve a spot.

Storytime for Three to Fives.Tuesdays, 1:30 p.m. at the ChantillyLibrary, 4000 Stringfellow Road.Stories and activities for children age3-5 with caregiver. Free. Call 703-502-3883 to reserve a spot.

English Conversation Group.Thursdays, 7 p.m. at the ChantillyLibrary, 4000 Stringfellow Road.Practice English with a group ofstudents and adults. Free. Call 703-

502-3883 to reserve a space.English Conversation Group.

Saturdays, 3 p.m. at the CentrevilleRegional Library, 14200 St. GermainDrive. Practice English with a groupof students and adults. Free. Call703-830-2223 for more.

English Conversation Group.Tuesdays, 10:30 a.m. at the ChantillyLibrary, 4000 Stringfellow Road.Practice English with a group ofstudents and adults. Free. Call 703-502-3883 to reserve a space.

Plant Clinic. Saturdays, 10:30 a.m. atthe Chantilly Library, 4000Stringfellow Road. A neighborhoodplant clinic with horticultural tips,information, techniques, and advice.Free. Call 703-502-3883 to reserve aspace.

ESL Book Club. Mondays, 7 p.m. atthe Centreville Regional Library,14200 St. Germain Drive. Meet anddiscuss a book chosen by group. Free.Call 703-830-2223 with questionsand to reserve a spot.

THURSDAY/JULY 30-SUNDAY/AUG.Fairfax County 4-H Fair and

Carnival. 9 a.m.-10 p.m. at FryingPan Farm Park, 2709 West Ox Rd,Herndon. Carnival rides, fair food,animal shows, stage entertainment,exhibits, competitions, tractor pulland more. Free admission. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/fryingpanpark/4-h-fair.htm.

THURSDAY/JULY 30Silly Sleuths Day. 10 a.m.-12 p.m. at

Sully Historic Site, 3650 HistoricSully Way, Chantilly. Learn historyand make a craft. The topic will be“Weather-Wise.” There is a $10 fee.Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov.

Around the World Musical

Adventure. 10:30 a.m. CentrevilleRegional Library, 14200 St. GermainDrive. Music and Movement for Ages3-7. Free. Call 703-830-2223 withquestions and to reserve a spot.

Ask an Expert Series: Pave KnifePod. 12:30-12:45 p.m. at Steven F.Udvar-Hazy Center, 14390 Air andSpace Museum Parkway, Chantilly.Learn about laser-guided bombs inthe Vietnam War from Air and SpaceMuseum staff member Roger Connor.Free admission. $15 parking. Visitairandspace.si.edu/events/

Networking Event. 4-6 p.m. at theWashington Intelligence Bureau,4128 Pepsi Place, Chantilly. Attend acasual summer event designed togive nonprofit leaders and organizerstools to better their work. Free. Visitwww.wibmail.com/event.

Teen Creative Writing Workshop.7 p.m. at the Chantilly Library, 4000Stringfellow Road. Mentors from theWriters of Chantilly help take teen’screative writing to the next level.Free. Call 703-502-3883 to reserve aspot.

FRIDAY/JULY 31Ready For School Storytime. 2 p.m.

at the Chantilly Library, 4000Stringfellow Road. Get preschool-aged children ready to be on theirown with this early literacy storytimeprogram. Call 703-502-3883 toreserve a space.

SATURDAY/AUG. 1Crime Solvers 5K. 8 a.m. at the

Fairfax County Government Center,12000 Government Center Parkway.The Fairfax County Crime Solvershost the annual “Race Against Crime”sponsored by InvestigationDiscovery’s “Homicide Hunter” host

Lt. Joe Kenda. Registration is $30through July 31 at 9 a.m. and $35 onthe day of the race. Visitwww.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org/5K formore.

Thriving Three to Fives. 10:30 a.m.at the Centreville Regional Library,14200 St. Germain Drive. Stories andactivities for those aged 3-5 with anadult. Free. Call 703-830-2223 withquestions and to reserve a spot.

“With the Help of a Physick.” 1-2p.m. at Sully Historic Site, 3650Historic Sully Way, Chantilly. Learnabout 18th century diseases and whythese illnesses were frighteningmysteries for most people. Learnabout smallpox inoculation and the1793 yellow fever epidemic inPhiladelphia. There is a $8 fee. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY/AUG. 1-2BrickFair. 11a.m.-4 p.m. at Dulles

Expo Center, 4320 Chantilly Center,Chantilly. Satisfy a love for Legos atthis Lego festival and expo thatfeature displays, vendors and games.$15-$20 admission. Visitwww.brickfair.com.

MONDAY/AUG. 3Uno, Dos, Tres Sing and Dance.

10:30 a.m. at the Chantilly Library,4000 Stringfellow Road. Sing andmove with music and dance withAndres Salguero. All ages. Free. Call703-502-3883 to reserve a space.

Writers Workshop. 6:45 p.m. at theChantilly Library, 4000 StringfellowRoad. Share writing, as well as giveand receive feedback in a supportivesetting. Free. Call 703-502-3883 toreserve a space.

TUESDAY/AUG. 4Thriving Three to Fives. 11 a.m. at

the Centreville Regional Library,14200 St. Germain Drive. Stories andactivities for those aged 3-5 with anadult. Free. Call 703-830-2223 withquestions and to reserve a spot.

Teen Book Club. 4:30 p.m. at theChantilly Library, 4000 StringfellowRoad. Book discussion group forteens in grades 7-10. Free. Call 703-502-3883 with questions, to find outbook title, and to reserve a space.

Star Wars Celebration. 7:30 p.m. atthe Chantilly Library, 4000Stringfellow Road. Celebrate StarWars Universe with John JacksonMiller, author of Star Wars comics.Free. Call 703-502-3883 to reserve aspace.

WEDNESDAY/AUG. 5Balloon Sculpting. 2 p.m. at the

Centreville Regional Library, 14200St. Germain Drive. Learn the art ofballoon twisting and make coolcreations. Ages 12-18. Free. Call 703-830-2223 with questions and toreserve a spot.

Mystery Book Club. 7 p.m. at theChantilly Library, 4000 StringfellowRoad. Book discussion group focusedon a mystery novel. Free. Call 703-502-3883 with questions, to learntitle, and to reserve a spot.

THURSDAY/AUG. 6The Living Rainforest. 10:30 a.m. at

the Chantilly Library, 4000Stringfellow Road. Meet animalsfrom the rainforest. Ages 6-12. Free.Call 703-502-3883 to reserve a space.

Small Wonders. 11 a.m. at theCentreville Regional Library, 14200St. Germain Drive. Rhymes, songs,stories, and other activities for 2 yearolds and caregiver to help build anearly literacy foundation. Free. Call703-830-2223 with questions and toreserve a spot.

Ask an Expert Series: 70 YearsAgo. 12:30-12:45 p.m. at Steven F.Udvar-Hazy Center, 14390 Air andSpace Museum Parkway, Chantilly.Learn about the flight of the B-29Enola Gay from Air and SpaceMuseum staff member JeremyKinney. Free admission. $15 parking.Visit airandspace.si.edu/events/

FRIDAY-SUNDAY/AUG. 7-9Super Smash Con. Friday, 3-8 p.m.,

Saturday, 10-8 p.m., and Sunday, 10-6 p.m. at Dulles Expo Center, 4320Chantilly Shopping Center, Chantilly.All ages are welcome to attend thisvideo-game convention featuringvendors, exhibits, competitions,music and more. Admission is $25-34. Visit supersmashcon.com.

SATURDAY/AUG. 8Book Swap and Board Games. 3

p.m. at the Chantilly Library, 4000Stringfellow Road. Swap outunwanted books and challengeothers to a favorite board game.Light snacks provided. Rising grades7-12. Free. Call 703-502-3883 toreserve a space.

MONDAY-FRIDAY/AUG. 10-14All-American Girl Living Dolls

Camp. 9 a.m.-12 p.m. at SullyHistoric Site, 3650 Historic SullyWay, Chantilly. Children are invitedto bring a doll friend and experiencethe life of an American girl growingup in the most interesting eras inhistory. They will practice the lifeskills girls needed in the past andrelate them to the present. Attendeeswill find activities, costumes, craftsand themed games. The camp willcost $190. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov.

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