DECEMBER 27 - JANUARY 2, 2012 25 CENTS Newsstand Priceconnectionarchives.com/PDF/2012/122612/Centreview North.pdf · DECEMBER 27 - JANUARY 2, 2012 25 CENTS Newsstand Price Annie-Sophie

Centre View North ❖ Children’s Centre View ❖ 2012 - 2013 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Chantilly ❖ Fair Oaks ❖ Fair Lakes ❖ Oak Hill

NORTHERN EDITIONDECEMBER 27 - JANUARY 2, 2012 25 CENTS Newsstand Price

Annie-Sophie Kim,grade 12,ChantillyHigh School

Children’sCentre View2012

Children’sCentre View2012

2 ❖ Centre View North ❖ Children’s Centre View ❖ 2012 - 2013 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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See Writings, Page 7

Franklin Middle School

Helen Shi, grade 7 Samantha Aguero, grade 7 Katerina Bagatska, grade 7

Lata Goudel, grade 8

Janice Chen, grade 8

Jade Chen, grade 8 Emma Hierholzer, grade 8 Yesong Song, grade 8

Just MeMy mind is a maze, a mental puzzle

that tests all forms of knowledge.My imagination is undrawn scenery,

surrounds me, yet, no one else can seeit.

My hair is like a horse’s mane, longand thick.

My creativity is a pillow, stuffed witha thousand feathers, waiting, wanting,to burst at the seams.

My taste in music is like a teenager’sroom, chaotic and messy.

My eyes are chocolate; they hold awarm dark brown color.

My knowledge is a rose bush, con-stantly growing; the thorns, mysarcasm.

My hands are instruments, used tocreate something beautiful, a trueartist’s tool.

My feet are like a guide, taking mewhere I need to go, even if I don’t yetknow the destination.

My fingers are like a biography; theytell the story of my life, and they repre-sent the obstacles I’ve overcome.

— Tatiana Guel, grade 8

Kennebunkport,Maine

Boing! A lobster buoy sounds in thedistance.

Plop! A fish flops in the ocean.Sizzle! A burger is flipped on a grill.Crunch! Crunch! Gravel under

people’s walking feet.Splash! Children play in the water.Crack! Crackle! A bonfire roars to life.Woof! Woof! A dog chases a stick

thrown into the surf.Whoosh! Waves crash on the beach.Put! Put! A boat engine roars to life/Yell, Shout! A fisherman tries to sell

today’s catch.Reel! Reel! A fishing rod has landed

striped bass.Sigh! A man relaxes, looking over the

ocean.Crash! Crash! The tide slowly rolls

out.Plunk! A lobster trap hits the water.Eek! Eek! A seagull announces his

catch.— Matthew Corgnati, grade 7

The Haunted HouseThump, thump, thump; footsteps

thunder through a nearby corridor.Creak! A door opens widely by itself,

leaving a gaping hole in the hallway’scenter.

Thud, thud, thud! The doors of clos-ets shake, electrifying the silence with aseries of ghostly knocks.

Rustle, rustle, a dark figure hiddenbehind a window curtain, awaitinganyone’s approach.

AAAHH! Screams pervade the attic,flowing down the stairs, causingeverybody’s teeth to rattle in fear.

Writings

Callie Harry, grade 7


Children’s Centre View 2012

WelcomeDear Readers:

This week, the Centre View turns over itspages to the youth and students. Weasked principals and teachers from areaschools to encourage students to contrib-

ute their words, pictures and photos for our annualChildren’s Issue.

The response as always was enormous. While wewere unable to publish every piece we received, wedid our best to put together a paper with a fair sam-pling of the submitted stories, poems, drawings,paintings, photographs and other works of art.

We appreciate the extra effort made by school staffto gather the materials during their busy time lead-ing up to the holidays. We’d also like to encourageboth schools and parents to mark their 2013 calen-dars for early December, the deadline for submis-sions for next year’s Children’s Centre View. Pleasekeep us in mind as your children continue to createspectacular works of art and inspiring pieces of writ-ing in the coming year.

The children’s issue is only a part of our year-roundcommitment to cover education and our localschools. As always, the Centre View welcomes let-ters to the editor, story ideas, calendar listings andnotices of local events from our readers. Photos andother submissions about special events at schools areespecially welcome for our weekly schools pages.

Our preferred method for material is e-mail, whichshould be sent to centreview @connectionnewspapers.com, but you can reach us by mail at1606 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 or call 703-778-9415 with any questions.

— Editor Steven Mauren

Sun Kim, grade 12, Chantilly High School

Janice Chen,grade 8, FranklinMiddle, School

Sania Mahmood, grade 6, Greenbriar East ElementarySchool, Reaction - Self Portrait

If someone were to ask me whatmy favorite animal was, I’d haveto think about that for a while. Ilove many animals, such as dogs,tigers, leopards, and peacocks(both normal and albino). But byfar, my favorite is the cheetah. Thetiny cubs’ faces are round andfluffy with innocence. And thespeed of the cheetah, once grown,is not to be matched by any ani-mal but the head-diving falcon.— Vaishnavi Visveswaran,age 11, grade 6, GreenbriarWest Elementary School


Greenbriar East Elementary

Addison Andreas, grade 2Community Event SelfPortrait

Chearin Oh, grade 6Evoactive Memory Collage

Aiden Sahm, grade 4Coil vessel

Skyler Stables,KindergartenCollage self portrait

Michael Funk, grade 6Contour line shoe

Brendan Riddle, grade 3Cultural mask

Noah Galbis-Doucette,grade 2Double portrait

Heejin Jang, grade 4Memories and Milestones Accordian Book

Morrison Stout, grade 1Tree for My Family

Sarah Katherine Hugo,grade 5Abstract Face

Deena Amriui, grade 1Self portrait

Smayan Sangoju,KindergartenDream House


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DanielThere once was a boy named Daniel,Who owned a Cocker Spaniel.But Dan tripped on his head,And lied on the floor very dead.All of this was real.

— Lucy Jin Li, 12, grade 7

Mrs. Wetzel’s English class

From Trepidation toTriumph

The church is huge, with rose win-dows casting multi-colored lights ontothe floor. The ceiling must be at least 50feet up, slanted into a V, and a goldchandelier hangs from the center. Thereare aisles and aisles of empty cushionedbenches ready to be filled by other com-petitors in the duet festival. Frankly, thechurch is intimidating.

The heels of my shoes gently clickagainst the wood floor as I walk in. Myskirt swishes around my ankles. I find aplace behind the judges’ chairs and sitdown. Then gradually, more people filein and start talking to one another. Thejudges rise. They take a roll call, andthen call the first name. The soft mur-mur of voices decreases, and then thefirst two players step up.

Faith and I are fifth to play. The fourplaying before us become one in myears. I can’t tell one from the other, andall I can think is music. The two pieceswe will play hum and buzz like flies inmy ears. They are pestering me. I knowI will do well, but at the same time Iwonder what will happen if I press a

wrong key, or if I play too loudly. Howwell must we play in order to get thirdplace? Or maybe second? I doubted wecould get first; this was a very competi-tive event, with 14-year olds competing.I’m 11.

Finally, it is our turn. We get up, walkto the judges, give them our music, andbow together. We are on track so far. Mypalms are sweating, and my fingers aretrembling. I try to keep a positive atti-tude, but it fails. I doubt we are goingto do well. But I put on a happy face,and smile at Faith. She smiles back, andsuddenly, I knew I was wrong. We weregoing to do great.

We sit down on the cold black benchin front of the piano. I wipe my sweatypalms on my skirt. I definitely cannotafford for my fingers to slip. I raise myhands to the keys, and count to four justloud enough so that Faith could hear,and then we begin to play. The melodyrings in my ears, vibrating my eardrums.Our fingers fly over the keys — literally,and a story of longing, grateful sadness,and wistful joy wafts through the air.Were the judges liking this? I had to see.So I risk a quick look in their direction,and I am surprised to see their headsbobbing up and down in beat to themusic! We move onto the second piece.This one, the finale from the Carnival ofthe Animals is much more lively andhappy than the other one. As I play, Ilisten to the music and can almost imag-ine little animal crackers dancing in acircle, or animals in a zoo going wildand producing an almost melodic ca-cophony, with all of the different noisesclashing against each other. We finish,get up, bow, and unsteadily totter to ourseats again. I could barely even hold the

music sheets; my hands were shaking somuch.

The judges have made their decisionson paper. A lady walks to the front of theroom holding these papers, and she an-nounces the winners. I cross my fingersso hard they went numb. She calls thirdplace first, and following that are twonames. The recipients cross to the frontof the room to receive their ribbons.Then second place is called, and thencomes our names. Faith Lam andMaggie Kirtley. She turned toward us,and mid-rotation she stops, rereads thepaper, and then apologizes. We werenot second place. First place was called.I held my breath. Were we first place?We had to be. Then the lady turns backto us with a smile on her face, and an-nounces “First place is Maggie Kirtleyand Faith Lam!” She hands us both bigflashy blue ribbons, and then thankseveryone for participating.

This is why I love music and the pi-ano. I work hard, and try to actually feelthe music coursing through my veinsand changing me somehow. I workhard, and this hard work pays off. All ofthis year in 2012, I have not been to oneevent where I have not won anything.Music can be almost anything, in anyform. It can express millions of differingfeelings and emotions, and can replicatelove, fear, happiness, or depression.When I play the piano, I feel all-power-ful, like I am controlling a little city thatwill do anything for me. Playing the pi-ano has changed my perspective on allthings, whether attractive or ugly, exas-perating or pleasing, nice or unpleasant.Music brings more beauty into life.

— Maggie Kirtley, 11, grade 7

Rocky Run Middle

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St. Timothy School Artwork submitted Jacqueline Sponaugle’s art classes.

Giraffes Can’t Dance inMixed MediaSarah Romero, 8, grade 3,Chantilly

Self Portrait in PencilCarl Baumann, 13, grade 8,Chantilly

Giraffes Can’t Dance inMixed MediaFinn Heyburn, 8, grade 3,Chantilly

Rainbow Fish in Wax ResistMateo Zuleta, 6, grade 1, Fairfax

Halloween Horse in MarkerBriana Arevalo, 10, grade 5, Chantilly

Radial Design in ColoredPencilKieran Rickard, 11, grade6, Chantilly

Radial Design in ColoredPencilSheridan McCluer, 11,grade 6, Chantilly

Dot Painting in AcrylicLisa Nguyen, 13, grade 8, Chantilly


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Callie Harry, grade 7Viviana Terrones,grade 7

From Page 2

Franklin Middle School

Writings

Smack! Smack! Smack! We can only imagine whatthe horrifying sounds could be, some terribly grue-some.

All becomes still, then BOO! They’ve got you!Sigh … My heartbeat slows when the tour guide

leads us toward the exit.Another Creak! and with the turn of a doorknob

we’re engulfed in sunlight.Hahaha! We laugh as we see the amused teens

walk out of rooms with face makeup and rubberknives.

Vroom, vroom! The car starts and we drive away,watching the next group of people being led into themysterious home …

— Sarah Morris, grade 7

Our TreeThe beautiful branches tickle my kneesAs I swing back and forth under our treeOn that small wooden swing that your daddy

madeBrings back memories that fill me with pain

I think of the time I found our treeWe skipped around it, dancing with gleeWe were taught to carve our names with some

sharp kitchen knivesFor the tree would be there ‘till the end of our lives

I think of the time your daddy made us this swingHe said it was a seat for the kings and the queensThat swing was always our look-out towerOr our tea-party table decorated in flowers

I think of the time we said goodbyeThe final hug that made us cryThe picture of that day still sits on my shelfThe only photo of when I was myself

I think of the time I sat here in the rainAnd listened to the birds calling out your name

I hugged your old, worn blanket close to my chestAnd prayed for something happy to happen, nextFor you to move back, and stay close to meAnd we could live here together, under our tree

— Jenna Schwartzman, grade 8

The Heart of the GroveThe heart of the grove: clear, silver dew resting upon lush green

leaves;Timid squirrels chattering from within the trees;White lilies shining in bright sunlight;Butterflies hovering over a crystal pond;The tweets of robins;Crinkly bark;Crimson red apples hanging from rough branches;Azure grapes dangling over a rugged brick wall;Docent deer dancing through dense foliage;Old barley;Clover littering the ground like patches of emerald;Toads croaking from within dense, murky water;A vivid rainbow stretching across the sparkling sky;The rich scent of dirt and roses drifting through the wind;Silence.

— Alex Wang, grade 7

8 ❖ Centre View North ❖ Children’s Centre View ❖ 2012 - 2013 Centre View North ❖ Children’s Centre View ❖ 2012 - 2013 ❖ 9www.ConnectionNewspapers.com www.ConnectionNewspapers.com



Calvin Kuo, 12, grade 6, Ms.Johnson

“My favorite thing to play with are myLego bricks. Using a combination of mymany pieces, I can use my creativity to buildmany things. I have built many things: cars,airships, and even motorized vehicles! Onoccasion, I play Lego with my sister. I firstplayed with Lego when I was 3 years old,and I have played with them since.”

Kiran Ganeshan, 11, grade 6, Mr. Smith“This picture was one I took in Niagara Falls, on the border of New York

and Canada. It is one of the best pictures I have ever taken. The photo wastaken on a popular sightseeing boat, called The Maid of the Mist, because ofhow close it gets to where the water crashes against the rocks at the bottomof the falls, spewing up mist. This is one of my favorites because I feel it ex-presses the beauty of Niagara Falls very well.”

Arjun Nachiappan, 11,grade 6, Mr. Smith

“As you can see, I’ve drawn a pic-ture of a panda. I chose this animalby just not its adorable face, but thatit is my school animal! We, the chil-dren who go to Greenbriar West,have the same terrific skills as apanda. I like pandas because theyare very fluffy and unique in manydifferent ways. As you know, pandasare the best animals!”

Looking ForwardIn this upcoming year, I am looking

forward to entering into middle school!I am told that it is going to be a bigchange. My brother tells me that RockyRun is a great school. The gym is wellequipped. You get to move around theschool freely when you go to your nextclass. There is a larger variety of food atlunch. The classes are tougher, and theteachers are stricter. I will also have theprivilege of owning my very own locker!

— Raphael Schreiber, 11, grade

6, Mr. Smith

Are You aGood Friend?

Have you ever wondered if you werea good friend? Well I am here to tell youwhat makes a good friend. A good friendneeds to be helpful to you. They shouldback you up when you need them to.And they should be a person to lean onwhen you need it. These are the qualitiesof a good friend.

— Om Bhavsar, grade 6

My Favorite AnimalWhen people are asked what their fa-

vorite animal is, most think of a dog, ora cat. I think of a fish. Why? Most peoplewould say a fish is the most boring ani-mal. You can’t pet it, you can’t play withit, the most you can do is feed it. But Ithink a fish is the most interesting ani-mal. Fish can live underwater withoutcoming up for air. They come in differ-ent sizes and colors, each unique to helpthem survive. They may not be cute, butthey sure are a whole lot more interest-ing.

— Lilia Qian, 11, grade 6, Mr.

Smith

My OpinionAbout FLL

This is the first time that I have joinedan FLL team. FLL stands for First LegoLeague. I was really happy and excitedto build and use very complex Legopieces to build and program robots thatactually move! I think that the way thewhole FLL setup is very good. I think thatthey have to make the research idea alittle bit more specific and a bit harder.All the other ideas of making a robot domissions is good and a lot of fun! I en-joyed “The FLL Experience.”— Vasanth Mathivanan, grade 6

Save the IberianLynx

The Iberian Lynx, the animal thatcame back from extinction. I say theyhave to be saved, because there are aslittle as 220 left in the wild, and only ahandful left in captivity! Sadly, they’rebeing illegally hunted to extinction.They’re a truly marvelous species, and arare sight. Besides all that, some of itspostures can be freakishly human-like.

— Taylor Tamburri, 11, grade 6,

Ms. Johnson

Looking ForwardSomething that many of my fellow 6th

graders and I are really looking forwardto — is graduating from elementaryschool and going to 7th grade in middleschool. Many 6th graders have friends orknow people who are in 7th or 8th gradealready. They have probably heard manygreat things about middle school, be-cause I definitely have. By the end of 6thgrade many of us will have gotten usedto being the oldest in school and whenyou’re in middle school a lot will change.So we will enjoy this last year and havesome more fun in middle school!

— Viraaj Dhawan, 11, grade 6,

Mr. Smith

It’s Not AlwaysBlack and White

I played a gameOf chess last week.My opponent’s kingI did seek.

He moved his pawn,I moved mine too.He moved his knightUp one across two.

The room was tenseAs we battled it outAcross black and white squaresEach filled with doubt.

If I move this piece hereWhat will he do?Will he capture my queen?I searched for a clue.

I studied the piecesAnd with one last lookCaptured his bishopUsing my rook.

My opponent came backAnd captured my knight.The pieces they flewOff the board left and right.

We were exhaustedMy opponent and IAfter three hoursWe were in a tie.

A stalemate, a drawNo one had won.But that was ok‘Cause we still had fun.

— Diego Gutierrez, grade 6, Mr.

Smith

Future BaseballPlayer

When I grow up, I want to be a base-ball player. I don’t follow the herd andjust play the popular sports like basket-ball and football. No, I do what I want todo, and that is the sport of baseball.

I love the beautiful whistle of the balland the crack of the bat. I love the feel-ing of the ball pounding the leather ofmy mitt as I rob the hitter of a sure basehit. Most of all, I love the roar of thecrowd as a walk-off hit ends the game,while the loyal fans bounce up and downin the bleachers.

— Matthew Lichtblau

WritingsFrom Page 8

Writings

Greenbriar West Elementary

Brook Lyttle, grade 1Family Celebration, painting

Rachel Briggs, grade 4Gesture drawing

Taylor Tamburri, grade 6Self portrait, drawing

Cristen Huynh, grade 6Self portrait, drawing

Leona Kim,grade 1FamilyPortrait,drawing

Jessica Chen, grade 1Family Portrait, drawing

Sean Kim, grade 2Friends, drawing

Ryan Kang, grade3Birthday, cut paper collage

Eric Whang, grade 3Christmas, cut paper col-lage

Rachel Chae, grade 2Friends, drawing

Shreya Mallamula, grade 6Fall Still Life

Maire Obnial, grade 5Fall still life drawing

Elijah Araque, grade 5Fall still life drawing

Lucas Mew, grade 4Tennis Player, wire sculp-ture

Kaushal Kambham, grade 4Basketball Player, wiresculpture

Benjamin French, grade 4Soccer Player, wire sculp-ture

Brian Yi, KindergartenSelf portrait, drawing


Willow Springs Elementary

Isaiah De Lisa, grade 3 Katya Kosolapova, grade 3 Janice Kwack, grade 3

Cassidy Watts, grade 3 Sarah Mendoza, grade 3 Junho Lee, grade 3

Melissa Akay, grade 4 Jonny Heslep, grade 4 Sam Littman, grade 4

Kai Keo,grade 2

Isabelle Deadman, grade 6

Sarah Weide, grade 6

Marissa Yee, grade 6


If You Could Give Any GiftThat Didn’t Cost Any MoneyWhat Would That Gift Be?

If I could give my parents any gift that didn’t cost money,I would give my parents a money ($) printer as a gift. Withthe money printer, my parents could buy anything theywanted like a new car or a new house. They wouldn’t haveto work because they would have enough money to pay fortheir wants like mortgage, food, and water. I would like togive them the money printer on their 25th anniversary asa surprise gift. I love my parents so much I would give themthe money printer instead of keeping it for myself.

— Joseph Lee

My Favorite School YearI had more fun in fifth grade than any other school year.

I enjoyed our spelling tests. We had to choose from a listof hard words. We took those words and remembered themby their definitions. I also enjoyed learning about cells. Wemade diagrams of cells using only food.

I was sharing a table with my best friends. When we hadparties; we would decide whether we would stay inside andwatch movies or go outside to have an extra-long recess.There were a few bad moments too. My teacher left foralmost the entire last quarter of school.

— Bharathi Mathivanan, grade 6

What Makes a Good Friend?There are many reasons that will make a good friend but

I think that there is one big reason. That reason is if yourfriend tries to copy you or go there own way. If your friendtries to copy you, that means that he/she thinks that theywill be “uncool” for some reason. If your friend goes theirown way and if you like it, the person is a good friend. Thisdoes not only work with friends but also with co-workers,and other people.

— Prithvi Kinariwala, 11, grade 6, Mr. Smith

What Is the Best PresentYou’ve Ever Gotten?

Well my favorite is my i-Pod touch that I got for my birth-day. I really wanted it because all my friends had one. I alsoliked it because the things you could do on that device wereextraordinary. My last reason to like this device is becauseit is from the company Apple. Most of the time I would playgames or I would just listen to music. Out of all the pre-sents I have gotten in my whole life this is the best one Ihave gotten so far. I hope to get a lot more amazing pre-sents.

— Pradith Santapur, grade 6, Mr. Smith

Jog and NogIt was Christmas time in Lorgle City, and Jog and Nog

were wondering what they should get their friends forChristmas. Suddenly, Santa Claus’ sleigh crashed throughtheir roof in a ball of fire. Santa gave them a magical boxand told them it was evil and must be destroyed in an ex-plosion of great power. In destroying the box they had anepic adventure that included lasers, narwhals, and evilelves. But that’s a story for another day. On this mysticaljourney, they learned that the true meaning of Christmasis spending time with your family.

— Marty Roger

ToucanMy favorite animal is the toucan. The toucan is known

for its oversized and extremely colorful bill. The toucan’shollow bill is 19 centimeters long, making it a handy toolfor obtaining food. Forest fruits make up 95 percent of thetoucan’s diet. As a mating ritual, toucans would even havea fruit toss! Now that would be loads of fun! Toucans livein an astounding habitat, the canopy layer of tropicalrainforests. They keep up a noisy racket of vocalization. Fullof fascinating characteristics, the toucan is therefore, myfavorite animal.

— Shawin Vitsupakorn, 11, grade 6,

Ms. Johnson

From Page 9

Greenbriar West Elementary

A Good FriendA good friendHelps you up when you fall down,And is willing to fall with youIn the process

A good friendDoesn’t let you do stupid thingsAlone

A good friendWipes away your tears,And keeps the tissues for next timeTo remind you how you got hurtLast time

A good friendIs someone you can trust,And the first person to call

A good friendIs not someone who’ll get you in trouble,But someone who’ll get in troubleWith you

A good friendIs someone you’ll rememberA good friendIs in your heart

— Ekin Atay, age 12, grade 6, Ms. Johnson

RememberingI remember years ago,Everything was funny

No one cared what would show,Just do your own thing

Playing with the true you,All the sails unfurled

Dancing, laughing in the rainNo cares in the world

You stayed yourself through and through,Not caring what’d go on

Not realizing all we had,Would someday be all gone

Now I know that life is short,So make these moments count

Cause when the years go by and by,I won’t regret this now

— Sara S. Park

Willow Springs Elementary

Emma Geiszler, grade 6

Rowan Clark, grade 3

Alexandra Sierra Garcia,grade 2

Seyeong Kwon, grade 2 Avery Crocker, grade 2

Philip Everard, grade 3Anjana Mohan, grade 3

Need More SleepWaking up and feeling so ever tired, you climb out of

bed at six in the morning only getting 5-6 hours of sleep.High schoolers go to sleep very late at night and wake upfor the bus and even most full grown adults have at leasteight hours of sleep but these high schoolers work reallyhard and not getting the rest they need is not good fortheir health. Getting the right amount of sleep boosts theattendance of the students and the participation wouldbe much greater. I think they should change the schooltimes for the poor high schoolers.

— Robert Wang, 12, grade 6, Ms. Johnson


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Sunday Worship with us:8:45 & 11:00am

with Sunday Schoolat 10:00am

b

THE CHURCH OF THE ASCENSION

TraditionalAnglican Service

1928 Book ofCommon Prayer

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

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

Evening Prayer and Bible Study 7 P.M. Wednesdays

Saint AndrewLutheran ChurchSunday Worship: 8:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m.

Christian Education for All Ages: 9:45 a.m.

Adult Bible Study: Wed. 9:30 a.m.

Our mission is to welcome all people,

to grow in our relationship with Christ,

and to serve the Lord

Braddock Road and Cranoke Street

Centreville, VA 20120

www.saintandrewlc.org

703-830-2768

My DreamTo Be a Doctor

I want to be a medical doctor when Igrow up because I want to help peoplefeel better when they are ill. Doctorswork in a hospital or at clinics, and theyuse different medical tools to treat theirpatients. Doctors are trusted by theirclients, who have complete faith inthem. They trust them to make thingsbetter. They are really trustworthy, andare well respected in their community.This is my dream for when I grow up.

— Tanishk Govil, 7, grade 2,

Navy Elementary School

My PencilMy pencil, my very exquisite friend,Our strong friendship will never end.You are the key to my creative imagi-

nation,And the master of my creation.

My pencil, the hardworking tool,I shall sharpen you often, every day in

school.With your brilliantly smooth and

glossy lead,I can jot down and organize the wild

thoughts in my head!

My pencil, my (don’t tell eraser) fa-vorite assistant

You help me get through writer’sblock, you’re so consistent!

Helpful in tests and quizzes too, youhelp me get a perfect score,

You are so effective and valuable; myhands don’t even get sore!

My pencil, you are unquestionablythe one,

It is just sooo much fun,To write and write ‘till the day is

done,Until the new one has begun!My pencil

— Ishika Govil , 11, grade 6,

Hunters Woods Elementary

School

Writings

Kim Shifflett, grade 11 Yewon Kwon, grade 12 Amber Smith, grade 12

Chantilly High School


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Rohan Sujaan

Samiya Medha B.

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[email protected]

Arthur703-277-3488

[email protected]

12 Commercial Lease 12 Commercial Lease

21 Announcements 21 Announcements 21 Announcements




21 Announcements 21 Announcements 21 Announcements26 Antiques

We pay top $ for antique furniture and mid-century

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evenings, Back-up care & special needs children

welcome. Large yard for lots of fun! 703-569-8056

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E-mail ad with zone choices to:[email protected]

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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:[email protected] or call Andrea @ 703-778-9411

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

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HOW TO SUBMIT ADS TO

EmploymentEmployment

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Keep productivity high and commutinglow while working close to home. After ashort training period, travel to our Old TownAlexandria headquarters and productionfacility required only once or twice a weekduring off-peak traffic hours. Call 703-778-9431 for details.

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

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Questions? E-mail:[email protected]

Medical Receptionist/AssistantPodiatry Practice in

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Email Resume: [email protected]


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What I think I feel. What I’m afraid tothink I feel. Moreover, is what I feel symp-tomatic of what I’m afraid to feel? Is it thecancer doing what cancer so often does:create pain and suffering? Or is it simply anolder age than I’ve ever been: middle age,manifesting itself with all the associatedmental, physical and emotional adjustmentsthat come along with living longer than youever have? Unfortunately, the timing of allof it couldn’t be more problematic in mydetermining whether any pain or discom-fort I feel is symptomatic of a cancer on themove or characteristic of an age whoseeffects I’m only beginning to understand.

The underlying and complicating factorto my constant self-assessment is that Idon’t want to think any of the physicaleffects I feel are the cancer. I want tobelieve they’re middle age. As a result ofthis continual denial, I neglect to admit thatwhat I think I feel is potentially cancer-sig-nificant and presume instead that it’s justanother day in middle-age paradise (aliveand reasonably well; not terminal) – it’sbefuddling, sort of. Am I being incrediblystupid, stubborn and irresponsible withrespect to not acknowledging certain symp-toms that might be e-mail-worthy to myoncologist or, have I found the key to livingwith cancer: not making too much ofanything?

I feel this because I worry that once Iopen that door, I’m likely going through tothe other side – and likely not coming back.As my father jokingly asserted about his car:“If I don’t take it to the dealership, theycan’t find anything wrong with it.” Therelated advisory concerning life and healththat I’ve often heard is: once you’re admit-ted to the hospital, you’re not coming out –alive. It’s a slippery slope between the fearand loathing (with attribution to Hunter S.Thompson) of being sick and lying in a hos-pital bed versus what the medical profes-sionals don’t know not being able to hurtme. (I know, I might as well be JudyGarland in “The Wizard of Oz” clicking myheels together three times: I don’t havecancer. I don’t have cancer. I don’t havecancer.)

But the fact that I’m still alive and notjust beating the life-expectancy odds I wasgiven, but smashing them to smithereens, isa kind of reinforcer to “what I feel” and“what I’m afraid to think I feel.” Having sur-vived for as long as I have might just beblind luck or inherited DNA doing what Ihad no reason or expectation to believe itcould: enable me to survive the stage IVnon-small cell lung cancer with which I wasoriginally diagnosed and live beyond the“13-month to two-year prognosis” thatwent along with it. Or, however, why everI’m doing what I’m doing, or not doingwhat I’m not doing or not admitting what islikely symptomatic – or not; all this confu-sion, juxtaposing and double-negativerationalizing might somehow make apositive.

I realize this haphazard approach ishardly a strategy, but perhaps it is and hasbeen so far, a means not to my end. Andconsidering that I haven’t reached that endas yet, maybe the means are justified? Noone knows for sure, and that’s what I’mcounting on. It’s too late to stop now; heck,why would I? See you next week.

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

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

What Am IThinking?


Documents

DECEMBER 27 - JANUARY 2, 2012 25 CENTS Newsstand Priceconnectionarchives.com/PDF/2012/122612/Centreview North.pdf · DECEMBER 27 - JANUARY 2, 2012 25 CENTS Newsstand Price Annie-Sophie