Follow on Twitter: @SprConnectionconnection.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/news/documents/...2018/04/25 · fight breast cancer. In the eight years they’ve been holding these swimming

Camps & SchoolsPage 8

Lucky Half PennyNews, Page 11

Proposed Budget Hit All the Right NotesOpinion, Page 6

A Shark Tank

RacingSquad

MarathonNews, Page 3

Shark Tank Racing Squad swimmers, ages 8-18, take a break from doing laps during the Swim Marathon to Fight Breast Cancer on Sunday, April 22, 2018, at the South Run Rec Center pool in Springfield.

online at www.connectionnewspapers.com April 26-May 2, 2018

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2 ❖ Springfield Connection ❖ April 26 - May 2, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

News

During a very produc-tive legislative ses-sion, many key priori-ties championed by

Del. Eileen Filler-Corn (D-41)passed the Virginia House andSenate this year and made theirway to Governor Ralph Northamfor his signature, including:

❖ Teaching About Boundariesand Personal Privacy in School:Filler-Corn’s bill, HB 45 will re-

quire any family life educationcurriculum offered in any elemen-tary school, middle school, or highschool to incorporate age-appro-priate elements of effective andevidence-based programs on theimportance of the personal privacyand personal boundaries of otherindividuals. This measure wassigned into law on March 19. HB45 builds upon Filler-Corn’s suc-cessful legislation from 2016 and

2017, which requires any highschool family life education cur-riculum offered by a local schooldivision to incorporate age-appro-priate elements of effective andevidence-based programs on theprevention of dating violence, do-mestic abuse, sexual harassment,and sexual violence and also al-lows education about the law andmeaning of consent.

❖ Making College More Afford-

bill on April 4.❖ Protecting Health Care Work-

ers and Cutting Government RedTape: Filler-Corn’s bill, HB 456would have repealed a littleknown provision allowing a loanprovider to petition a circuit courtto order the suspension of anystate-issued license to engage in ahealth care profession or occupa-tion when the licensed person iseither delinquent or in default inthe payment of a federally guar-anteed or state-guaranteed educa-tional loan or work-conditionalscholarship. Filler-Corn struck herbill and signed on as Chief Co-Pa-tron of a similar bill, HB 456 spon-sored by Del. Schuyler VanValkenburg. The Governor signedthe bill on March 5.

❖ Taking Government Out of theDoctor’s Office: Filler-Corn intro-duced HB 458 which would pro-vide that a practitioner may issuea written certification for the useof cannabidiol oil or THC-A oil forthe treatment, or to alleviate thesymptoms of, any diagnosed con-dition or disease. Under currentlaw, a practitioner may only issuesuch certification for the treatmentor to alleviate the symptoms ofintractable epilepsy. Filler-Corn’sbill was rolled into HB 1251 spon-sored by Del. Ben Cline, on whichFiller-Corn serves as a chief co-patron. The bill was signed onMarch 9. This builds upon Filler-Corn’s work with Sen. DaveMarsden and her constituentsfrom the 41st District to decrimi-nalize cannabidiol oil since 2015.

❖ Improving Virginia’s CriminalJustice System: For the past twoyears, Del. Filler-Corn has carriedthe Governor’s legislation to in-crease the felony larceny thresh-old. Her bill, HB 706, would haveraised the threshold from $200 to$1000. Similar legislation, HB1550, passed with Filler-Corn as aco-patron. HB 1550 raises thethreshold from $200 to $500 andwas signed into law by GovernorNortham on April 4.

❖ Making Travel Safer for In-fants and Toddlers: Although theenactment is delayed until 2019,Filler-Corn’s bill HB 708, will pro-hibit child restraint devices (carseats) from being forward-facinguntil, at least, the child reachestwo years of age or until the childreaches the minimum weight limitfor a forward-facing child restraintdevice as prescribed by the manu-facturer of the device. The bill willalso expand the reasons that a

Key Filler-Corn Priorities Signed By the Governor

See Richmond Report,

Page 7

able: Filler-Corn’s bill, HB 454 willrequire the governing board ofeach public institution of highereducation to implement guidelinesthat encourage the adoption anduse of low-cost and no-cost openeducational resources in coursesoffered at such institution. Themeasure will help universities andfaculties make class materialsmore affordable to college stu-dents. The Governor signed this

Del. EileenFiller-Corn

Springfield Connection ❖ April 26 - May 2, 2018 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

News

By Steve Hibbard

The Connection

About 60 members of theShark Tank RacingSquad, ages 8-18 plusthree adult coaches,

took part in a swim marathon onSunday, April 22, 2018 at theSouth Run Rec Center in Spring-field where they raised $32,000 tofight breast cancer. In the eightyears they’ve been holding theseswimming marathons, they’veraised a total of $200,000 for thecause.

The swimmers are part of thePotomac Valley Swimming Cluband come from seven local highschools: Woodson, West Spring-field, Thomas Jefferson, Robinson,South County, Hayfield and SaintJohn Paul the Great. They arecoached by Patty Friedman ofFairfax Station who is the teamfounder and National and Senior TeamCoach.

“There are 60 kids in the water; many arehere for their eighth time but there aremany that are new. They will swim three tofour miles today and their individual effortsallow them to feel the power of what youcan do as a person,” said Friedman. “Butwe gather at the beginning and at the endto celebrate the power of numbers and theimportance of bonding with other peopleand realize when you give, it reflects backon you 1,000 times. There are many of thesekids here who have been affected one wayor another by breast cancer.”

FRIEDMAN said for seven of the eightyears, the money went to the Avon Foun-dation, which then granted the money outto local organizations. Avon ended the walk

this year and so they found another organi-zation to support — the National BreastCancer Coalition.

She said next week they will go to thesummit of the National Breast Cancer Coa-lition in Washington, D.C. and the kids willpresent the check. “The kids will learn alittle bit more about the project, and onTuesday, a few of the older kids will go toCapitol Hill to lobby their members to tryto get more money towards the NBCCArtemis Project. This is under NationalBreast Cancer Coalition,” she said.

Swimmer Riley Allison, 17, of Fairfax,who attends Woodson High School, raised$1,000 with his brother Nathan and sisterHope, and swam 120 laps in the pool – inhis fifth marathon. “Today we’re going tobe swimming as a team and we all workedtogether to raise money to fight breast can-

cer. This money is going to be going towardresearch for a cure for breast cancer or slowit down and help combat it,” he said.

Swimmer Ryan McLaughlin, 17, ofFairfax, who attends Woodson High, raised$650, and swam 153 laps.

“For a month or two now, we’ve been rais-ing money. We’ve been asking family mem-bers, friends, neighbors, just anything they’dbe willing to donate to help us raise moneyfor the National Breast Cancer Coalition —because it means so much to Coach Pattyand she’s been such a role model for me,”he said.

“I wanted to help her. But also, my aunt,my Godmother and my Godfather’s wife,they all had breast cancer.

This is a disease that is found in 1 in 8women and you never know who’s goingto be the next one. It could be your sister,

your neighbor, your mother. Andso, it’s something that really needsto be taken down. … And it’shelped me realize that I have thepower to help make a change —to make a difference,” he said.

Swimmer Jamie Quinn, 18, ofFairfax, who attends WoodsonHigh, raised more than $400, andswam 143 laps. “This is actuallymy first year doing this, my firsttime being on the team and thisis new to me. [Coach Patty] is al-ways giving back and I’m so grate-ful to be part of this. My intent isto raise money and inform peopleabout breast cancer awareness,”she said.

Swimmer Alejandro Rodriguez,17, of Alexandria, who attendsHayfield Secondary, raised $500,and swam 153 laps — his eighthmarathon. “Each year, every timeI take part in the marathon, CoachPatty always instills upon us the

values of not only being the ones to talkabout making a difference but being theleaders to truly take a step and make a dif-ference.

And it’s amazing to be able to make sucha difference, not only with peers, but withyounger kids to change the world.

Swimmer Cora Lundgren, 18, of Fairfax,who goes to Woodson High, raised $500,and swam 143 laps. “I want to raise aware-ness for breast cancer and for all the peoplewho suffer from the disease. My grand-mother was a survivor of breast cancer andI want to swim my laps to help honor herand the other people who suffer from breastcancer,” she said.

TO SUPPORT the Shark Tank RacingSquad, their fundraising page is:www.tinyurl.com/2018armyoflove.

Shark Tank Racing Squad Coach Patty Friedman chats with the swimteam before the swimming marathon.

Senior members of the Shark Tank team who were awarded medalsinclude (from left): Cora Lundgren, Ryan McLaughlin, Jamie Quinn,and Emil Robles.

A Shark Tank Racing Squad MarathonSwim team raises $31,500 to fight breast cancer at South Run Rec Center.

Kealani Nanz of Fairfax Station, who made the breast cancer banner, with coach PattyFriedman.

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Rotary International has awardeda $101,000 grant to the Rotary Clubsof West Springfield (with membersfrom Burke, Fairfax Station andSpringfield), Gainesville-Haymarketand Caroline County, Va. and Bo,Sierra Leone to support three pri-mary schools in remote villages inthat West African nation. The assis-tance to the schools will result insignificant, sustained improvementsin their ability to provide the neces-sary primary education and in turndrive long term positive impacts fortheir local communities.

The grant will enable the RotaryClubs to install latrines and solarelectricity systems in each school andsend three teachers from each school

to Njala University for training andcertification. Another major elementis health and sanitation training.

During this three-year project, theRotary clubs will be working withthe three villages to ensure they de-velop local funding sources andimplement practices to sustainschools into the future. In addition torequiring that that the project be sus-tainable, RI grants require extensiveproject monitoring to measure suc-cess against well-defined metrics.The service project progress will beregularly updated on the RotaryClub of West Springfield Facebooksite devoted to this project: https://w w w . f a c e b o o k . c o m /WSRCSierraLeoneProject

Students of the Nguabu School in Sierra Leone sup-ported by West Springfield Rotary Club project.

Largoh School - one of the schools supported byRotary project.

West Springfield Rotary to HelpPromote Education in Sierra Leone

Ramadan Pack-OutSession in Springfield

Islamic Relief USA will hold its annual Ramadan Food Box Pack-Outsessions in four states this year. The events will take place in Texas,New Jersey, Illinois, and Virginia.

Virginia session will take place on Saturday, May 5, at 6820 Com-mercial Dr., Suite F in Springfield. The first shift is from 10 a.m. to 2p.m. and the second shift is from 2 to 6 p.m.

The sessions consist of volunteers packing boxes with nonperishablefoods. The packages will be given to people in need in their local com-munities through food pantries, houses of worship, among other loca-tions. The goal is to create some 5,000 packaged meals at each loca-tion. All food will go to residents in the United States.

“During Ramadan, it is essential for Muslims to not only fast fromsunrise to sunset,” said Said Durrah, national volunteers manager forIRUSA. “It also is a time to reflect, to think about people in your com-munity with little means, especially with regards to healthy food. Thefood box pack-out sessions enable local communities to make a posi-tive difference.”

Among the different tasks volunteers could do are putting togetherand breaking down cardboard boxes, carrying and arranging boxes offood, and sealing packages.

This year also marks the 25th year of the founding of IRUSA.For more information on the organization or the pack-outs, visit

irusa.org.

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SpringfieldOpinion

By Sharon Bulova

Chairman, Fairfax County

Board of Supervisors

During[Tuesday, April24’s] Board of Super-visors Meeting, theBoard marked up the

FY2019 Advertised Budget by avote of 8-2. Formal adoption of thebudget will take place on May 1. Iwould like to share with you my remarks priorto our vote [on Tuesday] morning:

The process for adopting the County Budgetevery year is all about community engagement.Fiscal Year 2019 is no exception, with BudgetForums and Town Hall Meetings hosted in eachof our nine Districts, Budget Committee meet-ings (which included our partners on the SchoolBoard), and three days of public hearings onthe Advertised Budget earlier this month. SinceFebruary, our offices have received hundreds,if not thousands, of letters, e-mail messages,

phone calls and personal visitsfrom our constituents.

The Budget “mood” this yearwas harmonic, thanks to an Ad-vertised Budget that I believe hitall of the right notes.

The Budget that we are about to“Mark-Up,” or amend, is based ona tax rate of $1.15. The package:

❖ Fully funds the School Board’srequest, bringing teachers’ salaries

into competitive alignment with our sister ju-risdictions in the region;

❖ Overall support for our school system isincreased by $91.49 million or 4.22 percentover Fiscal Year 2018, with 52.8 percent of ourGeneral Fund Budget going to schools;

❖ Fully funds compensation for our Countyemployees with a 2.25 percent Market RateAdjustment, Performance, Merit and Longev-ity increases;

❖ Includes funding for Fairfax First, GangPrevention, the expansion of Diversion First

and Opportunity Neighborhoods, additionalslots for Early Childhood programs, and fund-ing to address the Opioid Crisis;

❖ Provides an increase in funding for Metro(pending a long-term solution), VRE and ourConnector Bus System.

While this Mark-Up package includes a 2 centincrease in the real estate tax rate, an increaseof $241 on the average annual tax bill, I be-lieve the additional revenue is an importantinvestment needed to shore up the foundationon which our quality of life rests.

I want to thank Budget Committee Chair-man Jeff McKay for his excellent work bring-ing this Mark-Up Package to the Board today,along with Budget Guidance that addressesissues discussed during budget deliberationswith each of our colleagues. Adoption of aBudget every year requires the good faith col-laboration of each member or our Board and Iappreciate everyone’s willingness to come to-gether on a Budget process that moves FairfaxCounty forward.

Budget Hits All the Right Notes

Time toRediscoverLibrariesTo the Editor:

As a current high school teacherin Fairfax County, and a futureschool librarian, I frequently hearthe question, “Why do you wantto be a librarian? Do kids evenread anymore?” April is NationalSchool Library Month, and I’d liketo take the opportunity to clarifythe answers to these questions.

In my school, the library is notonly already an essential part ofthe school, it is filled with un-tapped potential as well, becauseso many parents, students, andteachers are not aware of all of theopportunities that are available.Our school library provides ourstudents with technology access,research stations, a place to workand research, but also has lunchprograms to help students meeteach other and make friends; onsome days during lunch there is a

knitting group that meets. Stu-dents meet and teach each otherto create new stitches and pat-terns, and you haven’t seen aschool united until you’ve seen afreshman girl patiently demon-strating a stitch for the third timeto a senior football player. We havea book club that meets during ourremediation period once a month.The kids pick the books, and havesome of the most lively discussionsI’ve heard.

Even more than this, our libraryis teaching our students how to bedigital citizens and 21st centurylearners. They foster curiosity —not always an easy feat in highschoolers. They have a coding sta-tion where our students can learnto code, even if they aren’t takingcomputer science classes, and amedia lab where students pro-duce, film, and present daily an-nouncements for the school. Theyare trying to get a 3D printer inthe library, as well as virtual real-ity technology to allow our stu-dents to explore places and ideasto which they might never other-

wise have access.So yes, kids do still read. But

these also aren’t the same schoollibraries that we had; no longer isthe library a silent, intimidatingtomb of books. Go check out yourlocal school library after schoolone day in April — you might justbe surprised at what you find!

Meagan MajorFairfax

StoppingViolence inAny FormTo the Editor:

In response to your last week’sopinion piece calling a new statelicense plate with the words “StopGun Violence” a small victory, Ioffer the following:

I notice that the Virginia Gen-eral Assembly and the Governorhave passed a bill for a new li-cense plate with the words “StopGun Violence” on it. There are

those of us who are opposed toviolence in any form – knife vio-lence, explosives violence, poisonviolence, vehicular violence, andthe like. Everett Piper recentlystated: “Take away guns and we’lluse a knife. Take away knives andwe’ll use a club. Take away clubs,and we’ll use a rock.” The leadeditorial in the 4-10-18 edition ofThe Washington Times observedthat knifings across the BritishIsles are up 21 percent. Stabbingsin London in 2017 are at theirhighest level in 6 years, up 23percent over the previous year.Knives and acid are the two mostcommon weapons used in Lon-don. Violence starts in the heart -not in the hand.

The Virginia General Assembly’smyopic focus on guns is not thesolution to stopping violence. Isuggest the General Assembly andGovernor would better serve Vir-ginians by renaming the licenseplate “Stop Violence”.

Paul McIlvaineAlexandria

Letters to the Editor

VOLUNTEERS NEEDEDSTEM Professionals Needed. Help

assist K-12 STEM teachers as part ofthe American Association for theAdvancement of Science’s STEMVolunteer Program,stemvolunteers.org, during the 2018-19 school year. In the 2017-18 schoolyear, there are 85 volunteers in sixNorthern Virginia school districts.Contact Don Rea at 571-551- 2488,or [email protected].

Volunteer Adult Mentors Needed.Help assist the Department of FamilyServices’ BeFriendA-Child mentoringprogram. The mentors provideopportunities for companionship,

guidance and support to childrenwho have been abused andneglected, or who are at risk of abuseand neglect. Contact Ibrahim Khalilat [email protected] 703-324-4547.

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATIONChild turning 5 years old by Sept.

30? If so, contact your child’s schoolto make arrangements forkindergarten enrollment. Mostschools begin getting informationtogether now for parents of incomingkindergartners, and many host anorientation or open house. Allkindergarten programs are full-dayand located in FCPS elementary

schools. Check your school’s webpageor contact the school directly forspecific enrollment information anddates of orientationor visitwww.fcps.edu/registration/kindergarten-registration.

DOCENTS WANTEDDocents Needed. Sundays 1-4 p.m. at

the Fairfax Station Railroad Museum,11200 Fairfax Station Road in FairfaxStation. Greet museum visitors andtell them about the exhibits, themuseum and the its railroad and CivilWar history. Ideal for people wholive in the Fairfax, Burke, Clifton orFairfax Station area and want to

contribute to the local communitythrough volunteerism. This is aperfect opportunity for thoseinterested in railroads, the Civil Warand Northern Virginia history.Training and orientation provided.Other volunteer opportunities aregardening, publicity and exhibitplanning. Call Michael at 703-945-7483.

FRIDAY/APRIL 27Celebrate Arbor Day. 1 p.m. at

Fairfax High School, 3501 Rebel Run,Fairfax. The City of Fairfax will plant

Bulletin Board

See Bulletin, Page 15


Richmond Report

From Page 2

physician may determine whenit is impractical for a child to usea rear-facing child restraint systemdue to the child’s height. The Gov-ernor signed this bill on March 23.

❖ Bringing Much-Needed Trans-portation Funds to Northern Vir-ginia and Hampton Roads: Work-ing closely with the Northern Vir-ginia Chamber of Commerce andthe Northern Virginia Transporta-tion Commission, Del. Filler-Cornintroduced HB 1083, which wouldhave provided that the 2.1 percenttax that is imposed on the salesprice of motor fuel in NorthernVirginia and Hampton Roads shallbe imposed on the regional priceof gas, defined and computed asthe six-month average price offuel, for each region. Her bill wasrolled into HB 768, on which sheserves as a chief co-patron. Gov-ernor Northam signed this bill onApril 6. This will not only providemillions of dollars in transporta-tion funds to Virginia’s largestmetropolitan regions but also fixa long-standing oversight from the2013 Transportation Bill (SMARTScale). It is important to note thatthis is an key component of the billthat will provide a dedicated fund-ing source to Metro.

❖ Making Child Care Safer:

Filler-Corn’s bill, HB 1480 wouldhave amended child care licensurecodes and would add to minimumbasic health and safety standardsfor license exempt child care pro-grams. While Filler-Corn’s bill wasre-referred from the House floorto the House Appropriations Com-mittee and was therefore not votedon. Its Senate companion, spon-sored by Senator Emmett Hanger,SB 539 was signed by the Gover-nor on April 9. This legislation willhelp to ensure that no matterwhere Virginia’s parents placetheir children for child care, theycan feel more secure that theirchildren are being cared for in asafer program with oversight.

❖ Reforming School Absentee-ism Policy: Filler-Corn’s Bill, HB1485 will reform truancy and ab-senteeism policies in publicschools. This bill aims to find bet-ter options to keep children inschool before they are referred tothe courts for truancy. The Gover-nor signed this bill on April 4.

“My priorities center aroundprotecting our families, strength-ening our education system, im-proving our transportation andquality of life in Virginia and en-suring that our workforce is readyand able to compete,” said Filler-Corn.


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Camps & Schools

By Marilyn Campbell

One of the great pleasures ofsummer is going to camp.From kayaking and rockclimbing to horseback riding

and sailing, camp is a place where lifelongmemories are created. A recent study by thenon-profit, global policy think tank RANDCorporation shows that voluntary summerprograms like camp have a significant, posi-tive impact on low-income students duringa time when they fall behind their wealthierpeers both academically and socially.

Katie Crump, a case manager at InterfaithWorks, a non-profit organization dedicatedto helping the poor and underserved, saysthat the luxury of summer camp ofteneludes those who need it most.

“The opportunity of attending a real sum-mer camp is a big thing for them. Unfortu-nately, this experience can be unattainabledue to the high cost and finding transpor-tation among other things,” said Crump.“Attending summer camp affords kids a spe-cial and important experience that’s all theirown. It allows kids to be kids, somethingthat is particularly vital for low-income chil-dren who are often forced to deal with theburdens of adulthood at a young age.”

Despite the cost of summer camp, keep-ing children engaged during the stretch oftime between June and August when schoolis not in session is a critical part of their

development, says Jerome Short, Ph.D.,associate professor of psychology at GeorgeMason University.

“Summer camps give opportunities forchildren to develop social, emotional, cog-nitive, and behavioral skills,” he said. “Someresearch shows that higher [socioeconomicstatus] children increase academic and be-havioral skills over the summer and lower[socioeconomic status] children lose skillsover the summer. Research shows that lower[socioeconomic status] children benefitfrom learning social and behavioral skillsin different settings with new peers andchallenges to apply their skills.”

Even with limited resources, summercamps can still be accessible, says TomRosenberg, president and CEO of the Ameri-can Camp Association (ACA). “There is acamp for every budget,” he said “[Most]ACA-accredited camps provide some formof scholarship assistance. Reach out to thecamp directly to ask about specific finan-cial aid and scholarship options.”

The RAND study also showed that eventhough low-income students can lose up totwo months of math and reading skills over

the summer, high-quality summer programscan bridge that gap. Science, Technology,Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)camps are an example of programs that canbe effective, but possibly unaffordable forsome families.

Wolftrap and Colvin Run elementaryschools in Fairfax County will be the site ofa non-profit STEM camp called Camp In-vention. Organized by the National Inven-tors Hall of Fame (NIHF), the hands-on pro-gram is designed for children in kindergar-ten through sixth grade. Through activitieslike building robots and designing gadgets,campers get a sense of what it’s like to be aphysicist or engineer.

“The program has sponsors that providefunding that’s used to helpunderrepresented kids attend the camps,”said Ken Torisky, spokesman for NationalInventors Hall of Fame. “The money is dis-tributed to students by the school district.”

Options for financial assistance for sum-mer camp run the gamut from discounts fordependents of those serving in the militaryto camp funding offered by churches, syna-gogues, and civic organizations. “I wouldsuggest to parents that they look into theirchild being sponsored by a local businessto attend a camp or look into payment planoptions at a camp that they are interestedin attending,” advised Stacie Gottlieb, di-rector, Bullis Summer and Extended Day

Programs in Potomac, Md.While Bullis does not offer financial as-

sistance for summer camp, Gottlieb saysthat there are discounts for early registra-tion and registering for multiple weeks ofcamp.

Parents should check to see if a camp par-ticipates in U.S. government assistance pro-grams, particularly those with income eli-gibility requirements, like Title XX, advisesRosenberg. While it might be too late forthis summer, he encourages parents to ex-plore Dependent Care Flexible SpendingAccounts and a Child and Dependent Caretax credit through the FSA Feds website:https://www.fsafeds.com/.

“I generally think lower income childrenbenefit when they have access to the sameopportunities as upper-income children andalso gain cultural skills and knowledge im-portant to upward mobility when they haveopportunity to interact with upper-incomekids,” said Amy L. Best, Ph.D., professor andchair, Department of Sociology and Anthro-pology at George Mason University. “I alsothink upper-income kids gain mightily whenthey have genuine interactions with kidsfrom other class backgrounds. Becauseempathy, cross cultural understanding, andan ability to work in diverse groups are skillsthat this new century demands, having op-portunities to hone those skills are of valuefor all involved.”

MoreCAMP INVENTIONhttp://campinvention.org/

GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCEhttps://www.fsafeds.com/

Affording Summer Camp For families with a limited budget,paying for camp can be a challenge.


Camps & Schools

Helping Gamesat Keene MillElementaryKeene Mill Elementary isrunning the Helping Gamesprogram instituted by PEteacher Nikki Zenker.Through this program,KMES students have col-lected 2,104 canned goodsfor ECHO, 2,436 winterclothing items for ECHOand 4,918 books for thosewho need them, includingLynbrook Elementary. Theyare still accepting dona-tions for Pennies for Pa-tients. The school wasdivided into four colorteams with t-shirts for allstudents. Elhady Orthodon-tics provided the t-shirts tosupport the initiative. Theyhave also encouragedservice and track points forparticipation. The finalassembly is coming upwhere the school willcelebrate results.


Camps & Schools

Benjamin (Bennie)Tignor, a junior atSouth Lakes HighSchool, has beenelected by thecountywide StudentAdvisory Council(SAC) to serve a one-year term as studentrepresentative to theFairfax County SchoolBoard, beginning July

1. Tignor will partici-pate in School Boardmeetings as a nonvot-ing member, filling theposition currently heldby NiharikaVattikonda, a senior atTJHSST.

Tignor says he hopesto use his position tofacilitate “a two-wayflow of information,

not only from student to Board,but from Board to student. Thisensures that students understandthat there are representatives whohear their voices, and althoughthey may be limited by budget orpolicy restrictions, are working toimprove the average student’s life.

“Maintaining the student voiceand ensuring it is heard is crucialto fostering the high academicstandards, healthy and ethicallives, and responsibility the SchoolBoard aims to inspire within thestudent body,” he adds. “I feel it ismy duty, as a member of theFairfax County student body, toproject the voices of my peers tothose who can interpret and takeinitiative on their behalf. At times,students feel that individuallytheir voice does not have an im-pact … I would be able to ensurethese voices are heard.”

HE LISTS four main issues as pri-orities for the School Board, in-cluding: school safety in responseto school shootings, schoolworkload and pressure toward In-ternational Baccalaureate (IB) andAdvanced Placement (AP) diplo-mas, the ability of students topresent feedback on issues thatdirectly impact the student body,and methods of teaching and per-sonal learning within advancedcourses.

Tignor says he wants to advo-cate for new methods of learningthat will accommodate all of theways students learn while allow-ing for “a broader expression oflearning styles” in the classroom.

As an advocate for project-basedlearning, he has spoken in favorof a broader use of project-basedlearning both to FCPS instruc-tional personnel and at a regionalproject-based learning conference,saying that it “allows the indi-vidual to express his or her methodof learning in the best way thatsuits them, incentivizing innova-tion and the freedom to enjoywhat you produce as a student.”

Tignor believes his work in lead-ership positions at South Lakesand the initiative he has taken inthese positions have prepared himto serve as the Student Represen-tative to the School Board. Hecurrently serves as president of theGerman Honor Society and, in hisleadership class, helped increaseparticipation in the school’s char-acter education program (Schol-arship, Ownership, Awareness,and Respect) by 220 percent inless than half a semester. He alsohelped design and execute theTerraset Workshop, which was re-cently recognized by the VirginiaStudent Councils Association.

New Student Representative on School Board Elected

Benjamin(Bennie)Tignor

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By Ken Moore

The Connection

The Board of Supervisors droppedone half cent for the FY 2019advertised budget in a 8-2 voteTuesday, April 24. “This is the

fewest number of changes we’ve made tothe budget in recent years. And I think a lotof that is a reflection on our desire to funda lot of needs that exist in the county,” saidLee District Supervisor Jeff McKay, at theboard’s budget committee meeting on Fri-day, April 19.

The Board of Supervisors will officiallyadopt its FY 2019 Budget on May 1.

“The recommendation is to go from a twoand a half cent increase to a two cent in-crease, so going to $1.15 as the new ratefor FY 2019,” said Joe Mondoro, thecounty’s chief financial officer/director.

That translates to a drop from $268 to$241 for the average taxpayer on this year’sreal estate bill.

“We need to identify $12.3 million,” saidMondoro. “We are doing that in proportions,schools and county, just as we did with thebuilding of the budget, so the impact is feltby both and as a result of the actions willmaintain the 52.8 percent allocation toschools and will maintain the same growthrate for county and schools. That growth

rate will be 4.2 percent as a result of thisaction. For the school side, the adjustmentis $3.6 million.” Supervisors expressed con-cern that they are providing more moneyto schools for teacher salaries, but schoolsplan to spend more than $17 million of thefunds for administrators, not teachers.

“The bottom line, for me, is that they arestill talking very significant increases foradministrators in one year,” said John Foust,Dranesville District supervisor.

SEVERAL SUPERVISORS complainedthat they needed detailed information fromthe schools about raises for administrators,but they hadn’t gotten that information as

the vote approaches.“I don’t think we have the information we

need to get them that money,” said Foust.“We’re hoping we’re going to have more

definitive numbers before we have to acton this,” said McKay.

“The point is, we should have that infor-mation and we should be able to view itand we should be able to have it soonerrather than later since we have to take ac-tion on this on Tuesday.”

“Tuesday is going to come real quick,” saidFoust at the Friday meeting. “They have tolay it out.” Pat Herrity added that SchoolBoard members hadn’t gotten the answersto these questions either.

IN AN UNUSUAL TWIST, the General As-sembly has still not approved the budget,injecting some uncertainty to how much thecounty and schools can expect to receive.

But overall, the news on state fundingappeared to be good, with additional rev-enue from the state included in all threeversions of the state budget, House of Del-egates, Senate and Governor.

“As the board is aware, there is not yet astate budget. However, the $900,000 thatwe’re identifying here is included in all threethe Governor, the House and the Senateversions of the budget so staff felt comfort-able that recognizing this amount of moneyadd on, which is typically what we woulddo, made sense,” said Mondoro.

“And so the addition of that $900,000 tothe advertised balance that the county ex-ecutive identified for you in February of $3.9million means going into markup there’s$4.8 million available to the board,” he said.

Negotiations continue at the state levelabout expanding Medicaid, with the Houseof Delegates’ and Governor’s versions of thebudget including the expansion. With ex-pansion of Medicaid comes significant ex-tra funding. “Should Medicaid expansionhappen, we should make sure as quickly aspossible that we sit down back at this tableand take a look at the results of that willbe,” Chairman Sharon Bulova said.

News

Supervisors drop a half-cent from the pro-posed 2.5 cent increase in real estate tax rate.Lucky Half Penny

April West, aFairfax Countyemployee and

union member,spoke about the

importance ofretirement

security forworking fami-lies at public

hearings beforethe Board ofSupervisors

earlier in April.

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COMMUNITIES OF WORSHIP

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Submit entertainment announcementsat www.connectionnewspapers.com/Cal-endar/. The deadline is noon on Friday.Photos/artwork encouraged.

ONGOINGArt Exhibit: Pulp Fiction. Through

April 29, gallery hours in ArchesGallery, Building W-9 of theWorkhouse Arts Center, 9518Workhouse Way, Lorton. Pulp Fictionshowcases work by artist Anne Hollis,exploring mixed media art whilefocusing on moments in time frommythological stories to real life. Visitwww.workhousearts.org/.

Art Exhibit: The Scenic Route.Through May 6, gallery hours atWarrior Way Gallery (W-16), LortonWorkhouse Arts Center, 9518Workhouse Way, Lorton. ChesterKasnowski, a veteran of the UnitedStates Air Force, is a multi-disciplinary artist who believes in thepower of tradition and history. Free.Visit www.workhousearts.org/event/chester-kasnowski-scenic-route/

Art Exhibit: To the Ends of theEarth. Through May 13, galleryhours at Vulcan Gallery, 1st Floor,Workhouse Arts Center, 9518Workhouse Way, Lorton. Exploringthe works of three photographers,Pedro Correa, Hal Eastman and RickReda. Visit www.workhousearts.org.

Rock of Ages – The Musical.Through May 20, Fridays-Saturdays,8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. atWorkhouse Arts Center, Building W-3(Theatre), 9518 Workhouse Way,Lorton. This Tony-Award winningmusical takes the audience back tothe 1980s era of big: big bands, bigegos big guitar solos and big hair.Parental discretion advised. $20-$35.Visit www.workhousearts.org.

Second Saturdays. 6-9 p.m. at theWorkhouse Arts Center, 9518Workhouse Road, Lorton. TheSecond Saturday Art Walk is theperfect time to meet nearly 100Resident and Associate Artists,creating art in the studios orexhibiting in our galleries.Experience performances of dance,cabaret, comedy, big band, jazz. Visitwww.workhousearts.org/.

Fairfax Pets on Wheels NewVolunteer Orientation. Anorientation for new volunteersinterested in visiting residents ofnursing homes and assisted livingfacilities with their approved petsthrough the Fairfax Pets On Wheelsprogram is held the first Wednesdayof every month starting at 7:30 p.m.Visit www.fpow.org for each month’slocation. Prior to attending, pleasecomplete the online applicationfound at www.fpow.org/volunteer.www.fpow.org, 703-324-5424 [email protected].

English Conversation Groupsweekly at George Mason, BurkeCentre, and Lorton Libraries Practiceand improve your English. Day andstart times vary. Visit:va.evanced.info/fairfaxcounty/lib/eventcalendar.asp

THURSDAY/APRIL 26Fall for the Book Pop Up Lit Night.

5:30 p.m. at Pacers Pop-Up TheatreSpace, 10427 North St., Fairfax. Fallfor the Book’s New Pop Up Lit Nightsinvite the community to Happy Hourappreciations of literature andstorytelling. Bring friends and enjoyfood and fun. Readings take place onthe last Thursday of each month,January through April. Free parkingis available. For more informationvisit www.fallforthebook.org/pop-up-lit-nights/ or call 703-352-ARTS.

FRIDAY/APRIL 27Assistance League Fundraiser. 11

a.m.-2 p.m. at Country Club ofFairfax, 5110 Ox Road, Fairfax. TheAssistance League of NorthernVirginia annual spring fundraiser willinclude a luncheon and silent and

live auctions. The funds raised willsupport programs which touch thelives of 6,000 children in NorthernVirginia each year. $65. Visitwww.northernvirginia.assistanceleague.org.

Mason Players “Originals.” 8 p.m.at TheatreSpace, George MasonUniversity. New scripts, artisticperformances and creative offeringsinspired by GMU students will drivethis final theatrical celebration of theseason. Programming variesthroughout the weekend. Pay whatyou can ($5 increments only). Visitwww.cfa.gmu.edu for more.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY/APRIL 27-29“The Little Mermaid.” Friday-

Saturday, 7 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m. atFairfax High School, 3501 Rebel Run,Fairfax. Based on one of HansChristian Andersen’s most belovedstories and the classic animated film,Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” is astory for the ages. Irresistible songs,including “Under the Sea,” “Kiss theGirl” and “Part of Your World.”Tickets available at fxplayers.org.

SATURDAY/APRIL 28Fairfax Run for the Children. 8 a.m.

at Fairfax County CourthouseComplex, 4110 Chain Bridge Road,Fairfax. Join Fairfax Court AppointedSpecial Advocates (CASA) for the 8thAnnual 8K and 3K races. Thesuperhero-themed race attractsnearly 1,000 runners and walkers,250 volunteers, and raises almost$85,000 each year to support FairfaxCASA’s advocacy work with abusedand neglected children in thecommunity. After race celebration,including superhero meet and greets,a DJ, free food, face painting, kids’crafts, photo booth, and more. Visitwww.fairfaxrunforthechildren.com/.

Springfield Farmers MarketOpens. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at SpringfieldTown Center, 6699 Spring MallDrive, Springfield.

Fairfax History Day. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.at Historic Blenheim, 3610 Old LeeHighway, Fairfax. Explore thenineteenth century in Fairfax withliving history presentations, exhibits,and historic tours. Meet a scientistand a tradesman and learn aboutAfrican-American life. Enjoy periodmusic, family activities, tours of the

Historic Blenheim House and its CivilWar Union soldier graffiti, wagonrides and more. Adults, $5; youth (3-12), $3; 2 and younger, free. Call703-591-0560.

Ballet: Coppelia. 2 and 7 p.m. in theErnst Community Cultural CenterTheater, Northern VirginiaCommunity College AnnandaleCampus, 8333 Little River Turnpike,Annandale. Virginia Ballet CompanyAnd School will present the classicballet Coppelia, professionally stagedand fully costumed. $30 for adultsand $20 for children, students andseniors, plus a $3 fee per each ticketat www.vaballet.org. A limitednumber of general admission tickets($12) is available for the WorkingStage Rehearsal on Friday, April 27at 6:30 p.m. Must be purchased inadvance online.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY/APRIL 28-29“The Best Doctor in Town.”

Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m.; Sunday, 2p.m. at Pacers Pop-Up Theatre Space,10427 North St., Fairfax. Set inSouthwest Virginia, inspired byactual events, the play follows smalltown’s most revered doctor, who mayjust be an identity thief and serialkiller. Patients are dying and no onein authority believes the great doctorcould be responsible. Visitwww.shoestringtheatrecompany.com.

SUNDAY/APRIL 29British Car Show. 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. at

Gunston Hall, 10709 Gunston Road,Lorton. The 21st Britain on the Greenshow will feature two hundredBritish cars and motorcycles, music,food trucks, youth activities, andadmission to Gunston Hall. $10adults, $5 children 6-18. Call 703-522-6571 orwww.capitaltriumphregister.com/bog/

Railroad Communications Event.1-4 p.m. at the Fairfax StationRailroad Museum, 11200 FairfaxStation Road, Fairfax Station.Demonstrations of means by whichrailroads communicated vitalinformation through their networks.Ages 16 and older, $4; 5-15, $2; 4and under, free. Visit www.fairfax-station.org, www.facebook.com/FFXSRR, or call 703-425-9225.

CoppeliaVirginia Ballet Company And School will present the classic ballet Coppelia, pro-

fessionally staged and fully costumed. Saturday, April 28, 2 and 7 p.m. in the ErnstCommunity Cultural Center Theater, Northern Virginia Community CollegeAnnandale Campus, 8333 Little River Turnpike, Annandale. $30 for adults and $20for children, students and seniors, plus a $3 fee per each ticket at www.vaballet.org.A limited number of general admission tickets ($12) is available for the Working StageRehearsal on Friday, April 27 at 6:30 p.m. Must be purchased in advance online.

Virginia Ballet dancer Photo by Dale Hubbard

Calendar


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News

Planting a Pine Tree in BurkeBoy Scout Jacob Boyett, Phil Sternberg (standing), T-1131 CommitteeChair and member Rotary Club of Springfield, and Daniel ‘Kaz’Kasmierski, current President of the Rotary Club of Springfield, plant apine tree on the edge of St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church in Burke,as part of an Earth Day event.

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.C. ‘G

ary’ Black, III


News

On Saturday, April 14, the Fairfax County ParkAuthority renamed South Run District Park AthleticField #5 in honor of Jack Nolan, a longtime coach,leader and advocate of youth soccer in the Spring-field District.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Nolan served as

Pictured, from left: Del. Kathy Tran, Michael Thompson, Fairfax County Park Author-ity Board, Braddock District Representative; Jack Nolan, Honoree; Supervisor PatHerrity, and Kirk Kincannon, Executive Director, Fairfax County Park Authority.

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Springfield Athletic Field RenamedIn Honor of Longtime Soccer Coach

a coach for several soccer teams in the SpringfieldYouth Club (SYC). His success on the field led to lead-ership roles with SYC, the Fairfax County SoccerCouncil and the Athletic Council. He was instrumen-tal in the development of a rectangular field alloca-tion policy.

PM Pediatrics Opensat Springfield Plaza

PM Pediatrics, the nation’s largest provider ofspecialized pediatric urgent care, opened its firstVirginia location Monday, April 23 in Springfieldat 6358 Springfield Plaza. The company’s newestlocation marks its 28th overall, and the fourth lo-cation in the DC Metro Area, joining Greenbelt,Rockville and Annapolis, Md.

PM Pediatrics of Springfield is open 365 days ayear, Monday through Sunday from noon to mid-

night, and on select holidays from 10 a.m. to mid-night. The 4,500 square foot, state-of-the-art lo-cation is staffed by Pediatric Emergency Special-ists, including board-certified pediatric emergencyphysicians and pediatricians, and features onsitedigital x-ray and lab. Unlike traditional urgent carepractices, PM Pediatrics treats children and youngadults exclusively, with physicians, nurses, equip-ment and an office environment all tailored toprovide the best possible care for pediatric pa-tients.

For more information about PM Pediatrics anda list of locations, visit pmpediatrics.com.

Week in Springfield


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

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

Not that deadlines don’t happen in thenewspaper business; of course they do, everyTuesday for us weeklies. But when combinedwith my usual post-chemotherapy malaise, itis a bit more challenging. More so when thedeadline is tightened up due to the nature ofhitting and occasionally missing in-house com-munications, which is also not unreasonablegiven the multiple demands multi taskingimposes.

Compounding this task even more is thatuntil I’m back to semi post-chemo normal, inthe interim, I am not eating too much, notsleeping well, have low energy (related to theprevious two deficiencies), my hands areshaky, my balance is off and I’m having somedifficulty focusing. It’s a good thing I’m sittingat a desk while attempting to write this col-umn because operating any heavy machinerywould definitely be out of the question. WhatI need to do is mind my own business.

Business which at the moment involvesfending off my buff-colored male cat, Chino,as he angles to sit on my writing pad as I movehim from left to right – and then right to leftsince he won’t take “Chino, move!” for adirective. But if I know anything, other thanwhat to expect post chemo, I also know whatto expect from Chino – or any of the othercats we manage: independence, as any fellowcat owner knows. Unlike a “true and loyaldog,” a cat, generally speaking, is not inclinedto respond to your commands, well, too manyof them, anyway. Nor are they likely torespond to any physical discipline and/orpushing/pulling/redirecting. Invariably, if youpush, they pull. If you pull, they push.

How Chino knows I’m not feeling well andon an unanticipated and abbreviated dead-line, I’ll never know. But rather than leave meto it, he’ll interfere every way possible: nuz-zling, nudging, leaning, rubbing, meowing,moving about and plopping down when allelse fails. If you love cats as we do, this is theircharm. If you don’t love them and their antics,I can see how this kind of behavior can bevery frustrating.

I mean, with all this activity, it’s difficult tothink about what I’m supposed to be doingwhen I’m so busy preventing things from get-ting done. I imagine Chino thinks he’s doingme a favor, being so affectionate and so in theway. Maybe he thinks he’s contributing to thecreative process by sitting in the middle of mywriting pad? In a way, maybe he is. He’s forc-ing me to concentrate. Moreover, he’s forcingme to focus on this most immediate taskwhich, at the moment, has me fending him offwith my left wrist while I’m scribbling prosewith my right hand. Oddly enough, it mightbe working as I’m three-quarters finished withthis column which 30 minutes ago was aweekend task until it became a today/Tuesdaytask.

Now if I didn’t have a CT scan and lowerabdomen MRI scheduled for Wednesday, I’dhave a bit more time to sort out the details ofwriting this column. Unfortunately, post-chemo, mid-newspaper deadline and pre-scan is a triple threat which sometimes canimpose its will. A ‘will’ which I take personallyso I will persevere and complete this columnwith one final paragraph now that Chino hasleft my desk and likely ended up on someunoccupied couch to sleep; he’s had a bigday.

All kidding aside, if there’s one behavior Ineed more than any other during these dead-line triple threats, it’s companionship. Becauseof Chino and our other four cats: Andrew,Sloane, Biscuit and Twinkle, I am never aloneand always have someone to talk to who,occasionally talks back. Not that we under-stand one another, but it’s giving and getting,and it’s loving and affecting – me and my can-cer; and everything in between.

You MeanTomorrowTuesday?

a tree at Fairfax High School. Open to the public.Call 703-385-7995.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY/APRIL 27-28City of Fairfax Spring Cleanup. Join the city in

the annual spring cleaning ritual by takingadvantage of the many special services offeredthis time of year. Call 703-385-7995.

❖ Arbor Day tree planting — Celebrate ArborDay at 1 p.m. Friday, April 27 as the City ofFairfax plants a tree at Fairfax High School,3501 Rebel Run.

❖ Cleanup Day — Residents and businesses canhelp the city spruce up for spring by cleaning uptheir neighborhoods or any public areas in thecity. Choose Spring Cleanup Day April 28, orany day in April during Spring Cleanup Month.To participate, call 703-385-7995 or [email protected].

❖ Curbside leaf collection — Curbside leafcollection in the city every Tuesday in April.

SATURDAY/APRIL 28Caregiver Bootcamp. 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. at Insight

Memory Care Center, 3953 Pender Drive, Suite100, Fairfax. Join IMCC for a day-long trainingevent covering essential caregiving topics. Dayincludes: breakfast, dementia overview, legalneeds, lunch, communication and behaviorchanges and information on communityresources. Rescheduled from April 7. [email protected], LindseyVajpeyi, 703-204-4664 or visit InsightMCC.org.

Scam Jam and Shred Event. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. atFairfax County Gov. Center, 12000 GovernmentCenter Parkway, Fairfax. Free fraud fightingevent with AARP Virginia and Fairfax CountyGovernment’s Silver Shield task force. Shredtruck will be on-site from 8 a.m.-noon.Documents will be shredded on-site free ofcharge. Registration required at aarp.cvent.com/OSSFairfax or call 1-877-926-8300.

Flea Market. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Rolling Valley Parkand Ride, 9220 Old Keene Mill Road, Burke.Sellers: Rent two parking spaces (minimum).Spaces are reserved and pre-assigned. Theprepaid cost is $20 (plus the donation of asaleable item to Cub Pack 678’s booth). Toreserve spaces call 703-354-7045. Buyers: Morethan 50 sellers, bargains and refreshments.

Living with Alzheimer’s: For Middle-StageCaregivers. 10 a.m.-noon at RavensworthBaptist Church, 5100 Ravensworth Road,Annandale. Part three of three-part series. Jointhe Alzheimer’s Association for this free three-part series and hear caregivers and professionalsdiscuss helpful strategies to provide safe andcomfortable care in the middle stage ofAlzheimer’s. To register, call 800-272-3900.

Medicine Cabinet Cleanout. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. atFair Oaks District Station, 12300 Lee JacksonMemorial Highway, Fairfax; Franconia DistrictStation, 6121 Franconia Road, Alexandria; WestSpringfield District Station, 6140 Rolling Road,Springfield. Free safe disposal of unused orexpired medications. Drop off at any FairfaxCounty District Police Stations (pills or liquidsonly, no pressurized canisters or needles). Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/community-services-board/news/2018/medicine-cabinet-cleanout.

Drug Take Back Day. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in City ofFairfax Police Station lobby, 3730 Old LeeHighway. Unwanted prescription and over-the-counter drugs, including pills, ointments andliquids in sealed containers (no needles orsyringes) will be accepted. Drop-off isanonymous. Call 703-385-7829.

Teen Job Fair. noon-2 p.m. at West SpringfieldHigh School, 6100 Rolling Road. Employers willgather, take applications and resumes for parttime jobs. Contact Greater Springfield Chamberof Commerce, Nancy-jo Manney [email protected] for more.

SUNDAY/APRIL 292018 Annual Women’s Day Service. 9:45 a.m.

at Greater Little Zion Baptist Church, 10185Zion Drive, Fairfax. The guest speaker will bethe Rev. Kimberly Ridley, pastor of My LightChristian Church in Richmond. Music will befurnished by the Greater Little Zion Women’sDay Choir. Call 703-239-9111.

MONDAY/APRIL 30Community Meeting: Lake Accotink. 7-8:30

p.m. at Lake Braddock Secondary School, 9200Burke Lake Road, Burke. The Park Authority willjoin Braddock Supervisor John Cook and LeeSupervisor Jeff McKay to gather public input indeveloping a vision for Lake Accotink Park. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/planning-development/lakeaccotink. Call 703-324-8662

BulletinFrom Page 6


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