McLean - Ellington CMSconnection.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/.../31/McLean.pdf · 2016-05-31 · a press conference held Jan. 7, 2016 at West Potomac High School, “it makes no

McLean Connection ❖ June 1-7, 2016 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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online at www.connectionnewspapers.comJune 1-7, 2016

McLeanMcLeanWellbeing

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WellbeingPage 10

Althea Retter standsnext to her QUESTgroup’s origami dis-play. Parents andcommunity memberswere invited to viewall of the QUESTprojects that CooperMiddle School studentshave been working onthis school year.

Cooper PresentsQUEST Projects,

New GardenNews, Page 6

Cooper PresentsQUEST Projects,

New GardenNews, Page 6

Inspired for the‘Best Issue Ahead’News Page 17

Try Sweetbites of McLeanNews, Page 14

Inspired for the‘Best Issue Ahead’News Page 17

Try Sweetbites of McLeanNews, Page 14

2 ❖ McLean Connection ❖ June 1-7, 2016 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com


News

By Tim Peterson

The Connection

The Fairfax County School Boardhas made good on Superinten-dent Dr. Karen Garza’s promisewhen she introduced a FY 2017

budget for the school system.“The most important announcement for our

students and teachers may be what theproposed budget does not do,” Garza said ata press conference held Jan. 7, 2016 at WestPotomac High School, “it makes no furthercuts.”

At the Board’s May 26 regular meeting, itsmembers adopted a $2.7 billion budget that willtake effect July 1.

Highlights of the budget include a salaryincrease plus one percent market scale adjust-ment for all employees who are eligible, $40million to make teacher salaries in particularmore competitive in the region and $10 millionaimed at lowering elementary school class sizes.

School Board Chairman Pat Hynes praised theFairfax County Board of Supervisors in astatement for engaging with their educational

counterparts to overcome an early gap betweenthe two bodies’ advertised budget that eclipsed$70 million.

“Working together, we were able to secure thefunding necessary to make critical investmentsin teacher pay, reduce the size of some classes inour elementary schools and maintain ourinstructional programs and services to ourstudents,” Hynes said. “We sincerely want tothank the members of the community who

rallied to call for increased support for theirstudents, teachers, and schools.”

It took the supervisors adding an extra cent tothe real estate tax and directing that additionalrevenue to the school system to make the FairfaxCounty transfer to FCPS really viable for Garza’sgoals.

“I am hopeful that this budget represents aturning point for our schools,” SuperintendentGarza said in a statement. “This reinvestment in

our community’s most important asset willprovide great dividends for all the citizens ofFairfax. We are already looking ahead to FY 2018and will continue to work as partners with theBoard of Supervisors to solve these vitalchallenges for our community.”

Fairfax County’s transfer to the SchoolOperating Fund ended up being a 4.8 increaseover the FY 2016 Budget. FCPS also benefittedfrom an increase in state aid and sales tax, and$6.7 million in reductions from the previous yearbecause of reductions in student enrollment.

The school system received an increase fromthe General Assembly of $16.8 million from theFY 2017 Advertised Budget. It was also $22.3million more than reflected in the FY 2016Approved Budget, according to FCPS spokesmanJohn Torre.

The Board also approved several add-onmotions that carried with the FY 2017 budget.Those included Hynes calling for continuedcollaboration with the Board of Supervisors andfocusing joint discussions on the SuccessfulChildren and Youth Policy Team.

Providence representative to the School BoardDalia Palchik’s motion for the Board to encouragethe Supervisors to move a meals tax toreferendum in this fall’s election was successfulas well.

More information about the FY 2017 FCPSbudget and the budget process are available atwww.fcps.edu/news/fy2017.shtml.

FY 2017 budget aims toraise teacher salaries,lower class sizes.

School Board Adopts $2.7 Billion Budget

Photo by Tim Peterson/The Connection

At the School Board’s May 26 regular meeting, its members adopted a$2.7 billion budget that will take effect July 1.

McLean Connection Editor Kemal Kurspahic

703-778-9414 or [email protected]

By Tim Peterson

The Connection

If you use Metrorail from Vienna orReston or Tysons, be on notice: theOrange and Silver lines will be the

first affected.Beginning June 1, the Washington

Area Metropolitan Transit Authority(WMATA) will initiate the first of 15“surges” of rail system shutdowns formaintenance, as part of its robust “SafeTrack” effort.

Safe Track is advertised as condensingthree years of work down to about one.

The severe timetable comes followinga series of maintenance incidents includ-ing cars filling with smoke and fireballssparking inside underground stations.

“It’s unfortunate,” said Fairfax CountyBoard of Supervisors Chairman SharonBulova, that the rail system has arrivedat this point “without what should havebeen plans for investment, replacement.”

“That should’ve happened,” Bulovacontinued.

Regardless, the chairman said she’s sup-portive of Safe Track and that it’s “the rightthing to do.”

After June’s kickoff, the repairs are sched-uled to last until March 2017, WMATA rep-resentative Jack Requa told members of theFairfax County Board of Supervisors Trans-portation Committee in a May 24 meeting.

The first surge from June 4 to 16 willcause the Orange and Silver lines to run oncontinuous single-track status from EastFalls Church to Ballston. To supplement theslowed service, WMATA is offering limitedMetrobus shuttles.

For other surges, there will be supplemen-tal service from Fairfax Connector buses.

In addition to the alternate public transitoptions, Bulova and Fairfax County Depart-ment of Transportation Director TomBiesiadny also encouraged people to lookinto carpooling and ride-sharing as muchas possible during the surges.

Bulova also said she’s sent a letter toemployers around the Fairfax County en-couraging them to be more flexible withemployees looking to telework.

“We’re not crying over spilled milk here,”she said. “Right now we have a crisis. We

June 4-16 Disruption❖ Orange Line trains between Vienna and

Ballston will operate every 18 minutes❖ Additional Orange Line trains will operate

between Ballston and New Carrollton only❖ Silver Line trains will operate every 18

minutes❖ At 10 p.m. all trains will operate every 20

minutes❖ Metro closes at midnight seven days a week

for the duration of all safety workDuring most safety surges, Fairfax Connector

will provide supplemental express service onexisting routes or on rush-hour shuttles.

For surge #1:❖ Supplemental trips in the Dulles/I-66 corridor

on express Route 599 from Reston toPentagon.

❖ Express rush-hour shuttle service from ViennaMetrorail Station via I-66 to Pentagon.

❖ Existing express service on routes 393 and394 from Saratoga Park-and-Ride via I-95/395 to Pentagon.

SafeTrack supplemental and shuttle service fareis $4 per trip.

Fairfax County shares plan for mitigatingeffects of Safe Track maintenance.

Bracing for Shutdown Surges in Face of Metro Crisis

have to make sure we’re flexible. Peopleare resilient; we’ll find a way to getthrough this.”

Fairfax County has launched a websitelisting the dates and details of the surges,along with suggestions for alternate tran-sit. The website address iswww.fairfaxcounty.gov/fcdot/safetrack.

Operators with the same informationare available by phone at 703-339-7200.

Fairfax County Board ofSupervisors ChairmanSharon Bulova called themaintenance situation thatbrought about Safe Track“unfortunate” but sup-ports the effort as “theright thing to do.”

Photo by Tim Peterson/

The Connection


News

StudyingEnvironment,Hands-on

For the third year, Churchill Roadsixth-graders participated in FairfaxCounty Park Authority’s InvasiveManagement Area (IMA) VolunteerProgram. Over the past week, thestudents spent an hour each morn-ing clearing out the park behind theschool. Merrily Pierce, IMA coordi-nator for Churchill Road Park,worked with the teachers and stu-dents to help them identify the non-native invasive plants from the na-tive plants that are beneficial to thepark. The students learned about theorigins, characteristics and ways tocontrol these unwanted plants dur-ing their science classes.

The students planted 30 redbudtrees and seeded the cleared areas.Selina Al-Shihabi said that “it wasfun to do something as a team andwork together.” Abby Siegel felt posi-tive “that we helped our ecosystemimprove,” while both Sara Wellbornand Caroline Senich enjoyed a senseof accomplishment from the physi-cal aspects of the task – “pulling abig root out” and “digging every-thing up and seeing what a differ-ence it made.”

Photo by Kim Moran

Churchill Road sixth-graders Mia Cunha Mendonca,Katy Shaw, Harry, Moon, Abby Siegel, Matt Harrison andAvery Jones trimmed invasive species from the woodedarea behind the school.

Churchill Road sixth-graders Anna Stout, Noelle Rupli,Yeon Ju Choe, Selina Al-Shihabi, Ethan Gartner andMatthew Harrison bag up clippings from the invasivespecies they removed from the school grounds.



News

On Thursday, May 5, parents and community mem-bers were invited to view all of the QUEST projectsthat Cooper Middle School students have been work-ing on this school year. Some of the featured projectswere: fashion shows, origami, zombie apocalypsetraining, a brand new garden, a mural, story books,services projects and many more.

Finding inspiration from her father, support fromthe community, and help from eager Cooper students,Cooper’s librarian, Leslie Psaltis, was able to trans-form Cooper’s courtyard into a place of majesticbeauty. Psaltis learned to garden from her father, andshe thought it would be great way to honor him af-ter he passed at the beginning of the school year.

She also knew it would be a great, and most likelynew, learning experience for students, so she signedup to teach it through Cooper’s new QUEST program.After countless hours of work, and financial help fromThe trust of Donald and Patricia Mayer, theSchoolyard Steward Mini Grant through FCPS De-partment of Facilities and Transportation and Coo-per MS PTO, the garden is almost complete. Parentswere invited to come view the garden during Cooper’sQUEST Expo on Thursday, May 5.

“We wanted to make a beautiful outdoor teachingand reading space - sort of an extension of the li-brary. It combines my love of the library with the joyof gardening,” said Mrs. Psaltis.

Cooper Presents QUEST Projects, New Garden

Audrey Anikeeff serves up fresh and healthy smoothiesand noodles for her QUEST project.

Photos by Lindsay Bovenzi

“We wanted to make a beautiful outdoor teaching andreading space - sort of an extension of the library. Itcombines my love of the library with the joy of garden-ing,” said Cooper Middle Librarian Leslie Psaltis.

Jane Chen, AnaGrajdeanu, SarahYan, BethJohnston,RaneemKamoona, NikkiRazavi, and KatieRebhan displaythe photo booksthat they createdfor their QUESTproject. Theyused AdobeInDesign tocreate the layoutfrom scratch.


Fundraiser Supporting McLeanProject for the Arts

HBC Group’s (Keller Williams Realty) Community Charity Championsannounced a fundraiser for McLean Project for the Arts.

The dinner will be Tuesday, June 14, from 5 to 8 p.m. at PulcinellaItalian Host in McLean.

Enjoy dinner and know that approximately 70 percent of the pro-ceeds from food and drink will go to MPA, as long as the diner bringsthe flyer for the event. Contact HBC Realty Group at 703-734-0192 orvisit www.HBCGroupKW.com to receive a flyer.

Sponsors of the event are: Karen Briscoe and Lizzy Conroy with theHBC Group of Keller Williams Realty, Marcus Simon with EKKO Title,Kevin Dougherty of Pillar to Post, Kathy and Justin Neal of The NealTeam/SunTrust Mortgage, Jim Harris of BOWA, The McLean Chamberof Commerce, and Moe Jebali with Pulcinella Italian Host.

Coming Soon: New Assisted Livingand Memory Care Community

The Kensington Falls Church is a new assisted living community serv-ing Northern Virginia seniors, including those with Alzheimer’s dis-ease and other types of dementia. Doors are scheduled to open in theCity of Falls Church in early 2017.

The Kensington offers 24/7 care for residents, delivered by a team ofspecially trained caregivers and professionals to assist older adults whoneed help with at least one daily activity.

The community is divided into three neighborhoods. The assistedliving neighborhood serves residents who are able to enjoy guided ac-tivities that are individually tailored to preference, need and ability,and include support. Two memory care neighborhoods – Connectionsand Haven – serve memory – impaired residents who need more assis-tance with activities and higher levels of clinical care.

The Kensington’s information center opens to the public in June 2016.It is located at 1212 West Broad Street in Falls Church – down thestreet from the Kensington site. www.thekensingtonfallschurch.com

Week in McLean


Opinion

It’s hard to talk to your teens and youngadults about alcohol and drugs.

But consider this.Last year, more people died in Virginia

of heroin overdose than in car acci-dents, more than 700 in all. There havebeen multiple overdoses of high schoolstudents in the last few months, highschool students like yours. At this point in theopiate epidemic, you also need to talk aboutheroin and pills.

On graduation day in 2007, West PotomacHigh School endured the unimaginable trag-edy. Two young women who had graduatedjust hours before died in a car driven by an-other young woman who had alcohol in hersystem. The driver and another passenger, a2005 West Potomac graduate, also died in thatcrash.

More recently, in June, 2015, Alex Murk andCalvin Li, shortly after graduation from Tho-mas Wootton High School in Rockville, Mary-land, died in a car accident after leaving aparty where alcohol was served. The owner

of the house where the party took place, thefather of the student hosting the party, wasfined for knowingly allowing underage drink-ing. A newly passed law in Maryland, named

for Alex and Calvin, means parentswho knowingly host underage drink-ing parties in Maryland could face thepossibility of up to a year in jail if an

underage drinker leaves their home and is in-jured or killed in a car crash. The driver re-cently pled guilty to two counts of vehicularmanslaughter.

Summer is the most dangerous time of yearfor teenagers.

Many teenagers will be celebrating, or pos-sibly self-medicating, with alcohol. Many willengage in binge drinking.

While drinking and driving, or getting intoa car with a driver who has been drinking, cankill, there are many other problems that comealong with binge drinking. The question ofconsent and sexual activity looms. Young menand women need to hear from their parentsthat they are expected to respect the idea of

consent, all the more so in circumstances wherealcohol or drugs might be involved. The po-tential consequences are enormous.

Parents owe it to themselves to talk to theirteens about it, even as the teen turns away,rolls eyes, and otherwise indicates he or she isignoring everything you say, some informationwill go in. They do hear you. They can’t hearwhat you don’t say.

Keep talking. Tell them you love them. Tellthem it’s been too much work to get them tothis point to risk losing them now. Tell themnot to text and drive. Tell them not to drinkand drive. Tell them not to get in a car withanyone driving who has been drinking or oth-erwise under the influence. Tell them to weartheir seatbelts.

Tell them you’ll come pick them up anytimethat they need a safe ride home, with the onlyconsequence that they have to talk to you aboutit the next day.

— Mary Kimm

[email protected]

So much at stake as teens approachgraduation and summer.Talk to Your Teens

Editorial

Seniors UnfairlyTapped forSchool BudgetTo the Editor:

The May 19-25, edition of theConnection had an opinion pagearticle titled, “In Search of Diver-sified Revenue – Fairfax Countyresidents expect to see meals taxquestion on November ballots.”The article began by saying thatlocal governments pay for almostall of local services, includingschools, by taxing a single indus-try, property owners.

It’s time to address a real estatetax inequity, i.e., the continued fulltaxation of elderly homeownerswho have not had children in theschool system for years and years.The average annual real estate taxper household after the recent FY2017 rate increase is $5,962; 52.2percent of that (a little over$3,100) goes to support thecounty school system. (See chart.)

Residential homeowners pay thefull real estate tax whether or notthey have children in schools.

There is never any age at which ahomeowner sees a dime’s decreasein his or her taxes. Parents of stu-dents do not pay any “tuition.”

My proposal is that elderlyhomeowners, starting at age 65 ormaybe 70, be given a small “taxforgiveness” rebate, funded by aper-student user fee assessed atannual school registration. Thiswould be revenue-neutral to thecounty. The fee would passthrough the county from parents

to elderly taxpayers via a tax re-duction. Here’s the math for a hy-pothetical example for 65 year oldand over taxpayers:

❖ The county’s 2015-16 schoolenrollment is about 187,000 (Kthrough 12).

❖ In 2015, there were about412,000 housing units in FairfaxCounty (Source: “DemographicReports 2015, County of Fairfax,Virginia”). In 2014, about 19.1percent of housing units were oc-

Letters to the Editor

cupied by persons 65 years old orolder (Source: U.S Census Bureau,2014 American Community Sur-vey 1-Year Estimates”). So, assumethat roughly 19.1 percent of those412,000 housing units, or 78,692units, were owned by 65-and-older persons (actual ownershipdata not available to author).

❖ An annual school system rev-enue-neutral “user fee” of $100per student, paid at the time ofannual registration, would yieldabout $18,700,000 (187,100 stu-dents x $100).

❖ Now, spread the $18,700,000over about 78,692 housing units(the estimate of housing unitsowned by folks age 65 and over)and it would yield about $238 peryear for each of those seniorhouseholds ($18,700,000/78,692). That is a very modest 4.0percent annual tax “rebate” fromthe average 2017 tax bill of $5,962per household. The seniors de-serve a little break.

See what your supervisors think.

John A. KnightSpringfield

Fairfax County’s free FamilyCaregiver Telephone SupportGroup meets by phone on Tuesday,June 14, 7-8 p.m. This month’stopic is “Caregiver Vacationing: Howto Make it Work When You’re aCaregiver”. Register beforehand atw w w . – f a i r f a x c o u n t y . – g o v / –olderadults and click on CaregiverSupport/Telephone Caregiver SupportGroup. Call 703-324-5484, TTY 711.

The Fairfax Commission on Ag-ing meets on Wednesday, June 15at noon at the Kings Park Library, 9000Burke Lake Rd., Burke. (Please note newmeeting location.) The public is welcometo attend and join in the comment pe-riod that begins each session. Find outmore at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs/olderadultservices/coa.htm. Call 703-324-5403, TTY 711 for meeting accessneeds.

Fairfax County is offering a freeMedicare 101 workshop, Wednes-day, June 15, 2-4 p.m. Learn thefacts about health insurance for seniors.Reston Community Center, 2310 ColtsNeck Rd., Reston. To register, callKarenBrutsché at 703-390-6157, TTY 711.

Korean Meals on Wheels urgentlyneeds drivers to deliver meals. Frail olderadults are not receiving much-needednutrition due to a shortage of drivers.(Speaking Korean not required.) Email

[email protected],call703-324-5406, TTY 711 or visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/olderadultsand click on Volunteer Solutions.

The Gum Springs Senior Pro-gram in Alexandria is looking fora Line Dance Instructor. Forthese and other volunteer opportuni-ties, call 703-324-5406, TTY 711or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/olderadults and click on VolunteerSolutions.

Volunteer Events & Opportunities

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assumed to be at some risk due to the pres-ence of Aedes mosquitoes. While, as of May11, there have been 15 cases of Zika virusamong individuals traveling abroad andreturning to the Commonwealth (or amongfamily members and close contacts of suchindividuals), there have been no recordedcases of someone contracting the virus froma mosquito in Virginia. Furthermore, whileI’m writing this, no one has been shown tohave acquired the virus from a mosquitobite anywhere within the continental UnitedStates.

Most people infected with the Zika virusdisplay no symptoms. Among those whoseinfections do develop into Zika virus dis-ease, the illness is largely mild and markedby fever, rash, joint pain and/or red eyesfor two to seven days. An infection usuallydoes not lead to hospitalization, and deathfrom Zika is extremely rare.

As you probably already know, though,the virus does pose significant risks to a fe-tus during pregnancy. The CDC and theWorld Health Organization (WHO) have

both concluded that Zika infection duringpregnancy is a cause of microcephaly andother severe fetal brain defects.

Because of the connection between Zikaand birth defects and the rare health threatsthe virus can pose to infected individuals,it is important for us to prevent the spreadof the disease now and minimize our ownrisk of infection.

On Thursday, May 19, the Senate votedto approve a bipartisan $1.1 billion pack-age to prevent transmission of the virus andtreat infections. I also supported a larger$1.9 billion package that provided moreresources to the Department of State, theUnited States Agency for International De-velopment (USAID), and the Departmentof Health and Human Services to addressthis crisis both at home and abroad. Com-bined with efforts already underway by theVirginia Department of Health (VDH) andmany localities, this federal effort wouldensure that a robust public health initiativeis in place to help control this pandemic.

With public health officials at each levelof government working to combat this dis-ease, we should consider our own role inpreventing infection and stopping the po-tential spread of the virus. VDH recom-mends that Virginians follow the CDC’sguidance for preventing Zika. By visitingwww.cdc.gov/zika/prevention or

By Senator Tim Kaine

U.S. Senator

As warm weather returns and thelast days of school draw near, I’msure that, like me, you’re look-ing forward to spending a lot of

time outdoors this summer. As you readtroubling headlines from Latin America andother parts of the world about the Zika vi-rus, I’m also sure you are concerned abouthow to keep yourself and your family safe.

Let’s first understand the virus and thethreat it poses to Virginia. According to theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC), the Zika virus spreads primarilythrough the bite of an infected Aedes mos-quito, which is one of the types of mosquitopresent in Virginia during the summermonths. According to the CDC, Texas,Florida and Hawaii are likely to be the U.S.states with the highest risk of experiencinglocal transmission of Zika virus by mosqui-toes, based on prior experience with simi-lar viruses. However, additional states are

By Marilyn Campbell

The Connection

The start of summermeans pools and back-yard grilling. It also

means an increased risk of ac-cidents and injuries. Localsafety officials are offeringsafety tips during June,which is National SafetyMonth.

With warm weather comehealth threats posed by ticksand mosquitoes. In additionto the Zika virus, which is notcurrently a local threat, mos-quitoes can carry the WestNile Virus, while ticks canspread Lyme disease.

Recommended defensesagainst these pests includeusing insect repellant to pro-tect against mosquito bitesand eliminating potential mos-quito breeding sites like poolsof standing water or heavily fo-liaged spaces such as tall grass,where bugs often hide.

“We … have to be prepared andbe ready in the event that we getlocal spread of [the Zika virus],”said Mary Anderson, a spokes-woman for Montgomery County.“The information on preventingbites and ridding your property ofmosquitoes is good whether wehave Zika or not.”

Local county health depart-ments, including Montgomery andFairfax, have established websiteswith current information on theZika virus. Anderson also recom-

mends a Zika virus webpage,created by the Centers for Dis-ease Control, which includes amap with updated informationon areas where Zika is spread-ing: http://www.cdc.gov/zika/index.html.

“We’re taking the Zika virusseriously and preparing asthough as though it could be apotential threat,” said KurtLarrick, spokesman for the Ar-lington County Department ofHuman Services.

In addition to insect bites,time spent outside in hotweather can lead to heat-in-duced illnesses like sun-burns, heat rashes, heat ex-haustion and heat stroke,and the elderly and veryyoung children are at great-est risk. Health officials saythat the best lines of defenseinclude limiting sun expo-sure, especially between 10a.m. and 4 p.m., the periodconsidered the peak inten-sity hours. Wearing a hat and

sunglasses that provide 97-100percent protection against both

Tips and precautions for avoidingwarm-weather hazards.

Staying Safe This Summer

See Summer Safety,

Page 12

Wellbeing

“We’re taking the Zikavirus seriously andpreparing as though asthough it could be apotential threat.”

— Kurt Larrick, spokesman,Arlington County Department of

Human Services

www.ZikaVA.org, you can learn about whattypes of insect repellent are most effectiveat preventing mosquito bites and how bednets, water treatment tabs, permethrinspray and condoms can help prevent thetransmission of the disease in your homeand outdoors. On www.ZikaVA.org, you cansee the state Zika plan and other Virginia-specific information.

The CDC’s site contains specific guidancefor pregnant women (www.cdc.gov/zika/pregnancy), women and couples consider-ing pregnancy (www.cdc.gov/zika/preg-nancy/thinking-about-pregnancy) and par-ents (www.cdc.gov/zika/parents).

The Aedes mosquito does not fly far fromwhere it breeds. Therefore, it is importantto prevent the population of mosquitoesfrom growing in and around your home.Make sure to use window and door screens;regularly clean, turn over, cover or throwout any indoor and outdoor items that holdwater (e.g. tires, flower vases, toys, garbagebins); and use sprays or foggers to kill mos-quitoes. For more information on where tolook out for mosquitoes and what productsto use in controlling them around yourhome, you can visit www.cdc.gov/zika/pre-vention/controlling-mosquitoes-at-home.

It’s important to reiterate that there are

Zika virus spreads through bite of infectedAedes mosquito, a type present in Virginiain summer.

Mosquitos, Zika and a Healthy Summer

See Mosquitos, Zika, Page 12

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From Page 11

UVA and UVB rays, and applyingsunscreen even on cloudy daysand reapplying it every two hoursor after swimming or sweating arealso advised.

“You want to dress lightly andintake a lot of fluid, but avoid al-cohol and sugary, sweet drinkswhen you’re in the heat,” said Cap-tain Troy Gibbs, a spokeswomanfor the Alexandria FireDepartment’s Community ServicesUnit. “Staying hydrated by drink-ing a lot of water is your best bet.”

Health officials recommendchecking on elderly neighbors whodon’t have air conditioning andavoiding leaving pets, small chil-dren and older adults in small,enclosed spaces like cars, whereconditions can turn deadly even

after a short period of time in ex-treme heat.

Local county facilities, includinglibraries and community centers,are air conditioned and open tothe public. Know the warningsigns that it’s time to get out of theheat, says Gibbs.

“If they stop sweating, that canbe a bad sign,” she said. “Profusesweating can be an indicator thatthe body is trying to compensate,but if a person stops sweating to-tally, that is usually not a goodsign.” While spending time at thepool is a popular cooling methodduring hot weather, residentsshould be aware of the potentialthreat of recreational water ill-nesses (RWI). Taking a showerwith soap and checking the dia-pers of small children frequentlycan help keep germs that lead to

RWI out of pool water. Health of-ficials say that chlorinated waterdoesn’t kill all germs, diaperssometimes leak and both adultsand children should stay out of thepublic pool when they are sick.Other preventative measures in-clude frequent hand washing, dis-couraging children from drinkingwater that is used for swimmingand giving young children bath-room breaks at least every 60 min-utes.

“We take safety seriously all theway across the board from poolsto barbequing to riding bikes andeven walking,” said Larrick.

In addition to RWI, other water-related dangers spike during thesummer. Ensuring that childrenknow how to swim, watchingyoung children very carefullywhen they are near water, swim-ming with a partner and wearinga life vest when boating are im-portant safety precautions.

Wellbeing

Staying SafeFor More Information

Fairfax Countyhttp://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/living/summer/

Safety TipsFrom the Centers for Disease Con-

trolWater Safety❖ Learn how to prevent recre-

ational water illnesses (RWI)❖ Always supervise children when

in or around water.❖ Teach kids to swim.❖ Learn CPR❖ Install a four-sided fence around

home pools.Boating Safety❖ Wear a properly fitted life jacket

every time you and your loved onesare on the waterºº

Heat Safety❖ Never leave infants, children, or

pets in a parked car, even if the win-dows are cracked open.

❖ Dress in loose, lightweight, light-colored clothing.

❖ Schedule outdoor activities care-fully, for morning and evening hours.

❖ Stay cool with cool showers orbaths.

❖ Seek medical care immediate if youor your child has symptoms of heat-re-lated illnesses

Sun Safety❖ Cover up. Clothing that covers your

and your child’s skin helps protectagainst UV rays.

❖ Use sunscreen with at least SPF(sun protection factor) 15 and UVA (ul-traviolet A) and UVB (ultraviolet B)protection every time you and your childgo outside.

Protection from Mosquitoes and Ticks❖ Use an effective insect repellent

when spending time outdoors.

❖ Make your backyard a tick-safezone.

❖ Check yourself and your chil-dren for ticks.

Prevent Injuries❖ Check to make sure that the sur-

faces under playground equipmentare safe, soft, and well-maintained.

❖ Supervise young children at alltimes around fall hazards, such asstairs and playground equipment.

❖ Use stair gates, which can helpkeep a busy, active child from takinga dangerous tumble.

❖ Learn concussion signs andsymptoms and what to do if a con-cussion occurs.

❖ Make sure kids and teens wearthe right protective equipment fortheir sport or recreation activity.

currently no reported cases of mosquitoes trans-mitting the Zika virus in Virginia or anywhere elsein the continental United States. While this fact offersus some reassurance, it also provides us with a clean

From Page 10 slate and golden opportunity to prevent or lessenthe severity of a large-scale outbreak in the comingmonths. With proactive and responsive steps fromall levels of government and due care from each ofus, we can take control of this public health threatand enjoy this summer to its fullest.

Mosquitos, Zika

To honor dad on Father’s Day, send us yourfavorite snapshots of you with your dad and TheConnection will publish them in our Father’s Dayissue. Be sure to include some information aboutwhat’s going on in the photo, plus your nameand phone number and town of residence. Toe-mail photos, send to:

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“Me and My Dad”

Advertising Deadlines are the previous Thursday unless noted.

JUNE6/15/2016..A+ Graduations & Summer Learning6/15/2016..................Father’s Day Dining & GiftsFather’s Day is June 196/29/2016...............................Connection FamiliesJULY7/6/2016...................................................Wellbeing7/13/2016.........................................HomeLifeStyle7/20/2016.............................A+ Camps & Schools7/27/2016..............Connection Families: Our PetsAUGUST8/3/2016...................................................Wellbeing8/10/2016........................................HomeLifeStyle8/17/2016.................A+ Camps & Schools – Back

to School – Private SchoolsE-mail [email protected] for more information.

Reaching Suburban Washington’s Leading Households• Alexandria Gazette Packet• Arlington Connection• Burke Connection• Centre View• Chantilly Connection

• Fairfax Connection• Fairfax Station/Clifton/Lorton Connection• Great Falls Connection• McLean Connection• Mount Vernon Gazette

• Oak Hill/Herndon Connection• Potomac Almanac• Reston Connection• Springfield Connection• Vienna/Oakton Connection

Newspapers & Online703-778-9431

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SPECIAL CONNECTIONS CALENDAR


News

JBG Companies in McLean broke groundon May 25 for The Signet.

The walkable, mixed-use developmentmarks the first new construction in down-town McLean in many years and representsan important step towards a more dynamicarea.

The Signet will bring 123 luxury condo-minium residences and about 5,000 squarefeet of street-level storefronts and restau-rants transforming an underutilized park-ing lot.

“The Signet is a significant step in thefuture of downtown McLean, as FairfaxCounty and residents work to define a newvision for a walkable and active neighbor-hood core,” said JBG Principal Greg Trim-mer.

“We are pleased to have worked closelywith the community to envision and bringto life this signature development.”

The development plan reflects the desirefor a pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use down-town McLean.

The new development hopes to enhance

the pedestrian experience in and around thesite with gardens, walking paths and apublic park. It will provide a transitionalconnection between the active commercialcore of McLean and its existing residentialneighborhoods.

“Downtown McLean has been a focus forrevitalization in the community and in theComprehensive Plan for some time,” saidSupervisor John Foust (D-Dranesville).“Today’s groundbreaking marks an impor-tant step in accomplishing those goals andmoves McLean farther down a path to hav-ing a more vibrant and active downtown.”

It will be located at 6900 Fleetwood Roadand will feature full-time concierge, high-quality interior design, a resident lounge,fitness center and more.

Franck Lohsen Architects designed thebuilding and Page Architects is the archi-tect of record. Bill Rooney Studios designedthe interiors. Davis Construction is the gen-eral contractor for the development. Salesare anticipated to begin in the fall of 2016.For more information, visit TheSignet.com.

The Signet to Enhance Downtown McLean

Photo contributed

Pictured, from left, are Phil Sclafani, JBG Vice President Construction;Larry Nussdorf, Chairman and CEO Clark Enterprises Inc.; Devon Lauer,JBG Senior Analyst; Del. Marcus Simon (D-53); Supervisor John Foust (D-Dranesville); Del. Kathleen Murphy (D-24); State Sen. Barbara Favola (D-31); Bailey Edelson, JBG Vice President Development; Greg Trimmer, JBGPrincipal; and Art Lohsen, Partner, Franck & Lohsen Architects.

Fairfax County’s free Family CaregiverTelephone Support Group meets by phoneon Tuesday, June 14, 7-8 p.m. This month’stopic is “Caregiver Vacationing: How to Makeit Work When You’re a Caregiver”. Registerbeforehand at www.–fairfaxcounty.–gov/–olderadults and click on Caregiver Support/Telephone Caregiver Support Group. Call 703-324-5484, TTY 711.

The Fairfax Commission on Agingmeets on Wednesday, June 15 at noon atthe Kings Park Library, 9000 Burke Lake Rd.,Burke. (Please note new meeting location.) Thepublic is welcome to attend and join in the com-ment period that begins each session. Find outmore at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs/olderadultservices/coa.htm. Call 703-324-

5403, TTY 711 for meeting access needs.

Fairfax County is offering a free Medicare101 workshop, Wednesday, June 15, 2-4 p.m. Learn the facts about health insurancefor seniors. Reston Community Center, 2310Colts Neck Rd., Reston. To register, callKarenBrutsché at 703-390-6157, TTY 711.

Korean Meals on Wheels urgently needsdrivers to deliver meals. Frail older adults arenot receiving much-needed nutrition due to ashortage of drivers. (Speaking Korean not re-quired.) [email protected],call703-324-5406, TTY 711 or visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/olderadults and clickon Volunteer Solutions.

Volunteer Events & Opportunities


People

See Calendar, Page 15

Send announcements toconnectionnewspapers.com/Calendar/.Deadline is Friday at noon for the follow-ing week’s paper. Photos/artworkencouraged.

ONGOING“Floyd Collins.” June 2-26. 1st Stage,

1524 Spring Hill Road, TysonsCorner. The caves of the AppalachianMountains were largely unexploredand filled with mystery when FloydCollins, an already notable caveexplorer, sought to generate moretourist activity at his family’s cave.$31/$35/$15. 1ststagetysons.org.703-854-1856.

Krop’s Crops Flea Market. 9 a.m.-3p.m. Second and fourth Saturdaysfrom May to August. 11110Georgetown Pike, Great Falls. Shopfor vintage, antique and used items.Or sell you [email protected].

Meadowlark Magic at MeadowlarkBotanical Gardens. May 2-Through June 20. 9750 MeadowlarkGardens Court, Vienna. Vienna ArtsSociety members exhibit their work.703-255-3631.

Time Traveler Tuesdays. 4:30 p.m.March 29-June 7. Colvin Run Mill,10017 Colvin Run Road, Great Falls.This weekly series will takeparticipants on an interactive journeythrough time, focusing on a differentperiod in Virginia history each week.Register at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/colvinrunmill/events.htm.

Weekly Storytime. Wednesday andSaturday. 11 a.m. Barnes & Noble,7851 L Tysons Corner Center,McLean. Themes and Titles vary.Free admission.

Gentle Yoga. Thursdays, 6:30 p.m.Emmaus United Church of Christ,900 E Maple Ave. E, Vienna.Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. UnitarianUniversalist Congregation of Fairfax,2709 Hunter Mill Road, Oakton.Gentle Kundalini Yoga, one freeintroductory session, seniordiscounts. Increase your flexibility,improve your breathing and health,reduce your stress. Ravi Kaur has 15years experience teaching yoga. $15per session.www.edimprovement.org. 571-213-3192.

Tai Chi Beginners’ Practice.Saturdays, 8-9 a.m. St. Luke’sCatholic School Gymnasium, 7005Georgetown Pike, McLean. WeeklyTai Chi practice. Group has met for

over 20 years. Free. FreeTaiChi.org.703-759-9141.

THURSDAY/JUNE 2Rain Follows the Plow. 9 p.m.

Jammin Java, 227 Maple Ave. E.,Vienna. Folk Opera about the DustBowl. jamminjava.com.

THURSDAY-FRIDAY/JUNE 2-3Langley High School Concert. 7-9

p.m. Langley High SchoolAuditorium, 6520 Georgetown Pike,McLean. It’s a Grand Night forSinging on Broadway. Hear LangleyHigh School’s award-winning chorussing favorites from hit shows. Free.Suggested [email protected].

FRIDAY/JUNE 3SpringFest Opening. 6-9 p.m. Great

Falls Village Green, corner of WalkerRoad and Georgetown Pike.greatfallsstudios.com.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY/JUNE 3-5Great Falls SpringFest. Great Falls

Village Green. behind the shops atWalker Road and Georgetown Pike.For updated information on time,events and performers, go towww.GreatFallsStudios.com.

SATURDAY/JUNE 4Cactus/Succulent Sale. 10 a.m.-2

p.m. Meadowlark Botanical Gardens,9750 Meadowlark Gardens Court,Vienna. Hosted by the NationalCapital Cactus and Succulent Society,will be held in front of theMeadowlark Visitor Center. Cashonly sale. novaparks.com.

Community Flea Market. 8 a.m.-1p.m. Oakton Church of the Brethren,10025 Courthouse Road, Vienna.Flea market with food and bake sale.Sales space available, $15, foradvanced reservation.oaktonbrethren.org. 703-281-4411.

Spring Fair. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. PleasantGrove, 8641 Lewinsville Road,McLean. Includes plant sale, “attictreasures” quality yard sale andantiques, homemade bake sale, food,crafts, and artisan made quilts. Allproceeds are donated to PleasantGrove. For information, seewww.HistoricPleasantGrove.org.

Summer Reading Triathlon

By Alexandra Greeley

The Connection

From a successful food truck to a fabu-lous bakery in McLean, owner and bakerSandra Panetta has taken sweet eats toa new and yummy level at Sweetbites.

Thus, it is no surprise, for example, that her out-standing sticky buns, gooey with a cinnamon-but-ter spread and topping, sell out almost as soon asthese are out of the oven. “We need to make more,”said a staff member.

So why McLean and what happened to the foodtruck? Panetta explained that city food truck regu-lations had become stricter over time. “More than400 food trucks operate in D.C.,” she said, “andthe new regulations allow only 100 parkingspaces. We were put on a lottery system. So thoseof us who had a truck from the beginning werejust thrown into the system with all others.”

As it happened, her operating days diminished,and Panetta needed a new setting that offeredregular hours and a regular flow of customers anda regular chance to offer her cupcakes, pies, cakes,brownies, lemon bars, chocolate chip cookies,muffins, scones, and, of course, the sticky buns.So about one year ago, she found this small cof-fee shop/café setting, and business has boomedever since. Of course, it helps that she is on theground floor of an office building, so upstairs staffhave an easy time of grabbing coffee and sweets.

What makes her story one of such success stemsfrom her history: “I am self-taught,” she said. “Istarted about 16 years ago as a second career. Iwas slowly letting go of my first career as an envi-ronmental policy analyst. I got caught in the cup-cake wave, so I combined that with the food truckwave.” She experimented with other sweets, butfound that most customers wanted only cupcakes.To make them happy, she developed about 50 dif-ferent cupcake flavors. “People lined up for hourswaiting for their cupcakes,” she said. The recep-tion of her baked goods was—and is now—over-whelming.

When patrons step into what is really more thana bake shop—we offer breakfast and lunch andoffer soups and sandwiches and freshly brewedIlly coffee—what will first impress them is boththe baking aromas and the glass cases filled andtopped with Panetta’s goodies. All are made freshdaily, she said, and all are made from scratch—no packaged mixes here.

Desserts change so often, she said, that she andthe staff often figure out what to bake the nextday, so they bake what they are in the mood for.What are the most popular, if not everything? Shelists the lemon bars (called Not Your AverageLemon Bar) because the bars contain the entirefruit, rind and all; the fresh biscuits; the brownies(fantastic); and the chocolate chip cookies thatpeople fight over. Other offerings include suchcomfort desserts as the pineapple upside downcake, fresh cream puffs, and a tres leches cake.

In the end, regardless of the time of day, pa-trons will find it hard to depart with nothing more

than bottled water. Why not a handful of cookiesand brownies—or a wedge of cheesecake—for thatsplurge?

Sweetbites Café and Bakery, 6845 Elm St.,McLean, 703-448-1115. Hours: Monday-Friday, 7a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Sun-day, closed. http://www.sweetbitescafe.com

Sweetbites Chocolate ChipMuffins

Makes 12 jumbo muffins

Ingredients3 cups all-purpose flour1 and 1/2 tsp. baking powder1 tsp salt1/2 tsp baking soda2 sticks unsalted butter2 cups granulated sugar4 large eggs1 cup sour cream1 and 1/2 Tbsp. Madagascar Bourbon pure vanilla ex-

tract1 and 1/2 cups good quality dark chocolate chipsTurbinado sugar

Method

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.Line a jumbo muffin tin with liners and set aside.In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt

and baking soda.Beat butter on medium speed until lighter in color.

Gradually add sugar and mix for another minute. Reducespeed to low and add flour in two additions, alternatingwith the sour cream. Add the vanilla and mix until justblended.

Gently fold in chocolate chips. Evenly divide into linersand sprinkle lightly with turbinado sugar.

Bake for about 25 minutes, until golden brown andspringy to the touch.

Cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing to a rack tocool completely.

Owner-baker SandraPanetta, from food truckto a fabulous bakery.

Try Sweetbites of McLean

Photo contributed

Sandra Panetta, owner of Sweetbites ofMcLean.

Calendar

GustaferYellowgoldshines at TheAlden inMcLean onJune 12.


To highlight your Faith Community, call Karen at 703-778-9422

DAILY EUCHARIST:WeekdaysMonday-Friday, 8:30 AMSaturday, 8:30 AM

SUNDAY LITURGY SCHEDULE:Saturday Vigil: 5:30 PMSunday: 7:30, 9:00, and 11:00 AM1:30 PM Spanish Liturgy

5312 North 10th Street,Arlington, Virginia 22205Parish Office: 703-528-6276

PARISH WEBSITE:www.stannchurch.org

All AreWelcome!

From Page 14

Calendar

Opening. 11 a.m. Barnes and Noble Tysons CornerCenter, 7851 L Tysons Corner Center, McLean.Young readers can vote for their favorite heroesand places from a selection of contenderscurated by booksellers and enjoy other funactivities. Voting runs through August 21. 703-506-2937.

SUNDAY/JUNE 5Israel Fest 2016. Noon-4 p.m. Lerner Town

Square at Tysons II. Join the community incelebrating Israel’s 68th year of independence!Engaging events and interactive activities willrun throughout the afternoon. jccnv.org/Israel-fest.

Mosaic Mural Unveiling. 4 p.m. LutheranChurch of the Redeemer, 1545 Chain BridgeRoad, McLean. Public [email protected].

Choral Evensong with Festive Reception. 4-5p.m. Church of the Holy Comforter, 543 BeulahRoad NE, Vienna. Music will include works byParry, Sumsion, Vaughan Williams, Kelley, andBach. David Kelley [email protected].

Biking for Peace Meet and Greet. 7 p.m.Oakton Church of the Brethren, 10025Courthouse Road, Vienna. Hear Michael Himlieand David Jones discuss their adventure andwork with Christian Peacemaker teams.oaktonbrethren.org.

MONDAY/JUNE 6Annual Charity Golf Tournament. Starts at

6:45 a.m. Hidden Creek Country Club, 1711Club House Road, Reston. The tournamentincludes a 4 person scramble, lunch or dinnerand awards. Receptions follow both the morningand afternoon shotguns. Lots of prizes and lotsof fun. Proceeds benefit our three localelementary schools.www.celebrategreatfalls.org.

Joan Shelley. 7:30 p.m. Jammin Java, 227 MapleAve. E, Vienna. Folky, pastoral music. $15.jamminjava.com.

TUESDAY/JUNE 7A Walk in the Garden. 1-5 p.m. Atrium Building,

9750 Meadowlark Gardens Court, Vienna. Astandard flower show. Free. [email protected].

Buster Keaton’s “The Cameraman.” 7:30 p.m.McLean Community Center, 1234 InglesideAve., McLean. Keaton gets himself intoridiculous situations in an attempt to win over agirl, and his hijinks are so timeless that “TheCameraman” has a Rotten Tomatoes score of100 percent. Hosted by film historian BruceLawton with live musical accompaniment bycomposer Ben Model. $12/$8. mcleancenter.org.

THURSDAY/JUNE 9Write On Into Summer. 10 a.m.-noon. Dunn

Loring Center for Parent Services, 2334 GallowsRoad, Dunn Loring. Workshop for ideas on howto encourage children to write over the summermonths. Register at 703-204-3941.

FRIDAY/JUNE 10Summer Kick-Off Party. 7-9 p.m. The Old

Firehouse, 1440 Chain Bridge Road, McLean. A

disc jockey keeps the fun alive with great musicwhile the game room is open for ping-pong, pooland other arcade games. This event will besupervised by Old Firehouse staff members.Parents/guardians (age 18 or older) must comeinto the center to pick up their children by 9p.m. $35/$25. mcleancenter.org.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY/JUNE 10-12B-Fest Teen Book Festival. Barnes and Noble

Tysons Corner Center, 7851 L Tysons CornerCenter, McLean. Featuring author events,writing workshops, panel discussion at noon onSaturday with popular local YA authors KateHattemer, Jessica Spotswood and Lisa Maxwellmoderated by Lenore Appelhans and moreactivities. bn.com/B-fest.

SATURDAY/JUNE 11Princess Garden Party. Noon-2 p.m.

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, 9750Meadowlark Gardens Court, Vienna. Music,dancing games, lunch, crafts, face painting andportrait. Ages 4 to 8. $29. Register atNOVAparks.com.

By David Siegel

The Connection

1st Stage was recognized atthe Helen Hayes Awards onMonday evening, May 23, atWashington, D.C.’s historic

Lincoln Theater. Lolita Marie re-ceived the Helen Hayes Award forOutstanding Supporting Actress ina Play for her role in the 1st Stageproduction “Doubt, A Parable.”

Named for the legendary FirstLady of the American Theater, theHelen Hayes Awards recognize pro-fessional theater excellence in theD.C. metropolitan area. Over 200productions from more than 90professional theaters across theWashington area, including North-ern Virginia, were judged.

“We are so proud that LolitaMarie was recognized for her ex-traordinary work in ‘Doubt, a Par-able’,” said Alex Levy, 1st Stage ar-tistic director. “She is a rare talentthat is able to embody ferocity andtenderness in the same moment.She is fully dedicated to her craft

and to her art and helps us to ful-fill our mission to bring world-classtheater to Fairfax County.”

“I am truly honored to beawarded Outstanding SupportingActress in a Play for my role as Mrs.Muller in ‘Doubt, a Parable,’ at 1stStage.” In her performance as Mrs.Muller, Lolita Marie is the motherof a son she deeply loves and standsup for, even as others cast seriousdoubts about him. “Doubt, A Par-able” won the 2005 Pulitzer Prizefor Best Drama and Tony Award forBest Play

In her Helen Hayes acceptanceremarks Marie spoke of “appreci-ating people who choose to be par-ents, understanding that it is animperfect endeavor, and who, dayafter day, try to get it right, likeMrs. Muller.”

1st Stage performs at 1524Spring Hill Road, Tysons, near theSpring Hill stop on Metro’s SilverLine. More Information about 1stStage is atwww.1stStageTysons.org

Lolita Marie received the Helen Hayes Award for OutstandingSupporting Actress in a Play.

Tysons’ 1st Stage Wins Major Theater Honor

Photo by Teresa Castracane/Courtesy of 1st Stage

Lolita Marie as Ms. Muller in “Doubt, aParable” at 1st Stage in Tysons Corner.

Thereare noshort-cuts toanyplaceworthgoing.


Sports

By Aaron Lundmark

The Connection

With a chance to avenge an early-sea-son loss, the Oakton girls’ soccer teamwas looking for revenge against theMadison Warhawks on May 26.

Oakton senior Alex Marquis exacted that revenge,as she headed a perfect cross from teammate AnyaHeijst in just the seventh minute to give the Cougarsall the room they needed as they defeated theWarhawks 1-0 to move onto the regional semifinals.

“I think we’ve progressed nicely throughout theseason,” said Oakton head coach Kasey Davenport.“They beat us the first game of the year, we werestill figuring things out but today we did a good jobof executing when we needed to.”

Oakton was able to control the pace nearly theentire game. The only goal happened after a steal byHeijst in the attacking zone which led to her crossright to the head of Marquis. After that goal, thedefense and senior goalkeeper Sam Weaver took over.

“The defense was great,” said Davenport.“[Weaver] came up with big saves when we neededthem and they all kept their composure down thestretch which was huge.”

Chances were slim for Madison early in the firsthalf, but a couple of great saves by Weaver were key,including saves in the 12th and 18th minutes. Thegame was physical, as fouls were called often and ayellow card was issued to Oakton’s Caitlin Violet inthe 35th minute.

Madison couldn’t put together any offensive pres-sure until the last 10 minutes of the game. Whenasked about the difference from the first meeting,Madison head coach Devon Dowell didn’t think therewas much of a difference.

“I think it was just two great teams going at it to-night,” she said. “It was the heart in the beginningand the heart in the end. I think there were somedifferent formations but I don’t think that was any-thing we didn’t expect.”

Madison got great chances from Hannah Ravesteijnand Faith Lee down the stretch but Weaver was upto the task. The final game clincher was a save made

by Weaver in stoppage time on a rocket off the footof Julia Leas, which Weaver was able to tip just abovethe crossbar.

“I thought we had some great shots on goal and alot of good attempts,” said Dowell. “They have a goodgoalkeeper in [Weaver] but I thought we played wellenough on our part we just couldn’t put it away.”

Oakton (16-1-1) will move on to host T.C. Will-iams at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 1 in the regionalsemifinals.

“All season we’ve just been taking it one game at atime and we just go game by game,” said Davenport.“We just have to make sure we take care of what wehave to when it’s time.”

While the conclusion of anyseason brings emotional reac-tions, Friday’s loss to Chantillywas particularly disappointingfor McLean head baseball coachJohn Dowling.

Chantilly defeated McLean 6-0 on May 27 in the 6A Northregion quarterfinals at ChantillyHigh School. With the loss, theHighlanders’ season, as well asthe high school careers of mul-tiple seniors who had been withDowling and his staff for threeyears after he took over atMcLean in 2014, came to aclose.

Seniors Conor Grammes, JonClines, Matt Collins and MattHanusik each started as sopho-mores when the Highlandersreached the 2014 state semifi-nals in what was the most suc-cessful season in program his-tory.

“This group, it sort of hit usafter the game,” Dowling said.“… It’s always disappointing forthe season to end, but it waseven harder because … [t]heywere playing really big roles onwhat was the most successfulbaseball team in the school’shistory.”

Grammes, a first-team all-re-gion selection at shortstop, willgo on to play at Xavier. Clines,an honorable mention all-re-gion pitcher, will play at VMIand Collins, a second-team all-

region outfielder, will play atHarford Community College inBel Air, Md.

Senior pitcher/outfielderThomas Buckman will play atSUNY Maritime College.

McLean finished the seasonwith a 16-9 record, including a5-4 victory over Osbourn Parkon May 25 in the opening roundof the region tournament.Dowling said while the High-landers have goals of advanc-ing further, the program is at apoint that it expects to at leastreach the second round ofregionals.

McLean finished runner-up inConference 6, losing to Madi-son 1-0 in the championshipgame. Junior Jack Slade startedon the mound for the Highland-ers against the Warhawks.

Slade, along with junior in-fielders Brendan Grammes andAlex Gerhardt, and sophomorecatcher Grant Williams areamong the players Dowling saidhe expects to be primary con-tributors next season.

Williams caught every inningfor McLean this season. WhileDowling said he would like Wil-liams to improve offensively, hisdefense provides a big relief.

“That allows me to sleep atnight,” Dowling said, “knowingwe’ve got a guy behind theplate.”

— Jon Roetman

McLean Baseball Ends Seasonwith Loss to Chantilly

The McLeanbaseball teamended itsseason with a6-0 loss toChantilly onMay 27 in the6A Northregionquarterfinals.

Photo by

Will Palenscar

“It’s always disappointing for theseason to end, but it was evenharder because … [t]hey wereplaying really big roles on what wasthe most successful baseball teamin the school’s history.”

—McLean head baseball coach John Dowling

Oakton Girls’ Soccer Advancesto Region Semifinals

Anya Heijst and the Oakton girls’ soccerteam will host T.C. Williams in the 6ANorth region semifinals on June 1.

Oakton’s Alex Marquis scored the onlygoal during the Cougars’ 1-0 win overMadison on May 26.

Marquis’ goal leads Cougarsto win over Madison.

Oakton players(from left)Caitlin Violet,Alex Marquisand AlanaMoore cel-ebrate duringthe Cougars’6A Northquarterfinalgame againstMadison onMay 26.

Photos by

Craig Sterbutzel/

The Connection

Connection Sports Editor Jon Roetman

703-752-4031 or [email protected]


McLean one of only 12 high schools in thecountry to have both their yearbook andnewspaper listed on the Pacemaker list runby the National Scholastic Press Association.The newsmagazine also received a GoldMagazine Crown from the Columbia Scho-lastic Press Association.

“We have been really fortunate to havealways had great support here at McLean,”said Lindsay Benedict, adviser to thenewsmagazine at McLean. Not only has

there been support from parents and thestudent body, but also the administration.“Some think that it’s the principal that dic-tates what we write about, but it’s the com-plete opposite,” she said.

McLean High School principal Ellen Reillywas named the VAJTA Administrator of theYear for her support of McLean student jour-nalists. She was cited for going on therecord about sensitive topics, making timeto meet regularly with editors of McLean

Courtesy photo

Dr. Ellen Reilly (center) celebrates her Administrator of the Year Awardfrom the Virginia Association of Journalism Teachers and Advisers withsome of McLean’s student journalists.

News

The Lake Barcroft’s classical music lov-ers are familiar with pianist Eric Himy, aworld-touring virtuoso who has per-formed here a number of times over thepast decade. On May 14 a capacity audi-ence gathered in Anne and Will O’Neil’sgreat room to hear not one but twoHimys, Eric and Michael, the 13-year-oldson who has been studying with his

mom, concert pianist MargaritaGramaticova. It was not Michael’s publicperformance debut, but it was special in twoother ways.

First, it was a charity event, collectingmoney for the American Cancer Societyfund drive at Michael’s school, LongfellowMiddle School in McLean. Second, it wastheir very first time performing together.

A Father and Son Play for CharityMichael played inspired interpretations of

pieces by Beethoven, Bach, and Chopin;while Eric performed music by Chopin,Liszt, Debussy and Ravel. Guests and art-ists shared a light supper and refreshments.

The guests showed the usual LakeBarcroft generosity, contributing more than$1,500. Michael was thrilled, and Eric wasproud.

On May 14 a capacity audience gathered in Anne and Will O’Neil’sgreat room to hear father and son, Eric and Michael Himy, performing.

Photos contributed

Virtuosi: Father and son, Eric andMichael Himy

Michael Himy

Eric Himy

By Marissa Beale

The Connection

Two publications at McLean HighSchool were recently recog-nized, due to outstanding stu-dent work, in this this year’s Vir-

ginia Association of Journalism Teacher andAdvisers (VAJTA) competition and severalother competitions.

McLean High School’s yearbook, “TheClan,” edited by Sajanee Chithrahjan,Habiba Feroze, Bianca Rossell and YandeThiaw, won first place in the yearbook Bestof Show competition for VAJTA, was a fi-nalist in the 2016 Pacemaker award, pre-sented by the National Scholastic Press As-sociation, and received a Silver YearbookCrown from the Columbia Scholastic PressAssociation.

Among the first things that students learnis photography and how to conduct inter-views. “I try to push my students to realizethat the story depends on the way you tellit. Sometimes we have a story that reallydemands a longer form narrative,” saidMeghan Percival, who has been the year-book advisor at McLean for 17 years. Theyearbook staff comprises 60 students.

“I was the editor-in-chief of my yearbook,and when there was an opening in my sec-ond year at McLean they asked if I was in-terested and I definitely was,” said Percival.

The second McLean High School publi-cation that received recognition is theirnewsmagazine, “The Highlander,” whichalso received a Pacemaker award, making

media programs, and supporting a live dailynews broadcast.

Students had a chance to compete forindividual awards at the VAJTA write-offcompetition, where they are given an hourto write, onsite, using provided facts andquotes. After looking at other severalsources, students use what they think they’llneed to write an opinion or feature article.

“The purpose of the speed-writing is tosimulate the under-deadline experience. Ithink it’s great because the students learn alot about their own abilities. It also raisesmy expectations as an advisor,” saidBenedict.

In the VAJTA write-off competition,McLean High School student winners wereLama Al Rajih, first place for broadcast;Sania Shahid, second place for caption writ-ing; Ashwin Dasgupta, first place for edito-rial writing; Liam Zeya, first place for fea-ture writing; Bryan Chung, first place forinfographics; Siddarth Shankar, secondplace for newswriting; Melanie Pincus, thirdplace for newswriting; Samantha Taherian,honorable mention for photography; JohnCorvari, first place for sports writing; and,Haru Kato, second place for sports writing.

“I think it’s awesome that we’ve won theseawards but I don’t think that’s the motiva-tion for doing good journalism,” saidBenedict. “A few years ago I had an editor-in-chief, Cameron Menchel, who said ‘ourbest issue is always ahead of us.’ Thatmindset has been passed down from jour-nalist to journalist.”

McLean High studentjournalists win awards.

Inspired for the ‘Best Issue Ahead’


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Just a RegularGuy, Hopefully

As a long-time cancer patient (seven-plus years), I have heard much cancer talk.I have not read nearly as much, as I wasadvised early on by my primary care physi-cian to try and refrain from going online toooften to research my condition/treatmentbecause the information provided cansometimes be misleading; given my ownunique set of medical circumstances, itmight not pertain to me, exactly. Mostly Ihave followed his suggestion. One time, Iremember, I couldn’t resist and “Googled”my chemotherapy drug. Nine to 12 monthswas the prognosis. I’ve lived three-plusyears ever since. And though I certainlyunderstand and appreciate the relevanceand availability of the “information super-highway,” I have, generally speaking, tem-pered my enthusiasm for such investigativepursuits.

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Spencer Perkins, a senior in ThePotomac School’s Science and Engi-neering Research Center (SERC) pro-gram, earned third place in the chem-istry category at the 54th NationalJunior Science and Humanities Sym-posium, held in Dayton, Ohio, April27-30.

For more than two years, Perkinshas been conducting an independent,college-level research project in con-junction with Potomac faculty andoutside experts. His work focuses onthe development of a new coating fornanowires used inphotoelectrochemical fuel cells (solar cellsthat produce electrical energy and gener-ate clean water in the process of electroly-sis). His approach, which helps to stabilizethe nanowires and maintain efficiency ofthe cells, has the potential to greatly reducethe overall cost of solar energy systems.

Perkins progressed to the national com-petition after winning first place at the re-gional Junior Science and Humanities Sym-posium, held at Georgetown University inMarch. In recognition of his third-place fin-ish at the national level, he received a$4,000 scholarship from the U.S. Depart-ment of Defense. He plans to attend DukeUniversity in the fall.

Two other Potomac School seniors,Madeline Dubelier and Matt Spencer, alsopresented their independent researchprojects at the National Junior Science andHumanities Symposium, after beingawarded third and fourth place respectivelyat the regional finals.

Earlier this year, Dubelier and fellowPotomac School senior Gianmarco Terroneswere named semifinalists in the 2016 IntelScience Talent Search for their independentresearch. Dubelier developed a robotic armthat enables the user to form a pinch grip,while Terrones’ project focused on desali-nation. In addition, senior Matt Spencer wasselected as a semifinalist in the SiemensCompetition in Science, Math, and Technol-

ogy in fall 2015, for his research onbioremediation of plastic waste.

Potomac School science teacher and SERCprogram advisor Dr. Isabelle Cohen notes,“I am proud of the hard work and profes-sionalism these students have displayed inconnection with their research. The honorsand accolades that they have received thisyear are well deserved.”

Now in its sixth year, the SERC programis one of three selective advanced programsoffered by

Potomac’s Upper School. (The other twoare the Visual and Performing Arts Concen-tration and the Global Perspectives and Citi-zenship Program.) SERC was created to givestudents opportunities to do long-term in-dependent research, work in a professionallab, and stretch their minds. “The programis for students who want to take on someopen questions and do more than justcoursework,” says Douglas Cobb, chair ofthe Upper School Science Department.

After taking biology as freshmen, studentsenter SERC as sophomores, taking twocourses – one in accelerated physics andchemistry, the other focused on developingthe experimental design for their researchproposal. They also secure a mentor in thewider scientific community – an expert intheir field of interest who will assist withtheir research and provide equipment,materials or lab space.

Potomac School Senior Places Third atNational Science Symposium

Photo contributed

Potomac School senior Spencer Perkins

To have community events listed in the Connec-tion, send to connectionnewspapers.com/Calendar/. The deadline for submissions is atnoon on the Friday prior to publication.

FRIDAY/JUNE 3Summer Mindfulness. 10 a.m.-noon. Dunn

Loring Center for Parent Services, 2334Gallows Road, Dunn Loring. Learn valuablemindfulness tools to help your childrenenhance their physical,

mental, emotional, and social skills this summer.Register at 703-204-3941.

SATURDAY/JUNE 4Gun Violence Discussion. 8:30-10 a.m.

Lewinsville Presbyterian Church, 1724 ChainBridge Road, McLean. Explore the issue ofgun violence in America. The discussion willfocus on the Armor of Light documentaryavailable on Itunes. Breakfast provided. 703-356-7200.

Town of Vienna Recycling Day. 8 a.m.-2p.m. Northside Property Yard, 600 Mill St.NE, Vienna. Got unwanted car parts,

batteries, electronics (anything with a plugexcept older TVs with fat backsides), andeven motor oil and antifreeze? Vienna’spublic works will take it off your hands andensure that it’s recycled responsibly. 703-255-6380.

SUNDAY/JUNE 11Disability Resource Fair. 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

ServiceSource Disability Resource Center,10467 White Granite Drive, Oakton. The fairwill provide personal access to experts in thedisability field. We will have resources,nonprofit partners, and vendors covering arange of disability topics including children,autism, aging, and [email protected]. 703-461-6000.

Community Accessibility Forum. 11 a.m.and 12:30 p.m. ServiceSource DisabilityResource Center, 10467 Granite Drive,Oakton. Review the forum information todevelop an action plan that addressescommunity recommendations, barriers, andservice gaps. Register at 703-324-5847 [email protected].

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McLean - Ellington CMSconnection.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/.../31/McLean.pdf · 2016-05-31 · a press conference held Jan. 7, 2016 at West Potomac High School, “it makes no