McLean - Ellington CMSconnection.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/news/documents/2012/1… · 28-12-2012 · Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 or call 703-778-9414 with any questions. Editor

McLean Connection ❖ Children’s Connection ❖ 2012 - 2013 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

McLeanMcLean

online at www.connectionnewspapers.comDecember 26, 2012 – January 1, 2013

By Stella Neirman, secondgrade, Haycock Elementary

ChildrenChildren’s Connection 2012s Connection 2012Children’s Connection 2012

2 ❖ McLean Connection ❖ Children’s Connection ❖ 2012 - 2013 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

SOTD is a non-profit tax exempt educational organization which does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender or national origin.

32 Years…serving Great Falls…and the home of Great Falls Dance Theatre

For Tots: TWINKLETOES and PRE-BALLET...For Children: BALLET…JAZZ…TAP…

For Youth-Teens: BALLET…POINTE…JAZZ…TAP…MODERN...

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Director, Theresa D’Alessandro

The Dancers of The Great Falls Dance Theatre truly captured thejoyous spirit of the season with their exuberant performance of

Christmas Eve at the Nutcracker Club. Congratulations, Dancers!

Photography byTuan Pham


Children’s Connection 2012

Family Ritual, by Margaret K., eighth grade, Longfellow Middle.

WelcomeDear Readers:

This week, the McLean Connectionturns over its pages to the youthand students. We asked principals

and teachers from area schools to encour-age students to contribute their words, pic-tures and photos for our annual Children’sIssue.

The response, as always, was enormous.While we were unable to publish every piecewe received, we did our best to put togethera paper with a fair sampling of the submit-ted stories, poems, drawings, paintings,photographs and other works of art.

We appreciate the extra effort made byschool staff to gather the materials duringtheir busy time leading up to the holidays.We’d also like to encourage both schools andparents to mark their 2013 calendars forearly December, the deadline for submis-sions for next year’s Children’s Connection.

Please keep us in mind as your childrencontinue to create spectacular works of artand inspiring pieces of writing in the com-ing year.

The children’s issue is only a part of ouryear-round commitment to cover educationand our local schools. As always, the Con-nection welcomes letters to the editor, storyideas, calendar listings and notices of localevents from our readers. Photos and othersubmissions about special events at schoolsare especially welcome for our weeklyschools pages.

Our preferred method for material is e-mail, which should be sent [email protected], butyou can reach us by mail at 1606 KingStreet, Alexandria, VA 22314 or call 703-778-9414 with any questions.

Editor Kemal Kurspahic

By Kate Moore, third grade, Spring Hill Elementary.

By Elaine Li, 8,third grade,Churchill RoadElementary.

Magical Birth,by Victoria Choof Great Falls,12, seventhgrade, CooperMiddle School.

By IsabellaCai, first

grade,Haycock

Elementary.


Rain Garden, by A. Dejesus, eighth grade,Longfellow Middle.

Still Life, by Abigail F., eighth grade,Longfellow Middle.

Family Ritual, byAnna L., eighth grade,Longfellow Middle.

FantasticTransport, by

Jaewon C.,eighth grade,

LongfellowMiddle.

Doodle drawing, by Laura J., eighth grade,Longfellow Middle.

Doodle drawing, by Linda D., seventhgrade, Longfellow Middle.

Longfellow

Middle Art

Gallery

Rain Garden, by Caitlin N., seventh grade,Longfellow Middle.

KnowingBy Alexander Kao-Sowa

Haycock Elementary

“Knowing is half the battle,” they say.But what if you do without knowing?Would that be the other half?If you do but you do not know,would that be as important as knowing?For every half of knowing, there is a half of doing.But people say,in their own way,that knowing is better than doing.

Deceiving AmountsWe think that we have so much,so many things in life.We believe our money will never run out,how one thousand is a lot.But every day,people find outhow much things cost.

ComputersSleek and new,they come in many a different hue.There are Macs and Dells and Acers,all three are our very top placers.Computers are the centers of our lives,you can trust them, and don’t be surprisedif you find something new!If we had no computers, what would we do?

LonelyOur race, the humans,have been lonely long enough.With no one to guide us,no one but ourselves,on the blue sphere we call home.The cosmos,the universe,all waiting to be discovered.

Pebbles on a RiverbankThe pebbles,worn and weathered,lie by the river,dully shining in the moonlight.You may kick them aside,not care for them,scorn them,but remember,they were once mighty mountains,the grandfathers of our world.

On the CouchI was sitting on the couch,content to stay where I was.But then,as I doze,I think,What could I be missing?




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By Sophia Lee, second grade, ChurchillRoad Elementary. By Cate Murray, second grade, Churchill

Road Elementary.

By Maddy Rubin, 10,fifth grade, ChurchillRoad Elementary.

By Isabel Zhang, 10, fifth grade, ChurchillRoad Elementary.

By Zoe Gomez, 10, fifth grade, ChurchillRoad Elementary.

Churchill Road Little Gallery

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Jon Roetman, Reporter@jonroetman


Please call Kathy Shea if you are interested in joining our team in Great Falls at 703-636-4980.774-A Walker Road, Great Falls, VA 22066

From Our Family to Yours, Wishing You Happy Holidays!We are so proud to be part of the Great Falls Community!

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Be a part of ourWellbeing pages,the first week ofevery month.

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Spring Hill

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Art Gallery

By Anna Nguyen, sixth grade.

BySydneyLuttazi,sixthgrade.

By Michael Mealey, fourth grade. By Bedirham Akin, sixth grade.


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Rite of PassageBy Fiona Do, 14,

McLean High/ninth grade

Different stages of a person’s lifemarking the special events and occasions,celebrating the goals that have yet to be strived for.Life goes on as seasons do,from birth to deathone has to endeavor many complications along the way.Won’t say it is easy to handle,won’t say it will never end,because serendipity seldom is presentin a world that is seen as indignant.Sometimes sadness swallows us,engulfs us until we asphyxiate,Feeling like the whole world has turned on us.That’s when faith and hope starts to take place.It really is a magical thing,there is no other word to describe it.Hope is not something that one can easily believe inin a matter of time.One can only wait and be taken onto a journey that awaits them,patience takes skill and time.We all say what we plan to do for the future,but are we really meant to saunter through those paths of life?No one will know for sure,until they encounter the passage of life.Fall in love,shed some tears for the broken heart,yearn for happinesswhen feeling depressed.Yearn for tranquility,banish those troubles that seem to never end.Yearn for inspirationthat will spark a new bright fire.

Rain Garden, by Audrey P., eighthgrade, Longfellow Middle.


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Haycock Gallery

Artwork from HaycockElementary students.

By ElliotThames,

kindergarten,Haycock

Elementary.

By Livia Lampal, fourth grade, HaycockElementary.

By Odessa Zhang, first grade, HaycockElementary.

By AudreyMorse, sixthgrade, HaycockElementary.



Winter HolidayDuring the winter break I do a lot of activities.

But there are two special holidays I celebrate. Theyare Christmas and New Year’s Eve. I’m going totell you some events that I do during these holi-days.

During Christmas I would first go to a farm andcut down a tree with my family. When we go tothe farm we would have a blast and we have beengoing for 11 years. But my mom and dad havebeen going for 20 years. Another thing we do isdecorate the tree. We have three boxes of orna-ments and we put them all on the tree. For thestart, we all take turns to put it on the top of thetree. Another thing we do is make a Christmas wishlist. Our Papou will call and ask us what we wantfor Christmas in his Santa voice. The last thing wedo is go to church on Christmas Eve and then toour friends’ Christmas party and we always havea great time. The best part of all is Christmas morn-ing when my family gets to open all of their pre-sents.

During New Year’s Eve my family goes to ourfriends house except last year we stayed at myhouse. We have so much fun being with our friends.I have always thought it was cool to watch theball drop. The best part is that we get to stay upuntil like 2 in the morning. But we always get spar-kling apple cider that isn’t that good.

So these holidays in winter break are amazingbecause I get to spend a lot of time with my familyand friends. So overall these two holidays are awe-some. I can’t wait until next year!

—Dillon Kaldes, sixth grade,

Churchill Road Elementary

Neighborhood Friends, crayon, by JacksonBaldrate, second grade, ChesterbrookElementary.

12 ❖ McLean Connection ❖ Children’s Connection ❖ 2012 - 2013 McLean Connection ❖ Children’s Connection ❖ 2012 - 2013 ❖ 13www.ConnectionNewspapers.com www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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What makes a good friend?A good friend will always stand by your side. They will never

purposely do anything to hurt you or make you feel bad. Youcan know that you are a good friend if you think about the wayyou treat people. Have you ever embarrassed someone onpurpose or talked meanly about them behind their back? Do youkeep their secrets?

Another major trait of a good friend is loyalty. A good friendwill also help you if you need it. They won’t watch you fail, theywill save you from failure, or fail with you. They don’t just havethose days where they just stop talking to you or just startmaking fun of you. They won’t suddenly ignore you or shootdown all of your ideas. A good friend will stay by you, and notlet you fall.

— Hannah Curtis,

McLean, 12, seventh grade, Cooper Middle

Many things can make a good friend. I think that a friend issomeone who you can trust and believe without consideration. Agood friend is someone who won’t let you down and isn’t afraidto be themselves. They strive to stick with you and do the rightthing. They keep your secrets and don’t go behind your back.They try to always have your back and would stick up for you inan instant. But even so, they realize they aren’t perfect and don’texpect themselves or you to be either. They know how to accepta loss and comfort you without hesitation. They try to stayfriends and try to not take friendships for granted. They realizethat even if you or they don’t live up to their expectations that itis okay. Any of these qualities make up a good friend, but weknow that nobody has all of them because we are only humanand we aren’t perfect in every way. We all have flaws but we stilltry in other ways. This is what makes a good friend.

— Tim Fahlgren,

Great Falls, 13, seventh grade, Cooper Middle

A good friend is someone who helps you and keeps youcaptivated. They are uplifting and understanding when you needthem to be. A good friend can keep you laughing when there’snothing to laugh about. A good friend is someone who under-stands you when nobody else does. They are honest and nevertalk behind your back. They care about you and how you’refeeling. A good friend doesn’t have to explain something twice.You can read each other without words. A good friend doesn’tcare whether or not you’re embarrassing them. They look at it inyour perspective. As Atticus Finch says, “You never reallyunderstand a person until you consider things from his point ofview—until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”That’s what a good friend does. Friends will always be there foreach other, no matter the situation.

— Isabella Clapp,

12, Great Falls, seventh grade, Cooper Middle

A good friend is always there for you. All the time. A goodfriend will be there for you when you are happy and whensomething good happens, but a best friend is there when you’renot always in the best mood or you’re going through a toughtime. They will hold your hand and be with you at any cost. Ihave a friend, and she always manages to make me smile. At thebeginning of the long road of friendship, sometimes it is hard tolive with that person, and they can get on your nerves occasion-ally, but once you become best friends, you learn that youcannot live without that person. And yes we fight, but that is notthe important part. What really matters is that somehow, wealways forgive each other. My friend has been with me and hasshared all of the challenges in my life with me. When a closefamily member of mine passed away, she was there. I told her toleave me alone, but she just held my hand tighter. That is whatmakes a best friend.

— Lauren Christenson,

Great Falls, 12, seventh grade, Cooper Middle

Cooper Middle

See Cooper Middle, Page 15

Cooper Middle

Photo Gallery

Bus Ride, by Hailey McGrath of Great Falls, 13, eighthgrade.

Hidden Sun, by Eden Ferreira of McLean, 12, seventhgrade.

Berries, by Ben Hunt of McLean, 13, seventh grade.

Bloom, by Anna Sampson of Great Falls, 14, eighth grade.

String of Lights, by Jackie Prestoy of McLean, 12,seventh grade.

Angles, by Patrick Welch of McLean, 13, seventh grade.

Dog, by Lauren Christenson of Great Falls, 12, seventhgrade.

Rocky Path, by Isabella Clapp of Great Falls, 12, seventhgrade.

Angle, by Blake Shabshab of McLean, 12, seventh grade.



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From Page 12

What is the best giftyou’ve ever given?

Last year in sixth grade when I was at Great Falls Elementarywe had an event where we made gifts for less fortunate chil-dren. We got to pick our groups, get a trike and we all got toput it together. My group whipped out a trike pretty quicklywith no mistakes, happily smiling for the yearbook, though thisdid not really put me in the giving spirit. We finished the eventby making more gifts such as scarves; in my opinion it was funbut empty.

It was after winter break and I was on the morning an-nouncements. I turned the time over to one of my classmatesand he showed the school a video of the kids receiving thetrikes we made for them. Right after I saw that video I felt thatwe had made a big difference. Even though it was after theholidays I still felt in the giving mood. I noticed how happy thekids were and made me feel like we made a difference. Eventhough these kids were not our family we still brought joy totheir lives.

— Benjamin Johnson,

Great Falls, seventh grade, Cooper Middle

The Best Thing EverThe best thing that ever happened to me was in the summer

before eighth grade. Our swim team was having an incredibleseason, we were undefeated with one more meet left, and theteam we were facing was undefeated too. It was not a good dayfor a meet; it was cold and rainy, the officials actually consid-ered stopping the meet and doing it on a different day. Nobodywas swimming their best times, and when the relays camearound we needed to win more than half of them to win themeet. When my relay was up we needed to win two more. Iwas the last person in our relay; we had the lead, but not byvery much when I was up, and the guy I was swimming againstlooked pretty fast. I swam as fast as I could and on my laststroke I reached as far as I could and I also looked at the lanenext to me where he was swimming and saw I beat him. Then Isaw the time boards and it was official, we won the race. Thenwhen we finally won everyone went crazy because we were thechampions!

—Duncan Proxmire,

McLean, 14, eighth grade, Cooper Middle

Lighthouse on Shore, by Abigail Paredes of Great Falls, 10, Lowes Island Elementary inSterling.

Cooper Middle

Langley High

A Hike From Winter to SpringBy Katherine Rohloff, 16,

Langley High /tenth grade

Until I heard the crisp sound of a waterfallflowing around the next bend in the trail

I approached it and felt a sudden urge tojump in

“Splash!”The water shot up around me—raining down

like glassy crystalsI dove beneath the surface and floated on my

back just inches from the bottomI gazed up at the rippling surface and saw the

diffracted rays of sun shining down upon myface

I swam back up to the surface and grabbed astrong pointed rock

I got up, my clothes trickling icy waterI looked around and saw iridescent flowersAnd a brilliantly blue skyThis could only mean one thingThe assurance of a beautiful spring

The wind whispered in my ear as the longswaying grasses gently tickled my fingertips

I gazed up at the grayish blue sky dotted withpuffy clouds promising snow

The spicy scent of the mountain air deliciouslyengulfed me

I breathed it in, taking in the crisp piney tasteI continued walking in the meadow heading

towards the dark line of the horizon overheadThe first flakes of snow floated down from the

clouds into dusty layersThe crunching of my footsteps was all that

could be heardAnd the occasional red flash of feathers was

my only companyI found a soft dirt path and followed it along

the edge of the mountain—gradually descend-ing along the twisting unknown




By Lina Al-Atrash of McLean, 9, fourth grade, ChurchillRoad Elementary School.

One Big Fat Melting PotBy Annie Lu, 12, McLean

Longfellow Middle

Most girls love going to the malland buying stuff. Consequently, sodo I. But after a few trips to TysonsCorner Mall, I began to notice aninteresting trend. On the walls,catalogues and other propagandaof clothing stores, there was a lackof Asian models. Being Asian my-self, I found this a bit disturbing.

Standard Western beauty forwomen includes a tall, skinny fig-ure, flawless skin and large eyes.Stereotypes are the gorgeousblonde beach girl and the pretty,seductive brunette. That usuallymakes it hard for women to “meet”those standards. But the scale ofbeauty is so wide, you might beconsidered beautiful in one coun-try and ugly in another. So justbecause you’re an Asian living inAmerica you’re not beautiful?

At the root of it all lies the me-dia. All those celebrity faces thatwe consider gorgeous and talenteddon’t represent America’s diversepopulation. This influences whatwe see in other races. Sometimeswe put people at higher or lowerpositions in our society based onprejudice and stereotypes. What’sreally troubling is that I’m seeingthis happen in my own middleschool.

People in my middle school whoare Asians often have to try harderto fit in with the “in” group. MaybeI don’t really know but, from whatI’ve seen, it looks like it. They dyetheir hair, put on makeup and saythey’re bad at math or purposelydo badly at math in order to avoidthe general stereotype. Or in someway, they define themselves as dif-ferent from what the media labelsthem to be.

The larger world plays a big rolein small, modern middle schoolsociety. Asians are just one ex-ample but what about the otherpeople? The Hispanics andLatinos, Arabs, Caucasians, Afri-can-Americans, etc.? Media re-flects itself on the children becausethings like stereotypes first startwith the faces we see and hearabout every day and work them-selves into our minds.

You might think it doesn’t mat-ter because we’re just in middleschool, but teens are actuallypretty impressionable, eventhough we say we’re not. And af-ter a teen observes this happen-ing in his or her own life, it stayswith them. They look at them-selves and others differently,whether it’s a higher opinion or alower one. And sometimes theyhurt themselves.

It’s kind of hard to picture howthis idea associates with the mod-eling industry, but if you thinkharder, you’ll see this all connects.Even though we’re all in one big,

fat melting pot, we still need tolearn how to accept different eth-nic groups without prejudice andmedia should set a better examplefor children and teens.

I Watched it AllBy Nadia Eugene Jo, 11,

sixth grade/Churchill Road

Elementary

I witnessed everything.I watched it all happen.I saw them choking him,and I saw them kicking her.I saw them taping “Hit me”

signs and I saw them posting ru-mors.

I witnessed everything.I watched it all happen.My friends and I, we’re all too

scared—too scared to do what’s right.I don’t want to be targeted;I want safety, even if I become

the bystander.Tomorrow, I’ll go to school,and will watch it all happen

again.

MarathonBy Nadia Eugene Jo, 11,

sixth grade/Churchill Road

Elementary

Sweat trickling down my backHeart pumping to go forwardHours of running and pantingShoes wearing and tearing

No thoughts in my headJust movingNo idea how I’m runningJust automaticA sign catches my eyes“1 mile to go.”With a sigh I run faster,hoping for it to be over.A line pops up in my mind:“I can do it.”This is the time to never give up.In the loud cheer I see the finish

line.Each step brings me closeras I spread my arms wider.I break through the ribbon—finally I made it.In this race and also my own.

December DaysBy Erica Harp, 12,

seventh grade, Longfellow Middle

The world is like a Pfeffernüsse,candy canes cover every lane.Gingerbread houses on every floor,smiling faces at every door.


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PresbyterianArlington Presbyterian Church...

703-920-5660Church of the Covenant...703-524-4115

Clarendon Presbyterian Church…703-527-9513

Little Falls Presbyterian Church…703-538-5230

Trinity Presbyterian Church...703-536-5600Westminster Presbyterian...703-549-4766

Presbyterian Church in AmericaChrist Church of Arlington...703-527-0420

Synagogues – Conservative Congregation Etz Hayim...

703-979-4466Synagogues – Orthodox

Fort Myer Minyan...703-863-4520Chabad Lubavitch

of Alexandria-Arlington...703-370-2774Synagogues –

ReconstructionistKol Ami, the Northern Virginia

Reconstructionist Community ... 571-271-8387Unitarian Universalist

Unitarian Universalist Churchof Arlington…703-892-2565

United MethodistArlington United Methodist Church

...703-979-7527Trinity United Methodist Church

of McLean...703-356-3312Charles Wesley United Methdist...

703-356-6336Calvary United Methdist...703-892-5185

Cherrydale United Methodist...703-527-2621Chesterbrook United Methodist

...703-356-7100Clarendon United Methodist...703-527-8574

Community United Methodist...703-527-1085Mt. Olivet United Methodist...703-527-3934


Letters to the President Excerpts from letters written byCooper Middle School students.

Dear Barack Obama,. . . When I found out the man

responsible for 9/11 had beenfound and killed because of you Iwas very happy/relieved. I feelsafer now and think that your actstowards terrorism have been greatand are exactly what you need todo. When I first watched the 9/11I was heartbroken and scared butthat went away when I thoughtabout what you have done to bringclosure to some families who lostloved ones. I hope you keep pro-tecting our country the way youare and are doing anything pos-sible to get rid of those terroristswho want to bring harm here.

—Megan Kilduff, seventh

grader, Cooper Middle

Dear Mr. President,America, to me, is a home, a

place to express myself and a placeof freedom. I think that Americastands for freedom. People havethe rights to practice any religion,beliefs, etc. It is also a great placeto come and start a new life. Myvision for America’s future is aplace where people can, with somehard work, get a well-paying job,

get along better with other coun-tries and for anyone to be able toafford a good education. I hopethat together we can makeAmerica a better place to live.

My biggest concern withAmerica is the economy. It is get-ting harder and harder to find jobsand the amount of un-employedpeople is increasing. I think a wayto help this is to have more prod-ucts made in America instead ofChina. This would increase thenumber of jobs because we wouldneed workers to replace the pro-duction we got from China. Theeconomy is a big concern of mine,and I hope you will be able to dosomething to make it better . . .

—Matthew Feinstein, 12,

McLean, seventh grade,

Cooper Middle

Dear Mr. President,. . . One main thing that I as a

minor am worried about is the jobcrisis. I feel like I won’t be able toget a job and the job I do get mightnot be my first choice of job. All Iask you is to try to find ways andindustries to make more jobs. I dorealize that it is a major concern

among most Americans and that Iam just another one, but I hope youdo find a way to do this. And I knowhow the saying goes, “You can’tmake everyone happy.” But I feelthat if there is one thing thatAmerica needs help with most, it isjobs. . . .

Yours sincerely,

—Tim Fahlgren, 12, Great

Falls, seventh grade,

Cooper Middle

Dear President Obama,. . . Over the next four years you

will be faced with many problemsthat will need to be resolved withchallenging decisions, and one ofthe biggest problems is education. Ibelieve that everyone should get anequal opportunity for education. Nomatter where they come from orwhere they live, everyone should beable to receive a quality educationthat will build a base for the future.I also think that everyone deservesthe right to go to college no mattertheir heritage or ethnic backgroundbecause all young adults in Americashould be able to have the choice toattend or not attend college. Also, Ithink that universities and colleges

should not use race as a determin-ing factor when choosing which stu-dents to accept into their school. Inconclusion, I believe that Americashould be a country that allows eachstudent to get an education to helpthem in the future. . . .

Congratulations on winning asecond term as being president. Ibelieve that you will be a greatpresident and will handle theseand many other issues very well. Iwish you the best of luck over thenext four years.

Sincerely,

—Isabel Barney, 12,

McLean, seventh grade,

Cooper Middle

Dear Mr. Barack Obama,. . . America means so much to

me because I was raised here since Iwas a child. During that time my par-ents have repeatedly told me howlucky my sister and I are. We didn’tneed to leave our homelands to starta new life in a new country, we didn’tneed to declare a war every time wewanted to change our leader and wenever go a day without having foodor water. To me America means acountry where people have a say in

change and you can get whateveryou want if you try hard enough ordon’t give up. This country stands forequality, justice, rights and muchmore that I believe cannot be placedinto words. . . .

Sincerely,

—Erica Yap, 12, Great

Falls, seventh grade,

Cooper Middle

Dear Mr. President Obama,Congratulations on getting re-

elected! My family voted for you!American means a country of free-dom. It also stands for having sov-ereignty of any belief or religion.My vision of the ideal future ofAmerica is a country of freenesswith a powerful economy, manyjobs available for the citizens of theU.S, and an affordable economywith people having a bunch ofopportunities like going to college,having their choice of job and be-lieving in any belief. . . .

Thank you for your time, sin-cerely,

—Parisa Haji, 12, Great

Falls, seventh Grade,

Cooper Middle


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

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

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

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

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

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

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

What Am IThinking?

I'am a slow walker, but I never walk back.

-Abraham Lincoln

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

Complete digital rep-lica of the print edition,including photos andads, delivered weeklyto your e-mail box.

Questions? E-mail:[email protected]



Marshall High Art Gallery

Artwork from Marshall High students submitted by NicoleWalter, Art Teacher, Fine & Performing Arts Department Chair.

By Alexandra Sandlin, 17,12th grade, Marshall High.

By Victoria Choi, 18, 12thgrade, Marshall High.

By Pari Sheth, 17, 12th grade, MarshallHigh.

SantaBy Fiona Carcani/Sixth grade

Haycock Elementary

My parents told me that Santa,Would come and give me gifts,But all my friends at school,Said that Santa doesn’t exist!So on the night of Christmas,I went downstairs to peek.What I saw right then and there,Left me in awe for one whole

week,“Ho, ho, ho!” shouted a merry

man,As I walked down the stairs,His mouth was completely

covered,By an abundance of snow white

hairs,In his hand he held a gift,Undoubtedly for me,And at the sight of him,I wanted to shout with glee,“Ho, ho, ho!” he said again,And then he disappeared,And I still believe in Santa,Though everyone thinks I’m

weird,So here’s some advice,For you who want to know what’s

true,Don’t listen to anyone else,Only listen to you.

SunriseBy Wenbo Wu/Sixth grade

Haycock ES

The world is waking:The night is gone.Birds hopped out ofNests with wantedLight.Despite the shiveringCold of night,They are ready toTake the brightOfSunrise.Colors ofRed, orange, purple, yellow, and

blueOf hue FlashAnd blend,With a dash.Where’s it allMistakes shall now mend;The bendOf Midnight.The Earth turning to faceThe Sun.Morning, morning:A new day approaches.I’m ready!

A Letter to MyCafeteria LunchFoodBy Samantha Yap/Sixth grade

Haycock Elementary

Friday, Nov. 30, 2012U R DSGUSTNG School Cafeteria,Ewww St., 12345 VA

Dear Disgusting Lumps of UFO(unidentified food objects)Cafeteria Food,

Why do I have to eat you? Theteachers, the school board, and myparents claim you are “safe to eat”but we kids know the truth. Thehot dogs bounce on the floor, themilk is expired, and someone sworethey found plastic in the chicken.And don’t get me started on thepizza! I think the people that makeyou use the same ingredient foreverything: rubber. Plus, I’mconvinced there is a secretconspiracy that reuses you. If you

don’t want to change your taste, atleast change your smell so that Idon’t have to wear nose clips toschool every day. I beg you to nottaste or smell so horrible!

A Disgusted Student,Com P. Laint

Dreams By Lauren Cook/Sixth grade

Haycock Elementary

I have dreams.That one day the earth will not be

polluted.That not one tree will be missing

from a forest.That an angel might come to

earth and be happy about what hesees.

That maybe, just maybe, if peoplethought, these dreams might cometrue.

SeasonsBy Lora Zhou/Sixth grade

Haycock Elementary

A warm sun engulfs youLighting the air with fresh joyDew coats the green grassBirds fill the air with lullabySounds of laughing fill the airLemonade is being sold by the

dozenThe hot sun beats down on the

EarthBeaches are filled with peopleA cold breeze whips through the

airLeaves of many colors and sizes

pile on the groundChildren are dressed in warm

coatsSquirrels are scurrying around,

waiting for winterA white blanket of snow covers

the EarthSnowmen are seen for miles and

milesMammals of all kinds are sleeping

awayWhile children play in the snow

WinterBy Ritika Shrivastav/Sixth

grade

Haycock Elementary

Quiet...The cold windOn theCheekSnow fallingThe land isWhiteSilence...White treesFreezingIn theCool breezeNatureLivingItsLifeThe Perfect ChristmasGreen treeLightsOrnamentsDelightful singingFamily...Presents inStockingsWrapped withBows and paperUnder treeAll aroundWhite snowCovering the ground,The worldAll is whitePeople talking, laughingCookiesMugs of chocolateWhat is your Christmas like?

Writing



Chesterbrook Elementary Art Gallery

Sara Kodsi, art specialist at Chesterbrook Elementary, has submitted a selection of artwork by Chesterbrook students.

I Am Special, crayon, byVanessa Haubold, kinder-garten, ChesterbrookElementary.

Cultural Identity, crayon,by Izzy Small, thirdgrade, ChesterbrookElementary.

Family Helper, crayon, byCampbell Hughes, firstgrade, ChesterbrookElementary.

Move It, Move It, oil pastel, by Alex Feehan, fourth grade, Chesterbrook Elementary.

Shoe ContourDrawing, pen, byJake Rothenber,

fifth grade,Chesterbrook

Elementary.

Plant ContourDrawing, pen,by KeiichiroWatanabe,sixth Grade,ChesterbrookElementary.

By Yujin Kim, 10, fifth grade, Churchill Road Elementary.

By Lila Pournaras, 10, fifth grade, Churchill Road Elementary

New YorkNew Years

By Amanda Hirsch/sixth

grade


All huddled together in an apart-ment (13th Street East), theHirschs rest.

Tomorrow morning is NewYear’s Day; they were a little anx-ious they still had so much to doand say.

The girls saw a Broadway showand boys enjoyed a stroll in thesnow.

Sparkly 2012 glasses were uponour eyes and we are determinedto stay up late tonight.

My grandparents are asleep andare missing my favorite part,watching the ball drop.

I watched the ball drop and sawit slow time; it’s way past my bed-time!

The year’s beginning and end inone night is quite a sight!

Then when all is well we disap-pear into the snow because it’s along way home.

HanukkahBy Sean Guberman/sixth

grade


Hanukkah is a holiday that lastseight days, and the word meansdedication. It’s celebrated in myhouse because I’m Jewish.

During Hanukkah we light eightcandles over eight days. Eachnight we add a candle to themenorah. We also spin the dreidel,and if you get certain letters youcan win or lose coins. We also eatspecial kinds of food like latkesand donuts.

Hanukkah started when theMacabees defeated the Greek andSyrian army. The Greeks and Syr-ians had damaged the temple. TheJews only had enough oil to lastone day. When they came backwith more oil, the original oillasted eight days. Since then, mostJewish families light a goldmenorah, spin dreidels and eatJewish food.

As you can see on Hanukkah wedo a lot of traditions that are Jew-ish. I hope you understand Hanuk-kah and about the Jewish culture.


Do Not Miss Our After Christmas Clearance EventStarting December 26, 2012 – Doors Open 10:00 AM.


Documents

McLean - Ellington CMSconnection.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/news/documents/2012/1… · 28-12-2012 · Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 or call 703-778-9414 with any questions. Editor