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WellbeingPage 8

Lawmakers Play Whack-A-Mole with Predatory LendersNews, Page 3

An Opportunity To Improve TJ

Commentary, Page 6

Racing Up the Empire State Building

News, Page 10

Dawn Tarter of Springfield and her sister Andrea Reincke are pictured after finishing the Chicago Marathon. Tarter won a lottery

to run 1,576 steps up the Empire State building, or one-fifth a vertical mile.

2 ❖ Springfield Connection ❖ February 8-14, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

2 2018

Special VIP Offerfor your Toyota

ALEXANDRIA TOYOTA

2/28/18. 2/28/18.

Springfield Connection ❖ February 8-14, 2018 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

News

The Northern Virginia RegionalMATHCOUNTS Competitionwas held on Saturday, Feb. 3,

2018 at George Mason University. Theregional competition combines theFairfax, George Washington, and North-ern Virginia Chapters of the Virginia So-ciety of Professional Engineers.

About 418 students in sixth througheighth grades at 50 elementary andmiddle schools competed at the events.They have been practicing since the falland were selected to represent theirschools at the competition. Students com-pete as school teams and as individuals.

The top teams, team members, andcoaches from each Chapter are:

❖ Fairfax Chapter Area1. Rachel Carson Middle School

(Coach: Kristen Shebek)Students: Andrew Kim, Luke Wang,

Anirudh Bansal, Suraj Uppalapati2. Rocky Run Middle School (Coach:

Melanie Roller)Students: Aarav Bajaj, Keertana

Yalamanchili, Nilima Khanna, PranavMathur

3. Frost Middle School (Coach: MauraSleevi)

Students: Darin Mao, Steven Chen, AlisonSong, Ja-Zhua Cheng

❖ George Washington Chapter Area1. Mark Twain Middle School (Coach:

Jack Schiavone)Students: Jeb Cui, Eugene Choi, Irfan

Nafi, Ashley Lee2. South County Middle School (Coach:

Gina Griffin-Evans)Students: Shreyas Mayya, Michael

Hwang, Sara Yoon, Sarah Khalil3. Carl Sandburg Middle School (Coach:

Nicole Yoder)Students: Quinn Powell, Ryan Lien, Chloe

Renaud, Gavin Cramer❖ Northern VA Chapter Area1. BASIS Independent McLean (Coach:

Tyler Sullivan)Students: Pravalika Putalapattu, Samuel

Wang, Ethan Zhou, Eleanor Kim

2. Cooper Middle School (Coach: LisaWalsh)

Students: Isabella Zhu, Danniel Cao,Kevin Shan, Bradley Cao

3. Longfellow Middle School (Coach:Mary Jo Clark)

Students: Alan Vladimiroff, Lillian Sun,Yeefay Li, William Jiang

The top-scoring students in each Chapterare:

❖ Fairfax Chapter Area1. Aarav Baja, Rocky Run Middle School2. Dhruv Alladi, Rocky Run Middle School3. Darin Mao, Frost Middle School4. Andrew Kim, Rachel Carson Middle

School5. Anand Advani, Nysmith School❖ George Washington Chapter Area1. Jeb Cui, Mark Twain Middle School2. Shreyas Mayya, South County Middle

School3. Eugene Choi, Mark Twain Middle

School4. Michael Hwang, South County Middle

School5. Irfan Nafi, Mark Twain Middle School❖ Northern VA Chapter Area1. Pravalika Putalapattu, BASIS Indepen-

Northern Virginia MATHCOUNTS Competition Helddent McLean

2. Alan Vladimiroff, Longfellow MiddleSchool

3. Samuel Wang , BASIS Inde-pendent McLean

4. Sehyun Choi, Longfellow MiddleSchool

5. Ethan Zhou, BASIS IndependentMcLean

The top two teams and top four stu-dents who are not on the top two teamsfrom the Fairfax Chapter along with thewinning team and top two students whoare not on the winning team from eachof the George Washington and NorthernVA Chapters will advance to compete atthe Virginia State MATHCOUNTS Com-petition to be held in Richmond on March17, 2018.

MATHCOUNTS is a national middleschool math enrichment program offeringcompetition and club activities designedto foster appreciation of math among U.S.students so as to prepare students for fu-ture career opportunities and success.

Additional information on the nationalMATHCOUNTS program is available atwww.mathcounts.org.

Top teams, teammembers andcoaches announced.

By Michael Lee Pope

The Connection

By this time next year, high-inter-est lenders may be prohibitedfrom making consumer financeloans — at least ones they find

profitable at 200 percent interest. So thatloophole may be closed by the end of theGeneral Assembly session. But it seemslikely lawmakers will leave Richmond thisyear creating no restrictions on open-endlines of credit, raising concern among somethat lawmakers are playing a game ofwhack-a-mole. “All of a sudden, in the lastfive, six, seven, eight years we’ve got titlelenders, payday lenders, revolving lendersand now internet lenders jumping the fenceand coming over into the consumer financeact that had never contemplated this kindof lending,” said Jeff Smith, executive di-rector of the Virginia Financial ServicesAssociation. “So not only do we support thislegislation, we drafted it.”

That legislation would create a cap of 36percent interest rates for all consumer fi-nance loans, closing one loophole that hasallowed loans for as much as 950 percent

interest. Car-title lenders were using thesekinds of loans in a bait-and-switch opera-tion until 2016, after a series of investiga-tive reports exposed the practice and law-makers took action to rein in the industry.Since that time, internet lenders havemoved to an unregulated product knownas open-end lines of credit. Last week, law-makers rejected a bill that would have pre-vented lenders from allowing lenders tohave more than one loan at a time.

“The only way I would know that some-one has an installment loan is if they weretrying to get it from me,” said RobertBaratta, lobbyist for Check Into Cash, which

contributed more than $8,000 to membersof the committee last year. “I don’t know ifthey’ve gone down the street to somebodyelse and took one out unless there’s somekind of database we can access.”

CRITICS OF PREDATORY LENDING saypayday lenders and car-title lenders alreadyhave to comply with that restriction, whichprevents people down on their luck fromtaking out new loans to cover old loans. Ofall the consumer protections considered ina series of bills this year, this is one of themost important to people who want to makesure these companies don’t take advantage

of people who are already experiencinghefty medical bills or family emergencies.

“We’d like to close this loophole to en-sure that some of the most vulnerable Vir-ginians aren’t taken advantage of,” saidKevin Mauer, associate director of the Vir-ginia Catholic Conference.

Opposition to high-interest loans isn’tcoming just from consumer groups and re-ligious organizations. It’s also coming frombusinesses in the consumer-finance indus-try, who believe unscrupulous businessesare using their section of the code to makepredatory loans. That’s why they workedwith state Sen. Scott Surovell (D-36) to craftthe 36-percent cap. Although that bill gotout of committee, his other bill that wouldhave created similar restrictions on open-end lines of credit did not. “They’re usingthese open-end credit loans to evade thelaws that we passed,” said Surovell. “Wecan’t keep playing whack-a-mole.”

Lawmakers Play Whack-A-Mole with Predatory LendersSenate panel takesaction to limit onekind of high-interestloan while leaving aloophole for another.

Photo by Michael Lee Pope/The Connection

Check Into Cash lobbyist Robert Baratta testifies before the SenateCommerce and Labor Committee. Last year, his company donated morethan $8,000 to members of the committee, which killed a bill that wouldhave created new consumer protections on his company.

“We’d like to closethis loophole toensure that some ofthe most vulnerableVirginians aren’ttaken advantage of”

— Kevin Mauer,associate director,

Virginia Catholic Conference

4 ❖ Springfield Connection ❖ February 8-14, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

News

Inmates Trainingin OverdosePrevention

Through a partnership with the FairfaxCounty Sheriff’s Office, jail-based clini-cians from the Fairfax-Falls Church Com-munity Services Board (CSB) are nowoffering inmates training on how to re-verse the impacts of opioid overdose. Sofar, there have been three classes inwhich about a dozen inmates havelearned how to save lives. Upon releasefrom the Adult Detention Center, thenewly trained individual is equipped witha single dose of naloxone (Narcan), alongwith a REVIVE information kit, just incase they need it for themselves, their

family members or their friends. Naloxoneis a fast-acting medication that can reverseopioid overdose. This new effort is part ofan overall Fairfax County effort to trainmore people how to recognize signs of opi-ate overdose and increase access to nalox-one. CSB’s Director of Jail-Based Services,Marissa Farina-Morse, said that inmateswith opioid or heroin addictions are mostat risk during the first weeks after beingreleased from jail. The CSB also offers freeone-hour monthly REVIVE training at theirMerrifield Center, as well as other commu-nity sites. In the U.S., overall, there were60,000 overdose deaths in 2017 and morethan 100 in Fairfax County.

To learn more about actions underway toeducate and combat opioid use disorder inFairfax County, read the Fairfax CountyOpioid Task Force Plan at

County Briefs

www.fairfaxcounty.gov/sites/community-services-board/files/assets/documents/pdf/opioid-task-force-plan.pdf.

Career and TransitionServices Eventfor Parents andEducators

On Saturday, Feb. 10, 2018, Career andTransition Services along with severalFairfax County adult service providers andthe FCPS Parent Resource Center, will host“Super Transition Saturday” from 8:30 a.m.to 1 p.m. at Lanier Middle School. This is afree event for parents and educators of stu-dents with IEPs of all ages, elementary

through high school. Breakout sessionswill cover postsecondary support ser-vices, student self-determination as anevidence based predictor of postschoolsuccess, and in-school career and tran-sition support services that are availableto FCPS students as they progressthrough the secondary years towardgraduation and beyond. A highlight ofthe day is a parent and student panelrepresenting a range of challenges andsuccesses. Members of the panel willconvey personal experiences and answerparent and student questions from theirperspectives of having been through thetransition process. Childcare is providedfor ages 3 and up and requires advanceregistration. To register, visit www.fcps.eduand search Super Transition Saturday. Thesnow date will be Feb. 24.

By Mercia Hobson

The Connection

The Northern VirginiaSoil and Water Conser-vation District an-nounced their annual

seedling sale is on for 2018 as ofFeb. 1. The non-regulatory, locally-led, conservation agency is mak-ing low-cost bare-root native shruband tree seedlings available toNorthern Virginia residents.

All seedlings are suited for plant-ing in the greater Washington,D.C. area. This year’s seedling salefeatures shrubs and trees that aretolerant of deer browse. The Dis-trict advertises that their $11.95Six Seedling Tree Package includestwo Eastern Redbuds, two Paw-paw, and two Shortleaf Pine. Their$16.95 10 Seedlings Shrub andSmall Tree Package contains twoWitchhazel, two False Indigo Bush,two Serviceberry, two Silky Dog-wood, and two Spicebush.

Because these are first- and sec-ond-year bare-root trees andshrubs, the District acknowledgesthey are small “...but when caredfor properly, they can grow intolovely landscape specimens fasterthan you think.”

The District reports they getmost of their seedlings from theVirginia Department of Forestryand the seedlings come withoutsoil. Their roots are wrapped inwet newspapers and placed in aplastic bag to keep them moist.Each package of six-10 seedlings

bundled together is typically 1-3feet long and 4-6 inches wide. Todifferentiate between the seed-lings, which the district cites canlovingly be described as lookinglike “twigs,” they wrap coloredflagging tape around each speciespair and provide a color code foridentification.

A full, nonrefundable paymentmust accompany each order re-ceived no later than Wednesday,April 11, or until supplies run out.Payment is accepted online with acredit card, debit card, or e-check.Funds cover the cost of the seed-lings and associated programcosts.

The pickup site will be at thePackard Center in Annandale. Or-ders may be picked up on Friday,April 20, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., or Satur-day, April 21, 9 a.m.-noon.

NVSWCD reports proceeds fromthe sale support educational pro-grams, including the high schoolEnvirothon competition, biologicalstream monitoring, storm draineducation, Youth ConservationCamp, Science Fair awards, andother outreach activities.

To view the online seedling salestore visit nvswcd-v e l o c i t y p a y m e n t -com.3dcartstores.com/.

Low-cost bare-root seedlingsavailable.

The 2018 Native Seedling Sale Opens

A shade tolerant Silky Dogwood producesblue or grayish berries in the fall and isconsidered a small tree, growing 6-10 feetin height. It is being offered as a bare rootseedling by Northern Virginia Soil andWater Conservation District in their 2018Native Seedling Sale.

A Short-leaf Pinegrows to100 feetand isshadetolerant.

The children hold plasticbags containing tree andshrub seedlings from aprevious NOVA Soil andWater ConservationSeedling Sale. The seed-lings will look like twigswith their roots wrappedin wet newspapers; eachpair is tied with a coloredcoded identificationflagging ribbon.

Photos

Courtesy of

Northern

Virginia Soil

and Water

Conservation

District

Springfield Connection ❖ February 8-14, 2018 ❖ 5www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

6 ❖ Springfield Connection ❖ February 8-14, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Opinion

To the Editor:The following open letter was addressed to state

Sen. Steve Newman, chair of the Education andHealth Committee.

As graduates of Thomas JeffersonHigh School for Science and Tech-nology (TJHSST), we were deeplytroubled to read that the Education

and Health Committee of the Virginia StateSenate struck down Senate Bill 787, the pro-posal by state Sen. Scott Surovell to make theadmissions policies at Governor’s Schools suchas TJHSST more equitable. While debates will

continue about whetherSenator Surovell’s legisla-tion is the right instrument,its intent to significantly al-

ter Jefferson’s admissions procedure to accountfor class is sound. No serious action has beentaken on this issue at the state or local levelsince the school was designated as a magnetschool and that has to change. Outreach ef-forts have had modest success in the past, butthey are not enough to make Jefferson equi-table. For this reason, we strongly support theintent of the senator’s bill and ask the commit-tee to work with Senator Surovell to draft leg-islation to make progress on this urgent issue.

All of us attended Fairfax County PublicSchools. There’s one among us who still hasher yearbooks and class pictures from kinder-garten through 12th grade. And in those im-ages from schools like Saratoga ElementarySchool and Mark Twain Middle School are thesmiling faces of friends and classmates of allraces, as well as friends and classmates wholived in a nearby HUD housing development.None of the kids from that housing develop-ment made it into TJ, not one. And virtuallynone of the Black and Hispanic students inthose other photos were admitted either.

The racial and economic composition ofJefferson has been an annual news story justabout every year since it became a magnetschool, and it’s never good news. Last year, only17 Black and Hispanic students were admit-ted — 3.4 percent out of 490 students. Andonly eight students (1.6 percent) eligible forfree or reduced-price lunches (an indicator ofstudents living in low-income or poor families).This despite the fact that Fairfax County Pub-lic School students overall are 25.4 percentHispanic, 10.1 percent Black, and 29 percentare eligible for free or reduced-price lunches.

This disparity between Jefferson’s enrollmentand the racial and socioeconomic compositionof Fairfax County is unacceptable and easilyremedied. Countless elite institutions — espe-cially elite colleges — have modified their ad-missions procedures and requirements in re-cent years because they have realized that theirold criteria have long been leaving talent onthe table. They have softened their standard-ized testing requirements, engaged in admis-sions outreach, and sought out partners in highschools and middle schools to create a pipe-line of under-represented and low-income stu-dents to draw from. These students (whowould never have been admitted under the oldadmissions protocols) have thrived at theseelite institutions — often overperforming theirstandardized test scores. Yet Jefferson’s admis-

sions policies proceed ignorant of these devel-opments.

We live in a time when headlines and Twit-ter feeds constantly observe the pernicious ef-fects of systemic inequality and racism in thedaily lives of the poor and people of color. Andthe state of Virginia has a long legacy of rac-ism that the world was reminded of last yearduring and after the events that took place inCharlottesville. White supremacy is not justNazis marching in the streets; it also lies inmaintaining a high school that excludes thepoor, African-Americans, and Latinos, and thencalls itself the greatest, most meritocratic highschool in the country. You and the other 12members of the committee who struck downthis modest change to Jefferson’s admissionspolicies have voted to maintain a blatantly rac-ist and classist flagship school.

This is a shameful display when it wouldhave been so easy for you to answer the im-passioned requests of so many parents andalumni, as well as Senator Surovell. We un-derstand that the committee has framed itsobjections to this bill in terms of local rights.While in many cases local school boards arebest situated to make local educational deci-sions, when a board ignores a pressing issueaffecting its most vulnerable anddisempowered constituents over decades, thestate has an obligation to step in and remedythe injustice.

The one way that Jefferson, with the help ofthe Fairfax County School Board and the Vir-ginia legislature, could truly differentiate it-self is by showing that it is working deliber-ately and intentionally to combat the structuraland systematic racism and class privilege thatfeeds students into the school. Thousands ofschools and nonprofits around the countryhave already made meaningful change in thisarea, it’s time for Jefferson and those in chargeto take responsibility for this problem and dothe same.

Alexis Clements, TJHSST ‘98, BA Emerson College‘01, MS London School of Economics ‘06

Daniel Morales, TJHSST ‘98, BA Williams College‘02, JD Yale Law School ‘05

Kristina Danahy (Buenafe), TJHSST ‘98, BS/MSUniversity of Virginia ‘03, Ed.M Harvard ‘08

Kristen Olvera Riemenschneider, TJHSST ‘98,BSEE University of Virginia ‘01, JD University ofVirginia ‘06

Koyuki Smith, TJHSST ‘96, BA Columbia University‘01, MA Columbia University Teachers College ‘03

Megan Radek, TJHSST ’93, BA University of Virginia’97, MA University of Illinois ’04

Veronica Pillar, TJHSST ‘06, AB Princeton University‘10, MS Cornell University ‘14

Christopher Lee Rollins, TJHSST ‘04, BA College ofWilliam & Mary ‘08

Séain Gutridge, TJHSST ‘89Diane-Marie Johnston, TJHSST ‘98, BA University

of Virginia ‘02Tamara Metz, TJHSST ‘99, BA Bryn Mawr College

‘03, MA University of Arizona ‘11Joe Zarrow, TJHSST ‘97, BA Brown University ‘01,

MA New York University ‘06Rachel Yi-Feng Lei, TJHSST ‘96, BA Johns Hopkins

University ‘00, MA Fuller Theological Seminary ‘06Jennifer Love King, TJHSST ‘98, BA University of

Virginia ‘01Matt King, TJHSST ‘98, BA University of Virginia ‘02,

PhD University of Maryland ‘08Anwar Omeish, TJHSST ‘14, BA Harvard College ‘19Richard Berman, TJHSST ‘89, BA University of

TorontoCorinne Pender, TJHSST ‘05, BS Caltech ‘09, PhD

MIT ‘18Abby France, TJHSST ‘99, BS Northwestern

University ‘03Swathi Manchikanti, TJHSST ‘06, BS NJIT ‘10,

MSPH Johns Hopkins University ‘13Jack Levenson, TJHSST ‘90, BA St. Mary’s College of

MD ‘98Ramón Zabala, TJHSST ‘99, BS VA Tech ‘08Hillary Kolos, TJHSST ‘98, BFA New York University

‘02, SM MIT ‘10Sienna Lotenberg, TJHSST ‘14, AB Brown University

‘18, MAHL ‘21 and Rabbinic Ordination ‘23Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion

Sheryl Wallin Abrahams, TJHSST ‘98, BA RiceUniversity ‘02, MPH UNC-Chapel Hill ‘07

Christine Contreras-Slaughter, TJHSST ‘07, BADuke University ‘11

Samuel Leven, TJHSST ‘03, BA University of Virginia‘07, JD University of Virginia ‘10

Danielle Ahn, TJHSST ‘98, BA University ofRochester ‘02, MD University of Virginia ‘06

Michael Freedman-Schnapp, TJHSST ‘98, BAUniversity of Virginia ‘02, MUP NYU ‘09

Tenzin Lhanze, TJHSST ‘14, BS College of Williamand Mary ‘18

James Wu, TJHSST ‘96, BS Virginia Tech ‘01Jean Smith, TJHSST ‘98, BA University of Virginia

‘02, PhD University of California, Santa Barbara ‘13Saniya Suri, TJHSST ‘13, BA Washington University

in St. Louis, ‘17Sanjana Verma, TJHSST ‘13, BS The College of

William Mary ‘17Martha Burtis, TJHSST ‘92, BA Mary Washington

College, MA Teachers College, Columbia UPichchenda Bao, TJHSST ‘98, BA University of

Virginia ‘02Rohit Raghavan, TJHSST ‘96, BA Catholic Univ. of

America, ‘01, JD, Univ. of Illinois,, ‘05Alison Slade, TJHSST ‘99, BA University of Virginia,

‘05, MS Johns Hopkins University, ‘12Terence McDonnell, TJHSST ‘96, BA University of

Virginia ‘00, PhD Northwestern University ‘09Andrew Hayes, TJHSST ‘99, BA University of Virginia

‘03, PhD University of Maine ‘12Alan Hevelone TJHSST ‘96 BFA Savannah College of

Art & Design ‘00Brian Horne, TJHSST ‘96, BA University of Virginia

‘00, MA University of Chicago ‘04Russell Smith, TJHSST ‘96, BA Pennsylvania State

University ‘00Janna Harris, TJHSST ’98, BA University of Virginia

’02, PhD Virginia Commonwealth University ’08Nick Berning, TJHSST ’98, BA Macalester College ’02Anne Marie Creighton, TJHSST ‘10, AB Harvard ‘14Keryl Brown, TJHSST ‘10, BFA University of

Southern California ‘14Brittany Zuñiga Fulton, TJHSST ’07, BA William

and Mary ’11, MSW University of Michigan ‘16Elizabeth Carlson, TJHSST ‘97, BA Tufts University

‘01, PhD UCLA ‘11Kate Hao, TJHSST ‘14, BA Washington University in

St. Louis ‘18Kassandra Dove McMahon, TJHSST ’90, BS

Virginia Tech ’97, MS American IntercontinentalUniversity ’00

Jessica Wyman, TJHSST ‘97, BA New YorkUniversity ‘01, MBA Columbia University ‘08

Kimberly Taylor, TJHSST ‘91, BS University ofVirginia ‘94, PhD University of Wisconsin ‘05

William Tarpeh, TJHSST ‘08, BS Stanford University‘12, MS UC Berkeley ‘13, PhD UC Berkeley ‘17

Alec Rose, TJHSST ‘86, BA Tufts University ‘90, JDUniversity of California, Davis ‘93

Kripa Patwardhan, TJHSST ‘04, BA University ofVirginia ‘08, MPP George Mason University ‘10

Rob Heittman, TJHSST ’88Aaron Balasingam Koenig, TJHSST ‘10Dave Algoso, TJHSST ‘99, BA University of Virginia

‘03, MPA New York University ‘11Jorge A Torrico, TJHSST ‘98, BA University of

Virginia ‘04Sam Brinton, TJHSST ‘10Tamara Krmoholz, TJHSST ‘01, BA University of

Virginia ‘06, MT University of Virginia ‘06Richard Joyce, TJHSST ’00, BA University of Mary

Washington ’06, MA American University ’10Emily (Stanford) Colson, TJHSST ‘95, BA

University of Virginia ‘98, MD Eastern VirginiaMedical School ‘03

Caroline Odom, TJHSST ‘10J. M. Harper, TJHSST ‘95, BS Carnegie Mellon ‘99,

JD George Mason ‘06Wendy Guo, TJHSST ‘14, BS College of William and

Mary ‘18Jennifer Gilbert Manly, TJHSST ‘07, BA University

of Georgia ‘11Sharon Gentges, TJHSST ‘92, BA University of

Chicago, BArch Washington University

An Opportunity To Improve TJ

Commentary

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Springfield

Springfield Connection ❖ February 8-14, 2018 ❖ 7www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

By Scott Surovell

State Senator (D-36)

The third week of the Gen-eral Assembly broughtaction on about two

dozen of my bills.First, my two remaining bills to

address education equity wereunanimously recommended bythe Education Subcommittee. The first bill prohibitslocalities from requiring children to use “electronictextbooks” without providing students with devicesto use such “books” at home. Many children in theU.S. 1 Corridor do not have computers or broadbandat home and our schools should not mandate elec-tronic learning without providing devices.

My second bill requires school systems to waiveall fees and provide computers to students who wantto take online classes. Fairfax and Prince Williamcounties charge low income students as much as$345 to take online classes and do not provide de-vices, making online classes difficult if not impos-sible for all students to utilize. The bills will be con-sidered by the Senate this week. The General LawsCommittee reported my bill creating a sanctions pro-cess for government officials who abuse the closedmeeting process or destroy public records. There havebeen at least six reported or attempted violations ofthe closed meetings law in the last two years andreports of local governments advising employees todelete emails to avoid public disclosure.

Predatory lending was on the docket this week.My bill to place a 36 percent cap on interest rates forloans made by licensed consumer finance companiesand prohibit predatory internet lenders from usingexisting state licenses passed the Commerce and La-bor Committee 12-2. This is the first legislation topush back against predatory lending passed by thiscommittee in eight years.

Waze and Google Map driven neighborhood cut-through traffic has been a source of significant com-plaints to my office — especially in Belle Haven,Occoquan and neighborhoods close to the interstates.I introduced legislation that would authorize local

governments to designate a small number of resi-dential secondary roads as off-limits to electronicrouting services like Waze and Google Maps and keepcommuters out of neighborhoods. The City of Alex-andria was extremely supportive but the FairfaxCounty Board of Supervisors opposed my legislation(Supervisors Storck and Foust supported). Unfortu-nately, the bill died on a 6-6-1 vote in the Transpor-tation Committee.

My legislation to increase the required state autoinsurance minimums for the first time since 1989passed the Transportation Committee. My bill wouldincrease the required minimum property damageminimum insurance from $20,000 to $50,000. Giventhe increased automobile prices, this is critical.

Teen “sexting” has continued to create problemsfor parents, teachers, administrators, clergy, and,most importantly, children. This year, I partnered withSenator Bill Stanley on legislation to classify suchoffenses as misdemeanors instead of either felonychild pornography production or possession. This willallow schools, families, and counselors to take careof these issues informally instead of necessitating lawenforcement consultations. Our bill passed the Courtsof Justice Committee and will be on the floor of theSenate this week. Lastly, my legislation to impose aban on hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” passed theAgriculture and Natural Resources Committee andwill be on the floor this week after being amendedto a four-year moratorium. A Texas company acquiredleases to explore for natural gas on 84,000 acres ofproperty on Virginia’s Northern Neck and MiddlePeninsula. This area shares the same aquifer withover four million Virginians living east of Interstate95 which must be protected.

Approximately a dozen of my bills have not beenheard in committee yet including six coal ash bills,bills to reform the credit “freeze” process, and stud-ies regarding the decline in arrests for drunk driv-ing. This week is the lead up to the deadline for ac-tion on all bills in our own chambers so stay tuned.

Please complete my survey atwww.scottsurovell.org/survey and email me atscott@scottsurovell.org if you have feedback. It isan honor to serve as your state senator.

Commentary

‘Electronic Textbooks’Bill Moves Forward

Springfield Golf and Country Club practicessound environmental golf course manage-ment, and is about to receive certification

in The Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Programfor golf courses. To attain this certification, theclub must document management practices in thefollowing areas: wildlife and habitat management;chemical use reduction and safety; water conser-vation; water quality management; and outreachand education. It is also required to perform anenvironmental case study. To meet the case studyrequirement, the golf course, under the manage-ment of Superintendent Lentz Wheeler, created awildlife pollinator garden which is in view of allgolfers who play the course. “Our entire club isexcited to achieve the Audubon Cooperative Sanc-tuary Certification,” said Wheeler. “It has takenplenty of work, but has been so worthwhile. Thecreation of the wildlife pollinating garden has

been particularly rewarding as we have seen manydifferent species of butterflies and birds alreadyfrequenting the area. As the plants mature, thiswill only increase in number and species.

“One other wildflower pollinator garden wasestablished last year and is nearly half an acre,”added Wheeler. “There are a number of peren-nial and annual flowers in this bed native to ourregion that provide habitat and food for all typesof wildlife, as well as beautiful color to the land-scape. Springfield Country Club even has beehiveson location that are serviced by a local apiarist,and provide honey to be utilized by our chef andfor purchase to our membership in the near fu-ture.” “Golf courses have gotten some bad pub-licity over the years as excessive users of chemi-cals, fertilizers, and water. We hope to show thepublic that a properly managed golf course notonly benefits the environment, but enhances it.”

Springfield Golf and Country Club toAttain Audubon Sanctuary Certification

8 ❖ Springfield Connection ❖ February 8-14, 2018 Springfield Connection ❖ February 8-14, 2018 ❖ 9www.ConnectionNewspapers.com www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

A healthy body starts with a healthy mouth!

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Wellbeing

By Marilyn Campbell

Flu season is in full swing and,according to the latest statis-tics from the Centers for Dis-ease Control and Prevention,

it’s packing a powerful punch. Accord-ing to the most recent CDC report, theflu is widespread in most states, andhealthcare providers report an uptickin influenza-related hospitalizationsand deaths.

While the thought of eating might

be unappealing to someone who isbattling the flu, nutritionists andhealth care providers say certain nu-trients are essential for keeping upone’s strength. Soothing and healingingredients are key allies when fight-

ing this season’s virus.“The thing you need most is water,” said

Sara Ducey, professor of Nutrition and Foodat Montgomery College. “You need sufficientwater to bring nutrients to your cells andtake away the waste. As you hydrate it givesyour immune system more of a boost.”

Protein, says Ducey, will help one’s bodybuild and maintain strength. “It’s importantfor supporting the immune system and forhelping your body breakdown medicines likeTylenol,” she said. “One of the best sourcesfor protein when you have the flu is real,bone-based soup, not ramen noodles thathave chicken flavoring.”

Bone broths, like those made from chickenor beef, offer hydration, protein and aminoacids, added Ducey. Broth can be sipped orused as the base for a soup. “It’s a naturalhealing and restorative food,” she said. “Atthis point, everyone can assume that they’regoing to get the flu and prepare some bone-based broth ahead of time and keep it onhand in the freezer. You can also buy boxesof it.”

Fresh ginger can work as an anti-inflam-matory, soothe an upset stomach and boostone’s immune system, says nutritionistDebbie Hynes of Practical Ayurveda. “Warmwater with grated ginger and honey cansoothe a sore throat or upset stomach,” she

said.Foods that are high in Vitamin C like or-

ange juice, particularly a variety that con-tains pulp, can boost your immune system,says Ducey. “It’s a powerful antioxidantwhich is important for keeping yourmuscles strong especially when you’resick.”

Garlic is another ingredient that Hyneslikes to include in flu-fighting recipes. “Ithas antibacterial properties, especiallywhen it’s raw,” she said. “I add it to chickenbroth along with chili flakes to sip whensomeone in my family has a stuffy head.The combination can clear the sinuses. Andif you can stand to eat it, raw garlic hasthe strongest antibacterial properties.”

Turmeric works as an anti-inflammatoryand antioxidant, says Hynes. “It’s beenknown for those properties in Chinesemedicine for centuries,” she said.

Ducey uses the spice in a creamy drinkshe creates called Golden Milk. “I take acup of milk, a teaspoon or two of honeyand a little black pepper and put it in themicrowave to warm it,” she said. “You canuse almond or coconut milk if you can’ttolerate dairy. Turmeric is very poorly ab-sorbed by the body, so adding a little blackpepper helps absorb it. It sounds bizarre,but it’s strangely comforting.”

Feeding the Flu What to eat when fighting the flu.

“One of the best sourcesfor protein when youhave the flu is real, bone-based soup.”— Sara Ducey, Professor of Nutrition

and Food, Montgomery College

Turmeric,powdered

ginger,honey andalmond or

coconutmilk cancreate a

soothingand healing

drink forthose who

are battlingthe flu, saysnutritionistSara Ducey.

Garlic is credited with having anti-bacterial properties.Fresh ginger can be a soothing ingredient for thosewho have the flu.

Pho

to

s by M

arilyn

C

am

pbellCourtesy of

Sara Ducey

10 ❖ Springfield Connection ❖ February 8-14, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

News

By Steve Hibbard

The Connection

Dawn Tarter, 32, ofNorth Springfield isracing in the 2018Empire State Build-

ing Run-Up on Wednesday, Feb. 7,2018, in New York City. The homeeconomics teacher at AnnandaleHigh School is one of 60 runnersselected through an online lottery.The 41st annual tower race issponsored by Turkish Airlines,which has its headquarters withinthe Empire State Building.

“I like doing weird things; do-ing different things,” she said. “Iheard Kelly Ripa (of ABC-TV’s“Live with Kelly and Ryan”) ran iton her show. It’s just a differentthing,” she said.

The race climbs 1,576 steps highor a distance of 1,050 feet (ap-proximately one fifth of a milevertically). Tarter has been train-ing on a stair machine at her gym,Planet Fitness in Springfield, be-cause she doesn’t have access tostairwells.

“I hope I’m in shape for it,” shesaid. “I read the best thing to do isrun every other step and use yourarms to pull yourself up with rail-ings. There’s no kind of trainingschedule to follow with this.”

As far as nutrition goes, she said,“I feel like I eat fairly healthy nor-mally; I didn’t really change any-thing besides adding the steps.”

Tarter describes herself not as anelite athlete, but as a “regular per-son, a hobby runner,” and runningis just something that she does forfun. She has completed four mara-thons (the Chicago Marathontwice and the Marine Corps Mara-

thon twice). She’s also done 11half-marathons and five triathlons.

“I never thought I would wantto run a marathon until I enteredthe Marine Corps Marathon lot-tery, and that was my first one, in2013; the second one was in2015,” she said.

Her running goal is to completea marathon in under four hours.“My fastest time is four hours andzero minutes, and I want to beunder four hours,” she said.

Other races on her “Bucket List”are to run in the New York City

Marathon, but she says it’s nearlyimpossible to get into. She wouldalso like to run in internationalmarathons in foreign countries,like Greece. The men’s courserecord for the Empire State Build-ing is 9:33, set by Paul Crake ofAustralia in 2003. The women’scourse record is 11:23, set by An-drea Mayr of Australia in 2006.Thomas Dold of Germany has themost race victories of seven inMen’s Invitationals. Suzy Walshamof Australia has the most race vic-tories of eight in Women’s

Invitationals. The official charityof the Run-Up is the ChallengedAthletes Foundation (CAF). As aleader in helping people withphysical challenges lead active andhealthy lifestyles, CAF believesthat participation in physical ac-tivity at any level increases self-esteem, encourages independenceand enhances quality of life.

In addition to Turkish Airlinesand CAF race heats, participantsin the race include the men’s andwomen’s invitational, media, ce-lebrities, New York City real estate

brokers, lottery participants andmembers of the New York CityPolice Department and the FireDepartment of New York.

As part of the prize package, thetop three male and female winnersof this year’s race will each beawarded a business class flightvoucher to the Turkish Airlinesdestination of their choice.

Tarter is also preparing for theNavy-Air Force Half Marathon and5-Miler, scheduled for Sept. 16,2018, in Washington, D.C. Thedistance is 13.1 miles and 5 miles.She is the race ambassador, and ifrunners register by using the code“DAWN18,” they can get 15 per-cent off the price. The race start/finish location is the WashingtonMonument, 2 15th Street, NW,Washington, D.C. 20024. Visit thewebsite at www.navyhalf.com.

Tarter grew up in BerrienSprings, Mich., and majored inpsychology at Baylor College. Sheis married with a few children.

Send notes to the Connection atsouth@connectionnewspapers.com orcall 703-778-9416. Deadline is Fri-day.

Wonhyeoung Choe, of Spring-field, was named to the Iowa StateUniversity dean’s list for fall 2017.

Tyler R. Ard, of Alexandria,graduated with a Bachelor of Sci-ence in mechanical engineering fromClemson University (S.C.).

Thomas Harwood Meiller, ofSpringfield, who graduated with aBachelor of Science in mathematicalsciences from Clemson University(S.C.).

Tyler Gregory, of Springfield, amarine science major, has made thepresident’s list at Coastal CarolinaUniversity (Conway, S.C.) for the fall2017 semester.

Sophia Meyer has been named tothe dean’s list for the fall 2017 semes-ter at the University of Vermont. Meyer,from Alexandria, is majoring in environ-mental studies in the Rubenstein Schoolof Environment & Natural Resources.

Robert Banks, of Alexandria, anexercise and sport science major madethe fall 2017 dean’s list at Coastal Caro-lina University (Conway, S.C.).

Courtney Javornik, of Alexandria,a marketing major made the fall 2017dean’s list at Coastal Carolina University(Conway, S.C.).

Jennifer Kline, of Alexandria, amanagement major made the fall 2017dean’s list at Coastal Carolina University(Conway, S.C.).

Lindsey Stang, of Springfield, an intel-ligence and national security studies majormade the fall 2017 dean’s list at Coastal

Carolina University (Conway, S.C.).

Ashley Twymon, of Alexandria, anart studio major made the fall 2017dean’s list at Coastal Carolina University(Conway, S.C.).

Kirsten Campbell Hodge, ofLorton, was named to the Iowa StateUniversity dean’s list for fall 2017.

Daniel Ford was named to the fall2017 dean’s list at Grove City College(Pa.). Ford is a 2017 graduate ofhomeschool and is the son of Melindaand Fred Ford from Clifton.

Caitlyn Watkinson was named tothe fall 2017 dean’s list at Grove CityCollege (Pa.). Watkinson is a 2016graduate of homeschool and is thedaughter of Suzan and StevenWatkinson from Clifton.

The following students from Fairfax

Station were named to the dean’s list forthe fall 2017 semester at The College ofWilliam & Mary: Hasini Bandara,Leah Choe, Michael Guzzano, Jes-sica Higgins, Taylor Jones, AnnaRozelsky, Sophia Sanie, TylerSenio, Brandy Skaddan, andRebecca Symmes.

The following students from Lortonwere named to the dean’s list for the fall2017 semester at The College of William& Mary: Saman Abdulkadir,Gabriella Carney, LorraineChang, Ronica Crevecoeur,Angelique Gordon, and Sean Tran.

Peter Bailey has been named to thedean’s list for the fall 2017 semester atthe University of Vermont. Bailey, fromFairfax Station, is majoring in environ-mental engineering in the College ofEngineering & Mathematical Sciences.

Haley Bachinsky, of Fairfax Sta-

tion, made the dean’s list for fall2017 at Coastal Carolina University(Conway, S.C.).

Andrew Einhorn, of FairfaxStation, a marine science major,made the dean’s list for fall 2017 atCoastal Carolina University(Conway, S.C.).

Tyler Gornak, of Clifton, a man-agement major, made the dean’s listfor fall 2017 at Coastal CarolinaUniversity (Conway, S.C.).

Matthew Oakley, of Fairfax,amanagement major, made thedean’s list for fall 2017 at CoastalCarolina University (Conway, S.C.).

Alexandra Sickmen, of FairfaxStation, a communication major,made the dean’s list for fall 2017 atCoastal Carolina University(Conway, S.C.).

Racing Up the Empire State BuildingSpringfield’s Dawn Tarter wins lottery to race up 1,576 steps, or one-fifth a vertical mile.

“I never thought Iwould want to run amarathon until Ientered the MarineCorps Marathonlottery, and thatwas my first one, in2013; the secondone was in 2015.”

— Dawn Tarter of NorthSpringfield

Dawn Tarter runs in the New York CityHalf Marathon.

Dawn Tarter runs in the Richmond HalfMarathon with her friend Keera Huron.

Pho

to

s co

ntributed

School Notes

Springfield Connection ❖ February 8-14, 2018 ❖ 11www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Copyright 2018 MarketStats for ShowingTime. Source: Bright MLS as of January 15, 2018.

Address ..................................... BR FB HB ......... Postal City .......... Sold Price ........... Type .................. Lot AC .... PostalCode8296 SWOPE CT ................................. 6 ... 5 ... 0 ........... SPRINGFIELD .......... $1,064,505 ............. Detached ................. 0.24 ................. 221538391 EDWARD CARR CT ..................... 5 ... 4 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $950,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.17 ................. 221536079 DEER RIDGE TRL ....................... 4 ... 3 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $825,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.24 ................. 221507365 HUNTERS OAK CT ..................... 4 ... 4 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $820,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.27 ................. 221508609 TUTTLE RD ................................ 5 ... 5 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $816,250 .............. Detached ................. 0.56 ................. 221525926 EMBRY SPRING LN ..................... 4 ... 2 ... 1 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $799,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.09 ................. 223157029 HIGHLAND MEADOWS CT ......... 5 ... 5 ... 1 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $795,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.25 ................. 223156508 WYNEMA CT ...............................5 ... 3 ... 1 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $750,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.21 ................. 223156603 GREEN GLEN CT .........................4 ... 3 ... 1 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $709,900 .............. Detached ................. 0.11 ................. 223159009 SCOTT ST .................................. 4 ... 3 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $705,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.30 ................. 221537616 GRALNICK PL ............................. 5 ... 3 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $700,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.30 ................. 221537801 ROUNDABOUT WAY ................... 6 ... 3 ... 0 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $685,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.27 ................. 221537586 VOGELS WAY ............................. 5 ... 2 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $650,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.24 ................. 221538706 ARLEY DR .................................. 4 ... 2 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $640,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.21 ................. 221539212 MACSWAIN PL ............................4 ... 3 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $635,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.25 ................. 221538500 SHADEWAY PL ............................5 ... 3 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $625,000 .............. Detached ................. 1.52 ................. 221537402 SHADY PALM DR .........................4 ... 2 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $612,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.30 ................. 221538216 RUSHING CREEK DR .................. 4 ... 3 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $596,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.23 ................. 221537201 GILES PL .................................... 4 ... 2 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $585,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.23 ................. 221506709 NEW HOPE DR ............................7 ... 4 ... 0 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $585,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.24 ................. 221516534 TRASK TER ................................ 3 ... 3 ... 1 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $585,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.05 ................. 223156473 WATERFIELD RD .........................3 ... 2 ... 2 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $581,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.04 ................. 223157332 HAMPTON MANOR PL ............... 3 ... 2 ... 2 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $575,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.05 ................. 221507681 LAVENHAM LNDG ...................... 3 ... 3 ... 1 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $575,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.05 ................. 223155733 BUCKHAVEN CT ......................... 5 ... 3 ... 0 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $575,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.26 ................. 223156933 ROLLING CREEK WAY ................. 3 ... 2 ... 2 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $555,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.05 ................. 223156151 BRAELEIGH LN .......................... 4 ... 3 ... 1 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $555,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.09 ................. 223157512 MURILLO ST ...............................4 ... 3 ... 0 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $548,500 .............. Detached ................. 0.24 ................. 221518317 CUSHING CT ...............................4 ... 3 ... 0 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $545,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.21 ................. 221535954 KEDRON ST ............................... 4 ... 3 ... 0 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $538,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.31 ................. 221508406 CHILLUM CT ...............................4 ... 4 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $537,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.20 ................. 221537007 ASHBURY DR ............................. 5 ... 3 ... 0 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $525,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.37 ................. 221527420 GARY ST .................................... 4 ... 2 ... 0 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $520,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.69 ................. 221506013 GOOD LION CT .......................... 3 ... 2 ... 1 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $515,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.11 ................. 223157037 CHESLEY SEARCH WAY .............. 4 ... 3 ... 1 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $515,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.04 ................. 223157324 MALLORY CIR ............................ 3 ... 3 ... 1 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $514,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.05 ................. 223157512 MARITIME LN ............................ 4 ... 3 ... 0 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $513,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.23 ................. 221536514 SERENADE PL ............................ 3 ... 2 ... 2 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $510,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.07 ................. 221506001 KESTNER CIR ............................. 3 ... 2 ... 2 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $505,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.08 ................. 223155812 HELMSDALE LN ......................... 5 ... 3 ... 0 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $500,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.28 ................. 223155707 SHROPSHIRE CT .........................4 ... 2 ... 0 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $498,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.20 ................. 223156644 KELSEY POINT CIR ..................... 3 ... 2 ... 2 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $496,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.05 ................. 223156205 ROUDSBY LN ............................. 4 ... 3 ... 1 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $495,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.04 ................. 223158021 READINGTON CT ....................... 3 ... 3 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $490,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.05 ................. 221527049 ASHLEIGH MANOR CT ............... 3 ... 2 ... 2 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $490,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.04 ................. 223156647 DEBRA LU WAY .......................... 3 ... 2 ... 2 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $477,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.03 ................. 221505315 DUBLIN AVE ............................... 3 ... 3 ... 0 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $477,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.33 ................. 221516816 ROLLING RD ...............................4 ... 2 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $475,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.25 ................. 221528440 MILLWOOD DR .......................... 3 ... 2 ... 2 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $469,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.08 ................. 221527409 FOREST HUNT CT ...................... 4 ... 2 ... 2 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $466,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.07 ................. 221535506 INVERCHAPEL RD ...................... 3 ... 2 ... 0 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $465,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.26 ................. 221518878 EAGLE ROCK LN .........................3 ... 3 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $465,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.03 ................. 221536603 LAVINUS LN ............................... 3 ... 2 ... 1 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $458,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.04 ................. 223156507 SERENADE PL ............................ 3 ... 3 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $455,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.04 ................. 221508309 RIDGE CROSSING LN ................. 3 ... 2 ... 2 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $455,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.04 ................. 221525624 HEMING AVE ............................. 3 ... 2 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $452,411 .............. Detached ................. 0.24 ................. 221516808 JEROME ST ................................ 3 ... 2 ... 0 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $452,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.24 ................. 221507424 HIGHLAND ST ............................4 ... 2 ... 0 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $450,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.26 ................. 221508008 GOSPORT LN ............................. 3 ... 3 ... 0 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $450,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.26 ................. 221516912 VANCOUVER RD .........................4 ... 2 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $450,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.24 ................. 221525217 DUNSTABLE LN .......................... 3 ... 2 ... 2 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $450,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.03 ................. 223157753 SULLIVAN CIR ............................ 3 ... 2 ... 2 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $445,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.04 ................. 223158016 HATTERAS LN ............................ 3 ... 1 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $440,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.25 ................. 221515407 CHARLOTTESVILLE RD .............. 3 ... 1 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $440,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.24 ................. 221518355 JOVIN CIR .................................. 3 ... 2 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $440,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.03 ................. 221536628 WESTBURY OAKS CT ................. 4 ... 3 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $438,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.04 ................. 221529531 HUNT SQUARE CT ..................... 3 ... 2 ... 2 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $436,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.05 ................. 221535232 CANNES CT ............................... 4 ... 3 ... 1 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $435,500 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.03 ................. 223157508 AMESBURY CT ............................3 ... 2 ... 1 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $435,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.05 ................. 223156028 KESTNER CIR ............................. 3 ... 4 ... 0 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $435,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.04 ................. 223157330 WESTMORE DR ......................... 3 ... 3 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $433,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.04 ................. 221508116 AINSWORTH AVE ....................... 4 ... 3 ... 0 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $430,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.25 ................. 221528329 WRENFORD CT .......................... 3 ... 2 ... 2 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $430,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.03 ................. 221526638 PATENT PARISH LN .................... 3 ... 2 ... 1 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $430,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.04 ................. 223157410 HASTINGS ST ............................ 4 ... 1 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $423,500 .............. Detached ................. 0.29 ................. 221507339 STREAM WAY ............................ 3 ... 2 ... 2 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $420,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.06 ................. 221527301 GOLDEN IRIS CT .........................3 ... 2 ... 2 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $420,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.07 ................. 221536488 SILVER RIDGE CIR ...................... 4 ... 3 ... 1 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $420,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.04 ................. 223156367 RACETEC PL ...............................4 ... 3 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $418,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.03 ................. 221507110 EVANSTON RD ............................5 ... 2 ... 0 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $410,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.22 ................. 221506080 HOLLOW KNOLL CT ................... 3 ... 3 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $410,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.05 ................. 221526618 GREENLEIGH LN .........................2 ... 3 ... 1 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $410,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.05 ................. 223156867 BRIAN MICHAEL CT ................... 3 ... 3 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $405,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.04 ................. 221539111 GALBRETH CT ............................3 ... 2 ... 2 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $405,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.03 ................. 221536396 SHAUNDALE DR ......................... 3 ... 3 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $389,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.05 ................. 221526331 OVER SEE CT ............................. 3 ... 3 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $386,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.04 ................. 221528908 SHAMROCK CT .......................... 3 ... 2 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $385,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.08 ................. 221528550 TYROLEAN WAY ......................... 3 ... 2 ... 2 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $380,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.04 ................. 221538061 DULCIANA CT ............................ 3 ... 2 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $379,900 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.05 ................. 221537915 FOREST PATH WAY .................... 3 ... 2 ... 2 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $379,500 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.04 ................. 221537998 NORTHUMBERLAND RD ............ 3 ... 2 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $379,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.06 ................. 221536815 JEROME ST ................................ 3 ... 1 ... 0 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $375,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.30 ................. 221508058 DONEGAL LN ............................. 3 ... 2 ... 2 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $375,000 .............. Attach/Row Hse ....... 0.03 ................. 221535421 INVERCHAPEL RD ...................... 3 ... 2 ... 0 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $370,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.27 ................. 221519024 ROSEWALL CT ............................3 ... 2 ... 2 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $367,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.04 ................. 221526362 PATIENCE CT ...............................3 ... 2 ... 1 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $364,900 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.04 ................. 223157248 BEVERLY PARK DR ...................... 3 ... 1 ... 2 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $363,000 .............. Detached ................. 0.09 ................. 221507913 OLD CARRIAGE TRL ................... 2 ... 2 ... 1 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $360,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.03 ................. 223158169 DARK DEN CIR ............................3 ... 2 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $359,900 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.06 ................. 221536532 MORNING GLEN CT ................... 3 ... 1 ... 1 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $355,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.03 ................. 223155913 SAINT GILES WAY ...................... 2 ... 2 ... 1 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $345,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.03 ................. 223156527 GRANGE LN #202 ...................... 3 ... 2 ... 0 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $319,900 .............. Garden 1-4 Floors ............................... 223158038 STEEPLE CHASE CT ................... 3 ... 2 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $315,000 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.03 ................. 221535925 BAYSHIRE RD #114 ................... 4 ... 2 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $310,000 .............. Townhouse ........................................ 221526900 VILLA DEL REY CT ...................... 3 ... 1 ... 1 ........... SPRINGFIELD ............ $294,900 .............. Townhouse .............. 0.05 ................. 221506610G NETTIES LN #G ....................... 2 ... 2 ... 0 ........... ALEXANDRIA ............ $294,900 .............. Garden 1-4 Floors ............................... 22315

Home Sales In December 2017, 115 Springfield homes sold between $1,064,505-$212,000.This week’s list represents those homes sold in the $1,064,505-$294,900 range.

For the complete list, visit www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

12 ❖ Springfield Connection ❖ February 8-14, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Submit entertainment announcements atwww.connectionnewspapers.com/Calendar/. The deadline isnoon on Friday. Photos/artwork encouraged.

ONGOING“Uncommon Visions.” Through Feb. 25, various times at

2905 District Ave., Suite 115 (in the Mosaic District),Fairfax. The Torpedo Factory Artists’ Association (TFAA)presents “Uncommon Visions,” the third exhibition atTorpedo Factory Artists @ Mosaic. This mixed-media showfeatures the work of more than 40 TFAA member artists.Each of the artists, through use of form, color, technique, ormaterials, aim to guide the audience into unexpectedavenues and share their own personal perceptions. Visitwww.torpedofactoryartists.com/event/uncommon-visions/.

“Mobile Views.” Through March 4, various times in W-9 inthe Arches Gallery, Workhouse Arts Center, 9518Workhouse Way, Lorton. In her show, “Mobile Views”Kathy Strauss explores the ‘fine art’ of cellphonephotography. Visit www.imagewerks.net orwww.workhousearts.org.

THURSDAY/FEB. 8Art and Lunch. 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at Old Town Hall,

3999 University Drive, Fairfax. Bring lunch and enjoy thecompany of other artists. Visit www.fairfaxva.gov/culturalarts for more.

Artist Reception. 7-9 p.m. at Old Town Hall, 3999University Drive, Fairfax. Come and enjoy refreshments,meet the featured artist and be a part of your local artistcommunity. Visit www.fairfaxva.gov/culturalarts for more.

FRIDAY/FEB. 9Bingo. 7 p.m. at Fire Station 3, 4081 University Drive, Fairfax.

Enjoy free coffee, entertaining callers, a friendlyatmosphere, $1,000 guaranteed jackpot, treasure chestprogressive raffles, and good food available for purchase.All proceeds go to purchasing fire and rescue equipment.Visit www.fairfaxvfd.com or call 703-273-3638 for more.

The Bonita Lestina Old Town Hall PerformanceSeries. 8 p.m. at Old Town Hall, 3999 University Drive,Fairfax. “The Nearness of You” featuring Darden Purcell, aWashington D.C. based jazz vocalist. Call 703-385-7858 orvisit www.fairfaxva.gov/culturalarts.

SATURDAY/FEB. 10Cassi & Issac, Read Aloud. 11:30-4:15 p.m. at George

Mason Regional Library, 7001 Little River Turnpike,Annandale. Introducing Cassi & Issac, an original picturebook written and illustrated by Kora Coker, a Girl ScoutAmbassador working toward earning her Gold Award. Signup online for a reading session at www.signupgenius.com/go/10C054EAEA623AAFD0-cassi orkora.kykographics.com.

Champagne and Chocolates Fundraiser. 4-7 p.m. atGunston Hall, 10709 Gunston Road, Lorton. Champagne,small plate hors d’oeuvres, desserts, mansion tours bycostumed historical interpreters, raffle and live auction tobenefit educational programs for George Mason’s GunstonHall. Music by Robinson High School String Quartet.Cocktail attire. $50 per person. RSVP by Feb. 3 at bit.ly/champagneandchocolates2018. Call 703-550-9220.

Artist Reception. 6-9 p.m. in W-9 in the Arches Gallery,Workhouse Arts Center, 9518 Workhouse Way, Lorton. Inher show, “Mobile Views” Kathy Strauss explores the ‘fineart’ of cellphone photography. Visit www.imagewerks.netor www.workhousearts.org.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY/FEB. 9-10Chinese Food Fest. Friday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday, 10

a.m.-4 p.m. at Wegmans Fairfax, 11620 Monument Drive,Fairfax. Attendees can taste Peking duck Wegmans-style,fresh handmade dumplings, Chinese hot pot and bubbletea. Celebrity chef Martin Yan will do cookingdemonstrations at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Friday, and 10a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday. He’ll also be available to signcookbooks after each demo. There is no cost to attendChinese Food Fest. Visit www.wegmans.com/stores/fairfax-va.html.

FEB. 10-14Singing Valentines. 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Throughout Northern

Virginia. Surprise a special someone. Singing telegramsdelivered to a Northern Virginia or D.C. location of one’schoice by an a cappella quartet from the Fairfax Jubil-Airesbarbershop chorus. $60 and up. Call 571-418-3840 or visitwww.fairfaxjubilaires.org for details.

SUNDAY/FEB. 11Table Top N Gauge Model Train Show. 1-4 p.m. at the

Fairfax Station Railroad Museum, 11200 Fairfax StationRoad, Fairfax Station. Museum members and ages 4 andunder, free; ages 5-15, $2; ages 16 and older, $4. Visitwww.fairfax-station.org or call 703-425-9225.

Valentine Rose Bouquet. 2-4 p.m. at Merrifield GardenCenter, Fair Oaks, 12101 Lee Highway, Fairfax. Create a

European hand-tied valentine bouquet with Arlington RoseFoundation. Tricia Smith, floral design instructor, willdemonstrate and guide as participants create a bouquetwith roses, flowers and greenery. Bring pruners, a mediumtall vase and a box to transport bouquet. Members $5 at thedoor, non-members pay $20 which membership for 2018.Email jhansen@actnow.com or call 703-641-9637.

Beau Soir Concert. 4-5:30 at St. Andrew’s EpiscopalChurch, 6509 Sydenstricker Road, Burke. Known for theirexciting performance style and diverse programming, thisDC-based trio of flute, harp, and viola is dedicated to theperformance of standard and contemporary repertoirespanning a variety of musical genres. Reception to follow.Childcare provided. Free. Call 703-455-2500 or visitwww.standrews.net.

TUESDAY/FEB. 13Pancake Supper. 5:30-7 p.m. at Grace Presbyterian Church,

7434 Bath St., Springfield. Join Grace Presbyterian Churchfor a pancakes. In addition to eating

pancakes, there will be a pancake race. Call 703-451-2900 orvisit gracepresby.org.

“Sweatheart” Dance Party. 6:30-8:30 p.m. at MottCommunity Center, 12111 Braddock Road, Fairfax. FairfaxJazzercise and Fairfax Zumba host a double workout tocelebrate Valentine’s Day 6:30pm (Jazzercise) and 7:30 pm(Zumba) If you’ve never tried these workouts, come andtake a class for free.Wear workout clothes and shoes. Emailffxjazzercise@gmail.com or call 703-909-6449.

Genealogy In Depth. 7-9 p.m. at Burke Centre Library,5935 Freds Oak Road, Burke. The seminar sponsored by theBurke Historical Society and presented by Beach Carre willcenter on using tax and court/will/probate records in yourgenealogy research. Free. Visitwww.burkehistoricalsociety.org.

WEDNESDAY/FEB. 14Music Showcase. 7:30 p.m. at Epicure Cafe, 11104 Lee

Highway (at route 29), Fairfax. An evening of mini-concertswith guest host-producer Jay Keating. Performers includeDuane Siler and Feature Laurence Baer. $10 suggesteddonation goes to the featured act. Visit EpicureCafe.org formore.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY/FEB. 16-17“Loyal Heart.” Friday, 7 p.m.; Saturday, 1 p.m. at Woodson

High School, 9525 Main St., Fairfax. Woodson High seniorPaul Hardin has written a musical that tells the story ofyoung King Henry VIII, who jousted under the name SirLoyal Heart in 1511. Hardin composed 24 original songs,fully orchestrated for a 16-piece pit orchestra. Theperformances are free and open to the public. Contact PamHardin at 703-425-7896 or pamhardin@verizon.net or JoanBrown at jcbrown1@fcps.edu.

By David Siegel

The Connection

A fanciful world wherelove propelled bymusic can sometimesbe quite mad is arriv-

ing at the Center for the Artscourtesy of Virginia Opera. Anoperatic tale sung in English, “AMidsummer Night’s Dream” byBenjamin Britten is a vivid re-telling of William Shakespeare’splay about magic potions, mix-ups, sprites and spirits, alongwith a very special donkeycalled Bottom, a tricksternamed Puck and a group ofhumorous folk named “RudeMechanicals.”

As an opera, “A MidsummerNight’s Dream” is a productionthat through music and singingblurs the lines between fantasyand reality. Britten’s inventive,enchanting score was com-posed in 1960. It is one of themost produced operas in thepast decades. Britten’s musicalcomposition can be romanticfor its entangled love stores,ethereal for its vivid night-timeforest fantasy, and comic when-ever the Rude Mechanicals ap-pear in their spotlight.

In an interview,“Midsummer’s” stage directorMichael Shell suggested audi-ences will know the opera fromits Shakespearean roots. “Thisopera uses recognizable textand lines from the originalShakespeare play, though inslightly different order.”

The Virginia Opera produc-tion of “Midsummer” will usethe theater world as its setting.It is a place where reality andfantasy collide. “The journeythese characters take in ‘Mid-summer’ explores one of thethings that sets humans apart

from all other animals; our ca-pacity to love,” added Shell.“Love is blind. Love is irratio-nal and can frustrate. Yet the‘Midsummer’ characters seek it,desire it, and go after it withreckless abandon in scenes thatcan be silly and ridiculous aboutlove as a driving force.”

The opera has many physicalmovement qualities. The per-formers do more than stand anddeliver. The cast includes sev-eral returning Virginia Operaveterans. Soprano HeatherBuck sings the role of Tytania,the Queen of the Fairies. Bass-baritone Matthew Burns has thecomic role of Bottom andformer Virginia Opera HerndonFoundation Emerging Artists,David Blalock and Kristen Choireturn to sing the roles ofLysander and Hermia, respec-tively.

Joining this production willbe 16 students from theGovernor’s School for the ArtsVocal Music Department, underthe direction of Alan Fischerand Stephen Z. Cook.

Virginia Opera’s “A Midsum-mer Night’s Dream” will be any-thing but pastoral. It will be “ex-hilarating and lively, far fromstaid. Come see for yourself andperhaps recognize your ownyounger self in love,” addedShell. Consider yourself invited.

Virginia Opera presents“A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

Mystery and MagicalDreams at Mason Stage

Where & WhenVirginia Opera presents “A Mid-

summer Night’s Dream” at GeorgeMason University Center for the Arts,440 University Drive, Fairfax. Perfor-mances: Saturday, Feb. 17, at 8 p.m.and Sunday, Feb. 18 at 2 p.m. Tick-ets: $54, $90 and $110. Call888-945-2468 or visitwww.cfa.gmu.edu. Note: Sung inEnglish with projected Englishsupertitles. Pre-performance discus-sion 45 minutes before the curtainwith “Dr. Opera” Glenn Winters.

Heather Buck as Tytania in

Virginia Opera’s“A Midsummer

Night’s Dream.”

Photo by Ben Schill

Photography/Courtesy

of Virginia Opera

Calendar

Mobile ViewsOpening Feb. 4 and on exhibit until March 4, the Work-

house Arts Center will showcase an exhibit by artist, KathyStrauss. In her show, “Mobile Views” Strauss explores the ‘fineart’ of cellphone photography. She will be on hand to talkabout her work and the process she used at the opening re-ception on Saturday, Feb. 10, 6-9 p.m. in W-9 in the ArchesGallery at the Workhouse Arts Center. The Workhouse ArtsCenter is located at 9518 Workhouse Way, Lorton. Galleryhours are Monday-Friday: 11a.m.-7p.m.; Sunday: 12-5 p.m.Learn more about Strauss at www.imagewerks.net; the ArchesGallery at archesgallery.weebly.com/ and the Workhouse ArtsCenter at www.workhousearts.org.

Going My Way? by Kathy Strauss.

Springfield Connection ❖ February 8-14, 2018 ❖ 13www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Enjoy those hugs & kisses early!Make it Valentine’s Week!

9562 Old Keene Mill Rd., Burke•703-455-3100www.flowersnferns.com

Open Sunday,February 11th

Noon – 4 pm

flowers ‘n’ fernsflowers ‘n’ fernsflowers ‘n’ fernsflowers ‘n’ fernsflowers ‘n’ fernsflowers ‘n’ fernsflowers ‘n’ fernsflowers ‘n’ ferns

News

The Latino Engagement and AchievementFund (LEAF) awarded a $25,000 grant toEdu-Futuro, a nonprofit with offices in Ar-lington and Springfield. The grant will sup-port Edu-Futuro’s Emerging Leaders Pro-gram which targets the next generation ofleaders and professionals in the Latino com-munity.

Edu-Futuro empowers under-resourcedLatino and immigrant youth and their par-ents through education, leadership devel-

opment, and family engagement.The LEAF grant selection committee con-

sisted of six volunteer committee members,including LEAF’s founding advisors PatyFunegra and Diana Katz.

“We are thrilled to award Edu-Futuro withthis grant. They plan to develop a civic edu-cation curriculum that will continue to pro-duce results well into the future as theyexpand into more high schools in Fairfax,Arlington and other Northern Virginia coun-

Grant to Support Edu-Futuro’s Emerging Leaders Programties,” said Katz.

“Edu-Futuro also includes parents in theirprocess, so this grant will influence two gen-erations with one investment,” Katz stated.“It is wonderful to see LEAF fulfilling thepromise to support the Latino community,and we look forward to working with fu-ture applicants and learning how we canassist them,” said Funegra.

In April 2017 the Community Foundationfor Northern Virginia launched LEAF to pro-

mote and invest in the civic engagement,education, economic success, naturaliza-tion, health, leadership development,volunteerism, and advocacy of the Latinocommunity in the Metro DC region.

In 2017 the Community Foundationawarded more than $4.7 million in grantsand scholarships and reported $47 millionin managed philanthropic assets.

For more information visitwww.cfnova.org.

14 ❖ Springfield Connection ❖ February 8-14, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

The Community Foundation for Northern Virginiaannounced the launch of The Opportunity Index forNorthern Virginia, an interactive dashboard to serveas a data resource for community knowledge andstrategic philanthropic giving, and to help grow phi-lanthropy for the most economically disadvantagedpopulations. The data and accompanying report wereprepared by The Commonwealth Institute for FiscalAnalysis, a nonprofit think-tank that provides cred-ible, independent, and accessible information andanalyses of fiscal and economic issues with particu-lar attention to the impacts on low- and moderate-income persons. The Opportunity Index is availableto the public for free at www.cfnova.org/opportunityindex.

“The Community Foundation developed andlaunched the Opportunity Index to help our entireregion better define, and then act on, the biggestchallenges we face and the greatest opportunitieswe have,” said Eileen Ellsworth, Community Foun-dation President and CEO. “The data provides a com-mon understanding of the dynamics at work in ourregion, providing insights and trends to guide ourfuture work,” said Ellsworth.

Comprising several key indicators reflecting theregion’s economy, community health, civic life, andeducational outcomes, the Opportunity Index includesdata from 2000-2015 and will be updated annuallyto track changes and produce trend lines over time,advancing stakeholders’ understanding of the trueneeds of the region. The data is demographically, ju-risdictionally, ethnically and racially disaggregated to

shine a light on the reasons why some areas in North-ern Virginia have more opportunity than others.

Northern Virginia is a diverse, growing region witha well-educated population and strong economy.However, there are a growing number of families wholack access to affordable housing and educationalopportunities for their children. The data in this In-dex highlights trends that shine a light on these ar-eas of opportunity and inequality. The region is be-coming more diverse – in 2015, 47 percent of chil-dren in Northern Virginia lived in immigrant house-holds and people of color made up 48 percent ofresidents of the region’s five highest-population lo-calities, up from 35 percent in 2000. At the sametime, there are growing numbers of poor school-agedchildren, increased income inequality, and a widen-ing income gap between individuals of different ra-cial or ethnic backgrounds.

“I am thrilled that the Community Foundation forNorthern Virginia is taking this strong leadershipposition to monitor the health of the region and toquantify our most critical needs. The OpportunityIndex will be an invaluable resource for leaders frombusiness, government, community and nonprofit or-ganizations to determine how to invest in the region’sfuture. The dashboard serves as a ‘report card’ forour region and provides some indispensable data thatwill direct the future work of the Community Foun-dation, and help the region as a whole become evermore vibrant, inclusive and equitable,” said PaulLeslie, CEO of Dovel Technologies and CommunityFoundation board member.

Community Foundation LaunchesOpportunity Index for Northern Virginia

News

Springfield Connection ❖ February 8-14, 2018 ❖ 15www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

Nearly nine years into a “13 month totwo-year” prognosis, I can hardly believe mygood fortune. And though I rarely look a gift-oncologist in the stethoscope, I am happynonetheless to count my blessings as I con-tinue to look ahead rather than stress behind,and try not think about what was said andwhen.

At the initial “Team Lourie” meeting withmy oncologist, I was told that there was nocure for lung cancer. I could be treatedthough. As to whether I might live beyondtwo years, I remember my oncologistresponding to our desperate query by say-ing: “Could you be the one? Sure.”Reassuring it wasn’t, but hopeful? It sort ofwas.

As the years have passed and research intolung cancer has grown, an interim step to acure has evolved: treating lung cancer as achronic (has opposed to acute/dire) disease,similar to diabetes, as an example. Not as yetcurable, but manageable over a longer periodof time. A disease with which, I’m fond ofsaying, one can live. Live beyond the applica-ble word because, I have to tell you, at thebeginning of my treatment, based on whatmy oncologist had described, living was along way from what he was anticipating myoutcome would be. Nevertheless, I begantreatment the following week and the rest ishistory you regular readers have been privy tosince June of ‘09 when I first published a “ca-ncer” column (as I call them).

Feb. 20, 2018 will be nine years since myinternal medicine office called me at workwith the results of my previous week’s biopsy.He said the tumor was malignant. I rememberasking him what that meant. (Duh!). He saidhe’d rather let the oncologist answer anyquestions and referred me to the doctor, thesame doctor with whom I’ve been a patientall these years. Sure enough, a week later weheard the news: non-small cell lung cancer,stage IV. And I’ve been up to my whatsis inreal or imagined anxiety ever since.

And I’m still present and accounted for asare more and more of us previously-characterized-as-terminal, non-small cell lungcancer “diagnosees.” We are not just patientsany more. We are survivors, surviving longerthan ever before. We are not cured but nei-ther are we dying. Our treatments are modi-fied when the results warrant it and life con-tinues to go on. As much as a cure would be,and continues to be, the goal, life continues,relatively normally, for many of us. It’sunlikely however, that we’ll ever get out fromunderneath the weight of our cancer diagno-sis. Rather than dying from it though, we’renow able to live with it months/years longerthan many patients previously diagnosedwithin the disease.

So what’s the next step? Maybe a bigger,bouncier, longer step than before, but morethan likely, more of the same, moving for-ward, one step at a time. To one whose pre-sent was hardly a given nine years ago andwhose future seemed like a taken – away,being able now to actually live in the presentwithout fearing/forfeiting the future is theopposite scenario many of us lung cancerpatients, especially those of as staged as IV,ever imagined. Day by day was the best wecould muster.

Now we’re mustering months and yearsand living longer more fulfilling lives. We’renot victims anymore nor are we victimized byour circumstances. We’re advocating andbeing advocated for. We don’t exactly havelung cancer on the run, but we may have iton the trot. I don’t know if I’ll live to see acure but I have lived long enough to havegiven myself a nickname, one which I’m mostproud to have earned.

“Chronic Ken”Submit civic/community announcements at

ConnectionNewspapers.com/Calendar. Photos andartwork welcome. Deadline is Thursday at noon, atleast two weeks before event.

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATIONChild turning 5 years old by Sept.30? If so,

contact your child’s school to makearrangements for kindergarten enrollment. Mostschools begin getting information together nowfor parents of incoming kindergartners, andmany host an orientation or open house. Allkindergarten programs are full-day and locatedin FCPS elementary schools. Check your school’swebpage or contact the school directly forspecific enrollment information and dates oforientationor visit www.fcps.edu/registration/kindergarten-registration.

CAREGIVER WORKSHOPSLearn more about caregiving, or brush up on a

specific topic, in education programs this year atInsight Memory Care Center, including:

❖ Classes for Caregivers Series — offered thethird Wednesday of each month, programs aregeared with family caregivers in mind. Classesbegin with the basics, and move through morespecialized topics throughout the year.

❖ Wellness Workshops — offered quarterly onSaturdays, these workshops are designed forcaregivers to focus on their own health and well-being.

❖ Engagement Workshops — offered quarterlyon the fifth Wednesday of the month, theseworkshops teach practical caregiving skills.Come prepared to learn and get engaged.

❖ Caregiver Bootcamp — Short on time?Caregiver Bootcamp is a full day training sessionoffering many popular topics all in one place.Bootcamps are offered on a Saturday eachspring and fall.

Visit www.insightmcc.org for more.

THURSDAY/FEB. 8Award Nomination Deadline. 5 p.m. Nominate

a volunteer or volunteer group that has made apositive impact on the Fairfax Countycommunity at www.volunteerfairfax.org. TheFairfax County Volunteer Service Awards is acommunity-wide celebration of volunteerism.For a complete list of categories and guidelines,visit www.volunteerfairfax.org or call KristenMoore at Volunteer Fairfax at 703-246-3531.

Planning Commission Meeting. 7:30 p.m. atGovernment Center Auditorium, 12000Government Center Parkway, Fairfax. Topic:Proposed Goddard School. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/braddock.

FRIDAY/FEB. 9Section 504 - What Parents Need to Know.

10 a.m.-noon at Dunn Loring Center for ParentServices, 2334 Gallows Road, Entrance 1 - Room100, Dunn Loring. Learn how students with adisability may qualify for a Section 504 Planunder Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of1973, a federal civil rights law that prohibitsdiscrimination against individuals on the basis ofa disability. Kathy Murphy, FCPS Section 504Specialist will present this workshop and answeryour questions. Register at bit.ly/2E6X15C.

SATURDAY/FEB. 10Office Hours. Mount Vernon District Supervisor

Dan Storck will host Saturday office hours.Email mtvernon@fairfaxcounty.gov.

❖ 9-11:30 a.m.at Lorton Library, 9520 RichmondHighway, Lorton.

❖ 12:30-3 p.m. at the Mount Vernon district office,2511 Parkers Lane, Mount Vernon.

Town Hall Meeting. 9-11 a.m. at the City ofFairfax City Hall, Council Chamber, 10455Armstrong Street, Fairfax. Del. David Bulova (D-Fairfax) is will hold a Town Hall meeting for hisconstituents in the 37th House District. Bulovawill be joined by State Sen. Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax). All constituents are invited to sharetheir ideas and thoughts on issues that areimportant to the community. For moreinformation or to RSVP, contact 804-698-1037or Deldbulova@house.virginia.gov.

Stuff the Bus. 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at Shoppers -Fair City, 9622 Main St., Fairfax. SupportBritepaths’ Stuff the Bus food drive and help thefamilies they serve.

Bulletin

16 ❖ Springfield Connection ❖ February 8-14, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com