Santa Comes to Town for McLean’s WinterFest Paradeconnection.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/news/documents/2015/12/... McLean Connection December 9-15, 2015 1 Opinion, Page 6 Entertainment,

McLean Connection ❖ December 9-15, 2015 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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online at www.connectionnewspapers.comDecember 9-15, 2015

McLeanMcLean

Santa Comes toTown for McLean’sWinterFest Parade

Santa Comes toTown for McLean’sWinterFest Parade

News, Page 3

Chesterbrook Woods,Not Meadows

News, Page 7

Chesterbrook Woods,Not Meadows

News, Page 7

McLean Violinistwith ‘a Special Gift’News, Page 10

McLean Violinistwith ‘a Special Gift’News, Page 10

Santa was the last to make an appearance in the McLean’sseventh annual WinterFest parade on Sunday, Dec. 6.

HomeLifeStylePage 15

HomeLifeStyleHomeLifeStylePage 15

2 ❖ McLean Connection ❖ December 9-15, 2015 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com


McLean Connection Editor Kemal Kurspahic

703-778-9414 or [email protected]

By Caroline Watkins

The Connection

There were many drivers per-plexed this Sunday afternoonwhen they realized OldChain Bridge road was

blocked off by police…that is, until theysaw the sea of green and red that pooledinto the heart of town for McLean’s sev-enth annual WinterFest parade.

Musical performances, food trucksand Santa hats galore! Families andchildren of all ages convened for thepre-parade at 2:30 p.m. at the LangleyShopping Center for the festivities.Visitors were greeted with jazzy ren-ditions of classic holiday tunes pro-vided by Bob Rosenbaum on keyboardand the smell of hot chocolate waftingthrough the air. In addition to the hotchocolate donated by The McLean Bap-tist Church, the church displayed a Na-tivity scene complete with enthusias-

tic actors and live animals that enter-tained the children.

Those looking for something to pairwith their free hot chocolate, after ad-miring the biblical scene and bahh-inggoats, flocked to the three food truckslocated in the center of the shoppingcenter: Mama’s Donut Bites, Crepe Love,and California Sliders. Nutella crepesand sugary apple cider donuts managedto fill many bellies on the crisp Sundayafternoon.

With the exception of a few holidayscrooges, almost everyone’s toes weretapping to the musical performances bysome of McLean’s most spirited singers.The choirs of Westgate, Spring Hill, KentGardens and Franklin Sherman elemen-tary schools played festive tunes like“Jingle Bells” and “Santa Fever” for fami-lies on the crowded street. Over the seaof reindeer headbands and Santa hats,children could be seen swaying back andforth on the main stage, occasionally

Santa Comes to Town for McLean’sWinterFest Parade

McLean High School’s Marching Band was one of the most talked-aboutfeatured groups of the parade.

snapping in rhythm or giggling betweenverses.

At 3:30, Peggy Fox from WUSA Chan-nel 9 greeted the audience on the mainstage as she introduced the members ofthe parade. Local dancers, martial art-ists and the Girl and Boy Scouts accentedOld Chain Bridge Road in colorful uni-forms and costumes. Even local and stateofficials participated in the fun, wavingto the crowds while cloaked in holidaycolors.

One of youngsters’ favorite membersof the parade was Mrs. McLean, a “reallife princess!” according to the transfixedgirls who crowded the street curbs tocatch a glimpse at the town’s “royalty.”

Santa’s cameo on a giant red fire trucksignaled the end of McLean’s 2015WinterFest. Missed out on all of the holi-day fun? It’s never too late to do someChristmas caroling or break out theeggnog…the holiday season has only be-gun in 22101.

Franklin Sherman Elementary’s Chorus.Noor Amin, Cameron Carroll, Ellie Kline, Ella Heilbraun and Erin Bennettof Kent Gardens Elementary’s fifth and sixth grade chorus.

Claire Guion, Allison Kelley, James Augustand Justin Kelley dressed up for McLeanBaptist Church’s live Nativity scene, com-plete with actors and live farm animals.

Bob Rosenbauman played festive tunes onthe piano before the parade began.

Old Chain Bridge Road was closed down for the parade, allowing gueststo enjoy the musical performances and food trucks.

News

Photos by Caroline Watkins/The Connection


News

All are welcome and invited to enjoy thesounds of the season and the joy of themanger on Friday, Dec. 11, from 6:30 to8:30 p.m., at Redeemer Lutheran Church,1545 Chain Bridge Road, Mclean. There isno charge to attend, and it is open to the

entire community, so bring your whole fam-ily, neighbors, and friends to get into theChristmas spirit.

Children are invited to put on angel orshepherd costumes, and visit the live ani-mals, maybe pet a bunny or baby lamb.

At 7:30 p.m., everyone is invited insideto experience a concert of many choirs -adult, children and bell choirs.

The concert can be enjoyed by music lov-ers of all ages, children are welcome.

You can also sing along with favorite

Christmas Carols.After the wonder of the starry night warm

up inside with complimentary hot choco-late, a treat from the Bake Sale, and themusic of Mouries Violin Trio playing holi-day selections.

Redeemer Lutheran Church to Host Annual Living Nativity and Christmas Concert

By Ken Moore

The Connection

The Board of Supervisors is atpeace with the county’s newNoise Ordinance.

“Believe it or not, thatpasses,” said Board of Supervisors ChairmanSharon Bulova.

On the Nov. 17 meeting of the Board ofSupervisors, the board adopted a new NoiseOrdinance. The new ordinance becomeseffective on Feb. 17, 2016.

“There were times during this process thatI thought we would never get to this point.Let me tell you, there are competing needs,issues all over the place as to what is toonoisy, what is not noisy, about what isneeded and what is not,” she said.

In June, the board had deferred actionon the proposed changes to the county’snoise ordinance in June until Nov. 17, 2015.

“It was a very productive evolutionthrough five cycles of revisions,” saidDranesvile District Supervisor John Foust.“We negotiated this thing for so long.”

“We’re not totally where I want to be, butthis is a significantly improved product andsomething I can vote for,” he said.

Sully District Supervisor Michael Freyspearheaded the board’s efforts and thanked

county staff. “They’ve managed to grasp thethings we were trying to codify,” said Frey.

The board delayed the effective date ofimplementation of the new ordinance toFebruary in order to provide time for stafftraining, to update county websites, and toassist staff in understanding the new regu-lations, according to county documents.

The board will revisit the impact of thenoise ordinance and its effectiveness in 18months to determine what might need tobe tweaked for the long run.

“I’m not happy with everything that is inhere, but at this point I’m prepared to sup-port it, but appreciate that we can revisitit,” said Springfield District Supervisor PatHerrity.

Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay saysthe outcome makes the ordinance mucheasier to enforce.

“This turned into something entirely dif-ferent from where it started. I also agreethat this wasn’t intended to address everynoise issue,” said McKay, “but at the end ofthe day it makes for better enforcement andmakes it a lot more clear which made thenoise ordinance difficult to enforce.”

OVERALL GOALS of the proposed NoiseOrdinance is to recognize that there willalways be certain levels of noise that occur

in the normal course of daily living; to al-low certain levels of daytime noise so thatpeople can live, work and play during theday; and to minimize noise at night so resi-dents have an appropriate quiet environ-ment in their homes at night.

More than 30 speakers testified at a pub-lic hearing last May on the noise ordinance.

“When babies cannot sleep, when the eld-erly cannot rest, when a voice teacher can-not instruct, when a family cannot share ameal together on their patio, when a ho-meowner has to close her windows andmove to another part of the house just tomake a telephone call, when a cancer pa-tient cannot recuperate and rest in her yardbecause music is amplified in the neighbor-hood at intrusive levels, then we knowsomething is not right with life in FairfaxCounty,” said Joyce Harris of McLean.

Sheila Casey, of Reston, said she can hearmowers on a nearby golf course beforedawn with maintenance crews sometimesusing headlights on lawnmowers before 5a.m. “All I know is when those lawn mow-ers are running, I can turn on my air condi-tioning, I can put in my earplugs, and I stillhear the noise,” she said.

Other speakers included: Greg Budnikwho discussed helicopter noise from train-ing runs at Fort Belvoir; Mark Grove ofFairfax whose wife was recuperating fromcancer treatment and had to contend withmusic from a supermarket across the streetthat had permits to play music until 11 p.m.;Keith Elgin, worship director of Vine Church

in Dunn Loring, who wants to create eventssuch as outdoor movies and concerts dur-ing the summer months; to neighbors inReston who say they can not get relief fromnoise of nearby dog parks; to those who taketheir dogs to dog parks to spare neighborsfrom noise.

AMPLIFIED MUSIC from loudspeakers atschools during athletic practices and pre-game festivities took center stage.

Fairfax County Public Schools will replaceloudspeakers at McLean High School withregulators to ensure that they are properlycalibrated.

The school system is finalizing regulatoryguidelines so athletic directors know exactlywhat needs to be done to keep harmonywith neighborhoods in proximity with theschools.

“That’s a big deal, and let’s make surewhen that agreement is formally adoptedthat we keep it with our noise ordinance,”said Bulova.

Other topics of major concern addresseddog parks, trash pickups from commercialshopping centers next to neighborhoods,and lawn maintenance.

Fairfax and other Virginia governmentshad to rewrite their noise ordinance as aresult of a Virginia Supreme Court decisionoverturning the ordinance in Virginia Beach,according to county documents.

For more, see http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpz/zoning/noiseordinance/

County passes new noise ordinance,will revisit effectiveness in 18 months.

Quiet Riot: ‘C’mon Feel the Noise’

The whole community is invited to attend the Annual Living Nativity andChristmas Concert at the Redeemer Lutheran Church in McLean on Dec.11, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Photos contributed

Shawna Tunnell, of McLean, and her son Jordan at the RedeemerLutheran Church’s Living Nativity and Christmas Concert.



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WriteThe Connection welcomes views on any public issue.

The deadline for all material is noon Friday. Letters must be signed.Include home address and home and business numbers. Letters areroutinely edited for libel, grammar, good taste and factual errors.

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By e-mail: [email protected]

To the Editor:In this vituperative political age

of partisanship, it is no wonder that86 percent of voters disapprove ofCongress, a body in which the na-tional good seems to be trumpedby political ideology, grandstand-ing, name-calling, pandering, anddistortion of the truth—all ofwhich gets in the way of common-sense governance.

Some of this elbowing justifiablybegins with legitimate differencesof opinion. How big should thegovernment be? How much shouldthe government regulate? Whatshould be our national position onsocial issues such as abortion, gaymarriage or gun regulation? Whattrade-offs are we willing to acceptto protect ourselves from terror-ists? How do we respond to theincome gap between rich andpoor? How do we stimulate jobgrowth and deal with compensa-tion for work? How robust shouldour military be? How should ourhealth care system be structured?Answers to these and multipleother complex questions often startwith our values, our history, andour notions of fairness.

Like most of us, I have strongfeelings about how best to proceed

on many of these issues. At thesame time, I recognize that othershave very different but equallyimpassioned views. Our politicalprocess is supposed to be aboutsorting out differences like these.The majority of us presumablyhope we could marshal at leastsome civility as we struggle to finda way forward that is in our na-tional best interest. The goal formost of us, it would seem basedon the record of Congressionalapproval, is for Congress to giveus outcomes that work.

Sometimes, however, an issuecomes along that so defies com-mon sense and incontrovertiblefact that it should make open-minded people wonder if Congresscan resolve anything. Who wouldimagine that despite dire warningsfrom virtually every climate scien-tist in the world, a majority ofmembers of the House of Repre-sentatives would vote to embarrassthe United States during theworld’s most important conferenceon climate change by voting tolimit the Environmental ProtectionAgency on its rules to lower powerplant emissions? The evidence thatour world’s climate is rapidlychanging in ways that will lower

the life-expectancy of our childrenis overwhelming. And yet the ma-jority of our elected representativesin the House, driven apparently bynarrow party ideology, has actuallyimpeded solutions. Do campaigncontributions from carbon indus-tries and other special interestshave anything to do with it?

Those members of Congress (in-cluding, regrettably, our own rep-resentative in the 10th Congres-sional District of Virginia) whovote to trivialize or combat thisissue, are putting their credibilityand judgment on the line for deal-ing with almost any issue and

thus, I would hazard, are riskingtheir endorsement from us, thevoters, to hold their seats. Theirincomprehensible votes on cli-mate change help to explain whywe think so little of Congress andparticularly so little of the Houseof Representatives. Climatechange is an issue in which thestakes are so clear-cut and thefacts so convincing that thereshould be no hesitation aboutmoving forward with the enthu-siastic backing of our elected rep-resentatives in both parties.

Jonathan FisherGreat Falls

Climate Scientists Warnings Go Unheeded in CongressLetters to the Editor

Opinion

The holiday party season is here, andwe will almost all be celebrating insome way. Some ways will involvecelebrations that include alcohol.

It’s up to you to make a plan to get homesafely.

Plan to bring a designated driver. Plan toparty (and live) where you can take publictransportation. Plan to celebrate at home orsomeplace where you can spend the night. Planto abstain.

And if all of that fails, the Washington Re-gional Alcohol Project has a safety netfor you.

WRAP, a local nonprofit organization,will offer free cab rides to would-beimpaired drivers throughout Northern Virginiaduring the winter holidays.

The annual Holiday SoberRide program willoperate nightly from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. start-ing Friday, Dec. 11, 2015, and continuing un-til Thursday, Jan. 1, 2016 as a way to keeplocal roads safe from impaired drivers duringthis traditionally high-risk, holiday period.

During these times, area residents 21 andover, celebrating with alcohol can call the toll-free SoberRide phone number 1-800-200-TAXIfor a no-cost (up to $30 fare), safe way home.Callers will be responsible for fare amounts

over $30.WRAP also offers free cab rides for other

holidays, including Halloween, IndependenceDay, Cinco de Mayo, and more.

Concerns about consequences of drivingunder the influence are well founded.

In Fairfax County in 2014 there were 740alcohol-related crashes, which included 12 al-cohol related fatalities and 476 alcohol relatedinjuries. (Overall in Fairfax County in 2014,there were 13,680 total crashes including 32fatalities and 7,649 injuries.)

In 2014, there were no fatal vehicu-lar accidents in the City of Alexandria.But of the 1,777 total crashes, 99 werealcohol-related; and of the 757 injuries

in crashes, 60 were alcohol-related.In Arlington in 2014, there were 235 alco-

hol related crashes, with two alcohol-relatedfatalities and 78 alcohol related injuries. (Over-all in Arlington in 2014, there were 2,469 withfive fatalities and 1,094 injuries.)

In 2013, 10,076 people were killed in alco-hol-impaired driving crashes, accounting fornearly one-third of all traffic-related deaths inthe United States, according to the CDC. Tensof thousands more were injured. Holidays leadto an increase in impaired driving, the Christ-mas through New Year season in particular.

Since 1993, WRAP’s SoberRide program hasprovided more than 63,000 free cab rides hometo would-be drunk drivers in the Greater Wash-ington area.

We know that many young people over 21are living at home with parents, or will be vis-iting for the holidays. Parents, be brave. Havea conversation with your children, whetherthey are under or over 21. Be sure those over21 have a plan, and are equipped with theSoberRide number.

SoberRide is not available for underagedrinkers, but parents still should talk to theirchildren about their plans, and tell them outloud that you expect them not to drive im-paired and not to get into a car with an im-paired driver. Tell them to call you, and you’llcome get them if necessary.

The consequences and vulnerabilities ofdrinking to excess are significant, more so forunderage drinkers and young adults, even be-yond drinking and driving. Don’t let the op-portunity to talk about it pass you by.

— Mary Kimm

[email protected]

It’s an opportunity to talk about responsibility,alcohol and planning ahead.

Safety Net for Holiday CelebrationsSafe Ride Home

WRAP’s 2015 Holiday SoberRide program will beoffered from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. nightly from Dec. 11,2015 to Jan. 1, 2016. To receive a free cab ride home(up to a $30 fare), call 800-200-8294 (TAXI). You mustbe 21 or older to use the SoberRide service. Seewww.SoberRide.com.

Editorial


News

By Ken Moore

The Connection

More than 225 people inMcLean’s ChesterbrookWoods have signed its citi-zens association’s Tree

Canopy Petition, demanding that FairfaxCounty enforce the county’s Tree Ordi-nance.

“As a resident of the Chesterbrook Woodscommunity, I highly value our beautifultrees and I believe that all reasonable ef-forts should be made to preserve our treecanopy. It has taken nature many decadesto provide us with our tree canopy but ittakes a builder only a few hours to destroyit,” according to the petition, organized byNeil Ende, chairman of the ChesterbrookWoods Citizens Association’s Environmen-tal Committee.

“I am greatly disturbed by the increase ininfill development projects where housesare razed and most if not all of the treesare removed from a property, particularlywhere it is clear that some of the trees arebeing removed merely for the convenience

of the builder and could be saved.”Ende made the petition available online

in October.More than 200 people have signed the

petition online, sparing the use of paper inthe process.

“It is essential that the public be madeaware of what is occurring,” he said.

Many Chesterbrook Woods residents saytheir community was named so for a rea-son.

“Keep our canopy. It is one of the mostunique things about this neighborhood,”wrote Richard B. Harris, of McLean, whosigned the petition.

Rachel Deutsch also signed. “When wewere looking at houses to buy in 2002 wewere sold on our Chesterbrook Woods homeby the beauty of the neighborhood with treelined streets,” she wrote. “Please save ourtrees and save the personality of our neigh-borhood.”

“We live in a beautiful neighborhood thathas many beautiful trees that are beingtaken down by developers when they buildnew homes. It would be so easy to workaround the old trees that are so necessary

for healthy living,” wrote Nancy Stansberry.Hope R. Hsu asked what the neighbor-

hood would look like if this happened toeach and every house.

“What if all the houses in McLean weretorn down, trees bulldozed, and new 7,000-plus square-foot homes went up?” shewrote.“What if there were no trees, andeach huge house was spitting distance fromthe other? Would you want to live in a townlike that?” she asked.

THE PETITION CONTINUES.“I understand that the Chesterbrook

Woods Citizens Association’s Environmen-tal Committee does not believe that FairfaxCounty is enforcing applicable tree conser-vation ordinances and the absence of en-forcement is resulting in a substantial andunnecessary loss of our historic treecanopy,” according to the petition. “I sup-port the efforts of the CWCA Environmen-tal Committee, in coordination with otherlocal homeowners associations, to ensurethat all applicable tree conservation ordi-nances are fully enforced by the County andto work for legislation giving the Countygreater authority to protect the tree canopy.”

“People live in this neighborhood becausethey appreciate the beauty of the trees,” saidEnde. “People are expressing extreme con-cerns about this. There are environmental

quality issues and there are frankly issuesabout abiding by the law.”

Local authorities have limited authorityin Virginia, a Dillon Rule state, where lo-calities have only the power specificallygiven to them by the General Assembly.

Although Virginia adopted a Tree Preser-vation Ordinance in 2008, the authorityFairfax County has is “very limited.”

Mary Jane Gallagher wrote that shemoved to Chesterbrook Woods 18 years ago“for the beautiful, tall trees.”

“We plan to be here another 20 years andbelieve it is up to our county and state govern-ments to protect our environment,” she said.

McLean neighborhood petitions for strongerprotection of trees from infill development.

Chesterbrook Woods, Not MeadowsThe Petition

See http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/petition-to-save-mclean-tree-canopy

Why This MattersMost new development in established

neighborhoods in McLean and Great Falls willproceed as “infill” development. McLean CitizensAssociation and Great Falls Citizens Associationwill monitor new development and its impact onthe environment and quality of life.

Great Falls Citizens Associationwww.gfca.org

McLean Citizens Associationwww.mcleancitizens.org


Faith

“It really is sort of an otherworldly experience.”That’s how the Reverend Aaron Fulp-Eickstaedt de-scribed his family’s 50-day, 500-mile walk acrossSpain on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage trail.

Pastor Fulp-Eickstaedt and his spouse, the Rever-end Judith Fulp-Eickstaedt, are now back in theirrespective pulpits at Immanuel Presbyterian Churchin McLean and Trinity Presbyterian Church in Ar-lington, sharing their insights and adventures withtheir congregations.

Pastor Aaron said their sabbatical walk “helped meto think outside the box by engaging our imagina-tions along the way. Good literature does it. So doesgood religion. And even, at least occasionally, does agood long walk.” At a joint welcome home dinner atTrinity Church, Pastor Judith described the experi-ence as a unique opportunity to rest, recuperate andreflect.

Surprises along the trail: Most Spanish breakfasts,lunches and dinners for Camino walkers includedservings of ham (Pastor Aaron: “Is it strange to dreamabout vegetables?”). Some of the family’s lastingmemories are of the fellow pilgrims they met as theywalked: A French customs officer; a Danish profes-sor and his high school teacher wife; and a man theycalled “John the Bear Chaser” whose occupation atYosemite National Park was to induce bears to stayaway from areas also frequented by humans in thepark.

Pastor Aaron says “people can feel a pretty quickand deep bond with each other when they go throughsomething like this. It’s the empathy and easy laugh-ter that do it, I think. That and the conversationsabout meaningful things.”

For the Fulp-Eickstaedts’ two daughters, Rebeccaand Martha, the Camino walk offered a chance forquality time and deep conversations with their par-ents, both of whom have demanding work sched-ules. Their father describes the time away from workresponsibilities as “an opportunity to nourish myspirituality.”

The Immanuel Presbyterian and Trinity Presby-terian Churches are two of only 140 congregationsnationwide to have received Lilly EndowmentClergy Renewal Programs grants for pastoral sab-baticals this year.

The Unitarian UniversalistCongregation of Fairfax willhold ”From Newtown to New Hope:An Interfaith Memorial Service” onMonday, Dec. 14 at 7:30 p.m. at2709 Hunter Mill Road, Oakton.Clergy and community leaders fromFairfax County and beyond willgather to honor the 90,000 victims ofgun violence and to call for people offaith to renew their commitment toending gun violence at an InterfaithMemorial Service. 703-281-4230.

Celebrate Advent and Christ-mas at Trinity United MethodistChurch, 1205 Dolley Madison Blvd.,McLean. Weekly worship is Sundaysat 8:30 and 10:30 a.m.; Wednesdaysat noon. Holiday events include:

Sunday, Dec. 13, Children’s Musi-cal, 10:30 a.m. service.

Sunday, Dec. 20, Lessons and Car-ols, 10:30 a.m. service.

Thursday, Dec. 24, Christmas Eve,5 p.m. family service; 8 p.m., Candle-light and Communion; 11 a.m.,Candlelight and Communion.www.imtrinity.org.

HAVEN of Northern Virginiaoffers a variety of free bereavementsupport groups, meeting on a weeklybasis. 703-941-7000 orwww.havenofnova.org.

McLean Bible Church FitnessClass at Body & Soul Fitness. Gainbalance, energy and strength at 9:45a.m. Mondays and Fridays. Freechildcare for registered students.

[email protected].

St. Dunstan’s EpiscopalChurch, 1830 Kirby Road inMcLean, holds a third Sunday serviceevery month at 10:15 a.m. which al-lows children to play active roles inthe music and as greeters and ushers.Traditional services are every Sun-day at 8:15 and 10:15 a.m.

Chesterbrook United Meth-odist Church is at 1711 KirbyRoad, McLean. Worship service is at11 a.m. Sunday school is at 9:30 a.m.for adults and children. 703-356-7100 orwww.ChesterbrookUMC.org.

The Jewish Federation ofGreater Washington and theJewish Outreach Institute offerthe Mothers/Parents Circle, an um-brella of free educational events andresources. Jewish rituals, ethics andthe creation of a Jewish home, regu-lar meetings and group Shabbats andholidays.

Trinity United MethodistChurch, 1205 Dolley MadisonBlvd., McLean. Sunday worship ser-vices are at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m.Sunday School for adults is at 9:30a.m. and for children during the10:30 a.m. worship service. YouthGroup for grades 7-12 meets Sun-days at 6 p.m. A 20-minute service ofHoly Communion is held eachWednesday at noon. 703-356-3312or umtrinity.org.

Faith Notes

Faith Notes are for announcements and events in the faith community.Send to [email protected]. Deadline is Friday.Area Pastors Return to Their Pulpits After Walk Across Spain

Photo contributed

The Reverend Aaron Fulp-Eickstaedt andhis his family during their 50-day, 500-mile walk across Spain on the Camino deSantiago pilgrimage trail.


News

U.S. Rep. GerryConnolly (D-11),working with TysonsPartnership and the

U.S. Postal Service, secured theformal rebranding of the U.S. PostOffice building on Spring HillRoad in Tysons. Previously labeledas “West McLean Post Office,” thebuilding at 1533 Spring Hill Roadis now officially named, “Tysons /West McLean, Tysons VA 22102.New signage will be installed im-mediately.

The news was announced Dec.2, at the annual shareholdersmeeting of Tysons Partnership,held at Convene Conference Cen-ter in central Tysons. “One hun-dred sixty five years ago, Tysonswas known as ‘Peach Grove, Va.,’and had a post office at the inter-section of Route 123 and Route 7,”said Barry Mark, vice-chairman ofTysons Partnership and vice presi-dent of Capital One. “We now havea modern post office named afterour emerging new city; a great tes-tament to the work we are doingto build a vibrant community.”

“Tysons is a Boom Town,” saidSharon Bulova, chairman of theFairfax County Board of Supervi-sors, and a speaker at the Partner-

ship meeting. “It is very gratifyingto see the Comprehensive Plan forTysons develop in this positivemanner. I salute the Tysons Part-nership for its leadership.”

The United States Census Bu-reau last month officially pro-claimed that the name of Tysons is“Tysons, VA.” The word “Corner”is officially dropped and will nolonger be used. Census public-fac-ing geographic products will reflectthe change beginning in summer2016, and the Census will workwith the U.S. Board on GeographicNames [BGN] at the U.S. Geologi-cal Survey [USGS] to update theirdatabases so that all federal map-ping agencies reflect the newname. Finally, other data users,including mapping companies suchas Google, Bing, Apple, MapQuest,TomTom, etc. will update their sys-tems over the next several months,based on the Census action.

Tysons is a Census DesignatedPlace [“CDP”] encompassing2,100 acres bounded on the northby the Dulles Toll Road [Rt 267]and the Capital Beltway [I-495];bounded on the southeastern sideby Magarity Road, and on thesouthwestern side by Gallows andOld Courthouse roads.

Tysons Gets NewName, Post Office

Ten companies in Fairfax Countywere honored as Best Workplacesfor Commuters. “Promoting alter-nate ways to work, and policiessuch as teleworking and flex time,help make Fairfax County a betterplace to live and work by reduc-ing congestion on our roadways,”said Fairfax County Department ofTransportation Director TomBiesiadny. “We are pleased thatFairfax County is leading the na-tion in “Best Workplace” designa-tions and are committed to con-tinuing to expand this programsin years to come.”

This year’s recipients are:Horizon Industries Limited

(8245 Boone Blvd., Vienna)Prosperity Metro Plaza (2675

Prosperity Ave., Fairfax)FUTREND (8605 Westwood

Center Drive, Vienna)U. S. Geological Survey (12201

Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston)Kimley-Horn (11400 Commerce

Park Drive, Reston)Freddie Mac (multiple locations

in Tysons and Herndon)Synaptek Corporation (1818 Li-

brary St., Reston)National Student Clearinghouse

(2300 Dulles Station Blvd.,Herndon)

FOX Architects LLC (8484Westpark Drive, McLean)

Pyramid Systems Inc. (2677Prosperity Ave., Fairfax)

The BWC designation acknowl-edges employers who have ex-celled in implementing green com-muter programs such asridesharing, transit benefits, bik-ing and walking, teleworking, al-ternate work schedules and otherstrategies.

Since 2010, Fairfax County haspartnered with the National Cen-ter for Transit Research on the BestWorkplaces for Commuters pro-gram to designate 57 local orga-nizations with this elite, nationalrecognition. Follow #FairfaxBWCon Twitter for more informationon program updates and eventshere in Fairfax County.

For more information on FairfaxCounty’s commuter programs andresources, go towww.fairfaxcounty.gov/fcdot//news/trytransit.htm or contactFairfax County Department ofTransportation at 703-877-5600,TTY 711.

Fairfax County Companies Designated asBest Workplaces for Commuters

For a free digi-tal subscriptionto one or allof the 15ConnectionNewspapers,go towww.connectionnewspapers.com/subscribe

Be the first toknow – get yourpaper before ithits the press.

Complete digitalreplica of theprint edition,including photosand ads, deliv-ered weeklyto your e-mailbox.

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10 ❖ McLean Connection ❖ December 9-15, 2015 McLean Connection ❖ December 9-15, 2015 ❖ 11www.ConnectionNewspapers.com www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

By Marissa Beale

The Connection

Thirteen-year-old MasatoChang from McLean re-cently won the Music

Teachers National Association(MTNA) Competition for hiscategory on the violin, in Vir-ginia. This makes him one of thehighest-scoring string playersfor his category.

While he was introduced tothe violin at age five, he did notbecome serious about it until afew years later.

“He was very inspired by hiscousin,” said his mother, MichiChang. “His cousin went toJames Madison University on afull scholarship for his violinplaying. That really inspired myson and he really wanted to bejust like him.”

For the past year and a half,Chang has been a student at theHorman Violin Studio, run byviolinist Amy Beth Horman. “Heis an absolute marvel on the vio-lin having started at only eightor nine, which, by violin stan-dards, is fairly late,” said AmyBeth Horman. “This recent winranks him as the highest scor-ing string player in Virginia inhis age group and he will now

go to the next round, whichmeans traveling with our pianistto compete in January toFlorida.”

He previously performed atCarnegie Hall when he was 12,after placing second at theAmerican Protégé Competition.

“He does things on his ownthat aren’t even taught,” ex-plained Brad Clark, who hasaccompanied hundreds ofyoung musicians on the piano,including Chang. “The way heconnects with people when heis playing is very unusual. Hehas a special gift.”

During this past summer,Chang traveled to Tuscany, Italyfor the Interharmony Interna-tional Music Festival, where hestudied with Julliard professor,Shirley Givens.

“[He] received great train-ing,” said his mother. Howeverthe environment was demand-ing. Orchestra rehearsals ran aslate as midnight or 1 a.m. “Hehad solos, private lessons, trioclasses and chamber classes.The majority of kids in this campare college students,” she con-tinued.

Chang practices for roughly

Masato Chang of McLeanadvances in the Music TeachersNational Association Competition.

A Violinist with‘a Special Gift’

Photo courtesy of the Horman Violin Studio

Masato Chang, 13, recently won the Music teachersNational Association Competition for his age categoryon the violin. He is preparing Bach, Concerto No. 2 inE major, Allegro; Saint-Saens, Introduction and RondoCapriccioso; and Tchaikovsky, Melodie for the MTNAJanuary 2016 competition set to take place in Florida.

News

By Andrea Worker

The Connection

Members of theNorthern VirginiaTransportationAuthority (NVTA)

chose an appropriate location toannounce the launch of theorganization’s TransAction updateefforts last week. NVTA chairmanMartin Nohe, a supervisor on thePrince William County Board of Su-pervisors, and Sharon Bulova,chairman of the Fairfax CountyBoard of Supervisors and a mem-ber of the NVTA, met with othertransportation agency representa-tives and members of the media ina gravel-filled construction stagingarea alongside the interchange be-tween Route 7 and the Dulles TollRoad. In the months to come, theground they stood on will be trans-formed into a major component ofa roadway expansion and improve-ment project in the heavily traf-ficked area.

IN AUGUST, NVTA began a majorupdate to TransAction 2040, theplans developed to address trans-portation in Northern Virginiathrough the year 2040. It is the firstupdate to the plan since the pas-sage of HB 2313 by the VirginiaLegislature in 2013, the bill thatprovided the region with a sustain-able, dedicated revenue stream ofmore than $300 million annuallywith which to tackle the transpor-

tation problems of the nine juris-dictions that are covered by theNVTA.

Many residents in those jurisdic-tions don’t know that NVTA has acomprehensive, long-range trans-portation strategy. A recently com-pleted survey, commissioned by theNVTA as part of the update, re-vealed that only 8 percent of North-ern Virginians were aware of theexistence of TransAction. “In fact,”said Nohe, “the number may beeven lower,” since he believes thatsome respondents may have an-swered that they were aware of theplan “without really knowing whatit’s all about.” Some might not evenknow about the NVTA itself. Theseare two omissions of knowledgethat Nohe and the NVTA have plansto remedy.

A new, interactive website is stepone of the NVTA’s endeavor to edu-cate the public and will include a

number of “avenues to participate”in the process. Both the NVTA’s website, www.thenovaauthority.org,and the new site,www.NVTAtransaction.org provideeasy-to-read documents that de-scribe and track the organization’smany projects, either completed, inprogress, or on the books.

Next will be a major outreachcampaign. NVTA staff will be head-ing out, armed with tablets, to “theplaces where people live, work,and play,” said Nohe, educating,but more importantly, gatheringinput from constituents. The NVTAcan speak with one voice on behalfof Northern Virginians, but Noheand Bulova acknowledged thattransportation problems and po-tential solutions were not necessar-ily “one-size fits all” across Plan-ning District Eight, from rural por-tions of Loudoun County to thecongestion faced by residents of

Arlington, or from Metrorail usersto drivers on the choked major ar-teries connecting the region. Inputfrom all areas is essential to thesuccess of any plans and critical tomeeting the authority’s mandate.

THE UPDATE process is expectedto last about two years, targetedfor completion in late summer/early fall of 2017. When adopted,the final version of the update willbe known simply as TransActionand it will guide the NVTA’s SixYear Program, covering FY2018-2023, and allocating over $1 bil-lion to multi-modal transportationimprovements during that period.

Bulova urged citizens to visitboth websites, to review the find-ings of the survey and to providefeedback. “It’s my core belief,” shesaid, “that a well-informed andeducated community is a well-served community.”

Northern VirginiaTransportationAuthority launcheswork on a six-yearTransActionprogram.

Transportation Strategy Update Launched

Photos by Andrea Worker/The Connection

From left: Martin Nohe, chairman of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority,launches the update of the organization’s TransAction transportation plans for theregion with Authority member and Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of SupervisorsSharon Bulova. Dr. Dee Allsop, CEO of Heart+Mind Strategies, was available for ques-tions regarding the survey his company conducted for NVTA as part of the update pro-cess.

McLean Woman’s Club Kicks Off49th Annual Holiday Homes TourA ribbon-cutting ceremony kicked off the McLean Woman’sClub’s 49th annual Holiday Homes Tour on Dec. 3 at historicPleasant Grove Church in McLean, the location of a specialboutique that was part of the tour. Homes Tour chairmanCarol Bonney cut the symbolic ribbon. Pictured from left areWoman’s Club president Joan Morton, Tour chairman CarolBonney, Boutique chairman Carol Danzeisen, McLean Cham-ber of Commerce chairman Marcia Twomey, Homes Tour co-chairman Doris Hoehn and Honorary Homes Tour host BillDuBose. All indications were that the tour was one of theclub’s most successful.

—Laura Sheridan

See Violinist, Page 13

SHILLELAGHS TRAVEL CLUB100 East Street SE, Suite 202 • Vienna, Virginia 22180

703-242-2204 1-800-556-8646Please visit our Web site at: www.shillelaghtravelclub.com

for a listing of all our upcoming trips and socials.

Celebratingour 50th

Anniversary

Sunny Florida via Motorcoach from Vienna or Rockville • January. 8-19.$2599Includes coach transportation, 11 nights hotel, daily breakfast,3 dinners, 2 lunches, Sightseeing, Call for Details.

Bermuda Cruise from Baltimore • May. 7-12..................................................$475Includes 5-nights cruise on RCCL’s Grandeur of the Seas. With all meals &entertainment.

Azalea Festival in Norfolk • April. 21-24..........................................................$650Includes Motorcoach from Vienna or Rockville, 3-nights hotel in VA Beach, Dailybreakfast & dinner, Sightseeing, reserved seating at parade, Virginia Intl. TattooShow – Call for details.

Award-WinningAward-

Winning

E-mail [email protected] for more information.

Newspapers & Online703-778-9431

www.ConnectionNewspapers.com/Advertising

SPECIAL CONNECTIONS CALENDARAdvertising Deadlines are the previous Thursday unless noted.

DECEMBER12/23/2015....................Special Issue – Safe for the Holidays12/30/2015...........................................Children’s ConnectionJANUARY1/6/2016..............................Wellbeing, Renewal, Resolutions1/13/2016..........................................................HomeLifeStyleMartin Luther King Jr. Day is Jan. 181/20/2016...............................................A+ Camps & Schools1/27/2016....................................................Community Guide


Calendar

See Calendar, Page 13

Send announcements to [email protected]. Deadline isFriday for the following week’s paper.Photos/artwork encouraged.

WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY/DEC. 9-13Conservatory Ballet’s “The

Nutcracker.” Check for times.Reston Communinty Center, 2310Colts Neck Road, Reston. More than85 area students make holiday magiccome to life performing inConservatory Ballet’s 43rd annualproduction of The Nutcracker.www.restoncommunitycenter.com.703-476-4500.

THURSDAY/DEC. 10Face Painting. 5:30-9 p.m.

Meadowlark, 9750 MeadowlarkGardens Court, Vienna. Children willenjoy festive snowflakes, snowmenand other holiday face paintingimages. Free. http://winterwalkoflights.com. 703-255-3631.

My First Book Club. 4:30 p.m. DolleyMadison Library, 1244 Oak RidgeAvenue, McLean. Each month we willread a book and participate inactivities and crafts related to thestory. You do not need to read thetitle in advance to participate. GradesKindergarten-2. 703-356-0770.

SATURDAY/DEC. 12Traditional Holiday Tale, “A

Christmas Carol.” 1 and 4 p.m.The Alden Theatre, 1234 InglesideAve., McLean. Perhaps the best lovedholiday story of all time, Theatre IV’sadaptation of Charles Dickens’ classicis particularly suited to children. $10,$15. http://mcleancenter.org/alden-theatre. 703-790-0123.

CHO Christmas Store. 10 a.m.-12p.m. Vienna Presbyterian Church,124 Park Street, NE, Vienna. Lastyear because of the generosity of thecommunity and churches, we wereable to make Christmas a very specialtime for 450 children in this area atour annual Christmas Store. We arecollecting gently used jackets andbikes, new toys, gift cards for teens,and food gift cards for the Store.Volunteers are also needed to helpclients shop. For more information,call CHO at 703-861-7614 and leavea message in box #1. Any overallquestions, contact [email protected].

Model Railroad Open House. 1-5p.m. Vienna Railroad Station, 231Dominion Road NE, Vienna.Celebrate the holidays seeing andhearing model trolleys and trainsincluding Thomas and some of hisfriends and the Polar Express ondisplay and in operation. Greatfamily fun and activity for the youngand young at heart. www.nvmr.org.703-938-5157.

Pancake Breakfast and Santa

Arrival. 8 a.m.-noon. ViennaVolunteer Fire Department, 400Center St., South, Vienna. All you caneat pancakes, sausage, bacon, juiceand coffee. Santa Claus will make hisarrival at 10:30am to greet all. Therewill also be tours of the fireequipment [email protected].

Vienna Jammers Show. 1:30-3 p.m.Jammin’ Java, 227 Maple Ave. E,Vienna. Get ready to get your foottappin’ and head boppin’ as you takea musical journey with Vienna’s veryown youth percussion ensemble. Themembers of the ensemble use acombination of traditional and non-traditional instruments. http://jamminjava.com/event/988317. 703-255-1566.

Community Irish Ceili and SetDance. 6:30-10 p.m. Frying PanPark Visitors Center, 2739 West OxRoad, Herndon. Call for directions,703-437-9101. Wear flat,

comfortable shoes and lightweightclothing. Holiday headgear for achance at an extra door prize ticket.$15. 703-631-9179.

Troop 55 Open House. 10 a.m.-2p.m. St. Francis Episcopal Church,9220 Georgetown Pike, Great Falls.The Boy Scouts of Troop 55 wouldlike to warmly extend an invitationto all WEBELO 2 Cub Scouts, 5th,and 6th grade boys to attend an openhouse. RSVP to Raymond Merrill [email protected].

SUNDAY/DEC. 13”Welcome to Our World.” 10 a.m.

Great Falls Methodist Church, 10100Georgetown Pike, Great Falls. amusical for Christmas written byClaire Cloninger and Robert Sterling.The musical includes traditionalcarols, newer praise songs and, ofcourse, original material. There’ssomething for everyone in the family.

www.greatfallsumc.org. 703-759-3705.

Christmas Festival. 6-7:30 p.m.Lewinsville Presbyterian Church,1724 Chain Bridge Road, McLean.The church choirs will be joined by astring ensemble as they prepare forChristmas with a program entitled“Dance and Sing! Christ is Born!” Themusic includes those carols writtenwith the rhythms of dance of manystyles as well as songs about dance,including the final movement of theBach Brandenburg Concerto No. 5.The program will be followed bydessert in St. Andrews Hall. Free.www.lewinsville.org.

Colonial Wassail. 1-4 p.m. ClaudeMoore Colonial Farm, 6310Georgetown Pike, McLean. In thedead of winter the Claude MooreColonial Farm’s apple trees needencouragement to bear well in thecoming year. Gather in the Farm’sorchard to wassail the trees withsinging, dancing and chants to ensure

a “howling crop.” Enjoy hot spicedcider, sugar cakes, a roaring bonfireand 18th-century games. Adults, $3.3-12 years, $2. Under 3, free.Weather permitting. www.1771.org.

MONDAY/DEC. 14”From Newtown to New Hope: An

Interfaith Memorial Service.”7:30 p.m. Unitarian UniversalistCongregation of Fairfax, 2709 HunterMill Road, Oakton. Clergy andcommunity leaders from FairfaxCounty and beyond will gather tohonor the 90,000 victims of gunviolence and to call for people offaith to renew their commitment toending gun violence at an InterfaithMemorial Service. 703-281-4230.

WEDNESDAY/DEC. 16

ONGOINGWeekly Storytime. Wednesday and Saturday. 11 a.m. Barnes & Noble, 7851 L

Tysons Corner Center, McLean. Themes and Titles vary. Free admission.”Harvey.” Check for show times. Nov. 12-Dec. 20. 1st Stage, 1524 Spring Hill Road,

Tysons Corner. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, this beloved classic is atreat for the whole family. Veta Simmons and her daughter Myrtle Mae have justmoved back into town and are making quite a splash on the social scene.Gatherings and engagements abound as Myrtle Mae peruses for a viable suitor.$15-$30. www.1ststagetysons.org. 703-854-1856.

Meadowlark Gardens’ Winter Walk of Lights. Nov. 14-Jan. 4. A half-a-millioncolorful LED lights span the lakeside and gardens of Meadowlark BotanicalGardens off Beulah Road in nostalgic and fairytale scenes of the holiday season.http://winterwalkoflights.com/.

53rd Annual James A. Bland Contest. Through Monday, Feb. 15. Vienna LionsClub invites elementary and high school vocalist and instrumentalists to present asong or piece for cash prizes. For information and application, contact SusanStiles at [email protected] or 703-938-1142.

Vienna Lions Club Christmas Tree Sales. Weekdays noon-8 p.m.; Saturdays &Sundays 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Through Dec. 17. Walgreen’s lot, 225 Maple Ave East,Vienna. Help the Lions help the youth, vision- and hearing-impaired of ourcommunity. Fresh, live, beautiful Christmas trees, wreaths, roping, Virginiapeanuts, extra-large coloring books all for sale at the best prices in Town.

Dennis Crayon and Susan La Mont Exhibit. Through Dec. 20. 1st Stage, 1524Spring Hill Road, Tysons Corner. View the works of two accomplished artistswhile attending a performance of “Harvey.” www.1ststagetysons.org. 703-854-1856.

Nutcracker Tea. 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Dec. 12 and 19. The Ritz-Carlton TysonsCorner, 1700 Tysons Blvd., McLean. Delight in a contemporary twist on thebeloved holiday classic by the South Riding Dance School while you enjoyafternoon tea, petite sandwiches and pastries. All children will go home with anutcracker doll. $79 per person. www.ritzcarlton.com/tysons. 703-748-4068.

Enchanted Forest Tea. 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Dec. 13, 20. The Ritz-Carlton TysonsCorner, 1700 Tysons Blvd., McLean. Watch a dazzling performance by the SouthRiding Dance School as the Snow Fairy strives to save the woodland ballerinasfrom the Icicle King, whom is trying to freeze over the forest. Enjoy afternoon tea,petite sandwiches and pastries. $79 per person. www.ritzcarlton.com/tysons.703-748-4068.

Optimist Club Christmas Tree Sales. Through Dec. 19. Weekdays 2-9 p.m.;Saturdays & Sundays 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Maple Avenue West at Branch Road. Fill yourholidays with the sight and scent of fresh Frasier Fir trees and wreaths, and pinegarlands. Trees range in size from cute and cozy 4-feet tall to towering 12-footers.All sales benefit the Optimist Club of Greater Vienna Youth Fund. Any questions,contact at [email protected].

Trail and Ales with Caboose Brewing and Grass Roots Fitness. Mondaysthrough Jan. 31. Caboose Brewing Company, 520 Mill Street, NE Vienna. ComeRun with us every Monday night. $1 Off All Pints! All paces welcome. We will runbetween 3-5 miles with options to go shorter or longer. You can walk or run. Dogand stroller friendly. Contact Joann Meginley [email protected].

More than 85 area studentsmake holiday magic come tolife performing in Conserva-tory Ballet’s 43rd annual pro-duction of “The Nutcracker.”Performances run Wednesday,Dec. 9 through Sunday, Dec.13, at the Reston CommunityCenter located in the HuntersWoods Village Center. In addi-tion to six full-length perfor-

mances, there are two short-ened toddler matinees that run1 hour 30 minutes. Tickets canbe purchased online atwww.restoncommunitycenter.com;by phone at 703-476-4500,press 3; and in person at thebox office on Tuesday, Wednes-day, Thursday: 4-9 p.m., Sat-urday: 1-5 p.m., and two hoursprior to curtain time.

Conservatory Ballet’s “The Nutcracker”Spreading Holiday Cheer

Photo contributed

Sophia Beneski, a Madeira School senior and North-ern Virginia native, enchants audiences with herperformance as the Sugar Plum Fairy in the Conser-vatory Ballet’s production of “The Nutcracker.”

Maplewood GrillBring the Bunch for Brunch!

132 Branch Road, S.E., Vienna, VA • (703) 281-0070 • Visit www.maplewoodgrill.comOpen 7 days a week, lunch and dinner.

Join us for Christmas Eve andNew Year’s Eve celebrations.

Also Open New Year’s DayGift Certificates Available


From Page 11

three hours a day and makesup for any missed time duringthe weekends, and while hecompetes as a soloist, he alsoplays with his school orchestraat Longfellow Middle School.

“He always offers to help oth-ers (his section, especially) andgives out suggestions for thegood of the ensemble,” said theschool’s orchestra director,Bomin Collins. “His solo/per-sonal accomplishments are as-

tonishing, but his willingness toblend in and work with othersto produce an exceptional en-semble is also another achieve-ment that he has been sculpt-ing/achieving in class.”

For the next stage of theMTNA Competition, Masato willtravel to Tampa, Fla. where hewill compete at the Universityof Southern Florida. If he wins,he will compete at the nationallevel in San Antonio, Texas.

“We are so proud of him,”said Horman.

Violinist

Calendar

From Page 12

Walk, Waddle and Wiggle. 10:30a.m. Dolley Madison Library, 1244Oak Ridge Avenue, McLean. Animalsmove in many different ways. Walklike a turtle, waddle like a penguinand wiggle like a worm as we explorethe world of animal movementthrough music, activities and stories.Presented by Riverbend Park andsponsored by the Friends of theDolley Madison Library. Ages 3-5.703-356-0770.

NVTC Titans Series. 7-9:15 a.m. TheRitz-Carlton Tysons Corner, 1700Tysons Blvd., McLean. John Chen,executive chairman and CEO ofBlackBerry, will headline theorganization’s upcoming Titansseries. During a fireside chat with theConsumer Technology Association’sGary Shapiro, Chen will discuss theups and downs of innovation, sharehis experiences turning aroundmomentum-based technologycompanies, and provide insights intoBlackBerry’s corporate strategy andfocus on security. 703-904-7878,x207. www.nvtc.org.

THURSDAY/DEC. 17Holiday Crafts for Children. 5:30-9

p.m. Meadowlark, 9750 MeadowlarkGardens Court, Vienna. Visit the crafttable and make a free craft todecorate for the holidays. http://winterwalkoflights.com. 703-255-3631.

Caroling on the Town Green. 6:30p.m. 144 Maple Ave., Vienna. Allages are welcome to participate intraditional caroling and to enjoy themarshmallow-roasting stations.Weather permitting. 703-255-6360.

Model Investment Club ofNorthern Virginia. 7 p.m. DolleyMadison Library, 1244 Oak RidgeAvenue, McLean. Learn more aboutinvesting following an investmentclub model. New visitors welcome.703-356-0770.

SATURDAY/DEC. 19John Eaton “Holiday

Spectacular.” 2 p.m. The Alden,McLean Community Center, 1234Ingleside Ave., McLean. Musicologist,humorist and jazz pianist will sharethe history and harmonies of somefavorite seasonal songs from theAmerican Songbook at a special“Holiday Spectacular.”www.aldentheatre.org. 703-790-0123.

SUNDAY/DEC. 20Filene Center Backstage Tour. 2

p.m. Wolf Trap National Park for thePerforming Arts, 1551 Trap Road,Vienna. Stand on a world-class stage,learn how a theater runs, and get asneak peek at where the stars getready. Tours are limited to 30participants. 703-255-1827 to RSVPor for additional information.

McLean Symphony Concert. 3-4:45p.m. Alden Theatre, 1234 InglesideAve., McLean. My Favorite Things:Holiday Celebration. Featuring TanyaAnisimova, Cello. Celebrate theseason with holiday favorites, andsing along with carols, children’ssongs, and a Hanukah medley. $Free,$15, $20, $25. www.mclean-symphony.org. 703-991-7197.

WEDNESDAY/DEC. 30Funny Photo Night. 5:30-9 p.m.

Meadowlark, 9750 MeadowlarkGardens Court, Vienna. Provide yourcamera and and smiles, and we willprovide the props and staff to takeyour photo. http://winterwalkoflights. 703-255-3631.

From left, Tonya Beckman, and Kelsey Meiklejohn in“Harvey” at 1st Stage.The show runs through Dec. 20 inTysons Corner. Photo by Teresa Castracane.

”A Christmas Carol” with a kid-friendly twist comes toThe Alden in McLean for a two-show performance onSaturday, Dec. 12.


News

By Ananya Hegde

Senior/Langley High

Langley High School’s Orchestrakicked off the year on Dec. 1 atSouth Lakes High School. Con-tinuing the tradition of themes di-

rector Dr. Scott McCormick and Ms. ElizabethLeung are known to use for their concerts,the music, food, and even the MC was Brit-ish. Senior Maria McQuade explains, “I’ve al-ways loved the themed concerts that we’vehad because it makes it an entire experiencerather than a bunch of random music.”

Guidance counselor Julie McGreevy do-nated her time to the Langley Orchestra inorder to bring the British spirit to life with

her endearing accent. Ms. McGreevy uti-lized her British heritage to introduce anddetail each piece. Senior Jacob Baker raves,“Ms. McGreevy did a great job introducingevery piece and had hilarious facts beforeeach song.”

The Concert Orchestra composed offreshmen and sophomores opened the con-certs with Percy E. Fletcher’s lively tune“Folk Time and Fiddle Dance” and G. F.Handel’s “Allegro” from Concerto GrossoOpus 6, No. 1. To segue between Concertand Sinfonietta Orchestra, the talentedjunior Sophia Wugang performed“Toccatta” by Henry Purcell, leaving theaudience in awe. The Sinfonietta Orches-tra took the stage with the eclectic “En-

glish Folk Song Suite” composed by RalphVaughan Williams followed by “DashingAway” from Suite for Strings composed byJohn Rutter, which proved to be a crowdfavorite. The Symphonic Orchestra com-prising primarily juniors then performedalongside band students Sandra Ng andWendy Tang as well as harp student MaryDuplantier to perform “Fantasia onGreensleeves,” another piece composed byRalph Vaughan Williams. Orchestra stu-dents then performed “Capriol Suite” com-posed of four movements by Peter Warlock.To end the night, the Philharmonic Orches-tra performed “A-Roving,” another piecefrom Suite for Strings and “St. Paul Suite”composed by Gustav Holst.

For a festive fundraiser, the Tri-M HonorSociety collaborated with the Langley Or-chestra Society to have a silent auction toauction off a variety of items, coupons, bas-kets, etc. The winners were announced atthe end of the concert, helping save a cur-rently at-risk music department. An an-nouncement was made during the concertto inform the audience of the potential bud-get cuts of elementary programs, whichwould inevitably decrease the level and in-tensity of high school orchestras. Senior andTri-M president Swetha Ramesh thoughtthat “events like these are so important tohigh schoolers because they allow music tobecome a part of our lives. That’s somethingthat really can’t be taught from a textbook.”

Langley Orchestra Kicks Off the Season

Director ScottMcCormickconducts thePhilharmonicorchestra.

Concert Or-chestra, con-ducted by Ms.ElizabethLeung, openedthe concertwith a piecefeaturingsoloists BrookeBaird,Madeline Yuand Christo-pher Fox.

The New Dominion Women’sClub hosted the “Second An-nual Whiskey Tasting” to sup-

port local charity organizations. Theevent was held at a beautiful new homein the River Oaks neighborhood pro-vided by Capital City Builders. At thistasting, local whiskey connoisseur, JoeNelson, carefully selected unique spir-its to savor and talked about their craft-ing. Hors d’oeuvres were served tocomplement the tasting. It was an en-

joyable and educational event.Alina LeMay, NDWC president, an-

nounced new beneficiaries will be the FallsChurch/McLean Children’s Center, McLeanProject for the Arts, Safe Community Coa-lition, and SHARE. The club will host addi-tional fundraising events to support theseorganizations until June 2016.

Monica Gibson was the chair of “Sec-ond Annual Whiskey Tasting” event com-mittee. Other members on the planningcommittee included Kimberly Coer,

MaryAnn Miller, Karen Martins, JoanMurray, Stacie Steinke and RoxanneNunes.

New Dominion Women’s Club is a civicorganization established in 1968 to helplocal charities and promote fellowshipamong women. The mission of the club isto support and cultivate the civic, cultural,educational and environmental welfare ofthe community through volunteer serviceand / or financial support. NDWC is activelyinvolved with coordinating the Children’s

Art Walk for the McLean Project for theArts, Reading is Fundamental at the FallsChurch/McLean Children’s Center,Adopt-a-Highway on WestmorelandStreet, and SHARE through helping lessfortunate clients who participate in thefood pantry, holiday event and backpackfor school children’s programs. Monthlymeetings provide the opportunity toshare ideas and establish friendships witha diverse group of women. For more in-formation, visit www.ndwc.org.

Tasting Whiskey for a Cause

At the tasting,local whiskeyconnoisseur,Joe Nelson,carefullyselectedunique spiritsand talkedabout theircrafting.

Photos contributed

Having a good time for a good cause.

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HomeLifeStyle

By Marilyn Campbell

The Connection

From traditional to glamorous,fresh to faux and high-end to oldschool, local tastemakers tell howthey create holiday dazzling holi-

day design extravaganzas.Karen Velehoski and the rest of the de-

sign team at Merrifield Garden Center inFair Oaks spend nearly a year planning andbuilding the holiday displays that overtakeeach store during the Yuletide season.

In creating the holiday wonderlands, thedesigners assemble each space around atheme, maintaining consistency in style,color and texture. Their goal is to dreamup design concepts that will inspire.

“We hope that people will get ideas fortheir own homes, but the first step is to fo-cus on color,” said Velehoski. “You can in-corporate family heirlooms or decorationsthat you’ve had for years if you coordinatethe colors. You can really use ribbons to tiethe colors together easily.”

For example, they designed a rustic spacethat draws inspiration from a snow-coveredforest. “It’s decorated with things likebranches, berries, birds and other outdoor

animals,” said Velehoski. “And we used red,plaid ribbon to keep the outdoorsy feel.”

There’s another winter scene that sparkleswith décor in hues of gold, copper and plati-num, and a classic display that pays hom-age to time-honored traditions. “It appealsto people who like greens, reds and poin-settias,” said Velehoski. “This year we in-corporated a little bitof black with thatred, white and greenwhich is pretty.”

There’s even inspi-ration for those witha penchant for pas-tels. “It has an icylook,” said Velehoski.“It has an icy, frozen winter wonderland feelwith snowflakes and icicles. We used a lotof pale blue, pink and a touch of silver.”

Simple, clean and fresh are words thatGretchen Fuss, an interior designer withTchoupitoulas Furnishings in Alexandria,uses to characterize her holiday design aes-thetic.

“I don’t like to over do it when itcomes to holiday design,” she said. “Ilove the mood and ambiance of whitelights. It changes the feel of a room. I

like candlelit rooms.”Fuss says she uses a minimalist approach

to incorporating family heirlooms with newacquisitions. “I do little vignettes where I’llhave a piece, for example, that my motheronce used to store ornaments in, and I’lluse that to display fresh greenery.”

The designer has even created holidayadornments of her own. “I’ve made holiday

sculptures,” saidFuss. “I even madelittle flower-shapedsculptures that I puttogether to make asix-foot tall Christ-mas tree.”

Fuss adds whiteback-lighting, which

shines through each flower petal, illuminat-ing the tree.

Candles, ribbons and bows hanging on amantle, swags of greenery and garlandsdraped over wall art and mirrors are whatvisitors who enter the spaces created by thedesigners of Patina Polished Living in Alex-andria will see.

“… A string of lights combined with or-naments might flow down the center of atable, or shine inside a cloche combined

with a winter wonderland theme,” said de-signer Amanda Mertins.

For an exterior space, Mertins advisesusing a twinkling wreath or a lit arrange-ment in an urn to greet guests at the frontdoor.

Maintaining thematic consistency is a pre-cept that designer Jenne Whitlaw, of GTMArchitects in Bethesda, Md., recommendswhen conceiving ideas for holiday spaces.“Pick a central focal point, and echo the sen-timent around the space, for both indoorand outdoor,” she said. “This allows the eyeto bounce around your holiday canvas, ex-periencing asymmetrical visual harmonyand balance.”

For those who prefer holiday decor inmuted hues, Whitlaw suggests, “neutrals[like] winter white and pale greys, whenpaired with light, reflective metallics andsparkle add elegance and a sense of time-less wonder to every room.”

For a touch of whimsy, Whitlaw recom-mends adding decorations to unexpectedplaces. “For a surprising embellishment, howabout placing ornaments around the vanityin your powder room?” asks Whitlaw. “Chan-deliers are also a perfect theatre in the roundfor cascading trinkets and greenery.”

Local designers create opulent holiday designs.Ideas for Decking the Halls

Designers at Merrifield Garden Center spend almost one year creatingholiday displays.

Photos courtesy of Merrifield Garden Center

This rustic holiday space incorporates branches and animals.

“I love the mood andambiance of white lights.

— Gretchen Fuss,Tchoupitoulas Furnishings


Sports

Oakton Girls’ BasketballStarts 3-0

The defending 6A North region champion Oaktongirls’ basketball team started the 2015-16 season witha pair of road victories.

The Cougars defeated Madison 57-42 on Dec. 1and beat South County 44-32 on Dec. 3.

Oakton beat Stafford in its home opener on Satur-day.

The Cougars faced McLean on Tuesday, after The

Connection’s deadline. Oakton will travel to faceBroad Run at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 10.

Oakton Boys’ BasketballBeats Madison

The Oakton boys’ basketball team opened the2015-16 season with a 62-47 victory over Madisonon Dec. 1.

The Cougars faced McLean on Tuesday, after TheConnection’s deadline. Oakton will host Broad Runat 7:15 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 10.

Basketball Roundups

By Jon Roetman

The Connection

Following Friday’s “Readers are Leaders TipOff” contest against Robinson, Madisonsenior guard Daniel Ungerleider was askedabout his listed height of 5 feet, 8 inches.

“That’s not accurate,” he said.Ungerleider, a team leader playing in his third var-

sity season, is actually 5 feet 5, which is fitting forthe vertically-challenged Warhawks, whose tallestplayers are listed at 6-3. But while Ungerleider’s ros-ter height is off by a few inches, the accuracy of hisperimeter shooting helped the Madison boys’ bas-ketball team earn its second victory in as many nights.

Ungerleider made five 3-pointers and scored ateam-high 18 points as Madison defeated Robinson64-51 on Dec. 4 at South Lakes High School. TheWarhawks won both of their games at the two-dayevent, including a 43-40 victory over ArchbishopCarroll on Dec. 3.

Madison opened the season with a 62-47 lossagainst Vienna rival Oakton on Dec. 1.

“I think it was a huge confidence builder,”Ungerleider said about the Warhawks’ performanceat the “Readers are Leaders Tip Off.” “We were allpretty disappointed after the first loss and we weretalking together about [how] we’ve got to come fo-cused each game. Even yesterday, we didn’t play aswell as we thought we should have, so it was greatto come out today [with] the entire team ready to

play and the entire team contributing …”Madison built a 38-26 halftime lead against

Robinson. Ungerleider opened second-half scoringwith his fourth 3-pointer, and added his fifth in thefinal quarter. He averaged 12.3 points during theWarhawks first three contests and knocked down 103-pointers.

“He doesn’t back down,” third-year Madison headcoach Kevin Roller said about Ungerleider. “He com-petes. Some friends of mine call him ‘The Bulldog.’We joke sometimes because I’m 6-3 and he’s not, butwhen you dribble the ball this far off the ground,you become a one-man press break. When he’s fo-cused, he controls a high school basketball game.That simplifies everything offensively: get him theball and he’s going to control what happens — andthen he can shoot the ball a bit.”

Roller also praised junior forward Nick Conforti,who finished with 14 points against the Rams.

“He’s my 5-foot-10 4-man right now,” Roller said.“I thought he was exceptional tonight.”

Junior guard Johnny Corish scored 11 points forthe Warhawks. Senior guard Taiga Walker finishedwith nine points and senior guard Brett Wellde hadeight.

Senior center Dillon Most and sophomore forwardJohnny Hecht are Madison’s tallest players, bothlisted at 6-3. How do the Warhawks compensate fortheir lack of height?

“All five guys have to box out,” Roller said. “For ahigh school team, we’re not perfect, but we box outabout as well as any high school team I’ve evercoached.”

Madison faced Trinity Christian School on Tues-day, after The Connection’s deadline. The Warhawkswill host Marshall at 7:15 p.m.on Friday, Dec. 11 andwill open Conference 6 play at home against Hayfieldon Dec. 15.

Warhawks win two gamesat ‘Readers are LeadersTip Off.’

Ungerleider Leads Undersized Madison

Photo by Craig Sterbutzel/The Connection

Paige Galiani, seen last season, and the Langley girls’basketball team started 2-0 this year.

Langley Girls’ BasketballStarts 2-0

After winning 21 games last season, the success of the Langleygirls’ basketball team has carried into the 2015-16 campaign.

The Saxons won their season opener against Osbourn, 48-43,on Dec. 1 and defeated Edison 51-43 on Dec. 3.

“We have competed hard in each game,” head coach AmandaBaker wrote in an email, “and have played well as a team.”

The Edison program has won three consecutive region champi-onships.

“The Edison game was a great opportunity to see how we mea-sured up against a top team early in the season,” Baker wrote.“It’s great to be 2-0, but we understand it’s only December andwe will need to continue to improve as we prepare to face morequality opponents each week.”

Paige Galiani led Langley with 17 points against Osbourn. LizzyShamloo finished with a team-high 15 points against Edison.

Langley faced Robinson on Tuesday, after The Connection’sdeadline. The Saxons will travel to face HD Woodson at St. John’sCollege High School at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 11.

— Jon Roetman

Newman Enters Third Season asLangley Boys’ Coach

After a pair of sub-.500 seasons, third-year Langley boys’ bas-ketball coach Scott Newman thinks this is the year the Saxonsturn things around.

“I feel like we’re ready to turn the corner as a program,” saidNewman, a Saxon assistant before taking over as head coach in2013. “We had a great run when I was [Travis Hess’] assistantand it’s taken us a little time to reboot things, but … this is myfavorite team since I’ve been the head coach at Langley.”

Why does Newman think so highly of this group? It starts withseniors Nate Shafer, a 6-foot-5 forward, and Tavon Tarpley, a 6-foot-3 guard.

“We have a strong senior class, led in particular by a reallydynamic duo of Nate Shafer and Tavon Tarpley,” Newman said.“Those two kids are really, really tough players. Nate, to me, isthe best 5 man in the region. People can say what they wantabout the kid over at West Springfield or [Lake Braddock’s] JamesButler; those kids might have more of a D-I prospect … but if youtalk about who do I want on my team right now, there’s no one inthe region I’d rather have than Nate. He, to me, is a D-I player ata D-III height.”

Forwards John Rau (6-7) and Finn Gundersen (6-4), and guardChris Miner (6-4) are also members of the senior class.

Junior point guard Chas Battaglia, sophomore combo guardColter Carton and junior guard Grant Hughes are expected to beprimary contributors.

Langley dropped its season opener to Osbourn, 51-50, on Dec.1. The Saxons faced Robinson on Tuesday, after The Connection’sdeadline.

Langley will play three games in the Bahamas Dec. 10-12 andwill return to face South Lakes on the road on Dec. 15.

By Jon Roetman

Five-foot-5Madison guardDanielUngerleiderknocked downfive 3-pointersand scored 18points during a64-51 victoryover Robinsonon Dec. 4.

Photo by Jon Roetman/The Connection


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

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

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

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

PARISH WEBSITE:www.stannchurch.org

All AreWelcome!

ChristianScience.com, christianscienceDC.orgCSMcLean.org,

To learn more about Christian Science, visit:

A quiet refuge in busy times can be found in our

Christian Science Reading Room6825 Tennyson Drive

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Take Some Time to Gain the TrueLight of Christmas!

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS)is participating in Speak Up, a nationalonline survey about the use of technol-ogy in schools. The informationcollected will help policy makers at thelocal, state, and national levels, as wellas the business community contribute tothe national dialogue about science,technology, and preparing students forthe 21st century workforce.

FCPS will be participating in the sur-

vey through Dec. 18. The online surveyis open to students, parents, educatorsand the community. Survey is voluntaryand take 20 minutes to complete.

To take the survey, please visit http:// w w w . s p e a k u p 4 s c h o o l s . o r g /speakup2015/. Students will be askedfor a secret word (password) whenthey take the survey. The secret wordfor students is fcps. Aggregate surveyresults for FCPS will be available in

February 2015.Speak Up is an annual research

project conducted by Project Tomor-row, a national education nonprofitorganization that collects and reportsthe views of students in K-12, teachers,administrators and parents on 21st cen-tury education and technology. Formore information about Project Tomor-row, please visit http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup.

School Notes Send school notes to vienna@ connectionnewspapers.com by Friday.

News

By Tim Peterson

The Connection

J.E.B. Stuart High Schoolsenior Whitten Rutledgeis proud of his school,mostly.

“The culture around the schoolis a wonderful one,” he said, ad-dressing the Fairfax County SchoolBoard on Dec. 3, “we believe thename should reflect the culture wehave.”

Rutledge was speaking on behalfof Students for Change, a groupat the Falls Church school that’supset with the institution beingnamed after a Civil War cavalryleader for the Confederate army.

“Change is necessary,” Rutledgecontinued. “In order for our schoolto embrace its own culture, weneed a symbol that accurately represents who weare, not a confederate general who stood adamantlyfor the segregation of society.”

Stuart seniors Anna Rowan, Cassie Marcotty, MarleyFinley, Abby Conde and Lidia Amanuel founded Stu-dents for Change and were recognized by the FairfaxCounty NAACP for their work to have the school’sname changed to honor Thurgood Marshall.

“The momentum we need for change is happen-ing everywhere,” Rutledge said, referencing over34,000 signatures his group has obtained in supportof changing the name.

Under the current policy (8170.5), new names forschools are only allowed at new buildings or build-ings that have been repurposed. Since being adoptedfirst in 1987, the policy has only been corrected orrevised three times.

As part of its new business on Dec. 3, the SchoolBoard scheduled a decision for changing the policy.On Dec. 17, the Board will vote on adding the sen-tence “The School Board may also consider a changein the name of a school or facility where some other

compelling need exists,” to thenaming guidelines, which wouldessentially open the door for a for-mal pitch to change Stuart’s name.

Edwin Henderson, a retiredFairfax County Public Schools U.S.history teacher and president ofthe Tinner Hill Heritage Founda-tion, spoke after Rutledge, addinghis support.

“I believe the time to do the rightthing is now,” said Henderson.“Renaming the school for a giantof American jurisprudence, wholived in this very community,championed Brown v. Board ofEducation and began a policy todismantle segregation and openthis country up to equality. If youtruly honor diversity, the choicecouldn’t be clearer: Rename J.E.B.Stuart High School to ThurgoodMarshall High School.”

Fairfax County NAACP presidentShirley Ginwright spoke next,

comparing Stuart the man to abolitionist John Brown,who fought to free slaves and was sentenced to deathby hanging.

“One is considered a hero, the other considered atraitor,” she said.

“As an African American,” Ginwright continued, “itis painful to be constantly reminded of the trials andtribulations of our forefathers and what they had toendure. It is hard to have our children faced withthe same pain in feeling there’s nothing they can doabout it because of policies and institutionalized be-haviors that have been supported by racism and dis-crimination. It is time for us as a community to cor-rect the wrongs that have been imposed by thosewho have previously held these positions. It is not amatter of rewriting history, but telling history as ithappened, all of the history.”

The Board is scheduled to vote on the policy changeat its Dec. 17 meeting, at Luther Jackson MiddleSchool, 3020 Gallows Road in Falls Church. For moreinformation about participating at meetings, visitwww.fcps.edu/schlbd/meetings/requestspeak.shtml.

Citizen Speakers Turn Out forStuart Name Change

Whitten Rutledge, a seniorat Stuart, explains why heand the group Students forChange believe his highschool’s name should bechanged from J.E.B. Stuart.

School Board to take action Dec. 17.

Edwin Henderson, a retiredFairfax County PublicSchools U.S. history teacherand president of the TinnerHill Heritage Foundation,voices his support forchanging the name of J.E.B.Stuart High School toThurgood Marshall.

Photos courtesy of Fairfax

County Public Schools


Zone 6 Ad Deadline:

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By KENNETH B. LOURIE

I Beg YourIndulgence

Even after seven years as a patient in thecancer whirled, I still find it emotionally diffi-cult to promptly return a well-meaningphone call or a likewise intended e-mailwhen the message/content is clearly havingto do with my health and welfare. Not that Idon’t appreciate, and on many levels, mostlikely need these kinds of communications;nevertheless, the challenge of summoning upthe intestinal fortitude to discuss, detail, out-line, rehash, speculate, articulate, wonder,hope, fear, introspect, extrovert, try to makelight of and not be made heavy by, in addi-tion to all the other miscellaneous anxieties acancer patient experiences 24/7, is often toomuch. And as regularly as we are left alonewith our own thoughts, sometimes, the emo-tional road less traveled is the one fraughtwith fewer bumps and bruises.

Not that I want to get stupid and live in a“cone of silence,” where I can’t be heardand others can’t hear me; that wouldn’t besmart. Still, as often as not, the effort torespond in kind is not respectfully honored.It’s an odd reaction to be sure. Receivinginquiries is one thing, a helpful thing, almostlike “Thing” from “The Addams family,” butnot responding is quite another thing. It’s notexactly akin to trudging through the snow –uphill, in winter, as our parents all claimedthey did, but the emotional weight of it issomething that I’m probably having difficultyexplaining – as much as I’m trying.

Maybe this is all just an excuse to obfus-cate my ill-mannered and disrespectful negli-gence. How poorly was I raised that I don’tknow enough to provide a common cour-tesy? People ask, you answer. When one issick or “diseased,” and friends, family andco-workers reach out, one is not supposed topull back, right? I should appreciate theirsupport and absorb whatever positiveenergy/good vibrations they’re sending. Let’sface it, as I do most days; living with canceris not exactly a solitary pursuit. Although itmay seem like it, at home, alone, especiallyat night when tossing and turning and notsleeping becomes an Olympic sport, the can-cer experience is not a meal best servedcold, if you know what I mean.

Regular interaction with humans, and Idon’t mean radio, television or Internet, isthe next best thing to being there/reachingout and actually touching someone or beingtouched (which is likely another benefit).Moreover, being made to feel alive and well– and dare I say, normal (not diagnosed withcancer), is the goal, but the figurative ele-phant in our world is not just in one room,one time; it’s in every room all the time; it’sherd but not seen. But difficult to ignorenonetheless.

Stage IV lung cancer is like that. It’s typicalthat when symptoms manifest themselves,the patient is already inoperable and tumorswhich gave the patient no indication thatthey even existed, have now metastasized(moved/grown). Ergo, the staging. There is nostage V, by the way. This is not to imply thatit’s ever too late. It’s just hard to assimilatewhen the diagnosis comes out of the blueand previously you were feeling in the pink.In this context, the silence of it (meaning thelack of symptoms) was not golden; any morethan my silence now in not responding towell-wishers is golden. It’s not. It’s self-indul-gent and most times I readily acknowledge it.However, I feel powerless to affect it. Pleasedon’t take my lack of a timely response per-sonally. I’m just trying to navigate as best Ican. As George Costanza made famous on along-ago “Seinfeld” episode: “It’s not you. Ifit’s anybody, it’s me.…”

Community

Great Falls Friends and Neighborscontinue the tradition of selling theWhite House Ornaments — avail-

able in the retail stores in Great Falls — thathelp their efforts each year to raise fundsfor the local Artemis House Shelter.

Artemis House shelters women and chil-dren that are victims of domestic violenceand human trafficking.

This year’s ornament honors PresidentCalvin Coolidge. President Coolidge actu-ally started the tree lighting tradition onDec. 24, 1923. The 60-ft tree came downfrom his native state of Vermont, and wasreplanted in the center of the Ellipse. Theornament symbols on the tree all representobjects of importance to President Coolidge,and the tree lights up to commemorate the

President’s historic event.There are two Great Falls Retail Stores

helping sell ornaments this year:Great Dogs of Great Falls, Great Falls

Shopping Center, 9859 Georgetown Pike,Great Falls, 703-759-3601; and The Studio,10123 Colvin Run Road, Great Falls, 703-757-2330.

The ornaments sell for $25 each.

White House Ornaments Sale to Help Artemis House

Ten companies in Fairfax Countywere honored as Best Workplacesfor Commuters. “Promoting alter-

nate ways to work, and policies such asteleworking and flex time, help makeFairfax County a better place to live andwork by reducing congestion on our road-ways,” said Fairfax County Department ofTransportation Director Tom Biesiadny. “Weare pleased that Fairfax County is leadingthe nation in “Best Workplace” designationsand are committed to continuing to expandthis programs in years to come.”

This year’s recipients are:Horizon Industries Limited (8245 Boone

Blvd., Vienna)Prosperity Metro Plaza (2675 Prosperity

Ave., Fairfax)

FUTREND (8605 Westwood Center Drive,Vienna)

U. S. Geological Survey (12201 SunriseValley Drive, Reston)

Kimley-Horn (11400 Commerce ParkDrive, Reston)

Freddie Mac (multiple locations in Tysonsand Herndon)

Synaptek Corporation (1818 Library St.,Reston)

National Student Clearinghouse (2300Dulles Station Blvd., Herndon)

FOX Architects LLC (8484 WestparkDrive, McLean)

Pyramid Systems Inc. (2677 ProsperityAve., Fairfax)

The BWC designation acknowledges em-ployers who have excelled in implement-

ing green commuter programs such asridesharing, transit benefits, biking andwalking, teleworking, alternate work sched-ules and other strategies.

Since 2010, Fairfax County has partneredwith the National Center for Transit Re-search on the Best Workplaces for Commut-ers program to designate 57 local organi-zations with this elite, national recognition.Follow #FairfaxBWC on Twitter for moreinformation on program updates and eventshere in Fairfax County.

For more information on Fairfax County’scommuter programs and resources, go towww.fairfaxcounty.gov/fcdot//news/trytransit.htm or contact Fairfax CountyDepartment of Transportation at 703-877-5600, TTY 711.

Fairfax County Companies DesignatedAs Best Workplaces for Commuters

To have community events listed in the Connec-tion, send to [email protected] deadline for submissions is the Friday priorto publication.

THROUGH SATURDAY/DEC. 12.Wish List Project. Take a look at the wish

lists and take this opportunity to spreadsome cheer this December. Wish List Angelsdirectly help families in area shelters,alternative housing and children in fostercare. Make wishes come true by signing upto sponsor a child’s wish. Find out how athttp://wishlistangels.com/.

WEDNESDAY/DEC. 9Planning Commission. 8-10 p.m. Town Hall,

127 Center Street, South Vienna. 703-255-6341.

Youth and Education CommitteeMeeting. 9:30-10:30 a.m. LearningRx, 8321Old Courthouse Road, Suite 130, Vienna.Join us each month to plan for the JobShadow Program, Chamber Stars, and othereducational programs. Registration requiredat http://business.tysonschamber.org/events/details/youth-education-committee-meeting-12-09-2015-2957.

THURSDAY/DEC. 10Town/Business Liaison Commission. 7

p.m. Town Hall, 127 Center Street, South,Vienna. 703-255-6341.

New and Prospective MemberOrientation. 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. TysonsChamber of Commerce, 7925 Jones BranchDrive Suite LL210, Tysons. If you are a newChamber member or are considering joiningthe Chamber, or have been a member andwant to learn all the new and exciting thingswe’re doing, this will be time well spent,guaranteed! Join for a catered lunch bySilver Spoon Catering as you learn moreabout the Chamber and how to make themost of your membership through thevarious events, committees, member tomember benefits and marketing

opportunities. Registration required at http://business.tysonschamber.org/events/details/new-and-prospective-member-orientation-12-10-2015-2901.

SATURDAY/DEC. 12Understanding the Tax Code. 1 p.m. Dolley

Madison Library, 1244 Oak Ridge Avenue,McLean. Phil Gaudiano, CPA presents a programon tax updates that highlights any recentchanges to the tax law. Covered topics willinclude the Affordable Care Act, repair &maintenance regulations, business expensedeductions, and various credits. Adults/olderadults are welcome. 703-356-0770.

MONDAY/DEC.14Town Council Meeting. 8-10:30 p.m. Town

Council Chambers, 127 Center Street South,Vienna. All Town Council meetings are open tothe public and individuals are invited to attendand provide their input. 703-255-6300.

TUESDAY/DEC. 15Emerging Leaders Council Meeting. 8:30

a.m.-9:30 a.m. 7925 Jones Branch DriveConference Room, Tysons. Want to createinstrumental partnerships, be viewed as a leaderand become a voice in the boardroom? Join forthe council meeting. Any question, contact [email protected].

TUESDAYS/DEC. 15, 22TIPS I: Lead Sharing & Networking at

Fleming’s. 12:15-1:30 p.m. Fleming’s PrimeSteakhouse and Wine Bar, 1960A Chain BridgeRoad, McLean. Free to join, $16 for lunch.Contact Peter Himmelberger, Travel Cruise andTour, 703-496-4125 [email protected].

WEDNESDAY/DEC. 16Women’s Leadership Council. 9:30-10:30 a.m.

7925 Jones Branch Drive Suite TBD, Tysons. joinus for a one hour informational/planning

meeting about upcoming events sponsored byWomen’s Leadership Council. Any question,contact Carla Doyle at 443-909-8665.

THURSDAY/DEC. 17Community Enhancement Commission.

7:30 p.m. Town Hall, 127 Center Street,South Vienna. 703-255-6360.

MONDAY/DEC. 21Alden Theatre Usher Event. 5:30-6:30 p.m.

The Alden Theatre, 1234 Ingleside Ave.,McLean. Want to be a part of the arts? Learnhow you can become an usher at The Alden.www.mcleancenter.org. 703-790-0123.

ONGOINGFood Drive for CHO. Places vary. Please help

CHO to help others in our area. All foodcontributions greatly appreciated. CHO ismaking plans for the holidays. Please bringnew unwrapped gifts for children and teensto Vienna Presbyterian Church, 124 Park St.,NE, Vienna, on Dec. 11 between 9 a.m. andnoon. Questions? Contact at [email protected].

Langley Lacrosse Equipment Drive.Through Dec. 12. Langley Girls Lacrosse iscollecting used boys and girls lacrosseequipment to distribute at the clinic on Dec.12. Their goal is to collect enoughequipment that all kids in attendance at theclinic will be able to keep something. Dropoff at Langley High School’s Athletic Office,6520 Georgetown Pike, McLean; or to thedonation box at 9805 Arnon Chapel Road,Great Falls.

The Shepherd’s Center of Oakton-Viennahas an urgent need for volunteer drivers totake area seniors to medical appointmentsand other activities. Opportunities tovolunteer for other services are alsoavailable. No long-term commitment andhours are flexible to fit your schedule.Visitwww.scov.org or contact the VolunteerCoordinator at 703-281-5086 or [email protected].

Bulletin Board


Documents

Santa Comes to Town for McLean’s WinterFest Paradeconnection.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/news/documents/2015/12/... McLean Connection December 9-15, 2015 1 Opinion, Page 6 Entertainment,