online at www.connectionnewspapers.com December 26 - January 1, 2019
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Children’s & Teens’Connection 2018
Jenny Wang, 10, Great Falls, Forestville Elementary
2 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ Children’s & Teens’ Connection 2018-2019 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
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Easter Egg Hunt4th of July Parade
Concerts on the GreenHalloween Spooktackular
Celebration of LightsCars and CoffeeFarmers Market
Adeler Jewelers...............................703-759-4076AdGen Telecom..............................703-757-6757Aquarian LLC .................................. 703-438-8838Artists on the Green.........................703-609-3092Arts of Great Falls ............................703-232-1575Capital Realty Services ...................703-759-4900Dent Asset Management.................703-286-7555Dr. C. Ayers .....................................703-757-6445Executive Suites at Great Falls.........703-865-2500Falls Beauty & Day Spa................... 703-261-6660Federated Realty. ........................... 703-454-8835Georgetown Learning Centers ........ 703-759-3624Great Falls Creamery. .....................703-272-7609Great Falls Cycle Studio..................703-585-5631Great Falls Family Dentistry..............703-759-4707Great Falls Physical Therapy............703-349-1030Great Falls Pools..............................703-250-5585Greenheart Juice Shop...................703-759-2126Jinny Beyer Studio...........................703-759-0250John Nugent and SonPlumbing & Heating........................703-291-1926Katie’s Coffee House.......................703-759-2759Loebig Chiropractic........................703-757-5817New Paradigm Capital Mgmt..........703-757-4802Old Brogue Irish Pub........................703-759-3309Pilates Place, LLC............................703-405-3371Pio Pio Restaurant ........................... 703-865-7700River Nail and Spa.......................... 703-746-8886Robert Mobley, AIA Architect...........703-759-1927School of Theatrical Dance.............703-759-5652Spectrum Property Management .... 703-307-2965The Saddlery...................................703-759-3500Village Centre Mgmt Office ............ 703-759-2485Village Retreat/Massage Therapy....703-638-4852Wells Fargo Bank.............................703-757-1040Wild Ginger Restaurant ................... 703-759-5040
ThinkInhale, ExhaleBreathe in, Breathe OutThink
Close Your EyesRemember Your PastSee your FutureThink
Think About your DecisionsLearn From Your MistakesThink
Remember Your HopesLive Your DreamsLove What is Around YouThink
Fear The RageHear The ThunderJust remember toThink
Be CalmStay FocusedThink
Everyone Is DifferentEveryone Has Their Own PathBe YouThink
Be PositiveBe UniqueShine, be a starThink
Believe In YourselfYou Will TryYou Will Succeed
Open Your EyesLook Around YouNo one is the SameInhale, ExhaleBreathe InBreathe OutThink
— Sophia Beeland, 13,
of Great Falls
Cooper Middle School,
Grade 8
Poetry Corner
PantryThe toxic seductionYou continue to lure meDrooling the heaven behindI am hypnotizedDestined to regretI go againOnly to meet with beans and grainsConfused, I turnTo the victory claim of Mom“Help yourself”
— Chaiwoon Yoo, 16,
McLean
Grade 11,
The Madeira School
Great Falls Connection ❖ Children’s & Teens’ Connection 2018-2019 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Children's & Teens'
Dear Readers:This week, the Great Falls Connection
turns over its pages to the youth and stu-dents.
We asked principals and teachers fromarea schools to encourage students to con-tribute their words, pictures and photos forour annual Children’s & Teens’ Issue.
The response as always was enormous.While we were unable to publish every piecewe received, we did our best to put togethera paper with a fair sampling of the submit-ted stories, poems, drawings, paintings,photographs and other works of art.
We appreciate the extra effort made byschool staff to gather the materials duringtheir busy time leading up to the holidays.We’d also like to encourage both schools andparents to mark their 2019 calendars forearly December, the deadline for submis-sions for next year’s Children’s & Teens’
Holiday Inspiration,Pastel by Sara Dethero, 12, Great Falls,Grade 7 at Cooper Middle School.
By Amalya Sharma, Grade 1, Great Falls Elementary
WelcomeConnection. Please keep us in mind as yourchildren continue to create spectacularworks of art and inspiring pieces of writingin the coming year.
The children’s issue is only a part of ouryear-round commitment to cover educationand our local schools. As always, the Con-nection welcomes letters to the editor, storyideas, calendar listings and notices of localevents from our readers. Photos and othersubmissions about special events at schoolsare especially welcome for our weeklyschools pages.
Our preferred method for material is e-mail, which should be sent [email protected], butyou can reach us by mail at 1606 KingStreet, Alexandria, VA 22314 or call 703-778-9414 with any questions.
— Editor Kemal Kurspahic
“Art within Art” by homeschoolers Elizabeth Symanski, 8, Grade 3 andKatherine Symanski, 6, Grade 1, of Great Falls. By Charles Kwaw, from Great Falls, Kindergarten, Colvin Run Elementary.
By JennyWang, 10,ForestvilleElementary
4 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ Children’s & Teens’ Connection 2018-2019 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
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Children's & Teens'
Great Falls Elementary
Submissions from art teacherCaitlin Giroux’s students
By Jake Coblentz, Grade 3
By DylanMacleod,Grade 2
By Zara Mufti, Grade 3
Great Falls Connection ❖ Children’s & Teens’ Connection 2018-2019 ❖ 5www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
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Children's & Teens'
Colvin Run Elementary
Artwork submitted by Art TeachersLauren Grimm and Rachel Wiseman.
By Ella DeGraaf,Great Falls,
Grade 4 - square
By Amy Key, Great Falls, Grade 6
By BenjaminMoser,Kindergarten,from Vienna
By Rowan Marashlian, Great Falls,Grade 1
6 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ Children’s & Teens’ Connection 2018-2019 Great Falls Connection ❖ Children’s & Teens’ Connection 2018-2019 ❖ 7www.ConnectionNewspapers.com www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Children's & Teens'
More Artwork from Great Falls
Gardening with Family in our Backyard by OliviaHarrington, 9, Grade 4, Great Falls Elementary
Family is Love by Regan Harrington, 7, Grade 2, Great FallsElementary
Melanie Wordne, Great Falls, Grade 3,Colvin Run Elementary
What is the greatest gift you can give this holiday season?
Cooper Middle School
Some people make lists for pre-sents they want to receive duringthe holidays.
Others buy gifts themselves, anda few might ask ahead of time for
a certain present. What really is thegreatest gift someone could receivethough?
The best gift I could ever receive,is someone’s friendship and love.
If I find someone who is willing andready to be by my side no matterwhat.
Someone who finds time for meand who I can be myself with. A
person’s time and energy are lim-ited, and to be given an importantpart to play in someone’s life wouldbe amazing.
We all take from society. It is a
mere fact, and it’s whether we giveback that counts. The best gift I’veever received is someone’s time,patience, and true friendship, andI hope someday I will be able to
give that to someone else as well.
— Rebecca Wexler, 13,
of Great Falls,
Grade 8
Cooper Middle School From the students of Lindsay Bovenzi
Photo by Regina Maza, 13, Great Falls, Grade 8
I am so thankful for my dog. My dog Sherlock helpsme get through difficult situations and always liftsmy spirits.
Photo by Lila Cahill, 13, Great Falls, Grade 8
I am thankful for Duke because he is playfuland he always knows how to make me feelbetter.
Photo by Ryan
Sawtari, 13,
Great Falls,
Grade 8
I am verythankful for
my dogCeaser. He
has broughtso much joy
into myfamily and
my life.
8 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ Children’s & Teens’ Connection 2018-2019 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Thomas Avenue
Cut-Through Analysis
Fairfax and Loudoun Counties
Public Hearing
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Presentation begins at 7 p.m.
Inclement Weather Date: Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Dranesville Elementary School
1515 Powells Tavern Place
Herndon, VA 20170
Find out about plans to restrict right turns during
Algonkian Parkway to westbound Thomas Avenue to reduce congestion and improve safety and operations.
Stop by between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. to view displays and learn more about the project. A presentation will begin at 7 p.m. Project staff will be available to answer your questions.
Review project information at the VDOT project website (www.virginiadot.org/projects), at the information meeting, or during business hours at VDOT’s Northern
Please call ahead at 703-259-2388 or TTY/TDD 711 to ensure appropriate personnel are available to answer your questions.
Give your written comments at the meeting, or submit them by January 28, 2019
VDOT.virginia.gov. Please reference “Thomas Avenue Cut-Through Analysis” in the subject line.
VDOT ensures nondiscrimination and equal employment in all programs and activities in accordance with Title VI
more information or special assistance for persons
Children's & Teens'
Inspiredby theHolidaysAcro Wire Sculpture byMartina Dethero, 10,Great Falls, Grade 5 atGreat Falls Elementary.
Weimaraner by Olivander Dethero (Ollie),2, of Great Falls.
Silly CheerChristmas time is hereHere comes Rudolph the reindeerOur school is all clearAnd, presents will soon appearWho knows I may have a new toy spear or head gear
Snow is falling hereIt has filled my inner earAnd, Costco is out of beerThe roads are finally getting clear
My favorite book is by William ShakespeareBut, I would rather volunteerAnd, I will not be a railroad engineerI may try the political sphere like VladimirWhat I will do as a grownup is still unclear
Anyhow, we are almost done with this yearHope you have a better next year!And, make some new year resolutions that you can
adhere.— Sidh Jaddu, 9
Grade 4, Forestville Elementary
As Generation Z, we are the firstgeneration to grow up in a tech-nology-driven world, with technol-ogy becoming both our greateststrength and our greatest chal-lenge. Among the benefits of thisin today’s world is that GenerationZ’s all-encompassing exposure totechnology allows us to judgewhether a source is real or “fake”better than any other generationso far.
However, our reliance on tech-nology for everything from home-work to friendship leaves us vul-nerable to online predators as-saulting us through the keyboardson our computers and the apps on
Technology: Our Biggest Blessing, or Our Biggest Curse?Why the Technology that Drives Generation Z is Our GreatestChallenge
our phones. We need to be awarenot only of faulty sites, but also ofsocial media, apps, and unknownplayers seeking you out in your fa-vorite games.
Adding to the technologicaldrama for Generation Z is thatmany of the popular web brows-ers sell your personal data to ad-vertisers looking to target you withappealing ads. Sound harmless? Itmay not be as innocent as it seems.Search engines sell your name,favorite sites, and can evengeolocate you when you access theweb, something most middleschoolers have never even consid-ered.
This escalates as hackers inter-cept your data, and ad companiesreconstruct where you like to goand when you will be there. Fac-ing these challenges head-on is thenext step in solving our problem.It is up to us, Generation Z, tomake the Internet a safer place foreveryone who uses it, and we willneed to do this through further de-veloping our greatest strength,technology.
— Peyton Walcott, 12,
of Great Falls
Grade 7 at Cooper Middle
School in Sara Kahrs’ class.
Great Falls Connection ❖ Children’s & Teens’ Connection 2018-2019 ❖ 9www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Children's & Teens'
“Come on Catie! It’s your turnon Lola!”
I mounted the graceful brown-and-white mare, adjusting thereins in my hands. The three in-structors at my camp switchedtheir gaze between me and theother kid on Peabody, a largermale horse. I didn’t know what hisname was, but that didn’t matter.I was focused on trying a canterfor the first time today. But I didn’tknow I was being reckless.
I had seen the girl before me, agirl named Chloe, trot Lola. Lolawasn’t like the other horses I hadridden at this camp. Lola wasn’tlike Curly-Whirly, she wasn’t likeTumble, or Cookie or Howie. Noteven like Watson, who honestlycould be a pain in the butt some-times. Lola was fast, and a pain(especially to groom and tack up.)She raised her hooves high whenshe trotted. She strided around thering with grace. But what I didn’tknow is that she was jumpy. Re-ally jumpy.
I clicked Lola on, and I steeredher around the barrels at a walk,listening to the instructors instruc-tions. Lola had a fast, smooth pace.Easy to control. But when I steered
To the people who say horsebackriding isn’t a real sport, that ittakes no talent at all: let me askyou, have you ever had a team-mate that was ten times your size?Have you ever done a synchro-nized dance with something thatcould crush you in an instant? Amistake in volleyball could costyou a point, but a mistake in horse-back riding could cost you a life.
But there are definitely rewards.For me, the ability to ride is a bless-ing. I love to do it! I go to the sum-mer camp in the summer, but thehorse I ride here in Virginia is mybest friend. I’m not embarrassedto say that my best friend is a horsenamed Bob! He’s a much betterfriend than most of the humans Iknow.
So, if you want to do horsebackriding, you’ve got to be strong. Notjust physically, mentally too.You’ve got to have the courage toget back in the saddle, and be pre-pared to make a new best friend.
— Catherine (Catie)
Arden Morton, 12,
McLean
Grade 7, Cooper Middle
School, Lindsay Bovenzi’s class
By Jason Wang, 8, Forestville Elementary
By Jason Wang,8, Forestville
Elementary
Siblings’ Artwork
By JennyWang, 10,Forestville
Elementary
The Challenges of Ridingher around a corner, heard my in-structor telling me to trot her, I felta wrenching feeling in my gut. Ipushed it down and squeezed Lolaon the sides slightly. She trottedand bucked slightly. I let out a yelpof surprise, and that’s when every-thing went wrong.
Lola jumped at the noise I made,then started galloping. Fast.
I couldn’t hear myself scream-ing. I didn’t know I was only mak-ing it worse.
Eventually, I was bucked into thefence, landing on the sandyground on my back with a thud.The instructors caught Lola. Thesky swirled above, and I heard thepounding of boots on the groundas the instructors ran towards me.But then I did something I neverthought I would that day. I cried. Icried from fear and from embar-rassment. Sobs so deep it shookmy whole chest. And I couldn’tstop.
Eventually, the wounds on myside from hitting the fence disap-peared. But I have a mental scarthat will never fade. But a lesson Ilearned is that if you’ve neverfallen off of a horse, you’ve neveractually ridden.
10 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ Children’s & Teens’ Connection 2018-2019 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Children's & Teens'
From students of Lindsay Bovenzi
What to beThankful For
Now that Thanksgiving is rollingaround the corner, it’s time to start in-tensely thinking about what I amthankful for. There’s such a long list ofyearly no-brainers: my family, friends,home, education, laughter, love. This2018, though, I’m taking my thoughts ina different direction.
In October, my dog, Nina, passedaway. Nina had been part of the familyfor as long as I’d been alive. She wasmore of the shy type, sometimes makingher appear unfriendly. But I know thatunderneath the shell of growling andhiding in her closet, Nina was sweet andalways wanted to be loved.
Naturally, her death impacted myfamily deeply. On the night she died, wewere all tears and puffy red eyes, butsomething that really propelled my sad-ness was the thought that she wouldnever be around to go to the park again,to be petted again, to take baths again.
The experience itself – that is some-thing that I should be thankful for. Manytimes when we’re thankful, we jump tothe conclusion that what we’re thankfulfor has to be for something that we cur-rently have.
Having that experience taken awaywas not fun, but now I can see thingsfrom a different view. It taught me alesson – to always make the most ofyour time here with your pets, lovedones, friends, and even enemies.
Nina was the best pet I could’ve askedfor and the best way to symbolize whatto be thankful for.
— Olivia Liu, 12,
McLean,
Grade 7
The GreatestChallenge?
What are the issues of today? Whatabout tomorrow? I think that the prob-lems of the future are going to be muchlarger. I think that the problems of thefuture will act on a global scale, andpotentially permanently alter the Earth.
Is it real? Yes! Heat-related events,such as coral die-offs are becoming more
Cooper Middle School
and more frequent, and glaciers andicecaps are melting.
Are humans responsible? The answeris we are probably at least partially re-sponsible. The fact that carbon dioxideis a potent greenhouse gas, and the factthat natural global temperature fluctua-tions aren’t usually fast enough to showthe warming we see today makes itlikely that humanity is at least partiallyresponsible.
I think that allowing this warming tocontinue is ridiculous – why should fu-ture generations have to deal with aproblem that they didn’t make much of?That should seem unjust to everybody.
One solution is conservation. Weneed to use more efficient appliances,cars, etc. A common misconception isthat conservation means discomfort.That is untrue: an increase in efficiency,can easily give the same (or better) per-formance for less energy. Conservationeven lowers costs on your energy bill, tothe point where the savings can pay forthe upgrade (eventually). I think thatconservation isn’t enough on it’s own,but it definitely is a good first step.
— Kiran Donnelly, 12,
McLean,
Grade 7
What the Holidaysare Really About
The holidays are really about beinghappy. Whether it’s having fun with thepeople you love or getting to decorate atree, do whatever makes you feel con-tent.
Most people spend their days stressedat work or school and don’t have thetime to simply enjoy life. When it’s theholidays, people get to take a break, visitfamily, donate to charity, give gifts, andcelebrate their religion. What reallymakes the holidays so magical is thatanybody can take part in it. People withmany different ages, countries, reli-gions, and ethnicities can celebrate it.
I remember when I was little thinkingthat the holidays were just about shop-ping, gifts and the birth of Jesus. Maybefor some, it is just about that, and that’snot a bad thing.
For me, it’s about visiting some of myrelatives that I don’t get to see often. It’salways so memorable and I get so de-pressed when we have to leave thembecause the holidays are over. This year,
I’m going to a wedding, and I alreadyknow it is going to be such an excitingexperience.
If you’re stressing out about makingthe holidays perfect, just remember thatperfect doesn’t mean happy. It’s one ofthe only times of the year you really getto celebrate yourself and traditions. Tellstrangers on the street Merry Christmas,Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, orjust simple a “Happy holidays!” Makesure you give yourself and othersaround you an amazing holiday.
— Esha Banerjee, 12,
McLean,
Grade 7
The Holy MonthRamadan. That is one special tradi-
tion that my family celebrates, and thewhole Muslim community. I really enjoythis month. It is a month that is full oflove and care between people, even ifthey are strangers. In this month, Mus-lims must fast, pray, and give out foodor water to the less fortunate who don’thave these things. We are expected tospread out kindness. That is whyRamadan is also known for many fam-ily gatherings.
In Ramadan, we fast from dawn tillsunset. When the Maghrib prayer, thesunset prayer, is called upon, then weknow we could eat. During the day, mymom cooks our iftar, or breakfast, whichis the meal we break our fast to. I alwaysfeel so hungry. When the Maghribprayer is called upon, I run to to thetable and eat instantly, before anyoneeven breaks their fast. I look reallyfunny, though.
When we are done eating, I run to thedesserts’ table. Eastern sweets are verypopular in Ramadan for many families.The thing I eat the most is Basbousa,which is very delicious. When I finisheating Basbousa, I don’t eat again, but Igo watch Arabic TV series. Mostly everyRamadan, especially in Egypt, actorsmake a lot of TV series for families towatch together. There are usually manyoptions and genres to choose from.
Ramadan is annual and comes onlyfor one month. I always wait for it tocome around to enjoy the festivities itbrings.
— Jasmine Ahmed Amin, 13,
McLean,
Grade 8
Bald Lettuce HeadHello! Someone asked me “would you
rather become completely bald or growlettuce on your head?” My answer is Iwould grow lettuce on my head. Why?
First, when you’re lazy to cook, youcan eat your own head-grown lettuce.Step # 1 – pull some fresh lettuce offyour head. Step # 2 – wash and placethe lettuce in a bowl. Step # 3 – drizzlesome ranch on it. YUM! There you haveit – your delicious and refreshing salad!!
Did you know that Romans, Egyptiansand Greeks were among the first civili-
zations to grow and eat lettuce? Also,the name lettuce in English and Lactucain Latin come from the word lactis, theLatin word for milk, because the juice ofthe lettuce plant looks like milk. Thewhite milky thing inside the lettucehelps people with insomnia. Rock-a-byebaby in the lettuce top, when the windblows the lettuce will fall.
“No more slaves!,” said Abraham Lin-coln. Yep, my favorite president is AbeLincoln. He used to wear a foot-long hatin which he stored all his important
documents. Between the layers of yourlettuce head, you can store your moneyand, maybe, your cell phone just likeAbe! Get it!
Lastly, if you are lost in a desert, yourlettuce head will be a cap to protect youfrom all the UV from the sun.
There, my bald friends I hope I per-suaded you to grow lettuce on yourhead.
— Sidh Jaddu, 9
Grade 4,
Forestville Elementary
The ClockThe clockThe clockNever agrees with meIt tells me I’m lateIt tells me it’s morningIt tells me to hurryIt tells me to be patient
It tells me to waitIt tells me to sleepIt tells me to wake upIt tells me to thinkIt tells me to eatThe clockAnswers many questions
That can be grouped into one:When?
— Ashley Chon, 12,
Vienna
Grade 6,
Colvin Run Elementary
Great Falls Connection ❖ Children’s & Teens’ Connection 2018-2019 ❖ 11www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
The Great FallsChildren’s Connection
is published byLocal Media Connection, LLC.
A digital version of this publication and 14sister publications
available at www.connectionnewpapers.com/documents
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Volcano
Dark skySteaming earthShaking groundThe fury of nature
Earth went madSpitting lavaThrowing rocksBurning everything
It feels likeThe endBut alsoThe start
From ash grows hopeFrom loss buds lifeEnd is beginning of newThe law of nature
— Yeonho Nam, 17, McLean
Grade 11, Langley High School,
Anna Cohen’s class
Children’s Connection
Forever Friends
Sometimes we have bad days
And bite and scratch and cry
And sometimes we have good days
Where we hug and laugh together
And sometimes we don’t talk
For days and weeks and months,
But one thing never changes:
We are forever friends
— Olivia Park, 11, McLean,
Grade 6, Churchill Road Elementary
Kenny Lourie is an Advertising Representative forThe Potomac Almanac & The Connection Newspapers.
By KENNETH B. LOURIE
Back to Abnormal
12 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ Children’s & Teens’ Connection 2018-2019 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com