Making ‘Top 10’ News, Page 3 Making ‘Top 10’ News, Page 3 PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Easton, MD PERMIT #322 Attention Postmaster: Time sensitive material. Requested in home 9-1-11 online at www.connectionnewspapers.com Opinion, Page 6 ❖ Entertainment, Page 11 ❖ Sports, Page 12 ❖ Classifieds, Page 13 McLean Photo Contributed August 31 - September 6, 2011 McLean Orchestra Salutes Military News, Page 8 Hurting for Heroes News, Page 15 McLean Orchestra Salutes Military News, Page 8 Hurting for Heroes News, Page 15 Alexander Gilbert of McLean was recently named one of Popular Science’s Top 10 High School Inventors for 2011. Gilbert, who attended St. Albans in Washington, D.C., Longfellow Middle School and Haycock Elementary School, is attending MIT this fall. Alexander Gilbert of McLean was recently named one of Popular Science’s Top 10 High School Inventors for 2011. Gilbert, who attended St. Albans in Washington, D.C., Longfellow Middle School and Haycock Elementary School, is attending MIT this fall.
Transcript
McLean Connection ❖ August 31 - September 6, 2011 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Making‘Top 10’
News, Page 3
Making‘Top 10’
News, Page 3
PRSRT STD
U.S. Postage
PAID
Easton, MD
PERMIT #322
Attention Postmaster:
Time sensitive material.
Requested in home 9-1-11
online at www.connectionnewspapers.com
Opinio
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Entertainm
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Spo
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McLeanPho
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August 31 - September 6, 2011
McLean OrchestraSalutes Military
News, Page 8
Hurting for HeroesNews, Page 15
McLean OrchestraSalutes Military
News, Page 8
Hurting for HeroesNews, Page 15
Alexander Gilbert of McLean was recently named one of Popular Science’sTop 10 High School Inventors for 2011. Gilbert, who attended St. Albansin Washington, D.C., Longfellow Middle School and Haycock ElementarySchool, is attending MIT this fall.
Alexander Gilbert of McLean was recently named one of Popular Science’sTop 10 High School Inventors for 2011. Gilbert, who attended St. Albansin Washington, D.C., Longfellow Middle School and Haycock ElementarySchool, is attending MIT this fall.
2 ❖ McLean Connection ❖ August 31 - September 6, 2011 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Visit These Houses of WorshipJoin A Club, Make New Friends, or Expand Your Horizons...
Assemblies of God Arlington Assembly of God...703-524-1667
7:30 p.m. McLean CommunityCenter, 1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean.Call 703-790-0123 TTY 711 to speakat the meeting.www.mcleancenter.org/contact/governing.asp.
THURSDAY/SEPT. 8Happy Hearts Senior Adult
Fellowship Potluck Lunch. 12:30p.m. Antioch Christian Church, 1860Beulah Road, Vienna. Discussionabout the effects of 9-11 and games.Open to the public. Bring a favoritefood dish. Chicken provided. $2donation. 703-938-6753 orwww.antiochdoc.org.
SATURDAY/SEPT. 10Vienna AAUW Open House. 10 a.m.-
12 p.m. Patrick Henry Library, 101Maple Ave E, Vienna. Learn aboutupcoming lectures by noted authors
and advocacy to fight sexdiscrimination; entertainment andlocal tours, book clubs, gardeningand dining groups. Free. 703-321-7499 or www.aauwofva.org/branches/vienna.
SUNDAY/SEPT. 11DivorceCare and DivorceCare for
Kids. 11 a.m. McLean PresbyterianChurch, 1020 Balls Hill Road,McLean. First of thirteen weeklysessions. 703-821-0800.
MONDAY/SEPT. 12Why Good Wills Go Bad. 10 a.m.
Vienna Community Center, 120Cherry St. S.E., Vienna. A freepresentation by attorney David G.Hoffman with a discussion of Virginiawill law, organizing assets, when tochange your will, talking to anexecutor, reducing probate, willcopies, do-it-yourself tax plans andmore. 703-255-6360 orwww.viennava.gov.
Bulletin Board
To have community events listed in the Connection, send [email protected]. Deadline is Friday.
by Alex McVeigh
The Connection
McLean resident Bar-bara Favola won theAug. 23 Democratic
primary, securing a chance toreplace retiring DemocraticSen. Mary Margaret Whipple inVirginia’s 31st district. Favolareceived 64.67 percent of thevote, while her opponent JaimeAreizaga-Soto received 35.32percent.
Favola, who has been a mem-ber of the Arlington CountyBoard since 1997, including aschairman in 2000, 2004, and2009, as well as vice chairmanin 1999-2003 and 2008, saidher legacy of public service waswhat appealed to voters.
“I think voters believed that Iwould best be able to deliver onmy promises,” she said. “Thereweren’t a lot of differencespolicy-wise for me and Jaime,but the difference was that Ihave 14 years of experienceworking on local and regionalissues and a record of accom-plishing my goals.”
Favola also served as a policyadvisor for the Department of
Health and Human Servicesunder President Bill Clinton,and currently serves on theboards of the Ballston Scienceand Technology Alliance andthe Child and Family NetworkCenter.
She said her general electioncampaign will start right away,and she is looking to connectwith voters on a larger scope.
“I certainly want to keep myfocus on the issues that are im-portant to voters in the 31stsenate district,” she said. “AndI’m also looking to learn aboutmore issues that are importantto voters.”
Democratic nominee will faceRepublican Caren Merrickin November.
Barbara Favola wonthe Aug. 23 Demo-cratic primaryelection, and willrun against Republi-can Caren Merrickin November.
Favola Wins 31stDistrict Primary
Pho
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By Alex McVeigh
The Connection
By the time they graduate high school, moststudents have a vague idea of what theymight possibly want to major in. ForAlexander Gilbert of McLean, not only does
he know what he wants to do, he’s receiving nationalrecognition for it. Gilbert, who graduated from St.Albans in Washington, D.C. and will attend MIT inthe fall, was just named one of Popular Science’s Top10 High School Inventors.
Gilbert was honored for his work improving thecontrast on MRI images, which lead to more accu-rate diagnoses. He has been studying the technol-ogy since he was 15, and lastyear was awarded a $10,000scholarship from theDavidson Institute for TalentDevelopment.
“I was really shocked whenI found out about being inPopular Science, I had no ideasuch an award existed,” Gil-bert said. “It’s a pretty big honor to be included.”
WHEN HE WAS 6 YEARS OLD, one of Gilbert’srelatives was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis.The algorithm he created while interning at the Na-tional Institute of Health improves the contrast inthe MRI images, allowing damaged neurons to ap-pear more clearly.
He spent this past summer expanding his scien-tific knowledge. While a love of mathematics andcomputer science first led to his interest in medicalimaging, he said he’s spent the last year on othersubjects.
“I studied a lot of biology and chemistry last year,and this year it’s been a lot of physics,” he said. “I
think that’s the direction I’m going in, physics andengineering. I’m planning on studying that in col-lege, as well as the biological applications of mywork.”
He said one of the reasons he chose MIT was be-cause of strong research opportunities.
“MIT offers research opportunities for undergradu-ates, which was one of the reasons I picked it, I wantto continue my work during the school year,” he said.“That should be pretty exciting, and then I can fig-ure out where to intern next summer.”
Katherine E. Bagley, a freelance journalist whowrote about Gilbert for Popular Science, said shecame across Gilbert as a finalist at the 2011 IntelScience and Engineering Fair. After getting in con-tact with him and seeing his resume, she said shewas struck by how well-rounded he was.
“The diverse activities he participates in reallysealed the deal,” she said. “He’s not just an outstand-ing teenage scientist, but also a student who playsvarsity sports, volunteers, is a leader and was incred-
ibly well-rounded.”She said the scope of his
research is so promising com-ing from such a young man.
“I think the research he’sdoing is incredible,” she said.“And the fact that the resultsare going to have such a largeimpact diagnosing and un-
derstanding so many diseases, from MS toAlzheimer’s, is really inspiring. Teenagers often geta bad rap for being entirely self-focused and imma-ture, but I think Alex, as well as all of the other highschool inventors we profiled, is an outstanding ex-ample of the potential, motivation and sheer bril-liance that this generation will offer to both the sci-entific community and general public in years tocome.”
GILBERT SAID he’s hasn’t decided what’s next forhim after his undergraduate studies.
“I’d like to go for a Ph.D., but we’ll see,” he said.“That’s four years in the future, and I’m still waitingfor what’s next."
McLean Student Named‘Top 10 High School Inventor’Alexander Gilbert ofMcLean recognized forwork with MRI imaging.
Alexander Gilbertof McLean wasrecently namedone of PopularScience’s Top 10High SchoolInventors for hiswork on improv-ing the quality ofMRI images.
“I think that’s thedirection I’m going in,physics and engineering.”
— Alexander Gilbert
Photo
Contributed
4 ❖ McLean Connection ❖ August 31 - September 6, 2011 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
News
Seven Stores Charged withSelling Alcohol to a Minor
Officers from the McLean District Station and the Traffic SafetyUnit conducted business compliance checks at several locationsin the Falls Church, McLean and Vienna areas of Fairfax Countyon Aug. 26. The sting was conducted using county police cadetsdressed in plain clothing who entered stores to purchase alcohol.The ABC sting/business compliance operation was conductedusing two teams, consisting of one cadet, one plain-clothes of-ficer and one uniformed officer serving as a security team.
If asked whether the cadet was 21 years old, they would re-spond with their true age and/or date of birth. If asked for iden-tification, they would tell the clerk that they had no identifica-tion. If the sale of alcohol took place, the plain-clothed officerwould take possession of the alcohol from the cadet and makethe appropriate charge(s), along with assistance from the uni-formed officer assigned to the team.
As a result of this operation, 27 locations were entered andseven were charged with the illegal sale of alcohol to a minor:Safeway,7401 Anderson Road, Falls Church; Safeway, 6244 OldDominion Drive, McLean; Giant, 1454 Chainbridge Road ,McLean; Super A Market, 2800 Graham Road, Falls Church;Safeway, 7397 Lee Highway, Falls Church; Stop & Go Food Mart,7600 Lee Highway, Falls Church; and 7-Eleven, 7243 ArlingtonBlvd, Falls Church.
For more information on underage drinking and prevention pro-grams, log on and learn more about the Unified Prevention Coa-lition at http://www.unifiedpreventioncoalition.org/.
McLean Community FoundationCalls for Proposals
The McLean Community Foundation is calling for proposals forgrants to support community organizations serving the greaterMcLean area in the fields of environment and parks, the arts,education, public safety and programs serving less fortunate fami-lies in our community.
Proposals must be received by Oct. 1, 2011.Prospective applicants should consult the McLean Community
Foundation website at www.mcleancommunityfoundation.org.
Week in McLean
Boy Scout Troop 1130,sponsored by CharlesWesley United Method-ist Church in McLean,
earned the Honor Troop Award atsummer camp the week of July 31- Aug. 6 at Camp Rodney in NorthEast, Md. In achieving the award,the troop received the highestmarks for a clean, safe campsite,and participated in a number ofcamp-wide competitions andevents.
There were many highlights dur-ing the week. Five first-year boyscouts completed a demandingprogram introducing them to thebasic skills required for safety inthe outdoors (Andrew Nolan, AlexBellomo, Andrew Dorr, Alex Hart,and Habeeb Karaky). JensenHoernig received the camp awardas the most outstanding environ-mentalist. Deniz Atak and NikoWoltman were the top two finishers in the mile-swim.Andrew Capon and Charlie Kiley won the sailingregatta. Jake Ahlgrimm completed the rigorous 20-
mile mountain bike competitionthrough Elk Neck State Park. Andthe troop won the camp volleyballtournament.
Thirty-five Boy Scouts, led by LifeScout Andrew Capon, attendedcamp and earned more than 100merit badges including Archery,Basketry, Camping, Canoeing,Climbing, Environmental Science,First Aid, Kayaking, Leatherwork,Orienteering, Geocaching, Pottery,Rifle Shooting, Shotgun, Sailing,Space Exploration, Swimming,Nature, Wind Surfing, and WoodCarving.
Thanks to the residents ofMcLean and Falls Church for theirdonations and patronage of theTroop’s spring mulch sale, many ofthe scouts were able to attend sum-mer camp.
If your son is interested injoining scouting, contact the Troop 1130 Scoutmas-ter, Jim Ahlgrimm at 703-848-0793 [email protected].
Jensen Hoernig receivedthe camp award as themost outstanding environ-mentalist.
Joseph Merritt Schantz ofMcLean has graduated from Randolph-Macon Academy of Front Royal. He isthe son of Brian and Jennifer Schantz.
Jonathan Royden of McLean hasbeen named to the spring 2011 dean’slist at the Villanova University Collegeof Liberal Arts and Sciences, Villanova,Pa.
Nathaniel Eliason of McLean hasgraduated from Choate Rosemary Hallin Wallingford, Ct. He is the son ofRandall Dean Eliason and Cherie ReneeKiser.
McLean residents Omeed A. Assefiand Patrick M. Kain have been namedto the spring 2011 faculty honors list atTrinity College of Hartford, Ct.
Ian Gray of McLean has graduatedwith honors from Wake Forest Univer-sity, receiving a bachelor of science inbiology with minors in chemistry andSpanish. He is a 2007 graduate of Lan-gley High School.
Adam Jorde of McLean has beennamed to the spring 2011 dean’s list atAugustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Irene Nicole Kalis of McLean hasbeen named to the spring 2011 dean’s
list at American University in Washing-ton D.C. The Langley High Schoolgraduate is the daughter of NicholasKalis and Dr. Mary Papadopoulos.
Darius Mobarakeh of McLean hasbeen named to the spring 2011 dean’slist at St. Bonaventure University, wherehe received a bachelor of science degreein biology.
Dawn Kristen Arthur of McLeanhas received a bachelor of science incriminal justice from Radford Univer-sity.
Christopher Worth Criner ofMcLean has received a bachelor of sci-ence in art and media studies fromRadford University.
Tyne Sebastian of McLean hasgraduated with a b a bachelor of finearts in motion media design from theSavannah College of Art and Design,Savannah, Ga.
Grace Pelak of McLean received aDenison Alumni Scholarship at DenisonUniversity for approximately one-quar-ter to one-third of tuition, based onacademic achievement, leadership andpersonal merit.
Stephanie Shelley Volftsun ofMcLean has been named to the spring2011 dean’s list at Washington Univer-sity School of Engineering and AppliedScience in St. Louis.
School Notes
Courtney Lyn Millian of McLeanhas been named to the spring 2011dean’s list at Washington UniversityCollege of Arts & Sciences in St. Louis.
Deren Vance Pulley of McLean hasbeen named to the spring 2011 dean’slist at Washington University College of
Arts & Sciences in St. Louis.
Sonia Ashley Singh of McLean hasbeen named to the spring 2011 dean’slist at Washington University College ofArts & Sciences in St. Louis.
Kyle McConnaughay of Mcleanwill attend Franklin W. Olin College of
Engineering in Needham, Mass.
Allison R. Hutchins of McLean hasbeen named to the spring 2011 dean’s listat Roger Williams University, Bristol, R.I.
Bridget Brady of McLean has beennamed to the spring 2011 dean’s listatDePaul University of Chicago.
McLean Connection ❖ August 31 - September 6, 2011 ❖ 5www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
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News
The Arab Spring will be the focus of de-bate at the eighth annual My First ModelUnited Nations (MUN) Training Conferenceon Saturday, Oct. 1, at Marshall HighSchool. Registration for the conference isnow open at www.fcps.edu/marshallhs.
Marshall’s MUN Club will once again part-ner with the University of Virginia’s Inter-national Relations Club to present the one-day training conference for students inter-ested in MUN, an extracurricular activityat a growing number of Washington met-ropolitan area high schools and middleschools. The conference is open to middleschool and high school students interestedin international relations and is designedto introduce the essential skills of diplo-macy, including advanced Internet research,the writing of position papers, and publicspeaking. Now in its eighth year, the con-ference is expected to draw 250 studentsfrom public, private, and parochial schoolsthroughout the Washington, D.C. region.
The conference will focus on a single is-sue: the Arab Spring, particularly as it re-lates to human rights and economic devel-opment. Recent protests in several Arabstates gained worldwide attention as people
in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, and Syriademanded democratic reforms and an endto autocratic regimes.
The day-long, hands-on training confer-ence will include a morning session on ad-vanced Internet research, how to write po-sition papers and U.N. resolutions, and tipson public speaking taught by Marshall HighSchool social studies teachers and outsideexperts. The afternoon will be devoted tosmall group sessions chaired by college stu-dents from U.Va.’s International RelationsClub.
In those sessions, students will representsome of the 192 nations in the U.N. andwill present their countries’ positions onrecent developments in the Middle Eastwhile practicing the research, writing, andspeaking skills they learned during themorning sessions.
Conference registration information iscurrently posted at www.fcps.edu/MarshallHS. A background guide, writtenby Marshall High School seniors AliAmirghassemi and juniors Monika Bapnaand Jasmine Oo, will be made available toregistered delegates in early September.
Marshall High to Host ModelU.N. Conference on Arab Spring
6 ❖ McLean Connection ❖ August 31 - September 6, 2011 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Newspaper ofMcLean
An independent, locally owned weeklynewspaper delivered
A 5.8 earthquake gave the region ashaking up last Tuesday, and whileit was mostly harmless, two landmarks, the Washington Monument
and the National Cathedral, are still closed.The quake came amidst primary election day
for both Republicans and Democrats, with atleast two somewhat unexpected re-sults. It’s a sign of health for both par-ties that candidates are prepared tocompete in primary elections.
While some have cited the negativity in oneof the Democratic primary races, the benefitsof contested races outweigh the negatives, es-pecially in districts that lean so heavily to oneparty, the primary is the election.
(It’s true that the vitriolic negativity in theprimary for the 31st, carried out via hundredsof thousands of dollars in slick mailers, wasan unfortunate introduction for the many vot-ers new to the district.)
But voters in the 30th and 31st Senate dis-tricts were offered real choices. Too often these
races involve the anointing of incumbent orheir-apparent who are then practically guar-anteed a seat after the general election.
Not this time.The message was that good candidates can
rise up and seek election. And the Republicanchallengers in these two races cannot be
counted out, especially Caren Merrickin the 31st.
There were also Republican races forthe right to challenge Virginia Senators
George Barker, Toddy Puller and DaveMarsden, and Sheriff Stan Barry (D) of Fairfax.
Two Democrats faced off in a very close racefor the right to challenge Supervisor JohnCooke in the Braddock District of FairfaxCounty.
The sad part was the timing and the turn-out. The August primary, necessitated by theresolution of redistricting, and other factorslead to a voter turnout of less than 10 percentin most areas.
Nuclear Caution,Food for Thought
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is send-ing a team to the North Anna nuclear powerplant, which shut down during last week’searthquake. The plant, located just 10 milesfrom the epicenter of Tuesday’s 5.8 quake, wasreported designed to withstand that magnitudequake and no more, but shaking at the loca-tion of the quake might have exceeded that.
The plant could be shut down for six weeksto six months according to a report in theFreelance Star newspaper. North Anna is about70 miles from our area.
In April, the Surry nuclear plant, about 140miles away, automatically shut down after los-ing power when a tornado hit the electricalswitchyard next to the plant, reported the Vir-ginia Gazette newspaper. Diesel generatorskicked in to provide emergency power.
Crazy Week Contested primaries about as comfortableas earthquakes, but with far greater benefit.
Editorial
By Barbara Comstock
State Delegate (R-34)
Virginia is the un-q u e s t i o n a b l ebrightest star on
the American flag when itcomes to being pro-business…Virginia is truly ina class by itself.”
This was the summary ofthe nationally respectedPollina Corporate Real Estatestudy, released earlier this month,which annually reviews the pro-business climate of all 50 states.The study evaluates and ranksstates based on over 30 factorsincluding: “taxes, human re-sources, right-to-work legislation,energy costs, infrastructure spend-ing, workers compensation laws,economic incentive programs andstate economic development ef-forts.”
Virginia won the 2011 top rank-ing by the largest margin in thehistory of the study. This followsupon Virginia being named as thecountry’s “Best State for Business”by CNBC in July. This good newscame the same week that we wereable to report a surplus of $544.8million in the Commonwealth.
Brent Pollina, Vice President ofPollina (www.pollina.com) andauthor of the study, noted, “Vir-ginia can certainly be emulated byother states, which should view
Virginia’s eco-nomic policies asa coloring book.All they need todo is stay be-tween the linesof the coloringbook, and they,too, can create apowerful pro-business envi-ronment.” In the
annual study of job retention andcreation by the 50 states and thefederal government, Pollina em-phasizes, “the effort to makeAmerica more business-friendlymust come from all levels of gov-ernment. Many states are doingsuch a poor job of creating a pro-business environment that theycan’t even come close to compet-ing with each other, much lesscompete globally.”
Not only is Virginia number 1nationally, we are growing as aninternational competitor. As amember of the Governor’s Eco-nomic Development and Jobs Cre-ation Commission, I worked to-gether with my colleagues and ourbusiness community throughoutthe Commonwealth to promoteand pass many business friendlytax incentives and policies thatcontributed to our robust job cli-mate and expands our opportuni-ties nationally and internationally.This year I was the sponsor ofVirginia’s first Tele-work Tax
Credit bill to promote teleworkand family friendly work policies,as well as relieve traffic congestionin Northern Virginia.
We also finally passed a Re-search and Development TaxCredit in Virginia to promote ourhigh tech community. For yearsother states adopted an R & D TaxCredit and Virginia was amongonly a handful that did not yethave this tool. This year, we wentto work to change that and as thechief co-patron of the R & D TaxCredit, I was pleased that we hadthe invaluable support of our lo-cal business community, Chambersof Commerce and the NorthernVirginia Technology Council tohelp us pass this important mea-sure which will grow technologyjobs in our area.
In Virginia, we made jobs ourpriority and passed these andmany other job creation bills withstrong bipartisan support. We haveopened up international businessoffices around the globe to expandVirginia’s commerce opportuni-ties. Our economic efforts also in-cluded bills to promote all typesof energy production — solar,wind, oil and natural gas, and oth-ers. And this year’s budget waspassed unanimously — a first inover 50 years!
As a member of the Transporta-tion Committee, it was particularlyrewarding that after 20 years ofgridlock on transportation, we
were able to fashion an historic $4billion transportation bill that isalready getting money to projectsaround Northern Virginia. An edu-cated workforce is another reasonfor our high ranking; so, ourunanimous passage of the HigherEducation bill this year is anotherway to enhance our overall busi-ness and family friendly climate.This bill will expand science, tech-nology, engineering and math edu-cation, as well as provide more in-state college spots to our students,while tackling the growing tuitionbills. On the K-12 education front,we were also able in Northern Vir-ginia — with the help of an acti-vated group of parents and busi-nesses — to reverse the $120 mil-lion in cuts that had threatenedNorthern Virginia schools.
As the Pollina study noted, Vir-ginia has established a pro-busi-ness environment, which includeslow taxes, limited regulation andlitigation, a highly educatedworkforce, a strong economy anda great quality of life. We were ableto accomplish all of these thingswithout raising taxes in thesetough economic times.
To be lauded in this study as “themodel for the rest of the county”demonstrates that in Virginia, wehave a solid foundation to buildupon. With the surplus created bythese policies, we can now con-tinue to reinvest in our people,reward success, and focus on theright priorities that bring contin-ued prosperity and opportunity forall.
Virginia: The Brightest Pro-Business StarVirginia wins top ranking as a pro-business state.
“
McLean Connection ❖ August 31 - September 6, 2011 ❖ 7www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
TWO POOR TEACHERSKitchen and Bathroom Remodeling
Select your remodeling products from our MobileKitchen and Bathroom Showroom and Design Center!!
Dear Ms. Strauss:Early this spring a group of con-
cerned parents contacted you re-garding a de-staffing notice givento a well regarded teacher at oneof our local public schools, re-questing a meeting with you tohelp us understand the situationand seek ways to retain this out-standing teacher for the benefit ofour children.
Although you responded tosome of our e-mails and phonecalls, I was appalled that ourelected representative failed tomeet personally with her constitu-ents. What are you so busy withthat you cannot have a meetingwith the people you represent?Your responses, at least to my e-mails, were vague and failed to
address any of the specific pointsI made or questions I asked.
In fact, you implied it was theteacher’s responsibility to “nego-tiate” with the principal to keephis/her job. Since when should itbe up to a well-liked, well-re-garded and respected teacher tonegotiate to maintain his or herposition with the school? I wouldexpect our principals to fight toretain excellent educators andwhen they fail to do so, the par-ents, with the support of the schoolboard should fight for them.
The principal in this case refusedto meet with us as did the clusteradministrators. As our advocate,you should have met with us andbeen by our side as we fought toretain an excellent teacher with a
To the Editor:I noticed a number of letters
submitted by School Board Mem-bers Stu Gibson (Hunter Mill) andJanie Strauss (Dranesville) andwanted to respond.
A number of letters have beenwritten on the topic of parent no-tification as it pertains to studentdiscipline. Long standing SchoolBoard members who have beensilent on the issue of reforming theabusive practices involving stu-dent discipline are now jumpingon the band wagon-claiming theytoo support these changes.
I have to ask them, “Where haveyou been?”
For five years, as a co-founderof Fairfax Zero Tolerance Reform,I have been desperately trying tomake changes to the disciplinesystem in FCPS and have been metwith a brick wall. Only until thetragic deaths of Josh Anderson andNick Stuban and the subsequentarticles by Donna St George at TheWashington Post and other articlesin local media, have the decisionmakers started to pay attention.
There are more than 7,000 out-
proven track record of educatingthe whole student and being a rolemodel and mentor. Instead, youseemed to stonewall us as theschool administration had done.You were acting as their advocate,not ours.
I think you are out of touch withwhat our students are dealing withand with what we parents face intrying to ensure they receive aquality education.
I will be supporting LouiseEpstein for the Dranesville districtseat on the FCPS school board. Iencourage all the other parents inour community to do the same.
Marlene SeversonMcLean
An Open Letter to Jane Strauss
of-school suspensions in FCPSeach year. Many of these studentsare out of school for months andmany do not receive educationalservices. How does this serve ourchildren well? More than 900 dis-cipline cases each year are referredto the police. Parents, rightly so,want to be involved in the process-particularly if their child is facinga possible expulsion, months outof school and criminal charges.Isn’t that common sense?
Every parent wants safe schoolsand this argument that parent no-tification will somehow make ourschools dangerous is absurd. I re-cently attended an expulsion hear-ing as an observer and learned thatthe school waited more than oneweek to contact the parents thattheir child had been questioned-one week. The principal at theschool offered that she was toobusy to call the parents. StuGibson attended this hearing andsaid nothing, as if this is perfectlyacceptable in our school system.
Contrary to what many say, par-ents do not forfeit their parentalrights while their children are in
school. We must change the cul-ture of this school district and oneway to do that is to replace thosewho have tolerated these abusivepractices.
I will always appreciate any sup-port I get on this issue of disciplinereform, but I know a wolf insheep’s clothing when I see it.
Janet OtersenSpringfield
‘Where Have You Been?’
WriteThe Connection welcomes views
on any public issue.The deadline for all material isnoon Friday. Letters must besigned. Include home address
and home and business numbers.Letters are routinely edited forlibel, grammar, good taste and
8 ❖ McLean Connection ❖ August 31 - September 6, 2011 McLean Connection ❖ August 31 - September 6, 2011 ❖ 9www.ConnectionNewspapers.com www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
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703-281-0070
By Donna Manz
The Connection
In these parts – “these parts”being McLean and Vienna –Labor Day weekend is more
than barbecues and pool parties.It also brings the area’s largestfood festival, a celebration oftraditional Middle-eastern deli-cacies, and music and dance,augmented with pony rides andmoon bounces for children, ven-dors and tours of the Byzantine-styled church. On Sept. 3 and4, Holy Transfiguration MelkiteGreek-Catholic Church hosts its18th annual Middle EasternFood Festival on the church’sgrounds.
“I really believe what distin-guishes us from other festivalsare our people, their enthusi-asm,” said Protodeacon and fes-tival chairman, David Baroody.“It’s really their enthusiasm andhospitality, and welcoming na-ture to everybody. Everyonewho comes is welcomed in thesame manner of warmth.”
Outside on the back lawn, vol-unteers grill chicken, beef andlamb. In the kitchen, volunteersprepare stuffed grape leaves and
authentic Middle Eastern sidedishes from handed-down recipes.The recipes, Baroody said, havebeen in families for generations, asare many of the cultural traditions.
Forget the diet … the MiddleEastern pastries — gooey, syrupy,nutty — would make the sugarplum fairy swoon. Baklawa,maamoul — date-filled shortbreadcookies — and other typical MiddleEastern sweets, line tables acrossthe hall. They partner with Ameri-can favorites, from cakes and cook-ies to brownies and fudge.
THE FESTIVAL is as much aboutcultural identity as it is about food.Servers and volunteers wear tradi-tional dress, colorful and fre-quently sparkly. The Turkish coffeeis served, well, Turkish-style.
Perhaps, though, the piece deresistance is the roast lamb dinnerserved on Saturday from 6 p.m. to9 p.m. and all day on Sunday.Spoiler alert: the squeamish mightwant to avoid looking at the spiton the lawn, but the aromas ema-nating from the church groundscast a gustatorial spell.
“We try to offer a real insight intoour Middle Eastern culture, alongwith our Byzantine Eastern Chris-
tian traditions,” said festival volun-teer Lani Kanakry. “We reach outto our guests to welcome them.”At the entrance, volunteers handout booklets describing the festi-val and the menu and answer ques-tions visitors may have.
“Melkite” refers to those Catho-lics whose ancestry is Middle East-ern and who follow the Byzantinetradition in worship, theology, andspirituality.
Over the years, the parish hasbecome more diverse ethnically,but its Middle Eastern roots andthe attributes of hospitality are re-flected in the community-wide an-
nual food festival fundraiser. Tothe members of Holy Transfigu-ration, the food festival gives thechurch members an opportunityto reach many people outsidethe church, sharing their cultureand faith with visitors.
The festival, at 8501Lewinsville Road, McLean, nearthe intersection of Spring HillRoad, has introduced pony ridesto keep children entertained.There are also two moonbounces, face painting andgames.
THE HOLY TRANSFIGURA-TION CHURCH Middle East-ern Food Festival runs from 11a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday, Sept.3, and noon to 6p.m. on Sun-day, Sept. 4.
The festival will be held rainor shine. Admission and park-ing are free, but there is a chargefor pony rides. The price ofmenu items, from sweets tocomplete plates, range from acouple of dollars to $14 for theroasted lamb dinner. To learnmore, call 703-734-9566 or visitwww.holytransfiguration.org.
“It’s [the food festival] a per-fect chance to show everybodythe various facets of our MiddleEastern traditions,” saidKanakry. “You’re going to getfantastic food and get educatedabout it, too.”
Holy Transfiguration Church HostsMiddle Eastern Food Festival18th annual festival features food,entertainment and kids’ activities.
The sweets table, ladenwith syrupy, gooey, nuttyconfections, runs the lengthof the church’s hall.
Volunteers in traditional dress serve flavorful, aromaticMiddle Eastern dishes at the 17th Annual Middle EasternFood Festival hosted by Holy Transfiguration Church onLewinsville Road, near the intersection of Springhill Road.
Volunteer chef Omar Samaha grills a hunk of beef on aspit.
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The McLean Orchestra’sSecond Annual “Musi-cal Salute to Our Mili-tary” will be held at
Vinson Hall Retirement Commu-nity on Sept. 10, at 7:30 p.m. Thisconcert, which will showcase theMcLean Orchestra Brass Quintet,is being performed on the eve of
the 10th anniversary of the eventsof Sept. 11, 2001. The concert pro-gram will feature music that hon-ors and celebrates the brave menand women of the military.
“Vinson Hall Retirement Com-munity is the perfect place to holdthis special event. We want to bringour music directly to the military
community,” says Executive Direc-tor John Huling. Vinson Hall Re-tirement Community has beenhome since 1969 to commissionedmilitary officers ages 62 and olderand their immediate family mem-bers.
According to Dr. Wayne WinstonSharp, President of the Board ofTrustees of the McLean Orchestra,“The McLean Orchestra is commit-ted to honoring our warriors, bothpast and present as long as we havesoldiers in harm’s way. Our won-
McLean Orchestra Salutes Military‘Musical Salute to Our Military’to be held on Sept. 10.
The first ‘Musical Salute to Our Military’ concert washeld last year.
McLean Orchestra event sponsors, Col. C. Allen Jorgenson andLilian Jorgenson, with Del. Barbara Comstock (R-34) andMcLean Orchestra Board President Wayne Sharp at a winetasting at Barbara Comstock’s home to support this concert.
derful orchestra boasts many tal-ented musicians who are currentlymembers of the top military bandsin Washington, D.C. It is an honorfor us to do this concert at VinsonHall.”
The concert is free and will befollowed by a cake and champagnereception, a McLean Orchestra tra-dition. Seating is limited. Reserva-tions may be made by contactingthe McLean Orchestra office at703-893-8646.
Faith Notes are for announcements andevents in the faith community. Send [email protected] is Friday.
Christ the King LutheranChurch, 10550 Georgetown Pike inGreat Falls, will mark the beginning ofthe Sunday School year for all ages onRally Day, Sunday Sept. 11. To cel-ebrate, the Church will host a Rally DayBBQ on the front lawn following the 11a.m. service. Members and visitors areinvited to join in the fun, includingburgers and dogs and all the fixings.www.gflutheran.org.
Epiphany United MethodistChurch, 1014 Country Club Drive, N.E.in Vienna, has an Adult Sunday Schoolclass that will begin studying John B.Cobb’s book Spiritual Bankruptcy: A Pro-phetic Call to Action on Sunday, Sept.11. Coffee at 9:30 a.m., class at 9:45 [email protected] or 703-938-3494.
Unitarian Universalist Congre-gation of Fairfax, 2709 Hunter MillRoad in Oakton, seeks female actors forproduction of “Mother Wove the Morn-ing”, a play by Carol Lynn Pearson. Allages and types needed. Play will be per-formed Oct. 21-22 and proceeds benefitThe Fistula Foundation. Auditions willbe held on Tuesday, Sept 13. Schedulean audition appointment atwww.uucf.org or [email protected].
Andrew Chapel United Method-
ist Church, 9201 Leesburg Pike inVienna, has a 10 a.m. Sunday WorshipService through Sept 4. Beginning Sept.11 Worship is 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.,Sunday School 9:30 a.m., and YouthFellowship at 6 p.m. September studygroups are Monday night’s ‘Companionsin Christ’, and Tuesday 10 a.m. BibleStudy. Bell Choir practice is Wednesdayat 7 p.m. and choir practice at 8 p.m.Call 703-759-3722 to register forPreSchool and Mother’s Day Out. 703-759-3508.
Epiphany United MethodistChurch, 1014 Country Club Drive inVienna, will celebrate its 50th anniver-sary with a special worship service onSunday, Sept. 25 at 11 a.m.www.epiphanyumc.com or 703-938-3494.
The Jewish Social ServicesAgency (JSSA) offers a wide variety ofsupport groups for those with emotional,social, and physical challenges.www.jssa.org/growth-learning.
HAVEN of Northern Virginia of-fers a variety of free bereavementsupport groups, meeting on a weeklybasis. Contact 703-941-7000 orwww.havenofnova.org for schedules andregistration information.
McLean Bible Church FitnessClass at Body & Soul Fitness. Balance iskey, energy is renewed and strength isgained. 9:45 a.m. Mondays and Fridays.Free childcare for registered [email protected].
Vajrayogini Buddhist Center of-fers ongoing classes on meditation andBuddhist philosophy, Mondays at 7 p.m.at Unity of Fairfax, 2854 Hunter MillRoad, Oakton. $10 per class. 202-331-2122 or www.meditation-dc.org.
St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church,1830 Kirby Road in McLean. The thirdSunday service every month at 10:15a.m. allows children to play active rolesin the music and as greeters and ushers.Traditional services are every Sunday at8:15 and 10:15 a.m.
Vienna Presbyterian Church, 124Park St. in Vienna, presents the 12-weekprogram “Passages,” for those experienc-ing separation or divorce. TheDivorceCare series meets Tuesdays at 7p.m. Cost of materials $20, scholarshipsavailable. 703-938 9050 [email protected].
Vienna Assembly of God has aministry to children on Wednesdays, 7-8 p.m. at the corner of Center N and AyrHill Avenue, N.E. Children’s Church onSundays also available. 703-938-7736 orwww.ViennaAG.com.
Vienna Christian HealingRooms, every Saturday, 1-5 p.m., at8200 Bell Lane. A team of Christians isavailable to anyone requesting prayer.Free and open to the public. 703-698-9779 orwww.viennachristianhealingrooms.com.
Chesterbrook United Methodist
Church is at 1711 Kirby Road, McLean.Worship service is at 11 a.m. Sundayschool is at 9:30 a.m. for adults and chil-dren. Rev. Kathleene Card, Pastor.703-356-7100 orwww.ChesterbrookUMC.org.
A Centering Prayer Group meetsFridays, 9:30 a.m. at Andrew ChapelUnited Methodist Church, 1301 TrapRoad, Vienna. The hour includes a briefreading related to Centering Prayer, fol-lowed by a 20-minute prayer period.E-mail Martha Thomas [email protected] or call thechurch at 703-759-3509.
The Jewish Federation ofGreater Washington and the JewishOutreach Institute offer the Mothers/Parents Circle, an umbrella of free edu-cational events and resources. Jewishrituals, ethics and the creation of a Jew-ish home, regular meetings and groupShabbats and holidays. Participants in-clude Sha’are Shalom, CongregationBeth Emeth, Temple Rodef Shalom andthe Jewish Community Center of North-ern Virginia. ShalomDC.org.
Trinity United MethodistChurch, 1205 Dolley Madison Blvd.,McLean, Sunday worship services are at8:30 and 10:30 a.m. Sunday School foradults is at 9:30 a.m. and for childrenduring the 10:30 a.m. worship service.Youth Group for grades 7-12 meets Sun-days at 6 p.m. A 20-minute service ofHoly Communion is held each Wednes-day at 12 p.m. 703-356-3312 orumtrinity.org.
Faith Notes
10 ❖ McLean Connection ❖ August 31 - September 6, 2011 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Copyright 2011 Metropolitan Regional Information Systems, Inc. Visit www.mris.com.
In July 2011, 97 homes sold between $2,270,000-$136,000 in the McLean and Falls Church area.
Home Sales
By Alex McVeigh
The Connection
Volunteers and support-ers of the McLeanProject for the Arts had
a blast from the past Thursday,Aug. 25 as they took part in theannual “Cocktails and Coloring”event, which is the first eventto support this year’s McLeanArtFest. Guests at the eventused markers, crayons and glit-ter glue, as well as pictures frommagazines, felt and other itemsto add colors to the MPA’s treelogo.
The festival, which will takeplace Oct. 2 in McLean CentralPark, will feature dozens of art-ists with work on display andfor sale, as well as live musicand other entertainment.
At the beginning of theevening, pieces of paper con-taining the black and white ver-sion of the logo were put on thewall. When guests arrived, theywere given copies of the logosections and asked to put theirown spin on it.
“It was fun trying to figureout what to put on each pieceof paper, and then seeing it asa whole,” said Marlene Banksof McLean. “Last year we usedletters and colored them in, butyou could get a lot more ab-stract with the logo.”
As the black and white piecesof the tree came alive with col-ors and textures, the pieceswere assembled on the wall.The pieces were blended fromdifferent groups to create a col-lage of many contrasting styles.
Volunteers are needed to setup, take down the displays, aswell as monitor the day’sevents. Marianne Polito, volun-teer coordinator for the event,
says any help would be wel-comed.
“We try to have fun with vol-unteers, there’s always work todo, but it’s a neat event to beinvolved with,” she said.
MPA will host a fundraiser forthe ArtFest with their “Luck ofthe Draw” event Sept. 21. Eachartist participating in ArtFestwill donate a small piece, andattendees will receive tickets atthe beginning of the night.Numbers will be drawn, andwinners will be able to choosewhich piece they want until allitems are gone.
“Everyone who attendsshould be able to walk awaywith something,” said NancyPerry, executive director of theMPA. “We try and make sure theArtFest can stay a free, funevent for the community, butwe also try to have fun whenraising money for the event.
MORE INFORMATION onthe Luck of the Draw event, oron how to volunteer for ArtFestcan be found atwww.mpaart.org, or by calling703-790-1953.
Event kicks off support forannual McLean ArtFest.
MPA Hosts ‘Cocktailsand Coloring’
Pamela Saunders usesglitter glue to color in apanel of the McLeanProject for the Arts logo.
Guests at “Cocktails and Coloring” watch as oneversion of the McLean Project for the Arts logo is puttogether on the wall.
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McLean Connection ❖ August 31 - September 6, 2011 ❖ 11www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Send announcements [email protected] is Thursday for the followingweek’s paper. Photos/artwork encour-aged. For additional listings, visitwww.connectionnewspapers.com
WEDNESDAY/AUG. 31You Are Not Alone Tour:
Hawthorne Heights, ViFollyand The Getaways. 8 p.m.Jammin’ Java, 227 Maple Ave. E.,Vienna. www.jamminjava.com.
One-on-One Computer Tutoring. 3p.m. Oakton Library, 10304Lynnhaven Place, Oakton. Learn thebasics of the Internet, Word andExcel. Adults. 703-242-4020.
THURSDAY/SEPT. 1“A Funny Thing Happened On the
Way to the Forum.” 8 p.m. JamesLee Community Center, 2855-AAnnandale Road, Falls Church.Musical comedy about mistakenidentity and young love. “Pay-What-You-Can Preview.” 703-615-6626 [email protected].
Oh Susannah. 10:30 a.m. Jammin’Java, 227 Maple Ave. E., Vienna.www.jamminjava.com.
Atlas, Harlen Simple and Go(acoustic). 8 p.m. Jammin’ Java,227 Maple Ave. E., Vienna.www.jamminjava.com.
FRIDAY/SEPT. 2“A Funny Thing Happened On the
Way to the Forum.” 8 p.m. JamesLee Community Center, 2855-AAnnandale Road, Falls Church.Musical comedy about mistakenidentity and young love. $6-$15.703-615-6626 or [email protected].
Middle Eastern Food Festival.11 a.m.-11 p.m. Holy TransfigurationMelkite Greek-Catholic Church, 8501Lewinsville Road, McLean. Live musicand dancing, vendors, church toursand activities. Join the Debke danceor participate in a game ofbackgammon or chess. Children canenjoy pony rides, moon bounce, facepainting and more. Outdoor grillswill offer kibbee, chicken kebabs,falafel, fattoush, hummus, stuffedgrape leaves, or a $14 Roast LambDinner served from 6-9 p.m. Enjoybaklawa, maamoul, namoura,ghraybeh, or American favorites fromcakes to cookies to brownies andfudge. Free admission and parking.703-734-9566 orwww.holytransfiguration.org.
Sonorus II: A Wizard RockFestival at 12 p.m., Robin andLinda Williams and Their FineGroup at 9:30 p.m. Jammin’ Java,227 Maple Ave. E., Vienna.www.jamminjava.com.
“A Funny Thing Happened On theWay to the Forum.” 3 p.m. and 8p.m. James Lee Community Center,2855-A Annandale Road, FallsChurch. Musical comedy aboutmistaken identity and young love.$6-$15. 703-615-6626 [email protected].
SUNDAY/SEPT. 4Great Falls National Park Civil
War Day. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Great FallsNational Park, 9200 Old DominionDrive, McLean. Demonstrations byliving historians and ranger guidedhikes to the site of Civil Warskirmishes within Great Falls Park.703-285-2965.
Holy Transfiguration 18th Annual
Entertainment
“July Peaches” by Jill Banks. The Vienna Arts SocietyMonthly Meeting on Thursday, Sept. 8 at 7:30 p.m. at theVienna Art Center, 115 Pleasant St., N.W. in Vienna, willfeature a demonstration of still life oil painting by JillBanks. Free and open to the public. 703-319-3971www.ViennaArtsSociety.org.
Middle Eastern Food Festival.12-6 p.m. Holy TransfigurationMelkite Greek-Catholic Church, 8501Lewinsville Road, McLean. Live musicand dancing, vendors, church tours, awide variety of food and activities.$14 Roast Lamb Dinner served allday. Free admission and parking.703-734-9566 orwww.holytransfiguration.org.
SUNDAY /SEPT. 4TheRuinCity CD Release, Let’s Be
Honest, Hit This City, TheConcussion Theory, All InKarma and Bandits & Beggars.6 p.m. Jammin’ Java, 227 Maple Ave.E., Vienna. www.jamminjava.com.
Early Fall Tour of the PotomacValley Native Plant Collection. 2p.m. Meadowlark Botanical Gardens,9750 Meadowlark Gardens Court,Vienna. Enjoy goldenrod, sunflowers,wild senna and more. Free and opento the public. 703-255-3631.
TUESDAY/SEPT. 6Sarah Jebian is “Goin’ Back”: A
Cabaret Event. 7:30 p.m. Jammin’Java, 227 Maple Ave. E., Vienna.www.jamminjava.com.
WEDNESDAY/SEPT. 7Kyle Andrews, Ernie Halter and
Taxicab Racers. 7:30 p.m.Jammin’ Java, 227 Maple Ave. E.,Vienna. www.jamminjava.com.
THURSDAY/SEPT. 8Murphy’s Kids, Future and Teddy
and the Purple Funk. 8 p.m.Jammin’ Java, 227 Maple Ave. E.,Vienna. www.jamminjava.com.
“A Funny Thing Happened On theWay to the Forum.” 8 p.m. JamesLee Community Center, 2855-AAnnandale Road, Falls Church.Musical comedy about mistakenidentity and young love. $6-$15.703-615-6626 or [email protected].
Vienna Arts Society MonthlyMeeting. 7:30 p.m. Vienna ArtCenter, 115 Pleasant St., NW,Vienna. With a demonstration of stilllife oil painting by Jill Banks. Freeand open to the public. 703-319-3971 www.ViennaArtsSociety.org.
FRIDAY/SEPT. 9Friday Night Steak Dinner. 5:30-8
p.m. American Legion Post 180, 330North Center St, Vienna. Grilled rib-eye steak, baked potato and salad.$9. 703-938-9535.
Banjo Man. 10:30 a.m. Jammin’ Java,227 Maple Ave. E., Vienna.
www.jamminjava.com.We Were Kings CD Release and
Dance Party, Big Hurry andBreaking Borders. 8 p.m. Jammin’Java, 227 Maple Ave. E., Vienna.www.jamminjava.com.
“A Funny Thing Happened On theWay to the Forum.” 8 p.m. JamesLee Community Center, 2855-AAnnandale Road, Falls Church.Musical comedy about mistakenidentity and young love. $6-$15.703-615-6626 or [email protected].
“Don’t Dress for Dinner, orPajamas for Six.” 8 p.m. 1stStage, 1524 Spring Hill Road inTyson’s Corner. A farce by MarcCamoletti about mistaken identityand infidelities with more twists thana corkscrew. Tickets $25.www.1ststagetysons.org/jeeves or703-854-1856.
Koi and Bonsai Show. 12-4 p.m.Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, 9750Meadowlark Gardens Court, Vienna.Koi displays, judging, informationalseminars, pond and koi vendors.Bonsai will also be on display. Freeand open to the public. 703-255-3631.
SATURDAY/SEPT. 10Virginia Indian Festival and
Showcase for Native Arts.10a.m.-4 p.m. Riverbend Park, 8700Potomac Hills St., Great Falls.Members of seven native tribespresent a cultural demonstration ofthe arts and their ancient way of life.Tribal dancing, rhythmic drumming,pottery, crafts, food, hands-onactivities and more. Use choppingtools to help build a dug-out canoe,hit the mark at the archery range orthrow spears with the atlatl.Admission $5.www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/riverbend/ or 703-759-9018.
Championship Boxing. GeorgeMason University Patriot Center,4500 Patriot Circle, Fairfax. JimmyLange to fight Raul Muñoz for WBUtitle. Tickets $35-$500, available atwww.ticketmaster.com and 703-573-SEAT.
James Madison High SchoolMarching Band Tag Day. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Instrumentalists, drum lineand color guard members will walkthrough neighborhoods in theMadison school district handing outTags with details about this year’scompetitions and concerts. Moneyraised on Tag Day helps pay forcompetition and travel fees,instruments, uniforms and more.Contributions can be mailed to JamesMadison High School Band Parents,2500 James Madison Drive, ViennaVa. 22181. www.jmhsband.org.
HUMANE SOCIETY OF FAIRFAX COUNTYHours: Monday-Friday 10-4 and Saturday 10-3 • www.hsfc.org4057 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, VA 22030 • 703-385-7387
THIS IS “TABASCO”D.O.B. April 29, 2010. Terrier mix, neuteredmale, 35 lbs. Tabasco was abandoned andleft to starve in a vacant house. This did notchange his sweet disposition, though it didaffect his weight considerably. After a lot ofTLC he looks great and is more than ready tofind a family who will love him forever. He isa real character and loves to show off hisfunny antics. He’s great with people andother dogs, loves to go for walks and is atotal lover boy. He has the cutest puppy faceeven though he is about a year old andweighs approx. 35 pounds. He may be an
American Staffordshire mixed with some other type of terrier because of his faceand head shape, but whatever he’s mixed with, he’s adorable.Make an appointment to meet Tabasco and add some realspice to your life. Attributes: Super Sweet Little Buddy!
12 ❖ McLean Connection ❖ August 31 - September 6, 2011 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
High school football stadi-ums throughout theNorthern Region will bealive with buzz and excite-
ment this Thursday and Friday night withweek one action of the new season.
While some folks are still in a summer-time mode, many families within FairfaxCounty are kicking off the new school year.One of the most recognizable transitionsigns of the new school year is the startup of prep school football. Let’s take a lookat where some of the local teams — Madi-son, South Lakes, McLean, Langley,Oakton, Herndon, and Marshall — fin-ished off in 2010 as they prepare to launchinto the upcoming 2011 campaign.
Madison, under former head coach Gor-don Lieb, struggled through a re-buildingseason last year. The Warhawks, a peren-nial Div. 5 playoff contender during Lieb’sdecade-long tenure at the helm of the pro-gram, were just 2-8 last year, winning theirfinal two games following a 0-8 start.
Lieb stepped down as head coach dur-ing the offseason in order to accept thehead coach position at Paul VI High inFairfax. Meanwhile, former Madison as-sistant Lenny Schultz was namedMadison’s new head coach. TheWarhawks will begin their new footballera with their annual season-opener ver-sus cross-town rival Oakton — in theOutback Bowl — this Friday night, Sept.2 at 7:30.
Oakton, like Madison, is under a newhead coach this season following the res-ignation of Joe Thompson, who recentlyaccepted an administrative position atAnnandale High School. Thompson, asOakton’s head coach since 2002, led theCougars to outstanding success, includinga state title victory in 2005 and another tripto the state playoffs in 2008. Last year,Oakton went 7-3 during the regular seasonbefore losing in a first round playoff gameto Robinson, 14-7. One of the Cougars’ bestwins last year was a 17-14 triumph overChantilly in the final game of the regularseason.
This year’s Oakton squad will be led bynew head coach Jason Rowley, the Cougars’defensive coordinator last year. The Cou-gars host Madison on Friday of this weekand will also be at home versus SouthCounty the following Friday (Sept. 9).
magic to Reston in 2010 as head coach ofthe Seahawks, who qualified for the Div. 5playoffs where they defeated Mount Vernonin the first round before losing in the semi-finals to eventual region champion StoneBridge. South Lakes’ high-powered offenseaveraged 27 points per game.
Hill stepped down during the offseasonand has returned to his roots in Minnesota.South Lakes’ new coach is Marvin Wooten,a South Lakes assistant the past four yearsunder both Hill and previous coach JohnEllenberger. Wooten’s right hand man willbe assistant head coach Galvin Morris.
South Lakes opens its season this Fridaynight, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. versus visitingWestfield High. The Seahawks will also be
home the following Friday night (Sept. 9)versus cross-town opponent Herndon.
Herndon, under the longtime leadershipof head coach Joe Sheaffer, struggledthrough a 1-9 record last year. The Hor-nets had experienced one of their betterseasons the previous fall (2009) when theyqualified for the Div. 6 playoffs.
Herndon will try to bounce back fromits tough 2010 season with a good seasonthis fall. The Hornets will open with ahome game on Thursday night, Sept. 1 ver-sus Langley at 7:30. That will be followedwith a week two game at South Lakes onFriday, Sept. 9.
Sheaffer’s coaching staff includes twoformer Washington Redskins in assistanthead coach Todd Liebenstein and offen-sive line coach Raleigh McKenzie.
AT MCLEAN HIGH, the Highlanders hada breakthrough 2010 season which localfans will always remember for their 8-0start. And although the Highlanders ulti-mately lost their final three games of theseason, including a Div. 5 first round play-off loss to Hayfield, the season overall wasa highlight reel for a program which, justtwo years earlier, had gone winless.
McLean, 8-3 last year and 6-5 in 2009,has now experienced two consecutive win-ning seasons under fourth year head coachJim Patrick. The Highlanders’ quest for athird straight winning record will beginThursday night (Sept. 1) of this week ver-sus visiting Washington-Lee. A year ago,the Highlanders opened their season witha 14-6 win over the Generals.
Following this week’s game with Wash-ington-Lee, Mclean will hit the road fortwo weeks versus both Falls Church (Sept.9) and Fairfax (Feb. 16) before returninghome for a week four game versus Madi-son on Sept. 23.
Also making the playoffs last year wasLangley High, which qualified for theeight-team Div. 6 postseason tournament.The Saxons lost their first two games ofthe season before winning five straight.Their best game of the season came inweek 10 when they closed the regularschedule with a 56-12 home win over lo-cal rival McLean. That victory clinched awinning season for veteran head coachJohn Howerton and his Saxons, who
would see their season end the followingweek with a first round 34-10 playoff lossto eventual two-time region champion LakeBraddock.
The 2010 Saxons had one of the top pass-ing attacks in the state behind since-gradu-ated quarterback Braden Anderson, whopassed for a school record mark of 2,300yards. Only the high-powered LakeBraddock offense, with QB Michael Nebrichbehind the center, could match the Saxons’region aerial success in 2010.
Langley will open the new season thisweek with a road game at Herndon onThursday, Sept. 1 at 7:30. The Saxons willplay their home opener the following weekagainst Jefferson on Friday, Sept. 9.
Herndon will be looking to notch some victories this fall following a tough2010 season.
McLean, on defense here, will host Washington-Lee on Thursday of thisweek in both teams’ season opener. The Highlanders began the 2010 sea-son with a 14-6 win over the Generals.
Photos by Craig Sterbutzel/The Connection
New High School Football Season Kicks Off This WeekMadison, Oakton,South Lakes all havenew coaches;Langley and McLeanboth coming offplayoff seasons.
Marshall, under second year head coachBill Lapthorn, will be looking to improveon last year’s 1-9 record. The Statesmen,on Thursday, Sept. 1 of this week, werescheduled to play at Lee High in Spring-field at 7:30. The following week, on Fri-day, Sept. 9, Marshall will open its homeschedule with a game versus Mount Vernon.
ANOTHER PROGRAM which will be un-der a new head coach this season, like bothMadison and Oakton, is South Lakes High,which enjoyed a fine season a year ago insince-departed Andy Hill’s lone season atthe helm. Hill, who had led Park View High(Sterling) to prominent success for severalyears within the Dulles District, brought his
McLean Connection ❖ August 31 - September 6, 2011 ❖ 13www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
ClassifiedClassified
NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY AS TO STUDENTS
The Newton School admits students of any race, color, nation-al and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, andactivities generally accorded or made available to students atthe school. The Newton School does not discriminate on thebasis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administrationof its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarshipand loan programs, and athletic and other school-administeredprograms. To learn more about The Newton School, pleasesee our website at www.thenewtonschool.org.
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CTS Services, LLC, an expanding HVAC/Mechanical company is
interviewing for the following position:
COMMERCIAL HVAC SERVICE TECH
FOR NORTHERN VIRGINIA AREA
5+ yrs. HVAC exp. Plus required licens-es. Self motivated individual with strong organizational skills. Duties include in-stalling, repairing, troubleshooting, & maintaining HVAC equipment. We offer excellent salary, benefits and 401k plan. Phone: (703) 647-2134, Fax:(301) 210-7103. Email: [email protected] EOE M/F/D/V, Drug-Free Workplace
THERAPY
Physical, Occupational,and Speech Therapists
Flexible PT, OT, and ST positions available forlicensed therapists in Great Falls, Vienna andMcLean to share our mission of keeping familiestogether by promoting the health and independ-ence of seniors living in the house. LHI is recog-nized for guiding the way at home in terms of clini-cal best practices and caregivers who consistentlygo the extra mile.
Call us to check for availability inother geographic areas as well.
Join our PlaygroundT e a m !Looking for several people to assist teach-ers in monitoring children at recess on the playground. Fun and friendly environ-ment – Flexible Hours. $12/hr.
Extended Care Counselors:$8-11 hr./ based on experience.
Middle School Teachers: College degree required* Latin Teachers
Workplace Options (WPO)America’s largest work-life services pro-vider, is hiring 60-70 full-time employ-ees for a program that will assist our nation’s active military service men and women. Entry-level through manage-ment positions available in both Chesa-peake and Arlington, VA. WPO seeks qualified referral specialists to provide childcare, eldercare, and convenience referrals, financial and tax counselors, as well as a strong management team to provide operational support and quality assurance. Competitive compensation and benefits, and a supportive, team-based working environment. Bachelor’s degree required. Call center experience a plus.
U.S. citizenship required. Veterans and military spouses encouraged to apply. Background/drug checks required for hire. Applicants must be available to begin no later than Oct. 3, 2011.
Full job descriptions available at http://www.workplaceoptions.com/join-us-job-openings.asp
Interested applicants should submit cover letter and resume to:
E-mail ad with zone choices to: [email protected] or call Barbara @ 703-778-9413
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14 ❖ McLean Connection ❖ August 31 - September 6, 2011 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
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McLean Connection ❖ August 31 - September 6, 2011 ❖ 15www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
News
By Montie Martin
The Connection
McLean native Will Thomaswon’t be spending LaborDay weekend at the beachrelaxing with a good book.
Instead, this rising seventh grader willspend a grueling three-day ordeal shootinghoops for the 17 fallen Navy SEALs killedin Afghanistan Aug. 6.
Dubbed operation Hawkeye, Will plansto solicit one-penny-per-shot donationsfrom sponsors as he attempts to make17,000 baskets. His goal is to raise $17,000,or $1,000 for each of the 17 families wholost their loved ones.
“I chose to help support the SEALs be-cause I always liked them,” said Will. “Theyare the most hardcore American soldiers,and it was so sad to lose so many of them.”
The SEAL’s inspirational stories of perse-verance in the face of insurmountable odds,including a nightmarish training periodknow as “Hell Week,” motivated Will toexcel on the basketball court.
“Will is an outstanding basketball player,”said Travis Hess, a varsity basketball coachat Langley High School who also runs thesummer training camp Will attends. “Youbet he’s going to benefit from all thoseshots.”
“The kid can shoot a basketball,” Hesscontinued. “But I don’t want to scare awayany potential donors.”
Wayne Loving, a coach for the McLeanLittle League, also cautioned would be spon-sors of Will’s prowess. “He’s in amazinglygood shape,” Loving warned. “He’s going
to be out there for hours, making thousandsof baskets, so be mindful.”
Nonetheless, making 17,000 baskets is nosmall task.
A CONCERNED Melanie Thomas, Will’smother, has every reason to be worried.Shooting approximately 1,000 baskets perhour is a strain for someone even in the bestof shape.
“As a protective mom I’m not sure aboutthe goal,” said Melanie. “This Labor Day willbe arduous.”
Dawson Richardson, a former Captainwith the Navy SEALs, offered some triedand true advice.
“It sounds trite, but never give up,” saidRichardson. “Like Hell Week, overcometemporary aches and pains, focus on yourobjective which is getting through, and youwill surprise yourself.”
Navy SEALs, who constitute one percentof one percent of the U.S. population, tendto keep a low profile and are often unknownto their communities. Staying under theradar means neighbors don’t often know aSEAL is in their midst.
Without being aware of the fact until the
project was underway, Will discovered hiscause would directly support one of hisneighbors. After reading obituaries of thefallen, Will learned that Jonas Kelsall, oneof the 17 SEALs killed in action on Aug. 6,is survived by his wife Victoria Kelsall ofMcLean.
“It brought it closer to home, which makesit more tangible and more personal to knowsomeone in our community was affected,”said Will. “I want to tell the families that Iam sorry for your loss, and that I hope mydonations will help in some way.”
BILL THOMAS, a lawyer with Skadden,Arps, Slate, Meager & Flom LLP, plans tohelp his son’s project from a logistical pointof view. Bill will closely monitor his son’sprogress throughout the weekend, clockingevery basket to ensure the integrity of theproject.
“You have to ask yourself how stronglyyou feel about something,” said Bill. “Willyou walk the walk and do something aboutit?”
“I can pull it off,” said a confident Will.“Just thinking about the SEALs, they’ve beenthrough a lot worse.”
Photo courtesy of Bill Thomas
Will Thomas on the court.
Photo by Montie Martin/The Connection
Will Thomas and his drivewaybasketball hoop. Over three dayshe will shoot 17,000 baskets.
Hurting for HeroesMcLean youth basketball star raises money,awareness for Navy SEALs.
How to ContributeDonations to Operation Hawkeye should be
made out to the Navy SEAL Foundation. BillThomas, who is operating the logistical side ofthe project, can be reached [email protected].
About the Navy SEALFoundation
The Navy SEAL Foundation, headquartered inVirginia Beach, is a non-profit dedicated tosupporting the members, spouses and children ofthe Naval Special Warfare command. Theorganization assists families by providingmonetary support in the form of scholarships, aswell as the immediate costs of memorial servicesfor the fallen.
For more information visit, http://nswfoundation.org
“I can pull it off. Justthinking about theSEALs, they’ve beenthrough a lot worse.”
— Will Thomas
Not really in a significant way. But whenthere’s one more thing, and that thing canrun the gamut from the sublime to theridiculous, and/or from the serious andtime-sensitive to the familiar and regularlyrecurring, it may be just enough additionalmental weight at the least opportune time,and over the mental edge I go. Not in anysort of way where I need psychiatric assis-tance or 24/7 monitoring, but in a waywhere it affects how I want to be: calm,functioning and relatively normal (“normal”meaning, in this context: not having cancer).
As much as I don’t want this cancer diag-nosis/living-with-cancer existence to defineme, it does, more often than I care to admit,control me; sometimes consciously, othertimes, subconsciously. I don’t want to thinkand feel certain emotions, some of whichare really unhelpful in my daily pursuit ofnormalcy, but circumstances beyond mycontrol – unfortunately, inevitably, triggersome sort of acknowledgment of my cancerreality, and as a result, sometimes, I go to abad place. Moreover, if the timing of thattrigger is particularly poor – like now, it addsto the weight that all of us cancer/terminalpatients carry and unbalances that mentalload. At least it does for me.
What’s caused me to bend but not quitebreak of late is the need to change myhealth insurance coverage. Given that I’venow been on Social Security Disability fortwo years (as of 8/1/2011; that’s what hap-pens when you outlive your prognosis), I ameligible, though “underage” for Medicare.My wife however, is not eligible. Ergo, thecomplication. Medicare is not a family plan.As such, if I elect to participate, I no longerneed the health insurance offered by theConnection. And once my inclusion in thatplan ceases, the coverage for my wifeceases, so not only am I changing my cover-age, I’m changing hers as well.
With these changes comes: uncertainty.And if there’s one area/subject where I’drather not have any uncertainty right now,it’s health insurance, for me and my family.To say that making the wrong decision/assessment about what we decide to docould cost me my life and/or our life savingsis almost not doing justice to the seriousnessand depth of this situation/problem we face.(Or maybe that’s simply the cancer diagno-sis talking?)
I am hardly at the age and/or in thehealth circumstance where I could afford (li-terally and figuratively) one wrong move.And once going forward, I doubt there’smuch recourse, other than to suffer/endurethe consequences of my/our actions. (If myfather impressed anything on me, it was to“be aware of the consequences of youractions.”) Ordinarily, as a long-time, formerinsurance salesman/financial planner, thesesorts of insurance/financial decisions/ calcu-lations were fairly routine and not at allemotionally charged. But I hadn’t been diag-nosed with stage IV lung cancer back then(by the way, in case you don’t know, there’sno stage V). And as much as I try to pretendand/or deny now, that I don’t have cancer –or not admit it’s who I am, the more fre-quently my subconscious seems to take overand complicate my life. What tasks used tobe simple now seem more challenging, eventhough I don’t consciously think I feel anydifferent. But I am different. And some days,certain decisions really make that obvious.
Kenny Lourie is an Advertising Representative forThe Almanac & The Connection Newspapers.
By KENNETH B. LOURIE
In TheThroes
16 ❖ McLean Connection ❖ August 31 - September 6, 2011 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
