chantilly celebrating...

Chantilly Connection ❖ April 29 - May 5, 2015 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.comApril 29 - May 5, 2015 online at www.connectionnewspapers.com

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Fair Oaks ❖ Fair LakesFair Oaks ❖ Fair Lakes

CelebratingCommunity

DiversityNews, Page 9

Representing Guatemala, Alberto Ramirez sings andplays guitar at the 5th annual Centreville InternationalShowcase was held Saturday, April 25, at Centreville

United Methodist Church.

What’s onLocal Horizon?Neighborhood Outlook, Page 3

Guevara WinsGOP’s NodNews, Page 2

Summer●CampsEducation&Activities



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Fair Oaks ❖ Fair Lakes

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Education&Activities


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2 ❖ Chantilly Connection ❖ April 29 - May 5, 2015 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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News

It’ll be John Guevara vs.Kathy Smith in the upcom-ing race to represent theSully District on the Fairfax

County Board of Supervisors.Smith, Sully’s School Board rep-

resentative, is the only Democraticcandidate running to replace theretiring Sully District Supervisor,Michael Frey. And Guevara, a Re-publican, won Saturday’s GOPfirehouse primary against twoother contenders.

Only 1,362 people voted onApril 25, with just 16 votes sepa-rating the top two candidates.Guevara, of Fair Oaks, garnered478 votes; Sully District PlanningCommission member JohnLitzenberger came in second with462 votes. Brian Schoeneman, former secretary ofthe county Electoral Board, placed third with 422votes.

“My team and I are humbled, honored and thank-ful to all the grassroots supporters who came together

Guevara Wins GOP’s NodA 16-vote victory to becomeRepublican candidate forSully supervisor.

John Guevara

to make this victory possible,” said Guevara on Mon-day. “Both John Litzenberger and Brian Schoenemanran excellent campaigns.

Guevara said he expected the race to be close, butdidn’t anticipate such a razor-thin margin of victory.

And he believes his stance on taxesresonated with many of the voters.

“Several residents told me theyvoted for me because I presented aplan for curbing the out-of-control,real-estate tax increases,” he said.“Our friends, neighbors and busi-ness owners in Sully were eagerand motivated to be part of thiscampaign to bring economic reliefto overburdened residents.”

Next on tap for Guevara will bemore knocking on doors to per-suade potential constituents to votefor him in November. “I fully intendto keep meeting people and listen-ing to the issues that affect us asSully residents,” he said. He alsonoted that both Litzenberger andSchoeneman have pledged theirsupport, which “speaks greatlyabout the unity of our party.”

Guevara further expressed appreciation to his fam-ily, his team and the GOP leadership for their hardwork, encouragement and support.

— Bonnie Hobbs

Chantilly Connection ❖ April 29 - May 5, 2015 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Help Find Stolen VehiclePolice need seeking the public’s help in tracking a stolen red

1970 Ford Bronco. With few of these vehicles still on the road,detectives believe the public may easily recognize the vehicleand be able to assist with the investigation.

The Bronco 5 speed (aftermarket) was stolen from a repairgarage lot at 14067 Willard Road at around 11 p.m. on April 19.The license plate is Washington State JW-9564.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Bronowiczof the Auto Theft Unit at 703-246-7800.

Free Carseat InspectionsCertified technicians from the Sully District Police Station will

perform free, child safety carseat inspections Thursday, May 7,from 5-8:30 p.m, at the station, 4900 Stonecroft Blvd. inChantilly. No appointment is necessary. But residents should in-stall the child safety seats themselves so technicians may prop-erly inspect and adjust them, as needed.

Because of time constraints, only the first 35 vehicles arrivingon each date will be inspected. That way, inspectors may haveenough time to properly instruct the caregiver on the correctuse of the child seat. Call 703-814-7000, ext. 5140, to confirmdates and times.

Food Donations for WFCMWestern Fairfax Christian Ministries’ food pantry needs dona-

tions of Cooking oil, canned fruit (all types), sugar, canned meats(tuna, ham and chicken), hot cereals, pasta sauce, canned to-matoes, flour, and canned or dry beans.

Toiletries needed, which WFCM clients cannot purchase withfood stamps, include facial tissues, toothpaste, shampoo and soliddeodorant.

Bring all items to WFCM’S food pantry, weekdays, 9 a.m.-1:30p.m., at 13888 Metrotech Drive, near Papa John’s Pizza andKumon Learning Center, in Chantilly’s Sully Place Shopping Cen-ter. A volunteer stocker/bagger is needed Wednesdays, 4-6 p.m.Contact Annette Bosley at 703-988-9656, ext. 110, [email protected].

Learn about Police DepartmentThroughout the year, the Fairfax County Police Department

will host a series of lectures as part of its 75th anniversary.❖ May 22 – The Police Canine (K-9) Team, 1 p.m. at OSB

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-fcpd-canine-k-9-team-tick-ets-15373824523

❖ May 25 - The Development of the FCPD Badge, noon at theMassey Building A Level small conference room https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-development-of-the-fcpd-badge-tick-ets-15373875676

❖ June 11 – 2002 Washington area Sniper Task Force Investi-gation, 10 a.m. at the Massey Building A Level conference roomhttps://www.eventbrite.com/e/2002-washington-area-sniper-task-force-investigation-tickets-15373977982

Roundups

This 1970 Ford Bronco was stloen from a repairgarage lot at 14067 Willard Road.

By Bonnie Hobbs

The Connection

With the downturn in the office mar-ket, developers are looking at vacantparcels of land in the Westfields areaof Chantilly as a place for residential

and other uses, instead. Below are two of the pro-posals, plus plans for a memory-care facility off ofRoute 50 west.

Preserve at WestfieldsThere’s a plan to transform 50 acres of vacant land

along Route 28 and Stonecroft and Westfields bou-levards in Chantilly. Being proposed for what wouldbe called The Preserve at Westfields are 155townhouses, 650 apartments, plus retail and otheramenities.

Artist’srendition ofthe commu-nity com-mons at thePreserve atWestfields.

The Arborsof Chantillywould be offRoute 50and DownsDrive.

Neighborhood Outlook

What’s on Local Horizon?Homes, shops, restaurantand Wegmans proposedfor Westfields.

But first, Fairfax County would have to amend itsComprehensive Plan for that area. Since the plancurrently recommends office, hotel and industrialuses there, high-density residential uses would haveto be added on paper before any homes could actu-ally be built. The county Board of Supervisors willhold a June 2 public hearing on the matter.

Akridge owns the land and would build the apart-ment and retail components; Elm Street Develop-ment would construct the townhouses. Includedwould be an amenity area with walking paths, a pa-vilion/performing and gathering area, plus a lakethat’s currently not accessible.

WegmansThe Commonwealth Centre is along Westfields

Boulevard, across Route 28 and just northeast of theAkridge site. Regency Centers has a contract to pur-chase 21 acres inside the Newbrook Drive loop road.There it hopes to construct a mixed-use development,instead of some 1.2 million square feet of offices thatcould be built there now.

Proposed as the centerpiece is a 140,000-square-

See On Horizon, Page 11


By Bonnie Hobbs

The Connection

A plan is afoot to transform 50acres of vacant land along Route28 and Stonecroft and Westfieldsboulevards in Chantilly. Being

proposed for what would be called The Pre-serve at Westfields are 155 townhouses, 650apartments, plus retail and other amenities.

But first, Fairfax County would have toamend its Comprehensive Plan for that area.Since the plan currently recommends office,hotel and industrial uses there, high-den-sity residential uses would have to be addedon paper before any homes could actuallybe built.

The county Board of Supervisors will holda June 2 public hearing on the matter. Andon March 17, the West Fairfax County Citi-zens Assn. (WFCCA) Land-Use Committeereceived information about the proposalresidential community.

“If we do this right, we’re ultimately mak-ing the Route 28 Corridor stronger by pro-viding amenities and a live, work and playenvironment,” said attorney Greg Riegle,representing the applicant. “And that’s thephilosophy the Westfields Business OwnersAssociation has endorsed.”

By right, he said, 1.2 million square feetof offices could be built on the site. But itwouldn’t make much sense in an area withan already-plummeting office market. In-stead, said Riegle, “It’ll be a high-qualityliving environment with a diversity of hous-ing stock. And some of the multifamilyhomes could be for empty-nesters interestedin downsizing.”

There’ll be an amenity area with walkingpaths, a pavilion/performing and gathering

Neighborhood Outlook

Live, Work and Play in Same PlaceArtist’s rendition of the site entrance on Stonecroft Boulevard.

Artist’s rendition of the community commons at the Preserve atWestfields.

Artist’s rendition showing the view across the pond to the amenity area.

Akridge plansmixed-use, residentialcommunity.

area, plus a lake that’s currently not acces-sible. And, said Riegle, “We’ll celebrate thelake and also provide [some 15,000 squarefeet of] retail amenities, such as restaurants— with opportunities for outdoor dining —to the community at large.”

Akridge owns the land and would buildthe apartment and retail components; ElmStreet Development would construct thetownhouses. And although a residentialdevelopment would yield students, whichoffices wouldn’t, Riegle stressed that “We’rebeing asked to contribute millions of dol-lars to parks, schools, etc. And that moneyto be spent here doesn’t exist now.”

Planned are wide sidewalks and exten-sive landscaping, as well as direct access toresidential units from the street. Overall,said Riegle, “This could add value to theWestfields area. There’d be contemporary-style buildings and trees everywhere, plusa central open space in the attached-hous-

ing area. The townhouses, which would befor-sale, would have rooftop decks and of-fer low-maintenance living for empty-nest-ers.”

Regarding the homes’ appearance, At-Large Planning Commissioner Jim Hart,said, “We’ve had other developers promiseupscale townhouses and deliver somethingcheaper.” But Riegle said he needn’t worrybecause “We have to proffer those architec-tural details and materials specifically.”

James Perry, a vice president with ElmStreet, said the townhouses will be four lev-els with garages. The 16-foot-wide unitswould be about 2,000 square feet and haveone-car garages. The 20-foot-wide unitswould have two-car garages, as would the22-foot-wide units which would be 2,700or 2,800 square feet.

“Prices would range from the mid-$500,000s to the upper $600,000s,” he said.“The exteriors would have a mix of brick

and hard siding with an urban streetscapeon the front.”

The townhouse development would have471 parking spaces — a little more thanthree spaces per house. A parking garage,in addition to 90 surface parking spaces, isplanned for the apartment residents. Andaffordable dwelling units would be ear-marked for the apartments.

As for traffic, Riegle said having residen-tial uses, instead of offices, would result ina 70-percent reduction in morning rush-hour traffic and a 58-percent decrease dur-ing the evening rush-hour. The developeralso proposes doing certain transportationimprovements.

At Stonecroft Boulevard, there’d be a sig-nalized entrance with dual left-turn lanesand signalized, dual right-turn lanes. Anda southbound through lane would be addedto Westfields Boulevard.

With a left turn from Stonecroft ontoWestfields, said Riegle, “We’d decrease thedelay and the queuing length [of waitingcars]. We’d add a second, right-turn lane,and the free-flowing right turn would letthose drivers go, without waiting for peopleturning left or going straight.” Therefore,he said, “There are benefits to having a de-veloper come in and do these things, vs.having [this property] developed by-rightwith offices.”

However, Ted Moore, on the Sully Sta-tion Homeowners Association Board of Di-rectors, was still concerned. “Even if youhave two, right-turn lanes, traffic will stillback up — and I-66 traffic backs up intoSully Station,” he said. “So until you getrid of the traffic lights at E.C. Lawrence Parkand Braddock Road, it won’t change.”

Riegle replied, “This is a start to managethe traffic more creatively.”

Chris Tacinelli, principal with Gorove/Slade transportation planners and engi-neers, said, “The biggest issue is Route 28,so people are turning right on Stonecroftto get away from it. We’re looking at waysto move the solution forward.”


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Politics

Kathy Smith, Sully District representative onthe Fairfax County School Board, is runningas the Democratic candidate for the

supervisor’s seat being vacated by Michael Frey.

What have been your accomplishments in thecommunity?

Before being elected to the School Board, I waspresident of the Poplar Tree, Rocky Run andChantilly PTAs. I’ve also served in numerous lead-ership roles in various youth sports in our area.

Since being elected to the School Board, I have been electedchairman of the board for three years, vice chair for two years,and have chaired the Governance C ommittee, Administra-tion and General Services C ommittee and the Instruction,Special Services and Youth Development C ommittee. I wasalso selected by the School Board to co-chair our joint Infra-structure Financing Committee with the Board of Supervisors.

Why are you running for the Board of Supervi-sors?

This was a tough decision for me to make. I’ve loved work-ing as your School Board member for the last 13 years, andI’ve spent my life working on issues important to families andchildren. After much consideration, I decided to run becausethe Board of Supervisors is often even more important to thoseissues than the School Board.

I want to take a broader look at how to improve the qual-ity of life in Sully District, while staying in the moderatepolitical tradition of this area. Fifty-three percent of thecounty’s budget goes to our schools, but we have not had aformer School Board member on the Board of Supervisors inover a decade. While heading our joint School Board-Boardof Supervisors Infrastructure Financing Committee, I sawmany ways we could better integrate services and save tax-payers money.

Providing the same quality of life that my family has en-joyed here requires common sense solutions to currentproblems, and also a creative and innovative plan for the fu-ture. Good roads, safe streets, cohesive communities and firstclass schools are only the basics. We must be prepared to of-fer opportunities for young professionals, security for oursenior citizens, and a means for our newest residents to fullyparticipate in our communities.

Fairfax County is continuing to grow and change, and no-where is that more evident than in the Sully District. I wantto take my experience on the School Board, where I was in-volved in financial and capital management, to the Board ofSupervisors, where I can further the development of thecounty and represent all the residents of Sully. Good gover-nance requires our elected officials to be careful stewards oftaxpayer money, while delivering the services that residentshave a right to expect.

What is your campaign platform?I announced my candidacy for supervisor late in January

and, since that time, I have been out in neighborhoods acrossSully listening and learning. I wanted to find out what issuesvoters are most concerned with. Here’s what I’ve heard:

Sully District residents are concerned with the continuingtransportation issues that plague our area. We want to see im-

BioName: Kathy L.

SmithNeighborhood :

Poplar Tree Estates inChantilly (Rocky RunPrecinct)

O c c u p a t i o n :School Board Member,FCPS

Family informa-tion: Husband, Steve;four children, Brian(wife Leah), Kyle, An-drew, Stephanie andthree granddaughters

Smith: Running for SupervisorSchool Board member wants to tackle new position.

Q&A

provements — especially in the I-66 corridor. The reality ismost Sully residents commute outside of our district for work,and that time spent commuting is time away from their fami-lies. I will make these projects a top priority for FairfaxCounty, working in cooperation with the state.

As your School Board member, I also hear a lot of feedbackabout our schools. While the feedback is mostly positive,thanks to our great teachers and principals here in Sully, wehave improvements that must be made. In the tight budgetyears after the great recession, we have not had the resourcesneeded for the schools, and class sizes have continued to rise.

While the School Board is in charge of operating theschools, the majority of funding comes from the Board of Su-pervisors. I will work as Sully supervisor to ensure educationremains a priority, and that we have the funding needed tokeep class size down and make sure our teachers are fairlycompensated.

Earlier this year, the Washington Post reported that 92percent of large regional office space leasing was taking placewithin a half mile of an existing or proposed Metro station.This statistic — along with the large commercial vacancy ratein Fairfax County — tells us that changes are on the way forour commercial space in western Fairfax. I am committed tooverseeing this change and keeping Sully District a great placeto live, work and play.

Why should people elect you?Sully District knows me. I’ve been on the School Board as

your district member since 2002; and before that, I spent overa decade as a PTA leader in this community. I’ve shown thatI can lead in a responsible and bipartisan way while buildingconsensus.

Supervisor Frey has been in office for 24 years and has beenthe cornerstone of how this community built out. When pick-ing his replacement, we should elect a candidate who shareshis record of moderate leadership that puts our people overpolitics. I have been that leader on the School Board and askfor a chance to do the same on the Board of Supervisors.

CV042915-

462 8x10


Opinion

Commentary

By Christian Paasch

In today’s marketing environ-ment, it seems as though onegender cannot make progress

without disparaging another.However, a few inspiring and re-freshingly positive television adshave recently managed to gainpopularity while avoiding this pit-fall. I applaud Dove, Nissan andToyota for having the courage tostep away from the norm and, indoing so, not only bring men intothe mainstream picture of themodern American parent, but alsofor doing so in a way that is per-haps more innovative than any-thing else: championing one gen-der without attacking, alienatingor poking fun at the other gender.

Toyota has done a terrific job ofbridging the strong bond betweenfathers and daughters. In thecompany’s latest ad, Toyota de-picts the various stages of adaughter’s life where her dad isthere to console, protect, guide

While there is plenty of competitionfor the title “most vulnerable,” fos-ter children are certainly among

them.In Fairfax County right now, there are more

than 240 children in foster care. There is nobenign way to end up in foster care. Fosterchildren are victims of abuse and/or neglectsignificant enough for them to be removedfrom their families. On Tuesday, April 29, theFairfax County Board of Supervisors an-nounced that May is Foster Care and FosterFamily Recognition Month.

Ironically, May, 2015 could be a monthof uncertainty for older foster childrenin many places in Virginia because of afailure in the Virginia General Assembly.

About 50 foster children a year “age out” ofthe foster care system in Fairfax County. Thereare children who may have spent much of theirlives in foster care, and reach the age of ma-jority while they are still in foster care, with-out being reunited with their families or beingadopted.

“The research shows that our youth whohave been in foster care are extremely trau-matized,” said Carl E. Ayers, director of theVirginia Division of Family Services. “Childrenwho have aged out of foster care are muchmore likely to be homeless, to end up in psy-chiatric hospitals, to end up in jail, to be youngparents, to be on public assistance and just ingeneral have higher rates of poverty. If you canthink of a negative outcome, that’s what we

see [at high rates] with foster children whoage out.”

But right now, about 150 young people be-tween 18-21 who are receiving foster care ser-vices in Virginia, with as many as 50 of themhere in Fairfax County, are discovering thatbecause the General Assembly failed to pavethe way for Federal “Fostering Connections”funding, they could be aging out sooner thanthey expected.

In 2008, President George Bush signed theFostering Connections Act that gives states theability to use federal dollars for children who

were in foster care up until the age of21.

In Virginia, the General Assemblypassed in 2014 a plan for implementation thatrequired legislation in 2015 session. But thatbill died in committee, and Virginia FamilyServices has begun the process of letting localagencies, like Fairfax County Department ofFamily Services, that once a foster child turns18, they must be transitioned out of foster care.

By spending a little over $3 million, the statecould have gained more than $10 million infederal money to help these emerging adultsat a critical moment. Savings to localities wouldhave been more than $3 million.

But instead, foster children 18 or older willneed to have services transitioned. Ayers saysthe department will work with local agenciesto be sure that none ends up homeless, no oneends up in the hospital. But for youth in fostercare 18 or over, a new plan will have to be

worked out, and each such youth will have todeal with one more uncertainty.

“It is very, very important that no one isturned on the street,” said Ayers, citing spe-cific instructions that local agencies contacthim personally if they are having trouble iden-tifying services for any of the youth beingtransitioned.

Localities got the word via a “broadcast”memo on April 15, and are still sorting outwhat it all means.

In Fairfax County, the goal is for youth whoare currently in foster homes to be able to stayin them by shifting how they are served, butthere will certainly be a financial impact.

“With this being so new, our immediate stepwas to see exactly which kids will be affected,timelines and expectations,” said NannetteBowler, director of Fairfax County Family Ser-vices. “We’ll scramble and do an assessmenton all these children to figure out we can sup-port them given what has occurred.

“We’re going to have … look any avenue thatwe can to be sure these children are not de-railed.”

Stand by, because it is going to take a villageto raise these children.

— Mary Kimm

[email protected]

Learn More: Foster CareOrientation meeting, second Monday monthly, 7 p.m.Department of Family Services, Pennino Building12011 Government Center ParkwayFairfax, VA 22035703-324-7639www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs/childrenyouth/fca.htm

Editorial

Fostering Connections, FalteringWhy are federal dollars acceptable for roads,but not for helping foster children?

Celebrate Mom, Dad—Without Selling One Shortand eventually, set out into theworld with tears in his eyes. Themessage of the ad is to make boldchoices — what better term todescribe what any parent wouldwant for his or her child, in par-ticular a daughter?

In a seeming balance to Toyota,Nissan focused on the relationshipbetween a father and his son. Per-haps too stereotypically, the fatherhere is depicted as the absent fa-ther, a race car driver in this in-stance, and the son looking on,wanting to be just like his father.Of course, the soundtrack to thiscommercial is none other than“Cats In The Cradle,” but thank-fully, the father realizes before it’stoo late that his son needs to physi-cally see him and know that theirrelationship is more importantthan any job.

Dove has arguably the mostmoving, yet simple ad: clip afterclip of young and adult childrencalling for “Dad” or “Daddy” atvarious stages of their lives. From

the toddler needing help to theadult calling his father with thewonderful news of a pregnancy,the commercial ends with a simplequestion and answer: “Whatmakes a man stronger? Showingthat he cares.”

So why do these ads matter?Why are they so special? Hereagain, the answer is simple: be-cause they are a rarity. Becausethey champion the roles dads playin the lives of children, both boysand girls, without denigrating thecrucial and complementary rolemothers play in those samechildren’s lives. This spirit of gen-

der equality is one to celebrate andemulate.

In fact, the path these three com-panies have forged serves as amarketing model for others andreminds parents everywhere thatthey are parents first, united by thelove for their children and madestronger by a mutual appreciationof their unique strengths and dif-ferences.

Christian Paasch is chair of the Na-tional Parents Organization in Virginiaand has been appointed by Virginia Gov.McAuliffe to Virginia’s Child SupportGuidelines Review Panel. He lives in Alex-andria. Email [email protected].

Write Us

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

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Email announcements [email protected] date, time, location, descriptionand contact for event: phone, email and/or website. Photos and artwork welcome.Deadline is Thursday at noon, at least twoweeks before event.

ONGOINGSully Historic Site. 3650 Historic

Sully Way, Chantilly. Enjoy guidedtours of the 1794 home of NorthernVirginia’s first Congressman, RichardBland Lee. $7/adult; $6/student; $5/senior and child. Hours are 11 a.m.-4p.m. 703-437-1794.

Singing. 7:30 p.m. at Lord of LifeLutheran Church, 13421 Twin LakesDrive, Clifton. The Fairfax Jubil-Airesrehearse every Wednesday whichincludes training by an award-winning director. Visitwww.fairfaxjubilaires.org for more.

“Creating Across the City.”Through June at Dulles InternationalAirport. Three organizations; CriticalExposure, The National BuildingMuseum and ARTLAB+ have teamedup for “Creating Across the City: ATeen Art Showcase,” which providesan outlet through art and design forcreative local teens.

CAMPS, CLASSES & WORKSHOPSYoung Actors’ Workshop. Rising

students in grades 2-6 mayparticipate in a workshop 9 a.m.-12p.m., July 20-24 at Westfield HighSchool, 4700 Stonecroft Blvd,Chantilly. The fee is $125. Visitwww.westfieldtheatreboosters.com.

2015 Summer Programs.Registration is now open for thefollowing Fairfax County PublicSchools summer camps. Studentsshould register for programs basedon the grade they are in during thecurrent 2014-15 school year. Visitwww.fcps.edu/is/summer/index.shtml for more.

* Tech Adventure Camp will be heldJuly 20-31 at Robinson SecondarySchool from 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. forstudents currently in grades 5-7. Thiscamp allows students to explorecareers and technology by rotatingthrough eight areas including graphicdesign, automotive technology,culinary arts, television production,robotics, and computer technology.

* STEM Camp. Held in two sessions atRobinson Secondary School: July 6-10 and July 13-17 both from 8:30a.m.-2 p.m., daily. STEM (science,technology, engineering, and math)Camp is a one-week camp forstudents currently in grades 3-5 toexplore careers and technology asthey rotate through activities focusedon science.

* Elementary Institute for theArts. Held July 13-24 at RobinsonSecondary School from 8:30 a.m.-2p.m. daily, Monday through Friday.Designed for students currently ingrades 3-5, E-IFTA offers participantsa total immersion in the arts as theyrotate through classes in dance,drama, music, and visual art.

* Institute for the Arts. Held July 6-30 at Robinson Secondary Schoolfrom 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. daily, Mondaythrough Friday. Designed forstudents currently in grades 6-11,IFTA allows students to create,perform, experiment, and explore—all in various music, dance, visual art,and theatre venues.

* Robinson Extended Day Adultand Community EducationEnrichment. Programs will be heldJuly 6-31 at Robinson SecondarySchool and will begin after TechAdventure Camp, STEM Camp, IFTAand E-IFTA end. These programs arefor students currently in grades 1-11and will provide a continuum of

activities for students who wantadditional programs and activities.Programs will include the ForeignLanguage Experience Program(FLEX), Culinary Adventure Camp,Language Immersion Camp, CreativeWriting, Computer Graphics, andChess.

* Credit Recovery Academy. Thisprogram will be held at Fairfax HighSchool for students seeking credit forhigh school level courses. Studentswill be able to take one course duringeach of the two sessions from June29-July 16 and July 20-Aug. 4.

* Online Campus. For credit recovery,acceleration, and enrichment formiddle school and high schoolstudents. Health, Physical Education,and Geometry Honors run June 29-Aug. 4; all other courses run July 6-Aug. 4.

* SOL Remediation. For FCPS highschool students who passed an SOLcourse but did not pass the SOL test.Held at Fairfax High School.

* SOL Test Only. This program is forFCPS seniors who plan to graduateby Aug. 28 and passed an SOL coursebut failed the SOL test.

* ESOL Numeracy and Literacy. TheESOL Numeracy and Literacy classprovides currently enrolled FCPShigh school ELP Level 1 students withthe opportunity to develop theirnumeracy and literacy skills.Students will meet face-to-face withtheir teachers daily. This is anoncredit class. Held at Fairfax HighSchool July 6-24.

* Online ESOL-Through this three-week class, students will continuedeveloping their academic andreading and writing skills in anonline discussion with an ESOLteacher. This is a noncredit class.Held July 6-24.

* Extended School Year LearningCommunities. Services foridentified students with disabilities inaccordance with their individualizededucation programs (IEPs).*Thomas Jefferson High Schoolfor Science and Technology(TJHSST) Summer TechnologyInstitute. The Institute will be heldJuly 13–Aug. 7 at Woodson HighSchool. Students currently in grades7 and 8 will be introduced to science,technology, engineering, andmathematics (STEM) through week-long sessions that allow them toexplore a STEM topic of interest.

* Thomas Jefferson High Schoolfor Science and Technology(TJHSST) Academic SummerSchool. This program will be heldJuly 6–Aug. 6 at Woodson HighSchool. Current TJHSST students andincoming freshmen choose from avariety of courses for academiccredit.

* Adult and Community Education.Programs include Thomas JeffersonHigh School for Science andTechnology admissions test prep,SAT test prep, study skills, and drivereducation.

* ACE Driver Education. For studentsin grades 9-12.

PET ADOPTIONSAdopt a Cat or Dog. Fridays, 6:30-

8:30 p.m. at PetSmart, 12971 FairLakes Center, Fairfax. Visitwww.lostdogrescue.org for more.

Adopt a Dog. Saturdays, 12-3 p.m. atPetco, 13053 Lee Jackson Highway.Visit hart90.org for more.

Adopt a Dog. Sundays, 1-4 p.m. atPetco, 13053 Lee Jackson MemorialHwy. Adopt a puppy or dog.Visitaforeverhome.org for more.

Adopt a Dog. Saturdays, 1-4 p.m. atPetSmart, 12971 Fair Lakes Center,Fairfax. Adopt a puppy or dog. Visitwww.lostdogrescue.org for more.

THURSDAY/APRIL 30Sushi Night at Bull Run. 6:30 p.m.

at The Winery at Bull Run, 15950 LeeHighway, Centreville. Learn to makeyour own sushi while drinking BullRun Wine. Tickets are $59. Visitwww.wineryatbullrun.com.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY/MAY 1-2“Curtains.” 7:30 p.m. at Mountain

View High School, 5775 SpindleCourt, Centreville. The AllianceTheatre presents “Curtains.” It’s thepromising year of 1959. Boston’sColonial Theatre is host to theopening night performance of a newmusical. When the leading ladymysteriously dies on stage the entirecast and crew are suspects. Visitwww.thealliancetheatre.org for more.

SATURDAY/MAY 1Community Yard Sale. 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

at the corner or Pleasant Valley andWetherburn Drive. Individualresidences will be holding yard salesthat can be found by retrieving a“treasure map.” Free to attend. Call703-216-6730.

Sipping N Painting. 6:30 p.m. at TheWinery at Bull Run, 15950 LeeHighway, Centreville. Tickets are$39. Visit www.wineryatbullrun.com.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY/MAY 2-3D.C. Big Flea. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on

Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sundayat Dulles Expo Center, 4368 ChantillyShopping Center, Chantilly. The “BigFlea” hosts more than 600 booths ofantiques, collectibles, and vintageclothing. $8 for both days. Visitwww.thebigfleamarket.com.

SATURDAY/MAY 2Arts Alive! 12-4 p.m. at Hylton

Performing Arts Center, 10960George Mason Circle., Manassas.Find live performances, exhibits, etc.at this festival comprised of dance,theatre, music, literary arts and thevisual arts. Free. Visitwww.pwcartscouncil.org.

Kentucky Derby Party. 6 p.m. atParadise Springs Winery, 13219Yates Ford Road. For each bottlepurchased, you may select a horse’sname from a jar. If your horse wins,you will win a prize. Visitwww.paradisespringswinery.com.

SUNDAY/MAY 3“Curtains.” 2 p.m. at Mountain View

High School, 5775 Spindle Court,Centreville. The Alliance Theatrepresents “Curtains.” It’s thepromising year of 1959. Boston’sColonial Theatre is host to theopening night performance of a newmusical. When the leading ladymysteriously dies on stage the entirecast and crew are suspects. Visitwww.thealliancetheatre.org for more.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY/MAY 8-9“Curtains.” 7:30 p.m. at Mountain

View High School, 5775 SpindleCourt, Centreville. The AllianceTheatre presents “Curtains.” It’s thepromising year of 1959. Boston’sColonial Theatre is host to theopening night performance of a newmusical. When the leading ladymysteriously dies on stage the entirecast and crew are suspects. Visitwww.thealliancetheatre.org for more.

SATURDAY/MAY 9“Fly-In to Victory Day.” 10 a.m.-3

p.m. at Udvar-Hazy Center, 14390Air and Space Museum Parkway,Chantilly. Celebrate the end of World


Entertainment

“Arts Alive! is a joint effort of the Prince Williams County Arts Council and The Hylton Performing Arts Center to provide an evening of performances and showcases by local performing and visualartists. On May 2, 12-4 p.m. at the Hylton Performing Arts Center, 10960 George Mason Circle, Manassas, children and adults will find performances from genres as different as ballet and bellydancing, alongside performances by gospel and flute choirs, and more. Guests will also find art on display and for sale, readings by local writers, and hands-on activities for children and adults. It isfree to attend “Arts Alive.” Visit www.pwcartscouncil.org.

‘Arts Alive!’ Unites Visual, Performing Arts

Particpants and attendees of the 2014 “ArtsAlive!” at the Hylton Performing Arts Center

War II in Europe. Free. Visitwww.airandspace.si.edu.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY/MAY 9-10The Heritage India Festival. 12-9

p.m. on Saturday, 12-7 p.m. onSunday at Dulles Expo Center, 4368Chantilly Shopping Center, Chantilly.Rushhi Entertainment’s 14th annualfestival will celebrate Indian culturewith a dance competition, liveperformances, shopping and food. $5for adults, free for children under 5.Visit www.hifestival.com.

SUNDAY/MAY 10Mother’s Day Mimosa and Pastry

Bar. 11 a.m. at Paradise SpringsWinery, 13219 Yates Ford Road. Findmaple bacon sticky buns, muffins,croissants and more alongsidemimosas. Items may be purchased ala carte while supplies last. Visitwww.paradisespringswinery.com.

TUESDAY/MAY 12Audition Workshop. 6:30 p.m. at

Westfield High School, 4700Stonecroft Blvd. Westfield SummerStage is looking for studentsthroughout the Northern Virginiaarea to participate in their staging ofMary Poppins. Free to attend. Call484-574-8760 or visitwww.westfieldtheatreboosters.com

for more.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY/MAY 15-17International Gem & Jewelry

Show. 12-6 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.on Sunday at Dulles Expo Center,4320 Chantilly Shopping Center,Chantilly. Diamonds and other gemsfrom retailers from around the world.Children 8 and under are notpermitted. Tickets are $8. Visitwww.intergem.com.

SATURDAY/MAY 16Call for Auditions. 9 a.m. Westfield

Summer Stage is looking for studentsthroughout the Northern Virginiaarea to participate in their staging ofMary Poppins. Students who chooseto audition will be required to sing asong, dance, and perform a one-minute monologue of their choosing.Free to attend, but if accepted, thereis a $300 workshop fee. Call 484-574-8760 or visitwww.westfieldtheatreboosters.comfor more.

Chantilly Day. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at SullyPlaza Parking Lot, 13910 MetrotechDr., Chantilly. Find a Business Expo,the Taste of Chantilly, Children’ sgames, rides, stage performances bylocal groups, Educator of the Yearawards and Pet adoptions. Free.

See www.chantillyday.com.

Meritage Blending Class. 1-3 p.m. atParadise Springs Winery, 13219Yates Ford Road, Clifton. Learn tomake your own 2014 Meritage.Tickets are $55. Call 703-830-9463.

Clifton Caboose Twilight Run. 6p.m. at the Barn, 7139 Main St.,Clifton. Participate in the 1-mile or5K race. There will be a post-raceparty with food and live music. The5K race has a $24 registration fee,the 1-mile run has a $20 fee.

WEDNESDAY/MAY 20“Target America: Why You Should

Care About the Rise of ISIS.” 7p.m. at Fairview Elementary School,5815 Ox Road, Fairfax Station.Investigative journalist and authorErick Stakelbeck will present aprogram on fundamentalist groupISIS. Free. Visit www.cliftongop.com.

SATURDAY/MAY 23Brain OlympicsRx. 12-4 p.m. at

LearningRx-Fairfax, 10513 BraddockRoad, Suite C-D, Fairfax. As part of anational initiative to raise awarenessabout the brain’s ability to change atany age, LearningRx brain trainingcenters across the United States areholding a Brain OlympicsRx event.For every person who participates,LearningRx-Fairfax will donate $10to Brain Injury Services. Free.Contact Rebecca Oliver at

[email protected].

SUNDAY-MONDAY/MAY 24-25Art Guild Show and Sale. 12-5 p.m.,

artists’ reception 5-8 p.m. on Sunday,at The Fairfax Station RailroadMuseum, 11200 Fairfax StationRoad. Artists will display and sellwork from a variety of genres andstyles. Admission is free for museummembers and children 4 and under,$2 for children 5-15, and $4 foreveryone else. Visit www.fairfax-station.org.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY/MAY 29-31Quilting Expo. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on

Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday,10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday at DullesExpo Center, 4320 ChantillyShopping Center, Chantilly. Morethan 600 quilts and wearable art andclothing will be on display. Vendorswill be offering fabric and otherquilting needs. A one-day pass is $10,three-day pass is $15; children 12and under are admitted at no cost.Visit www.quiltersunlimited.org.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY/MAY 30-31Vintage Virginia Wine Festival. 11

a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday, 11 a.m.-5p.m. on Sunday. The 34th of its kind,the festival will feature food trucks,

vintage cars, music and wine. $30 inadvance, $35 at the gate. Visitwww.vintagevirginia.com.

WEDNESDAY/JUNE 3Civil War Forum. 7:30 p.m. at The

Fairfax Station Railroad Museum,11200 Fairfax Station Road.“Southern Civilians in SouthernPrisons” is a program presented byBurke Historical Society PresidentJon Vrana, who will give a first-person soliloquy of local civiliansfrom Fairfax, Loudoun, and PrinceWilliam counties who were arrestedduring the Civil War. Free. Visitwww.fairfax-station.org.

SATURDAY/JUNE 6Born to Run Memorial 5K and Fun

Run. 8:30 a.m. at the ChantillyHighlands neighborhood. FranklinMiddle School will dedicate this raceto Jannine Parisi who did onNovember 20, 2013 as the result of adomestic incident. Registration startsat $15. Visitwww.prracing.enmotive.com.

Relay for Life. 2 p.m.-12 a.m. at ThenZone, 14550 Lee Road, Chantilly. Afundraiser featuring games, prizesmusic and other opportunities to gainawareness and help support TheAmerican Cancer Society. ContactMary Saunders [email protected].


News

Celebrating DiversityS

ponsored by theCentreville Immi-gration Forum, the

5th annual Centreville In-ternational Showcase washeld Saturday, April 25, atCentreville United Meth-odist Church.

“Tonight, we’re cel-ebrating the strength ofCentreville’s diversity,”said Molly Maddra-Santiago, director of theCentreville Labor Re-source Center. “And thatmeans different ways ofthinking, living and be-lieving — and not beingafraid to exist in yourcommunity.”

Photos by Bonnie Hobbs

Members of the O’Neill James School of Irish Dance posed before per-forming.

Irish-dance teacher LaureenO’Neill James introduces dancerDaniel Hall, who’ll compete in theworld championships.

Bull Run Elementary sixth-graderSanjana Srikanth performs anIndian dance.

The Korean Senior Harmonica Group is from Korean Central Presbyte-rian Church and St. Paul Chung Catholic Church.

Serving up theinternational

cuisine are(from left)

MarianCoronado,

Barb Shaiko,Ayoung Kimand Tracey

MacNamara.

The laborcenter workersdanced asanimals andcartoon char-acters.

SanyukthaSrikanth,Sanjana’stwin sister,does a jazzdanceroutine.


21 Announcements 21 Announcements 21 Announcements

21 Announcements 21 Announcements

21 Announcements 21 Announcements 21 Announcements



PUBLIC HEARING FORTOWN OFCLIFTON,VIRGINIA

PUBLIC HEARING OF THE TOWN COUNCILMAY 5,2015

Notice is hereby given that the Town Council of the Town of Clifton, Virginia will hold a Public Hearing on Tuesday, May 5, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. at the Clifton Town Meeting Hall, 12641 Chapel Road, Clifton, VA 20124 to consider a proposed FYE1606 Town Budget. The FY2016 proposed Town Budget will be posted the Town’s website at www.clifton-va.comand a hardcopy may be examined at the Clifton Post Office, 12644 Chapel Road, Clifton, VA 20124. All interested parties are invited to attend to express their views with respect to the proposed FY2016 Town Budget. Town residents are strongly urged to attend. The Regular Town Council meeting will follow.


PUBLIC HEARING FOR TOWN OF CLIFTON, VIRGINIAPROPOSED AMENDMENT TO SPECIAL USE PERMIT

PUBLIC HEARING OF TOWN COUNCILMay 5, 2015

Notice is hereby given that the Town Council of the Town of Clifton, Virginia will hold a Public Hearing

on Tuesday, May 5, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. at the Clifton Town Meeting Hall, 12641 Chapel Road, Clifton, VA

20124 to consider the amendment of the special use permit of Clifton General Store / Main Street Pub, located at 7140 Main

Street, to include and authorize an increase in numberof seats and increase in parking onsite and off-site for the pub-

lic and employees. The application for the proposed amend-ment to Clifton General Store / Main Street Pub special use

permit is available for review and downloading onthe Town’s website at www.clifton-va.com and a hard copy

may be examined at the Clifton Post Office,12644 Chapel Road, Clifton VA, 20124. All interested parties

are invited to attend and express their views with respect to the requested amendment to the Clifton General Store

/ Main Street Pub special use permit.


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28 Yard SalesSully Station Community-

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Light tomorrow withtoday!.

-Elizabeth Barret Browing

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Sr. Programmer Analysts:Design, develop, code and modify

computer applications software and specialized utility programs; and, Sr. Software Engineers: Manage teams

Development, creation and modification of computer applications software and specialized utility programs. Apply in

duplicate to Pretek Corporation, 43684 Gladehill Ct., Chantilly, VA 20152

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By KENNETH B. LOURIE

DeepSpaceMind

A few years back (OKAY, more than a fewyears back; I’ll blame the cancer for my timelapse), there was a spin-off from the originalStar Trek: Star Trek: The Next Generationcaptained by Jean-Luc Picard (a.k.a. PatrickStewart) which itself spawned two otherspin-offs: Star Trek Voyager and Deep SpaceNine (commanded by Avery Brooks, a.k.a.Captain Sisko). I was reminded of thistelevision-watching time of my life recentlywhen I saw a former Deep Space Nineactor’s name (the son, actually: Remy) in thecredits of a recent “The Good Wife”:Auberjonois.

On Deep Space Nine, René Auberjonois(the father) played a non-humanoid charac-ter from a race known as Changelings, shapeshifters; a species able to transform/ con-form/reform itself into any shape. For thepurpose of the show, Constable Odo, as hewas known, who was the director of securityon the space station, “shape shifted” himselfinto a humanoid form. He mostly looked,acted and spoke as any other human.However, his facial features were noticeablyimperfect, and his ears were also a bitunusual. Occasionally, when Odo did not goto his quarters in a reasonable cycle of time(never really specified) and in turn did nothave the opportunity to return to his naturalstate: described as “gelatinous goo,” toreside in his bucket, his features wouldbegin to lose their shape and he wouldappear to be melting (an occurrence/appearance he was determined to hide).Though this circumstance rarely manifesteditself, when it did, Odo explained howstressful it was for him to maintain theshape/illusion of a humanoid (given the intri-cacies of the species) and how the demandsof doing so (consciously, subconsciously)were nearly overwhelming. This story linewas not dominant, but us regular viewersunderstood the ongoing strain on Odo andwhat might happen if he didn’t have thetime to regenerate in his bucket.

Now I don’t have a natural state otherthan the obvious, or a bucket for that matter(I have a couch), but I can certainly relate toOdo’s emotional/psychological fears andanxieties and the effort required to maintainwhat appears – to the outside world anyway,to be a “normal” existence. For a cancer sur-vivor/patient, “normal” no longer exists. Infact, the date of your diagnosis/prognosis isthe day/date when normal ceases to exist.For me, that date was February 27, 2009,the date Team Lourie first met with myoncologist and heard the unbelievable newsthat I had non-small cell lung cancer, stageIV, a “terminal” diagnosis. My oncologist fur-ther added that he could “treat me but hecouldn’t cure me.” “Excuse me. What didyou say?”

And just like Odo, I try to hide/minimizemy situation. I don’t want to, if at all possi-ble, exhibit any of the signs or circumstancesof my diagnosis. I try to live life as normallyas possible and not bring attention to myselfor my particular challenges. Let me assureyou, maintaining this façade would be a loteasier if I too had a bucket in which I couldreturn to some gelatinous-type goo andregain my strength. But I don’t. I only havemy privacy, where I can retreat in anattempt to summon up the fortitude neces-sary to take each day as it comes withoutfurther adieu. Some days are more difficultthan others, particularly those days waitingfor the results of a current CT Scan twomonths after a prior scan showed newtumors/growth. Odo mostly managed toendure his unique challenges, and I amstriving to do the same. Seeing the actor’sname on television the other week inspiredme that even though I am often alone withmy thoughts, I am not alone. And as onewho has been there and done that, I knowthere is strength in our survivor numbers;hopefully in reruns too, especially whenyou’ve been given a “terminal” diagnosis.


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News

On HorizonArtist’s rendition of the proposed,new Wegmans store.

foot Wegmans grocery store, similar to theone in Fair Oaks and containing the sameamenities. Also planned are 32,500 squarefeet of retail shops, plus a 10,500-square-foot sit-down, full-service restaurant.

Altogether, the development would be183,000 square feet. It also would comewith walking trails, an exercise park nearthe Flatlick stream valley, outdoor seatingoutside the Wegmans café and a number ofproffered pedestrian and road improve-ments for safety plus better traffic flow.

Arbors of ChantillyAs the number of senior citizens in Fairfax

County continues to rise, so does the needfor assisted-living facilities — and especiallythose focusing on people with Alzheimer’sand dementia. Enter Artisan Land GroupLLC.

It’s already received Fairfax County’s ap-proval to build The Arbors of Chantilly at13622 Lee Jackson Memorial Highway, offDowns Drive. The six-and-one-half-acre site,zoned residential, is currently a vacant lot.Planned is a one-story, 37,000-square-foot,48-unit, residential-looking building facingRoute 50.

Considered a “memory-care home,” the35,000-square-foot facility will be architec-turally compatible with the surroundingland uses, plus the abutting residential area.It’ll also have a rain garden and fencing allaround the property. Groundbreaking isanticipated by this fall, with constructionexpected to take about 10 months.

From Page 3

THURSDAY/APRIL 30AARP Home Fit Workshop. 7 p.m. at Chantilly

Regional Library, 4000 Stringfellow Road,Chantilly. Learn how small changes can makelife easier for independent seniors. Free. Visitwww.helpingyouhome.com.

SATURDAY/MAY 2Community Shred Event. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Sully

District Police Station, 4900 Stonecraft Blvd.,Chantilly. Suggested donation is $5. Visitwww.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org.

Annual Plant Sale. 9 a.m.-12 p.m. at GiantFoods, 5615 Stone Road, Chantilly. CentrevilleGarden Club presents perennials, annuals, andherbs for sale. Proceeds go towards maintainingcivic landscapes. Free to attend. Visitwww.centrevillegardenclub.blogspot.com.

Bulletin Board


C E N T R E V I L L EThe Anglican Church of the Ascension

TraditionalAnglican Services

1928 Book ofCommon Prayer

1940 Hymnal

13941 Braddock Road, (north off Rte. 29) Centreville, VA703-830-3176 • www.ascension-acc.org

Holy Communion 10 A.M. Sundays(with Church School and Nursery)

COMMUNITIESOF WORSHIP

To highlight your faith community,call Karen at 703-917-6468

News

The following incidents were reportedby the Fair Oaks District Police Station.

BURGLARY, 3300 block of WillowCrescent Drive, April 22. A resident re-ported someone entered the residenceand took property.

BURGLARY, 2900 Hunter Mill Road,April 21. An employee reported some-one entered the business and tookproperty.

BURGLARY, 2300 block of DullesStation Boulevard, April 14, between10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. A resident re-ported someone entered the residenceand stole weapons.

UNLAWFUL SHOOTING INTO ANOCCUPIED DWELLING, 10100 blockof Pine Street, April 9. Three men werearrested for allegedly firing severalrounds from a rifle and handgun in thebasement of a home near this location.The rounds penetrated the exterior ofthe listed home but no one was injured.The three were taken to jail and chargedwith unlawful shooting into an occupieddwelling and reckless handling of a fire-arm. One man was additionally chargedwith possession of a firearm by a non-violent convicted felon.

STOLEN VEHICLE WITH APPRE-HENSION, Clifton Road/Lee Highway,April 7, 9:21p.m. A police officer onpatrol located a stolen Volkswagen intraffic. The officer attempted a trafficstop but the driver exited the vehicleand fled on foot. The driver, a 17- yearold male juvenile, was taken into cus-tody and was charged with grandlarceny of an auto, disregarding a signalby an officer to stop, and driving with arevoked license.

LARCENIES12000 block of Greenway Court, wal-

let from vehicle.2600 block of Oakton Glen Drive,

property from residence.11900 block of Fair Oaks Shopping

Center, wallet from business.3000 block of Phyllmar Place, phone,

cash and property from business.13700 block of Atlantis Street, prop-

erty from construction site.3200 block of Centreville Road, prop-

erty from vehicle.13000 block of Fair Lakes Shopping

Center, property from business.11600 block of Monument Drive, li-

cense plate from vehicle.2900 block of Pleasant Glen Drive,

property from residence.11700 block of Fair Oaks Shopping

Center, merchandise from business2600 block of Glencroft Road, prop-

erty from residence11100 block of Lee Highway, phone

from business2400 block of Glengyle Drive, equip-

ment from vehicle.12100 block of Monument Drive, tires

from vehicle12500 block of Fair Lakes Circle, mer-

chandise from business.11700 block of Fair Oaks Shopping

Center, merchandise from business.13800 block of McLearen Road,

phone and cash from vehicle.13100 block of Brook Mist Lane,

money from vehicle3100 block of Cedar Grove Drive,

chair from residence4600 block of West Ox Road, batter-

ies from business12700 block of Fair Lakes Circle, elec-

tronic property from residence.11700 block of Fair Oaks Shopping

Center, merchandise from business.13800 block of Metrotech Drive,

property from vehicle.3300 block of Willow Crescent Drive,

bicycle from residence.11000 block of Del Mar Court, wallet

from business.12900 block of Chalkstone, rings

from residence.

By Tim Peterson

The Connection

When the members of the SchoolBoard reconvene on May 7,they’re scheduled to act on

whether or not to add “gender identity” tothe list of nondiscrimination categories forall Fairfax County Public Schools students,employees or applicants for employment.The current list in the board’s policy item1450 includes age, race, color, sex, sexualorientation, religion, national origin, mari-tal status and disability.

A new business item at the board’s April23 meeting was a recommendation to adoptthis policy change, “To ensure conditions ofnondiscrimination and equal opportunity inthe school system” (language from the draftnew policy).

The proposed change drew several speak-ers during the citizen participation portionof the meeting.

Del. Bob Marshall (R-13), representingparts of Prince William and Loudoun coun-ties, opposed adding gender identity to thenondiscrimination list based on the boardlacking the authority to do so.

“Seven Attorney Generals from 1982

Nondiscrimination and Gender IdentitySchool Board toweigh policy change.

Crime Report

through 2010, in eight opinions, all con-cluded that the General Assembly is the onlybody with authority to establish or changepublic policy to define classes for forbiddendiscrimination,” Marshall said in his remarks.“In that time, five Attorney Generals pub-lished six formal opinions dealing with localgovernment including school boards.”

Marshall and other speakers also refer-enced an opinion issued earlier this year bycurrent Attorney General Mark R. Herringthat local school boards can, in fact, includesexual orientation and gender identity as partof nondiscrimination policies. Herring saidthe state constitution and law provide “powerfairly implied from the express grant of au-thority.”

However Marshall urged the board to lookat a larger body of past opinions “in light ofpossible citizen legal response.”

Andrea Lafferty, president of the TraditionalValues Coalition and mother of a school-agechild in Fairfax County, also opposed thepolicy change.

“There is a way to accommodatetransgender students and still protect theother students’ privacy rights, and the rightsof parents,” Lafferty said in her remarks. Shereferenced a public School Board discussionin March that she said “none of the impor-tant issues of concern or the real issues to befaced,” such as bathrooms, changing roomsand the impact of teachers in the classroom.

“Children need and deserve a psychologicallystable and emotionally secure environment inwhich to learn — your policy change threatensthis,” Lafferty said.

West Potomac High School teacher and sponsorof the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance Robert Rigbyfavored the policy change.

“From hearing from students and parents, I cansay that harassment and discrimination based onsexual orientation have decreased during my timeworking for Fairfax,” Rigby said in his remarks.“However, transgender students students and stu-dents who do not display traditional gender ex-pression continue to experience a great degree ofof harassment; their friends and family membersalso hear some amazingly negative comments.”

Manny Solon, a Fairfax County resident, alsospoke in favor of the change, comparing having agender identity different from your body toAlzheimer’s disease.

“To have that feeling and to not be able get outand express yourself is a hell on earth,” Solon said,“and I think we owe it to ourselves and to thesekids, who are our kids to go and speak up forthem.”

The next meeting of the Fairfax County SchoolBoard will be at 7 p.m. on May 7 at Luther Jack-son Middle School, 3020 Gallows Road in FallsChurch. To email the School Board, [email protected]. More infor-mation about requesting to speak at meetings isavailable at www.fcps.edu/schlbd/meetings/requestspeak.shtml.

Chantilly Connection ● April 2015 ● Summer Camps ● Education & Activities ● 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com online at www.connectionnewspapers.comLocal Media Connection LLC


Chantilly


Education&ActivitiesSummer●Camps

Education&ActivitiesSummer●Camps2015

2 ● Summer Camps ● Education & Activities ● April 2015 ● Chantilly Connection www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Summer●CampsiEducation&Activities

Marymount has summer programs for teens ages14-18 who are interested in technology.

Gain technology skills and hands-on experience;create a mobile app or take part in a cyber compe-tition in health care; meet fellow students whoshare your excitement about technology; networkwith technology professionals about career possi-bilities.Summer Technology Institutes’2015 Programs:

GenCyber, July 5-17, 2015. This two-week resi-dential program is designed for students ages16-18. Students will have hands-on experiences incybersecurity with a focus on defending thenation’s critical assets.

Making Mobile Apps, July 13-17, 2015. Thisweek-long institute is for students in grades 8-12who want to explore a possible career in the devel-opment of mobile applications, one of the mostdynamic sectors in the booming technology field.

Cybersecurity in Healthcare, July 20-24,2015. This week-long program is designed to pro-vide technology-focused students in grades 9-12with knowledge and hands-on experience incybersecurity, and introduce them to the manycareer opportunities in this growing field.

Participants in each institute will work closelywith Marymount University faculty and students.They will also hear from guest speakers who are ITprofessionals.

The daily program will include classes taught byMU faculty and many hands-on activities to applynewly acquired knowledge. Current MU studentswill mentor participants and discuss college ma-jors, as well as technology career options.

The sessions will take place at Marymount’sMain Campus and Ballston Campus in suburban

Arlington, with easy access by road or Metro. FreeMU shuttles provide service between the BallstonMetro Station (Orange line) and Main Campus.Optional housing for high school students is avail-able in residence halls on Main Campus, underclose supervision of MU’s residence life staff andstudents.DC Institutes for H.S. Students

July 6-18, 2015; Students will arrive atMarymount on Sunday, July 5. Programs will be-gin on Monday, July 6 and run through Saturday,July 18.

CJ 209 - The Criminal Justice System:Gain real-life perspective on the exciting criminaljustice field. Visit various museums, meet with anFBI field agent, and probe various aspects of thecriminal justice system – from laws and enforce-ment to the courts and corrections.

MGT 185 - The International BusinessExperience: Learn to succeed in a diverse andglobal business environment with exposure to in-ternational marketing, finance, and economics.Take part in a business simulation and experiencethe decision-making that goes on in an interna-tional business enterprise.

Work closely with Marymount faculty who haveextensive expertise and professional connections inthe field. The daily program will include classes inthe mornings, field trips and other experientiallearning in the afternoons, and fun activities in theevenings.

Live in a residence hall on Marymount’s MainCampus in suburban Arlington. Tuition for threecollege credits awarded upon successful comple-tion of the program.

Space is limited and priority will be given to ris-ing high school seniors.

Marymount TechnologyInstitutes for Ages 14-18

Chantilly Connection ● April 2015 ● Summer Camps ● Education & Activities ● 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com


By Marilyn Campbell

The Connection

Julie Kaminski remembers the language from her desperate lettersto her parents: “I love you. I wantto come home now!” She recalls

penning a dramatic plea to be rescued fromresidential summer camp more than 40years ago. Today, Kaminski is preparing forher daughter’s first camp experience awayfrom home this summer.

“Looking back, I can see how going awayto camp helped me become more self-suffi-cient, self confident, self-reliant and taughtme how to get along with so many differ-ent kinds of people,” said Kaminski, a localmother of two children.

“Of course I didn’t think that at the time.I was extremely homesick even though itwas my idea to go to sleep away camp inthe first place.”

A child’s first residential summer campexperience can be fraught with emotionsthat run the gamut from excitement to ter-ror. While glee at the thought of a summerfilled with sports, swimming, crafts andnew-found friendships can be the dominantfeeling, the thought of an extended periodof time away from home can cause sadnessand anxiety for both parents and their chil-dren.

An American Camp Association studyshowed that 96 percent of children whoattend sleep away camps experience home-sickness at some point during their stay.While these emotions are normal, parentscan help children tame the pre-camp jitters.The life-long lessons gained from suchcamps make it worth the effort.

“Becoming comfortable with your childbeing away at summer camp, perhaps thefirst extended separation you have had, isa matter of trust,” said David Kaplan, Ph.D.of the American Counseling Association inAlexandria, Va.

“Trusting your child that they can handlethemselves without your supervision. Trust-ing that they can handle relationships withother children. Trusting that they can getup in the morning, take a shower, wash theirclothes, and change their sheets withoutyour prodding.”

ACKNOWLEDGING THAT homesicknessis normal and many campers experience it,can help children accept and cope with theiremotions.

“Expecting to miss home and feel some-what anxious helps children feel less sur-prised and overwhelmed when it occurs,”said Barbara Meehan, Ph.D. executive di-rector, Counseling and Psychological Ser-vices, George Mason University in Fairfax,Va.

A child’s apprehension can be eased whenparents share their own camp experiences,

particularly positive memories.“Don’t let your child get caught up in your

own anxiety about leaving for camp,” saidLinda McKenna Gulyn, Ph.D., professor ofpsychology at Marymount University in Ar-lington, Va. “Kids sometimes worry aboutthe parents they left behind. Be positive,but not sad that your child is leaving.”

Meehan says that developing a few self-soothing activities like playing outdoors orreading is one strategy for helping childrendeal with feelings of missing home. Identi-fying people with whom young campers canshare their emotions is another means fordealing with homesickness.

“Talking to a camp counselor and evenpeers can help ease the difficult feelings andoften they will learn they are not alone,”said Meehan.

Encouraging a child to make friends andbecome involved in camp activities will put

the focus on the positive aspects of camp.Packing letters and stamped envelopes anddeveloping a plan for letter exchange canhelp a child feel connected to their fami-lies.

“Isolating and avoiding what feels hardcan often worsen anxiety and homesick-ness,” said Meehan. “Remind your childthey are stronger than they feel in the mo-ment and that engaging in camp activitiescan be helpful.”

There are times however when a childmight not be ready for residential camps.The American Camp Association reportsthat while most cases of homesickness sub-side, there are cases — if a child is not eat-ing or sleeping, for example — when itcould be time to seek help. “Consult withcamp professionals about resources if yourchild’s anxiety worsens or persists,” saidMeehan.

Many emotions arisewhen a child leavesfor camp.

Preparing for Summer Camp Away

Photo contributed

Summer camp experiences can help children become self-confident and self-reliant.

Paralympic SportsTeam Seeking Players

The Fairfax Falcons Paralympic Sports team, a FairfaxCounty Neighborhood and Recreation Services Thera-peutic Recreation program, is recruiting new players.The team provides a variety of sports experiences to ath-letes with physical disabilities impacting their lower ex-tremities ages 4 1/2 to 18 (or high school graduation).Not all athletes use wheelchairs for everyday use. Someathletes are ambulatory and only use a wheelchair forsports. Their primary sport is wheelchair basketball,which runs late August through April. In the spring, they

Credit for academic courses is transferable to thestudent’s current school. JROTC leadership credit equalsone high school course credit.

STEM CAMP Massanutten offers STEM SummerCamp, two two-week camps running from June 29-July10 and July 20-31, open to students grades 7-12. Thissummer camp offers students the chance to explore themany facets of STEM education including hands-on ex-periences. Upon completion of the STEM Summer Camp,students will receive a certification of completion.Massanutten Military Academy offers the safety of astructured learning environment, as well as the fun of asummer camp through a combination of classroom timeand activities. Visit www.militaryschool.com/summer-school-2015.asp.

offer a variety of sports including floor hockey, track, field,fishing, rugby, golf, and football. For more information,email [email protected].

Summer at MassanuttenEach year, Massanutten Military Academy offers a five-

week intensive summer school program, an opportunityfor students to get ahead in their learning, make up forbad or failing grades, or increase their knowledge and par-ticipation in their JROTC leadership skills. MassanuttenMilitary Academy offers the safety of a structured learningenvironment, as well as the fun of a summer camp througha combination of classroom time and weekend activities.The program is offered June 27-Aug. 1, 2015.

Camps&Schools●Notes

4 ● Summer Camps ● Education & Activities ● April 2015 ● Chantilly Connection Chantilly Connection ● April 2015 ● Summer Camps ● Education & Activities ● 5www.ConnectionNewspapers.comwww.ConnectionNewspapers.com

14119 Sullyfield Circle | Chantilly, VA703-803-1055 | www.fairfaxballet.com

SummerIntensive

July 6th –August 14th

Announces Auditions For

Audition Registration & More Information Thealliancetheatre.org

Production TeamElaine Wilson

Director

Maggie SwanProducer

Mary McVicarAssistant Producer

Glenn CockrellMusic Director

Annie Bradley ErmlickChoreographer

Large Cast: Plenty of Roles for Adults, Young Adults and ChildrenChildren’s Evening Summer Theatre Program:

The Summer Stars (Rising 3rd – Rising 9th Grades)

Audition DatesMay 16 from 1pm-5pm • May 17 from

1pm-5pm • May 18 from 6:30pm-10pm• Call Backs (invitation only) May 20

Audition LocationMountain View School

5775 Spindle CourtCentreville, VA 20121

PerformancesChantilly High School, July 24 thru August 2, 2015

Audition Requirements•No prepared monologues. Reading material provided by director.

•Prepare 32 bars of music to sing. Bring sheet music only(be prepared to sing scales). Piano accompanist

available for all auditions.Piano also available for private accompanist.

•Performers will be taught a dance during the auditions.Wear appropriate clothing and shoes

By Steve Hibbard

The Connection

Scores of local camps in Northern Virginia that offer many opportunitiesfor summer fun and learning. Hereis a sampling of diverse camps that

range from art to theater to field trips toswimming, tennis and music. There’s evena camp for aspiring musicians who want toform a band.

ROAM Rock CampROAM Rock Camp gives children the op-

portunity to build communication skills andconfidence through the language of music.The camps are designed to focus on whyeach participant wants to be in a band, whythey love music and what they want to getout of it. The goal is to create an environ-ment or band that children will thrive in.They will hand select each member to cre-ate a group that best fits their age and orexperience. During the camp, groups willlearn three to four of their favorite songs oreven write songs if they wish. At the end ofthe week they will record the group and givethem a CD to take home to show off theirprogress.

“The best thing about these camps is thatwe are able to show these young musiciansfrom first-hand experience how to be play-ers and performers. I wish I had somethinglike this when I was growing up,” said JohnPatrick, owner/director, who is the formerco-founder of the national touring act Vir-ginia Coalition.

Camps are offered from June 1 to Aug.28. To register, contact ROAM to let themknow every week your child would be avail-able to do a camp. Deadline for registrationis June 1.

Contact info: Rock of Ages Music, 114 E.Del Ray Ave., Alexandria VA 22301; call 703-838-2130. [email protected].

Burgundy FarmBurgundy Farm offers two summer camps:

a day camp at the 25-acre Alexandria cam-pus in eight week-long sessions, and a sleep-away camp in three sessions at BurgundyCenter for Wildlife Studies in Capon Bridge,W.Va. Both camps are great options for chil-dren excited about learning in the outdoorswith dedicated counselors. Day campersswim every day, and programs includesports, science and performing and visualarts. Sleep-away camp provides a mix ofstructure and freedom, fostering a respectto the natural world through greater knowl-edge of nature and self.

“At Burgundy Farm Summer Day Camp,our campers enjoy all the benefits of a sleep-away camp with the convenience of a daycamp, including swimming, animal encoun-ters, nature exploration, forming strongbonds and friendships with other campersand counselors, and the opportunity to buildself-esteem and confidence in a fun and

friendly environment,” said Hugh Squire,director of auxiliary services.

Burgundy Farm Summer Day Camp is lo-cated on the Alexandria campus of BurgundyFarm Country Day School, 3700 BurgundyRoad, Alexandria. Lower and upper divi-sions, grouped by age and interest, for chil-dren ages 3-years-8-months to 12 years old.Camp runs Monday, June 15-Friday, Aug. 7.Register at www.burgundyfarm.org/sum-mer-programs. Contact Hugh Squire [email protected] or 703-842-0480.

Burgundy Center for Wildlife StudiesCamp is located within 500 acres in a se-cluded valley near Capon Bridge, W.Va. Over-night junior session (age 8-10) for one weekin August - currently waitlist only; seniorsessions (11-15) for two weeks in June, Julyor August; adult weekend (21+) in July.Register at www.burgundycenter.org. Con-tact Michele McCabe [email protected] or 703-842-0470.

Burke Racquetand Swim

Burke Racquet and Swim Sport Camp hasbeen a hidden treasure in Burke for morethan 27 years. Tucked behind the KaiserPermanente Building in Burke, the indoorcamp is the ideal setting for children whowant to do a variety of sports. It offers swim-ming, tennis, and rock climbing daily. It also

offers Zumba, soccer and camp games.All of the Sports Camp staff has been back-

ground checked through Fairfax County;they are CPR/AED trained.

The camp offers full day ($280 per week)and half day mornings or afternoons ($180per week). There is before and after campcare for working parents. The first week ofcamp begins June 22 and goes through Aug.28. Call Burke Racquet and Swim Club at703-250-1299.

Soccer Academy Inc.The Soccer Academy offers a wide range

of innovative, state-of-the-art programs thatmeet the interests and playing abilities ofall players and teams. It caters to individu-als and teams of all ages. All residentialcamps include a goalkeeping camp. Daycamps include E.C. Lawrence Park inCentreville and Patriot Park for ages 5-14.Residential Camps at University of MaryWashington, Fredericksburg and RandolphMacon Academy, Front Royal, for ages 9-18.Visit www.soccer-academy.com for camp lo-cations, costs, dates and times. Call 703-393-7961 or email [email protected].

Kenwood SummerDay Camp

Kenwood Summer Day Camp makes ittheir mission to provide campers with newexperiences and lasting friendships eachsummer. “Whether it’s watching a baseballgame, riding a roller coaster, or seeingknights joust from the front row, we takepride in giving them these opportunities andwatching them share it with their newfriends,” said Justin Elcano, camp director.

Kenwood Summer Day campers can go ondaily field trips to exciting destinations in-cluding water parks, mini golf, roller skat-ing, amusement parks and more. Campersalso have a wide variety of activities to keepthem entertained while they are on campus.There is a large wooded playground that ishome to many kickball, capture the flag, andbasketball games. They have five themed

rooms that hold arts and crafts, video games,board games, ping pong, air hockey, andmovies.

Kenwood summer day camp is open tochildren who have completed kindergartenthrough 8th grade. Camp starts June 15 andgoes through Sept. 2. Visit the website tofind a calendar with a schedule for eachweek at www.camp.kenwoodschool.com.Call 703-256- 4711 or [email protected].

Metropolitan Schoolof the Arts

Metropolitan School of the Arts offer pre-professional summer dance, music theaterand acting camps. It also offers a wide vari-ety of youth summer camps where studentscan explore and learn many facets of the per-forming and visual arts, including minicamps for the youngest students, ages 3-5,youth camps for students in grades 1-6, andintensives for students age 8 and up. Pri-vate summer music lessons are also avail-able for piano, voice, guitar, violin anddrums.

“MSA summer camps are the perfect wayto try something new and a great way tokeep young bodies active and develop newfriendships,” said Melissa Dobbs, presidentof Metropolitan School of the Arts in Lortonand Alexandria. “Whether your child is pas-sionate about the performing arts or justlooking to have some fun, MSA camps offercreative programs for all skill levels.”

The Lorton campus is at 9601 Ox Road,Lorton, and the Alexandria Campus is at5775 Barclay Road, Kingstowne, Va. Call703-339-0444 or visitwww.metropolitanarts.org.

Langley SchoolSummer Studio

The Langley School Summer Studio fea-tures more than 70 classes that allow for thepersonal, social, and intellectual growth ofeach camper in preschool to 8th grade. In-novative and engaging academic and STEM

programs stimulate with math ad-ventures, robots, and Raspberry Pi.Exploration abounds as camperstake exciting field trips to becomefield scientists who investigate theChesapeake Bay, cyclists whotraverse local mountain bike ter-rain, and magicians who create il-lusions. The spotlight also shineson experiences that get campers “inthe studio” with a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer or the leadchoreographer and dancer for MCHammer.

“Each year, we look to add to ourdiverse roster of classes whilegrowing the perennial favorites toensure The Langley School Sum-mer Studio offers the best possibleexperience for our campers,” saidDirector of Auxiliary ProgramsJennafer Curran. “Whether takingpart in one of many field trips, ex-ploring a new interest like socceror dance, or refining math or read-ing skills, our campers develop aca-demically, socially, and emotionally… and have a great time in theprocess.”

The Langley School Summer Stu-dio will run in six weekly sessionsfrom June 15 – July 31, for stu-dents in preschool to grade 8.Classes are held at The LangleySchool in McLean, and take advan-tage of the 9.2-acre campus, fea-turing a wooded nature area, state-of-the-art athletic center, artificialturf field, computer labs, and age-appropriate playgrounds. Visitw w w. l a n g l e y s c h o o l . o r g /summerstudio for details or to reg-ister online. Call 703-356-1920 oremail [email protected].

Bishop IretonCamp

Bishop Ireton High School offerscampers the opportunity to partici-pate in sports and/or theater whiledeveloping individual and groupskills and fostering a love of theactivity. It offer boys camps (base-ball, basketball, lacrosse and foot-ball); girls camps (basketball, la-crosse and volleyball); and coedcamps (soccer, theater). Age rangesfor the camps are rising 1st grad-ers to rising seniors depending onthe camp. The 17 camp sessionsare conducted by the school’scoaches or teachers and assisted bystudent counselors. Lunch is pro-vided for full day camps by the caf-eteria at no extra cost.

“Last year we had nearly 600

Northern Virginia has scoresof local camps for summerlearning and fun.


Diverse Camps Offer Summer Fun

Photo contributed

FCPA Camps and the Rec-PAC Pro-gram camps take place all over thecounty.

Photo contributed

The Girls Junior Elite enjoy soccercamp at the Soccer Academy at E.C.Lawrence Park in Centreville andPatriot Park in Fairfax this summer.

Photo contributed

Campers enjoy the rock climbingwall at Burke Racquet and SwimClub’s Sports Camp.

See Page 6

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Chantilly

Education&ActivitiesSummer●Camps

Mostpeopleareaboutashappyas theymake uptheirmindsto be.—Abraham Lincoln


campers attend one of our sports or the-ater camps. The camps are a great way foryoungsters to get to know us and for ourcoaches and theater teachers to get to knowthem,” said Peter Hamer, summer camp di-rector.

The camp brochure and sign up form canbe found under the athletics tab atwww.bishopireton.org. Contact PeterHamer at [email protected] or 703-212-5190.

Park Authority andRec-PAC

The Fairfax County Park Authority offersmore than 1,400 summer day camp optionsat 100 locations plus the six-week theme-based summer Rec-PAC programs at nearly50 elementary schools every summer.

Camps are held at RECenters, historicsites, lakefront parks and schools and offera variety of camp titles. Both camps and Rec-PAC offer children a chance to have fun,build friendships and have a safe and re-warding summer experience. The Rec-PACprogram runs June 29 through Aug. 6 from8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. daily and is open tochildren in Fairfax County who are risingfirst graders through those who finishedsixth grade.

Registration begins April 27 online atw w w. f a i r f a x c o u n t y. g o v / p a r k s /

recpacwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/recpac. There is an $8 discount per weekfor those who register before June 12. Par-tial scholarships are available for those whoqualify through free and reduced lunch pro-gram. The large summer camp programbegins early June with camps forpreschoolers and later in June for schoolage campers.

From crafts and games to high-tech andhigh adventure, the Park Authority hassomething for everyone. Many camps offerswimming at RECenters each day as wellas extended care for working parents.Sports enthusiasts can choose from an ar-ray of skill-development camps, includingBritish soccer, basketball, football, baseball,cheerleading, archery, lacrosse or extremesports programs. Enjoy the outdoors? Thencheck out the boating, fishing and bikingcamps. Specialty camps such as YoungChef ’s Cooking, Chess, Geocaching andGirls Leadership allow for exploring newinterests or developing a new skill. There isalso an array of STEM programs that stimu-late cognitive development and enhancecritical thinking. New camps are availablein 2015 and include Ninja Stars,Longboarding Camp, Brazilian Soccer, Over-night Camps, Stand-Up Paddle Boarding,Kayak Fishing, fun new art camps, tons ofnew engineering camps and many more.The search and browse options on thewebsite (www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/campswww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/

camps) make it easy to narrow choices bylocation, age of children, type of camp andweek of summer or check out the 2015Summer Camp Guide.

For more information about Rec-PAC orcamps, call 703-222-4664 Monday throughFriday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Centreville DanceAcademy

Summer Camp at Centreville Dance Acad-emy is a great way for a child to experiencedance in a fun and safe atmosphere. It of-fers a Princess Party Camp, BroadwayBound Camp, Glitz & Glam Camp, and Me& My Doll Camp. Dancers will enjoy pre-tending to be their favorite characters,dressing up, and creating fun crafts. On thefinal day of camp there will be an in-studioperformance for family and friends.

“Summer camp is a great way to exposeyour child to all that dance has to offer.Dance camp is a wonderful place to buildlasting memories and relationships with theCDA teachers and new friends. We love see-ing the dancers grow each year,” said KathyTaylor, owner/director.

Princess Party Camp offers The Little Mer-maid from July 6-10; Frozen from July 27-31; Princess Ballerina from Aug. 3-7; andFrozen from Aug. 17-21.

Broadway Bound Camp is July 13-17.Glitz & Glam is July 20-24 and Aug. 10-14.Me and My Doll is June 29-July 13.

Register on the website through the Par-ent Portal. Centreville Dance Academy is lo-cated at 14215-G Centreville Square,Centreville. Visit

www.centrevilledance.com, call 703-815-3125 or email [email protected].

The Art League’sSummer Art Camps

The Art League’s Summer Art Camp pro-vides children ages 5-15 a wonderful intro-duction to visual art. In the regular artcamp, each day brings a new project thatmay include drawing, painting,printmaking, or sculpture. Projects varyfrom week to week, so campers can alwayscome back for more. The specialty camps,like Drawing Camp or Painting Camp, fo-cus on immersion in one particular medium.

“Inspiring young artists and helping themdiscover the joy of innovation is a big partof our mission. It’s as rewarding for us tosee what the campers create as it is forthem,” said Executive Director SuzanneBethel.

The Art League’s Summer Art Camps areheld weekly. Half-day and full-day campsinclude regular art camp, painting, photog-raphy, jewelry, ceramics, sculpture, fiber,drawing, cartoons, and more. Camps runweekly from June 22 through Aug. 21, 2015at The Art League’s Madison Annex, 305Madison Street in Alexandria. Register andfind details online at www.theartleague.org.Contact The Art League [email protected] or 703-683-2323.

SummerTimesSt. Stephen’s & St. Agnes SummerTimes

programs offers campers ages 3-18 an en-joyable and enriching experience with pro-grams designed to stimulate curiosity andcreativity, develop talents, and encourage

exploration and personal growth. Most ofthe camp directors are SSSAS teachers andcoaches, supported by alumni and students.Operating on three campuses with state-of-the-art facilities in the heart of Alexandria,the camp strives to inspire campers all sum-mer long.

“At SummerTimes, your child will havethe opportunity to see new sights in Wash-ington, D.C., to expand artistic horizons inan art or filmmaking camp, learn aboutcomputer programming or jewelry making,challenge their abilities in one of our manysports camps, try their hand in TechPlay, orparticipate in a variety of fun activities inour traditional Day Camp. We pride our-selves on offering camps that will spark aninterest in your camper, and will encour-age them to create and try new things ontheir own in a safe and nurturing place,”said Jim Supple, Director of Summer Pro-grams.

St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes summer pro-grams run from June 15-Aug. 14, offeringnine weeks with a variety of camps. Withmore than 145 different camp sessions tochoose from, there is something for camp-ers of every age. Visitwww.summertimes.org to view camp offer-ings, pricing, registration procedures andmore. Email [email protected] orcall 703-212-2777.

Baroody CampsBaroody Camps offers a variety of sum-

mer enrichment camps in Northern Virginia,with everything from American Girl DollCamp to Gymnastics to Super HeroesTheme Camp, and more. Locally owned andoperated, Baroody Camps offer a wide va-riety of academic, athletic, creative, and ad-venture camps for children, Kindergartenthrough 8th grade. In addition to the moretraditional camps (sports camps, art camps,outdoors camps, educational camps, lead-ership camps, and academic camps) a fewspecialties include the Themed Day Campofferings for the younger campers with avariety of interests, and Traveling Campsfor older children who want to explore thehighlights of city by Metro, hit up all of thebest amusement parks in the region, orspend a few nights traveling up and downthe coast to visit iconic baseball stadiums.Visit www.baroodycamps.com

Photo contributed

Children participate in Field Day atKenwood Summer Day Camp inAnnandale.

Photo courtesy of Glenn Cook

Students enjoy summer camps atMetropolitan School of the Arts inLorton and Alexandria; musicaltheatre camps are just one of themany camps offered.


Diverse Camps Offer Summer FunFrom Page 5

Photo contributed by Peter Hamer

Bishop Ireton Cardinals summercamps in Alexandria are gearingup for their eighth year of sportsand theater camps.

Chantilly Connection ● April 2015 ● Summer Camps ● Education & Activities ● 7www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

By Rick Jeffrey

President, Special Olympics Virginia

In my 20-plus years in Special OlympicsI still, on occasion, make the same mis-take. I miss the boat. I underestimate

the abilities either cognitive or physical ofour Special Olympics athletes; athletes withintellectual disabilities. But by continuallymaking this mistake, I, in essence, prettymuch make them like everyone else; justanother person, available to be judged andlimited by what we see or what we thinkwe see. You see, the limitations that all ofus place on each other determine how weperceive each other, treat each other, likeeach other, fear each other, raise each otherup or marginalize each other.

Ask most coaches out there and they willtell you that the biggest limitations on anystudent athlete are the ones coaches placeupon them, among which might be too slow,not big enough or not tough enough. Itmight not be much different in the class-room where teachers might see a studentas too lazy, too distracted or not interested.And these are just student athletes in anysport, in any classroom, at any high schoolin Virginia.

Now compound that with Down syn-drome, autism or an undiagnosed disabil-ity resulting in a student’s inability to keepup with peers. In most cases, the limitationsin a school environment, an environmentthat moves all too fast, are enormous. Andeven in schools with wonderful inclusiveclassroom environments, the opportunity to

interact and really build friendships andrelationships remains limited.

These students with intellectual disabili-ties are, in most cases, not receiving an op-portunity to really participate in sports; anactivity that, at its heart, teaches teamwork,trust and communication; an activity thatat its core promotes competency, credibil-ity and caring; the building blocks of hu-man relationships. Sports and sports teamsare probably more conducive to buildingrelationships and creating friendships thanpossibly any other school activity. Plusthrow in the opportunity to “wear the col-ors” and represent your school and you cre-ate an emotional bond that may be the mostinclusive opportunity for any student.

IMAGINE A PARTNERSHIP betweenSpecial Olympics and high schools through-out Virginia. Imagine the opportunity for astudent with an intellectual (or any) dis-

ability to play alongside his or her peerswithout disabilities in a Unified Sports teamenvironment; to rely on each other, to com-municate with each other, to believe in eachother, to become Champions Together.

Imagine no more because ChampionsTogether is here. In fact, it’s right here inFairfax at Robinson Secondary School andRobert E. Lee High School – and in 22 otherhigh schools in Virginia.

This partnership with the Virginia HighSchool League is aimed at bringing togetheryouth with and without disabilities to buildthe first unified generation, a generationwhere youth will build upon the friendshipsand life lessons learned through sports andthe Special Olympics movement so, later inlife, they will not be afraid to live, work andTHRIVE alongside their peers with differ-ent ability levels.

Champions Together high schools willform inclusive track and field teams thisspring that will compete against other lo-cal high schools. Other components of theprogram include an inclusive student-ledleadership team that will organize anawareness event to promote respect andinclusion, and promote philanthropy to sup-port the future of the program.

AT SPECIAL OLYMPICS, we dedicateourselves each day to building communi-ties more respectful in their conduct, moreinclusive in their makeup, more unified intheir fabric. And each day the Virginia HighSchool League is promoting education, lead-ership, sportsmanship, character and citi-zenship for students by establishing andmaintaining high standards for school ac-tivities and competitions.

A new, young, energetic base of athletesand volunteers, which could include thesons or daughters of many reading this op-ed piece, will eventually transition from theschools into our communities and help Spe-cial Olympics Virginia and the Virginia HighSchool League continue to achieve our mis-sions.

The Champions Together program is new,and as it develops, we will learn a lot abouthow to build it, refine it and make it thebest that it can be for everyone. And do youknow who we will learn this from? We willlearn it from our young people with andwithout disabilities who, through their par-ticipation and their ownership of this in-clusive program, will prove to us that theyare the future.

Let’s Play Unified!

Rick Jeffrey has been the President of SpecialOlympics Virginia since 2000. He has served onmany national and international committees forSpecial Olympics, and is currently serving on theUnited States Leadership Council where he is chairof the Sports Committee.

Play Unified

Photo contributed

Rick Jeffrey

Commentary


By Marilyn Campbell

The Connection

Summer fun is no longer reservedfor children. Whether one’s inter-ests lie in exploring nature and hik-ing in the woods or immersed in

history, art and literature on a universitycampus, the region abounds with warmweather opportunities.

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute(OLLI) at George Mason University offersits members a chance to satisfy their intel-lectual and cultural curiosities. Want to readand discuss the “Iliad” or play SymphonyNo. 5 on the piano? Classes in Homer’s writ-ings or classical music are available inFairfax, Reston and Sterling, Va. $375 givesmembers access to more than 400 trips,courses and clubs ranging from memoirwriting to French cooking.

“This summer you can get outside withOLLI trips to the National Gallery of Art,the Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens,

and The Franciscan Monastery,” said Jen-nifer Disano, OLLI executive director.

From oil painting to soap making, Arling-ton County is offering a diverse smatter ofclasses for adults. “We have a smorgasbordof programs and really cool classes whereyou can learn about nature or go on hikes,”said Susan Kalish, a spokeswoman for thecounty.

Potomac residents who want to distin-guish an amethyst from an iolite are in luckthis summer. A gemology class is among themost popular adult classes at the PotomacCommunity Recreation Center.

“We’ve got a host of different programsfrom tai chi, yoga and karate,” said PeterSelikowitz, the center’s executive director.“There’s even a laughter fitness class whichis a fun way to reduce stress.”

For those wanting to learn how to avoidinternet scams, Marymount University hasteamed up with City of Falls Church topresent “Living Better with the Internet.”The series of five classes is designed for se-niors and will be held at the Falls ChurchCommunity Center this summer. “The bestnews of all is that the classes are free,” saidOdette Shults, a spokeswoman for the Uni-versity.

Educators say that an uptick in interestamong adults, particularly seniors, has lead

The region offers awide range ofprograms for adults.

Summer Fun for Adults

Photo contributed

Summer camp experiences can help children become self-confident andself-reliant.

to a diverse offering of learning opportuni-ties. “There is an absolute trend and evi-dence-based research is driving the trend,”said Andrew Carle of George Mason Uni-versity. “Adult activities are being rein-vented. What used to be arts and crafts and

now their being called wellness and enrich-ment and address the physical, cognitive,social and spiritual needs of adults. We’reseeing people being given more choices onhow to improve their lives rather than justgiving them activities.”



lunch on Fridays. Other groups getsmoothies on Friday “so everyone gets atreat.”

Sailing students must be certified beforemoving on to the next level. Some camperscome for one week and others move up theskill level over successive weeks at camp.Windsurfing is also offered.

The camp opens June 1 and runs weeklythrough Aug. 22, and is already over 50percent full. The classes run from 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and are open to rising third grad-ers-15 years of age. She thinks childrenchoose sailing for summer because “it isdifferent, it is outside, it is hands on andthey get immediate gratification.” Theywalk away with a life skill that they cancarry into adulthood, she says.

Sailing class is empowering, Zang says.Children don’t have much in their lives thatthey can be fully in charge of. “I give themtrust, here is a boat, and you can learn tosail it and they give trust back. They learnresponsibility and it is a huge confidencebuilder for both male and female students.Sailing isn’t about strength.” She adds,“When kids come they love it and keep re-turning year after year.” She said word ofmouth is powerful and she has had a num-ber of children for many years.

Classes are systematic, beginning with a10-minute “chalk talk” about what they willbe doing that day. Then on to a drill such asa figure eight on the water followed bydocking. The routine gets instilled with agame like “stick, stick, capsize.” Sailing stu-dents practice docking, sailing to the dockwhere an instructor awaits them. If they doa perfect docking, they get a paint stick andthey sail back to a buoy not too far off,switch positions (crew moves to skippersposition) and sail to the dock again. If theydo a good docking they get a second paintstick, and from there they sail out into thelagoon where a safety boat is stationed.They hand in their two paint sticks and get

to do a capsize, the reward for two gooddockings.

She calls each day “controlled chaos”where she has to be mentally two stepsahead watching weather, keeping track ofthe boats at all times and supervising theinstructors as well as tending to childrenwho may need special attention. “Everysingle cog in the wheel has to work.” Zangdescribes herself as a big communicator andsends group email updates to parents dur-ing the week. If there are specific things topass along she emails the parents directly.

During the school year, Zang provideshome-bound school instruction for studentswith illness or special needs that keep themfrom attending traditional school.

At this time of year, Zang is interviewing

staff, rescheduling returning staff, review-ing insurance policies and other business,organizing buses, getting boats ready for theseason “putting a screwdriver to everyscrew, washing out boats and getting themin the water.”

Zang offers bus service pickup fromBethesda. This year, a mom organized agroup of 24 sailing campers from Chantillyso “I am sending a bus there to pick up thekids that week.” Sailing students come fromall over the metropolitan area and some arevisiting relatives and attend sailing campfor a week or two. About half come with afriend although she tries to match every-one up with a buddy if they don’t. “We havea lot of diplomat kids, too, a nice diversepopulation.”

The staff includes more than 40 full-timesummer counselors; many started in sail-ing camp themselves a number of years ago.“I have one counselor this year who startedcamp when he was 9.” She has better thana 1-6 ratio of staff to campers.

“It’s a good job for high school and col-lege students, getting a tan, learning valu-able skills and how to work with kids.”

Summer Sailing Camp: Outside, Hands-On, Empowering

Sailors rig the Sunfish in preparation for beginning the day’s lesson atYouth Sailing Camp at the Washington Sailing Marina.

Beginning Sunfish classes sail from the dock on a summer morning topractice the day’s maneuvers.

Amy Zang, Director and Owner ofthe Youth Sailing Day at the Wash-ington Sailing Marina, startschecking the boats in April and“putting a screwdriver to everyscrew” before camp opens June 1.

Summer counselors at NationalMarina Sailing Camp give thesailors a safety lesson each daybefore heading for the Potomac.

By Shirley Ruhe

Gazette Packet

Amy Zang has just returned froma week sailing the British VirginIsles with nine members of herextended family ranging from

her 78-year-old, legally-blind father to herbrother’s 4- and 6-year old children.

“I was the captain of the 46-foot catama-ran, but I had to get used to it. It is thebiggest boat I have sailed. You use the samesailing skills but adapt the technique whenthe boat is this large.”

Zang is the director and owner of theYouth Sailing Day Camp at the WashingtonSailing Marina. The Washington SailingMarina camp offers six different youth sail-ing classes in the summer with the Sunfishfor beginners and the Flying Scot for inter-mediates. The advanced class uses a HobieCat. The racing class sails a Collegiate 420that is a fast, maneuverable boat allowingcampers the chance to work on boat bal-ance and roll tacks.

Adventures on a Big Boat sails a Catalina25. This group has a picnic lunch underanchor on Thursdays and they, along withthe intermediate boats, sail to Old Town for

Photos by Shirley Ruhe/The Gazette

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