children’s & teens’ connection 2017connectionarchives.com/pdf/2017/122717/lorton.pdf ·...

online at www.connectionnewspapers.com December 28, 2017-January 3, 2018

Children’s & Teens’Connection 2017

Children’s & Teens’Connection 2017

Gracy Dempsey, Grade 4, Silverbrook

Elementary School

2 ❖ Fairfax Station/Clifton/Lorton Connection ❖ Children’s & Teens’ Connection 2017-2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Fairfax Station/Clifton/Lorton Connection ❖ Children’s & Teens’ Connection 2017-2018 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Dear Readers:This week, the Connection turns over its

pages to the youth and students.We asked principals and teachers from

area schools to encourage students to con-tribute their words, pictures and photos forour annual Children’s Issue.

The response as always was enormous.While we were unable to publish every piecewe received, we did our best to put togethera paper with a fair sampling of the submit-ted stories, poems, drawings, paintings,photographs and other works of art.

We appreciate the extra effort made byschool staff to gather the materials duringtheir busy time leading up to the holidays.We’d also like to encourage both schools andparents to mark their 2018 calendars forearly December, the deadline for submis-sions for next year’s Children’s Connection.Please keep us in mind as your children

Welcomecontinue to create spectacular works of artand inspiring pieces of writing in the com-ing year.

The children’s issue is only a part of ouryear-round commitment to cover educationand our local schools. As always, the Con-nection welcomes letters to the editor, storyideas, calendar listings and notices of localevents from our readers. Photos and othersubmissions about special events at schoolsare especially welcome for our weeklyschools pages.

Our preferred method for material is e-mail, which should be sent [email protected], butyou can reach us by mail at 1606 KingStreet, Alexandria, VA 22314 or call 703-778-9414 with any questions.

Editor Kemal Kurspahic

By Alexandra Weatherbee, Second Grade, Fairview Elementary,Art Teacher Vered Grossman.

Winter Fun, by Allyson Nguyen, Grade 8, Lake Braddock SS,Teacher: Victoria McGrath

Children’s Connection

Brooks McDowell, Grade 1, Silverbrook Elementary SchoolBy Madison Bedford, Fairview Elementary, Fifth Grade,Art Teacher Vered Grossman

By BrookeTwitchell,Grade 1,SilverbrookElementary,Art TeacherMeredithCosier,


A healthy body starts with a healthy mouth!

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Fairview ElementaryArtwork submitted by Vered Grossman, Art Teacher

By Cody Friesz,Fourth Grade

By Madison Bedford, Fifth GradeBy Michael Barrett, Fifth Grade

By Grace Andrews, Second Grade By Hannah Nguyen, Second grade


See Cherry Run, Page 7

Cherry Run

Favorite animal?A human- because I’m a human and

we can find a way to live peacefully (ornot.)

—Evan Jones

Cheetahs- it must feel good to runthat fast! I wish I could. Do you?

—Victoria Shea

Elephant- When I was younger, Ithought an elephant could give me ashower. When I was 2 or 3, I wanted tobe an elephant when I grew up. Evennow, I still like elephants because theyare very cool.

—Fiona Mulcahy

A Galapagos tortoise- I want to ride it!They were almost instinct.

—Keshav Parikh

A dog- It’s a very interesting storyabout how dogs came to be real. Theyhave super puppy cuteness that canmake a heart melt. They are friendly-well, most of them. You can teach themtricks.

—Samuel Griffith

Favorite game?I like soccer because it’s a sport that

can burn your energy. If you’re feelingsquirrelly, you should play this sport. Itrequires a lot of stamina, endurance andbrainpower and skill. Can you kick aball?

—Samuel Griffith

Roblox is a game I love to play. You

can play tons of different games on it.You can create an avatar. You can havefriends. You can enjoy relaxation time.

—Samuel Griffith

My favorite game is Rocket League.It’s a game where you have cars and youcan play hockey, soccer or basketball.You hit the ball or puck with the car andtry to make a goal. I play it with myneighbor all the time.

—Nicolas Moreno

I think Minecraft is a very convenientgame because you can play it on almostany device, from your X-box to youriphone! Minecraft is good to build thingsand has two main game modes: Creativeand Survival. In Creative, you are free todo and build whatever you want, but inSurvival you have limited resources.

—Fiona Mulcahy

Something youremember doingfor the first time?

I remember the first time I rode mybike. It was on a soccer field. Then whenI got the hang of it I rode on a tenniscourt. When I mastered that, I went onthe sidewalk and road.

—Nicolas Moreno

I remember going to a farm. The farmhad roasting marshmallows, a mountainyou could look up to see its beautifulland, and apple trees that had not-readyapples, rotten apples and good apples

Fourth Graders’ Opinions in Mary Zavaleta’s class.


Lauren Gear, Grade 6Katherine Ngo, Grade 5

Isabella Biberaj, Grade 4Evan Wrubluski, Grade 2

Jadrien Pita,Grade 2

Drew France,Grade 6

Avery Bartee,Grade 4

AshlynCrowell,

Kindergarten

Silverbrook Elementary

Aleks Lilaj, KindergartenAndrew Drake, Grade 5

Abigail Latham

Abby Sparks, Grade 6

Artwork submitted by art teachersLaura Lajin and Andi Kim


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Children’sConnection

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From Page 5

Cherry RunElementary

Children

on the ground.—Brielle Crowell

The best thing that ever happened tome was when I caught a grass carp. Itweighed 24 pounds and was three feetlong. It was the biggest fish my familyever caught. It was the size of my littlebrother!

—Dalton Childress

Favorite restaurant?I went to Cava. It had a handwash-o-

matic! You would roll up your sleevesthen stick your hands in it. It would spinand spray water.

—Keshav Parikh

What would you liketo do for your firstpaid job (as ateenager)?

I would like to work at the Nike store.I like Nike clothes and shoes. Nike andAdidas are my favorite brands.

—Nicolas Moreno

When I’m a teenager, I want to be anature guide. The thought of spendingall day in the forest makes me happy. Ilove watching animals, playing in thewoods, and building shelters made fromnatural resources, so that’s the job forme. I am good at talking to people aboutnature and I can memorize trails .Iwould like the job as a nature guide verymuch.

—Fiona Mulcahy

I want to be a lacrosse player becauseplaying lacrosse makes me feel so happywhen I’m with a team.

—Kiera Crowell


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Artwork submittedby Art Teacher

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By DamienNguyen,Grade 6

By DanielleRoberston,Grade 5

By JuliaNiner,

Grade 4


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Lake Braddock Secondary School

Road Trip Comic, by Theresa Morthland, Grade: 12, Class: Digital Art 4,Teacher: Mr. Feeney

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Self-portrait, by Josette Satterfield, 12, of Fairfax,Grade 7, Rocky Run Middle School,Teacher: Ms. Schuetz

More Than MoneyIf I could give my parents anything

that didn’t cost money, I would givethem all the love I could. I would givethem love out of anything that doesn’tcost money because I think that is moremeaningful than anything- even thingsthat cost money. Also, love will neverwear out. You could ALWAYS keep thelove that is given.

—Samantha Lee, Age 9

PricelessThere is not only one gift that can be

priceless to parents. Although, I’m not aparent, I think this is how they feel.They’re ecstatic when their child suc-ceeds, but I think their gladdest momentis when their child succeeds as a person.This is the gift I will so give to my par-ents. Not only kindness and love to myparents, but to all around me, so thatthey can be proud of me. Pride can alsobring happiness. I want my parents to behappy. I cannot do much for my parents,but I will not neglect what I can do.

—Grace Im, Fifth

Grade – Age 11

ThanksIf I had the ability to give my parents,

friends and family a gift that wouldn’tcost a penny, I would give them the loveand thanks from all of my heart. Myparents have given me a home, food,water, attention and everything I needto be successful and happy. Withoutthem, I can’t imagine how hard lifewould be. My friends have given mehope when times were dark. They havealways been there when I needed a help-ful hand. If I didn’t have my friends, myhappiness and ability to do about every-thing would disappear. I really doappreciate everything my parents andfriends have done for me.

—By Elena Paulson,

Age 10

The Art of GivingIf I could give anyone in my vicinity

a gift that didn’t cost money, I wouldgive them the gift of nature. It is beau-tiful and anyone who sees it will realizethat it should never be bought. Youshould let it sprout and grow until youknow this. Then keep it and let it growand sprout inside of you. Nature is ablessing.

—Dominic Stockard,

Grade 4 – Age 10

The Gift from theHeart

A true gift is a gift from the heart. If Ihad a gift to give to mom, it would belove. Love, because love is priceless.Love, because it is always needed. Love,love, love! It’s the best think you couldpossibly need. Love, love, love! It’s moreprecious than gold or silver. It’s the mostwonderful thing in the world!—Henry Stockard, Grade

4- Age 10

The Gift Greaterthan Gold

I never know what to give my parentsas a gift because nothing can show themhow appreciative I am of them. If I hadto give them one gift, I would give themthe ability to know how much I lovethem and look up to them. I feel as ifeven when I try to show my love andappreciation, they never know theamount. There is no word that can showmy thoughts. If my parents had the abil-ity to know my gratitude, they would beable to know they would be able toknow they have been the best they canget. I feel like my parents think theyhave to work harder for us, but theydon’t. They are mine and my sister’s rolemodels. My gift for my parents would befor them to know my appreciation for

them so they can take a break and knowthey ARE loved to the fullest extent!

— Dahlia Hashish, Age 11

The Gift of MeIf I was to give someone a gift that

was priceless, I would choose me. I amthe best. Everything I say and do is lovedby those around me. Of course, Iwouldn’t give this gift to my parents fortwo reasons: First of all, I did costmoney and second of all, they live in thesame house as me so my gift wouldmean nothing. Now that I think about it,I shouldn’t give this gift to anyone in myfamily for the same reason I can’t givethis to my parents. I could give this toanyone who is within 5 feet of me. Icould make them my friend and thatwould be my gift.

—Henry Counts, Age 11

The GiftIf I could give a gift to my family, I

would give them a memory. Then theycould see things in my view and maybethey could understand me better. Iwouldn’t hear, “Oh, don’t you give meexcuses” as much because they wouldsee my point of view. I could give myfamily further understanding. Theycould live young again through my ex-periences. I could give them knowledgethey never could have gained. It wouldbenefit both the receiver and the giver

of the gift. Peace could be achieved.—Xavier Parmentier,

Grade 4 – Age 10

The One ThingIf I were to give my parents one thing,

I would give them nothing because theyalready have everything they could pos-sibly want.- love, laughter, and family.And all of this is a pretty good present.They always tell me that they don’t wanta present , but that’s pretty hard to be-lieve. I think that everyone, no matterhow old you are, deserves at least onepresent. It doesn’t really matter what itis.

—Kira Chojnacki, Grade

4 – Age 9

The One ThingIf I could give a gift to someone that

didn’t cost money, I would give my bestfriend my friendship. A gift of friendshipis one of the best gifts because it’s theone thing they will probably cherish fora long time. If you give them somethinglike a necklace, they might not wear itafter a while. A string of friendship ishard to break even if your best friendmoves. Friendship is amazing!

— Abigail Fryar,

Grade 4- Age 10

The One ThingI would give my parents love or hap-

piness because that is very peaceful andbeautiful. Love and happiness is equal toa bar of gold. Love is very kind for ev-eryone. Happiness gives you a big smileon your face and a calm and nice heart.If somebody has this, that person is verylucky. Love and happiness is somethingthat makes you feel very excited. Imag-ine that you are a bird and you aretrapped in the cage of stress and sad-ness. When you find the key of kindness,you can unlock yourself to the freedomof happiness and love.

—Nichole Billones,

Grade 4

There’s No GiftBETTER

Personally, I think either love, kind-ness or some music by Handel. Bach,Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky orDvorak. I think I would pick love, but myfamily is very musical, but kindness isalso a possibility. They are really kind-well, as much as I’ve seen. So I think I’mdown to love, or music. I really lovethem and they really love me. I alsothink they are really musical. My brother

owns at least 16 instruments! My sisteris 26, my brother is 24 and my otherbrother is 21.

— Daniel Foote, Grade 4

Three ThingsMost people stress about how much

money a gift will cost or how good it is.But really, three things that don’t cost acent can be really, truly meaningful.These things are: Love, Happiness and(this will probably be in your parentstop 10 best things) No fighting. The giftof love grows like vines. It spreads likea plague, but a good one – making ev-eryone feel happy and appreciated.Happiness is like love, but it can be bro-ken. This is why people should pick veryspecial, caring people to give it to, or inother words, your parents. Most siblingsfight as most parents know and itdoesn’t please them. “Why do they doit?” some people may ask. Well, it’s inyour nature, but try pushing that pieceof your nature away. I would give thesethings to my parents because theseitems aren’t even items- making thempriceless.

— Kate Nagler, Age 10

What They DeserveI would give all the love and peace my

parents deserve. What is there in youreveryday life that your parents don’t dofor you? I bet everyone reading the Con-nection right now can’t think of tenthings. I mean, they gave birth to you,make you food, they buy food- heck, Ibet they’ll even pay for my instantramen every day in college! My Momand Dad will some day pass away, andI will be sad. But they will still be look-ing over me and caring for me. I willalways love my parents and for every-thing they do for me, I owe them lots.

—Riley Kurtz,

Grade 4 – Age 9

A Gift Greaterthan Money

I would give my parents happiness. Ifeel like they deserve happiness morethan I need it. They have given me theirhappiness and it is time for me to giveit back to them. Happiness is very spe-cial. Everyone should have happiness intheir life. It is more special and rarerthan money. I would love to see my par-ents walk around with happiness intheir hearts. I would give up all mymoney to see them with happiness. It istruly a blessing to see them so happy.That would give my heart happiness.Happiness is special and so are they!

—Kirsten Ngo, Age 10

Laurel Ridge Elementary School


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Children’s Connection

“A longtime ago,” by

Thomas Pratt,10, Grade 5,

FairviewElementary,

Teacher:Ms. Roca

By Hannah Dai,9, Grade 4,Navy Elemen-tary School ofFairfax,Teacher:Miss Escolero


Heart of Ice, Cave I DwelledMy eyes drifted to the snowFeelings faster than the stormI saw my joy fadeThe sun’s light fadingFoggy mistI couldn’t seeMy steps led me to snowLike being buriedBeneath it allMy heart stungThe wolves hungry for my soulI started forwardI didn’t look backMind swirlingTears a blizzardWhite scattered my pathIcicles dripped like how I fadedI Wish you could knowI’m sorryBut I knew I must keep goingThe fog then liftedBringing the sun to my heartIt reached out its handI opened my eyesThe frozen dew sparkledThe snow endless mountains of whiteI cried for itI didn’t know whyAs the wind shifted my coatMy heart as wellI found myself on a cliffI slipped on pure iceAnd started to fallThe ice was so pureIt’s cold, the sparkling crystals swept me off my feetIt wasn’t just my feetI hung paralyzedLostAfraidAloneMy joy ran awayIt leaped so fast a blurSwallowed by shadowMy heart of iceBut it came back to meBack to me as wonderWith wonder came joyAs I hung with shadows growlingThe jagged peaks begged for gloomI only held on tighterI then knew I must not fall…Delicate snowflakes stroked my skinI knew those who need me

I hungMy eyes glistening with glazeIf you were to throw an arrow at my heartIt wouldn’t pierce my heart of iceI’m so sorryI let goMy heart was glowingBrighter than that belowFell to the cliffs…Fell to the peak of my life…The shadow…The snow that scarred me...Landed on a cloudI livedI yelledI yelled because of it that haunted meFor the snow that had me surviveNo, I’m going backI started to runThe frozen pond singingTears drippingHeart knowing notBut to keep goingNot today…Not today…I will run till I dieDeath’s scythe will not touch me…It’s not my time…I grasped onto my lifeI knewAnd I ran homeThat it wasn’t IBut my wonderThan the lightIt came through the cloudsNot a seepBut the entire skyI hugged my lifeOnly I will touchYou will not haunt meI had run awayI had fallenBut had gotten up againThe birds of past screechedThe present birds criedThe future eagle looked with its eyesSo that it pierced so muchMy heart of ice meltedI do not know whyThe ice wrapped around meAnd then I flew

By Hannah Bang, 12, 6th grade

Grade 6, Fairhill Elementary

Poetry Corner

Can you guess my favorite season?It’s a season where people may get fevers or shivers from the coldIt’s a season where divine, decorative, and delightful snowflakes unfoldIt’s a season with laughter and soft and warm dinks where we hit them together and they go CLINK!This season gives you a reason to go to the ice skating rinkDid you guess it, it should be clear, so grab your coats because my favorite season winter is here

—Rugiatu Aisha Wurie, 11, Fairfax, Grade 6, Colin Powell Elementary


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By KENNETH B. LOURIE

Though I want to treat the disease – andmy having been diagnosed with the disease,with respect, I don’t want to treat it with theutmost reverence. I mean, it’s not the Pope.

It’s an affliction, not an affection. Certainlynot one worth embracing anyway. But defi-nitely one which needs engaging.

Treating and living with lung cancershouldn’t be a vertical-type, up or down,either-or set of options. There should be moreintegration with non-Western, holistic andalternative approaches rather than, as hasbeen my experience: you’re on your own;and your oncologist, generally speaking – orpotentially legally-liable from speaking,knows/say less about it than you the patient.

I’ve tried to straddle this line going onnearly nine years now. Adhering to the con-ventional wisdom/treatment didn’t seem likeenough. Perhaps hearing the extremely grimprognosis that I received on Feb. 27, 2009 :“13 months to two years,” affected my think-ing. Perhaps hearing the equally grim likeli-hood – statistically referencing, of livingbeyond five years (low single digit percent-age); heck, even living beyond two years,might have given me pause as to what courseof treatment: chemotherapy, I was starting andwhy. But what did I know? I had just beenblindsided and then bewildered as to why andhow I was going to live the rest of my life.

Yet here I sit, nine-years old, so to speak.Some days I believe my amazing good fortunehas to do with the treatment and care I’vereceived from my oncologist and staff at theInfusion Center. Other days, I think it has todo with some of the alternatives I’ve assimi-lated into my life. Though I can’t honestlyinclude exercise in that life, I have modifiedmy diet somewhat and most definitely canmention vitamins, supplements, alkaline waterand apple cider vinegar, among a few others;along with a positive attitude with mostly goodhumor, as important elements. It hasn’t beeneasy, but it has been me. Meaning, I amproud of how I’ve managed a bad situationand so far, not made it worse.

Though I am somewhat unique, statisticallymeasuring, in how long I’ve survived (ho-wever, I’m not exactly 108-year old PaulEdgecomb/Tom Hanks from the movie “TheGreen Mile”), I don’t know that the variedsteps I’ve taken and the humor and attitudewith which I’ve put one foot in front of theother are likewise unique.

Of the many patients/survivors I’ve metalong this way, many, if not all, have exhibitedsimilar good humor and more of a can-do atti-tude quite frankly, than I. I’ve always beenhappy to make their acquaintance and eagerto hear their stories, as they have been inter-ested in hearing mine. Although cancer is notexactly catchy, I’ve found that, in speaking/sharing with fellow cancer survivors, what goesaround comes around. And what ‘that’ is thatis going around is, to invoke The Beach Boys:“Good Vibrations,” and that is catchy andhealthy too!

When I was first diagnosed – and caughtup in my own circumstances, I was not inter-ested – too much, in interacting with otherlung cancer patients/survivors. I was moreconcerned with my own fragile emotionalstate and was afraid that exposing myself tomore bad news: other “terminal” lung cancerpatients’ stories would weaken my resolve.

I don’t recall how many months or years itwas before I realized how wrong I had been.Weaken? My involvement with fellow lungcancer patient/survivors has only strengthenedmy resolve. Has that openness and apprecia-tion for my fellow lung cancer patientextended my life? I’d like to think it has.

But if it hasn’t, I guess the jokes on cancer.And that’s a laugh with which we can all live.

“Cansir”Bulletin

Submit civic/community announcements atConnectionNewspapers.com/Calendar. Photos andartwork welcome. Deadline is Thursday at noon, atleast two weeks before event.

HOLIDAY SOBER-RIDEFree Sober Rides. The annual Holiday

SoberRider program will operate 8 p.m.-4 a.m.each night from Friday, Dec. 15, 2017-Monday,Jan. 1, 2018. area residents age 21 and oldercelebrating with alcohol may download Lyft totheir phones, then enter the code in the app’s“Promo” section to receive their no cost (up to$15) safe transportation home. WRAP’s weeklyHoliday SoberRide promo codes will be postedat 2 p.m. on Dec. 15, Dec. 23 and Dec. 31 onwww.SoberRide.com.

BLOOD DONATIONS NEEDEDThe American Red Cross urges eligible donors

to give more life by giving blood this December.In December, donations decline but the needs ofpatients remain steady. During the holidayseason, set aside an hour to give the mostimportant gift – give blood and give more life.All those who come to give blood or plateletsDec. 21, 2017, through Jan. 7, 2018, will receivea long-sleeved Red Cross T-shirt, while supplieslast. Make an appointment to give blood bydownloading the free Red Cross Blood DonorApp, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

❖ SpringfieldDec. 26: 1-5 p.m., South Run RECenter, 7550

Reservation Drive❖ Fairfax - Fairfax Blood Donation Center, 2720

Prosperity Avenue, Suite 200 (unless otherwisenoted)

Dec. 26: 10:45 a.m.-5:45 p.m.Dec. 27: 12:45-8 p.m.Dec. 28: 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Pennino Building 10th Floor

Conf Rm, 12011 Government Center ParkwayDec. 28: 12:45-5:45 p.m.Dec. 29: 7:45 a.m.-3 p.m.Dec. 30: 7:45 a.m.-3 p.m.Dec. 31: 7:45 a.m.-2:45 p.m.

TUESDAY/JAN. 9American Legion Post 177 Luncheon. 11:30

a.m.-1:30 p.m. at American Legion Post 177,3939 Oak St., Fairfax. Presentation on“Advanced preparation and arrangement forfuneral/memorial” by Peter Hause, FairfaxMemorial Funeral Home. $11. Call 703-280-2356 for more.

SUPPORT GROUPSShepherd’s Center of Fairfax-Burke sponsors

a monthly meeting on the 2nd Tuesday of eachmonth, noon-1:30 p.m., for caregivers to learnand to share with others experiencing similarchallenges. Before attending, contact thefacilitator, Eileen Thompson at 703-451-8626 [email protected].

Haven of Northern Virginia provides support,compassion, information and resources to thebereaved and seriously ill. To become a Havenvolunteer, please call 703-941-7000 to requestan orientation. Volunteers must complete a 30-hour training and commit to one year of serviceanswering Haven phones (2.5 hours weekly).Next training is scheduled for fall 2017.

ONGOINGVolunteers needed at the Fairfax Station

Railroad Museum, 11200 Fairfax Station Road,Fairfax Station. The Museum offers a variety ofexciting volunteer opportunities in Museumevents, programs and administration. [email protected] or 703-945-7483to explore services that will fit your scheduleand interests. Visit www.fairfax-station.org, orcall 703-425-9225 for more.

RSVP, a volunteer network for seniors seekingservice opportunities in and around FairfaxCounty, Arlington County and the City ofAlexandria, offers a wide array of opportunitiesfor volunteers 55 and older. RSVP volunteersenjoy flexible schedules, free accident andliability insurance while serving, optionalmileage and meal reimbursement and areinvited to volunteer group projects and socialgatherings. To sign up for an upcomingorientation, email Carly Hubicki [email protected] or call RSVP at703-403- 5360. To learn more about RSVP, visitwww.rsvpnova.org.


12 2017

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