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Great Falls Connection ❖ June 1-7, 2016 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Great Falls United MethodistChurch Turns 140Faith, 2

Promoting Tea CultureIn Great FallsNews, Page 14

Great Falls United MethodistChurch Turns 140Faith, Page 12

Promoting Tea CultureIn Great FallsNews, Page 14

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The U.S. Marine Corps colorguard begins the MemorialDay service organized by theFriends of the Great FallsFreedom Memorial.

The U.S. Marine Corps colorguard begins the MemorialDay service organized by theFriends of the Great FallsFreedom Memorial.

Honoring on Memorial DayIn Great Falls

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Honoring on Memorial DayIn Great Falls

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Great FallsGreat Falls

2 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ June 1-7, 2016 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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NewsGreat Falls Connection Editor Kemal Kurspahic

703-778-9414 or [email protected]

By Ken Moore

The Connection

United States Air Force veteranPaul Quinn “didn’t intend toshow this much emotion” dur-ing the Memorial Day Celebra-

tion Ceremony at the Great Falls FreedomMemorial.

“You never forget the names and all yourfriends,” said Quinn, who now lives in Ar-lington and visited his daughter in GreatFalls for Memorial Day weekend.

Well more than 100 people attended TheFriends of the Great Falls FreedomMemorial’s annual Memorial Day Cer-emony, a moving hourlong tribute behindthe Great Falls Library.

Richard “Hot Dog” Brown was a Navyfighter pilot who served the country in theNavy from 1956 to 1981. He and his wifeNora Lee Brown, of Great Falls, called thisyear’s event especially moving because ofguest speaker Mariana Ritchie, who gavethe key-note address with her husband Ret.Brigadier General Steve Ritchie, of theUnited States Air Force.

Mariana Ritchie gave details of growingup in Romania under Communist rule. As aschoolgirl, she hid a photo of an Americanflag with her, which gave her hope.

“I speak for the oppressed,” she said. “Iam the oppressed that you rescued.”

ANDY WILSON, president of the Friendsof Great Falls Freedom Memorial, openedthe ceremony.

“That’s why we are here today to memo-rialize and remember and have a ceremonyfor those who have given their lives,” Wil-son said.

“Each died for a cause he considered moreimportant than his own life,” he said.

J.C. Reigns sang “God Bless America,”“American Soldier,” and “Proud to be an

“We never know what’s just around the cor-ner, do we?”

“Treat people with dignity and respect,”he said. “If we could treat other people theway we would like to be treated wouldn’tthe world be a different place?” “Our wordis our bond,” Ritchie said. “If you have in-tegrity, nothing else matters. If you don’thave integrity, nothing else matters.”

THE FRIENDS of Great Falls FreedomMemorial formed in 2002 with “the mis-sion to build a memorial site in Great Fallsdedicated to the residents who have giventheir lives for our freedom.”

“Great Falls residents have served in manyof our country’s wars and conflicts through-out this nation’s history. The Freedom Me-morial Committee has compiled a book tohonor our Great Falls citizens who havemade the ultimate sacrifice and given theirlives for our country,” according to tributeplacards at the Freedom Memorial in GreatFalls.

The book is on display in the library.Great Falls Freedom Memorial was in-

spired by a candlelight vigil on Sept. 11,2002.

The Friends of GFFM support the missionwith yearly ceremonial events and educa-tional programs. The group will hold a 9/11 Memorial service candlelight vigil onSunday, Sept. 11 and a Veterans’ Day Me-morial Ceremony on Friday, Nov. 11.

Laying of the Wreath, Andy Wilson, Sen. Barbara Favola, Del. KathleenMurphy, Boy Scout Troop 55 leaders, keynote speakers Ret. BrigadierGeneral Steve Ritchie and Mariana Ritchie and Dranesville SupervisorJohn W. Foust.

More than 100 people attended the ceremony on Memorial Day behindthe Great Falls Library.

Honoring on Memorial Day in Great FallsCommunity gathersat Great Falls Free-dom Memorial tohonor local fallen.

Boy Scout Troop 55 honors the U.S. Marine Corps Color Guard.

Keynote Speaker Ret. BrigadierGeneral Steve Ritchie, of theUnited States Air Force, was afighter pilot who logged more than4,000 hours, including 800 hoursin combat during 339 missions inSoutheast Asia. He and his wife arenow motivational speakers.

Andy Wilson is the president of theFriends of Great Falls FreedomMemorial.

Veteran Paul Quinn, of the UnitedStates Air Force.

American.”Calvin Follin read the names of 25 hon-

ored men and women of Great Falls, whileSara Hilgartner rang a bell to each and ev-ery name; a Marine Corps bugler played“Taps” while almost all in the audience, in-cluding Boy Scout Troop 55, saluted.

“The Community of Great Falls, Virginia,honors those who have given of themselvesin service for the cause of liberty and free-dom,” are the words on the Freedom Plazasculpture, where the laying of the wreathtook place.

After the United States Marine CorpsColor Guard began the ceremony with BoyScout Troop 55, former Navy Seal JohnPidgeon said, “Having our Marines here isawesome. These guys have been in com-

bat. Make sure you thank them.”

KEYNOTE SPEAKER Ret. Brigadier Gen-eral Steve Ritchie graduated first in his classin Air Force pilot training and four yearslater become one of the youngest instruc-tors ever at the Air Force “Top Gun” FighterWeapon School. “During his second com-bat tour in Southeast Asia in 1972, Ritchie,then a captain, downed five MiG-2 enemyfighter airplanes. During his career, Ritchielogged more than 4,000 hours, including800 hours in combat in the F-4 Phantomduring 339 missions in Southeast Asia.

“The impossible is sometimes possible,”said Ritchie. “That’s a great lesson for all ofus.”

“Take advantage of every day,” he said.

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News

Boy Scout Troop 673, spon-sored by the Great FallsUnited Methodist Men, re-

cently celebrated the promotion oftwo new Eagle Scouts, ChandlerLee and Nicholas Thomas, on May8.

A. Chandler Lee joined Troop673 in 2009 after earning the Ar-row of Light as a Cub Scout. Sincejoining the troop, Chandler hasserved as Den Chief, Assistant Se-nior Patrol Leader, Quartermaster,and Webmaster.

While serving in these positions,he was accepted into the Order ofthe Arrow, Scouting’s NationalHonor Society; earned 25 meritbadges, the God and Churchaward and the 50 Miler award(twice); and participated in allthree of Scouting’s High Adven-tures (Sea Base, Northern Tier, and Philmont).

For his Eagle Project, Chandler constructed a setof stairs down a steep hill at St. Francis Church inGreat Falls in order to improve access to Harris Hallfor preschool and Sunday school students, and forother organizations that use the space.

Under Chandler’s supervision, Scouts and othervolunteers worked three days to complete thisproject.

Chandler is a senior at Randolph-Macon Academyin Front Royal and will attend the University of Pitts-

burgh in the fall, where he plansto pursue studies in biochemistryand German.

Nicholas Thomas, son of Susanand Craig Thomas, joined Troop673 in 2012. Since joining thetroop, Nick has served aswebmaster and the Leave No TraceTrainer.

Nick earned 21 merit badgesand the 50 Miler Award He earnedthe Cory Corrales Spirit Award forhis exemplary Scout spirit at sum-mer camp in 2012, particularly intaking decisive action to help pro-tect younger Scouts during thederecho storm.

Nick participated in thePhilmont high adventure in 2014,hiking and camping in the moun-tains of New Mexico.

For his Eagle Project, Nick de-signed and built seven outdoor benches for the an-nual Great Falls nativity scene in order to replacethe hay bales previously used for visitor seating. Nickworked closely with a local carpenter and craftsmanto develop plans for the benches.

Nick is set to graduate from Langley High Schoolnext month.

While at Langley, Nick was on the wrestling teamall four years and on the football team for two years.Nick will attend the College of William and Marystarting in the fall.

Troop 673 Promotes Two New Eagle Scouts

From left — Nick Thomasand Chandler Lee.

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DeathInvestigationin Great Falls

Police responded to an addressin the 11500 block of Seneca FarmWay in Great Falls on Thursday,May 26, shortly before 7 a.m. forthe report of an unresponsivewoman. Fairfax County Fire andRescue Department personnelwere already on the scene anddeclared the woman deceased.

The scene was secured and Ma-jor Crimes Division detectiveswere notified and have since as-sumed the responsibility of theinvestigation. The deceased hasbeen identified as Kathi Lynn Lipp,50, of Great Falls. The Office of theChief Medical Examiner will deter-mine cause and manner of death.The investigation is ongoing, ac-cording to FCPD Public Affairs Bu-reau. At this time, there does notappear to be a threat to the publicand detectives are asking anyonewith information to contact FairfaxCounty Crime Solvers at http://www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or at 1-866-411-8477; or call FairfaxCounty Police at 703-691-2131.

C-SPAN Founderto Speak at TheGreat FallsSenior Center

The Great Falls Senior Center(GFSC) guest speaker for June 7will be Brian Lamb, an Americanjournalist and founder of C-SPAN,an American cable network whichprovides coverage of the U.S.House of Representatives and U.S.Senate as well as other public af-fairs events. Prior to launching C-SPAN in 1979, Lamb held variouscommunications roles includingWhite House telecommunicationspolicy staffer and Washington bu-reau chief for Cablevision maga-zine. Lamb has conducted thou-sands of interviews in his lifetime,including those on C-SPAN’sBooknotes and Q&A, and is knownfor his unique style, focusing onshort, direct questions. Over hiscareer, Lamb has received numer-ous honors and awards includingthe Presidential Medal of Freedomand the National HumanitiesMedal. The June 7 event will beheld at The Great Falls Grange,9818 Georgetown Pike, GreatFalls, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and in-cludes lunch. The event sponsoris Celebrate Great Falls Foundation(Community Spirit, CommunityEvents, Community Projects),celebrategreatfalls.org. Reservationsmay be made by emailing PollyFitzgerald at [email protected] calling 703-759-4345. Visitgfseniors.org

Week in Great Falls


News

Scouts Pull Invasive Plant Garlic MustardScouts and their families from Cub Scout Packs 913, 1170, 1530and 1540 and Boy Scout Troops 55, 1530, & 1983 in Fairfax, GreatFalls, Herndon, Oak Hill, Oakton, Reston, and Sterling filled 15large garbage bags with garlic mustard, an invasive plant, fromCub Run Stream Valley Park in collaboration with Fairfax CountyPark Authority’s Invasive Management Area (IMA) program. Inaddition to learning about the importance of removing invasiveplants and participating in this critical community service project,scouts earned a Conservation Good Turn, an award for participat-ing in a hands-on project to help scouts realize that everyone cando things to care for the environment.

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By Ken Moore

The Connection

Raw septic will no longer behauled to Great Falls’ ColvinRun Septic Sewage ReceivingPlant. The site will close down

on June 27.“We are temporarily shutting down the

Colvin Run receiving site due to safety andaccess issues related to the Difficult Runpump station project,” said Matthew Kai-ser, with Department of Public Works andEnvironmental Services. “Access to the re-ceiving site is via the Cross County Trail withlimited space, and multiple constructionactivities and vehicles, as well as equipmentstaging areas, are taking up most of theavailable room. The fewer trucks on thetrail, the safer the experience will be for trailusers. The closure is scheduled to remainin effect until construction activity at thepump station is completed.

Septic will be hauled over greater por-tions of the county.

The Norman M. Cole Jr. Pollution Con-trol Plant in Lorton will remain availablefor any septage produced in Fairfax Countyand “haulers will have the option to taketheir loads to the Blue Plains treatmentplant in D.C., and Upper Occoquan ServiceAuthority in Centreville under our existingagreement with these entities,” said Kaiser.

“My expectation is we won’t be buildinga new site. We’ll see how this works out,”said Dranesville Supervisor John W. Foust.“If something unanticipated comes up, wemay have to go to the drawing board.”

ABOUT 21,000 customers in FairfaxCounty don’t have access to public sewerand are served by individual household sep-tic systems that require “pump-out” everyfive years. Approximately 49 percent of the

sewage generated in the county is from sep-tic tanks.

Approximately 3,200 food service estab-lishments require collection from greasetraps. The county’s septage managementprogram also collects waste from portabletoilets at parks, construction sites, commu-nity events and races.

The Department of Public Works and En-vironmental Services (DPWES) with con-sultant Hazen and Sawyer shared a feasi-

bility study in February that identified sixpotential sites for the relocation of theColvin Run Septage Receiving Site.

Lake Fairfax Area 6 Park Operations/Maintenance in a Reston facility site re-ceived the highest ranking.

The Reston community was outraged andraised concerns.

Foust said he was sympathetic to concernsof Reston’s residents.

“That would have been a huge mistake,”

he said, of the potential plans to move theseptic receiving site to Lake Fairfax. “HunterMill Road is a fairly historic highway, nar-row and very heavily traveled and to inten-tionally divert truck traffic on that road isnot a good idea.”

“Accessing it would have created prob-lems,” he said.

Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudginsalerted the Reston community in mid-Aprilthat the county would expand the sites itwill consider for an alternative locations,including non-county owned land.

“Attendees overwhelmingly expressed dis-satisfaction with the proposed relocation toLake Fairfax Park and voiced multiple con-cerns including, but not limited to, the im-pact to the various communities and HunterMill Road,” according to Hudgins. “All ac-tivity associated with the feasibility of relo-cating the Colvin Run Septage ReceivingSite to Lake Fairfax is on hold at this time,”she said.

THE COUNTY WILL “assess additionalsites. This process could take 6 to 12months,” said Kaiser.

Renovating Colvin Run is addressed onthe county’s web page for the feasibilitystudy’ frequently asked questions page:

“Rehabilitating the site would not addressthe issues of safety on the road/trail, flood-ing, and the lack of queuing space and aturn-around lane.

“Due to the limited size of the site, im-provements to the area would not addressissues of safety on the road/trail caused bytrucks entering and exiting the fenced areaas well as trucks queuing to enter the se-cured area.

“Reston residents asked if the intake pipecould be raised above the floodplain tomake renovations to Colvin Run more fea-sible.

“Options for providing an intake piperaised above the floodplain with a new con-nection for septage haulers were consid-ered. The haulers would still be operatingwithin the floodplain. Also, due to the lim-ited size of the site, improvements to thearea would not address issues of safety onthe road/trail caused by trucks entering andexiting the fenced area as well as trucksqueuing to enter the secured area.”

Sewage Hauled ElsewhereGreat Falls septic re-ceiving site to closedown on June 27; noalternative planned atthis time.

The Colvin Run Septic Sewage Receiving Plant site will close on June 27due to safety and access issues related to the Difficult Run pump stationproject, according to Matthew Kaiser, with Department of Public Works.Rehabilitating the site would not address the issues of safety on theroad/trail, flooding, and the lack of queuing space and a turn-aroundlane, according to county documents.

Engineer Ellen Hall, from Hazen and Sawyer, attempted to tell Restonresidents in February why Lake Fairfax Park was the most suitable loca-tion of six studied for a septage receiving site to replace the Colvin Runsite. That’s when the “septic” hit the fan. Plans are now on hold, whilethe county looks at more options.

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News

On Thursday, May 5, par-ents and communitymembers were invited

to view all of the QUEST projectsthat Cooper Middle School stu-dents have been working on thisschool year. Some of the featuredprojects were: fashion shows,origami, zombie apocalypse train-ing, a brand new garden, a mural,story books, services projects andmany more.

Finding inspiration from her fa-ther, support from the community,and help from eager Cooper stu-dents, Cooper’s librarian, LesliePsaltis, was able to transformCooper’s courtyard into a place ofmajestic beauty. Psaltis learned togarden from her father, and shethought it would be great way tohonor him after he passed at thebeginning of the school year. Shealso knew it would be a great, andmost likely new, learning experi-ence for students, so she signed upto teach it through Cooper’s newQUEST program. After countlesshours of work, and financial helpfrom The trust of Donald andPatricia Mayer, the SchoolyardSteward Mini Grant through FCPSDepartment of Facilities and Trans-portation and Cooper MS PTO, the

Cooper Presents QUEST Projects, New Garden

“We wanted tomake a beautifuloutdoor teachingand readingspace - sort of anextension of thelibrary. It com-bines my love ofthe library withthe joy of garden-ing,” said CooperMiddle LibrarianLeslie Psaltis.

SophieZimmerman,Alek Paulsonand ConnorDankworth

join arms andlook in awe atCooper’s new

courtyard.

garden is almost complete. Parentswere invited to come view the gar-den during Cooper’s QUEST Expoon Thursday, May 5.

“We wanted to make a beautiful

outdoor teaching and readingspace - sort of an extension of thelibrary. It combines my love of thelibrary with the joy of gardening,”said Mrs. Psaltis

Photos by

Lindsay Bovenzi


Opinion

It’s hard to talk to your teens and youngadults about alcohol and drugs.

But consider this.Last year, more people died in Virginia

of heroin overdose than in car acci-dents, more than 700 in all. There havebeen multiple overdoses of high schoolstudents in the last few months, highschool students like yours. At this point in theopiate epidemic, you also need to talk aboutheroin and pills.

On graduation day in 2007, West PotomacHigh School endured the unimaginable trag-edy. Two young women who had graduatedjust hours before died in a car driven by an-other young woman who had alcohol in hersystem. The driver and another passenger, a2005 West Potomac graduate, also died in thatcrash.

More recently, in June, 2015, Alex Murk andCalvin Li, shortly after graduation from Tho-mas Wootton High School in Rockville, Mary-land, died in a car accident after leaving aparty where alcohol was served. The owner

of the house where the party took place, thefather of the student hosting the party, wasfined for knowingly allowing underage drink-ing. A newly passed law in Maryland, named

for Alex and Calvin, means parentswho knowingly host underage drink-ing parties in Maryland could face thepossibility of up to a year in jail if an

underage drinker leaves their home and is in-jured or killed in a car crash. The driver re-cently pled guilty to two counts of vehicularmanslaughter.

Summer is the most dangerous time of yearfor teenagers.

Many teenagers will be celebrating, or pos-sibly self-medicating, with alcohol. Many willengage in binge drinking.

While drinking and driving, or getting intoa car with a driver who has been drinking, cankill, there are many other problems that comealong with binge drinking. The question ofconsent and sexual activity looms. Young menand women need to hear from their parentsthat they are expected to respect the idea of

consent, all the more so in circumstances wherealcohol or drugs might be involved. The po-tential consequences are enormous.

Parents owe it to themselves to talk to theirteens about it, even as the teen turns away,rolls eyes, and otherwise indicates he or she isignoring everything you say, some informationwill go in. They do hear you. They can’t hearwhat you don’t say.

Keep talking. Tell them you love them. Tellthem it’s been too much work to get them tothis point to risk losing them now. Tell themnot to text and drive. Tell them not to drinkand drive. Tell them not to get in a car withanyone driving who has been drinking or oth-erwise under the influence. Tell them to weartheir seatbelts.

Tell them you’ll come pick them up anytimethat they need a safe ride home, with the onlyconsequence that they have to talk to you aboutit the next day.

— Mary Kimm

[email protected]

So much at stake as teens approachgraduation and summer.Talk to Your Teens

Editorial

Seniors UnfairlyTapped forSchool BudgetTo the Editor:

The May 19-25, edition of theConnection had an opinion pagearticle titled, “In Search of Diver-sified Revenue – Fairfax Countyresidents expect to see meals taxquestion on November ballots.”The article began by saying thatlocal governments pay for almostall of local services, includingschools, by taxing a single indus-try, property owners.

It’s time to address a real estatetax inequity, i.e., the continued fulltaxation of elderly homeownerswho have not had children in theschool system for years and years.The average annual real estate taxper household after the recent FY2017 rate increase is $5,962; 52.2percent of that (a little over$3,100) goes to support thecounty school system. (See chart.)

Residential homeowners pay thefull real estate tax whether or notthey have children in schools.

There is never any age at which ahomeowner sees a dime’s decreasein his or her taxes. Parents of stu-dents do not pay any “tuition.”

My proposal is that elderlyhomeowners, starting at age 65 ormaybe 70, be given a small “taxforgiveness” rebate, funded by aper-student user fee assessed atannual school registration. Thiswould be revenue-neutral to thecounty. The fee would passthrough the county from parents

to elderly taxpayers via a tax re-duction. Here’s the math for a hy-pothetical example for 65 year oldand over taxpayers:

❖ The county’s 2015-16 schoolenrollment is about 187,000 (Kthrough 12).

❖ In 2015, there were about412,000 housing units in FairfaxCounty (Source: “DemographicReports 2015, County of Fairfax,Virginia”). In 2014, about 19.1percent of housing units were oc-

Letters to the Editor

cupied by persons 65 years old orolder (Source: U.S Census Bureau,2014 American Community Sur-vey 1-Year Estimates”). So, assumethat roughly 19.1 percent of those412,000 housing units, or 78,692units, were owned by 65-and-older persons (actual ownershipdata not available to author).

❖ An annual school system rev-enue-neutral “user fee” of $100per student, paid at the time ofannual registration, would yieldabout $18,700,000 (187,100 stu-dents x $100).

❖ Now, spread the $18,700,000over about 78,692 housing units(the estimate of housing unitsowned by folks age 65 and over)and it would yield about $238 peryear for each of those seniorhouseholds ($18,700,000/78,692). That is a very modest 4.0percent annual tax “rebate” fromthe average 2017 tax bill of $5,962per household. The seniors de-serve a little break.

See what your supervisors think.

John A. KnightSpringfield

Fairfax County’s free FamilyCaregiver Telephone SupportGroup meets by phone on Tuesday,June 14, 7-8 p.m. This month’stopic is “Caregiver Vacationing: Howto Make it Work When You’re aCaregiver”. Register beforehand atw w w . – f a i r f a x c o u n t y . – g o v / –olderadults and click on CaregiverSupport/Telephone Caregiver SupportGroup. Call 703-324-5484, TTY 711.

The Fairfax Commission on Ag-ing meets on Wednesday, June 15at noon at the Kings Park Library, 9000Burke Lake Rd., Burke. (Please note newmeeting location.) The public is welcometo attend and join in the comment pe-riod that begins each session. Find outmore at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs/olderadultservices/coa.htm. Call 703-324-5403, TTY 711 for meeting accessneeds.

Fairfax County is offering a freeMedicare 101 workshop, Wednes-day, June 15, 2-4 p.m. Learn thefacts about health insurance for seniors.Reston Community Center, 2310 ColtsNeck Rd., Reston. To register, callKarenBrutsché at 703-390-6157, TTY 711.

Korean Meals on Wheels urgentlyneeds drivers to deliver meals. Frail olderadults are not receiving much-needednutrition due to a shortage of drivers.(Speaking Korean not required.) Email

[email protected],call703-324-5406, TTY 711 or visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/olderadultsand click on Volunteer Solutions.

The Gum Springs Senior Pro-gram in Alexandria is looking fora Line Dance Instructor. Forthese and other volunteer opportuni-ties, call 703-324-5406, TTY 711or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/olderadults and click on VolunteerSolutions.

Volunteer Events & Opportunities

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Great Falls


Faith Notes are for announcements andevents in the faith community. Send [email protected] is Friday at noon.

Great Falls United MethodistChurch,10100 Georgetown Pike, GreatFalls, will host annual yard sale/fleamarket on Saturday, May 7, 2016 from7 a.m.-2 p.m. You can now reserve a10x10’ space ($25) to sell your owntreasures or donate items to the church(they would pick up). Come shop, do-nate and/or sell your own things.703-582-1640.

St. Francis Episcopal Church,9220 Georgetown Pike in Great Falls,offers musical, educational, outreachand fellowship ministries in addition toworship services, including a 7:45 a.m.worship service without music; 9 a.m.worship service, children’s chapel andchildren’s choirs; 10 a.m. Sunday schooland adult forum; and 11 a.m. worshipservice with adult choir. 703-759-2082.

The Antioch Christian Churchoffers a time of Prayer and Healing onWednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. foranyone wanting encouragement andhealing through prayers. People areavailable to pray with you or for you.Antioch Christian Church is located at1860 Beulah Road in Vienna.www.antiochdoc.org

The Jewish Social ServicesAgency (JSSA) offers a wide variety ofsupport groups for those with emotional, social, and physical challenges.www.jssa.org/growth-learning.

HAVEN of Northern Virginia of-fers a variety of free bereavement

support groups, meeting on a weeklybasis. 703-941-7000 orwww.havenofnova.org.

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

St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church,1830 Kirby Road in McLean, holds athird Sunday service every month at10:15 a.m. which allows children to playactive roles in the music and as greetersand ushers. Traditional services are ev-ery Sunday at 8:15 and 10:15 a.m.

Emmanuel Lutheran Church,2589 Chain Bridge Road, Vienna, isholding Sunday evening worship servicein a less formal atmosphere and moreintimate setting to help you get readyfor the week ahead.

Sundays, 6 p.m. Communion offered.No childcare. 703-938-2119 orwww.elcvienna.org.

Chesterbrook United MethodistChurch is at 1711 Kirby Road, McLean.Worship service is at 11 a.m. Sundayschool is at 9:30 a.m. for adults andchildren. 703-356-7100 orwww.ChesterbrookUMC.org.

Centering Prayer Group meetsFridays, 9:30 a.m. at Andrew ChapelUnited Methodist Church, 1301 TrapRoad, Vienna. The hour includes a briefreading related to Centering Prayer, fol-lowed by a 20-minute prayer period.E-mail Martha Thomas [email protected] or call thechurch at 703-759-3509.

Faith Notes


assumed to be at some risk due to the pres-ence of Aedes mosquitoes. While, as of May11, there have been 15 cases of Zika virusamong individuals traveling abroad andreturning to the Commonwealth (or amongfamily members and close contacts of suchindividuals), there have been no recordedcases of someone contracting the virus froma mosquito in Virginia. Furthermore, whileI’m writing this, no one has been shown tohave acquired the virus from a mosquitobite anywhere within the continental UnitedStates.

Most people infected with the Zika virusdisplay no symptoms. Among those whoseinfections do develop into Zika virus dis-ease, the illness is largely mild and markedby fever, rash, joint pain and/or red eyesfor two to seven days. An infection usuallydoes not lead to hospitalization, and deathfrom Zika is extremely rare.

As you probably already know, though,the virus does pose significant risks to a fe-tus during pregnancy. The CDC and theWorld Health Organization (WHO) have

both concluded that Zika infection duringpregnancy is a cause of microcephaly andother severe fetal brain defects.

Because of the connection between Zikaand birth defects and the rare health threatsthe virus can pose to infected individuals,it is important for us to prevent the spreadof the disease now and minimize our ownrisk of infection.

On Thursday, May 19, the Senate votedto approve a bipartisan $1.1 billion pack-age to prevent transmission of the virus andtreat infections. I also supported a larger$1.9 billion package that provided moreresources to the Department of State, theUnited States Agency for International De-velopment (USAID), and the Departmentof Health and Human Services to addressthis crisis both at home and abroad. Com-bined with efforts already underway by theVirginia Department of Health (VDH) andmany localities, this federal effort wouldensure that a robust public health initiativeis in place to help control this pandemic.

With public health officials at each levelof government working to combat this dis-ease, we should consider our own role inpreventing infection and stopping the po-tential spread of the virus. VDH recom-mends that Virginians follow the CDC’sguidance for preventing Zika. By visitingwww.cdc.gov/zika/prevention or

By Senator Tim Kaine

U.S. Senator

As warm weather returns and thelast days of school draw near, I’msure that, like me, you’re look-ing forward to spending a lot of

time outdoors this summer. As you readtroubling headlines from Latin America andother parts of the world about the Zika vi-rus, I’m also sure you are concerned abouthow to keep yourself and your family safe.

Let’s first understand the virus and thethreat it poses to Virginia. According to theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC), the Zika virus spreads primarilythrough the bite of an infected Aedes mos-quito, which is one of the types of mosquitopresent in Virginia during the summermonths. According to the CDC, Texas,Florida and Hawaii are likely to be the U.S.states with the highest risk of experiencinglocal transmission of Zika virus by mosqui-toes, based on prior experience with simi-lar viruses. However, additional states are

Wellbeing

www.ZikaVA.org, you can learn about whattypes of insect repellent are most effectiveat preventing mosquito bites and how bednets, water treatment tabs, permethrinspray and condoms can help prevent thetransmission of the disease in your homeand outdoors. On www.ZikaVA.org, you cansee the state Zika plan and other Virginia-specific information.

The CDC’s site contains specific guidancefor pregnant women (www.cdc.gov/zika/pregnancy), women and couples consider-ing pregnancy (www.cdc.gov/zika/preg-nancy/thinking-about-pregnancy) and par-ents (www.cdc.gov/zika/parents).

The Aedes mosquito does not fly far fromwhere it breeds. Therefore, it is importantto prevent the population of mosquitoesfrom growing in and around your home.Make sure to use window and door screens;regularly clean, turn over, cover or throwout any indoor and outdoor items that holdwater (e.g. tires, flower vases, toys, garbagebins); and use sprays or foggers to kill mos-quitoes. For more information on where tolook out for mosquitoes and what productsto use in controlling them around yourhome, you can visit www.cdc.gov/zika/pre-vention/controlling-mosquitoes-at-home.

It’s important to reiterate that there are

Zika virus spreads through bite of infectedAedes mosquito, a type present in Virginiain summer.

Mosquitos, Zika and a Healthy Summer

See Mosquitos, Zika, Page 13


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1800 Town Center Dr., Ste. 415Reston, VA 20190

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Allergy Patch Testing • Asthma • Hives • Allergy EczemaFood & Environmental Allergy Testing • Sinusitis

Insect Venom Allergy Testing • Immunotherapy • Allergic Rhinitis

Dr. Sowerwine has specialized training and experienceto find out what causes your allergies, prevent andtreat symptoms, and help keep them under control.

Dr. Kathryn J. Sowerwine is a boardcertified Allergist and Immunologistwith a special interest in dermatologicaldiseases linked to allergy. She completeda residency in Internal Medicine atGeorgetown University Hospital and herclinical and research fellowship in allergyand immunology at the National Institutesof Health in Bethesda, MD.

Kathryn J. Sowerwine, MD

By Marilyn Campbell

The Connection

The start of summermeans pools and back-yard grilling. It also

means an increased risk of ac-cidents and injuries. Localsafety officials are offeringsafety tips during June,which is National SafetyMonth.

With warm weather comehealth threats posed by ticksand mosquitoes. In additionto the Zika virus, which is notcurrently a local threat, mos-quitoes can carry the WestNile Virus, while ticks canspread Lyme disease.

Recommended defensesagainst these pests includeusing insect repellant to pro-tect against mosquito bitesand eliminating potential mos-quito breeding sites like poolsof standing water or heavily fo-liaged spaces such as tall grass,where bugs often hide.

“We … have to be prepared andbe ready in the event that we getlocal spread of [the Zika virus],”said Mary Anderson, a spokes-woman for Montgomery County.“The information on preventingbites and ridding your property ofmosquitoes is good whether wehave Zika or not.”

Local county health depart-ments, including Montgomery andFairfax, have established websiteswith current information on theZika virus. Anderson also recom-

mends a Zika virus webpage,created by the Centers for Dis-ease Control, which includes amap with updated informationon areas where Zika is spread-ing: http://www.cdc.gov/zika/index.html.

“We’re taking the Zika virusseriously and preparing asthough as though it could be apotential threat,” said KurtLarrick, spokesman for the Ar-lington County Department ofHuman Services.

In addition to insect bites,time spent outside in hotweather can lead to heat-in-duced illnesses like sun-burns, heat rashes, heat ex-haustion and heat stroke,and the elderly and veryyoung children are at great-est risk. Health officials saythat the best lines of defenseinclude limiting sun expo-sure, especially between 10a.m. and 4 p.m., the periodconsidered the peak inten-sity hours. Wearing a hat and

sunglasses that provide 97-100percent protection against both

Tips and precautions for avoidingwarm-weather hazards.

Staying Safe This Summer

See Summer Safety,

Page 13

“We’re taking the Zikavirus seriously andpreparing as though asthough it could be apotential threat.”

— Kurt Larrick, spokesman,Arlington County Department of

Human Services


21800 Towncenter PlazaSterling, VA 20164703-450-5453

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Faith

Great Falls United Methodist Church heldits 140th anniversary celebration onSunday, May 15. More than 185 attended the celebratory service, confirma-

tion, and luncheon. Former pastors Rev. NancyChildress (2006-2013) and Rev. Gilbert Cofer (1952-1955) attended, as well as former member and nowUMC Arlington District Superintendent Cathy Abbott.DS Abbott was guest speaker. Nine youngconfirmands joined the church and were presentedwith a large cake at the luncheon.

Great Falls United Methodist began as SalemChurch in 1876 and combined with Arnon Chapel in1944. The existing church building was completedin 1949. A history book has been printed for theoccasion — “140 Years of Serving God” — and isavailable in the church office for $15. Today thechurch is active in local community outreach withpreschool, Scout Troop 673, Fairfax County Hypoth-ermia Shelter, as well as global outreach includingImagine No Malaria programs, vision and youth mis-sion trips.

2016 confirmands photo - from left: Gloria Boos, Rose Boos, Quinn Brown, ConnorDankworth, Jackson Sayers, Spencer Paulsen, Ethan Nickles, Benjamin Leone andAndrew Leone.

Lilah Scimone enjoying cake at the lunch.

Long-time member Ellen Cole reunites with Rev. GilbertCofer.

Great Falls United Methodist Church Turns 140

Pho

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From Page 11

UVA and UVB rays, and apply-ing sunscreen even on cloudy daysand reapplying it every two hoursor after swimming or sweating arealso advised.

“You want to dress lightly andintake a lot of fluid, but avoid al-cohol and sugary, sweet drinkswhen you’re in the heat,” said Cap-tain Troy Gibbs, a spokeswomanfor the Alexandria FireDepartment’s Community ServicesUnit. “Staying hydrated by drink-ing a lot of water is your best bet.”

Health officials recommendchecking on elderly neighbors whodon’t have air conditioning andavoiding leaving pets, small chil-dren and older adults in small,enclosed spaces like cars, whereconditions can turn deadly even

after a short period of time inextreme heat.

Local county facilities, includinglibraries and community centers,are air conditioned and open tothe public. Know the warningsigns that it’s time to get out of theheat, says Gibbs.

“If they stop sweating, that canbe a bad sign,” she said. “Profusesweating can be an indicator thatthe body is trying to compensate,but if a person stops sweating to-tally, that is usually not a goodsign.” While spending time at thepool is a popular cooling methodduring hot weather, residentsshould be aware of the potentialthreat of recreational water ill-nesses (RWI). Taking a showerwith soap and checking the dia-pers of small children frequentlycan help keep germs that lead to

RWI out of pool water. Health of-ficials say that chlorinated waterdoesn’t kill all germs, diaperssometimes leak and both adultsand children should stay out of thepublic pool when they are sick.Other preventative measures in-clude frequent hand washing, dis-couraging children from drinkingwater that is used for swimmingand giving young children bath-room breaks at least every 60 min-utes.

“We take safety seriously all theway across the board from poolsto barbequing to riding bikes andeven walking,” said Larrick.

In addition to RWI, other water-related dangers spike during thesummer. Ensuring that childrenknow how to swim, watchingyoung children very carefullywhen they are near water, swim-ming with a partner and wearinga life vest when boating are im-portant safety precautions.

Wellbeing

Summer SafetyFor More Information

Fairfax Countyhttp://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/living/summer/

Safety TipsFrom the Centers for Disease Con-

trolWater Safety❖ Learn how to prevent recre-

ational water illnesses (RWI)❖ Always supervise children when

in or around water.❖ Teach kids to swim.❖ Learn CPR❖ Install a four-sided fence around

home pools.Boating Safety❖ Wear a properly fitted life jacket

every time you and your loved onesare on the waterºº

Heat Safety❖ Never leave infants, children, or

pets in a parked car, even if the win-dows are cracked open.

❖ Dress in loose, lightweight, light-colored clothing.

❖ Schedule outdoor activities care-fully, for morning and evening hours.

❖ Stay cool with cool showers orbaths.

❖ Seek medical care immediate if youor your child has symptoms of heat-re-lated illnesses

Sun Safety❖ Cover up. Clothing that covers your

and your child’s skin helps protectagainst UV rays.

❖ Use sunscreen with at least SPF(sun protection factor) 15 and UVA (ul-traviolet A) and UVB (ultraviolet B)protection every time you and your childgo outside.

Protection from Mosquitoes and Ticks❖ Use an effective insect repellent

when spending time outdoors.

❖ Make your backyard a tick-safezone.

❖ Check yourself and your chil-dren for ticks.

Prevent Injuries❖ Check to make sure that the sur-

faces under playground equipmentare safe, soft, and well-maintained.

❖ Supervise young children at alltimes around fall hazards, such asstairs and playground equipment.

❖ Use stair gates, which can helpkeep a busy, active child from takinga dangerous tumble.

❖ Learn concussion signs andsymptoms and what to do if a con-cussion occurs.

❖ Make sure kids and teens wearthe right protective equipment fortheir sport or recreation activity.

currently no reported cases of mosquitoes trans-mitting the Zika virus in Virginia or anywhere elsein the continental United States. While this fact offersus some reassurance, it also provides us with a clean

From Page 10 slate and golden opportunity to prevent or lessenthe severity of a large-scale outbreak in the comingmonths. With proactive and responsive steps fromall levels of government and due care from each ofus, we can take control of this public health threatand enjoy this summer to its fullest.

Mosquitos, Zika

To honor dad on Father’s Day, send us your favorite snapshotsof you with your dad and The Connection will publish them inour Father’s Day issue. Be sure to include some informationabout what’s going on in the photo, plus your name and phonenumber and town of residence. To e-mail photos, send to:

[email protected]

“Me and My Dad”


See Calendar, Page 15

By Alexandra Greeley

The Connection

Tea-lovers may enjoytheir morning brew,but maybe fewknow the history of

the steaming cup that awakensthe palate and starts their day.Historians quibble: was it theIndian prophet Prince Bodhi-Dharma in the early 500s AD?Or is it the Chinese legendabout the Chinese emperorShen Nung, who in 2737 BCwas sipping hot water under atree when some of its leavesdrifted into his cup. The leaves?Camellia sinensis.

From that Chinese cuppa’ toits global fan club, tea has cer-tainly made its mark in the cu-linary world. And one of its lo-cal advocates and instructors isLaurie Bell, who runs a tea busi-ness in Great Falls called GreatFalls Tea Garden.

Well-known locally for herformer Great Falls cateringbusiness called A La Belle Cui-sine, Bell has left the cookpotsfor the teapots because shewants the world to learn aboutand appreciate the nuances ofpremium loose leaf teas.

Of course, most people willwonder: why tea? It was reallya family matter, Bell explained,one that started with her grand-mother. “She would serve teaevery afternoon, and I had itwith milk and sugar,” she said.“Through all my world travelsI got to know more about teathan just tea bags. It’s as variedin its delicious nuances as wineand you can drink all you wantand still drive. I studied withthe Specialty Tea Institute tobecome a tea specialist and I goto tea conferences every year,”she said, adding that she neverhad a cup of coffee until shewas 35 years old.

With her pronounced passionfor all things teas, it is no sur-prise that Bell channeled herculinary energies towards un-derstanding and creating teaflavors. After about 10 years oftea studies, experimenting andcreating, and attending confer-ences and reading tea treatises,she started her tea business that

consists of seminars for the pub-lic, and custom-blended teas forrestaurants and retail sale.

Because tea in all its iterationsis the most consumed beverage inthe world after water, Bell discov-ered that almost every populationand every country has it own teaculture and how they brew andconsume their teas. She also dis-covered that every variable —whites, greens, oolongs, andblacks—all come from the sameplant. What makes the differencein color and flavors is when theleaves are picked, in what climateand region (terroir), and the mas-terful processing of the leaf.

Many countries around theworld process and drink straightgreen teas while other countriesprocess their teas into oolongs orblacks. The seminars are struc-tured so attendees can taste a va-riety of each style and learn how,

for example, a black tea grown andprocessed in China will taste dif-ferent from those grown and pro-cessed in India, Sri Lanka orKenya. Or how a lightly oxidizedoolong will taste quite differentfrom a heavily oxidized oolong. Sofor Bell it has made sense to struc-ture her class teachings on appre-ciating single-origin teas.

Her website gives tea-drinkersthe locations of where to savorsome of her custom-blended teasas well as some classic teas andflavors. It also details where Bellgives seminars and how to attendthem.

Laurie Bell’s SmokyTea Cornbread

The ingredients in this cornbread arefairly standard. What makes this recipeso tasty and unique is the use of corn-meal stone ground from the historic

Colvin Run Mill, and some LapsangSouchong tea. The tea adds a bit ofsmokiness to the flavor combinationlending a familiar taste reminiscentof bacon but without the meat. Servewarm or room temperature. It staysmoist for two days if wrapped well.Enjoy, warm, at room temperature,or briefly reheated.

Serves 9

1 tablepoon Lapsang Souchongtea leaves, dry

1 1/2 cups cornmeal, preferablestone ground from Colvin Run Mill

1/2 cup all-purpose flour4 teaspoon baking powder1 tsp sugar1/2 tsp salt1 egg1 1/2 cups milk (whole, lowfat, or

skim is fine)1 tablespoon canola oil or melted

butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.Grease or spray an 8 x 8- or 9 x 9-inch-square pan.

Finely grind the dry tea in a spicegrinder. This will yield about 1 1/2tsp. ground tea leaves.

Combine ground tea with otherdry ingredients. In separate bowl,beat egg, and add milk and oil toblend. Fold in blended liquids to dryingredients and stir briefly until justmixed. Pour batter into preparedpan.

Bake for 25 minutes until lightlybrowned on top and the sides areseparated from the pan; check after20 minutes for a 9x9-inch pan. Coolslightly before cutting.

Variations:❖ Stone ground whole wheat

flour from Colvin Run Mill may besubstituted for the all-purpose flourand/or some of the corn meal

❖ Try this recipe with other teasfor a variety of flavor combinations

❖ Add some corn (off the cob orfrozen/defrosted) to the batter

❖ Add chopped nuts, shredded ordiced cheese, and/or fruit to thebatter

❖ To make a sweeter cornbread,add 1 or 2 additional Tablespoons ofsugar to the dry mixture; and/orsprinkle some sugar on top of theunbaked batter after filling the pan

❖ May also be baked in a greasedmuffin pan for corn muffins. Bake 15- 20 minutes, depending on size

Experiment and enjoy.

Send announcements toconnectionnewspapers.com/Calendar/.Deadline is Friday at noon for the fol-lowing week’s paper. Photos/artworkencouraged.

ONGOINGKrop’s Crops Flea Market. 9 a.m.-3

p.m. Second and fourth Saturdaysfrom May to August. 11110Georgetown Pike, Great Falls. Shopfor vintage, antique and used items.Or sell you [email protected].

Tai Chi Beginners’ Practice.Saturdays, 8-9 a.m. St. Luke’sCatholic School Gymnasium, 7005Georgetown Pike, McLean. WeeklyTai Chi practice. Group has met forover 20 years. Free. FreeTaiChi.org.703-759-9141.

THURSDAY-FRIDAY/JUNE 2-3Langley High School Concert. 7-9

p.m. Langley High SchoolAuditorium, 6520 Georgetown Pike,McLean. It’s a Grand Night forSinging on Broadway. Hear LangleyHigh School’s award-winning chorussing favorites from hit shows. Free.Suggested [email protected].

FRIDAY-SUNDAY/JUNE 3-5Great Falls SpringFest. Great Falls

Village Green. behind the shops atWalker Road and Georgetown Pike.For updated information on time,events and performers, go towww.GreatFallsStudios.com.

SATURDAY/JUNE 4Spring Fair. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Pleasant

Grove, 8641 Lewinsville Road,McLean. Includes plant sale, “attictreasures” quality yard sale andantiques, homemade bake sale, food,crafts, and artisan made quilts. Allproceeds are donated to PleasantGrove. For information, seewww.HistoricPleasantGrove.org.

Summer Reading TriathlonOpening. 11 a.m. Barnes and NobleTysons Corner Center, 7851 L TysonsCorner Center, McLean. Youngreaders can vote for their favoriteheroes and places from a selection ofcontenders curated by booksellersand enjoy other fun activities. Votingruns through August 21. 703-506-2937.

SUNDAY/JUNE 5Israel Fest 2016. Noon-4 p.m. Lerner

Town Square at Tysons II. Join thecommunity in celebrating Israel’s68th year of independence! Engagingevents and interactive activities willrun throughout the afternoon.jccnv.org/Israel-fest.

Mosaic Mural Unveiling. 4 p.m.Lutheran Church of the Redeemer,1545 Chain Bridge Road, McLean.Public invited. [email protected].

MONDAY/JUNE 6Annual Charity Golf Tournament.

Starts at 6:45 a.m. Hidden CreekCountry Club, 1711 Club HouseRoad, Reston. The tournamentincludes a 4 person scramble, lunchor dinner and awards. Receptionsfollow both the morning andafternoon shotguns. Lots of prizesand lots of fun. Proceeds benefit ourthree local elementary schools.www.celebrategreatfalls.org.

Joan Shelley. 7:30 p.m. Jammin Java,227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna. Folky,pastoral music. $15.jamminjava.com.

TUESDAY/JUNE 7A Walk in the Garden. 1-5 p.m.

CalendarPromoting Tea Culture in Great FallsMeet LaurieBell, theowner of theGreat FallsTea Garden.

Laurie Bell’s Great Falls Tea Garden business consists of seminars for the public, andcustom-blended teas for restaurants and retail sale.

Laurie Bellstudied

with theSpecialtyTea Insti-

tute tobecome a

tea special-ist and

goes to teaconfer-

encesevery year.

Photos

contributed


FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF VIENNA450 ORCHARD STREET, NW

VIENNA, VA 22180703-938-8525

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SUNDAY WORSHIP, 7:45 AM & 11:00 AMCHURCH SCHOOL 9:30AM-10:30AMMIDWEEK SERVICES, WED. 7:00 PM

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From Page 14

Calendar

“Joshua TreeNational

Park,” by GailPéan, Oil onCanvas, will

be on displayin the large

meeting roomof Great Falls

Librarythroughout

the month ofJune.

Atrium Building, 9750 MeadowlarkGardens Court, Vienna. A standardflower show. Free. [email protected].

Buster Keaton’s “TheCameraman.” 7:30 p.m. McLeanCommunity Center, 1234 InglesideAve., McLean. Keaton gets himselfinto ridiculous situations in anattempt to win over a girl, and hishijinks are so timeless that “TheCameraman” has a Rotten Tomatoesscore of 100 percent. Hosted by filmhistorian Bruce Lawton with livemusical accompaniment by composerBen Model. $12/$8.mcleancenter.org.

THURSDAY/JUNE 9Write On Into Summer. 10 a.m.-

noon. Dunn Loring Center for ParentServices, 2334 Gallows Road, DunnLoring. Workshop for ideas on howto encourage children to write overthe summer months. Register at 703-204-3941.

FRIDAY/JUNE 10Summer Kick-Off Party. 7-9 p.m. The

Old Firehouse, 1440 Chain BridgeRoad, McLean. A disc jockey keepsthe fun alive with great music whilethe game room is open for ping-pong,pool and other arcade games. Thisevent will be supervised by OldFirehouse staff members. Parents/guardians (age 18 or older) mustcome into the center to pick up theirchildren by 9 p.m. $35/$25.mcleancenter.org.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY/JUNE 10-12B-Fest Teen Book Festival. Barnes

and Noble Tysons Corner Center,7851 L Tysons Corner Center,

McLean. Featuring author events,writing workshops, panel discussionat noon on Saturday with popularlocal YA authors Kate Hattemer,Jessica Spotswood and Lisa Maxwellmoderated by Lenore Appelhans andmore activities. bn.com/B-fest.

SATURDAY/JUNE 11Princess Garden Party. Noon-2 p.m.

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, 9750Meadowlark Gardens Court, Vienna.Music, dancing games, lunch, crafts,face painting and portrait. Ages 4 to8. $29. Register at NOVAparks.com.

ETAP’s Spring Show. 8-10 p.m.Richard J. Ernst Community Cultural

Center, 8333 Little River Turnpike,Annandale. Enjoy an evening ofexciting entertainment, BroadwayStyle. This All Dance Revue featuressome of ETAP’s most iconic numbersfrom the past 20 years, and manynew ones as well. All ages. $19-$23.Encore-tap.org.

“Animal Kingdom” Pet Rescueand Adoption. 10 a.m.-4 p.m.Vienna Art Center, 115 Pleasant St.,Nw, Vienna. Artists will offer petrelated art, and invite owners tobring their pets to pose for originalcaricatures and portraits.ViennaArtsSociety.org. 703-319-3971.

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Winning

SPECIAL CONNECTIONS CALENDAR


Sports

By Aaron Lundmark

The Connection

With a chance to avenge an early-sea-son loss, the Oakton girls’ soccer teamwas looking for revenge against theMadison Warhawks on May 26.

Oakton senior Alex Marquis exacted that revenge,as she headed a perfect cross from teammate AnyaHeijst in just the seventh minute to give the Cougarsall the room they needed as they defeated theWarhawks 1-0 to move onto the regional semifinals.

“I think we’ve progressed nicely throughout theseason,” said Oakton head coach Kasey Davenport.“They beat us the first game of the year, we werestill figuring things out but today we did a good jobof executing when we needed to.”

Oakton was able to control the pace nearly theentire game. The only goal happened after a steal byHeijst in the attacking zone which led to her crossright to the head of Marquis. After that goal, thedefense and senior goalkeeper Sam Weaver took over.

“The defense was great,” said Davenport.“[Weaver] came up with big saves when we neededthem and they all kept their composure down thestretch which was huge.”

Chances were slim for Madison early in the firsthalf, but a couple of great saves by Weaver were key,including saves in the 12th and 18th minutes. Thegame was physical, as fouls were called often and ayellow card was issued to Oakton’s Caitlin Violet inthe 35th minute.

Madison couldn’t put together any offensive pres-sure until the last 10 minutes of the game. Whenasked about the difference from the first meeting,Madison head coach Devon Dowell didn’t think therewas much of a difference.

“I think it was just two great teams going at it to-night,” she said. “It was the heart in the beginningand the heart in the end. I think there were somedifferent formations but I don’t think that was any-thing we didn’t expect.”

Madison got great chances from Hannah Ravesteijnand Faith Lee down the stretch but Weaver was upto the task. The final game clincher was a save made

by Weaver in stoppage time on a rocket off the footof Julia Leas, which Weaver was able to tip just abovethe crossbar.

“I thought we had some great shots on goal and alot of good attempts,” said Dowell. “They have a goodgoalkeeper in [Weaver] but I thought we played wellenough on our part we just couldn’t put it away.”

Oakton (16-1-1) will move on to host T.C. Will-iams at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 1 in the regionalsemifinals.

“All season we’ve just been taking it one game at atime and we just go game by game,” said Davenport.“We just have to make sure we take care of what wehave to when it’s time.”

While the conclusion of anyseason brings emotional reac-tions, Friday’s loss to Chantillywas particularly disappointingfor McLean head baseball coachJohn Dowling.

Chantilly defeated McLean 6-0 on May 27 in the 6A Northregion quarterfinals at ChantillyHigh School. With the loss, theHighlanders’ season, as well asthe high school careers of mul-tiple seniors who had been withDowling and his staff for threeyears after he took over atMcLean in 2014, came to aclose.

Seniors Conor Grammes, JonClines, Matt Collins and MattHanusik each started as sopho-mores when the Highlandersreached the 2014 state semifi-nals in what was the most suc-cessful season in program his-tory.

“This group, it sort of hit usafter the game,” Dowling said.“… It’s always disappointing forthe season to end, but it waseven harder because … [t]heywere playing really big roles onwhat was the most successfulbaseball team in the school’shistory.”

Grammes, a first-team all-re-gion selection at shortstop, willgo on to play at Xavier. Clines,an honorable mention all-re-gion pitcher, will play at VMIand Collins, a second-team all-

region outfielder, will play atHarford Community College inBel Air, Md.

Senior pitcher/outfielderThomas Buckman will play atSUNY Maritime College.

McLean finished the seasonwith a 16-9 record, including a5-4 victory over Osbourn Parkon May 25 in the opening roundof the region tournament.Dowling said while the High-landers have goals of advanc-ing further, the program is at apoint that it expects to at leastreach the second round ofregionals.

McLean finished runner-up inConference 6, losing to Madi-son 1-0 in the championshipgame. Junior Jack Slade startedon the mound for the Highland-ers against the Warhawks.

Slade, along with junior in-fielders Brendan Grammes andAlex Gerhardt, and sophomorecatcher Grant Williams areamong the players Dowling saidhe expects to be primary con-tributors next season.

Williams caught every inningfor McLean this season. WhileDowling said he would like Wil-liams to improve offensively, hisdefense provides a big relief.

“That allows me to sleep atnight,” Dowling said, “knowingwe’ve got a guy behind theplate.”

— Jon Roetman

McLean Baseball Ends Seasonwith Loss to Chantilly

The McLeanbaseball teamended itsseason with a6-0 loss toChantilly onMay 27 in the6A Northregionquarterfinals.

Photo by

Will Palenscar

“It’s always disappointing for theseason to end, but it was evenharder because … [t]hey wereplaying really big roles on what wasthe most successful baseball teamin the school’s history.”

—McLean head baseball coach John Dowling

Oakton Girls’ Soccer Advancesto Region Semifinals

Anya Heijst and the Oakton girls’ soccerteam will host T.C. Williams in the 6ANorth region semifinals on June 1.

Oakton’s Alex Marquis scored the onlygoal during the Cougars’ 1-0 win overMadison on May 26.

Marquis’ goal leads Cougarsto win over Madison.

Oakton players(from left)Caitlin Violet,Alex Marquisand AlanaMoore cel-ebrate duringthe Cougars’6A Northquarterfinalgame againstMadison onMay 26.

Photos by

Craig Sterbutzel/

The Connection

Connection Sports Editor Jon Roetman

703-752-4031 or [email protected]


News

On Saturday, April 16,Childhelp’s Wash-ington Area Chapterwelcomed 330

guests to Childhelp Shining StarsGala in the Hyatt Regency TysonsCorner Regency Ballroom.

Childhelp Celebrity Ambassadorand Master of Ceremonies for theblack-tie fete was John O’Hurley(of “Seinfeld” fame).

Cheryl Ladd (“Charlie’s An-gels”), a more than 30 yearChildhelp Celebrity Ambassador,took center stage to introduce Galaco-chairs, Jane and Rich Hozik ofGreat Falls and congratulated theHoziks for introducing Childhelpto many new Virgina-based com-panies, including presenting spon-sor, Manisha & Roy Kapani (of ECSFederal, Fairfax and Kapani Fam-ily Charitable Foundation,McLean). Long time Childhelpsupporter Hadeed Carpet (Valerie& Joe Hadeed of Alexandria) wasco-presenting sponsor.

Childhelp Co-Founders SaraO’Meara (CEO) and YvonneFedderson (president) presentedChildhelp’s Loyal Heart Award toSandra Crippen of Great Falls. Mrs.Crippen has been with Childhelpsince its Virginia inception andserves on the Greater WashingtonArea Advisory Board.

All proceeds from ChildhelpShining Stars Gala, includingraffle, silent and live auction do-nations, will support Childhelp’sAlice C. Tyler Residential Treat-ment Facility and Childhelp’s Na-tional Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD).

Since 1959, Childhelp hasbrought the light of hope and heal-ing into the lives of countless chil-dren as a leading national nonprofitorganization dedicated to helpingat-risk children. Childhelp’s pro-grams and services include residen-tial treatment services, children’sadvocacy centers, therapeutic fos-ter care, group homes and child

abuse prevention, education andtraining. Childhelp created theChildhelp National Day of Hope,held each April during NationalChild Abuse Prevention Month that

Childhelp Hosts a Shining Stars Gala

mobilizes Americans to join thefight against child abuse. For moreinformation, log on towww.childhelp.org, facebook.com/childhelp or twitter.com/childhelp.

Childhelp Founders Sara O’Meara (CEO) and YvonneFedderson (president) presented Sandra Crippen withChildhelp Loyal Heart Award.

Cheryl Ladd introduced and sang Happy Birthday to Janeand Rich Hozik of Great Falls, Childhelp Shining StarsGala chairs.

Childhelp Celeb-rity Ambassadorand Master ofCeremonies, JohnO’Hurley (of“Seinfeld” fame)warmed up and“Razzle Dazzled”the audience forChildhelp ShiningStars Gala.

Photos contributed

Kathleen Murphy,

President

Great Falls

Historical Society

The Great Falls Histori-cal Society has recog-nized Alex Brudno as

the 2016 Volunteer of the Year.Through his consistent, focusedand dedicated volunteer efforts,including working as a summerintern to further the Colvin RunHistoric District research (morethan 100 hours); photoarchiving in support of ourarchive reorganization; runningthe Great Falls HistoricalSociety’s Publication Sales pres-ence at the farmers market andat GFHS programs indepen-dently, including adding newproduct offerings; serving asassociate editor to prepare thebook on Thelma’s CountryStore, providing citations to es-tablish historic facts, and sup-porting many other projects asneeded, Alex has served withpurpose to advance the integ-rity of local history.

Alex Brudno first offered his

services as volunteer to theGreat Falls Historical Society inOctober 2014. A graduate ofthe University of Mary Wash-ington with a major in history,GFHS welcomed Alex and im-mediately found projects forAlex.

Alex’s first assignment was totake over the GFHS tent at theGreat Falls Farmers Market.Alex continues to staff the tent,spending seven hours each andevery Saturday at the market,providing a tangible locationwhere newcomers can askquestions about the history ofGreat Falls, members can renewtheir membership, and the en-tire community can purchasegifts or make a reservation forone of our events.

ALEX was initially a “dia-mond-in-the-raw,” being highon willingness and dedication,but inexperienced at interact-ing with the public. However,over time and with constructivefeedback and lots of interactionwith farmers-market regularsand visitors, Alex has grown insales discipline and humor.

Alex Brudno, recipient of 2016 Volunteer Award(center) with parents, Linda Leatherbury andSpence Brudno.

Alex Brudno, Great Falls HistoricalSociety’s 2016 Volunteer of the Year

Pho

to

by T

R C

oo

k

Gail Péan, oil painter, invites the public to areception on Friday, June 10, 4-6 p.m. tocelebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Na-

tional Park System (NPS). The solo exhibit “Happy100th Anniversary NPS” will be on display in thelarge meeting room of Great Falls Library through-out the month of June.

“Happy 100th Anniversary NPS” features originaloil paintings painted with palette knives based onphotos taken by Great Falls residents Michele Krohnand Gail Péan of National Parks they have visited.

Great Falls National Park is included. It was a partof the Northern Virginia Parks system until it was

transferred to the NPS in 1966.Gail Péan is a member of Artists on the Green Gal-

lery and Studio at 776 B Walker Road in Great Fallswhere she teaches oil painting to children and adults.Visit the exhibit during library hours or during thereception June 10, 4-6.

Exhibit at Great Falls Library Celebrates100th Anniversary of National Park System

“Sleeping BearDunes” by Gail

Péan, Oil onCanvas 30" x 40"


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Kenny Lourie is an Advertising Representative forThe Potomac Almanac & The Connection Newspapers.

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

Just a RegularGuy, Hopefully

As a long-time cancer patient (seven-plus years), I have heard much cancer talk.I have not read nearly as much, as I wasadvised early on by my primary care physi-cian to try and refrain from going online toooften to research my condition/treatmentbecause the information provided cansometimes be misleading; given my ownunique set of medical circumstances, itmight not pertain to me, exactly. Mostly Ihave followed his suggestion. One time, Iremember, I couldn’t resist and “Googled”my chemotherapy drug. Nine to 12 monthswas the prognosis. I’ve lived three-plusyears ever since. And though I certainlyunderstand and appreciate the relevanceand availability of the “information super-highway,” I have, generally speaking, tem-pered my enthusiasm for such investigativepursuits.

However, as much as I’ve followed mydoctor’s advice, I have not been a totalblockhead. And one of the concerns I’vecome to believe is, that with many cancerpatients, it’s not the actual cancer that killsthem but rather the collateral damage thetreatment causes to other vital organs, sys-tems, areas of the body, etc. As a matter offact, I’m living proof, sort of. Presumably,because of seven-plus years of chemother-apy, I have irreparable kidney damage andsome unspecified liver damage.Accordingly, every four weeks when I go infor my pre-chemotherapy lab work, my lev-els of creatinine (kidney) and bilirubin(liver) are measured (among many others)to determine if my treatment can proceedor if waiting a week for a retest would bemore prudent. At some point, I think (fear)that I’ll have to stop treatment because thedamage to certain major organs (as indi-cated by the levels of bilirubin and creati-nine) will pose such a risk/complication thatcontinuing the previous/current course oftreatment would be irresponsible (heck,maybe even malpractice, for all I know).The cancer, then untreated, could poten-tially cause further life-threatening prob-lems. Consequently, I’m always mindful of,and sensitive to, changes/deficiencies I’mexperiencing that might indicate a bodilyfunction is no longer working properly:“collateral damage.”

Recently, I’ve had such an occurrence.It’s nothing major, so far as I know, and Icertainly don’t have any supporting labwork to corroborate anything since I’mbetween infusions, but I’ve had some diffi-culty eliminating. Now I don’t know if thisis a function of age, something I ate and/ordrank, something I didn’t eat and/or didn’tdrink or fearfully the cancer doing what itoften inevitably and destructively does, butit’s atypical, and from what little I’velearned over these years, new problems/conditions are noteworthy, generally. Assuch, this past weekend has been particu-larly challenging, emotionally as well asphysically, not to go to a bad place whenyou’re not able to go all. I wish I could takeit all in stride, but left to my own thoughtsand chronic discomfort, I find it difficult notto wonder if I have crossed some sort ofRubicon and moreover, worry that theamazing good fortune I’ve experiencedsince being diagnosed in late February,2009, has finally begun to give way to real-ity. Perhaps, I just need to remember whatmy Auntie Irene used to say: “This too shallpass,” and think ahead, not behind.


People

Spencer Perkins, a senior in ThePotomac School’s Science and Engi-neering Research Center (SERC) pro-gram, earned third place in the chem-istry category at the 54th NationalJunior Science and Humanities Sym-posium, held in Dayton, Ohio, April27-30.

For more than two years, Perkinshas been conducting an independent,college-level research project in con-junction with Potomac faculty andoutside experts. His work focuses onthe development of a new coating fornanowires used inphotoelectrochemical fuel cells (solar cellsthat produce electrical energy and gener-ate clean water in the process of electroly-sis). His approach, which helps to stabilizethe nanowires and maintain efficiency ofthe cells, has the potential to greatly reducethe overall cost of solar energy systems.

Perkins progressed to the national com-petition after winning first place at the re-gional Junior Science and Humanities Sym-posium, held at Georgetown University inMarch. In recognition of his third-place fin-ish at the national level, he received a$4,000 scholarship from the U.S. Depart-ment of Defense. He plans to attend DukeUniversity in the fall.

Two other Potomac School seniors,Madeline Dubelier and Matt Spencer, alsopresented their independent researchprojects at the National Junior Science andHumanities Symposium, after beingawarded third and fourth place respectivelyat the regional finals.

Earlier this year, Dubelier and fellowPotomac School senior Gianmarco Terroneswere named semifinalists in the 2016 IntelScience Talent Search for their independentresearch. Dubelier developed a robotic armthat enables the user to form a pinch grip,while Terrones’ project focused on desali-nation. In addition, senior Matt Spencer wasselected as a semifinalist in the SiemensCompetition in Science, Math, and Technol-

ogy in fall 2015, for his research onbioremediation of plastic waste.

Potomac School science teacher and SERCprogram advisor Dr. Isabelle Cohen notes,“I am proud of the hard work and profes-sionalism these students have displayed inconnection with their research. The honorsand accolades that they have received thisyear are well deserved.”

Now in its sixth year, the SERC programis one of three selective advanced programsoffered by

Potomac’s Upper School. (The other twoare the Visual and Performing Arts Concen-tration and the Global Perspectives and Citi-zenship Program.) SERC was created to givestudents opportunities to do long-term in-dependent research, work in a professionallab, and stretch their minds. “The programis for students who want to take on someopen questions and do more than justcoursework,” says Douglas Cobb, chair ofthe Upper School Science Department.

After taking biology as freshmen, studentsenter SERC as sophomores, taking twocourses – one in accelerated physics andchemistry, the other focused on developingthe experimental design for their researchproposal. They also secure a mentor in thewider scientific community – an expert intheir field of interest who will assist withtheir research and provide equipment,materials or lab space.

Potomac School Senior Places Third atNational Science Symposium

Photo contributed

Potomac School senior Spencer Perkins

To have community events listed in the Connec-tion, send to connectionnewspapers.com/Calendar/. The deadline for submissions is atnoon on the Friday prior to publication.

FRIDAY/JUNE 3Summer Mindfulness. 10 a.m.-noon. Dunn

Loring Center for Parent Services, 2334Gallows Road, Dunn Loring. Learn valuablemindfulness tools to help your childrenenhance their physical,

mental, emotional, and social skills this summer.Register at 703-204-3941.

SATURDAY/JUNE 4Gun Violence Discussion. 8:30-10 a.m.

Lewinsville Presbyterian Church, 1724 ChainBridge Road, McLean. Explore the issue ofgun violence in America. The discussion willfocus on the Armor of Light documentaryavailable on Itunes. Breakfast provided. 703-356-7200.

Town of Vienna Recycling Day. 8 a.m.-2p.m. Northside Property Yard, 600 Mill St.NE, Vienna. Got unwanted car parts,

batteries, electronics (anything with a plugexcept older TVs with fat backsides), andeven motor oil and antifreeze? Vienna’spublic works will take it off your hands andensure that it’s recycled responsibly. 703-255-6380.

SUNDAY/JUNE 11Disability Resource Fair. 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

ServiceSource Disability Resource Center,10467 White Granite Drive, Oakton. The fairwill provide personal access to experts in thedisability field. We will have resources,nonprofit partners, and vendors covering arange of disability topics including children,autism, aging, and [email protected]. 703-461-6000.

Community Accessibility Forum. 11 a.m.and 12:30 p.m. ServiceSource DisabilityResource Center, 10467 Granite Drive,Oakton. Review the forum information todevelop an action plan that addressescommunity recommendations, barriers, andservice gaps. Register at 703-324-5847 [email protected].

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date of the first of two required legal notices. Objections should be registered at www.abc.virginia.gov or

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