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Vienna/Oakton Connection ❖ March 26 - April 1, 2014 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com online at www.connectionnewspapers.com

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Viennaand Oakton

Viennaand Oakton

Fire Ball AuctionHottest Ticket in TownNews, Page 4

The World through a LensNews, Page 10

Vienna TeenGoes NationalSports, Page 13

Vienna’s Brynn Thomas skates acrossthe ice. Madison freshman competed insynchronized ice skating Nationals.

Spring Fun 2014Page 8

Spring Fun 2014Spring Fun 2014Page 8

2 ❖ Vienna/Oakton Connection ❖ March 26 - April 1, 2014 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Vienna/Oakton Connection ❖ March 26 - April 1, 2014 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

News

At a presentation hostedby SALT [Social ActionLinking Together) onMarch 22, more than

50 community activists gatheredto hear local legislators offer briefcomments on social progress in theCommonwealth of Virginia’s 2014General Assembly session. Thepresentation was hosted at Ameri-can Legion 180.

State senators Janet Howell (D-32), Barbara Favola (D-31) andDick Saslaw (D-35), and state del-egates Mark Keam (D-35), KenPlum (D-36), David Bulova (D-37), Alfonzo Lopez D-49), MarcusSimon (D-53), and Patrick Hopesat on the panel.

LEGISLATORS ON THEPANEL, all Democrats, were in-vited to speak for five minuteseach on bills and issues confronting the General As-sembly and the Commonwealth. Few had time toget past introductory remarks and few details on theGeneral Assembly emerged.

Keam, however, addressed a problem confrontedby military personnel not deployed overseas whensubmitting absentee ballots. Keam’s House Bill 838would address an inconsistency in the policies fol-lowed by the Virginia State Board of Elections. Be-cause of differences in various federal and state elec-tion laws, absentee ballots mailed in from overseasby U.S. military men and women are accepted byelection officials even if the inside envelope that con-tains the ballot is not fully sealed.

“On the other hand, an absentee ballot mailed fromwithin Virginia with the same imperfection on theinside envelope is rejected by election officials,” Keam

said. “My bill would make the processconsistent for all absentee ballots, regard-less of from where they were mailed.

“My bill passed both the House andSenate with little opposition, which ispleasantly surprising since this is one of

the very few bills introduced by aDemocrat to allow more votes tobe counted, that has passed theconservative Republican House ofDelegates.”

Http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?141+sum+HB838includes the language which, es-sentially, states that an absenteeballot will not be voided solelybecause the inner envelope con-taining the voted ballot is imper-fectly sealed so long as the outsideenvelope containing the ballotenvelope is sealed, Keam said.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER Richard E.Rubenstein, professor of conflictresolution and public affairs atGeorge Mason University, spokeon the need for “game-changing”ideas to resolve income inequal-ity in Virginia, suggesting thatuniversity researchers come to-

gether statewide to brainstorm ideas that address theissue. He recommended, also, a state commissionaddressing the causes of poverty.

“This legislative session created a new opportu-nity for people to take a fresh look at issues that havebeen pending for a long time, such as income in-equality and what the state is doing on behalf ofvulnerable citizens,” Keam said in a subsequentphone conversation. “However, these issues endedup with the same resutl this year because of the samepartisan agenda that stalled things in years past.”

The morning presentation was co-sponsored bySALT, Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Pen-alty [VADP}, Citizens United for Rehabilitatioin forErrants –VA [CURE], and Virginia Coalition of LatinoOrganizations [VACOLAO].

—Donna Manz

In Search of ‘Game Changing’ Ideas

State delegates Mark Keam (D-35), PatrickHope (D-47) and David Bulova (D-37)during the March 22 social progresspresentation in Vienna hosted by SALT.

State Senator Barbara Favola (D-31) lis-tens to her colleagues as each had a turnto speak.

Del. Ken Plum (D-36)remarked he had intro-duced a redistricting billback in 1982.

Local legislators reflect on socialissues addressed by VirginiaGeneral Assembly in 2014.

Photos by Donna Manz/The Connection

The Community AppearanceAlliance of Northern Virginia(CAA) last week honored theWolftrap Creek restorationproject. Town of Vienna andFairfax County representativesaccepted an award recognizingthe two entities’ partnershipthat transformed a section ofWolftrap Creek in Vienna’sWildwood Park.

Because of it, the creek waschanged from a deeply incisedchannel with eroding banks toan environmental benefit forpeople and animals. The workrestored more than 2,500 feetof the Creek by reshaping thestream banks to a gentle slopeand planting vegetation.

This vegetation not only pro-vides a habitat for animals, butalso helps stabilize the streambanks and filter pollutants from

the stormwater runoff. After thework was completed, Wild-wood Park re-opened in Octo-ber 2013. The project was ajoint effort between the Townof Vienna Public Works andParks and Recreation Depart-ments and the Fairfax CountyDepartment of Public Worksand Environmental Services.

The goals were to improvewater quality and restore theecology of the stream and ripar-ian habitat. This project alsoenhanced recreational and edu-cational opportunities forstream and park visitors. It washonored last Friday, March 14,during an awards programhosted by the Northern VirginiaAssociation of Realtors inFairfax.

— Bonnie Hobbs

Creek Restoration Project Honored

Photo Contributed

(From left) are Bill Noland and Irene Haske, FairfaxCounty; Edythe Kelleher and Howard Springsteen,Vienna Town Council; Cathy Salgado, Vienna Parksand Recreation; Rebecca Greenberg, Vienna PublicWorks; Sharon Bulova, chairman, Fairfax CountyBoard of Supervisors; Justin Pistore, Fairfax County;and John Muse, president, Community AppearanceAlliance of Northern Virginia.

Vienna TownCouncil CandidateForums in April

On Tuesday, May 6, Town ofVienna residents will elect Mayorand three Town Council memberswho will begin two-year terms onJuly 1. The candidate for Mayor isLaurie A. DiRocco and the candi-dates for the three council seatsare Mike L. Cheselka, Linda JaneColbert, Edythe Frankel Kelleher,Pasha M. Majdi, Dennis E. Rice andTara L. Voigt.

Election Day is Tuesday, May 6.The Vienna Community Center,120 Cherry Street SE, is the solepolling place for Town elections.Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7p.m.

There will be two candidate fo-rums held during the month of

Week in Vienna

April at the Vienna CommunityCenter. The Vienna-Oakton Na-tional Active and Retired FederalEmployees (NARFE) will host acandidate forum on Tuesday, April8, at 1:30 p.m. The forum will bepart of NARFE’s regularly sched-uled meeting. The NortheastVienna Citizens Association(NEVCA) will host a forum onTuesday, April 22, from 7:30 to9:30 p.m. Both forums are free andopen to the public.

Voter-RegistrationDeadline

Monday, April 14, is the last dayto register to vote in the May 6Town of Vienna election. Thoseeligible to register must be Viennaresidents, at least 18 years old by

See Week, Page 5


It has been nearly four yearssince an earthquake killedhundreds of thousands in

Haiti. Much aid has been givento Haiti, yet the country stillstruggles with security andhealth care issues. Pastor RandyBeeman recently led a group of16 people from the AntiochChristian Church, 1860 BeulahRoad in Vienna on the latestmission trip to Delmas, Haiti,the largest suburb of Port-au-Prince. Robert Morabito, a den-tist in Falls Church, his staff, andfamily, took more than $10,000worth of supplies and tooth-brushes. Their information canbe found atwww.morabitodds.com.

Pastor Beeman says the pri-mary goal of the trip was towitness, provide good works, aswell as spread the good newsabout how much God loves thechildren and families of thepoorest nation in the westernhemisphere by providing muchneeded medical screenings,dental care, and eyeglasses. Theteam supports and hires localHaitian dentists and doctors inan effort to provide stable andsustainable care into the future.Upon their return they willspread the news of the needsof Haitians in an effort to arousemore support, more prayers,and more funding for this na-tion.

The group first worked at theDelmas Christian Church inDelmas with Pastor Eddy Bazin,a native Haitian educated in theUnited States. For three daysthe team of dentists, doctors,hygienists and volunteers fromthe Antioch church cared for383 patients at the church inDelmas. With funding from themembers of Antioch, they were

able to provide medical screen-ings, eyeglasses, oral hygieneinstructions, cleanings, fillingsand extractions, and muchneeded medications and antibi-otics. A fourth day of care tookplace at the Mission EgliseAssemblee Chretienne Unied’Haiti in Delmas. This churchministers to people close to oneof the largest remaining tentcities. The group gave care to80 children in an orphanageand in a school.

Challenges such as no elec-tricity, no running water andchildren who had never seendentists before made the clin-ics challenging yet rewardingfor the team. The team tookmany supplies for each childfrom toothpaste, floss and atoothbrush. Each child andadult had a cleaning and nec-essary dental care such as fill-ings or extractions.

One of the most difficultthings to see were the childrenwhose teeth were decaying andcausing infection in the gumswhich could potentially lead todeath. The care provided willhelp relieve much pain and suf-fering but more importantlywill help preserve the healthand gums. Additionally, theteam members were able honortheir mission motto – “YourSmile is our Goal.”

The church hopes to go an-nually on a dental missions tripand take other dentists, nurses,hygienists and doctors and vol-unteers who desire to helpthose in need around the world.This is the third trip the churchhas taken to Delmas in the lastthree years. For more informa-tion on how to support or at-tend a future trip, go towww.antiochdoc.org.

Giving HaitiansNew Smiles

Dentist Dr.Robert Morabitoand BryanAllison perform-ing a dentalprocedure on aschool agedstudent from anorphanage.

Photos contributed

News

More than 100 friends and citizenscame out on March 21 to support theVienna Volunteer Fire Department’sfundraiser, the 2nd Annual Fire Ball

Auction. Community businesses donated prizes forthe silent auction and the raffle, and dedicatedfirefighters and EMTs donated themselves in a liveauction. Bidding for an organized group dinner-datewith a first-responder started at $40 and guests sentthe bidding in the hundreds of dollars. Twelvefirefighters and EMTs volunteered as auction prizes.

The event was held in the fire station’s “FlameRoom,” and complimentary hot and cold appetizerswere served to guests. Beer and wine were availablefor purchase.

The fundraiser raised $8000, and expenses areanticipated to be approximately $1500-$2000,fundraiser coordinator Judi Medwedeff said. Themoney “goes to a good cause,” most of the volunteerpeople-prizes said.

Donated non-human prizes included restaurant giftcards, services, epicurean baskets and cookingclasses, health and fitness resources, and jewelrypieces valued at over $500 each.

Lauren Kovacic, Mike Spatter, Kasey Jamison, NickStern, Emily Patrick, James Estep, Jeff Snow, HannaMitchell, Stephen Baldassari, Adam Searle, LaurenColon, and Sean Europe volunteered to be auctioned-off. Winning bidders and their “prizes” received aVIP tour of the Vienna fire station on Saturday, March22, followed by a group dinner at Westwood Coun-try Club.

— Donna Manz

Fire BallAuction HottestTicket in Town

Firefighters and EMTs await their turn onthe auction block. Sean Europe, left,topped bids.

First auction volunteer, Lauren Kovacic,“went” for $80.

Twelve first-respondersat the ViennaVolunteerFire Depart-ment putthemselvesup for bids toraise fundsfor the firedepartment.

Photos by Donna Manz/The Connection

First-responders volunteeredto raise funds for ViennaVolunteer Fire Department.


From Page 3

election day and a U.S. citizen.Register in person in the FairfaxCounty General Registrar’s Officeat the county Government Centeror by mail. Application forms areavailable in the Town Clerk’s Of-fice at Town Hall, all public librar-ies and at www.fairfaxcounty.gov.

People already registered to voteshould check their voter-registra-tion cards to be sure their currentname and address are correct. Formore information, call the FairfaxCounty Office of Elections at 703-222-0776.

FY 2014-2015Proposed BudgetAvailable

Copies of the proposed Town ofVienna budget for fiscal year 2014-2015 are available for public re-view online at www.viennava.gov,in the Finance Department atTown Hall, 127 Center Street S,and at Patrick Henry Library, 101Maple Avenue E.

Town Council will discuss theproposed budget during two worksessions on Saturday, March 22, at9 a.m. and Monday, March 24, at8 p.m. in Town Hall Council Cham-bers. The public is invited to at-tend; however, public comment isnot permitted during work ses-sions.

In addition, the Town Councilwill hold a public hearing on theproposed budget on Monday April7, at 8 p.m. in the Council Cham-ber at Town Hall. At the hearing,citizens will have the opportunityto comment on the proposed bud-get and ask questions about theappropriation of Town funds forthe fiscal year beginning July 1.

If Council considers it necessary,a final budget work session to dis-cuss comments made at the pub-lic hearing will be held at 8 p.m.on Monday, April 21. A publichearing on the proposed real es-tate tax rate and water and sewerrates will be held at the April 28Council meeting, and adoption ofthe budget is scheduled for theMay 12 meeting.

For more information, contactthe Finance Department at (703)255-6824.

Potomac RiverWatershedCleanup Day

Area residents and organiza-tions are invited to join in the26th Annual Potomac River Wa-tershed Cleanup on Saturday,April 5, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The cleanup takes place at sitesin the District of Columbia, Mary-land, Virginia, Pennsylvania andWest Virginia – all part of thelands, or watershed, that draininto the Potomac.

This year local efforts will focuson Piney Branch Creek atNorthside Park and Wolftrap Creekat Wildwood Park. Volunteers forthe Piney Branch Creek site shouldenter the trail near the Town ofVienna’s Northside Property Yardand meet at the metal bridge lo-

cated along the path leading to thecreek at 9 a.m.

The Wolftrap Creek site is spon-sored by the George Mason Dis-trict Boy Scouts and will meet at9 a.m. on Follin Lane at the en-trance to Wildwood Park. If youare interested in volunteering ateither the Wolftrap Creek or PineyBranch Creek site, contact RickAyers at [email protected] or 70-989-3221.

For more information on theFerguson Foundation and the Trash

Free Potomac Watershed initiative,visit www.fergusonfoundation.org/trash-free-potomac-watershed-ini-tiative/potomac-river-watershed-cleanup.

Old-fashionedEgg Roll atFreeman House

An old-fashioned Easter egg rollfor children ages 12 and under and

their parents will be held on thelawn of Vienna’s historic FreemanHouse, 131 Church Street NE, onSaturday, April 12, from 10:30 to11:30 a.m.

Participants are welcome to visitwith the Easter Bunny, decorateeggs and enjoy a real egg roll. Thisactivity is free of charge and noregistration is required; bring yourown basket.

For more information, call His-toric Vienna, Inc. at 703-938-5187or visit www.historicviennainc.org.

Week in Vienna


Opinion

Northern Virginia governments arefacing shortfalls in the classicbudget sense: projected revenuesare less than last year’s expendi-

tures plus increases in costs.Alexandria City Manager Rashad Young

Young: “This is the seventh straight year ofbudgetary challenges, where the cost of cur-rent services and previous commitments ex-ceeds our revenue growth.” His proposed bud-get includes $190.6 million for Alexandria CityPublic Schools, a 2.62 percent increase overFY2014 but $2.5 million less than requestedby the Alexandria School Board.

Fairfax County Chairman of the Board ofSupervisors Sharon Bulova: “This will be a verychallenging budget.” Fairfax County PublicSchools Superintendent Karen Garza proposedan increase of 5.7 percent, $98 million morethan the schools requested last year, but su-pervisors have said to expect an increase of 2percent.

Fairfax County, along with Arlington andAlexandria, is wrestling with how to fund in-creasing financial requests from schools, in-creasing needs for human services and provid-ing a safety net, and many other areas of localbudgets.

In Virginia, localities are allowed few areasof revenue, and local budgets are funded pri-marily through real estate property taxes. Prop-

erty values have increased this year, and localgovernments are also considering increases inthe property tax rate, meaning homeownerswill pay more in taxes.

Fairfax County Real Estate Assessments in-creased 5.8 percent for single family homes,8.4 percent for townhouses and 10.5 percentfor condos. In Arlington, property values grewabout 5.8 percent this year. That includessingle-family houses and townhouses, whichwent up 6.2 percent, as well as condominiums,which went up 5.9 percent. In Alexandria, resi-dential assessments increased 4.8 percent.

But just because a home is worth more thisyear than last year doesn’t actually put anymore money in anyone’s pocket. The increasesare mostly modest and necessary in an areathat prides itself on providing an exceptionalquality of life and thriving business environ-ment.

Employment and jobs are also strong inNorthern Virginia, with unemployment at 3.7percent in Fairfax, 4.1 percent in Alexandriaand 3.2 percent in Arlington. Northern Virginiais the economic engine of Virginia. The over-all unemployment rate in Virginia is 5 percent,with these statistics from the Bureau of LaborStatistics. These rates are far below the na-tional rate.

But state income tax, paid disproportionatelyby workers in Northern Virginia, are collectedby the state for the state budget. The exactpercentage of money that returns to NorthernVirginia is debated, but it is definitely small.Localities should have the ability to add a pig-gyback tax to the state income tax in order toprovide needed and expected services whilegiving relief to homeowners.

Anyone familiar with the political process inVirginia knows that this is a pipe dream withessentially zero chance. It would have to passthe Virginia General Assembly. Nevertheless,it makes no sense for Northern Virginia to payincome taxes to the state without being ableto benefit.

Meanwhile, Arlington FY 2015 tax rate pub-lic hearing is March 27 at 7 p.m. More onArlington’s budget: http://countyboard.arlingtonva.us/budget/

Fairfax County’s public hearings, all in theboard auditorium at the government center:Effective Tax Rate Hearing 3 p.m., April 8,2014; Budget Public Hearing 6 p.m., April 8;3 p.m., April 9; 3 p.m., April 10. More onFairfax County Budget, http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dmb/

For more on Alexandria’s budget https://www.a lexandr iava .gov/budget/ in fo/default.aspx?id=75641.

A favorite guideline on testimony at budgethearings comes in Arlington: “Repetitious tes-timony is discouraged.” Good luck with that.

— Mary Kimm

[email protected]

Challenging BudgetsLocal Government should be able to accessincome taxes to give relief on real estate taxes.

Editorial

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Vienna & Oakton

By Mariette Hiu Newcomb

And Kimberly Williams

Northern Virginia’s smallfarmers know the im-portance of keeping the

water that we all depend on clean.They worry that polluted watercould contaminate their crops —the fruits and vegetables that aresupposed to keep people nour-ished and healthy. Local farmersare doing their part to reduce run-off pollution into the streams thatfeed into the Potomac River.

But the Potomac River and otherwaterways across Virginia remainat risk.

The Clean Water Act has beenhelping protect waterways acrossthe country from pollution for thepast 40 years. Through its protec-tions, we’ve made huge progress incleaning up Virginia’s waterways,giving even more Virginians theopportunity to fish and swim in riv-ers like the Potomac. But if pollut-ers like Big Ag and Big Oil have theirway, that progress will stop here.

Polluter-led lawsuits have opened up

huge loopholes in the Clean Water Act.These loopholes leave 57 percent

of Virginia’s streams and many ofits wetlands at risk of uncheckedpollution. To make matters worse,these are the same waterways thatfeed and filter waterways like thePotomac River and, on their own,provide the drinking water for 2million Virginians.

The effects of these loopholes onVirginia could be huge. The healthof our families, our local economyand the ecosystem depend on ourwaterways being clean and safe.And our farms need clean water togrow healthy food for our commu-nities. No one should be allowed todump waste into the waterwaysthat provide our communities withdrinking water and a place to visitand enjoy. We all have a stake inclean water, and we know from thedays before the Clean Water Actthat when polluters dump into ourstreams and pave over our wet-lands, we all suffer.

Virginia’s small farmers have aparticularly large stake in cleanwater and would feel the impacts

of an impaired water source. Andbecause of that, many small farm-ers in Virginia take great care tobe stewards of their land and ourwaterways. But without adequateprotections to all our waterways,we can’t ensure that our water willremain clean enough for drinking,swimming, or watering our crops.

Fortunately, the U.S. Environmen-tal Protection Agency has the powerto close these loopholes and helpensure that all Virginia’s waterwaysare safe for future generations toenjoy just like we do today.

For over a decade, the nation’sbiggest polluters have been fight-ing tooth and nail to keep the EPAfrom fixing these loopholes and let-ting the cops on the environmentalbeat protect waterways like thePotomac River. But this fall, the EPAtook the first big step toward pro-tecting all of Virginia’s waterwayswhen it initiated the process to fi-nally close these loopholes. This isgreat news for people across Vir-ginia, especially small farmers. Ifthe EPA continues to move forwardand fixes the Clean Water Act, our

waterways could soon again havethe protections they deserve.

Whether we’re fishing, swimming,watering crops, or just turning on thetap, the health of our waterways iscritical to our way of life. All our wa-terways should be clean enough thatwe can swim in them without risk-ing getting sick and fish from themwithout fearing the catch is too con-taminated to eat. And the water thatfarmers give to their livestock shouldcome from protected sources.Whether we’re farmers, entrepre-neurs, local officials, or ordinaryfamilies, we all need the EPA to moveforward and fix the Clean Water Actnow to ensure that places like thePotomac River are protected nowand for future generations.

Mariette Hiu Newcomb is the ownerof Potomac Vegetable Farms, a localfarm in Northern Virginia thatspecializes in growing crops withoutsynthetic fertilizers or pesticides. Theirvegetables, herbs, and cut flowers areavailable at farmers markets, our twoon-farm roadside stands, and throughtheir 550-member CSA.

Kimberly Williams is the Clean WaterAssociate with Environment Virginia, acitizen based advocacy organization.

Small Farmers Need Clean Water


News

Upwards of 150 local seniorsgathered at the EmmanuelLutheran Church in Vienna onMonday, March 10, to hear finan-cial expert Ric Edelman addresstheir questions about both thecurrent and future economy. Theevent was sponsored by theShepherd’s Center of Oakton-Vienna, the first 100 registeredguests enjoyed a lunch, preparedby the Culinary Arts students atGeorge Marshall High School.

The luncheon was served by theTzu Chi’ ladies, a group of Bud-dhist women that volunteer atthese quarterly Lunch n’ Lifeevents. Edelman assured thecrowd that the financial crisis of2008 would not happen againand that it is best to have a bal-anced portfolio. Julius Hankinand his wife Mary Ann attendedthe luncheon and summarized theevent, saying: “Mr. Edelman re-ally delivered!”

Ric Edelman Speaks atShepherd’s Center

Photo contributed

Ric Edelman with Michelle Scott, Director of SCOV

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Spring Fun 2014

Performances for theVienna Theatre Company’sspring production of “WillyWonka, The Musical” opensat the Vienna CommunityCenter, 120 Cherry StreetSE, on Friday, April 18, andwill run Friday and Satur-day nights at 8 p.m. throughMay 3, with Sunday mati-nee performances at 2 p.m.on April 27, and May 4.

This multi-generational,family friendly musical isRoald Dahl’s timeless storyof the world-famous candyman and his quest to find anheir in this stage adaptationof Dahl’s book, Charlie andthe Chocolate Factory,which features the songsfrom the classic family filmWilly Wonka and the Choco-late Factory.

Tickets are now on sale, andare $14 general admission.Tickets are available for pur-chase in advance at the ViennaCommunity Center or at thedoor. To reserve tickets, [email protected]. Formore information, call 703-255-6360 or visit www.viennatheatrecompany.org.

Vienna Theatre Co. Presents ‘ Willy Wonka, the Musical’

Photo by Laura Fargotstein

Young actors cast as Oompa-Loompas strike a pose duringrehearsal for Vienna Theatre Company’s upcoming productionof “Willy Wonka, The Musical.” From left, back row: FaithSkeen, Melissa Handel, Kyla Poe; front row: Kathryn Skeen, MiaParnaby, Hannah Hess

The Alden in McLean welcomes The New York Neo-Futurists in “Too Much Light Makes the Baby GoBlind,” a fast-paced show that drops the traditional“fourth wall” to allow cast members to interact withthe audience. The single performance will be at 8 p.m.on Friday, April 11. Tickets are $20/$15 for MCC dis-trict residents. The theatre is located at 1234 InglesideAvenue, inside the McLean Community Center. Freeparking is available.

In this show, an underground New York City favor-ite, the eccentric New York Neo-Futurists race againstthe clock to perform 30 miniature plays in 60 breath-less minutes. The single unifying element of these plays

is that they are performed from a perspective of abso-lute honesty. With a continually updated menu of vi-gnettes ranging from zany to risqué to profound, it’s aperfect interactive evening. Each act is performed in arandom order guided in part by the loudly shoutingaudience members. Rather than upholding contempo-rary theatrical conventions of character, setting, plotand the separation of audience and performer, the Neo-Futurists aim to present actual life on stage by creatinga world in the theater that has no pretense or illusion.

Tickets are on sale now. For more information or topurchase tickets online, visit: www.aldentheatre.orgor call 703-790-0123, TTY: 711.

Neo-Futurists’ ‘Too Much Light Makesthe Baby Go Blind’ at The Alden

Photo contributed

The New YorkNeo-Futuristsin ‘Too MuchLight Makes theBaby Go Blind.’

TUESDAY/MARCH 25-SATURDAY/MARCH 29Great Escapes. 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Tues.-

Sat. Vienna Art Center, 115 PleasantSt., NW, Vienna. Dozens of originalartworks by artists throughout theregion inspired by travel at home andabroad. Free. 703-319-3971.www.ViennaArtsSociety.org

FRIDAY/MARCH 28-SUNDAY/APRIL 20“The Cripple of Inishmaan” Fridays

at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. and 7p.m. 1st Stage in Tysons, 1524 SpringHill Road, Tysons Corner. Excitementripples through the sleepy Irishcommunity of Inishmaan abuzz withthe news that a Hollywood filmmakerplans to shoot a movie on aneighboring island. When youngCripple Billy lands a screen test, theoddball citizens of Inishmaan mount aheartbreakingly hilarious campaignbursting with dark humor andtouching devotion. Generaladmission: $27. Seniors $22. Studentsand Military $15. Purchase online atwww.1ststagetysons.org or 703-854-1856.

SATURDAY/MARCH 29Great Falls the World Hub of

Innovation & Invention. 1-3 p.m.Great Falls Library, 9830 GeorgetownPike, Great Falls. Students, hobbyists,and academics from around the worldare competing and collaborating indevelopment small robotic aircraft tohelp protect endangered speciesincluding rhinos, elephants, and snowleopards. Using computer aideddesign, 3D printing and simplearduino-based robotics kits, the teamsare able to create unmanned aerialvehicles that are optimized for themission, exceeding the performanceof aircraft that cost thousands oftimes more.

SUNDAY/MARCH 30“Capitol Steps” at James Madison

High School. 4 p.m., JamesMadison High School, 2500 JamesMadison Dr, Vienna. Capitol Steps,the quick witted multi-facetedcongressional staffers, will beperforming their popular fast-pacedmusical political satire live. [email protected].

WEDNESDAY/APRIL 2 Vienna Photographic Society

Meeting. 7:30-9:30 p.m. OaktonElementary School, 3000 ChainBridge Rd., Oakton. WillSchermerhorn will discussphotography in the context of theSpecial Olympics. Special Olympics isa worldwide organization of morethan 4.2 million people withintellectual disabilities who use thepower of sports to reveal thechampions within. From aphotographer’s perspective, the key isfinding the right photos to express theessence of Special Olympics.www.vpsva.org.

FRIDAY/APRIL 4-MONDAY/MAY 5Six Artists Return. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Monday through Saturday. The FrameFactory, 212 Dominion Road NE,Vienna. An exhibition and sale ofpaintings, drawings, sculpture andjewelry by local artists Jackie Elwell,Elaine Florimonte, Debbie Glakas,Lisa Neher, Sarah Swart and BarbaraWagner. www.theframefactory1.com

SATURDAY/APRIL 5 Six Artists Return Opening

Reception. 2-8 p.m. The FrameFactory, 212 Dominion Road NE,Vienna. An exhibition and sale ofpaintings, drawings, sculpture andjewelry by local artists Jackie Elwell,Elaine Florimonte, Debbie Glakas,

Lisa Neher, Sarah Swart and BarbaraWagner. www.theframefactory1.com

Book Sale. 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library, 7584Leesburg Pike, Falls Church.

SUNDAY/APRIL 6The History of the Country Store.4-

6 p.m. Freeman Store, 131 ChurchStreet, NE, Vienna. The exhibitutilizes artifacts, period apparel,tools, posters and other materials totell the story of local general storeswhich often served as grocery, postoffice, voting precinct, pharmacy, feedand grain supplier, hardware store, aswell as filling a role as communitycenters. The exhibit is free and opento the public and will be in placethrough 2014. For more information,www.historicviennainc.org.

Book Sale Clearance. 1 – 4 p.m.Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library, 7584Leesburg Pike, Falls Church.

WEDNESDAY/APRIL 9Wildfire Toasts the Silver Line. 6:30

p.m. Wildfire, 3rd floor, TysonsCorner, McLean. Toast the coming ofthe Silver Line and the great futurefor Tysons at Wildfire with a fourcourse custom menu designed byExecutive Chef Eddie Ishaq, eachcourse paired with a sparkling winefrom around the world. MichaelCaplin, executive director of theTysons Partnership, will be the guestspeaker. The Tysons Partnership is adynamic association of citizens andarea businesses working with localgovernment to transform Tysons intothe next great American city. MichaelCaplin will talk about plans forTysons and answer questions. $80/per person. RSVP Amanda or Erika at703-442-9110.

FRIDAY/APRIL 11“Too Much Light Makes the Baby

Go Blind.” 8 p.m. The Alden, 1234Ingleside Avenue, McLean. In thisshow, an underground New York Cityfavorite, the eccentric New York Neo-Futurists race against the clock toperform 30 miniature plays in 60breathless minutes. Tickets are $20/$15 for MCC district residents.www.aldentheatre.org

SATURDAY/ APRIL 12Train Club’s 65th Anniversary

Model Railroad Open House. 1-5p.m. 231 Dominion Road NE, Vienna.Celebrate the Northern VirginiaModel Railroaders’ 65th Anniversary.See and hear model trolleys andsteam and diesel trains plus Thomasand some of his friends in the Historic

Vienna Train Station along the W&ODtrail just past the Caboose. Theimpressive layout reflects themountainous terrain and towns ofWestern North Carolina with awardwinning structures. Free admission(donations accepted). For moreinformation visit www.nvmr.org.

Flea Market. 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. Vienna’sAmerican Legion 330 Center St, N,Vienna. Space $20; tables-$5. ContactDebbie at 703-938-9535 for more info.

Paws for Art Fundraiser. Great FallsLibrary, 9830 Georgetown Pike, GreatFalls. 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. This April,your artwork can help us save morelives, and help us raise awareness ofLDCRF. Donations of artwork in anymedia are still being accepted for theLDCRF Paws for Art Show and Sale.

SATURDAY/ APRIL 12-SUNDAY/APRIL 13Spring Table Tennis Tournament.

10 a.m.- 4 p.m. on Saturday and 9a.m. to noon on Sunday. OldFirehouse Teen Center, 1440 ChainBridge Road, McLean. The fee toparticipate is $5 per person, per eventfor The Northern Virginia TableTennis Club members and $10 perperson, per event for all others. Allevents are round-robin, followed by asingle elimination. Prizes will beawarded to the champion and runner-up in each of three divisions:beginner, intermediate and advanced.Semifinals and finals are best threeout of five. All other matches are besttwo out of three. The tournamentdirector reserves the right to modifyor cancel events based on the numberof entries. To register for thetournament, or for more information,visit www.nvtcc.org

Calendar

An exhibition and sale of paintings, drawings, sculptureand jewelry by local artists Jackie Elwell, ElaineFlorimonte, Debbie Glakas, Lisa Neher, Sarah Swart andBarbara Wagner, from Friday April 4 through May 5 at theFrame Factory in Vienna.

Send announcements to [email protected]. Deadline is Fridayfor the following week’s paper. Photos/artwork encouraged.


Vienna’s KatherinSwoboda won Best inShow for her photo of

a hummingbird in the TheVienna Parks and RecreationDepartment’s 2014 amateurphotography contest. Oakton’sMichael Cassidy received thePeople’s Choice award for hisphoto of the Vietnam Memorialat sunrise.

Some 64 photographers en-tered 230 pictures in the March15-16 competition. Judgeswere Wayne Wolfersberger ofthe Northern Virginia Photo-graphic Society and Joshua Tay-lor Jr. of Archiphoto Workshops.Helping with the show was theVienna Photographic Society.

Winners in the eight catego-ries are:

ANIMALS1st – Katherine Swoboda; 2nd –

Dennis Govoni; 3rd – KathrineSwoboda; Honorable Mention –Barbara Saffir; Dennis Govoni;Caroline Stevens

Student Winners: 1st and 2nd –Joshua Lynum, WolftrapElementary

ARCHITECTURE1st – Talib A. Aleem; 2nd – Mary

Jane Fish; 3rd – Cathy Dutchak;Honorable Mention – Talib A.Aleem; Michael Cassidy; JoanAxilbund

Student Winners: 1st – Jessica Miller,Centreville High School; 2nd –Isabel Roscoe, Thomas JeffersonHigh School

DIGITAL1st – Paige Counts; 2nd – Colin

GrandPre; 3rd – Jean Klaus;Honorable Mention – Mark Roth

Student Winners: 1st – NicholasNeedham, South County HighSchool; 2nd – Miranda Bricker,James Madison High School; 3rd -Nicholas Needham, South CountyHigh School; Honorable Mention -Miranda Bricker, James MadisonHigh School; Kate Callahan,McLean High School

NATURE1st – Katherine Swoboda; 2nd –

Dennis Govoni; 3rd – MargaretRaymond; Honorable Mention –Dennis Tarnay; Erica Everhart

STUDENT WINNERS1st – Jessica Miller, Centreville High

School

PHOTOJOURNALISM1st – Aaron Holland; 2nd – Chuck

Campbell; 3rd – Ryan Dunn;Honorable Mention – JohnSichenze; You-Yen Yang; LeahBussert

Student Winners: 1st – Isabel Roscoe,Thomas Jefferson High School;2nd – Madeline Roodberg, FlintHill School; 3rd – MirandaBricker, James Madison HighSchool; Honorable Mention -Madeline Roodberg, Flint HillSchool

PICTORIAL1st – Tom Simpson; 2nd – Andy

Wohl; 3rd – Ryan Dunn;Honorable Mention – KarenLykke; Chuck Campbell; Jon Carr

Student Winners: 1st and 2nd :Isabel Roscoe, Thomas JeffersonHigh School

PORTRAITURE1st – Brian Willeli; 2nd – Lee Falcon;

3rd – Brian Willeli; HonorableMention – Karen Lykke; PaigeCounts; Michael Faber

Student Winners: 1st – KateCallahan, McLean High School;2nd - Madeline Roodberg, FlintHill School; 3rd – NicholasNeedham, South County HighSchool; Honorable Mention –Eden Green, Fairfax High School;Madeline Roodberg, Flint HillSchool; Rachel Albrecht, FallsChurch High School

SCENIC1st – Mark Roth; 2nd – Dennis

Govoni; 3rd – Dennis Tarnay;Honorable Mention – Jean Klaus;Dennis Tarnay

Student Winners: 1st and 2nd –Jessica Miller, Centreville HighSchool; 3rd – Rachel Albrecht,Falls Church High School;Honorable Mention – RachelAlbrecht, Falls Church HighSchool; Nicholas Needham, SouthCounty High School

Vienna Parks and Recreationthanks photo show judgesWayne Wolfersberger of theNorthern Virginia PhotographicSociety and Joshua Taylor, Jr.with Archiphoto Workshops,and also the Vienna Photo-graphic Society for assistingwith the show.

Photo By Bonnie Hobbs/The Connection

Vienna’s Kathrin Swoboda won Best in Show for herhummingbird photo.

Katherin SwobodaWins Best in Show

News

With help from theVienna Photographic Society,the Town of

Vienna Parks and RecreationDept.’s annual, amateur photog-raphy contest and exhibition washeld March 15-16 at the Com-munity Center.

The Worldthrough aLens

Photos By Bonnie Hobbs/The Connection

Jon Carr won honorable mention in Pictorial for thisstaircase.

Julie Cochran withher dragonfly photo.

Mary Jane Fish wonsecond place in theArchitecture cat-egory.

Madison High juniorMiranda Bricker placedsecond in Digital for theseWashington, D.C. columns.


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Complete digitalreplica of theprint edition,including photosand ads, deliv-ered weeklyto your e-mailbox.

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By David Siegel

The Connection

Virginia Opera, theOfficial OperaCompany of theCommonwealth of

Virginia, will present GeorgesBizet’s sultry tragedy aboutopera’s most famous femmefatale, “Carmen.” The operahas enthralled audiences formore than a century and isone of the most popular.“Carmen” follows Don Joséand his ill-fated obsessionwith the alluring Carmenwho tosses him aside for an-other man leading to jealousrage.

“At the Center for the Arts,we strive to offer program-ming that appeals to our pa-trons’ diverse artistic tastes.Bizet’s ‘Carmen’ is beloved byopera enthusiasts, and eventhose who are new to thegenre are familiar with themusic,” said Jill Laiacona,George Mason University,

WHERE AND WHENVirginia Opera’s “Carmen” at theGeorge Mason University Centerfor the Arts, 4400 University Drive,Fairfax. Performances are Friday,April 11 at 8 p.m. and Sunday,April 13 at 2 p.m. Tickets areFriday: $44-$86; Sunday: $48-$98.Youth Discount: tickets are halfprice for youth through grade 12.Call 888-945-2468 or visitcfa.gmu.edu

Virginia Opera brings “Carmen” to Center for the Arts.

‘Carmen’ Comes to Area

Photo by David A. Beloff/Courtesy of

Virginia Opera

Ginger Costa-Jackson as Carmen inVirginia Opera’s production of“Carmen.”

Public and Media RelationsCoordinator. “One of its mostfamous arias, ‘Habanera,’ hasbeen parodied countlesstimes, including by TheMuppets and The MarxBrothers. We’re thrilled thatVirginia Opera chose thiswork as the finale for its 39thseason.”

“The team that Virginia Op-era brings to lead ‘Carmen’has produced incredible op-era both on our stage and inopera houses across theworld,” said Russell P. Allen,president and CEO of VirginiaOpera. “Audiences can expecta production of ‘Carmen’ thatwill not disappoint.”

Spring Fun 2014


The Langley girls’ lacrosse team started its 2014 sea-son under a new coach, Rebecca Watkins, with a winover cross town rival McLean, 19-8 on March 20.

Nine different players scored goals, led by seniorco-captain Lauren Clubb (3 goals and 1 assist), jun-ior Julia Byrne (3 goals and 1 assist), freshman BeccaBair (3 goals), sophomore Halle Duenkel (2 goals and3 assists), senior Katherine Gallo (2 goals and 1 as-sist), sophomore Morgan Kuligowski (2 goals and 1assist), junior Nicole Lee (2 goals), junior co-captainAubrey Zarella (1 goal and 2 assists) and freshmanAnna Hofgard (1 goal and 2 assists). Freshman goalieMegan O’Hara had a strong game with 11 saves.

Langley reached the state finals each of the last twoseasons, but enters the 2014 season with many newstarters. The Saxons are captained this year by se-

niors Clubb and Jordan Simonides, and junior Zarella.Coach Watkins, a former Westfield High School

lacrosse star, recently took over the coaching reignsfrom longtime coach Richard DeSomma after a two-year stint as an assistant coach at Shenandoah Uni-versity.

“I see a deep and talented team, and am excited tobe able to work with these girls to achieve their truepotential,” Watkins said. “The McLean game dem-onstrated that we have a balanced attack, and I lookforward to more successful games as the girls cometogether as a team.”

Langley improved to 2-0 with a 10-9 victory againstCentreville on March 24.

Next week will be a real test for Langley with gamesagainst Loudoun Valley, Fairfax and Oakton.

Langley Girl’s Lacrosse Opens Season With a Strong Win Against McLean

Photo by Craig Sterbutzel/The Connection

Langley junior Bethany Bacso fires a shot during aMarch 20 game against McLean.

Sports

By Jon Roetman

The Connection

McLean senior guard CamiProck “took a couple emo-tional days off” followingthe Highlanders’ season-

ending loss to T.C. Williams in the openinground of the 6A North regional tournamenton Feb. 24.

Following her decompression session,Prock returned to the gym to work on hergame. While her time with the McLean girls’basketball team was over, Prock’s hard workpaid off a month down the road with astrong performance in Sunday’s 10th Sub-urban Classic all-star game at Oakton HighSchool.

As a member of the East all-stars, Prockscored a team-high 12 points and earnedteam MVP honors as the East defeated theWest 78-64 on March 23.

THE SUBURBAN CLASSIC featured someof the top seniors from the 6A North and5A North regions. The Northern VirginiaWomen’s Basketball Coaches Associationsponsored the event and helped raise schol-arship money for athletes.

The East all-stars, coached by Edison’sDianne Lewis, led the West squad, coachedby Madison’s Kirsten Stone, 34-30 late inthe second quarter. Prock helped the Eastpull away, though, scoring six points in thefinal 90 seconds of the first half as the teambuilt a 41-30 halftime advantage.

Prock agreed that the environment was acombination of competitiveness and enjoy-ment.

“It was definitely a great mixture of both,”she said. “I know when I’m competing andhaving fun at the same time, it’s a great feel-ing.”

Prock will attend the College of William& Mary next year and is debating whetherto attempt to join the university’s basket-ball team as a walk on.

South Lakes guard Caitlin Jensen, a mem-ber of the West all-stars, was another ath-lete who didn’t take long to return to thegym after her high school season had ended.Jensen said she went back to work the fol-lowing day after the Seahawks lost toCentreville in the regional quarterfinals onFeb. 25.

On Sunday, Jensen led all scorers with 22points, including four 3-pointers.

“I’ve been working really hard since theseason ended,” Jensen said. “It’s a great feel-ing.”

Jensen will continue her basketball ca-reer next season at the University of MaryWashington. On this afternoon, she got toplay once again with South Lakes teammateAbby Rendle, and with girls she had com-peted against during her high school career.

“It was a good experience,” Jensen said.“It was nice because I’ve played againstthese people forever and now playing on

the same team with [Centreville pointguard] Jenna [Green] and all them, it’s anew feel, but I liked it.”

Madison senior Katie Kerrigan has alsobeen working hard, but in a different sport.After the Madison girls’ basketball team lostto Stonewall Jackson in the region semifi-nals on Feb. 27, Kerrigan transitioned to herprimary sport of lacrosse, which she willplay at Ohio State University. On Sunday,she was back on the hardwood as a mem-ber of the West all-stars.

“It was definitely a lot of fun playing withthe best players in the region,” Kerrigansaid. “It’s definitely a little hard because Ihaven’t touched a basketball in three weeks.It was fun. It was a great experience. I gotto play with a lot of my close friends. It wasa great way to end my high school career.”

Kerrigan scored six points, played aggres-sive defense and got to play for Coach Stoneone more time.

“It was fun,” Stone said of coachingKerrigan in the all-star game. “She’s just aworkhorse. You don’t really see many ofthose. … I turned to the girls on the bench

and I’m like, ‘I would hate for her to haveto guard me.’ And they were like, ‘it’s aw-ful.’”

THE EAST ALL-STARS led by as many as22 points, when West Springfield’s AmyBerglund scored to give the team a 76-54advantage in the fourth quarter. Berglundfinished with 10 points. She was one of fourEast players to reach double figures, andone of seven to score at least eight points.

Samantha Porter (Mount Vernon/Chris-topher Newport) and Amber Bryson (Lee)each scored 10 points for the East all-stars.Tykera Carter (T.C. Williams) finished withnine points, while Michelle Noel(Wakefield) and Tatianna Torres (Edison)each had eight. Caitlyn Mandela (LakeBraddock) and De’Ja Jeanpierre (MountVernon/Barton College) each had fourpoints for the East, and Angie Schedler (T.C.Williams) had three.

For the West all-stars, Centreville’s Greenfinished with 13 points and earned teamMVP honors. Arnelle Collins (Freedom)scored 12 points and Alexia Johnson (BroadRun) had nine. Kayla Hix (Stonewall Jack-son) and Bailey Dufrene (Osbourn) eachhad one point. Freedom’s Nicole Lubovichalso competed for the West team.Centreville’s Katie Blumer was a memberof the West all-stars but sat out due to in-jury.

Lewis, who coached Edison to its secondconsecutive region championship this sea-son, said allowing players to have fun wasa priority, but she takes pride in winning.

“Absolutely,” she said. “I hate to lose.”There was a 3-point shootout prior to the

main event, which Berglund won with ninepoints in the final round. Dufrene produceda final-round score of eight, while Prock andGreen each had a score of seven.

Berglund put up 19 points in the firstround.

“My heart was racing, I don’t know why,”Berglund said. “I was pretty nervous. It wasfun. I felt like I was in the NBA all-star[shootout]. My legs got tired in the secondround, that’s why my score dropped somuch, but it was fun.”

McLean’s Procknamed East MVP;South Lakes’ Jensenscores 22.

East All-Stars Beat West in Suburban Classic

McLean senior and East all-starCami Prock, left, defends Centrevillesenior and West all-star JennaGreen during the 10th SuburbanClassic on March 23 at Oakton HighSchool. Each player earned MVPhonors for her respective team.

Madison senior and West all-starKatie Kerrigan goes up for a shotduring the 10th Suburban Classicon March 23 at Oakton High School.

Photos by Craig Sterbutzel/The Connection


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Sports

By Bonnie Hobbs

The Connection

Since age 5, ice skating has been a huge partof Brynn Thomas’s life – and the MadisonHigh freshman wouldn’t have it any otherway.

She does synchronized skating and, she said, “Thethought of going on slippery ice on tiny, thin bladesis thrilling to me.”

In synchronized skating, team members skate tomusic in unison while demonstrating their teamwork,speed and ability to perform intricate formations andchallenging step sequences. And Thomas and herteammates on the Arlington-based Capitol Steps com-peted recently in the Synchronized Skating NationalCompetition in Colorado Springs.

“Figure skating is fun, but synchronized is a reallybeautiful sport,” she said. “And in synchro, you havea family and friendships. You’re also friends outsidethe rink. You form strong bonds with people you havesomething in common with.”

Thomas has been with Capitol Steps since she was6, so she and her teammates have grown up together.They skate at the Junior Level, the second-highestcompetitive level, for ages 12-18.

THE TEAM practices weekends at the Kettler Capi-tals Iceplex in Arlington, from 5-10:30 a.m. Thomasalso takes private lessons, three times a week, afterschool, at the Fairfax Ice Arena.

She skated at Nationals, Feb. 28-29, for her fourthtime, having competed once before at Junior Leveland twice in a younger category. “The first threetimes, we got into the top 10,” she said. “This time,we finished in the top 20.”

But considering the season they had, said Thomas,she and her teammates were just happy to be there.“We had a pretty rough season, with a ton of inju-ries, including to myself,” she explained. “I fell whilejumping during a private lesson, torqued my backand cracked my spine. So doing certain moves afterthat, I was in pain. I did that in November, and I’malmost finally recovered now.”

They found out they made Nationals after a com-petition in Hershey, Pa. “We were really happy,” saidThomas. “We felt like we deserved it and that it was

our time. We’d overcome so many hurdles and inju-ries that we were just relieved.”

Being there, she said, was stressful, but exciting,“knowing it was our last skate of the season and wehad to give it our all. But it was very fun. Being upso high in the mountains made it a little difficult tobreathe, but we trained hard to get our enduranceup and make sure we were prepared for the [eleva-tion] change.”

The Capitol Steps performed a short program of 2minutes, 30 seconds to a medley of songs from Cir-que du Soleil shows. The team also skated a longprogram of 4 minutes, 20 seconds to jazzy, almost1920s-style music.

“We were exhausted from all the practice, so wewere all just happy that we stuck it out and did ourbest,” said Thomas. “We felt proud of ourselves.”

THE HARDEST PART of synchronized skating, shesaid, is “knowing you’re surrounded by 14-16 othergirls and you have to be spot-on and move as oneperson.” But she loves it because it’s “so unique. Youcan’t make a circle or a wheel with just one or twopeople, and the patterns look just beautiful.”

Now, even though the competitions are over forawhile, Thomas will continue skating. In July, she’llgo to a week-long Synchro Camp in Ohio. She cur-rently spends one hour a week at Kettler teachingyoung children who are just learning how to skateand jump. During the summer, she’ll teach them allweek long.

“I love it and I really want to keep doing it throughhigh school,” said Thomas. “It’s so much fun work-ing with the kids; I think I’ll always skate or teachothers.”

‘We Felt Like We Deserved It’Vienna teen competedin synchronized iceskating Nationals.

Brynn Thomas has been skating sinceage 5.

Photo Contributed


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March 30, 2014. My age 59 and a half(9/30/54 is my date of birth). The age atwhich money deposited into an IndividualRetirement Account (IRA) can be with-drawn without incurring a 10 percent early-withdrawal penalty from the InternalRevenue Service (IRS). Not that I’m retiring.I am remembering though when thiscancer-centric life of mine began.

I was diagnosed – in person – onFebruary 27, 2009. Coincidentally aroundthe time of the year when I contribute tomy/our previous calendar year’s IRA. Onthat fateful February day, I was age 54 andnearly one half, approximately five yearsaway from having penalty-free access to myown “qualified” money. Having justreceived a “13 months to two years” prog-nosis by my oncologist, decision-making onsubjects A-Z and/or everything in between –from the sublime to the ridiculous – waschallenging at best, and practically impossi-ble at worst. Throw in a time consideration– such as the future – to factor into yourplanning, and topsy-turvy becomes turvy-topsy.

Now complicate the process further byintroducing financial issues – past, presentand future – along with the incredibleuncertainty of a totally unexpected terminaldiagnosis (stage IV, non-small cell lung can-cer, NSCLC) and you have inaction, inatten-tiveness and insecurity overwhelming you atevery step – and at every stagger, too; physi-cally and emotionally.

As awkward and unfamiliar as this expe-rience was at the time, I recall ponderingthe merit of investing money then that Iwould have limited access to until later, fiveyears later in fact (without penalty that is). Imean, who knew/knows what expenses Imight incur during my treatment?Fortunately I had health insurance, but con-sidering co-pays, deductibles, “reasonableand customary”-type reimbursements leav-ing a balance to be borne by yours truly,alternative medicines/treatment optionsavailable (likely a total out-of-pocket cost),home health care, caregivers, loss ofemployment/income and miscellaneousexpenses I was too clueless and uneducatedto even contemplate and prepare for, andonce again, you have potential trouble atevery turn. Thinking positively and main-taining a good sense of humor can onlykeep so many wolves at bay. At some point– or certainly you think so, you are going tohave to pay the piper, figuratively and mostdefinitely, literally.

Still, I remember thinking even then, inthe haze of this terrible diagnosis/set ofunbelievable circumstances, that if I didn’tact/live as if I had a future, I likely wouldn’thave one. But five years seemed like aneternity, and given my prognosis, didn’tseem like time I should necessarily plan for.After all, my doctor had suggested that per-haps I “take that vacation I had alwaysdreamed of.”

Well, here I am, five years later, havinginvested every year in my/our IRA, still aliveand extraordinarily lucky to be so. In truth,given the facts and feelings I was presentedwith in late February, 2009, I didn’t think I’dlive to see this day. But I have. And eventhough I’m not retiring and not needing towithdraw any funds – prematurely or other-wise – from my IRA, March 30, 2014 is adate, to me, worth acknowledging. Havinglived this long, I suppose it’s time to pickanother date – in the future. If I don’t planfor it, I likely won’t get there.

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

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

AnotherMilestone EmploymentEmployment

MUST LOVE CATSVolunteers needed for cat caretaker shifts with

Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation at 7 Corners/Falls Church, Tysons Corner, Reston or Leesburg PetSmart locations. Morning, mid-day or evening shifts available, need varies by location. Shifts are generally 60-90 minutes,

training provided. Great opportunity for student service hours. Also opportunities for

transport volunteers and fostering. Email [email protected] with questions

or interest.

PT HOUSE MANAGERSeeking part time mature individual to maintain Vienna home, drive carpool,

cook dinners, light errands, laundry, help with homework etc. Must speak English.

Ages of kids 10-12 and 15. Must have valid drivers license. M-F Salary negotiable,

hours vary from late afternoon to evenings. Agree to background check.

Contact Kim at 703-969-4547.

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E-mail ad with zone choices to: [email protected] or call Andrea @ 703-778-9411

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E-mail ad with zone choices to: [email protected] or call Andrea @ 703-778-9411

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Connection


FCPS StudentsWin Awards atHistory Day Competition

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) won ninefirst place awards at the regional competition forNational History Day, held recently at MountVernon High School. The two best entries in eachcategory and in each age division have qualified tocompete in the Virginia History Day contest on Sat-urday, April 26, in Williamsburg.

First place winners included:❖ Ian Suzuki and Justin Shaw of Langley High

School in Senior Group Documentary for “TheRights of the Quebecois.”

❖ Basra Bashir of Mount Vernon High School inIndividual Website for “Children Without Child-hood.”

❖ Jonathan Montgomery of West SpringfieldHigh School in Senior Historical Paper for “GenevaConvention: Responsibilities of the State Protect-ing the Rights of Prisoners of War.”

❖ Abdullah Choudhury of West Springfield HighSchool in Senior Individual Exhibit for “The Roleof Japanese-Americans in World War II.”

❖ Glynnis Farleigh and Alexandra Kraus of WestSpringfield High School in Senior Group Websitefor “Rights and Responsibilities of German CitizensDuring World War II.”

❖ Zainab Calcuttawala and Swetha Kota ofWestfield High School in Senior Group Exhibit for“Miep Gies Fights for Rights.”

❖ Maisha Hoque and Raisa Hoque of WestfieldHigh School in Senior Group Performance for“Akbar the Great: How a Mughal Used His Rightsto Fulfill His Responsibilities.”

❖ Hayley Seal of Westfield High School in SeniorIndividual Performance for “The Louisiana Pur-chase Song.”

❖ David Sohn and Andrew Yoon of Lorton Sta-tion Elementary School in Junior Group Exhibit for“George Washington’s Proclamation of Neutralityin 1793: Rights and Responsibilities of the NewlyIndependent U.S. Foreign Policy.”

Sohn and Yoon also won the George Washing-ton Leadership Prize, sponsored by Mount Vernon,and the first place Citizenship History Award, spon-sored by the Virginia Society of the Sons of theAmerican Revolution. Caleb Danen and ChloeRutley of Lorton Station Elementary School wonthe second place Citizen History Award, sponsoredby the Virginia Society of the Sons of the AmericanRevolution.

Westfield High School student Monica Rudolphwon the Newseum First Amendment FreedomsAward, sponsored by the Newseum, for her SeniorIndividual Exhibit, “Elizabeth Cady Stanton andSusan B. Anthony, Leading the Way for Women’sVoting Rights.” Whitman Middle School studentAnna Jackson won the Newseum First AmendmentFreedoms Award in the Junior Division for herJunior Individual Performance, “Ooh, What ShouldI Wear?”

Second place winners included Emily Vang ofLangley High School for Senior Individual Exhibit;Brooke Scutt, Ashley Sowell, and Ivania Canizalezof Mount Vernon High School for Senior GroupDocumentary; Alison Gray and Eva Du of WestSpringfield High School for Senior Group Exhibit;Christina Starling, Jonathan Hayes, Gari Jimenez-Lugo, and Stephen Scott of West Springfield HighSchool for Senior Group Performance; CatherineElwell of West Springfield High School for SeniorHistorical Paper; Celina Paudel of Westfield HighSchool for Senior Individual Performance; andRanai Kazi of Whitman Middle School for JuniorIndividual Exhibit.

Third place winners were Flannery Jamison ofMadison High School, Senior Individual Documen-tary; Molly McClelland of Mount Vernon HighSchool, Senior Individual Performance; RobertMarchibroda and Nicholas Phan of Robinson Sec-ondary School, Senior Group Exhibit; AyaKhalafalla of West Springfield High School, SeniorIndividual Web Site; Brittany Branch of WestSpringfield High School, Senior Individual Exhibit;Jisun Lee, Sarah Lim, and Asmita Shah of WestfieldHigh School, Senior Group Documentary; SaraSturm, Kellie Cleveland, and Skye Koutstaal ofWestfield High School, Senior Group Website;Shaleen Haque of West Springfield High School,Senior Historical Paper; and Caleb Danen andChloe Rutley of Lorton Station Elementary School,Junior Group Exhibit.

Schools

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Monday Noon

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• McLean • Vienna/Oakton

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