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online at www.connectionnewspapers.com Opinion, Page 6 Entertainment, Page 7 Sports, Page 8 Classifieds, Page 10 December 23-29, 2015 Photo by Ken Moore /The Connection Elected Officials Reflect on 2015 News, Page 3 Top McLean/Great Falls Sports Moments from 2015 Sports, Page 8 Great Falls 2015: Year in Review News, Page 3 Lexie Perez and Taylor Maguire collect items do- nated for the 2015 Wish List Project at the Perez home in Great Falls. The project helps families in area shelters, alternative housing and children in foster care. See www.wishlistangels.com. Lexie Perez and Taylor Maguire collect items do- nated for the 2015 Wish List Project at the Perez home in Great Falls. The project helps families in area shelters, alternative housing and children in foster care. See www.wishlistangels.com. Great Falls Great Falls

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Great Falls Connection ❖ December 23-29, 2015 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com online at www.connectionnewspapers.com

Opinio

n, Page 6

Entertainm

ent, Page 7

Spo

rts, Page 8

C

lassifieds, Page 10

December 23-29, 2015

Pho

to

by K

en M

oo

re/T

he C

on

nectio

n Elected OfficialsReflect on 2015News, Page 3

Top McLean/Great FallsSports Moments from 2015Sports, Page 8

Great Falls 2015: Year in ReviewNews, Page 3

Lexie Perez and Taylor Maguire collect items do-nated for the 2015 Wish List Project at the Perez

home in Great Falls. The project helps families inarea shelters, alternative housing and children in

foster care. See www.wishlistangels.com.

Lexie Perez and Taylor Maguire collect items do-nated for the 2015 Wish List Project at the Perez

home in Great Falls. The project helps families inarea shelters, alternative housing and children in

foster care. See www.wishlistangels.com.

Great FallsGreat Falls

2 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ December 23-29, 2015 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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Great Falls Connection ❖ December 23-29, 2015 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

NewsGreat Falls Connection Editor Kemal Kurspahic

703-778-9414 or [email protected]

See Highlights, Page 4

See Year in Review, Page 4

By Ken Moore

The Connection

Great Grange VisionOn March 7, about 75 members of the

community celebrated renovations to the1929 Great Falls Grange Hall building andgrounds that made it accessible to all ofGreat Falls.

“For far too long, it was not accessible toour residents with disabilities and to oursenior citizens,” said Supervisor John Foust,who helped secure $350,000 for the$503,000 project from County carry-overfunds in 2013. The Fairfax County ParkAuthority funded the balance of the project.

“Great Falls has many assets, but onething it does not have is an official commu-nity center,” said Foust. “The Grange is ourde facto community center.”

The Great Falls Grange was the firstgrange hall built in Virginia and one of fivegranges built in Fairfax County, saidKathleen Murphy, president of the GreatFalls Historical Society.

“It’s gone through ups and downs, butthrough all its history it has always beenthe center of the community. It can becomethat again,” said Phil Pifer, of the Great FallsCitizens Association.

“Now that the Grange has been broughtup to code the question is what are we go-ing to do with it?” said Jorge Adeler. “I hopethe effort won’t stop here.”

A few months later in October, Adeler andrepresentatives from a dozen Great Fallsorganizations met to rejuvenate a commit-ment of making the Great Falls Grange thecenterpiece of the community, as foundingGreat Falls farmers envisioned almost a cen-tury ago.

After learning that the park authority iswilling to give the key to the Grange forthe community to use, Adeler held the meet-ing to see if a consortium of communitygroups is ready to assume responsibility formanaging the building and Old School-house for community use.

“The potential is extraordinary,” he said.The possible activities for community use,for youth, senior citizens, adults, artists,musicians, nonprofits and the entire com-munity are “endless.”

During election season, GFCA during itsdebate, asked Foust his vision for the prop-erty.

“A really impressive group of communityorganizations got together and signed a let-ter to me basically asking for more access tothese facilities.” Foust said. “The proposal wasthat I would get the Grange made ADA ac-

cessible and they would come forward witha proposal that community groups wouldtake responsibility for these two buildings.”

“And eventually if the community groupscome together the way I think they mightand the way it was initially proposed, I seesomething more grand here.”

Foust, Murphy,Favola Re-elected

Supervisor John Foust (D-Dranesville)was re-elected and sworn in for a third termon Dec. 15, 2015, the first person to servea third term in the Dranesville district inmore than 100 years, according to TonyCastrilli of Fairfax County. Foust defeatedfirst-time candidate Jennifer Chronis (R).

Del. Kathleen Murphy (D-34) was re-elected in a rematch with Craig Parisot (R).Murphy defeated Parisot by a final count of10,820 votes to 10,632, less than one per-

cent of voters in the 34th District.The morning after the election, Parisot

sent a legal team to observe a canvas heldin Fairfax and Loudoun counties, which arerepresented by the 34th district, to ensurethe election’s authenticity.

This election was a rematch of the spe-cial election triggered last November 2014when Barbara Comstock (R) was elected toU.S. Congress.

The 34th District has a history of closeelections. In 2013, Murphy lost to BarbaraComstock 50.64 percent to 49.21 percent.Murphy received 14,540 votes toComstock’s 14,962. In 2012, Barack Obamaand Mitt Romney literally tied in the dis-trict, each receiving 18,688 votes, accord-ing to Virginia Public Access Project.

Sen. Barbara Favola was reelected forher second term, defeating challengerGeorge Forakis.

Vision for the Grange,Foust and Murphyre-elected, Exxoncleanup and more.

Great Falls 2015: Year in Review

Photo by Ken Moore/The Connection

The Grange was built in 1929 to be the social center of Great Falls. Nowthat it is accessible to all, after long-needed ADA renovations, the com-munity hopes it will become a hub of community activity once again.

SignificantAccomplishmentsCongresswoman BarbaraComstock (R-10):

“As we finishout 2015, Con-gress hasachieved signifi-cant accom-plishments thatimpact our com-munity: Num-ber one, we fo-cused on thenation’s and our community’s priori-ties and passed a bipartisan budgetthat reversed the defense sequestercuts and restored needed national se-curity and defense funds. We passeda permanent Research and Develop-ment tax credit and cut taxes for smallbusinesses, start-ups and families. Afive-year transportation funding bill,which included funds directed to re-duce traffic congestion as well as re-quiring more accountability and reli-ability from Metro, was signed intolaw. We passed human trafficking leg-islation to stop this growing crime andto protect women and children, andwe established two local task forcesto tackle the devastating problemscaused by heroin use and addiction.In 2016, I look forward to continuingto expand our 21st-century economyand opportunity for all and restoringour national security and defense.”

Thank You toRetiringSupervisorsSharon Bulova, Chairman ofthe Fairfax County Board ofSupervisors:

“This summer,Fairfax Countyshowcased ourimpressive pub-lic safety capa-bilities duringthe excitingWorld Policeand Fire Games.

In March, to build on and enhancean already great Police Department, Iconvened a Police Practices ReviewCommission. Recommendations fromthis 30+ member Commission cen-tered on use of force, response to of-fenders suffering from mental illness,communications, oversight and re-cruitment. Changes resulting from the

Highlightsof 2015

A Year in Review

4 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ December 23-29, 2015 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

News

From Page 3

Deer DensityDeer density is still at least two times

greater than it should be in the Great Falls/McLean area, said Fairfax County WildlifeBiologist Dr. Katherine Edwards, citing anumber between 15-20 deer per square mileas healthy for deer and the environment.Fairfax County recently used aerial and in-frared technology to study deer populationin county parks, she said early in 2015, in-cluding Scotts Run Nature Preserve,Riverbend and other parks around the county.

The Great Falls Citizens Association re-cently took the unusual step of surveyingits residents about experiences with deerand opinions of what to do about it.

Part of the mission of the Great Falls Citi-zens Association is to preserve the semi-ru-ral nature of Great Falls. The Committee onEnvironment Parks and Trails, “observedthat the next generation of our forests hasin many places disappeared under pressurefrom deer herds, raising questions about thesustainability of our highly-–prized naturalenvironment…The objective was to seekresidents’ views so that the GFCA couldevaluate support for new initiatives to pro-tect local woodlands and streams.”

Jerry Peters, a retired ecologist who livesin Great Falls, is spearheading a programin Great Falls to connect licensed, profes-sional archers to homeowners who permitarchery on their land.

For the past seven years, Peters has stud-ied the deer grazing the understory of for-ests, the overabundance of deer in the GreatFalls and Northern Virginia area, and thedeclining deer health because of the inabil-ity for the habitat to support the growingpopulation.

A 125-pound deer requires approximately6.5 pounds of forage per day, or some 2,370pounds of vegetation per year, according tothe Fairfax County Park Authority. Multiplymore than a ton of vegetation by as manyas 100 deer per square mile, and the re-sulting decimation of forest understory andsuburban landscaping is not surprising.

“This is really deer heaven, and we havemade it that way,” said Peters.

Brooks FarmPlanners and the landowner kept tweak-

ing, even eliminating three houses from 23in their their cluster development proposal,but Great Falls Citizens Association votedfor a resolution to oppose rezoning and clus-ter development of the 52 acres of BrooksFarm off Springvale Road.

“The GFCA believes the property shouldbe developed as a five-acre subdivision,perhaps in the Residential-Conservation 'RC'Zoning Category,” according to the resolu-tion passed in May.

“The common area, including the [Re-source Protection Area] and the water dam,and upstream lowland, should remain pri-vately owned, with development condi-tions, proffers and covenants imposed suf-

ficient to ensure they will be properly main-tained and cared for,” reads the resolution.“The County should require the best state-of-the-art stormwater management on ev-ery lot, plus best management practice wa-ter retention in the common areas.”

When first proposed, 1,400 Great Fallsresidents signed a petition to oppose therezoning of Brooks Farm, which some callthe heart of Great Falls.

The meeting was the third in 2015, andBasheer/Edgemoor-Brooks pitched theideal of continued partnership and dialoguewith the goal of reaching consensus beforea final plan comes to the Fairfax CountyPlanning Commission.

“Let me be as blunt as I can be,” said at-torney Gregory A. Riegle, of McGuire Woodswho represents Basheer/Edgemoore-Brooks, LLC. “We would not be able to meetthe expectation of the landowner with fiveacre lots. There is an economic value to thisthat we have to balance.”

Exxon CleanupContinues

The Exxon cleanup in Great Falls contin-ues. Despite ongoing efforts to remove theMethyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE) fromthe groundwater as a result of the leak fromthe former Exxon Station at 9901Georgetown Pike, concentrations of thechemical remain more than 10 times thetarget level in at least one spot.

Approximately 256 pounds of MTBE havebeen removed since pumping and treatmentbegan in August 2014, according to theGreat Falls Citizens Association.

“We will keep being vigilant until theproblem goes away,” said Glen Sjoblom,chair of the Great Falls Citizens Association’sspecial committee on groundwater contami-nation.

The special committee of the CitizensAssociation reviewed the groundwatermonitoring report issued for second quar-ter 2015 by Fairfax Petroleum and its envi-ronmental engineering contractor,Kleinfelder East. The report was receivedfrom the Virginia Department of Environ-mental Quality.

GFCA and Sjoblom predict that pumpingwill need to continue for another year.

“After the end points are reached, moni-toring will continue for another two yearsto verify no contamination will ever reachprivate groundwater wells in the vicinity ofthe commercial center of Great Falls,” accord-ing to the Great Falls Citizens Association.

Low level of MTBE can make ground-water undrinkable due to its offensivetaste and odor, according to U.S. EPAdocuments.

“It doesn’t take a very big leak to cause avery big problem if you have an area thathas private wells,” said Sjoblom.

The groundwater has been treated bypumping it out for air stripping and by char-coal filtration in a special treatment trailer,and the treated water is released below dis-charge limits to the storm drain.

Route 7 WideningThe Virginia Department of Transportation

hopes to begin construction on a $265 mil-lion project to widen Route 7 in 2021. VDOTwill continue meeting with homeowner as-sociations this fall to give details on the 6.9mile project that will increase the width ofRoute 7 from four to six lanes betweenReston Avenue and Jarrett Valley Drive.

The project will be split into two phases.

VDOT plans its next two-day Public In-formation and Open House Meeting on Jan.8 and 9, 2016. A public hearing is tenta-tively scheduled for April 2016 and VDOThopes for approval of the design from theVirginia Commonwealth TransportationBoard to in the summer of 2016.

Safety concerns regarding access is still amajor concern to neighborhoods alongRoute 7 corridor in Great Falls.

See www.ConnectRoute7.org.

Year in Review work of the Commission will help fos-ter our culture of public trust and ensurethe fair and timely resolution of police-involved incidents.

I signed on to Michelle Obama’s“Mayor’s Challenge” to end VeteranHomelessness by the end of 2015.Thanks to our strong partnership withnonprofits and faith-based organizations,homeless veterans are now quickly iden-tified and connected to support servicesand housing.

2015 was an election year for local gov-ernment. Please join me in saying ‘Thankyou’ to retiring supervisors Gerry Hylandand Mike Frey and ‘Welcome’ to new Su-pervisors Dan Storck and Kathy Smith.”

Dranesville in 2015Supervisor John Foust (D-Dranesville):

Fiscal Year2016 Budget:The Board of Su-pervisors adoptedthe Fiscal Year2016 budget thatprovided fundingfor essential ser-vices includingEducation, PublicSafety and Human Services, while con-trolling the tax burden on homeowners.Schools remained the number one pri-ority for the Board of Supervisors, receiv-ing nearly 53 percent of the County’sGeneral Fund, which represented 99.8percent of what the School Board re-quested.

Spring Hill Recreation Center: Ahighlight of 2015 was the opening lastJanuary of the renovated and expandedSpring Hill Recreation Center in McLean.New features include a two-story fitnesscenter, a gymnasium with basketball andvolleyball courts, an elevated runningtrack and family changing rooms.

World Police and Fire Games:Fairfax County was the host to the 2015World Police and Fire Games from June26-July 5. Over 9,000 athletes from 68countries participated in 61 sportingevents at 53 venues with the assistanceof over 6000 volunteers and staff.

Lewinsville Center: The Board ofSupervisors approved an agreement witha major nonprofit developer to redevelopthe Lewinsville Senior Center. New spacewill be constructed for the senior center,adult day care center, two child care cen-ters and 80 independent living apart-ments. Construction will begin in 2016.

Grange: With funding from the Boardof Supervisors and the Park Authority, thehistoric Grange building in Great Fallswas made fully ADA-compliant with theaddition of a wheelchair lift, an ADA-compliant unisex bathroom, and im-provements to the parking areas andwalking routes.

Economic Development: TheBoard of Supervisors adopted a strate-gic plan to strengthen the County’seconomy for the 21st century. The strat-egy focuses on high-level policy recom-mendations to help the County to expandand diversify the economy. The economicroadmap was created by the 50-member,board-appointed Economic AdvisoryCommission, along with county staff.

Ad Hoc Police Practices Commis-sion: The Board of Supervisors createdthe Ad Hoc Police Practices Review Com-mission, which delivered a final reportwith 142 policy recommendations for theFairfax County Police Department, in theareas of communications, recruitment/diversity/vetting, mental health, crisisintervention training, use of force andindependent oversight and investigation.

Better Laws onGun Shop LocationsState Sen. Barbara Favola (D-31):

“I am grateful forthe voters’ choice toreelect me and hon-ored for the chanceto serve the com-munity with my re-cently elected col-leagues, including:Fairfax SupervisorJohn Foust, Delegate Kathleen Murphy,and Arlington County Board MembersKatie Cristol and Christian Dorsey.

The year 2015 highlighted the need forbetter laws governing the location of gunshops. I joined McLean advocates andother legislators to protest a gun shopopening next to Franklin Sherman El-ementary School. In the General Assem-bly, I fought to protect survivors of do-mestic violence and advocated for men-tal health services in our public schools.Although these efforts did not pass, mysuccessful initiatives will: keep campusessafe while protecting the privacy ofsexual assault survivors; fund a programthat helps students get an Associate De-gree while completing high school; andimprove the quality of in–home childcare. I also helped shape the long over-due ethics bill.”

Highlights of 2015

From Page 3

Great Falls Connection ❖ December 23-29, 2015 ❖ 5www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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HCA Virginia’s Reston Hos-pital Center received full ChestPain Center Accreditation withPrimary Percutaneous Coro-nary Intervention (PCI) withResuscitation from the Societyof Cardiovascular Patient Care(SCPC) on Nov. 11. To becomean Accredited Chest Pain Cen-ter, the hospital and Emer-gency Medical Services (EMS)were thoroughly evaluated forthe ability to assess, diagnoseand treat patients who may beexperiencing a heart attack.The team met or exceeded awide set of criteria and anonsite review by an accredita-tion specialist.

“Reston Hospital Center iscommitted to offering thehighest standards of safety andquality care for our patients.This accreditation representsour ongoing dedication to expandand improve our clinical prac-tices,” said John Deardorff, CEOof Reston Hospital Center.

“This accreditation reflects thededication and professional excel-lence of the physicians and staffat Reston Hospital Center,” said Dr.David Jacobs, medical director ofthe emergency department. “Italso validates that we have thenecessary processes in place toreduce the time from the start ofsymptoms to diagnosis, and treatpatients more quickly during thewindow of time when the heartmuscle can be preserved.”

Heart attacks are the leadingcause of death in the UnitedStates, with 600,000 people dyingannually of heart disease. Morethan five million Americans visithospitals each year with chestpain. SCPC’s goal is to significantlyreduce the mortality rate of thesepatients by teaching the public torecognize and react to the earlysymptoms of a possible heart at-tack, reduce the time that it takes

Reston Hospital Center ReceivesChest Pain Center Accreditation

to receive treatment, and increasethe accuracy and effectiveness oftreatment.

An Accredited Chest PainCenter’s (CPC) evidence-based,protocol-driven and systematicapproach to cardiac patient careallows clinicians to reduce time totreatment during the critical earlystages of a heart attack. Accred-ited facilities better monitor pa-tients when it is not initially clearwhether or not a patient is havinga coronary event. Such monitor-ing ensures patients are neithersent home too early nor needlesslyadmitted.

SCPC’s CPC Accreditation pro-cess came about as greater num-bers of facilities in the UnitedStates sought to establish stan-dards and adopt best practices inthe quality of care provided topatients experiencing chest pain.SCPC’s CPC Accreditation processensures that hospitals meet or ex-ceed an array of stringent criteriaand undergo a comprehensiveonsite review by a team of accredi-

tation review specialists. Hos-pitals that receive SCPC CPCAccreditation status haveachieved a higher level of ex-pertise in dealing with patientswho present with symptoms ofa heart attack. They emphasizethe importance of standard-ized diagnostic and treatmentprograms that provide moreefficient and effective evalua-tion as well as more appropri-ate and rapid treatment of pa-tients with chest pain andother heart attack symptoms.They also serve as a point ofentry into the healthcare sys-tem to evaluate and treat othermedical problems, and theyhelp to promote a healthierlifestyle in an attempt to re-duce the risk factors for heartattack.

By achieving SCPC’s ChestPain Center with Primary PCI withResuscitation Accreditation status,Reston Hospital Center demon-strates expertise in the followingareas:

v Integrating the emergency de-partment with the local emergencymedical system;

v Assessing, diagnosing, andtreating patients quickly;

v Effectively treating patients atlow risk for acute coronary syn-drome and no assignable cause fortheir symptoms;

v Continually seeking to im-prove processes and procedures;

v Ensuring the competence andtraining of Accredited Chest PainCenter personnel;

v Maintaining organizationalstructure and commitment;

v Constructing a functional de-sign that promotes optimal patientcare;

v Supporting community out-reach programs that educate thepublic to promptly seek medicalcare if they display symptoms of apossible heart attack.

News

6 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ December 23-29, 2015 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Opinion

The pages of the Connection havebeen full of holiday spirit for morethan a month. Menorah lightings,group and individual efforts to help

the needy, stories of giving, secular celebra-tions, religious celebrations. Shopping locally.Giving locally.

Christmas is about the birth of Jesus Christ.Whether you believe the Christmas story liter-ally or in spirit, you know it is the story of joy,hope and love, the promise of redemption.

It is also about embracing the teachings ofJesus: to love thy neighbor as thyself; to helpthe needy; to feed and clothe the poor; to carefor those who are sick; to treat others as youwould have them treat you.

Matthew 7:12 “So in everything, do to oth-ers what you would have them do to you, forthis sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

Matthew 25:35-40 “For I was hungry and yougave me something to eat, I was thirsty andyou gave me something to drink, I was astranger and you invited me in, I neededclothes and you clothed me, I was sick and youlooked after me, I was in prison and you cameto visit me.”

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord,when did we see you hungry and feed you, orthirsty and give you something to drink? Whendid we see you a stranger and invite you in, orneeding clothes and clothe you? When did we

see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of

the least of these brothers and sisters of mine,you did for me.’”

So let us share the verse relating the birth ofJesus from the Bible, Luke 2: 4-19:

“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, outof the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto thecity of David, which is called Bethlehem; (be-cause he was of the house and lineage ofDavid:) To be taxed with Mary his espousedwife, being great with child. And so it was, that,while they were there, the days were accom-plished that she should be delivered. And shebrought forth her firstborn son, and wrappedhim in swaddling clothes, and laid him in amanger; because there was no room for themin the inn.

And there were in the same country, shep-herds abiding in the field, keeping watch overtheir flock by night. And, lo, the angel of theLord came upon them, and the glory of theLord shone round about them: and they weresore afraid. And the angel said unto them, ‘Fearnot: for, behold, I bring you good tidings ofgreat joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of Davida Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shallbe a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrappedin swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.'

And suddenly there was with the angel amultitude of the heavenly host praising God,and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, andon earth peace, good will toward men.’

And it came to pass, as the angels were goneaway from them into heaven, the shepherdssaid one to another, ‘Let us now go even untoBethlehem, and see this thing which is cometo pass, which the Lord hath made known untous.’ And they came with haste, and found Mary,and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.And when they had seen it, they made knownabroad the saying which was told them con-cerning this child. And all they that heard itwondered at those things which were told themby the shepherds.”

— Mary Kimm

[email protected]

Editor’s Note about the rest of 2015: This is ourlast regular edition of 2015. Next week, afterChristmas, we will publish our annual Children’sConnection, devoted entirely to the artwork andwriting of local students. Our next regular editionswill publish Jan. 6-7, 2016, with deadline for contentand advertising of Dec. 30 (late ads accepted).

In the meantime you can reach the editors [email protected] and sales/marketing/advertising [email protected].

Digital replica editions of the most recent week’spapers are available atwww.ConnectionNewspapers.com/PDFs

Past issues of the Connection back to 2008 areavailable at http://connectionarchives.com/PDF/

Advertising information, Special Section detailshere www.connectionnewspapers.com/advertising

Sign up for a free digital subscription atwww.ConnectionNewspapers.com/subscribe

We wish you hope, peace, love and joyduring this holiday season.

Merry Christmas

By Wendy Lemieux

Fairfax County Office of

Public Private Partnerships

(OP3)

It’s the most wonderful time ofthe year … to help others.Fairfax County has made it

easy with its “Forget the Fruitcake— Ways to Give Campaign” thatpromotes 11 ways to give back toyour community. Running throughthe end of the year, you can do-nate to any of these 11 countynonprofits, foundations and agen-cies in honor of anyone on your giftlist. It makes shopping easy andoffers you a nice tax deduction. Butbest of all, it helps those organiza-tions succeed in bringing goodsand services to those who needthem most at this time of year.

On any given day more than67,000 people go hungry in thecounty and more than 30 percentof the students in Fairfax County

Editorial

schools are eligible for free andreduced lunch. Despite its affluentstatus, Fairfax has a populationthat benefits from programs suchas “Ways to Give.” There is some-thing for everyone on your listwhether they like animals, educa-tion, summer fun or communityspirit. Gifts that give back includebooks, a week at camp, medicalcare, bikes, trees and food for thehungry.

Through a partnership with adagency Williams Whittle, FairfaxCounty’s Office of Public PrivatePartnerships has honed the mes-

sage and the graphics which hasmade a difference in the look andfeel of the campaign. WilliamsWhittle liked the campaign in pre-vious years and offered their pro-fessionals services and contacts tomake the program even better.And it’s resulted in numerous probono advertisement and engage-ment from community stakehold-ers. One beneficiary of the in-creased exposure was the FairfaxCounty Restoration Project (FCRP)— whose mission is to restore thetree canopy in Fairfax County.When the first ad was placed in

the Connection in mid-November,FCRP reported a 70 percent in-crease in visits to their website thatoffers to plant five native trees inhonor of a family member orfriend.

This is the fifth year of the “Waysto Give” campaign that so far hasresulted in an increase of 50 per-cent in web traffic. Although do-nation numbers won’t be availableuntil January, participating agen-cies and nonprofits have reporteda surge in traffic to their sites.

To donate and learn more visitwww.GiveFairfax.net.

County promotes 11 ways to giveback to your community.

The Time to Give

www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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NEWS DEPARTMENT:[email protected]

Kemal Kurspahic Editor ❖ 703-778-9414

[email protected]

Abigail ConstantinoEditorial Assistant

703-778-9410 [email protected]

Ken MooreCommunity Reporter

[email protected]

Jon RoetmanSports Editor ❖ 703-752-4013

[email protected]@jonroetman

ADVERTISING:For advertising information

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Debbie FunkNational Sales703-778-9444

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David GriffinMarketing Assistant

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Editor & PublisherMary Kimm

[email protected]@MaryKimm

Executive Vice PresidentJerry Vernon

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Editor in ChiefSteven Mauren

Managing EditorKemal KurspahicPhotography:

Deb Cobb, Craig SterbutzelArt/Design:

Laurence Foong, John HeinlyProduction Manager:

Geovani Flores

Special Assistant to the PublisherJeanne Theismann

[email protected]@TheismannMedia

CIRCULATION: [email protected]

Great Falls

Great Falls Connection ❖ December 23-29, 2015 ❖ 7www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

THURSDAY/DEC. 24Good For The Jews. 7:30 p.m. Jammin Java, 227

Maple Ave E, Vienna. Good For the Jews is aclever, hilarious music duo from New Yorkwhose Christmas Eve shows at Jammin Javahave become a grand tradition. Join for the duoas they share songs about bar mitzvahs,Passover, Jewish girls, and relatives who live inBoca Raton. $20. https://jamminjava.com/.703-255-1566.

FRIDAY/DEC. 25It’s a Fu@*in SUPER bob Christmas. 8 p.m.

Jammin Java, 227 Maple Ave E, Vienna. Join forsome lively music from the Super bob rock band.$12-$15. https://jamminjava.com/. 703-255-1566.

SATURDAY/DEC. 26Egypt “Annual Reunion Show.” 8 p.m.

Jammin Java, 227 Maple Ave E, Vienna. Join theband with a long history, and have some funtime listening to their music. $15-$18. https://jamminjava.com/. 703-255-1566.

MONDAY/DEC. 28Winter Break Trip - David & Buster’s. 8:30

a.m.-5:30 p.m. McLean Community Center,1234 Ingleside Ave. McLean. Eat, drink and playgames! Dave and Buster’s is one of the bestdining and entertainment attractions around.Lunch and a $20 game card with unlimitedarcade game play are included. Bring money foradditional ticket games, if desired. Fees: $65/$55 MCC district residents. http://www.mcleancenter.org/. 703-448-8336.

Deanna Bogart Band. 7:30 p.m. Jammin Java,227 Maple Ave E, Vienna. Drawing on a varietyof musical sources ranging from boogie-woogieto New Orleans R&B to swing to rock & roll,singer and barrelhouse pianist Deanna Bogartemerged as one of the most eclectic performersin contemporary blues. $20. https://jamminjava.com/. 703-255-1566.

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY/DEC. 28-30SciCamp. 9 a.m. Riverbend Park, 8700 Potomac

Hills St., Great Falls. Explode, experiment andexplore! Guaranteed days of hands-on,interactive science fun! Create slime, volcanoesand even experiments you can take home. Bringsnack, lunch and drink. $180/$195. Ages 5 to 8.http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/riverbend-park/calendar.htm.

Wild Chemistry. 9 a.m. Riverbend Park, 8700Potomac Hills St., Great Falls. Discover hiddenmysteries of the soil and stream throughchemical analysis of water and sediments.Develop your skills as a junior scientist as youuse materials and procedures professionals usein evaluating the health of ecosystems. Usingscientific techniques, explore the natural world.Ages 9 to 12. $180/$195. http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/riverbend-park/calendar.htm.

TUESDAY/DEC.29Winter Break Trip - Flight Indoor

Trampoline Park + Sakura Hibachi. 9a.m.-4:30 p.m. McLean Community Center,1234 Ingleside Ave. McLean. With theopportunity for casual jumping or testing yourbouncing dodgeball skills, Flight TrampolinePark has something for everyone. After jumpingaround, participants will be immersed in a fineJapanese culinary adventure at a Hibachirestaurant. Gaze at skilled hibachi artists as theyprepare a succulent meal right before your veryeyes! Lunch and admission are included.Appropriate exercise clothing required. Fees:$55/$45 MCC district residents. http://www.mcleancenter.org/. 703-448-8336.

Jammin Java Local Scene: Richtown +Cargo & The Heavy Lifters. 7:30 p.m.Jammin Java, 227 Maple Ave E, Vienna. Comejoin for some country music as Ryan Shepherd, acountry singer, and the recording artist,Richtown, perform for the evening. $10-$15.https://jamminjava.com/. 703-255-1566.

WEDNESDAY/DEC. 30Funny Photo Night. 5:30-9 p.m. Meadowlark,

9750 Meadowlark Gardens Court, Vienna. Youprovide your camera and smiles, and we willprovide the props and staff to take your photo.

http://winterwalkoflights.com. 703-255-3631.Winter Break Trip - Autobahn Indoor Go

Kart. 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. McLean CommunityCenter, 1234 Ingleside Ave. McLean. Experiencea thrill like no other while driving an electricpro-style Italian go kart on two completelydifferent Grand Prix-style racing tracks. Lunchand races are included in the fee. Allparticipants must have an additional waiversigned by a parent or guardian. Fees: $75/$65MCC district residents. http://www.mcleancenter.org/. 703-448-8336.

Back to the 90s. 8 p.m. Jammin Java, 227 MapleAve E, Vienna. Enjoy the evening as the threebands - RATM 2, Hostile Apostle and Enjoy! -bring music from the 90’s. $15-$20. https://jamminjava.com/. 703-255-1566.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY/JAN. 1-2Rock This Holiday. 8 p.m. Jammin Java, 227

Maple Ave E, Vienna. Enjoy the evening with thevariety of bands and individual singerscollaborate and perform together for rock musicand more. $60-$65. https://jamminjava.com/.703-255-1566.

SUNDAY/JAN. 3The Fred Eaglesmith Traveling Steam Show.

7 p.m. Jammin Java, 227 Maple Ave E, Vienna.As a veteran of the music industry, FredEaglesmith performs lively rock’n roll music.$20. https://jamminjava.com/. 703-255-1566.

MONDAY-THURSDAY/JAN. 4-7The Band Battle - Prelims. 7 p.m. Jammin Java,

227 Maple Ave E, Vienna. Come join for somerock music and featured artists. $10-$15. https://jamminjava.com/. 703-255-1566.

FRIDAY/JAN. 8The Tone Rangers. 8 p.m. Jammin Java, 227

Maple Ave E, Vienna. In a few choreographedminutes, the Tone Rangers propel through 900years of Western music—from Gregorian chantto classic rock to TV theme songs—in a freshapproach to contemporary a cappella music andcomedy. Come listen to their beautiful voice asthey were voted as the Best A Cappella Groupfor four consecutive years. $16-$20. https://jamminjava.com/. 703-255-1566.

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

St. John’s Episcopal Church serviceson Christmas Eve, Thursday, Dec. 24, willbe:

❖ 4 p.m. - Family Service of Holy Eucha-rist with Christmas Music at 3:30 p.m.

❖ 7 p.m. - Holy Eucharist with ChristmasMusic at 6:30 p.m.

❖ 10 p.m. - Holy Eucharist with ChristmasMusic at 9:30 p.m.

There will be a Holy Eucharist service onChristmas Day at 10 a.m.

The church is located at 6715 GeorgetownPike, McLean. 703-356-4902.www.stjohnsmclean.org.

Celebrate Advent and Christmas atTrinity United Methodist Church, 1205Dolley Madison Blvd., McLean. Weekly wor-ship is Sundays at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m.;Wednesdays at noon. Holiday events in-clude:

Thursday, Dec. 24, Christmas Eve, 5 p.m.family service; 8 p.m., Candlelight and Com-munion; 11 a.m., Candlelight andCommunion. www.imtrinity.org.

Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 2589Chain Bridge Road, Vienna, is holding Sun-day evening worship service in a less formalatmosphere and more intimate setting tohelp you get ready for the week ahead. Sun-days, 6 p.m. Communion offered. Nochildcare. 703-938-2119 orwww.elcvienna.org.

St. Francis Episcopal Church, 9220Georgetown Pike in Great Falls, offers mu-sical, educational, outreach and fellowshipministries in addition to worship services,including a 7:45 a.m. worship service with-out music; 9 a.m. worship service, children’schapel and children’s choirs; 10 a.m. Sundayschool and adult forum; and 11 a.m. worshipservice with adult choir. 703-759-2082.

The Antioch Christian Church offersa time of Prayer and Healing on Wednesdayevenings at 6:30 p.m. for anyone wantingencouragement and healing throughprayers. People are available to pray withyou or for you. Antioch Christian Church islocated at 1860 Beulah Road in Vienna.www.antiochdoc.org

The Jewish Social Services Agency(JSSA) offers a wide variety of supportgroups for those with emotional, social, andphysical challenges. www.jssa.org/growth-learning.

HAVEN of Northern Virginia offers avariety of free bereavement support groups,meeting on a weekly basis. 703-941-7000 orwww.havenofnova.org.

McLean Bible Church Fitness Class atBody & Soul Fitness. Gain balance, energyand strength at 9:45 a.m. Mondays and Fri-days. Free childcare for registered [email protected].

St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church,1830 Kirby Road in McLean, holds a thirdSunday service every month at 10:15 a.m.which allows children to play active roles inthe music and as greeters and ushers. Tra-ditional services are every Sunday at 8:15and 10:15 a.m.

Vienna Christian Healing Roomsare open, every Saturday, 1-5 p.m., at 8200Bell Lane. A team of Christians is availableto anyone requesting prayer. Free and opento the public. 703-698-9779 orwww.viennachristianhealingrooms.com.

Chesterbrook United MethodistChurch is at 1711 Kirby Road, McLean.Worship service is at 11 a.m. Sunday schoolis at 9:30 a.m. for adults and children. 703-356-7100 or www.ChesterbrookUMC.org.

CalendarSend announcements to [email protected]. Deadline is Friday for

the following week’s paper. Photos/artwork encouraged.

Faith Notes

“Lady Singsthe Blues” bySusan Webster,watercolor, canbe seen in“The BluesExhibit” at theVienna ArtCenter fromJan. 5-23.

Photo

contributed

OngoingWeekly Storytime. Wednesday and Saturday.

11 a.m. Barnes & Noble, 7851 L TysonsCorner Center, McLean. Themes and Titlesvary. Free admission.

“The Blues” Exhibition. Jan. 5-23. ViennaArt Center, 115 Pleasant St., NW, Vienna.Exhibition of VAS members paintings withthe theme, “The Blues.” Free. 703-319-3971.www.ViennaArtsSociety.org.

Meadowlark Gardens’ Winter Walk ofLights. Nov. 14-Jan. 4. A half-a-millioncolorful LED lights span the lakeside andgardens of Meadowlark Botanical Gardensoff Beulah Road in nostalgic and fairytalescenes of the holiday season. http://winterwalkoflights.com/.

Bingo Night! 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 27. ViennaVolunteer Fire Department, 400 CenterStreet South, Vienna. The Vienna VolunteerFire Department hosts smoke-free bingoevery Sunday night in the Flame Room andactivities include 33 games for a $100 prizeeach and one $1,000 jackpot game.

Admission: minimum $10. 703-255-6300.53rd Annual James A. Bland Contest.

Through Monday, Feb. 15. Vienna Lions Clubinvites elementary and high school vocalistand instrumentalists to present a song orpiece for cash prizes. For information andapplication, contact Susan Stiles at

[email protected] or 703-938-1142.Trail and Ales with Caboose Brewing and

Grass Roots Fitness. Mondays throughJan. 31. Caboose Brewing Company, 520Mill Street, NE Vienna. Come Run with usevery Monday night. $1 Off All Pints! Allpaces welcome. We will run between 3-5miles with options to go shorter or longer.You can walk or run. Dog and strollerfriendly. Contact Joann Meginley [email protected].

Tai Chi Beginners’ Practice. Saturdays, 8-9a.m. St. Luke’s Catholic School Gymnasium,7005 Georgetown Pike, McLean. Weekly TaiChi practice. Group has met for over 20years. Free. FreeTaiChi.org. 703-759-9141.

8 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ December 23-29, 2015 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Sports

By Jon Roetman

The Connection

The year 2015 included champi-onship glory for multipleMcLean/Great Falls high schoolsports teams, and one team just

missed taking home a state title.Langley High School had two teams win

state championships and others fall justshort. McLean captured a team state title,as well, and produced an individual cham-pionship on the wrestling mat.

The following is a look at some of the topmoments in McLean/Great Falls high schoolsports from the year 2015.

Langley Boys’ SoccerWins It All

The Langley boys’ soccer team completeda dominant 2015 season by winning theprogram’s first state championship.

The Saxons defeated Madison 2-0 in the6A state final on June 13 at Robinson Sec-ondary School, with goals from Jacob

Jacqueline Green produced the Highland-ers’ top score on floor (9.525), vault (9.425)and beam (9.35) during the event, and fin-ished with a score of 8.8 on bars.

Lizzy Brown-Kaiser scored 9.15 or betterin each event, with her best effort comingon floor (9.425).

Calista Parude, Carolyn Brown-Kaiser,Mathilde Larose, Madison Schumann andDelaney Gallagher also competed for theHighlanders.

McLean also won Conference 6 — theHighlanders’ fourth straight conference/dis-trict title — and 6A North region champi-onships during the season.

Langley VolleyballWins RegionChampionship

The Langley volleyball programwon its second region champion-ship in three years with a four-setvictory over Madison on Nov. 14.

This time, however, the Saxonsfailed to follow their region titlewith a state crown.

Langley, which won the 2013state title, faced Madison for thefifth time this season in the 6A statefinal on Nov. 20. The Saxons wonthe first set and two of the firstthree, but fell to the Warhawks infive sets at VCU’s Siegel Center inRichmond on Nov. 20.

Langley finished the season witha 25-6 record.

Langley Girls’Swim, DiveWins States

The Langley girls’ swim and diveteam won the 2015 state champi-onship with a score of 206, beat-ing Oakton by two points.

It was the Saxons’ sixth state titlesince 1998.

Langley, McLean win multiple championships.

Top McLean/Great Falls Sports Moments from 2015

Photo by Craig Sterbutzel/The Connection

McLean’s Conor Grammes, then a junior, won the 152-pound 6A statewrestling title in 2015.

Photo by Louise Krafft/The Connection

The Langley boys’ soccer team won the 2015 6A state championship.

Labovitz and Cameron Bacso. It was thefourth time the Saxons beat the Warhawksduring the season.

Langley finished the year with a 20-1-1record and went unbeaten during its final18 matches. Along with a state champion-ship, the Saxons took home Conference 6and 6A North region titles, as well.

Grappler GrammesWins 152-PoundState Title

Conor Grammes is a standout middle in-fielder for the McLean baseball team and iscommitted to play at Xavier University.

Grammes’ most memorable performanceof 2015, however, occurred on a wrestlingmat.

Grammes won the 152-pound 6A statechampionship, defeating South County’sJacob Wassif with a 5-2 decision on Feb.20 at Robinson Secondary School. His ef-fort helped the Highlanders finish seventhas a team.

Grammes defeated Herndon’s SamuelMilligan in the semifinals with a 6-3decision.

McLean GymnasticsCaptures StateChampionship

The McLean gymnastics team took homea trio of titles during the 2015 season, high-lighted by winning the 6A state champion-ship on Feb. 20 at Patriot High School.

After finishing state runner-up the yearbefore, the Highlanders earned theprogram’s first state title with a score of 145,finishing ahead of second-place Stafford(144.75) by a quarter-point. McLean be-came the first Fairfax County program towin the big school state gymnastics cham-pionship since Langley won it all in 2004.

Photo by Jon Roetman/The Connection

The Langley volleyball team won the 6A North region championship in2015.

Photo by Mike Gallagher

One year after finishing state runner-up,the McLean gymnastics team captured the2015 state title.

Great Falls Connection ❖ December 23-29, 2015 ❖ 9www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Cats benefit from being in a fosterhome. We need long- and short-term

fosters for cats of all ages, motherswith litters and kittens on their own.

Email [email protected].

Adopt/Donate/Volunteer atwww.lostdogrescue.org

ConsiderFostering

You Can Make a Difference

visit the website, cl ick on Participate

Advertising Deadlines are the previous Thursday unless noted.

JANUARY1/6/2016..............Wellbeing, Renewal, Resolutions1/13/2016..........................................HomeLifeStyleMartin Luther King Jr. Day is Jan. 181/20/2016...............................A+ Camps & Schools1/27/2016...................................Community Guide1/27/2016........................... Winter Fun, Food, Arts & Entertainment; Valentine’s PreviewFEBRUARY2/3/2016......................Valentine’s Dining & Gifts I2/3/2016...............Wellbeing – National Children’s Dental Health Month2/10/2016...........................................HomeLifeStyle2/10/2016....................Valentine’s Dining & Gifts II2/17/2016................................A+ Camps & Schools2/24/2016..........................................Pet ConnectionE-mail [email protected] for more information.

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Cooper Middle StudentsAttend Kindergarteners’Holiday Party

On Thursday, Dec. 17 Cooper Middle schoolstudents visited Pine Spring Elementary fortheir annual holiday party. The kindergartenersperformed songs for the students, and then theeighth graders read the story and helped thekindergarteners decorate cookies. At the end ofthe party, each kindergartener was presentedwith a gift that they had “wished” for.

News

Catherine Brown works with Pine SpringElementary kindergarteners.

Brian Feinstein helps a kindergartenerdecorate his cookie.

Eighth graderLucy DuBoisoversees cookiesdecorations.

Mikayla Schoff at the Pine Spring Elementaryholiday party.

Photos contributed

Taylor Bettsreads thekindergartenersa gingerbreadstory.

10 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ December 23-29, 2015 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORYPOLICY AS TO STUDENTS

The Sycamore School admits students of anyrace, color, national and ethnic origin to allthe rights, privileges, programs, and activitiesgenerally accorded or made available to stu-dents at the school. It does not discriminateon the basis of race, color, national and eth-nic origin in administration of its educationalpolicies, admissions policies, scholarshipand loan programs, and athletic and otherschool administered programs.

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If tomorrow were never tocome, it wouldnot be worthliving today.

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Notice of Trustee’s Sale2050 S. Glebe Road, Arlington, VA 22204

Arlington CountyIn execution of a Deed of Trust dated October 11, 2013, in the

original principal amount of $555,000.00, recorded as Deed Book4732 at Page 1740 of the Clerk’s Office of the Circuit Court ofArlington County, Virginia, the undersigned Trustee will onWednesday, January 6, 2016 at 9:30 a.m., by the front mainentrance to the Arlington County Courthouse, 1425 N. CourthouseRoad, Arlington, VA 22201, offer for sale at public auction to thehighest bidder, the following property, with improvements thereoncommonly known as 2050 S. Glebe Road, Arlington, VA 22204and more particularly described as follows:

Parcels 2,3, and Part of Lot 2, Estate of Benjamin Perry Improved by premises known as 2050 S. Glebe Road,Arlington, VA and as more particularly shown on platattached hereto and made a part of hereof entitled “Lot 2of the Partition of the Estate of BENJAMIN PERRY and aVacated 16.5’ Outlet Road” by Alexandria SurveysInternational, LLC, dated Mark 5, 2002, as the same is dulyplatted and attached to the corrected Deed recorded inDeed Book 4196 at page 1179 among the Land Records ofArlington County, Virginia.

RPC: 31024007

This sale is subject to any reservations, restrictions on use,covenants, obligations, rights of way, conditions, easements, leasesand mechanic’s liens, if any, whether of record or not of record, tothe extent any of the foregoing apply and take priority over the lienof the Deed of Trust.

Deposit of $20,000.00, or 10% of the sales price, whichever islower, by cashier’s or certified check, shall be required to qualify asa bidder prior to the sale, except for the Noteholder.

The deposit, without interest, is applied to the purchase price atsettlement. Settlement will be held on or before fifteen (15) daysafter the sale. Upon purchaser’s default, the deposit shall be for-feited and the property shall be resold at the risk and costs of thedefaulting purchaser.

The balance of the purchase price shall be paid by certified orcashier’s check, or wire transfer. Settlement shall be at the offices ofthe undersigned Trustee, or other mutually agreed upon location.The property and any improvements thereon shall be sold in “as is”condition without any warranties. The successful bidder shallassume all loss or damage to the property from and after the time ofthe sale. Purchaser shall be responsible for all costs of the convey-ance, which shall be by special warranty including, but not limitedto, the preparations of the deed, Regional Congestion Relief fee,and the grantor’s tax. Real estate taxes shall be adjusted as of thesale date. The sale is subject to such additional terms as theTrustee may announce at the time of sale. The purchaser will berequired to sign a Memorandum of Sale incorporating all the termsof the sale.

George J. Shapiro, Trustee

FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:George J. Shapiro, TrusteeLAW OFFICES OF GEORGE J. SHAPIRO1464 Ingleside AvenueMcLean, VA 22101703-228-1926

21 Announcements 21 Announcements

Great Falls Connection ❖ December 23-29, 2015 ❖ 11www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Victor Zheng, 21, of McLean, is amongfive University of Virginia scholars who havereceived Critical Language Scholarships to as-sist them in pursuing their love of language.They will spend seven to 10 weeks in intensivelanguage institutes this summer in one of 13countries to study languages the U.S. govern-ment has deemed “critical.” Zheng will studyChinese in Dalian, China. He is a third-year his-tory and Chinese major who is learningMandarin Chinese.

“I applied out of a desire to have anotheropportunity to go back to China and be im-mersed in its environment,” he said. “I also justinherently love being abroad where I believe Ilearn the best and the most.” Zheng, who is amember of U.Va.’s Virginia Glee Club, plans topursue a master’s degree in international rela-tions.

Graham P. Lobel, the son of Doug andBetsy Lobel of McLean, received a Bachelor ofScience degree cum laude, from Haverford Col-lege, in Haverford, Pa., at the school’s 177thCommencement on Sunday, May 17. Lobelgraduated with High Honors in Chemistry. AtCommencement, Lobel also received TheGeorge Peirce Prize in Chemistry, for excellencein undergraduate research. Lobel graduatedfrom the Thomas Jefferson High School for Sci-ence and Technology in 2011.

Fishburne Military School in Waynesboro,Va. announced Cadet Second LieutenantChase Dixon from Vienna as Officer of theMonth for October. Dixon is a senior and theson of Mr. Michael Filan and Mrs. ElizabethMcElroy-Filan. Cadet Dixon is the ExecutiveOfficer of Alpha Company and is a member ofthe Key Club.

Masato Chang, of Vienna, an eighth-graderat Longfellow Middle School was awarded firstprize at the Music Teachers National Associa-tion (MTNA) for the State of Virginia. He willtravel to Florida in January 2016 to representthe State of Virginia for the next round.

George Mahaney-Walter, son of MaryClaire Mahaney and Herbert Walter of McLean,was awarded the degree of Master of BusinessAdministration in recent commencement exer-cises at the Simon School of Business of theUniversity of Rochester.

Gabrielle Greco, of Vienna, daughter ofDrs. Stephen and Judith Greco, was named tothe Dean’s List at the College of William andMary for the Spring Semester.

Chun-Ming “Chris” Chen of Vienna andMaria Vera Alvarez of South Riding havebeen awarded Jack Kent Cooke Founda-tion Undergraduate TransferScholarships. Both students attend NorthernVirginia Community College.

Chen and Vera Alvarez are among 90 stu-dents nationally to receive the prestigiousaward which provides up to $40,000 a year to-ward tuition, books, living expenses andrequired fees for the final two to three yearsneeded to earn a bachelor’s degree. It is thelargest private scholarship for two-year andcommunity college transfer students in thecountry.

Kathryn Seymore Hahne of Vienna, wasnamed to the Dean’s List at the Frank BattenSchool of Leadership and Public Policy for thespring semester of 2015. The University of Vir-ginia established the Batten School in 2007 aspart of its strategic plan and as an expressionof its Jeffersonian heritage.

Saba Chinian of Vienna, was named to theDean’s List at the Frank Batten School of Lead-ership and Public Policy for the spring semesterof 2015. The University of Virginia establishedthe Batten School in 2007 as part of its strate-gic plan and as an expression of its Jeffersonianheritage.

Crystal Farrington isn’t afraid towork. In fact, she worked at adry cleaning company for sevenyears and increased her salary

by 50 percent in that time. The problem isthat going from $8 per hour to $12 per hourstill leaves you living in poverty. In tryingto make ends meet, Crystal went to socialservices in spring 2013. She and some fam-ily members were living in a hotel on Route1 in Mount Vernon at the time.

She was told that she didn’t qualify formuch because her income was too high.However, she noticed a sign about the Ve-hicles for Change (VFC) program, which ledher to Northern Virginia Family Service(NVFS).

As the NVFS caseworker helped Crystalget an affordable vehicle to get to and fromwork, she saw something in Crystal…a driveand tenacity. She told her, “You are sup-posed to do something much greater Crys-tal.” The caseworker told her about theTraining Futures program, located in TysonsCorner.

Just weeks later, Crystal’s mother died ofpancreatic cancer. Crystal said that she felt

as if her VFC caseworker took her underher wings and let her cry on her shoulder.She also encouraged her again to apply forTraining Futures and in October 2013, Crys-tal began the Training Futures (TF) pro-gram. TF is an intense program which re-quired that Crystal reduce her hours at thedry cleaning company. Resourcefully, shefound another nonprofit to assist her withaffordable housing which required that shepay a very modest stipend enabling her tofocus on the Training Futures program.

“It amazed me that a stranger could havemore faith in me than I did in myself,”shared Crystal. In March 2014, Crystalgraduated from Training Futures and waseven selected by her classmates as a key-note speaker. She said that the programgave her confidence and purpose. It alsolanded her a job. Crystal is now a conciergein an office building in downtown D.C. Sheis the “go-to person” for 12 businesses cov-ering administrative tasks and distributingweekly events. Her job is to stay abreast ofall that is happening in the city. With regu-lar 8 a.m.-5 p.m. hours, a $35,000 salaryand benefits, Crystal sees a bright future forherself and her children.

Having grown up poor, Crystal is proudto shout out to the world, “I’m above thepoverty line!” NVFS is changing families andchanging futures.

Northern Virginia Family Service is changingfamilies and changing futures.

Success with a Little Help

Photo contributed

Crystal Farrington: Northern Vir-ginia Family Service has helpedchange her future.

News

School Notes Send school notes to [email protected] Friday.

To have community events listed in the Connec-tion, send to [email protected]. Thedeadline for submissions is the Friday prior to pub-lication.

TUESDAY/DEC. 22TIPS I: Lead Sharing & Networking at

Fleming’s. 12:15-1:30 p.m. Fleming’s PrimeSteakhouse and Wine Bar, 1960A Chain BridgeRoad, McLean. Free to join, $16 for lunch.Contact Peter Himmelberger, Travel Cruise andTour, 703-496-4125 [email protected].

MONDAY/JAN. 4Town Council Meeting. 8-10:30 p.m. Town Hall

Council Chambers, 127 Center Street South,Vienna. All Town Council meetings are open tothe public and individuals are invited to attendand provide their input. Agendas are madeavailable to the public on the Town’s websiteafter 12 p.m. on the Friday preceding ascheduled meeting. www.viennava.gov.

JAN. 5, 7, 12ESL Registration. 7-8 p.m. St. Mark Catholic

Church, 9972 Vale Road, Vienna. Classes beginJan. 19 and ends March 17. Classes heldTuesdays and Thursdays. $25 for Englishclasses, $10 for conversation, writing,citizenship and workshop. Textbook cost extra.Cash only. 703-502-9433.

WEDNESDAY/JAN. 6Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce

Brand Launch. 8:30-10 a.m. Silverline CenterAtrium, 7900 Westpark Drive, Tysons. Meet staffand members of the board of directors. Hearplans for future collaboration. Learn aboutupcoming meetings and events where businessescan get involved. Call 703-749-0400 forregistration information.

WEDNESDAY/JAN. 20Fairfax Commission on Aging. Noon. Oakton

Regional Library, 10304 Lynnhaven Place,Oakton. The public is welcome to attend andjoin in the comment period that begins eachsession. www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs/olderadultservices/coa.htm. 703-324-5403, TTY711 for meeting access needs.

Bulletin Board

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

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

PresentAccounted For

Last week I was "naive and delusional."This week, not so much. Meaning: I'm wellaware of my circumstances and not mindingwhat usually matters. To that point, there's nodoubt there are days/weeks that are morechallenging than others. And even though I'ma veteran of the cancer wars, seven years andcounting come this Feb. 27, I have been tohave been blessed with the proper tempera-ment and attitude for the task at hand: endur-ing the stress and strain of dealing with a can-cer diagnosis and all its effects and affects andnot goingnegative/dark in the process. It's notas if cancer has become my new best friend,more like a roommate I've learned to accept— who's not moving out any time soon, but Ihave learned to manage, mostly. (I am a Libraafter all, and balance is my symbol.)

Still, over time, you do get used to thedemands. You find a way to ignore the symp-toms, not so much that it risks your health,but enough so it doesn't "anguish" your dailylife. Because there's definitely no future — orrather not much of one, when every daybecomes an emotional battle to the hopefully-not, death, so to speak. I don't want to givecancer too much credit but, it's a fairly power-ful adversary and contributing to its strengthserves no purpose and creates no advantage.It doesn't need any help doing all the harmfulphysical, emotional and spiritual, things itdoes. Granted, nipping it all in the bud ismuch easier in the garden than it is in thedoctor's office/infusion center, but unless youbecome the master of your domain, the kingof the castle, the lord of the manor, the moredifficult your cancer experience will be.

This is not to imply that a positive attitudecures cancer. (But I doubt it hurts.) This ismore to say that being miserable, feeling sorryfor yourself or "woeing" is me, though under-standable under the circumstances is boringand as Prince Kuragin (a character fromDownton Abbey) said: "Nothing is more tedi-ous than other person's misfortunes." And Icertainly don't want to be tedious and boring.As a matter of fact, I'll make the extra effort -even when I don't feel like it, to avoid beingthought of as anything but healthy and dare Isay, normal. The more positivity I can exude,the more positivity I likely will receive in turn.It's not exactly chemotherapy, targeted treat-ment or immunotherapy, but "GoodVibrations" is more than just a Beach Boysclassic. It's a way to my heart and soul, andhopefully to my lungs as well.

When it comes to being a cancer patient, Iknow what I know/what I feel, and moreimportantly — in my mind, anyway, I knowwhat I don't know. Facts, figures, protocols,drugs, clinical trials, I don't know, As my wife'sdeceased, maternal grandmother, Frannywould say: I'm as "dumb as a post." For me,ignorance is sort of bliss. I don't worry aboutwhat I don't know; I already have enoughtrouble worrying about what I do know.

Ergo my strategy: take the good with thebad — which is easy, and when there is bad,compartmentalize it somehow; put it in "thevault." To summarize; and with all credit andrespect to Bing Crosby (singing in "WhiteChristmas): I must "Accentuate the positive.Eliminate the negative. Latch on to theaffirmative." Moreover, I have to believe if Iwant to feel good, I have to think good —thoughts that is. And the more humor andnormalcy I have in my life, the better I'll feeland think. I don't know if my future will beany better because of it but my present surewill be.

12 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ December 23-29, 2015 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

www.GreatFallsGreatHomes.com

Jan & Dan LaythamDianne Van Volkenburg

Office: 703-757-3222Susan Canis

Associate Realtor9841 Georgetown Pike, Great Falls, VA 22066 • 703-759-9190Sally Marvin

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