Hitting the Streets to - Ellington CMSconnection.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/news/documents/2013/0… · stead of sacking some employees. Employees receive partial unemployment

Burke Connection ❖ September 5-11, 2013 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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Saving Jobs inHard Times

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Saving Jobs inHard Times

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Burke Centre to Host FestivalNews, Page 8

Burke Centre to Host FestivalNews, Page 8

Hitting theStreets toFill the BootNews, Page 7

Hitting theStreets toFill the BootNews, Page 7

U.S. Rep Gerry Connolly (D-11) said the dedication ofthe men and women of the Fairfax County Fire andRescue Department helps make it one of the best inthe nation. Connolly was speaking to countyfirefighters, paramedics, and others gathered at FireStation 14 in Burke to kick off the annual Fill the Bootdrive.

U.S. Rep Gerry Connolly (D-11) said the dedication ofthe men and women of the Fairfax County Fire andRescue Department helps make it one of the best inthe nation. Connolly was speaking to countyfirefighters, paramedics, and others gathered at FireStation 14 in Burke to kick off the annual Fill the Bootdrive.

2 ❖ Burke Connection ❖ September 5-11, 2013 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com


News

See Work Sharing, Page 5

By Victoria Ross

The Connection

When Springfield business owner TonyCoombs felt the “mind-boggling im-pact” the $87 billion in budget cutswould have on his IT and cyber-se-

curity company, he began preparing his 600 employ-ees for the fallout.

He froze bonuses and pay raises; he cut some em-ployees’ hours by as much as 50 percent; he consoli-dated where he could and he began leasing hisSpringfield office building on a month-to-month ba-sis.

“I wanted to do everything I could to avoid layingoff employees,” Coombs said. “There’s not someonehere who doesn’t have some family connection, anda feeling of family is something we’ve always en-couraged and embraced.”

But the sequester caused serious setbacks to hiscompany and employee morale, and after a fewmonths of treading water, Coombs considered lay-offs.

“We had to rearrange our teams to use less people,”Coombs said. “That’s the worst thing for me becauseeveryone knows my employees always come first.”

Coombs, who participated in Congressional busi-ness roundtables to keep his company moving for-ward, learned about a government program adoptedin several other states that help employers keep ex-perienced workers on the payroll.

CALLED WORK SHARING, more than two dozenstates are now using the program—a kind of unem-ployment insurance in reverse—which comes withfree federal dollars to keep workers in their jobs in-stead of supporting them after they’re laid off. In-stead of getting a pink slip during an economic down-turn, workers have an opportunity to stay on the joband receive unemployment benefits for the hoursthey lose.

And thanks to national employment policy expertssuch as David Balducchi of Arlington, work sharingis getting a new look from employers across the coun-try and the state.

“With work sharing, an employee’s lost day of workdoesn’t have to mean a lost day of pay,” Balducchisaid. “The hours of all employees are reduced in-stead of sacking some employees. Employees receive

partial unemployment benefits only for their losthours of work. And employees keep working anddon’t have to search for a new position in a bleakmarket.”

Balducchi has been crisscrossing the United Statesto educate lawmakers about work sharing and to helpthem enact legislation. In Washington State, for ex-ample, the program has paid dental technicians andplumbers at struggling companies. “The funds en-able companies to hang on to experienced workerswhile they wait for the economy to improve,”Balducchi said.

State Senator George Barker (D-39), a proponentof work sharing, is urging fellow lawmakers to makeVirginia the next state that adopts the legislation.

Barker, who said he is making work sharing legis-lation one of his top priorities for the 2014 GeneralAssembly legislative session, worked with Balducchiand John Horejsi of SALT (Social Action Linking To-gether) to lobby other lawmakers to enact work shar-ing.

“Having been through the recession and recentslight increases in Virginia unemployment rates asfederal sequestration takes effect, it is important thatwe give Virginia businesses all the tools we can tohelp them and their employees get through challeng-ing times. This bill does that,” Barker said Tuesday.

The program, Barker said, is not a red state or bluestate issue. In fact, the most recent states to passsome form of work sharing legislation this summer—Wisconsin and Ohio—are led by Republican gover-nors.

“This is a bipartisan bill put forth by RepublicanSenator Bill Stanley from Franklin County and my-self,” Barker said. “We have worked with the busi-ness community on this bill, including the VirginiaFederation of Independent Businesses, the VirginiaChamber of Commerce, and Virginia Association ofManufacturers as well as with community organiza-tions. We have addressed the questions and concerns

By Mark Cooper

Tysons Corner

How do we mitigatethe devastating ef-fects of layoffs on

employees, employers and theircommunities? Is there a “win-win-win” solution?

There is most definitely sucha solution and it is called“Shared Work.” Borrowed froma program called “Kurzarbeit”in Germany, a country consid-ered one of the world’s peren-nial industrial economies whoknows a thing or two about sur-viving business cycles, this con-cept can decisively help Virginiacompanies, both large andsmall, weather temporarydownturns by keeping theirskilled workforce intact and onthe job.

I know. Before coming to Vir-ginia, I was employed by andoperated my own businesses inGermany from 1980 through2008.

From Fortune 500 companieslike Texas Instruments, my firstemployer, to global giants likeMercedes, Bosch and others, Ihave personally experiencedthe effectiveness of these pro-grams. And they work. A sur-vey conducted by the state ofBavaria’s Chamber of Com-merce in July 2009, the depthof the Great Recession, revealedthat 60 percent of respondentswere able to avoid permanentlayoffs, another 16 percentwere able to come away withonly minimal layoffs so thatwell over three quarters or 76percent were able to keep all ormost of their workforce through“Shared Work.”

How? By reducing the daysworked per week from 5 to 4,as an example, the companiesare able to reduce a sizable por-tion of their labor costs, in thiscase 20 percent, maintain theirworkforce and additionallyavoid costly rehiring and re-training expense when businesspicks up. More importantly,communities keep their bread-winners employed, which inturn continue paying taxes andconsuming local goods and ser-vices. This keeps the “doors

open” which in turn keeps fami-lies together.

While the employee will seea reduction in gross salary orwages, through the clever useof unemployment benefitswhich the employer has beencontributing towards previ-ously, take-home wage reduc-tion would be not as pro-nounced. And that extra daywould be a welcome respite tothose families where bothspouses are working full-timeand could restore some work-life balance in the interim; orthe employer could decide touse the extra day for retrainingand skill improvement.

How do we proceed? In theU.S., 26 states have alreadyadopted such “Shared Work”policy. Our commonwealth hasnot, to date, but the GeneralAssembly should consider thisproven public-private solution.Virginia’s labor market, likemany others, is still languish-ing. “Shared Work” can preventlayoffs, maintain the well beingof employees and their commu-nities and keep businesses com-petitive over the long run.

This is an intelligent, testedpolicy that can truly provide a“win-win-win” for all Virgin-ians.

Preventing layoffs, maintainingthe well-being of employees andtheir communities and keepingbusinesses competitive.

‘Shared Work:’ AWin-Win-Win Solution

Perspectives

Mark Cooper

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Saving Jobs in Hard TimesVirginia lawmakers willpush work sharinglegislation this session.

Virginia’s Potential SavingAccording to David Balducchi:❖ If Virginia enacted a work sharing law, the common-

wealth is eligible for a U.S. Department of Labor planning andimplementation grant of $2,739,420. The cutoff date to ap-ply for the U.S. Department of Labor grant is Dec. 31, 2014.

❖ Also, had Virginia enacted work sharing the common-wealth over the three-year period beginning with passing ofthe federal law in February 2012, it would have enabled Vir-ginia to receive 100 percent of federal reimbursement of worksharing benefits. According to the center for Economic andPolicy Research (CEPR), the potential annual estimated sav-ing in Virginia with federal financing of work sharing couldreach $14,506,300. CEPR says this is an annual saving.

Virginia Senator George Barker (D-39)stands with Fairfax County Supervisor JeffMcKay (D-Lee) during a Fairfax CountyDemocratic Committee meeting last month.

David Balducchi, a national employmentpolicy expert from Arlington, lobbies law-makers to enact work sharing legislation.

Photos by Victoria Ross/The Connection


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going on that makes me want to quit?’”Assessing how much control one has over the situ-

ation is another key tactic. “A person should look atwhat they can change and what cannot change,” saidVan Arsdale. “When setting a boundary with anotherperson, for example, a person could say, ‘Maybe Ican change how often I call my mother, but I can’tcontrol how often she calls me so I need to changehow I respond, because I can only control myself.”

Berg-Cross recommends small, gradual changes.“Make the teeniest changes you can think of that arepart of your normal routine,” she said. “It is notmaking behavioral changes, it is fading from onebehavior to another on a long continuum, little bylittle.”

Van Arsdale said that sometimes she asks clientsto think in reverse. For example, “If I didn’t loseweight and I didn’t get in shape, what is the worsepart?” she asks. “I am having problems with mymother and want to set better boundaries. [If] I don’tchange set boundaries, I will feel powerless, and Iwant to feel more powerful.”

Re-evaluate specific goals and tweak them ifneeded. “Sometimes people set goals that are toohigh,” said Van Arsdale. “If you set you goals to go tothe gym five days a week and that it isn’t happening,instead go three times a week. Hanging in there andtweaking goals so that they work for you is betterthan giving up.”

Poms recommends a SMART (specific,measureable, achievable, realistic, time-based) modelwhen setting and working to reach goals. “Set small,achievable goals and get excited when you meet yourgoals,” she said. “Accentuate the small things thatyou’ve done.”

Van Arsdale said, “Think how your life will changeif you make the change, but be realistic. Saying Iwant to lose 10 pounds is vague. Saying ‘I really wantto be able to walk a 5K race with my friend’ is moredoable.”

This strategy also works in interpersonal relation-ships. “You have to figure out what it is about theother person that makes you feel the need to set theboundary,” said Poms. “You have to figure out deepdown what is the source of the irritation and thenset a boundary, but you want to try to talk to thatperson first.”

Get support from friends and family for any chal-lenging goal. Also, “Don’t set too many goals at oncebecause it gets overwhelming,” said Poms. “You needpractical solutions for dealing with things.”

Wellbeing

How To Set Realistic GoalsLocal experts saythe key to successis settingachievable goals.

When working to make behavioral or physical changes,experts recommend dividing one’s goals into small,gradual steps.

Photo by Marilyn Campbell/The Connection

By Marilyn Campbell

The Connection

Laura Wheeler Poms, ofFairfax, set out to earn adoctorate degree andmake a career change.

As a wife, mother and workingprofessional, the goal, she said,often felt lofty.

“Writing my dissertation attimes felt overwhelming, espe-cially if I looked at it as one hugeproject,” said Poms, who now holds a Ph.D. in in-dustrial/organizational psychology and is an assis-tant professor of global and community health atGeorge Mason University in Fairfax. “I set goals likewriting one page or doing one analysis each day andI was able to get it done. I also gave myself littlerewards along the way.”

While Poms set and achieved an ambitious goal,she and other psychologists say many people do not.Whether one desires to make a career change, setboundaries in an unhealthy relationship or loseweight, setting and achieving goals is difficult forsome.

“The biggest reason people fall off the bandwagonis that they pick goals that are outside their behav-ioral repertoire, that are environmentally impossibleor that they don’t have the skills to accomplish,” saidLinda Berg-Cross, Ph.D., a therapist in private prac-tice and a professor of psychology at Howard Uni-versity in Washington, as well as a Potomac, Md.,resident. “If you say, ‘I’m going to exercise an hour aday,’ but you have a full-time job and children, youreally don’t have time to exercise for an hour.”

Poms says that a person’s reasons for waiting tomake a change could affect his or her success or fail-ure. “If your goal is motivated by guilt, fear or re-gret, you’re less likely to achieve that goal,” she said.“If someone tells you that you need to lose weight,unless that realization has come home to you, it isnot very useful. … If you don’t see the need, you’renot going to be motivated to accomplish it.”

To make lasting changes, experts say, one must beprepared for the work involved in making the shift.“Sometimes when people want to make a change,they are not quite ready,” said Amy Van Arsdale,Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology atMarymount University in Arlington and a therapistin private practice who lives in Fairfax. “And some-times people want to make a change, but they aren’tsure how.

“Another reason that sometimes makes it reallyhard for people to make changes like setting bound-aries with someone they love, is because that personmight feel hurt, so the person who is trying to changebacks down,” Van Arsdale continued.

Whether your goal is getting out of a toxic rela-tionship, making a career change or maintaining anexercise plan, there are strategies that you can imple-ment to maintain your perseverance.

“If someone starts to give up,” said Van Arsdale, “Irecommend that they do a check-in and ask ‘What is


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Work SharingGains Support

raised by legislators.”

UNDER THE BILL proposed byBarker, the legislation would es-tablish a shared work programthat provides employers with theoption of reducing the hoursworked by employees, while per-mitting the employees whosehours are reduced to receive par-tial compensation for lost wages.Program participation requiresVirginia Employment Commissionapproval of a plan, which mustprovide that the reduction in hoursof work is in lieu of a layoff of anequivalent percentage of employ-ees and that employees’ fringebenefits cannot be reduced oreliminated during the plan.

According to U.S. Department ofLabor data, work sharing hassaved 61,299 jobs in a combined19 states in 2012. Some states, likeColorado and New Hampshire,saved less than 100 jobs, whileCalifornia, Texas and Washingtoneach kept between about 10,000and 21,000 employed, accordingto a Justice Center report.

Balducchi said work share pro-grams are gaining momentumwith employers nationally becauseit gives them flexibility during aneconomic downturn. Instead oflaying off highly-trained, experi-enced employees—which maysave employers money in the shortterm—they have the flexibility toreduce hours and maintain a spe-cialized workforce, which ulti-mately benefits employers in thelong term.

For an employer like Coombs,who has invested significant timeand money in training top-ratedcyber-security employees, the pro-gram gives him and his employ-ees some breathing room.

“If I have to lay off people, I’mnot going to 7-11 and find the tal-ent, training and security level myclients expect. … This businessrevolved around a qualified teamof people,” Coombs said.

The Department of WorkforceDevelopment estimates work-share programs will save the un-employment reserve fund $4.9million.

“We almost got it passed in 2013and look forward to success nextyear,” Barker said, adding that heremains optimistic the bill willpass in 2014.

“We will rally the troops nextyear,” Horejsi said. “We are ener-gized by the prospects for successfor this commonsense legislation.”

From Page 3

News


Opinion

Tuesday morning, Sept. 3, the firstday of school in Fairfax County, Dr.Karen Garza began her official dayat 6:30 a.m. at Chantilly

High School. While Garza was makingherself available for interviews beforethe first class started at 7:20 a.m., manystudents were already on the school bus.

That means the students, and most likelytheir sleep-deprived parents, were rousted outof bed before 6 a.m., a time that is essentiallythe middle of the night for teenagers.

The science on teenagers, sleep schedule,health, learning and more all points in a singledirection.

“The scientific evidence is irrefutable:chronic sleep loss and disruption in circadian

rhythms associated with early high school starttimes are associated with negative conse-quences including poor academic performance,increased sport-related injuries, and potentiallong-term increases in cardiovascular andmetabolic (i.e., type 2 diabetes) health risks,said Judith Owens, MD, director of Sleep Medi-cine at Children’s National Medical Center. “We

know that delaying high school starttimes increases total sleep time andpositively impacts academic achieve-ment and school attendance. There are

also documented mental and physical healthbenefits for students that include reductionsin rates of depression and fewer drowsy driv-ing crashes.”

Children’s National Medical Center’s Divisionof Sleep Medicine has been contracted by theFairfax County School Board to develop a planto delay high schools’ start time to 8 a.m. or later.

A 2011 survey showed that more than a quar-ter of 10th and 12th grade students were get-

ting less than five hours of sleep on schoolnights, about half of the recommended eight-and-a-half to nine-and-a-half hours of sleep forteenagers.

Sleep deprivation can also affect teen moodand ability to cope with stress. About a thirdof Fairfax County students surveyed in the lastcounty student youth survey reported feelingdepressed, with more than 15 percent report-ing that they had considered suicide in the pastyear.

Fairfax County Public Schools, with a newsuperintendent supportive of later start times,is poised to do the right thing. It’s time to makethis the last year that high school begins at7:20 a.m.

For more information see http://smartschoolstart.wordpress.com/ and http://www.sleepinfairfax.org/.

— Mary Kimm,

[email protected]

It’s past time to act;let this year be the year.

Later Start Times for High School

Editorial

Heading to PollsTo the Editor:

Thanks to the Connection andreporter Victoria Ross for the“Every Year is Election Year inVirginia” information in theAug. 28 edition. I hope thatreaders will clip and save thearticle and then go to the pollsand vote on Nov. 5.

I would like to add two pointsthat were not mentioned in thearticle:

❖ Virginia citizens who havea current Virginia driver’s li-cense or ID card issued by theDMV can now register or up-date their registration informa-tion online by going to: https://www.vote.virginia.gov.

❖ The Fairfax County Office ofElections will need over 2,000election officers to work at thepolls for the Nov. 5 election. Per-sons with fluency in several lan-guages are especially needed. Per-sons able to spend election dayplus several hours for training to“help make democracy work” cansign up by calling the Office ofElections at 703-324-4735 or go-ing to the office’s website at:http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/e l e c t i o n s / w o r k i n g . h t m #electionofficer.

The League of Women Voters ofthe Fairfax Area (LWVFA) will beat the Reston Multi-Cultural Festi-val at Lake Anne Plaza on Sept.28 to register voters and provide(nonpartisan) election informa-tion. Stop by.

Therese MartinLWVFA First Vice President

Letters

The Children FairfaxShouldn’t Leave Behind

By John Cook

Supervisor

(R-Braddock District)

It’s the beginning of a new school year,and we in Fairfax are justifiably proudof our schools, which we proclaim are

“among the best in the nation.” But whatwe don’t discuss enough is whether theyare the best for all of our children.

When we measure FCPS’s success, weoften talk about the number of AP classes taken, highSAT scores and admissions to the best colleges anduniversities. These “US News and World Report” sta-tistics measure how high our best students can go,but what about the rest? We have a minority stu-dent achievement gap. It’s narrowing but is still sig-nificant. Last year Northern Virginia Community Col-lege (NVCC) reported that approximately 40 per-cent of FCPS graduates attending NVCC needed re-medial help in either math and/or English. NVCChas helped reduce this gap by imbedding guidancecounselors in Fairfax high schools to work with manystudents, beginning in their junior year—if notsooner, to ensure they are taking the right classes tobe college ready. It may be time for FCPS to focusmore on these youth as well.

Further, 40 percent of all disciplinary cases thatreach the Hearings Office involve students with spe-cial needs, even though they comprise only 14 per-cent of the student population. Does that reflect aschool system using the disciplinary process to avoida more robust accommodation and IndividualizedEducation Program (IEP) process that includes par-ents in decision-making? Many parents (myself in-cluded) who have tried to navigate the IEP processfor children with learning disabilities have found theprocess overly bureaucratic and seemingly gearedtoward getting test scores that make FCPS look good,rather than making sure all students are learning.

Compounding matters is a challengingdemographic picture that is not always ad-equately considered and calls out for a re-examining of priorities. One-quarter of thestudent body receives free or reduced pricedlunches (a measure of poverty) and one-third are from homes in which one of 150languages other than English is the primarylanguage spoken. Yet last year, amongFCPS’s priorities for new spending were ex-panding the advanced academic and world

languages (teaching foreign language in the first grade)programs. These programs have noble goals, but theyprimarily help those who are already doing well. In-stead, what about more English as a Second Language(ESL) classes for students and parents? Parents whocan’t speak English can’t help their children with home-work or communicate with teachers, making it moredifficult for their children to succeed. Or what aboutmore help for special needs students and for childrenliving in or near poverty, whose parents can’t affordtutors or even a learning-based preschool?

Sure, it’s nice to make the cover of US News. Butthe real measure of success should be whether all ourstudents are getting a solid education that providesthem with true opportunity in a competitive world.

Commentary

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News

Fairfax County ProfessionalFire Fighters and Paramed-ics Local 2068 kicked off its

annual Fill-the-Boot drive for theMuscular Dystrophy Association(MDA) on Wednesday, Aug. 28 atFire Station 14 in Burke.

Year after year over Labor DayWeekend, the men and women ofthe Fairfax County Fire and Res-cue Department staff fill busy in-tersections across the county seek-ing donations to support MDA’sworldwide research efforts, sum-mer camps, medical equipmentand families living with muscle-wasting diseases. The Interna-tional Association of Fire Fighters(IAFF) has been a partner withMDA since 1954 and is its largestnational sponsor. Thanks to the

generosity of Fairfax citizens andvisitors, Fairfax County Local 2068is the largest contributor in theGreater Washington area, havingraised more than $4 million forMDA clinics, family support, andother MDA efforts in the region.Each year, the Fairfax Fire Fight-ers come in first or second in fundsraised among IAFF affiliates acrossthe nation. Fairfax County FireChief Richard Bowers and Local2068 President John Niemiecwere joined by dozens of fire fight-ers, paramedics and retirees, MDA

families and elected officials in-cluding U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly(D-11), County Supervisors PennyGross and Pat Herrity, and Del.Eileen Filler-Corn.

Niemiec thanked the public fortheir strong support of the Fill-the-Boot campaign year after year.

Congressman Connolly said thesuccess of the Fairfax County firefighters and paramedics’ Fill-the-Boot effort reflected their dedica-tion to the public and to a fire de-partment he described as “one ofthe best in the nation.”

Firefighters Hit the Streets to Fill the BootConnolly praisedFairfax Countyfire departmentas “one of thebest in the na-tion.”

Flanked by Fairfax County Fire Chief Richard Bowersand Local 2068 President John Niemiec, JoshuaJurack’s boot is filled by U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly,Supervisors Penny Gross and Pat Herrity, and Del.Eileen Filler-Corn.

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By Chelsea H. Bryan

The Connection

The word around theneighborhood is thatAngry Birds are preen-ing to make an appear-

ance at the Burke Centre Festival,with sidekicks Spongebob andElmo, too. They’ll be at home inthe whimsy and sport that is theBurke Centre Festival, at 6060Burke Centre Parkway, 10 a.m.-5p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m.Sunday. They might not be at thewine garden though (5-10 p.m.Saturday only). But everywhereelse? Fair game. Amongst theplaces you might spot them are themisting tent, stages full of dancers,bands and singers, participating insports demos, at police displays,shopping with the ladies, eatingfestival food, at a wildlife show,face painting, browsing the arts &crafts booths, or on amusementrides. As any of the characterswould tell you, the Burke CentreFestival is designed to entertain lit-erally everyone.

Children of all ages can expectto have the time of their lives. And

it’s free.Community service, fundraiser

and children’s booth applicants, aswell as candidates for elected po-

Burke hosts its biggest neighborhood blockparty this weekend as the community wel-comes friends and neighbors of all ages for

the 36th annual Burke Centre Fall Festival. It’s anold-fashioned neighborhood event in the heart ofBurke.

The two-day event—hosted by the Burke CentreConservancy (BCC)—kicks off on Saturday, Sept.7, as Supervisor John Cook (R-Braddock) and BrianEngler, president of the BCC, welcome the crowds.

In addition to community favorites, such as thearts & crafts show, face-painting, pony rides, fun-nel cakes and live music, festival-goers got a sur-prise last year when a senior citizen flash mobstarted dancing.

“Awesome is the word I heard often with folksat the Burke Centre Festival after our Flash Mob,”said Cora Foley, who started a tradition last year.

“Our goal is to make sure that people walk awaysmiling after having a great time with all membersof their family,” said Jeannie Winslow, coordina-tor of the event.

Festival-goers can shop for unique hand-madeitems at artist-crafter booths, then enjoy deliciousfestival foods while seeing an exciting live musicalor dance performance, or interactive wildlife show.Children will love the popular ponies and manyother rides, games and activities, such as face-paint-

Angry Birds Rumored to Appear at Burke Centre Festival ... but not in thewine tent, please.

sitions, can still snag a spot to chatwith passerbys. Volunteers are alsostill needed. Go to http://

w w w. b u r k e c e n t r e w e b . c o msub_category_list.asp?category=37&title=Annual+Festival to reg-

Robert Munson of West Springfield gets assistance acrossa rope bride or “Monkey Bridge” by Boy Scouts TonyKresslein (left) and Zayn Khurshid of the Burke Boy ScoutTroop 1345 during last year’s Burke Centre Festival. Thefestival is coming up again Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 7-8.

ister and generally get hyped upfor the weekend of pure, unadul-terated fun.

The Robinson Rams Dance Team from Robinson Secondary School prepare for their performance at the Sept. 9 BurkeCentre Festival last year.

Photo by Deb Cobb/The Connection

Burke Centre Festival:Virginia Is for Lovers!

Burke Centre FestivalWhere: Burke Centre Conservancy, 6060 Burke Centre

ParkwayWhen:❖ Saturday, Sept. 7, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.❖ Sunday, Sept. 8, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.❖ For more information: Call 703-978-2928Email: [email protected] or

[email protected]: www.burkecentreweb.comAdmission Fee: Very affordable costs to ride some rides;

costs for food, wine, shopping, etc.

From left, Connor and HarrisonCampbell of Burke enjoy slushies at theBurke Festival on Sept. 9, 2012.

ing, geared just for them. All ages will delight inthe 28-foot rock climbing wall featured again thisyear. Take a look at the community’s rich 36-yearhistory at the Burke Centre community booth.Adults 21 and older are invited to relax and enjoycomedy or music while they taste some of Virginia'sfinest wines and light appetizers in the after-hourswine garden area.

Festival-goers got a surprise when a senior citizen flash mob started dancing at lastyear’s Burke Centre Festival.

Photos by Deb Cobb/The Connection

HUMANE SOCIETY OF FAIRFAX COUNTYHours: Monday-Friday 10-4 and Saturday 10-3 • 703-385-PETS

Adoptions: By appointment only. • www.hsfc.org

THIS IS “HARRY”Harry is anaffectionate fellowthat loves thecompanionship ofother cats anddoes not like to bealone. Come meetthis sweet fellowtoday!


BaptistPreservation of Zion Fellowship

703-409-1015Catholic

Church of the Nativity703-455-2400

Christian ReformedGrace Christian Reformed

Church 703-323-8033

Realtime Worship - Sunday 8:45 & 11 AMSunday School 10:10 AM

Sunday Evening - Realtime Service& Youth 6 PM

Family Night - Wednesday 7:15 PMCall for Sunday Evening Worship Home Group Schedule

visit our website: www.jccag.org

4650 Shirley Gate Road, FairfaxBill Frasnelli, PASTOR 703-383-1170

“Experience the Difference”

JubileeChristian Center

Celebrating the Sounds of Freedom

www.calvaryfamily.com“Continuing the ministry of

Christ on earth”

9800 Old Keene Mill Rd.

703-455-7041Sunday School

9:15 AM

Worship Service10:30 AM

EpiscopalChurch of the Good

Shepherd 703-323-5400St. Andrew’s

Episcopal Church703-455-2500

LutheranAbiding PresenceLutheran Church

703-455-7500Methodist

Burke UnitedMethodist Church

703-250-6100St. Stephen’s United

Methodist Church703-978-8724

Non-DenominationalBurke Community Church

703-425-0205

Calvary Christian Church703-455-7041

KnollwoodCommunity Church

703-425-2068Presbyterian

Burke Presbyterian Church703-764-0456

Sansaug KoreanPresbyterian703-425-3377

Unitarian UniversalistAccotink Unitarian

Universalist 703-503-4579

bTo Advertise Your Community of Worship, Call 703-778-9418

COMMUNITIES OF WORSHIP

b

To have community events listed,send [email protected] orcall 703-778-9416 with questions. Thedeadline for submissions is the Fridayprior to publication; we recommendsubmitting your event two weeks aheadof time. To see more entertainmentevents, go to: http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2013/may/22/fairfax-county-cal-endar/

THURSDAY/SEPT. 5Reception for “Watercolors” by

Leonard Justinian. 7-9 p.m., atthe Rotary Gallery at The Sherwood,3740 Old Lee Highway, Fairfax. Viewthe local and national watercolorartist and TV celebrity’s work at thecommunity center with a reception.

THURSDAY-SATURDAY/SEPT. 5-14Walking Tours of Old Town

Fairfax. Reservations (90 minutetour), leaving at 11 a.m., fromRatcliffe-Allison House, 10386 MainStreet, Fairfax. The walk includes atour of the historic house and stopsat the Fairfax County Courthouse(1800) and several antebellumbuildings. $5/adults; $3/youth, ages6-12, under 6 free. Family rate: $15.703-385-8414.

THURSDAY-FRIDAY/SEPT. 5-20“Magnitude,” by Jennet Inglis

concurrent with School of ArtFaculty Exhibition. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.Monday through Friday, at The FineArt Gallery, 4400 University Drive,Fairfax. Jennet Inglis’s work showswhere supernovae, quantummechanics and human emotionintersect; the faculty exhibitionshows drawing, painting,

photography, printmaking, graphicdesign, sculpture and new mediafrom GMU’s art professors. 703-993-8898, [email protected] orfacebook.com/gmu.soa.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY/SEPT. 7-8Burke Centre Festival. 10 a.m.-5

p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.Sunday, at 6060 Burke CentreParkway, Burke. With mistings tents,a craft fair, a wine garden, wildlifedemonstrations, performances galoreand much more, the festival lureschildren of every age; it’s free.www.burkecentreweb.com.

SUNDAY/SEPT. 8JCCNV 4th Annual Cycle Fest. 7:30

a.m. registration, at the JCCNV, 8900Little River Turnpike, Fairfax. Feesinclude a Cycle Fest t-shirt, rest stopwith treats, vehicle and mechanicalsupport and light food; choose from a

30, 50 or 65 mile ride to benefitWounded Warriors Project andHazon, which works to makecommunities sustainable. 703-323-0880 or www.active.com.

WEDNESDAY/SEPT. 11Day of Observance Screening of

“Where Soldiers Come From.”4:30 p.m., at the Johnson CenterCinema, GMU, 4400 University Drive,Fairfax. Q&A with director HeatherCourtney and subject DominicFredianelli follows the Emmy Award-winning documentary showing.http://fams.gmu.edu/events/3592.

SUNDAY/SEPT. 15Jeffrey Siegel’s “Gershwin and

Friends.” 7 p.m., George MasonUniversity Center for the Arts, 4400University Drive, MS 2F5, Fairfax.Steinway Piano Gallery ofWashington, D.C. sponsors the

acclaimed pianist’s performance ofAmerican music. $19-$38, Mason IDpermits 1 free ticket. cfa.gmu.eduand HyltonCenter.org.

SATURDAY/SEPT. 2118th Annual CCÉ Irish Folk

Festival. Noon-8:30 p.m. SherwoodCenter at Van Dyck Park, 3740 OldLee Highway, Fairfax; 3971 ChainBridge Road, Fairfax. All are invitedto enjoy the music, dance, language,and athletics of the Irish culture. Freeadmission and parking. 703-919-1031 or http://www.ccepotomac.org.

THURSDAY-SATURDAY/SEPT. 26-28Friends of the Burke Centre

Library Fall Used Book Sale. 1-9p.m., Sept. 26; 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sept.27; 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sept. 28 at BurkeCentre Library, 5935 Freds OakRoad, Burke. A variety of books willbe sold at discounted prices. 703-249-1520.

FRIDAY/OCT. 4“Twelfth Night.” 8 p.m. George

Mason University Center for the Arts,4400 University Drive, MS 2F5,Fairfax. Aquila Theatre performs oneof Shakespeare’s comedies completewith an original musical score. $22-44; Mason ID permits 1 free ticket.cfa.gmu.edu.

SATURDAY/OCT. 5“Saturday Nite Fever.” 8 p.m.,

George Mason University Center forthe Arts, 4400 University Drive, MS2F5, Fairfax. Anthony Maielloconducts the American Festival PopsOrchestra in a celebration of 70s and80s hits. The Friends of the Centerfor the Arts sponsors a pre-performance discussion begins at7:15 on the Center’s Grand Tier IIIand is free to ticket-holders. $24-48.A Mason ID permits one free studentticket on Sept. 24.Ongoing

“Share the Pie.” Through Sept. 15.Paisano’s Pizza, 5765 Burke CentreParkway, Burke; 12715 ShoppesLane, Fair Lakes; 10330 Main St.,Fairfax. Mention “Boys and GirlsClub” when ordering so thatPaisano’s will donate 10 percent ofthe order to support the Club.www.pizzapaisanos.com.

Saturday Farmers Market. 8 a.m.-1p.m., at the parking lot at theintersection of West and Main Streetsbehind Wells Fargo Bank in Fairfax.Every Saturday there is freshproduce, goods and wares at themarket. [email protected] www.FairfaxSaturdayMarket.com.

Sunday Farmers Market. 10 a.m.-2p.m., at the parking lot at theintersection of West and Main Streetsbehind Wells Fargo Bank in Fairfax.Every Saturday there is freshproduce, goods and wares at themarket. [email protected] www.FairfaxSundayMarket.com.

Fairfax Mosaic Wednesday NightFreshbikes Rides. 6:30 p.m., atFairfax Mosaic Freshbikes, 2910District Ave., Fairfax. Weekly bikerides leave from the Fairfax Mosaicstore, the newest addition to theFreshbikes family of stores in thearea. www.freshbikescycling.com.

Northern Virginia Shag Club. 6:30-10 p.m., at the Elks Lodge Fairfax,8421 Arlington Blvd., Fairfax. Dancefor two hours every Wednesday withfree beginner lessons starting at 7:30p.m. and dancing preceding andfollowing; no partners needed. $4.www.nvshag.org.

Join Jewish War Veterans of theUSA. The Burke Post E 100 at 5712Walnut Wood, Burke, invites Jewishveterans and service members to join.703-209-5925.

NVSC Dance. 6:30-10:30 p.m., at theElks Lodge, 8421 Arlington Blvd.,Fairfax. Beginner lessons at 7:30 p.m.and a buffet dinner preceding from6:45-8 p.m.; cash bar available. Nopartners needed. $4; $5 additionalfor buffet dinner. www.nvshag.org.

Calendar

CycleFest, JCCNV’s fourth annual ride to benefit theWounded Warriors Project and Hazon, which createshealthier, more sustainable communities, is set for Sun-day, Sept. 8. Ride 30, 50 or 65 miles, beginning at 8 a.m.

Send notes to the Connection [email protected] call 703-778-9416. Deadline isFriday. Dated announcementsshould be submitted at least twoweeks prior to the event.

Rally Day at 5500 OxRoad, Fairfax Station, pro-vides free family fun, a BBQ,moon bounce, water slide, facepainting and games for children,from noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday,Sept. 8. The festivities are opento the greater community. 703-352-1421 orwww.livingsaviorlutheran.org.

The Guhyasamaja Bud-dhist Center, 10875 Main St.,Fairfax City provides free classesto both newcomers and advancedpractitioners of Tibetan Bud-dhism. The center emphasizesworking with the mind andlearning how to understand theworkings of the mind, overcom-ing innner causes of suffering,while cultivating causes of happi-ness. Under the direction of LamaZopa Rinpoche, the center is aplace of study, contemplationand meditation. Visit http://www.guhyasamaja.org for moreinformation.

Fairfax Baptist Temple, atthe corner of Fairfax CountyParkway and Burke Lake Roads,holds a bible study fellowship at9 a.m. Sundays followed by a 10a.m. worship service. Nurserycare and children’s church alsoprovided. 6401 Missionary Lane,Fairfax Station, 703-323-8100 orwww.fbtministries.org.

Faith Notes


LISA CLAYBORNE

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Four/five bedrooms, 3.5 baths. Ten-footceilings, stunning granite/marble andcherry kitchen overlooking tranquil

landscaped fenced backyard. Hot tub with a screened-ingazebo, walking paths to 2 different water featuresw/fountains. Trex decking. Unique copper patinafeatures throughout. Elegant master suite with heatedtowel rack and seamless shower and separate tub.Completely finished lower level/walk-up w/exercise roomrough-in for full kitchen and in-law suite. So much more.Braddock Road East, Right on Colchester, Right onHarper and left on Pocol to 5925 Pocol Drive.

OPEN S

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Austin David Nicholls, anOak Hill resident andrising junior at South

Lakes High School, earnedscouting’s highest rank of Eagleon June 18. Austin is a mem-ber of Troop 1530, sponsoredby Pender United MethodistChurch in Fairfax, and it was atPender’s ReGift Thrift Store inChantilly that he decided to dohis Eagle Scout project.

Austin planned and oversawthe construction of multiple 8-foot-high high partition wallsfinished with pegboard and anattached display area whichserved to separate a sales areafrom the heating/AC equip-ment and ducting to improvesafety, and also to provide ad-ditional display space. Austinwill be formally awarded hisEagle Scout badge at a Courtof Honor to be held at FlorisUnited Methodist Church inHerndon Saturday, Sept. 7.

Austin recently was also ac-cepted into the Boy Scout’s Or-der of the Arrow and was alsorecognized by the NRA andqualified as a pro-marksmanwith a light rifle. He has earned

his first degree Black Belt inTae Kwon Do through Fox MillTae Kwon Do, is active in SLHStheatre program, enjoys mathand science and is an activemember of his youth group atFloris UMC. Austin is planningto apply to a US military acad-emy or earn a computer sciencedegree and would like to be-come a video game designer.

Austin David Nicholls of Oak Hill with the dis-play area space he built for Pender’s ReGiftThrift Store as part of his Eagle Project.

Austin David Nicholls, amember of Troop 1530of Fairfax, will receivehonors for becoming anEagle Scout Saturday,Sept. 7.

Austin Nicholls of FairfaxTroop 1530 Achieves Eagle Rank

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The Jewish CommunityCenter of Northern Vir-ginia will host an evening

with Miss Israel, Yityish Aynaw, thefirst Ethiopian-born woman to winthe Israeli beauty pageant, onTuesday, Sept. 24, at 7:30 p.m. atthe JCCNV, 8900 Little River Turn-pike, Fairfax. The event is free andopen to the public. Donations arewelcome.

Ms. Aynaw, who will make astop in Fairfax during her U.S. tour,will speak about her journey fromgrowing up in a small Ethiopianvillage to becoming an Israelibeauty queen. Her message —welcoming and celebrating ethnicdiversity — is compelling.

Aynaw was born in Chahawit, asmall village in northern Ethiopia,near the city of Gondar. Her fatherdied when she was young, and shelost her mother to a painful illnesswhen she was 12. Heartbroken,she arrived in Israel with herbrother to live with their EthiopianJewish grandparents. While stilla child, Aynaw was suddenly facedwith a new language, a new cul-ture and all the rest of the chal-lenges that come with starting anew life in a foreign country. Likethe estimated 125,000 EthiopianJews who have gone in waves overthe years to Israel, Aynaw experi-enced the same struggle to assimi-late into her new environment. Butshe threw herself at it, not shyingaway from all that her adoptedcountry expected of her, includingmastering Hebrew and serving inthe Israeli army after school.

“It (was) three of the most sig-nificant years in my life,” saysAynaw about her time in the mili-tary. “There I learned a lot aboutmyself; there I developed,” sheadds. “I was a girl of 19 and thearmy gave me structure.”

After finishing her army service,Aynaw started working as a salesclerk in a clothing store. Tall and

beautiful, she long had her eye onbecoming a model but she neverthought about taking part in a pag-eant. Instead, it was a friend ofhers who entered her name intothe Miss Israel competition. Herwin in February changed her lifeinstantly. Within a matter ofweeks, her name and image weresplashed across newspapers andwebsites, both in Israel andabroad. The publicity also caughtthe attention of one of her heroes:Aynaw was invited to an exclusivestate dinner for Barack Obama inhonor of his first visit to Israel asU.S. president.

Aynaw says she had never ex-pected something like this wouldhappen to her. “Suddenly I thought

about the little girl who had suf-fered and the little girl whose onlydream was to run and play thewhole day. The pain I wentthrough; I saw it all,” she says.

This program is made possiblethrough the support of the Na-tional Juneteenth Christian Lead-ership Council (NJCLC)(www.njclc.com), Rev. Ronald V.Myers, Sr., M.D., founder & chair-man and sponsored through do-nations to the Myers Foundation(www.MyersFoundation.net).NJCLC sponsors the National andWorld Day of Reconciliation &Healing from the Legacy of En-slavement and hosts the 2014 Is-rael Juneteenth ReconciliationTour.

Miss Israel Comes to FairfaxThe Jewish Community Center of NorthernVirginia hosts meet and greet with Yityish Aynaw.

For a free digital subscription to one or allof the 15 Connection Newspapers, go towww.connectionnewspapers.com/subscribe

Be the first to know – get yourpaper before it hits the press.

Complete digital replica of theprint edition, including photosand ads, delivered weeklyto your e-mail box.

Questions? E-mail:[email protected]


Sports

By Steve Hibbard

The Connection

At the age of 9, Aasa Dommalapati, a fourth-grader at Greenbriar West Elementary,competed against the top chess players inBrazil and Canada during the summer

months. She is currently ranked fourth nationally inthe girls U-9 category.

Representing the U.S. for U-10 girls, she took thirdagainst nine challengers at the Pan American YouthChess Championship in Brazil. Then it was off toToronto in mid-August where she competed in theNorth American Youth Chess Championships andplaced 22 out of 31. She was also part of a team of80 players from the U.S. who played in Slovenia lastyear — her first international experience. She hasqualified to play in Dubai at the World Youth Cham-pionship this coming December. The child wonderwon her first national tournament in 2009 in Dallaswhile she was in kindergarten.

Since that time she has been tutored on Skype byVempati Kameswara Rao, 33, from Hyderabad, In-dia, who also uses the website MyChessGuru.com.He has a FIDE rating of 2088 in the Worldwide ChessFederation and is a national arbiter for chess tour-naments.

He calls Aasa an “attacking” player. “I’m expectingher to become a Woman Grandmaster,” he adds.“That is a long-term goal. The short-term goal isWorld Youth Champion.”

Aasa also gets help from her dad Anand, who waschairman of the Greenbriar West Elementary ChessClub for four years.

BEFORE TOURNAMENTS, he often takes threehours of prep time to coach and prepare his childrento win. “Usually we don’t know these people,” saidAnand. “We get a basic idea of what to expect … thecoach can work with them to come up with an alter-native solution and what to expect.”

For strategy, Aasa says she breaks down chessmatches into three parts: openings, middle and endgames. Her strategy is to use different tactics andattacks, she says: “We think of a plan and we justplay it.”

If that doesn’t work, she says she tries another plan,and plays that. “And if he stops it, we think of an-other plan. And it goes on and on. And if he defendsthe plan, then we change it,” she adds.

During the Brazil tournament, she played ninerounds for almost four hours each. “I was expectinga little more, but I think I did pretty good,” said Aasa.“I played two U.S. players, from Washington stateand California.”

Brother Abhinay, 14, is a freshman at ChantillyHigh who has been playing chess since second grade.He’s traveled all over the U.S. competing in state andnational tournaments. He says he always learnssomething new with every chess game he plays. “Ilike to defend at first—then I like to attack when my

By Jon Roetman

The Connection

The Woodson volleyballteam on Tuesday night,Sept. 3, dropped two of

three sets to the Robinson Ramsfor the second time in four days.

There was no chance for re-covery on Aug. 31 as Woodson’s2-1 deficit meant Robinson se-cured a victory during a best-of-three tournament match. OnTuesday, however, the Cavaliersused intensity, positivity and ca-reer-best performance by seniorEliza Fisher tobounce back andwin the regularseason best-of-five rematch.

Fisher amasseda career high 31kills as the Cava-liers won the finaltwo sets to cap-ture a 3-2 (25-19,22-25, 22-25, 25-18, 15-9) victory over Robinsonat Woodson High School.

“On fire. That’s all you cansay,” Woodson head coach LenPalaschak said about Fisher’sperformance. “She’s an amaz-ing ball player.”

Fisher, a left-hander, talliedfive kills in the fifth set, includ-ing the final two points of thematch. She also totaled fiveaces during the contest.

“The thing about our team iswhen we get into ruts, we’rereally good at bringing eachother out of it,” Fisher said.“We’re constantly being posi-

tive. It’s very easy to get frus-trated, but we’re always tryingto uplift people and always tryto have something positive tosay.

“… [W]e were out for blood.We were mad that they beat us.… We were just really pumpedto play this game.”

Woodson’s Mackenzie Reedfinished with eight kills, DaraStevens had six kills, BellaBrahm had four kills and KaelinJennison and Jennifer Scotteach had three.

Palaschak said Jenna Yost,who switched to the libero po-sition late in the match, per-formed well. Yost will play forthe University of Mary Wash-ington.

“Jenna Yost did an amazingjob,” he said. “She got to every-thing. She made a couple great

saves.”Woodson won

back-to-back Pa-triot Districtchampionships in2011 and 2012.Even though theCavaliers are nowa member of Con-ference 7 (sameteams that werein the Patriot Dis-

trict, minus Lee) after theVHSL’s six-class realignment,Fisher, a four-year varsity ath-lete, has her sights set on athree-peat.

“I would love to get anotherdistrict championship,” shesaid. “Our banner is right overthere and we got our very firstdistrict championship ever mysophomore year, we got an-other one last year [and] I’dlove to continue the streak withmy senior year.”

Woodson will host Oakton at7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 9.

Woodson’s Fisher TotalsCareer-high 31 KillsCavaliers beatRobinson infive sets.

Woodson senior Eliza Fisher (11) finished with 31kills against Robinson on Sept. 3.

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“She’s anamazing ballplayer.”—Woodson volleyballcoach Len Palaschak

about Eliza Fisher

opponent is not expecting,” he said. “I don’t just at-tack or defend—I do both.” At Rocky Run Middle, hemaintained a 3.9 GPA and was in the e-Cyber Mis-sion Club and Model U.N.

The GBW Chess Club, which is coached by PaulSwaney, meets Mondays and Thursdays for studentsin grades second through sixth. An advanced clubhas 20 students who meet on Mondays.

“We group the strong with the strong,” said Anand,of the Fair Lakes Crossing community, of organizingthe club. He is a certified USCF—United State ChessFederation senior tournament director. He also worksas an employee for BAE Systems, Inc.

FOR CHESS PRACTICES, he’ll organize fiveminutes of fast games called a “Blitz” just for fun.He also organizes simul-chess or simultaneous chess,and “Bug House,” or team chess for fun.

“Basically by doing that they get to play the stron-ger players,” he said. “So when one tournament isover, you’ll have players with four to zero points.Those with zero points get moved into another sec-tion where they are paired with others with similarstrengths.

The GBW Chess Club is now taking registrationfor the new school year, with 90 children maximum.They are split into two groups that play from Sep-tember through January, and then February throughJune. The 90 are split into five or six sections, withabout 16 children in each section, based on ratings.On Thursdays, students play four rounds in a tour-nament. Students with the highest scores win tro-phies and medals. During the entire season, the clubplays three to four tournaments.

Chess ChampWins by StrategyAt the age of 9, Fair Lakes Crossing resident is ranked4th nationally.

Mom Santhi, daughter Aasa, 9, brotherAbhinay, 14, and dad Anand Dommalapatiof the Fair Lakes Crossing community.

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By Michael Lee Pope

The Connection

The Virginia Supreme Court operatesin silence, denying public access toaudio recordings of its oral argu-

ments. Unlike the U.S. Supreme Court,which denies video recordings but allowsaudio recordings, the commonwealth’s topappeals court has a complete blackout onpublic access to proceedings. In a writtenresponse to questions from ConnectionNewspapers, the Office of the ExecutiveSecretary of the Virginia Supreme Courtexplained that audio records were oncepublic, but the installation of new equip-ment in January 2008 created new concernsfor justices.

“The new digitalrecording equipmentis more sensitive sothat the recordingsnow include any con-fidential commentsany justice makes toanother justice dur-ing the oral argu-ment,” wrote KatyaHerndon, director oflegislative and publicrelations for the Of-fice of the ExecutiveSecretary. “Accord-ingly, the recordings,which are for the in-ternal use of the jus-tices, are no longermade available to thepublic.”

That’s unaccept-able, according to several advocates foropen government and freedom of the press.Virginia Press Association executive direc-tor Ginger Stanley said that she would raisethe issue next month during a meeting ofthe Rights and Responsibilities Subcommit-tee of the Virginia Freedom of InformationAdvisory Council. During the meeting nextmonth, members will be discussing whetheror not to look at parts of government thatare not subject to the Virginia Freedom ofInformation Act, which includes the StateCorporation Commission and the VirginiaDepartment of Corrections. Stanley said theAugust meeting would be an ideal oppor-tunity to challenge the lack of transparencyat the Virginia Supreme Court.

“I don’t believe that new technologyshould stand in the way of transparency,”said Stanley. “If this is new technology, thenit should be able to block the parts that areconsidered private conversations.”

THE LACK of transparency at the VirginiaSupreme Court fits into a pattern of behav-ior for the commonwealth, which has areputation for shielding basic information

from the public. Last year, the State Integ-rity Investigation ranked and graded eachof the 50 states on government accountabil-ity, transparency and corruption. Virginiagot an F, largely because police agencies usean exemption clause in the Virginia Free-dom of Information Act to withhold basicdocuments — even in cases that are closed.Now advocates for open government say it’sa mistake for the Virginia Supreme Courtto operate in secret.

“It just seems unnecessary to allow thejustices to make private comments like thatthat don’t serve any function in the hearingand use that as an excuse to keep the en-tire thing confidential,” said Gregg Leslie,legal defense director for the Arlington-based Reporters Committee for Freedom ofthe Press. “If they really have that concernthey need to have better microphones thatare off unless the justice pushes a button toturn them on.”

Some lawyers see the lack of transpar-ency as a necessaryand expected part ofthe court system.

“If a judge leansover to another judgeand says somethingduring the oral argu-ment, to me that’s partof the deliberation,”said Ed Weiner, aFairfax County attor-ney with 33 years ofexperience. “And I justdon’t think that thepublic should be in-vited into chambersduring deliberations.”

THE COURT is an in-famously closed op-eration. No videorecords are allowed.No audio recordings

are permitted. Visitors to the court are notallowed to enter the building with a cellphone. The court does not even producetranscripts of the oral arguments. Some saythe failure to allow public access to audiorecordings is a mistake that should eitherbe fixed with some kind of tweak to the re-cording system or by a new law forcing thecourts to allow more sunshine into the darkcorridors of power in Richmond.

“The recordings should be made public,”said Del. Scott Surovell (D-44). “These casesare some of the most important cases inVirginia, and it’s important to have as muchsunshine on the public part of that processas possible.”

That’s a bipartisan view. Courts of Jus-tice Chairman Del. David Albo (R-42) saysthe Virginia Supreme Court should allowpublic access to oral arguments or face aneffort from the General Assembly to forcetransparency.

“They are denying the public recordingsbecause they chose crappy technology,” saidAlbo. “I just don’t see why they shouldn’tgive them out. People are allowed to bethere. It’s a public forum.”

News

Silence of the CourtJustices deny publicaccess to shield per-sonal conversations.

“The new digitalrecording equipment ismore sensitive so thatthe recordings nowinclude anyconfidential commentsany justice makes toanother justice duringthe oral argument.”

— Katya Herndon, director oflegislative and public relations,

Office of the Executive Secretary


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• Fairfax • SpringfieldClassifiedClassified

Notice of Request for Proposals (RFP) for Food Service Vendor (Contractor)

The Capital Area Food Bank invites Contractors to submit sealed bids to provide food services for its 31Kids Cafe sites in Northern Virginia. The Institution participates in the Child and Adult Care Food Program.

Specifications and proposals may be obtained at the address below beginning on August 19, 2013 from 8:30 AM until Sep-tember 16, 2013 at 3:00 PM.Please go to our website to access the RFP and for answers to questions:

http://www.capitalareafoodbank.org/accepting-vended-meal-bids/

Proposals presented in triplicate will be received by The Capi-tal Area Food Bank at 4900 Puerto Rico Avenue, NE, Wash-ington, DC 20017 until September 16, 2013 at 3:00PM for the period October 1, 2013 through September 30, 2014 inclusive. Proposals from those bidders meeting qualifications criteria will be opened on September 2, 2013 at 8:00AM with award to be made on or about September 20, 2012 at 11AM. The Institu-tion reserves the right to check all outside references. The In-stitution reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids and to waive any informalities in proposals received. All awards are made pending Virginia Department of Health ap-proval for USDA regulatory compliance.

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I'am a slow walker, but I never walk back.

-Abraham Lincoln

For a free digital sub-scription to one or allof the 15 ConnectionNewspapers, go towww.connectionnewspapers.com/subscribe

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News

Betsy Berenback-Gold, a stu-dent at Robinson Second-ary School, recently re-

turned from a week at NASAwhere she planned a robotics andradiation mission and experiencedlife as an engineer and scientist.

After completing a five-monthonline course that includedprojects, math problems, essaysand tests, Berenback-Gold was se-lected for the NASA summer in-ternship. Berenback-Gold was oneof 90 female high school studentsfrom 41 states who visited theJohnson Space Center in Houston.All who were chosen participatedin the Women in STEM HighSchool Aerospace Scholars project,or WISH.

NASA sponsored two six-daysummer camps for rising highschool seniors during late Juneand early July. The young women

worked in teams with femaleNASA mentors to develop a radia-tion and robotics mission. Teamsworked on designing a radiationshield that would protect theirrover once on the surface of Mars.They worked within the confinesof a fictitious budget and built sev-

eral small mockups of vehicles todemonstrate a successful launchand landing of the Mars space-craft.

“This experience was not just anhonor, but a once-in-a-lifetimeopportunity. I learned many valu-able life lessons that will point mein the direction of my career. Thatweek was filled with challenges,opportunities, teamwork andpeople I will always admire,” saidBerenback-Gold. “I learned fromthe remarkable Gene Kranz,Apollo 13 flight director, to ‘dream,aim high and never surrender.’”

The young women were selectedbased on completion of nine inter-active, online lessons focused onspace exploration and mapped tonational education standards, aca-demic merits and geographic di-versity. The WISH program en-courages young women to pursuescience, technology, engineeringand mathematics degrees and ex-poses them to the real-world ap-plications of STEM careers atNASA.

For more information aboutWISH, visit:

wish.aerospacescholars.org.

Robinson Secondary rising senior Betsy Berenback-Gold was selected for the NASAsummer internship.

Her WISH GrantedRobinson stu-dent selected tointern at NASAthis summer.

BetsyBerenback-Gold, a risingsenior atRobinsonSecondarySchool, re-cently experi-enced life asan engineerand scientistinterning atNASA thissummer.

Betsy Berenback-Gold, arising senior at RobinsonSecondary School.

Pho

to

s co

ntributed

Robinson BandGoes to Indianapolis

The Robinson Secondary Symphonic Band has been selectedas a featured band for the 2014 Music for All National ConcertBand Festival, part of the 2014 Music for All National Festival,which will be held in Indianapolis in March 2014. Selection offeatured bands was competitive; Robinson Band Director AndrewLoft submitted a recording of selections from the state concertband assessment for consideration. Robinson’s Symphonic Bandis made up of 60 students and will be one of 16 bands fromacross the country performing as a featured band. Students willbegin rehearsing for the performance once the 2013-14 schoolyear begins. Contact event liaison Andrew Loft [email protected].

Be Alert for StudentsNow that school is back in session, Fairfax County police urge

motorists to be even more vigilant for pedestrians and bicyclists.Commuters should expect increased congestion throughout theweek and build extra travel time into their schedules.

Residents may also notice police officers posted in school zonesand near bus stops to help ensure pedestrian safety, plus safeloading and unloading of students. Drivers are reminded that,when bus lights and stop signs are activated, vehicles must stopin both directions, unless they’re separated from the bus by amedian.

Citizens Can BeTrained for Emergencies

When emergencies happen, Community Emergency ResponseTeam (CERT) members can give critical support to first respond-ers, provide immediate assistance to victims, and organize spon-taneous volunteers at a disaster site. CERT members can alsohelp with non-emergency projects that help improve thecommunity’s preparedness and safety.

Fairfax County is offering two local CERT basic training classesthis fall. Both will be held at the Fairfax County Fire and RescueAcademy, 4600 West Ox Road in Fairfax. The first class is held onMondays, beginning Sept. 9, and the second class, on Wednes-days, beginning Sept. 11. Each will have eight sessions from 7-10 p.m., combining classroom instruction with practice drills andexercises.

CERT basic training doesn’t require any special physical strengthor agility. Safety and preparedness is stressed throughout thecourse. This training is free and CERT furnishes personal protec-tive equipment for the training that students will keep uponcompletion of the class. People who go through CERT traininghave a better understanding of the potential threats to their home,workplace and community and can take the right steps to lessentheir impact.

Enroll at www.fairfaxcert.com. Register as a new volunteer and,when confirmed, log in and register for CERT class 73, 74 or 75.For further information contact the Fairfax County Fire and Res-cue Volunteer Coordinator’s Office, 703-246-3926, TTY 711.

Area Roundups

Send notes to the Connection [email protected] or call703-778-9416.

Deadline is Friday. Dated announce-ments should be submitted at least twoweeks prior to the event.

Allison Wade of Fairfax wasnamed to the Dean’s List at NewRiver Community College.

The following students receivedthe DAR Youth Citizenship Medalfrom the Providence Chapter ofthe Daughters of the American

Revolution: From Fairfax, BrettMorrow and Anthu Cung, OakView Elementary School; SoniaChaudhary and IanDrummond, Greenbriar East El-ementary School; SidhuDogiparthi and Seon WooCho, Greenbriar West ElementarySchool; Yoshi Iketani andEmma Rowson, Lees Corner El-ementary School. From FairfaxStation, Joshua Sawin andDylan Syron, Fairview Elemen-tary School.

School Notes


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Documents

Hitting the Streets to - Ellington CMSconnection.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/news/documents/2013/0… · stead of sacking some employees. Employees receive partial unemployment