nw 03.07.12 1

The NorThwesT CurreNTWednesday, March 7, 2012 Serving Communities in Northwest Washington Since 1967 Vol. XLV, No. 9

■ Preview: Independent School League lacrosse starts play. 5.■ City officials set date for basketball title games. Page 15.

■ Celebrated chef plans new start with La Forchetta. Page 3.■ City backs off from sole-source contract at Walter Reed. Page 3.

NEWS SPORTS■ Smokey Robinson helps raise funds for Ellington School of the Arts. Page 17.■ A look at Foggy Bottom’s past. Page 17.

PASSAGES INDEXBusiness/9Calendar/26Classifieds/37 District Digest/4Exhibits/29In Your Neighborhood/10Opinion/12

Passages/17Police Report/6Real Estate/21School Dispatches/18Service Directory/33Sports/15Theater/29

By BRADY HOLTCurrent Staff Writer

Four disability rights organiza-tions are asking the city to undo new parking rules affecting drivers with disabilities until officials can more thoroughly study the regulations’ effects. The D.C. Department of Transportation has installed about 400 “red-top” parking meters, which — effective March 1 — are reserved for vehicles displaying handicap license plates or placards. So far, most of these new meters, which have twice the time limit of regular meters nearby, are located down-town and around Southwest’s feder-al buildings.

As part of the program, the District is also ending its citywide policy of allowing disabled motor-ists to park free at any metered space and for twice the posted time restric-tion. This change drew the ire of the

four disability rights groups, particu-larly because there are few red-top meters available. Agency spokesperson John Lisle said the practice of free parking encouraged fraud, with commuters bearing false placards taking up the city’s parking spaces. Around L’Enfant Plaza, said Lisle, the Transportation Department found that at one point 91 percent of the cars on a single block were display-ing disability permits. Eliminating the incentive of free parking, he said, will “encourage turnover and make more spaces available” — including for drivers with legitimate disabilities. Furthermore, Lisle said, without a

Advocacy groups question new meter rules

Courtesy of the D.C. governmentThe “red top” meters are set aside for disabled drivers.

By DEIRDRE BANNONCurrent Staff Writer

Modernization efforts at two Ward 3 elementary schools are about to begin, with the city expect-ed to announce March 16 one or more architects selected to design the multimillion-dollar renovation projects. The plans for Horace Mann and Phoebe Hearst elementary schools, which serve students from pre-kin-dergarten through fifth grade, call for each school’s square footage to nearly double in order to accom-modate many more students than current capacity allows. They are on are on similar timetables, with construction of school additions and Phase 1 of a three-phase con-struction project to begin in late summer or early fall 2012 and to be completed by August 2013. “We received a strong response to the request for proposals,” said Darrell Pressley, spokesperson for the D.C. Department of General Services, which oversees the pro-

posal and construction processes. His department was previously expected to announce the projects’ architect(s) on March 13, but the large number of applications pushed back that date. Mann Elementary, located at 4430 Newark St. in Wesley Heights and built in 1931, has a budget of $10.2 million, according to Pressley, to cover the building of an addition as well as Phase 1 of the modern-ization project. Over the entire course of the project, the school’s footprint is

City readying renovations for Hearst, Mann schools

Bill Petros/The CurrentSaturday’s Family Day at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, an event sponsored by the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, featured a variety of children’s activities including an energetic dance workshop with local breakdancers.

M O O N W A L k I N G

■ Education: ‘Phase 1’ work to begin for both in fall 2012

By ELIZABETH WIENERand DEIRDRE BANNONCurrent Staff Writers

The D.C. Council yesterday voted tentative approval for an omnibus bill to “raise expectations” for public school students by, for example, requiring them to take col-lege entrance exams and apply to at least one post-secondary school, and by paying incentives to highly quali-fied teachers who work in the city’s worst schools. But a testy debate showed some unease with both the mandates and the cost of the “Raising Expectations for Education Outcomes” package assembled by Council Chairman Kwame Brown, who has insisted that even the ambitious school reform efforts of recent years have not translated to success for many of the city’s students. Among its provisions, the bill would:• provide support for middle school children identified as at risk for dropping out of school or failing academically.• require all public high school stu-

Council OKsbill on student ‘expectations’


Residential property values are holding steady in the District and commercial values have increased, according to fiscal-year 2013 tax assessments that were released last Wednesday. The assessments, conducted annually for every D.C. property, are based on recent sales, according to Real Property Tax Administration director Robert Farr. The figures

show a continued interest in D.C. properties, offset slightly by contin-ued foreclosures and short sales in wards 7 and 8, where values fell most sharply, he said. Citywide, the District has an esti-mated $85.9 billion in residential property, down $365 million or 0.43 percent from last year’s assessment. “Statistically, that’s about as stable as you can get,” Farr said in an inter-view. “Most of the wards changed very, very slightly.” Farr credited the presence of the federal government in the District with keeping city property values high west of the Anacostia River.

Residential properties stay flat in assessments■ Real estate: Values rise for commerical sites, city says

Bill Petros/The CurrentThe modernization will nearly double Mann’s square footage.

See Values/Page 25

See Schools/Page 36See Meters/Page 24

See Council/Page 8

2 Wednesday, March 7, 2012 The currenT

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Thursday, March 8 The Woman’s National Democratic Club will host a luncheon forum for Democrats running for D.C. delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, D.C. shadow senator and the Ward 2 and Ward 4 D.C. Council seats. The event will also include remarks by Peter Tatian of the Urban Institute and Ed Lazere of the DC Fiscal Policy Institute on how the District’s demographics have changed and how candidates will respond. The event will begin at 11:30 a.m. at the Woman’s National Democratic Club, 1526 New Hampshire Ave. NW. Admission costs $30; $10 for the lecture only. To RSVP, visit democraticwoman.org/events.html.■ Mayor Vincent Gray will hold a public hearing on the fiscal year 2013 operating bud-get for public schools in the District. Witnesses are invited to provide feedback on ini-tial allocation proposals for individual schools. The hearing will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Sumner School Museum, 1201 17th St. NW. To testify, contact Joshua Thompson at 202-701-9289 or [email protected].

Saturday, March 10 The D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education will hold the “2012 Smart College Choice Expo.” Activities will include workshops, one-on-one meetings with college representatives and onsite D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant registration. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Trinity Washington University, 125 Michigan Ave. NE. For details, call 202-727-2824.

Tuesday, March 13 The D.C. Water and Sewer Authority will hold a Ward 2 town-hall meeting to talk about water projects, rates and other issues. The meeting will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at School Without Walls, 2130 G St. NW.■ The D.C. Open Government Coalition and the National Press Club’s Freedom of the Press Committee will hold a “D.C. Open Government Summit,” featuring speakers from the D.C. government and the local media. The event will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the National Press Club, 529 14th St. NW. For details, visit dcogc.org.■ The Urban Neighborhood Alliance and various co-sponsors will present a candidates forum on the Democratic primary for a D.C. Council at-large seat. The forum will be held from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW.■ The Shepherd Park Citizens Association will hold its regular meeting at 7 p.m. at Shepherd Elementary School, 7800 14th St. NW.■ The Brightwood Community Association will hold its monthly meeting from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at St. John United Baptist Church, 6343 13th St. NW.■ The Carter Barron East Neighborhood Association will hold a community meeting with D.C. Department of Transportation director Terry Bellamy and D.C. Department of Public Works director William O. Howland Jr. regarding issues such as environmental services and traffic enforcement, safety and management. The meeting will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. in the community room at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s Northern Division building, 4627 14th St. NW.

Thursday, March 15 Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4A will host a candidates forum for the Ward 4 D.C. Council race. The forum will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. at Brightwood Education Campus, 1300 Nicholson St. NW. Residents are invited to submit potential questions to [email protected].

The week ahead

By ELIZABETH WIENERCurrent Staff Writer

After months of negotiations between the city and a South Carolina firm over plans to build a fire station on the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center campus, officials abruptly terminated talks in late February when lawyers con-firmed there is no legal basis for awarding Keenan Development Ventures a sole-source contract. City officials still hope they can use the site on Georgia Avenue at Butternut Street — home to a decrepit former hotel known as Building 18 — for a new fire sta-tion. Fire officials have been trying to relocate Engine Co. 22 there for years because the aging station at Georgia and Missouri avenues is beyond repair, and it’s located too far south to properly serve Ward 4 communities near the District line. But the situation also leaves the city’s economic development office

with a bit of egg on its face, since community activists — including the Takoma advisory neighborhood commission — have been warning for months that it might be improper to pay Keenan off or award a sole-source contract to the Columbia, S.C., firm. They note that the city is now set to get Building 18 at no cost when the U.S. Army turns over prime acreage at Walter Reed for redevelopment by the District. More embarrassing still, the D.C. Council adopted emergency legisla-tion last summer — at the request of the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development — exempting the fire station project from competitive bid-ding because, an emergency declara-tion stated: “a private third-party developer holds the development rights … to Building 18, through an enhanced use lease executed with the Army.” It’s clear now that the statement

City halts sole-source talks for lease of Walter Reed site By DEIRDRE BANNON

Current Staff Writer

La Forchetta, a new restaurant set to open near American University during the first week of April, will do so with well-known chef Roberto Donna at the helm. Donna, an Italian native who once owned and operated several upscale area restaurants including Galileo, Laboratorio del Galileo and Osteria, has signed a one-year contract with restaurant owner Hakan Ilhan. Now, the two are working to put the final touches on the 116-seat Italian brasserie located at 3201 New Mexico Ave., in the same retail and office complex as popular restaurant Chef Geoff’s. “I’m very excited to be back in D.C.,” Donna said in an interview. He returns to the area after taking a job just over a month ago with the Arizona-based

Bice Group, which owns an international chain of Northern Italian restaurants. Before he moved out West, the celebrated chef had run into legal troubles with the local restaurants he once owned. “I am happy to join Hakan because he has what I need — good business sense,” added Donna, who failed to pay local taxes and — according to former staffers — his employees during the later years of his restaurant empire. “I think we will make a good couple. I cook and make good food, and he makes restaurants work well.” Ilhan, who lives in the Foxhall Crescents neigh-borhood, owns 21 successful eateries in the area, including Gelato Dolce Vita in Georgetown and several restaurant franchises. La Forchetta will be his first neighborhood sit-down restaurant. “While I have been a successful restaurant owner

Celebrated chef to return to Wesley Heights

See Lease/Page 22

See Forchetta/Page 24

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New member tapped for D.C. zoning board The D.C. Council yesterday con-firmed a Capitol Hill construction management consultant as one of the city’s three appointees to the Board of Zoning Adjustment. Rashida MacMurray will replace attorney Meridith Moldenhauer, a downtown resident who is currently serving as the board’s chair. According to her résumé, MacMurray consults on capital projects for Deloitte Financial Advisory Services and also pro-vides training on managing con-struction programs. She is a lawyer and litigator — experience that could prove helpful to the board, which must interpret

the city’s arcane zoning code when deciding appeals of permitting deci-sions and granting exceptions and variances from the code. The board will elect a new chair when Moldenhauer steps down.

— Elizabeth Wiener

Council fetes music store on anniversary D.C. Council members yester-day honored Middle C Music on its 10th anniversary, noting that several members’ children have honed their instrumental skills at the Tenleytown store, the only full-ser-vice music store in the city. Chairman Kwame Brown said his daughter took both violin and guitar lessons at Middle C and

“loves the store.” Jack Evans of Ward 2 said his daughter also learned to play guitar there. “It’s not just a music store, but a community anchor,” said Mary Cheh of Ward 3, noting that many of her constituents also go to the store to buy sheet music and to hear recitals and solo concerts. “I got fitted for a guitar there,” said Tommy Wells of Ward 6. “Being on the council, it’s nice to have another diversion that calms the soul.” “I hear they told you to keep your day job,” Evans joked. Middle C’s founder and owner, Myrna Sislen, said she will host a birthday celebration at the store March 22.

— Elizabeth Wiener

Agency lays out plan for Woodson Home The National Park Service is accepting public comments through Tuesday on plans for the historic Carter G. Woodson Home in Shaw. Carter G. Woodson, the second African-American to earn a doctor-ate from Harvard University, became a prominent educator, histo-rian, publisher and advocate in D.C. during the middle of the 20th centu-

ry. Known as the “father of black history,” he founded the organiza-tion that is known today as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Woodson’s former home, at 1538 9th St. NW, is designated as a national historic site. The Park Service owns that property along with two adjacent row houses at 1540 and 1542 9th St., and the agency plans to acquire a private building to the north at 1544 9th St, according to the Park Service. The agency is recommending full restoration of Woodson’s home, allowing for site tours. The neigh-boring properties would host exhib-its, videos and educational pro-grams, while the Association for the Study of African American Life and History would occupy at least 500 square feet of administrative space. Along with that proposal, the Park Service has detailed a required “no-action” alternative. More information and docu-ments related to the plans for the Woodson Home can be found at parkplanning.nps.gov/cawo. The Park Service recommends that read-ers submit comments through an electronic form at the same website, which also provides addresses for mailing or hand-delivering com-ments. The public can also view a hard copy of the plan at the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site at 1318 Vermont Ave. NW.

— Katie Pearce

Former Post publisher addresses Rotarians Former Washington Post pub-lisher Donald Graham told D.C. Rotarians last week that education is the only way the city can reduce its high poverty rate. Outstanding charter schools such

as KIPP, DC Prep and E.L. Haynes have shown that poor children can succeed, Graham said at a Feb. 29 meeting of the Rotary Club of Washington, DC. “The best charter schools are amazing,” he said. “The kids out-perform the kids in Georgetown and Cleveland Park. Before I saw these schools, I would have thought it impossible.” Such schools “have built into the children a universal expectation of success,” Graham said. “These kids are up against problems we couldn’t dream of. Look at the results.” With the public school system undergoing steady improvements over the past five years, Graham expressed confidence in Chancellor Kaya Henderson. “She seems to me to have a chance to be the right per-son,” he said.

Pepco electric rates to drop 5.8 percent Most D.C. Pepco customers will see lower electric rates starting June 1, as the utility has secured a cheap-er contract for its power, the compa-ny announced Friday. Pepco pro-jected that the average residential bill will drop from $90 to $84.74. The utility is still seeking per-mission from the D.C. Public Service Commission to increase the amount it charges to deliver the electricity to homes, which it says is necessary to cover infrastructure improvements. Pepco is responsible for the District’s power lines, but the com-pany does not generate its own electricity. Residents who buy their power from a company other than Pepco will be unaffected by this lat-est rate decrease.

Wilson, Deal buses now leaving earlier Following requests from school officials, five Metrobus routes serv-ing Deal Middle School and Wilson High School have begun service 10 minutes earlier each morning, according to a news release from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. The change affects routes D31, D32, D33, D34 and W45, the release states.

Corrections In the Feb. 29 issue, an article on Second Wind Training misstated the year Steve Dolge was laid off from a job with WTOP. It was 1999. In the same issue, an article on a makeover day for military wives misspelled the name of Flaminia Garioni of Fyubi Makeup. Also, due to a production error, the name of the event’s host, Bang Salon, was omitted from the body of the article. The Current regrets the errors. As a matter of policy, The Current corrects all errors of sub-stance. To report an error, please call the managing editor at 202-244-7223.

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Publisher & Editor Davis KennedyManaging Editor Chris KainAssistant Managing Editor Beth CopeAdvertising Director Gary SochaAccount Executive Shani MaddenAccount Executive Richa MarwahAccount Executive George SteinbrakerAccount Executive Mary Kay Williams

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The CurrenT Wednesday, MarCh 7, 2012 5

By DAVID GUTMANCurrent Correspondent

Citizens expressed concern about preserving their neighborhoods at a recent discussion of proposed zoning changes that could allow more corner stores and rental units in the District, among other impacts. City officials met with the D.C. Federation of Citizens Associations last week to outline updates in the District’s zoning regulations, now undergoing their first major rewrite since 1958. The Feb. 28 meeting featured presen-tations from the Office of Planning as well as a spirited back and forth between officials and troubled residents. “We all hold our neighborhoods very dear,” said Alma Gates, a member of the city’s zoning rewrite task force and a former Palisades advisory neighborhood commissioner. “What’s concerning us is the character of our neighborhoods changing.” Under the proposed new regulations:• The 40-foot height limit for single-family houses would not change, but buildings would no longer be limited to three stories. • The general standard for minimum side-yard width in R1 and R2 zones — typically, areas of detached single-family houses — would change from 8 feet to 5 feet, within certain parameters.• Homeowners in R1 and R2 zones would be allowed to

rent out an additional apartment on their lot, provided they would be living in one of the two units and the footprint of the two dwellings wouldn’t exceed existing lot limits.• Businesses would be allowed to operate out of corner row houses and houses already zoned as commercial. More than three businesses wouldn’t be allowed to be located within 500 feet of one another, and they couldn’t be within 500 feet of an existing commercial zone. Limits would also be placed on the types of businesses, hours of operation and number of employees. “The objective is to look at neighborhoods that work and ask, Why do they work?” said Jennifer Steingasser of the Office of Planning. “Walkable neighborhoods all have corner stores.” She also cited walkability as crucial to allowing residents to age in place in their own neigh-borhoods. George Clark, the federation’s representative on the zoning rewrite task force, disagreed. Clark said he has lived in a row-house neighborhood for more than 20 years. “The notion that my neighborhood is not livable unless it has a corner store, that bothers me,” he said. Though he disagreed with some of the changes, Clark did credit the proposed rewrite for clarifying the city’s zoning code. The rewrite — the process for which started in 2008

Proposed zoning overhaul prompts worries


A stream may soon be flowing alongside Broad Branch Road in Chevy Chase for the first time since 1938, as part of a D.C. Department of the Environment plan to bring the tributary out of a pipe and back above ground. The agency hopes to begin con-struction for the project this fall, primarily within Rock Creek Park between 27th and 36th streets, according to the Environment Department’s Steve Saari. The long-planned work will improve water quality and reduce erosion in Broad

Branch and Rock Creek, Saari said. Currently, the stream forms in a spring downhill from the Politics and Prose bookstore, then disap-pears into a pipe just before 36th Street near the intersection with Broad Branch Road and Linnean Avenue. That pipe feeds into Broad Branch, which itself is below ground under Broad Branch Road at that point, according to Saari. Before the area was developed and the pipes installed, this unnamed stream and Broad Branch ran approximately parallel. The stream’s bed remains largely intact, and the project will return it to that spot, just south of Broad Branch Road. It will

rejoin the underground Broad Branch about 1,600 feet eastward, adjacent to the Peruvian Embassy grounds off Garrison Street. By traveling that distance above ground, the stream’s water will go through natural soil and plant filters, which will remove some contami-nants, and its meandering path will slow its pace and reduce erosion, Saari said. The stream will also pro-vide a better habitat for wildlife once above ground, he added. To further reduce sediment con-tamination, the project proposal also includes building “regenerative stormwater conveyances” — a series

Agency plans to ‘daylight’ Chevy Chase stream

See Zoning/Page 25

See Creek/Page 22

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Police Report

6 Wednesday, March 7, 2012 The currenTn g

This is a listing of reports taken from Feb. 26 through March 4 in local police service areas.

PSA 101

Robbery (snatch)■ 700 block, 11th St.; restau-rant; 7 p.m. Feb. 28.Theft (below $250)■ 1000 block, H St.; hotel; 4:28 p.m. Feb. 28.■ 900 block, F St.; office build-ing; 8:15 a.m. March 2.■ 1300 block, F St.; restaurant; 1:20 p.m. March 2.■ 1200 block, G St.; store; 2:10 p.m. March 2.■ 1000 block, F St.; unspecified premises; 5:30 p.m. March 2.■ 1000 block, F St.; unspecified premises; 4:30 p.m. March 3.■ 1000 block, H St.; hotel; 4:50 p.m. March 3.Theft (shoplifting)■ 1000 block, F St.; store; 2:40 p.m. Feb. 28.Theft from auto (below $250)■ 500 block, 11th St.; parking lot; 3:30 p.m. Feb. 26.

PSA 102

Robbery (force and violence)■ 7th and G streets; restaurant; 12:52 a.m. March 4.Robbery (fear)■ 7th and H streets; sidewalk; 12:45 p.m. Feb. 28.Robbery (snatch)■ 500 block, H St.; sidewalk; 2:30 p.m. March 1.Assault with a dangerous weapon (knife)■ 700 block, 6th St.; residence; 5 p.m. Feb. 28.Theft ($250 plus)■ 800 block, G St.; government building; 3:25 p.m. March 3.Theft (below $250)■ 500 block, Indiana Ave.; street; 10 a.m. Feb. 27.■ 400 block, K St.; store; 4:12 p.m. Feb. 28.■ 400 block, 7th St.; office build-ing; noon March 2.Theft from auto (below $250)■ 700 block, 6th St.; parking lot; 4 p.m. Feb. 28.■ 600 block, F St.; parking lot; 5:30 p.m. March 4.

PSA 201

Robbery (pocketbook snatch)■ Unit block, Chevy Chase Circle; residence; 9:05 p.m. Feb. 29.Burglary■ 5500 block, Connecticut Ave.; liquor store; 4 p.m. Feb. 29.Theft (below $250)■ 5500 block, Connecticut Ave.; drugstore; 4:04 p.m. March 2.■ 39th and Morrison streets; drugstore; 8:25 p.m. March 2.

PSA 202

Assault with a dangerous weapon■ 4200 block, Wisconsin Ave.;

medical facility; 11:30 a.m. March 2.Theft (below $250)■ 4000 block, Brandywine St.; unspecified premises; 2 p.m. Feb. 27.■ 4200 block, Davenport St.; gro-cery store; 12:30 p.m. Feb. 28.■ 4500 block, 46th St.; resi-dence; 12:24 a.m. Feb. 29.■ 5300 block, Wisconsin Ave.; store; 2:50 p.m. March 2.Theft from auto (below $250)■ 5300 block, Wisconsin Ave.; parking lot; 8:30 a.m. Feb. 27.

PSA 203

Burglary■ 3300 block, 35th St.; resi-dence; 12:05 a.m. March 4.Theft (below $250)■ 3800 block, Connecticut Ave.; residence; 7 a.m. Feb. 27.■ 3700 block, Connecticut Ave.; residence; 3 a.m. March 3.

PSA 204

Burglary■ 3100 block, Wisconsin Ave.; church; 5:30 p.m. March 3.Theft from auto ($250 plus)■ 2500 block, 28th St.; street; 6:35 a.m. Feb. 27.■ 2600 block, Woodley Road; street; 12:30 p.m. March 3.Theft from auto (below $250)■ 2300 block, Wisconsin Ave.; store; 7:30 p.m. Feb. 29.

PSA 205

Theft (below $250)■ 5200 block, Loughboro Road; medical facility; 4:10 p.m. Feb. 29.■ 4700 block, Whitehaven Parkway; school; 12:30 a.m. March 4.Theft from auto (below $250)■ 2000 block, 48th St.; street; 11 a.m. Feb. 27.

PSA 206

Robbery (gun)■ 3300 block, N St.; sidewalk; 9 p.m. Feb. 26.Assault with a dangerous weapon■ 2600 block, P St.; store; 2:40 a.m. March 3.Burglary■ 3800 block, Reservoir Road; university; 9:05 a.m. March 4.Stolen auto■ 33rd and Q streets; street; 11 p.m. Feb. 26.Theft (below $250)■ 3100 block, M St.; store; 6:14 p.m. Feb. 27.■ 1300 block, Wisconsin Ave.; store; 7:20 p.m. Feb. 27.■ 1800 block, Wisconsin Ave.; grocery store; 3:55 p.m. March 1.■ 3500 block, S St.; residence; 1 p.m. March 2.

■ 1000 block, Wisconsin Ave.; office building; 6 p.m. March 2.■ 1300 block, Wisconsin Ave.; restaurant; 2:30 p.m. March 3.Theft from auto (below $250)■ 1400 block, 26th St.; street; 7 p.m. March 1.

PSA 207

Robbery (stealth)■ 1100 block, 17th St.; restau-rant; 8 a.m. March 2.Assault with a dangerous weapon■ Connecticut Avenue and L Street; street; 3 a.m. Feb. 26.■ 1000 block, Vermont Ave.; office building; 12:12 p.m. Feb. 28.Burglary■ 1800 block, L St.; office build-ing; 5:30 p.m. Feb. 29.■ 500 block, 19th St.; school; 7 a.m. March 1.■ 900 block, 25th St.; residence; 8 a.m. March 2.Theft (below $250)■ 1800 block, I St.; office build-ing; 5:30 p.m. Feb. 27.■ 800 block, 18th St.; store; 9:30 a.m. Feb. 28.■ 1400 block, K St.; restaurant; noon Feb. 28.■ 800 block, 22nd St.; university; 1 p.m. Feb. 28.■ 1800 block, M St.; office build-ing; 1 p.m. Feb. 28.■ 15th and K streets; restaurant; 5:35 p.m. Feb. 28.■ 2100 block, G St.; sidewalk; 6:30 p.m. Feb. 28.■ 1000 block, Vermont Ave.; store; 7:40 a.m. Feb. 29.■ 2200 block, Pennsylvania Ave.; restaurant; 5:20 p.m. Feb. 29.■ 1400 block, K St.; tavern; 10:20 p.m. Feb. 29.■ 2000 block, L St.; office build-ing; 11:15 a.m. March 1.■ 2000 block, L St.; unspecified premises; 11:30 a.m. March 1.■ 1600 block, I St.; restaurant; 6 p.m. March 1.■ 1100 block, Vermont Ave.; liquor store; 10:30 a.m. March 2.■ 2100 block, H St.; university; 4:45 p.m. March 4.Theft from auto (below $250)■ 1800 block, Pennsylvania Ave.; street; 6 a.m. Feb. 28.■ 800 block, 15th St.; parking lot; 3:05 a.m. March 3.

PSA 208

Robbery (force and violence)■ 2100 block, P St.; alley; 10:50 p.m. Feb. 28.■ 1200 block, Connecticut Ave.; sidewalk; 3:15 a.m. March 4.Robbery (pickpocket)■ 1200 block, 18th St.; sidewalk; 2:30 a.m. Feb. 26.Robbery (pocketbook snatch)■ 1300 block, 15th St.; sidewalk; 12:55 a.m. March 3.Robbery (stealth)■ 2100 block, P St.; restaurant; 10 p.m. March 3.Assault with a dangerous weapon (knife)■ 2100 block, P St.; tavern/night-club; 9:55 p.m. March 1.

Stolen auto■ Connecticut Avenue and N Street; street; 3 a.m. March 4.Theft ($250 plus)■ 1500 block, Rhode Island Ave.; hotel; 12:30 p.m. Feb. 29.Theft (below $250)■ 1200 block, 22nd St.; hotel; 1:30 p.m. Feb. 28.■ 1400 block, P St.; store; 8:39 p.m. Feb. 28.■ 2100 block, P St.; alley; 9 p.m. Feb. 28.■ 19th and M streets; restaurant; noon March 1.■ 1200 block, Connecticut Ave.; tavern/nightclub; 1:30 a.m. March 3.■ 2000 block, R St.; restaurant; 3:30 p.m. March 3.■ 2100 block, Massachusetts Ave.; hotel; 10:30 p.m. March 3.■ 1300 block, Connecticut Ave.; tavern/nightclub; 1 a.m. March 4.Theft from auto (below $250)■ 1900 block, S St.; street; 7 a.m. Feb. 29.■ 1700 block, P St.; alley; 5:17 p.m. Feb. 29.■ 1600 block, O St.; parking lot; 4:55 p.m. March 2.■ 1700 block, Church St.; street; 7 p.m. March 2.■ 1300 block, 18th St.; street; 10:30 p.m. March 2.

PSA 301

Robbery (force and violence)■ 14th and W streets; alley; 1:10 a.m. March 3.Theft (below $250)■ 1700 block, Q St.; residence; 9 a.m. Feb. 27.Theft from auto (below $250)■ 1700 block, Johnson Ave.; street; 11:30 a.m. Feb. 27.■ 1600 block, S St.; alley; 8 p.m. Feb. 28.■ 1600 block, Corcoran St.; street; noon March 1.■ 16th and Corcoran streets; street; 10 p.m. March 2.

PSA 303

Robbery (force and violence)■ 2200 block, 18th St.; alley; 12:31 a.m. March 2.Stolen auto■ 2300 block, Champlain St.; parking lot; 11:20 p.m. March 2.Theft ($250 plus)■ 2300 block, 18th St.; tavern/nightclub; 12:15 a.m. March 3.Theft (below $250)■ 2400 block, 18th St.; restau-rant; 2 a.m. Feb. 26.■ 2500 block, 17th St.; govern-ment building; noon Feb. 29.■ 1800 block, Adams Mill Road; unspecified premises; 5:45 p.m. Feb. 29.■ 1700 block, Columbia Road; sidewalk; 5:55 p.m. March 4.■ 1800 block, Connecticut Ave.; sidewalk; 6 p.m. March 4.Theft from auto (below $250)■ 2200 block, Ontario Road; street; 7 a.m. Feb. 27.■ 1700 block, Euclid St.; street; 7 p.m. Feb. 29.■ 1900 block, Biltmore St.; street; 9 a.m. March 1.

psA 201■ chevy chase

psA 202■ Friendship heiGhts tenleytown / au park

psA 204■ massachusetts avenue heiGhts / cleveland parkwoodley park / Glover park / cathedral heiGhts

psA 205■ palisades / sprinG valleywesley heiGhts / Foxhall

psA 206■ GeorGetown / burleith

psA 207■ FoGGy bottom / west end

psA 208■ sheridan-kaloramadupont circle

psA 303■ adams morGan

psA 203■ Forest hills / van nesscleveland park

psA 301■ dupont circle

psA 101■ downtown

psA 102■ Gallery placepenn Quarter

a thank you note?

Washington’s Oldest Bank


By ELIZABETH WIENERCurrent Staff Writer

Architects, along with the D.C. Historic Preservation Review Board, continue to tinker with the design of a six-story residential and retail building — tentatively dubbed “The Irwin” — that will replace a storage building and vacant lot on 14th Street just south of Rhode Island Avenue. A Feb. 23 hearing, the board’s second on the project, ended with a request for more study. The Irwin would be much taller than its neighbors on the low-scale block and the historic row houses on Rhode Island Avenue. The preserva-tion board, in a previous review, had asked architects from the Torti Gallas firm to set back the top floor and reduce the size of penthouse structures to make the Irwin — named for developer Irwin Edlavitch — less visible. Architect Sherief Elfar said his team complied with the second request by significantly reducing the size of a shared roof deck, thus reducing egress requirements and allowing the deck to be served by one staircase and one elevator

instead of two. That reduced “the clutter of rooftop elements,” accord-ing to a report to the board. But the top floor could not be pushed back without reducing the size of residential units, Elfar said. “Setting back the sixth floor would be extremely compromising to the layout,” he told the board. Units are small already, and more setbacks would harm the project’s economic feasibility, he said. Most board members were unhappy with that answer. “Try to make it work,” said member Joseph Taylor, also an architect. “You can set the sixth floor back and still have the units you need.” Nancy Metzger, a new member of the board, said the current facade design, intended to evoke the histor-ic auto showrooms farther up 14th Street, is confusing. “There’s four stories, then a plain attic story, then a fancy attic. It doesn’t make sense,” she said. The board also criticized the placement of the residential entrance in the middle of ground-floor store-fronts. The board asked the architects to respond to the concerns at yet anoth-er hearing.

Preservation board requests changes to 14th Street plan By BETH COPE

Current Staff Writer

The D.C. Department of Transportation is plan-ning to alter a number of speed humps in Chevy Chase after the local advisory neighborhood com-mission drew attention to their varied sizes. “DDOT was asked to come out and determine whether the humps in this specific neighborhood were in compliance according to our published specs,” department spokesperson John Lisle wrote in an email. “Some were, some were not. The ones identified as being out of compliance have been marked and scheduled for maintenance.” Neighborhood commission say some of the traf-fic-calming devices are shorter, from front to back in the direction of traffic, than agency regulations require, and therefore more of a hindrance for drivers. The transportation agency’s 2010 guidelines say humps should be 14 feet in length and 3 inches in height. The document also says humps are “safe and comfortable for passenger cars” going 25 MPH. Yet commissioners said the humps are clearly too tall for such speeds, and that some residents have complained about damage to cars. After a lengthy back-and-forth, transportation officials visited each of the questioned humps.

Lisle was unable to confirm by deadline which humps have been marked for changes, but The Current visited those identified by the commission and found spray-paint markings on each. The com-mission listed:• one hump in the 3700 block of Jenifer Street;• three humps in the 3700 block of Morrison Street;• one hump in the 5100 block of Chevy Chase Parkway; • three humps on Rittenhouse Street between Nevada and Utah avenues; and• three humps in the 3200 block of Beech Street. A second hump in the 5100 block of Chevy Chase Parkway was also marked. At the neighborhood commission’s Feb. 27 meet-ing, commissioners said they were still waiting for a report on which humps would be changed, which had been promised weeks before. “Eventually, they follow through,” Thompson said of the transportation agency, but he said it “takes constant, persistent effort” to ensure that. Thompson said speed humps have been a particu-larly controversial issue in the neighborhood, but despite varied opinions on whether they should be installed, commissioners believe they should be uni-form in size. “There should be a clear standard, and it should be followed,” he said.

DDOT will alter Chevy Chase speed humps

By DEIRDRE BANNONCurrent Staff Writer

A commission established by the D.C. Council to examine potential funding disparities between the city’s traditional public schools and its charter schools recommended last month that the city allocate building maintenance funds based on indi-vidual school needs, rather than stu-dent numbers. The recommendation was one of several made by the 15-member D.C. Public Education Finance Reform Commission, which met over three months before releasing a final report in February. The document states that the needs of individual schools vary greatly, so the schools should be treated differently. “What we discovered as a com-mission is that the maintenance costs of DCPS are likely to be a lot higher than a typical charter school because they use much older buildings,” said Ed Lazere, executive director of the DC Fiscal Policy Institute and chair of the commission. “While the mayor was supplementing DCPS’s maintenance budget, it was because it needed it, not because he wanted to give them more money.” But many charter school propo-nents, including D.C. Public Charter School Board executive director Scott Pearson, oppose the idea. “Many tens of millions of dollars

of city services are applied to DCPS without being equally applied to public charter schools — the most significant among them is building maintenance,” said Pearson. Under the current system, charter schools pay for building mainte-nance costs out of their allocation from the city’s per-pupil funding formula. Charter schools can also use part of the additional $3,000 per student they receive for capital costs. Still, Pearson says supplemental funding for the city’s traditional pub-lic schools puts charter schools at a disadvantage. “For FY2012, the mayor is cur-rently on the record as requesting a $25.2 million supplemental appro-priation for DCPS. ... If there’s extra money allocated to DCPS, then the equivalent amount should be allo-cated to charter schools,” he said. The D.C. Council voted to estab-lish the finance commission in 2010 after charter schools raised just such concerns. Charter backers said implementation of the city’s “Uniform Per Student Funding Formula,” which ties school funding to enrollment numbers, is tilted toward traditional public schools. Some on the commission argued that traditional public schools are actually underfunded when it comes to building maintenance. “When the Uniform Per Student Funding Formula was set up, it

Panel recommends shift on school maintenance funding

See Financing/Page 24

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dents, including those at charter schools, to take the SAT or ACT and apply to at least one college or other post-secondary institution.• offer a package of incentives, including a $10,000-a-year bonus, home-buyer aid and tuition assis-tance, to teachers identified as “highly effective” who commit to teach for at least three years in the city’s “highest need” schools. This program would start as a pilot for up to 20 teachers.• create “community schools” offer-ing wraparound services for both students and families in disadvan-taged neighborhoods. At-large member Michael Brown and Ward 1 member Jim Graham authored this provision. Brown has repeatedly said it is unacceptable that more than 50 per-cent of the city’s public school stu-dents drop out, while many of those who graduate high school find them-selves unprepared to compete for jobs in today’s economy. “Our expectations have to be higher. We have to demand more. This is bold, but this system needs something bold,” he said. But in debate, at-large member Phil Mendelson objected to two major components of Brown’s plan. Mendelson said he’s especially concerned about the cost of the teacher incentive package, which he totaled at about $1.5 million for only 20 teachers. “That’s a lot of money to be paying to a small number of teachers. We’re not going to turn our schools around if we spend that much on only 20 teachers.” He also disagreed with making applying to college and taking the SAT or ACT a graduation require-ment. “The council shouldn’t be legislating that,” he said. “The real problems with the schools are tru-ancy and kids who can’t read in fourth grade.” He said 40 to 45 per-cent of District ninth-graders have persistent truancy problems, “and requiring them to apply to college is not going to solve that.” Brown countered that some of the incentive money, such as hous-ing assistance and bonuses for high-ly effective teachers, is already in place, saying the overall bill for his total package is “only $2 million,” in a billion-dollar school budget. “I haven’t heard one parent who doesn’t support this,” he said. “No amount of money is too much for our children,” said Marion Barry of Ward 8. “Not graduating them into college is graduating them into jail or onto the street.” Other critics included at-large member Vincent Orange, angry that Brown did not include his proposal to beef up early-childhood educa-tion, and Ward 6 member Tommy Wells, who was concerned that the bill would make inflexible demands on public and charter school officials who are already making reform efforts of their own. In a Feb. 16 hearing on parts of Brown’s bill, school officials offered lukewarm support.

Carey Wright, the D.C. Public Schools chief academic officer who testified on behalf of Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson, said that personally, she didn’t support adding standardized tests or college applications as graduation require-ments. Hosanna Mahaley, state superin-tendent of schools, told a reporter that she supports Brown’s “College Prep” bill, but she deferred to the State Board of Education any defini-tive statement about adding the mea-sures as graduation requirements. “Preparing students for college and a career is our goal — but hav-ing a test alone isn’t sufficient. If we use something like the SAT or ACT, we have to provide resources to make students successful,” Mahaley said. Eleven U.S. states require stu-dents to take a college entrance exam in order to graduate from high school. According to Brown, schools

in the District that also have this requirement have higher graduation rates and a greater number of stu-dents who go on to college than those that don’t require the tests. Brown compared Anacostia’s Thurgood Marshall Academy, where taking the SAT is required, to Northwest’s Woodrow Wilson High School, his alma mater, where the exams are not mandatory. At Thurgood Marshall, 92 per-cent of students graduate in four years, according to the school’s 2010-2011 school year performance review, better than the performance of Wilson. “How could that be?” asked Brown. “Because Thurgood Marshall expects it.” But the College Prep bill could face resistance from charter school proponents as intruding on their autonomy. “We do exactly what this bill sets out to do,” said Scott Pearson, exec-utive director of the D.C. Public Charter School Board. Pearson said each charter school is evaluated for student performance annually, and if a school doesn’t meet the board’s strict criteria, it could be closed. He added that since some schools have a technical focus, other criteria should be used to eval-uate a student’s success, such as job placement or an industry-recognized certification. “Chairman Brown’s heart is in the right place, but for the charter schools, we’ve got it covered,” Pearson said. But it appears that the mayoral administration is close to coming on board. In a Tuesday memo to the council, Mayor Vincent Gray said that he “looks forward to working with the council” to refine the omni-bus bill, and generally supports the four components, which the mayor called “pillars of my education phi-losophy.”

COUNCILFrom Page 1

❝Our expectations have to be higher. We have to demand more.❞

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When Emily Sprissler’s real estate agent sug-gested she consider a

Glover Park spot for her new res-taurant, the thirtysomething chef balked: A Northern Virginia native, she had just returned to the area after years away, and her memories of the place revolved around the strip clubs that once dominated the landscape. “He was like, ‘Obviously, you haven’t been there in a while,’” she said. And he was right: When she arrived in the neighborhood to check out Town Hall’s former space, she was immediately struck by the community’s comfortable atmosphere. “I parked on Calvert Street … right by that little park there,” she said. “I knew we had found it” — before she even saw the space. Part of what appealed to Sprissler was the neighborhood’s family orientation. A mother her-self, she plans to make Mayfair & Pine a place for all ages. “When you’re looking for someplace to go, and you have a little food knowledge, … it’s hard to find a place that has a certain caliber of food but isn’t essentially a grown-up restaurant,” she explained. She said many families are “looking for someplace that

has food integrity.” Her restaurant will provide it, she said. The concept is “a hybrid between … the locally grown, sustainably pro-duced food [she learned about in California] with kind of the friendliness, atmosphere of a British pub.” Sprissler said the menu will feature some British-influenced items — fish and chips, Shepherd’s pie, turkey pot pie (“I love savory pies,” she said) — as well as lots of seafood, a few steaks, a chicken dish and “a pork chop here and there.” “We’re gonna change it around,” she said. Along with her years of cook-ing know-how — gained from such spots as Vidalia, Las Vegas’ Nob Hill and the California Culinary Academy — Sprissler

brings some razzle-dazzle to the venture: She was a contestant on the second season of the popular Bravo show “Top Chef.” Asked what drew her to the reality competition show, she said, “They drew me! I tried out for

Hell’s Kitchen … and I ended up not getting chosen.” When she got a call from the pro-ducers of “Top Chef,” she thought, “That’s really strange — but no biggie.”

That kind of relaxed attitude suggests Sprissler’s time in California

was influential in her demeanor. It was certainly important in her per-sonal life: It’s where she met her husband, chef Jason Coté. Sprissler said the two have cooked together for years — “on and off since about 2002.” After San Francisco, they moved to Las Vegas, where for a while, they lived the “chef’s dream,” she said, working jobs they enjoyed

Top chef cooks up new Glover Park conceptON THE STREETBeTh COPe

Bill Petros/The CurrentA “Top Chef” contestant is taking over the former Town Hall space.

See Chef/Page 22

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ANC 2DSheridan-Kalorama

The commission will meet at 7 p.m. Monday, March 19, at Our Lady Queen of the Americas Church, California Street and Phelps Place NW. Agenda items include:■ government reports.■ presentation by Cheryl Morse of the Office of the People’s Counsel on Pepco’s requested rate increase, smart meters and other consumer concerns.■ updates from neighborhood groups.■ discussion of the Precinct 13 vot-ing site.■ discussion of a Board of Zoning Adjustment application for a vari-ance at 1830 24th St.■ discussion of the Bike DC event on Sunday, May 13.■ open comments. For details, contact [email protected] or visit anc2d.org.

ANC 3BGlover Park

The commission will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 8, at Stoddert Elementary School and Recreation Center, 4001 Calvert St. NW. Agenda items include:■ police report.■ presentation by Jarrett Ferrier of plans for a mural/mosaic on the stairs at 37th Street and W Place.■ discussion with D.C. officials on proposed changes to the city’s zon-ing regulations.■ consideration of a resolution to remove Class B (off-site beer and wine retailer) licenses from the Glover Park liquor license morato-rium.■ open forum. For details, call 202-338-2969, contact [email protected] or visit anc3b.org.

ANC 3CCleveland ParkWoodley ParkMassachusetts Avenue Heights

The commission will meet at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 19, at the 2nd District Police Headquarters, 3320 Idaho Ave. NW. For details, call 202-657-5725 or visit anc3c.org.

ANC 3DSpring ValleyWesley Heights

The commission will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 7, in the new medical building at Sibley Memorial Hospital, 5215 Loughboro Road NW. Agenda items include:■ police report.■ community forum.■ update on the renovation of the Palisades fire station, including an upcoming hearing by the Mayor’s

Agent for Historic Preservation on the proposed widening of the vehi-cle door openings.■ update on the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board’s modifications to the commission’s proposed volun-tary agreement with La Forchetta restaurant at 3201 New Mexico Ave.■ presentation on the Nation’s Triathlon 2012, including the planned course route.■ presentation on the 37th Marine Corps Marathon, including the planned course route.■ discussion of a requirement to have automated external defibrilla-tors on site in buildings of a certain size.■ discussion of the National Park Service’s feasibility study for a non-motorized boathouse zone along the Georgetown waterfront. For details, call 202-363-4130 or visit anc3d.org.

ANC 3ETenleytownAmerican University Park

The commission will meet at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 8, at St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church, 42nd and Fessenden streets NW. Agenda items include:■ open forum.■ announcements.■ police report.■ presentation of a grant application for support of the Turtle Park May Fair.■ presentation by Clark Realty on plans relating to the Tenleytown Safeway.■ presentation and potential resolu-tion regarding the Wesley Theological Seminary campus plan.■ discussion and potential resolu-tion on plans to allow parking on the south side of the 4200 through 4800 blocks of Yuma Street.■ presentation and possible vote on a Board of Zoning Adjustment application for a special exception from lot-occupancy, rear-yard and nonconforming-structure require-ments to permit an addition at 4220 45th St. For details, visit anc3e.org.

ANC 3FForest Hills

The commission will meet at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 12, at the Capital Memorial Seventh-Day Adventist Church, 3150 Chesapeake St. NW. Agenda items include:■ open forum.■ police report.■ discussion with Lisa Sutter of the Metropolitan Police Department regarding automated traffic enforce-ment and possible consideration of a resolution to support additional automated enforcement of laws against speeding, red light running and failure to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks.■ consideration of a Board of Zoning Adjustment application for

special exception to permit a new garage at 2933 Tilden St. For details, call 202-362-6120 or visit anc3f.us.

ANC 3/4GChevy Chase

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3/4G and the Chevy Chase Citizens Association will host a candidates forum Tuesday, March 27, for the at-large D.C. Council race. The forum will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Chevy Chase Community Center, Center, Connecticut Avenue and McKinley Street NW. The commission will meet at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 26, at the Chevy Chase Community Center. For details, call 202-363-5803 or send an email to [email protected].

ANC 4AColonial VillageShepherd Park

At the commission’s Feb. 28 special meeting:■ commissioner Stephen Whatley reported that he is working with the Office of the Attorney General to determine whether the commission can provide a grant to the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, which has requested $1,935. A decision is expected within a few weeks.■ commissioners unanimously agreed to submit a letter of support to the city for the symbolic designa-tion of the 1400 block of Roxanna Road as Hilda H.M. Mason Way.■ commission chair Dwayne Toliver announced that commis-sioner Habieba Snow-Israel had tendered her resignation as of Feb. 17. Candidates to replace her can pick up nominating petitions at the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics, 441 4th St. NW, Room 250N, or call 202-727-2525. The petition cir-culation period will end Monday, March 19. The petition challenge period will be between March 22 and March 28.■ George Koch of Artomatic Inc. said he is discussing with the D.C. Office of Planning the possibility of holding an arts festival once access to the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center is obtained in 2014. Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4A will host a candi-dates forum for the Ward 4 D.C. Council race Thursday, March 14. The forum will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. at Brightwood Education Campus, 1300 Nicholson St. NW. Residents are invited to submit potential questions to [email protected]. A brief commission meet-ing will precede the forum. The commission will hold its next regular meeting at 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, April 4, at Fort Stevens Recreation Center, 13th and Van Buren streets NW. For details, call 202-450-6225 or visit anc4a.org.


In Your Neighborhood

n

ANC 2D■ sheridan-kalorama

ANC 3B■ Glover park / cathedral heiGhts

ANC 3D■ sprinG valley / wesley heiGhtspalisades / kent / Foxhall

ANC 3C■ cleveland park / woodley parkmassachusetts avenue heiGhtscathedral heiGhts

ANC 3/4G■ chevy chase

ANC 3E■ american university parkFriendship heiGhts / tenleytown

ANC 3F■ Forest hills / north cleveland park

ANC 4A■ colonial villaGe / crestwoodshepherd park / briGhtwood

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Action needed Ward 3 D.C. Council member Mary Cheh yesterday introduced a campaign-finance reform bill, which, among other things, would ban contributions to politicians from corporations and D.C. contractors. The council member deserves praise for bringing the issue to the table — and for her support of a citizen-led effort to put the same issue in an initiative on the November ballot. The bill has a co-sponsor in Ward 6’s Tommy Wells but we were disappointed that the pair drew no other backers when they shared their measure with the entire council yesterday. The silence was par-ticularly troubling given the investigations into past campaigns of Mayor Vincent Gray and D.C. Council Chairman Kwame Brown. Just last week, federal authorities raided the home and office of a prominent city contractor and political donor. In this environment, we have little doubt that the citizen initiative will get the signatures it needs to make it onto the ballot. But we would urge council members to act promptly on campaign-finance reform, presumably using the Cheh-Wells legislation as a starting point. Tightening contribution limits and improving disclosure is the best way for council members to restore credibility to the legislature. Admittedly, there may be problems with banning all corporate contributions — we’re unsure of the constitutional ramifications, especially given the makeup of the Supreme Court — and we think labor unions should be added to the prohibited list if corporations are on it. Other elements of the proposal are a step in the right direction. As Council member Cheh put it, “How and from what sources candidates for public office fund their campaigns needs to be more transparent.” Of course, yesterday’s proposed legislation goes beyond transparency, and we appreciate its stark limits on how involved local players can get with the leaders who can throw deals their way. The dire need for action grows more obvious by the day.

More cameras, lower fines The flash of a speed camera in the rear-view mirror has ruined many a resident’s day since new lead-foot-nabbing devices went up on Foxhall Road and Porter Street, among other city locations, in December. Thousands of tickets have been issued, with fines begin-ning at $75 and quickly increasing. As police undoubtedly expected, the complaints came rolling in: The Foxhall camera is at the bottom of a hill. Porter Street should have a higher speed limit anyway. And — perhaps the most common gripe — the entire program is just a way for the city to bring in reve-nue without doing much to improve road safety. With such steep fines at stake, we’re sympathetic to many of the drivers. And we agree that the police department should do all it can to ensure that photo-enforcement signage is clear and that cameras don’t appear to be in “gotcha” locations. But we’re more pleased that pedestrians are safer on the two roads, where residents have long complained of speeding drivers. Foxhall Road, a narrow street where it was difficult for a police cruiser to nab speeders, presented a particular challenge that the camera has solved. A petition has sprung up online to lower fines for speeding. But an alternate idea proposed by blogger David Alpert has caught our atten-tion. Lower the fines, he wrote on his site Greater Greater Washington, but only after installing a wider network of cameras. The city has already said it plans to buy more cameras. If officials were to deploy them at important intersections where they could help nab drivers who speed, block crosswalks or otherwise endanger pedestrians, the devices would clearly target public safety — not merely revenue, as naysayers would have it. Mr. Alpert’s petition has received only a handful of names, while the initiative to lower fines full-stop has registered hundreds. But we believe a larger network of cameras that clearly target dangerous driv-ing for lower — but still substantial — fines should be the preferred path for drivers and pedestrians alike.

Currentthe northwest

ch n12 Wednesday, March 7, 2012 The currenT

It may have been an unusually warm winter, but the latest FBI raid looking for corruption in D.C. is sending shivers through the city’s political

establishment. And it should. The target of last week’s raid was prominent businessman Jeffrey E. Thompson — both his home and his offices on 15th Street. Thompson has the most lucrative contract there is with city govern-ment — more than $300 million a year in Medicaid health-care services — and he is a prolific contributor to city political campaigns. Campaign reviews by the media say Thompson has been instrumental in raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for many city political leaders, including large sums for Vincent Gray’s 2010 campaign for mayor. Whatever Thompson’s role — his office did not respond to requests for comment on Monday — sources say federal authorities are specifically look-ing into at least tens of thousands of dollars in dona-tions made to the Gray campaign through suspi-cious money orders and checks. Those sources say many names on the checks and money orders may simply have been “place holders,” with the money not actually given by those individuals. Patrick Madden of WAMU 88.5 FM reported on Monday that a similar group of questionable money orders made its way into the Vincent Orange cam-paign in last year’s special election. Orange says as far as he knows his contributions are all proper. The Washington Post, The City Paper and other media also have reported on suspicious money orders in the Gray campaign. And that may be the heart of this investigation. You might remember that Sulaimon Brown last year disclosed money orders that he said were pay-ments from the Gray campaign for his attacks on then-Mayor Adrian Fenty during the campaign. It’s clear that the federal probe, as we reported last sum-mer, has moved far beyond the foolishness of fund-ing Sulaimon Brown’s attacks. On the Notebook’s deadline, the full purpose of the federal raid wasn’t clear, but it’s clear city politi-cal leaders sense that the aura of corruption is get-ting worse. Ward 3 D.C. Council member Mary Cheh, who supported Gray for mayor, told NBC4 on Monday that she shares the feeling that “something is very wrong in the District. … The influence peddling, the money, people working for the government showering other people with money — it’s disgust-ing and it has to stop.” Council Chairman Kwame Brown, asked about Thompson, said, “I have no idea what it is about. Clearly, I’m concerned like everyone else.” Brown also is under investigation — through a separate probe — for his 2008 campaign activities.■ Campaign poster? Jeffrey Thompson could

become the poster child for the group trying to ban donations to city politicians from corporations and firms doing business with the District. Thompson would have a hard time replicating his massive giving if he had to create a series of political action committees to get around the ban and recruit other humans (not corporations) to give. The D.C. Committee to Restore Public Trust has a Facebook page. It soon will have authority to

begin gathering signa-tures to put its ban on the November ballot.

Your Notebook has questioned whether a ban would truly curb contributions or just

disperse them to other forms of giving (like at the federal level). But Friday’s raid makes it hard to have a practical discussion on the nature and influ-ence of corporate giving; many people just want it to stop.■ The King library. The Urban Land Institute has completed its report on what could be done to or for the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library down-town. The report doesn’t endorse any option, but says the choices include: keeping the library at 901 G St. NW pretty much as it is; keeping the library as is but leasing unused space to other interests; and sell-ing the building and finding a new location for a downtown library. This whole issue goes back to then-Mayor Tony Williams. His administration wanted to dispose of the current library and build a new facility on the site of the old convention center. But many others like the stark, modernist design from architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and don’t want to give up the iconic space. The insides of the building are a mess, with lots of wasted space. Nearly everyone agrees something should be done, but there’s no unanimity yet as to what course to take.■ Middle C is first class. For 10 years, Myrna Sislen has loved and nourished the little Middle C Music shop on Wisconsin Avenue just north of Tenley Circle. This week, the D.C. Council officially recog-nized her efforts, passing a ceremonial resolution in honor of her shop as the only full-service music store in the city. Sislen took over a small shop and began selling music sheets and all sorts of other related goods, including instruments, a decade ago. She also creat-ed space for lessons, growing so much she had to take over neighboring space to accommodate hun-dreds of clients. But no matter how big Middle C gets, you’d be hard pressed to find a warmer, more welcoming music store that hits just the right note. Tom Sherwood, a Southwest resident, is a politi-cal reporter for News 4.

Shivering with more scandal …

TOM SHERWOOD’S NotebooK

Firehouse plans bad for neighborhood The D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department is planning to build a three-story, industrial-style hydraulic parking structure adjoining the rear alley of the Connecticut Avenue fire station [“Board approves plan for parking structure,” Feb. 29]. This construction appears to provide a net gain of 10 parking spaces for first responders. The net gain to homeowners on Porter,

Ordway and 30th streets will be round-the-clock noise, additional alley congestion and an unprece-dented move toward vertical park-ing solutions in a historic district. This structure will be wedged into an approximately 40-by-45-foot area, creating almost 100 percent lot coverage just steps from the Cleveland Park Metro station. The doors to the existing struc-ture are not big enough to handle modern firefighting equipment. An altered facade is not historic. The Current reports that the park-ing structure is to be clad in a tarp-like material in an attempt to mask the structure and reduce

noise and pollution. Tarps are not historic. Certainly, other property own-ers seeking a quick increase in the capacity of their parking lots will follow suit with more hydraulic-lift garage structures. It doesn’t make sense to me, and I don’t yet know the cost to taxpayers for this folly. As several critics have sug-gested, why not give each of our valued first responders all over the city a zone parking sticker for his or her assigned ward? Whatever needs to be done should be done sensibly and rea-sonably.

Roger HartCleveland Park

Letters tothe eDitor


incumbent is wrong on bond tax issue Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s famous quote — “Everyone is enti-tled to his own opinion but not his own facts” — applies once again to Vincent Orange, as evidenced by his comments at the Ward 3 Democrats’ forum on Feb. 23. Thanks to the forum’s modera-tors, I was given time to ask a question: “With the majority of municipal bondholders residing in Ward 3, Vincent Orange voted for the tax on municipal bonds and then voted twice against the com-promise to grandfather bonds already owned by D.C. residents. Now that Jack Evans has intro-duced legislation to eliminate fully the tax on municipal bonds, how will Vincent Orange vote on the Jack Evans proposal and how would the other candidates vote if they were on the council?” All the other candidates indicat-ed they would support Mr. Evans’ proposal. Mr. Orange, who I believe indicated he would not sup-port Mr. Evans’ proposal, gave a lengthy reply, which included say-ing that I was not telling the truth. What in my question was untruthful? Facts: Vincent Orange voted for the municipal bond tax and voted against the July and September proposals to grandfather bonds. What I did not add to my ques-tion were a few other facts. For instance, in what seemed like an attempt to demonstrate that only the very rich own bonds, Mr. Orange said at the July meeting that only 482 bondholders have incomes under $100,000, suggest-ing that everyone else earns much more. Fact: The Office of Revenue Analysis report from which he took the 482 number says that 482 bondholders have gross incomes under $50,000. After the May meeting when the D.C. Council passed the municipal bond tax without any hearings on the issue, I had many conversations with council members and their staffs. Unfortunately, Mr. Orange did not have the time to meet with us. The others stated (and this was also reported in The Washington Post) that the July vote to grandfa-ther bonds lost by one vote, from a member who had been expected to vote for the grandfathering — Vincent Orange. The reason given for his change of mind was that he traded his vote for $1 million to pay for the D.C. Emancipation Parade and to give money to the Lincoln Theatre, upon whose board Mr. Orange previously sat. I do not know this firsthand as I was not

privy to the closed-door discus-sions, but many who were at these discussions, regardless of their position on the bond tax, said it was true. For full disclosure, I voted for Vincent Orange in the last election. I did not do much homework; I based my decision on his many impressive degrees. I will not make this mistake again — another fact.

Beth MarcusWesley Heights

high-density growth isn’t always ‘smart’ I was disturbed to read The Current’s Feb. 29 report about the presentations at a local planning forum [“Smart growth panel push-es greater density”]. Based on the reported quotes from the city planner and various “experts,” one would surmise that we must choose whether we want to preserve our neighborhoods or “save the planet” by repealing his-torical height restrictions, allowing infill development, constructing apartment buildings over stores, and making streets less accessible to cars. Anything less is apparently “dumb growth.” This “good versus bad” view of growth is too simplistic and leads to cookie-cutter development fads. One of the wonderful things about Ward 3 is the diversity of its neigh-borhoods. Where I live in Kent/Palisades, we have quiet residential streets with families who drive, bicycle and walk (no sidewalks needed on most streets!). Many of our neigh-bors enjoy the convenience of their cars and appreciate the ability to park for free at the local grocery store or bank. Being able to easily drive the family to Tenleytown for shopping or dinner is important. Contrary to the planners’ asser-tions, these activities are not subsi-dized by others; we pay more than our own share in income and gaso-line taxes while heavily subsidiz-ing transit riders. Nevertheless, we do value having the option to take the Metrobus when it’s running on schedule. Despite the apparent derision toward our current community, we are proud that our neighborhood is child- and senior-friendly and “vibrant” in its own way. Describing such a neighborhood as “dead” because it doesn’t resemble U Street/Columbia Heights is sim-ply wrong. If the policy director for the Coalition for Smarter Growth is unhappy with the lack of skyscrapers near her office in Tenleytown, then there is no rea-son that she cannot find an office in a higher-density neighborhood downtown. Our neighborhoods are quite livable without planning “experts”

forcing higher density and expen-sive parking schemes down our throats in order to lure trendy sin-gles who would then move away when they marry and have chil-dren.

Nicole Cohen Washington, D.C.

D.C. Council focuses on wrong ‘dangers’ Maureen Cook’s letter [“Bill takes flawed approach to snow,” Jan. 25] is excellent. She discusses the issue of shov-eling one’s home area and the Big Brother aspects of local bureau-crats. Yes, revenue is huge to some misgovernment types. I understand the need for fines for dangerous parking (blocking fire hydrants and alleys), but I’ve seen too much predatory, no-sense-of-proportion ticketing. It would be very nice if Ward 3 D.C. Council member Mary Cheh’s office would address the longstanding safety issue at Davis Place and Tunlaw Road. We need stop signs there, and we have needed them for a long time. Yes, I contacted Mary Cheh’s office. And yes, things are the same — dangerous.

R.J. JonesGlover Park

retirees should pay fair share of taxes I have no problems with the recent D.C. Council action elimi-nating withholding from periodic payments from retirement accounts. However, it does seem that an effective senior citizen lobby is holding the council’s feet to the fire to minimize seniors’ tax burden. If the effort effectively shifts the burden to younger citi-zens, it will be a problem for our city’s future. It is possible through the use of Roth Investment Retirement Accounts and tax-exempt bond holdings to have substantial wealth and income while still qualifying for lower Medicare Part B premi-ums, reduced property tax liabili-ties, et cetera. This kind of clever tax planning is not a structure that the rest of the city should be will-ing to subsidize. Let us not forget that it is pri-marily the move of younger tax-payers into the city that is the gen-esis of the extent of renaissance that we see. If we can afford tax breaks, one might consider (for example) reinstating the first-time home-buyer $5,000 subsidy. As a retiree, I am willing to pay my share. It is regretful that others are not.

Vic MillerWashington Heights


Letters to the eDitorThe Current publishes letters and Viewpoint submissions representing various points of view. Because of space limitations, letters should be no more than 400 words and are subject to editing. Letters and Viewpoint submissions intended for publication should be addressed to Letters to the Editor, The Current, Post Office Box 40400, Washington, D.C. 20016-0400. You may send email to [email protected].


Commission nominee merits confirmation The D.C. Council seems to be setting a world record in deliberat-ing on one of the finest candidates ever nominated for a high executive branch position by any mayor of this city: Elizabeth Noël, put forth by Mayor Vincent Gray for a seat on the D.C. Public Service Commission. One might think from this delay that Ms. Noël was unknown, or that the council members have amnesia. Have they forgotten that Ms. Noël served brilliantly as the D.C. peo-ple’s counsel for more than 25 years? That her superbly gifted legal talent was used for the better-ment of all the citizens of this city? That she kept giant utilities like Pepco honest, kept utility rates under control and made residential affordability possible through pains-

taking, fair rate setting. That she tamed the rapacity of giant corpora-tions whose lust for profit is in league with Big Bank USA and Wall Street, whose greed has gener-ated protest in every corner in this land, not least in Freedom Plaza within earshot and in full view of the council itself? Can the council turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to those who would turn this entire city into an instant Georgetown, or a Boca Raton, Palm Springs, East Hampton or Martha’s Vineyard? Elizabeth Noël under-stands the need to keep this city affordable, and the key role utility rates play in achieving that goal. So do we the people, and that is why the vast majority of us — D.C. ten-ants, labor and homeowners — favor her appointment. Still, the council dithers, toying with red-herring charges of “con-flict of interest” and “recusal” diffi-culties, never mind that a blue-rib-bon panel and the attorney general found no such conflict or impedi-ment to her service.

Let us bluntly face this issue and let the chips fall where they may. Pepco opposes Ms. Noël because company officials fear her impar-tiality and threat to their unbridled greed, and their windfall profits of almost a billion dollars over the last couple of years. Her Board of Trade opponents believe that “market rate” should be the “prevailing rate” at all times, never mind that the market has become a casino and the marketers are breaking the bank at Monte Carlo. Entrenched interests fear that Ms. Noël’s vigor and talent will revitalize a moribund agency like the Public Service Commission and threaten their preferred status quo. Still others bow to opposition by the editorial page of The Washington Post, a great but dimin-ished newspaper. We say the council needs to free Betty Noël now and favorably vote for her confirmation. What do you say?

Jim McGrathChair,

D.C. Tenants’ Advocacy Coalition


Being an educator in the District of Columbia also means being an advocate for oneself and one’s school. In that spirit, I accepted a position on the

Public Education Finance Reform Commission, created by legislation when our current mayor was D.C. Council chairman. The commission’s main mandate was to examine the impact of funding inequities between D.C.’s tradi-tional public schools and public charter schools. After many delays, the commission has finally issued its report. Unfortunately, the final report fell far from achieving the well-intentioned mission. The history of public education in the District — how it has failed in the past and, more recently, what the city has decided to do to rectify that — is complex. But D.C. law regarding public education financing is not. The D.C. School Reform Act, the District’s charter school law, was passed in the mid-1990s, when public education in the city had reached its lowest point. It clearly states that charter schools — which are funded publicly but operated independently of D.C. Public Schools — should receive the same per-student funding as D.C.’s city-run schools. Sadly, the city has consis-tently failed to follow the law in this regard. And now this commission, of which I was a member voting in the minority, has failed to hold our government accountable for this. There are two key dates in the history of the District’s effort to turn around its public education sys-tem. The first is the charter school reform bill in 1996, which allowed educators like myself to open public schools. Under this reform, we are held accountable by an independent charter board, not the city-run school system that failed so many neighborhoods. The second innovation was mayoral control of D.C. Public Schools, which led to school reformer Michelle Rhee being appointed chancellor by former Mayor Adrian Fenty and then her deputy, Kaya Henderson, being appointed by Mayor Vincent Gray. Sadly, the commission failed to back equitable fund-ing for the first of these reforms. This failure is a trage-dy for those children living in D.C.’s many underserved communities. That reform has done so much to trans-form the educational prospects of children whose need is greatest. Students at D.C.’s public charter schools are

96 percent African-American or Latino, compared to 76 percent of D.C. Public Schools students. Some 75 per-cent of D.C.’s charter students are eligible for free or reduced-price school lunch, compared to 67 percent of D.C. Public Schools students. In 15 years, charters — which enroll 41 percent of D.C. students who are publicly educated — have raised the graduation rate. And from historically disastrous test scores, charters have raised the share of students per-forming at grade level from 32 to 54 percent in math, and from 39 to 50 percent in reading over the last six years. In D.C. Public Schools, 43 percent of students are at grade level in reading and math. According to a recent study commissioned by the administration, one-third of charters are high-perform-ing schools, compared to one-fifth of the school sys-tem’s campuses. Of these, only six are east of the Anacostia River; all are charters. Surveying how charters have improved public edu-cation in the city and the needs they serve, one might wonder why, for example, the city spends nearly twice as much on D.C. Public Schools students in school building funds as on charter students. This is despite the fact that many charter students are in facilities that lack gymnasiums, auditoriums, cafeterias, playing fields and playgrounds. Or why the total amount of spending and in-kind government services provided outside of the legal formula ranged from $72 million to $127 million over the past several years. At the schools I founded, we work to get kids who start several years behind grade level prepared to suc-ceed in college. The extra resources the school system receives would be hugely beneficial to our students, who feel the inequity in facility dollars every day, as two of our three buildings do not have a gym, while D.C. Public Schools renovates schools with large gyms and other amenities. The commission has failed, but I remain hard at work on behalf of the city’s disadvantaged children. Will Mayor Gray assist those children who are educat-ed outside of the traditional system, as he promised he would in 2010? Irasema Salcido is founder and chief executive officer of Cesar Chavez Public Charter School.

Mayor must finance charter schools fairlyVieWPoiNtiRaSEMa SaLCiDO

this failure is a tragedy for those children living in D.C.’s many underserved communities.

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By BRIAN KAPURCurrent Staff Writer

Last season, National Cathedral’s lacrosse team came within one goal of the Independent School League A division championship. In that title game, the Eagles fell to Holy Child 10-9. This year, National Cathedral comes into the season with high hopes, big goals and a new head coach at the helm. “We were so close and got a taste of it,” said first-year head coach Lindsey Whelan. “It’s a lot of motivation to get to the next level.” Whelan — who played at the college level for Virginia Tech in the Atlantic Coast Conference, regarded as the toughest in the country — took over the program after serv-ing as an assistant coach for two years. The new coach said she hopes to move the program into the ISL AA division, which is the upper part of the conference. “That’s our first goal,” Whelan said. “We want to get more disciplined in our attack and our defense and become better lacrosse players.” The Eagles will work on the basics to build a new foundation. “We want to start our play-ers from scratch and take all our players through a new defense and new stick-work techniques,” said Whelan. “Our basic goals are to revamp our defense, our stick work and our attack. I’m really excited about it.”

Seniors Arlana Agiliga, Caroline Yarborough and Emma Grauberger will lead National Cathedral’s defense, while senior goalkeeper Isabel McCullough will anchor the unit. “She’s going to be another leading force for us,” Whelan said of McCullough. Senior Margaret Gabriel and sophomore Parker Garrett will be key in the Eagles’ attack. National Cathedral will open its regular-season March 13 by hosting Stone Ridge.

Maret looks to rebound in ISL After a tough 2011 season, the Frogs enter the season with a very young team that includes 15 freshmen. Despite their youth,

they’re a skilled group of players with a good mix of senior and junior leaders. “It’s looking to be a much different team [from last year],” said Maret coach Emily Beckwith, who enters her fifth season at the helm. “We’re a young team, but our skill level is moving upward. I’m very excited.”

The Frogs will lean heavily on a trio of middies: seniors Madison Centarnari and Jessie Libow, and junior Caroline Malin-Mayor. During the interconference scrimmages at Saturday’s ISL play day, the young Frogs

Athletics in northwest wAshington March 7, 2012 ■

ISL ‘A’ lax preview: With its new coach, NCS looks for redemption

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Matt Petros/The CurrentLindsey Whelan, above, a former assistant coach at NCS, has taken over as the Eagles’ leader. Maret, left, has a young team this year, with 15 freshmen.


The Sidwell boys lacrosse team comes into this season looking to bounce back after a first-round play-off loss to Maret in last year’s Mid-Atlantic Conference Tournament. Last year’s squad was anchored by an experienced defense and a green offense, so the team relied on patient control of the ball. But Sidwell coach Jeff Ransom expects things to be much different this sea-son. “The young guys grew up, and we have a great mix of senior leader-ship and some really talented young players this year,” said Ransom. “It’s going to be fun to watch. This year, we will be able to get up and down more. It’s nice to get back to the way lacrosse is supposed to be played.” On offense, the Quakers will look to senior Curtis Oberg to lead. “[He’s] a very good leader and orga-nizer,” said Ransom. “He can play attack and midfield.” The team will also rely on sophomore attack Jack Sollee, who can finish well and light up the scoreboard. On the defensive side of the field,

the Quakers have a solid core. Ransom said the group plays well together and features a good mix: “We have a bunch of good defenders of all ages.” The Quakers’ defense will also have a new face between the pipes, as sophomore goalie Adam Sachs takes over.

“We have to keep kids out of the middle of our goal and just do a good job of fundamentals,” said Ransom. “The kids need to play with their sticks. We have some great kids here, and they are always gentlemen, scholars and athletes.” Sidwell will open the season March 14 when it hosts St. Albans.


The Eagles are used to surprising their spectators. In the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference boys lacrosse championship game last season, Gonzaga hit an improbable goal from 80 yards away to win back-to-back titles. Now, the Eagles will look to keep the surprises coming. This year, that would mean a three-peat in the conference despite graduating 16 seniors. But Gonzaga does return 24 players from last year’s title team, including eight starters. Gonzaga has nine players who are slated to play at the college level: senior midfielder Connor Reed, who will play for Johns Hopkins; senior midfielder Matt Bowman, for Army; and junior mid-fielder Max Planning, for Denver. Coach Casey O’Neill feels the Eagles have a good mix of youth

and experience to compete at a championship level. “We see ourselves in the hunt,” said O’Neill. “It’s going to be an exciting year. We are really excited to see what we’ve got.” The Eagles will open their sea-son Saturday at 2 p.m. when they host St. Mary’s Annapolis.

Gonzaga lacrosse eyes three-peat

Quakers look to bounce back in the MAC

Brian Kapur/The CurrentGonzaga is looking to extend its WCAC title reign.

Matt Petros/The CurrentSidwell had a good showing against Walter Johnson Monday.

See ISL lax/Page 16


Northwest Sports

were able to take a look at their competitors and get a feel for the varsity level. “We have a lot of people who are transitioning from middle school to varsity because Maret is small and we need to do that,” said Beckwith. “This is great for experience and to see how these teams are like and how we have to play against them.” The Frogs will open their season Wednesday when they travel to George Mason High School. The first draw is scheduled for 6 p.m.

New coach comes to GDS from Maryland club team Stacy Gold takes over the Hoppers after coaching for the Sky Walkers club lacrosse team in Maryland. Her experience with Sky Walkers — which had players play-ing big roles on the last two NCAA national championship teams — should be a huge boost for Georgetown Day. “We have a good balance of seniors and underclassmen,” Gold said of her new team. “We have a

new goalie this year who’s doing amazingly [well]. We are really just playing to build all season long.” The Hoppers will look to a pair of seniors to lead the way: Whitney Reed and Erica Peterson. “Whitney has incredible stick skills and sense of the game,” said Gold. “They are just experienced players and know the game very well. I’m fortunate to have them on the team.” In goal the Hoppers will go with freshman keeper Nicole Greenberg, who makes up for youth with skill. “She has great hand-eye coordi-nation and a really good sense of blocking the ball,” said Gold. “She’s new, but I have really high hopes for her for this season and the next four years.” The Hoppers open their season Wednesday when they host Wilson at 4 p.m.

Former All-Ivy player joins Sidwell as head coach Maggie Rodgers — a former All-Ivy League, All-American and Ivy League Player of the Year at Cornell University — is taking over Sidwell’s girls lacrosse program. Rodgers said she hopes to build

the program and lay a foundation at Sidwell for the long haul. “Our key themes for the upcom-ing season are camaraderie, pride and purpose,” she said. “We focus on details and discipline every day in order to reinforce these themes, which will help build our program long term. … Small successes will translate to long-term success.” The Quakers will rely on several seniors — Liza Bernstein, Sophia Cantizano, Salena Hess, Bridget McElroy and Natalie Vicas — to lead the way. “Leadership from our senior class is key,” said Rodgers. “They work hard to set the tone through their play and attitudes.” The Quakers will have several midfielders who will carry the load: Hess, sophomores Kate Sollee and Dory Merritt, and freshman Claire Thompson. “All four bring a high level of talent and intensity,” said Rodgers. “They are always looking for ways to improve their own skills, which encourages the whole team to do so.” The Quakers will open their sea-son Thursday when they host Holy Child at 4:15 p.m.

ISL LAXFrom Page 15

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Boys basketball

Interstate Athletic Conference

Junior Michael Wiacek, St. Albans

Washington Catholic Athletic Conference

Player of the yearJunior Kris Jenkins, Gonzaga

First teamJunior Nate Britt, GonzagaSenior Darian Anderson, St. John’s

Second teamJunior Lennard Freeman, St. John’s

Third teamJunior Tavon Blackmon, GonzagaSenior Will Rassman, Gonzaga

Mid-Atlantic Conference

Senior Anthony Campbell, Georgetown Day Junior Marlon Beck, Maret Junior Eugene Tre Bowens, Maret Senior Jamal Lewis, Sidwell Junior Josh Hart, Sidwell

Girls basketball

Washington Catholic Athletic Conference

Senior Mooriah Rowser, St. John’sJunior Lindsay Allen, St. John’s

Independent School League

Senior Kate Gillespie, VisitationSenior Maddy Williams, VisitationJunior Caira Washington, Georgetown DaySenior Bryanna Robinson, Georgetown DayJunior Tiara Wood, Sidwell

All-Conference Hoops

Date set for City Title basketball games After much deliberation among local officials, the Abe Pollin City Title basketball games were set for March 20 at Verizon Center. Washington Catholic Athletic Conference champion Good Counsel will play D.C. Interscholastic Athletic

Association champion H.D. Woodson at 5:30 p.m. for the girls title, while DCIAA’s Coolidge will play WCAC’s Paul VI in a 7:30 p.m. nightcap for the boys. The event usually takes place within the first two weeks of March. But the NBA lockout and conflicts with the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus left the game, which is usually played at Verizon Center, in limbo. Last week, after officials went back

and forth on various options, March 20 was selected as game day. The DCIAA champions will have to dust off rust to prepare for the title games. The D.C. confer-ence title was decided Feb. 25, so the teams will have been idle for more than three weeks before the city title game. Both WCAC champions, on the other hand, are scheduled to compete in tourna-ments this month.

Sports Desk

CURRENT NEWSPAPERS

SPORTSPHOTOSFrom Previous

Photos are available fromwww.mattpetros.zenfolio.com

By KATIE PEARCE Current Staff Writer

Smokey Robinson, visiting the Duke Ellington School of the Arts last week, said one of

his “greatest joys” in life is hear-ing other people sing his songs. So Friday must have been a joyful day for Robinson, as he stood in the wings of Ellington’s main stage watching high-school-ers perform a couple Motown hits he penned in the ’60s: “Ain’t That Peculiar” and “Don’t Mess With Bill.” Senior India Reynolds, a vocal music major, commandeered the stage as four of her classmates provided doo-wop-style backup, dancing and snapping around her. Behind the singers was a row of instrumentalists — guitars, key-board, drums and horns —who were more subdued, but still tap-ping their toes. Later an Ellington alum joined the crew: singer Sylver Logan Sharp of the class of ’85, standing out with her neon-red hair. With the audience pitching in lyrics, the full group put on a slow version of another Robinson hit, “Since I Left My Baby.” This serenade of Robinson — attended by Ellington students, staff and a handful of members of the press — preceded a benefit concert the following night at the Kennedy Center. As this year’s “Performance Series of Legends” headliner for Ellington, Robinson sold out the show. Speaking before the press on Friday at the public arts-magnet

school, the 72-year-old R&B sing-er, songwriter and record producer called Ellington “a great example” of the type of arts curriculum he has been advocating in recent years. Growing up in Detroit, Robinson said, he was surrounded by “gangsters” but kept his focus by pursuing a love of music. “I started singing when I first opened my mouth, according to my mom,” he said. In school, he participated in choirs and glee clubs and played alto sax. “There are no new artists,” Robinson said. “They’ve all been doing it since they were 6.” With his group The Miracles, Robinson scored his first hit — and the Motown record company’s first No. 1 — with “Shop Around” in 1960. He went on to write and produce a slew of hit tracks for other artists, acting as The Temptations’ primary songwriter and becoming Motown’s vice president. Introducing the artist to stu-

dents Friday, Ellington principal Rory Pullens told them: “All of you, at some point in time, I don’t care how young you are, have heard Smokey Robinson.” When Robinson spoke directly to students at the Burleith school, he encouraged them to honor their artistic passions — but he also downplayed their show-business aspirations. “Show business may be in mind as your No. 1 priority, but you gotta switch that over, make it a second priority,” he said. He spoke of the fickle nature of fame. “I don’t trip on ‘Smokey Robinson,’” he said. “If I think I’m hot stuff, all I gotta do is wait ’til next week, when Usher comes around.” Robinson said he was a good student himself, and logged a few

months in college before his music career took off. “I loved learning,” he said, adding: “And that’s where all the girls were gonna be.” Before the music performance, students from Ellington’s digital arts department presented Robinson with a poster on which words formed the shape of the art-ist’s face; junior Lauryn Nesbitt later silenced the room in reading those words, a poem, aloud to Robinson. The Legends concert series, which the Ellington school launched in 2008, has raised more than $2 million for its arts curricu-lum. The high school started out by bringing in its own alums — comedian Dave Chapelle, opera singer Denyce Graves — before reaching out to other big names like Stevie Wonder and, last year,

Earth, Wind and Fire. Principal Pullens described the concerts as a critical supplemental resource for the public school, whose needs far exceed “what [D.C. Public Schools] is able to provide a budget for.” He pointed to the students on stage Friday as an example of the type of work ethic the school encourages. The night before, the group had performed a show at the Atlas Performing Arts Center; the students were slated to return to the H Street NE theater that night. Then on Saturday, they would have to get up early to head to the Kennedy Center to prep for their show with Robinson. “If you’re going to be an artist in this business,” Pullens said, “you’ve got to be serious about your craft.”

The People and Places of Northwest Washington March 7, 2012 ■

Current Staff Report

Former Foggy Bottom residents, includ-ing Washington Post columnist Colbert King, got together recently to chat

about the neighborhood’s old days, when a “village” culture thrived and George Washington University did not yet dominate the landscape. It was the university, though, that spon-sored last week’s panel, which aimed to cele-brate the African-American legacy in Foggy Bottom as part of the school’s 100th anniver-sary events. George Washington’s assistant vice presi-dent, Bernard Demczuk, organized the panel, which also featured material from the school’s ongoing Foggy Bottom Oral History Project.

The panel of past Foggy Bottom residents described a time when people left their doors open and the lines between families blurred. “Nobody’s doors were locked,” recalled James Briscoe. “I don’t know how the other families knew you were broke or hungry, but they would take you in.” “We had a village here in Foggy Bottom,” he said, “without anybody trying to put it together.” King, a Pulitzer Prize winner, grew up in a home at 24th and L streets. A slide on display

at last week’s event showed him graduating from the now-closed Thaddeus Stevens Elementary School in 1954. King described an atmosphere of trust in the old Foggy Bottom. He recalled, for exam-ple, a merchant who allowed him to take away store goods without paying a dime. King’s mother would pay for the merchandise later, once she had received her paycheck. “Everyone looked after you, including the neighbors,” he said. King also said that when he was growing up, Foggy Bottom included a mix of income levels and races. His closest childhood friend was his white neighbor, and they did every-thing together except going to school. Former resident Mary Brown said many in Foggy Bottom held jobs within the communi-ty. Her brother and father hand-stuffed news-

paper sections into issues of the old Washington Star newspaper, while Brown waited tables after school. King noted that unskilled workers could usually find jobs at local beer companies or milk-delivery providers. “All those places are gone now,” he said. The expansion of George Washington University created jobs, panelists said, but also dislocated the entrenched community. King said that once gentrification kicked into gear, many of the area’s Baptist churches eventually moved to 16th Street or east of Georgia Avenue. Residents who rented their homes “had no recourse except to move,” King said. “Our family owned our house, but there was no reason to stay because what we had as a com-munity was gone.”

Smokey pays a visit to Duke Ellington School

GWU anniversary event features memories of an erstwhile Foggy Bottom

Bill Petros/The CurrentR&B artist Smokey Robinson, with Ellington principal Rory Pullens, far right, spoke about the importance of arts education Friday. On Saturday, he performed in a Kennedy Center benefit for the school.

❝We had a village here in Foggy Bottom, without anybody trying to put it together.❞

— Former resident James Briscoe

Spotlight on Schools18 Wednesday, March 7, 2012 The currenT

Aidan Montessori School Last week, the sixth-years went to the Newseum, D.C.’s newest museum. Here’s what they thought: Ashton Lindeman said, “It was really interesting, and I learned a lot.” Nina Gumbs said, “I think it was interesting, fun and awesome.” Lucia Braddock said, “It was amazing. I want to run for president in 2040, so it taught me a lot.” Sofia Brown said, “It was really cool. We saw a video on TV ads in presidential campaigns.” Also, some of the people in the class are presenting all over the school and at another school in Virginia for our Amman Imman campaign. Amman Imman is an organization our school is working with to bring water to Africa. “We are doing an art project with the lower elementary. I’m real-ly excited,” said Eva Sophia Shimanski, a fifth-grader. Alana Hodge, a fourth-grader, said, “I think Amman Imman is a good way to help people in Africa get water.” Alexandra Bullock, another fourth-grader, said, “Ariane Kirtley started Amman Imman for the peo-ple who need water in a part of Africa called the Azawak, so we have a Walk for Water in March to help raise money.”— Ariel Garfield, sixth-grader, and

Elliot Sealls, fifth-grader

Beauvoir School An hour before Christmas Chapel, the Tasmanian Devils (or Tassies) had a talent show for their parents. A few of the topics were magic, music, comedy and dancing. We had a DJ and an announcer. Our music included piano, violin

and singing. Our personal favorite was the stand-up comedy, which Daniel and Kieran performed. Our magic consisted of mysterious Houdini blocks that magically fell out of a closed box. Timothy made a 1-foot-tall block tower in a min-ute. Evan played the violin, and his song was “Minuet 1” by J.S. Bach. Damian did a card trick with a cal-culator. Chloe drew a fruit basket while standing on one foot. Jaden did sports trivia about the Dallas Cowboys. It was amazing, and he even answered questions from his dad’s phone. Arrie and Blake did gymnastics and flipped over one another.

— Evan Asuncion and Daniel Cicero, third-graders

Benjamin Banneker Academic High School On Feb. 28, five journalists from the White House Correspondents’ Association visited Benjamin Banneker Academic High School. Margaret Talev, Mike Allen, Perry Bacon Jr., Glenn Thrush and Dan Robinson held a panel discussion in the library with 45 students from the Advanced Placement govern-ment class and the staff of the stu-dent newspaper, Train of Thought. Allen and Thrush are White House correspondents for Politico; Talev is a correspondent for Bloomberg News. Bacon is an on-air analyst for MSNBC and politi-cal editor for NBC’s thegrio.com, and Robinson is a journalist who has worked with Voice of America for 32 years. Topics covered during the lively

panel discussion included the jour-nalists’ individual careers, journal-ism as a profession, America’s international relations and politics. During the event, there were not just questions from the students to the visiting journalists, but also from the panelists for the students to answer. The panel discussion was interactive, interesting and informative, and it was a great experience for the students.

— Natia Contee, 12th-grader

British School of Washington The British School of Washington just finished its produc-tion of “Oliver!” The final show on Thursday was one of three unbe-lievable performances. With six months of preparation to pull off a fantastic and well-worked produc-tion, it felt like such a short period of time for so many people, includ-ing me. The play included lots of sing-ing, acting and even a dance num-ber! From what I could hear back-stage, there were a huge number of talented singers participating in a tremendous play. And the acting from different characters brought a smile on everyone’s face and, at the right times, a tear to their eyes. The play received excellent reviews from students, parents and friends. And the entire cast and crew worked hard throughout the complete performance. The cast couldn’t have pulled it off without the help of the people backstage, the crew. They helped build an amazing set and set up all the microphones and lights just in time for the performance. And we couldn’t have done it without the musical stylings of Mrs. Roberts

and the band; Ms. Shaw and the helpers backstage; and the organisa-tion and direction of the whole play by Mrs. Stewart. From what I could see, British School of Washington has many gifted students who can sing, act and dance! The play was a thrilling experience for everyone, and I can’t wait to see what is planned for next year’s production.— Niklavs Grava, Year 8 Plymouth

(seventh-grader and member of the cast)

Deal Middle School P( )E 2 M*D÷A+S-! This week for DC-CAS preparation, sixth-grade homeroom classes are going over PEMDAS, also known as Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition and Subtraction. PEMDAS can also be known as Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sallie. For a few months, Math6 has been working on algebraic expres-sions and algebraic equations. This work was a piece of cake, as long as we listened to Dr. Pough. But it wasn’t hard to listen to Dr. Pough because she always teaches us in an interesting way! Over the last month in Ms. Kinzer’s class, we studied resources and whether they are renewable or non-renewable. Then, we wrote an essay on resources such as coal, migrant labor and tractors. In Ms. Mason’s science class, we are tracking our resources and seeing how much we have and how much people in places like Africa don’t have. We are trying to see if our resource use grows or shrinks.

— Karim Diaite, sixth-grader

Eaton Elementary Every year, John Eaton Elementary has a school musical. This year’s musical is “The Phantom Tollbooth,” which is based on the book with the same name. The story is about a boy named Milo who isn’t interested in any-thing. He goes on an adventure to a parallel universe. While he is there, he meets Tock the Watchdog and they have to rescue two princesses. During his adventure, Milo opens his eyes to the world and every-thing around him. The musical tells the whole story. The audition process for “The Phantom Tollbooth” included sing-ing a song for the directors, reading lines out of the script, learning dances from the play and practicing group songs. Most kids were ner-vous at first but then felt more com-fortable throughout the rest of the auditions. Once the cast was select-ed, the students felt more confident about their singing and acting after some practice. The members of the technical crew, or “techies,” are the glue binding the show together. Techies control the lights, sounds, sets, backstage and props. This year, we are going to have lots of live music, which the techies will help with by

playing the instruments in the back-ground. In rehearsal, we work on harmo-nizing in songs, acting and learning dance moves. The whole cast thinks that rehearsal time is fun and excit-ing. Our performances will be on the weekend of May 11 and 12. We hope everyone comes to see John Eaton’s production of “The Phantom Tollbooth”!

— Emry Hankins, Sophia Mohammed and

Charlotte Weiser, fifth-graders

Edmund Burke School At Edmund Burke School, there are many sports for the students to play. Right now, the main sport is track and field. The track season started with indoor practice on Feb. 27. Track is open to students of all ages, from sixth to 12th grades. For now, we are practicing in an indoor gym, but on March 5 practice will be taken to the Wilson outdoor track. Sports are one of the ways that Burke students meet one another, from high school to middle school. They practice together and have meets together. Sixth-graders prac-tice alongside, take advice from and talk with seniors. The coaches of the team put the older students in charge of themselves, and they instruct and help the younger stu-dents to learn. Track and field offers many events for beginner students to try and experienced students to contin-ue. Some of these events are shot put, sprinting, discus, distance run-ning and relays. Large numbers of events give students with not much experience the opportunity to try a new event in a meet. Students can even discover that they are good at something they had never tried before. The sports at Burke bring stu-dents together and give them a chance to have a good time after school. Some of the other sports at Burke are softball, soccer, volley-ball and basketball. Everyone at Burke has an option to play a sport at almost all times of the year. The practices are fun, and kids learn a lot about how to play the sport. Kids who take the sports get to know the coaches as well as the kids in the grades above them. Sports make the atmosphere at school a whole lot happier and give the student body a great feeling of school spirit.— Charlie Mahaffie, eighth-grader

Georgetown Day School Ever wonder where your lunch bag ends up if it falls out of the gar-bage truck? The answer is in water-ways, where fish and currents carry it along into the Anacostia River. Your lunch bag blocks out the sun and allows algae to grow and makes the river unlivable for thou-sands of species of plants and ani-mals. But if that lunch bag fell out of the garbage truck and the wind tossed it along like a beach ball and

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dropped into a marsh, that lunch bag would stay in the marsh until it decomposed. Why? Because the marsh is a pervious surface. This means that when it rains, most of the water is absorbed by the trees and bushes so that there is little to no runoff. The Georgetown Day School sixth-graders helped to keep your lunch bag out of the river by plant-ing wild rice along a tributary of the Anacostia River. It was messy but fun. The wild rice seeds are tiny and their roots are even smaller, so you have to be extremely careful when trying to plant them. We also created a small meadow with native flowers and pulled up invasive spe-cies of plants. So when you throw your lunch bag into the trash, you’d better double-cross your fingers that it falls onto a nice marsh and not the Anacostia River.

— Catherine Hay, sixth-grader

Holy Trinity School March 2 was Dr. Seuss’ birthday. At Holy Trinity, the lower school celebrated by having the third- and fourth-grade chorus sing two songs from the Dr. Seuss songbook. The first was “Let Us Sing,” and the second was “My Uncle Terwilliger Dances With Bears.” “Let Us Sing” is about people and various animals singing and how it is good for them. “Uncle Terwilliger” is about a man who creeps down his back stairs to go waltzing with bears every Saturday night. Then, the third-grade class read Dr. Seuss books to kindergartners. We read “The Cat in the Hat,” “The Lorax” and other famous Dr. Seuss books. Some of the kindergartners read to the third-graders. At least 47 companies said “no” to publishing Dr. Seuss’ first book. Then one person said “yes” to pub-lishing “To Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street.” Dr. Seuss wrote under a few different names. He got the name Dr. Seuss because people thought his books were like medi-cine. He wrote good books for chil-dren to read. Dr. Seuss only took one art class in his entire life. He had a very vivid imagination. Dr. Seuss want-ed to be a professor, but he doodled a lot in his notebook. His professor saw his doodles and suggested that he be an illustrator. “Green Eggs and Ham” was written because he made a bet with a friend that he could write a book with only 50 words. Dr. Seuss is one of the most famous authors in history.

— Jackson Namian, Charlie Neill and Grant Reed, third-graders

Hyde-Addison Elementary Last month, the second-graders shared their “edge-of-the-seat small moments” with a group of seniors at St. John’s Episcopal Church. These stories were about real things that happened to us. The idea was to write about something cool or awesome and definitely not bor-

ing. They were short because if they were too long they might have put people to sleep. To make the writing interesting, we had to show and not just tell. For example, we didn’t say, “There was a big stone.” We would try to describe it and say: “The stone was as big as a gray ele-phant.” We tried to use dialogue and action, and a lot of the stories had a sad part that turned out to be good in the end. We wrote about our first time skateboarding and horseback rid-ing. We wrote about a car accident and playing a trick on a sister. They were all interesting because they were about our lives and we might be famous one day. We read them to the seniors with a lot of feeling and showed them the pictures we drew. They seemed cheered up because they applauded and some of us got hugs and kisses! “I was scared talking to the seniors about my small-moment story, but after I got to know them, I was calm,” shared Spencer MacKenzie. “The seniors were friendly even if I was nervous,” said Sanjana Bhojawani. “I really enjoyed talk-ing to the seniors.”

— Second-graders

Janney Elementary Although many people are pleased with our new building, some seem unhappy about the col-orless walls, others are upset with the breakdowns in the SMART Boards, and a few don’t like their locations. “It’s kind of hard to have sinks breaking down all the time,” fifth-grader Sydney Forman said. “I’m so far away from every-body else,” said Ms. Young, whose science room is on the lowest floor. On the bottom floor, too, is the library, which has a media center filled with Mac desktop computers, a reading pit (also known as the Book Nook) and nearly 15,000 books — and counting! But there still are empty shelves. “We ordered extra bookshelves so that we could expand the [book] collection,” explained Malin Kerwin, the head librarian. “[I love] all the computers and the technology,” said Lyndsey Epperson, the media teacher. The new gym is above the library, and even though the ceiling

is soundproofed, it doesn’t elimi-nate all noise. One student was heard to ask, “Are there bison run-ning across the gym floor?” Teachers enjoy an excellent overhead view of the gym from their new lounge. “I love it!” said Marijke Gero, a kindergarten teacher. “I get to spy on Mr. Kovacs! I saw the first-grad-ers dancing — it was great!” (Luke Kovacs is Janney’s physical educa-tion teacher.) Lauren Rockwell, another kin-dergarten teacher, said she “can watch the basketball games [from the lounge] if it gets too crowded downstairs. I love the view. I like the furniture, but mostly the view.” The teachers lounge is equipped with a meeting room, coffee maker, refrigerator and vending machines. “It’s a place where the teachers can get together,” Ms. Gero said.

— Caroline Katzive and Maddie Williams, fifth-graders

Key Elementary Key School’s annual science fair is coming up and will have hap-pened by the time this dispatch runs. What’s new this year is that it has expanded to a “Family Science Night.” It is open to more family members and will have a big tent on our blacktop. There were science-related games, activities and projects Key School kids created. Some of the activities were the mad scientist, living science, designing bridges and catapults, optical illusions and much more. There are many awards for the projects. Unfortunately, this year there will not be a citywide science fair competition for D.C. elementary schools. But that hasn’t stopped our Key School science teacher, Amy Johnson, who said she is “very excited for the science night.” She has given a lot of hard work and devotion to make this year the best night ever for the parents, students, teachers and friends of Key School.

— Maurice Sibaja and Idris Hasan-Granier, fifth-graders

Lafayette Elementary The Lafayette girls basketball team fought hard for the 2012 city championship title against Murch. It was Monday afternoon, Feb. 27, at Deal Middle School. The game was incredibly tense, but the

Lafayette Lady Bears came through it with flying colors and captured the title of city champions! At the end of the game, the score was 19-16, Lafayette. Two Lafayette girls, Jalen Ciagne and Ana Fischer, got big awards. Jalen got an all-tournament award for her hard work. Ana got both an all-tournament award and an MVP award for her outstanding perfor-mance throughout the year. We would like to thank our coaches Kelly Gearin, Kenneth Hover and Kevin Jackson for all their support and hard work and for leading us through a great season. As Ana said at the end of the game, “We are the champions!”

— Jalen Ciagne and Rose Kelleher, fifth-graders

National Presbyterian School National Presbyterian School had Pajama Day on Feb. 27. The third grade wrote a proposal to Mr. Neill, head of school, to have Pajama Day. All the grades enjoyed Pajama Day, and even teachers wore their pj’s to school. “I liked just waking

up and I didn’t have to change out of my pj’s,” said Jake Harvey, a first-grader. Mrs. Montague, learning spe-cialist, said, “I was very comfort-able!” People were surprised about Pajama Day, but really happy. “It made a Monday morning much easier!” said Mrs. Woods, media specialist. Mr. Sumner, fifth-grade teacher, wore his Homer Simpson slippers, and Mrs. Bravo, art teacher, wore her Tinker Bell pj’s. Kids and teachers all over the school were in bathrobes and slip-pers with their teddy bears. I hope we have Pajama Day again!

— Helen Onufer, fifth-grader

St. Albans School Last Thursday, the St. Albans Form II students (eighth-graders) went on a field trip to the C&O Canal National Historical Park and the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Carderock, Md. Before we arrived at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, we spent 30 minutes expanding our knowl-

dispatchesFrom page 18

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PENN QUARTER $587,500WALK SCORE 100! Bright, lux bldg! 2Lvls, 2BR, 2.5BA. Spacious LR/DR combo,Gran/SS KIT, MBR with WIC. 2 Balconies.Wshgtn Monument & courtyard views.Concierge, Rftop Pool, Media Rm, FitnessCtr & pet OK. Near Verizon Ctr, Metros,Restaurants. Superb Loc, PKG avail.Kathleen Ryan 240-418-3127Chevy Chase Office 202-363-9700

PETWORTH $99,000 & $155,0002 LISTINGS! Old World Charm apts withfab interior courtyard, arches, wood flrs,DR, good closet, large storage space, 1BR(700 SF, 9 windows) shortsale for $99,000& 2BR (1300 SF, 13 windows) foreclosurefor $155,000. Great buys! Near market &Ft Totten & Metro within 7 blks!www.TheChampionCollection.com.Denise Champion 202-215-9242Chevy Chase Office 202-363-9700

TAKOMA PARK, MD $349,999RARE FIND Built in 1997, 3BR, 3BAdetached Colonial, nestled in charmingTakoma Park. Large wooded front yard, 3levels of living. Close to nostalgic oldtown Takoma Park shops, restaurants,Metrorail & Metrobus transportation.6415 4th Ave, Takoma Park, MD 20912Leon Williams 202-437-6828Georgetown Office 202-944-8400

WASHINGTON GROVE $575,000STUNNING renov 4BR, 3.5BA Victorianon walking path. Retains much of theoriginal detail w/new KIT/BAs, stainedglass, wrap around porch & big yard.Come be surprised!Susan Van Nostrand 301-529-1385Friendship Hts Office 301-652-2777

GEORGETOWN1680 Wisconsin Ave. NW

202.944.8400

FOXHALL3201 New Mexico Ave. NW

202.363.1800

FRIENDSHIP HEIGHTS5101 Wisconsin Ave. NW

202.364.5200

CHEVY CHASE20 Chevy Chase Circle NW

202.363.9700

WOODLEY PARK2300 Calvert St.202.483.6300

CRESTWOOD $987,500JUST LISTED! Restored Classic Detd Wardmanc1927! Over 4,000 SF, 4BR, 4.5BA, 2 Dens,Reception Foyer, high ceils & doors, frpl, crownmoldings. S facing sun rm w/plantation shutters,gour KIT w/gran, LL w/kitchenette. 2 car gar &6,000 SF lot! www.TheChampionCollection.com.Denise Champion 202-215-9242Chevy Chase Office 202-363-9700

CLEVELAND PARK $525,000

SUNNY 2BR, 1BA condo with 2 GARAGESPACES, wood floors, fireplace and balcony in afull service bldg with doorman, pool and gym just2 blocks to Metro! www.3883Connecticut.com.

Richard Oder 202-329-6900Woodley Park Office 202-483-6300

RESTON, VA $349,000GREAT LOCATION in the heart of Reston. 3BR,2BA & 2HBA. Double sided fireplace, deck on themain level overlooking trees. Light filled walkoutbsmt w/patio. Freshly painted and new carpeting.This lovely TH with assigned parking is situated ina park like setting. 2369 Generation Dr.Emmanuel Sturley 202-503-8607Georgetown Office 202-944-8400

CHEVY CHASE, MD $1,649,000SUNNY, SPACIOUS, RENOVATED! This 6BR,4.5BA Center Hall Colonial will charm anddelight you. Cook’s KIT w/custom cherry cabs,granite, SS; Sun Rm w/wall of windows; oversizeDR & FR. MBR Suite has marble BA & WI dualclosets. Fully finished LL. 2-car Garage.Cheryl Kurss 341-346-6615Chevy Chase Office 202-363-9700

FOREST HILLS $1,500,000STATELY, brick Georgian on 16,000 SF lot facingRock Creek Pk. 5000 SF of bright, open space.6BR, 4.5BA, 4FPLS. Marble foyer, grand piano-sized LR, library, great rm w/cath ceilg, lge t/s KITw/brkfst bar & island, sep DR, rec rm, flagstoneterrace, 2 car gar. 4668 Broad Branch Rd NW.Denise Warner 202-487-5162Georgetown Office 202-944-8400

MOUNT PLEASANT $1,150,000STUNNING renov of grand semi-detd Mt Pleasantrow house. Lovingly restored & updtd for moderncity living, flooded with sunlight. Grand-scale for-mal rooms, columned front porch, wide centerentry, coffered DR, granite/SS KIT, MBR ste, 6BR,3-1/2 marble BAs, priv patio, 2-car PKG, CAC.Linda LowFoxhall Office 202-363-1800

ARLINGTON $849,900LUXURIOUS Platinum penthouse located in theheart of Arlington, 2 blocks from CourthouseMetro. 2BRs plus den, 2.5BA, HW flrs, huge win-dows, 2 balconies, 2 parking spaces, 3 storageunits. So much more!Ross Vann 202-256-0639Friendship Heights Office 703-522-6100

FT DUPONT PARK $140,000ATTRACTIVE detached 4BR brick with fireplacein living room, 2 porches, garage and huge yard.Call for details.

Norris Dodson 202-486-7800Friendship Heights Office 202-364-5200

Home buyers searching for a roomy historic property they can put an individual

stamp on should check out a new

listing in LeDroit Park. The red-brick corner property — the childhood home of Marguerite Byrd, Harry Belafonte’s first wife — was built in 1880 and bears the grand hallmarks of a Victorian home: soaring ceilings, pocket doors and countless notable details, such as a mahogany handrail that twists up the home’s staircase. Owner Connie Thomas-Razza prefers a palette of hot, saturated tones, so lovers of strong hues will see that these rooms, thanks to ample natural light from multiple exposures, can accommodate those colors. A more neutral color story, if buyers preferred, would let the home’s bones — hardwood floors and hefty moldings — pop as well. The home’s vintage demands that at least a few antique furnish-ings be thrown in the mix, and Thomas-Razza has already done some of the legwork here: A dra-matically carved black antique

overmantel that she nabbed years ago will remain in place in the living room. That piece tops a slate fireplace sur-round that matches one in the dining room; the two rooms also share sunny, square bays. The kitchen is roomy and functional, with new ceramic tile floors. Many renova-tion-minded buyers would begin here but may consider keeping the sensible current layout: a U-shaped work space is divided by a peninsula from a breakfast nook. That spot looks out on the home’s rear yard, a shady spot in summer thanks to a large tree. Bamboo provides privacy, as does a low fence. A large, unfinished lower level here is a prime candidate for reno-vation — and a window into the property’s past, thanks to a closed-up well where previous residents drew water from an underground spring. A comfortable ceiling height

means that the space could easily be casual living space or a rental unit, with some alterations. Four bedrooms and one full bath, their entrances marked by fixed transoms, wait two levels up. The master is an especially roomy spot, though the home’s age means that there’s no en-suite bath. Buyers looking for such a space could explore finishing the home’s attic — which currently has pull-down stairs — into a master suite. One of the bedrooms connects to

the master — perfect for a nursery or a home office. Another room is smaller than the others, making it a good location for an office or, as now, a cozy spot to read and watch movies. Drivers will appreciate the home’s location close to the city’s major arteries, but the Shaw-Howard University Metro stop a few blocks away will also come in

handy. Though LeDroit Park is a quiet neighborhood, the restaurants and shops of U Street and Shaw are close at hand. This four-bedroom, one-bath home at 501 T St. NW is offered for $650,000. For more information, contact Kimberly Cestari of W.C. & A.N. Miller Realtors, a Long & Foster Co., at 202-253-8757 or kimberly.cestari@longandfoster.

A Look at the Market in Northwest Washington March 7, 2012 ■

LeDroit Park home offers vintage appeal, room to grow

Photos courtesy of W.C. & A.N. Miller RealtorsThis four-bedroom, one-bath home in LeDroit Park is priced at $650,000.

ON THE MARKET CARol buCkley

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was erroneous, since the lease was never executed — and wasn’t even allowed to be once the Army declared Walter Reed “excess” in 2005. An Army spokesperson con-firmed this week that Army regula-tions don’t allow such leases for properties declared excess or sur-plus. The District’s legislation was enacted without hearings or a com-mittee report because it was couched as an “emergency.” Economic devel-opment officials have since declined to comment on their dealings with Keenan because, they said, the nego-tiations were confidential. Economic development office spokesperson Jose Sousa said last week there was nothing improper about the legislation authorizing sole-source negotiations with Keenan since it “was enacted based on our knowledge at the time.” Back in 2004, Keenan had signed an “enhanced use lease” with the Army to renovate and maintain another building on the Walter Reed campus. That type of lease allows the federal government to expedite renovation or modernization of its property by partnering with a private developer, which would get to use some of the renovated building in return. The 2004 lease includes a provi-

sion allowing Keenan to “amend its business plan” to add a lease on the so-called Building 18, subject to Army approval. But as Army offi-cials confirmed last fall, that option was never executed and can’t be now since the building was declared excess. Still, as late as January, city offi-cials kept repeating that Keenan had “development rights” on Building 18, which housed wounded war vet-erans until a 2007 Washington Post exposé of horrendous conditions there forced the Army to shut it down. Keenan has not returned emails or phone messages seeking com-ment. What gets a little murky is the Army’s instruction to the city. According to an Army Corps of Engineers spokesperson, Army offi-cials were telling the city that Keenan’s option “could be exercised at a later date,” if the city wanted the firm to tear down the old hotel and build a fire station. But after inquiries from District officials and community activists, according to the spokesperson, the Army produced “a new legal deter-mination” that Keenan had no rights to Building 18. Ward 4 D.C. Council member Muriel Bowser also raised direct questions about the deal, and about the legal basis for last summer’s emergency legislation. The D.C. Office of the Attorney General

responded in a Feb. 24 letter that her questions have been “rendered moot” since the negotiations with Keenan were “discontinued.” In a confusingly contradictory legal opinion, Attorney General Irvin Nathan wrote that the U.S. Army had declared its belief that “Keenan no longer has a legal claim to the Building 18 site.” Before that notification, Nathan wrote, “we had been preparing a memo which would have demonstrated clearly that the earlier negotiations by the Deputy Mayor were perfectly lawful and proper.” Joe Membrino, a local resident and citizen member of the Walter Reed Local Redevelopment Authority Committee, has been try-ing for months to get city officials to pay attention to the legalities, as well as the appearance of paying an out-of-state firm to build a fire station without competitive bidding. For months, Membrino said his research showed that “Keenan has no legal rights whatsoever in Building 18. The authority of the Army to deal with Keenan was the same [after the base closure decision in 2005] as it is today. Nothing has changed.” “Only the Army knows why it did not advise the city of the legal situation,” Membrino said this week. “And only the city knows why it waited 18 months to ask what rights Keenan had.” Sousa responded that the eco-nomic development office had been relying on the Army’s information. Now that negotiations with Keenan have ceased, Sousa said his office is “exploring other options … on how the property can be conveyed to the District to build the fire station,” hopefully before the formal transfer of Walter Reed acreage to the District, still several years away. Bowser said in an interview last week that she thinks the mistakes were innocent, an earnest attempt to get a fire station built as quickly as possible. “I think it was worth the discussion to see if the fire station could get started before the final transfer. It was well worth exploring. I don’t see anything lost. “The bottom line is that every-body will focus on finding a quali-fied developer,” Bowser continued. “The property will be transferred to the District, and our driving interest is to see if [the District government] can get access to the property before the transfer.”

LEASEFrom Page 3

while living comfortably. But then came the recession, and the dream “imploded on us,” she said, leaving them without work. By that point, they had a son, and their parents pro-tested: They “put their foot down and said … ‘This should be your excuse to come home.’” Now that they’re here, Sprissler’s having a great time revisiting old haunts. She said the couple’s drives through D.C. inspire memories, which she relates to Coté: “That’s where the old 9:30 Club used to be

[where] I got caught at an old Lucy Brown show” because the Metro had closed, she told him. While passing the new baseball stadium, she told him about the nightclubs that closed to make way, like Tracks, where she went as a teen because “they wouldn’t card girls ... why would they?” When they first arrived in the area, the pair worked for a bit at Wegmans, but they are now involved full-time in opening their restaurant. They anticipate a late April or early May launch, and they plan to offer lunch and dinner every day but Monday. Mayfair & Pine will eventually add breakfast — but no brunch. “I am not a brunch fan,” said Sprissler. “Doing weird things with eggs Benedict is not normal.”

CHEFFrom Page 9

of pools carved into steep downhill streams that are designed to slow the pace of the water. These additional unnamed tributaries also feed into Broad Branch; similar work was done recently near Oregon Avenue. Working with the National Park Service, the city released an environ-mental assessment document Monday that discusses the benefits and impacts of three options: the proposed design; a plan that would restore 400 feet of stream above ground instead of 1,600 feet; and doing no work at all. The document and a comment form are available at tinyurl.com/stream-project; the agencies will be accepting input through April 5. The Environment Department has been working to bring various streams above ground, or to “day-light” them, throughout the city since 2003, documents show. “We’re doing this where we can — where there’s open space and tributaries that can be handled by that open space,” Saari said. Broad Branch itself, he added, will remain underground so as not to disrupt nearby homes. This project, estimated to cost

about $900,000, will be funded by U.S. Environmental Projection Agency and D.C. Water and Sewer Authority grants, according to Saari. “It’s just one of those projects that was pretty straightforward for us because the stream valley still exist-ed; it hadn’t been developed,” he said. “We just needed to find the money and figure out a design.” Although Saari said the Environment Department hasn’t been able to figure out why this stream was originally moved under-ground — flooding issues were ruled out, he said — the practice was common in the 1930s. “There was a time where this was kind of the thing to do. By putting a pipe in a stream, it adds land that you can then devel-op,” he said. Because this area was protected as part of Rock Creek Park, it couldn’t be developed anyway, Saari said, which is why the agency isn’t sure why the original work was done. Nonetheless, since the land barely changed, it won’t be difficult to restore the stream, he said. Beth Mullin, executive director of the nonprofit Rock Creek Conservancy group, said she has found no issues with the plans pre-sented. “We’re really excited about it,” she said. “It’s basically bringing a creek back to life.”

CREEkFrom Page 5

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meter that expires at a set time, it was hard to determine how long a free-parking car occupied a space, so some drivers left their cars in one spot all day. But National Council for Independent Living executive direc-tor Kelly Buckland, one of four sig-natories on a letter sent last Wednesday to Mayor Vincent Gray, said the new policies were ill-con-ceived. Because red-top meters are available only in part of the city, he said, drivers elsewhere — including around his group’s Dupont Circle office — no longer have the extra time they rely on. One of Buckland’s employees must drive to work in a large wheel-chair van that doesn’t fit into nearby parking garages, Buckland said. Under the new restrictions on street parking, the employee must move the van every two hours instead of every four. Lisle said such concerns are “understandable” but unavoidable. Free parking promotes abuse, he said, and the District’s meters can’t be programmed to give different time limits to different cars.

Officials also plan to install 700 more red-top meters citywide, Lisle said, providing additional longer-term reserved parking for drivers with disabilities. And in the mean-time, he said, “enforcement will be focused on places where we do have the red-top meters until the program is expanded.” Information on the rule changes can be hard to track down and, so far, has often been contradictory. Department of Public Works spokes-person Linda Grant, whose agency has primary parking-enforcement responsibility, said Monday that dis-abled motorists can continue to park for free and for a longer time on any block without a red-top meter. But in an email last night, Grant wrote that a vehicle with disability plates or a placard can stay twice as long as the posted restriction only if the driver pays for the entire parking period. The driver can either return to the meter after it initially expires or pay by phone, she wrote. That policy, Grant added, will expire April 17, at which point dis-abled drivers will still have exclusive rights to red-top meters but will have no additional privileges elsewhere. Buckland criticized the District for its lack of clarity on the program. “This is not in any of the materials

DDOT has published or any of the press that has gone out,” he wrote in an email about the nuanced enforce-ment Grant described. “Is the city planning on putting out new materi-als telling people they are not going to enforce their own parking laws?” Buckland and representatives of the other groups who wrote to Mayor Gray last week want the program suspended pending a full public hearing process and a thorough study of the meters’ effects. They hadn’t received a response as of yes-terday, he said. Lisle said his agency is confident the new system will work, citing the success of similar programs else-where, including in Arlington. “If you’re now able to find parking on the block ... I think people are going to like those benefits,” he said. According to Grant, the Public Works Department has issued nine to 10 $250 tickets daily for parking in a handicap space since the red-top program became official Thursday, compared to about three per day the week before. In recent weeks, the agency has also issued warnings about the upcoming rule changes to drivers parked at the red-top meters and to drivers with disability plates or placards who parked at meters without paying, Grant said.

METERSFrom Page 1

assumed DCPS was using buildings that were in good repair with no deferred maintenance costs,” said commissioner Mary Filardo, execu-tive director of the local nonprofit 21st Century School Fund. “That’s not the case, and as a result, DCPS is underfunded by about 35 percent,” she continued. “Charter schools, on the other hand, start with no obligations and can lease or buy and develop the amount of space they need.” One solution the commission dis-cussed is for traditional public and charter schools to share public school buildings that might not be fully utilized due to low enrollment. It’s a strategy already in place in one D.C. spot: Hospitality High School occupies the third floor of Roosevelt High School on 13th Street NW. Because the commission didn’t have much time to iron out the com-plex issues involved — commis-sioners were appointed in September 2011 and submitted their final report to D.C. Deputy Mayor for Education De’Shawn Wright Feb. 17 — they recommended more study. Members suggested that the Office of the State Superintendent lead a technical working group to regularly assess the District’s educa-tion funding needs and consider

whether the city is meeting them. They also recommended that the District conduct a yearlong adequa-cy study to determine what it actu-ally costs to meet established aca-demic standards. But Filardo questioned whether such a study is needed. “The deputy mayor for educa-tion, OSSE, DCPS — they really should have that answer already,” she said. “They have more cost information than anybody, and they should be doing some analysis of it.” One confusing aspect of funding is that the city’s use of the per-pupil formula doesn’t mean funds allocat-ed for individual students go directly to the schools they attend. Because D.C. Public Schools is considered one school system, Chancellor Kaya Henderson has the authority to dis-tribute the pot of money among the various schools. Alternatively, each charter school is considered an individual school system (those with multiple cam-puses are counted as one). Also among the commission’s recommendations — and drawing wider support — was adding weighted funding for schools that serve a high percentage of low-income students or students per-forming below grade level, and pro-viding more transparency so resi-dents can better understand how each school spends its funds. For more information go to pefrc.org.

FINANCINGFrom Page 7

for several years, this is different, and I had some doubts as to whether I could pull [it] off, so I knew I needed a really good, well-known chef,” said Ilhan. After reaching out to Donna, “Roberto and I hit it off, and I feel that he will be with me much longer than one year — we com-plement each other,” said Ilhan. La Forchetta, which is Italian for “fork,” will center its menu on homemade pasta and sausages, daily fish specials and Donna’s signature risotto dishes. The celebrity chef will be front and center: The res-taurant has two exhibition kitchens, so patrons will have a front-row seat to observe Donna and his staff at work. Both owner and chef said they want to create a restau-rant that appeals to the neighborhood, offering rustic yet modern Italian entrees at an affordable price point. The restaurant will feature Neapolitan-style pizza made in its wood-burning oven and Italian brunch on Saturday and Sunday. In the warmer months, outdoor seating will accommodate 30 diners. The concept for La Forchetta evolved out of Ilhan’s previous plan for the space. Last fall, he intended to open a pizza and pasta eatery, to be called Al Forno, in the same location. The restaurateur faced resistance from some neigh-bors who feared Al Forno would become a hangout for American University students and create noise and other nuisances for adjacent residents. A series of requests by those neighbors, including one that asked that Al Forno’s hours of operation be more limited than those of Chef Geoff’s, caused Ilhan to go back to the drawing board. He changed the restaurant’s name after Bethesda restaurant Il Forno protested that the two could be easily confused. And while pasta and pizza remain on La Forchetta’s menu, Ilhan says the décor, which is modern-industrial with nods toward ancient Rome, and the epi-curean creations from Donna will help create a more sophisticated atmosphere. Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3D, which has jurisdiction over the restaurant, initially protested Al Forno’s liquor license application due to constituents’ concerns about noise and late operating hours. According to commission chair Stuart Ross, the city’s alcohol board rejected the voluntary agreement submit-ted by the neighborhood group and Ilhan. Ross explained that board members said certain provisions of it would

infringe on the board’s purview. Despite the upgrade in Ilhan’s vision for La Forchetta, Ross said community groups still want a say in the licensing process. Therefore, he said, he hopes that a private agreement, which includes the provisions of the rejected voluntary agreement, can be worked out. If that happens, the commission will support La Forchetta’s liquor license application, which the alcohol board is due to evaluate soon. If a private agreement can’t be reached, the neighborhood commission may vote to lodge another protest, said Ross, potentially trig-gering a hearing on La Forchetta’s liquor license applica-tion — and a further delay. “We’ve been at this a long time, about nine months,” said Ross. “I’m ready to get it off our agenda one way or the other. We need to move on, and [Ilhan] needs to know where he stands.” He said the commission will discuss the issues at its meeting tonight. Chef Donna has some history with the Wesley Heights neighborhood. Before Geoff Tracy opened his restaurant at Sutton Place, Donna’s restaurant Dolcetto operated in the same space. Dolcetto closed in 1999. These days, La Forchetta’s chef and owner have their eyes on the future. “I wanted to put together a restaurant that everybody can be proud of, and I think we are going to achieve that,” said Ilhan. “This restaurant is aimed at serving the neighborhood with a great product. I live in the neigh-borhood, and I think everyone will be very happy at the end of the day.” “It’s a neighborhood place, and we want to serve good food,” said Donna. “The concept today is light and quick food, prepared with love and quality, and that’s what we want to do for the neighborhood.”

FORCHETTAFrom Page 2

Bill Petros/The CurrentHakan Ilhan is the owner of the soon-to-open La Forchetta restaurant at 3201 New Mexico Ave.

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“We have a safety net, if you will, with the federal government that protects our property values,” he said. “Certainly, the surrounding counties did not fare nearly as well as the District did.” Prince George’s County, which borders wards 7 and 8, had the greatest property value decrease among the District’s immediate neighbors, Farr added. In Northwest, many of the neigh-borhoods with the steepest residen-tial declines were in Ward 4: Brightwood, Colonial Village, Petworth and Shepherd Park each fell between 2 and 4 percent for 2013. Georgetown and the adjacent Burleith in Ward 2 also saw values fall 1.2 percent and 2.2 percent, respectively, after increasing about 1 percent for the 2012 fiscal year. In Ward 3, most neighborhoods rose slightly — less than 1 percent. Woodley and the adjacent Garfield, along with Forest Hills, saw larger residential property value increases; in the city’s westernmost corner, the Foxhall, Palisades, Spring Valley and Wesley Heights neighborhoods each saw declines. Citywide, the neighborhood with the largest residential property value gain was Ward 2’s “Central” — the area between Massachusetts and Pennsylvania avenues in Dupont Circle and the West End — where residential values collectively rose by $193 million, or 4.8 percent. Commercial property values, meanwhile, rose in most neighbor-hoods of the city; the base grew 6.7 percent from $72.6 billion to $77.4 billion. Farr said investors are confi-dent enough in the District’s com-mercial markets to accept lower rates of return from their buildings, which drove up demand. Fiscal year 2013’s slight decline in residential property values fol-lows a slight increase last year and a 3.7 percent drop in fiscal year 2011. Commercial values, which fell 10.6 percent for fiscal year 2011, rose 16.3 percent for 2012.

The proposed 2013 property values are being mailed now to property owners, and particular addresses can be found online at tinyurl.com/assessments-dc. Taxes based on the new amounts will go into effect in March 2013. Property owners who disagree with their assessed value have until April 1 to appeal the amount, and now have the option of providing an alternative assessment. To appeal, complete an appeals form and mail or fax it to the Office of Tax and Revenue; the forms are available at tinyurl.com/dc-tax-appeals.

VALUESFrom Page 1 2013 assessments

These are the changes from 2012 in proposed residential valua-tions of assessment neighborhoods. The assessments reflect estimated market value as of Jan. 1, 2012.American University Park + 0.85%Berkley – 0.29%Brightwood – 2.91%Burleith – 2.24%Central + 4.77%Chevy Chase + 0.26%Cleveland Park + 0.12%Colonial Village – 2.29%Columbia Heights + 0.82%Crestwood + 0.15%Foggy Bottom + 0.31%Forest Hills + 1.94%Foxhall – 0.35%Garfield + 3.12%Georgetown – 1.19%Glover Park + 0.16%Hawthorne – 2.77%Kalorama – 0.84%Kent – 0.36%Mass. Ave. Heights – 1.66%Mount Pleasant + 0.64%North Cleveland Park + 0.37%Observatory Circle + 0.90%Old City II + 0.84%Palisades – 0.19%Petworth – 2.81%Shepherd Park – 3.28%Sixteenth Street Heights – 1.90%Spring Valley – 1.18%Takoma + 1.02%Wakefield + 1.30%Wesley Heights – 1.02%Woodley + 2.52%

Source: D.C. government

— is meant to simplify and organize the District’s zoning regulations. Since the last major revision of the code in the 1950s, officials have simply tacked on amendments to the regulations to keep them relevant. The new regulations would also better match the realities of existing buildings in the District, 40 percent of which don’t comply with current

zoning rules, said Steingasser. The proposals also fall in line with the city’s 2006 Comprehensive Plan, which calls for zoning regula-tions that encourage development of “denser, more walkable, mixed-use communities around transit.” Some speakers at the meeting expressed worry that the proposals paint over to the city with too broad a brush. “We didn’t want a cookie-cutter city,” said Nancy MacWood, a mem-ber of the city’s task force and a

longtime Cleveland Park advisory neighborhood commissioner. “We’re a city of neighborhoods; we want neighborhoods represented as they are.” MacWood also raised concerns about businesses, especially those owned by non-residents, changing the dynamics of residential neigh-borhoods. City officials hope to present a final draft of the updated code to the Zoning Commission for a vote this coming winter.

ZONINGFrom Page 5

Wednesday, March 7

Class ■Aweeklyworkshopwillofferinstructionin“SahajaYogaMeditation.”7p.m.Free.WestEndNeighborhoodLibrary,110124thSt.NW.202-724-8707.

Concerts ■TheKennedyCenter’sConservatoryProjectwillfeaturestudentsfromtheEastmanSchoolofMusicattheUniversityofRochesterperformingvocalworksbyRossini,Mozart,Barber,Smetana,Strauss,Bizet,BrownandKern.6p.m.Free.TerraceTheater,KennedyCenter.202-467-4600. ■SopranoMillicentScarlettandpianistJefferyWatsonwillpresent“SongstoStirtheSoul,”featuringworksbycomposersfromStrausstoMahler.7:30p.m.Free.DorothyBettsMarvinTheater,MarvinCenter,GeorgeWashingtonUniversity,80021stSt.NW.gwu.edu. ■TheIdanRaichelProjectwillperformIsraelipopularmusic.9p.m.$45.Sixth&IHistoricSynagogue,600ISt.NW.800-745-3000.

Discussions and lectures ■LillyLedbetterwilldiscussherbook“GraceandGrit:MyFightforEqualPayandFairnessatGoodyearandBeyond.”5:30and6:30p.m.$15;reservationsrequired.Sewall-BelmontHouse&Museum,144ConstitutionAve.NE.sewallbelmont.org. ■NathanJ.Brown,professorofpoliticalscienceandinternationalaffairsatGeorgeWashingtonUniversity,willdiscusshisbook“WhenVictoryIsNotanOption:IslamistMovementsinArabPolitics.”5:30to7:30p.m.Free;reservationsrequired.Room602,ElliottSchoolofInternationalAffairs,GeorgeWashingtonUniversity,1957ESt.NW.go.gwu.edu/2r. ■MichaelCollins,ambassadorofIrelandtotheUnitedStates,willdiscuss“StepsTowardsRecovery:Ireland’sEconomicand

ForeignPolicyPriorities.”6to8p.m.Free;reservationsrequired.AlumniHouse,GeorgeWashingtonUniversity,1918FSt.NW.tinyurl.com/irelandcollins. ■ReuelMarcGerecht,seniorfellowattheFoundationforDefenseofDemocraciesandaformerMiddleEastspecialistattheCentralIntelligenceAgency,andCol.W.PatrickLang,formerDefenseDepartmentintelligenceofficerfortheMiddleEast,SouthAsiaandterrorism,willdiscuss“IntelandtheArabSpring:WhatDoestheFutureHold?”6:30p.m.$15.InternationalSpyMuseum,800FSt.NW.202-393-7798. ■Baseballanalystswilldiscussthebook“BaseballProspectus2012.”7p.m.Free.PoliticsandProse,5015ConnecticutAve.NW.202-364-1919.

Film ■ThePanoramaofGreekCinemaserieswillfeatureRoySher’s2011documentary“MySweetCanary,”aboutthreeyoungmusi-cianswhoembarkonamissiontotellthestoryofGreece’sbest-lovedrebetikosinger.8p.m.$11;$9forstudents;$8.25forseniors;$8forages12andyounger.AvalonTheatre,5612ConnecticutAve.NW.202-966-6000.

Performances ■AspartofamonthlongseriesexploringU.S.societyintheyearsbeforetheCivilWar,theGeorgetownTheatreCompanywillpres-entastagedreadingofWilliamWellsBrown’s19th-centuryplay“TheEscape;or,aLeapforFreedom.”7:30p.m.$10donationsuggest-ed.GraceEpiscopalChurch,1041WisconsinAve.NW.georgetowntheatre.org. ■“OhioImpromptu”willfeatureactorTedVanGriethuysenandtheCygnusEnsembleper-formingworksbyDinaKoston,ChesterBisardi,FerruccioBusoni,DavidClamanandMarioDavidovsky.8p.m.Free;ticketsrequired.CoolidgeAuditorium,JeffersonBuilding,LibraryofCongress,101stSt.SE.202-707-5502. ■“FlamencoFestival2012”willfeatureaperformancebyCompañiaRafaelaCarrasco.8p.m.$35to$55.LisnerAuditorium,GeorgeWashingtonUniversity,73021stSt.NW.800-745-3000.

Special event ■AuthorsArinGreenwood,MollyGaudry,ScottMcClanahanandAmberSparkswill

competeinthethird“LiteraryDeathMatch”totakeplaceinD.C.8:15p.m.$7inadvance;$10atthedoor.DC9,19409thSt.NW.literarydeathmatch.com.

Sporting event ■TheWashingtonWizardswillplaytheLosAngelesLakers.7p.m.$10to$780.VerizonCenter,601FSt.NW.202-397-7328.

Thursday,March8

Concerts ■TheKennedyCenter’sConservatoryProjectwillfeaturestudentsfromtheNewEnglandConservatoryofMusicperformingworksbySchas,Ettun,Halchak,Saint-SaënsandRavel.6p.m.Free.TerraceTheater,KennedyCenter.202-467-4600. ■“TheRhythmRoad—AmericanMusicAbroad”willfeaturetheJedLevyQuartetper-formingmodernjazz,at6p.m.;andTheEarthStringBand(shown)per-formingblue-grassandcon-temporaryacousticmusic,at7:15p.m.Free.GrosvenorAuditorium,NationalGeographic,1600MSt.NW.202-857-7700. ■VocalistAndreaWood,aD.C.native,willperformamixofAmericansoulmusic,MotownandLatinCaribbeanflavors.6:30and8:30p.m.Free.AtlasPerformingArtsCenter,1333HSt.NE.202-399-7993.The concert will repeat Friday at 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. ■PianistsLeonandKatherineFleisherwilljoinmusiciansfromthePeabodyInstituteofJohnsHopkinsUniversityinperformingworksbyBrahms,DinaKostonandLigeti.8p.m.Free;ticketsrequired.CoolidgeAuditorium,JeffersonBuilding,LibraryofCongress,101stSt.SE.202-707-5502. ■“Intersections:ANewAmericaArtsFestival”willfeaturethe17-pieceBohemianCavernsJazzOrchestraperforming“TheRe-writeofSpring:StravinskyforBigBand.”8p.m.$20;$15forstudentsandseniors.AtlasPerformingArtsCenter,1333HSt.NE.202-399-7993.

Discussions and lectures ■NathanJ.Brown,professorofpoliticalscienceandinternationalaffairsatGeorgeWashingtonUniversity,willdiscusshisbook“WhenVictoryIsNotanOption:IslamistMovementsinArabPolitics.”11:30a.m.to1p.m.Free.AbramsonFamilyFoundersRoom,SchoolofInternationalServiceBuilding,AmericanUniversity,4400MassachusettsAve.NW.american.edu/calendar. ■ElizabethAldrichandVictoriaPhillipsGeduldwilldiscuss“DanceandDemocracy:PoliticsandProtest,WorldWarIThroughtheColdWar.”Noon.Free.WhittallPavilion,JeffersonBuilding,LibraryofCongress,101stSt.SE.202-707-5502.

■The“25Architectsin25Weeks”lec-tureserieswillfeatureatalkbyStephenJ.VanzeofBarnesVanzeArchitectson“TraditionalArchitecture.”Noonto1p.m.Free;reservationsrequired.DistrictArchitectureCenter,4217thSt.NW.202-347-9403. ■PhilipT.Reeker,formerU.S.ambassa-dortoMacedonia,willdiscuss“U.S.ForeignPolicyinSouthCentralEurope:100YearsSincetheFirstBalkanWar.”1to2p.m.Free.Atrium,SchoolofInternationalServiceBuilding,AmericanUniversity,4400MassachusettsAve.NW.american.edu/calendar. ■Apanelofcurators,photographers,col-lectorsandotherexpertswillexploretheartisticpracticeandcollectionofphotographytoday.6p.m.Donationsuggested.PhillipsCollection,160021stSt.NW.202-387-2151. ■“TheArabSpringandWomen:ComparingDemocraciesintheU.S.andAbroad”willfeaturepanelistsBarrieFreeman,directoroftheNationalDemocraticInstitute’sNorthAfricaprograms;CelindaLake,presi-dentofLakeResearchPartners;andStephenieFoster,consultantandprofessoriallectureratAmericanUniversity.6p.m.$15;reservationsrequired.Sewall-BelmontHouse&Museum,144ConstitutionAve.NE.sewallbelmont.org. ■Agallerytalkwillfocuson“LifeoftheLine:DrawingsFromBonnardtoVuillard.”6and7p.m.Donationsuggested.PhillipsCollection,160021stSt.NW.202-387-2151. ■PianistLeonFleisherandsopranoPhyllisBryn-JulsonwilldiscusstheirlongfriendshipandcollaborationwithpianistandcomposerDinaKostonandthehistoryoftheTheaterChamberPlayers.6:15p.m.Free.WhittallPavilion,JeffersonBuilding,Libraryof

Congress,101stSt.SE.202-707-5502. ■ErichKeel,headofeducationattheKreegerMuseum,willconcludehistwo-partlectureserieson“Picasso,BraqueandtheTriumphofCubismFrom1912to1920.”6:30to7:30p.m.$10.KreegerMuseum,2401FoxhallRoadNW.202-338-3552. ■Panelistswilldiscuss“WomenofArchitecture:ArchitectureandtheGreatRecession.”6:30to8p.m.$20;$12forstu-dents.Registrationrequired.NationalBuildingMuseum,401FSt.NW.202-272-2448. ■PeterBehrenswilldiscusshisnovel“TheO’Briens.”7p.m.Free.PoliticsandProse,5015ConnecticutAve.NW.202-364-1919. ■DomnicaRadulescu,professorofFrenchandItalianliteratureandchairoftheWomen’sandGenderStudiesProgramatWashingtonandLeeUniversity,willdiscussherbook“TraintoTrieste.”7p.m.Free.ClevelandParkNeighborhoodLibrary,3310ConnecticutAve.NW.202-282-3080. ■TheWashingtonSculptorsGroupwillpresentatalkbyGregBraunonthevarioussocialmediaandGoogletoolsavailabletoartistsandsculptors.7to9p.m.Free;reser-vationsrequired.GeorgetownNeighborhoodLibrary,[email protected]. ■Actorandcomedi-anMichaelIanBlackwilldiscusshismemoir“You’reNotDoingItRight:TalesofMarriage,Sex,Death,andOtherHumiliations.”7p.m.$12.Sixth&IHistoricSynagogue,600ISt.NW.sixthandi.org. ■ApaneldiscussionontheNixonadmin-istration’sroleinshapingtheopportunitiesavailabletowomenwillfeaturepanelistsBarbaraHackmanFranklin,whowashiredbyPresidentRichardNixontorecruitwomenandlaterservedashissecretaryofcom-merce;LeeStout,authorof“AMatterofSimpleJustice:TheUntoldStoryofBarbaraHackmanFranklinandaFewGoodWomen”andlibrarianemeritusatthePennStateUniversityLibraries;andformerU.S.Rep.HelenDelichBentley,R-Md.Abooksigningwillfollow.7:30p.m.Free.McGowanTheater,NationalArchivesBuilding,ConstitutionAvenuebetween7thand9thstreetsNW.202-357-5000.

Films ■InhonorofInternationalWomen’sDay,thegroupsWomeninFilmandTelevisionInternationalandWomeninFilm&VideoofWashington,DC,willholdaShortFilmShowcasefeaturingselectionsfromtheUnitedStates,Canada,India,NewZealandandtheUnitedKingdom.6:30to8:30p.m.$10.HillCenterattheOldNavalHospital,921PennsylvaniaAve.SE.wifv.org. ■CineFrancophonewillpresentJeanPierreDardenneandLucDardenne’s2011film“TheKidWithaBike.”7p.m.$9;$4forseniorsandstudents.LetelierTheater,3251ProspectSt.NW.202-234-7911.

Reading ■Art&SpiritCoffeehousewillfeature“Don’tIKnowYou?AnEvening’sEntertainmentofPortraitsinVerse,”readbyTaraRamseyandBruceCrane.7p.m.Donationssuggested.St.Augustine’sEpiscopalChurch,600MSt.SW.202-554-3222.

Special events ■TheEnvironmentalFilmFestivalintheNation’sCapitalwillkickoffits20th-anniver-sarylineupwithalaunchpartyandsilentauction.6:30to9p.m.$20.WarnerBuilding

Events&Entertainment26 Wednesday, March 7, 2012 The currenT

Thursday maRCh 8

Wednesday maRCh 7

Thursday, maRCh 8■Concert:TheNationalSymphonyOrchestra,bass-baritoneMatthiasGoerne(shown)andmezzo-sopranoMichelleDeYoungwillperformworksbyBartók.8p.m.$20to$85.ConcertHall,KennedyCenter.202-467-4600.The concert will repeat Saturday at 8 p.m.

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Atrium,1299PennsylvaniaAve.NW.brownpapertickets.com/event/227224. ■Plume’sexecutivechief,ChrisJakubiec,willpresent“AMeatLovers’ParadiseWithBlackbirdVineyards,”afive-coursewinedin-nercomplementedbypairingsfromtheNapaValleylabel.6:45p.m.$185;reservationsrequired.TheJefferson,120016thSt.NW.202-448-2300. ■CulturalTourismDCwillholdtheEmbassyChefChallenge,anannualculinarycompetitionbenefitingthenonprofitorganiza-tion.7:30to10p.m.$250.Atrium,RonaldReaganBuildingandInternationalTradeCenter,1300PennsylvaniaAve.NW.culturaltourismdc.org.

Sporting event ■TheWashingtonCapitalswillplaytheTampaBayLightning.7p.m.$45to$138.VerizonCenter,601FSt.NW.202-397-7328.

Friday,March9

Class ■Arlington-basedwriter,bookartistandeducatorSushmitaMazumdarwillleada“HandmadeBooks”class.10:30a.m.tonoon.$10persession.IonaSeniorServices,4125AlbemarleSt.NW.202-895-9448,ext.4.

Concerts ■TheFridayMorningMusicClubwillpresentaconcertofworksbySchumann,GaubertandBrahms.Noon.Free.CalvaryBaptistChurch,7558thSt.NW.202-333-2075. ■Arts@MiddaywillfeaturesopranoAshleyAldenperforming“LoveinaLife:ADramaticRecital,”aboutthelifeofawomanfromchildhoodthrougholdageinwords,danceandsong.12:15to1p.m.Free.St.Alban’sEpiscopalChurch,3001WisconsinAve.NW.202-363-8286. ■TylerCanonico,anundergraduateorganmajoratLebanonValleyCollegeinAnnville,Pa.,willpresentarecital.12:15p.m.Free.NationalCityChristianChurch,5ThomasCircleNW.202-797-0103. ■TheKennedyCenter’sConservatoryProjectwillfeaturestudentsfromBerkleeCollegeofMusic’sSilentFilmOrchestraper-forminga2011originalscoretoSergeiEisenstein’sclassicfilm“BattleshipPotemkin.”6p.m.Free.TerraceTheater,KennedyCenter.202-467-4600. ■UniversityoftheDistrictofColumbiamusicstudents,alumniandfacultymemberswillpresenta“TributetoCharlotteHolloman,”honoringHolloman’scareerasaconcertandoperavocalistandaprofessorattheUniversityoftheDistrictofColumbiaandHowardUniversity.Proceedswillbenefitamusicscholarship.7:30p.m.$20;$15forseniors;$10forstudents.UniversityAuditorium,Building46East,UniversityoftheDistrictofColumbia,4200ConnecticutAve.NW.202-274-5801. ■LyricsopranoAliaWaheedwillperformatabenefitconcerttoraisefundsfortherepairsneededtotheNationalCityChristianChurch’shistoricsanctuaryasaresultoflastyear’searthquake.7:30p.m.$20donationsuggested.NationalCityChristianChurch,5ThomasCircleNW.202-797-0103. ■“Originalgenie:ABirthdayTributetoCarlPhilippEmanuelBach”willfeatureConGioiawithsopranoJulianneBairdandPreethideSilvaonharpsichordandfortepiano.8p.m.

Free;ticketsrequired.CoolidgeAuditorium,JeffersonBuilding,LibraryofCongress,101stSt.SE.202-707-5502. ■TheNationalSymphonyOrchestrawillpresent“HungarianDances,”featuringworksbyBartók,Kodály,LisztandBrahms.8p.m.$20to$85.ConcertHall,KennedyCenter.202-467-4600. ■“Intersections:ANewAmericaArtsFestival”willfeatureguitaristRachelAnnCrossandherband.9:30p.m.$15;$12forstudentsandseniors.AtlasPerformingArtsCenter,1333HSt.NE.202-399-7993.

Discussions and lectures ■“Japan’sMarch11thDisaster:OneYearLater”willfeatureMarcKnapper,direc-toroftheOfficeofJapaneseAffairsattheU.S.DepartmentofState;KentCalder,direc-toroftheJapanStudiesProgramattheSchoolofAdvancedInternationalStudies;andRustDeming,professoriallecturerattheSchoolofAdvancedInternationalStudies.10a.m.Free;reservationsrequired.RomeBuildingAuditorium,JohnsHopkinsUniversitySchoolofAdvancedInternationalStudies,[email protected]. ■WolfGrabendorff,formerdirectoroftheInstituteforEuropean-LatinAmericanRelations,willdiscuss“TheEvolvingNewSecurityArchitectureinLatinAmerica.”12:45p.m.Free;reservationsrequired.Room507,NitzeBuilding,JohnsHopkinsUniversitySchoolofAdvancedInternationalStudies,[email protected]. ■ThanosVeremis,professoremeritusofpoliticalhistoryattheUniversityofAthens,willdiscuss“ThePoliticalandSocialAntecedentsoftheGreekEconomicCrisis.”3to4:30p.m.Free;reservationsrequired.Room602,ElliottSchoolofInternationalAffairs,GeorgeWashingtonUniversity,1957ESt.NW.tinyurl.com/veremisgwu. ■NewRepublicsenioreditorNoamScheiberwilldiscusshisbook“TheEscapeArtists,”aboutPresidentBarackObama’seconomicteam.7p.m.Free.PoliticsandProse,5015ConnecticutAve.NW.202-364-1919. ■TheAllianceFrançaisedeWashingtonwillhostaLiterarySalonwithAlainMabanckou,authorof“Bleu-Blanc-Rouge”and“BrokenGlass.”7p.m.$15.AllianceFrançaisedeWashington,2142WyomingAve.NW.202-234-7911. ■BernardBrandonScott,professorofNewTestamentatthePhillipsTheologicalSeminary,willdiscuss“FromJesustoConstantine:DisunitytoUnity”aspartofthe“JesusSeminarontheRoad”series.7:30to9p.m.$20.St.Mark’sEpiscopalChurch,3rdandAstreetsSE.877-523-3545.

Expo ■TheWashingtonHome&GardenShowwillfeature16,000squarefeetofgardens;adisplayofthelatestinhomedécor,kitchenandbathrenovations,andoutdoorliving;andcelebritiesTyPenningtonandToddDavis.10a.m.to9p.m.$9to$12;$3forchildrenages6through12;andfreeforchildrenages5andyounger.WalterE.WashingtonConventionCenter,801MountVernonPlaceNW.washingtonhomeandgardenshow.com.The event will continue Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Performances ■“Intersections:ANewAmericaArtsFestival”willfeaturethePhiladelphia-based

dancecompanyIllstyle&PeaceProductionsperformingafusionofAfricandance,jazz,breaking,popping,locking,housedanceandhip-hop.8:30p.m.$25;$15forstudentsandseniors.AtlasPerformingArtsCenter,1333HSt.NE.202-399-7993. The performance will repeat Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ■“NineontheNinth,”hostedbyDerrickWestonBrown,willfeatureanopen-micpoet-ryevent.9to11p.m.$5donationsuggested.LangstonRoom,BusboysandPoets,202114thSt.NW.202-387-7638.

Saturday,March10

Benefit ■TheDupontCircleVillagewillholditssecondannualsilentauctionandgala,featur-ingthequintetSomeLikeItHotperformingmusicbyBennyGoodman,DukeEllingtonandCountBasie.6:30to9:30p.m.$30.Woman’sNationalDemocraticClub,1526NewHampshireAve.NW.202-328-1121.

Classes ■ArthistorianBonitaBillmanwillleadaclasson“ArtDeco:Vibrant,Eclectic,andDynamic.”9:30a.m.to4:15p.m.$120.S.DillonRipleyCenter,1100JeffersonDriveSW.202-633-3030. ■ArtistandprintmakerHelenFrederickwillleadaclasson“IdentifyingandCollectingFinePrints.”10a.m.to1p.m.$55.McEvoyAuditorium,NationalPortraitGallery/SmithsonianAmericanArtMuseum,8thandGstreetsNW.202-633-3030. ■MichelleKwiatkowskiofWildRoseSoapwillleadaclasson“MakeYourOwnBathSaltsandBathBombs.”11a.m.tonoon.$35.HillCenterattheOldNavalHospital,921PennsylvaniaAve.SE.202-525-6076. ■Ahands-onorchidworkshopwillfocuson“ToRepotorNot?”2:30to4p.m.$25;reservationsrequired.HillwoodEstate,MuseumandGardens,4155LinneanAve.NW.202-686-5807.

Concerts ■“Intersections:ANewAmericaArtsFestival”willfeaturetheKennedyStringQuartetperforming“MusicalOpposites:AConcertforChildren”(forages5andolder).11a.m.$12;$8forstudentsandseniors.AtlasPerformingArtsCenter,1333HSt.NE.202-399-7993. ■TheFridayMorningMusicClubwillhold

aconcertcelebratingits125thanniversary,alongwiththe125thbirthdayofHillwoodfounderMarjorieMerriweatherPost.Arecep-tionandtourwillfollow.3p.m.$15;$12forseniors;$10forcollegestudents;$5forages6through18.HillwoodEstate,MuseumandGardens,4155LinneanAve.NW.202-686-5807. ■“Intersections:ANewAmericaArtsFestival”willfeaturetheacappellagroupsReverbandEuphonism.4p.m.$15;$10forstudentsandseniors.AtlasPerformingArtsCenter,1333HSt.NE.202-399-7993. ■TheWashingtonNationalCathedralCombinedChoirandNationalCathedralSchoolChoristerAlumnaewillperformMozart’s“Requiem.”5p.m.$25to$80.WashingtonNationalCathedral,MassachusettsandWisconsinavenuesNW.202-537-6200. ■TheKennedyCenter’sConservatoryProjectwillfeaturestudentsfromOberlinConservatoryofMusicperformingworksbyHaydn,Berio,Kodály,DutilleuxandAdams.6p.m.Free.TerraceTheater,KennedyCenter.202-467-4600. ■SingerNancyScimonewillperformjazzselections.7:30to11:30p.m.Free.BlueBarLounge,HenleyParkHotel,926MassachusettsAve.NW.202-638-5200.

Discussions and lectures ■JoannaDewey,professoremeritaofBiblicalstudiesatEpiscopalDivinitySchool,willdiscussthesocialstructureoftheRomanEmpireaspartofthe“JesusSeminarontheRoad”series.9:30a.m.tonoon.$30.St.Mark’sEpiscopalChurch,3rdandAstreetsSE.877-523-3545. ■TempleUniversityhistoryprofessorBettyeCollier-Thomaswillleadadiscussionofthebook“MaryMcLeodBethune:BuildingaBetterWorld”andBethune’saccomplish-mentsasaneducator,politicalactivist,organiz-erandadvisertoU.S.presidents.10a.m.Free.WathaT.Daniel-ShawNeighborhoodLibrary,16307thSt.NW.202-673-2402. ■JasonGedeik,headofgreenhouseand

designoperationsatHillwoodEstate,MuseumandGardens,willdiscuss“ALifelongLoveAffair:MarjorieMerriweatherPostandOrchids.”10:15to10:45a.m.$15;$12forseniors;$10forcollegestudents;$5forages6through18.HillwoodEstate,MuseumandGardens,4155LinneanAve.NW.202-686-5807. ■AparkrangerwillexplainhowOliverEvansinventedandintegratednewtechnolo-giesandtechniquesformillinggrain.11a.m.Free.PeirceMill,TildenStreetandBeachDriveNW.202-895-6070. ■ArthurChadwickwilldiscusshisbook“TheClassicCattleyas.”11a.m.tonoon.$15;$7forstudents.Reservationsrequired.HillwoodEstate,MuseumandGardens,4155LinneanAve.NW.202-686-5807. ■NorwoodHollandwilldiscusshisnovel“SleeplessNights,”thefirstinaseriesofdetec-tive-basedfictionfeatur-ingtrialattorneyDrewSmith.1p.m.Free.JuanitaE.Thornton/ShepherdParkNeighborhoodLibrary,7420GeorgiaAve.NW.202-541-6100. ■BernardBrandonScott,professorofNewTestamentatthePhillipsTheologicalSeminary,willdiscussthemeaningoftheRomanEmpireasthedominantpowerintheancientworldaspartofthe“JesusSeminarontheRoad”series.1:30to4p.m.$30.St.Mark’sEpiscopalChurch,3rdandAstreetsSE.877-523-3545. ■“Reading:FromtheStoneAgetotheDigitalAge”willfeaturepanelistsErikDelfino,professorofhistoryatCatholicUniversity;KarlKraus,professorofinformationscienceattheUniversityofMaryland,CollegePark;MattKirschenbaum,professorofliteratureattheUniversityofMaryland,CollegePark;andMarkLafromboise,seniorbookbuyerforPoliticsandProsebookstore.2p.m.Free.WathaT.Daniel-ShawNeighborhoodLibrary,16307thSt.NW.202-727-1288. ■LecturerSaulLiliensteinwilldiscuss“ErosandFreedom:TheVienneseWaltz.”2p.m.$15.Atrium,KennedyCenter.202-467-4600.

Events&Entertainment The currenT Wednesday, March 7, 2012 27

Saturday, maRCh 10■Family program:The“SaturdayMorningattheNational”serieswillfea-tureLynnRuehlmannpresenting“StoriesFromAroundtheWorld.”9:30and11a.m.Free;ticketsrequired.HelenHayesGallery,NationalTheatre,1321PennsylvaniaAve.NW.202-783-3372.

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Continued From Page 26

Friday maRCh 9

Saturday maRCh 10

■BerylRadin,afacultymemberattheGeorgetownPublicPolicyInstitute,willdis-cussherbook“FederalManagementReforminaWorldofContradictions.”3p.m.Free.PoliticsandProse,5015ConnecticutAve.NW.202-364-1919.

Family programs ■A“Seuss-a-thon”willopenwithastorytime,followedbyreadings,craftsandrefresh-mentscelebratingfavoriteDr.Seussbooks.10:30a.m.Free.GeorgetownNeighborhoodLibrary,3260RSt.NW.202-727-0232. ■“StoryTimeWithAnnieGroovie”willfeaturetheQuebecoisauthorandillustratorexplaininghowshecreatedhermischievousheroandhelpingattendeesdrawacharacteroftheirown.11a.m.$5.AllianceFrançaisedeWashington,2142WyomingAve.NW.francedc.org. ■TheNationalSymphonyOrchestra’s“Violins,andTrombones,andBears,Oh,My!”willfeatureviolinistMarissaRegniandtrom-bonistBarryHearninaninteractiveconcertforchildrenages3through5.11a.m.and1:30p.m.$18.FamilyTheater,KennedyCenter.202-467-4600.The concert will repeat Sunday at 1:30 and 4 p.m. ■ChildrenwillhearastoryaboutFaithRinggold,anartistbestknownforherpaintedstoryquilts,andcreateaspecialpieceofart.1to4p.m.Free.NationalPortraitGallery,8thandFstreetsNW.202-633-1000.The pro-gram will repeat Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m. ■TheWashingtonNationalOpera’s“FamilyLook-In”programwillfeatureanintro-ductiontoMozart’s“Cosìfantutte”withmembersoftheDomingo-CafritzYoungArtistProgramandtheWashingtonNationalOperaOrchestra(designedforthird-throughsixth-gradersandtheirfamilies).2p.m.$15to$35.OperaHouse,KennedyCenter.202-467-4600. ■“ArtsforFamilies,”forchildrenages5through12andtheirfamilies,willofferpartic-ipantsachancetolearnthebasicplainweavestructurewhiletheycreateacolorfulplacement.2to4p.m.Free.TextileMuseum,2320SSt.NW.202-667-0441,ext.64. ■OlympicgoldmedalistKristiYamaguchi

willreadfromherchildren’sbook“It’saBigWorld,LittlePig!”4:30p.m.Free.Children’sRoom,MartinLutherKingJr.MemorialLibrary,901GSt.NW.202-727-0321.

Films ■TheNationalGalleryofArt’sFilmProgramforChildrenandTeenswillpresentGregJacobsandJonSiskel’s2010film“LouderThanaBomb,”aboutfourteamspre-paringtocompeteintheworld’slargestyouthpoetryslam(forages13andolder).2p.m.Free.EastBuildingAuditorium,NationalGalleryofArt,4thStreetandConstitutionAvenueNW.202-737-4215. ■TheNationalGalleryofArtwillpresentRobertBresson’s1945film“LesDamesduBoisdeBoulogne.”4:30p.m.Free.EastBuildingAuditorium,NationalGalleryofArt,4thStreetandConstitutionAvenueNW.202-737-4215.

Performances ■“Intersections:ANewAmericaArtsFestival”willfeatureJacquelineWoodson’splay“Locomotion,”aboutan11-year-oldAfrican-Americanboyashemovesfromtrag-edytohope(forages8andolder).2and4p.m.$15;$10forseniors;$8forstudents.AtlasPerformingArtsCenter,1333HSt.NE.202-399-7993. ■SpeakeasyDCwillpresentits“StoryShowdown:AStorytellingGameShow.”8p.m.$22;$17forseniors,teachers,artistsandstorytellers.DancePlace,32258thSt.NE.speakeasydc.com.The performance will repeat Sunday at 7 p.m. ■ThePasoNuevoYouthPerformanceGroupwillpresentthepremiereofitsoriginalmurdermystery“Who’stoBlame?”8p.m.Free;donationssuggested.GALATheatre,333314thSt.NW.202-234-7174.The per-formance will repeat Sunday at 2 p.m. ■TheCapitalCityShowcasewillfeaturestorytellerS.M.Shrake,musicianJustinTrawick(shown)andcomedi-ansSimone,JamiSmithandBrandonWardell.10p.m.$10inadvance;$15atthedoor.Districtof

ColumbiaArtsCenter,243818thSt.NW.capitalcityshowcase.eventbrite.com.

Special events ■TheGeorgeWashingtonUniversityHospitalWomen’sBoardwillholdahealthsymposium,“WomantoWoman:Mind,BodyandSpirit.”8:30a.m.to3:30p.m.Free;res-ervationsrequired.MarvinCenter,GeorgeWashingtonUniversity,80021stSt.NW.301-893-4443. ■“ClevelandParkRead-in”willfeatureeventsforallagesasasamplingoftheactivi-tiesthattakeplaceregularlyattheClevelandParkNeighborhoodLibrary.Noonto5p.m.Free.ClevelandParkNeighborhoodLibrary,3310ConnecticutAve.NW.202-282-3080.

Sporting events ■TheWashingtonWizardswillplaythePortlandTrailBlazers.7p.m.$10to$500.VerizonCenter,601FSt.NW.202-397-7328. ■D.C.UnitedwillplaySportingKansasCity.7:00p.m.$23to$52.RFKMemorialStadium,2400EastCapitolSt.SE.202-397-7328.

Walk ■NativeWashingtonianandfreelancewriterRoccoZapponewillleadaninteractive“WalkingTourasPersonalEssay,”filledwithhisreminiscencesofalifetimeinD.C.10a.m.orbyappointment.$25.MeetatthestatueofAndrewJacksoninLafayetteSquare,16thandHstreetsNW.202-341-5208.

Sunday,March11

Concerts ■TheKennedyCenter’s“ThreeCitiesChamberMusicMarathon”—partof“TheMusicofBudapest,Prague,andVienna”festi-val—willfeaturethethirdConservatoryProjectChamberEnsembleperformingcon-temporaryworks,from2:30to4:15p.m.;membersoftheNationalSymphonyOrchestraperformingearlyworks,from6to7:45p.m.;andQuatuorThymosperformingearly-20th-centuryworks,from8to9:30p.m.Free.TerraceTheater,KennedyCenter.202-467-4600. ■StevenOsborne,recognizedasoneofGreatBritain’sforemostpianists,willperformworksbyBeethoven,Prokofiev,RavelandRachmaninoff.4p.m.$20.PhillipsCollection,160021stSt.NW.202-387-2151. ■“ACelebrationofBlackComposersin

ArtSongsandSpirituals”willfeaturesopra-nosSamanthaMcElhaneyandAliaWaheed,mezzo-sopranoBridgetteCooper,tenorIssachahSavage,bassKevinThompsonandpianistVictorSimonson.4p.m.Free.FirstBaptistChurchoftheCityofWashington,DC,132616thSt.NW.202-387-2006,ext.245. ■“Intersections:ANewAmericaArtsFestival”willfeaturetheacappellaensembleNotWhatYouThink.4:30p.m.$10.AtlasPerformingArtsCenter,1333HSt.NE.202-399-7993. ■“Intersections:ANewAmericaArtsFestival”willfea-turebaroqueensembleHarmoniousBlacksmithper-formingnewandimprovisedmusic.4:30p.m.$12;$8forstudentsandseniors.AtlasPerformingArtsCenter,1333HSt.NE.202-399-7993. ■WashingtonNationalCathedralorganistJeremyFilsellwillperform.5:15p.m.$10donationsuggested.WashingtonNationalCathedral,MassachusettsandWisconsinavenuesNW.202-537-6200. ■SopranoCarmenBalthropandpianistJoséCácereswillperform“Greenleaf:AModernWoman’sLifeandLove”andothermusicinhonorofWomen’sHistoryMonth.6:30p.m.Free.WestGardenCourt,NationalGalleryofArt,6thStreetandConstitutionAvenueNW.202-737-4215. ■DahlakRestaurantwillhostitsweekly“DCJazzJam”session.6:30to9:30p.m.Free.1771USt.NW.202-527-9522. ■TheSongwritersAssociationofWashingtonandBusboysandPoetswillpres-entanopen-miceventforsinger/songwriters.7:30to9:30p.m.$5.CullenRoom,BusboysandPoets,10255thSt.NW.202-387-7638.

Discussions and lectures ■PatrickDeneen,associateprofessorofgovernmentatGeorgetownUniversity,willdis-cuss“TheStateofPoliticalLanguage:WhatDoWeSay,andWhatIsn’tBeingSaid?”10:10a.m.Free.WashingtonNationalCathedral,MassachusettsandWisconsinavenuesNW.202-537-6200. ■CraigClunas,professorofhistoryofartattheUniversityofOxford,willdiscuss“BeginningandEndinginChinesePainting.”2p.m.Free.EastBuildingAuditorium,NationalGalleryofArt,4thStreetandConstitutionAvenueNW.202-737-4215.A video of the lecture will be shown Tuesday at noon. ■PoetCampbellMcGrathwilldiscusshisbook“IntheKingdomoftheSeaMonkeys.”3p.m.Free.PoliticsandProse,5015ConnecticutAve.NW.202-364-1919.

Films ■OperainCinemawillpresentTheRoyalOpera’sproductionofMassenet’s“Cendrillon.”11a.m.$20.WestEndCinema,23rdStreetbetweenMandNstreetsNW.202-419-3456.ThefilmwillbeshownagainTuesdayat7p.m. ■“KoreanFilmFestivalDC2012:TheArtoftheMovingImageFromKorea”willfeatureLeeHae-Young’sfilm“FoxyFestival.”2p.m.Free.MeyerAuditorium,FreerGalleryofArt,12thStreetandIndependenceAvenueSW.202-633-1000. ■CineforumItalianowillpresentClaudioCupellini’s2010thriller“AQuietLife,”aboutamanhidingasecret.4p.m.$8inadvance;$10atthedoor.LetelierTheater,3251ProspectSt.NW.202-643-1861. ■TheNationalGalleryofArtwillpresent

RobertBresson’s1950film“DiaryofaCountryPriest.”4:30p.m.Free.EastBuildingAuditorium,NationalGalleryofArt,4thStreetandConstitutionAvenueNW.202-737-4215. ■ITVSCommunityCinemawillpresentChrisPaine’sdocumentary“RevengeoftheElectricCar,”aboutglobalresurgenceofelectriccars.AdiscussionwithmembersoftheElectricVehicleAssociationoftheDistrictofColumbiawillfol-low.5p.m.Free;reservationsrequired.LangstonRoom,BusboysandPoets,202114thSt.NW.communitycinema-dc.org. ■The“Focus-In!CinemaforaConsciousCommunity”serieswillpresent“PreciousKnowledge,”abouttheTucsonUnifiedSchoolDistrict’sMexican-Americanstud-iesprogram,itspopularityamongstudentsandthepubliccontroversysurroundingit.8p.m.Free.LangstonRoom,BusboysandPoets,202114thSt.NW.202-387-7638.

Parade ■The2012St.Patrick’sDayParadewillfeaturefloats,marchingbands,drillteams,antiquevehiclesandIrishwolfhounds.Noonto3p.m.ConstitutionAvenuefrom7thto17thstreetsNW.202-670-0317.

Performance ■“Intersections:ANewAmericaArtsFestival”willfeatureVivreMusicaleandFullCircleDanceCo.performing“Bodies:AMusicandDanceExploration.”2:30p.m.$20;$15forstudentsandseniors.AtlasPerformingArtsCenter,1333HSt.NE.202-399-7993.

Sporting event ■TheWashingtonCapitalswillplaytheTorontoMapleLeafs.5p.m.$55to$147.VerizonCenter,601FSt.NW.202-397-7328.

Walks and tours ■Aparkrangerwillleadages8andolderonawalkaroundtheearthworksofFortStevensanddescribethelivesofthemenwhodefendedthenation’scapitalin1864.10a.m.Free.FortStevens,1000QuackenbosSt.NW.202-895-6070. ■Aparkrangerwillleadages8andolderonastrollthroughhistoricGeorgetowntotheFrancisScottKeyMemorial.2p.m.Free.OldStoneHouse,3051MSt.NW.202-426-6851.

Monday,March12

Book signing ■CalRipkenJr.willsigncopesofhisbook“Super-sizedSlugger.”3:30p.m.Free.PoliticsandProse,5015ConnecticutAve.NW.202-364-1919.

Class ■Author,musicianandteacherDavidNewcombwilldiscuss“TransformingOurselvesThroughMeditationandLifestyle”aspartofathree-partworkshoponJyothimeditation.7p.m.Free.WathaT.Daniel-ShawNeighborhoodLibrary,16307thSt.NW.202-727-1288.The class will conclude March 19 at 7 p.m.

Concerts ■TheKennedyCenter’sConservatoryProjectwillfeaturestudentsfromtheUniversityofMichiganSchoolofMusic,



Sunday, maRCh 11■Concert:TheWashingtonPerformingArtsSocietywillpresentaconcertbyjazzandR&BartistHerbieHancock.7p.m.$35to$85.ConcertHall,KennedyCenter.202-467-4600.

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Sunday maRCh 11

Monday maRCh 12


“Samurai: The Warrior Transformed,” exploring the role and symbolism of Samurai war-

riors as diplomats and cultural ambassadors for Japan and their impact on U.S.-Japanese relations, will open today at the National Geographic Museum and con-tinue through Sept. 3. Located at 1145 17th St. NW, the museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission costs $8 for adults; $6 for seniors, stu-dents and military personnel; and $4 for children ages 5 through 12. 202-857-7588.■ “Thoughts on the Spring,” presenting paintings and collages about the Arab Spring revolutions by Foggy Bottom artist Helen Zughaib, will open

Friday at the Jerusalem Fund Gallery and continue through April 13. An opening reception will take place

Friday from 6 to 8 p.m.

Located at 2425 Virginia Ave. NW, the gallery is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. 202-338-1958.■ “Masters of Mercy: Buddha’s Amazing Disciples” will open Saturday at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and continue through July 8.

The exhibit fea-tures phantasmagoric paintings from a series created by Kano Kazunobu (1816-1863) for a Buddhist temple in Edo and never before

seen outside Japan, Located at 1050 Independence Ave. SW, the gallery is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. 202-633-1000.■ “Civic Pride: Dutch Group Portraits From Amsterdam,” a special installation of two large-scale group portraits on loan from the Netherlands, will open Saturday in the 7th Street lobby of the West Building of the National Gallery of Art and remain on view for the next five years. Located at 6th Street and Constitution Avenue NW, the museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 202-737-4215.■ “MathAlive,” an interactive exhibit that illustrates the math behind popular youth activities like skateboarding, snowboarding, video games and more, will open Saturday at the S. Dillon Ripley Center and continue through June 3. Located at 1100 Jefferson Drive SW, the gallery is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. 202-633-1000.■ Studio Gallery recently opened four shows

National Geographic exhibit examines Samurai culture On ExhiBit

this painting of two Samurai warriors, on loan from the Library of Congress, is part of a National Geographic museum exhibit opening today and continuing through Sept. 3.

Arena Stage will present Eugene O’Neill’s comedy “Ah, Wilderness!” March 9

through April 8 on the Fichandler Stage as part of a two-month Eugene O’Neill Festival. As the Connecticut-based Miller clan plans its traditional Fourth of July festivities, dreamy-eyed mid-

dle child Richard is wrestling with cultural conventions, political uncertainty, the power of literature and the exquisite pain of love. O’Neill’s only comedy is a com-ing-of-age letter to a simpler time. Performance times are generally 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday; 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday; and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets cost $40 to $85. Arena Stage is located at 1101 6th St. SW. 202-488-3300; arenastage.org.■ Theater Alliance will present “How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found” March 10 through April 1 at the H Street Playhouse. Playwright Fin Kennedy chronicles one man’s journey down the rabbit hole of identity, exploring the question of what makes us who we are in the 21st century.

Performance times are 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets cost $25 to $35, except on March 10 and 11, when admission is pay-

what-you-can. The H Street Playhouse is located at 1365 H St. NE. 202-241-2539; theateralliance.com.■ The Warner Theatre will host a brief engagement of “Monty Python’s Spamalot” March 13 through 18. The Tony Award’s Best Musical

of 2005 is “lov-ingly ripped off” from the comedy team’s most popular movie, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” accord-ing to a release. It tells the leg-endary tale of the quest of King Arthur and

the Knights of the Round Table for the Holy Grail, and it features a chorus line of dancing divas and knights, flatulent Frenchmen, killer rabbis and one legless knight. Performance times are 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday;

2 p.m. Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday; 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 7 p.m. Sunday. Ticket prices start at $40. 800-551-7328; warnertheatredc.com.■ Molotov Theatre Group will present “An Adaptation of Julius Caesar” March 15 through April 7 at Fort Fringe. D.C. playwright Shawn Northrip’s adaptation includes a twist in the narrative that culmi-nates in the colliding of two famous works of literary fiction. The performance is not recom-mended for the faint of heart. Performance times are 8 p.m. Thursday through Sunday and Wednesday, April 4. Tickets cost $20. tinyurl.com/7r6fsxf.■ The Washington National Opera opened a run of “Così fan tutte” last month and will continue it through March 15 at the Kennedy Center. Take two silly sisters, mix in brash lovers, add a pinch of cynical philosopher and a dash of schem-

Arena Stage opens O’Neill festival with comedy

On StaGE

arena Stage will present Eugene O’Neill’s “ah, Wilderness!” as part of a two-month festival celebrating the classic american playwright.

Warner theatre will open a one-week engagement of “monty Python’s Spamalot” march 13.

SeeExhibits/Page32

Seetheater/Page32

helen Zughaib’s “abaya Driving” is part of an exhibit at the Jerusalem Fund Gallery.

Theatre,&DanceperformingworksbyClearfield,Pärt,PonchielliandDebussy.6p.m.Free.FamilyTheater,KennedyCenter.202-467-4600. ■“ShowTunes&CocktailsattheJefferson,”amonthlysingalongofBroadwaytunesledbypianistGlennPearson,willfea-tureperformersJamieEackerandDavidJennings.7to10p.m.Freeadmission.TheQuillBarattheJefferson,120016thSt.NW.theatrewashington.org.

Discussions and lectures ■ArtistWilliamWoodwardwillpresentalectureanddemonstrationre-creatingPeterPaulRubens’“DeciusMusAddressingtheLegions.”Noon.Free.EastBuildingAuditorium,NationalGalleryofArt,4thStreetandConstitutionAvenueNW.202-737-4215. ■BickyCorman,deputyassociateadmin-istratorfortheOfficeofPolicyattheEnvironmentalProtectionAgency,willdiscussproposedrecommendationsforincorporatingsustainabilityintotheagency’sprinciplesanddecision-making.12:30to1:30p.m.Free;registrationrequired.NationalBuildingMuseum,401FSt.NW.202-272-2448. ■AfundraiserforthenonprofitgroupTeachingforChangewillfeatureapaneldis-cussionon“WhatKidsAren’tLearning:HistoryUnderAttackandWhyItMatters.”6to9p.m.$50to$100.BusboysandPoets,202114thSt.NW.teachingforchange.org/news/march12event. ■ChristyMorganwilldiscussherbook“BlissfulBites:VeganMealsThatNourishMind,Body,andPlanet.”Theeventwillincludeademonstrationofarecipefromthebook.6:30to8p.m.Free;reservationsrequested.CullenRoom,BusboysandPoets,10255thSt.NW.202-387-7638. ■FormerSen.BobGraham,D-Fla.,willdiscusshisthriller“KeystotheKingdom.”7p.m.Free.PoliticsandProse,5015ConnecticutAve.NW.202-364-1919. ■Aspartofaprogramseriesformenintheir20sand30s,DanSteinbergofTheWashingtonPostandBenStandigofComcastSportsNetwilldiscuss“Bracketology101,”abouttheNCAAbasket-

balltournament,FinalFourfavoritesandpotentialupsets.7p.m.$8inadvance;$10onthedayoftheevent.Sixth&IHistoricSynagogue,600ISt.NW.sixthandi.org.

Films ■TheChevyChaseNeighborhoodLibrarywillpresentthe1964film“TheUnsinkableMollyBrown,”starringDebbieReynolds.2p.m.Free.ChevyChaseNeighborhoodLibrary,5625ConnecticutAve.NW.202-282-0021. ■“BurtLancaster:AmericanClassic”willfeatureFredZinnemann’s1953film“FromHeretoEternity.”6:30p.m.Free;tick-etsrequired.HelenHayesGallery,NationalTheatre,1321PennsylvaniaAve.NW.202-783-3372. ■“PhotoFilm!”—anexplorationoftheusesofstillphotographywithinthecinematiccontext—willfocuson“ThePlasticityoftheMoment.”6:30p.m.$7.Goethe-Institut,8127thSt.NW.202-289-1200,ext.160. ■TheChevyChaseNeighborhoodLibrarywillpresentthe1935film“Mr.DeedsGoestoTown.”6:30p.m.Free.ChevyChaseNeighborhoodLibrary,5625ConnecticutAve.NW.202-282-0021. ■TheWashingtonPsychotronicFilmSocietywillpresentGuelArraes’2000film“ADog’sWill.”8p.m.Donationsuggested.McFadden’sRestaurantandSaloon,2401PennsylvaniaAve.NW.202-462-3356.

Tuesday,March13

Classes and workshops ■TeacherandtherapistHeatherFerriswillleadaweeklyyogaclass.Noon.Free.WathaT.Daniel-ShawNeighborhoodLibrary,16307thSt.NW.202-727-1288. ■YogainstructorLizNicholswillleada“LaughterYoga”classwithdeepbreathing,stretchingandlaughterexercises.12:30to1:30p.m.$10persession.IonaSeniorServices,4125AlbemarleSt.NW.202-895-9448,ext.4. ■PrintmakerLizWolfwillleada“TryYourHandatArt”class.2to4p.m.$10perses-sion.IonaSeniorServices,4125AlbemarleSt.NW.202-895-9448,ext.4. ■EbethJohnsonwillleadaclasson“ImmuneBoostingFoods.”6:30p.m.$10.SmithCenterforHealingandtheArts,1632USt.NW.202-483-8600. ■ThegroupYogaActivistwillpresentaweeklyyogaclassgearedtowardbeginners.7

p.m.Free.ClevelandParkNeighborhoodLibrary,3310ConnecticutAve.NW.202-282-3080. ■DumbartonHousewillofferaclassongamingaspartofasix-sessionserieson“PreparingfortheBall:19th-CenturySkillsandEtiquette,”apreludetoitssecondannualFederal-periodSpringBall.7to9p.m.$12perclass.DumbartonHouse,2715QSt.NW.preparingfortheball.eventbrite.com.

Concerts ■TheTuesdayConcertSerieswillfeatureflutistRebeccaCollarosandpianistPatrickO’Donnell.Noon.Free.ChurchoftheEpiphany,1317GSt.NW.202-347-2635,ext.18. ■TheKennedyCenter’sConservatoryProjectwillfeaturestudentsfromthePeabodyInstituteperformingworksbySchubert,Wolf,Strauss,BarberandBeethoven.6p.m.Free.FamilyTheater,KennedyCenter.202-467-4600.

Discussions and lectures ■OsherLifelongLearningInstituteatAmericanUniversitywillpresentatalkbyHuffingtonPostseniornationalcorrespon-dentAndreaStoneondevelopmentsintheMiddleEastbasedonherexperiencesinIsrael,Palestinianterritories,Afghanistan,Iraq,BahrainandEgypt.12:15to1:15p.m.Free.TempleBaptistChurch,3860NebraskaAve.NW.202-895-4860. ■EbrahimRasool,ambassadoroftheRepublicofSouthAfricatotheUnitedStates,willdiscussIslaminthetwocoun-tries.1p.m.Free;reservationsrequired.Room241,InterculturalCenter,GeorgetownUniversity,37thandOstreetsNW.acmcurasool.eventbrite.com. ■U.S.Sen.CarlLevin,D-Mich.,willdis-cuss“TheNeedforBalancedDeficitReduction.”6:30p.m.$30.Woman’sNationalDemocraticClub,1526NewHampshireAve.NW.202-232-7363. ■CynthiaLevinsonwilldiscussherbook“We’veGotaJob:The1963BirminghamChildren’sMarch.”6:30to8p.m.Free.LangstonRoom,BusboysandPoets,202114thSt.NW.202-387-7638. ■PrincetonUniversityprofessorDannyOppenheimerwilldiscusshisbook“DemocracyDespiteItself:WhyaSystemThatShouldn’tWorkatAllWorksSoWell.”6:30p.m.Free.Barnes&Noble,55512thSt.NW.202-347-0176. ■ArthistorianLindaSkaletwilldiscuss“AmericanValuesorImportedElegance?ArtCollectingintheGildedAge.”6:45to8:30

p.m.$35.S.DillonRipleyCenter,1100JeffersonDriveSW.202-633-3030. ■EricKlinenberg,professorofsociologyatNewYorkUniversityandeditorofPublicCulture,willdiscusshisbook“GoingSolo:TheExtraordinaryRiseandSurprisingAppealofLivingAlone.”7p.m.Free.PoliticsandProse,5015ConnecticutAve.NW.202-364-1919. ■MaryThompson,researchspecialistatMountVernon,willdiscuss“ReligionintheLifeofGeorgeWashington.”7p.m.Free.SocietyoftheCincinnati,2118MassachusettsAve.NW.202-785-2040. ■CuratorCarolinedeGuitautwilldiscussEngland’sRoyalCollectionofFabergé,thelargestofitskindintheworld.7to8:30p.m.$20;$7forcollegestudents.Reservationsrequired.HillwoodEstate,MuseumandGardens,4155LinneanAve.NW.202-686-5807.

Films ■AspartoftheEnvironmentalFilmFestivalintheNation’sCapital,NationalGeographicwillpresentMarcosNegraoandAndréRangel’s2010documentary“TheBrokenMoon,”aboutafamilyofHimalayannomadstornbetweentraditionandmoderni-tyasclimatechangethreatenstheirwatersupply.Noon.Free.GrosvenorAuditorium,NationalGeographic,1600MSt.NW.dcenvironmentalfilmfest.org.The festival will continue through March 25 with screenings at various venues. ■TheEmbassyofAustriaandtheWashingtonJewishFilmFestivalwillpresentElisabethScharang’sfilm“InAnotherLifetime.”7:30p.m.Free;reservationsrequired.EmbassyofAustria,3524InternationalCourtNW.202-895-6776.

Performances ■SpeakeasyDCwillpresent“Whistle-blowersandHell-raisers:Storiesaboutrebel-lion,defiance,andsubversiveactivity.”8p.m.$15.TownDanceboutique,20098thSt.NW.speakeasydc.com. ■BusboysandPoetswillhost“TuesdayNightOpenMic,”aweeklypoetryevent.9to11p.m.$4.LangstonRoom,BusboysandPoets,202114thSt.NW.202-387-7638.

Special events ■“TuesdayTeaatTudorPlace”willfea-tureatourofthe1816mansionandatradi-tionalafternoonteawithteasandwiches,scones,dessertsandhistoricteablends.1to3p.m.$25;reservationsrequired.TudorPlaceHistoricHouseandGarden,164431stSt.NW.202-965-0400. ■“ATributetoWangariMaathai”willfea-tureWanjiraMaathai,theNobelPeacePrizerecipient’sdaughter;LisaMertonandAlanDater,documentaryfilmmakers;andStephenMills,U.S.directorofGreenBelt,theenviron-mentalorganizationWangariMaathaifound-ed.7p.m.$10.GrosvenorAuditorium,NationalGeographic,1600MSt.NW.202-857-7700. ■WinemakerAndyPeayofSonoma’sPeayVineyardswillleadafive-coursewinedinner.7p.m.$175.CentralMichelRichard,1001PennsylvaniaAve.NW.202-626-0015.

Wednesday,March14

Classes ■HousingCounselingServices,alocalnonprofit,willpresentaforeclosure-preven-tionclinictohelphomeownersindangeroflosingtheirhomes.Noon.Free.Suite100,241017thSt.NW.202-667-7712.The class will repeat March 21 at noon and March 28

at 6 p.m. ■TheGuyMasonCommunityCenterandMacombRecreationCenterwillhost“Wednesday’sChef:SevenServingsofHealthyRecipesandTips,”aseven-weekclassfeaturinglocalchefsandotherguests.7to8:30p.m.$8perclass.GuyMasonCommunityCenter,3600CalvertSt.NW.202-727-7736.The series will continue March 28, April 11, April 25, May 9, May 23 and June 13. ■JewishStudyCenterinstructorswillleadathree-partclasson“JewsoftheFarWest.”7to8:15p.m.$55.AdasIsraelCongregation,2850QuebecSt.NW.202-332-1221.The class will continue March 21 and 28. ■JournalistandJewishStudyCenterinstructorAmySchwartzwillleadathree-partclasson“PsalmsAncientandModern.”8:15to9:25p.m.$55.AdasIsraelCongregation,2850QuebecSt.NW.202-332-1221.The class will continue March 21 and 28.

Concerts ■Pianist,composerandeducatorBurnettThompson(shown)willperformhis“ShakespeareSonnetsSongCycle”withChinesesingerCocoZhao.Noon.Free.SidneyHarmanHall,610FSt.NW.202-547-1122. ■Australiansinger,songwriterandguitar-istFrankYammawillperform.6p.m.Free.MillenniumStage,KennedyCenter.202-467-4600. ■SopranoMeganMonaghan,tenorValeRideoutandbaritoneRandallScarlatawillperformLoriLaitman’sartsongsandascenefromheropera“TheScarletLetter.”7:30p.m.Free;reservationsrequired.NationalMuseumofWomenintheArts,1250NewYorkAve.NW.202-783-7370. ■“JazzattheAtlas”willfeatureAndrewCyrille’s21stCenturyBigBandUnlimited.8p.m.$15to$25.AtlasPerformingArtsCenter,1333HSt.NE.202-399-7993.

Discussions and lectures ■ElliotCarlsonwilldiscusshisbook“JoeRochefort’sWar:TheOdysseyoftheCodebreakerWhoOutwittedYamamotoatMidway.”Noon.Free.McGowanTheater,NationalArchivesBuilding,ConstitutionAvenuebetween7thand9thstreetsNW.202-357-5000. ■DebbieLevywilldiscussherbook“TheYearofGoodbyes:ATrueStoryofFriendship,Family,andFarewells.”Noonto1p.m.$7.NationalMuseumofAmericanJewishMilitaryHistory,1811RSt.NW.thejdc.convio.net/calendar. ■TheNationalWomen’sHistoryMuseum’slectureserieson“ThePast,Present,andFutureofU.S.Women’sHistory”willfeatureatalkbyUniversityofPennsylvaniaprofessorKathleenBrown.4to5:30p.m.Free;reserva-tionsrequired.FlomAuditorium,WoodrowWilsonInternationalCenterforScholars,[email protected]. ■GeorgeDysonwilldiscusshisbook“Turing’sCathedral:TheOriginsoftheDigitalUniverse.”5p.m.Free.BairdAuditorium,NationalMuseumofNaturalHistory,10thStreetandConstitutionAvenueNW.202-633-1000. ■KarenStohr,associateprofessorofphi-losophyatGeorgetownUniversity,willdiscuss



Monday, maRCh 12■Concert: PianistChristophEschenbachandviolinistDanZhu(shown)willperformMozartsonatas.7:30p.m.$50.TerraceTheater,KennedyCenter.202-467-4600.

SeeEvents/Page31

Wednesday maRCh 14

Tuesday maRCh 13

“Faith:JourneyforaLifetime”aspartoftheLentenReflectionSeries.5to5:45p.m.Free.DahlgrenChapeloftheSacredHeart,GeorgetownUniversity,37thandOstreetsNW.202-687-1395. ■StacyCorderywilldiscussherbook“JulietteGordonLow:TheRemarkableFounderoftheGirlScouts.”6p.m.Free.NationalPortraitGallery,8thandFstreetsNW.202-633-1000. ■ArizonaStateUniversityprofessorDanielChilderswilldiscuss“UrbanSustainabilityinthe21stCentury”aspartofthe“OntheEdge:UrbanSustainability”lec-tureseries.6:30p.m.Free;reservationsrequired.Room208,White-GravenorHall,GeorgetownUniversity,[email protected]. ■“ScienceCafe:TheScienceofSleep”willfocusontherolesleepplaysinhelpingusleadhealthy,productivelives.6:30to8:30p.m.$10;$7forstudents.KoshlandScienceMuseum,525ESt.NW.202-334-1201. ■TikiDaviesandToddPurdumwilldis-cusstheirbook“ChinaHand.”7p.m.Free.PoliticsandProse,5015ConnecticutAve.NW.202-364-1919. ■MarvinKalb(shown),professoremeri-tusatHarvardUniversity’sJohnF.KennedySchoolofGovernment,andDeborahKalb,afree-lancejournalist,willdis-cusstheirbook“HauntingLegacy:VietnamandtheAmericanPresidencyFromFordtoObama.”7to8:30p.m.$25.S.DillonRipleyCenter,1100JeffersonDriveSW.202-633-3030. ■GeorgetownUniversityprofessorB.G.Muhnwilldiscuss“ImagesoftheHiddenCity:LifeandArtinPyongyang,”abouthisrecentresearchtriptotheNorthKoreancapital.7:30p.m.Free.Auditorium,InterculturalCenter,GeorgetownUniversity,[email protected].

Films ■InconjunctionwiththeEnvironmentalFilmFestivalintheNation’sCapital,theTenley-FriendshipNeighborhoodLibrarywillpresentthe2010film“WaterontheTable”andthe2011film“ChasingWater.”Adiscus-sionwithNationalResourcesDefenseCouncilseniorattorneySteveFleischliwillfollow.6:30p.m.Free.Tenley-FriendshipNeighborhoodLibrary,4450WisconsinAve.NW.202-727-1225. ■“TheMet:LiveinHD”willfeatureanencoreshowingoftheMetropolitanOpera’sproductionofVerdi’s“Ernani.”6:30p.m.$18.AMCMazzaGallerie,5300WisconsinAve.NW.fathomevents.com. ■TheJapanInformationandCultureCenterwillpresentYuriNomura’s2009film“Eatrip,”aboutcontemporaryJapanesefoodcultureasseenthroughtheexperiencesofpeoplefromdifferentwalksoflife.6:30p.m.Free;reservationsrequired.JapanInformationandCultureCenter,[email protected]. ■NationalGeographicwillpresentthefilm“WarElephants,”followedbyadiscus-sionwithele-phantresearch-erJoycePoole,filmmakerBobPooleandNationalGeographicTelevisionseniorproducerDavidHamlin.7:30p.m.$10.GrosvenorAuditorium,NationalGeographic,1600MSt.NW.202-857-7700. ■TheLionsofCzechFilmserieswillfea-

tureAliceNellis’2010film“Mamas&Papas,”abouttheintertwiningfateoffourcouplesinacriticalmomentoftheirlives.8p.m.$11;$9forstudents;$8.25forseniors;$8forages12andyounger.AvalonTheatre,5612ConnecticutAve.NW.202-966-6000.

Thursday,March15

Book signing ■FrancesMayeswillsigncopiesofherbook“TheTuscanSunCookbook.”6p.m.Free.Williams-Sonoma,MazzaGallerie,5300WisconsinAve.NW.202-237-1602.

Concerts ■TheNationalSymphonyOrchestraYouthFellowswillperformclassicalworks.6p.m.Free.MillenniumStage,KennedyCenter.202-467-4600. ■TheNationalSymphonyOrchestrawillperformBeethoven’s“Fidelio”inconcertwithsingersandchorus.7p.m.$20to$85.ConcertHall,KennedyCenter.202-467-4600.The performance will repeat Saturday at 8 p.m.

Discussions and lectures ■AndyShallal,founderofBusboysandPoets,willdiscuss“TheRoleofBusinessinCommunityBuilding.”11:30a.m.$30.Woman’sNationalDemocraticClub,1526NewHampshireAve.NW.202-232-7363. ■AmandaSmithwilldiscussherbook“NewspaperTitan:TheInfamousLifeandMonumentalTimesofCissyPatterson.”Noon.Free.MontpelierRoom,MadisonBuilding,LibraryofCongress,101IndependenceAve.SE.202-707-5221. ■JournalistandhistorianPaolaCaridiwilldiscussherbook“Hamas:FromResistancetoGovernment.”12:30p.m.Free;reserva-tionsrequired.Room270,InterculturalCenter,GeorgetownUniversity,37thandOstreetsNW.caridihamas.eventbrite.com. ■JonSchmitz,archivistandhistorianattheChautauquaInstitutioninNewYork,willdiscuss“Women’sRolesintheChautauquaIdea.”2to4p.m.Free.GeneralFederationofWomen’sClubs,1734NSt.NW.202-347-3168. ■JaneHarman,director,presidentandchiefexecutiveofficeroftheWoodrowWilsonInternationalCenterforScholars,willdiscuss“ToughForeignPolicyIssuesandWhyWashingtonCan’tSolveThem.”3:30to5p.m.Free;reservationsrequired.RiggsLibrary,HealyHall,GeorgetownUniversity,37thandOstreetsNW.iden2012.eventbrite.com. ■BishopThomasJ.Curry,auxiliarybish-opfortheArchdioceseofLosAngelesandamemberoftheU.S.ConferenceofCatholicBishops’CommitteeonCatholicEducation,willdiscuss“ReligiousLiberty,Conscience,andContraception.”5to7p.m.Free.Auditorium,CaldwellHall,CatholicUniversity,620MichiganAve.NE.202-319-5683. ■RosemarieTerenziowilldiscussherbook“FairyTaleInterrupted:AMemoirofLife,Love,andLoss.”6:30p.m.Free.Barnes&Noble,55512thSt.NW.202-347-0176. ■UfukKocabas,directorofIstanbulUniversity’sYenikapiShipwrecksProject,willdiscuss“TheTreasureBelow:ExcavatingattheAncientPortofConstantinople.”6:45to8:15p.m.$20.S.DillonRipleyCenter,1100JeffersonDriveSW.202-633-3030. ■MichaelMann,leadauthorofthe2001reportbytheU.N.IntergovernmentalPanelonClimateChange,willdiscusshisbook“TheHockeyStickandtheClimateWars:DispatchesFromtheFrontLines.”7p.m.

Free.PoliticsandProse,5015ConnecticutAve.NW.202-364-1919. ■TheClassicsBookGroupwilldiscuss“TheWarden”byAnthonyTrollope.7p.m.Free.Barnes&Noble,55512thSt.NW.202-347-0176. ■GabrielaPerez-Baez,curatorattheNationalMuseumofNaturalHistory,willdis-cuss“TheRelevanceofLanguageChoicesNegotiatedbyParentsandChildrenfortheSurvivalofanEndangeredLanguage.”7:30p.m.Free.BowenCenterfortheStudyoftheFamily,4400MacArthurBlvd.NW.202-965-4400.

Film ■AspartoftheEnvironmentalFilmFestivalintheNation’sCapital,theSt.Columba’sEpiscopalChurchEnvironmentCommitteewillpresentRobbieGemmel’s2011film“CapeSpin:AnAmericanPowerStruggle,”aboutthe10-yearstruggleoveraoffshorewindfarmplannedforNantucketSound.Apaneldiscussionwillfollow.7p.m.$5donationsuggested.St.Columba’sEpiscopalChurch,4201AlbemarleSt.NW.dcenvironmentalfilmfest.org.

Performances ■LePetitCirquewillpresentapoeticsolocircusperformanceofobjectsandtoysinmotion,animatedbyFrenchartistLaurentBigot.11a.m.and2p.m.Free.EastBuildingSmallAuditorium,NationalGalleryofArt,4thStreetandConstitutionAvenueNW.202-737-4215.The performance will repeat Friday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. ■ChoreographerChristopherK.Morgan,artist-in-residenceatCityDance,willpresentasuiteofshortvignettestobringthephoto-graphsin“Snapshot:PaintersandPhotography,BonnardtoVuillard”tolife.6:30p.m.$20;reservationsrequired.PhillipsCollection,160021stSt.NW.phillipscollection.org/calendar. ■KatonaJózsefTheatrewillpresent“Gypsies,”aboutthelove,tensionsandcon-flictsthatariseamongGypsymusiciansandHungariansinthecountryside(inHungarianwithEnglishsupertitles).7:30p.m.$25to$50.EisenhowerTheater,KennedyCenter.202-467-4600.The performance will repeat Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Special events ■RinglingBros.andBarnum&Baileywillpresent“FullyCharged,”athrill-filledcircusspectacular.10:30a.m.and7:30p.m.$14to$35.VerizonCenter,601FSt.NW.202-397-7328.The performance will repeat Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 11:30 a.m., 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. ■The“WeKnowDC”competitionwillfea-

turethree-studentteamsfromD.C.publichighschoolsdemonstratingtheirknowledgeofhistoricandcontemporaryD.C.elections,governmentandpoliticalmilestones.1:30to3:30p.m.Free.RoomA-5,MartinLutherKingJr.MemorialLibrary,901GSt.NW.202-387-2966.

Friday,March16

Concerts ■TheMorehouseCollegeGleeClubwillperformspirituals,gospelandYorubaselec-tions.Noon.Free.MartinLutherKingJr.MemorialLibrary,901GSt.NW.202-727-1261. ■TheNationalSymphonyOrchestrawillperformworksbyJohannStraussJr.andbrotherJosef,includingtheovertureto“DieFledermaus.”1:30p.m.$20to$85.ConcertHall,KennedyCenter.202-467-4600. ■MembersoftheNationalSymphonyOrchestrawillperformaspartoftheKennedyCenter’sfestival“TheMusicofBudapest,Prague,andVienna.”6p.m.Free.MillenniumStage,KennedyCenter.202-467-4600. ■TheWashingtonPerformingArtsSocietywillpresentthe50thanniversa-rytourofTheChieftanswithPaddyMoloney.8p.m.$28to$65.ConcertHall,KennedyCenter.202-467-4600. ■TheFolgerConsortandsopranoMicheleKennedywillpresent“TheSongbird:FrancescaCacciniattheMediciCourt.”8p.m.$35.FolgerShakespeareLibrary,201EastCapitolSt.SE.202-544-7077.The con-cert will repeat Saturday at 5 and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Films ■TheInter-AmericanDevelopmentBank

willpresenttheD.C.debutofFedericoVeiroj’s2010film“AUsefulLife,”aboutamanwhomustadjusttoanewlifeafterthecinemaheworkedatformorethan25yearsisforcedtoshutdown.6:30p.m.Free.Inter-AmericanDevelopmentBankCulturalCenter,1300NewYorkAve.NW.202-623-3558. ■“KoreanFilmFestivalDC2012:TheArtoftheMovingImageFromKorea”willfea-tureParkChan-Kyong’s2011film“Anyang,ParadiseCity.”7p.m.Free.MeyerAuditorium,FreerGalleryofArt,12thStreetandIndependenceAvenueSW.202-633-1000. ■BeethovenFoundwillpresentthepre-miereofthefilm“TrueBromance”withlivesymphonyaccompaniment.7:30p.m.$100.TerraceTheater,KennedyCenter.202-467-4600. ■NationalGeographicwillpresenttheD.C.premiereofAlekseiVakhrushev’sfilm“TheTundraBook:ATaleofVukvukai,theLittleRock,”aboutthelivesoftheinhabitantsofaremoteRussianpeninsulaintheArcticCircle.7:30p.m.$10.GrosvenorAuditorium,NationalGeographic,1600MSt.NW.202-857-7700.

Performances ■GeorgetownUniversity’sGrooveTheorywillpresent“OneMove,OneGroove,”acele-brationofhip-hopdanceculture.7:30p.m.$7.GastonHall,GeorgetownUniversity,37thandOstreetsNW.202-687-3838. ■TheGayMen’sChorusofWashingtonwillpresentanall-maleversionofthecultmusical“TheRockyHorrorShow.”8p.m.$20to$50.LisnerAuditorium,GeorgeWashingtonUniversity,73021stSt.NW.gmcw.org.The performance will repeat Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m.


Thursday, maRCh 15■Discussion: JodiPicoultwilldiscusshernovel“LoneWolf.”7p.m.$28.Sixth&IHistoricSynagogue,600ISt.NW.sixthandi.org.


Thursday maRCh 15 Friday maRCh 16

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that will continue through March 24. “These Women” is a new series of imaginary women done by Amy Davis in paint and encaustic. “Unrealities” highlights work by Peter Karp that explores the tension between geometric/abstract shapes and the human form, as well as the space between dream and reality. “Cryos” features Iwan Bagus’ ice photography in an exploration of the ephemeral and perishable. “A Person and a Story” features portraits by Washington-area artists, along with the stories behind each portrait. The artists include Joshua Cogan, Jim Darling, Matt Dunn, Keith Lane, David Y. Lee and Joshua Yospyn. An artists’ reception will take place Saturday from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Located at 2108 R St. NW, the gallery is open Wednesday through Friday from 1 to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 1 to 6 p.m. 202-232-8734.■ “The Magic Foxhole,” presenting works on paper by Dawn Black inspired by an unpublished J. D. Salinger short story about cycles of death and folly, opened recently at Curator’s Office, where it will continue through March 24. Located at 1515 14th St. NW, Suite 201, the gallery is open Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. 202-387-1008.■ The Inter-American Development Bank Cultural Center is presenting an exhibit of works by 13 contem-porary Uruguayan artists through June 1 in conjunction with the 53rd annual meeting of the bank’s board of

governors in Montevideo, Uruguay. Located at 1300 New York Ave. NW, the center is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 202-623-3558.■ “Tohoku Today: Rebuilding for a Better Tomorrow,” highlighting the recovery efforts after the massive earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan’s Tohoku region last March, will close Saturday at the National Press Club. Located at 529 14th St. NW, the club’s exhibit space is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

ExhiBitSFrom Page 29

ing maid, and you have the perfect recipe for a night of madcap opera. In Mozart’s game of love and seduction, two young men wager that their fiancées will remain faith-ful even when tempted. Performance times vary. Ticket prices start at $25. 202-467-4600; kennedy-center.org.■ Washington Improv Theater will present its sixth annual improv competition, the “Fighting Improv Smackdown Tournament,” or “FIST,” March 8 through April 7 at Source. Each show is a step in the six-round tournament. Four three-mem-ber improv teams perform 12-min-ute sets opposite one another. The audience then determines via secret ballot which two teams advance to the next round. A total of 58 teams will take part. Performance times are 8 and 9:30 p.m. Thursday, 9:30 and 11 p.m. Friday and 8, 9:30 and 11 p.m. Saturday. Tickets cost $10 to $20. Source is located at 1835 14th St. NW. 202-204-7770; washingtonimprovtheater.com.■ Arena Stage will close John Logan’s Tony Award-winning play “Red” March 11 in the Kreeger Theater. At the height of his career, abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko struggles with a series of grand-scale paintings for New York’s elite Four Seasons restau-rant. When his new assistant, Ken, challenges his artistic integrity, Rothko must confront his own demons or be crushed by the ever-changing art world he helped cre-ate. Performance times are generally 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday; 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday; and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets cost $40 to $85. Arena is located at 1101 6th St. SW. 202-488-3300; arenastage.org.■ Atlas Performing Arts Center will close “Intersections: A New America Arts Festival” March 11. Launched in 2010, the now-annual event features 12 days of multidisciplinary, curated perfor-mances — music, theater, film, spo-ken word and dance — with new opportunities for participation and audience engagement. Participants include SpeakeasyDC, the In Series, Adventure Theatre, DC’s Different Drummers and many more. Performance times and locations vary. Details are at intersectionsdc.org.■ Spooky Action Theater will close David Mamet’s “The Water Engine” March 11 at the Universalist National Memorial Church. Through the device of a live radio play, Mamet follows the agony of an inventor named Charles Lang, who attempts to pat-ent his revolutionary creation: an engine that runs exclusively on water. The play is set during the 1933-34 World’s Fair in Chicago.

Performance times are 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets cost $20 to $25. The church is located at 1810 16th St. NW; the theater entrance is off S Street at the building’s rear. 202-248-0301; spookyaction.org.■ Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company will close the world pre-miere of Jason Grote’s “Civilization (all you can eat)” March 11. Performance times generally are 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday; 3 p.m. Saturday; and 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday. Ticket prices start at $30. Woolly Mammoth is located at 641 D St. NW. 202-393-3939; woollymammoth.net.■ Studio Theatre 2ndStage has extended Natsu Onoda Power’s “Astro Boy and the God of Comics” through March 18. Performance times are 8:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets cost $38 to $43. Studio Theatre is located at 1501 14th St. NW. 202-332-3300; studiotheatre.org.■ The Barrelhouse Theatre is pre-senting Adam Rapp’s “Blackbird” through March 18 at the District of Columbia Arts Center. Performance times are 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $12 to $16. Friday through Sunday and 3 p.m. March 11. The arts center is located at 2438 18th St. NW. 202-462-7833; dcartscenter.com.■ Washington Stage Guild is pre-senting “Husbands & Lovers,” adapted by Bill Largess from a 1920s script by Ferenc Molnár, through March 18 at the Undercoft Theatre of Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church. Performance times are 7:30 p.m. Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets cost $40 to $50. The church is located at 900 Massachusetts Ave. NW. 240-582-0050; stageguild.org.■ Keegan Theatre is presenting Reginald Rose’s “Twelve Angry Men” through March 25 at the Church Street Theater. Performance times are generally 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets cost $30 to $35. The Church Street Theater is located at 1742 Church St. NW. 703-892-0202; keegantheatre.com.■ Theater J is presenting theologi-cal drama “New Jerusalem: The Interrogation of Baruch de Spinoza at Talmud Torah Congregation: Amsterdam, July 27, 1656” through April 1. Performance times are 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday; 8 p.m. Saturday; and 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets cost $25 to $60 for general admission. Theater J per-forms at the Washington DC Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th St. NW. 800-494-8497; theaterj.org.■ Studio Theatre is presenting British playwright Roy Williams’ “Sucker Punch” through April 8. Performance times are generally 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; and 7 p.m. Sunday. Tickets cost $35 to $60. Studio Theatre is located at 1501 14th St. NW. 202-332-3300; studiotheatre.org.

thEatERFrom Page 29

Diego Velazco’s “Los últimos cines i” is part of an exhibit of contemporary Uruguayan artists at the inter-american Development Bank Cultural Center.

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expected to expand from 21,903 to 41,903 square feet. The current student capacity is 213, though the school has temporary classrooms and its actual enrollment figure is closer to 290. Once the new build-ing is constructed, the school will be expected to accommodate about 370 students. Included in the design plans are the addition of three classrooms, a special education room, a computer lab, and art, music, teacher and par-ent resource rooms. New restrooms, gymnasiums and other additions, along with upgrades to the school’s HVAC and plumbing systems, technology and exterior repairs are expected by the third phase of the modernization project. At Hearst Elementary, located at 3950 37th St. in North Cleveland Park, a $9.4 million budget will pay for an addition to the existing 1931 school building and Phase 1 of a three-phase modernization project. Here, too, the school’s size is pro-jected to grow significantly, from 17,000 to approximately 45,000 square feet. While student capacity is listed at 181, the school enroll-ment is currently about 240 stu-dents. The modernization project is expected to increase student capac-ity to 300 students. The overall project is expected to add two new classrooms, resource rooms, teacher workspac-es, office areas for administrators, dining facilities and a media center, among other new spaces. The plan is also expected to improve on-campus parking and traffic circulation. The two elementary schools are the latest in Ward 3 to line up for overhauls, after Wilson High School, Deal Middle School and Janney and Stoddert elementaries. “Modernizing these schools is much needed,” Ward 3 D.C. Council member Mary Cheh wrote in an email to The Current. “It is important that the quality of all our facilities matches the excellence of instruction in our classrooms. Although we are not able to improve every school at once, I am pleased that it is now Mann and Hearst’s turn, and I look forward to the forthcoming modernizations of Eaton and Murch in a few years.” It is not yet clear whether one or multiple architects will conduct the Mann and Hearst projects. Once the selection has been made, the General Services Department will solicit a request for proposals from builders that will partner with the architect on the design-build phase. Once selected, the architect has an April 10 deadline to submit con-cept design plans, with detailed addition and Phase 1 designs due July 30, ahead of late summer/early fall groundbreaking dates. After the expected March 16 announcement, both schools antici-pate hosting community meetings to discuss the modernization proj-ects.

SCHOOLSFrom Page 1

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Sales AssociateHillwood Estate Museum & Gardens is seeking a sales associate for the Mu-

seum Shop to work approximately 15 hours per week. The person we seek is comfortable and experienced in a retail setting, has excellent customer service skills, and a love for fine arts. Our ideal candidate is flexible with regard to hours and dedicated to staying with the position once trained. Hillwood Mu-seum Shop is a great work environment with a friendly staff of sales associ-ates. Responsibilities include assisting customers and process sales Restock and maintain displays, observe sales floor for theft and damage, provide sup-port as needed for receiving, pricing, inventory and other functions, assist with special events and assist with physical inventory. Requirements include experi-ence with retail sales and operation of cash register/credit card transactions, experience in a museum, fine art or related retail environment, Friendly and personable, strong customer service skills, and must be detailed-oriented and able to work a variety of hours. Interested candidates should submit their re-sume and letter of interest to [email protected] (preferred method) or fax to (202) 966-1623. No phone calls please. Hillwood is an equal opportunity employer. Adjunct employees at Hillwood are eligible to participate in the 403(b) plan and earn sick leave under the DC Safe and Sick Act.

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edge of some geological concepts and refreshing our memories about ecological succession. There were clear examples of primary succes-sion on the rocks alongside the canal, where lichen grows slowly but surely. After this exciting experience, we moved on to the major attraction of the day, the Naval Surface Warfare Center. Once we arrived at the center, we were given an insightful introduction about what happens in the center’s facilities. Subsequently, we were off to our tour of specific facilities in the cen-ter. The helpful tour guide led us first to a facility containing a half-mile-long pool of water where models of boats and submarines are tested. We were also led through the warehouse where the models were built, and a facility where bilge water from the boats is cleaned. Finally, we made our way back to the auditorium, where Commanding Officer Stefanyshyn-Piper talked about her enthralling life as a deep-sea diver for the Navy and a NASA astronaut. This won-derful experience at the Naval Surface Warfare Center opened our eyes to what can result from hard work in life and the interesting pos-sibilities open to those who study science and engineering.

— Nico Mandel, Form II (eighth-grader)

St. Ann’s Academy Since the National Museum of Health and Medicine is closed, employees of the museum came to our class to teach us about the human body. They brought pre-served organ parts. One of our students was picked to wear a vest with pictures of the organs on the front. We were able to stick them on the vest where they belonged. We got to feel them. Some were squishy, some were soft and some were hard. We saw a pair of lungs of a smoker, and they were black. We learned that we should not smoke. We also learned the correct way to brush our teeth and to floss. We had a fun time while learn-ing about our bodies.

— Kindergartners

School Without Walls From Feb. 16 to 19, 11 members of the School Without Walls Model United Nations attended the 49th North American Invitational Model United Nations, largest Model UN conference in North America. The event hosted more than 3,000 dele-gates, not including parents and other chaperones. As for the Walls contingent, it was made up of a near-even repre-sentation of all grades at Walls, tak-ing part in four separate committees that discussed issues such as narcot-ics trafficking in Latin America and the Western Sahara conflict. Throughout the conference, the

majority of Walls students repre-sented the military, economic and industrial powerhouse of Kuwait, a bastion of freedom and liberty in otherwise turbulent times. The remaining Walls students took the role of representing individuals within the United Nations. In Model UN, students not only learn in depth about real-world issues, but they also practice public speaking skills and how to form opinions from the standpoint of a particular country. For a few, taking part in an actual conference was a particular learning experience. “Jordan [Davis] and I haven’t gone to a conference before,” said Dike Ukwuani, who, along with the other Kuwaiti delegate, spent three days in the committee dis-cussing the Western Sahara Conflict. “We actually watched for some of it. … As Kuwait, we just made it clear that we stood for the rights of the people of Western Sahara.” “Everyone did a really good job,” said Isabella Boland, a Walls sophomore. “I’m looking forward to the next one.”

— Keanu Ross-Cabrera, 12th-grader

Stoddert Elementary We have writing contests at Stoddert about every three months. Our last writing challenge was on the topic “leap year.” I thought this was a great thing to do and a chance to learn about something new. I didn’t know anything about leap year, so I had to do some research. All of our writing had to be done in school. I learned that people celebrate leap year differently in other parts of the world. Some have supersti-tions around leap year and others have curses. For example, some people believe that if your baby is born on leap day, then your baby will have bad luck. When I first heard about the wir-ing contest, I thought to myself that I didn’t know anything about leap year, but I still wanted to partici-pate. It’s a lot of fun to write. I learned a lot from websites. I also asked my mom and our teacher about the subject. I found out that we get a whole day every four years. I learned some things about leap year. In Ireland, girls can ask boys to marry them on leap day. Young people give shoes to old people in China because it gives a peaceful feeling to them on leap day. There are prizes for the winners in the writing contest. We all think that it would be great to win and get the prize, but we also just like writ-ing! It’s really what some of us are just good at.

— Tess Mortell, Yiming Chen and Yuxi Cai, fourth-graders

Washington International School Recently, the fourth-graders went to the Sri Siva Vishnu Temple in Lanham, Md., to see how the Hindu people worship. The Hindus celebrate Holi, the

celebration of spring, and Diwali (Divali), the celebration of light. At a Hindu temple, Hindus med-itate or pray. There are altars with statues of the gods that the Hindus worship. In the Hindu temple, they do rituals that respect each and every god in an individual way. The main gods are Brahma, the creator; Vishnu, the protector; and Shiva, the destroyer. The statues of the gods can be covered in gold, fruit, milk or something that repre-sents purity and kindness. Hindus don’t eat cow meat, and they use cow’s milk as a sign of respect and purity. (But some peo-ple don’t always follow the rules of Hinduism and eat cow meat because they can’t help liking it and they can’t always contain them-selves.) Hindus believe in karma and reincarnation. Karma means when you do something good, the uni-verse rewards you with something good. But, if you do something bad, then the universe repays you with something bad or super bad. Reincarnation is when you are reborn as a different form after you die depending on how you act in your previous life. Some people have shrines in their homes and pray in their house instead of the temple. The symbol of Hinduism is called aum (om). We hope this was informative and helps you if you are studying Hinduism.

— Anthea Walker and Paloma Boccasam,

fourth-graders

Washington Latin Public Charter School On Feb. 16, Washington Latin held its third annual science fair. There were 256 lower and upper school students who took part in this year’s fair. Following the suc-cess of this year’s fair, a question everyone may want to ask them-selves is: How helpful does taking part in a science fair prove once one reaches higher education? “I want students to have free range over what they do their proj-ects on,” said Mr. Alpert, ninth-grade physics teacher, about what he wants his students to learn and take away from accomplishing the project. “When I was in my high school fair, I built a Geiger counter. I ran into problems halfway through the project. My teacher couldn’t answer my questions that I had about the counter, so I went to Yale to ask questions. It’s these types of experiences that make the fair unique.” Having a school science fair helps students to prepare for their future education as well as giving them another way to “fall in love” with a specific subject, one of the themes of Washington Latin. Students who’ve participated in sci-ence fairs may be able to see that selling their ideas to others as well as presenting an idea to a group of people is something beneficial they can take away from the science fair experience.

— Alistair Andrulis, 10th-grader

dispatchesFrom page 19

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Call Peggy (202) 438-1524

Cabin John Gardens•Cabin John, MD Mid $700’s

Call Jami (202) 438-1526

So. Woodside•Silver Spring, MD $649,900

Call Judi (202) 438-1525

Cleveland Park • NW, DC Call Peggy (202) 438-1524

Crestwood • NW, DC $1,350,000

Call Meredith (202) 607-5877

The Westchester•Observatory, DC $299,900

Palisades • NW, DC Call Molly (202) 345-3942

Ranked one of the Top 250 Real Estate Teams in the Nation & Top 20 at Long & Foster!

COMIN

G

SOON

Dupont • NW, DC $499,919

Glen Echo Hghts • Bethesda, MD $745,000

UNDER

CONTRACT

Woodley Park • NW, DC $1,199,000

SOLD

MULT

IPLE O

FFERS

UNDER

CONTRACT

RENTAL

Cabin John Gardens•Cabin John, MD Mid $700’s

Call Jami (202) 438-1526

UNDER

CONTRACT

SOLD

nw 03.07.12 1

Documents

new meters

redtop parking meters

new parking rules

practice of free parking

incentive of free parking

city officials

redtop meters available

department of transportation