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Reston Connection ❖ April 4-10, 2012 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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online at www.connectionnewspapers.com

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April 4-10, 2012

Egg HuntingIn Brown’sChapel ParkNews, Page 19

WellbeingPage 18

Real World ComesTo South Lakes

News, Page 3

Future of SilverLine Discussed

News, Page 3

Egg HuntingIn Brown’sChapel ParkNews, Page 19

Real World ComesTo South Lakes

News, Page 3

WellbeingPage 18

Future of SilverLine Discussed

News, Page 3

Children are unleashed in Brown’sChapel Park during the annualEggnormous Egg Hunt Saturday, March31. More than 100 children participatedin the event, which was hosted by theReston Community Center.

2 ❖ Reston Connection ❖ April 4-10, 2012 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

NewsReston Connection Editor Kemal Kurspahic

703-778-9414 or [email protected]

From left, Sophia, Isabella and AmelieClarke of Reston model the “twirlability”of the Clarke Collection reversible skirts atThe Campagna Center’s 13th annual Toastto Fashion fundraiser, held Thursday,March 22 at the Belle Haven country Club.Mom Veronica Clarke launched thechildren’s apparel and accessories busi-ness last year.

From left, Allison Priebe Brooks, owner ofQueen Bee Jewelry Designs in Alexandria,her father, Louis Victor Priebe of Spring-field, and Kate Michael, former Miss D.C.2006 and president of K Street Kate,during the 13th annual Toast to Fashionfundraiser for The Campagna Center, heldThursday, March 22 at the Belle HavenCountry Club.

All That GlittersThe Campagna Center’sannual Toast to Fashionfundraiser sparkles withfashion, food and fun.

2012 Toast toFashion Award Honorees

❖The Golden Halo Award, which recognizes a mem-ber of the Campagna Center who has demonstrated aselfless commitment to fundraising. Honoree: AllisonPriebe Brooks, owner of the Alexandria jewelry-designfirm Queen Bee Designs.

❖The Barbara Pratt Lee Heart of Gold Award, whichrecognizes a member of The Campagna Center who hasdemonstrated leadership and personal dedication to theadvancement of the center’s mission. Winner: NicoleDuncan, catering and special events director of theBelle Haven Country Club.

❖The Anne Culbert Legacy of Service Award, whichrecognizes a member of the community who has sup-ported the center through a sustained legacy ofdedication, spirit and influence: Carrie Owens Garland.

❖The Unsung Hero Award, created to honor thosewho have given their time and expertise as a JuniorFriends volunteer. The first Unsung Hero Award waspresented posthumously to Elizabeth Pignatello, 39,who died in August 2011, in a small aircraft accident.Her mother, Enid Robinson, and her daughter, BellaPignatello, accepted the award in her honor.

With glittering displays of spring’s hot-test fashion trends and most covetedaccessories, the ballroom of the BelleHaven Country Club was transformed

into a fashion-lover’s dream during the CampagnaCenter’s 13th annual Toast to Fashion on Thursday,March 22.

The Toast to Fashion, the Campagna Center’s pre-mier fundraiser, combines a fashion show, market-place, raffle, and reception with all proceeds sup-porting the center’s childhood-development pro-grams. Guests got a peek at some of the hottest springtrends (think pink and rainbow-brights) from localboutiques, including Haute Papier, Queen Bee De-signs, Skinfinity and The Dressed Up Nut.

“We had well over 200 guests and great participa-tion from numerous local business establishments,”said Tammy Mann, president and CEO of theCampagna Center. “The Toast to Fashion providesan opportunity for the community to learn aboutprograms of the center, and the volunteers we relyon to help raise funds for our work.”

The Campagna Center, which has been servingchildren in Alexandria since 1945, operates a rangeof childhood-development programs, including EarlyHead Start, Afternoon Adventures and Summer Sa-fari, as well as adult and family literacy programs.Each year, the center’s teachers, staff and volunteershelp more than 1,700 children and families.

Many of the center’s programs, such as Head Startand Early Head Start, are federally-funded programsthat also require a local match.

“Every bit helps us close the gaps we have to fund

these much-needed services. Just this week we hadhundreds of parents show up to register their childfor a space in Head Start this coming fall,” Mannsaid.

The event was hosted by the Junior Friends of theCampagna Center, and featured a fashion show em-ceed by ABC7 Sports reporter Britt McHenry. LauraHartman and Jeannine Hyde co-chaired the event.

“This is not only a fun event, but a special event,because everyone here is helping make the future alittle brighter for the children and families served byThe Campagna Center,” said Kate Michael, formerMiss D.C. and president of K Street Kate, an onlinelifestyle magazine and talk show.

For more information on The Campagna Center’sprograms, go to www.campagnacenter.org.

— Victoria Ross

Lt. Rodney Vaughn, Master Technician AnthonyDoran, Technician Lawrence Mullin and MasterTechnician Christopher Williams of Fire Station 18were presented the Bronze Medal of Valor AwardMarch 21 for their rescue efforts last Septemberduring flash flooding at the intersection of StuartMill Road and Birdfoot Lane in Reston.

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Above and BeyondFirefighters honored for Restonrescue efforts.

By Jeanne Theismann

and Alex McVeigh

The Connection

The water was swiftlyrising at the intersec-tion of Reston’s Stuart

Mill Road and Birdfoot Lane asdeadly flash flooding surgedthroughout Fairfax County onSept. 8, 2011. Two vehiclesstranded at the intersectionwere quickly swept out to a treeline 150 feet into the water witha family of three and a singledriver still inside.

With no safety lines or rescueboats available, Fire Station 18first responders Lt. RodneyVaughn, Master Technician An-thony Doran, TechnicianLawrence Mullin and MasterTechnician Christopher Will-iams battled the waist deep andrapidly rising water and debristo bring the occupants to safety.On March 21, the four wererecognized for their heroismwith Bronze Medals of Honorat the Fairfax County Chamberof Commerce Valor Awards.

At the event held at theHilton McLean Tysons Corner,the Chamber recognized 108 ofthe county’s first responders atthe 34th Annual Valor Awards.Members of the Fairfax CountyPolice Department, Sheriff’s Of-fice, Fire and Rescue Depart-

ment, as well as from the Townsof Herndon and Vienna, weregiven awards.

Thirty-five responders weregiven Bronze or Silver Medalsof Valor, and their children willreceive post-secondary educa-tion scholarships from the ValorScholarship Fund, a 501(c)3foundation. To date, more than$250,000 in scholarships hasbeen awarded.

The flash flooding of Sept. 8,a result of 6 to 10 inches of rainthat deluged the area, broughtnumerous calls for water-re-lated rescues and 18 FairfaxCounty Fire and Rescue person-nel were honored for their ef-forts that day. The firefighterssaved dozens of lives by rescu-ing people who were trappedby rising water, in danger ofwashing downstream or wereotherwise trapped by the severeweather conditions.

The Chamber also awarded48 lifesaving awards and 25certificates of valor during theceremony.

“We have heard some re-markable accounts of heroismtoday,” said Doug Brammer,chair of the Valor ScholarshipFund. “Having done this for anumber of years, it just rein-forces that when things are attheir worst, our first respond-ers are at their best.”

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News

Future of Silver Line DiscussedPanel discusseslabor agreements,Loudoun County’sdecision.

By Alex McVeigh

The Connection

The Greater RestonChamber of Com-merce hosted a paneldiscussion in Reston

Wednesday, March 28 about thefuture of Phase Two of theMetrorail Silver Line. The discus-sion featured Virginia Secretary ofTransportation SeanConnaughton, Fairfax CountyBoard of Supervisors Chair SharonBulova, Loudoun County Board ofSupervisors Chair Scott York andMetropolitan Washington AirportsAuthority President Jack Potter.

Connaughton said the subject ofa Project Labor Agreement, which would put condi-tions on the companies and employees building therail, has been a point of contention during the pro-cess.

“There’s a great deal of concern that Virginia com-panies could be excluded from being able to com-petitively participate in the procurement,” he said.“In Virginia, we have some fairly large project goingon, the 495 HOT lanes has a PLA on it. But whathappens after the procurement isawarded is essentially between thosecontractors and their employees abouthow they move the project forward.But the government mandating it upfront is something we just did not findacceptable.”

Potter said he was confident thatMWAA would adapt to changes asneeded, and pointed to recent ex-amples.

“The MWAA board has made deci-sions that I think are indicative thatthey are listening. They went from abelow-ground to aboveground station,there were concerns raised about amandatory project labor agreement,we worked very hard... to fashion amandatory PLA that at the time was compliant withVirginia law,” Potter said. “It was suggested that amandatory PLA was not the desire of the common-wealth and the board reacted to that and followedthrough with a voluntary PLA with incentives.”

IN LOUDOUN COUNTY, seven of the nine su-pervisors are newly elected. The Loudoun board hasbeen given extra time before their vote so their mem-bers can get themselves up to speed. York said hehoped that the plan will pass.

“If we fail to invest in this project to get it intoLoudoun County then we will not become what wehave planned to be in our comprehensive plan,” saidYork, who is in his fourth term as chair. “This is ourpipeline to Washington, D.C., to bring employees in,to take our constituents who work all the way inWashington in and out quicker and not have to bestuck in traffic. This is a huge quality of life issue.Yes, it is going to cost us today, but it’s going to cost

us a heck of a lot more in future years.”Bulova said that Loudoun’s decision will have an

impact on how Fairfax County moves forward.“I hope that Loudoun County’s decision is positive,

they’ve been a partner with us from the beginning ofthe project,” she said. “If that turns out not to be thecase we’ll have to go back to the drawing board andlook at the project and how things might change. Itwould be a less expensive project because there

would be fewer stations, and theproject would not extend all the wayinto Loudoun, but we’d have to takeanother look at the funding agreementsand the legality of any changes thatwould need to happen.”

Potter echoed Bulova’s optimistictone.

“We at MWAA are very hopeful thatwe’ll be able to take the rail all the wayout to Loudoun. Should they opt out,and we hope that would not be thecase, we would get together with ourpartners and look at what options areout there. But we made a commitment,long before I got here, that we weregoing to take the rail to Loudoun, andthat’s my first priority.”

MARK INGRAO, president of the chamber, saidhe and its members remain committed to seeing theSilver Line finished.

“This is one of the most important developmentprojects in this region in decades, and will have last-ing implications for years to come,” he said. “All thebusinesses I speak to, who have invested in the spe-cial tax district in Reston, believe this project wasnever intended to be rail to Reston, it was intendedto be Rail to Dulles and beyond.”

Bulova said Fairfax County is prepared if the LoudounCounty Board of Supervisors decide to move forward.

“Assuming that Loudoun indicated their willing-ness to continue participating in the project, FairfaxCounty will have this on our April 10 meeting,” shesaid. “Assuming all those positive things happen, weexpect to be ready to start negotiating with develop-ers and folks who are interested in partnering withus probably in the summer, starting June or July.”

From left, Virginia Secretary of Transportation SeanConnaughton, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors ChairSharon Bulova, Loudoun County Board of SupervisorsChair Scott York and Metropolitan Washington AirportsAuthority President Jack Potter speak at a Greater RestonChamber of Commerce event Wednesday, March 28.

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“Yes, it is goingto cost ustoday, but it’sgoing to costus a heck of alot more infuture years.”

— Supervisors ChairScott York

Sumaiya Sharieff and Mahrukh Chowhan talk withJohn Higbee and Willis Twum of Dominion Powerabout a career with the electric utility company. Bothstudents said they were just exploring differentcareer options.

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Real World Comesto South LakesMore than 55 careers representedat Career Expo.

By Amiee Freeman

The Connection

More than 55 careerswere representedMonday, March 19

at South Lakes High’s SecondAnnual 10th Grade CareerExpo. The careers representedranged from electricians toInternet technology, said Eliza-beth Vandenburg, South Lake’sPTSA community outreach rep-resentative.

“The goal of this activity is tobring the real world into thebuilding. It is also to show thestudents that, yes, you do haveto study math and English andthis is why. It is also to havethem thinking about two yearsfrom now when they will beentering this world and makingsure they know now what skillsthey will need,” saidVandenburg.

The students participating inthis career fair began thinkingof potential careers years ago.“The push now is in kindergar-ten to really start talking aboutcareers,” said Davina Johnson,director of student services.

Despite this early push manySouth Lakes sophomores saidthey weren’t really sure of whatkind of career they are inter-ested in pursuing.

Tyler Hutson, TylerChronister, Tyler Gallagher andAdam Gorgos checked out thetable hosted by the FairfaxCounty Police Department. Of-ficer Matthew Willert sharedwith the students informationabout the Police Department’sExplorer Program which “workswith youths 15 to 20 year oldsto give them a glimpse of whatlaw enforcement is like,” saidWillert. The boys listened atten-tively, then moved on saying

they weren’t really sure whatkind of career they were inter-ested in.

At a table hosted by Domin-ion Power, Sumiya Sharieff andMahrukh Chowhan said theywere “just exploring and look-ing at different careers.”

Willis Twum, a designer forDominion, said he and his co-representative, John Higbee, aserviceman, had been “gettinga lot of interest, but mostly forhim,” said Twum, referring toHigbee. “He does all the coolstuff.” Students who stopped bythe table were sure to try on theheavy rubber gloves that line-men use when working on theelectric lines.

At a table for Mitre, a cybersecurity company with offices inMcLean, Brett Kreider hadposted a chart with entry levelsalaries, mid-range salaries andtop salaries, which exceed$100,000 per year. The numbersseemed to catch many students’eyes and groups of studentsstopped to talk with Kreider.

“Cyber security is a hot topic.I can tell them stories to getthem interested, not to mentionI posted potential salaries. Ifyou work hard, you get re-warded for it in this field,” saidKreider.

Logan Nasr summed up hisclassmates situation. “Mostpeople don’t really know whatis out there. This shows themwhat is out there. They can seewhat skills are needed to getbetter jobs. Something interest-ing that I learned today is that65 percent of jobs that we willbe doing in the future don’t ex-ist today.” Nasr suggested thatthe career fair was helpful, butis just the beginning of a poten-tially long and continuallychanging career search.


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HolocaustRemembranceProgram to beHeld

The United Christian Parish ofReston will hold an evening of re-membrance and witness for thevictims of Nazi Germany on Thurs-day, April 19, which is 69 years tothe day after the start of the War-saw Ghetto Uprising. The pro-gram, open to all, will take placeat 7 p.m. at the church, 11508North Shore Drive, in Reston. KayRodgers, a parish member and aseminarian at Wesley TheologicalSeminary, visited Poland, includ-ing the camps of Auschwitz,Birkenau and Treblinka, with agroup from Wesley Seminary. Shewill narrate a slide show describ-ing ghetto life, instances of resis-tance, and seeds of hope. Childcare will be available.

The United Christian Parish isan ecumenical church uniting fourdenominations: United Method-ist, Presbyterian Church (USA),United Church of Christ, andChristian Church (Disciples ofChrist).

For more information, call thechurch office at 703-620-3065.

Skate Park onWheels

Skateboarding will be the themeat the free Skate Park on Wheelsevent for all ages on Saturday,April 7, 1 to 4 p.m. Sponsored byHunter Mill Supervisor CathyHudgins, the Town of Vienna De-partment of Parks and Recreation,and American Inline Skating, aportable skateboard park completewith ramps, jumps and rails, willbe open for novice through expe-rienced skateboarders aged 6 andolder. The course will be set up inthe parking lot of the Vienna Vol-unteer Fire Department at 700Center Street in Vienna.

All skaters are required to weara helmet. Additionally, wristguards, elbow and knee pads arerecommended for inexperiencedskaters and those under 16 yearsof age. For information, contactthe Hunter Mill District office at703-478-0283, or the Departmentof Parks and Recreation at 703-255-5721.

12th AnnualHopecam 5KRun/Walk

Come and join the Reston com-munity on Sunday, May 6 for the12th Annual Hopecam 5K Run/

Week in Reston

See Week, Page 7


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To Highlight your Faith Community,Call Karen at 703-917-6468

COMMUNITIES OF WORSHIPCOMMUNITIES OF WORSHIP

Sundays8:30 AM Sanctuary, Traditional Worship Service10:00 AM Garden, Traditional Worship Service11:00 AM Connection, Contemporary Worship Service

other weekly services 5:30 PM Saturdays: Relax & Renew, Casual Worship Service

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www.HerndonUMC.org

701 Bennett St., Herndon, VA703-707-6271

7:45 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite I9:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite II

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The Rev. James Papile, RectorThe Rev. Jacqueline Thomson

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www.stannes-reston.org1700 Wainwright Dr., Reston

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Faith Notes are for announcements andevents in the faith community, includingspecial holiday services. Send [email protected] is Thursday.

United Christian Parish, 11508North Shore Drive in Reston, has an-nounced their holy week events. TheUnited Christian Parish is an ecumeni-cal church uniting Christian Church(Disciples of Christ), PresbyterianChurch (USA), United Church of Christand the United Methodist Church. 703-620-3065 or www.ucpreston.org.

❖Soup-and-salad Supper andMaundy Thursday Worship Ser-vice. Thursday, April 5, 6 p.m. HolyCommunion and optional foot-washing.

❖Good Friday Vigil. Friday, April6, 1-7 p.m. The church sanctuary will beopen, all are invited to spend time inindividual prayer and reflection. Sacredmusic will be played at intervals andparish members will be present to assist.

❖Easter Sunrise Service. Sunday,April 8, 6:30 a.m. Planned and conductedby the United Christian Parish youth.

❖Easter Services. Sunday, April 8,8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. With vocal andbell choirs and Holy Communion.Childcare available.

Floris United Methodist Church,13600 Frying Pan Road in Herndon, willshare the last week of Christ through thecantata, “The Lenten Sketches,” on Fri-day, April 6 at 7:30 p.m. It consists of six

Heroes of Mount St. HelensReston residentwrites about roleof gophers.

Terry Jennings, of Reston, with her recently releasedbook, “Gopher to the Rescue,” about the role of thenorthern pocket gophers in eco-system recovery follow-ing a volcanic eruption. Jennings will be at the RestonBarnes and Noble on April 14 to discuss her book.

News

By Amiee Freeman

The Connection

Among the smallest ofthe animals that live onMount St. Helens, thenorthern pocket go-

pher has been credited with aid-ing in the restoration of Mount St.Helens. “Gopher to the Rescue,” anewly released book written byReston resident Terry Jennings, ex-amines the role of gophers in eco-system recovery following a vol-canic eruption.

“Gophers are not a very goodsubject to hook a story to, but themore I looked into their role atMount St. Helens, the more I real-ized that gophers could be a hero,”said Jennings.

Mount St. Helens, located in theCascade Mountain range in Wash-ington State and 50 miles northeastof Portland, is famous for its cata-strophic eruption on May 18, 1980.

FOLLOWING THE ERUPTION,thousands of feet of ash, pumiceand stone rained down on all thesides of the volcano, dramaticallyaltering the landscape surround-ing the mountain. Nearly 150square miles of forest was blownover or left dead. A vast, gray land-scape replaced the once-forested

tunnel, which had loose, more fertile soil, the seedsprouted and grew. Life began to spread.

“I don’t want to leave the impression that the go-pher saved Mount St. Helens. It is just a small ani-mal doing its part. But it makes such a cool story,”said Jennings.

THIS IS THE FIRST BOOK Jennings has had pub-lished that bears her name. She has written many edu-cational texts for children for a Smithsonian series. Priorto that, she wrote a column for The Connection.

“I started writing because I like to write. TheSmithsonian position was a great gig and I got to doresearch about interesting topics. I also was able totalk to some really passionate scientists. To me, itwas very interesting that these scientists were sopassionate about their work. I wanted to share thatpassion, that engagement.”

In addition to writing books, Jennings is assistingKC (short for Kool Cat), the first feline blogger, writea blog of interesting science facts. The blog has onlybeen up for one month. The goal of the blog is toencourage children to do research and to be inquisi-tive.

“I hope the website will be of help. I didn’t want todo a website with just my books listed. I hope thewebsite can be of value to kids,” said Jennings.

Jenning’s blog – rather, KC’s blog can be found atwww.kcswildfacts.com.

Jennings will be at the Reston Barnes and Nobleon April 14 to discuss “Gopher to the Rescue.”

slopes of Mount St. Helens. Fifty-seven people diedin the eruption and its aftermath, an estimated 7,000big game animals (deer, bears and elk) perished,and 250 homes and miles of roads, bridges, andrailways were destroyed.

Jennings had visited Mount St. Helens in 1981,just months after the eruption.

“The devastation was very difficult to understand,”said Jennings.

When she was asked by her publisher, Sylvan DellPublishing, to write a book about how animals re-act to a volcanic eruption, Mount St. Helens cameto mind due to the immense amount of informationthat has been produced following the eruption.

“Mount St. Helens was easy to personalize becausethere is so much data about it. After the eruption,the mountain was largely closed off and became likea laboratory,” said Jennings.

As Jennings began to do research about Mount StHelens, the scientists studying the recovery of MountSt. Helens asked if she had heard about the gophers.

The northern pocket gophers of Mount St. Helensare small creatures, eight to nine inches long, ex-plained Jennings. Unlike the large animals on MountSt. Helens, the gophers, buried down in their bur-rows, survived the eruption. Following the eruption,the gophers tunneled out of their burrows and con-tinued to dig. Their digging brought the fertile soilthat had been buried underneath the ash back tothe surface and broke up the hardened crust. If aseed, carried along by the wind, fell on a gopher’s

Faith Notes

movements that follow Christ’s ministryand life during Holy Week. A free-willoffering will be taken to benefit FlorisUMC’s local outreach programs. FlorisUMC worship services are at 8 a.m., 9:15a.m., 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Sundays witha Latino service on Saturdays at 7 p.m.703-793-0026 or www.florisumc.org.

Vale United Methodist Church,11528 Vale Road in Oakton, invites ev-eryone to their Holy week activities.703-620-2594 or www.valechurch.org.

❖Maundy Thursday Servicewith Communion. Thursday, April 5.7:30 p.m., April 5, Church Sanctuary.

❖Good Friday Service. Friday, April6. 7:30 p.m., April 6, Church Sanctuary.

❖Children’s Easter Egg Hunt.April 7, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Vale FellowshipHall. Easter story, games, refreshments,and egg hunt. Bring a basket.

❖Easter Sunrise Service. Sunday,April 8. 6:45 a.m. Outdoor service led byVale Youth.

❖Easter Worship Services. Sun-day, April 8. 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m.Church Sanctuary.

Trinity Presbyterian Church,651 Dranesville Road in Herndon, hasSunday Worship Service at 8:30 a.m.and 11 a.m. Nursery and childcare areavailable during worship services. Youthand Adult Sunday School is held Sun-days from 9:40-10:45 a.m.703-437-5500 orwww.trinityherndon.org.


Opinion

Please Share Call for Mother’s DayPhotos, and Father’s Day.

Share Your Poetry:April Is Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month. We invite localpoets of all ages to send in submissions for in-clusion in our papers and/or online. Are you a

poet? The Connection will print poetry submitted by read-ers this spring, and occasionally throughout the year.Email your poem to [email protected]

Be sure to include the poet’s name and address (we’llprint your town name, not your full address). Photos ofthe poet are also welcomed.

Every year at this time, the Con-nection puts out the call forphotographs of moms and theirchildren, grandmothers and

their children and grandchildren. Mostyears, we’re lucky enough to receive somephotos include four generations — great-grandma and all the rest.

Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 13, andonce again the Connection will publish aselection of Mother’s Day photos, cel-ebrating the mothers who make so manythings possible in families, businesses,communities, schools and other institu-tions in local neighborhoods.

Email photos, including the fullnames of the people in the picture, theapproximate date and location the pic-ture was taken, the ages of the chil-dren and sentence or two about thepeople and/or event.

Father’s Day is June 17; soon it willbe time to send photos of Dads andchildren, grandfathers and childrenand grandchildren.

You can upload your photos on ourwebsite atwww.connectionnewspapers.com/mothersday or email them [email protected]

Letters to the Editor

County AttractsNew ResidentsTo the Editor:

When the Census Bureau re-leased their American CommunitySurvey of County-to-County Mi-gration last week, I was happy tohear that Fairfax County was thenumber one destination for peoplemoving to the Washington Metro-politan region. The migration sta-tistics help demonstrate whatmany Fairfax residents alreadyknow: Fairfax County is a greatplace to live, work, play, and growolder comfortably.

Fairfax County is home to oneof the best K-12 school systems inthe country. We are also one of thesafest jurisdictions of our size inthe United States. Many top com-panies that have relocated herecite our top-flight education sys-tem as the number one reason forchoosing Fairfax County as theirnew home. We are also a uniquelygreat place to start a business, aplace where we can insure a stablebusiness-friendly climate and ac-cess to a highly educatedworkforce.

Fairfax County offers an impres-sive menu of recreational oppor-tunities, with attractive parks, golfcourses, and bike trails to choosefrom. We also can claim a well-es-tablished arts community, worldclass shopping and dining, andnumerous historical and culturalattractions.

It’s important to recognize thatFairfax County is attractive to newresidents because of our diversity.We are home to people of manydifferent backgrounds and cul-tures and consider our diversityone of our greatest assets.

Apart from all of the statistics,facts, and figures, I believe thereis another more intangible reasonthat Fairfax County tops the region

in new residents. Everywhere I goacross the County, I continue tohear that people enjoy the “mood”here in Fairfax County. We are acommunity that is innovative, cu-rious, resilient, and caring. Evenduring tough economic times wehave worked together in a positiveway to maintain the quality of lifethat our community values.

Sharon BulovaChairman, Fairfax County

Board of Supervisors

It TakesCommunity ToPrevent BullyingTo the Editor:

As a private, not-for-profitagency focusing on bullying pre-vention and intervention in north-ern Virginia since 2009, we atFairfax Partnership for Youth, Inc.are pleased to see your recentpieces focusing on this critical is-sue for youth [“Interrupting Ha-rassment and Bullying: Empower-ing Bystanders to Intervene, Stu-dents to Set Boundaries,” Connec-tion, March 28-April 3, 2012]. Wehave been encouraged by theFairfax County Public SchoolSystem’s efforts to provide a struc-ture within which each individualschool can improve its bullyingprevention and intervention re-sponse, and have been pleased tooffer feedback as they have devel-oped it. However, this issue is notthe concern of the schools alone;youth can be bullied anywherethey interact. And providing safeenvironments for them to interactis a tremendously complex job thatrequires the cooperation and lead-ership of all of the adults in thecommunity, especially parents. Weare hosting our third Bullying Pre

See Letter, Page 8

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Reston

Commentary

Are We Still Slaves?By Rabbi Leibel Fajnland

Director of Chabad of

Reston-Herndon

This Friday evening, April6, Jews the world overwill be celebrating the

first night of Passover with a tra-ditional meal called the “Seder.”A ritual cel-ebrated everyyear commemo-rating the Jewishpeople’s exodusfrom Egypt 3,323years ago.

Our ancestor’smiraculous jour-ney from oppres-sion to freedomhas served as asource of inspira-tion for many, in-cluding our ownfounding fathers.In fact, the firstdesign for the of-ficial seal of theUnited States -suggested by Benjamin Franklin,depicted the Jews crossing the RedSea. The motto around the sealread: “Resistance to Tyrants isObedience to God.”

A highlight of the Seder is theasking of the Four Questions. I,however, find myself year-after-year asking this question: whatmeaning does this ancient storyand its associated ceremonyhold for the average Americanin 2012? How can we look atevents which transpired so longago and still be spiritually in-spired by them?

The answer lies in the Talmudicdictum: “In every generation aperson must feel as if they wereliberated from Egypt.” In otherwords, we have a responsibility to

make this ancient tale regardingthe escape from Pharaohs bond-age important to us living todayin modernity. We achieve this byrecognizing, that the imprison-ment from which the ancient He-brews sought emancipation is,conceptually, still present.

Slavery finds many forms andtakes on variousguises. In days ofold, it was de-picted by a whiptoting task-masterhovering over aslave with a chainwrapped aroundhis ankle. Today, itcan be found, forexample, in ouraddiction to a cer-tain negative traitor tendency, andour excruciatinglydifficult experi-ence in trying to“break free.”

Perhaps it is be-ing enslaved to

things material, not being able topossibly fathom life without them.Are these not the modern-dayequivalent of slavery?

Therefore, every year as we be-gin the holiday of Passover and thecelebration of freedom, we are re-minded that the stories we recountand the rituals we observe are asmuch about a commitment to thepresent as it is reminiscing aboutthe past.

During this time of year we onceagain reaffirm our vow to fight allforms of bigotry and slavery, bethey within or without. And, im-portantly, we pledge to devoteourselves to being positive mem-bers of society at a time when weall crave the most priceless bless-ing of all: peace on earth.

Rabbi Leibel Fajnland


Walk. This year’s race will honorStefano Rocca, a student atWestbriar Elementary School inVienna. Hopecam keeps childrenconnected to their classrooms viawebcam and laptop while they arehomebound, receiving treatment.Hopecam has been able to keepover 200 children connected so-cially to their friends and class-mates, since its inception in 2003.

Online registration is open. Therace begins at 8 a.m. on Sunday,May 6.

Race Info: Start and finish –1890 Preston White Dr., Reston(corner of Sunrise Valley Drive andSouth Lakes Drive). Go towww.hopecam.org to register. Formore information, please contactJen Bond at Hopecam, Inc. at 703-620-2555.

From Page 4

Week in Reston

Bulletin Board

To have community events listed in theConnection, send to [email protected]. Deadline is Friday.

TUESDAY/APRIL 10Oakton HIgh School Dance Team

Pre-tryout Clinic. 4 p.m. OaktonHigh School, 2900 Sutton Road,Vienna. [email protected].

Fairfax County presentsCaregiving 101. 8:30 a.m.Unitarian Universalist Congregationof Fairfax, 2709 Hunter Mill Road,Oakton. Free. Register at 703-324-5205, TTY 711,www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs/olderadultservices [email protected].

WEDNESDAY/APRIL 11Aldrin PTA Dining for Dollars. 4-8

p.m. Pollo Peru, 1675 D RestonParkway, Reston. A portion of eachsale benefits the [email protected].

FRIDAY/APRIL 13Friday Forum Business

Networking. 7:30 a.m. SheratonReston Hotel Syrah Restaurant,11810 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston.Business professionals focused ongenerating business for membersthrough qualified referrals. Newgroup being formed. Meeting freeand open to all, breakfast availablefor purchase. Meetings every Friday.703-802-0334.

SUNDAY/APRIL 15UUCF: A Sociological Perspective.

12:45 p.m. Fairfax Unitarian Church,2709 Hunter Mill Road, Oakton. Thetheological diversity of UUcongregations sets us apart fromother mainline denominations.Sociologists have developedtypologies and theories that providesome useful insight into UnitarianUniversalism.

MONDAY/APRIL 16NARFE Dulles Chapter 1241

Luncheon Meeting. 11:30 a.m.Amphora Diner, 1151 Elden St.,Herndon. With State Senator MarkHerring (D) District 33. $17. 703-435-3523

WEDNESDAY/APRIL 18Oakton HIgh School Dance Team

Pre-tryout Clinic. 4 p.m. OaktonHigh School, 2900 Sutton Road,Vienna. [email protected].


vention Symposium to pro-mote this kind of community-wide cooperation on April 25,and all 224 seats were reservedwithin 1 week of the day weopened registration. It’s clear

our community is dedicated toeliminating bullying, but we mustall contribute to the effort, bylearning, sharing what works, andsupporting the local schools andprivate organizations that areworking hard to provide clear so-

lutions that promote respectand understanding amongyouth.

Kristen BrennanExecutive Director, FairfaxPartnership for Youth, Inc.

www.fairfaxyouth.org

By John Lovaas

Reston Impact Producer/Host

Don’t know about you, but I am gettingfed up picking up the paper nearly ev-ery day and reading of the latest effortsto weaken worker organizations, freeze

pay, cut benefits, and downsize jobs across theeconomy. Corporate CEOs and Boards of Directorshave been terrorizing workers for years. Now, politi-cians have their sights set on civil servants, espe-cially down the road in Washington.

Federal government employees, quite a few ofwhom are our friends and neighbors here in Reston,

have had their pay frozen the lasttwo years, thanks to PresidentObama. Now, Republicans proposeextending that freeze for threemore years as part of a deficit re-

duction package—the goal of which seems to bekeeping taxes low for the wealthy. They also pro-pose to slash civil service jobs, 200,000 or so overthe next few years. Neither of these actions wouldaffect private contractor employees hired by the gov-ernment to replace civil servants under the guise ofcutting costs. Contractors and contractor employeessoared during the Bush years while the number ofmerit-based civil servants declined.

This is another great fraud perpetrated by the Re-publicans and complicit Democrats, like our two U.S.Senators, who stand by and applaud greater use of

Opinion

Class Warfare From the Top Downthe private sector. In fact, re-cent studies show that whenthe feds contract with privatefirms loaded with overheadand profit, both loyal, hard-working civil servants andthe taxpayers lose—big time.Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), citing one recent study,says, “…contractors may bepaid, on average, more than

1.83 times what federal employees are paid to per-form the same work.” Furthermore, federal employ-ees were less expensive than contractors in 33 of the35 occupational categories reviewed. But, why gothrough the hassle necessary to competitively hirecivil servants based on merit when you can hire aslew of folks at once and give a friendly contractorgreat overhead and fat profit at the same time?

Don’t even get me started on worker retirementpackages! Corporations have vaporized retirementplans while a complicit Congress has stood qui-etly by, refusing to speak up for the 99 percent.Now, the attacks are occurring in government atall levels, with Republicans and DINOs proposingto “reform” government pensions to bring them intoline with the pathetic remnants of private sectorplans. Meanwhile, guys on the corporate boards, likean aircraft corporation I invest in, vote themselveseach 140,000 stock shares for attending 12 meet-ings this year.

Independent

Progressive

Back to the ClassroomBy Kenneth R. “Ken” Plum

State Delegate (D-36)

I am spending some more timeback in the classroom recently.Last week I taught social stud-

ies to fourth graders at Lake AnneElementary School. The studentswere courteous and well behaved,clearly eager to learn, and as di-verse as the world around them.Separation of powers in state gov-ernment is not the hottest topic forfourth graders, but they were re-sponsive to the conversation we

had and thequestions Iposed. Afterall, you need to

know this stuff; it is on the infa-mous SOL tests required by thelegislature.

My experience renews the admi-ration I have for the men andwomen who teach in our class-rooms every day. It is hard work.A recent study indicates thatteachers work more than 50 hoursper week. Back in the 1970s Itaught history and government inthe high schools for nearly threeyears. I remember well the weeklypreparation that started on Sun-day afternoons and continuedeach evening with papers to gradeand lesson plans to prepare. Thereare no slow days in the classroom;you always need to be prepared.

Being back in a fourth gradeclassroom talking about Virginia isespecially meaningful to me, forthat was the grade level at whichI discovered how interesting his-tory and government could be.Our class field trip to JamestownIsland had a great impact on meto come to realize that you could

get to know thepeople of thepast and tostand on the soilon which theystood. That ex-citement hasnever left me.

This week Istart teaching a

once-weekly class for the OsherLifelong Learning Institute (OLLI)at the Jo Ann Rose Gallery at LakeAnne in Reston. I will be explor-ing some of the highlights ofVirginia’s history with the 78 ea-ger-to-learn retirees who havesigned up for the course. While Iappreciate the origins of Virginia’sinstitutions, I am also one of hersharpest critics. While I am caughtup in some of the pride felt by na-tive Virginians, I also teach aboutour low points, for they sometimesrepresent the best ways we canlearn from the past. I am not anapologist. I tell the story the best Ican as to how events happened.And I try to clear up some mis-taken notions held by some whohave migrated here from otherstates.

Unfortunately, there are toomany examples of the repeat ofpast mistakes and shortcomings:discrimination, voter suppression,timidity, lack of vision, not learn-ing from the past. Maybe that’s thereason I return to the classroomperiodically with young people aswell as adults. For as I prepare toteach, I learn. As I and otherspresent our interpretation of thepast, the way of the future mightbe clearer. Those who do not learnfrom the mistakes of the past areapt to repeat them.

Commentary

Strengthening, Not Blocking, Health Care LawBy Karen Christenson

I am one of millions of Americans wait-ing for the Affordable Care Act to beput into law so that I can have some

relief from my troubles with our brokenhealth care system. March 23 marked thetwo-year anniversary of the passage of theAffordable Care Act. The health care lawhas accomplished a lot in the last two yearsand is already helping millions of Virginia’sseniors, adults with pre-existing condition,young adults, children and women.

But every time I turn on the television Isee another politician trying to block thehealth care law. As I wait for my relief I amdisheartened to see politicians who wantto block the law before I have a chance tobenefit.

I am a self-employed piano teacher andpianist. I have supported myself for 25 yearsin this manner, and have managed to buy atownhouse and accumulate a small retire-ment account.

But in 2004, my life changed forever. Iwas diagnosed with breast cancer, and un-

derwent surgeries, chemotherapy, radiationand ongoing hormonal therapy. I was for-tunate to be able to continue to work fulltime through all that, missing a total ofabout five days of teaching. I am thrilled toreport that I am winning my battle againstbreast cancer, but am now basically an in-dentured servant to my insurance companyand health care providers.

In 2000 before I was diagnosed, mymonthly insurance premium was under$300. In 2011, about 45 percent of my gross(not net—gross) income went directly tohealth care costs. My insurance premiumshave skyrocketed and the deductible hasincreased. I just received my renewal no-tice, and once again I’m facing a double-digit percentage increase in costs. I ambarely keeping my head above water. I havecancelled my daily newspaper, my cable TV,and anything else that is not essential tomy business. I have taken renters into mytownhouse. Obviously I cannot shop aroundfor a lower premium—no one else will sellme insurance at this point due to pre-exist-ing conditions. Once the health care law is

fully implemented in 2014, pre-existingconditions will be a thing of the past. Butuntil then, I will struggle.

In the midst of my struggle to stay afloat,I cannot help but look longingly at my taxdollars as they go to failed investment bank-ers. I have a great product, conducted mybusiness ethically and honestly, and believeI deserve to stay in business just as much asthey do, but health care costs are makingthat difficult. I don’t deserve to end up onpublic assistance, and I know that wouldn’tbe good for me, the economy, or the musi-cal education of my students. I have stacksof letters from parents who say I changedtheir lives and those of their children, forthe better.

My experience with the health care in-dustry leaves me no doubt that we needreform. We need to strengthen, not block,the health care law.

For me, health reform cannot come soonenough. There are many ways the Afford-able Care Act attempts to bridge the gapbetween now and when the law is fullyimplemented in 2012. The Pre-Existing

Conditions Insurance Plan (PCIP) was cre-ated under the Affordable Care Act andhelps many people who have an illness butare struggling to afford care. PCIP was de-signed to bridge the gap between now and2014 when the Exchanges are set up andpre-existing condition discrimination isended for good. Unfortunately, I cannot jointhe Virginia Pre-Existing Conditions Planbecause I am unwilling to risk being unin-sured for six months, as is required. But formany, PCIP has been the difference betweenlife and death.

While I wait for full-implementation Icontinue to pay an outrageous percentageof my income towards health care. I feelthat the amount one pays for health carebe limited to a certain percentage of one’sincome. No one should work simply to af-ford health care. The Affordable Care Actwill address this issue. Many provisions ofthe Affordable Care Act, like the HealthBenefits Exchange, will peg your health in-surance costs to your income so that peoplelike me will not have to pay HALF their in-come in premiums.

From Page 6

Letter to the Editor


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News

By Alex McVeigh

The Connection

Reston Interfaith and theYMCA Fairfax CountyReston have teamed up in

an effort to assist thosetransitioning out of homelessness.The YMCA donated 35 member-ships to Reston Interfaith clientswho are in the transitional hous-ing program.

Reston YMCA Board ChairBoofie O’Gorman said this partner-ship was a result of the YMCAbranching out in the community.

“This came as a result of a boardmember’s idea that we really needto think of ways to work with themany organizations that serve thiscommunity,” she said.

Scott Shannon, board memberat the Reston YMCA, said that inhis previous experiences withReston Interfaith, “it’s clear thatwe have many goals in common.”

The donated memberships willallow families to access thefacility’s fitness and aquatic cen-ter, as well as have access tochildcare services.

Gene Jones, vice president ofoperations for YMCA of Metropoli-tan Washington, said he andReston Interfaith CEO Kerrie Wil-son spent a lot of time figuring outhow their two organizations couldwork together.

Several families who will receivememberships came to the YMCASaturday, March 10 for an intro-duction and tour of what the fa-cility can offer. Davenia Boyer, whoalong with her daughter Adrianna,16 and son Jamil, 2 were amongthe recipients.

“It’s a beautiful facility, and Ithink the kids are especially ex-cited to learn how to swim here,”she said. “They’ve never had thatopportunity before.” Reston Inter-

faith currently provides transi-tional housing assistance to 22families. Their Embry RuckerCommunity Shelter is one of sixshelters in Fairfax County designedto provide emergency housing formen, women and families. GregWhite, CEO of Reston Interfaithsaid he appreciated the YMCA’s“very generous gesture.”

From left, Tiffany Ngoc Thuan Thai, 11, Trung Anh VanThai, Phoung Nga Thi Tran, Stewart Trung Thang Thai, 9and David Trung Tien Thai at the Reston YMCA Satur-day, March 10.

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Reston Interfaith,YMCA Team Up

10 ❖ Reston Connection ❖ April 4-10, 2012 Reston Connection ❖ April 4-10, 2012 ❖ 11www.ConnectionNewspapers.com www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

County Aims to Prevent Substance Use and AbuseAlcohol use down,painkiller and inhalantuse on the rise.

Percentage of students reporting use of selected substances in the pastmonth, according to the 2010 Fairfax County Youth Survey.

Past month prevalence of alcohol use, by selected demographic character-istics, according to the 2010 Fairfax County Youth Survey.

By Alex McVeigh

The Connection

Third in a three part series.

Twenty-one questions in the 2010Fairfax County Youth Surveydealt with substance abuse. Thesurvey asked about lifetime use

of alcohol, marijuana and cigarettes, as wellas use in the past month of 13 different sub-stances.

According to the survey, the most fre-quently used substance by Fairfax Countystudents is alcohol, with 45.5 percent say-ing they had consumed it in their life, 21.1percent reporting use in the past 30 daysand 10.5 reported drinking five or moredrinks in one sitting. While all those num-bers are below the national averages, sev-eral community groups are at work tryingto get them even lower.

“Quite simply, alcohol is a danger to theirfuture,” said Diane Eckert, executive direc-tor of the Unified Prevention Coalition ofFairfax County, which recently received a$200,00 state grant to reduce underagedrinking. “Once you start drinking at ayoung age, you’re priming yourself to be-come dependant as you grow older, whichof course we don’t want.”

Lifetime alcohol use in the county hasdecreased since the 2001 Fairfax CountyYouth Survey by 13.8 percent across allgrades.

Access is a key part of the prevention mecha-nism, since students are under the age of 21and cannot purchase it themselves. Many com-munity groups reach out to places where al-cohol is sold to increase awareness of the con-sequences of providing alcohol to minors.

“We participated in Operation StickerShock, which marks beer and wine at gro-cery stores with “Stop” signs to discourageshoppers from purchasing them for under-age children,” said Debbie Witchey, presi-

dent of the Safe Community Coalition, whichserved the Langley and McLean High Schoolpyramids. “We also held a program wherefifth and sixth graders wrote notes to jun-iors and seniors attending prom, remindingthem that they are role models and askingthem to make responsible decisions, espe-cially when it comes to drugs and alcohol.”

Prescription drugs, particularly opioidpainkillers, are a concern for the commu-nity since they canbe readily availablein students’ homes.Painkiller use hasrisen from 4.9 per-cent reporting usewithin 30 days inthe 2009 survey to5.7 percent in2010. Non-pain-killer prescriptiondrug use has alsorisen from 3.9 percent within the last 30 daysin 2009 to 4.1 percent in 2010.

“Prescription drugs abuse wasn’t even onour radar a few years ago, now it is becauseof the youth survey,” Eckert said. “We knowwe have to develop more awareness, be-cause a lot of parents aren’t aware of theeffect an unlocked medicine cabinet canhave on teenagers.”

The rise has led to county-sponsored pre-scriptions drug drop-off events several timesa year, where residents can bring medicinethat is no longer needed to county facilitiesfor proper disposal.

According to the survey, prescription drugs

were the only non-alcohol, tobacco, inhal-ant or marijuana substances used by morethan 1.7 of the students. Other drugs sur-veyed include LSD, ecstasy, cocaine/crack,methamphetamine, heroin and steroids.

Inhalants are another area of concern, par-ticularly because Fairfax County’s usage sta-tistics are higher than the national averagein all grades. Any fumes or gas that is in-haled to get high falls under this category,

which can in-clude householditems such asglues, aerosols,butane and sol-vents.

Inhalants werethe second mostabused substancebehind alcohol ineighth-graders,above marijuana

(which was the second most abused sub-stance in 10th and 12th grades).

According to the survey 6.9 percent ofeighth graders reported using inhalants inthe past 30 days, while the number droppedto three percent in 10th graders and 1.8percent in 12th graders.

“The survey has shown inhalant use start-ing at a younger age, which means we haveto make sure to check for it at a youngerage,” said Capt. Bruce Ferguson, commanderof the Fairfax County Police Department’sYouth Services Division. “They’re anotherone of those substances that can be foundat home, so it’s more difficult to control ac-

cess, and can be something younger studentstry and experiment with.”

Inhalant use in the past 30 days has goneup and down since 2001, falling as low as2.6 percent in 2008, but is currently at itshighest measured rate. In eighth-graders, ithas gone up by 1.5 percent since 2009.

Marijuana was the second-most used drugby 10th and 12th graders. While 5.3 per-cent of eighth graders reported using it, 19.3percent of 10th graders and 36.7 percent of12th graders reported the affirmative.

Eckert also said the UPC focuses on mari-juana use because “the perception of harmand parental disapproval seems to be goingdown, and that usually leads to usage num-bers going up.”

Coalitions like the Unified Prevention Coa-lition and the Safe Community Coalition areworking on new ways to spread awarenessof the dangers of substance abuse. Dr. BillGeary of the Community Anti-Drug Coali-tions of America recently spoke to schoolofficials, police, parent organization leadersand coalition members about how to ap-proach the problem.

“We use a Strategic Precognition Frame-work that’s based on the Public HealthModel, where we look at the agent as thesubstance that causes the change and the hostas the people who use it,” he said. “The pointat which the host interacts with the agent isa problem, but if that was the only one, we’donly need prevention programs. But we alsohave to look at the environment, and someare easier than others when it comes to al-lowing the host to interact with the agent.”

Geary said that programs, while often apart of a comprehensive prevention strat-egy, coalitions play a more central role inwhat he called “community level change,”which requires looking at the whole picture,the host, agent and environment.

“If the goal is to spread change to impactthe maximum amount of people, then a com-munity level change is most likely with acomprehensive community coalition,” hesaid. “A coalition does not just run programs,but they oversee and implement what roleprograms might have in that strategy. Coa-litions are in a unique position because itmeans no one single agency is in charge ofeverything.”

The County Line

Presenting Realities of Alcohol AbuseThe Unified Prevention Coalition will present “The Perils of College Drinking Culture,” a pro-

gram designed to educate students and parents about the realities of binge drinking on collegecampuses. The presentations will include a screening of the award winning documentary “Haze,”as well as a question and answer session with a panel of law enforcement, medical and legislativepersonnel.

The programs will take place:❖ Tuesday, April 17, Fairfax High School❖ Tuesday, April 24, Herndon High School❖ Wednesday, May 16, Mount Vernon High School❖ Wednesday, May 23 at Northern Virginia Community College Annandale Campus Ernst Com-

munity Cultural CenterAll programs will be from 7 to 9 p.m. More information can be found at

www.unifiedpreventioncoalition.org.

Area high schoolstudents reflect onalcohol, drugs intheir communities.

Viewpoints

The Connection high school interns – Nikki Cheshire (Langley High), Monika Bapna (MarshallHigh) and Mary Grace Oakes (Madeira) – asked area high school students:

❖ Do you feel that legal substances (alcohol, tobacco) are being abused more or less than illegalsubstances (marijuana, painkillers)? Why?

❖ Do you think regular drinking or irregular binge drinking is more prevalent in your community?

DiscussingSubstanceAbuse

Belle Therriault,Grade: 10, Marshall High

“I think legal substances are abused more. This ismostly because it is legal, and easier to get if peoplehave older friends that they can get it from.”

“Irregular binge drinking definitely happens morebecause teenagers don’t have a steady flow of it sowhen they do they tend to drink too much.”

Sophia Therriault,Grade: 12, Marshall High

“It really depends. Prescription drugs aresomething that kids abuse a lot. But it re-ally depends on the age group.”

“Binge drinking, hands down. Teenag-ers usually don’t get a chance to drink veryoften, and when they do they often gooverboard.”

—Monika Bapna

Tracy Soon,Grade: 11, Marshall High

“Legal substances for sure are moreabused. I mean, they are easier to get toand the illegal things probably cost more.”

“I think teens do regular drinking more.As they get older they want more free-dom, so they go to more parties wherealcohol is often free flowing.”

“Prescription drugs abusewasn’t even on our radar afew years ago, now it isbecause of the youth survey”

—Diane Eckert

Makenzie Parent,Grade: 12, The Madeira School

“Alcohol is probably the substance that is most abused be-cause it’s easiest to obtain.”

“I think many kids binge drink. Since parties are really theonly place for kids to drink, they tend to go all-out becausethey feel like they need to cram everything into one night,which is inevitably more dangerous.”

Annie Wattenmaker,Grade: 12, The Madeira School

“I think legal substances are abused more often since they’reeasier to get and aren’t as risky. Although alcohol is illegal toteenagers, it isn’t as big a risk as weed or other illegal drugs.But, because alcohol is so easy to get, kids abuse it and don’trealize how dangerous it can be.”

“I’d say binge drinking is definitely more prevalent. Onweekends, kids get so excited over the opportunity to drinkand don’t know when to stop. It’s a problem when parentsand the law absolutely forbid kids to drink wine at dinner,where the environment is safe. It causes them to feel a sense

of freedom when they’re at a party over the weekend andthey completely abuse the opportunity.”

Kristen Bilowus,Grade: 12, The Madeira School

“I think legal substances are more commonly abused mainlybecause of their accessibility. Cigarettes are easiest to come by,and many kids either have or know someone who has a fake IDto buy alcohol. This leads to a very widespread abuse of alcoholby kids in our area. Illegal drugs are less common, but are entic-ing to kids because of the danger surrounding them. Often, drink-ing and cigarettes lead to abuse of illegal substances. Peer pres-sure at parties combined with intoxication can lead to skewed

decision making and maybe illegal drug use.”“Irregular binge drinking is more prevalent. Kids drink at parties to be social, rather

than by necessity. I wouldn’t say I know anyone that drinks regularly by necessity.”

Miles Laubinger,Grade: 12, Langley High School

“Different things run in different crowds. Alcohol is moreprevalent, but the illegal drugs are more of a problem be-cause people that buy prescription drugs off the street runthe risk of encountering shady people instead of just storeclerks.”

“You run into both regular drinking and binge drinking,depending on the responsibility of the individual. Big team

parties have more binge drinking versus someone who does it responsibly.”

Gabrielle Zuccari,Grade: 11, Langley High School

“Alcohol is probably the most common, but it depends onwhat group you’re in more than anything. It definitely seemslike alcohol and cigarettes are easier to get than, say, mari-juana.”

“There’s a fine line for kids our age between regular andbinge drinking. I do think that casual drinking is more popu-lar, but it depends on the group and the environment.”

Norah Bazarov,Grade: 11, Langley High School

“Illegal drugs are probably used less, because you have toask around for it. Legal drugs are easy to get because they’resold by a lot of people. Also, a lot of families have alcoholaround the house, not marijuana.”

“Regular drinking happens more often, because you canjust sit down with a group of friends. It’s more casual.”

—Nikki Cheshire

Michaela Burton,Grade: 10, Langley High School

“I think it’s probably easier for people to get their handson legal substances, like from convenience stores or even athome. There certainly is a lot of usage of both, but I thinklegal drugs are abused more.”

“Binge drinking, since more people just drink and don’tthink about it. I don’t think teenagers have the self-controlto just have one drink for dinner.”

Jennifer Oler,Grade: 12, McLean High School

“I think that both illegal and legal substances are being usedthe same. Lots of kids at this age drink alcohol and smoke mari-juana.”

“I definitely think it is prevalent in my community.”

—Mary Grace Oakes


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• Thursday, 4/5/12: Matt Waller• Friday, 4/6/12: Willem Dicke• Saturday, 4/7/12: Pete Baker

LIVE Music!Every Weekend 9:30pm-1:30am

Join us forEaster Brunch!

Join us forEaster Brunch!

Catch all the gameshere at O’Sullivan’s!

SPORTSON 7 HDTV’s!

See Entertainment, Page 14

Send announcements to [email protected] is Thursday for the following week’s paper. Photos/artwork encouraged. For additional listings, visitwww.connectionnewspapers.com.

THURSDAY/APRIL 5“Glengarry Glen Ross” by David Mamet. 8 p.m.

Industrial Strength Theatre, 269 Sunset Park Drive,Herndon. Four small-time real estate agents makingquestionable business deals. $20.www.eldenstreetplayers.org.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. 7 p.m.George Mason University Patriot Center, 4500 Patriotcircle, Fairfax. “Fully Charged.” Pre-show Party one hourbefore show time, free to ticket holders. $14-$30. 800-551-SEAT or www.ticketmaster.com.

Comedy Night. 8:30 p.m. p.m. Sully’s, 14513 Lee JacksonHighway, Chantilly. Every Thursday. 703-818-9292 ormysullys.com.

George Winston. 8 p.m. The Barns at Wolf Trap, 1551 TrapRoad, Vienna. New Orleans R&B oriented, melodic folkpiano and stride piano. Includes canned food drive. $35.www.wolftrap.org.

Peter Fraize: Art of Improvisation. 2 p.m. RestonCommunity Center, Hunters Woods, Center Stage, 2310Colts Neck Road, Reston. Freestyle jazz by a saxophonistand director of jazz studies at George WashingtonUniversity. Free. 703-503-3384 or -476-4500.

Reptile Wonders. 1:30 p.m. Oakton Library, 10304Lynnhaven Place, Oakton. Meet and learn about theseanimals with Reptile Wonders’ Nature Center on the Go.Age 6-12. 703-242-4020.

One-on-One Computer Tutoring. 2 p.m. Oakton Library,10304 Lynnhaven Place, Oakton. Learn the basics of theInternet, Word and Excel. Call for appointment. Adults.703-242-4020.

One-on-One English Practice. 2 p.m. Oakton Library,10304 Lynnhaven Place, Oakton. Call for appointment withan ESL volunteer. Adults. 703-242-4020.

eBook/eReader Instruction. 7:30 p.m. Oakton Library,10304 Lynnhaven Place, Oakton. Learn about libraryebooks and how to access them with your compatibledevice. Call for appointment. Adults. 703-242-4020.

Entertainment

Mixed media abstract by H. JennaKlimchak of Oakton. The ValeArts SpringShow, “Full Spectrum,” will be at the ValeSchoolhouse, 3124 Fox Mill Road inOakton from May 4-6. There will be anartists’ reception on Friday, May 4 from 7-9 p.m. The exhibit features nine localartists working in a variety of media. Freeadmission. www.valearts.com.


Palm Sunday ServiceSunday, April 8th 10:00 am

Good Friday ServiceApril 13th 7:00 pm

Candlelight Easter Resurrection ServiceSaturday, April 14th 11:00 pm

For the complete list of Holy Week Services, go towww.greekorthodoxloudoun.org.

The Greek Orthodox Parish of Loudoun County welcomes all peoplesearching for a place to worship the Holy Trinity

according to the practice of the ancient Christian Church.

Day and Evening Servicesheld during Holy Week

Easter Agape ServiceSunday, April 15th 11:00 am

From

Entertainment

FRIDAY/APRIL 6“Glengarry Glen Ross” by David

Mamet. 8 p.m. Industrial StrengthTheatre, 269 Sunset Park Drive,Herndon. Four small-time real estateagents making questionable businessdeals. $20.www.eldenstreetplayers.org.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum &Bailey Circus. 1 p.m. and 7:30p.m. George Mason University PatriotCenter, 4500 Patriot circle, Fairfax.“Fully Charged.” Pre-show Party onehour before show time, free to ticketholders. $14-$30. 800-551-SEAT orwww.ticketmaster.com.

George Winston. 8 p.m. The Barns atWolf Trap, 1551 Trap Road, Vienna.New Orleans R&B oriented, melodicfolk piano and stride piano. Includescanned food drive. $35.www.wolftrap.org.

VIP Reston. 2 p.m. Reston RegionalLibrary, 11925 Bowman TowneDrive, Reston. Support group forvisually impaired persons. Adults.703-689-2700.

SATURDAY/APRIL 7Ringling Bros. and Barnum &

Bailey Circus. 11:30 a.m., 3:30p.m. and 7:30 p.m. George MasonUniversity Patriot Center, 4500Patriot circle, Fairfax. “FullyCharged.” Pre-show Party one hourbefore show time, free to ticketholders. $14-$30. 800-551-SEAT orwww.ticketmaster.com.

“Aladdin and the WonderfulLamp.” 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.Industrial Strength Theatre, 269Sunset Park Drive, Herndon. TheElden Street Players in a story aboutAladdin, a poor boy who gets trickedby an evil magician.www.eldenstreetplayers.org.

“Glengarry Glen Ross” by DavidMamet. 8 p.m. Industrial StrengthTheatre, 269 Sunset Park Drive,Herndon. Four small-time real estateagents making questionable businessdeals. $20.www.eldenstreetplayers.org.

SUNDAY/APRIL 8Ringling Bros. and Barnum &

Bailey Circus. 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.George Mason University PatriotCenter, 4500 Patriot circle, Fairfax.“Fully Charged.” Pre-show Party onehour before show time, free to ticketholders. $14-$30. 800-551-SEAT orwww.ticketmaster.com.

MONDAY/APRIL 9Frying Pan Farm at Reston

Regional Library. 3 p.m. RestonRegional Library, 11925 BowmanTowne Drive, Reston. Meet a springlamb, card home-grown wool and

create a wooly craft to take home.Age 6-11. 703-689-2700.

English Conversation. 10:30 a.m.Oakton Library, 10304 LynnhavenPlace, Oakton. English practice fornon-native speaking adults. 703-242-4020.

Brain Games. 3:30 p.m. OaktonLibrary, 10304 Lynnhaven Place,Oakton. After-school drop-inprogram. Play chess, Blokus,Battleship, Rush Hour and more. Age6 and up. 703-242-4020.

TUESDAY/APRIL 10Ballet Class. 10:30 a.m. Reston

Regional Library, 11925 BowmanTowne Drive, Reston. Beginningballet technique for strength as wellas balance and rhythm. No youngeror older siblings permitted. 4-5 . 703-689-2700.

Great Decisions RoundtableDiscussion. 2 p.m. Reston RegionalLibrary, 11925 Bowman TowneDrive, Reston. Discussion of U.S. andInternational issues.This month the topic is the exit fromIraq and Afghanistan. Adults. 703-689-2700.

Read to the Dog. 7 p.m. RestonRegional Library, 11925 BowmanTowne Drive, Reston. Read aloud toa trained therapy dog. Bring a bookor choose one from the library. Callor sign up online for a 15-minutesession. Age 6-12. 703-689-2700.

One-on-One Computer Tutoring. 3p.m. Oakton Library, 10304Lynnhaven Place, Oakton. Learn thebasics of the Internet, Word andExcel. Call for an appointment.Adults. 703-242-4020.

Money Matters. 7:15 p.m. OaktonLibrary, 10304 Lynnhaven Place,Oakton. The Little Book of SidewaysMarkets: how to make money inmarkets that go nowhere by VitaliyKatsenelson. Adults. 703-242-4020.

WEDNESDAY/APRIL 11Open Mic Night. 9:30 p.m-1:30 a.m.

Jimmy’s Old Town Tavern, 697Spring St., Herndon. EveryWednesday. Register your band [email protected] or 703-593-5206. www.jimmystavern.com.

Dan Navarro and Tracy Grammer.8 p.m. The Barns at Wolftrap, 1635Trap Road, Vienna. $20.www.wolftrap.org.

Reston Book Club. 1 p.m. RestonRegional Library, 11925 BowmanTowne Drive, Reston. The Eye of theNeedle by Ken Follett. Adults. 703-689-2700.

Finding Your Fit on the RollerCoaster of College Admissions.7 p.m. Reston Regional Library,11925 Bowman Towne Drive,Reston. Identify colleges that meetyour child’s needs. Age 13 and up.703-689-2700.

THURSDAY/APRIL 122012 Best of Reston. 6 p.m. Hyatt

Regency Reston, 1800 Presidents St.,Reston. The 21st Annual Best ofReston Awards honor businesses,organizations, and individuals whohave shown commitment tocommunity service and improving thelives of others. Proceeds support theprograms and services of RestonInterfaith. Reserve at 571-323-9572or [email protected].

Violinist Sonya Hayes with FrankConlon. 2 p.m. Reston CommunityCenter, Hunters Woods, CenterStage, 2310 Colts Neck Road, Reston.Free. 703-503-3384 or -476-4500.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum &Bailey Circus. 7 p.m. GeorgeMason University Patriot Center,4500 Patriot circle, Fairfax. “FullyCharged.” Pre-show Party one hourbefore show time, free to ticketholders. $14-$30. 800-551-SEAT orwww.ticketmaster.com.

Comedy Night. 8:30 p.m. p.m. Sully’s,14513 Lee Jackson Highway,Chantilly. Every Thursday. 703-818-9292 or mysullys.com.

Robbie Schaefer and Ellis Paul.The Barns at Wolftrap, 1635 TrapRoad, Vienna. $18.www.wolftrap.org.

Baby Steps Storytime. 10:30 a.m.Reston Regional Library, 11925Bowman Towne Drive, Reston.Interactive storytime. Age 12-23months with adult. 703-689-2700.

Book Discussion Group. 7:30 p.m.Reston Regional Library, 11925Bowman Towne Drive, Reston. Callfor title. Adults. 703-689-2700.

One-on-One Computer Tutoring. 2p.m. Oakton Library, 10304Lynnhaven Place, Oakton. Learn thebasics of the Internet, Word andExcel. Call for appointment. Adults.703-242-4020.

One-on-One English Practice. 2p.m. Oakton Library, 10304Lynnhaven Place, Oakton. Call forappointment with an ESL volunteer.Adults. 703-242-4020.

eBook/eReader Instruction. 7:30p.m. Oakton Library, 10304Lynnhaven Place, Oakton. Learnabout library ebooks and how toaccess them with your compatibledevice. Call for appointment. Adults.703-242-4020.

FRIDAY/APRIL 13Giving Circle of HOPE 5th Annual

Empty Bowls. 5:30-8:30 p.m. FlorisUnited Methodist Church, 13600Frying Pan Road, Herndon. Allproceeds will go directly to Food forOthers, the largest distributor of freefood to needy people in NorthernVirginia. For a minimum donation of$20, guests choose a handcraftedpottery bowl and receive a supper ofsoup, bread, beverage and dessert.703-665-9334.

For a free digital subscription toone or all of the 15 ConnectionNewspapers, go to www.connectionnewspapers.com/subscribe

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

Questions? E-mail: goinggreen@connection newspapers.com


ClassifiedClassified

OBITUARY NOTICECATHERINE ELIZABETH REASKE, formally of New York and Chicago, age 54 died on March 29, 2012 at Reston Hospital Center in Reston, VA. She was born on March 17, 1958 in Queens, New York to Eugene Vincent Otto and Mary Eleanor Murphy.Catherine had a passion for fashion along with a great desire for learning. She loved her animals, loved cooking and loved her two boys dearly. She traveled all over the world enjoying and learning different cultures and spending time with friends.Preceded in death by her father: Eugene Vincent Otto.Survivors include her loving husband of 29 years: Peter Daniel Reaske of Chantilly, VA; her loving sons: Trevor Gray and Ryan Eugene Reaske both of Chantilly, VA; her loving mother: Mary Murphy of Gainesville, Virginia and a host of loving and adored family and friends.In Lieu of flowers, the family has requested memorial contribu-tions be made to: www.donate.ASPCA.org. in loving memory of Catherine E. Reaske.Condolences may be sent to: www.piercefh.com

21 Announcements 21 Announcements

21 Announcements

ABC LICENSENPM Inc, trading as North

Point Sunoco , 1496 Reston Parkway, Reston, VA 20194. The above establishment is

applying to the VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL for a Beer off

premise license to sell or man-ufacture alcoholic beverages.

Larry Jannes, Chief Financial Officer

NOTE: Objections to the issu-ance of this license must be

submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing-date of the first two required

newspaper legal notices. Objections should be regis-

tered at www.abc.virginia.gov or 800-552-3200.

26 Antiques

We pay top $ for antique furniture and mid-century

Danish/modernteak furniture, STERLING, MEN'S WATCHES, jewelry

and costume jewelry,paintings/art glass/clocks.

Schefer Antiques @703-241-0790.

Email:[email protected]

CompletePrint Editions

Online!The full print editions of all 15Connection Newspapers are nowavailable on our Web Site in PDFformat, page by page, identicalto our weekly newsprint editions,including print advertising. Go toConnectionNewspapers.comand click on “Print Editions.”

Zone 1 Ad Deadline:

Tuesday 4 p.m.

703-917-6464

Zone 1: • Reston

• Herndon • LoudounEmploymentEmployment

InTouch Credit UnionA growing financial institution has im-mediate openings for F/T & P/T Person-al Financial Assistant (PFA) I, II at our Sterling & Herndon locations. PFA’s greet and welcome members and visi-tors to the credit union in a prompt and professional manner. Deliver concierge banking level assistance by serving as a single point of contact for product and service delivery. Requirements: HS graduate or equivalent, six months/1 year cash handling/financial institution experience required. If interested please apply online at www.itcu.org. We offer a competitive salary and benefits package that includes matching 401(k)! EOE

LOCAL FLORIST

Now hiring P/T Admin/Counter Positions. Must have good communication

skills and familiarity with computers. Call: 703-834-1600

Nysmith Schoolfor the Gifted Herndon, VA

Nysmith School, Preschool through 8th GradeHiring for 2012-2013 Academic Year

College Degree Required:• Preschool Co-Teachers• Elementary Co-Teachers

• All subjects• French

• Middle School Co-Teachers• Computers-knowledge of Photoshop Elements, Lego Mindstorms, MSWLogo, Storytelling Alice and XHTML a plus• Science (H.S. Level) Part/Full Time• Math (H.S. Level) Part Time• Latin

Extended Care Counselors:Min. high school diploma plus 6 months childcare exp.$8-$15/hr. based on exp.Flexible after school hours

Immediate Openings:Accounting/Admin Assistant-Responsible for AP/AR functions, order sup-plies, data entry, front office team member and all other duties as assigned.Job is a 10-month position with a few additional days in the summer.

Qualifications:1. Posses accounting degree or 2+ years of relevant accounting workexperience2. Proficiency in Quickbooks, Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook3. Be able to work independently and as a team4. Possess good organization and time management skills5. Pay excellent attention to detail6. Have excellent written and verbal communication skills, along with a posi-tive and professional demeanor7. Be able to maintain confidential information8. Ability to multitask and meet deadlines

Join our Playground Team!Looking for several people to assist teachers in monitoring children at recesson the playground. Fun and friendly environment – Flexible Hours. $12/hr.

Send resumes to [email protected] ; Fax 703-713-3336

P/T BOOKKEEPER/RECEPT(GREAT FOR MOMS or

RETIRED!)Small management firm in McLean,

Virginia seeks detail oriented part-time bookkeeper/receptionist 2-3 days per week 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Applicant will oversee all aspects of front desk

administration. Excellent accounting, organizational and communication skills

required. Call 703-356-2041.

VETERINARY ASSISTANTSmall animal hosp. Great Falls. Will train. 703-757-7570 • www.ourvets.com

BUSINESS OPP

NATIONAL CHILDRENS CENTERNo sell! Salary + Bonus + Benefits!

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DENTAL ASSISTANT TRAINEESNEEDED NOW!

Dental Offices now hiring. No experience?Job Training & Placement Assistance Avail.

1-800-381-1734CTO SCHEV

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EDUCATION TRAINING

EducationalInternshipsUnusual opportunity tolearn many aspects of thenewspaper business.Internships available inreporting, photography,research, graphics.Opportunities for students,and for adults consideringchange of career. Unpaid.E-mail [email protected]

CLASSIFIEDDEADLINESZones 1, 5, 6........................Mon @ noonZones 2, 3, 4........................Tues @ noon

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

EMPLOYMENTDEADLINESZones 5, 6...........................Tues @ 11:00Zones 1, 3.............................Tues @ 4:00Zone 2.................................Wed @ 11:00Zone 4...................................Wed @ 1:00

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

Newspapers & Online

HOW TO SUBMIT ADS TO

ZONESZone 1: The Reston Connection The Oak Hill/Herndon ConnectionZone 2: The Springfield Connection The Burke Connection The Fairfax Connection The Fairfax Station/Clifton/ Lorton ConnectionZone 3: The Alexandria Gazette Packet

The Mount Vernon Gazette

Zone 4: Centre View North Centre View SouthZone 5: The Potomac AlmanacZone 6: The Arlington Connection

The Vienna/OaktonConnection

The McLean ConnectionThe Great Falls

Connection

One man with courage

makes amajority.

-Andrew Jackson


Zone 1 Ad Deadline:

Monday Noon

703-917-6400

Zone 1: • Reston

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So here I go again; heavy-duty chemother-apy for the first time in nearly three years. Assuch, I thought I’d try and write another col-umn while actually sitting in the Barcaloungerat The Infusion Center (as I did three years ago:“Chemo-Cocktailing at the Depot” was thatcolumn’s title) and see what my pen has to say.This is not my first return engagement, how-ever. I have been at this Center nearly everythree weeks for the past two and one-half yearswhile being infused with my maintenancedrug, Avastin, until a few months back when adiagnostic scan indicated some “progression.”Consequently my oncologist decided to restartthe “big” chemotherapy, as I call it, and moveon to plan “B.” Moreover, I have made multi-ple other visits here for miscellaneous scans,doctor’s appointments and Emergency Roomvisits; I know the route – and I know the rou-tine. “On the whole, I’d rather be in Philadel-phia” (as was intended to be W. C. Fields’ epi-taph), but I’m not. I’m in Rockville. And pre-sumably, my time spent here has kept me alive,way beyond my oncologist’s original “13-month to two-year” prognosis, for which I’d becrazy to complain. And those who know meknow I don’t complain.

I do kid though. And as a cancer patientwho’s been characterized/determined/ diag-nosed as “terminal” (when your oncologistadvises taking “that vacation you’ve alwaysdreamed of,” you’re terminal), the bloom isdefinitely off the rose; and as Dorothy said toToto in “The Wizard of Oz”: “We’re not inKansas anymore.” Nor am I. We’re in Marylandand we’re in trouble. Considering the fact thatstage IV lung cancer patients rarely live beyondfive years, and I’m now at the beginning ofyear four (miraculous in and of itself, I’m told),if ever there was a time to retain one’s sense ofhumor, it would be, in my opinion, when fac-ing the kind of adversity that statistically speak-ing, I’m likely to face in the unfortunately not-too-distant future.

But as a lifelong Boston Red Sox fan, hopesprings eternal. And just as Red Sox Nation wasrewarded in 2004 and again in 2007 withWorld Series Championships breaking the 86-year-old “Curse of the Bambino,” strangerthings have happened. Apparently one ofwhich is yours truly still being alive after myoncologist “prognosed” in March of ‘09 that I’dlikely be otherwise engaged by now, so I am abeliever. In fact, I’m living proof. However,there are hardly any guarantees here. Thereare, as I sit in this room with half a dozen otherindividuals being similarly infused, lots of hopeand fear – and anxiety. If one doesn’t embrace– or find humor somewhere, while enduringthis excruciating mental ordeal, one would beneglecting, anecdotally speaking, the leastexpensive and most effective treatment avail-able. Humor might not heal, but it likely willdo more good than harm; the chemotherapy,in its infinite design wisdom and effect, isprobably doing enough of that. As myPublisher – and fellow cancer survivor, MaryKimm, is fond of saying about chemotherapy:“Kenny, they’re poisoning you, that’s why youfeel the way you do.”

But three years later, apparently the chemo-therapy has done/is doing enough of its tumor-fighting/shrinking thing to keep me in this chair.And though it may not be my first choice – ofwhere I’d rather be, I’m grateful that at least Istill have a choice I’m able to make.

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

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

Infusing IsSemi Amusing


Notches First Win of SeasonAfter losing a lopsided Liberty

District game at McLean High onMarch 20, the South LakesSeahawks bounced back with anexciting come-from-behind 6-5win over visiting district opponentThomas Jefferson High on Friday,March 23. The Seahawks, whoimproved to 1-2 with the victoryover the Colonials (1-2), trailed 5-1 in the third inning againstJefferson and starting pitcherMichael Chan.

But South Lakes stormed backwith a multi-run bottom of thethird inning, a key hit coming ona two-run homer by senior BillyMcLaughlin. Other big at-bats inthe inning came from juniorHayden Hall, who knocked a sac-rifice fly, and freshman Kyle King,who hit a game-tying RBI single.

McLaughlin (1-1), theSeahawks’ starting pitcher, re-sponded to his team’s four-runrally with consecutive 1-2-3 in-nings, throwing only six pitches ineach stanza. After escaping a jamin the top of the sixth inning, theSeahawks, in a 5-5 tie, scored thegame-winning run in the bottomhalf of the sixth on an RBI doubleby McLauglin.

The Seahawks’ sixth inningopened with a leadoff single bysophomore Justin Cosing, whothen stole second. That was fol-lowed by McLaughlin’s RBI two-bagger.

On the mound, McLaughlin hada strong outing, shutting downJefferson over the final four in-nings and earning the completegame win.

The Seahawks are a young team,comprised of six freshmen and

SportsHerndon Connection Sports Editor Rich Sanders

703-224-3031 or [email protected]

By Rich Sanders

The Connection

The Herndon High base-ball team is spendingits spring break weekcompeting in a tourna-

ment in Myrtle Beach, S.C. TheHornets, who won their first threegames of the season prior to mak-ing their trip down south, sawtheir record improve to 4-0 with a13-5 win over Monticello High(Charlottesville) this past Satur-day, March 31 in its first of threescheduled games in the Gamecockstate.

Herndon was scheduled to playgames versus Pickerington HighSchool North (Ohio) at 8 a.m. onTuesday, April 3 of this week, andHancock County High (Lewisport,Kent.) on Thursday, April 5 at 3p.m. Herndon’s spring breakgames are taking place at GriffithStadium at the Cal Ripken Experi-ence facility in Myrtle Beach.

In the win over Monticello, aRegion II member of the JeffersonDistrict in Virginia, Herndonscored four runs in the first inningbefore breaking the game openwith seven more in the fourth in-ning. Herndon starting pitcherZach Wallace pitched six stronginnings to earn the win for theHornets. Addison Wright wrappedthings up with one inning of reliefwork in the seventh.

In Herndon’s four-run bottom ofthe first inning, Hornet highlightsincluded an RBI single by ParkerHill and a pair of double steals byHerndon base runners.

Monticello scored three runs inthe top of the third inning to getwithin 4-3. But Herndon blew thegame open a little later in the bot-tom of the fourth. The big base hitof the inning was a bases-clearing,three-run double to deep left cen-ter field by Austin Schnarrs (3 hits,4 RBI).

Monticello, trailing 11-3, scoredtwo runs in the fifth. Herndon tal-lied single runs in the fifth andsixth, the latter on an RBI singleby Wright (3 singles, 2 RBI), tocreate the final score.

Matt Smith had three hits forHerndon and Hill had two RBI. Inall, the Hornets knocked around16 hits in the win.

Through Herndon’s first fourgames this spring, Schnarrs wasbatting a team-leading .667 withnine RBIs and a home run. On thepitching mound, the Hornets werereceiving solid production fromWright, Zach Wallace, and TylerReif.

The spring break games will bea nice prep for Herndon’s tough,upcoming Concorde Districtschedule which will begin nextweek with a pair of games versusvisiting Oakton on Tuesday, April10 and at Centreville on Friday,April 13. The Hornets, in betweenthose two district games, are alsoscheduled to play at home versusnon-Northern Region opponentLoudoun Valley High on Wednes-day, April 11.

“I think our district is going tobe very tough and any team is ca-pable of winning it,” said Herndonhead coach Greg Miller, whoseteam enjoyed a winning seasonlast year. “At the end the team thathas the best pitching and defensewill probably win the district. Ithink we are very capable of win-ning the district this year but ev-ery night will be a battle. Any teamin our district is very capable ofwinning it all.” Prior to its springbreak trip, Herndon had openedthe season with three wins - 13-3over local rival and host SouthLakes on March 16; 10-0 over vis-iting Broad Run on March 19; and8-2 over the same Broad Run teamin Ashburn on March 26.

South Lakes Baseball

For the first time all season,South Lakes got off to a good startin the Tuesday night game. Seniorpitcher Ryan Forrest had an im-pressive first three innings ofwork, shutting down the Saxons(4-2) with no runs, two hits andfour strikeouts. He was helpeddefensively by a diving catch fromhis brother, sophomore rightfielder Josh Forrest, to end the sec-ond inning.

It was Josh who opened up thegame’s scoring in the bottom of thethird inning when he crossedhome plate on a double by seniorBilly McLaughlin. Senior AustinSchweppe followed that with anRBI single to give the Seahawks a2-0 lead.

The Saxons stormed back withsix runs in the top of the fourthinning thanks to a combination ofkey hits and some defensive lapsesby the home team. The Seahawkspitching settled down the rest ofthe way with two shutdown in-nings of relief by freshman MattWojciechowski that kept theSeahawks in the game. SouthLakes rallied in the sixth inningwith five consecutive hits, includ-ing an RBI single by Josh Forrestand an RBI double by freshmanKyle King. But South Lakes couldnot plate the tying run in the in-ning and Langley held a 6-5 leadthrough six innings.

The Seahawks threatened againin the seventh, putting runners onsecond and third with one outthanks to a double by junior Aus-tin Gibbons and a Saxon error, butLangley’s relief closer came in tostrike out the final two SouthLakes batters and the guests es-caped with the victory.

South Lakes (1-3) is competingat the 2012 BATRUP Tournamentin Hilton Head, S.C., over the cur-rent spring break week (April 2-6). Next Tuesday night, April 10,the Seahawks will play a districthome game versus Stone Bridge at6:30.

Herndon Baseball Off to Fast 4-0 StartHornets spend-ing spring breakweek in MyrtleBeach; SouthLakes baseballnotches first win.

Senior outfielder Michael Francis makes contact at the plate for the Seahawks.

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The All-Virginia State Girls’ Basketball Team was named recently.Caroline Coyer, the Oakton High senior guard who helped the Cougars cap-ture their first-ever state AAA title this past season, was named Co-Player ofthe Year, along with Woodside’s Adrienne Motley.

Katherine Coyer, meanwhile, was named to the Second Team, as was WestSpringfield High’s Logan Battle. Katherine Coyer, twin sister of Caroline, wasthis year’s Northern Region Tournament MVP.

Two other Northern Region players made the All-State Team – FairfaxHigh’s Liz McNaughton (Honorable Mention) and Edison High’s Ruth Sherrill(Honorable Mention).

In all, seven players made first team, five made second team, and eightmade honorable mention.

Last week’s Top 10 high school baseball poll, as selected by the North-ern Region Coaches, was as follows: Lake Braddock (1); Madison (2); SouthCounty (3); Oakton (4); West Springfield (5); McLean (6); Robinson (7);Westfield (8); Centreville (9); and Langley (10).

Sports Roundups

sophomores, but veteran headcoach Galvin Morris has the resil-ient team playing inspired base-ball.

Friday was the second of four‘Free Admission Friday’ games thisspring season at South Lakes,where youngsters wearing theirofficial Little League or Cal RipkenLeague game jerseys, or sportingSouth Lakes’ blue and green teamcolors, are admitted free with apaying adult. The next ‘Free Ad-mission Friday’ is scheduled forApril 13 when South Lakes willhost district opponent FairfaxHigh. Adding to the special Fridaynight game versus the Rebels,South Lakes and its fans will cel-ebrate ‘Youth Baseball Night,’ withyouth players getting into thegame for free as well as enjoyingspecial activities and giveaways.

SOUTH LAKES, following thecomeback win over Jefferson, hadgood momentum and nearly de-feated red-hot Langley four dayslater, losing 6-5 in the districthome game played on March 27.


Wellbeing

Surviving Spring Allergies

Cherry blossoms and tulips made an early appearance this spring. Experts say those who are allergic to pol-len can expect an intense and prolonged allergy season.

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Local allergistsoffer suggestionsfor coping.

Dr. Heidi Isenberg-Feig, an allergist withJohns Hopkins Com-munity Physicians,says that this year’sspring allergy seasoncould be more severethan usual.

Allergist Dr. SabaSamee, of Alexandria& Clinton AllergyAssociates, advisesallergy sufferers totake a shower afterentering their home towash away pollenfrom skin and hair.

Dr. Jean Glossa, medi-cal director for theFairfax County Com-munity Health CareNetwork, MolinaHealthcare advisesallergy sufferers toconsider wearing amask when mowingthe lawn or gardening.

By Marilyn Campbell

The Connection

The Washington region’s un-seasonably mild winter ledto the early arrival ofspring. While many de-

lighted in the balmy temperatures andblossoming flowers, some who sufferfrom allergies began sneezing earlierthan usual.

“The pollen started coming out earlyand a lot of people were blindsidedby their allergy symptoms,” said aller-gist Dr. Heidi Isenberg-Feig, a Potomacresident and allergist at JohnsHopkins Community Physicians inNorth Bethesda. “The tree pollencount has been high already which isunusual.”

The American Academy of Allergy,Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) esti-mates that 35 million Americans suf-fer from allergies due to pollen andmold. Symptoms include sneezing, astuffy or runny nose and itchy, wa-tery eyes. This allergy season is ex-

pected to lastlonger and bemore intense thanusual. Local aller-gists offer strate-gies for survivingspring allergy sea-son.

“Although thereis no cure for aller-gies, symptomscan be managed,”said Dr. JeanGlossa, medical di-rector for theFairfax County

Community Health Care Network andMolina Healthcare. “It is possible toreduce or eliminate exposure to aller-gens. Minimize walks in wooded ar-eas or gardens and stay indoors asmuch as possible on hot, dry, windydays when pollen counts are highest.Think about wearing a mask whenmowing the lawn or gardening anddon’t hang linens or clothes out todry.”

TIPS TO HELP manage symptoms:❖ Decrease your contact with pol-

len. “The best way to do that is to closethe windows of your car and house,”said Isenberg-Feig. “Even if it is a niceday, the pollen count can still be a littlehigh.” Pollen can drift through openwindows and settle onto carpet andupholstery.

❖ Take showers at the end of the day.“Shower and change clothes as soon as youget home to wash pollen from your hair andskin,” said allergist Saba Samee, M.D. ofAlexandria & Clinton Allergy Associates.“Leave your purse or book bag at the frontdoor. Don’t drop them on the sofa or bedbecause they are all covered in pollen. Thesame goes for shoes.”

❖ Use sunglasses to defend against pol-len. “If you have problems with itchy, wa-tery eyes, wear sunglasses when you’re out-side and avoid being outside on windy daysif you can,” said Samee.

❖ Stay ahead of allergies. “If you aresomeone who suffers from allergies, try totake your medicines before things get toobad,” said Samee. “If you wait until you’re

absolutely miserable the medicines don’twork as well.”

❖ Eat fruits and vegetables judiciously.Many people with seasonal allergies alsosuffer from pollen food allergy syndrome.“Some people experience itching hands ormouth or a scratchy throat if they eat cer-tain raw fruits or vegetables because of thecross-reaction between the pollen and cer-tain fruits and vegetables,” said Isenberg-Feig.

❖ Use air filters to help create a pollen-free home. “Ensure that the filters fit prop-erly and are changed regularly,” saidSamee.

❖ Know the pollen count. “This infor-mation is readily available on the web orthe weather section of the news,” saidIsenberg-Feig. The National Allergy Bureau(NAB) tracks and reports current pollenand mold spore levels. A local pollen countcan be found at http://www.aaaai.org/glo-bal/nab-pollen-counts.aspx

“IF YOU NEED long lasting relief, nasalsprays and allergy shots may be recom-mended,” said Glossa. “However, if symptomspersist for more than a week or two and tendto reoccur, make an appointment to see yourdoctor. The good news is that most allergiesare not lifelong conditions. By following yourdoctor’s advice and taking control of your en-vironment, allergies shouldn’t keep you fromenjoying springtime.”

“Althoughthere is nocure forallergies,symptomscan bemanaged.”— Dr. Jean Glossa


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News

By Alex McVeigh

The Connection

As children ages 1 through 9 gathered atBrown’s Chapel Park in Reston Saturdaymorning, they separated themselves by age

group and massed along the borders of several dif-ferent roped off areas. The areas were filled withcolored eggs, which meant that for many children,filling their baskets would come down to strategy.

“I headed straight for the back of the area, that’swhere I got most of my eggs,” said Veronica Johnson,7. “I think it was a good strategy.”

The hunt started at 10:30 a.m., and by 10:35 al-most every egg was gone. Over the next half hour, afew determined children were able to find some un-claimed eggs that were camouflaged to look like theirsurroundings.

“We were on our way to the car when I thought Isaw something,” said Andy Benson, 5. “My sister saidit was nothing, but I knew it might be something Imissed, and I was right and rewarded with candy.”

The annual Eggnormous Egg Hunt was hosted bythe Reston Community Center.

Though the eggs vanished quickly, families wereable to stick around and enjoy a variety ofmoonbounces and other games.

“I really like that the games give us all a chance tohang out and spend some time with friends andneighbors after the chaos of the hunt itself,” saidRichard Juarez, who brought his two children to thehunt for the third year in a row. “The park is a greatplace to have a seat and sort through their bounty,and if I’m lucky, I’ll be able to sneak in a few pieces.”

Though gray skies threatened to postpone the eventfor the second year in a row, the day remained dryto allow the hunt to go on as scheduled, which was

a relief for some.“Last year it got postponed until after Easter, which

kind of takes it out of context for the kids,” said EllenWilde of Reston. “I don’t think children will ever com-plain about an egg hunt, but it’s nice when it getsthem fired up for Easter, rather than being sort of anafterthought. I’m glad the day stayed nice, and I’mglad we made it out for another year.”

Santiago Collier, 4, watches his sister Zara, 6, do the limbo at the Eggnormous EggHunt at Brown’s Chapel Park Saturday, March 31.

Egg Hunting in Brown’s Chapel ParkCommunity Centerhosts annual EggnormousEgg Hunt.

Elana Kirwan, 7, grabs an egg and isalready searching for her next one duringthe annual Eggnormous Egg Hunt atBrown’s Chapel Park Saturday, March 31.

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To honor Mom on Mother’s Day, send us your favoritesnapshots of you with your Mom and The Connection will pub-lish them in our Mother’s Day issue. Be sure to include someinformation about what’s going on in the photo, plus yourname and phone number and town of residence. To e-maildigital photos, send to:

[email protected] to mail photo prints, send to:

The Reston Connection,“Me and My Mom Photo Gallery,”

1606 King St., Alexandria, VA 22314Photo prints will be returned to you if you include a stamped,self-addressed envelope, but please don’t send us anythingirreplaceable.

“Me and My Mom”


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