First Responders Honored for Going ‘Above and Beyond’
Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce hosts First Responders Benefit Lunch.
Being a first responder is stressful enough, but the first responders who were honored at this year’s Above and Beyond: First Responders Benefit Lunch excel at their jobs and more.
Fairfax County Retired Educators Award Scholarships
Seven aspiring educators from Fairfax County receive awards.
Aspiring educators from across Fairfax County were honored for their accomplishments and presented with scholarships to help them begin their teaching careers at a luncheon and ceremony held by the Fairfax County Retired Educators on June 12 in Fairfax. Every year, FCRE awards students interested in teaching careers with $2,000 scholarships. This year, the seven students were either graduates or soon-to-be graduates of high schools throughout Fairfax County, including Robinson, Lake Braddock, West Springfield, Marshall, Mclean and James Madison.
Despite Low Unemployment, Veterans Need Assistance
“Supporting our Region’s Veterans” report identifies suggestions for improvement.
Although veterans in Northern Virginia are more educated than those nationwide and are less likely to live below the poverty line and be unemployed, a new report has found that individual anecdotes from veterans in the area demonstrate that there are still areas that need improvement.
Patchwork of Approaches to Affordable Housing in Northern Virginia
Jurisdictions use a variety of strategies to prevent homelessness.
Affordable housing means different things to different people at different times. For government officials, it's a phrase that means that a family spends no more than 30 percent of its income on housing costs, including rent or mortgage as well as taxes and utilities
Robinson Boys’ Lax Wins State Championship
Rams beat Langley in 6A state final.
The Robinson boys' lacrosse team beat Langley in the state final.
Class Dismissed
Fairfax High School Class of 2014 graduates 570 seniors.
Smiles flashed and medals clanked as 570 Fairfax High School seniors strode across their school’s field house stage Tuesday, June 17, eager to collect their diplomas. By the numbers, this latest graduating class boasted 204 Virginia Department of Education Early College Scholar Candidates, 97 National Honor Society members and 66 Honor Graduates. In his opening speech to the audience, Principal David Goldfarb asked each graduate to "acknowledge that [they] had some help on [their] journey" from "people who carried [them] along the way.
City Council Honors PVI Hoops Teams
The Fairfax City Council recently recognized Paul VI’s boys and girls basketball teams for winning both the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) and Virginia Division 1 titles. It was only the second time in WCAC history that both the boys and girls teams won the conference title in the same year.
‘A World-Class Place to Live, Work, Dine’
Fairfax Circle Plaza will be redeveloped.
The Fairfax City Council has taken the first step toward revitalizing the Fairfax Circle Plaza. At its May 27 meeting, the Council approved a huge, new, mixed-use project there, entailing a grocery store, retail businesses and multifamily housing.
Korean-Language Students Translate City Brochure
Nine students from the Fairfax Academy’s Korean 4 class have translated the City of Fairfax Commission for Women’s brochure into Korean. Guided by their teacher, Song Johnston, they spent five weeks translating, proofreading and revising the document. This brochure may now be used by the City to help Korean speakers when they visit the area. This is the second time the Korean 4 class has taken on such a project. Three years ago, the students translated information from the Historic Blenheim Civil War Interpretive Center into Korean and made a photo book from it, using pictures they personally took at the center. They then donated the book to the City of Fairfax.
Woodson Graduates 540 Seniors
Math teacher Dan Schaefer receives Teacher of the Year Award.
The class of 2014 graduated from W.T. Woodson High School, Tuesday, June 17 at Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax. Five hundred forty students walked on stage to receive their diplomas, with poise and confidence typical of high school seniors.
Meals Tax: Tasty or Revolting?
Supervisors digest task force’s final report on hot-button issue.
After hours of simmering debate, the Meals Tax Referendum Task Force’s presentation to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Tuesday was a mere amuse-bouche, whetting the appetite of board the for the group’s 170-page multi-course written report.
Gifts for New Grads
Local tastemakers offer suggestions from the sentimental to the practical.
After the tassels have been turned and the diplomas received, it is usually time for a graduation celebration. Whether you’re shopping for someone who is heading to college or venturing out into the workforce, choosing a present for the graduate in your life can be perplexing, but local tastemakers are here to help, offering suggestions for graduation presents that range from the practical to the sentimental.
After Graduation: Dorm Room Set-Up
Local organizers show how to maximize storage in small spaces.
After graduation comes off-to-college season. Often this means parents making design choices for their children or parents and their soon-to-be-college freshmen searching for supplies that will serve dual purposes, particularly when it comes to storage. For those who find themselves in a dorm room design conundrum, local organizers offer tips and tools for creating stylish yet space-saving designs for new college students.
Editorial: More Affordable Housing Needed
Anticipated job growth to exacerbate problem.
In Northern Virginia, affordable housing means more than human services or helping those who are less fortunate. It means more than housing the chronically homeless, although that is not optional.
A Dream Come True, Sort Of
Growing up in the 60s, if you loved sports, as I did/still do, you spent hours listening to games on a transistor radio. There certainly wasn’t “Cable” television back then; heck, there wasn’t even color television, let alone “HD,” “interactive,” or whatever else television technology has evolved into. And of course, there were no “big screen” television sets either. We had a 19" Zenith black and white television and we received three channels: 4, 5 and 7 (in Boston), and as much as sports was/is important in Boston/New England, viewing options, given the limited VHF/UHF band frequencies, meant listening to games on radio – AM radio. Games were regularly televised on weekends, more so if the home team was playing on the road. As the decades have passed, so too have transistor radios, black and white televisions and limited viewing on only three channels. Between “Cable,” computers, and more recently, the introduction of hand-held devices, access to and familiarity with sports has grown exponentially. Add in the explosion of sports-talk radio and the abundance of sports-themed content on television (regardless of whether the games are at home or on the road) and one could be in his “man cave” for hours on end “channeling” his – or her – passion, for any team, in any city, at almost any time.
Me & My Dad 2014 — Father's Day Photo Gallery
My father died in 1989. At the first wedding I photographed afterwards, my son Steven who was assisting me, nudged me aside during the Father-Daughter dance. He noticed that I was weeping and that I couldn't see to focus because of the tears in my eyes. I still miss my father. My father was a quiet man, a gentle man. I never heard him raise his voice. He worked two full time jobs when I was growing up and I didn't see him very much but somehow he managed to teach me lessons I still haven't forgotten.
School Calendar Changes Examined
Fairfax County considers ending half-day Mondays, at the cost between $4 to $7.6 Million.
Changes could be coming soon to school schedules in Fairfax County, under a new plan announced by Superintendent Karen Garza at a work session on May 28.
Cross County Trail Renamed to Honor Rep. Connolly
“Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail” unveiled at ceremony in Lorton.
On National Trails Day on June 7, the Cross County Trail, which goes through each district in Fairfax County, was renamed to the “Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail” in honor of Rep. Connolly’s work to build the trail.
Head Start Programs Face Wait Lists
Despite adding classrooms, need is growing in Fairfax County.
The Fairfax County Office for Children now has a waitlist of over 1,395 children. Of that number, 918 are on the waitlist for Head Start and Early Head Start programs in Fairfax County Public Schools, according to a new report presented at a school board work session on May 29.
Loving STEM at Silverbrook Elementary
Over 50 students participated in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fair presented by the Silverbrook Elementary School PTO.