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July 20-26, 2011

ScoutingBeyondBorders

News, Page 3

Gregory Martin fromWoodford, Va., demonstratedto fellow scouts the kind ofboots that will be needed fortheir 12-day trip to Swedenfor the World Scout Jamboree.Martin is among 36 scoutswho have been meeting atSt. Francis EpiscopalChurch in Great Falls overthe past few months toprepare for the trip.

CommunicationImprovesQuality of LifeNews, Page 6

CommunicationImprovesQuality of LifeNews, Page 6

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ScoutingBeyondBorders

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2 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ July 20-26, 2011 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com


NewsGreat Falls Connection Editor Kemal Kurspahic

703-778-9414 or [email protected]

By Alex McVeigh

The Connection

Many scouts in this area have been tothe standard places for their outings:Goshen Scout Reservation, CampRodney, maybe even as far as

Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. But for 36local scouts, they’ll get a chance to take their skillsand experience across the Atlantic Ocean for theWorld Scout Jamboree in Sweden.

The scouts, selected from troops around Virginia,Maryland and Washington, D.C., and even a few asfar as Georgia and New Jersey, have been meetingat St. Francis Episcopal Church for the past fewmonths, and they head to Sweden next week.

“It should be a great trip and a great opportunityto learn about other cultures and how they approachscouting,” said Garrett Pan of Troop 55, based inGreat Falls. He will serve as the senior patrol leaderfor the group. “I hadn’t looked too much at the ac-tual history of scouting, but I’m interested in our ownas well as those of other countries. You hear storiesabout people like [Lord Robert] Baden-Powell, [whofirst founded the scouting movement] and wonderif every country has someone like that who broughtscouting to them.”

THE GROUP will be among 1,500 Americans at-tending the Jamboree, which will host more than38,000 scouts from around the world. The event willtake place in the fields of Rinkaby, near the town ofKristianstad in the southern province of Skane. Thesite has hosted national jamborees in 2001 and 2007.

“I just hope we’re able to meet a bunch of newpeople, units, leaders and scouts,” said LarryMcNiece, who will serve as the group’s scoutmaster.

“I think we’ll all bring home memories that will lasta lifetime, and for these kids, in two, three, four yearsthey’ll be in college and could study abroad and usethe experiences they get with this trip.”

Victor Stephenson, who will serve as second scout-master for the group, says this is a once in a lifetimeopportunity for the scouts, since generally only scoutsunder 18 can gain rank and earn merit badges.

“Scouting is one of the biggest youth movementsin the world, and this will give all of us a whole dif-ferent flavor of scouting,” he said.

They will be in Sweden from July 26 to Aug. 7.The group formed Troop 70005 for this trip. Sincethey come from all over the East Coast and they’veonly had a few meetings to get to know one another,the trip will be a learning experience for all.

“We’re all from different troops, so we all bringdifferent experiences, we’ve never all been on a triptogether,” Pan said. “But I think we’ll be okay. I’mmore worried about the daylight. We’re supposed tohave good weather, but we’re at the time of the yearwhere we’ll only be getting about one or two hoursof complete nighttime darkness. I can’t sleep whenit’s light, I need pitch black.”

FOR JAMSHEED LOVELACE, this will be his firsttrip in a leadership role. At 20, he’s a new adult leader.He said he hopes to be a buffer between the scoutsand adults.

“I’ve never been on a camping trip or even a hikeas an adult leader, so this is a pretty extreme way tostart,” he said. “But I’m looking forward to being re-sponsible for the scouts and I think I’ll be able toenjoy myself even with the extra responsibility.”

Lovelace remembers going on an internationalscouting trip to Japan in 2008.

“It was a life-changing trip, just incredible,” he said.“There’s nothing like traveling like that and beingable to bond so quickly with people you’ve nevermet.”

Troop 70005 will be blogging regularly during their12-day trip, and the blog can be found atwww.crew167.org/WSJ.

Boy Scouts prepare for tripto World Scout Jamboreein Sweden.

Scouting Beyond BordersBy Nikki Cheshire

The Connection

Swimming pools, frozentreats and playing ballare all parts of a tradi-

tional summer experience. Butthis time, it wasn’t for people— it was for the dogs.

Seneca Hill Animal Hospital,Resort and Spa held their thirdannual “Dog Days of Summer”fundraiser and promotionalevent, offering free Frosty Pawstreats, games of fetch and pooltime for all the dogs.

“We just like to get people outwith their dogs,” said generalmanager Heather Dallara. “It’salso to thank our current clientsand introduce ourselves to newones.” She added that the eventwas also held to support theMarshall Legacy Institute, anonprofit organization dedi-cated to the training of minedetection dogs, currently activein 10 countries across the globeaccording to their website.

“The event has been reallysuccessful, we get a goodamount of folks comingthrough as the afternoonstretches on,” said Dr. PattiMunizza, a veterinarian at Sen-eca Hill. “People get to meet usand have fun.”

First-time attendee TerryBuckler enjoyed the event be-cause the dogs get “free swim-ming, play-time and socializa-tion.”

“It’s just really great,” Buck-ler said, watching Max, herpitbull-boxer mix paddling af-ter a toy in the pool.

But despite the event’s focuson man’s best friend, there wereplenty of things of interest totheir people, too. “Seneca Hilloffers general medicine, dogday care, vanity fur grooming,a resort and a boutique,” saidDallara. Free hot dogs and softdrinks as well as a sidewalk saleof toys, Frontline flea/tick pre-vention and other productswere all part of the attraction.

Animal Hospital Hosts‘Dog Days of Summer’

Dogs could run free in an enclosure to play fetch andsocialize.

Terry Buckler’s dog Max, a pitbull-boxer mix, enjoy-ing a game of fetch in the pool with a handler atSeneca Hill Animal Hospital, Resort and Spa.

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Thirty-six scouts from the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. area will be participating inthe World Scout Jamboree in Sweden from July 26 to August 7.

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News

Boy Scout Troup 673, sponsored by the GreatFalls United Methodist Men’s Group since1962, recently honored a group of youngmen achieving the rank of Eagle Scout,

bringing the total number of Eagle Scouts that thetroop has produced to 103.

During its nearly 50 year history, Boy Scout Troop 673 has helped the

Great Falls community with its biannual River BendRoad cleanups, served as color guard at the Fourthof July parade and provided assistance with parkingand cleanup for the fireworks at Turner Farm Park.The scouts have also provided invaluable service tothe Great Falls United Methodist Church by helpingwith the Annual Bazaar, church cleanups, and lend-ing a hand to help with functions.

MATTHEW MORGAN, son of John and ValerieMorgan of Great Falls, joined the Troop in 2006 af-ter crossing over from Cub Scout Pack 673. He hasbeen involved in troop activities, especially hiking,camping, and service projects. He has been devotedto service; rarely missing opportunities to help witheagle projects, River Bend road cleanup or other com-munity service projects. Matthew performed leader-ship as den chief in Pack 673 and as patrol leader ofthe first Appalachian Trail hike across Maryland.

For his Eagle Project, Matthew organized a teamto upgrade the landscape of a plot of ground at Great

Falls United Methodist Church.A senior at Langley High School, Matthew is a

member of the German club and has enjoyed theexchange program with German students. His sculp-ture has been featured in the display cases at Lan-gley. After high school, Matthew plans to enroll atPenn State to study Graphic Arts.

MARK PAULSON, son of Richard and DenisePaulson and the late Cindy Davis Paulson, crossedover to Troop 673 in 2006 from Cub Scout Pack 673.He has attended Boy Scout Summer camp both withTroop 673 and as a provisional camper at other areascout camps. In his trail to Eagle, Mark earned 42merit badges, Order of the Arrow, the Japanese In-terpreter Award, and the World Conservation Award.He has participated in numerous troop backpackingtrips, Sea Base in 2008, and on a Philmont HighAdventure backpacking trip in 2010. Mark performedleadership as Troop Scribe, Quartermaster, and asAssistant Senior Patrol Leader. Mark was inspired byhis Eagle Scout brother, Andrew, to also earn his Eaglerank at age 16.

Mark’s Eagle Project improved and helped preservethe Swamp Trail at Great Falls National Park by con-structing and installing raised walkways for the trail.The walkways provide a safer route over the trail

Troup 673 Celebrates100th Eagle Scout

Back Row: Jeremy Brooks, Tyler Planto, James Waugh;Front Row: Tommy Grant, Clark Andersen, MatthewMorgan. Not pictured: Mark Paulson.See Boy Scout, Page 19

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Natural Monument in Shadowof National Monuments

By Tom McCann

For The Connection

Nearly 100 people at-tended a screeningof “The PotomacGorge: Along the

Wildest Urban River in the World”June 30 at the Worldwide head-quarters of The Nature Conser-vancy in Arlington followed byquestions-and-answers with theNational Park Service, filmmakers,editors, contributors and othersfrom the community.

Mary Travaglini, senior pro-ducer and habitat restoration man-ager for The Nature Conservancy,opened the screening by callingthe Potomac Gorge “one of thecountry’s gems, with incrediblebiological diversity and unparal-leled outdoor recreational and

Film on PotomacGorge presentedin Arlington.

News

educational opportunities. TheGorge is truly a natural monumentin the shadow of the nationalmonuments.”

The film explores the naturaldiversity of the Potomac Gorge,saying it rivals that of Yellowstoneor the Everglades in Florida — andall nearby downtown Washington,D.C., and millions of tourists. The15-mile stretch is home to morethan 1,400 plant species and ani-mals from the American shad tothe bald eagle. Perhaps the mostdefining features are the GreatFalls, named for the drop in waterlevel of 60 feet over the course ofhalf a mile.

Tom McEwan, one of the first tokayak the rapids of Great Falls in1975, attended the screening andis featured in the film. He talkedon screen and in person about thevaried recreational opportunitiesincluding, kayaking, hiking, rockclimbing, walking, running andcycling.

School groups study the Gorge’sdiversity in plants, insects, birdsand other life that make up their

“living classroom.” In all, morethan 2 million people visit thePotomac Gorge each year.Stephanie Flack, Potomac projectdirector for The Nature Conser-vancy, reminds viewers that thePotomac provides drinking water

to more than four million residentsin the area and urges residents andvisitors to better “manage, protectand value the Potomac River.”

Bear Island is one of the mostbiologically rich areas in thePotomac Gorge, supporting more

than 50 of Maryland’s rare, threat-ened or endangered plant and ani-mal species. Depending on thetime of year you visit Bear Island,you might see prickly pear — the

See Film, Page 13

Natural Monument in Shadowof National Monuments

Fall scene at the Potomac Gorge near the Billy Goat Trail at Great Falls. The PotomacGorge is the 15-mile river corridor from Great Falls to Georgetown, one of the mostbiologically rich natural areas in the Eastern United States.

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People

By Amiee Freeman

The Connection

Each episode of Communicating Today,which airs its 600th program at 8:30 p.m.on July 27 on Fairfax Public Access Chan-nel 10, begins with several blank sheets

of paper. From there, John Monsul, Great Falls resi-dent and the program’s creator, producer and host,outlines his talking points for the half-hour variety/talk show. During 22 years of producing the show,Monsul has interviewed former governors, businessand community leaders, authors, charitable groups,even the King (an Elvis impersonator.)

“In television, reaching 500-plus programs is acommendable achievement; reaching 600 is super-lative,” said Ayme Pointer, president of the FairfaxPublic Access Board of Directors. “The tenacity andinitiative for a producer to drive forward over theyears, pull together a successful crew, provide ongo-ing programming, and dedicate his hours to studioand editing time for 600 shows is a milestone fewproducers reach. I am grateful for CommunicatingToday’s achievement and contributions to commu-nity television,” she said.

Monsul was approached in 1989 by then-directorof Channel 10, Ed Nicholas, who asked him to con-sider producing and hosting a show.

“Ed and I both belonged to the Fairfax CountyChamber of Commerce. Ed asked me if I had everheard of Channel 10. I said no. He explained howChannel 10 allows the general public to do shows.He asked me how I would like to be a TV producer.He floored me with this proposal,” said Monsul.

After some thought, Monsul came up with the titleand the concept for the show. The original conceptbehind the show was to highlight how people com-municate with one another, said Monsul. “My thoughtwas: Wouldn’t it be nice if we could improve com-munications of the people of the world. If we canimprove the communication skills of the people ofthe world, we can eventually improve the overallquality of life.”

HIS YEARS OF INTERVIEWING a wide varietyof guests has created a catalogue of stories. Monsul’sfirst guest was Doris Ann Martin, then-district gov-ernor of Toastmasters. Martin was the ideal firstguest, said Monsul, as the goal of Toastmastersmeshed with Monsul’s goal for his show: to improvecommunication.

Since that first show, Monsul has hosted formerVirginia Governors Linwood Holton and GeorgeAllen, representatives of the American Heart Asso-ciation, Habitat for Humanity, Make-a-Wish Founda-tion, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and the Mili-tary Order of the Purple Heart.

About hosting the latter group, Monsul said, “Itwas a great show.” Monsul interviewed four recipi-ents of the military honor. The Purple Heart is givento members of the U.S. armed forces who have beenwounded in combat. Each of the recipients inter-

viewed told about his service and how he came toearn his Purple Heart. At the close of the program,the four veterans made Monsul an honorary mem-ber of the Order of the Purple Heart.

On the lighter side he has also hosted Bingo theClown, a magician, the Bull Run Cloggers and theReptile Lady.

About the Reptile Lady, Monsul remembers howshe brought in a boa constrictor. “‘Let’s hold him up,’she said,” recalls Monsul. “It took four of us to holdthis 100 pound monster.”

Since retiring this past year from a career in salesand marketing for a range of major U.S. companies,Monsul says he makes sure to see all broadcasts ofhis show, even the re-broadcasts. He says that he ishis own worst critic, seeing flaws that others wouldnot. He calls the show a labor of love and is pleasedto provide this service to the community.

For his years of public service to Fairfax Countyand in honor of his 600th show, Monsul and his crewhave been invited to Fairfax Government Center bythe Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday,July 26 to receive a certification of appreciation.

MONSUL SAYS that he is “very grateful to Chan-nel 10, Cox Communications (Channel 10’s parentcompany), and the hundreds of folks who havehelped us to achieve this goal.” Also, he says that hewould be “remiss if I didn’t thank my wife, Dee, forher patience, support and understanding during thesemany years of producing Communicating Today.”

Communicating Today can be found on Channel10 on Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m., with rebroadcastson Fridays at 6:30 and Sundays at 3:30 p.m.

Kayla Phillips of Great Fallshas accepted membership inThe National Society of Colle-giate Scholars (NSCS). She willbe honored during an InductionConvocation this fall on thecampus of Virginia PolytechnicInstitute and State University.

“NSCS is more than just asymbol of academic achieve-ment. Membership gives stu-dents access to a number ofamazing benefits including ca-reer and networking resources,scholarships, travel, and serviceprojects both on campus and inthe community,” said StephenE. Loflin, NSCS CEO andFounder.

NSCS is a member of the As-sociation of College Honor So-cieties and is the nation’s onlyinterdisciplinary honors organi-zation for first- and second-yearcollege students. Membership isby invitation only, based ongrade point average and class

Kayla Phillips JoinsCollegiate Scholars

standing. NSCS has more than750,000 lifetime members and270 chapters in all 50 states, theDistrict of Columbia and PuertoRico.

For more information aboutThe National Society ofCollegiate Scholars, call 202-265-9000 or visit nscs.org

In 22 years of producing the Communi-cating Today show, John Monsul hasinterviewed former governors, businessand community leaders, authors, chari-table groups, even the King (an Elvisimpersonator.)

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CommunicationImproves Quality of LifeJohn Monsul celebrates600 shows ofCommunicating Today.

Send School Notes to [email protected]. Dead-line is Friday.

Leslie A. Hutchings of GreatFalls has graduated from ColbyCollege of Waterville, Me. Thedaughter of Jeffrey and DaynaHutchings majored in governmentand was named to the spring 2011dean’s list.

C. Henry A. Davis of GreatFalls has graduated from ColbyCollege of Waterville, Me. The sonof Christopher and Louise Davismajored in history.

Raymond R. Rieling IV ofGreat Falls has been named to thespring 2011 dean’s list at ColbyCollege in Waterville, Me. He is theson of Raymond and SheilaRieling.

Colleen Wilde of Great Fallshas been named to the spring 2011dean’s list at the University of NewHampshire of Durham, N.H.

Michael Guberman of GreatFalls was named All-ISL and teamMVP, and was a four-yearletterwinner in baseball at TheGovernor’s Academy in Byfield,Ma. He is the son of Judy Salerno.

Kayla C. May of Great Falls hasbeen named to the spring 2011scholastic honor roll at OregonState University of Corvallis, Ore.

Alexandre Marro of GreatFalls has been named to the spring

2011 dean’s list at Rensselaer Poly-technic Institute in Troy N.Y. Thesenior biomedical engineeringmajor is the son of Robert andJunaidah Marro and a 2008 gradu-ate of Langley High School.

Alison DeFranco of GreatFalls was named to the spring2011 dean’s list at Skidmore Col-lege. She is a 2009 graduate ofThe Holton Arms School.

Victoria Roisman of GreatFalls received an associate in artsdegree and was named to thespring 2011 merit list at OxfordCollege of Emory University inAtlanta, Ga. She is the daughterof Peter S. Roisman and Emily N.Roisman.

Ian Carter-Condon of GreatFalls has graduated from theUnited States Naval Academy witha bachelor of science in generalengineering, and has received acommission as a U.S. MarineCorps Second Lieutenant. Carter-Condon has been assigned toQuantico where he will continuetraining at the Marine Corps Ba-sic School followed by additionaltraining in his area of specializa-tion. The 2007 graduate of Tho-mas Jefferson High School for Sci-ence and Technology is the son ofJim Condon and Nancy Carter.

Katherine Elizabeth Brownof Great Falls has received a mas-ters of fine arts from the Univer-sity of North Carolina School ofthe Arts.

School Notes


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Opinion

WriteThe Connection welcomes views on any public issue.

The deadline for all material is noon Friday. Letters must be signed.Include home address and home and business numbers. Letters are

routinely edited for libel, grammar, good taste and factual errors. Sendto:

Letters to the EditorThe Connection1606 King St.

Alexandria VA 22314Call: 703-778-9410.

By e-mail: [email protected]

To the Editor:As we watched the July 4th fire-

works at Turner Field, I reflectedon how fortunate we are to live inour community.

Many of our 70 guests were fromall over the world at our tent andthey were, to a one, amazed at thefireworks, setting, and the beautyof community. The parade everyyear is a delight to my family andharkens back to a time when weas adults were their age. Most com-mented upon how friendly andwelcoming everyone seemed andthat Great Falls seemed to be theperfect small town.

To achieve all of this takes an in-credible effort, which frequentlygoes unrecognized. Celebrate GreatFalls does a wonderful job everyyear with the parade as do all thecars and groups that participate.Most unheralded would be Jeff and

Sharon Rainey, who for the secondyear in a row have created a must-attend event. They tirelessly makesure no detail is overlooked fromthe games, vendors, parking, VIPspots. Jeff graciously checked intwice during the night to make surewe are doing well and Sharon wasseen helping many folks find what-ever they needed.

It was a pleasure to feed themembers of the Army, Navy andMarine Honor Guard who assistedeveryone park. Only in Great Fallsdo we have Honor Guard helpingus park.

As an Ambassador said to meduring our party, “You are only justoutside Washington, and yet youseem to be a beautiful world away.”I can think of no better description.

Robb WattersGreat Falls

A Perfect Small Town

JULY 19, 2011

For more than 20years I have beenhonored to bePresident and Chief

Executive Officer of theConnection Newspapers,which serve the people ofNorthern Virginia and subur-ban Maryland. Since TheAlexandria Gazette wasfounded in 1784, ourorganization’s journalism hasplayed an essential role in ourcommunities.

But like all Americannewspapers, in recent yearsthe Connection Newspapershave faced daunting techno-logical and economic chal-lenges. We have weatheredrepeated crises that killed orcrippled many others in thenews media. I am proud thatwe have kept these vitalcommunity voices alive.

After the 9/11 terroristattacks, when the countrycame to a virtual standstill,our revenues temporarilyplummeted. And when thesevere recession began in2007, our revenues plungedagain, often failing to coverour operating costs.

During these two periods ofgreat financial duress, ourorganization filed all of ourrequired tax returns but didnot pay all of its federalpayroll taxes in full. Weinitially fell behind after 9/11.Most of the payroll taxes inthis period were paid, butsome balances remained due.For several quarters in 2007-2008, we again fell short.

As President and ChiefExecutive Officer of Connec-tion Newspapers, I takepersonal responsibility for thissignificant failure in oversightand in the organization’smanagement systems. I amdeeply sorry this happened.

I am personally makingarrangements to pay the mostrecent shortfalls in full. Wehave changed ourorganization’s processes toensure that nothing like thishappens again. We have beencurrent on our payroll taxesfor more than three years. Noemployee of ConnectionNewspapers has suffered anyfinancial loss whatsoeverbecause of this.

On July 19, 2011, I pledguilty to two misdemeanorcharges of failure to maketimely payments of payrolltaxes in the U.S. District Courtin Alexandria. To our employ-ees, our readers, our commu-nities and local and federalgovernments, I apologize. Iunderstand that newspapersare a public trust and I knowour entire organization workshard every day to earn thattrust. I will do all I can tosustain that trust as we goforward.

It’s my privilege and respon-sibility to serve as steward ofthese historic and vitalnewspapers. I hope to con-tinue in this role. I am com-mitted to doing whatever Ican to ensure the ConnectionNewspapers adapt to thesevery difficult and challengingtimes and continue servingour communities for years tocome.

Statement of Peter C. Labovitz,President and Chief Executive Officer,Connection Newspapers, LLC

From the CEOwww.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Newspaper ofGreat Falls

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Letters to the Editor

To the Editor:In her letter to the editor [Noti-

fying Before Questioning, McLeanConnection, June 29-July 5, 2011]Louise Epstein claims that “FCPSSchool Board incumbent JaneStrauss voted never to requireFairfax County public schools tonotify parents before their childrenare questioned by school officials.”In fact, nothing could be furtherfrom the truth. Ms, Strauss and theSchool Board actually strengthenedthe parental notification policy.Now, principals must notify parentsas soon as possible once they be-come aware that a student has vio-lated the student behavior code.Whether Ms. Epstein’s statement isdeliberately misleading or not, atthe very least it shows a lack of un-derstanding of the parental notifi-cation policy.

The Supreme Court case cited byMs. Epstein did not address anyschool discipline issues. In fact, thecourts have consistently supportedthe efforts of school administratorswho work to keep schools safe forall children. The FCPS parental no-tification policy, as it now stands, isintended to give principals maxi-

mum flexibility in dealing with situ-ations as they arise. If there is amedical emergency or a situationin which student safety is threat-ened, isn’t it only reasonable to al-low the administrator to address theemergency or safety issue immedi-ately, and notify the parents as soonthereafter as possible? Ms. Epsteinseems to argue that all situationsshould be dealt with in the samefashion, regardless of the degree ofseverity. That would automaticallyraise every stupid mistake to thelevel of a serious infraction: do wereally want to do that to our kids?

We all want the same thing: to pro-tect our children. The FCPS SchoolBoard voted unanimously to adopta parental notification policy thatwould protect our children while atthe same time allowing school ad-ministrators to act quickly in emer-gencies. It does all of us a disserviceto spread fear and misinformationabout this sensitive subject.

Sherry WellsMcLean

The writer is former Longfellow PTAPresident and parent of four FCPSgraduates.

Maximum Flexibility

To the Editor:Few things could be more funda-

mental than the obvious fact thatany bridge anywhere, under anycircumstances, should be at leastthe same width as the approachingroads on either side of the bridge.

In this regard, in Great Falls, thetwo lanes of Beach Mill Road oneither side of Nichols Run shouldbe joined by two lanes of the pro-spective replacement bridge,rather than the illogical one lanebridge being propounded by some.No exception or waiver of the

regulations mandating a two-lanebridge in connection with a two-lane road should even be seriouslyconsidered.

And, of course, this principleshould apply to other new and re-placement bridges in Great Falls,Fairfax County, Virginia, UnitedStates, North America, WesternHemisphere, Earth, Solar System,Universe and Multiverse, if suchthere be.

John F. LearyGreat Falls

Debating the Bridge

10 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ July 20-26, 2011 Great Falls Connection ❖ July 20-26, 2011 ❖ 11www.ConnectionNewspapers.com www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Emma Bailey & Standing Room OnlyJuly 24, 2011

Sponsored by: Great Falls Newcomers & Women’s Club

Concerton theGreen

6:00-8:00 p.m.

VillageCentre

Great Falls Newcomersand Women’s Club

By Alex McVeigh

The Connection

Tim, 13, and Steve Bova, 8, havebeen coming to the Market Fairsat Claude Moore Colonial Farmsince they were babies. Their par-

ents run the produce wagon during theevents, which take place three times a year,and for the past few years the boys haven’tjust been observing the variety of 17th cen-tury tasks being performed all around them,they’ve been a part of them.

“I’ve been coming since I was born, andabout six years ago I started selling. Peoplestarted buying from me more than the otherguy, who was a teenager,” Tim Bova said. Thisyear the brothers ran the bread cart, walkingthrough the fair calling “Bread! Bread forsale!” and making quite a few sales. “The mostpopular this year have been the baguettes,we’ve had to refill twice.”

When Tim Bova says “refill,” he means or-dering his brother Steve to fetch the requestedbread for the customer. The two have devel-oped quite the successful sales strategy. Onecustomer July 17 asked Tim whether he pre-ferred the baguettes or the Danish kernelbread, which is made of 17 different grains.

“I recommend both personally, but if you’dlike the Danish kernel bread, more is comingas we speak,” Tim Bova told the customer, asSteve hurried back to the cart with an armfulof loaves. His customers bought a few loavesof each, causing Tim to thank them. “This isthe most anyone’s bought all day, now you’rea record holder.”

While Tim Bova runs the sales department,Steve says he serves as both the accountingdepartment and security.

“I do most of the adding in my head,” SteveBova said. “But I also have to carry a stickand make sure I keep annoying people away.”

THE BOVAS are just two out of more than400 volunteers who spent July 16 and 17 atthe Summer Market Fair at Claude Moore.

“It’s not often you can smell the chickenssmoking, see the blacksmith working andwatch these craftsmen work as they wouldhave almost 300 years ago,” said Ed Arley ofMcLean. “My favorite part is that it’s not allfor show, you can eat the chickens, buy somemetal goods or any of the other crafts avail-able.”

Visitors would watch a few shows through-out the weekend, with members of the Vir-ginia Fencing Academy in Springfield puttingon a demonstration that included teachingchildren how to properly salute with a sword.Academy member Kelly Wynn also demon-strated how to cut watermelons as they werethrown at her. While the watermelons missed,there was often no avoiding the spraying pulpas Wynn cut the melons in mid-air.

“I used to take fencing lessons at the RestonCommunity Center with Charlie Anderson,who used to perform at these fairs. When hestopped, we were asked if anybody wantedto take his place,” she said. “There’s a lot ofmisinformation about how swords were used,and we want to show what kind of use theaverage Colonial American would get out oftheir sword.”

Many of the young volunteers usedthroughout the weekend begin coming to ful-fill community service obligations and justkept coming back.

“I needed community service for school afew years ago and came with my neighbors,and I just keep coming back,” said Christo-pher Willie, 13, of Annandale. “I’m usuallythe gunsmith’s apprentice.”

Grace Martin, 12, of Rockville, Md. cameone summer with her family, saw there wasan apprentice opening, and since then she’sperformed a variety of tasks.

“It’s pretty fun to work almost anywhere,but my favorite is the bakery,” she said. “Oncethe fair is over, there’s usually a lot left overand we can eat pretty well.”

CLAUDE MOORE COLONIAL FARM stilloperates in much the same way it would havein 1771, when the family who lived therewould attend Falls Church every Sunday,which was a four-hour walk.

The Fall Market Fair will take place Oct. 15and 16. More information is available atwww.1771.org.

Seeing Visions of 1771Claude Moore ColonialFarm holds SummerMarket Fair.

The fairs take place three times a year, andshow a fully working example of how thefarmers in 1771 would have existed.

“These events show a little more than justday to day existence of how farmers wouldlive,” said Anna Eberly, director of the farm.“Market Fairs were a chance for the entirecommunity to get together, all the way fromthe courts to the militia. And it wouldn’t bepossible without our volunteers. “

Eberly says the thrice-yearly events are al-ways “maximum visitation” events. Guestswalked into a small clearing filled with thesmoke from the many fires required for cook-ing, blacksmithing and more. The first thingsguests saw on their right were two giant spitswith several dozen chickens roasting over anopen fire.

From right, Tim Bova, 13, sends hisbrother Steve, 8, for another loaf ofDanish kernel bread for a customerduring the Claude Moore ColonialFarm Summer Market Fair lastweekend. The Bovas were two ofhundreds of volunteers thatmanned the fair throughout theweekend.

Kelly Wynn of the Virginia Fencing Academy teachesyoung visitors to the Claude Moore Colonial Farm Sum-mer Market Fair how to properly salute with a sword.

From left, Ginny Rousseau, Becky Molitor and MayOhman, “the Chicken Ladies,” keep an eye on severaldozen roasting chickens at the Claude Moore ColonialFarm Summer Market Fair Sunday.

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Send announcements [email protected] is Thursday for thefollowing week’s paper. Photos/artwork encouraged. For addi-tional listings, visitwww.connectionnewspapers.com

WEDNESDAY/JULY 20Blame Sally, Cindy Lee

Berryhill and RebeccaPronsky. 7:30 p.m.Jammin’ Java, 227 MapleAve. E., Vienna.www.jamminjava.com.

Michael McDonald andBoz Scaggs. 8 p.m. WolfTrap Foundation for thePerforming Arts, 1624 TrapRoad, Vienna. Blues,ballads and rock. $42 in-house, $25 lawn.www.wolftrap.org.

THURSDAY/JULY 21Larnell Starkey & the

Spiritual Seven. 7 p.m.Nottoway Park, 9601Courthouse Road, Vienna.African-American Gospel.703-324-SHOW.

Main Street CommunityBand. 8 p.m. VeteransAmphitheater, City Hall,10455 Armstrong St.,Fairfax. Light classicalpieces, marches andpopular tunes. Weatherpermitting. Bring a blanketor lawn chair and a picnicbasket. Free. 703-757-0220 orwww.fairfaxband.org.

Book Discussion Group. 7:30 p.m.Great Falls Library, 9830 GeorgetownPike, Great Falls. Call branch for title.Adults. 703-757-8560.

African Folktales. 2:30 p.m. Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library, 7584Leesburg Pike, Falls Church. BrightStar Theatre presents African talesthat have been passed down forgenerations. All ages. 703-790-8088.

Murphy’s Kids, Irresponsible andMr. Dr. MC. 8 p.m. Jammin’ Java,227 Maple Ave. E., Vienna.www.jamminjava.com.

FRIDAY/JULY 22Movies in the Park. 8:45 p.m.

Glyndon Park, 300 Glyndon St. N.E.,Vienna. Call for film and weatherinformation. Free admission, bringlawn chairs or blankets for seating.703-255-7842.

“Joseph and the AmazingTechnicolor Dreamcoat.” 8 p.m.McLean Community Center AldenTheatre, 1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean.$19 adults, $17 seniors and students.www.mcleancenter.org.

Local Children’s Author Judy LinkCuddehe. 10:30 a.m. Barnes andNoble Bookstore, 12193 Fair LakesPromenade Drive, Fairfax. Oak Hillauthor-illustrator Cuddehe will readfrom her recent book about fireflies,“Flash Light!” 703-966-2175.

Artist’s Reception. 7 p.m. The Artists’Atelier, 1144 Walker Road, Suite G,Great Falls. Meet visiting artistsRoberta Beasley and Alicia Sommersand fourteen permanent [email protected].

Dance to Benefit LymphomaResearch. 7-11 p.m. AmericanLegion Post 180, 330 Center St.North, Vienna. Dance lessons everyhalf hour by Potomac Swing Dancers.Raffles, cash bar, no experience orpartner necessary. Advance tickets$25 at facebook.com/remissionriders,tickets at the door [email protected].

“Sweeney Todd: The DemonBarber of Fleet Street.” 8:15 p.m.Wolf Trap Foundation for thePerforming Arts, 1624 Trap Road,Vienna. A fully staged production ofStephen Sondheim’s musical about

Sweeney Todd, a barber on amurderous path for revenge inLondon. With the National SymphonyOrchestra, conducted by JamesMoore, and the Wolf Trap OperaCompany. Tickets $20-$70.www.wolftrap.org.

SATURDAY/JULY 23Martinez & Guthrie. 5 p.m. Palladium

Civic Place Green, 1445 LaughlinAve., McLean. Free. 703-288-9505.

8th Annual Asian Food and TennisFestival. 10 a.m.-10 p.m. GeorgeMason University, 4400 UniversityDrive, Fairfax. With 35 multi-culturalfood and 150 product vendors. Fourshowcase villages, Heritage India,Wow Philippines, Image of China andAmazing Thailand. Free [email protected].

Tropical Plants. 10 a.m. MeadowlarkBotanical Gardens, 9750 MeadowlarkGardens Court, Vienna. Join a walkthrough the gardens to learn how togrow, propagate and over-wintertropical plants. $5. Reserve at 703-255-3631.

Horsemanship Demo, Classes andFundraiser. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. TurnerFarm Park, 925 Springvale Road,Great Falls. Lessons for adults andchildren. Sponsored by The Saddlery.Portion of proceeds to benefit TurnerFarm [email protected].


Fairfax County Master GardenersAssociation, Inc. 10 a.m. City ofFairfax Regional Library, 10360 NorthSt., Fairfax. Horticultural tips,information, techniques and advice tohome gardeners. Adults. 703-293-6227.

Plant Clinic. 10 a.m. Tysons-PimmitRegional Library, 7584 Leesburg Pike,Falls Church. Masters Gardeners fromthe Fairfax County CooperativeExtension answer gardeningquestions. Adults. 703-790-8088.

Local Author Jyoti Sondhi. 2 p.m.Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library, 7584Leesburg Pike, Falls Church. Sondhidiscusses her book “Lighting the Lamp

Within: Illuminating the Path toGreater Spiritual Awareness.” 703-790-8088.

Emmylou Harris and her Red DirtBoys. 8 p.m. Wolf Trap Foundationfor the Performing Arts, 1624 TrapRoad, Vienna. $42 in-house, $25lawn. www.wolftrap.org.

SUNDAY/JULY 24Emma Bailey & SRO. 6 p.m. Concerts

on the Green, Great Falls VillageCenter, Great Falls. Variety.www.gfvcca.com/concerts.

8th Annual Asian Food and TennisFestival. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. GeorgeMason University, 4400 UniversityDrive, Fairfax. With 35 multi-culturalfood and 150 product vendors. Fourshowcase villages, Heritage India,Wow Philippines, Image of China andAmazing Thailand. Free [email protected].


Mindy Smith and TiffanyThompson. 8 p.m. Jammin’ Java,227 Maple Ave. E., Vienna.www.jamminjava.com.

Golden Dragon Acrobats fromChina. 3 p.m. Wolf Trap Foundationfor the Performing Arts, 1624 TrapRoad, Vienna. Acrobatics, traditionaldance, spectacular costumes, ancientand contemporary music and more.Tickets $15-38. www.wolftrap.org.

MONDAY/JULY 25Johnny Reb and Billy Yank. 2:30

p.m. Woodrow Wilson Library, 6101Knollwood Dr., Falls Church.Storyteller Gary Lloyd shares truetales from both sides of the Civil War.Cosponsored by the Erie and JohnHopkins Educational and CharitableTrust through the Fairfax LibraryFoundation. Age 6 and up. Free. 703-820-8774.

Miranda Cosgrove. 7 p.m. FileneCenter, Wolf Trap Foundation for thePerforming Arts, 1624 Trap Road,Vienna. www.wolftrap.org.

Chris Barrett, Kalliko and The OKCorral. 8 p.m. Jammin’ Java, 227

Maple Ave. E., Vienna.www.jamminjava.com.

TUESDAY/JULY 26Amy Lavere “StrangerMe” CD Release. 8 p.m.Jammin’ Java, 227 Maple Ave.E., Vienna.www.jamminjava.com.

WEDNESDAY/JULY 27 Jammin’ Beach Party.10:30 a.m. Great Falls Library,9830 Georgetown Pike, GreatFalls. Cody & Bj take you to amusical beach party withsurfing, limbo, singing anddancing. 703-757-8560.Atlast, Fight Cloud, NoBlitz and Michael Butler.7:30 p.m. Jammin’ Java, 227Maple Ave. E., Vienna.www.jamminjava.com.

THURSDAY/JULY 28City of Fairfax ConcertBand. 8 p.m. VeteransAmphitheater, City Hall, 10455Armstrong St., Fairfax. A pops-style concert of light classical,Broadway, jazz, film, andpatriotic selections. Weatherpermitting. Bring a blanket orlawn chair and a picnic basket.Free. 703-757-0220 orwww.fairfaxband.org.Rubblebucket. 8 p.m.Jammin’ Java, 227 Maple Ave.E., Vienna.

www.jamminjava.com.

FRIDAY/JULY 29“Joseph and the Amazing

Technicolor Dreamcoat.” 8 p.m.McLean Community Center AldenTheatre, 1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean.$19 adults, $17 seniors and students.www.mcleancenter.org.

Author Maurita Corcoran. 7 p.m.Barnes & Noble Tysons Corner, 7851L Tysons Corner Center. “A HouseInterrupted,” the story of therealization that her successfulphysician husband was a sex addict.703-506-2937.

The Bigger Lights, Divided ByFriday and Fourth QuarterComeback at 6 p.m., followed byThe Bigger Lights, For TheFoxes and Aim For TheWeekend at 9 p.m. Jammin’ Java,227 Maple Ave. E., Vienna.www.jamminjava.com.

SATURDAY/JULY 30“Joseph and the Amazing

Technicolor Dreamcoat.” 8 p.m.McLean Community Center AldenTheatre, 1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean.$19 adults, $17 seniors and students.www.mcleancenter.org.

The Folsom Prisoners. 5 p.m.Palladium Civic Place Green, 1445Laughlin Ave., McLean. Free. 703-288-9505.

Fairfax County Master GardenersAssociation, Inc. 10 a.m. City ofFairfax Regional Library, 10360 NorthSt., Fairfax. Horticultural tips,information, techniques and advice tohome gardeners. Adults. 703-293-6227.

Author Sophia Nelson. 2 p.m. Barnes& Noble Tysons Corner, 7851 LTysons Corner Center. “Black WomanRedefined,” an intimate look at thestereotypes, lives and images ofsuccessful black women. 703-506-2937.

Summer Lovin’: A Hot Night of CoolStories. 7 p.m. Jammin’ Java, 227Maple Ave. East, Vienna. Better SaidThan Done, a community of professionalstorytellers, present stories for grownupsabout summer romance. $10.www.bettersaidthandone.com,www.jamminjava.com or 703-255-1566.

‘Yellow Watermelons and Tamarillos,’ by Jill Banks. The Artists’ Atelier,1144 Walker Road, Suite G in Great Falls, will hold an artist’s receptionfor the group show ‘Days of Summer’ on Friday, July 22 from 7-9 p.m.Meet visiting artists Roberta Beasley and Alicia Sommers as well as the14 permanent artists of The Atelier. [email protected].

Entertainment


Education●Learning●Fun

By Julia O’Donoghue

The Connection

While most of herfriends worriedabout whetherthey would get

along with their freshman yearcollege roommates last summer,Emily Hunt thought about livingwith a Mexican host family and at-tending high school classes con-ducted entirely in Spanish.

After graduating from McLeanHigh School in 2010, Hunt de-ferred her acceptance to JamesMadison University for a year soshe could live abroad through anexchange program sponsored byRotary International.

“I didn’t really feel ready to jumpright into college life. I wanted totake some time to see more of theworld and decide what I wantedto study,” said Hunt, whose ex-change was sponsored by the Ro-tary Club of McLean.

Over 10 months, she lived withthree host families while she at-tended an extra year of high schoolin Aguacalientes, Mexico. She re-turned from Mexico in June andplans to enroll at James Madisonas a freshman this fall.

Hunt said there were many tan-gible benefits to taking time offbetween high school and college,typically referred to as a gap year.

For example, she speaks fluentSpanish now and spent time withstudents from many different cul-tures. Her classmates not only in-cluded other Mexicans but alsostudents on Rotary scholarshipsfrom Japan and other parts of theworld.

“I became so much more matureover the last year. I was away frommy parents for an entire year andI had to handle situations all onmy own. Now I feel very confi-dent,” said Hunt.

Many students who studyabroad through Rotary Interna-tional go during high school butHunt worried that credits from aforeign high school wouldn’t trans-fer. She wanted to be able tograduate on time from McLeanwith the rest of her friends, so shedecided to go abroad after highschool and start college a year late.

“I figured whatever year Istarted college, I was going to be

able to make friends,” she said.

MANY EUROPEAN studentstake a gap year to travel or do com-munity service before starting uni-versity, though American studentswho take time off before collegeremain an exception to the rule.Fewer than one percent of incom-ing freshman at Virginia Tech, oneof the commonwealth’s largestuniversities, take time off betweencollege and high school, accord-ing to the school’s admissions of-fice.

Gap years do have some high-profile advocates, including ad-missions officers at some of thecountry’s most elite universities.

William Fitzsimmons, dean ofadmissions and financial aide atHarvard College, encourages tak-ing time off between high schooland college. Between 50 and 70students defer admission toHarvard every year and the resultshave been “uniformly positive” inhelping teenagers avoid burn-outin college, wrote Fitzsimmons inarticle on the university’s admis-sions website.

“Perhaps the best way to get thefull benefit of a ‘time off’ is to post-pone entrance to college for a year.For nearly 40 years, Harvard hasrecommended this option, indeedproposing it in the letter for ad-mission,” he wrote.

YET PARENTS, other studentsand faculty can be skeptical of thebenefits of taking a gap year.

Bruce Pujanauski said he was alittle skeptical of his son taking ayear off between high school andcollege. Kevin Pujanauski won ascholarship with the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange tostudy abroad at a high school inGermany after he graduated fromThomas Jefferson High School forScience and Technology in 2007.

“We weren’t really familiar withthese programs. His older siblingshad graduated from high schooland gone directly to college. It justwasn’t something we were famil-iar with,” said Bruce Pujanauski,who lives in Oak Hill.

But Bruce Pujanauski said hecouldn’t think of a better experi-ence for his son, who came backspeaking and writing German flu-ently. Now a student at the Uni-

versity of Virginia, Kevin returnedto Germany between his freshmanand sophomore years of college tointern in Berlin.

“The whole experience was justfantastic for him. He got every-thing out of it,” said BrucePujanauski.

Some of Kevin Pujanauski’speers were also a little confusedabout his plans to go to Germany.

“My friends were like ‘What?Huh? You’re still going to be inhigh school?’…It was strange formost students. At TJ, life is allabout getting ahead,” he said.

Yet Kevin Pujanauski grew a lotas a person during his year in Ger-many, where he was the onlyAmerican in his high school. It al-lowed him to experience the free-dom and responsibilities that comewith living on your own before heentered college. The teenager, whohad never been outside the UnitedStates before, also got to visit 10or 11 other countries.

The trip was not only good forKevin Pujanauski’s personalgrowth but his professional andacademic development. KevinPujanauski still sees the benefitsof that growth when he goes onjob interviews.

“I think in terms of my maturity,the benefit was two or three fold.I worked out a lot of issues thatmost people have to deal withwhen they are freshman in col-lege,” he said.

THE COST OF gap year can alsobe a deterrent for some families.Some gap year programs, particu-larly those that are structured andinvolve international travel, cancost as much as a year of collegeitself.

Camille Morrow of Alexandriasaid her parents told her she willhave to attend a public universityor college after they help pay forher gap year excursions. She plansto attend Virginia CommonwealthUniversity in the fall of 2012.

Morrow, who graduated fromT.C. Williams High School in June,is enrolling with National OutdoorLeadership School (NOLS) pro-gram this fall and may be travel-ing to West Africa in the spring.The costs for NOLS program aloneis a little under $12,000.

“I will need to spend a lot of myfree time working but I need to paythem back for some of this,” saidMorrow, whose parents were verysupportive of her taking time offbefore going to college.

“I’ve been in school for so long.I felt like it would be nice to take

a break. I will pretty much besleeping on the ground for threemonths and I am not allowed tohave a cell phone,” said Morrow,who will backpack, canoe andcamp in the Southwest UnitedStates. “I definitely think it will begood for me to get away. I think Iwill come back more attuned tomyself.”

NOT ALL gap year plans requirethat a family shell out an immenseamount of money for tuition.

For example, Hunt andPujanauski are both receiving fullscholarships to study abroad,which assuaged their parents’ con-cerns about the cost of taking agap year. Volunteer programs likeAmericorps — where students canassist flood, hurricane and tornadovictims for example — also coverroom and board for their partici-pants.

“I think the fact that I receiveda full scholarship helped. I think

[the gap year] would have been amuch tougher sell if I had beenasking my parents to pay for it,”said Kevin Pujanauski.

Some young adults also chooseto work during their gap year.

Liam Malakoff is working ongetting various Red Cross and wil-derness first responder certifica-tions so he is better qualified toget a job in Colorado outdoorscommunity. A recent graduate ofT.C. Williams, Malakoff would liketo be a whitewater rafting, canoe-ing or camping guide in the west-ern United States during his timeoff.

“The one rule I set for myself isthat I have to do something. Thereis no point in taking a year off andnot doing anything with it,” hesaid.

Malakoff, who just returnedfrom kayaking competition in Wis-consin, is also hoping to organizea whitewater kayaking race serieson the East Coast.

College Can WaitSome local high school graduatesput off going to college for a year topursue other opportunities.

McLean High School graduate Emily Hunt deferred heradmission to James Madison University so she couldspend a gap year going to school in Mexico.

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Gap Year ResourcesIs your child considering taking a year off between high school and

college? Here are some helpful websites and books with information ongap years.

❖ http://www.usagapyearfairs.org - Look for upcoming local gap yearfairs during the 2011-2012 school year at this website.

❖ http://www.gapyear.com - General information on gap years andgap year programs

❖ “The Gap Year Advantage: Helping Your Child Benefit From Time OffBefore Or During College,” by Karl Haigler and Rae Nelson. This book hasgeneral tips on the gap year process.

❖ “The Complete Guide To The Gap Year: The Best Things To DoBetween High School and College,” by Kristin White. This book is another“tell all” on taking a gap year.


Visit These Houses of WorshipJoin A Club, Make New Friends, or Expand Your Horizons...

To Highlight Your Faith Community call Karen at 703- 917-6468

Assembly of GodVienna Assembly of God ... 703-938-7736

Washington Christian Church...703-938-7720

Cristo Es Mi Refugio...703-938-7727

Baha’iBaha’i Faith for Northern Virginia ... 703-821-3345

BaptistGlobal Mission Church ... 703-757-0877Peace Baptist Church ... 703-560-8462

Bethel Primitive Baptist Church ... 703-757-8134Cartersville Baptist Church ... 703-255-7075Fellowship Baptist Church ... 703-385-8516

First Baptist Church ... 703-938-8525The Light Mission Church ... 703-757-0877

Vienna Baptist Church ... 703-281-4400New Union Baptist Church... 703-281-2556

BuddhistVajrayogini Buddhist Center... 202-331-2122

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF VIENNA

450 ORCHARD STREETVIENNA, VA

[email protected]

www.fbcv.org

Dr. KENNY SMITH,PASTOR

SUNDAY WORSHIP, 7:45 AM & 11:00 AMMIDWEEK SERVICES, WED. 7:00 PM

11321 Beach Mill RoadGreat Falls, VA 20165

It’s like coming home

Rev. D. J. Zuchelli, Pastor

[email protected]

SMITH CHAPEL UM CHURCH

WORSHIP HOURS SUNDAY: 11:00 AM

bLivingFaith A.M.E. Church

Rev. Dr. Peter G. Taylor, Pastor

“Serving the People of God”

SHERATON RESTON HOTEL

LET US WORSHIP GOD TOGETHER

SUNDAY SCHOOL 9 A.M.SUNDAY WORSHIP 10 A.M.

703-899-8378 LivingFaith4U.org

1133 Reston Avenue, Herndon, VA 20170Summer Worship Hours: 8:30 am and 10:30 am

Rev. Dr. William H. Flammann, PastorChurch Office: 703.437.5020

Preschool: 703.437.4511www.gslcva.org

8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist Rite I

10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist Rite IIChildren’s Chapel July 10 through Aug 28

5:00 p.m. Come as You Are Contemporary Service

Nursery care provided at 10:00 a.m. Service

The Rev. James Papile, RectorThe Rev. Jacqueline Thomson

The Rev. Denise Trogdon703-437-6530

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

ST. ANNE’SEPISCOPALCHURCH • Reston

Progressive & Welcoming

News

Film Spotlights Potomac Gorge

Kayakers challenge therapids in the PotomacGorge, one of the mostbiologically rich naturalareas in the EasternUnited States. ThePotomac Gorge is the 15-mile river corridor fromGreat Falls toGeorgetown.

Photo by

Erika Nortemann

From Page 5

only cactus species in Maryland— painted turtles, the wood frogand the great blue heron. Bear Is-land is a 96-acre nature preserveco-owned by the Conservancy andthe Park Service and is accessibleby some challenging sections ofthe Billy Goat Trail.

The portion of the movie thatfocused on the Billy Goat trailprompted the first question dur-ing the question-and-answer pe-riod from one of the youngestviewers: “Are there billy goats onthe Billy Goat trail?” The answeris no, but it is believed to be named

after the rough terrain in someareas of the hiking trail. Otherquestions sparked conversationabout the decline in Americanshad and other species, but, over-all, the positive tone of the filmand the conversation focused onthe treasure shared in the back-yard of Washington, Virginia andMaryland.

Videographer Pat Andersonshared thoughts from his chanceto fly with the Park Service in theirhelicopter while shooting theGorge. He saw the environment innew ways and said the biggestchallenge with all this footage iswhat to leave out.

The 20-minute video will soonbe shown at the National Park Ser-vice visitors’ centers at Great Falls,Va., and Great Falls, Md., and pos-sibly shown at future film festivals.The film was made possible bygrants from the National Park Ser-vice, the National Parks Founda-tion and Crystal Light. To learnmore about the Potomac Gorgeand efforts to protect it, visitnature.org/maryland and shareyour experience with the PotomacGorge on facebook.com/dc.md.va.nature.conservancy.

Tom McCann is a writer withThe Nature Conservancy


SportsGreat Falls Connection Sports Editor Rich Sanders

703-224-3031 or [email protected]

The Great Falls Sharks13U Fastpitch Softball teamcompeted in the MontrealFastpitch Challenge June 30through July 3. The Sharks,who won first place in theirbracket, competed againstteams from Montreal, Toronto,Quebec, and the eastern UnitedStates en route to winning the18th rendition of the annual in-ternational event. The Sharkswere the only team from theWashington, D.C., area to com-pete in the tournament.

During pool play, the Sharkswent 3-3, facing the highest-ranked teams in the tourna-ment. By relying on great pitch-ing by Haley Falkenberry, KerryBush, and Caroline Potteiger,and superb infield defense byEleanor Chinn, Maggie Natal,and Molly Viar, the team of only10 players battled through heatand illness struggles that keptthe roster at a maximum of ninemost of the tournament.

Pool play featured a dramatic1-0 victory over the NY LadyBombers — the team that ulti-mately won the other divisionin the competition. The Sharks’outfielders — Jillian Carr, Mor-gan Wittrock, Lauren Simons,and Nicole Verdin — madecome clutch plays and catchesto hold the opposition at bayduring the series of games. TheSharks’ bats came alive duringthe single elimination playoffday when they won threestraight games to claim the Cupdivision championship. Thechampionship run was high-lighted by an 18-2 win in thefinal game.

“Softball in the D.C. area is

very competitive and really pre-pares a team for competing ona national or internationallevel,” said Mike Sharkey, Presi-dent of the Great Falls Sharksorganization. “We are proud ofwhat the 13U Sharks were ableto accomplish in Montreal.”

The Great Falls SharksFastpitch Softball program pro-vides girls ages 10 to 16 abridge of competitive travelsoftball. The program will in-clude the following teams thisfall: 16U, 14U, 13U, and 12U.This growing program seeksadditional players at all age lev-els. Tryouts will be held in earlyAugust. Interested partiesshould visit the Great FallsSharks website atwww.gfsharks.org.

McLean Youth Soccer(MYS) Fall 2011 Registra-tion has begun on MYS’ website at www.mcleansoccer.orgfor all returning and new fami-lies. MYS offers various pro-grams for children ages 4 thru18, including Recreation,Travel, McLean Premier Soccer,Travel, U5 for Pre-K players,and TOP Soccer for childrenwith special needs. The seasonwill begin the week of Sept. 12and extend through mid-No-vember. Register no later thanJuly 31 to take advantage of theearly discounted registrationfees. Visit the website for Sum-mer Camp information. Formore information or questions,contact the MYS Club Adminis-trator [email protected] orcall the MYS Office 703-506-8068.

The Highlands Whomping Turtles improvedtheir record to 4-0 with a 229-173 victory over LeeGraham. Double winners from Highlands were ClaireCollins, Diego Cruzado, Allison Martin, and OliviaTripodi. Highlands’ single winners were SophiaBenmhend, Scott Callander, Ben Charles, Xenia deCazotte, Hayden Evans, Colton Heuple, Chris Hylton,Kelsey Isman, Maria McGuire, Sarah Murphy, OliviaPope, Griffin Romanek, Greer Schuman, and ZachTripodi.

Diego Cruzado set a new team record in the boys9-10 50 Freestyle with a time of 32.45 and ClaireCollins set a team record in the 13-14 girls 50 Breast-stroke with her time of 37.26.

The RiverBend StingRays remained unde-feated after beating Hidden Creek Country Club, 349-160, on Saturday. Will Koeppen and Eliza Pastoreeach won four events while Ryan Windus and MicaelaGrassi won three events each. Savie Seebald, ConorWesolowski, Devlin Wesolowski, Tommy Rogers,Anna Phillips and Jack Hall all scored two first-placefinishes. Other blue ribbon winners were: Ryan Bond,Emma Grassi, Connor Smith, Olivia McDonnell,Sabrina Slavin, Grant Youngkin, Maggie Duff andHaley Smith. The StingRays swept many events anddominated the relays, winning nine out of 12 events.The StingRays will swim to defend their Division titlenext week against Westwood.

The Great Falls Rapids captured first place inthe NVSL Division 9 Relay Carnival with a total scoreof 206 points, finishing ahead of Hollin Meadows(186), Brookfield Swim Club (162), Kent Gardens(144), Arlington Forest (130) and Fairfax Club Es-tates (128). Great Falls took first place in 10 of the22 relays, including: Girls 18-under Mixed AgeFreestyle, Boys 8-under Medley and Freestyle, Boys9-10 Medley and Freestyle, Girls 9-10 Medley, Boys13-14 Medley and Freestyle, and Girls 15-18 Med-ley and Freestyle.

The Rapids (2-2), after winning the Div. 9 RelayCarnival earlier in the week, continued their winningstreak, beating the Fairfax Club Estates Flippers (0-4) by a score of 221-181 last Saturday. Double firstplace winners included Julia Bullock, Eric Eichler, WillKemmerer, Ana Mulligan and Marina Smith. Singlefirst place winners included Carolyn Amano-Dolan,Mary Liz Elliott, Joseph Fallon, Megan Jungers, AnnieKemmerer, William Long, John Mulligan, Stephen

Thorsen, Thora Toloczko and Max Wingo.

Two weeks ago, Great Falls won its first meet ofthe season, beating Kent Gardens (1-2) by a score of212-190 on July 9. Double first place winners forGreat Falls included Julia Bullock, Will Kemmerer,Ana Mulligan, Marina Smith, Max Wingo andAlexandra Zeidan. Single first place winners includedEric Eichler, Stephen Eichler, Mary Liz Elliott, MeganJungers, Tyler Lentine, William Long, CharlotteSmith, Sophie Smith, Annie Thomas and JosephThomas.

The Langley Wildthings swam in a Div. 4 meetagainst Dunn Loring on Saturday, but lost the hard-fought competition to the Dolphins, 217 to 185.Double event winners for Langley were Jinwon Bailar,Jack Hoeymans, Meghan Overend, Elena Shklyar andVincent Watson. Single event winners wereAlexandra Cramer, Callan Cramer, Nathan Johnson,Jack Reilly, Katie Robinson, Benjamin Scott andAudrey Wallach. Three Langley records were broken:Overend in the girls 15-18 fly (30.46); the girls’ 11-12 relay of Elena Shklyar, Emily Wallach, TatianaBennett and Maggie Bellaschi (1:08.64); and the boys13-14 relay of Nathan Johnson, Callan Cramer,Jinwon Bailar and Sammy Bennett (59.89), break-ing a 44-year old record.

The Great Falls Sharks 13-under girls’ fast pitchsoftball team, left to right: Morgan Wittrock, MollyViar, Kerry Bush, Lauren Simons, and CarolinePotteiger. Second row: Coach John Bush, head coachNeal Falkenberry, Eleanor Chinn, Maggie Natal,Jillian Carr, Nicole Verdin, Haley Falkenberry, andcoach Greg Potteiger.

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Sports Roundups

The RiverBend 13-14 Boys celebrate oneof their recent victories. From left toright: Carter Bennett, Matthew Dungan,Andrew Kvasnicka, Conor Wesolowski,Grant Youngkin, Thomas Windus andTommy Rogers.

The Great Falls Rapids captured first place at the Div. 9 Relay Carnival last week.

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Swim Report


SHILLELAGHS TRAVEL CLUB100 East Street SE, Suite 202 • Vienna, Virginia 22180

703-242-2204 1-800-556-8646Please visit our Web site at: www.shillelaghtravelclub.com

for a listing of all our upcoming trips and socials.

WILMINGTON, N.C. by Motorcoach, Sept. 25-28...................$599Includes transportation, hotel, 3 Breakfasts, 2 Lunches, 2 Dinners,Sightseeing, boat ride, wine tastingALBUQUERQUE BALLOON FIESTA, Oct. 7-16 ................ $2,949Includes air from Dulles, Hotel, Daily Breakfast, 5 Dinners,Sightseeing, transfersDAY TRIP FOR LORNA LUFT CONCERT! Oct. 12 .............. $127Includes Transportation, Lunch & Concert in Bethlehem, PA

‘Sweet Liberty,’ a collectionof patriotic photographs byTerri Parent, is on displaythrough July 30 at Katie’sCoffeehouse in Great Falls.This picture of the Statue ofLiberty is titled ‘Her Maj-esty.’

Patriotic Photographsat Katie’sCoffeehouse

News

Dee Leggett, a Great Falls pho-tographer and member of GreatFalls Studios, has just opened anew photography display at TheTavern at Great Falls — “Colors ofNature and More.” The exhibitruns through July and August2011. Leggett has been capturingthe beauty and power of nature inher photos for over 10 years. TheTavern is located at 9835Georgetown Pike in Great Fallsand is open every day from 11 a.m.–9 p.m. or later.

The EasternTiger Swallow-tail, the Vir-ginia stateinsect, is afrequentspring andsummer visitorto Great Fallsyards. Thisphoto is ondisplay at TheTavern duringJuly and Au-gust.

Photography Show at The Tavern at Great Falls

WATCH FOR THESE UPCOMINGSPECIAL EDITIONS IN THE CONNECTION

Ask about our Summer SpecialsFor advertising information, call 703-778-9410or e-mail [email protected]

• Pet Connection, publishes July 27, closes July 21• Wellbeing, publishes Aug. 3, closes July 27• HomeLifeStyle, publishes Aug. 10, closes Aug. 4• A+ Education Learning Fun, publishes Aug. 17, closes Aug. 11• Insider’s Edition: Community and Newcomer’s Guide,

publishes Aug. 24, closes Aug. 18


1409 Cola Drive, McLean, VA 22101 • $825,000Open Sunday, 2–4 p.m. • JD Callander, Weichert, 703-606-7901

Falls Church7631 Shreve Rd.....................$725,000..Sun 1-4 ........ Eve Shapiro ........Keller Williams..703-517-7511

Herndon12007 Meadowville Ct. .......... $754,900..Sun 1-4 .. Irene Schiffman..................Weichert ..703-593-784812526 Ridgegate Dr...............$699,000..Sun 1-4......Liam Doherty...Fairfax Realty, Inc. ..703-975-73661334 Grant St........................$524,999..Sun 1-4 .....Ariana Gillette.........................RS1..703-655-841513405 Alfred Mill Ct...............$574,899..Sun 1-4 ...Donny Samson..Samson Properties..703-864-4894

McLean1409 Cola Dr ......................... $825,000..Sun 2-4 ....... JD Callander..................Weichert ..703-606-7901

Oak Hill12116 Bennett Rd...............$1,250,000..Sun 1-4..........Lex Lianos..................Weichert ..703-340-7470

Oakton3347 Lloyd Hill Court.....$1,190,000.00..Sun 1-4 ...........Lee Jones..Samson Properties .. 703 675-052311305 Walnut Creek Ct .......$1,325,000..Sun 1-4.......Ashley White..........TTR Sothebys..703-431-170512114 Wayland St ................. $614,900..Sun 1-4 ........ Lisa Moffett.......Coldwell Banker..703-517-67083179 Summit Sq. #2-A1.......$225,000..Sun 1-4.....Kari Steinberg ......... Long & Foster..703-343-5242

Reston1220 Wild Hawthorn Way .. No price yet..Sun 1-4 ...Donny Samson..Samson Properties..703-864-489412153 Purple Sage Ct............$308,000..Sun 1-4..Isabelle Brugere..................Weichert ..703-244-8788

Vienna2701 Bellforest Ct #402.........$409,000.Sun 1-4 .........Ron Fowler.................Weichert ..703-598-05112701 Bellforest Ct. #409........$330,000.Sun 1-4 .........Ron Fowler..................Weichert ..703-598-0511201 East St., NE.....................$875,000..Sun 1-4 ...Karen Chipman..................Weichert ..703-255-1585717 Hillcrest Dr SW............$1,075,000..Sun 1-4....Casey Samson..Samson Properties..703-508-2535

To add your FREE Realtor representedOpen House to these weekly listings,

please contact Salome Gaiblerat 703-778-9421 or

[email protected] listings are due by Monday at 3 P.M.

OPEN HOUSESSATURDAY/SUNDAY, JULY 23 & 24

Call Specific Agents to Confirm Dates & Times.

When you visit one of these Open Houses, tell the Realtor you saw it in thisConnection Newspaper. For more real estate listings and open houses, visit

www.ConnectionNewspapers.com & click the Real Estate links on the right side.

Copyright 2011 Metropolitan Regional Information Systems, Inc. Visit www.mris.com.

Address ................................. BR FB HB .. Postal City .... Sold Price .. Type ......... Lot AC .......................... Subdivision540 INNSBRUCK AVE ...................... 5 ... 6 ... 1 ... GREAT FALLS ... $3,800,000 ... Detached ....... 6.17 .................................. INNSBRUCK10900 SHALLOW CREEK DR ........... 5 ... 4 ... 1 ... GREAT FALLS ... $1,550,000 ... Detached ....... 1.04 ............... ESTATES AT LONGWOOD447 WALKER RD ............................. 5 ... 4 ... 3 ... GREAT FALLS ... $1,410,000 ... Detached ....... 1.00 ................................ FORESTVILLE268 GOLDEN WOODS CT ................ 5 ... 4 ... 1 ... GREAT FALLS ... $1,370,000 ... Detached ....... 5.00 ......................... MAYNOR ESTATES10907 BEACH MILL RD ................... 6 ... 6 ... 1 ... GREAT FALLS ... $1,300,000 ... Detached ....... 5.00 ................ GARNIER MILL ESTATES10941 WOODLAND FALLS DR ......... 5 ... 5 ... 0 ... GREAT FALLS ... $1,250,000 ... Detached ....... 1.74 ........................ WOODLAND FALLS904 GOLDEN ARROW ST ................ 5 ... 3 ... 1 ... GREAT FALLS ... $1,212,500 ... Detached ....... 5.18 ........................... OLIVER ESTATES10002 THOMPSON RIDGE CT ......... 5 ... 5 ... 0 ... GREAT FALLS ... $1,200,000 ... Detached ....... 2.00 .............. HICKORY CREEK ESTATES822 GOLDEN ARROW ST ................ 5 ... 4 ... 2 ... GREAT FALLS ... $1,180,000 ... Detached ....... 0.55 ........................... OLIVER ESTATES11102 FARM RD ............................. 6 ... 6 ... 1 ... GREAT FALLS ... $1,150,000 ... Detached ....... 2.06 .................... FORESTVILLE FARMS10121 CAPTAIN HICKORY PL ........... 5 ... 5 ... 1 ... GREAT FALLS ... $1,100,000 ... Detached ....... 1.22 ............................HICKORY CREEK10808 LOCKMEADE CT ................... 5 ... 3 ... 1 ... GREAT FALLS ... $1,010,000 ... Detached ....... 0.91 ..................................... LOCKMAR710 SENECA RD.............................. 5 ... 3 ... 1 ... GREAT FALLS ...... $950,000 ... Detached ....... 1.91 .............................. SENECA RIDGE1094 FAIRBANK ST ......................... 4 ... 5 ... 1 ... GREAT FALLS ...... $948,000 ... Detached ....... 1.18 .......................... MILL RUN ACRES904 HOLLY CREEK DR ..................... 4 ... 3 ... 1 ... GREAT FALLS ...... $905,000 ... Detached ....... 0.53 ............................... HOLLY KNOLL9505 BRIAN JAC LN ........................ 4 ... 3 ... 1 ... GREAT FALLS ...... $861,000 ... Detached ....... 0.92 ............... SADDLEBROOK ESTATES9514 NEUSE WAY ........................... 4 ... 3 ... 0 ... GREAT FALLS ...... $815,000 ... Detached ....... 0.92 ....................... RIVERSIDE MANOR1116 TROTTING HORSE LN ............ 5 ... 2 ... 1 ... GREAT FALLS ...... $800,000 ... Detached ....... 0.63 ................................ LOCUST HILL10108 SANDERS CT ........................ 4 ... 2 ... 1 ... GREAT FALLS ...... $737,500 ... Detached ....... 0.98 ............................HICKORY CREEK980 LEIGH MILL RD ........................ 4 ... 3 ... 0 ... GREAT FALLS ...... $700,000 ... Detached ....... 3.96 ............................................NONE10409 ARTEMEL LN ........................ 4 ... 3 ... 0 ... GREAT FALLS ...... $680,000 ... Detached ....... 0.48 ..................... LEXINGTON ESTATES1011 CUP LEAF HOLLY CT ............... 5 ... 3 ... 1 ... GREAT FALLS ...... $677,500 ... Detached ....... 0.50 ............................... HOLLY KNOLL10423 ARTEMEL LN ........................ 4 ... 3 ... 0 ... GREAT FALLS ...... $675,000 ... Detached ....... 0.70 ..................... LEXINGTON ESTATES12100 HOLLY KNOLL CIR ................ 4 ... 2 ... 1 ... GREAT FALLS ...... $665,000 ... Detached ....... 0.55 ............................... HOLLY KNOLL10005 COLUMBINE ST .................... 5 ... 3 ... 0 ... GREAT FALLS ...... $650,000 ... Detached ....... 0.51 ........................... OLIVER ESTATES9503 LOCUST HILL DR ................... 4 ... 3 ... 0 ... GREAT FALLS ...... $650,000 ... Detached ....... 0.46 ................................ LOCUST HILL10609 GOOD SPRING AVE .............. 3 ... 3 ... 0 ... GREAT FALLS ...... $355,000 ... Detached ....... 0.53 ............................... SPRINGWOOD10200 MCKEAN CT ......................... 3 ... 2 ... 0 ... GREAT FALLS ...... $350,000 ... Detached ....... 0.23 ....................GREAT FALLS FOREST

In June 2011, 28 Great Falls homes sold between $3,800,000-$350,000.Home Sales

It all started with an 8-year-old’s question hermother couldn’t answer:“What would it be like if

Helen Keller lived today?”Madeleine Steppel, along

with all of the second grade stu-dents at Great Falls ElementarySchool, had been learningabout Helen Keller in prepara-tion for the third grade VirginiaStandards of Learning exam inSocial Studies. They learnedthat Helen Keller became blindand deaf after enduring scarletfever when she was 18 monthsold. Her teacher, AnnieSullivan, taught her sign lan-guage, and Helen Keller be-came an accomplished author,world traveler, and advocate forpeople with disabilities. Evenafter Madeleine read an addi-tional biography of Helen Kellerfrom the library to supplementwhat she had learned in school,she still wanted to know more.

Madeleine’s mother, DebraSteppel, wanted to help herdaughter find out how peoplewho are blind and deaf usetechnology nowadays to livetheir daily lives. She contactedthe ENDependence Center ofNorthern Virginia, based in Ar-lington, and worked withMadeleine’s teacher Nancy

disabilities, and they saw thatpeople with disabilities canhave families and any type ofcareer they choose. Solarshowed a presentation aboutdifferent adaptive technologiesused by people who are deafand blind. Ray explained howshe uses her cellphone to “read”newspaper articles using thetechnology on their websitethat plays the audio of the textof each article.

Madeleine Steppel’s questionwas finally answered, and theentire second grade at GreatFalls Elementary School learnedfrom the life experiences of twovery interesting people.

More information about theENDependence Center is athttp://ecnv.org.

Christina Todd (ASL Interpreter), Doris Ray, andDoreen Solar sharing their insights with 80 secondgraders at Great Falls Elementary School June 20.

Wong, to arrange for Doreen So-lar, who has been deaf since herbirth to two deaf parents, andDoris Ray, who has keyhole blind-ness and uses 2 hearing aids, tocome to Great Falls ElementarySchool on Monday June 20 to an-swer Madeleine’s question andshare their knowledge and expe-rience with all 3 GFES secondgrade classes.

When the inquisitive studentsasked about how deaf and blindpeople communicate, ASL Inter-preter Christina Todd and DorisRay demonstrated how the deafand blind person puts both handsaround the other person’s handsso they can feel the hand signs.The students learned appropriatelanguage and behavior when in-teracting with people who have

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Communication inToday’s WorldGreat Falls Elementary hosts disabilitytechnology session.


Zone 6 Ad Deadline:

Monday Noon

703-917-6400

Zone 6: • Arlington • Great Falls

• McLean • Vienna/OaktonClassifiedClassified

21 Announcements 21 Announcements 21 Announcements

21 Announcements 21 Announcements 21 Announcements

3 RE for Rent

Mclean, 4 BR, 3 BA, 2 car garage, large

deck, screened porch off walk out basemnt,

near Mclean HS, $2600/mo,

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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]

104 Entertainment

CLASSICAL HARPISTAvail for weddings/events in the VA/MD/DC area. Classi-cally trained. Exp’d. Call Anna at 703-901-8555.

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 Barbara @ 703-778-9413

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

Zone 6 Ad Deadline:

Tuesday 11 a.m.

703-917-6464


• McLean • Vienna/OaktonEmploymentEmployment

Horse Stall CleanersThe Madeira School in McLean, VA is in

search of Stall Cleaners to clean, lay shaving bedding, rake/sweep the stalls of 34 horses. Experience with horses is not necessary but must be able to lift

100 pounds. Please email or send letter of interest/resume to The Madeira

School, [email protected] or call 703-556-8260 for additional information.

P/T Program AssistantThe Safe Community Coalition (SCC) is looking for a part-time Program Assis-tant. This 20 hour per week position

will report to the SCC’s Executive Direc-tor and will be responsible for conduct-ing administrative, financial and out-reach activities for the organization.Candidate in the SCC service area of

McLean, Great Falls and parts of Vienna and Falls Church are preferred.

For the full job description, visit www.safecommunitycoalition.net

and go to the About Us tab for further information. Email resume to:

[email protected].

CONSTRUCTION INSPECTORS

JMT is seeking experienced Transportation Con-struction Inspectors to work on several highwayprojects throughout VA, to fill positions of SeniorInspector, Inspector and Inspector Trainee.

VDOT certifications required; DCR E&S Control, GRIT, Work ZoneSafety Intermediate, 10 Hour OSHA, Soils & Aggregate, AsphaltField, ACI, Concrete Field, Pavement Markings, Flagger and NuclearSafety required. Employment consideration still given for expiredcertifications. VA PE a plus. MARTCP HMA a plus. Min. 3 yearsHighway/Bridge Construction Inspection experience required.

See how bright your future can be and apply online at:www.jmt.comEOE/AA Employer

Bonus Opportunity Available

The Biggest name is also the Best…

Better support. Better advantages. Better everything.That’s what you’ll find when you join the biggest name in the business. At Sears, we’ve made product repair a “paperless” process. So you can order parts, set ap-pointments and manage your day right from your laptop. We also provide the laptop, the truck, the uniforms and the tools and dispatch you directly from your home. If you’re as committed to customer service as we are and have 1+ years relat-ed experience, we have big plans for your future.Bring your resume for on the spot testing & interviews with hiring managers at our:

ONE DAY HIRING EVENT!

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You can also apply by visiting www.sears.com/careers or fax/email resume to: 410-762-5773 or [email protected]

Sears is an EEO/AA Employer. We support a drug-free workplace.

Love to Decorate?Decorating Den Interiors was chosen Bestof the Best by Entrepreneur Magazine. Homebased, flexible schedule, low overhead,wholesale accounts. Call for more information onhow you can turn your passion into a business.

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DENTAL ASSISTANT TRAINEESNEEDED NOW!

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EDUCATION TRAINING

SUMMER INTERNSHIPS AVAILABLEONLINE INTERNS

Educational internships available for enthusiastic col-lege students to join our new website launch team. Thisis an exciting opportunity to help develop content andsections for our new website, due to launch in latespring. Throughout the summer, we’ll be adding specif-ics to our entertainment and events sections, creatingspecial projects and content, and exploring new media.Internships are unpaid, but offer an unusual chance towork with award-winning editors while developing first-rate online presence. Summer internships require acommitment of at least six weeks, 16-40 hours a week.Please e-mail a statement ofinterest and a resume to [email protected]

COMMUNITY NEWSFREELANCE OPPORTUNITY

The Connection Newspapers is looking forone or two writers to cover one or two newsstories a week. Work with award-winningeditor. On-the-beat training, nominal payper story. Please send resume, letter of inter-est to Kemal Kurspahic, [email protected]

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Then there are those people who defi-nitely should know about your (mine actu-ally) health status – and whom you want totell, and tell in an extremely timely and con-siderate manner. People whose friendshipyou value, whose counsel you seek, whoseunderstanding and support you need, andwhose care and concern you cherish.People in your inner circle who are happyto surround you with open arms and warmembraces – literally and figuratively. Theseare typically the first people on the list to betold anything, especially things pertaining toyour health, given the terminal nature of theoriginal diagnosis (I wouldn’t tell them if Ihad a hang nail, but I might tell them if Ihad a bloody nose; an occasional side effectof the chemotherapy drug, Avastin, withwhich I am still infused monthly).

But neglecting to tell them, as innocentlyand as inadvertently as it may sometimesbe, causes its own unique set of problems/anxieties. Since these individuals know mostof the details of my original prognosis,they’re particularly sensitive to not hearingfrom me regularly, not receiving prompt callbacks and not being kept in the loop. Notso much daily, but frequently enough sothat the status of your life is not left to anykind of chance and/or random update/encounter. They want to know, and have aright to know – given the depth and historyof their respective relationship with you, somy being casual about what tests I’m hav-ing, what results I’m waiting for, whatappointments I’m scheduling, etc., may suitmy laissez-faire-type approach, but mightnot suit their respective – and worried –personalities.

All of which doesn’t bother me in theleast. It matters to me. In fact, it empowersme. However, sometimes it humors me lessthan others. Sometimes, I don’t want toupdate anybody about anything. Some-times, I want to mind my own business – lit-erally, and not involve anybody in any of it.Though I respect and appreciate every-body’s concern, sometimes I want to makeas little as possible about what I’m goingthrough in an attempt to prevent the cancerfrom consuming my life and freaking meout. And not talking about it, not assessing itin multiple conversations – soon afterreceiving results, via phone calls, texts, e-mails is almost therapeutic: the less saidabout it, the better (although I realize onelikely has very little to do with the other.) Itis my effort, amateurish though it may be, toemploy a variety of mind games to managemy emotions and control the spread of mycancer.

It’s a real-life version of GeorgeCostanza’s advice to Jerry Seinfeld on howto beat a Lie Detector test: “It’s not a lie, ifyou believe it.” I guess I too am sort of pre-tending – with conviction, though. If I don’tact like my health situation is serious, may-be it won’t be serious. And regularly, con-stantly, communicating with my closestfriends and family members – as if some-thing is really wrong with me, might have aharmful effect on me, and since I’ve alreadybeen diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer,I’m hoping that what I don’t tell you – asquickly as you want – and deserve – to hearit, won’t hurt me.

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

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

NeedTo Tell

News

From Page 4

and helps preserve the plant life adjacentto the trail.

Mark is a junior at Langley High Schooland has been active in the Langley Choralgroups.

JEREMY BROOKS, son of JonathanBrooks of Great Falls and Beth Brooks ofReston, crossed over into Boy Scout Troop673 in 2006. He has been active in outdooractivities such as hiking, camping, bikingand service projects. Some of his favoritetroop activities include the annual Old RagHiking trip and the 185-mile C & O Canalbike ride from Cumberland, Md. to Wash-ington, D.C. Jeremy played a leadership roleas a Patrol Leader and Quartermaster.

Jeremy’s Eagle project involved organiz-ing and leading a team of scouts, friends,and family to restore the tadpole pond atRiver Bend Park. A senior at Langley HighSchool, Jeremy was active with the Crewteam for two years, and has pursued his in-terest in Culinary Arts through the MarshalHigh School Academy program. Jeremyearned an American Red Cross Life Guardcertificate in 2009 and has worked as a LifeGuard for Reston Association for two sum-mers. Jeremy has also pursued an interestin road biking and has joined the PotomacPeddlers club for day rides through the Vir-ginia countryside. After High School, Jer-emy plans to hike the Appalachian Trail andearn a degree in the Culinary Arts.

JAMES WAUGH, son of Bill and NancyWaugh of Great Falls, began scouting in2000 as a Cub Scout in Pack 673 andcrossed over to Boy Scout Troop 673 in2004. Since joining the troop, James hasparticipated in numerous troop outings in-cluding backpacking trips, ski trips, sum-mer camps, and troop service projects. Hehas twice completed the C&O Canal BikeHike, riding all 185 miles of the canal tow-path over a 5-day trip. James also completedthe Triple Crown of High Adventure trips:Sea Base in 2007, Northern Tier in 2008,and Philmont in 2010. James has served invarious leadership positions in the troop in-cluding Patrol leader, Troop Guide, Scribe,Librarian, and Co-Crew Chief on hisPhilmont trek.

For his Eagle Project, James supervised acrew of scouts and friends in blazing a newtrail at Riverbend Park to provide access tothe Park’s meadow for horse riders and bird

watchers.James has the honor of being the 100th

Eagle Scout in Troop 673, joining a list ofEagle Scouts which includes his older broth-ers Matthew and Mark.

James is a senior at Langley High School.He plays tuba in the Langley Wind Sym-phony band, is a member of the LangleyBridge Club and Chess Club, and has par-ticipated in Crew for three years. Jamesplans to attend James Madison Universityin the fall.

CLARK ANDERSEN, son of ClaudeAndersen and Carrie Clark of Great Falls,joined Troop 673 in 2004, after earning therank of Arrow of Light as a Cub Scout inPack 673. Since joining the troop, Clark hasbeen Patrol Leader four times, AssistantSenior Patrol Leader, and Senior PatrolLeader.

Clark has completed many rigorous, highadventure trips during his time in Troop673. He has completed the 185 mile biketrip down the C&O Canal Towpath twiceand participated in the Triple Crown of HighAdventure trips: Sea Base in 2007, North-ern Tier in 2008 and Philmont in 2010.Clark earned the special religious award,Ad Altari Dei, in 2006. He was elected intothe Order of the Arrow in 2008, complet-ing both his Ordeal and Brotherhood lev-els.

For his Eagle Scout Project, Clark helpedSeeCareDo , a non-profit organization, inthe creation of a game to record and mapgood deeds done in honor of the men andwomen who serve or have served in ourcountry’s military services. His objective wasto establish a beta test for the game. Work-ing closely with the organization leadersand the scouts and parents of Troop 673,Clark was able to help them develop therules of the game and test the computerprogram for recording and mapping thesededicated “good deeds.”

A senior at Langley, Clark has been onthe lacrosse team since freshman year andhas won two consecutive Virginia StateChampionships. Outside of school, Clarkhas achieved the level of First Degree FirstStripe Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do. Clarkplans to attend Christopher Newport Uni-versity this coming fall and pursue a careerin federal law enforcement.

TYLER PLANTO, son of Col. Evin andLynette Planto of Vienna, moved to Virginiain 2003 after his father was deployed to Iraq

for operation Iraqi Freedom. Joining thetroop after the invitation of a friend, Tylerhas achieved his Triple Crown award byattending Sea Base in 2007, Northern Tierin 2008, and Philmont in 2010. He has heldnumerous leadership positions in the troopincluding Assistant Senior Patrol Leader,Patrol Leader, Co-Crew Chief for hisPhilmont trek, Bugler, and Chaplain’s Aide.

For his Eagle Project, Tyler led a team ofscouts and adults to build a bridge atRiverbend Park. The project required de-tailed drawings and acquisition of the ma-terials for construction. Now hikers and bik-ers can traverse the bridge with ease with-out having to break their stride.

Tyler, a senior at Langley High School,balances school, varsity football, and modelUnited Nations; plays trombone in the Lan-gley Wind Symphony band; and has par-ticipated as a German exchange student.Tyler will be attending Dickinson Collegein the fall where he will play football andbe enrolled in the Army ROTC program. Hecredits his inspiration for serving his coun-try by observing and respecting the 30-yeararmy career of his father. Tyler intends tostay connected with scouting and hopes tohave some experiences as an assistant scout-master in his future.

TOMMY GRANT, son of Thomas Grantand Susan Case-Grant of Great Falls, joinedTroop 673 in 2006 after crossing over fromCub Scout Pack 673. He has participated innumerous troop backpacking trips and sum-mer camps as well as BSA High Adventuretrips to Sea Base in 2009 and Philmont in2010. He was elected into the Order of theArrow in 2008 and has earned 23 meritbadges including the Boy Scout CentennialMerit Badge for Pathfinding. Tommy Granthas served in various leadership positionsincluding Den Chief, Quartermaster, PatrolLeader, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader andTroop Guide. Tommy earned his Eagle rankin May 2011 at the age of 15. He is lookingforward to the opportunity to continue inScouting as an Eagle Scout and serving asa Junior Assistant Scoutmaster with Troop673.

Tommy’s Eagle Project refurbished theGreat Falls United Methodist Church’s pic-nic area that is used by church membersand students attending the preschool.

Tommy is a sophomore at The HeightsSchool in Potomac, Md. and has been amember of The Heights School baseball andsoccer teams, the boxing club, and mockUnited Nations Club. He has a keen inter-est in aviation and military history.

Boy Scout Beautify Great Falls

WEDNESDAY/JULY 13Pauline Shirley Toastmasters Club

Meeting. 6:45 p.m. McLean CommunityCenter, 1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean. Meetssecond and fourth Wednesdays of the month.703-893-5506 orpaulineshirley.freetoasthost.info.

FRIDAY/JULY 15LifeLine Screening. American Legion Post

270, 1355 Balls Hill Road, McLean. Stroke,bone density and osteoporosis screenings.Package prices from $139. Appointmentsrequired. Reserve at 877-237-1287 or

www.lifelinescreening.com.

SATURDAY/JULY 16Avoiding Divorce Court I– How to Negotiate

or Mediate a Property SettlementAgreement. 10 a.m. The Women’s Center, 127Park St., NE, Vienna. A comparison of mediationand negotiation, strategies and pitfalls to avoidand a general discussion of the issues commonlyaddressed in an Agreement, from property tosupport to custody. $45 non-members, $35members; $85 non-member couples, $60member couples. Register at

www.thewomenscenter.org

WEDNESDAY/JULY 20Personal Finance in Turbulent Times. 7

p.m. Edelman Financial Services LLCHeadquarters, 4000 Legato Road, 9th Floor,Fairfax. Discover 9 reasons you need to plan,5 obstacles you’ll face, 5 steps that will helpput you on the road to financial success, and4 rules you should follow for managing yourinvestments. $35 non-members, $25members. Register atwww.thewomenscenter.org.

Bulletin Board

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


www.GreatFallsGreatHomes.com

DanJanJan Dan

Jan & Dan Laytham703-759-9190 Office703-444-1991 Home

Susan CanisBuyer Agent

Anne MorrowBuyer Agent

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Great Falls $1,050,000 Herndon $659,000 Great Falls $997,000

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scouting beyond borders falls.pdf · 2019. 12. 18. · mary travaglini, senior pro-ducer and...

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