Langley High School's Saxon Stage presents Charles Dickens' "Nicholas Nickleby" March 10-12 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $6. The school is located at 6520 Georgetown Pike, McLean. Call 703-287-2821.
Dance From the Heart: United Belly Dance Benefit for Tsunami Aid. Dances of 1001 Nights, coordinating with sponsors in cities across the U.S., will present a Belly Dance Benefit on Saturday, April 2 to aid those in Southeast Asia affected by the tsunami. Titled “Dance From The Heart,” the Northern Virginia benefit will present performances of Egyptian, Persian, Turkish and American-influenced Middle Eastern Dance styles. This event will showcase some of the area’s top Middle Eastern dance artists, who have donated their time and effort in support of this cause. The event will be held in the main auditorium of Marshall High School, 7731 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church. The show begins at 7pm. Tickets for the show may be purchased at the door for $20 per person or in advance for $15 per person. Additional donations are welcome. Contact Nazie Massoumi at 703-653-8565 or email iluv2shimmy@yahoo.com
The annual Chesterbrook Elementary School Fun Fair will be held on Saturday, March 12 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the school, 1753 Kirby Road, McLean. Based on an "Amazon Adventure" theme, the fair will feature more than 20 games, face painting, three moon bounces, prizes, raffles, arts and crafts, and a silent auction. Contact Dana Renz at 703-917-9791 or danarenz@erols.com.
Oakcrest School, 850 Balls Hill Road, presents the musical comedy "The Trouble with Flowers," based on an original script written by Oakcrest senior Alli Bacaj, Friday, April 8 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, April 9 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Call 703-790-5450.
The Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund honors Americans in the armed forces who have sacrificed life or limb by providing college scholarships to their children. Freedom Alliance is now accepting applications for the 2005-2006 academic year. The application deadline is June 30. Freedom Alliance is accepting applications from dependent children of U.S. military personnel who have been killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty during the War on Terror in Iraq, Afghanistan, Philippines, etc. Students must be enrolled, currently or by September, at an accredited college, university or vocational school. For more information about the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund or to download an application, visit www.freedomalliance.org or call 800-475-6620.
For the second year in a row, high-school seniors in the District of Columbia, Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland will have the opportunity to receive $5,000 in scholarships by writing an essay on organ and tissue donation. A total of nine scholarships will be awarded: three in the District of Columbia, and three each in the Maryland and Virginia counties served by the Washington Regional Transplant Consortium, the Washington, D.C.-area's organ and tissue recovery organization. The winner will receive $3,000, and two runners-up will receive $1,000 each. WRTC's Donor Family Council is sponsoring this special project of financial assistance to area college-bound students. Participants must follow the rules and submit an essay (maximum 1,000 words) on the theme "Organ and Tissue Donation: Persuade Someone to Give the Gift of a Lifetime." The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, March 15, at midnight. Visit www.beadonor.org.
Graduating seniors residing in or near Great Falls are invited to apply for two Alexander DeFilippis Scholarships being offered this spring. The Women's Association of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Great Falls is proud to award these college scholarships to young men and women who have served their community with their time and talent. Membership in St. Catherine of Siena Parish is not required. The opportunity is open to college-bound seniors residing in Great Falls, Vienna, Reston, Herndon, McLean, Sterling and Potomac Falls and or registered parishioners. The selection process will place major emphasis on the student's development of Christian character and demonstrated service to others by involvement in school, church or community projects. The student must also have a 2.5 or higher overall high-school grade point average. Two scholarships of $3,000 each will be awarded again this year. Scholarship packages are available in the St. Catherine of Siena Parish office at 1020 Springvale Road, Great Falls, 703-759 4350. The applications must be returned by May 15.
Chesterbrook Elementary School Kindergarten Orientation. This is an informational meeting for the parents of children who will begin kindergarten at Chesterbrook in the fall of 2005. March 10 from 7-8 p.m. in the cafeteria. The school is located at 1753 Kirby Road in McLean. Call 703-714-8200.
The Langley School presents the play "Here Come the Cows...or Never Say Moo in Mesa," March 10-12, at 7 p.m. in the Field House at 1411 Balls Hill Road. On March 10 admission is free, and during intermission the audience may purchase $5 tickets to a soup-tasting contest. Proceeds will go to Cows for Kids, the school's international service project to purchase cows for Masai families in Africa. Admission on March 11-12 is $4.
The McLean High School Booster Club hosts an art show and auction on April 2. Come help the McLean Boosters celebrate the coming of spring in an evening of entertainment, door prizes, fun and auctioning fine art work at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 5115 Little Falls Road. The evening begins with a preview and reception at 7 p.m. offering live entertainment and a smorgasbord of hors d'oeuvres from local chefs and restaurateurs. The bidding commences at 8 p.m. Art for sale includes original oil, watercolors, enamels, etchings, lithographs and other graphics and is guaranteed to be substantially below gallery prices. Tickets cost $10 per person or 6 tickets for $50.00. Call John Smith at 703-760-9837. Tickets can be purchased at the door the day of the event for $15 per person.
The Starshine Theater Young Actors' Workshop is now scheduling auditions and rehearsals for an original musical drama, "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn," based on the stories of Mark Twain. Rehearsals take place in February and March at the School of Theatrical Dance in Great Falls.
Adapted and directed by Patricia Budwig, the play is open to boys and girls 8-17.
Sound engineering and additional music will be provided by Jerry Budwig; stage art and lighting design will be directed by Rodger Perry.
The workshop is a full-production experience, offering a speaking role to every student, as well as lead singing and action/dance roles for those interested. A professionally produced CD soundtrack of the original musical score will include cast members' vocal talents.
Performances will take place in mid-April at The Great Falls Grange. Call 703-790-9050, or e-mail StarshineTheater@aol.com for complete audition and rehearsal information.
McLean Youth Spring Volleyball. MYA is now conducting registration for its spring volleyball program. The program is open to boys and girls grades 4 through high school. The program will begin in late March. Go to www.myathletics.org (volleyball) and download the registration form. For further information, contact Paula Doyle at 703-893-1398.
Alicia Fowler, a senior at Langley High School and president of the Langley High School National Honor Society, has been accepted for early admission to the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2009.
Educators in the area now have a new tool to help teach state government. Everyone with Internet access will be able to watch the Senate of Virginia conduct its business, live.
Senate floor sessions will be provided this year through Internet streaming and public television coverage. Sessions will broadcast in unedited format through the period of noon-2 p.m. each weekday on Channel 57 WCVW. The length of the broadcast will vary with the length of session.
Video streams are available on a first-come, first-served basis unless one subscribes to a dedicated link. To link to the video stream, visit http://sov.state.va.us/senate.htm. The link is available worldwide. For information on subscriptions, contact the Senate Clerk's Office at 804-648-7460.
Oakcrest School in McLean participated in the National Geographic Society's annual National Geography Bee on Wednesday, Jan. 12. The National Bee is open to students in Grades 4-8 and consists of multiple rounds of questions in categories including physical, economic, political and social geography. The questions were difficult and led to a spirited competition among the girls vying to be school champion.
The school finalists were in Grade 8, Mollie Kelly, Elizabeth Kenis, Caitlin Roberts, Angie Kaufmann (alternate); Grade 7, Caitlin Jeffrey, Annie Kehrli, Tori Jensen, Caroline Livaudais (alternate); in Grade 6, Emily Hill, Mary Mitchell (alternate).
The third-place winner was Candice Kaplan, Grade 6. The second-place winner was Claire Yenson, Grade 8. The school champion was Katie de Alvarez, Grade 6.
Oakcrest School , an independent school for girls Grades 6-12, is located at 850 Balls Hill Road, McLean.
The McLean Citizens Association, through its Education and Youth Committee, is again sponsoring the Teen Character Award to recognize teens with exceptional ethical and compassionate character. Teenagers who have, on their own and without compensation or other formal recognition, cared for elderly relatives or younger siblings, or who have helped out in their neighborhood or community (defined as the greater Washington, D.C., metropolitan area), deserve to be recognized not only for themselves but as an example to others.
To nominate a teenager, pick up an application form at the McLean Community Center, Langley or McLean high schools, or Cooper or Longfellow middle schools. Nominations must be turned in to the McLean Community Center no later than Saturday, April 16. All teenagers whose nominations indicate they meet the criteria specified with the application will be notified and must be present - unless other arrangements have been made with the Committee - to receive certificates at McLean Day on Saturday, May 21. For further information, contact Mrs. Kuhn by phone, 703-734-4944.
The 2005 Miss Virginia American Coed Scholarship State Pageant, Aug. 11-14 in Richmond, is looking for contestants.
This is an "all natural" scholarship pageant for girls 3-22. The pageant emphasizes academics and volunteerism and never allows makeup on contestants under 13. For an application, e-mail contact@msvaamericancoed.com, or call 804-305-4239. Visit www.msvaamericancoed.com.
Carter B. Simpson Jr. of Great Falls, an 11th-grader at Phillips Exeter Academy, has earned high honors for the fall term. The son of Mr. and Mrs. Carter B. Simpson, he is a third-year student at the independent secondary school in Exeter, N.H.
Robert Crawford of McLean competed in Johnson & Wales University’s 16th Annual National High School Recipe Contest on Feb. 12 in Denver. He is the son of Robin and Charles Crawford and attends McLean High School.
Crawford is one of 20 students from across the nation selected as finalists out of a pool of more than 500 applicants. His recipe is “Seared Scallops with Purple Potato Puree, Corn Chutney and Red Pepper Coulis.”
Each year, Johnson & Wales invites senior-year high school and vocational students to participate in the recipe contest. The contest consists of two categories: (1) a healthful family dinner for four, and (2) healthful dessert. Contestants are asked to follow the American Cancer Society and American Heart Association nutrition guidelines when planning their menu entries.
Scholarship prizes are awarded for both categories, which are judged separately on the basis of taste, cost effectiveness, ease of preparation, presentation and appearance, nutritional value, originality, calorie content and creativity. The grand-prize winner in each category will be awarded a renewable full-tuition scholarship to Johnson & Wales, valued at over $75,000. Each first runner-up will be awarded a $7,500 renewable tuition scholarship (valued at up to $30,000), and each second runner-up a $5,000 renewable tuition scholarship (valued at up to $20,000). All other finalists will receive $3,500 renewable tuition scholarships (valued at up to $14,000).
Volunteer Fairfax and the ExxonMobil Foundation have selected 60 Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. nonprofit organization participants in the ExxonMobil Community Summer Jobs Program (CSJP) for 2005.
The ExxonMobil Community Summer Jobs Program provides full-time, undergraduate-level college students with an eight-week, paid internship to experience operations in a nonprofit community environment. ExxonMobil Foundation funds the intern salaries and Volunteer Fairfax's administrative expenses for the program. The program also trains participating organizations in how to recruit and select interns and how to organize their summer internships.
Participating interns also have the opportunity to attend developmental seminars on resume writing, interview tips, workplace ethics and etiquette, as well as to complete a group community service project.
College students interested in the ExxonMobil-funded internship may visit the Volunteer Fairfax Web site, www.volunteerfairfax.org, to obtain a list of participating local agencies, internship descriptions and agency contacts. Interested college students should apply directly to the selected agencies.
The Community Summer Jobs Program began in 1971 in New York City. Over the past decade, the program has committed more than $4.9 million to support almost 2,600 community summer internships. First offered in the Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia area in 2000, the ExxonMobil Community Summer Jobs Program has funded more than 300 local internships.
Volunteer Fairfax was established thirty years ago to mobilize people and resources to meet community needs. The center is a vital community resource for volunteers and nonprofit organizations and public agencies. For more information, visit the Volunteer Fairfax Web site at www.volunteerfairfax.org or call Karla Ruiz at 703-246-3460.
Rosalind Fennell, a ninth-grade student at the Potomac School in McLean, attended an international science expedition, Jan. 31-Feb. 5, in the Louisiana bayou.
She is one of 12 “Student Argonauts” chosen from thousands to join the JASON Foundation for Education’s JASON Expedition team (formerly JASON project). The students work with researchers to explore the formation of the wetlands, what plants and animals depend on them for survival, why the wetlands are disappearing, and what is being done to restore them. JASON Expedition is a hands-on science and math curriculum program for grades 4-9 that culminated with millions of students around the world tuning in to live, interactive broadcast feeds of researcher-led expeditions.
Sponsored by National Geographic Society in Washington, Potomac School students and area students were able to interact with Fennell and the rest of the expedition team in real time via a two-way satellite link to National Geographic Society from the expedition site. Thousands more followed Rosalind’s journey through daily journals, streaming videos and photos at www.jason.org.
The Longfellow Middle School Chess Club took home the Scholastic First-Place Trophy at the 37th Annual Virginia Open, Jan. 28-30, in Springfield.
The team won first place among Scholastic teams at the tournament by scoring 8 1/2 points for the top four players on the team. The second place team (a high school) scored seven points.
This annual tournament is one of the most important in Virginia. In order of USCF rating, the members of the chess club are Aryan Khojandi (3 1/2 points), Victor Nguyen (2 points), Kevin Deisz (1 point), Shaan Ahmad (2 points), Arman Carter (1 point) and Rithvik Nagaraju.
McLean teenagers who participated in the Glories/Happy Hat Program at the Old Firehouse Teen Center made a delivery of new hats to children being treated for serious illnesses at Inova Fairfax Hospital on Tuesday, Feb. 1, at 10 a.m., in the lobby of the hospital. The Old Firehouse Teen Center is a satellite program of the McLean Community Center. The Happy Hats program is held at the Old Firehouse every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, between the hours of 3:30 and 5:30 p.m.
Junior Ranger Summer Camp. Great Falls Park offers an adventurous, two-day program including a variety of activities such as hikes and nature-related projects that educate young people about the park and the natural environment they live in. For children 8-11. The four sessions are on June 28/29, July 13/14, July 27/28 and Aug. 10/11 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. There is no fee to attend, but pre-registration is required. Openings are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Call 703-285-2965.