World-renowned primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall will visit the Langley School in McLean on Friday, April 8 at 11 a.m. to applaud the students' dedication to community service through the school's Roots and Shoots program and to share her message of hope for the future. During an assembly in the school's athletic center at 11 a.m., Dr. Goodall will speak to Langley students and teachers, along with several other area school groups, before participating in a quesion-and-answer session with students.
On Saturday, April 2, the McLean High School Jazz Band will perform a free concert at 7:30 p.m. in the school auditorium. The raffle drawing will take place at this concert. All raffle tickets have been sold. Ticket holders need not be present to win. The school is located at 1633 Davidson Road. Call Nancy Gorman, 703-448-9426.
National PTA has certified Forestville Elementary as a Parent Involvement School of Excellence. The certification recognizes schools that uphold the highest standards in parent involvement.
Some of the notable parent involvement activities at Forestville include an after-school activities program, support of sister school Hutchinson Elementary, Arts-In-Action, Grace Art, Night of 1000 Stars, Cafeteria Monitors, Kindergarten Cardinal Reading volunteers, interactive Web site, parenting workshops, Flash newsletter, Curriculum Resource Committee Principal’s Coffees, specialist presentations, Diversity Committee, Parent Resource Library, School Plan Committee, Career Day and the newly developed Parent Involvement Plan.
Langley High School's Robotics Team, led by Captains Rob MacKichan and James Crittenden, vied for honors at the FIRST Robotics Competition, held at the US Naval Academy. The Langley team placed seventh out of 55 teams. The competition drew teams from as far away as the UK, with a number of teams from New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. Each team received an identical kit of parts, a binder establishing the rules of this year's game and had six weeks to produce a robot to compete. Over $4.9 million in scholarship funds are available exclusively to first students from some of America's leading colleges and universities.
The Paladin Program at Chesterbrook Academy is now accepting registration for the Paladin Academic Summer Camp, a program for students in need of educational intervention, enrichment, and/or retention of previously learned concepts. It is a highly structured program with a very small student-to-teacher ratio. The camp will run from June 20-August 12, and students can sign up for two-week increments. Contact Katie McGahan, Paladin program director, at 703-397-0555 or 703-404-0202, or email Katie.McGahan@nlcinc.com.
Den 3 of Cub Scout Pack 1152, Great Falls, have been named this year's winners of the prize for community groups in the "It's Cool to Recycle" contest. The contest, sponsored by the Fairfax County Recycling Program, was part of the Clean Your Files/Closets Week, Jan. 24-28. The Scouts and their families collected 18 bags of items including toys, clothes and household goods, for families tempororily residing at the Anchorage Motel in Fairfax. As the winners, they received Ben & Jerry's gift certificates.
At the five-day Junior Naturalist camp, children ages 9-11 can participate in a variety of outdoor activities designed to stimulate their interest in the natural world and breathe life into history. Junior Naturalist Camp will be held at Riverbend Park, 8700 Potomac Hills St., Great Falls, from July 18-22, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Also, at Riverbend Parks’ Night Prowlers camp, children ages 7-10 will explore wildlife of the night such as insects, amphibians, bats and more. This five-day session will be held August 1-5, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Cost for both camps is $85. Phone or walk-in registration for both camps begins Wednesday, April 13 at 9 am. Call 703-759-9018.
To celebrate Youth Art Month, the McLean Project for the Arts galleries are exhibiting art created by students from McLean's public elementary, middle and high schools. Art by middle and high school students is on view April 1-16, with a reception Thursday, April 7, from 5:30-7:30 pm. The galleries are located on the upper level of the McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave. Call MMPA at 703-790-1953, or call the Community Center at 703-790-0123.
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 7 p.m. 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 e-mail iluv2shimmy@yahoo.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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.