Annual Alexandria Invitational Cheerleading Competition
Quinn Davis, 6 years old, with family friend Jennifer Catton at the annual Alexandria Invitational Cheerleading Competition on Saturday, April 5. A member of the Mount Vernon Tigers, Youth Level 2, she finished first place.
DeMarini Stars Prime Win TP Tournament
Demarini Stars 13u Prime team won the area TP Tournament the weekend of March 22, winning four straight games for the championship.
MetroStage Presents ‘The Thousandth Night’
MetroStage is presenting the one-man-show, “The Thousandth Night” now through May 18. The play stars Marcus Kyd as a quick-thinking comic actor in a traveling company of players who are stuck in Paris during the occupation of France. He is facing his deportation for “propagating subversive material,” so in his last effort to save his life, he performs his show for the last people (the audience) who may have his fate in their hands. “Guy tells the gendarmes a series of stories, to be sure, but his own story is the backbone of the entire play,” said Kyd who plays 36 different characters using various hats and scarves from his trunk.
Junior ROTC Supports UCM
Each month this school year, the Army Junior ROTC students at West Potomac High School volunteered their time on a Friday afternoon at the UCM Food Pantry to organize and bag the USDA commodities for UCM’s clients.
Youth Hockey Team Earns Bronze
The Northern Virginia Hockey Club’s U16 AA team, based out of the Mt. Vernon Rec Center, captured the Bronze medal at the 2014 USA Hockey National Championships which were held April 2-6 in Ashburn, making history for the local club. This U16 team, coached by Bill Butler and Doug Scott, is the first NVHC team to ever qualify for and compete in the USA Hockey National Championships.
The Circus Comes to St. Aidan’s Day School
The kindergarten class of St. Aidan’s Day School held its annual circus for the 10th year on Friday, April 4. There were tightrope walkers, strongmen, elephant. lions, tigers, a lion tamer and clowns.
Brief: Democrats Host Forum for 8th District
The first opportunity for voters to question the 10 candidates on the ballot in the 8th Congressional District Democratic primary will be at a forum Saturday, April 12 sponsored by the Mount Vernon District Democratic Committee. The primary is June 10. George Burke, the Virginia Democratic Party's 11th Congressional District chair, will moderate the forum The forum is free and open to the public, from 4-6 p.m., April 12, at the Mount Vernon High School Little Theater, 8515 Old Mount Vernon Road.
Letter to the Editor: In the Public’s Interest
Thank you for the opportunity to meet with representatives of the Coalition recently to discuss a wide range of issues affecting our county. I enjoyed the discussion. Good government requires that elected officials ensure that communities are involved in a meaningful way in the decisions that affect them. Public trust in government erodes when government leaders make deals behind closed doors, as the Brickyard community knows all too well. As a member of the County Council since 1998, I have worked openly and closely with many communities on a broad range of issues that affect them. I was one of the County Councilmembers who sent a letter publicly urging County Executive Leggett to work with the Coalition to find a mutually acceptable use of the Brickyard Road site.
Commentary: Preparing Students for OR Jobs
If you’ve ever played that classic board game, “The Game of Life,” you’re familiar with the game’s first important life choice: College Path or Career Path. No doubt, a similar choice is on the minds of upcoming seniors at Alexandria’s T.C. Williams High School as they finalize their choices for next year’s classes. For those choosing to pursue the career path first, they have a new course option called the Claude Moore Surgical Tech Scholars Program. Created as a joint venture between Alexandria City Public Schools, Inova Alexandria Hospital and the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation, the Surgical Tech program resulted from a very real need to fill healthcare jobs in this specialty right now, while also preparing a pool of qualified applicants to meet future demand. Data from the U.S.
‘Tiger Trot’ Aids Fire Department
The hills and valleys of Potomac will suddenly come alive on Sunday, April 13 as more than 400 runners and walkers take to the streets for the 4th Annual “Tiger Trot.” The 5K run/walk, sponsored by the Connelly School of the Holy Child benefits the Cabin John Park Volunteer Fire Department as well as the wellness and fitness programs at the school. This community race draws both elite runners from the area as well as family, friends, neighbors, firefighters and Holy Child faculty. All are welcome to participate in the run and walk through Potomac neighborhoods.
Brief: SYA Soccer Launches U8 Academy Program
SYA Soccer is launching a new U8 Academy Program starting in the Fall of 2014. This 10-month comprehensive training program will focus on individual player development of technical and tactical skills. The Academy players will take part in twice weekly training sessions, crossover U8 games with fellow CCL clubs and winter indoor training and league games.
SSSA Girls’ Lacrosse Trounces Rival Episcopal
Saints undefeated despite graduation of multiple All-Americans.
The St. Stephen's & St. Agnes girls' lacrosse team improved to 14-0 with a 17-3 win over Episcopal.
Betting on PetConnect Rescue
Raising funds to save animals from high-kill shelters.
It was a “place your bets on the pets” night — and the pets won. Last Saturday, Potomac’s PetConnect Rescue held its first fundraising gala in Chevy Chase called Casino Night, hosting more than 240 people for a sellout evening.
International Night at Hybla Valley
Hybla Valley Elementary held an International Night on Thursday, April 3. Student-made decorations were used by the physical education, art and music teachers to transform the hallways into several Halls of Nations. Even the ceiling was lined with kites inspired by international cultures.
Have Harmonica, Will Mentor
94-year-old Jack Hopkins hosts weekly gathering.
There are harmonicas that fit into pant pockets and there are harmonicas two feet long. There are harmonicas for guitar accompaniment and harmonicas designed for orchestras. Alexandria resident Jack Hopkins, co-founder of the 23-year-old Capitol Harmonica Club, has at least 16 different types and has been playing since he was six years old. The instrument has taken him to a variety of places and brought him a number of opportunities.
Teens Are Most in Need of Foster Care Homes
Virginia's largest age group in need of homes is between 16 to 18-years-old.
At 54 years old, Julie wanted to be an adoptive parent for over a decade. But it wasn't until last year that she finally brought a child home. Single, she had recently left her federal government position and felt like she was ready. In May, she welcomed her 17-year-old foster son into her McLean home. "For me I was never a parent before," said Julie. "So I had to run fast and catch up."
News Brief: ARHA Adopts Non-Smoking Policy
The Board of Commissioners of the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority (ARHA) unanimously approved a resolution calling for a Non-Smoking Policy for all ARHA residents at its meeting last month. When fully implemented in late Spring 2015, the new policy will cover approximately 3,000 residents. Results of a survey of smoking prevalence and attitudes on smoking at ARHA indicate that approximately 33 percent of adult residents are smokers. This is consistent with rates reported by a few other housing authorities, but higher than the 19-21 percent rate of adult smoking among those who do not live in affordable housing.
Letter to the Editor: City Manager’s Office Salary Summary
* FY 14 merits and salary adjustments were effective July 1, 2013 * There is no executive summary giving everyone a 5 percent increase, the proposed FY 15 budget contains an average merit of 3.2 percent for the entire organization * 1 percent increase for all employees for VRS As of 3-26-14.
Letter to the Editor: Improvement Is Needed
To the Editor: The on-going debate on the re-striping of Sherwood Hall Lane is characterized by a signal lack of data on all sides; its permanent re-striping should hold off until we’ve got some hard data to make an informed decision. I assert that those, on either side of the bike lane divide, who advocate a final solution right now are nervous that the data wouldn’t support their preferred position.
Brief: Storck To Host Office Hours
Dan Storck, Mount Vernon District School Board member for Fairfax County Public Schools, will host Community Office Hours at the Lorton Library in the Conference Room on Saturday, April 12, from 10 a.m.