Education

Fairfax County School Board Addressing Budget Shortfalls

Budget shortfall is $17 million.

The Fairfax County School Board is considering options to close a $17 million shortfall in their 2015 budget. Superintendent Karen Garza presented the board with possible adjustments at a work session on April 28. The school board is set to adopt their final budget on May 22. On April 29, the Board of Supervisors approved the FY 2015 budget, including a school transfer of three percent, short of Garza’s requested 5.7 percent increase.

South County Senior Awarded Scholarship

Christian Canales will be first in his family to attend college.

For his work as a leader in the Hispanic community, South County High School senior Christian Canales has been awarded a $1,000 from the Fairfax County Hispanic Leadership Alliance. Canales will be attending James Madison University in the fall where he will study education, and plans to be a high school teacher. “I want to help others and be a teacher, and help guide kids in the right direction. I just want to do the same for others that my teacher did for me. A lot of families don’t put education first, but I believe if you’re not educated, you won’t have a successful life,” Canales said. Canales will be the first in his family to attend college, which he says is a huge deal for him. “It’s not a weight on my shoulder, but I have to set the example,” Canales said. “I think me going to school and trying to show my cousins and other family that you need to go to school. I’m like a role model to them. I want them to go by my example and continue their education.”

Robinson Students Receive Scholarships

Claudia Torres and Carolina Castedo honored by Hispanic Leadership Alliance.

Claudia Torres, a senior at Robinson Secondary School, and Carolina Castedo, also a senior at Robinson, both moved to the United States at a young age over 10 years ago. Torres is Peruvian, and Castedo is Bolivian and Chilean. Burke residents Torres and Castedo, both 18, wrote about challenges they have overcome as newcomers to the United States, as well as reasons they wish to attend college, in an application for a Fairfax County Hispanic Leadership Alliance Scholarship. “I didn’t know how to speak English, and that was hard for me when I got here,” Castedo said.

‘Entertaining for Whole Family’

Chantilly presents children’s play, ‘Goldilocks on Trial.’

Somebody’s been inside the three bears’ home and eating their porridge. But did she commit a crime? That’s for the jury to decide in Chantilly High’s upcoming children’s play, “Goldilocks on Stage.” The curtain rises Friday, May 16, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, May 17, at 2 and 7 p.m.; and Sunday, May 18, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $5 at the door or via www.chantillyhsdrama.com.

Feeling Repercussions of Winter

Schedule adjustments for Northern Virginia public school students.

This winter, thousands of area students were given more days off than expected. Day after day, parents, students and faculty received notice that school had yet again been cancelled due to the heavy snow and cold weather, which forced students and faculty to watch one of the coldest and heaviest winters since the 2010 Snowmagedden from home.

Musical

St. Peter's Episcopal Church's production of “Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” featured about 80 youngsters from second grade through high school last month.

New Partnership

Encore Stage & Studio has partnered with the Nauck Community Services Center of the Bonder & Amanda Johnson Community Development Corporation. The partnership provides students of the NCSC SOL tutoring program and other Nauck residents scholarships to participate in Encore Stage & Studio’s educational programs in Shirlington.

Two Scouts Earn Eagle Rank

Two scouts — Brian A. Huang and Aaron M. Hwang — from Troop 773, which meets at the Potomac United Methodist Church, recently obtained the rank of Eagle Scout and were honored at a ceremonial Court of Honor. They are Troop 773's 156 and 157th Eagle Scouts, respectively.

Pleas for Services Increase Taxes

Council raises tax rate to fund services for seniors and schoolchildren.

Seniors will be able to keep their tax relief, and Engine 204 will remain at the city's Powhatan Park headquarters. But homeowners will see their tax bills going up once again. That's because members of the Alexandria City Council voted to increase the tax rate last week, adding $2 million to the budget proposal City Manager Rashad Young presented back in February.

Review: Guys and Dolls’ at Paul VI

“They call you Lady Luck, but there is room for doubt. At times you have a very un-lady-like way of running out!” But if you did run out of Paul VI Catholic High School’s production of “Guys and Dolls,” you would have missed a fun night filled with laughter, jokes, and an attempt to answer to the age old question: “What won't a guy do for a doll?”

Protecting the Potomac

ASF program teaches community stewardship.

More than 300 students from T.C. Williams International Academy and Minnie Howard STEM Academy spent the morning of April 25 at the Alexandria Seaport Foundation participating in a hands-on program to celebrate community stewardship.

Special-Needs Children Given Wings to Fly

Therapy and recreational center opens in Chantilly.

When Donna Shank’s son Ryan was diagnosed with autism eight yeas ago, she traveled throughout the Washington Metropolitan area to get treatment for him. “Most children with autism, and other children with special needs, require several different types of therapies, such as speech and occupational therapy and additional tutoring,” she said. “But it’s difficult to find all these services in one location. So my dream was to provide an all-in-one, integrated, therapy center.”

Center Plants Pinwheel Garden To Symbolize Hope

The Center for Alexandria’s Children joined in a nationwide public awareness campaign that puts a new spin on child abuse prevention when it planted a Pinwheel Garden today at its office on North Beauregard Street. The pinwheel, the national symbol of Child Abuse Prevention and a symbol of childhood, represents the efforts of Prevent Child Abuse Virginia to demonstrate the importance of ensuring healthy, happy and full lives for all children in the community.

Rooftop Worker

The students at Charles Barrett Elementary School celebrated SCA Spirit Day on Friday, April 25, at the school. The students were asked to dress in their CBES shirts or dress up in attire that reflected a future career choice.

T.C. Williams High School Alumni Baseball Game

The 3rd Annual T.C. Williams Alumni Baseball Game will be played at Simpson Field June 14 at 2 p.m. The game is open to anyone who has played high school baseball on an Alexandria team.

The Connection