People

Knopf To Lead 55+ Travel Office

Christine Knopf has been named supervisor of Arlington County’s 55+ Travel Office. An Arlington resident, she has been a county employee for nine years in the Department of Parks and Recreation, Sports and Recreation Division.

Surviving a Real-Life Disaster Film

Vienna mom and her son shopping at Oakton gift store when 87-year-old motorist plows SUV through the store.

What started out as a routine after school trip to the Oakton Library last week turned into a real-life disaster film for one Vienna mom and her son. Monday, Oct. 29, was pleasant fall afternoon, so Shadi Peikari and her son, Bayan, 13, made a last-minute decision to walk to Abbey’s Hallmark store in the Oakton Shopping Center.

Vienna Halloween Parade Takes Over Town

Flashing emergency lights, blaring fire and police sirens, and roaring Vienna and Fairfax County police motorcycles kicked off the 68th Annual Vienna Halloween Parade on Wednesday, Oct. 29.

‘Light and Color’ Exhibit of Fine Art by Joan S. Kelly

Fine works in acrylic by Joan S. Kelly will be the featured exhibit titled “Light and Color,“ on display from Nov. 7- Dec. 7 at Reston Art Gallery & Studios (RAGS), 11400 Washington Plaza, Reston, on the waterfront of Lake Anne Plaza.

Honored at Mason

McLean resident and former Rector of George Mason University C. Daniel Clemente receives Mason Medal.

This past Wednesday, Oct. 29, dozens of notable people at George Mason University and in Northern Virginia community gathered at the Mathy House to honor former Rector C. Daniel Clemente and former Board of Visitors members Steven Mullins and Anthony Jimenez for their years of service at the university.

Yoga and Knitting Fundraiser Held in McLean

On Saturday, Oct.25, Pengu Studios brought together yogis and knitters alike to host the successful “Yarn Over Yoga” fundraiser benefiting local nonprofit, Project Knitwell.

Focus on Stopping Street Harassment

Catcalls, sexual and sexist comments, following, flashing, and groping. Most women in the world have experienced unwanted sexual harassment in public spaces by strangers, or “street harassment.” More than half of harassed women say it began when they were a teenager.

Local Foundation Promotes Campus Safety, Discusses Commemorative Quilt

The VTV Family Outreach Foundation, a Centreville-based national nonprofit campus safety advocacy organization, held their 2014 annual meeting last weekend at the Sheraton Reston Hotel. VTV was formed by the families of victims and survivors of the April 16, 2007 mass shooting tragedy at Virginia Tech.

Sarah Marie Wood, 27, of Herndon, Dies

Sarah Wood, a security specialist working as a contractor for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Miami, Fla., died unexpectedly on Oct. 21, 2014, at the age of 27 from a pulmonary embolism.

Alex Bartolozzi Wins Healthy Snack Contest

Isabelle Saba, a cadet in Girl Scout Troop 1991, wrote to the farmers market about an idea she had to teach young children about nutrition and healthy living at the farmers market. Some lessons she suggested stressing are “what foods are in season, how buying local is better, the importance of knowing what you eat, where the food comes from, and why the farmers market is always the best choice.”

Arlington Votes

A morning with the election staff and voters at Arlington’s Madison and Marshal precincts

Arlingtonians lined up to vote on Election Day to choose between Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Warner and Republican challenger Ed Gillespie. At a more local level, they also chose a candidate to represent the 8th district in the House of Representatives, to vote on the candidates for County Board and School Board, and to vote on four bonds.

Area Scouts Participate in Fall Camporee

The Old Dominion District Fall Camporee was held Oct. 17, 18, and 19 at Sky Meadows State Park. Six hundred seventeen Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venture scouts and Scouters from Old Dominion, Colonial, and Occoquan Districts participated in this Pioneer theme campout.

iPads Come Into the Classroom

Sixty first and second graders at Keene Mill try out these devices during the school day.

Tablets and iPads in the hands of 6-year-olds is not such an unusual sight anymore, and now these devices are being used in the classroom. At Keene Mill Elementary School, 60 iPads are in the hands of first and second grade students, and being used to “change the time, place and pace of learning.”

Take a Hike!

Hiking group brings nature closer to Northern Virginians.

Shortly before 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26, the parking lot by the softball field at Wakefield Park in Annandale filled up and several people approached Stefan Eom, of Annandale, the leader for the six-mile Wakefield to Lake Accotink hike organized by the Northern Virginia Hiking Club (NVHC).

Ten Days in Diplomacy

Woodson High junior reflects on her experiences with High School Diplomats program at Princeton.

“OK, everybody, I got the call! The buses are coming! I repeat, The buses are coming!” With those words, an excited cheer rises among the giant mob of American students, our nervousness and excitement feeding off of each other, spreading through the crowd like an electrical impulse.

The Connection