People

Nurturing Happy Memories

For some, memories of just a few happy moments provide arsenal for enduring.

“It’s my few happy memories that keep me going,” a young woman who had grown up in foster care told me a few months ago. To be honest, today I’m a little foggy on exactly what her happy memories even were. They weren’t monumental experiences or achievements. They were simply moments in time when she felt happy.

Gail Péan Wins ‘Viewers Choice’ Award

Oil painter Gail Péan is the winner of the "Viewers Choice" Award in "A Sea of Sticks and Stones" a juried exhibit in the Art Hall of U.S. Geological Survey headquarters in Reston.

Local Foundation Promotes Campus Safety

The VTV Family Outreach Foundation, a Centreville-based national non-profit 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.

‘An Awesome Experience’

Chantilly High student attends Governor’s German Immersion Academy.

Chantilly High senior Kate Meyer is such a fan of German culture and language that she spent three weeks of her summer immersed in it. She attended the Virginia Governor’s German Immersion Academy at Washington and Lee University in Lexington.

Cotman Honored as Middle School Counselor of Year

Liberty's Paula Cotman honored among 100 middle school counselors in the county.

Liberty Middle School counselor Paula Cotman of Fairfax was named Middle School Counselor of the Year for Fairfax County Public Schools on Aug. 20 — from a roster of about 15 counselors nominated for the award. There are roughly 580 counselors in the county; and about 100 or so work in middle schools.

Peace Festival Held in Ridgeview Park

The Ridgeview Park Peace Festival was held Sunday, Oct. 19 in Ridge View Estates off Franconia Road. The festivities included a park bench dedication and tree-planting ceremony with remarks by Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova.

McLean Hotspur Green Wins New Jersey Tournament

McLean MYS Hotspur Green U14 Boys CCL won the EDP Cup in the Platinum bracket, the top bracket of eight brackets.

South County Presents ‘At the Water’s Edge’

On Thursday, Oct. 16, South County High School presented its Fall season choral concert titled “At the Water’s Edge.”

Ages 18-24-Year Olds Needed for Survey

To meet its grant requirement for a Virginia Strategic Prevention Framework-State Incentive Grant, the Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County (UPC) needs to gather at least 300 surveys in a 30-day timeframe that ends Nov. 15.

It’s ‘Like a Dream Come True’

Fairfax Police Chief Carl Pardiny eager to groom future leaders.

Col. Carl Pardiny was born and raised in Pittsburgh, but has spent nearly his entire, adult life with the City of Fairfax Police Department. He started its K-9 and Bike Patrol programs and was twice selected as the Department’s Officer of the Year.

City of Fairfax is Virginia’s eCity

The City of Fairfax was named last week by Google Corp. as the eCity for the Commonwealth of Virginia. It was selected for inclusion on a list of “digital capitals of America” for 2014.

Firefighters Raise Funds for Breast-Cancer Research

(From left) are Joe Charley with Firefighters Union 2702, Fairfax City Mayor Scott Silverthorne and Fairfax City Fire Chief Dave Rohr, with Councilman David Meyer looking on, as Silverthorne proclaims October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Seniors Compete for Gold, Silver and Bronze

Hundreds participate in Northern Virginia Senior Olympics.

Whack! Smack! These were the constant sounds going back and forth during the pickleball finals at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center in Arlington. The pickleball games were part of the Northern Virginia Senior Olympics taking place at several venues throughout the region.

Thirty-Six FCPS Students Named to Virginia Honors Choir

Vocal musicians from 14 Fairfax County public schools have been named to the Virginia Honors Choir for 2014. This select choir is open only to the top 125 singers from around the Commonwealth of Virginia, and is the highest honor a choir student can attain during his or her high school career.

Reston Cornerstones Holds Annual Community Walk

Record breaking crowd attend October walk in Reston.

On Oct. 19, 300 participants attended the annual Cornerstones community walk from Embry Rucker Community Shelter to St. Anne’s Episcopal Church and back. The distance was about two miles and was an opportunity to help provide basic and essential items, such as pillows, dishes and food for those who moved into stable housing through Cornerstones’ Rapid Re-Housing Challenge.

The Connection