People

Tiny Dancers Named ‘Best Dance Studio’

Tiny Dancers, located near Fairfax City, has been voted Best Dance Studio in the recent annual poll of readers of Washington Family Magazine.

A New Face at Laurel Ridge

Tonya Cox takes the helm as principal.

Born in Norfolk and raised in the Alexandria part of Fairfax County, Tonya Cox figured she’d either go into education like her mother or ministry like her father. Then, while in college, she substituted for her mother, during spring and summers, and was hooked.

Hunger for Awareness

Amos Desjardins runs 500 miles for hunger awareness.

Runner Amos Desjardins, of Alexandria, is running 500 miles in Virginia to raise awareness for hunger and food insecurity. Del. David Bulova (D-37) said that he feels fortunate to be able to join him for part of his run through the 37th district.

Area Schools Celebrate New Beginning

What’s new at Irving Middle, Lake Braddock Secondary and Sangster Elementary?

Rising seventh grade students at Washington Irving Middle School are not the only ones preparing for changes this upcoming school year. “This is the first year that we’re going to teach the Civics and Economic class to all eighth grade students at the honors level,” said Assistant Principal Rick Mondloch in an interview on Aug. 18.

Reston Triathlon Attracts Hundreds

Despite having spent the morning swimming, biking and running, Neil Medoff wasn’t impressed with himself. The Reston resident is one of two triathletes who has competed in the Reston Triathlon all 31 years it has been an event, but he said Sunday’s race was not a personal best.

"Change the World Day" At Messiah United Methodist Church

More than 350 members of Messiah United Methodist Church in Springfield took church to the community Sunday, Sept. 7, performing 30 mission projects including repairing a boardwalk maintenance at Hidden Pond Nature Center; serving meals at Rising Hope UMC (Route 1 corridor) , Capitol Hill UMC (DC) and Fisher House (military veterans); sorting donations at area charity thrift stores and building fences at picnic tables at Camp High Road, a United Methodist camp in Manassas.

End-of-Season Swim

The River Falls Doggy Swim attracted four-legged swimmers on Sunday, Sept. 7.

Obituary: Frances Perry Jernigan

Frances Perry Jernigan, longtime resident of Alexandria, died at age 90 on Aug. 5, 2014. Her final months were peaceful, spent in the home built by her husband and son in 1977. From her kitchen window, she had a ringside seat for viewing the bird feeders and wildlife in her beloved patch of suburban woodland.

Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Award

Katie Hamelburg, daughter of Jamie and Mark Hamelburg of Potomac, received the Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Award recently for a project inspiring fellow teen members of the United Synagogue Youth to perform 18,000 hours of volunteer service in one year.

Heat and Storms Reduce Turnout at Burke Centre Festival

Signature event celebrates 37th year.

Organizers of the Burke Centre Festival canceled the Wine Garden at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 6, when thunderstorms rolled in. “We got the announcement from OEM and we lasted till about 7:30,” said Jeannie Winslow, Burke Centre Festival Coordinator. The Wine Garden event was supposed to go until 10 p.m.

‘ARTS by George!’ to Kick Off New Season

A great evening of arts and entertainment for a great cause at Mason.

Kick-off the local arts and entertainment season celebrating the arts and benefiting student scholarships at this year's George Mason University "ARTS by George!" gala.

Gaelic Football Comes to Fairfax

The sport combines elements of soccer, rugby, basketball, volleyball and American football.

“What sport are they playing? It’s not soccer,” said a park visitor, watching people use their hands to throw and bounce a soccer ball on an open field, on Sunday, Sept. 7 at Providence Park in Fairfax.

Attending Classes in a Foreign Country

Fairfax Academy student will spend school year in Korea.

Normally, Serena Gregory would have just begun her last year at Chantilly High, caught up in the excitement of new classes, old friends and the thrill of being a senior.

Obituary: Hayes Roosevelt Woods, 77, Dies

Hayes Roosevelt Woods, 77, of Sanford, N.C., passed away on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2014 at Duke Hospital, in Durham, N.C. Hayes went to Lee County Training School and New Hope School. His last job was in the city of Fairfax.

‘Heroes Walk To Fly’

Group provides airline tickets to military families visiting injured loved one.

A family receives the devastating call that their son, serving in the Afghanistan, had life-threatening injuries from an IED and was being air-lifted to Walter Reed National Medical Military Center. They were told to start driving to the nearest airport. The hospital staff would do what they could to keep their son alive until they got there, even though it was a five-hour flight.

The Connection