People

New $1.6 Million Advertising Blitz Seeks to Rebrand Alexandria

First it was Fun Side. Then it was Charmville. Now Alexandria is extraordinary.

First Alexandria was the Fun Side of the Potomac. Then it was Charmville. Now Alexandria is being sold as "extraordinary" in a new $1.6 million destination advertising campaign that hopes to generate overnight stays by targeting people within a five-hour drive radius.

Walk to School Wednesdays at Spring Hill

More than 300 students participate in National Walk to School Day.

Many Spring Hill Elementary Students are used to walking to school every day, but on Wednesday Oct. 9, there was a rush hour of sorts on the paths and sidewalks as more than 300 students participated in National Walk to School Day.

Springfield Teacher Honored in Richmond

Governor McDonnell congratulates Melissa Porfirio, 2014 Virginia Teacher of the Year.

Governor Bob McDonnell congratulated Fairfax County teacher Melissa A. Porfirio for her selection as Virginia’s 2014 Virginia Teacher of the Year. Porfirio teaches first grade at Crestwood Elementary School in Springfield. Her selection was announced Friday evening, Oct. 11, in Richmond.

Encouraging ‘Greatness’

Forestville principal takes holistic approach to learning.

On a typical morning, Forestville Elementary’s new principal, Todd Franklin, can be seen greeting children as they exit the bus. “Be great today,” he says, as they begin their morning. To Franklin, this is not just cheer but part of an overall philosophy.

Barbara Ellen Narins of Great Falls Dies

Barbara Ellen Narins, a Great Falls resident of 13 years and a nurse, lecturer, and wife and mother died Wednesday, Sept. 25. Born in Forest Hills, N.Y. to Anastasia and Robert Heidt on Dec. 24, 1939 she earned her degree as a registered nurse from Flower-Fifth Avenue Hospital in 1960 and one year later married Dr. Robert Narins, then a medical student. Over their next 51 years together Barbara raised their two boys, Brigham and David and supported Robert's career in academic medicine, which carried them to Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Detroit and finally to Great Falls.

Great Falls Man Dies in Silver Spring

Mark Edward Waugh dies, friend Rahul Gupta charged.

Great Falls resident Mark Edward Waugh, 23, was found dead in an apparent homicide in Silver Spring Sunday, Oct. 13. According to Montgomery County Police, they responded to an apartment at 1220 East-West Highway at approximately 3:25 a.m. Sunday morning.

Gailliot Appointed Chamber Chairman

Michael Gailliot, a realtor with Century 21 New Millennium, has been appointed as the new chairman of the Mount Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce. Gailliot will complete the term of Barbara Doyle who is re-locating to the Boston area.

Pumpkin Patch Returns

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church at 8009 Fort Hunt Road once again celebrates the fall with a Pumpkin Patch program hoping to sell 3,000 pumpkins purchased from a Navajo Indian Reservation in New Mexico.

Local Group Brings Classic Car-Lovers Together

Alexandria Cars & Coffee meets at the Hollin Hall Shopping Center first Sunday of each month.

Looking for a place to show off your classic car? Want to relive the good ol’ days of the past, or just want to hang out with other classic car owners to talk shop, and show off your ride? Well, there is a place to do that.

Rising Hope Gala Raises $45,000

Churches gather to support one of their own.

“Godtastic!” declared Rennie Chen when he learned Rising Hope Mission’s 2013 Gala Oct. 5 at The Waterford in Springfield netted a $45,000 profit.

Family Celebrates 50th Foster Puppy

What does the Fairfax County Animal Shelter do when it takes in an extremely young animal, one too young to adopt out? It finds a foster family willing to take on the responsibility of nurturing the sometimes days-old animal until it is old enough to be adopted permanently.

Annual K-9 Krawl Is Oct. 19

The seventh annual K-9 Krawl is set for Saturday, Oct. 19, in parking lot C of the Fairfax County Government Center. Check-in is at 8:30 a.m., police K-9 demonstration, 8:45 a.m.; and walk at 9 a.m. Register at: K-9 Krawl 5K Registration - Fairfax County, Virginia.

Music, Dancing, Exercise Help Local Community

Zumbathon in Chantilly to raise money for WFCM.

Chantilly’s Kelly Joedicke-Lawrence is a certified Zumba instructor and, for the past few years, she’s held a Zumbathon fundraiser for breast-cancer research. But this year, her Zumba group voted to instead help a local charity.

‘Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina’

Chantilly High presents the musical, ‘Evita.’

Featuring a cast and crew of 70, Chantilly High presents the musical, “Evita,” about the life of Argentine political leader Eva Peron. The curtain rises Wednesday-Saturday, Oct. 16-19, at 7 p.m.

Fairfax Author Helps Turning Things Around

The 101 secrets of “Climbing Out of a Rut.”

“I don’t know what to do. I’m stuck in a rut and there’s no way out. It’s hopeless.” This is the complaint that Dr. Laura Hills hears frequently from her coaching clients, workshop participants and readers. According to Hills, who is a personal and professional development author, speaker, and coach for career professionals based in Fairfax, feeling helpless before setbacks “is a problem of epidemic proportions and we rarely talk about it. Too many people feel that their work is dull and unrewarding. The big aspirations and enthusiasm of childhood have long vanished, leaving behind a terrible feeling of loss and emptiness.” Unfortunately, feeling stuck in a job or career that is unfulfilling is often the beginning of a host of other problems, Hills warns, including depression, addiction, divorce, job loss, financial problems and illness.

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