People

Week in Vienna

Historic Vienna Collects Used Books, Antiques Appraisers Come to Vienna, Pear Tree Cottage to Hold Spring Sale, Planting Ceremony in Honor of Arbor Day, The Farmers’ Market is Moving, Bike to Work Day is May 17, and Learn About Flowers in Time for Mother’s Day

Making the National Geographic Bee State Finals

Eighth grader among 10 finalists chosen to compete for the state title.

Nicolas Ruiz of Vienna, an eighth grade student at Trinity School at Meadow View (TSMV) in Falls Church, was one of 10 finalists who competed on Friday, April 5, in Farmville, Va. for the opportunity to represent Virginia in the National Geographic Bee.

Shooting for Stardom

Marshall HS vocalist/songwriter has global fans.

Remember this name: Sammy Hakim. The George C. Marshall High School junior is a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition, and holds the record for most weeks at number one on independent charts as ranked by New Music Weekly.

Vienna Muckdogs Take the Tourney

The Vienna Muckdogs, a 10-and-under travel baseball team from Vienna, played in the ninth annual Longhorn Stampede Baseball Tourney, held Friday, April 5, through Sunday, April 7, at Philip Bolen Park in Leesburg. The Muckdogs managed to beat out all their competition.

Langley Hosts Relay for Life

Event will be first at school in 15 years.

Langley High School will be the site of the first Relay for Life event in more than 15 years starting Saturday, April 28. The event will be a 12-hour fundraiser walk to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

Fashion On the Go

Janet Gonzalez brings mobile boutique to Northern Virginia.

As the youngest of four girls, Janet Gonzalez got used to hand-me-down clothes at a young age. The child of two parents who lived through the Great Depression, she became interested in fashion very early, often riding her bike miles away to look at the latest trends on stores and magazines.

Opening Day for McLean Little League

Players parade down Westmoreland, kick off 2013 season.

Hundreds of boys and girls kicked off their 2013 season Saturday, April 13, as McLean Little League celebrated opening day at the McLean Little League Fields. The players, coaches and parents started their morning at McLean High School before marching almost a mile down Westmoreland Street to the fields.

The Pike at 200

Great Falls Day on May 5 to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the historic Georgetown Pike.

The Great Falls Historical Society is presenting Great Falls Day on Sunday, May 5, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the historic Georgetown Pike.

Dancer Captures the Moment

Isabella Tablett nominated for National PTA Award.

Isabella Tablett has been interested in dance and dance choreography since she was 4 years old. Now a fourth grader at Great Falls Elementary School, Tablett’s recent routine has won her awards at the school, cluster, district and state levels.

West Springfield Woman at Boston Marathon Carried to Safety by NFL Champ Joe Andruzzi

Friends and family pray for the Wittich family.

The Wittich family of West Springfield was excited about attending the Boston Marathon, one of the historic city’s prominent annual civic pride events. On Saturday, April 13, Christine Wittich, a West Springfield High School student, posted several tweets about the upcoming trip. “Wittich invasion has commenced. Is Boston ready?” and “Yay for being that matching family,” with a photo of mom Julie and sisters in matching blue t-shirts. But after Monday’s bomb blasts transformed the Boston Marathon into a scene of chaos and terror, leaving three dead and more than 100 injured, Wittich’s tweets became more muted.

Student Peace Award Winner

Mountain View High School selected senior Aracely (Chely) Cifuentes to be its recipient of the Student Peace Award. Originally from Guatemala, Chely believes in the power of mentoring, tutoring, and motivating young people in the foster care system as a means of assuring survival.

Obituaries

Donald D. Fowler

Donald D. Fowler, a former World Bank executive, died at his home in Alexandria, on April 2, 2013. He was 100 years old.

Thousands of Pounds of Trash Removed from Little Hunting Creek

This past weekend, Del. Scott Surovell held his fourth cleanup in the past 12 months of Little Hunting Creek in the Hybla Valley section of Fairfax County. The cleanup, in coordination with Friends of Little Hunting Creek and the 25th Annual Alice Ferguson’s Foundations Annual Potomac Watershed Cleanup, was led by Surovell at three different sites: Janna Lee Avenue Bridge, Creekside Village Apartments and Mount Vernon Shopping Plaza behind the Shoppers Food Warehouse and U.S. Post Office.

Celebrating Purim

Purim was celebrated at B’nai Tzedek in Potomac on Saturday, Feb. 23. More than 200 attended, dressed in costume. This year’s spiel (Purim Play) which reenacts the Story of Queen Esther, was called “Oh What a Spiel! The Jersey Boys Megillah.”

Time To Play Ball

SYA baseball held its opening-day ceremony Saturday, April 6, at Cub Run Elementary. Teams carried banners and paraded around the field before playing their games.

The Connection