And the Winners Are … Page 7

Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ January 15-21, 2014 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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January 15-21, 2014 online at www.connectionnewspapers.com

Oak Hill ❖ HerndonOak Hill ❖ Herndon

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And the Winners Are …News, Page 4

And the Winners Are …News, Page 4

Herndon Middle Schoolstudents Areebah Ahmedand Trang Nguyen. Eighthgrade student Nguyen wonfirst place in this year’sschool spelling bee, andseventh grade studentAhmed won second place.

Herndon High StudentsBroadcast ‘Herndon Live’News, Page 4

Let Sun Shine on Virginia’sFinancial Disclosure LawsNews, Page 3

Herndon High StudentsBroadcast ‘Herndon Live’News, Page 4

Let Sun Shine on Virginia’sFinancial Disclosure LawsNews, Page 3

2 ❖ Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ January 15-21, 2014 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

731-A Walker Road • Great Falls • Virginia • 22066

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See Bulletin, Page 5

To have community events listed inthe Connection, send [email protected] the Friday prior to the followingweek’s paper.

WEDNESDAY/ JAN. 15Full Moon Meander. 6-7 p.m.,

Walker Nature Center, 11450 GladeDrive, Reston. Find out how themoon moves, what happens duringthe phases of the moon, and how themoon affects our wildlife on amoonlight walk; refreshmentsincluded. Reston Associationmembers: $7; Non-members: [email protected], or 703-476-9689.

THURSDAY, JAN. 16Understanding the Affordable

Care Act. 7 p.m. Reston RegionalLibrary, 11925 Bowman Towne Dr.,Reston. A representative fromNorthern Virginia Family Serviceswill explain how the Affordable CareAct works in Virginia, how to enroll,and what financial assistance isavailable. Free. Call 703-689-2700 orvisit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/.

Women’s Club of Greater RestonMeeting. 10 a.m. Lake AnneCommunity Center, 1609-AWashington Plaza, Reston. JessiToye, board-certified Life Coach andFood for Life Instructor for thePhysician’s Committee forResponsible Medicine, will talk aboutnutrition and do a live cookingdemonstration. Free.

FRIDAY/JAN. 17Herndon Historical Society. 7:30

p.m., Herndon Depot, 717 LynnStreet. Featuring Mary Lipsey of theFairfax County History Commission,who will discuss the county’s historiccemeteries and what is being done topreserve them. 703-437-7289. Freeand open to the public.

Parenting Workshop. 7-9 p.m.Trinity Presbyterian Church, 651Dranesville Rd. Herndon.www.CelebrateCalm.com

SATURDAY/JAN. 18Parenting Workshop. 9:30 - 11:30

a.m. Trinity Presbyterian Church, 651Dranesville Rd. Herndon.www.CelebrateCalm.com

SATURDAY/JAN. 25Furry Foxes. 11 a.m.-Noon. Walker

Nature Center, 11450 Glade Drive,Reston. Find out what foxes eat,which of their wild cousins also livein Reston, and feel the furs of allthese animals as well as go on a shorthike. Reston Association members:$7; Non-members: [email protected] or 703-476-9689.

Useful Services Exchange AnnualPotluck Dinner and Meeting.4:30-8 p.m. Unitarian-UniversalistChurch of Reston, 1625 Wiehle Ave.,Reston. A time-trading barter systemto exchange services among Reston/Herndon residents. All current andprospective members are invited.º Nocharge, beverages will be provided.ºTo RSVP or get more information,call 703-435-6283.

SUNDAY/ JAN. 26Creatures of the Chesapeake Bay.

1:30-2:30 p.m. or 3-4 p.m., WalkerNature Center, 11450 Glade Drive,Reston. Learn about bay ecology andhow the way we treat water at homeaffects the water quality and wildlifefound in the bay with a marinebiologist. Reston Associationmembers: $8; Non-members: [email protected] or 703-476-9689.

MONDAY/ JAN. 27Choices for Sustainable Living. 7-9

p.m., Walker Nature Center, 11450Glade Drive, Reston. Join this seven

Bulletin Board

Send Your Photos & Stories Now [email protected]

or complete our online form at herndonconnection.comBe sure to include your name, address and phone number, and identify

all people and pets in photos. Submission deadline is February 20.

Be Part of ThePet Connection in February


NewsHerndon Connection Editor Kemal Kurspahic

703-778-9414 or [email protected]

By Victoria Ross

The Connection

As members of the Virginia Gen-eral Assembly convene for thefirst time since last February, leg-islators are stampeding to intro-

duce ethics legislation in response to thegift scandal which engulfed then Gov. Rob-ert F. McDonnell (R).

The revelations last spring about numer-ous undisclosed gifts and purported loansfrom businessman Jonnie Williams toMcDonnell — including a $6,500 Rolexwatch engraved to the “71st Governor ofVirginia” and $35,000 in gifts and cateringfor his daughters’ weddings — shined aspotlight on Virginia’s porous financial dis-closure laws.

McDonnell, who remains under federalinvestigation over his relationship withWilliams, pointed to various loopholes inexisting state law as reasons for not disclos-ing gifts, noting that state law requires onlythe disclosure of gifts directly to officehold-ers, and not their families.

Following the principle cited by SupremeCourt Justice Louis Brandeis that “Sunlightis said to be the best of disinfectants,” stateSen. Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax) has intro-duced an ethics reform package which hesays “makes the Freedom of Information Act(FOIA) a centerpiece.”

PETERSEN’S BILLS would increase dis-closure, limit contributions and gifts, pro-hibit the use of private law firms for statebusiness, and create an ethics commission,ideally with subpoena power, to hold legis-lators accountable and increase transpar-ency.

“The era of Rolexes, lake-house vacations,and $150,000 loans must end,” Petersensaid. “For far too long those of us who servein Richmond have relied on super-sizedpolitical contributions to fund our cam-paigns. That is a part of our current flawedculture. Working Virginians don’t see cam-paign donations larger than their yearlyincomes as ‘no strings attached.’ They see atransaction.”

Petersen’s package of ethical reform billstakes its place alongside several others an-nounced last week, including a bipartisanreform package unveiled Tuesday, Jan. 7,by House Majority Leader M. Kirkland Cox(R-Colonial Heights) and House MinorityLeader David J. Toscano (D-Charlottesville).

Under the Kirkland-Toscano bill, reformsinclude:

❖ A $250 cap on tangible gifts to offi-cials and their immediate family members

from lobbyists or people with business be-fore the state.

❖ A ban on solicitation of those gifts.❖ The requirement that family members’

finances and gifts be disclosed.❖ The creation of an ethics commission

that would serve as a resource, providinglegislators guidance on issues that may posea conflict of interest.

“What we have really tried to do here istake the best parts of our current system,which is fairly strict reporting accountabil-ity, and in targeted areas, we’ve really triedto beef that up and really get at some ofthe problems,” Cox said at a news confer-ence in Richmond last week with Republi-can and Democratic leaders.

Petersen said his proposals differed sig-nificantly from the House bill.

“I’m not overly impressed by the ‘biparti-san compromise’ announced in the Housethis week. My package has teeth. My inten-tion is to change the culture, not just closethe loopholes,” Petersen said in an inter-view on Wednesday, Jan. 8.

“The other issue that’s part of my proposalis making FOIA the centerpiece,” Petersensaid. “I think my FOIA bill is critical forbringing more transparency to this process.That’s a huge difference, because withoutthat it’s really hard to know what’s going

on and it’s for people and the media to in-vestigate. ”

Petersen said he wants his ethics commis-sion to have subpoena power, which wouldgive the group the authority to compel law-makers to testify and produce evidence, orface a penalty for failure to comply.

According to the National Conference ofState Legislatures, more than 40 states havesimilar ethics commissions, most with sub-poena power.

Petersen said he has long been botheredby the lack of financial transparency in Vir-ginia, and the ensuing erosion of the public’strust.

WHEN REPORTS ABOUT THE ROLEXsurfaced last July, Petersen sent a letter tothe governor asking him to “come clean onthis matter” by explaining the gifts, deny-ing the reports, or resigning from office. Hebecame the first Virginia lawmaker to sug-gest McDonnell’s resignation in the wakeof the deepening controversy over the lav-ish gifts.

“For too long, we’ve said ‘hey, we’re hon-orable gentleman, we can police ourselves,’Unfortunately, there have been too manyrecent incidents to contradict that,” Petersensaid.

“That’s why I’ve introduced four bills that

will increase the public’s right to know, limitcampaign contributions to $20K per candi-date from a single donor, end the soakingof taxpayers by white-shoe law firms, andstart a truly independent and distinguishedethics commission that includes everydaycitizens to hold legislators accountable.”

But Del. Dave Albo (R-42) said he wasn’toverly impressed with Petersen’s bills, andhe supports the bipartisan compromise.

“The bipartisan House proposal includesan ethics commission, so I don’t know whySenator Peterson thinks that his ethics com-mission is better,” Albo said Friday, addingthat it’s unrealistic for state lawmakers toimpose certain campaign contribution lim-its.

“If a bill could be crafted that wouldequally limit [all campaign contributions],then I would support it. But it has to be alevel playing field,” Albo said.

“It takes a long time to start earning backthe trust that you have lost, and as Virgin-ians, and as public officials, we need to startnow,” Petersen said.

Let Sun Shine on Virginia’s Financial Disclosure LawsState legislators turnattention to ethics inwake of McDonnellgift scandal.

Photo by Victoria Ross/The Connection

Sen. Chap Petersen (D-34), sitting, confers with a colleague during lastyear’s General Assembly session. After the session ended in February, itwas disclosed that federal and state authorities had launched an investi-gation regarding gifts given to then-Gov. Robert McDonnell (R) and hisfamily. The investigation served to heighten public awareness ofVirginia’s lax financial disclosure laws.

What Petersen’s EthicsPackage Would Do❖ SB212: FOIA for General Assembly members

and staff - SB212 removes the GeneralAssembly’s exception from the Virginia FOIA act.This bill repeals the 2013 General AssemblyFOIA exemption act (HB1639), patroned by Del.Tag Greason (R-Potomac Falls).

❖ SB218: Limits on Campaign Contributions andGifts - SB218 Limits General Assembly membersand Executives in the Commonwealth to a totalof $2,000 in gifts per year. All gifts over $50 willcontinue to be itemized and reported. “Super-sized” campaign donations will be limited to$20,000 per individual donor per candidate.

❖ SB220: Prohibiting the Use of Private Law Firmsfor State Business -SB220 requires the office ofthe Attorney General to contract local city orcounty attorneys, rather than private counsel,when it experiences a conflict of interest. Thisbill will remove the incentive for private lawfirms to exploit the current law and over-bill thestate on a public matter. This bill was broughtabout due to the ongoing attorney’s fees chargedby two firms employed by Attorney Gen. KenCuccinelli’s office to defend Gov. BobMcDonnell, reportedly more than $780,000.

❖ SB219: Establishment of the Virginia EthicsCommission -SB219 requires that all loans, gifts,and statements of economic interests disclosuresshall be filed with the Virginia EthicsCommission. Currently these disclosures arefiled to the clerks of each house. The VirginiaEthics Commission will be a body independentof both houses, comprised of both formerlegislators and distinguished independentcitizens whom have never held office. Thecommission will be able to makerecommendations for disciplinary proceedingsagainst legislators found in violation ofdisclosure laws to their respective house, wheremembers will vote on any disciplinary action.

For more information on these bills, go to:http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/

legp604.exe?141+sum+SB212SB220 (Petersen)http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/

legp604.exe?141+sum+SB220HB1639: (Greason, 2013)http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/

legp604.exe?131+sum+HB1639SB218 (Petersen)http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/

legp604.exe?141+sum+SB218SB219 (Petersen)http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/

legp604.exe?141+sum+SB219


News

By Ryan Dunn

The Connection

Once you spell theword, there is nogoing back,” said

Nancy Galm, English teacher atthe Herndon Middle School onLocust Street. Galm was ad-dressing a group of more than20 students attending HerndonMiddle School who had won orplaced their way into the an-nual spelling bee competition.The competition was held onJan. 8.

Each English class had a rep-resentative to compete in thebee. Spelling prowess wastested, and students were ableto apply their knowledge of pre-fixes, suffixes, root words, andrelated words they havelearned in all of their classes.Three teachers helped set up forevent.

“Our goal is to increase lit-eracy and to expand vocabularycollectively,” said HerndonMiddle School Special Educa-tion Assistant Principal Mat-thew Lanoue-Chapman. “Ms.Galm has a love of language, itis definitely something she ispassionate about,” said Lanoue-Chapman. In 2013, the annualspelling bee was canceled dueto scheduling conflict.

“I think the kids who partici-pate find it fun and enjoy com-peting at the class level,” saidDannet Parchment, a HerndonMiddle School eighth gradeEnglish teacher.

The competition had filtereddown to three young ladies,Trang Nguyen, AreebahAhmed, and Shabnam Yusufzai.“I am very proud for all of youand you should be proud foryourself,” said Galm. Nguyenwon first place with the spell-ing of the word “impropriety.”From there, Ahmed and

Yusufzai competed spelling ofwords until Ahmed achievedsecond place and Yusufzai wonthird place.

“It is an honor to be able toparticipate in the spelling bee,winning was a surprise becauseI was competing against somegood spellers,” said Nguyen. “Iwas happy I was able to expe-rience this because this was myfirst time in a spelling bee.”

“I was up against many greatspellers,” said Ahmed. “I reallyenjoy English, but I also enjoymath.” A seventh grade stu-dent, Ahmed’s English teacheris Kent Harris Jr. Both Nguyenand Yusufzai are in the eighthgrade and have the same En-glish teacher, Nancy Galm.

A resident of Fairfax, Galmhas been a teacher for 32 years.“I am not going anywhere, Idesperately love it here,” saidGalm. Spelling bees are achance for students to exhibitand display their scholastic andacademic abilities. Galm looksforward to the April HerndonMiddle School literary event,the Battle of the Books. “It is across between Jeopardy and It’sAcademic,” said Galm.

Herndon Middle School students Areebah Ahmedand Trang Nguyen. Eighth grade student Nguyen wonfirst place in this year’s school spelling bee, andseventh grade student Ahmed won second place.

English teacher NancyGalm directed the 2014Spelling Bee at HerndonMiddle School.

And the Winners Are …“

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By Ryan Dunn

The Connection

On Friday, Jan. 10, at5 p.m. Herndon’snon-profit, cable access PEG station

Herndon Community Television(HCTV) presented the first episodeof “Herndon Live” a new programshowcasing events, reviews, inter-views and news. Assisting the pro-duction of the first episode wereHerndon residents Nancy Rose,Blake Rose, and their son, BrianRose. “I started volunteering andusing the equipment at HCTVwhen I was about 9 or 10,” saidBrian Rose. “I am there to give theHerndon Live group what theyneed to do their show whether itbe advice or teaching them equip-ment... I am there to make surethings go smoothly.”

“We have not had a live show atHCTV for a long time. I am pretty excited about it,”said HCTV volunteer Nancy Rose. “They have a bi-weekly schedule with half an hour each. I think nowthe idea is to keep doing the shows as long as theywant to do it.” Both Jack Norcross and Emily Yen,freshman at Herndon High, were founding membersof the Herndon Live program. “Emily and I startedworking with HCTV during the Herndon Festival lastJune and also taping different bands that were per-forming,” said Norcross.

“This is a place where you can get information fromHerndon and from around the world,” said Norcrossin the first episode of Herndon Live. The format of thefirst episode included a weather segment and a musicsegment, in addition to local and worldwide news. Inthe first episode, Norcross and Yen talked briefly ofbasketball star Dennis Rodman’s recent trip to NorthKorea. Also, there was a video segment of Emily Yenvisiting Bow Tie Cinemas in Reston to see the Disney

movie “Frozen.” “I thought it wassuper cute,” said Yen.

There was another video seg-ment taken during the New Year’sEve Celebration at ArtSpaceHerndon. In this segment, CaseyMolina a junior at Herndon Highspoke with art gallery visitors andvolunteers. The music segmentfeatured High Herndon freshmanAllie Kassraie, who gave a briefreview on Beyoncé’s latest album.Kassraie then reviewed the topmost popular songs of 2013 bymusicians including Daft Punk,Justin Timberlake, and the bandImagine Dragons.

Elise Lesage, a sophomore atHerndon High, interviewed AaronSawyer, manager of The Closet, anonprofit thrift shop in the down-town Herndon. Lesage also spokewith several other Closet volun-teers. Jack Norcross wrapped upthe program with a travel review

taped at Wintergreen ski resort in Virginia. Approxi-mately 10 Herndon students are helping producethe show, and they hope this will give insight to thecareers of journalism and communications.

“At first we thought it would be really easy to do alive broadcast, but then we saw it would be a bitmore complicated, because we have a limited timeframe,” said Emily Yen. “We collaborated and wecame to the idea of an entirely student run newsshow. We are still very busy with high school, butwe get the work done,” said Yen. “Jack and I arecomfortable working with each other and the othermembers of our team. Each one of them brings theirown personality or traits with them on air and I thinkthat is great.”

Herndon Community Television or HCTV can beviewed on Channel 23 on Cox Communications andChannel 28 on Verizon FIOS. To learn more aboutHerndon Community Television, visit hctv.org.

Casey Molina a junior at Herndon High isone of the students producing HerndonCommunity Television’s new program"Herndon Live."

Herndon High student Elise Lesage istesting some of the equipment used tocreate a live broadcast at Herndon Com-munity Television (HCTV).

Brian Rose assisted agroup of Herndon Highstudents in the productionof the new program"Herndon Live," which wasfirst broadcast on HerndonCommunity Television inJanuary 2014.

Herndon High StudentsBroadcast ‘Herndon Live’

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AAUW ProgramKicks Off 2014—Jan. 25

January 25 at 10 a.m. is the date to mark on your calendars. That iswhen the American Association of University Women of Reston andHerndon jointly with the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW)will offer a special presentation on human sex trafficking in our com-munities. The presentation at the January AAUW meeting will featureguest speaker Detective William Woolf, a key member of the NorthernVirginia Human Trafficking Task Force. Det. Woolf will discuss the grow-ing problem of sex trafficking in the region as well as educating allwho attend about the actions Fairfax County is taking to deal with adangerous trend. The presentation is open to all who attend this an-nual joint meeting of AAUW of Reston-Herndon and the NCNW. Acontinental breakfast will be served. That is 10 a.m. on Saturday, Jan.25 at the offices of Cornerstones (formerly Reston Interfaith) in Suite210 at 11150 Sunset Hills Road in Reston. It is the building next doorto the Post Office, above the Cardinal Bank.

Volunteers Needed The Northern Virginia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program needs

volunteer advocates for residents in assisted living and nursing facili-ties throughout the area. Volunteers can work in facilities close to wherethey live. Training is provided in March 2014. Call 703-324-5861, TTY711 or email [email protected]. Find more informationon becoming a long-term care ombudsman volunteer at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs/olderadultservices/ltcombudsman/vol_ombud_program.htm.

Area Roundups

Bulletin Board

From Page 2

session, facilitated discussion course toexplore the meaning of sustainableliving and the ties between lifestyle

choices and their impact on theearth. Reston Association Members:$30; Non-members: [email protected] or 703-476-9689.

For a free digi-tal subscriptionto one or allof the 15ConnectionNewspapers,go towww.connectionnewspapers.com/subscribe

Be the first toknow – get yourpaper before ithits the press.

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Opinion

The Virginia General Assembly began its annual session last week onJan. 8.

The actions of the Virginia Gen-eral Assembly matter more to localities than itwould in many other states. In Virginia, locali-ties have only the power specificallygranted by the General Assembly, theDillon rule.

So, for example, MontgomeryCounty and Prince Georges County in Mary-land recently voted to increase the minimumwage in those localities. They didn’t need per-mission from Maryland General Assembly todo so. Arlington and Alexandria might be in-clined to follow suit (the District governmentalso voted to increase the minimum wage) butdo not have that power.

The General Assembly limits how localitiescan raise revenue, what kinds of traffic regu-lations they can implement, whether they cancontrol where guns are allowed, whetherschool districts can begin classes before LaborDay, and much more.

Fairfax, Arlington and Alexandria sent theirmembers of the Northern Virginia delegationof state senators, all Democrats, and delegates,overwhelmingly Democrats (13-5), to Rich-mond, where the House of Delegates is over-whelming Republican and control of the Sen-ate is still up in the air pending special elec-tions.

Del. Ken Plum (D-36) filed HB536 whichwould “increase the minimum wage from itscurrent federally mandated level of $7.25 perhour to $8.25 per hour effective July 1, 2014,and to $9.25 per hour effective July 1, 2015,unless a higher minimum wage is required by

the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.” It isn’tlikely to see the light of day.

Anyone can watch the Virginia House ofDelegates or Senate on streaming video wheneither is in session, and the Virginia GeneralAssembly proved last year that it can be wor-

thy of national attention for entertain-ment. It is in fact well worth tuning inonce or twice or more. Visit http://virginiageneralassembly.gov/ and click

on “members and session,” and see the “quicklinks” section for video links.

Legislators will consider literally thousandsof bills between now and March 8.

Some quite random examples of proposedlegislation from local delegates and senators:

❖ Del. Dave Albo (R-42): Driving while in-toxicated; refusal of blood or breath tests. Thisbill would allow a person who has been ar-rested for driving while intoxicated and whohas refused to submit to a blood or breath testbe given another opportunity to consent to test-ing after the arresting officer has advised theperson of the consequences of his refusal.

❖ Del. David Bulova (D-37): One bill wouldallow the employment of lights for the obser-vation of deer (spotlighting) for certain activi-ties authorized by the Department of Game andInland Fisheries. Another would provide thatproperty used in connection with certaincrimes associated with human trafficking issubject to forfeiture to the Commonwealth.

❖ Del. Scott Surovell (D-44) has propose therepeal of last year’s hybrid tax, plus a bill thatwould place a cap on the compensation thatmay be paid to a special counsel appointed tohandle certain legal matters where it wouldbe improper or uneconomical for the Attorney

General, or the Attorney General is unable, tohandle such matters. That cap would be thesame as allowed for a court appointed attor-ney, a very small amount.

❖ Del Barbara Comstock (R-34) proposes toallow local school districts to set their owncalendars. Another bill would include non-motor vehicles including bicycles among ve-hicles that any driver must not tailgate. An-other would require most state colleges anduniversities to allocate 75 percent of their slotsfor in-state students by 2019-2020 school year.

❖ Del. Patrick Hope (D-47) proposes to pro-hibit firearms on the floor of the House of Del-egates. Another bill would require public in-stitutions of higher learning in Virginia to pro-vide a dedicated page on its website to infor-mation on mental health resources availableto students.

❖ Del. Mark Sickles (D-43) proposes to cre-ate the Virginia Health Benefit Exchange,which will be established and operated by anew division within the State CorporationCommission.

❖ Sen. Dave Marsden (D-37) would make ita Class 1 misdemeanor for the owner of awebsite to both post an arrest photo and so-licit, request, or accept money for removingthe photograph.

❖ Sen. Chap Petersen (D-34) proposes to re-quire drivers and passengers to wait for a rea-sonable opportunity to open vehicle doors onthe side adjacent to moving traffic, an effortto prevent the “dooring” of bicyclists.

Why the General Assembly matters more inVirginia than most states.

From Late Night Comedy to Your BedroomSee for Yourself

Visit http://virginiageneralassembly.gov/ andclick on “members and session,” and see the “quicklinks” section for live video links, information onwho your legislators are and how to track bills.Every resident is represented by one state delegateand one state senator; look up your and email to beplaced on their mailing lists. Consider attendingtheir local meetings.

Editorial

By Kenneth R. “Ken”

Plum

State Delegate (D-36)

Virginia taxpayer dol-lars not returned tothem has amounted

to five million dollars each daysince Jan. 1, and will continue atthat rate each day that Virginia re-fuses to expand its Medicaid pro-gram. In addition, at least 400,000working Virginians will continueto be uninsured.

The 2013 session of the GeneralAssembly created the MedicaidInnovation and Reform Commis-sion (MIRC) to consider whetherreforms to Virginia’s Medicaid pro-gram were sufficient to allow Vir-ginia to proceed with some formof coverage expansion through theAffordable Care Act. MIRC mem-bers have been assured by staffthat all requested reforms have

been made, but the Com-mission members from theHouse of Delegates haverefused to acknowledge thereforms and continue alongwith the Speaker of theHouse of Delegates to op-

pose expansion of Medicaid. Forotherwise fiscal conservatives toturn down five million dollars ofVirginia taxpayer dollars being re-turned to them to pay the full costof Medicaid expansion shows thecontinued animosity that someRepublicans have toward the Af-fordable Care Act that they referto as Obamacare. To the concernthat the federal government willnot be able to continue funding theprogram into the future, Virginiacould make a decision to withdrawat that time.

At the same time, the VirginiaChamber of Commerce businessplan for the Commonwealth, “Blue-

print for Virginia,” supports theMedicaid reforms that have beenmade and recommends Medicaidexpansion. Chamber leadership hastermed Medicaid expansion to beboth an economic development aswell as a workforce issue. Most ofVirginia’s one million uninsuredresidents are employed. It is pro-jected that the expansion wouldcreate an estimated 33,000 jobsand bring $21 billion dollars backto the Commonwealth.

Governor Terry McAuliffe is astaunch supporter of Medicaidexpansion. As he stated to theChamber, “Let me be clear on onepoint. If Medicaid expansion is notthe business community’s numberone priority in your communica-tion with the General Assembly, itwill not happen.” He calls for“coming together, putting old ideo-logical differences aside and focus-ing on what makes sense from a

business perspective.”The case for Medicaid expan-

sion goes beyond the strong busi-ness case; it is also a humanitar-ian cause. Social justice organi-zations, faith communities, andindividuals need also to give pri-ority to making their viewsknown to legislators. Give prior-ity to writing or calling Houseand Senate leadership and mem-bers of the House Appropriationsand Senate Finance Committeesand ask them to approve the ex-pansion of Medicaid. Contact in-formation is available at http://virginiageneralassembly.gov/membersAndSession.php?secid=1&activesec=0#!hb=1&mainContentTabs=0.

Five million dollars a day is a lotof money. It is too much to turndown, especially when it can im-prove the health and well-being ofVirginians. Please make sure yourvoice is heard on this issue.

Five Million Dollars a Day

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The Newton Schoolserves students in

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Please call703.772.0480

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• Small classes (4-8 students) with a 4:1 student to teacher ratio

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• Daily communication with parents

By Marilyn Campbell

The Connection

K.J., 8, and his sister Kalina, 3, lovereading books, particularly booksthey’ve written themselves orwith their mother. In fact, K.J. is

an avid reader of both homemade and tra-ditionally published books, and his sister isfollowing in his footsteps.

“When they were younger, I took picturesand copied them on a home printer,” saidtheir mother, Holly Karapetkova, an associ-ate professor of literature at MarymountUniversity in Arlington. “Once they wereolder, they illustrated the books or chosethe item they wanted to include like for aspecific letter in an alphabet book.”

Karapetkova and other researchers saidthat creating books like this with childrenis not only easy and inexpensive, it’s one of

the best ways to help them develop a loveof books and reading, which Karapetkovasaid is one of the greatest gifts a parent cangive a child.

“Reading is one of the fundamental waysthat we interact with the world and par-ticularly with knowledge,” she said. “As acollege professor, I find that my studentswho can read well can also think well andwrite well. They are thinkers on a muchdeeper level. Research has shown that read-ing makes you more contemplative, buildspatience, concentration, and you have touse your imagination.”

MAKING YOUR OWN BOOKS stretchesthe imagination. M. Susan Burns, Ph.D., amember of the early childhood educationand human development and family sci-ences faculty at George Mason Universitysays there are a few things that parentsshould keep in mind when making bookswith their children, however.

“Parents need to make it a positive expe-rience,” she said. “Children need to havebooks available [on topics] that are of trueinterest to them. When a book is being made

Creating Books With ChildrenExperts say helpinglittle readers becomeauthors can deepen alove of reading.

Photo courtesy of Holly Karapetkova

K.J., 8, and his sister Kalina, 3, make books with their mother, HollyKarapetkova, a professor of literature at Marymount University in Ar-lington. Experts say making books with children can help them developof a love of reading. See Little Readers, Page 9


SportsReston Connection Sports Editor Rich Sanders

703-224-3031 or [email protected]

By Jon Roetman

The Connection

Few opponents can match the sizeand skill of South Lakes post play-ers Abby Rendle and PrincessAghayere, who helped the

Seahawks win 10 of their first 11 games.At 6 feet 4, Rendle is a game-changer at

each end of the floor. She can score in thepaint or from the perimeter, and can alteran opponent’s shot with her long arms.Aghayere is an aggressive athlete whoscored 15 points and grabbed 22 reboundsduring a Jan. 8 contest against Fairfax.

On Jan. 10, the South Lakes girls’ basket-ball team traveled to face Madison and 6-foot-2 forward Kelly Koshuta, providingRendle and Aghayere a rare opportunity toface a foe of similar size and skill.

“I know personally I was looking forwardto this game because she’s really known andshe plays very well,” Aghayere said aboutfacing Koshuta, “so I was really excited forthis game.”

Koshuta proved a worthy advisory, scor-ing a game-high 28 points. But Aghayereand Rendle each produced a double-doubleand spearheaded a dominant team-re-bounding effort during a 60-52 South Lakesvictory.

South Lakes out-rebounded Madison 50-14, including 24 offensive boards. While theWarhawks kept the score close, pulling towithin four in the final minute, theSeahawks’ second-chance opportunitiesproved too much for Madison to overcome.

“It’s all about possessions for us,” SouthLakes head coach Christy Winters Scott said.“The way that we’ve won a lot of games isto save possession for our team. Whetherwe score off of it or not, we get the clock[moving]. When we had the lead, it wasvery important for us to use that clock andget the extra possession from our boards.”

Aghayere grabbed 19 rebounds, giving

her 41 in two games. She also scored 18points, including a pair of free throws togive South Lakes a 44-37 lead late in thethird quarter. “They’re just very athletic andthey work very hard,” Madison head coachKirsten Stone said about the Seahawks. “Ifeel like they really wanted to beat us. …They’re a tough rebounding team, we knewthat going in.”

Rendle finished with 15 points and 12boards. Her bucket with 5:56 remaining inthe fourth quarter capped an 8-0 run andgave South Lakes a 52-42 advantage.

“Every game we’ve played [againstKoshuta], she’s always been a threat to us,”Rendle said. “She’s a really good post player,so being able to play against her also helpsus get better as post players [and] as de-fensive and offensive players.”

Despite getting in early foul trouble,Koshuta helped Madison take a 25-19 leadwhen she converted a three-point play with3:01 remaining in the second quarter. Butwith Koshuta on the bench late in the firsthalf, Rendle scored a pair of buckets in thepaint, helping South Lakes close the halfon an 8-0 run. An Aghayere bucket early inthe third quarter gave South Lakes a 29-27advantage and the Seahawks would leadfor the remainder of the contest.

“I look forward to this game all the time,”Koshuta said. “Most of the teams we playdon’t have anyone who is even 6 foot, soit’s good to have this competition. I loveplaying against it. I get very psyched andpumped for it.”

Koshuta scored a game-high 28 points,including 19 in the second half, but grabbedjust three rebounds.

Koshuta’s coach praised Aghayere’s effort.“Princess is just that quiet, athletic

[player],” Stone said. “She’s fast when sheneeds to be fast, she slows down when sheneeds to be slow. She has that tenacity toget the ball. She knows where it is and goesfor it. It’s hard to defend that.”

South Lakes’ Aghayere, Rendle Dominate Boards in VictoryMadison’s Koshuta scores 28 points in defeat.

South Lakes junior Princes Aghayere scored 18 pointsand grabbed 19 rebounds against Madison on Jan. 10,giving her 41 rebounds in two games.

Madison junior Kelly Koshuta scored a game-high 28 points againstSouth Lakes on Jan. 10.

South Lakes senior Abby Rendle scored 15 points and grabbed 12boards against Madison on Jan. 10.

Madison sophomore guard AidanMcWeeney finished with 17 points, connect-ing on 5 of 9 from 3-point range.

South Lakes improved to 11-1, with itsonly loss coming against Central Bucks West(Doylestown, Pa.) during the Boo Williams

Classic holiday tournament. The Seahawkswill host Langley at 7:30 p.m. on Friday,Jan. 17.

Madison fell to 5-7. The Warhawks willtravel to face McLean at 7:30 p.m. on Jan.17.

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From Page 7

with parents, it may not be engaging ifthe book is only of interest to the parent.

“Sometimes it gets sickening to have yourkid tell you another princess story or an-other train story, but it is really importantthough to go with the child’s interest,” shecontinued. “You can take a little bit of a twiston the story by maybe adding a map thatshows that places where the train might go.”

Children may also want to turn to real-life for their books. “Children love to cre-ate stories based on their own experiences,and begin to develop a love of art and lit-erature at an early age,” said Sharon Fishel,ArtReach director for the McLean Projectfor the Arts in McLean. “Parents can fosterthe link between drawing, writing and read-ing by having their child draw pictures oftheir daily routine or special events, suchas field trips, family outings or unplannedadventures.”

When creating a homemade book, thetext doesn’t have to be original either. “Youcan take a familiar song and adapt the lyr-ics,” said Karapetkova. “For example, a bookabout a daily routine can say ‘This is theway we brush our teeth, brush our teeth,brush our teeth early in the morning.’”

The techniques for young children are alittle different. “You want a little one toengage with a book,” said Fishel. “A par-ent-child idea is nice. We do a lot of parent-child workshops here [at the McLean Projectfor the Arts] where one parent does one side[of the page] and child does the other.”

The books children and their parents cre-ate don’t have to be fancy, however. “WhenI’ve made books like this with my children,we’ve taken photos, we cut out picturesfrom magazines, glue sticks, something toput the picture onto,” said Burns. “You canmake those books fun by using artifacts. Ifyou’re doing a book from your beach trip,your child may want to put some sand inthe book, but it is important to have a childinitiate it.”

“I like the thicker paper stock and some-times it makes it easier to hold onto,” sheadded. “The other thing is to get the clearlaminating paper and putting a plastic sheetover it.”

Even “folded paper, bound with a pencilbecomes a writer’s journal,” said

Karapetkova. “You can also take plastic zip-lock bags, punch holes in the bags, fill themand they become bath time books becausethey are waterproof.”

Fishel suggests sticking with the basics:“Composition book, crayons, colored pen-cils. Go to a crafts store [and get] bags oforigami papers or printed pattern papers,”she said, noting that “each part of it can become a lesson plan. Get a patterned pieceof paper and explore with your child whatmakes that a pattern. Don’t assume thatyour child knows.”

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS atSt. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomaccreate their own books as part of the el-ementary school curriculum. Jordan Love,head of the Lower School, said that parentscan “create a writing center at home by pro-viding a child with an area dedicated totheir work and ideas. All children need isblank paper, coloring crayons or markers,and a quiet place to work, preferably at atable that is their size. Elementary-age chil-dren should be provided paper that has ablank section at the top and lines on thebottom.

“For preschool age children,” Love said,“parents can ask their child to dictate ordescribe in order the illustrations. Parentsshould describe what they are writing whilethe child watches them transcribe theirideas to the paper. This reinforces that lan-guage can be printed.”

Experts add that it’s important to empha-size that mistakes, corrections and changesare OK. “I usually say don’t let them erasewhat they write or draw 150 times. It is notabout perfection,” said Fishel.

Burns agrees.“In books for pleasure you don’t want to

make big corrections,” she said. “It’s therelationship with parents that will make itpositive.”

Love suggests that parents display theirchildren’s books. “Writing and reading gohand in hand, and through supporting thewriting process, parents are enhancing theirchild’s ability to be a more effective and ef-ficient reader. Writing together helps to ex-pand a child’s vocabulary, encourage cre-ativity, activate prior knowledge, and buildself-esteem.”

Little Readers

Send announcements [email protected]. The dead-line is the Friday prior to the following week’spaper. Photos/artwork encouraged.

TUESDAY /JAN. 14-SUNDAY/MARCH 2Something Blue. ArtSpace Herndon, 750 Center

Street, Herndon. Fine textile art is showcased inSomething Blue by the Northern VirginiaQuilters. 703-956-6590 orwww.artspaceherndon.org.

WEDNESDAY/JAN. 15- WEDNESDAY/FEB. 19Art Explorers. 10:30-11:30 a.m., ArtSpace

Herndon, 750 Center Street, Herndon. Threesessions allow for a more in-depth introductionto the key concepts and will provide some goodhomework suggestions to help start and develp ahabit of sketching. $200. 703-956-6590 orwww.artspaceherndon.org.

FRIDAY/JAN. 17- SATURDAY/JAN. 18Les Miserables. 8 p.m. Reston Community

Center, 2310 Colts Neck Road, Reston. Setagainst the backdrop of 19th century France,this revolutionary musical is a timelesstestament to the survival of the human spirit.

SATURDAY/JAN. 18ArtSpace Open Mic. 7 p.m. ArtSpace Herndon,

750 Center Street, Herndon. Join for an eveningof entertainment and refreshments; singers,dancers, actors, musicians, and poets of all agesare encouraged to perform. 703-956-6590 orwww.artspaceherndon.org

SUNDAY, JAN. 19Sweet Honey In The Rock. 8 p.m., at The

Centerstage, Reston Community Center HuntersWoods. Five women provide unique perspective

in their traditional gospel hymns, rap, reggae,African chants, hip hop, ancient lullabies andjazz improvisation; with sign languageinterpretation. $25 Reston/$50 Non-Reston.www.restoncommunitycenter.com or 703-476-4500.

TUESDAY/ JAN. 21Third Tuesdays: Design and Wine. 7-9 p.m.,

ArtSpace Herndon, 750 Center Street, Herndon.Sangria and Silk, with guest artist MarilynHarrington will show participants how to paintscarves. 703-956-6590 orwww.artspaceherndon.org.

The Folk Club of Reston-Herndon. 7:15 p.m.Amphora Diner Deluxe, 1151 Elden St,Herndon. The genius of a Dana and SusanRobinson performance lies in their ability tocapture the imagination of their audience,evoking a transformative experience thattouches on the deepest humanity. They canmake the audience howl with laughter or hushwith poignant reflection as they take them on ajourney across America and convey the mysteryand wonder of the places they visit. $11Members, $12 non-members. [email protected] http://www.restonherndonfolkclub.com/

FRIDAY/JAN. 24- SATURDAY/JAN. 25Les Miserables. 8 p.m. Reston Community

Center, 2310 Colts Neck Road, Reston. Setagainst the backdrop of 19th century France,this revolutionary musical is a timelesstestament to the survival of the human spirit.

SUNDAY/ JAN. 26 Something Blue Opening Reception. 4-6

p.m., ArtSpace Herndon, 750 Center Street,Herndon. This exhibit showcases fine textile artand is a sampling of blue varietals as used byNorthern Virginia Quilters. 703-956-6590 orwww.artspaceherndon.org.

Join Reston Community Center for a revolutionary musical performanceof "Les Miserables" starting on Jan. 17.

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I don’t mind being alive, really I don’t.Occasionally though, I receive well-intendedinquiries – electronic and otherwise, frompeople (who know my cancer story) who aresort of wondering if perhaps I’m not. Whenpeople haven’t heard from me in a while –and this is a category of people with whom Idon’t have regular/recurring interactions, butrather a group of people who reach out andattempt to touch me (figuratively speaking)every three or four months or so – there is apresumption on their part that my silence (sofar as they know) is not in fact golden, butrather ominous, as in the cancer might havewon and yours truly didn’t. And when Irespond, their pleasure/relief at my not hav-ing succumbed to the disease is quite posi-tive, generally speaking. Their honesty andjoy in learning that I’m still alive is bothrewarding and gratifying. Rewarding in thatthey care and gratifying in that I must bedoing something right which enables me tosustain myself through a very difficult set ofmedical circumstances: stage IV, non-smallcell lung cancer, the terminal kind (is thereany other kind?).

Statistically speaking, stage IV (there is nostage V) non-small cell lung cancer patients,according to various studies by The AmericanCancer Society, The National CancerInstitute, N.I.H. are not long-term survivors(the understatement of the year). Those of uswho survive five years should have a parade,but very few would be alive to attend.February 27th, 2014 will be my five-yearanniversary. Lucky doesn’t begin to accu-rately describe my feelings. Amazing beginsto scratch the surface.

Obviously, I understand the underlyingconcern of those individuals who don’t hearfrom me and can’t help but wonder (pre-sume even; let’s be realistic) that I’ve joinedthe ranks of the undesirables: those whohave died and not left a forwarding address.In a peculiar way, these queries are my mostfavorites. They reinforce to me everythingI’ve done right and minimize anything I’vedone wrong. They make me proud of who Iam and how long I’ve survived with a“terminal” disease. And the longer I continueto receive them, the longer I will havesurvived. What’s better than that? (That’s arhetorical question). Nothing is better thanthat!

Still, there are many ongoing challenges Iface every day. Perhaps as alluded to in theprevious paragraph, grasping at straws (figur-atively) is one of my enduring pursuits:attempting to find solace, comfort, under-standing, support and an indescribable num-ber of non-quantifiable emotions which buildme up and make me feel whole againdespite being splintered into a million figura-tive pieces when unexpectedly diagnosedwith an inoperable, incurable, terminal dis-ease at age 54 and a half. After having neversuffered a broken bone in my entire life oreven spent a single night in a hospital (andonly one visit to the E.R.), here I was, in theprime of my middle age, being told in effectthat my life (certainly as I knew and under-stood it) was over. If I was in college, I wouldhave put that in my pipe and smoked it.However, as a mid-fifties-aged adult, recentlyorphaned, I was left to ordinary devices,which had never been so thoroughly tested.

Presently, five years after the fact, the testsstill left to be taken mostly involve well-meaning friends and acquaintances wantingto know my status. A little awkward? Sure. Alot of care and concern? Absolutely! InquiriesI can live without? Not a chance.

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OBITUARYMae Balboni of Reston Virginia

Mae Balboni died January 8, 2014 in her home. Mae was a resident of Reston for 13 years. She is survived by her daugh-ters Mary Balboni and husband Chuck Norris of Reston, Va; Anita Balboni and partner Steve Cooke of Schwenksville Penn; Lynda DiPasquale and husband Philip of Collegeville Penn; Catherine Balboni of Hatfield Penn; and her sons Joseph M Balboni and wife Tammy of Eagleville Penn and Anthony V Balboni of Cinnaminson New Jersey; her sisters Jane Ricci of South Weymouth Mass; Dorothy Wilson and husband Jimmy of Allison Park, Penn; her brother George Goolsby and partner Rosalee Wiswall of Peobody Mass; her sister-in-law Beatrice Birt of McKinney Tx; her brother-in-law Al Rusas of Long Beach CA.

Local Virginia memorial service is Friday January 17th 2014 at 5pm at Adams Green Funeral Home, 721 Elden Street, Hern-don, VA 20170. Her final resting place will be in Norristown Penn on Saturday January 25, 2014 at St Patrick Cemetery where she will be buried with her husband Joseph J Balboni.

Mae volunteered for Fairfax Pets on Wheels for eight years. Mae also volunteered as a test scorer for Raytheon’s MathMovesU and MathCounts competitions, both regional and national for many years.

Donations in memory of Mae Balboni may be made to St Jude Children Research Hospital to support finding cures for cancer. www.stjude.org

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By Ethan McLeod

The Connection

Many know the story of Secretariat,a thoroughbred horse who over-came great physical limitations towin the 1973 Triple Crown, taking

home wins at the Kentucky Derby, the PreaknessStakes and the Belmont Stakes. However, manymay not be aware of Northern Virginia’s historicalties to Secretariat’s owner, Penny Chennery, whorode for the equestrian team for the Madeira Schoolin McLean before graduating in 1939.

During January and February 2014, Great Fallsnonprofit Lift Me Up! will share Secretariat’s storywith Great Falls and Reston residents in a filmscreening of Disney’s Secretariat, as well as a booksigning featuring Chennery’s daugher, Kate Tweedy,co-author of Secretariat’s Meadow: The Land, TheFamily, The Legend. In the book, Tweedy and herco-author Leeanne Ladin detail the history of TheMeadow, a thoroughbred farm in Caroline County,Va., once owned by the Chennery family. In themovie Secretariat, for which Tweedy served as aconsultant, the champion thoroughbred horsehelps to financially save The Meadow after win-ning the Triple Crown in 1973.

LIFT ME UP!’S THERAPEUTIC RIDING PRO-GRAM offers horseback riding lessons to both thephysically and mentally disabled, as well as mili-tary veterans injured in battle through its Back inthe Saddle program. Many of the riders have men-tal health conditions ranging from autism to cere-bral palsy, down syndrome and post-traumaticstress disorder, to name a few, and they all benefitgreatly from renewed balance, coordination andconfidence from riding with Lift Me Up!’s therapyhorses.

Georgia Bay, Director of Programs for Lift MeUp! notes that while its 13 therapy horses may notbe championship-winning thoroughbreds, they domake a difference in riders’ lives every day. “Wesee these wonderful little victories – the child whodevelops the ability to sit balanced, when beforehe could just lean to the side; the rider who de-cides to talk after months of riding in silence,” saidBay, adding fondly, “Of course that first commentis always about the horse.”

The nonprofit receives help from communitydonors and volunteers as well as student interns,equestrian students from the Madeira School, whowork with riders each week. “If Penny were attend-ing there now, I imagine she would likely volun-teer too,” said Laura Smith, Director of Donor Re-lations. Smith also noted that Penny’s father, Chris-topher Chennery, helped to train military veteransin horseback riding here in Northern Virginia.“Penny has long been a champion for horses andpeople with disadvantages.”

ONE OF THE PROGRAM’S HORSES is actu-ally a former racing thoroughbred named Radar,

who, after a short-lived racing career, has takenhome awards with young riders at the Therapeu-tic Riding Association of Virginia’s statewide horseshow in Lexington, Va. Radar’s former ownerDonna Zimmerman, a Great Falls resident, donatedhim to Lift Me Up! after her daughter Jenna, nowa volunteer with the organization, outgrew theformer competition racing horse.

“He was the most gentle, caring soul that I hadever seen in a horse, and for me at the time, I knewthat this horse was going to be safe with my daugh-ter to learn on,” said Zimmerman of Radar. Whenher daughter moved on to higher competition lev-els, Zimmerman saw that Radar would make agreat training horse and notified Program Direc-tor Georgia Bay. “He’s not a high-strung thorough-bred at all,” added Zimmerman. “We knew that hewould be a perfect horse for the riders to learn onat Lift Me Up! It’s great to see him bring so muchjoy to so many people.”

Lift Me Up!’s major fundraising program for 2014is called Good Fences Make Good Neighbors. Theorganization is collecting donations from the com-munity in order to fund the building of new fencessurrounding the nonprofit’s property in Great Falls.“We need to reinforce our fences to protect bothour horses and the properties of our neighbors,”said Lift Me Up! President Bob Best about thefundraiser.

In addition to the organization’s upcomingfundraising events in January and February, TheSaddlery, located at 731 Walker Road in Great Falls,is also selling copies of Secretariat’s Meadow for$35 to contribute to the fundraiser.

Lift Me Up! Shares Historyof SecretariatThe nonprofit kicks off itsGood Fences Make GoodNeighbors fundraiser inReston and Great Falls.

Photo by Ethan McLeod/The Connection

The Saddlery, at 731 Walker Road inGreat Falls, is selling copies ofSecretariat’s Meadow: The Land, TheFamily, The Legend by Kate Tweedy andLeeanne Ladin for $35.

UPCOMING EVENTS❖ Film Screening of Disney’s Secretariat from 1-3 p.m., Jan.

31. Free. Great Falls Library, 9830 Georgetown Pike,Great Falls, VA 22066

❖ Book signing featuring Kate Tweedy, daughter of PennyChennery and co-author of Secretariat’s Meadow: TheLand, The Family, The Legend, 5-8 p.m., Feb. 8, 2014.

Cost: $50 for entrance, $35 per book copy. Fairfax HuntClub, 1321 Lake Fairfax Drive, Reston.

Officials from theFairfax County Po-lice, public schools,

Office for Women & Domesticand Sexual Violence Services,and the Northern Virginia com-munity gathered last Friday,Jan. 10, in Fairfax, to kick off anew education and preventioncampaign on teen sex traffick-ing. Defined as “the act of ma-nipulating or forcing anyoneunder the age of 18 to engagein a sex act in exchange for any-thing of value (money, drugs,shelter, food, clothes, etc.),”police identify an average oftwo new potential victims perweek.

Many people believe teen sextrafficking only happens to run-aways or in other more urbansettings. But it’s on the riseacross Northern Virginia andteens are now being targeted inpublic venues — bus stops,walking down the street, par-ties, shopping malls, throughsocial media outlets and more.

Sex traffickers don’t discrimi-nate; they recruit victims acrossethnic, economic and genderstrata. Most teens are unawarethey’re being drawn in and of-ten don’t recognize the signs ofmanipulation until it’s too late.Traffickers aren’t just gangmembers or criminals; theymay be business professionals,family members, students andteens they know. The trafficker

may not be a stranger; rather itmay be a friend or acquaintancefrom the classroom.

The Just Ask PreventionProject is a new public-aware-ness campaign addressing theincreasing prevalence of teensex trafficking in the region.The goal is to inspire residentsto get involved with preventionand encourage them to learnmore about spotting and report-ing manipulative recruiters.

The campaign incorporatesage-appropriate and illustrativenew videos into the FCPSHealth & P.E. Family Life Edu-cation curriculum. There’s aninteractive Website,www.JustAskVA.org, plus a JustAsk Facebook page. There’llalso be posters for buses,schools and other locations.Schools will create a plasticbracelet awareness campaign.

Additionally, the campaignpartners with the Office forWomen & Domestic and SexualViolence Services which willfund several prevention andeducation programs to betterprepare personnel on the frontlines to respond to human traf-ficking victims and survivors.Parents, family, teachers andfriends will learn how to recog-nize the signs and symptoms ofteen sex trafficking situationsand be urged to report suspi-cious activities to the FCPDHuman Trafficking Unit.

New Campaign TargetsTeen Sex Trafficking

There’llbe post-

ers forbuses,

schoolsand otherlocations

in sup-port of

Just Askcam-

paign.

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contributed

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