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New Year’s Resolutions For County Board News, Page 3 Navigating the College Application Process News, Page 2 Resolving To Lose Weight Wellbeing, Page 9 New Year’s Resolutions For County Board News, Page 3 Navigating the College Application Process News, Page 2 Resolving To Lose Weight Wellbeing, Page 9 online at www.connectionnewspapers.com January 6-12, 2016 Photo by Jeff McQuilkin Sports, Page 8 Entertainment, Page 6 Classified, Page 10 Arlington Arlin g ton Connection Connection The The Holiday Tournament Victory Sports, Page 8 Holiday Tournament Victory Page 9 Wellbeing Wellbeing Wakefield’s Halil Parks, left, made the game- winning shot against Robinson in the War- riors’ holiday tourna- ment final on Dec. 30.

Transcript of Arlin Arlingtongton Wellbeingconnection.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/news/documents/...2016/01/05...

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Arlington Connection ❖ January 6-12, 2016 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

New Year’s ResolutionsFor County BoardNews, Page 3

Navigating the CollegeApplication ProcessNews, Page 2

Resolving To Lose WeightWellbeing, Page 9

New Year’s ResolutionsFor County BoardNews, Page 3

Navigating the CollegeApplication ProcessNews, Page 2

Resolving To Lose WeightWellbeing, Page 9

online at www.connectionnewspapers.comJanuary 6-12, 2016

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Wakefield’s Halil Parks,left, made the game-winning shot againstRobinson in the War-riors’ holiday tourna-ment final on Dec. 30.

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2 ❖ Arlington Connection ❖ January 6-12, 2016 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

News

By Shirley Ruhe

The Connection

The waiting begins for four Ar-lington high school seniors whohave submitted their collegeapplications due in early Janu-

ary. They discuss the college application pro-cess, the details, frustrations and strategies.

Matt Tornquist, a senior at Yorktown HighSchool says he started college visits duringthe summer of 2014 but there were no stu-dents there at that time. He revisited in thefall so he could get a better picture — whatwere the students wearing, were they ac-tive outside, “and I always ate a meal there.And then this year during break I took abig road trip to eight schools.”

Clifton Kubiak, senior at Yorktown,agreed. When he visited Belmont Univer-sity all the kids were on break and he didn’tget the vibe, but at Virginia Tech “all 35,000students were there so it was more excit-ing.”

Agnes Cheng, a senior at H-B Woodlawnsaid you should always check the library andthe dining hall. “If there is silence and stu-dents are studying while they eat, it’s notfor me.” Cheng added that it’s important ifyou can find an alum to give you a morehonest tour of the school. Otherwise all ofthe standard tours begin to sound alike.“When I went to Yale I stayed overnight witha friend which is a good idea.” She saidsome schools track whether you have beenthere as a sign of interest.

Elana Filipos, a senior at Yorktown, saidit is important to visit the schools whereyou apply. When she visited Boston Collegeshe found “there was just something aboutit, too bland.” Cheng agreed that BostonCollege was similar to a lot of other col-leges she had applied to, but when she vis-ited, “it didn’t fit my personality. And I’dheard that Johns Hopkins had a really com-petitive atmosphere and didn’t think Iwould like it. But I did so I applied there.”

Tornquist said he thought Drexel soundedkind of interesting but when he got there

he found it was “very urban, no grass any-where and students lived in 20-story dorms.Not for me.”

Cheng said it is also important to set upinterviews or music performances early foryour college visits. She said her friend hadto go around hauling her harp for musicauditions.

Tornquist said that he had six interviews,two with alumni locally, “which is easierbecause you don’t have to travel to theschool.”

So how does a prospective college stu-dent decide where to apply? Kubiak saidhe knew he wanted to be in an urban area.“The smallest school I applied to wasBelmont University in Nashville. I’m goingto George Mason University but my parentsare moving to Nashville.” Kubiak has al-ready been accepted through the early ac-tion process at George Mason where heplans to major in acting and directing stageand film.

Cheng says you have to do a lot of re-search on when to apply, and “it’s kind of agame.” At MIT, for instance, the early deci-sion pool is small and so there is more com-petition than a regular submission in earlyJanuary. In other schools it is to your ad-vantage to apply early, and you have a bet-ter chance of acceptance. And if you applyfor early acceptance at least you may knowin November that you got in somewhere.

Cheng said, “I was all over the map in myapplications. I am interested in science andengineering.” But she applied at small,middle and bigger schools with the North-east weather and culture the unifying themein her choices.

Tornquist’s parents both went to small lib-eral arts colleges. Since he is interested in

engineering he visited UVA in Septemberbut didn’t like the big school vibes. “But it’shard to find a good small school with engi-neering.”

Filipos knew she liked a large school sinceher parents had both gone to the Univer-sity of Maryland and she had been attend-ing their football games since she wasyoung. But she is also interested in TulaneUniversity in New Orleans as well becausethey have an entire school devoted to herpublic health interest.

Cheng advised to start everything earlybecause it is going to take longer than youcan imagine to submit all of the pieces ofpaper. She had started her universal collegeessay in class in June.

Kubiak said, “I think it is as stressful asyou make it,” although he admitted that heput off the personal essay, the most daunt-ing, until October and then hired a personalcounselor to help get him through the pro-cess in time.

Filipos said, there are so many compo-nents — the transcripts, test scores, recom-mendations, the essay for the CommonApplication and then the individual ques-tions that each school requires.

“There is a lot going on at once,” Chengsaid. “You have all of the tabs on your com-puter open at the same time.” And Chengadded, “sometimes colleges lose stuff.”

Filipos said they had lost her transcriptand Kubiak said they’d lost his, too.Tornquist said each school has its own setof questions, usually asking why you wantto come to their college but sometimes theyask something “like who is your favoritesuperpower.”

They agreed that it was challenging to tryto distinguish themselves in their essay from

every other applicant. Cheng said one of thecolleges told her that no matter how muchtime you spend trying to create an impres-sion that they had read every essay thatcould possibly be written. What theywanted was for you to personalize it andthey want to see how you write. In addi-tion, all four students agreed it is impor-tant to ask your teacher and counselor forrecommendations early because the coun-selors get behind.

Tornquist said at Yorktown a counselorcan have 50 students assigned to him, andFilipos said some counselors have a stan-dard recommendation form and just plugin the student’s name. “A college can telland, that doesn’t do any good.”

But Cheng said at H-B Woodlawn herhomeroom teacher is her counselor so thatmakes the process much easier for her.

In an attempt to distinguish themselves,students often pick up a bunch of clubs theirjunior year. But they say colleges can tellthe pattern. Cheng has had the same artteacher since 7th grade and she feels thatrecommendation will show a long-standinginterest which Cheng feels is important.Same with Kubiak who has had the sametheatre teacher for four years and threwhimself into what he was interested in.Tornquist said his approach is to be wellrounded with sports, community serviceand art.

Cheng wrote her essay on her mother’scancer as her viewpoint changed from achild into adulthood. Filipos had a brotherwith special needs who is now 23. Her es-say dealt with her attempts to cope andunderstand, especially as a child. Kubiakfocused on the definition of intelligencewhich he views as warped and with nomeaning. “Your GPA affects everything butif the definition instead was how well aperson understood the world around them,it would enable change.” Tornquist wroteabout his summer counselor-in-trainingexperiences and the impact that took himfrom childhood to adulthood and helpedhim get over his public speaking issues.”

Now the countdown begins until theemails arrive in a few months followed bythe large — or the small — envelopes fromthe schools.

College Applications Submitted — The Long Wait Begins

Clifton Kubiak Agnes Cheng Matt Tornquist Elana Filipos

Navigating theprocess to admission.

Coffee in theBeer Garden

Every Wednesday in January, ArlingtonNeighborhood Village (ANV) welcomes resi-dents to “Coffee and Conversation” at theWestover Market Beer Garden & Haus,10:30-11:30 a.m. Free. Bring a friend tomeet ANV members and volunteers, listento a speaker, and learn more about aging inplace with Arlington Neighborhood Village.See www.arlnvil.org.

Upcoming events:❖ Jan. 13 - AARP’s Fraud Watch❖ Jan. 20 - Arlington Transit Options for

Seniors❖ Jan. 27 - “Villages” - A National Move-

ment

Email announcements to [email protected]. Include date, time,location, description and contact for event: phone,email and/or website. Photos and artwork wel-come. Deadline is Thursday at noon, at least twoweeks before event.

TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS IN JANUARYPop-Up Library Hours. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on

Tuesdays, 2-6 p.m. on Thursdays at ArlingtonMill Community Center, 909 S. Dinwiddie St.Find a selection of books and DVDs, get a librarycard, and get one-on-one tech help. Free. Visitwww.library.arlingtonva.us for more.

SATURDAY/JAN. 9Blood Drive. 7 a.m.-5 p.m. at Kettler Capitals

Iceplex, 627 N. Glebe Road. The WashingtonCapitals and Inova Blood Donor Services willhost a blood drive. Blood drive donors willreceive a bobblehead of forward Justin Williamsas well as a Capitals T-shirt. Call 1-866-BLOODSAVES to make an appointment.

Free Paper Shredding & Inert Material

Drop-Off. 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at Earth ProductsYard, 4300 29th St. S. Acceptable materialsinclude paper (including staples, paper clips),checks and checkbooks. Unacceptable materialsinclude magazine, catalogs, credit cards,binders, or phone book-sized materials. Inertmaterials include asphalt, ceramic tile, concrete,earth, Masonry block, rock, and sand. Free forresidents only, no businesses allowed. Visitwww.recycling.arlingtonva.us for more.

SAT/ACT Prep Workshop. 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. atArlington Mill Community Center, 909 S.Dinwiddie St. The course includes four hours ofinstruction covering all elements of the SAT andACT tests, one-on-one work with instructors andfollow-up student and parent consultation. Thesession costs $140. Call 703-228-7780 for more.

SUNDAY/JAN. 10TreeStewards Application Deadline. The

TreeStewards of Arlington and Alexandria arevolunteers dedicated to improving the health ofurban trees through educational programs, treeplanting and care, demonstrations and treemaintenance throughout the community. New

volunteer training will be held Tuesday evenings,starting Feb. 2-April 12, 2016, with some Saturdaymornings. Free. Visit www.TreeStewards.org.

MONDAY/JAN. 11“Moving Words” Poetry Contest Deadline.

Six poets will have their work printed anddisplayed inside area buses April-September.Winners will also each receive a $250honorarium, and will be invited to give a publicreading of their work in April 2016 duringNational Poetry Month. This contest will bejuried by poet Francisco Aragón. Free to enter.Visit www.arlingtonarts.org for more.

TUESDAY/JAN. 12News on Brain Function. 6:30-7:30 p.m. at

Walter Reed Community Center, 2909 S. 16thSt. Norton Beckerman, author of “A User’s Guideto a Healthy Brain,” will discuss a key discoveryabout the brain, how it has changed theperception of the brain in the neurosciencecommunity, and how it supports the conclusionthat aging itself doesn’t cause cognitive decline.Free. Call 703-228-0949 to register.

Bulletin Board

Photos by Shirley Ruhe/The Connection

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Arlington Connection ❖ January 6-12, 2016 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

NewsArlington Connection Editor Steven Mauren

703-778-9415 or [email protected]

By Vernon Miles

The Connection

While many of the goals setby the Arlington CountyBoard for 2016 were famil-iar, like expanding school

capacity, signs of the new perspectives andnew leadership began to take hold at its Jan.1 meeting.

“Clearly, some things are going to be dif-ferent this year, but a lot will stay the same,”said Libby Garvey. “I’m confident that, to-gether, our residents, our businesses, ourstaff, and this new board will make sure thatArlington delivers outstanding customerservice to all our residents and businesses,that every Arlingtonian who wants can havea voice in our government, and that we willwork strategically to make this wonderfulcounty even better.”

For Garvey, the top priority in 2016 is re-fining the county’s “customer service.”Garvey referred to the current permittingand zoning system as “Byzantine” and com-plicated to the point where many countyofficials struggle to understand it, much lessbusinesses and citizens. For Garvey, thecounty must do more than simplify the pro-cess, it needs to have the system presentedonline in an easily explainable format.

Garvey also targeted sign ordinance asanother area of stifling regulation in Arling-ton.

“We have people coming up with reallycool and exciting ideas for signs, and thenwe tell them their ideas don’t fit within theconfines of our regulations,” said Garvey.“Part of the charm of Arlington, particularly

along the Pike and in our older districts, ishow not-standard everything is. It helpscreate an authentic personality, whichdraws and keeps people here. Our newerareas like Rosslyn and Crystal City need tobe able to try different things as well.”

Another subset of Garvey’s “customer ser-vice” focused on transit, a topic which inthe past put Garvey at odds with fellowboard members. Garvey and the CountyBoard’s independent John Vihstadt opposedthe Columbia Pike streetcar project, whichwas ultimately cancelled in 2014. Garveyexpressed frustration that staff had failedto bring forward any substitute transporta-tion policy in 2015, but that later in themonth, County Manager Mark Schwartzwould report to the board about potentialtransit plans.

The streetcar was one of several majorArlington projects that saw Garvey clashwith Democratic members of the CountyBoard. Garvey’s support of Vihstadt againstfellow Democrat Alan Howze prompted herto resign from the Arlington DemocraticParty, which says that no committee mem-bers or officers could publically supportcandidates opposing a Democrat.

But if there was lingering resentmentfrom the 2014 election controversy, it wasn’tapparent at the board’s first 2016 meeting.

Jay Fisette, vice-chair and most senior mem-ber of the board, expressed support forGarvey’s stated priorities.

“I support the chair’s focus on improvingcustomer service, particularly with build-ing permit,” said Fisette. “We can alwaysdo more to streamline processes, improvepredictability, and enhance customer ser-vice.”

But for his own priorities, Fisette fo-cused on problems the County Board hasstruggled with for years. The biggest chal-lenge, Fisette said, is adding the facilitiesneeded to support Arlington’s growingpopulation in the increasingly limitedavailable space. Fisette specifically notedschool overcrowding as part of that cri-sis. In their last meeting on Dec. 15, theCounty Board votedto approve a new el-ementary school ’sconstruction on aparking lot adjacentto Patrick HenryMiddle School. Thedecision was opposedby neighbors, whocriticized the project’s lack of consider-ation for how a new school would impactlocal traffic, and lamented the loss of parkspace.

New board members Katie Cristol andChristian Dorsey emphasized the need formore affordable housing, another demandon Arlington’s limited space.

“Land use remains our greatest challenge,both with respect to public facilities likeschools and parks, and with respect to at-tracting and maintaining commercial ten-ants to restore our tax base,” said Cristol.“Here, we need to follow through on a se-ries of thoughtful, community-generatedrecommendations from the Community Fa-cilities Study. The study group has urgedus to action to address our threatened com-mercial tax base, and we need to focus this

year on efforts to streamline permitting, asour new chair has emphasized, and en-abling more temporary commercial spaceuses to address our threatened commercialtax base.”

Stephanie Pryor, president of the Arling-ton County Civic Federation, said that theland conflict is one that’s haunted thecounty for at least the last 100 years sincethe Civic Federation was founded.

“One hundred years ago, the big questionswere still the issues with too many peoplecoming in,” said Pryor.

Pryor also noted that while residents arestill coming into Arlington, the county hasstill struggled to recover from the 2005 BaseRealignment that pushed military officesand contractors out of Arlington. Today,Pryor said Arlington faces the added chal-

lenge of having tocompete withLoudoun County andother outlying suburbsof Washington D.C. forthe kind of industrythat has normally at-tracted. While itwasn’t raised by mem-

bers of the County Board as a 2016 prior-ity, Pryor also noted that sewage and pipeinfrastructure is one of Arlington’s unspo-ken calamities.

“There’s slow leaks going on across thecounty,” said Pryor. “Look at the age of thepipes. A woman complained for years toWashington Gas about one but received noresponse. It took the Fire Department com-ing out to identify the leak ... There’s slowleaks in the water pipes. People don’t real-ize how much water is going into theiryard.”

For Pryor, there are still r questions aboutArlington’s infrastructure the County Boardneeds to answer.

“How much capacity can we have?” askedPryor. “Can the system handle it?”

By Shirley Ruhe

The Connection

Volunteers gathered around tablespiled with wrapping paper andlooked at their individualized lists

of children. Some of the volunteers havebeen participating for 15 years in the an-nual Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR)gift-wrapping event for the children of in-carcerated individuals. Each child’s list hasspecific information on the age, gender andinterests of the child along with individual-ized tags that have been signed by the par-ent. “The child recognizes their parent’shandwriting and It means so much to see aspecial note from the incarcerated parent

on their gift,” said the Rev. Kathy Dwyer,OAR board member.

Gail Arnall, former executive director ofOAR, says the OAR staff started wrappinggifts for the children of prisoners almost 25years ago in the OAR office for about 25children. On Dec. 16 about 150 volunteersplanned to wrap 1,200 presents, three eachfor about 395 children. Tables lined thewalls of St. Andrews Episcopal Churchstacked high with Candyland, Tough Truck,Barbies and LEGO duplo sets, puzzles andbasketballs marked by age groups.

Volunteers roamed through the tableschecking their child’s list, inspecting the StarWars figure and the book about whales anddeciding on a good mix of presents for theirassigned child.

A teen heads back to the food table tograb another square of pepperoni pizza anda carrot, then back to the table. “Can I bor-

row the scissors?” “Hmmmm, does thispiece of wrapping paper look big enough?”Scotch tape is applied liberally and then thegift is checked off on a master list in thecorner of the room marked “delivery.” OARvolunteers will personally take the packagesto the homes of the children who live inVirginia, Maryland or D.C. If the childrenlive out of the area, the packages are mailed.An OAR staff member said, “All of the pack-ages will be taken to the post office tomor-row morning. They are opening early forus; we told them we will have hundreds ofpackages.”

OAR was established in 1974 “by a localgroup of women from Arlington who vol-unteered in jails and saw a need for ongo-ing support of prisoners and ex-offenderswho remained largely ignored and forgot-ten by society.” Today OAR offers assistanceboth pre-release and post-release custom-

New leadership facesnew challenges andold problems.

New Year’s Resolutions for County Board

Libby Garvey, chair of the 2016Arlington County Board

Volunteers fill churchfor annual event.

OAR Provides Gifts for Children of Prisoners

“Land use remains ourgreatest challenge ....”

— Katie Cristol, member,County Board

Photo by Shirley Ruhe/The Connection

Volunteers choose gifts for thechildren of incarcerated individu-als at the Offender Aid and Resto-ration (OAR) annual event on Dec.16 at St. Andrew’s EpiscopalChurch on Lorcom Lane.

ized to the needs and risk level of the indi-vidual. They offer life skills and educationcourses as well as evidence-based interven-tions pre-release. In addition, OAR providesemergency needs assistance for individualsimmediately following their release.

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4 ❖ Arlington Connection ❖ January 6-12, 2016 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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Connection

Opinion

A few wishes for theGeneral Assembly,more coming ...

❖ Expand Medicaid: Expanding Medic-aid to cover as many as 400,000 uninsuredpeople in Virginia under the Affordable CareAct would come at virtually no cost to Virginiaand would be a massive boost to Virginia’seconomy. The local and state economy is suf-fering from the loss of federal spending in other

areas, and it’s just plain crazyand mean-spirited to denymedical care for people whocan’t afford it otherwise, and at

the same time, turn away an economic stimu-lus equal to 20,000 or more jobs and a directinfusion of nearly $2 billion a year.

❖ Fund Education: Localities need morehelp from the Commonwealth to pay forschools.

❖ Fostering Futures: Help teens in fostercare by extending services and support, includ-ing foster care maintenance payments, to quali-fying individuals age 18 to 21 years. The moneyspent will matched by Federal dollars, and ev-ery dollar spent helping former foster children

New Year’s Goalsbecome independent, self-supporting adultssaves a bundle in other costs down the line.

❖ Stop Predatory Lending: The local im-pacts of predatory lending, including some cartitle loans, can be devastating to strugglingfamilies and individuals who get into the cycleof high interest debt. This is not an issue ofjust allowing more choice as some haveclaimed. And when someone loses the vehiclehe or she needs to get to work, the costs canextend.

Early Voting forPresidential PrimaryStarts Next Week

Every year is an election year in Virginia.Just two months ago, Virginia voters faced

ballots for almost every state and local electedofficials. While candidates spent millions ofdollars and not very much changed, some criti-cal races in Virginia have been decided by afraction of one percent of votes cast.

Elections have had significant consequenceshere, and the coming election is likely to be inthat category.

Early voting (absentee voting in person) for

U.S. Presidential Primaries starts Jan. 15, re-ally, starting in just a little more than a week.The official primary date is March 1, but thereis no reason to wait until then to vote.

Voters in Virginia don’t register by party, butcan only vote in either the Democratic or Re-publican primary. To vote in the Republicanprimary, each voter will need to sign a formasserting that he or she is in fact a Republican.

Democrats will choose between HillaryClinton, Martin O’Malley and Bernie Sanders(in that order).

Republicans will choose among 13 candi-dates who will be listed in the following or-der: Marco Rubio, Lindsey Graham, BenCarson, Rand Paul, Mike Huckabee, Ted Cruz,Donald Trump, Jim Gilmore, Chris Christie, JebBush, Rick Santorum, John Kasich and CarlyFiorina.

For details on absentee voting in FairfaxCounty, see www.fairfaxcounty.gov/elections/absentee.htm.

For details on absentee voting in the City ofAlexandria, see www.alexandriava.gov/Elec-tions.

For details on absentee voting in Arlington,see vote.arlingtonva.us/absentee/.

— Mary Kimm

[email protected]

Editorial

Arlingtonians Make New Year’s ResolutionsViewpoints

New Year’s resolutions are a tra-dition most common in the West-ern Hemisphere in which a personmakes a promise to himself forsome kind of self improvement oract of kindness to others in the up-coming year. At the end of theGreat Depression about a quarterof American adults made NewYear’s resolutions. At the start ofthe 21st century, this had in-creased to 40 percent. Studies ofNew Year’s resolutions have shownthat most participants fail to keeptheir resolutions due to setting un-realistic goals, forgetting aboutthem or making too many resolu-tions. Popular among this year’sgroup of interviewees was healthyhabits — eating better and exer-cising.

— Shirley Ruhe

RobertQuinn, 71-y e a r - o l dretired andraising oys-ters onN o r t h e r nNeck. “Myson movedinto thehouse hewas raisedin here inA r l i n g t o nand we come back and visit sometimes.My resolution is to get my body andmind back together, to read more andget back to the Y after traveling a lot thisyear.”

A r l e n eBurstrom,76-year-oldr e t i r e dmother ofthree andg r a n d -mother ofs i x .B u r s t r o msays she hasthree reso-lutions. “Atthe top ofmy list is to exercise 3-4 days a week andstretch every day. I go to three classesgeared for seniors and in the big gym-nasium we walk to Frank Sinatra’s ‘NewYork, New York.’ I could walk forever.My second resolution is to put my toe inthe water on 50 years of photos in shoeboxes. Finally I plan to journal myselfwhich I’ve wanted to do for many years.I do like to write and my mother wrotesongs. Maybe it passed on to me.”

Photos by Shirley Ruhe/

The Connection

RonaldBlack Jr.,34-year-oldp e r s o n a ltrainer, sayshe wants tobe a littlemore impul-sive, not ina destruc-tive sensebut not torethink toomany things

until the time has already passed by todo them, “to do things I have alwayswanted to do like traveling to anothercountry than Iceland where I went thisyear, to learning a new skill, to educa-tional pursuits beyond my master’sdegree.”

MaryamLewis, 54tomorrow.“I just wantto beh e a l t h y ,eating prop-erly, moreexercise andwalking.”

G a r r e tScavotto,28-year-oldA r l i n g t o nCounty gar-dener withParks andRecreation,says, “I usedto run. I’mgoing tostart run-ning againand do amarathon, hopefully this year.”

OrlandoRoca , 33-y e a r - o l dA r l i n g t o nC o u n t yg a r d n e rwith Parksand Recre-ation, says,“my goal isto reach mydegree inbusiness ad-ministrationfrom NOVA. I have two years already.”

J u a n aBanks, 21-y e a r - o l dA r l i n g t o nCounty rec-r e a t i o nworker says,“HmmmmmI would liketo savemoney-wiseand to pro-c r a s t i n a t eless. I needto work on it.”

RosanneRusso, 63-y e a r - o l dwho saysshe can’tthink ofanything todo differ-ently. Shewants “tokeep doingwhat I do. Iwork outevery dayand eat healthy.”

Greg Golden, 46, with three middleschoolers, eats pizza at Lee Heights inArlington. He says they are new to Ar-lington and after spending six years inthe Middle East where there was “nogreen” his resolution is to get out andtake advantage of all the good hikes inArlington. He says they have their La-brador retriever in the car to get a headstart.

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NOTICE OF RACIALLY NON-DISCRIMINATORY POLICY

The Sycamore School admits students of anyrace, color, national and ethnic origin to all therights, privileges, programs, and activities generallyaccorded or made available to students at theschool. It does not discriminate on the basis of race,color, national and ethnic origin in administrationof its educational policies, admissions policies,scholarship and loan programs, and athletic andother school administered programs.

Opinion

New Year’s Resolutions

Tom Hnatowski, a retired attorneywalking his dog at Gulf Branch Park,says, “I never make New Year’s resolu-tions. But if I say something I’m going todo, it’s get in better shape. The doc sayslose weight — stay away from bread.”Hnatowski says he exercises now butmight have to have a knee replacement.“I want to eat a lot healthier.”

BarbaraEarles, 67,“the oldesthere at Gi-ant.” Earlessays she hasworked atthe same Gi-ant storesince 1990.“I’m going totry to getmore exer-

cise because I’m expecting my secondgreat grandchild this year and I’ll needthe energy.”

S t e v eF u s t i e r ,62-year-oldcounterterrorismguy. Hesays, myresolution is“always myweight. Seemy I-phone— it’s neathow far I’vewalked ev-ery day. Butit’s pathetic.I want to gofrom 3,000 steps a day to 10,000 stepsa day.”

AntonioA l v a r e z ,26-year-oldS ta rbucksb a r i s t a .Alvarez sayshis goal is to“open upmy sched-ule to workeven morein my little7-year-oldb o y ’ s

school.” Alvarez says he has volunteeredfor field trips but has been asked tocome in to the classroom to help stu-dents who don’t speak as good English. C o l l i n

McKinney,49-year-olddog walker.“I guess mygoal is tokeep my 12-year olddog, Buddy,alive and totake goodcare ofh i m . ”McK inneysays, “But I made my last year’s resolu-tion to quit smoking. I had smoked for30 years and I smoked until midnightlast year. But that was the last time.”

M o l l yMercedes,5-years-old.According toher ownerTova Solo,she is goingto learn to bemuch nicer toother dogsthis year.”Solo saysthey calledtheir dog Mercedes because Solo boughther husband a Mercedes with her bonuswhen she retired. But her husband saidhe felt too guilty so he bought Molly forSolo instead. They gave her the lastname of Mercedes so they would haveone Mercedes in the family.

SharonS i m k i n ,75-year-oldmath tutor,g r a n d -mother offour, folkdancer, Bul-garian cookand foodv o l u n t e e rsays, “Idon’t usu-ally makeresolutions but you made me thinkabout it. I want to be healthy and activein mind and body and keep doing all ofthe things I enjoy.”

Harry Larbarestier, 9-year-oldsays his New Year’ s resolution is not toeat any more candy because “I’m gettingway too fat.”

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6 ❖ Arlington Connection ❖ January 6-12, 2016 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

By Steve Hibbard

The Connection

Signature Theatre in Arlington isstaging “West Side Story,” consid-ered to be one of the greatest mu-sicals of all time, through Jan. 24.

The highly stylized show is about twostar-crossed lovers who find themselveswrenched between two rival gangs, the Jetsand the Sharks, in New York City’s UpperWest Side in 1957 in this musical adapta-tion of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”The play features original choreography byJerome Robbins and a score by LeonardBernstein and Stephen Sondheim that in-cludes “America,” “Maria,” “Somewhere,” “IFeel Pretty,” and “Tonight.” It also marks the25th production of a Stephen Sondheimmusical in Signature Theatre’s history. The1961 film of the same name won 10 Acad-emy Awards, including Best Picture.

MaryJoanna Grisso plays the role ofMaria, a young girl who has just movedfrom Puerto Rico to New York City and iseager for the possibilities of being a younglady in America. “She falls in love for thefirst time and doesn’t see the ‘sides’ the waythe rest of the gangs do,” she said. “She andTony strive to have their love survive in aworld of bigotry, hatred, and violence andare hopeful that there is a place for them,somewhere, in this world.”

She said the role of Maria was a huge re-sponsibility for her vocally, emotionally and

Signature Stages ‘West Side Story’Iconic show is a 1950s musical adaptationof Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”

physically. “I have been fortunate to growin this piece for almost 500 performancesof Maria as I performed the role on theNational Tour,” she said. “But doing a newproduction, with a new cast always bringsnew and exciting challenges.

“And having different people to interactwith changes your show completely,” shesaid. “Also, getting used to the new thruststage configuration is something that hasbeen a challenge for me, as I am used todoing this piece on a proscenium stage. Theperformance feels much more intimate andin some ways a bit more honest rather thanpresentational as it would need to be in ahuge theatre.”

She hopes the audience will take awaythe incredible message and challenge thatthis show offers — “that the only way tostop violence and hatred is with extremelove and forgiveness,” she said. “If we per-petuate violence with violence, we willnever end the vicious cycle.”

She added: “I hope people take away that‘there is a place for us,’ a place of peace,but it has to begin with each of us, on apersonal level. This show has changed mylife. I know it will do the same for thosewho open their hearts to this incrediblestory.”

Associate Artistic Director MatthewGardiner said “West Side Story” is a showthat they’ve wanted to produce at Signa-ture Theatre for several years now, but it isalso a mammoth show from a financial and

artistic perspective. “We finally feel like itwas the right time to produce it,” he said.

Gardiner said this musical is the perfectpiece of theatre, “relevant and importantin a country that seems to have grown moreopenly xenophobic by the day. Terrified bythe other, terrified of the people that don’tlook and talk like us. This piece has been areminder that we can do better.”

He added: “I hope our production playsa small part in reminding people to be alittle more understanding, a little more com-passionate.”

He said it was a challenge fitting 30 ac-

tors and 17 musicians into a 300-seat the-ater, and finding a way to tell this epic storyin an intimate space. “But it is what makesSignature so unique,” he added.

“West Side Story” runs Tuesdays-Sundays,with matinees on Saturdays and Sundays. Astudent matinee has been added for Wednes-day, Jan. 20 at noon. Tickets start at $40.The Pride Performance is Jan. 8; a Discus-sion Performance is Jan. 13. Single ticketsare available in person at the Signature BoxOffice at 4200 Campbell Ave.,by calling 703-820-9771, and online at www.sigtheatre.org.

Michael Graceffa (Indio), Ilda Mason (Francisca), Natascia Diaz (Anita),Katie Mariko Murray (Rosalia), and Olivia Ashley Reed (Consuelo) in“West Side Story” at Signature Theatre through Jan. 24.

Email announcements to [email protected]. Include date,time, location, description and contact forevent: phone, email and/or website. Pho-tos and artwork welcome. Deadline isThursday at noon, at least two weeks be-fore event.

ONGOINGWordless Shakespeare: “As You

Like It.” Through Jan. 17, varioustimes at Synetic Theater, 1800 S. BellSt. Synetic Theater presents acompletely physical interpretation of“As You Like It.” Tickets start at $35for adults, student tickets are $15.Visit www.synetictheater.org formore.

“West Side Story.” Through Jan. 24,various times at Signature Theatre,4200 Campbell Ave. For SignatureTheatre’s adaptation of classicmusical “West Side Story,” noaudience member will be furtherthan 20 feet from the stage. Ticketsstart at $40. Visit www.sigtheatre.orgfor more.

Christmas With Nova Y. Paytonand Friends. Through Jan. 24,various times at Signature Theatre,4200 Campbell Ave. Star of“Dreamgirls” and “Hairspray” singssome of her favorite holiday tunesTickets are $35. Visitwww.sigtheatre.org for more.

“The Civil War Grand Review.”Through Feb. 1, Monday-Thursday

10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Tuesday-Wednesday1-9 p.m.; Friday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5p.m. at Cherrydale Branch Library,2190 Military Road. View “The CivilWar Grand Review: Photos of theSesquicentennial ReenactmentParade.” Free. Call 703-228-6330.

Sci-Fi Book Club. Third Wednesday ofeach month, 7-8:30 p.m. at JavaShack, 2507 N. Franklin Road. Free.Visit www.library.arlingtonva.us.

Arlington’s Historical MuseumOpen on First Wednesdays. TheArlington Historical Museum is opento the public on the first Wednesdayof every month from 12:30-3:30 p.m.The museum consists of exhibitschronicling Arlington County’shistory from Native Americansettlements up to the present day.The museum will continue to be openon Saturdays and Sundays from 1-4p.m. Admission is free. The museumis located in the former 1891 HumeSchool building at 1805 S. ArlingtonRidge Road. Contact Garrett Peck at571-243-1113 or at [email protected].

LGBT & Straight Friends Social.Tuesdays. Happy Hour, 3 p.m.-7p.m.; Mikey’s “Bar A” Video Wall, 7p.m.; start time at 8 p.m. IOTA Club& Cafe, 2832 Wilson Blvd. For 21years and older. Free. Visitwww.iotaclubandcafe.com for moreinformation.

Open Mic Comedy. Wednesdays 8-10p.m. at Ri Ra Irish Pub, 2915 Wilson

Blvd. Doors open at 7 p.m. Age 21and up only. Free show, $25 cashprize for best joke. Call 703-248-9888 or visit www.RiRa.com/Arlington for more.

Food Truck Thursdays. 5:30-8:30p.m. at the corner of North IrvingStreet, and Washington Boulevard.Find a round-up of regional foodtrucks. Free to attend. Visitwww.dmvfta.org.

Invasive Plants Removal. Workparties are held every month to keepthe parks free of destructive invasiveplants. Teens, adults and familieswelcome. Every second Sunday of themonth 2-4:30 p.m. at Gulf BranchNature Center, 3608 Military Road;call 703-228-3403. Every thirdSunday of the month 2-5 p.m. atLong Branch Nature Center, 625 S.Carlin Springs Road; call 703-228-6535 or visitregistration.arlingtonva.us. Free, noregistration required.

Poetry Series. 6-8 p.m. second Sundayof the month at IOTA Club & Cafe,2832 Wilson Blvd. Hosted by poetMiles David Moore. Featured artistsshare their poetry followed by openreadings. Free. Visitwww.iotaclubandcafe.com or call703-522-8340.

Open Mic Nite. 8 p.m.-12:30 a.m.every Wednesday at IOTA Club &Cafe, 2832 Wilson Blvd. Sign-uptimes are 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.Bring instruments, fans and friends.

Visit www.iotaclubandcafe.com orcall 703-522-8340.

Karaoke. 8 p.m. on the first Sundayevery month at Galaxy Hut, 2711Wilson Blvd. Visitwww.galaxyhut.com or call 703-525-8646.

Pub Quiz. 8 p.m. every Sunday atWhitlow’s on Wilson, 2854 WilsonBlvd. Prizes for first place. Free. Visitwww.whitlows.com or call 703-276-9693.

Storytime. Mondays and Fridays,10:30-11 a.m. at Kinder Haus Toys,1220 N. Fillmore St. Storytime withMs. Laura. Call 703-527-5929.

Lego Club. Monthly on the firstWednesday. 4-5 p.m. GlencarlynBranch Library, 300 S. Kensington St.The library provides tubs of legos anda special challenge and after theprogram the creations are displayedfor everyone to see. No registrationrequired. Call 703-228-6548 formore.

Ball-Sellers House Tours. Saturdays,April-Oct.,1-4 p.m. at The Ball-SellersHouse, 5620 3rd St. S. This yearmarks the 40th anniversary of theArlington Historical Society receivingthe house from Marian Sellers in1975 for $1. Free. Visitwww.arlingtonhistoricalsociety.org.

Crystal City Sparket. 11 a.m.-2 p.m.on Wednesdays at 1900 CrystalDrive. Sparket — A Creative Marketis an extension of DC’s EasternMarket with arts, crafts, and

handmade goods. Free to attend.Visit www.crystalcity.org.

Open Mic Night. Wednesdays, at 8p.m., sign ups are at 7:30 and 10p.m., at Iota Club & Café, 2832Wilson Blvd. Free. Visit http://www.iotaclubandcafe.com/.

Art for Life. Third Thursday of eachmonth. The Hyatt Regency CrystalCity’s “Art for Life” Partnership withNational Kidney Foundation brings anew artist each month to The Hyattfor a reception. Free. Visitwww.torpedofactory.org.

Brunch at Freddie’s. Third Saturdayof every month, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. atFreddie’s Beach Bar, 555 23rd St.The Arlington Gay and LesbianAlliance gathers for an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet ($9.99). All arewelcome. No reservation is required.Visit www.facebook.com/events/700174390103305.

THURSDAY/JAN. 7Celebrate Conservation. 12-1:15

p.m. at Crystal City Marriott atReagan National Airport, 1999Jefferson Davis Highway. TheNorthern Virginia ConservationTrust, the nonprofit land trust thatserves the region, will hold a lunchevent, Celebrate Conservation.Keynote speaker is Juliet Eilperin,Washington Post White HouseBureau Chief and environmentalwriter, who will talk about President

Entertainment

Calendar

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Arlington Connection ❖ January 6-12, 2016 ❖ 7www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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Obama’s conservation legacy. Ticketsare $75. Visit www.nvct.org formore.

Shut Up and Write! PanelDiscussion. 7 p.m. at CentralLibrary, 1015 N. Quincy St. Foundedby young adult authors John Skovronand Jessica Spotswood, this month’sOne More Page Book’s Shut Up andWrite! panel features Pintip Dunn(“Forget Tomorrow”), Laura Elliott(“Across a War-Tossed Sky,” “DaVinci’s Tiger”), and Caroline TungRichmond (“The Only Thing toFear”) in a discussion about theimportance and construction of theopening chapter. Free. Visitwww.onemorepagebooks.com formore.

Fireships. 8:30 p.m. at IOTA Club &Cafe, 2832 Wilson Blvd. Fireships, acollaboration between HoneyBrothers and Andrew Vladeck, willlaunch their tour. Tickets are $10.Visit www.iotaclubandcafe.com.

FRIDAY/JAN. 8Parents Night Out. 6-10 p.m. at

Walter Reed Recreation Center,Walter Reed Community Center,2909 S. 16th St. Teens Making aDifference Club will host an eveningof fun for children age 4-11. Call703-228-0935 for more.

Book Signing and MusicalPerformance. 6:30 p.m. at OneMore Page Books, 2200 N.

Westmoreland St. Musician turnedauthor Korby Lenker will be signinghis new book of short stories,“Medium Hero and Other Stories.”He will also perform. Free. Visitwww.onemorepagebooks.com.

Stand-Up Comedy: Pete Davidson.7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. at ArlingtonCinema & Drafthouse, 2903Columbia Pike. Pete Davidson is aSaturday Night Live cast member.Tickets are $30. Visitwww.arlingtondrafthouse.com.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY/JAN. 8-10“Snow White.” 7:30 p.m. on Friday,

11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, and3 p.m. on Sunday at Thomas

Jefferson Community Theatre, 125 S.Old Glebe Road. Encore Stage &Studio presents the classic tale of aprincess who is banished by her evil,jealous stepmother. Tickets are $10or children, student, military andseniors, and $15 for everyone else.Visit www.encorestageva.org.

JAN. 8-FEB. 7“Georgie: The Life and Death of

George Rose.” Various times atSignature Theatre, 4200 CampbellAve. In a limited engagement,Signature Theatre will host the worldpremiere of “Georgie: The Life andDeath of George Rose,” a one-manplay written and performed by Ed

Dixon detailing Dixon’s relationshipwith friend and mentor George Rose,a Broadway character actor. Ticketsare $25-45. Visit www.sigtheatre.org.

SATURDAY/JAN. 9Book Signing. 1 p.m. at One More

Page Books, 2200 N. WestmorelandSt. Carole O. Schryber discusses andsigns “In HIStory in 30 Days: Genesisto Revelation: With DailyDevotionals,” a collection of 30 dailyreadings with devotionals andprayers. Free. Visitwww.onemorepagebooks.com.

Learn How to Monitor the

Entertainment

See Calendar, Page 8

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8 ❖ Arlington Connection ❖ January 6-12, 2016 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Calendar

From Page 7

Environment. 1-2:30 p.m. atLee Community and SeniorCenter, 5722 Lee Highway. Teens13 and up are invited to hikethrough forests, meadows, andwetlands to do hands-on datacollection using scientificinstruments and worksheets.Participants will investigate theatmosphere, hydrosphere,geosphere and biosphere.Admission is $7.50. Call 70-228-0555.

Stand-Up Comedy: PeteDavidson. 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. atArlington Cinema & Drafthouse,2903 Columbia Pike. PeteDavidson is a Saturday Night Livecast member. Tickets are $30.Visitwww.arlingtondrafthouse.com formore.

SUNDAY/JAN. 10“Who Lives in the Chesapeake

Bay?” 2-3 p.m. or 3:30-4:30 p.m.at Gulf Branch Nature Center,3608 N. Military Road. Meet andtouch live animals native to theChesapeake. Tickets are $10. Usecode #622856-J to register forthe 2 p.m. session or #622856-Kfor 3:30 p.m. session by visitingwww.arlingtonva.us for more.

Book Signing and Reading. 3p.m. at One More Page Books,2200 N. Westmoreland St.Coauthors Deborah SchoeberleinDavid and David Panakkal readfrom and sign “Living Mindfully:At Home, at Work, and in theWorld,” a guide for positivechange. Free. Visitwww.onemorepagebooks.com.

Arlington Philharmonic:“Ritmos Festivos.” 3 p.m. atWakefield High School, 1325 S.Dinwiddie St. The ArlingtonPhilharmonic continues its 10th

Anniversary Season with “RitmosFestivos” featuring Spanishinfluences on classical music fromthe Old World to the New. Therepertoire includes Borne’s“Carmen Fantasy,” a flute solo, byAaron Goldman, based on Bizet’sthemes, directly from Spanish folkinfluence. North America will berepresented by Gershwin’s “CubanOverture” and Moncayo’s Mexicandance (Huapango). Admission isfree, $20 suggested donation.Visitwww.arlingtonphilharmonic.orgfor more.

MONDAY/JAN. 11Meditation Made Easy. 7-9 p.m.

at Teal Center, 4001 N. 9th St.,Suite 230. Learn techniques for aneffective meditation practice. Thefee is $40. Visitwww.lightyourfiremeditation.comfor more.

TUESDAY/JAN. 12Sip & Sample. 6-8 p.m. at Bistro

360, 1800 Wilson Blvd. Thisreception will benefit BowenMcCauley Dance company.Tickets are $50.Visitwww.bmdc.org for more.

Hockey ’n’ Heels. 6-9:30 p.m. atKettler Capitals Iceplex, 627 N.Glebe Road. Hockey ’n’ Heels isheld each season exclusively forScarlet Caps members andfeatures instructional sessions andon-ice demonstrations targetedtowards the Capitals’ femaleaudience. Tickets are $75, $65 forseason ticket holders. Visitwww.scarletcaps.com for more.

WEDNESDAY/JAN. 13Young Adult Author Panel. 7

p.m. at One More Page Books,2200 N. Westmoreland St. OneMore Page hosts a Young AdultAuthor Panel featuring MariekeNijkamp, debut author of “This isWhere It Ends,” along with RobinTalley (“What We Left Behind”),Kat Spears (“Breakaway”) andMiranda Kenneally (“Jesse’sGirl”). Free. Visitwww.onemorepagebooks.com.

THURSDAY/JAN. 14Cooking Demonstration and

Book Talk. 6:30 p.m. at OneMore Page Books, 2200 N.Westmoreland St. Writer and chefJonathan Bardzik conducts acooking demo and discussionabout “Seasons to Taste: FarmFresh Joy for Kitchen and Table.”Free. Visitwww.onemorepagebooks.com.

“How the C&O Canal andW&OD Railroad ShapedArlington.” 7 p.m. atMarymount University–ReinschLibrary auditorium, 2807 N.Glebe Road. Leader of C&O CanalTrust and the Northern VirginiaRegional Park Authority, MichaelNardolilli will discuss theconnections between thetowpath, trail, and the history ofArlington County. Free. Call 703-942-9247 for more.

“Helping Nature Help Itself.”7:30-9:30 p.m. at Green SpringGardens, 4603 Green SpringRoad, Alexandria. Charles Smith,an Arlington resident and naturalarea restoration professional, willexplore the broader issuesaffecting our natural resourcesand natural areas and focus onwhat we can do regionally andlocally to make a positive impact.Free. Visit www.vnps.org/potowmack/events for more.

FRIDAY/JAN. 15Book Discussion and Signing. 7

p.m. at One More Page Books,2200 N. Westmoreland St. Lawprofessor, humor writer, andformer law clerk Jay Wexlerdiscusses and signs “Tuttle in theBalance,” his debut novel about aU.S. Supreme Court justicehaving a midlife crisis. Free. Visitwww.onemorepagebooks.com.

Tom Green Live. 7:30 p.m. and 10p.m. at Arlington Cinema &Drafthouse, 2903 Columbia Pike.Tom Green of MTV’s “The TomGreen Show” (1996-2000) willgive a live stand-up comedyperformance. Tickets are $25.Visitwww.arlingtondrafthouse.com.

MLK Memorial ServiceFeaturing Shirley Ginwright.8 p.m. at Temple Rodef Shalom2100 Westmoreland St., FallsChurch. Fairfax County NAACPPresident Shirley Ginwright willspeak about buildingcommunities of trust between lawenforcement and residents. Free.Visitwww.templerodefshalom.org formore.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY/JAN. 15-17The Aerials Gymnastics

Invitational. 3-9 p.m. onFriday, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. on Saturdayand Sunday at the Barcroft Sports& Fitness Center, 4200 Four MileRun. This competition includesmore than 550 athletes fromVirginia, Maryland and

See Entertainment, Page 11

Sports

By Jon Roetman

The Connection

The more important championships arewon in February and March, but for theWakefield boys’ basketball team, its

performance during the final of the GeorgeLong holiday tournament on Dec. 30 resultedin a confidence-boosting close to 2015.

The Warriors overcame a 12-point halftimedeficit, junior guard Halil Parks scored in theclosing seconds and Wakefield defeatedRobinson 65-63 to win the George Long tour-nament title.

The Rams led 43-31 at halftime, but the War-riors battled back in the second half and im-proved to 11-0 after guard Alan Treakle pen-etrated in the closing seconds and dished to

Parks for thegame-winner.

Seven of theWarriors’ 10wins prior tothe tournamentchampionshipcame by doubledigits.

“ Ro b i n s o nwas reallyhanding it tous,” Wakefieldhead coachTony Bentleysaid. “… Wehad to fightback. It wasgood to see theguys fight back

and have some adversity hit and see how wehandle things.”

Treakle and senior Deng Nhial are only theWakefield returners who played significantminutes last season. Many of the Warriors’ key

Members of the Wakefield boys’ basketball team celebrate winning the George Longholiday tournament on Dec. 30.

WakefieldseniorJonathanAdams,right, isaverag-ing 13.8pointspergame.

Wakefield Wins TournamentWarriors improve to 11-0 with victory over Robinson.

Pho

to

s by Jeff M

cQ

uilkin

“For my guys, allthese guys are new.… This was a littletest to say, ‘Hey, ifwe put our headstogether, we can

actually winsomething.’”

— Tony Bentley, Wakefieldboys’ basketball coach

contributors this year are transfers in their first sea-son at Wakefield, including Parks, Jonathan Adamsand Eric Martin.

“For my guys, all these guys are new,” Bentley said.“… This was a little test to say, ‘Hey, if we put ourheads together, we can actually win something.’”

Parks earned tournament MVP honors and is aver-aging 14.2 points per game. Treakle leads the teamin scoring at 15.7 points per contest. Adams aver-ages 13.8 and Nhial averages 13.4.

Sophomore forward Amari Cooper leads the War-riors in rebounding at 5.8 per game.

Bentley also praised the play of senior point guardMartin.

“Eric doesn’t get the credit that he deserves,”Bentley said. “His on-ball pressure on defense isgreat.”

Wakefield will travel to face Edison at 7:15 p.m.on Friday, Jan. 8.

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MS programin Biotechnology

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Award-WinningAward-

Winning

Wellbeing

By Marilyn Campbell

The Connection

More than half of Americans are resolvingto lose weight and get in shape this year,according to a new Nielsen survey, but

only 8 percent will achieve that goal.“People tend to make New Year’s resolutions to give

themselves a fresh start,” said Lyn Chang, a Bethesda,Md.-based marriage and family counselor. “They’realso a way of addressing things about ourselves thatare dissatisfying and trying to make a change. Theproblem is that most people create resolutions thatare too unrealistic.”

Small and practical targets, such as taking a 10-minute walk during lunch or joining an exercise classthat meets twice weekly, are more attainable thanvowing to spend two-hours a day at the gym, saysDomenica M. Rubino, M.D., director, WashingtonCenter for Weight Management and Research in Ar-lington.

“You have to distin-guish fantasy from re-ality and think aboutmaking sustainablechanges,” she said.“When you start settingand achieving smallgoals it builds your con-fidence to keep going.One change tends to be-get another change,and I think that’s par-ticularly true withweight loss.”

Successful weight loss requires a multi-prongedapproach, says Chang. “Break the larger goal in tosmaller steps like creating an exercise routine or prac-ticing healthy grocery shopping and meal planning,”she said. “Carefully examining and planning the mi-

cro-steps to achieving the larger goal of weigh loss iswhat will increase the chance of success.”

Whether choosing food or exercise, the key is mak-ing it pleasurable. “If I don’t like a certain vegetable,but say that I want to eat it everyday because itshealthy, I’ll only be able to maintain that for a shorttime,” said Ethan Carter, fitness director at GeorgeMason University. “The same is true for exercise. Fit-ness is more than dumb bells and bar bells. If youlike hiking or yard work, you should choose that asa way of getting exercise.”

Rubino encourages clients to view exercise as agift rather than a means for burning calories. “See itas mood management or a way to feel better,” shesaid. “People who are chronically trying to lose weighttend to resent exercise and activity because it’s al-ways connected to their weight, so they see it aspointless. It helps to see it as something that canimprove your mood and your overall health andwellbeing. When we’re feeling better we can makebetter choices.”

Creating balance is an often-overlooked compo-nent of weight loss, but one that can sabotage healthand fitness efforts, says Cheryl Mirabella, a nutri-tionist and wellness coach with Living Whole Healthin Alexandria.

“If you’re working hard and don’t have a lot of bal-ance in your life then you turn to food for pleasure,but when you’re focusing on things that make you

happy you naturally turnto healthier food choicesand food loses its power asa source of pleasure andreward,” she said.

Mirabella asks her cli-ents to create what shecalls a joy list. “They jotdown a list of things thatmake them happy likespending time withfriends, music or anotherhobby,” she said. “The list

is broken down into immediate activities like sittingwith a cup of tea and a book, mid-term activities likehaving lunch with a friend and long-term activitieslike a weekend trip. The idea is to have a source ofinspiration and something to look forward to.”

GeorgeMason

UniversityFitness

DirectorEthan

Carter sayschoose

foods andphysical

activitiesthat you

enjoy is akey to

successfulweight loss.

Resolving To Lose WeightWhat works and whatdoesn’t when it comes tohealth and fitness.

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rge M

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niversity

“You have to distinguishfantasy from reality and thinkabout making sustainablechanges.”

— Domenica M. Rubino, M.D., Director,Washington Center for Weight Management

and Research

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10 ❖ Arlington Connection ❖ January 6-12, 2016 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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Arlington Connection ❖ January 6-12, 2016 ❖ 11www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Korby Lenker will make a stop on his national tour to promote “Medium Hero andOther Stories” at One More Page Books, 2200 N. Westmoreland St. on Jan. 8 at 6:30p.m. “Medium Hero” is a collection of 27 short stories inspired by his life as a travelingmusician with a cat. Attend a book signing and musical performance. Free. Visitwww.onemorepagebooks.com for more.

Musician Turned Author Reads, Performs

Pho

to

s C

on

tributed

Pennsylvania. Free. Contact Carly Meyer [email protected].

“Snow White.” 7:30 p.m. on Friday, 11 a.m. and3 p.m. on Saturday, and 3 p.m. on Sunday atThomas Jefferson Community Theatre, 125 S.Old Glebe Road. Encore Stage & Studio presentsthe classic tale of a princess who is banished byher evil, jealous stepmother. Tickets are $10 orchildren, student, military and seniors, and $15for everyone else. Visit www.encorestageva.org.

SATURDAY/JAN. 16“Mouse in the House.” 3 p.m. at Theatre on the

Run, 3700 S. Four Mile Run Drive. Jane FranklinDance gives a performance of an adaptation ofthe book by Elizabeth Spires, “Mouse in House,”which reveals a friendship between a mouse andreclusive 19th-century poet Emily Dickinson.Tickets are $10-15. Visit www.janefranklin.com.

Tom Green Live. 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. at ArlingtonCinema & Drafthouse, 2903 Columbia Pike. TomGreen of MTV’s “The Tom Green Show” (1996-2000) will give a live stand-up comedyperformance. Tickets are $25. Visitwww.arlingtondrafthouse.com for more.

“Niche.” 7:30 p.m. at Theatre on the Run, 3700 S.Four Mile Run Drive. “Niche” follows anunremarkable couple with a new house, bigcareers, and odd neighbors. 2-D cut-outsprojected via ‘old school’ technology supplyvisuals. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at thedoor. Visit www.janefranklin.com.

SUNDAY/JAN. 17Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute Event. 5 p.m.

at Wakefield High School, 1325 S. Dinwiddie St.Find inspirational musical and spoken wordperformances, and meet Arlingtonians whoparticipated in the Civil Rights Movement. Free.Call 703-228-3329 for more.

WEDNESDAY/JAN. 20Pet Therapy. 10:15-11 a.m. at Walter Reed Senior

Center, 2909 S. 16th St. The public is invited tomeet Zoe, a therapy Yorkshire Terrier. Free. Call703-608-8314 for more.

THURSDAY/JAN. 21Forty+ Performance. 10:30 a.m. at Theatre on

the Run, 3700 S. Four Mile Run Drive. Forty+ isa group of performers past the age of 40 thatstudy with a local choreographer at JaneFranklin Dance studios. Tickets are $5. Visitwww.janefranklin.com.

Poetry Reading. 7 p.m. at One More Page Books,2200 N. Westmoreland St. Sandra Beasley

(“Count the Waves”) and Sass Brown (“USA-1000”) read from their collections of poetry.Free. Visit www.onemorepagebooks.com formore.

FRIDAY/JAN. 22The Accidentals & Kevin Heider. 7 p.m. at

FORUM Arlington, 3304 Washington Blvd. Livemusic. Tickets are $10-15. Visitwww.arlingtonforum.org for more.

SATURDAY/JAN. 231K Beer/Wine Walk. 2-6 p.m. at 1750 Crystal

Drive. Pass the start line and sip your way alongthe race course, stopping at “Wine” and “Beer”hydration stations along the course. Sample 20wines or 20 beers. Tickets are $20 online and$25 at the door. Visit www.crystalcity.org formore.

“Mouse in the House.” 3 p.m. at Theatre on theRun, 3700 S. Four Mile Run Drive. Jane FranklinDance gives a performance of an adaptation ofthe book by Elizabeth Spires, “Mouse in House,”which reveals a friendship between a mouse andreclusive 19th-century poet Emily Dickinson.Tickets are $10-15. Visit www.janefranklin.com.

Rosebud Film Festival Nominee Showcase.2-8 p.m. at Navy Heritage Center, 701Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington D.C. TheRosebud Film Festival, a project of ArlingtonIndependent Media will showcase 20 short filmsmade by nominees. Tickets are $15. Visitwww.rosebudfestival.org for more.

Forty+ Performance. 5 p.m. at Theatre on theRun, 3700 S. Four Mile Run Drive. Forty+ is agroup of performers past the age of 40 thatstudy with a local choreographer at JaneFranklin Dance studios. Tickets are $15 inadvance, $20 at the door, $10 for seniors 65+and children 17 and under. Visitwww.janefranklin.com.

“Niche.” 7:30 p.m. at Theatre on the Run, 3700 S.Four Mile Run Drive. “Niche” follows anunremarkable couple with a new house, bigcareers, and odd neighbors. 2-D cut-outsprojected via ‘old school’ technology supplyvisuals. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at thedoor. Visit www.janefranklin.com.

SUNDAY/JAN. 24Forty+ Performance. 1:30 p.m. at Theatre on

the Run, 3700 S. Four Mile Run Drive. Forty+ isa group of performers past the age of 40 thatstudy with a local choreographer at JaneFranklin Dance studios. Tickets are $15 inadvance, $20 at the door, $10 for seniors 65+and children 17 and under. Visit

www.janefranklin.com.“Niche.” 4 p.m. at Theatre on the Run, 3700 S.

Four Mile Run Drive. “Niche” follows anunremarkable couple with a new house, bigcareers, and odd neighbors. 2-D cut-outsprojected via ‘old school’ technology supplyvisuals. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at thedoor. Visit www.janefranklin.com.

Rosebud Film Festival Awards Gala. 7-10p.m. at Clarendon Ballroom,3185 Wilson Blvd. Apanel of judges, drawn from the area’s richmedia arts community, selected the 20 nomineesfrom which five winners, including one Best ofShow, will be chosen. Festival winners will eachreceive a cash prize and will be announced atthe Rosebud Awards Gala. $15 ticket to theshowcase allows free admission to the gala. Visitwww.rosebudfestival.org for more.

MONDAY/JAN. 25Pet Therapy. 1:30 p.m. at Walter Reed Senior

Center, 2909 S. 16th St. The public is invited tomeet Zoe, a therapy Yorkshire Terrier. Free. Call703-608-8314 for more.

THURSDAY/JAN. 28Author Talk. 7 p.m. at One More Page Books,

2200 N. Westmoreland St. Writer, editor andFrench teacher Marianne Bohr shares from “GapGirl Year: A Baby Boomer Adventure Across 21Countries.” Free. Visitwww.onemorepagebooks.com for more.

SATURDAY/JAN. 30Yoga to Benefit Arlington Free Clinic. 9-

10:30 a.m. at Top of the Town, 1400 14th St. N.Take a yoga class with Sun and Moon YogaStudio’s Nancy Carter followed by aninspirational talk by Spiritual Coach AndreaHaynes: “Stress Less, Live More!” Tickets are$50. Visit www.arlingtonfreeclinic.org/yoga.

Music and Dancing Through the Decades.10 a.m.-1 p.m. at Fairlington CommunityCenter, 3308 S. Stafford St. Dancing to musicfrom the 1950s to the present includingballroom, swing, hand dancing, andmoonwalking. Free. Call 703-228-4711.

The Book Divas. 2 p.m. at One More Page Books,2200 N. Westmoreland St. The Book Divas —authors Puja Guha, B. Swangin Webster, DeeLawrence, and K.R. Raye — chat about theirbooks in the romantic suspense, new adult,drama, and thriller genres, along with sharingtheir writing journeys. Free. Visitwww.onemorepagebooks.com for more.

From Page 8

Entertainment

Kenny Lourie is an Advertising Representative forThe Potomac Almanac & The Connection Newspapers.

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

Upon FurtherReflection

I’m not a look-in-the-mirror kind of person.Other than in the morning when I wash up,brush my teeth, shave and get ready for theday, I spend very little time reflecting on myappearance. In fact, during the early days ofmy cancer treatment when I was infused with achemotherapy cocktail for six non-stop hoursevery three weeks – I lost all my hair, as fore-warned; I have no recollection of what Ilooked like without any hair on my head.Presumably, every morning when I prepped forthe day, I would have seen what I was doingand watched how it was done; yet there is noimage, still or otherwise, in my mind of how Iappeared to others.

Seven years of continuous treatment later,when I look in the mirror now (I have a fullhead of hair and a growing stubble, like mostmen), I can’t evaluate what I see. Do I looksick? Or do I look as I should for a middle-agedman aging gracefully? Not that I need to lookgood to feel good (“and you know who youare”), any more than I need to “look mah-velous,” but the cumulative effects of chemo-therapy and the inevitable signs of aging haveblurred (no pun intended; I can see perfectlywell) my objectivity. So much so that on anygiven day, what I see is what I get and I’mhappy to have gotten it, subjectively speaking.Ergo, looking in the mirror more often than notserves no appreciable benefit – to me, since Iknow what I see, or rather, don’t know how toevaluate what it is I do see.

Then along comes the holidays, when manysocial gatherings are planned where in additionto food and drink, face-to-face interactionsoccur with may people you see regularly andsome you know but rarely see. It is the obser-vations and comments from these rarely-seenpersons, persons with whom you are familiar –and who are familiar with you and your “unde-rlying diagnosis,” as I call my cancer, that arethe genesis of this column.

I am happy and amazed, and incrediblyflattered even to say that the feedback Ireceived was uniformly positive and extremelyencouraging; and if I had to bet a nickel, I’dsay their comments were all sincere and hon-est. And since I don’t want to look for trouble(since trouble has already found me), I amgoing to take their words at face value (again,no pun intended). And in thanking them gra-ciously, reconsider yet again how fortunate Iam to be receiving such compliments, nearlyseven years in and nearly five years past, theend date (pun intended) of my original “13month to two year” prognosis, words which Ifirst heard from my oncologist at the initialTeam Lourie meeting held on February 27,2009 (Oh, yeah, you remember that date,forever).

Unfortunately, there is a bit of a cynic inme, so I still question the validity of words peo-ple sometimes say not necessarily to the wise.Moreover, I still am not convinced that lookinggood is more important than feeling good (withapologies to a Billy Crystal sketch mimickingFernando Lamas back in the day on SaturdayNight Live). Nor am I at all sure that lookinggood is an accurate description of what effectmy stage IV, non-small cell lung cancer is hav-ing on me and my mediastinum.

As much as I’d like to believe that form fol-lows function and that looking good is a clearindicator of one who is not only feeling good,but doing well (cancer-wise), I’m still wonder-ing what it is that sets me apart from manyother similarly diagnosed patients who havesuccumbed to this terrible – and mostly termi-nal – disease. I never thought it was, or wouldbe, my looks. And given that there hasn’t beenthat much with which to work, maybe notfocusing on my appearance all the time hashelped? Apparently, it hasn’t hurt.

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12 ❖ Arlington Connection ❖ January 6-12, 2016 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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