Page 9 Christmas Cheer Shared at...

Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ January 7-13, 2015 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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Oak Hill ❖ HerndonOak Hill ❖ Herndon

online at www.connectionnewspapers.com

WellbeingPage 9

WellbeingWellbeingPage 9

ChristmasCheer Sharedat HerndonPolice StationNews, Page 12

A Year Ahead:Herndon in 2015News, Page 3

Herndon Police Officer Ronald Eicke, Herndon PoliceChief Maggie A. DeBoard, and Herndon Vice MayorJennifer K. Baker at the Cops & Kids outreach event.The Cops & Kids Program operates with the help ofcommunity volunteers and sponsors.

Chanukah CelebratedAt Downtown Herndon

News, Page 12

Chanukah CelebratedAt Downtown Herndon

News, Page 12

2 ❖ Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ January 7-13, 2015 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

By Amanda Hampton

Tuscarora High School

What do fairy dust, a vengeful pirate,and a flying boy have in common?The answer would be Herndon HighSchool’s production of “Peter Pan,” or

the “Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up.” The show, debut-ing in London in 1904, was J.M. Barrie’s most fa-mous work, along with his 1911 novel version of thesame story. The play ran on Broadway in 1905, andhas had several revivals since, along with many filmadaptations. The well-known story tells of an imp-ish little boy named Peter Pan, who refuses to growup. He decides that he and his band of Lost Boysneed a mother, so he takes Wendy Darling and hertwo brothers, Michael and John, on a magical flightto his home, the magical Neverland. There, they havemany adventures with characters such as the fairyTinker Bell, the pirate Captain Hook, and other fam-ily favorites.

Several actors were especially successful in bring-ing the famous characters to life on the stage. SarahOverton, as Wendy Darling, gave a believable per-formance of a young girl attempting to be a mother,portraying the sweet, excitable character quite well.

Moritz Barth was effective as the cartoonish villainCaptain Hook, earning many laughs from the audi-ence. Also, Annie Taylor, as the storyteller, was en-joyable to watch and interacted well with the othercharacters on the stage.

Melanie Simpson was another bright spot as TinkerBell; she brought a unique sassy side to the fairy andhad good chemistry with Peter Pan and Wendy. Ra-leigh Hampson, who played John, showed the jux-taposition of the obnoxious, but endearing, brotherwell. The pirate ensemble also had much enthusi-asm for their roles and brought energy to the stagein all of their scenes.

The technical aspects of the show were very welldone for the most part. The lighting was visuallyappealing, especially the twinkling starlight duringthe children’s flight to Neverland and the soft bluesduring the lagoon scenes. The set added to the magi-cal atmosphere with the sharp contrast between thedignified London nursery and the Lost Boys’ earthyhideout and whimsical oceans of Neverland. Lastly,the element of flight was an essential but impressiveaddition to the show. The characters’ flying sceneswere skillfully done with few mistakes. The tech crewdid a wonderful job creating the show’s magic frombackstage.

The student co-directors Madison Hummel andBonnie Sasseen did a commendable job with the show.Their blocking choices were believable overall, andtheir many hours of hard work on the show wereevident. They, along with the rest of Herndon HighSchool’s talented cast and crew, brought the magicof “Peter Pan” to life for children and adults alike.

Herndon High produces“Peter Pan,” or the “BoyWho Wouldn’t Grow Up.”

‘Peter Pan’ RecreatedCappies Review

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News

By Reena Singh

The Connection

This year will be all about creat-ing a Metro-friendly downtown.While the town council focusedon policies that will make the

historic area more business friendly, 2015will take them off paper and into reality.

“My number one priority for 2015 isdowntown,” said Mayor Lisa Merkel. “I’msure there’s a great match for a developerto make our downtown master plan into areality. We want our small town downtownto come to life and be revitalized.”

Councilmember Grace Wolf agreed thatwork needed to be done downtown - muchin preparation for the Silver Line Metro sta-tions that will arrive with Phase II of thehighly anticipated project that will extendthe line beyond Dulles International Airport.

The first phase, which opened last July,extended out to Reston. Just in the firstweek of service, about 220,000 trips weretaken to and from the five new stations,according to silverlinemetro.com. The sec-ond phase will make both Northern Virginiaairports more accessible to D.C. residentsin addition to giving more options to com-muters as far as Loudoun County anotheroption for transportation. Other communi-ties - like Tysons - are already seeing thebenefit of the Silver Line bringing in visi-tors from D.C., a boost for the localeconomy. Herndon already sees foot traffic- and bicycle pedals - through the townthanks to the Washington and Old Domin-ion trail, which becomes more popular onweekends and warmer months.

Construction for Phase II is expected tobegin in early 2016, so the town has a oneyear head start.

“We’ve rezoned much of the land but weneed to start making the investments in in-frastructure to make sure we’re ready - lay-ing utilities, creating bus bays, walkway,connecting the bike & walking paths,” saidcouncilmember Grace Wolf.

Last year, various zoning changes andnew parking regulations were passed by theHerndon Town Council with the new down-

town - with all the small town charm thatresidents love - in mind.

“We are aggressively seeking opportuni-ties to get dirt moving in our downtown, inaddition to the new homes going up,” saidWolf.

Councilmember Steven Mitchell is alsolooking forward to the changes that willunfold.

“You’re really going to see downtownshape itself from the street level,” he said.

The town’s rewritten mission statementalso focuses on bringing the communitytogether. Last year, Merkel and several othercouncil members stated their plans to cre-ate committees that will involve residents.

“It really focuses on bringing people to-

gether and getting others involved,” Merkelsaid.

Wolf elaborated, “We are evaluating cre-ating new citizen committees or commis-sion to enhance our sustainable living,green initiatives and to better engage andreach out to our minority populationsthrough new diversity initiatives,” she said.

One significant sustainability initiativethat may see a groundbreaking is a com-munity garden.

Herndon Environmental Network (HEN)Vice President Barbara Welsh hopes to seethe garden plots, which she proposed to belocated at Bruin Park, be opened by March.

“That would strongly depend on funding,however,” she said.

Taking newdowntown offpaper and intoreality.

Town Council mem-bers hope to see the

redevelopment ofdowntown Herndon.

A Year Ahead: Herndon in 2015

Mayor Lisa Merkel Councilmember Grace Wolf

“My number one priority for 2015 is downtown. …I’m sure there’s a great match for a developer tomake our downtown master plan into a reality. Wewant our small town downtown to come to life andbe revitalized.”

— Herndon Mayor Lisa Merkel

Herndon Connection Editor Kemal Kurspahic

703-778-9414 or [email protected]

Photos

contributed

Viewpoints

HerndonResidents Reflecton Their Hopesfor the New Year

— Reena Singh

Beth Meyer, Green Lizard Cy-cling owner, Herndon:

“My hope is that we can all be nicerto each other. I’ve seen so much ugli-ness throughout the years.”

Nerissa Berkeley, barista,Herndon:

“My hope is that no people will bekilled because of their skin color.”

John Walsh, recreational as-sistant, Herndon:

“Good health.”

Dave Wallwork, governmentworker, Herndon:

“I hope to be more fit, more healthyand have a more active lifestyle. Ihope Herndon keeps its small-townatmosphere.”

Photos by

Reena Singh

The Connection


News

DryHome Roofing and Siding, aSterling-based roofing com-pany, has selected Cornerstones

(formerly Reston Interfaith) as the re-cipient of a new roof through its annualFree Roof for the Holidays program.Through a network of housing, Corner-stones is a local nonprofit that works torapidly rehouse individuals and familieswho are experiencing homelessness andpromotes self-sufficiency by providingsupport for those in need of food, shel-ter, childcare, and other human services.The new roof will replace one on a Cor-nerstones’ property in Herndon, ensur-ing the house is ready to become a homefor a single mother and her 8-year-oldchild.

“By providing housing and services,Cornerstones helps families who are fac-ing homelessness have a chance to re-build their lives. But it takes a lot of re-sources to maintain these properties.That’s why we are honored to provide afree roof to one of its transitional hous-ing units, so that more families in need

can celebrate the holidays in thewarmth and safety of a dry home,” saidSteve Gotschi, president, DryHome.

Throughout November, Sterling-based DryHome accepted nominationsfrom customers and the community toidentify a Northern Virginia individual,family or nonprofit in need.

DryHome selected Cornerstones asthe recipient based on its needs, thecondition of the roof of one of its tran-sitional housing properties, and theimpact the organization has on the com-munity.

“DryHome has again helped make theholiday season better for our commu-nity.

This is the second free roof that wehave received through this program,and it makes a huge difference. Nowwe can use those maintenance funds tofind other ways to alleviate the afford-able housing crisis that leaves manystruggling families unable to find andkeep a home,” said Kerrie Wilson, CEO,Cornerstones.

By Ryan Dunn

The Connection

For the second time in two weeks,a supermarket bank in Reston wasrobbed in the late afternoon.Fairfax County Police report the

PNC Bank inside the Giant at North PointVillage Center was robbed at 5 p.m. onMonday, Dec. 29. This spike in winter bankrobberies continues a trend which occurredlast year, when banks including the BB&Ton Chain Bridge Road in Oakton wererobbed. The FBI reported 17 bank robber-ies occurred in Northern Virginia in Decem-ber 2013. Thirteen suspects in the incidentswere apprehended.

Northern Virginia Police Chiefs and Sher-iffs Committee as well as regional robberydetectives received a briefing back in No-vember from the FBI about bank robberystatistics for the region this time of year.They were advised December is typically themonth where the most bank robberies oc-cur. Although police have tried to keepwatch on local banks, it has not always beenpossible to prevent bank robbery incidents.

THE SUSPECT at the Reston PNC Banktold a teller he had a weapon and got awaywith an undisclosed amount of money,Fairfax County Police spokesman LucyCaldwell said. Police say the suspect is black,around 5 feet 11 inches tall, 170 poundsand unshaven. He wore a red Nike hoodieand the hood was on his head during thecrime. This is the fourth bank robbery in

Reston in the last several weeks. In recentyears both Reston and Herndon have beenable to maintain a peaceful environment,with most criminal activity consisting of“nuisance crimes” such as public intoxica-tion, panhandling and public urination.

On Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014, the SunTrustinside the Safeway at Hunters Woods Vil-lage Center was robbed. On Dec. 10, 2014,there was a robbery at the Wells FargoBranch at Reston Town Center. On Nov. 26,2014, the Presidential Bank at 1675 RestonParkway was robbed. Police said a man en-tered the Presidential Bank on Wednesdayabout 2:46 p.m., threatened an employeeand demanded money. The suspect took

cash and fled. There were no injuries. Thesuspect was described as black, 20s, about5 feet 9 inches tall.

On Friday, Dec. 26, 2014, at close to 1:30p.m., there was a bank robbery at the BB&Tat 230 Herndon Parkway in Herndon. Po-lice report a black male, approximately 5feet 9 inches with a medium build, wear-ing a dark green jacket, faded blue jeans,light colored sneakers and a black knit hatentered the main lobby of the bank. Theman implied he had weapon and demandedcash from a teller. After receiving an undis-closed amount of cash, police say he leftthe bank and fled toward Herndon Park-way. “We feel confident that the recent rob-

bery from the BB&T in Herndon will even-tually be solved,” said Colonel Maggie A.DeBoard, Chief of Police Town of HerndonPolice Department. “We have great investi-gative cooperation and support from boththe FBI and the Fairfax County Police De-partment.”

“Regarding the bank robbery, it’s a shamethat Herndon has been affected by whatlooks to be a seasonal increase in bank rob-beries,” said Town of Herndoncouncilmember Grace Wolf. “I am gratefulthat no one was injured during this robberyand I know our police department will workwith their local colleagues to solve thecases!”

THE FBI has teamed up with FairfaxCounty and Herndon police to counteractDecember bank robberies, sharing informa-tion with banks and the public about thetrend, putting marked police cars outsidebanks. Punishment for bank robbery variesdepending upon the value of money andproperty taken. If the amount taken is morethan $100, the penalty is a fine and a maxi-mum sentence is 10 years. In the event of avictim’s death, the punishment is life inprison or death. In a news release issuedDec. 14, 2014, the FBI listed 14 bank rob-beries since Oct. 31, 2014, they are investi-gating throughout Northern Virginia. TheFBI is offering a reward of up to $5,000 forinformation that leads to the identification,arrest and conviction of any bank robber.Contact your local police department if youhave any information to share about any ofthese robberies. The Herndon Police Depart-ment can be reached at 703-435-6846. TheFairfax County Police can be reached at 703-691-8888 or 1-866-411-TIPS.

Loudoun Company Donates Free Roof to Cornerstones

The new roof willreplace one on aCornerstones’property inHerndon, ensur-ing the house isready to become ahome for a singlemother and her 8-year-old child.

Photo

contributed

Bank Robberies in Reston and HerndonWinter a busy seasonfor bank robberies.

Friday, Dec. 26, 2014, at close to1:30 p.m., there was a bank rob-bery at the BB&T at 230 HerndonParkway in Herndon. Police reportthe suspect as a black male, ap-proximately 5 feet 9 inches with amedium build.

Image of suspect for the Decemberrobbery of the PNC Bank locatedinside of a Giant grocery store at1450 North Point Village Center inReston.

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News

Classical Ballet Theatre(CBT) shared some extraspecial holiday magic

with this year’s presentation of“The Nutcracker,” performed atthe 525-seat Ernst Theater inAnnandale. A sellout, the produc-tion featured beautiful choreogra-phy, stunning costumes, and someof the most highly trained pre-pro-fessional talent in the WashingtonMetropolitan Area. It also includedseveral programs benefiting thegreater community — behind-the-scenes educational stations for GirlScouts, a food drive in support ofLINK, and some free tickets formilitary families stationed out ofFt. Belvoir.

Classical Ballet Theatre (CBT)students always enjoy supportingcommunity families and groupswhile sharing their love of dance.Having trained at CBT since earlychildhood, Oakton High sopho-more Ashley Tern, of Fairfax, whoalso participated in renownedsummer intensives with the Ameri-can Ballet Theatre, danced a stun-ning Sugar Plum Fairy, andMcLean High freshman CamillePukall, of Vienna, captured theaudience with her portrayal ofClara. As she explained, “As Clara,I am telling the whole story of the‘Nutcracker,’ and it is my job tomake the audience truly believeand fall in love with my story anddream.” She accomplished thiseasily while connecting with theentranced audience members.They loved the magical choreog-raphy and the good-natured hu-mor as well as the sense of joy andexcitement that each CBT studentbrought to his or her role. Audi-ence members and dancers alikewere finding themselves filledwith the spirit of the holidays.

For more information about CBTand its winter performance inReston and spring performance inHerndon, visit http://www.cbtnva.org.

Getting Into the Spirit of the Holidays

A stunning Sugar Plum Fairy, Ashley Tern, of Fairfax andOakton High School, partners with Cavalier NorbertNirewicz, who has performed throughout the UnitedStates, Europe, Japan, and Latin America, where heserved as a Principal Dancer with Ballet Classico deCamara and Columbia City Ballet.

Camille Pukall, of Vienna and McLean High, as Claraarrives to the Kingdom of Snow with the NutcrackerPrince, portrayed by Gillmer Duran, CBT’s Ballet Masterand Guest Artist in Residence.

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By Reena Singh

The Connection

Several new schools maybe added to the FairfaxCounty Public Schools

system in the next decade.The School Board listened to

an annual Capital ImprovementPlan (CIP) presentation by As-sistant Superintendent JeffreyPlatenberg on Dec. 18, 2014,describing the need for fourmore elementary schools andone high school to meet thedemands of rapidly rising en-rollment. The board will notvote on the plan until Jan. 22.The meeting will be in theboard chambers at Luther Jack-son Middle School at 7 p.m.

“It’s a large, large studentbody,” said Platenberg.

More specifically, he said be-tween September 2013 andSeptember 2014, enrollmentrose by 2,000. “Both our Boardof Supervisors and the public,if they ever wanted to under-stand the complexity of acounty of over a million peopleand almost 200 schools, openup this brochure and under-stand what we’re dealing with,”said Braddock District boardmember Megan McLaughlin.

The elementary schools pro-posed are in the Route 1 area,Fort Belvoir, the Fairfax areaand in the northwestern end ofthe county. The high school wasnamed “Western High School”in the presentation. Two of

those schools already havefunding thanks to a Depart-ment of Defense federal grantfor 80 percent of the construc-tion cost. The county will befunding the remaining 20 per-cent. Platenberg said that pro-gram changes in addition toboundary changes may beneeded in addition to the newschools. He also proposed newadditions to Westbriar Elemen-tary, Vienna, and South LakesHigh School, Reston, totaling$14 million. Construction is ex-pected to start by 2021.

McLaughlin said she wasworried about boundarychanges, going into her ownexperience about her gradeschool experience in NorthCarolina. Additionally, she saidshe hoped the Board of Super-visors will be more of a help tofund the CIP.

“We can’t build our way outof it with additions andmodulars and continue withvery expensive transportationand bussing,” she said.

Mason District board mem-ber Sandra Evans was worriedabout how much “orange” and“red” she saw in the report forher areas, indicating a highovercapacity in the schools sherepresents. She was also con-cerned about how the currentbirthrate boom will affect el-ementary schools in five years.

Platenburg said he will gofurther in detail on the matterat the next work session, whichwill take place on Jan. 12.

Dranesville District boardmember Jane Strauss com-mented about the report, re-minding the public that this isthe school board’s way of reas-suring that a plan is beingmade to reduce classroomsizes. “There is a limit at eachschool in what the buildout is,”she said.

New Schools, BoundaryChanges PossibleProposedCapital Im-provement Planfocuses on ris-ing enrollment.


497days since a still-unnamed Fairfax Countypolice officer shot unarmed John Geerstanding in the doorway of Geer’s home inSpringfield, then let him bleed to death onAug. 29, 2013. No information has been re-leased about the incident, officers involvednot named, no explanation, no grand jury,no charges. (as of Jan. 7, 2015)

A Wonderful ArticleTo the Editor:

What a wonderful article you wrote,Kareese (“How I Left…” by KareeseAkinloba, grade 8, Irving Middle School,Children’s Connection, January 1-7,2015). Your writing ability is beyond youryears. And reading it brought back somany memories. For someone at the be-ginning of life to someone at the otherend, let me tell you to rejoice in whatlies ahead. I was a happy 7-year-old whenmy father walked into the house in Ber-keley, Calif., some 60 years ago…and an-nounced that my mother and I were go-ing to join him in a small town calledPuerto Ordaz, Venezuela. I was not oldenough to develop the ties to Berkeleythat you had to Southern California but Ihad the 7-year-old’s equivalent. This ledme to a wonderful life in a new place, anew language, new friends, new experi-ences and while I still think at this latestage that Berkeley was “home” I knowit is hardly that. The best part of everynew experience is that so much of it stays

with you. And so many of your friendswill become friends for life. So rejoice,young lady, for before you lies a great newworld with people, ideas, values and cus-toms that you can pick and choose from.A veritable buffet of life at your finger-tips. And when you reach the other endof the journey, as have I, you will have awonderful book of memories and a greathost of friends to live with. I have onlytwo pieces of advice. Keep in touch withyour friends for when they are gone thatopportunity is forever lost. And see asmuch of this wonderful world as youpossibly can. It is full of wonder and willwrite your pages of life that you will readand reread many years from now.

Michael ValentineFairfax Station

You can read Kareese’s story on page 4at http://connectionarchives.com/PDF/

2014/123114/Springfield.pdf

Letters to the Editor

Opinion

Happy New Year. We need yourhelp in 2015.

As local, weekly newspapers,the Connection’s mission is to

deliver news readers need close to home, tohelp readers enjoy great local places andevents, to advocate for community good, to callattention to unmet needs, to provide a forumfor dialogue on local concerns, and to celebrateand record milestones and events in commu-nity and people’s lives.

If you know people or organizationsdoing important work, somethingnewsworthy or something that mightmake a good feature story, let us know. Wewant to know if someone in your family or yourcommunity published a book, became an EagleScout, raised money for a good cause, accom-plished a feat like running a marathon or hav-ing an art show.

We publish photos and notes of a variety ofpersonal milestones and community events,including births, engagements, weddings, an-niversaries, awards and obituaries. Send aphoto and tell us about it in 200 words or soto [email protected].

We are also interested in events at yourchurch, mosque, synagogue, community cen-ter, pool, school, club, etc. To have the bestchance of getting an event included in our cal-endar ahead of time, email us the details ofthe event (who, what, where, when, why) atleast two weeks ahead of time. Email [email protected]. Eventsgenerally must be open to the public and ei-ther free or at nominal cost to be included incalendars.

After your events, email us a photo and anote so we can consider including it in our

coverage. Be sure to include the names of allthe people who are in a photo, and say whenand where the photo was taken.

We also publish notes about news and eventsfrom local businesses. Notes about openings,new employees, anniversaries are welcome.

In covering the issues, we strive to provide avoice for our readers. We look forward to hear-ing from you.

The Connection Newspapers are publishedby Local Media Connection LLC, an in-dependent, locally owned company.The publications and websites includethe Alexandria Gazette Packet, the

Mount Vernon Gazette, the Centre View, thePotomac Almanac and individual Connectionpapers and websites serving McLean, GreatFalls, Vienna/Oakton, Oak Hill/Herndon,Reston, Springfield, Burke, Fairfax, Fairfax Sta-tion/Clifton/Lorton, Arlington, Centreville,Chantilly/Fair Oaks, Alexandria and MountVernon.

The publications and websites have wonhundreds of awards for news and communitycoverage just in the past few years, includingthe Virginia Press Association Award for Integ-rity and Community Service for coverage ofefforts to prevent and end homelessness, andBest in Show for information/art for coverageof local parks.

The operation of these community-servingpublications is entirely funded by advertising. Thepapers are delivered free to homes and businessesthroughout Northern Virginia, and through freedigital subscriptions, with more than 200,000readers across the region. If you or your organi-zation appreciate the Connection publications,please support them by patronizing our adver-tisers and by spending a portion of your market-

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Submit a letter to the editor atwww.connectionnewspapers.com/contact/letter or email [email protected].

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@herndonconnectReston Connection: @restonconnectFairfax Connection: @ffxconnectionBurke Connection: @burkeconnectionSpringfield Connection: @sprconnectFairfax Station/Clifton/Lorton Connection:

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[email protected]

Focused on community.Happy New Year

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Oak Hill & Herndon


Photo courtesy of Reston Community

Center and Royce Carlton, Inc

Anna Deavere Smith

Anna Deavere Smith to HighlightMLK Birthday Celebration

Anna Deavere Smith will highlight Reston Community Dr. Martin LutherKing, Jr. Holiday Birthday celebration at the Reston Community Center, 2310Colts Neck Road, Hunters Woods, Reston. Events are Sunday, Jan. 18 andMonday, Jan. 19.

❖Anna Deavere Smith performance of the one-woman show, “Snapshots:Portraits of a World in Transition” Reston Community Center, CenterStage.Performance: Sunday, Jan. 18 at8 p.m. Tickets: $25 for Reston resident, Non-Reston ticket: $50. For tickets call 703-476-4500 or visitwww.restoncommunitycenter.com

❖Anna Deavere Smith Keynote Address at the annual Reston CommunityDr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Birthday celebration and community lunch,“Reclaiming Grace in the Face of Adversity,” Reston Community Center.Event: Monday, Jan. 19 at noon. Tickets: $5 for Reston residents, Non-Restonticket: $10. The address will be followed by the traditional Reston Commu-nity Lunch.

For tickets call 703-476-4500 or visit: www.restoncommunitycenter.com

Send announcements [email protected]. Thedeadline is the Friday prior to the follow-ing week’s paper. Photos/artworkencouraged.

THROUGH SATURDAY/JAN. 31Exhibit of Colorful Nutcrackers. 11

a.m. - 4 p.m. Closed on Tuesdays.Sully Historic Site, 3650 HistoricSully Way, Chantilly. See an amazingarray of nutcrackers, both old andnew, in a colorful case exhibit. Didyou ever wonder where the craze forcollecting nutcracker dolls camefrom? Nutcrackers have a fascinatinghistory. The first nutcrackers wereproduced to crack nuts moreeffectively and the oldest knownmetal example, on exhibit in Tarent,Italy, is from the third or fourthcentury B.C. The LeavenworthNutcracker Museum in Leavenworth,Washington, shows a bronze Romannutcracker dated between 200 B.Cand 200 A.D. German nutcrackers,made as decorative pieces, weredeveloped around 1500. Earlynutcrackers were in the shapes ofanimals, birds and people. Later, theywere made in the likeness of kings,soldiers, church leaders and rulingclass figures. Fine wood carvednutcrackers were created acrossEurope, especially in France andEngland by the 15th and 16thcenturies. Admission: $7/adult, $6/student, $5/senior or child.

THROUGH MONDAY/MARCH 16Ice Skating at Reston Town

Center. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. RestonTown Center, 11900 Market Street,Reston. From early Novemberthrough the early March, the Pavilionfloor is transformed into a gleamingice skating rink. Ice skates and othersupplies are available inside theSkate Shop directly beside thePavilion (behind Clyde’s). Admission:$10 per adult; $9 for children under12; $5 per skate rental.

THURSDAY/JAN. 8A Bee’s Eye View of Native Plants.

7 - 8:30 p.m. Walker Nature Center,11450 Glade Drive, Reston. Adults.Sam Droege, a biologist with theUSGS Patuxent Wildlife ResearchCenter, will be our guest speaker. Heconducts research on native bees andwill be discussing native plants fromthe perspective of bees. Regionally,there are over 400 species of nativebees and many are only found on theflowers of specific plants. Learn whatis happening to our native beepopulations and why what we plantis important to these nativepollinators. Reservations required byJan, 5. Fee: $5/person RA members,$7/person Non-members.

For more information, [email protected], or call 703-476-9689 and press 5.

Storytime for Threes to Fives.10:30 a.m. Reston Regional Library,11925 Bowman Towne Dr., Reston.An early literacy program with storiesand activities. Age 3-5 with adult.703-689-2700.

Reading Buddies. 4, 4:15, 4:30, 4:45p.m. Reston Regional Library, 11925Bowman Towne Dr., Reston.Children read in a fun, low-stressenvironment. Bring your own book orchoose a book from the library. Callto sign-up for a 15 minute session.Age 6-9. 703-689-2700.

Crazy 8’s Math Club. 4:30 p.m.Herndon Fortnightly, 768 Center St.,Herndon. New after-school club thatwill get kids fired up about math.Eight sessions of hands-on, mischief-making activities. Register for eachprogram. Grades K-2. 703-437-8855.

MONDAY-TUESDAY/JAN. 12-13Cunning Coyotes. 10 - 11 a.m.

Walker Nature Center, 11450 GladeDrive, Reston. Ages 18 months to 35months. Who is the noisiest wilddog? The smartest? The biggest inReston? The coyote, of course. Learnabout coyotes, howl in a coyotechorus, feel real coyote fur and makea coyote mask to wear home.Reservations required by Jan. 8. Fee:$7/child RA members, $9/child Non-members. For more information,email [email protected], orcall 703-476-9689 and press 5.

MONDAY/JAN. 12Terrific Twos. 11 a.m. Herndon

Fortnightly, 768 Center St., Herndon.Start the new year with a bang. Joinus for noisy stories, songs andrhymes. Age 2 with adult. 703-434-8855.

Writers Group. 7 p.m. HerndonFortnightly, 768 Center St., Herndon.All levels of writing experience arewelcome to join our group to receivesupport and feedback. Adults. 703-437-8855.

TUESDAY/JAN. 13Read to the Dog. 7, 7:15, 7:30, 7:45

p.m. Reston Regional Library, 11925Bowman Towne Dr., Reston. Readaloud to a trained therapy dog. Bring

your own book or choose a bookfrom the library. Call to sign up for a15-minute session. 703-689-2700.

WEDNESDAY/JAN. 14Wednesday Morning Book Club.

10:30 a.m. Reston Regional Library,11925 Bowman Towne Dr., Reston.Book discussion group. Adult. 703-689-2700.

Start the New Year withMeditation. 10 a.m. RestonRegional Library, 11925 BowmanTowne Dr., Reston. Begin the NewYear with meditation with GerryGorman. Gerry is a long-timemeditator who leads popularworkshops and seminars onmeditation throughout Virginia andthe Greater DC region. Adults. 703-689-2700.

Preschool Storytime. 11 a.m.Herndon Fortnightly, 768 Center St.,Herndon. Penguins and polar bears.Stories and songs about animals fromopposite ends of the earth. Age 3-5with adult. 703-437-8855.

THURSDAY/JAN. 15Kid’s Graphic Novel Book Club. 4

p.m. Reston Regional Library, 11925Bowman Towne Dr., Reston. Thismonth’s title is “Zita the spacegirl” byBen Hatke. Age 8-10. 703-689-2700.

Calendar

By David Siegel

The Connection

This is the funniestmusical script I haveever read. It leaves

me crying with laughter everytime I read it,” said EvanHoffmann, NextStop Theatre’sartistic director as he describedwhat is in store at the upcom-ing production of “Gutenberg!The Musical!” “The show is agreat fit for NextStop and ouraudiences.” “Gutenberg! TheMusical!” is a two-actor, absurd-est musical spoof of all things“Broadway.” It is built on asimple premise; a pair of aspir-ing playwrights andsongwriters perform an audi-tion of their new project for thewell-heeled backers who theyhope will invest money in theshow. But are they ready for aprime time showing of theirflashy, yet very earnest musicalabout Johannes Gutenberg,who invented the printing pressover 500 years ago?

Local musical theater head-liners play the fictional play-wrights. They are Bud (playedby John Loughney) and Doug(played by Ryan Burke). Bothcharacters are chock-full of en-thusiasm and sincerity as theysing all the songs and play all

the parts inthis history-tinged mu-sical epic.All theywant is tohave a shoton Broad-way.

“Gutenberg!The Musi-cal!” is byA n t h o n yKing. He isan Emmy-nominated writer, director, andperformer. Until recently hewas the artistic director of theNew York City-based comedytroupe, Upright Citizens Bri-gade. “Gutenberg” began itsjourney into life as a sketch rou-tine that grew into an Off-Broadway show nominated foroutstanding musical.

What makes it work? “Thecast doesn’t tell jokes as if in acomedy routine. They are justtwo very heartfelt and genuinepeople believing they have amusical hit on their hands andneed to convince others,” saidHoffmann who is directing“Gutenberg!” “They convey hu-mor even when addressing is-sues that might not be sus-pected to bring laughter.”

Patrons of the IndustrialStrength Theatre may not rec-ognize the place when they seethe show. The usual risers arebeing removed; and the interiorspace reconfigured. The audi-ence will be seated at tables fora very close-up connection withthe performers including expertpianist Steve Przybylski.

In some ways, “Gutenberg!The Musical!” remindsHoffmann of NextStop’s growthas a professional theater com-pany over the past year.“Through lots of sheer will, en-thusiasm, and a ‘we can do itattitude’ we are building adream.” So, join the fun with amusical show about two dream-ers ready to becomeBroadway’s next big thing.

Evan Hoffmann, NextStopTheatre artistic directorand director, “Gutenberg!The Musical!”

John Joughney plays Budin NextStop Theatre’s“Gutenberg! The Musi-cal!”

Laughter and Charmat Herndon StageNextStop The-atre presents“Gutenberg!The Musical!”

Ryan Burkeplays Doug inNextStopTheatre’s“Gutenberg!The Musical!”

“

Where and WhenNextStop Theatre presents

“Gutenberg! The Musical!” at the In-dustrial Strength Theatre, 269Sunset Park Drive, Herndon. Perfor-mances: Jan. 8 to Feb. 1. Thursdaysat 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Sat-urday, Jan. 10 and 17 at 8 p.m.,Saturday, Jan. 24 and 31 at 2 p.m.& 8 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 11, 18 andFeb. 1 at 2 p.m., Sunday , Jan. 25 at2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. Tickets call 866-811-4111 or visit www.nextstop.org.


Sports

South Lakes High School’s VarsitySwim teams set 12 regional-quali-fying times on their way to a vic-tory over Stone Bridge on Dec. 19

at Ida Lee Park in Leesburg.The South Lakes boys won with 193

points over Stone Bridge’s 93, while the girlswon with 180 points to Stone Bridge’s 106.

South Lakes’ boys won all three of thenight’s relay events with regional-qualify-ing times. The team of Johnny Micka, Ben-jamin Gryski, Mac Sogandares, and TylerEllis started the meet with a win in the 200-yard medley relay in 1:43.09. In the 200-yard freestyle relay, Dylan Hawley,Gianmichel D’Alessandro, SolomonBlackmon, and Conner Hutson, finishedfirst with a time of 1:34.88. In the 400-yardfreestyle relay, Sogandares, Ellis, Hawley,and D’Alessandro brought in the victory ina time of 3:23.38. In addition to the win inthe 200-yard freestyle relay, South Lakesalso took second and third with Gryski, JackEdgemond, Samuel Oh, and BenjaminBarbee placing second, and James Crosby,Ethan Evans, Kevin Vintimilla, and RobbyCordts taking third.

Outside of the relays, the boys won allbut one of their events. Highlights included:

❖ Regional-qualifying first-place finishesfor Sogandares in the 200 freestyle and 500freestyle and for Gryski in the 200 indi-

Micka (first), Joseph Hosi (second), andGrant Tremaine (third).

❖ A sweep of the 100 breaststroke forGryski (first), D’Allessandro (second), andMax Onozuka (third).

South Lakes Swimmers Dominate Meet with Stone Bridge

Photo contributed

Benjamin Gryski (white cap) edges past his Stone Bridge opponentduring the breaststroke leg of the 200-yard individual medley to finishwith a regionals-qualifying time.

vidual medley and the 100 breaststroke.❖ A sweep of the 500 freestyle for

Sogandares (first), Matthew Beach (sec-ond), and Barbee (third).

❖ A sweep of the 100 backstroke for

❖ A one-two finish in the 50 freestyle forBlackmon (first) and Hutson (second).

The South Lakes girls also started andended the meet with regionals-qualifyingtimes for their relay teams. The team ofNatalie Obando, Megan Carney, SabrinaGroves, and Natalie Pritz started off with awin in the 200 medley relay at 1:55.17. Inthe 400 freestyle relay, Emily Landeryou,Malina Stassinos, Caitlyn King, and Groveswon with a time of 3:44.29.

In between were other strong perfor-mances including:

❖ Regional-qualifying first place finish forGroves in the 200yd individual medley.

❖ Regional-qualifying finishes in the 100butterfly for Groves (second) andLanderyou (third).

❖ A sweep of the 200 freestyle forLanderyou (first), Grace Obando (second),and King (third).

❖ A one-two finish in the 50 freestyle forNatalie Obando (first) and Pritz (second).

❖ First-place finishes for Grace Obandoin the 500 freestyle and the 100 backstroke.

❖ First-place finish for Carney in the 100breaststroke.

South Lakes entered the winter breakwith 3–1 records for the boys’ and girls’teams. They will return to the pool to faceMadison High School at 6:30 p.m. Friday,Jan. 9, at Spring Hill RECenter.

Oakton girls’ XC repeats asstate champs

The Oakton girls’ cross country team in 2014 won itssecond consecutive state championship.

The Cougars posted a score of 44 at the VHSL statemeet on Nov. 15 at Great Meadow, holding off an up-and-coming Lake Braddock squad for first place.

“I’m really ecstatic about [winning back-to-back statetitles],” senior Allie Klimkiewicz said after the race. “I’mreally proud of my team. It was a really close race. We

came in knowing that there would be at least three teamsright with us, so I was really happy to find out that we won.”

Klimkiewicz was one of four Oakton harriers to earn all-state honors with a top-15 finish. Klimkiewicz placed third,sophomore Casey Kendall was fourth, Leya Salis finished11th and Kira Buttrey placed 15th.

McLean QB Maffei sets staterecord for completions

Brian Maffei and the McLean football team fell short

against Herndon on Oct. 2, but the quarterback etchedhis place in history.

Maffei set a single-game state record with 42 comple-tions against the Hornets. The senior completed 42 of71 passes for 415 yards and four touchdowns, with twointerceptions.

McLean lost to Herndon, 51-35.“I’m not going to lie, it felt pretty good knowing I set

a new state record,” Maffei said, “but I was still prettyupset because of the loss.”

— Jon Roetman

Connection file photo

The Oakton girls’ cross country team won its second consecutive statechampionship in 2014.

Connection file photo

McLean quarterback Brian Maffei set a single-game state record forcompletions against Herndon on Oct. 2.

Herndon Sports Editor Jon Roetman

703-752-4031 or [email protected]


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The beginning of a newyear is often a timewhen many resolve tobegin a fitness plan or

to ramp up their current routine.Officials at the American Collegeof Sports Medicine rang in theNew Year by releasing theorganization’s annual survey ofthe top fitness trends for 2015.

From push-ups to plank,bodyweight training tops ACSM’slist of fitness trends. Low cost andmobile, this routine takes exerciseback to the basics: think pull-upsand squats. “You really don’t needequipment or a gym membership,and there’s almost no cost in-volved,” said Katrina Salum, a per-sonal trainer based in Arlington.“It’s effective because you canbuild muscle and burn fat simplyby using your own body weight forresistance.”

The popularity of bodyweightmoves are due to the ease in whichthey can be incorporated into yourdaily routine, said Salum. “You cando three sets of eight squats whileyou’re brushing your teeth and 10pushups while you’re waiting foryour coffee to brew.”

THE PRACTICE of alternatingintense periods of aerobic activitywith low intensity exercises,known as high-intensity intervaltraining (HIIT), is number two onthe list of trends.Varying exercises can stave offboredom, a factor that leads manypeople to abandon their fitnesspractice,” said Scott Goldberg, a

personal trainer in Potomac, Md.“Most HIIT routines can be donein 30 minutes,” he said. “Onesimple routine is warming up bywalking on a treadmill, then do-ing 10 squats, 10 push ups and 10planks followed by a 30-secondfast-paced sprint. Then walkslowly in place for four minutes torest then repeat the entire routinefive times.”

Taking classes or training ses-sions from licensed, certified andeducated fitness professionals isnumber three on the list. Tradi-tional weight training is numberfour, followed by enlisting the helpof a personal trainer and combin-ing exercise and nutrition into afitness plan, which are numbers

five and six respectively.“To be healthy you need to ex-

ercise, but also eat foods that aregood for you,” said GretchenJuliano, a dietitian in Old TownAlexandria. “Eating foods that arelow in carbs and high in proteinbefore working out forces yourbody to burn fat and gives youenergy.”

Fitness industry pros say yoga isnumber seven.

“The practice of yoga gives youmuscular flexibility through thestretching involved in the yogaposes,” said Dawn Curtis, EastMeets West Yoga Center in Vienna.“Yoga also provides immunestrengthening. A regular yogapractice will also help with your

healthy tissue maintenance andhealthy growth of new muscles,bones, tendons, and ligaments,which are essential body compo-nents for fighting disease.”

Curtis points to the detoxifyingeffects of yoga.

“A regular yoga practice will in-crease your blood circulation,which in turn helps flush out tox-ins from your body,” she said. “Asyour body flushes out these tox-ins, to be released by the stretchesof the muscle movement, they arereplaced with new nourishing nu-trients for a healthier body andmind…Students with a regularpractice…report [having] longlasting results both physically andmentally, especially with reducing

stress.”A commitment of practicing two

to three times each week is neces-sary for noticeable results.

“Consistency is the key in yoga,”said Sara VanderGoot of Mind theMat Yoga and Pilates in Arlingtonand Alexandria. “It is like vitamins.The real effect is doing it overtime, and incorporating it intoyour life rather than just doing itonce. Yoga is not a quick fix, but avery powerful transformative prac-tice if done regularly over time.”

Fitness programs for seniorsmake the list at number eight.“Even 30-minutes of strengthtraining and 20 minutes of aero-bics 2 or 4 times a week can helpus fight diseases like diabetes andheart disease as we age,” saidGoldberg.

FUNCTIONAL FITNESS EXER-CISES, those that make your bodystronger for everyday activitieslike doing laundry, lifting smallchildren or simply using good pos-ture when sitting at a desk, comein at number nine on the ACSMlist while group personal trainingsessions are number ten.

“One of the benefits of workingout with a group is accountabil-ity,” said Salum. “It’s also less ex-pensive than hiring a personaltraining and can be more fun.”

Top Fitness Trends for 2015“It is like vitamins.The real effect isdoing it over timeand incorporating itinto your life ratherthan just doing itonce.”

— Sara VanderGoot

Bodyweight training, which includes exercises such as plank, is the top fitnesstrend for 2015 according to the American College of Sports Medicine.

Here’s somelow-cost,mobile routines.

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OBITUARY

Violet Kaleh Carmona Bateman1923-2014

Violet “Vi” Kaleh Carmona Bateman died onDecember 30, 2014 at home in Bealeton, VAwith both her daughter and granddaughterby her side. Violet was ninety-one years old.Violet had been a long time resident ofHerndon until three years ago, when healthconcerns required her to move in with herdaughter and son-in-law at their family farmin Bealeton, VA.At the tender age of ninety-one, Violet asvivacious as ever, was still enchanting everyperson she met with her beautiful smile andinfectious laugh. Her poise and grace carriedher faithfully throughout the years, and any-one who had met Vi, knew that she was aspecial woman. She will be missed greatly,and her memory cherished for years tocome.Violet worked tirelessly in her hometown ofHerndon to execute the building of theHerndon Community Center, and was amember of the initial committee to accom-plish the development of the “HerndonHarbor House” housing project for the eld-erly. She was also an active member of theHerndon Chamber of Commerce, and volun-teered in her church as well as many otherorganizations.She is survived by three children; RichardCarmona of Jeffersonton, VA, GregoryCarmona of Houston, TX, and Carla JeanCarmona-Chapman of Bealeton, VA. As wellas ten grandchildren; Kaleh Carmona Boeker,Krista Lynn Boeker, Kyle Michael Boeker,Daniel Carmona, Elisha, Matthew Carmona,Noel Carmona, Michael Carmona , RichardCarmona, and Nathan Carmona. She wasalso blessed with three great grandchildren;Isabella Skye Boeker, Katerina Rayne Boekerand Juliet Ella Carmona.The family will receive friends and relativeson Friday, the 9th of January from 2-4PM and6-8PM at Adams-Green Funeral Home inHerndon, VA. The funeral will be held thenext day, Saturday the 10th of January at11:00AM at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church:432 Van Buren St. Herndon, VA 20170. Theinterment will be held at the Chestnut GroveCemetery in Herndon, VA, following with areception at St. Timothy’s beginning around1:00PM.Memorial contributions can be made to TheHoly Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation:6935 Wisconsin Ave, Suite 518, Bethesda,MD 20815 or on their websitehttp://www.hcef.org. In addition to St.Timothy’s Episcopal Church; memo “ReserveFund.” Flower arrangements can be sentfrom the Herndon Florist, which can bereached at 703-437-4990.And as Vi always said, “Don’t forget to keepsmiling”

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well done, is to have done it.

- Ralph WaldoEmerson

Thankfully (so far as I know, which isn’tvery far), after a five-week interval betweeninfusions, which included two additionalweeks of pre-chemotherapy lab work andan out-of-the-ordinary 24-hour urine collec-tion (“creatinine clearance”) to boot – tomore accurately measure my kidney func-tion in hopes of meeting a 1.6 threshold –muster was finally passed, and I was subse-quently infused without any further adieu.Planning forward, Ron, my oncology nurse,said that we should return to our usual-and-customary three-week interval for chemo-therapy as well as the normal pre-chemo-therapy lab work – with no “creatinine clear-ance.” And given that I’m alive and reasona-bly well six years post-diagnosis by followinga similar protocol, I’d be hesitant to get offthe horse I’ve been riding so successfully –mostly – since early 2009, so I’m preparedto saddle up once again.

However, I do wonder if this five-weekinterval, which ultimately showed my creati-nine level/kidney function returning to nor-mal, might suggest that a rest-for-the-chemotherapy-weary might not be all bad.My Certified Holistic Health and FitnessCoach, Rebecca, feels that after six years ofnearly non-stop chemotherapy, its toxicityhas probably caused enough internal organdamage; “shrinkage” and all notwithstand-ing. Chemotherapy is hardly a non-corrosiveadditive. It does what it does, but there areconsequences/side effects to be sure, manyof which are not pretty and hardly worthwaiting for. The question is: Is stoppingand/or delaying any kind of conventionaltreatment, with which I have become mostfamiliar during my six years of treatment, anew beginning or a tragic end? Generallyspeaking, I feel fine. Still, I’m not Alfred E.Neuman from Mad Magazine, so “What, MeWorry?” Yes. Cancer is not for the faint ofheart, so challenges persist, whether the cir-cumstances are good, bad or indifferent. It isimpossible to leave well enough alone – forme, anyway.

As a result, I have a present that in thepast was a future not promised. Initially Iwas told by my oncologist that he couldtreat me but that he couldn’t cure me.Oddly, at the time, I didn’t really grasp theobviousness of his statement, nor I imagine,did team Lourie. They were words withwhich we were familiar certainly, but theirmeaning sort of escaped us. Soon thereafterhowever, we learned what it all meant, andover the proceeding years, have become alittle bit better at comprehending what themedical staff has been telling us. Now, ourregular and seemingly recurring conversationis about creatinine and kidney function. It’slikely my body is indeed under stress – aftersix years of chemotherapy. Nevertheless,given my most recent CT Scan result, as wellas my eventually-reducing-to-normal creati-nine level, I am going to continue to roll thedice. Perhaps I’m being penny-wise/poundfoolish or just plain foolish and not too wise.Unfortunately, nobody really knows for sure,and besides, when you’re life hangs in thebalance, it’s seems whatever decisions are tobe made, should be made by the patient. SoI will continue to employ Rebecca’s advicein hopes that the supplements and all thatshe has advised I take over the last six yearscontinue to strengthen my immune systemenough to offset the likely damage the che-motherapy is causing along its cancer-cell-killing way. I realize it’s not perfect, but it’s aliving. THANK GOD.

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

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

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Debris, Garage/ Base- ment Clean Out,

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JUNK HAULINGJunk, Rubbish,Homes, Offices,

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TREE SERVICE

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Angeltreeslandscaping-hauling.com

Brush & Yard Debris Trimming & Topping

Gutters & Hauling

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Do what you can, with

what you have,where you are.

-TheodoreRoosevelt

For a free digital sub-scription to one or allof the 15 ConnectionNewspapers, go towww.connectionnewspapers.com/subscribe

Complete digital rep-lica of the print edition,including photos andads, delivered weeklyto your e-mail box.

Questions? E-mail:[email protected]

THURSDAY/JAN. 8ESL Speak and Write for Intermediate

Students. 1 p.m. Reston Regional Library,11925 Bowman Towne Drive, Reston.

TUESDAY/JAN. 13ESL Speak and Write for Intermediate

Students. 1 p.m. Reston Regional Library,11925 Bowman Towne Drive, Reston.

WEDNESDAY/JAN. 14Wednesday Morning Book Club. 10:30 a.m.

Reston Regional Library, 11925 Bowman TowneDrive, Reston. Book discussion group.

Start the New Year with Meditation. 7 p.m.Reston Regional Library, 11925 Bowman TowneDrive, Reston. Begin the New Year withmeditation with Gerry Gorman. Gerry is a long-time meditator who leads popular workshopsand seminars on meditation throughout Virginiaand the Greater DC region.

FRIDAY/JAN. 16Let’s Talk - ESL for Intermediate Students.

11 a.m. Join Richard’s Friday conversationalgroup. Adults.

ONGOINGFood Addicts in Recovery. Wednesdays at 7

p.m. at The Vine Church, 2501 Gallows Road,Dunn Loring. Are you having trouble controllingthe way you eat? Food Addicts in RecoveryAnonymous (FA) is a free twelve step recoveryprogram for anyone suffering from foodobsession, overeating, under-eating or bulimia.For more information or a list of additionalmeetings throughout the U.S. and the world, call781-932-6300 or www.foodaddicts.org.

Fairfax County’s Meals on Wheels urgentlyneeds drivers in the Annandale, Franconia/Kingstowne, Reston, Mount Vernon and McLeanareas. 703-324-5406, TTY 711 orwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/olderadults.

To have community events listed in the Connection, send to [email protected] bythe Friday prior to the following week’s paper.

Bulletin Board

Meditation in Our Daily Lives. Participantswill learn the basic principles of meditation andhow to carry the experience of meditation into theirdaily life. Weekly on Thursdays starting Jan. 15;7:30-8:30 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church,1625 Wiehle Ave. Reston with teacher Gen KelsangVarahi, an American Buddhist nun. $10 ($5 unem-ployed, full time students, 65 and older). More atwww.meditation-dc.org

Trinity Presbyterian Church , 651

Dranesville Road, Herndon, has Sunday worshipservices at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Nursery andchildcare are provided and youth and adult Sun-day school classes are held prior, from 9:40-10:45a.m. 703-437-5500 or www.trinityherndon.org.

Vajrayogini Buddhist Center, Unitarian Univer-salist Church, 1625 Wiehle Ave., Reston, holdsweekly classes starting Sept. 12, Thursdays 7-8:30p.m., for the general public which use Buddhistteachings to practice meditation. $12. 202-986-2257 or www.meditation-dc.org.

Faith NotesFaith Notes are for announcements and events in the faith

community, including special holiday services. Send [email protected]. Deadline is Thursday.

Art Show to HonorReston’s Official Bird

Friends of Reston is hosting a Children’sArt Show at the Walker Nature Center incelebration of the new Official Bird ofReston, the Pileated Woodpecker. Deadlinefor art is Saturday, Jan. 31 by 1 p.m. Allsubmitted art will be displayed inside theWalker Nature Center’s Nature House fromSunday, Feb. 1 until Saturday, Feb. 7, andposted on its Facebook page.

Children of all ages are welcome to sub-mit drawings and paintings in pencil,crayon, watercolor, or other media. Art sub-missions can be mailed to Walker NatureCenter, 11450 Glade Drive, Reston, 20191,or delivered during the open hours of Mon-day and Wednesday-Friday 9 a.m. until 5p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. until 1 p.m., Sun-day 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. For more informa-tion, call 703-476-9689, or [email protected].

The Pileated Woodpecker was voted asthe Official Bird of Reston in an electionheld by Friends of Reston in honor ofReston’s 50th anniversary in 2014. For in-spiration, more information, and images ofthe Pileated Woodpecker, see the latest is-sue of “Branching Out,” published by WalkerNature Center, available in print and onlineat http://issuu.com/restonassociation/docs/branching_out_winter_2014-2015/0

Northwest Federal toOpen New Branch

Northwest Federal Credit Union’s newestbranch is set to open in late-January – a

member-centric site designed to deliver ahigh-tech, high-touch user experience. Withan opening date slated for Jan. 31, the newVillage Center branch is located at 2545Centreville Road in Herndon. It is North-west Federal’s first “high-tech” branch, andwill feature state-of-the-art equipment andinteractive displays, including:

*The Discovery Zone featuring videos anddigital brochures, and a tablet check-outcenter;

*A WI-FI Bar and hotspot with chargingstation, Wi-Fi access and boards with newsand weather; and

*A product and services wall, where mem-bers discover the latest events, promotions,and current savings and loan rates.

In the next few weeks, Northwest Fed-eral will send members an announcementof the new branch, as well as informationon special events and promotions to markthe grand opening. The Credit Union willalso offer $25 for all new members andthose who refer new members.

The Credit Union selected the VillageCenter site to enhance service with morein-person banking options for members inNorthern Virginia, explained ChrisMcDonald, president/CEO of NorthwestFederal.

For more information, visitwww.nwfcu.org.

CorrectionIn the Dec. 24, 2014 Connection article

“How Does She Do It?” the current execu-tive director of The Foundation for FairfaxCounty Public Schools should be listed asMike Infurnari.

Area Roundups


Community

By Ryan Dunn

The Connection

I think this is a great example ofwhat communities do, we helpeach other out,” said Town of

Herndon Vice Mayor Jennifer K. Baker.Baker was at Herndon Police Departmenton Saturday, Dec. 20 for the annual Cops& Kids outreach event. The HerndonPolice Department’s annual Cops & Kidsevent, sponsored by the Greater HerndonFraternal Order of Police Lodge 64,helped provide 26 area children withgifts from Santa.

The event was attended by communityresidents and helped families have amerry Christmas. The event began withbreakfast, followed by photos with Santaand Mrs. Claus who came deliveringboxes of gifts. In the weeks before theevent, Herndon police officers and mem-bers of the FOP met with children so theycould write out their Christmas wish liststo Santa. Helping make the event pos-

sible were many volunteers. “It is a greatsuccessful event, every year it grows… weget tons of support from the community,”said Herndon Police Officer Ronald EickeJr., president of the Herndon FOP.

The previous evening, volunteers includ-ing Herndon Mayor Lisa Merkel and towncouncil members Sheila Olem, Dave Kirbyand Grace Wolf helped prepare for the Sat-urday outreach event. “It is an opportunity

for the council to lead by example,” saidWolf, who also attended last year’s event.“This is always a fun event for us,” saidHerndon Police Officer Si Ahmad, whohelped wrap some of the gifts.

Participating families were provided witha food basket and a gift card to a local re-tailer. After the event, Santa and membersof the Herndon FOP and volunteers wentout with the Fairfax County Fire and Res-

cue Company to deliver toys and wintercoats throughout the community to kidsin lower income areas of Herndon.“Ithelps out families that need to behelped,” said Herndon Police OfficerMike Berg. Members of the HerndonPolice Department have contributedback to the community while off dutythrough engagement with local organi-zations including the Herndon OptimistClub. The Herndon Police also offer anannual citizens police academy whichincludes classroom presentations and theopportunity to ride along with an officeron patrol. To be eligible participantsmust be 18 years of age or older and haveno prior criminal record.

“Without everybody’s contributionsthis would not have been a success,” saidOfficer Eicke. The Cops & Kids Programoperates with the help of community vol-unteers and sponsors, including theHerndon FOP Lodge 64, Herndon RotaryClub, Herndon Optimist Club, SherylMcCurnin and the employees of CDWG,Peggy Walker, and Steven Fraser ofTMMG. Other contributors included theReston Home Depot, Northwest FederalCredit Union and Chuck E. Cheese. “Thisis a great event for the community,” saidHerndon resident Sheryl McCurnin. Formore information on the Herndon Fra-ternal Order of Police Lodge 64, visithttp://www.herndonfop.org/.

Christmas Cheer Shared At Herndon Police Station

Herndon town council member Grace H. Wolf with Herndon Police Of-ficer Ronald Eicke, Herndon Police Chief Maggie A. DeBoard, andHerndon Vice Mayor Jennifer K. Baker at the Cops & Kids outreachevent.

HPD, Herndon FOPand communityprovide childrenwith presents.

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By Ryan Dunn

The Connection

The Sunday evening of Dec. 21members of the community as-sembled at the Herndon TownSquare to celebrate Chanukah

with the Chabad of Reston-Herndon. Theevent was open to the public and more than35 persons came to attend. The programwas arranged by Rabbi Leibel and NechamieFajnland directors of the Chabad Reston-Herndon. Program sponsors were theNachman Partnership.

“It is nice to see other people recognizeChanukah as a holiday,” said Joe Tamres, aresident of Fairfax who attended the cel-ebration. The celebration of Chanukah lastsfrom Dec. 16 – 24. Also known as the Festi-val of Lights and Feast of Dedication, it isan eight-day Jewish holiday commemorat-ing the rededication of the Temple in Jerusa-lem at the time of the Maccabean Revoltagainst the Seleucid Empire. Chanukah isobserved for eight nights and days, start-ing on the 25th day of Kislev according tothe Hebrew calendar, which may occur atany time from late November to late De-

cember in the Gregorian calendar.The Nachman family has long supported

the celebration of Chanukah, and has en-couraged the entire community to join inthe experience. A menorah provided by theNachman family has been present at theHerndon Town Square during Chanukahseason for more than 30 years. ElysaBirman, resident of Herndon and memberof the Council for the Arts of Herndon, at-tended the Chanukah celebration with herhusband Igor. “We think it is great to gettogether and celebrate the holiday,” saidElysa Birman.

Also returning for the Chanukah eventwere long time Herndon residents LindaDowner and her husband Richard Downer.Rabbi Fajnland welcomed all the attendeesand handed out chocolate coins to kids inthe crowd.

After the menorah was lit, everyone wasinvited to enjoy latkes and donuts, as wellas Chanukah-themed crafts for the kids. OnTuesday, Dec. 16, the Chabad of Reston-Herndon met at the Lake Anne Waterfrontand the Reston Community Center to cel-ebrate the first day of Chanukah.

Volunteers with Herndon HCTV, a non-

profit community television station whichcan be seen on COX channel 23 in FairfaxCounty and FiOS channel 28 were out atthe Herndon Town Square videotaping theevening event. In addition to singing sometraditional Chanukah songs including“Maoz Tzur” and “I Have A Little Dreidel,”a raffle was held and several prizes werepresented to winners. One of the raffle win-nings included a Kindle Fire. “An appropri-ate prize for this festival of lights,” jokedRabbi Leibel Fajnland.

To learn more about the Chabad ofReston-Herndon, visit www.chabadrh.org.

After the group singing of several Chanukah songs,Rabbi Leibel Fajnland announced the winners of araffle. The Dec. 21 Chanukah celebration was open tothe entire community.

Chanukah Celebrated At Downtown HerndonChabad of Reston-Herndon holds com-munity celebration.

Rabbi Leibel Fajnland with members of his familynear the giant menorah after the communityChanukah celebration in downtown Herndon. RabbiLeibel and Nechamie Fajnland are directors of theChabad Reston-Herndon.

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