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Springfield Connection ❖ April 23-29, 2015 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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‘Another Step ina Long Ladder’

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‘She Was Love’News, Page 7

April McMullen-Eldert runs through CPR techniques with Thomas Grane, of Alexandria, at Springfield Community Day on Saturday, April 18.

2 ❖ Springfield Connection ❖ April 23-29, 2015 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com


News

By Tim Peterson

The Connection

More than seven months af-ter the Geer family lawyerMichael Lieberman filed a$12 million wrongful death

civil suit in Circuit Court against FairfaxCounty Police, the two sides reached a $2.95million settlement, announced Tuesday,April 21.

The suit sought damages from FairfaxCounty Chief of Police Edwin Roessler, Jr.and other officers and supervisors relatedto the killing of John Geer on Aug. 29, 2013.Police had come to Geer’s Springfield homeafter receiving a domestic dispute call. Af-ter a 40-minute conversation with officers,Geer, who was standing in his doorway witharms raised and resting on the frame, wasshot and killed by PFC Adam Torres, accord-ing to police.

Fairfax County, citing ongoing investiga-tions of the incident, released little infor-mation to the public or the family until anorder from Fairfax Circuit Court judgeRandy Bellows finally prompted action, in-cluding divulging the name of the officerwho fired the shot, on Jan. 21, 2015.

FILES RELEASED from the PoliceDepartment’s own investigation into theincident include an account from Torres thathe saw Geer’s hands lower suddenly to-wards his waist when he shot him.

Investigators learned on the same dayGeer died, Aug. 29, 2013, that at least fivewitnesses including the police officer talk-ing to Geer at the instant he was shot, dis-puted Torres’s version of events. None ofthe other witnesses saw Geer’s hands movebelow his head.

“Now that the family knows who killedJohn and knows the facts and the unjustifi-able decisions that led to this tragedy, thefamily wants to put this legal battle behindthem so they can attempt to move on,” saidGeer family attorney Michael Liebermanfollowing the settlement.

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors chair-man Sharon Bulova said in Tuesday’s re-lease: “I am pleased that a fair settlementhas been reached and I hope this may bringsome measure of closure to the family ofJohn Geer.”

Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield)echoed the sentiment in an interview, say-ing “Although nothing can replace the lossof John Geer, the big thing is this bringsclosure to the family that’s been through avery difficult ordeal. Based on what we hadin front of us, this is the right decision.”

John’s father Don Geer responded that

while the settlement will provide some fi-nancial stability to Geer’s two daughters, itdoesn’t go far enough.

“This is another step in a long ladder ofsteps to get things accomplished,” Don Geersaid in an interview. “It’s just one of many.As far as I’m concerned, until charges arepressed with Torres, it won’t be a closure.... Fairfax has still done nothing as far ashe’s concerned.

He’s still on the doggone payroll. I’m pay-ing his salary. That’s really quite disgust-ing.”

“I understand Mr. Geer’s frustration,” saidBulova in an email. “A criminal chargewould have to come from either the Com-monwealth Attorney who is an elected offi-cial, independent of the Board of Supervi-sors, or the Justice Department. I am nothappy with how long it is taking for a deci-sion, one way or another.”

One step Bulova and the supervisors havetaken is the creation of an ad hoc commis-sion to review police policies for release ofinformation and use of force, comprisinglawyers, academics, members of the media,citizens and police representatives.

Its first, largely introductory meeting washeld at the Fairfax County Government Cen-ter March 23.

Its second meeting is scheduled for thesame location on April 27.

“While the family is hopeful that the re-cently created public commission will re-sult in meaningful changes,” Liebermansaid, “it remains important that the resi-dents of Fairfax County continue to demandactual change from county officials as to thepolice department’s use of force, its lack oftransparency and accountability, as well asmany other issues that have come to lightthrough this tragedy.”

Jeff Stewart, a close friend of John andDon Geer, who witnessed Geer being shotand now sits on the ad hoc commission,believes the case “is half over” with thesettlement.

“We still have an officer that hasn’t beenheld accountable for his actions,” Stewartsaid. “I hope that people don’t forget aboutit.

“Money doesn’t solve the problem,” hecontinued. “It helps the girls out long term,but money doesn’t hold anyone account-able.

For me it doesn’t bring a lot of closure.John would still be dead, no officer wouldstill be accountable, we’re right back wherewe were when Culosi was shot and [David]Masters was shot.” Both died in FairfaxCounty police-related shootings.

THE COMMISSION is scheduled to makerecommendations for Fairfax County Policepolicy changes to the Board of Supervisorsin October.For more information on the commissionand its schedule, visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/policecommission.

‘Another Step in a Long Ladder’Fairfax County pays$2.95 million to settleJohn Geer wrongfuldeath case.

John Geer’s father Donspoke at a meeting of theVirginia Citizens Coalitionfor Police Accountabilityheld in the Martha Washing-ton Library in Alexandria.

Sal Culosi, father of Dr.Salvatore Culosi who was

shot by a Fairfax CountyPolice officer, addressedDon Geer at the April 21

meeting of the VirginiaCitizens Coalition forPolice Accountability.

Jeff Stewart, a friend ofJohn Geer who witnessedhim being shot, plans topush the ad hoc commis-sion reviewing FairfaxCounty Police Departmentpolicies to discuss creationof an independent citizen’soversight board to look atpolice incidents.

Nick Beltrante, executivedirector of the Virginia

Citizens Coalition for PoliceAccountability and memberof the Fairfax County ad hoc

commission to reviewpolice policies for disclo-

sure of information and useof force, speaks at a Coali-tion meeting held April 21at the Martha Washington

Library in Alexandria.

Springfield Connection Editor Kemal Kurspahic

703-778-9414 or [email protected]

Photos by Tim Peterson

The Connection


News

By Tim Peterson

The Connection

Consider: 70.2 percentAsian, 20.7 percentWhite, 5.1 percent Mul-tiracial/Other, 2.4 per-

cent Hispanic, 1.6 percent Black: Thisis the ethnic breakdown of the 493students admitted to the 2019 classof the Fairfax County Public Schoolsmagnet institution Thomas JeffersonHigh School for Science and Technol-ogy.

The Fairfax County released theschool’s admissions information onMarch 31. Of the 2,841 students whoapplied, 51 percent were Asian, 29.7percent White, 7.3 percent Hispanic,7.1 percent Black and 5.1 percentMultiracial/Other.

Approximately 78 percent of admit-ted students are from Fairfax Countyand 22.3 percent are from Arlington,Loudoun and Prince William countiesand the City of Falls Church.

The disparity drew criticism fromMount Vernon School Board represen-tative Dan Storck.

“Admissions to Thomas Jeffersonare not representative of the FairfaxCounty Public Schools population,”Storck said, “and certainly not of theMount Vernon District population. Wehave some serious issues about equityand how do we address that?”

Data on which feeder middleschools supplied which percentage ofstudents to the new freshman classspeaks more to the inequity. MountVernon-area Alexandria middleschools Whitman, Carl Sandburg andHayfield were among 17 of a list of26 feeder schools released by FairfaxCounty with the total number of ad-

mitted students to Jefferson redacted.Spokesperson for Fairfax County Public

Schools John Torre explained the redactionsare because the numbers are low enough(fewer than 10 admitted) that individual

students could potentially be identi-fied.

“MAYBE WE OUGHT to renamethe school ‘Herndon-Falls Church Al-ternative School for the Gifted andWealthy,’” said Del. Scott Surovell(D-44), referring to the feedermiddle schools supplying the topquantities of students.

“To me, it’s the canary in the coalmine about how Fairfax County edu-cates its children,” Surovell added.“If you’re low income, you don’t getthe same education.”

The release from Fairfax CountyPublic Schools said 8 percent of ap-plicants and 1.2 percent of those

admitted qualify for free and reduced meals.Of all students in Fairfax County, by com-parison, more than 28 percent receive freeand reduced meals.

“Why is this such a significantly skeweddistribution?” asked Fairfax Station residentLolita Mancheno-Smoak, a candidate forSchool Board in 2011 and co-founder of theschool children advocacy group Coalitionof the Silence.

“If I go under the assumption we’re a top-rated school system, everyone is receivingthe same caliber and rigor of education atthe advanced academic program centersand there’s a fair and equitable process ofidentification of young people to be admit-ted into these centers.”

Fairfax County’s advanced academic pro-gram, or “AAP,” includes numerous elemen-

tary schools and 12 middle schools whereselected students take part in a more chal-lenging curriculum with emphasis on higherintellectual performance. All nine of theschools with 10 or more students admittedto Thomas Jefferson are advanced place-ment program sites.

CARRIE HEILBRUN, Jefferson Class of2015, first attended Silverbrook ElementarySchool in Fairfax Station then tested intothe advanced academic program at LortonStation Elementary School in third grade.She continued into the advanced academicprogram at Lake Braddock SecondarySchool, where teachers first told her andher parents Mark and Amy that they shouldlook into applying to Jefferson.

Carrie said “fantastic” teachers at LortonStation sparked her passion for science,technology, engineering and mathematicseducation.

Her mother Amy agreed that her “amaz-ing” experience in elementary and middleschool was crucial to preparing her to bothenter and succeed at Jefferson. In the fall,Carrie will attend Yale University and par-ticipate on the women’s swim team.

Amy Heilburn and Carrie acknowledgeobserving there is less ethnic diversity atJefferson. After looking at the demograph-ics release from Fairfax County PublicSchools, “I was really shocked. absolutelyfloored,” said Heilburn. “It just doesn’t seemlike it’s possible, there’s no way, this doesn’tadd up, is it our county?

“I go back to it’s what’s leading up to it,”Heilburn added. “What are those kids get-ting in elementary school?”

For Carrie, less balance in demographicnumbers isn’t as significant as the qualityof appreciation for for the cultures and

ethnicities present at her school, particu-larly through a plethora of “culture clubs”like Persian, Black student union and Chi-nese honor society.

“I’m proud of how each culture is repre-sented so strongly,” Carrie said, “even if thenumbers aren’t as large for some. You defi-nitely won’t feel alone if you apply to TJfrom one of those underrepresented cul-tures.”

The question then is whether as publicschool students across the county, all whoare objectively intelligent enough have thesame chance as Carrie to propel themselvestowards the school that consistently ranksat or near the top ofhigh schools nation-wide.

“There’s no guaranteeof getting into ThomasJefferson,” said Storck,“but we have have toensure students haveequitable opportunity toget in, and I don’t be-lieve we’re doing thatsatisfactorily.”

It’s not that therehave been no efforts by the county to helpunderrepresented populations, Storck con-ceded. The “Young Scholars” program in 82schools is aimed at identifying “potential

FCPS DemographicBreakdown

Total Fairfax County Public Schools Demo-graphic Breakdown, out of 2014-2015 school yearprojected student population of 186,785.❖ African American: 10.2 percent❖ American Indian: .3 percent❖ Asian American: 19.4 percent❖ Hispanic: 24.6 percent❖ Multiracial: 5.0 percent❖ White: 40.4 percent❖ Students receiving free and reduced meals: 28.2

percent❖ English for Speakers of Other languages students:

15.5 percent❖ Students receiving special education services:

13.77 percentSource: Fairfax County Public Schools

Some say unbalanced admissions demographicsat Northern Virginia’s top high school speaksto system-wide equity problems.

Best and Brightest?

Thomas Jefferson teacher Dr. John Dell explains a rare,powerful X-ray machine and desktop electron micro-scope in the new quantum physics and optics lab.

From left: Justin Yum of Woodbridge, Jacob Benheimof Fairfax, Nihar Gudiseva of Herndon study afterschool last fall in the new wing’s quantum physicsand optics lab.

Photos by Tim Peterson/The Connection

“To me, it’s thecanary in the coalmine about howFairfax Countyeducates itschildren. If you’relow income, you don’t get thesame education.”

— Del. Scott Surovell (D-44)

See TJ, Page 6

Storck

Asian White Multiracial/ Hispanic Black Free-Reduced ESOL TOTALOther Lunch

Applied 1,448 (51%) 843 (29.7%) 143 (5.1%) 206 (7.3%) 201 (7.1%) 227 (8%) 71 2,841 (100%)

Admitted 346 (70.2%) 102 (20.7%) 25 (5.1%) 12 (2.4%) 8 (1.6%) 6 (1.2%) 5 493 (100%)

Fairfax County 36,236 (19.4%) 75,461 (40.4%) 9,339 (5%) 45,949 (24.6%) 19,052 (10.2%) 52,638 (28.2%) 28,870 (15.5%) 186,785 (100%)Source: Fairfax County Public Schools

For the Class of 2019, 2,841 students applied to Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and493 were accepted.


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Letters

Who Pays for aMistake?

To the Editor:So the agreement was reached

to pay John Geer’s family just un-der $2.95M for the mistake of apolice officer. My heart goes outto the family.

But I am concerned about thepayment.

Why are taxpayers responsibleto pay for this? Where is the stat-ute that justifies this?

I pay over five digits in real es-tate tax, personal property tax, carregistration fees, licensing fees,and who-knows-how much insales tax.

But the Board of Supervisorspays millions to a victim of a mis-take; yet the roads I have to driveon are still full of lumps, bumps,cracks, and potholes. Where is themoney for that? What gives?

Bob FritzOakton

Send notes to the Connection [email protected] or call703-778-9416. The deadline for submis-sions is the Friday prior to publication.Dated announcements should be submit-ted at least two weeks prior to the event.

THURSDAY/APRIL 23Annual Meeting of the Friends of

the Burke Centre libraryMeeting. 7:30 p.m. Burke CentreLibrary, 5935 Freds Oak Rd., Burke.Stone Brooks, Manager, RichardMcKay Used Books, Inc. — discussingthe landscape of book stores intoday’s environment.

SUNDAY/APRIL 26Burke Historical Society Meeting.

4:30 p.m. Abiding Presence LutheranChurch, 6304 Lee Chapel Road,Burke. Debbie Robison, a FairfaxCounty History Commissioner, willgive a presentation entitled,”Discoverthe Mills of Fairfax County.” Nowthat the streams have thawed, and toensure that your molinological needsare met, it seems like a good time toconsider the wealth of historic millsaround us. Before being displaced byfossil fuel combustion and theSecond Industrial Revolution, thesefascinating structures served as theengines, both mechanical andeconomic, of the local area. DebbieRobison’s talk will survey theCounty’s mills (including SilasBurke’s and William Holsapple’s millshere in Burke) and will also describewhat to look for in stream valleys ifsearching for a mill site.

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Bulletin Board


News

high achievers” from these groups, ac-cording to Torre.

JEFFERSON ADMISSIONS Director Jer-emy Shughart said in a statement that lastfall the school’s admissions office createdan advisory committee tasked with “look-ing at a variety of admissions componentsand making recommendations for possibleadjustments to future admissions cycles.”

This is a continuation of ongoing debat-ing of modifying the school’s admissionspolicy, the most recent updates to whichTorre said were in 2013.

“The policy now states that students(semi-finalists) will undergo a comprehen-sive, holistic process that assesses their abil-ity to meet the rigors of the TJ curriculumand the potential to be effective contribu-tors to the school’s learning experience,” hesaid in an email.

Before that, he said, all the admissioncomponents were scored independently ofeach other and then added together for afinal numerical score by which the top stu-dents were chosen to be offered admission.

The class of 2013 was comprised of:Ethnicity—Applied—AcceptedWhite—1296 (44.2%)—175 (36.5%)Black—173 (5.9%)—8 (1.7%)Hispanic—188 (6.4%)—6 (1.3%)Alaskan/American Indian—9 (0.3%)—1(0.2%)Asian/Pacific Islander—1097 (37.5%)—260 (54.3%)Multiracial—163 (5.6%)—28 (5.8%)Other—3 (0.1%)—1 (0.2%)Total—2929 (100.0%)—479 (100.0%)

A DECADE EARLIER, near the end of2003, the School Board appointed a “BlueRibbon Commission” group of experts toreview Jefferson’s admissions practices. Thecommission’s recommendations led to arevised admissions process that affected the2004-2005 class of applicants.

The class of 2003 was comprised of:Ethnicity—Applied—AcceptedWhite—1590 (61.9%)—297 (69.1%)Black—146 (5.7%)—7 (1.6%)Hispanic —105 (4.1%)—10 (2.3%)Alaskan/American Indian—3 (0.1%)—1(0.2%)Asian/Pacific Islander—583 (22.7%)—93(21.7%)Multiracial—94 (3.6%)—16 (3.7%)Other—49 (1.9%)—6 (1.4%)Total—2570 (100.0%)—430 (100.0%)

Elizabeth Schultz, who represents theSpringfield District on the School Board,thinks the revisions haven’t measured upto their intended effects.

“I think we have fiddled and tweakedconsistently the admissions practice to thedetriment of the quality of students headedto TJ,” she said. “In the end, we have con-torted the process so far as to water downwhat it means to achieve at an academicrigor level necessary to be a successful stu-

dent for all four years at TJ.”Furthermore, she doesn’t know if level-

ing the playing field for potential applicantsis necessarily the right answer.

“Should we be increasing the rigor of theK-12 math curriculum?” Schultz said. “Ab-solutely. Rigor and tracking of sustainedrigor in math curriculum beginning in el-ementary schools needs to be improved.”

School Board members other than Storckand Schultz didn’t respond to requests forinterviews.

“Could we broaden student participationin higher level math courses earlier?”Schultz added. “I think we could. Does thereneed to be a systemic delivery of the cur-riculum across the division? Without ashadow of a doubt.” Schultz referenced arecent School Board work session where amath component audit was discussed.

For Jefferson admissions, Schultz favorsa simpler, merit-based evaluation separatedfrom name, school (and advanced academicprogram) gender and demographics. Theviewpoint of bringing in the most objec-tively qualified applicants is one shared by

Admissions byMiddle School

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science andTechnology Class of 2019 admission by FairfaxCounty Public Schools middle school:

School, location Admitted Students❖ Rachel Carson, Herndon 88❖ Longfellow, Falls Church 66❖ Rocky Run, Chantilly 45❖ Joyce Kilmer, Vienna 36❖ Frost, Braddock 21❖ Lake Braddock, Burke 20❖ Hughes, Reston 18❖ Luther Jackson, Falls Church 13❖ Mark Twain, Alexandria 12❖ Cooper, McLean REDACTED❖ Franklin, Chantilly REDACTED❖ Glasgow, Lincolnia REDACTED❖ Hayfield, Alexandria REDACTED❖ Herndon, Herndon REDACTED❖ Holmes, Lincolnia REDACTED❖ Washington Irving, Springfield REDACTED❖ Key, Springfield REDACTED❖ Lanier, Fairfax REDACTED❖ Liberty, Clifton REDACTED❖ Poe, Annandale REDACTED❖ Robinson, Fairfax REDACTED❖ Carl Sandburg, Alexandria REDACTED❖ South County, Lorton REDACTED❖ Ormond Stone, Centreville REDACTED❖ Thoreau, Vienna REDACTED❖ Whitman, Alexandria REDACTED

Source: Fairfax County Public Schools

ProtectingStudent Privacy

Protecting student privacy under VirginiaCode § 2.2-3705.4.(1) as well as the fed-eral Family Education Rights and PrivacyAct, Fairfax County Public Schools spokes-man John Torre said, is the goal with with-holding the data. “Without permission ofthe student, families, it’s not a place we’regoing to go,” he said.

“When FCPS publishes reports on studentachievement or shares student data,” Torreadded in an email, “FCPS must apply dis-closure avoidance strategies to prevent un-authorized release of information aboutindividual students.”

Dr. Priscilla M Regan, acting senior asso-ciate dean of the George Mason UniversitySchool of Policy, Government and Interna-tional Affairs, said this cautious practice is“definitely typical” of what many institu-tions are doing.

“Health care, education, anything whereyou’re dealing with anything that could beconsidered sort of sensitive and personallyidentifiable — it’s really likely there will bemore of this as it’s becoming easier to iden-tify people,” she said.”

Regan’s take is Fairfax County has likelymade a calculation as to the line at whichthey feel individual students become “re-identifiable” and privacy becomes a concernunder Virginia Code and federal law.

She added in her interpretation of thethreat to students: “An indication of theirscholastic achievement, their sense of howthey might see themselves, the risk they’vetaken in taking the Thomas Jefferson exam,whether you’re admitted or not admitted,that’s the parents of children in schools’decision. It’s up to them to reveal that in-formation.”

TJ Reflects Economic DivideFrom Page 4

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology added aMonticello-esque dome in the first phase of its renovation project.

Liz Bradsher of of Clifton, who representedthe Springfield District on the School Boardfrom 2008 to 2012.

“It’s about the best and brightest in FairfaxCounty, students who are innately bright,”Bradsher said of the image of Jefferson.

Admissions director Shughart was notavailable to comment for this story; how-ever, his statement continued: “FCPS willcontinue to work on increasing diversity atTJHSST and will continue to pursue out-reach efforts to ensure talentedunderrepresented populations of studentswith a passion for math and science con-sider, apply to and attend TJHSST as theirhigh school option.”

According to Torre, some efforts alreadybeing implemented include information ses-sions about the Jefferson for rising eighthgrade students and their families, explain-ing some of the programs, admissions pro-cess and extracurricular activities. Thesesessions should engage the other participat-ing school districts as well as all FairfaxCounty middle, secondary and elementaryschools, Torre said.

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Obituary

By Tim Peterson

The Connection

Springfield resident SamMartin remembers KarenBrown as the exemplary

neighbor. “She was a wonderfulfriend who wouldn’t drive by thehouse without stopping,” he said.“She was always welcoming youin, and a fantastic cook.”

More than just a neighbor,Brown was a force in the commu-nity, as founder of the nearly 30-year-old support and outreach or-ganization for disadvantaged stu-dents in Fairfax County Kristi’sChristmas, an advocate for organand tissue donation, and an Ar-lington Lady at Arlington NationalCemetery.

BROWN, a 74-year-old realtor,died March 25, 2015 at FairfaxHospital of complications fromcancer, according to a release fromthe West Springfield Rotary Club.

Hundreds celebrated her lifeSaturday, April 18 in the audito-rium of West Springfield HighSchool.

“When people walked out of theroom there was a sense of wow,she touched so many lives,” saidKyle McDaniel, a member of theRotary Club and policy director forsupervisor Pat Herrity (R-Spring-field). “In one word, she was genu-ine: salt of the earth, always theperson that would give you herhonest opinion on something.”

For Martin, the word that reso-nated most came from her sonAllen’s speech on Saturday.

“What personifies and definesher,” he said, “she was love. Ev-erything she did involved love forher family, community, for Rotary,the children, the underprivileged.”

Brown created Kristi’s Christmasto honor her daughter who diedin a car accident that same year.The organization has helped pro-vide students with clothing, food

and school supplies, as well as setup mentorships for students re-ceiving aid with West SpringfieldHigh School students.

“She really took a tragedy andturned it into something I don’tthink she ever thought it wouldbecome, that’s impactful and posi-tive in West Springfield, the wholeSouth County community,” saidMcDaniel.

Springfield resident Ed Linzused to live across the street fromthe Browns; now he’s only twoblocks away. Their friendship in-tensified as Linz went through aheart transplant operation in1994. The Browns had beenthrough a similar organ-sharingcircumstance with Kristi (severalof hers were donated after shedied) and they were able to pro-vide Linz “a lot of moral support,”he said.

Together, Linz and Brown didover 30 talks about organ and tis-sue donation. “I would talk as arecipient how wonderful it was,”Linz said. “And Karen would talkfrom the perspective of the donor’smother. It really helped her andher family with this very difficultloss of their own daughter.

“It’s just such a tremendousloss,” Linz continued, “not only ona personal basis, but from the com-munity, the incredible amount ofgood Karen did.

I don’t know of anyone elsethat’s done as much for the com-munity as Karen Brown, whichincludes most of our public ser-vants, I might add.”

Brown is survived by her hus-band Col. Lloyd W. Brown, Jr. (U.S.Air Force Ret.), daughter M. Kim-berly Brown, son Allen L. (Audra)Brown and three grandchildren,all in the Washington, D.C. area;her sister, Sandra Ebling inBloomfield Hills, Mich., and sisterSonja Kropff in Hobe Sound, Fla.

THE ROTARY CLUB of WestSpringfield is encouraging contri-butions to the foundation forKristi’s Christmas sent to P.O. Box2097 Springfield, VA 22152, or theWashington Regional TransplantCommunity (www.beadonor.org).

KarenBrown

‘She Was Love’Community cel-ebrates the lifeof Karen Brown.

Photo

contributed

For a free digital subscription toone or all of the 15 ConnectionNewspapers, go towww.connectionnewspapers.com/subscribe

Be the first to know – get yourpaper before it hits the press.

Complete digital replica of the printedition, including photos and ads,delivered weekly to youre-mail box.

Questions? E-mail:[email protected]


WinnersJon Roetman , TheVienna/Oakton Connection— Sports Writing Portfolio,First Place. Madison’sKoshuta Scores 39 Against‘Idol’ Floyd; Oakton Girls’ XCRepeats as State Champs;Madison Volleyball DropsHeartbreaker in State Final.Judge’s comments: Strongand clear writing and excel-lent storytelling helps gamestories feel more like fea-tures. Excellent work.

Victoria Ross, Oak Hill/Herndon Connection —Government Writing, FirstPlace. Let Sun Shine onVirginia’s Financial Disclo-sure Laws, Mr. Horejsi Goes toRichmond; Bulova: ‘This WillBe a Challenging Budget.’Judge’s comments: An en-gaging look at a lobbyist whofights for the little guy; anentertaining story on a po-litical candidate, helpingreaders put the upcoming election into con-text; one of the better budgeting stories I’veseen lately that helps readers understand howthe county’s budgeting process is going to costthem more money. The supporting sidebarshelp bring the message home.

Joan Brady, Great Falls Connection — Col-umn Writing, Second Place. No, I’m Not a Par-ent; I Just Act Like One; Small Acts of Kindness;Nurturing Happy Memories. Judge’s comments:Brady draws on her wealth of experience withthe foster parent system to writeempathetically but authoritatively on familyties. And she does so with humanity and in-

concepts clear and applicableto the reader. The aging inplace article was particularlyrelevant and insightful, thechildhood sleep story wasunlike anything I’d ever read(and I have two kids) andreally summed up how a spe-cific approach to children’shealth makes sense. Thespiritual health article wasunusual, refreshing to see,and I love the variety ofsources and comments.

Bonnie Hobbs, The FairfaxConnection — Personal Ser-vice Writing, Third Place.Affordable Housing Lack CanLead to Hunger; ‘Help Us, WillYou Please?’ City of Fairfax toTackle Affordable Housing;Council ‘Honored to Supportthis Project;’ ‘Dream ComeTrue’ for Lamb Center. Judge’scomments: Solid writing andgood follow-through on thehousing issues. The writer did

a good job of including income and free lunchdata without breaking the flow of the story.

Mary Kimm, The McLean Connection —Editorial Writing, Third Place. Trending in theRight Direction; Virginia Proves Elections Mat-ter; More Affordable Housing Needed; TragicConsequences; Deadly Medicaid Debacle. Judge’scomments: This submission consists of fivewell-articulated and well-grounded piecestackling access to affordable housing andhealth care, a pair of closely related state andnational issues with important local ramifica-tions. The work combines passion with a per-suasive factual underpinning.

sight. Her writing combines depth and subtletywith eloquence of expression. In some senses,her subject matter is narrow. But viewedthrough a different filter, it is universal. Shewrites engagingly on a consistent basis.

Marilyn Campbell, Chantilly Connection —Health, Science and Environmental Writing,Third Place. Spiritual Wellness in the New Year;Consistent Bedtimes Aid Children; How To Agein Place Safely; Judge’s comments: These ar-ticles amount to personal guidance in the bestsense of the term. They should serve as veryhelpful resources for readers of a variety of ages.In concise manner, they effectively made the

Jon Roetman Victoria Ross Joan Brady

Mary Kimm Marilyn Campbell Bonnie Hobbs

Truncated list, for a complete list, see www.connectionnewspapers.com

Opinion

On Saturday, April 18, a group ofjournalists from the ConnectionNewspapers traveled to Roanokefor the annual Virginia Press As-

sociation event to collect awardsfor business reporting, government writing,

writing about health, science and the environ-ment, feature writing, sports writing, columnwriting, obituaries, cartoons, entertainmentpages and writing, public safety writing, edi-torial pages and writing, page design, infor-mational graphics and more.

A look at the themes of some winning en-tries gives some insight into the mission at theConnection: to tell stories of significance, us-ing reporting, data and analysis while gettingto the heart of why the issues matter in locallives. In a time that we, like all newspapers,are functioning with reduced resources, it helpsaffirm that the effort can make a difference.

Bonnie Hobbs won for ongoing coverage of

a family’s efforts to provide the best life for ason they call “not special needs, but a specialperson,” and a second award for coverage ofissues related to affordable housing andhomelessness.

Judges call Michael Pope’s business report-ing “first-rate, data-driven reporting and analy-sis on important issues.” Stories on drivinghabits, cesarean deliveries and the AffordableCare Act are called “well-researched, clearlywritten and engaging. The use of real-livepeople high up in stories to illustrate makesfor very compelling material.”

Vernon Miles won for breaking news cover-age of Arlington’s first same sex marriage, be-ing “on the scene of a local event that has lo-cal, statewide and national significance. … Thestory is multi-sourced; has a strong lead thatgives readers a sense of the scene; places the

event in historic context; and captures thecelebratory feel of the event.”

On Pope government reporting: “Rather thanregurgitating official statements, the reportertells people’s stories to illuminate the conse-quences of government decisions. This repre-sents a model for all government reporting.”

On Marilyn Campbell’s reporting forWellbeing: “These articles amount to personalguidance in the best sense of the term.”

Even in recreation and entertainment, ourmission is to provide our readers with the in-formation they need to have fun, and our an-nual update to the “Insiders Guide to theParks,” brainchild of Jean Card, is designed todo that.

What are we missing? We rely on our readers tolet us know. We invite your story ideas, your tips,your letters to the editor, calendar listings, photos ofmothers for Mother’s Day and fathers for Fathers Day,and more. Visit www.connectionnewspapers.com andclick on “contact us,” or email [email protected]

— Mary Kimm

[email protected]

Variety of coverage honored at annualVirginia Press Association conference.

Connection Papers Win Awards

Editorial

www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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Springfield


Abigail Constantino

The Connection

Northern Virginia Com-munity College studentsgot a chance to show-

case their knowledge about healthand fitness during SpringfieldCommunity Day held at the NVCCMedical Campus on Saturday,April 18.

Sarah Young and her classmatesTrista Johnson and Andrea Diaz,dispensed information about theimportance of dental hygiene andurged everyone to visit the den-tist every six months.“Toothbrushing can’t reach every-where. A lot of dental issues youdon’t feel or you don’t have painuntil it’s too late and you lose thattooth,” said Young.

Also set up during the event isan exercise field with equipmentsuch as Bozu balls. Strength andconditioning coach JamesLivingston, of One Step BeyondFitness, said that one should al-ways find time to exercise. He saidlong work hours should not be anexcuse to not exercise. “There aresome workouts that only take 15minutes…It’s about finding timefor yourself,” he said.

Registered dietitian Janet Sass,who teaches nutrition and foodscience, prepared healthy and de-licious foods to show how tochoose foods and prepare them.“Hummus, coupled with a chip orpita, it’s a complete protein,” shesaid.

She also said that healthy eat-ing and food preparation does nothave to be expensive. “$0.77 for acan of corn and $0.77 for a can ofblack beans, a few radishes and

From left, dental hygiene students Sarah Young, Trista Johnson and Andrea Diazoffer advice on how to keep teeth and gums healthy during Springfield CommunityDay at the NVCC Medical Campus on Saturday, April 18.

Sharing Health Tips in SpringfieldSpringfieldCommunity Daybrings togetherhealth and fun.

Registered dietitian and Northern Virginia CommunityCollege instructor Janet Sass demonstrates healthy foodsand recipes during Springfield Community Day at theNVCC Medical Campus on Saturday, April 18.

Children enjoyfun and fitnessduring Spring-

field CommunityDay at the NVCCMedical Campus

on Saturday,April 18.

Wayne Chiles from ShelterBox demonstrates how awater filtration systemworks and shows suppliesneeded during a majoremergency at SpringfieldCommunity Day on Satur-day, April 18.

some helping of peppers. You caneat inexpensive but you have tohave knowledge to put all thosetogether,” she said.

NVCC Medical Camps offersclasses in dental hygiene, radiog-raphy, medical lab technology andphlebotomy, nursing, physicaltherapy and more. With the in-crease in the use of technology andthe influx of patients from differ-ent backgrounds, NVCC’s MichelleChaudoir said that students aretrained both in the technology andthe diversity of patients. “They geta lot of preparation on how tohandle [these] at NOVA medicalcampus.”

Photos by Abigail Constantino/

The Connection

By Ken Moore

The Connection

The Board of Supervisorsmarked up the pro-posed budget Tuesday,

April 21, by increasing schoolfunding, adding key economicgrowth positions and restoringmoney to suggested cuts to“critical” human service pro-grams Tuesday morning, April21, according to its ChairmanSharon Bulova.

The board is scheduled to for-mally adopt the FY 2016 Bud-get next Tuesday, April 28.

See the Mark-up Package athttp://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dmb/

“This is a responsible budgetthat responds to the needs ofour community and takes intoaccount the feedback we re-ceived during public hearings,town hall meetings, letters,emails and phone calls from ourconstituents,” Bulova said.More than 200 people testifiedand the board listened to morethan 14 hours of testimonyfrom the public betweenApril 7-9.

“Speakers during ourthree days of public hear-ings adopted as theirtheme a call to invest inFairfax and that is whatthis mark-up packageseeks to do,” said Bulova.The marked-up budgetmaintains the current taxrate at $1.09, implementsa new compensation plan forcounty employees with an av-erage increase of approximately3.6 percent (including a “mar-ket rate adjustment of 1.1 per-cent), comes close to fully fund-ing the School Board’s transferrequest, and restores a numberof Human Services reductionsproposed in the original adver-tised budget, Bulova said.

Because of an increase inproperty assessments, the aver-age homeowner will pay $185more in property taxes, eventhough the tax rate will not in-crease.

Kimberly Adams, president ofthe Fairfax Education Associa-tion, responded immediately.

“FEA has rallied both inFairfax and in Richmond to tellelected officials that the com-munity wants greater invest-ment in our community and ourschools,” said Adams. “Here inFairfax, the Board of Supervi-

sors has tied their own hands,apologized for this being anelection year, and then said they‘wish they could do more.’ Ourschools are not funded bywishes; they are funded by adedication to actually invest inFairfax before more damage isdone to our community.”

Three supervisors votedagainst the marked-up package,including Pat Herrity (R),Michael Frey (R), and LindaSmyth (D).

“I am disappointed that notonly did the board raise our citi-zens’ taxes yet again, but theboard majority failed to evenmake the easy decisions to evendiscuss reducing spending toaddress the $100 million short-fall we are facing in FY 2017,”said Herrity. “Under this board’swatch our homeowners haveseen their tax bills go up by 16percent in three years, our com-mercial vacancy rate has spikedto over 16 percent, ... but theboard thought they deserved apay raise for themselves,” saidHerrity.

The revised budget restoresthe most critical Human Ser-vices reductions in the Adver-tised Budget, including HealthyFamilies, Parenting Education“Good Touch, Bad Touch” pro-grams, mental health services injail, and detox diversion posi-tions. It also restores the En-forcement of the Grass Ordi-nance, Bulova said.

“The Advertised Budget asamended by these actions re-sults in some changes that willmake some folks happy, somerelieved, and some disap-pointed,” said Bulova.

“It is, however, a responsiblepackage that: maintains ourcurrent tax rate at $1.09.”The marked up budget comesclose to fully funding theSchool Board’s request with anincrease of over $66 million(including funding for SchoolDebt Service) over last year,Bulova said.

Supervisors scheduled to adoptbudget next Tuesday, April 28.

Budget Gets Marked Up

“This is a responsiblebudget that respondsto the needs of ourcommunity.”

— Sharon Bulova, Chairman,Board of Supervisors


See Calendar, Page 11

Send notes to the Connection [email protected] call 703-778-9416. The dead-line is the Friday prior to the nextpaper’s publication. Dated an-nouncements should be submittedat least two weeks prior to theevent.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY/APRIL 24-25Seussical, the Musical Jr.

7:30 p.m. on April 24. 1:30 &7:30 p.m. on April 25. FamilyWorship Center, 7719Fullerton Road, Springfield.Northern Virginia Players isthrilled to present Seussical,the Musical Jr. All of yourfavorite Dr. Seuss charactersspring to life onstage in afantastic musical extravaganzafrom TONY winners LynnAhrens and Stephen Flaherty.For more information andticket purchase, please visitour website at:NVPlayers.com.For Group Information orfurther assistance, please call703-866-3546.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY/APRIL 25-26The Emperor’s New Clothes.

1 p.m. Workhouse Arts Center,9518 Workhouse Way, Lorton.Presented by PandemoniumTheatrical Productions. Guesswho’s got a passion forfashion? In this musicaladaptation of the classic tale,Emperor Augustus has beenled astray of his once kind-hearted nature by a villainousduo who are eager to take overthe throne. Join the adventurein an afternoon of mystery,music and lots of laughter.Running time approximately75 minutes, with oneintermission. Appropriate forall ages.

SATURDAY/APRIL 25Model Classic 2015. 9 a.m. - 4

p.m. Fairfax High School, 3501Rebel Run, Fairfax. Annualexhibit of scale models. Eventwill feature: A display ofhundreds of museum qualityscale models. A modelingcontest consisting of over 80categories. 1st, 2nd, & 3rdplace awards in each category.Admission Fees: Adults $8 ($10 entire family). Junior(Under 18) free. AdultContestant $10 (includesadmission).www.novaipms.org

Mothers, Daughters andSpecial Friends Tea. 2-4p.m. Historic Pohick Church,9301 Richmond Highway,Lorton. Join the HistoricPohick Church Docent Guildfor their annual Signature Tea.The theme this year will be“Mothers, Daughters, andSpecial Friends.” Newchildren’s tours of the historicchurch for our young guestswill be held before the teabeginning at 1 pm. The specialafternoon tea with a ColonialLiving History program followsthe tours at 2 p.m. Tickets are$25 for adults and $15 forchildren under 12. Seating islimited. For reservations andmore information pleasecontact Helen Parker at 703-497-5927 or email [email protected] .

Spring Fest Fairfax 2015. 10a.m. - 4 p.m. Workhouse ArtsCenter, 9518 Workhouse Way,Lorton. Spend the day at thehistoric Workhouse Arts Centerlearning about environmental

EntertainmentEntertainment

Northern VirginiaPlayers is present-ing “Seussical, theMusical Jr.” All of

the favorite Dr. Seuss charactersspring to life onstage in a musicalextravaganza from Tony winnersLynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty.

Audiences will be transportedfrom the Jungle of Nool, toWhoville, to the Circus McGurkus,as the Cat in the Hat tells the storyof Horton, an elephant, who dis-covers a speck of dust containing

tiny people called the Whos. Jojo,a Who child who gets... in troublefor thinking too many “thinks” andHorton develop a bond as Hortonnot only must protect the Whosfrom a world of naysayers anddangers, but must also guard anabandoned egg that’s been left inhis care by Mayzie La Bird. Al-though Horton faces ridicule, dan-ger, kidnapping, and a trial, theintrepid Gertrude McFuzz neverloses faith in him. With the helpof Gertrude and JoJo, Horton

emerges triumphant. NorthernVirginia Players’ tradition of out-standing musicals will once againbring professional level theatre tothe community. Seussical Jr marksthe end of their fifth season andin their short tenure, Northern Vir-ginia Players has become one ofthe most dynamic children’s the-atre troupes in the D.C. Metroarea. In keeping with NorthernVirginia Players commitment tocommunity service, part of theticket proceeds will be donated to

Jill’s House. Jill’s House assistschildren with special needs andtheir families in the D.C. Metro Areaby providing safe, fun, and lovingrespite care. Seussical, Jr. will beheld at Family Worship Center lo-cated at 7719 Fullerton Road,Springfield. Remaining show dates:April 24 at 7:30 p.m. and April 25at 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. For moreinformation and ticket purchase,visit NVPlayers.com. For group in-formation or further assistance, call703-866-3546.

Blaise Majewski as the Cat in the Hat and Creed Baumenas JoJo.

Spencer Post as Horton (in the nest), Jessica Spinello asMrs. Mayor, Christopher Webb as Mr. Mayor and CreedBaumen as JoJo.

‘Seussical, Jr.’ on Springfield Stage

Pho

to

s co

ntributed

By Tim Peterson

The Connection

An Earth Day celebrationwouldn’t be completewithout ponies and food

trucks. At least the combined EarthDay and Arbor Day event in FairfaxCounty, known as SpringFestFairfax, wouldn’t.

Jen Cole, executive director ofClean Fairfax, expects those twoattractions to be among the mostpopular of 40 to 45 vendors andexhibitors for children and adultsat the day-long educational festi-val held April 25 on the groundsof the Workhouse Arts Center inLorton.

“It’s all about clean water, cleanair and sustainability,” Cole said.“It’s not just some event; it’s offi-cially the county’s Earth Day.”

Clean Fairfax is a nonprofit or-ganization that works in partner-ship with the Fairfax County De-partment of Public Works and En-vironmental Services to educateschools, businesses and othergroups about sustainability andenvironmental issues. They hostthe event with several partners,but largely produce it from theirown operating budget. Last yearthe cost to Clean Fairfax to put onthe free public event was $35,000.

OTHER VENDORS and present-ers include representatives fromthe Fairfax County Park Authority,Fairfax Water, plant sales, seedexchange and other public worksagencies.

“Stormwater, wastewater, for-estry, recycling, all the Park Au-thority and nature centers —County agencies alone make thisa great event,” said Cole. “Theyreally go all out.” Educational pro-gramming such as an environmen-tal passport project will be mixedwith entertainment like the ponies

and a moon bounce.Cole is particularly hyped for the

return of Fairfax Water’s “waterbar,” a hydration setup withwooden taps for pouring Countywater into commemorative, reus-able cups. Otherwise there are no-bottle and limited paper policiesin place on the campus.

“We encourage vendors to notgive away anything that can be-come instant trash,” she said.

Of the roughly 15 food vendors,around half will be food trucksfrom around the region, includingWashington, D.C-based The BigCheese, Good Grubbin’ fajitas fromAshburn and Teachers MakingDough-Nuts from the Fairfax Com-munity Farmers’ Market.

Cole said the goal is to grow thatelement of the festival: “Foodtrucks, local food, farm-to-table —it all is really sustainable and reso-nates with people.”

Held for decades at the North-ern Virginia Community CollegeAnnandale campus, the locationswitched to the Fairfax CountyGovernment Center when thecampus was undergoing some de-velopment and construction. Aftertwo years, Board of Supervisorschairman Sharon Bulova sug-gested the event might be bettersituated at the Workhouse.

“It’s a beautiful location and areally interesting place,” saidBulova, adding that the adaptivereuse of the former Lorton prisonbuildings “is a demonstration ofrecycling and sort of embodies ourenvironmental agenda and goals.

One of Bulova’s favorite aspectsis also that the Workhouse artiststudios are open for people to ex-plore and even purchase artwork.

Since coming to the Workhousein 2013, Cole said SpringFestFairfax attendance doubled eachyear, with 5,000 people at lastyear’s event.

THE FESTIVAL will also includea food drive for the Lorton Com-munity Action Center, which isasking specifically for dry break-fast cereal and individual packagesof children’s snacks such as Gold-fish or peanut butter crackers.

SpringFest Fairfax is scheduledto take place rain or shine on April25, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Work-house Arts Center in Lorton, lo-cated at 9518 Workhouse Way inLorton. The event is free, thoughsome activities require a $5 all-access wristband.

For more information visitwww.springfestfairfax.org.

2015 SpringFest Fairfax at theWorkhouse Arts Center on April 25.Growing Expectations

Pony rides are one of thepopular staples returning tothe 2015 SpringFest Fairfaxheld at the Workhouse ArtsCenter in Lorton.


To AdvertiseYour Community

of Worship,Call 703-778-9418

bbCOMMUNITIES OF WORSHIP

Looking for a New Place of Worship?Visit Antioch Baptist Church!

703-425-0710 • www.antioch-church.org

All Are Welcome!Sunday Worship 8, 9:30 & 11:30 a.m.Sunday School for Children & Adults 9:30 a.m.Married Couples Sunday School 11:30 a.m.

6531 Little Ox Road, Fairfax Station, VA 22039

From Page 10

Calendar

projects and programs, tasting food fromaround the world, playing games,and riding ponies! Don’t miss Billy B!on the main stage. Other activitiesinclude a petting zoo, rock climbingwalls, bounce houses, face-painting,plant sales, wagon rides, and dozensof exhibits and vendors. Admission isfree; some activities require a $5wristband. For more information,please visit: http://www.springfestfairfax.org/.

Bill Gaither & Gaither Vocal Band.6 p.m. Patriot Center, 4400University Drive, Fairfax. Multi-Grammy Award-winner Bill Gaitherwill host a spectacular evening ofmusic, laughter and encouragementfeaturing the talent of the prestigiousGaither Vocal Band and severaltalented musical guests. Tickets arealso available in person at the PatriotCenter Box Office, as well as allTicketmaster outlets. Group rates arealso available by calling 703-993-3000.

Community Wellness Fair. 10 a.m. -3 p.m. 9316 Old Keene Mill Road,Burke. Body compositionmeasurements – find out how oldyour body really is. Nutritionalconsultations; exercisedemonstrations.

<cal1>Wednesday/April 29Prison Lecture Series: Life After

Prison. 7:30 p.m. Workhouse ArtsCenter, 9518 Workhouse Way,Lorton. Many prisoners gained newvocational and academic skills whileincarcerated. The first panel consistsof former officials who share theirexperiences with prison industries.The second panel will include paroleofficers who describe thereintegration of inmates into the realworld community.

SUNDAY/APRIL 26 “Images of Rails.” 1-4 p.m. 11200

Fairfax Station Road, Fairfax Station.A special photographic exhibit ofVirginia railroad sites, past andpresent, will be on display. Museummembers and children 4 and under,free; children 5-15, $2; adults 16 andolder, $4. www.fairfax-station.org.

The Auld Shebeen 10 YearAnniversary. 3-8 p.m. 3971 Chain

Bridge Road, Fairfax. Performancesby local Irish dance schools and localIrish musicians, complimentaryappetizers and bar specials!

FRIDAY-SATURDAY/MAY 1,2,8,9“Les Miserables.” 7 p.m. South

County High School, 8501Silverbrook Road, Lorton. Tickets willcost $12 for general admission or$10 for students and seniors.citizens.You can order tickets online atsouthcountytheatre.org. “LesMiserables” is famous musicaladapted from the novel by VictorHugo in 1862.

The story revolves around former convictJean Valjean and his pursuit of self-redemption by breaking his parole,thus having to escape the fleet ofInspector Javert. Intertwined are thestudents’ revolution to combat themonarchy and a love trianglebetween schoolboy Marius, Valjean’sdaughter Cosette, and the poorEponine. Taking place in France inthe early 19th century, the centralthemes are compassion and socialinjustice.

SATURDAY/MAY 2Derby-Q Festival. 2-7 p.m. City of

Fairfax. This outdoor communityfestival will showcase the area’spremier brew master and BBQvendors. The festival will featurebourbon and scotch whiskey tastings.Live blues bands will perform onstage while the crowds anxiouslyawait the Greatest Two Minutes inSports – the Kentucky Derby, shownon the big screen. To purchase aticket for this event pleasevisit www.derby-q.com.

Creative Writers Club. 2:30 p.m.Burke Centre Library, 5935 FredOaks Road, Burke. Do you enjoywriting fiction, poetry, non-fictionand/or memoirs? Join us for sharing,discussion and feedback of works inprogress. Ages 12-18.

Historic Pohick Church SaturdayTour. 1-3 p.m. Pohick Church,9301Richmond Highway, Lorton. TheHistoric Pohick Church Docent Guildwillgive free guided tours of thehistoric colonial church. http://www.pohick.org.

Bulletin Board

From Page 5

WEDNESDAY/MAY 13Reston – League of Women

Voters meeting on growth inFairfax County. Where is theCounty’s growth going to go?What has changed in FairfaxCounty’s land use and where dowe go from here? Join in thediscussion. 7:30-9 p.m., NorthCounty Governmental Center,1801 Cameron Glen Drive,Reston. Free, open to the public(men and women), call 703-757-5893. Background papers atwww.lwv-fairfax.org.

THURSDAY/MAY 21Lunch ‘N Life. 12-2 p.m. St. Mary

of Sorrows Catholic Church, 5222Sideburn Road, Fairfax. Are You50 or Better? Join for the nextLunch N’ Life sponsored by theShepherd’s Center of Fairfax-Burke. The program will featureMr. Knox Singleton, CEO ofINOVA Health Systems speakingon Current Health Issues.. Forreservations, call FayeQuesenberry, 703-620-0161, byMay 15. The cost is $10; checkspayable to SCFB. If transportationis needed, call the SCFB office703-323-4788. Visit

www.scfbva.org for moreinformation.

ONGOINGVolunteer Fairfax seeks

individuals, families, youth andcorporate groups for serviceopportunities at a variety ofnonprofit agencies. One-timespecial events or ongoing activitiesare available atwww.volunteerfairfax.org or call703-246-3460.

Singers Wanted for theCelebration Singers. Thewomen’s show choir is interestedin new talent to perform at variousNorthern Virginia communitysites. Practices are Wednesdays10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. in Burke.Contact Gayle Parsons, 703-644-4485 or email [email protected].

Online Scavenger Hunt. VisitFairfax tasks those interested inbecoming “citizen ambassadors” tothe county (those informed onfun, creative weekend outings inthe area) to find two FairfaxCounty Ambassador icons hiddenthroughout the fxva.com websitein order to join the ambassadorteam; those who find all fivehidden pins will receive acomplimentary gift.www.fxva.com/online-ambassador.

To honor Mom on Mother’s Day, send us your favorite snapshots of you with your Mom and The Connectionwill publish them in our Mother’s Day issue. Be sure to include some information about what’s going on in thephoto, plus your name and phone number and town of residence. To e-mail digital photos, send to:

[email protected] to mail photo prints, send to:

The Springfield Connection, “Me and My Mom Photo Gallery,” 1606 King St., Alexandria, VA 22314Photo prints will be returned to you if you include a stamped, self-addressed envelope, but please don’t send us anything irreplaceable.

“Me and My Mom”


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Mufflers•Exhaust Pipes•Shocks•StrutsToyota mufflers, exhaust pipes, shocks, strutsand strut cartridges are guaranteed to theoriginal purchaser for the life of the vehiclewhen installed by an authorized Toyota dealer.See us for full details.

You Have Saturdays OffThat’s Exactly Why We Don’t!

703-684-0700 | ALEXANDRIATOYOTA.COM

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alexandriatoyota.com

28 YEARS OFRECEIVING THIS

HONOR

1. 1.9% APR financing up to 60 months available to qualified buyers thru Toyota Financial Services. Totalfinanced cannot exceed MSRP plus options, tax and license fees. 60 monthly payments of $17.48 for each$1,000 borrowed. Not all buyers will qualify. Finance Cash incentive from Toyota in addition to special APRfinancing if vehicle is purchased and financed through Toyota Financial Services. Incentive will be applied tothe down payment. One incentive per finance transaction. Finance incentive is available on approved credit toqualified customers through Toyota Financial Services. Not all buyers will qualify. See dealerfor details. Offers do not include dealer fees. ToyotaCare covers normal factory scheduled service. Plan is 2years or 25k miles, whichever comes first. The new vehicle cannot be part of a rental or commercial fleet, or alivery/taxi vehicle. See participating Toyota dealer for plan details. Valid only in the continental U.S. and Alaska.Roadside assistance does not include parts and fluids. Prius plug-in hybrid comes with an extra year of road-side assistance, for a total of three (3) years from date of purchase. Lease, APR and Cash Back offers may notbe combined. See dealer for details.2. 0.9% APR financing up to 60 months available to qualified buyers thru Toyota Financial Services. Totalfinanced cannot exceed MSRP plus options, tax and license fees. 60 monthly payments of $17.05 for each$1,000 borrowed. Not all buyers will qualify. See dealer for details. ToyotaCare covers normal factory sched-uled service. Plan is 2 years or 25k miles, whichever comes first. The new vehicle cannot be part of a rental orcommercial fleet, or a livery/taxi vehicle. See participating Toyota dealer for plan details. Valid only in the conti-nental U.S. and Alaska. Roadside assistance does not include parts and fluids. Prius plug-in hybrid comes withan extra year of roadside assistance, for a total of three (3) years from date of purchase. Lease, APR and CashBack offers may not be combined. See dealer for details.3. $1,250 Cash Back from Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc. available on new 2015 Prius. Customers can receivecash back from Toyota or can apply to down payment. Excludes plug-in models. See dealer for details.ToyotaCare covers normal factory scheduled service. Plan is 2 years or 25k miles, whichever comes first. Thenew vehicle cannot be part of a rental or commercial fleet, or a livery/taxi vehicle. See participating Toyotadealer for plan details. Valid only in the continental U.S. and Alaska. Roadside assistance does not includeparts and fluids. Prius plug-in hybrid comes with an extra year of roadside assistance, for a total of three (3)years from date of purchase. Lease, APR and Cash Back offers may not be combined. See dealer for details.4. 0.9% APR financing up to 60 months available to qualified buyers thru Toyota Financial Services. Totalfinanced cannot exceed MSRP plus options, tax and license fees. 60 monthly payments of $17.05 for each$1,000 borrowed. Not all buyers will qualify. ToyotaCare covers normal factory scheduled service. Plan is 2years or 25k miles, whichever comes first. The new vehicle cannot be part of a rental or commercial fleet, or alivery/taxi vehicle. See participating Toyota dealer for plan details. Valid only in the continental U.S. and Alaska.Roadside assistance does not include parts and fluids. Prius plug-in hybrid comes with an extra year of road-side assistance, for a total of three (3) years from date of purchase. Lease, APR and Cash Back offers may notbe combined. See dealer for details. Offers expire 4/30/2015.

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*Covers normal factory scheduled service for 2 years or 25K miles, whichever comes first. See Toyota dealer for detailsand exclusions. Valid only in the Continental U.S. and Alaska. **Roadside Assistance does not include parts and fluids.Valid only in the Continental United States and Alaska. 1-800-444-4195.


Zone 2 Ad Deadline:

Wednesday 11 a.m.

703-778-9411

EmploymentEmploymentZone 2: • Burke

• Fairfax • Springfield

• Fairfax Station/Clifton/Lorton

Optometric Technician/Assistant

for fast-paced, progressive Northern VA practice. Training available. Essential:

energetic, professional demeanor, exemplary customer service, technology oriented, efficient, multi-tasking, high

productivity levels, scheduling flexibility - including Saturdays.

Preferred: Preliminary testing knowledge, EMR familiarity.Please fax

your resume to 703-451-9291 or email to [email protected].

MEDICALRECEPTIONIST

Busy Internal Medicine office inBurke needs part time front deskstaff. Must be able to multi-task.

Experience preferred.E-mail resume to:

[email protected] RN/LPN

Our busy happy stimulating pediatric practice in Alexandria & Fairfax has an upcoming opening for a 3/4 day a wk. Some travel between offices. Ideal for nurses returning to the workforce.

Competitive salary with benefits. Orientation provided.

Fax resume to Attn: Sharon @ 703/914-5494

Plant CareP/T person needed to care for live plants

in commercial buildings in the Fairfax/Loudoun county area.

Flexible daytime hours. Must have transportation. Will train.Call Susan

(866) 878-8444.

Senior Software Quality Assurance Test Engineers,

Fairfax, VA: Lead software QA & testing functions from planning & coordination to execu-tion & reporting on IT projects. Perform hands-on testing activities through all phases of SDLC in Agile, RUP & Waterfall methodologies. Design & implement test automation frameworks. Conduct Func-tional, Regression, Unit, Integration, In-terface, Database, Performance and ETL testing. Work w/ HP Quality Center, Ra-tional (Quality Manager, ClearQuest, ClearCase, Requisite Pro, Performance Tester, Functional Tester), Selenium, Ora-cle, MS SQL Server, PeopleSoft, UNIX, AbInitio, Informatica PowerCenter, Java, Perl, SQL & XML. Travel/reloc to various unanticipated locations as reqd. Send res to DIGITALSPEC, LLC, 4031 University Drive, Ste. 100, Fairfax, VA 22030.

CLASSIFIEDDEADLINESZones 1, 5, 6.....Mon @ noonZones 2, 3, 4.....Tues @ noonE-mail ad with zone choices to:

[email protected]

or call Andrea @ 703-778-9411

EMPLOYMENTDEADLINESZones 1, 5, 6.....Mon @ noonZones 2, 3, 4.....Tues @ noonE-mail ad with zone choices to:

[email protected]

or call Andrea @ 703-778-9411

ZONESZone 1: The Reston Connection The Oak Hill/

Herndon ConnectionZone 2: The Springfield Connection The Burke Connection The Fairfax Connection The Fairfax Station/Clifton/

Lorton ConnectionZone 3: The Alexandria

Gazette PacketThe Mount Vernon Gazette

Zone 4: Centre View North Centre View SouthZone 5: The Potomac AlmanacZone 6: The Arlington Connection

The Vienna/OaktonConnection

The McLean ConnectionThe Great Falls Connection

Newspapers & Online

HOW TO SUBMIT ADS TO


Abandoned Watercraft

Notice is hereby given that the following watercraft has been abandoned for more than 60 Days on the property of: Hillcrest Marine Inc. 10117 Richmond Hwy, Lorton VA 22079 703-339-6200. Description of watercraft: 1972 Glastron 16’ Yellow #1422045. Application for Watercraft Registration/Title will be made in accordance with Section 29.1-733.25 of the Code of Virginia if this watercraft is not claimed and removed within30 days of first publication of this notice. Please contact the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries with questions.

21 Announcements

JENNIFER SMITH ❖ Serving the Area Since 1995

➣ Speed Up SlowComputers

➣ Virus Removal

➣ Computer Setup➣ Help with Windows 8

571-265-2038

HDICOMPUTER SOLUTIONS

[email protected]

101 Computers 101 Computers

3 RE for Rent

Burke house for rent in small neighbourhood,

$ 3,900 per month, offers privacy - pool - 5 bedroom three bathe mail for full details to

[email protected]

26 Antiques

We pay top $ for STERLING, MEN'S WATCHES,

JEWELRY, COSTUME JEWELRY, FURNITURE,

PAINTINGS AND CLOCKS.Schefer Antiques

[email protected]

21 Announcements

Zone 2 Ad Deadline:

Tuesday Noon

703-778-9411

Home & GardenHome & GardenCONTRACTORS.comconnectionnewspapers.com

Zone 2: • Burke



Recessed LightingCeiling FansPhone/CATVComputer Network CablingService UpgradesHot Tubs, etc…

Office 703-335-0654Mobile 703-499-0522

Licensed/Bonded/Insured

[email protected]

ELECTRICAL ELECTRICAL

GUTTER CLEANINGGutters and Downspouts Cleaned

Small Repairs • Gutter Guards

PINNACLE SERVICESlic/ins 703-802-0483 free est.email [email protected]: lawnsandgutters.comFriendly Service with a Friendly Price!

GUTTER GUTTER

General RemodelingResidential & Commercial

Specializing in:Kitchen/Bathroom/Basement RemodelingPlumbing • Electrical • Custom Carpentry

Doors Windows • Hardwood FloorsCrown Molding • House Cleaning

Interior/Exterior Painting • Brick/Stone WorkCeramic Tile • Decks, Fences, Patios

HOA Maintenance, Granite Counter TopsRealtors Work and Much More

Hand and HandHandyman

Licensed and Insured Serving Northern Virginia

703-296-6409

RCL HOME REPAIRSHandyman Services

Springfld • Burke • KingstowneLight Electrical • Plumbing •

Bathroom Renovation • Ceramic Tile • Drywall Repair

703-922-4190LIC. www.rclhomerepairs.com INS.

SPRINGFIELD HANDYMAN

��Small Home Repairs

��Good Rates

��Experienced

703-971-2164

HANDYMAN HANDYMAN

LicensedInsured

We Accept VISA/MC

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You have tried the rest - NOW CALL THE BEST!!Proudly serving Northern VA - 46 yrs. exp.

The HANDYMANA DIVISION OF NURSE CONSTRUCTION

BATHROOM REMODELING, DRYWALL,PAINTING, CERAMIC TILE, CARPENTRY,POWER WASHING & MUCH MORE

A&S Landscaping

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Serving All of N. Virginia

• All Concrete work• Retaining Walls • Patios• Decks • Porches (incl. screened) • Erosion & Grading Solutions• French Drains • Sump Pumps• Driveway Asphalt Sealing

R.N. CONTRACTORS, INC.Remodeling Homes, Flooring,Kitchen & Bath, Windows,Siding, Roofing, Additions &Patios, Custom Deck, Painting

We Accept All Major Credit CardsLicensed, Insured, Bonded • Free Estimates • Class A Lic

Phone: 703-887-3827 Fax: 703-830-3849E-mail: [email protected]

www.rncontractors.com

IMPROVEMENTS IMPROVEMENTS

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Handyman Services Available

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IMPROVEMENTS IMPROVEMENTS

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Landscaping & Construction

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• Planting & Landscaping Design• Drainage & Water Problems• Concrete Driveways, Replacement or New• Patios and Walks • Masonry Work or Dry Laid• Paver, Flagstone, Brick, any style you choose• Retaining walls of all types

Free Estimates - Fully Licensed & Insured

LAWN SERVICE LAWN SERVICE

THE MAGIC GARDENER703-780-2272 or 703-328-2270

Licensed Insured

Lawn Care, Fertilizing, Sod,Spring Clean-up, Mulching,

Tree Cutting, Handyman workCall us Today and Get 20% OFF

on Hardwood Mulching and Any Job Higher Than $300.00

LAWN SERVICE LAWN SERVICE

MOWING, TRIMMING, EDGING,MULCHING & TRIM HEDGES

PINNACLE SERVICES, INC.LAWN SERVICE

Friendly Service for a Friendly Price

703-802-0483703-802-0483

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www.alfredosconstructioncompany.com

Phone:

VA: (703) 698-0060 • MD: (301) 316-1603

•Concrete Driveways•Patios •Sidewalks

•Stone •Brick

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703-250-6231

PAVING PAVING

Quality Tree Service& Landscaping

Reasonable prices. Licensed & insured.

24 Hour EmergencyTree Service

25 years of experience – Free estimates 703-868-5358

Spring Cleanup...Tree removal, topping & pruning,shrubbery trimming, mulching,leaf removal, planting, hauling,gutter cleaning, retaining walls,

drainage problems, etc.

TREE SERVICE TREE SERVICE

HAULING

ANGEL’S HAULING

703-863-1086703-582-3709240-603-6182

Junk Trash Removal, Yard/Construction

Debris, Garage/ Base- ment Clean Out,

Mulching.

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remodeling.703-863-7465

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Commerical,Yard/ConstructionDebris, Lot Clearout, 24 hrs day,

General Hom Work.

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LANDSCAPING

LANDSCAPING

ClassifiedClassified


Zone 2 Ad Deadline:

Tuesday Noon

703-778-9411

ClassifiedClassifiedZone 2: • Burke



21 Announcements 21 Announcements 21 Announcements

21 Announcements 21 Announcements

21 Announcements 21 Announcements 21 Announcements

21 Announcements 21 Announcements 21 Announcements 21 Announcements

PUBLIC HEARING FOR TOWN OF CLIFTON, VIRGINIAPROPOSED AMENDMENT TO SPECIAL USE PERMIT

PUBLIC HEARING OF TOWN COUNCILMay 5, 2015

Notice is hereby given that the Town Council of the Town of Clifton, Virginia will hold a Public Hearing

on Tuesday, May 5, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. at the Clifton Town Meeting Hall, 12641 Chapel Road, Clifton, VA

20124 to consider the amendment of the special use permit of Clifton General Store / Main Street Pub, located at 7140 Main

Street, to include and authorize an increase in numberof seats and increase in parking onsite and off-site for the pub-

lic and employees. The application for the proposed amend-ment to Clifton General Store / Main Street Pub special use

permit is available for review and downloading onthe Town’s website at www.clifton-va.com and a hard copy

may be examined at the Clifton Post Office,12644 Chapel Road, Clifton VA, 20124. All interested parties

are invited to attend and express their views with respect to the requested amendment to the Clifton General Store

/ Main Street Pub special use permit.

21 Announcements 21 Announcements

21 Announcements

ABC LICENSEHealthy Choice, LLC trading

as Sarku Japan Teriyaki & Su-shi Express, 7000 A. Brook-

field Plz, Springfield, VA 22150. The above establish-

ment is applying to the VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC) for a Wine and Beer on Premises/Mixed Beverages license to sell or

manufacture alcoholic beverages. Deepak Shrestha,

memberNOTE: Objections to the issu-ance of this license must be

submitted to ABC no later that 30 days from the publishing

date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices.

objections should be regis-tered at www.abc.virginia.gov

or 800-552-3200.

28 Yard Sales

Sofa, chair, book shelves, wall unit, drafting table, house-

hold items. Sat., April 25, 9-2 PM. 703-569-7553

Give me where to stand, and I will move the earth.

-Archimedes

Do not wish to be anythingbut what youare, and try to be thatperfectly.

-St. Francis de Sales

Sports

By Jon Roetman

The Connection

Fairfax pitcher Christian Leckertstepped off the mound, took a deepbreath and regrouped.

The senior right-hander had a 1-0 leadagainst McLean in the bottom of the fourthinning, but outfielder Matt Collins hadnearly put the Highlanders in front with atwo-run homer. Collins’ blast down the left-field line landed in the parking lot atMcLean High School, but had curved foul.

“… [I] thought about location [and] howI can get him out,” Leckert said. “So I justkept pitching [with a] short memory.”

Leckert responded by striking out Collinsand getting Billy Gerhardt to fly out, end-ing the threat.

As it turned out, Collins’ long foul ballwas the closest McLean would get to scor-ing against the Fairfax hurler.

Leckert, who will play for James Madi-son University, tossed a three-hit shutoutand led the Fairfax baseball team to a 1-0victory over McLean on April 17.

Leckert walked two and struck out six.The Highlanders did not have runner reachthird base.

“[Leckert] is a heck of a pitcher, obvi-ously,” Fairfax head coach Rick Freemansaid. “Everybody knows that. When hethrows his curveball for strikes consistently,that’s the kind of game he gets. He’s able topitch backward to a lot of hitters and getthem off balance early in the count and thenhis fastball looks a lot better than it is. He’sa heck of a pitcher.

“When he throws his curveball for a strike,he’s really lights out.”

Freeman praised Leckert’s ability tobounce back after Collins’ long foul ball.

“That’s who he’s become,” the head coachsaid. “He’s a senior now and he pitches witha lot of confidence and a lot of leadership. Idon’t think he was rattled by it. I think helooked at it and said I can still get this guy,I’ve just got to make a good pitch.”

A two-out single by McLean’s CJ Downeyand a wild pitch by Leckert gave the High-landers a runner in scoring position in thebottom of the seventh inning, but Leckertgot Frank Minamino to ground out to end

the game.“He’s an absolute workhorse,” Fairfax

shortstop Jason Waldman said aboutLeckert. “He’s been doing this since sopho-more year for us. He pretty much goes thedistance every single time. It’s fun to playbehind him. He just gets groundballs, weakfly balls all the time. It’s fun to watch.”

McLean head coach John Dowling praisedLeckert’s effort, but said the Highlanders’inability to adjust contributed to their lackof production.

“All the credit in the world to Leckert,”Dowling said. “He threw strikes and we didnot come into the game with a strong ap-proach and we did not adjust to what hewas doing. If I’m him, I’m going to do thesame thing: a lot of breaking balls that wereeffective.”

What would Dowling have liked McLeanbatters to do differently?

“Adjust to a lot of breaking balls,” Dowlingsaid. “We were taking fastball swings infastball counts and he was not throwingfastballs. And for seven innings, we contin-ued to do the same thing. That is not ac-ceptable.”

While Leckert shut down the McLeanlineup, the Highlanders found success byusing four different pitchers against theRebels.

Jon Clines, Charles Groppe, Downey andGerhardt limited Fairfax to four hits, includ-ing none in the final three innings, but theRebels managed to score the one run theyneeded.

Waldman, who will play for William &Mary, led off the top of the fourth with adouble and advanced to third on a wildpitch. Senior third baseman VictorDanieletto then singled, driving in the win-ning run.

Waldman finished 2-for-3 with a pair ofdoubles. Sophomore Tommy Bradley had asingle for the Rebels.

The win improved Fairfax’s record to 8-4. The Rebels started the season with sixconsecutive victories, but lost four of theirnext five.

The Rebels will travel to face Yorktownat 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 23.

“This group is probably one of the moretalented groups that have come throughFairfax in a while,” Waldman said. “I thinkif we can play like we did tonight everysingle night, [there is] no reason why weshouldn’t be taking a regional champion-ship home.”

FairfaxseniorChristianLeckertthrew athree-hitshutoutagainstMcLean onApril 17.

Fairfax Pitcher Leckert Throws3-Hit Shutout Against McLeanRebels improve to8-4 with 1-0 win overHighlanders.

Photo

by Craig

Sterbutzel/

The Connection


Richard [email protected] is the difference I provide.

Come to the HEARTof Real Estate, since 1980Proudly Serving Northern VAKAY HART, CRS, GRIAssociate BrokerLife Member NVAR Top [email protected]

ELLIE WESTER703-503-1880L&F Founder’s Club

Lifetime NVAR Top ProducerLife Member, NVAR Million

Dollar Sales [email protected]

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703-314-7055PepLnF.com

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Access the Realtors’ Multiple Listing Service: www.searchvirginia.listingbook.com

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MARSHA WOLBERLifetime Member NVAR Top ProducersTop 5% of Agents Nationallywww.marshawolber.comCell: 703-618-4397

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David [email protected]

Selling Virginia’s Finest HomesMember, NVAR Multi Million Dollar Sales Club

Your REALTORS*Next Door

Mary Hovland703-946-1775Cathy DeLoach571-276-9421

STEVE CHILDRESS“Experience…withInnovation!”Life Member NVAR Top ProducersBuyer Broker since 1973!703-981-3277

Stafford $369,950Serenity and seclusion. This is it. Beautiful 4 bdrm, 3 ba withden on 3.5 private acres. Freshly painted, updated throughoutwith hardwood floors, granite counters, gorgeous kitchen andbaths. Screen porch. Park-like setting.

Woodbridge $271,900Immaculate 3 Level, 3 Bedroom, 3.5 Bath end unit condo in popu-lar Woodbridge community. 3 Master Bedrooms, Hardwoods onMain & Lower Level. 1 Car Garage. Low Condo & HOA fees.

FairfaxStation$659,000Custom-built DeckHome withwalls ofglass on 1.2privateacres! Main

level master suite! Impeccably maintained, so many sellerupdates, move in perfect. 3 BRs, 2.5 BAs, 2-car garage, decksand balconies. 11806 Yates Ford Rd, Fairfax Station.View more photos at www.hermandorfer.com

Clifton – $645,000Perfection in Terrific Little Rocky Run Neighborhood

COMING SOON!Fairfax Station Beauty – $895,000

Fairfax$539,500

This RaisedRambler hasit all –remodeledeat-inkitchen with42” cabi-nets, centerisland &

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OAKTON Gorgeous Modern Farmhouse $2,180,000Perfectly situated on 4 acres of land overlooking stream & naturalwooded landscape. 7,000 fin. sq. ft. on 3 fully fin. lvls. Gourmet kit. &walk-in pantry, sunlit morning rm, fam. rm with lge stone fireplace,huge living rm & elegant open din rm. Lge master suite w/incredibleviews w/luxury bath & closets, 3 very large BRs w/2 full BAs! Fullwalkout 2nd family rm, plus game room overlooking swimming pool!Exercise/BR w/BA & steam shower, office w/built-in workstation &designer HD theater! Much MORE…CALL Steve NOW…703 981-3277.

Herndon $450,000Sunny and clean home with w/3 BR, 2.5 BA and 2-car garagelocated on a cul-de-sac. Open floor plan. Granite counters,SS appliances, and so much more!

Call Barbara 703-473-1803.

Work From HomePerfect 2 Story Office Space Excellent Main Road Exposure Plenty Of Good Parking

orGreat Rambler w/Huge 1st Floor Master Bedroom, Blocks to ShoppingFor Private Appointment Call Sheila Adams 703-503-1895

OPEN

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BURKE $310,000New kitchen * Wood floors on mainlevel * Updated baths * Step downliving room opens to deck * Walkoutrecreation room * Fenced back yardContact Judy for more [email protected] or 703-503-1885

UNDER

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Falls Church Coming SoonA Charming Cape on a Lovely Lot

4 BR, 3 BA, 3 levels, walk-out to great back yard. Nice Kitchen,Good Space**What a value!! Fresh paint, gleaming hardwoods.Almost ready for prime time! Watch for this new listing in earlyMay. Call Kay 703-503-1860 for advance information.

Now on theMarket!$298,000

Terrific 3 level, 3bedroom townhomeParkside at Dulles

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Fairfax Coming SoonAn incredible home and a rare opportunity in Zion Mews. 5bedrooms, 4.5 baths, over 4,800 total square feet of livingspace on 3 finished levels. Lower level entrance with full bed-room & kitchenette. Call to schedule your private tour.

Fairfax$1,115,000Exciting

Contemporaryin Beech

RidgeMinutes to down-town Fairfax andGeorge Mason

University this amazing contemporary is a fusion of architectureand nature. Interior space is illuminated by natural light fromthe walls of windows overlooking 5 beautiful open acres accentedby an inground pool nestled in the hillside. There are 4 bedroomsand a guest suite, sauna, outdoor kitchen, and exemplaryupgrades throughout. Frost Middle and Woodson High School.

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Springfield Connection ❖ Spring Real Estate & New Homes 2015 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com online at www.connectionnewspapers.comLocal Media Connection LLC

Franconia ❖ Kingstowne ❖ NewingtonFranconia ❖ Kingstowne ❖ Newington

SpringfieldSpringfield

20152015




Pho

to

co

urtesy o

f N

icely D

one K

itchens and Baths

Open shelving and low-maintenance materials like porcelaintile are among the top bathroom design trends for 2015.

2 ❖ Springfield Connection ❖ Spring Real Estate & New Homes 2015 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

CarrierRebates

up to

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*System rebates ranging from $0 to $1,565 depending on equipment purchased. Rebates subject to change.Rebate dates 4/1/15 – 6/30/15. †With approved credit. Call Brennan’s for complete details.

Brennan’s has been proudly serving Northern Virginia since 1979.Our team of highly trained professionals are at your disposal ready to deliver

a quality product and quality service at a fair price.“We Are Here When You Need Us”

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BRENNAN’S HEATING & AIR CONDITIONINGCALL NOW 703-491-2771

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Advertising Deadlines are the previous Thursday unless noted.

MAY5/6/2015..............................................McLean Day Pullout5/6/2015 ...........................Mother’s Day Dining & Gifts II5/6/2015................................................................WellbeingMother’s Day is May 105/13/2015 .....................................................HomeLifeStyle5/20/2015..A+ Camps & Schools, Proms, Summer PlanningMemorial Day is May 255/27/2015.............Summer Fun, Food, Arts & EntertainmentJUNE6/3/2015................................................................Wellbeing6/10/2015...............................Father’s Day Dining & Gifts6/10/2015.....................................................HomeLifeStyle6/17/2015...............A+ Graduations & Summer Learning6/17/2015...............................Father’s Day Dining & GiftsFather’s Day is June 216/24/2015................................ Independence Day PreviewE-mail [email protected] for more information.

Reaching Suburban Washington’s Leading Households• Alexandria Gazette Packet• Arlington Connection• Burke Connection• Centre View• Chantilly Connection

• Fairfax Connection• Fairfax Station/Clifton/Lorton Connection• Great Falls Connection• McLean Connection• Mount Vernon Gazette

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Springfield Connection ❖ Spring Real Estate & New Homes 2015 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Spring Real Estate & New Homes

By Marilyn Campbell

The Connection

When a Burke family hired E.Diane Neustrand to selltheir home, she did herstandard walk-through of

the house to assess it, but when she reachedthe dining room, she stopped cold.

“It was painted with three differentshades of orange and accessorized withblack, white and gold furniture,” saidNeustrand, a real estate agent with Longand Foster Real Estate, Inc. in Burke, FairfaxStation and Clifton.

First on Neustrand’s chopping block: apair of zebra print chairs. The boisterouswall colors were next.

“It wasn’t harmonious at all,” saidNeustrand, who also works as a professionalhome stager. “We had to calm that downbecause orange is not a color that sells well.You want neutrals in paint and furniture,so potential buyers can visualize their ownitems in your home.”

Residential real estate staging, the prac-tice of preparing a home to go on the mar-ket for sale by making it aesthetically ap-pealing, is credited with giving homes anadvantage over the competition.

Staging can range from rearranging fur-niture, decluttering and painting the wallsto furnishing a home in which the seller no

longer resides.The National Association of Realtors’

2015 Investment & Home Buyers Surveyshowed that staging can have a positiveimpact on the number of days a home sitson the market and the amount of moneypotential buyers a willing offer for thehome.

“STAGED HOMES traditionally presentthemselves better than the competition bybeing clean, clutter-free and ready to showto prospective buyers,” said Mona Bekheet,a real estate agent with McEnearney Asso-ciates, Inc. in McLean. “Home staging isdecluttering, depersonalizing and prepar-ing a seller’s home to look like a model

home so the potential buyers can see them-selves living in the home.”

The survey showed that 49 percent ofagents say most buyers are affected by homestaging, while a 2013 study by the Real Es-tate Staging Association showed stagedhomes sold 83 percent sooner than housesthat weren’t staged.

Realtors also believe buyers usually offera 1-5 percent increase on the value of astaged home.

“Staged homes take less time on the mar-ket and they sell at the best price,” saidBekheet. “Buyers view them as well caredfor properties and appraisers are more likelyto appraise staged homes at a full or highervalue.”

That increase can offset the expense ofhaving a home professionally staged. Ser-vices, including consultations and furniturerental, can cost $250 to $2,000. Neustranduses as many of the homeowners’ posses-sions as she can to minimize out-of-pocketexpenses.

“Since staging gives a home a clean, fresh,current look, it makes a home more attrac-tive to buyers,” said Betsy Schuman Dodekof Washington Fine Properties in Potomac,Md.

However, real estate agents say initiatingconversations with homeowners about theirhomes and suggesting changes must be

Real estate agentsgive the lowdown ongetting your homeready for the market.

Stagedto Sell

Photo by Robert Whetzel

Realtors say professionally staged homes spend less time on the market.

See Staged, Page 5

By Andrea Worker

The Connection

After what seemed to be an endlesswinter, spring has finally come calling, signaling the start of the year’s

first real estate high season. Homes tradehands all year long, but spring is often forbuyers, seller, agents, brokers and lenderslike those weeks between Thanksgiving andChristmas; buyers at full speed searchingout the best bargains and sellers looking tomove their wares without having to resortto price-slashing sales tactics.

So far, area real-estate experts and thedata from sources like the Northern VirginiaAssociation of Realtors (NVAR), Movoto

Real Estate, and SmartCharts (powered byRealEstate Business Intelligence with datasupplied from the MLS listing service) areall aligned in their assessment of the out-look for the 2015 market in Northern Vir-ginia. Compared to a lackluster 2014 aftera strong 2013, there’s reason for optimism.

Veronica Seva-Gonzalez, NVAR boardmember and Realtor with Compass RealEstate, noted that the spring weather andpositive housing market news had arrivedsimultaneously. “It’s great to see how all ofthe numbers are up from last year and alsofrom the beginning of this year,” she said.

Across the board, the numbers do lookpositive. Combined data collected for thecounties of Fairfax and Arlington, the cities

of Alexandria, Falls Church and Fairfax andthe towns of Vienna, Herndon and Clifton,show a first quarter increase of total unitssold of just over 9 percent, with 3,657 unitssold in 2015 compared to 3,352 the prioryear. For the same period and for the samelocalities, days on the market (DOM) perunit actually rose in 2015 and the averageratio of sales price to list price showed mar-ginal slippage, but Realtors and marketanalysts see the significant improvementsin March 2015 numbers vs. March 2014 fig-ures as an indicator of a healthy selling sea-son ahead.

The March 2015 increases were seen in

Optimism for 2015 Real Estate Market

See Outlook, Page 4

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From Page 3

all sectors of the residential market, with“attached” homes like townhouses leadingthe way with a 3.6 percent uptick in aver-age sales price. Condominiums came in atsecond place, with a 1.8 percent increasein the month compared to 2014. Single-fam-ily homes came in last for the March 2015totals, but still better than the prior year by0.7 percent.

Greatly increased inventory versus lastyear could be one factor in the more mod-est single-family home price increases. In2015, 3,165 new properties came onto themarket during the month, while only 2,656were put on the books during that monthlast year. A total of 3,381 units were avail-able to buyers in March this year comparedto 3,011 last year.

“In some areas and some price ranges,there is definitely more choice,” said RestonLong and Foster Realtor Anita Lasansky.“Sellers are starting to get more confident.”

Realtor Jennifer Boyce, Long and FosterGold Team, also noted that some buyerswere starting to “come out from under,”having held on during the worst of the eco-nomic downturn. “Equities are lookingstronger, so they can get back in, selling orbuying.”

The data does vary around the region. Notall areas experienced an increase in salesprices in the month-to-month comparison.Falls Church City, for example, posted anincrease in the numbers of units sold, but a19.12 percent decrease in median salesprice.

Arlington County, on the other hand, sawthe largest increase in the March 2015 vs.March 2014 side-by-side; with 24.43 per-cent more closed sales and a 10.68 percentincrease in the median sales price.

Janet Gresh of the Gresh Group in McLeansays that her experience so far this year isin line with those numbers. “Arlington isdefinitely hot right now, close in and enoughquality properties that you see serious com-petition.”

Lasansky gave the numbers she is seeingfor Reston a “thumbs up,” as well. “We’reup about 15 percent in the first quarter overlast year and about 5 percent up in mediansales price.”

In the City of Alexandria, the median salesprice rose by more than 10 percent in Marchon an increase of 14.37 percent in closedsales.

Fairfax County and Fairfax City both sawmore moderate improvements in mediansales prices at 2.79 percent and 2.00 per-cent respectively. For Fairfax City, the posi-tive takeaway from the March figures is thatthe median sales price rose despite a dropin total closed sales of more than 50 per-cent compared to last year.

While all of the data provided is consid-ered preliminary and still subject to revi-sion, the numbers available to date suggesta good start to the year – and barring theunforeseen negative impact – a positive2015 real estate market.

Plus-column numbers on the books, thecollective optimism of many of the area’stop real estate professionals, and respectedorganizations like the Northern VirginiaAssociation of Realtors adding that “2015may be different because of its more sus-tainable, positive market direction,” all of-fer signs that the real estate market in theregion is looking at a healthy year. Any num-ber of factors, including the ever-presentthreat of the Federal Reserve raising inter-est rates sometime this year, could stall oreven reverse the positive trends.

Whatever comes along, realtors likeKathleen Quintarelli, Weichert Realtors,Burke, think we will deal with it. “Peoplehave kind of stopped believing that the rateswill go up again and when they do it willbe a shock and have its impact, but we willadjust to that new norm, as well.”

With the latest figures in hand, we askedsome of our area’s top real estate profes-sionals for their perspectives, and to offersome expert advice to buyers and sellersalike.

❖ Virgil Frizzell, Ph.D., MBA, realtorLong and Foster Reston: “I think the Marchhousing statistics indicate a healthier springhousing market in the footprint of theNorthern Virginia Association of Realtorsthan for the rest of the country. The con-

tinuing improvements … are good for bothhomebuyers and home sellers and likelyindicate a more balanced market. Buyersshould benefit from increasing inventory,still low mortgage [rates] and easing creditstandards. The year-over-year increase inhousing units sold and modestly rising me-dian prices may embolden sellers.” (Frizzellis the 2015 NVAR Chairman-Elect.)

❖ Mary Bayat, owner of Bayat Realty inAlexandria and 2015 NVAR Chair: “Finally,many buyers who had distressed house salesyears ago could have enough repaired creditto qualify for a new loan. They will get morehouse for their money now than if they wait.We expect the Federal Reserve to raise in-terest rates later this year. Another localindicator is that active listings have risenmore than 25 percent.”

❖ Jennifer Boyce, Long and Foster GoldTeam Burke/Fairfax Station/Clifton: “Don’tprice too aggressively in late spring or earlysummer is my advice. Homes that are wellpriced and in good condition will sell. The$500,000-$800,000 homes are in high de-mand. Homes that are priced over $1 mil-lion face a smaller and sometimes more ex-acting buyer base, not willing to compro-mise much and expecting top quality fortheir money.”

❖ Will Farnam, Long and Foster FallsChurch: “I think the data so far for this yearwould be considered bright - not a boom -but strong. It’s a market that’s good for goodproperties, not good for just anything.There’s enough choice. One good sign is thetraffic at Open Houses. The last two week-ends I have had house-fulls, quite differentfrom last year. Smaller down payments onmany FHA and VA loans is helping, but de-spite some lending requirement easing, Ifind that buyers with credit problems arestill struggling to get a loan.”

❖ Janet Gresh, The Gresh Group@KellerWilliams: “The market is looking good, butit is still a bit more of an art than a scienceat times. If an under-$1 million home ispriced right, I am starting to see multipleoffers, especially in Arlington. ... In someof these areas, if the house doesn’t sell orhave offers in the first two weekends, itcould be a sign of trouble and time to re-evaluate. … Don’t overprice and you mayend up getting more than you ask for. I haveexperienced that recently.”

❖ Anita Lasansky, Long and FosterReston: “It’s looking good, strong numbersover last year for Reston especially, whatsome call the ‘Silicon Valley of the East.’Some homes are selling now in days, notweeks, if they are well-priced with updatedkitchens and bathrooms. Those homes taketop dollar and for the first time in years Iam seeing multiple offers on those proper-ties. The properties over $1.2 million arestill sitting. Sellers should also be cautionednot to overprice based on the addition ofthe Metro Silver Line. I see that a lot ofpeople are riding it, but it hasn’t had thatmuch of an impact on house prices in thearea, at least not yet, but some sellers arefactoring in 5-10 percent in their list pricebased on the Metro.

❖ Kathleen Quintarelli, Weichert Real-tors, Burke: I’m excited. 2015 looks slightlybetter already. Open Houses are reallypacked. With interest rates staying so low,more choice, the easing up on credit re-quirements, and fewer short sales and fore-closures - all those factors are really givingthe market energy. There’s just not enoughinventory in some categories, especiallyanything around $350k - $450k. Anythingin good condition in that price range cango in the first week. My advice to sellers:Price well, prepare your home and stage it.And have your photographs taken by a pro-fessional. If the potential buyer comes inand says “Wow! This place looks a lot bet-ter than the pictures on the internet!” thenyour agent – or you – have done somethingwrong. Sellers should be ready to buy, eventhe same day you see the house you want.That means pre-approval and preferably bya local lender that we can work with quickly,especially if you’re faced with multiple of-fers or counters.

Outlook Optimistic for Local 2015 Real Estate Market

Image courtesy of NVAR



From Page 3

handled delicately.“You don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings by tell-

ing them that they need to move items or get rid ofitems like the wrong artwork or too much furniture,”said Maria Smith of Arlington Realty in Arlington.“But the homeowner’s objectiveshould be to sell the home.”

Staging helps when a homeis too cluttered, or even if ahouse is already empty. It’s alsoa good idea “for those withdated, mismatched furniture ortoo many pieces in a room,”said Realtor Marsha Schumanof Washington Fine Properties.“For homes that don’t have atraditional floor plan, staginghelps a buyer see how therooms can be laid out.”

“Even if you have a largehome, if your closets are over-stuffed or if you have too muchfurniture, a prospective buyercan’t get a sense of the space and dimension of aroom or visualize themselves in the home,” said E.J.Stone, a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Resi-dential Brokerage in Alexandria.

REMOVING ULTRA-PERSONAL ITEMS like fam-ily pictures or bills is another part of the staging pro-cess.

“You want to get a potential buyer to envision theirthings in the home,” said Stone. “Neutrals can helpwith that. Those are things that a home stager cansuggest.”

Less is often more in thehome staging game, say Real-tors. “I tell my clients to takestuff off the walls, rent a stor-age space and take all the stuffyou don’t need and put it into astorage unit, so it opens upmore space,” said Michael Rich-ter, real estate agent for residen-tial preferred properties at theRichter Group in Burke.

Realtors rank the living roomas the number one room tostage, followed by the kitchen.Also in the top five rooms arethe master bedroom, diningroom and the bathroom.

“Your home should be amodel home, like no one lives there,” said Neustrand.“The bathroom counters should not have productsor clutter. There should not be trash in the garbagecan.”

Staged to Sell

“Staged homestraditionally presentthemselves better thanthe competition bybeing clean, clutter-free and ready to showto prospective buyers.”

— Mona Bekheet, McEnearneyAssociates, Inc., in McLean

To honor Mom on Mother’s Day, send us your favorite snapshots of you withyour Mom and The Connection will publish them in our Mother’s Day issue. Be sureto include some information about what’s going on in the photo, plus your nameand phone number and town of residence. To e-mail digital photos, send to:

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Photo prints will be returned to you if you include a stamped, self-addressed envelope,but please don’t send us anything irreplaceable.

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By John Byrd

“When we started this companytwenty seven years ago, ourcore specialty was opening

up views,” said Craig Durosko, chairmanand founder of Sun Design Remodeling.“Northern Virginians like their green back-yards, so finding ways to connect the housewith what’s just outside your door is astrong local incentive— especially as springunfolds into summer.”

Homeowner expectation for better inte-grated outdoor spaces evolves with eachseason, he said. To accommodate, Sun De-sign professionals constantly assess emerg-ing building technologies, code issues, de-sign literature. “You are always learning,”Durosko says. “Improving on the quality ofwhat you stand for as a company is a con-stant motivator for everyone here.”

By way of example, Durosko cites threerecent trend-setting projects.

Poolside Pavilion, Outdoor KitchenEntertaining outdoors has become a pri-

mary recreational activity for Monte Zabenand family. Though he commutes regularlyfrom his Fredericksburg home to an officein McLean, Zaben’s weekends by the poolhave become treasured quality time.

“The house was built to my requirements,but I hadn’t thought much about thegrounds.” he says, “We added a saltwaterpool a few years ago, only to realize thatthe back of the house was so sun-

exposed...it was uncomfortable sitting out-side.”

Zaben set up a meeting with Sun Design.From the start, the homeowner was im-

pressed with plans for a shaded pavilionoutside the home’s lower level.

Under roof, a lounge area; a smallercloser-in footprint with a cozy poolsidevista; an outdoor kitchen equipped with atraditional grill, a smoker and a powerburner. When the summer guest list risesto fifty or more the vaulted canopy is a per-fect spot for buffet tables.

“We use our outdoor space on just aboutevery seasonable day of the year,” Zabensays. “It’s very much part of our lives now.”

Screen Porch, Rear DeckingAs Fairfax homeowner Joanne Alger tells

it, Sun Design’s solution to a previous prob-lem was key to a new project.

Impressed with the outcome, the Algersnow sought Durosko’s ideas for a granderrear elevation indoor/outdoor component,one that would better connect the sprawl-ing house with its six acre wooded setting.

The Algers embraced a Sun Designscheme with three main components: a 17-by-16-foot screen porch, a grilling deck, anda ground-level patio. The patio, in turn,segues to a hard-scape platform featuringan eight-foot stone hearth and comfortableseating. Overhead fans and portable heat-ers keep the outdoor room habitable in allbut the coldest days of winter.

“It’s our preferred gathering place now,

Photo by Mitro Hood

The outdoor kitchen is equipped with a grill and a power burner.

Connecting Outside to In

“Alger says. “And so comfortable we can useit from early spring to late fall.”

Bringing the Outside IndoorsNick Bonadies, Sun Design’s Director of

New Business Development, points to the25-by-16-foot custom window wall in anewly remodeled Fairfax home as a kind oftriumph of glazing technologies over thestrong wind.

“Homeowners come to us for ideas thatwill open up space and invite visual con-tinuum,” he said.

Sun Design had converted Gini Mulligan’s2,200-square-foot 1960s split foyer homeinto a 4,238-square-foot French colonialcomplete with wrap-around porches, a new

master bedroom suite addition, and a spa-cious gourmet kitchen with a jaw-droppingview of towering backyard trees.

“We bought the house over 20 years ago,mainly because of the lovely wooded set-ting,” Mulligan said. “I then spent so manyyears gazing out of a small back window,trying to imagine how the house would feelif we had a better view.” The scale ofMulligan’s vision, a two-story window wall,presented feasibility questions.

A steel “moment” frame, unusual in a resi-dential application, allows for as much as a40 percent increase in unobstructed glasssurface. “It all looks very delicate— but thiswindow can withstand winds of up to 90miles per hour,” Bonadies said.


By Marilyn Campbell

The Connection

Imagine stepping into a resort in-side the comfort of your ownhome. Contem-porary, spa-likebathrooms with clean lines and

features such as floating vanities, openshelving, innovative storage and low-maintenance materials are on trendthis year in bathroom remodelingprojects.

When the main level master bath-room in a 1970s-era Reston home gota major facelift earlier this year, DeanTurner, of Evolution Design & Buildin Reston was tasked with addressingstructural issues as well updating theentire space.

“This bathroom had a sunken tuband shower combination that was leakinginto the basement below,” said Turner.“They wanted me to solve their water prob-lems … update their bathroom, and they

were very interested in a floating vanity.”The floating, walnut piece was made a

by a local cabinetmaker and hovers 12inches above the floor, and Turner was able

to give the homeowners an abun-dance of storage by incorporatingcabinetry into the vanity. A simpletouch of the fingertip opens andcloses its drawers and doors,eliminating the need for visiblehardware. Motion detecting, LEDlighting under the vanity is an-other convenience.

Turner’s team removed the ex-isting wall and floor tile, replac-ing it with scratch- and stain-re-sistant porcelain tile that has theappearance of natural stone,while the wall tiles were made inthe image of natural wood.

“When you look at it,” saidTurner. “It looks just like hard-wood flooring on the wall.”

AFTER MOVING into a retire-ment community, an empty-nester couple decided to overhaulthe builder-grade bathroom thatcame with their home. They en-listed the help of Stephanie Brick,of Nicely Done Kitchens and Baths

in Springfield, who designed a contempo-rary space.

“The homeowners were looking for some-thing that was calming and had a spa-like

energy,” said Brick. “They also wanted morestorage, especially open storage for linensand displaying items.”

Brick and the Nicely team installedcabinetry with open shelving over the toi-let. The vanity has a quartz countertop withveins of blue and turquoise that bears aclose resemblance to marble. “Those colorswere carried through in an accent piece inthe shower,” said Brick.

The porcelain tile floor has a marble-likeappearance.

“You get the beautiful look of marble, butyou don’t have the maintenance or the cost,”said Brick. “The new bathroom has a muchmore spa-like aesthetic. It was very blandand vanilla and it needed a face lift.”

When the owners of a contemporaryhome in Burke decided to remodel theirmaster bathroom so that it matched thestyle of the rest of the house, they called ondesigner Cathy Gross, also of Nicely. Sheused porcelain tile on the walls accentedwith river rock stone, a material that shealso used on the bathroom floor.

“They wanted to continue the calm, zen,contemporary feel in the remodel of theirmaster bath,” said Gross, who also designedthe home’s kitchen five years prior.

More designs in the unabridged story atwww.connectionnewspapers.com

Photo courtesy of Nicely Done Kitchens and Baths

Low maintenance porcelain tile accented withriver rock stone are used in this Burke bath-room.

Trendy Bathroom TransformationsDesigners sharethe hottest ideas inlavatory design.


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Address ................................. BR FB HB .. Postal City ........ Sold Price .. Type ....... Lot AC PostalCode ........... Subdivision ........... Date Sold

1 7300 BULL RUN POST OFFICE ROAD . 5 .. 5 . 1 .. CENTREVILLE ..... $1,154,990 .. Detached .... 5.00 ...... 20120 .......... STUART’S CROSSING ...... 02/05/15

2 9400 BETTGE LAKE CT .......... 4 .. 3 . 1 ..... LORTON ......... $1,100,000 .. Detached .... 0.90 ...... 22079 ............. LAKE HILL FARM ......... 02/20/15

3 12801 CHESTNUT ST ............ 4 .. 2 . 1 ..... CLIFTON ......... $1,095,000 .. Detached .... 2.13 ...... 20124 ................... CLIFTON ............... 02/27/15

4 13745 BALMORAL GREENS AVE 4 .. 4 . 1 ..... CLIFTON ............ $880,000 .. Detached .... 1.47 ...... 20124 .......... BALMORAL GREENS ....... 02/03/15

5 5414 WILLOW VALLEY RD ..... 5 .. 5 . 1 ..... CLIFTON ............ $860,000 .. Detached .... 0.31 ...... 20124 .............. CLIFTON FARM .......... 02/27/15

6 10744 BEECHNUT CT ............ 5 .. 4 . 1 FAIRFAX STATION ...... $815,000 .. Detached .... 0.62 ...... 22039 ..... WILDWOOD HILLS ESTATES . 02/25/15

7 3614 HILL ST ........................ 4 .. 4 . 2 ...... FAIRFAX ............ $790,000 .. Detached .... 0.51 ...... 22030 .............. FAIRFAX ACRES .......... 02/04/15

8 8017 FLINT ST ...................... 5 .. 4 . 1 .. SPRINGFIELD ........ $789,000 .. Detached .... 0.61 ...... 22153 .............. CHAPEL ACRES .......... 02/26/15

9 13529 LAMIUM LN ................ 4 .. 4 . 1 .. CENTREVILLE ........ $775,000 .. Detached .... 0.19 ...... 20120 ........... FAIRCREST SOUTH ........ 02/23/15

10 8552 CENTER RD .................. 4 .. 3 . 1 .. SPRINGFIELD ........ $740,000 .. Detached .... 0.22 ...... 22152 ............... JAMES CREEK ........... 02/03/15

11 8309 KINGS RIDGE CT ........... 5 .. 4 . 1 .. SPRINGFIELD ........ $735,000 .. Detached .... 0.35 ...... 22153 ............. GAMBRILL OAKS ......... 02/05/15

12 10411 WHITEHEAD ST .......... 4 .. 3 . 1 ...... FAIRFAX ............ $720,000 .. Townhouse . 0.04 ...... 22030 ............. MADISON MEWS ......... 02/19/15

13 3419 TILTON VALLEY DR ....... 5 .. 3 . 1 ...... FAIRFAX ............ $710,000 .. Detached .... 1.48 ...... 22033 ................ MARY RIDGE ............ 02/12/15

14 15371 WETHERBURN CT ....... 4 .. 3 . 1 .. CENTREVILLE ........ $660,000 .. Detached .... 0.47 ...... 20120 ............... VIRGINIA RUN ........... 02/20/15

15 9931 WOOD GROUSE CT ....... 4 .. 3 . 1 ....... BURKE ............. $640,000 .. Detached .... 0.18 ...... 22015 .............. BURKE CENTRE .......... 02/19/15

16 5802 OAK MOSS TER ............ 5 .. 2 . 2 ....... BURKE ............. $638,000 .. Detached .... 0.27 ...... 22015 .............. BURKE CENTRE .......... 02/27/15

17 4608 FILLINGAME DR ............ 5 .. 3 . 1 ... CHANTILLY .......... $512,000 .. Detached .... 0.21 ...... 20151 ................ LEIGH PROP ............ 02/26/15

Copyright 2015 RealEstate Business Intelligence. Source: MRIS as of March 13, 2015.

Local REAL ESTATEFebruary, 2015 Top Sales

Photos by Craig Sterbutzel/The Connection

1 7300 Bull RunPost Office Road,Centreville —$1,154,990

17 4608FillingameDrive,Chantilly —$512,000

9 13529 Lamium Lane,Centreville — $775,000

6 10744Beechnut Court,

Fairfax Station— $815,000

4 13745 BalmoralGreens Avenue,Clifton — $1,415,700

15 9931 Wood Grouse Court, Burke — $640,000


Though I live nowhere near her area, I found iteasy to be influenced by her writing and to wishthat I had the opportunity to attend some of theevents she talked about. All three examples arenicely written.

Jean Card, Jeanne Theismann,Steve Hibbard, Louise Krafft andKara Coleman, Alexandria Gazette Packet –Lifestyle or Entertainment Pages. Judge’s com-ments: Good balance. Front page article hasgood detail and info.

Second Place WinnersJoan Brady, Great Falls Connection –

Column Writing.Veronica Bruno, Mount Vernon Gazette –

Feature Story Writing.Jean Card, Alexandria Gazette Packet –

Page Design.Vernon Miles, Arlington Connection –

Breaking News Writing.Jeanne Theismann, Alexandria Gazette Packet

– Headline Writing.

Third Place WinnersSteven G. Artley, Alexandria Gazette Packet –

Editorial Cartoon.Marilyn Campbell, Chantilly Connection –

Health, Science and Environmental Writing.Bonnie Hobbs, Fairfax Connection – Personal

Service Writing.Mary Kimm, McLean Connection – Editorial

Writing.Michael Lee Pope, Alexandria Gazette Packet –

Public Safety Writing.Steven Mauren, Mary Kimm, Steve Artley,

Geovani Flores and Laurence Foong, AlexandriaGazette Packet – Editorial Pages.

Jean Card, Renee Ruggles andLaurence Foong, Mount Vernon Gazette –Informational Graphics.

The Potomac Almanac participates in theMaryland-Delaware-DC Press Association, andwhile 2014 award-winners there will not be fullyannounced until May 1, 2015, we do know thatKen Moore and Marilyn Campbell are winners.

www.connectionnewspapers.com

First Place WinnersSteven G. Artley, Alexandria Gazette Packet –

Editorial Cartoon. Judge’s comments: Smart andinsightful.

Bonnie Hobbs, Centre View – Feature Series orContinuing Story. Judge’s comments: Clear andconcise writing with a good flow. Journalist cap-tured the emotion of the event and engaged thereader well.

Michael Lee Pope, Mount Vernon Gazette –Business and Financial Writing. Judge’s comments:First-rate, data-driven reporting and analysis onimportant issues. Fine work.

Michael Lee Pope, McLean Connection –Health, Science and Environmental Writing.Judge’s comments: Michael Lee Pope’s stories ondriving habits, cesarean deliveries and theAffordable Care Act are well-researched, clearlywritten and engaging. His use of real-live peoplehigh up in his stories to illustrate his findingsmakes for very compelling material. He seemsquite capable of turning some of these topics intoa book. If he does, I’ll read it.

Jon Roetman, Vienna/Oakton Connection –Sports Writing Portfolio. Judge’s comments: Strongand clear writing and excellent storytelling helpsgame stories feel more like features. Excellentwork.

Victoria Ross, Oak Hill/Herndon Connection –Government Writing. Judge’s comments: Anengaging look at a lobbyist who fights for the littleguy; an entertaining story on a political candidate,helping readers put the upcoming election intocontext; one of the better budgeting stories I’veseen lately that helps readers understand how thecounty’s budgeting process is going to cost themmore money. The supporting sidebars help bringthe message home.

Jeanne Theismann, Alexandria Gazette Packet –Personal Service Writing, Obituaries. Judge’s com-ments: These stories provide a glimpse inside thelives of people who have played significant rolesin their communities. The writing is engaging andwell-researched. And the stories serve as an exam-ple to others of how to live a life of purpose.

Jeanne Theismann, Alexandria Gazette Packet –Column Writing, Entertainment. Judge’s com-ments: Ms. Theismann’s entertainment columnsdemonstrate a breadth of knowledge that givesher opinions a ring of authority and authenticity.

LaurenceFoong

GeovaniFlores

Jean Card

MichaelLee Pope

JeanneTheismann

StevenMauren

LouiseKrafft

Steve Artley

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Award-Winning Connection NewspapersMore Reasons the Connection Newspapers are the Best-Read Community Papers

Winners of Awards in the 2014 Virginia Press Associationand Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association Editorial Contests

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Sharing Health - connectionarchives.com

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