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‘All about Our Children’Parents discuss threeschool-boundary scenarios.

Gary Chevalier (on left)responds to parent CleveDavis.

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See Boundaries, Page 4

By Bonnie Hobbs

Centre View

The goal of the FairfaxHigh/Lanier MiddleSchool boundary study is

to remove 300 students fromFairfax and 150 from Lanier andsend them elsewhere to relieveovercrowding at those twoschools. But how best to do it hasnot yet been decided.

So more than 200 people cameto Lanier’s cafeteria last Wednes-day, Feb. 20, to learn more aboutthe three boundary scenarios pro-posed and express their opinionsabout them. Centreville andChantilly residents also attended,because the changes will affectmany of their children, too.

High schools in the boundarystudy are Chantilly, Fairfax, FallsChurch, Oakton and Woodson,plus Robinson and Lake BraddockSecondary. Middle schools in themix are Franklin, Frost, Jackson,Lanier, Robinson and Rocky Run.No elementary-school boundary

changes are planned.At boundary meetings held Feb.

19, 20 and 26, parents receivedmaps showing the three, proposedboundary-change scenarios in-volving schools with attendanceareas contiguous to Fairfax Highand Lanier. They also receivedcharts listing the high schools andmiddle

Why Change Is NeededBy Bonnie Hobbs

Centre View

Fairfax High has a buildingcapacity of 2,412 studentsand a current enrollment of

2,659 — meaning a 110-percentbuilding utilization. But if nothingchanges, it’s projected to have3,011 student bodies by the 2017-18 school year and a 125-percentbuilding utilization.

Lanier’s capacity is 1,307 stu-dents, and it presently has a 1,239student population using 95 per-cent of its building. But if left asis, it’s projected to have an enroll-ment of 1,421 by 2017-18 for a

109-percent building utilization.Fairfax and Lanier are owned

and operated by the City of Fairfax.But 65 percent of the students cur-rently attending Fairfax High arecounty residents. So it’s not sur-prising that the focus is on elimi-nating many of the students whoaren’t city residents.

Besides receiving all the stu-dents from the four, City of Fairfaxelementary schools — DanielsRun, Eagle View, Fairfax Villa andProvidence — Lanier Middle andFairfax High also receive all ofWillow Springs Elementary’s stu-dents. That translates into 157 stu

See Change, Page 4

Our 3-year-old daughter Gabriela is playing with our 5-year-oldchocolate lab Oso. We were in Stockholm, Sweden this past

November playing in some wonderful snow. Our chocolate labloves playing in the snow, especially when his best friend Gabrielais there with him. They are like two peas in a pod, best buds and

pals. He cannot wait for her to wake in the morningsso that their play time can begin.

— Lorean Y. Newby, Centreville

Chantilly ❖ Fair Oaks ❖ Fair Lakes ❖ Oak Hill

NORTHERN EDITION FEBRUARY 28 - MARCH 6, 2013 25 CENTS Newsstand Price

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News

The post office in the Kid Junction “town” in New Jersey. The climbing area is for older children.

BZA Approves Play-and-Party Site for Chantilly

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Kid Junction iscoming to town.

By Bonnie Hobbs

Centre View

If all goes well, sometime in May, lo-cal children will have a place to gowhere they can climb, play dress up,use their imaginations in a pretend

town setting and even celebrate their birth-days. That place is Kid Junction and it willopen in Chantilly.

It’ll be a 9,300-square-foot facility withinan existing building at Route 50 and Pleas-ant Valley Road in the Lafayette Center.Kreative Minds LLC, Kid Junction’s franchiseowners, needed to obtain a special permitfrom Fairfax County to have a commercial-recreation use there. On Feb. 13, the Boardof Zoning Appeals (BZA) approved the planunanimously.

“We all are very excited,” said co-ownerParag Pujara. “The special-permit approval willallow us to proceed further in constructing the

cleanest and safest, indoor-amusement, fam-ily fun center to provide state-of-the-artchildren’s entertainment in Fairfax County.”

Kid Junction currently has two facilitiesin New Jersey, but this one will be its firstfranchise in Virginia. The owners choseChantilly because of its large number offamilies with children, and the location isexpected to draw customers from bothFairfax and Loudoun counties.

It offers recreational entertainment, cus-tomized children’s parties, plus general-admission open play for children ages 18months to 9 years. There’s a fully enclosedtoddler play area, plus a children’s arcadeincluding coin-operated ride-ons.

But what makes it different from othersuch places are its interactive areas encour-aging children to engage in creative play.Its Kid Junction Village is a role-playing areawith a country-town feel where children canpretend to do real-life activities.

Planned are a grocery store, pizzeria, ani-mal hospital, post office, zoo and a costumeshop where children can dress up. The zoohas felt-covered, robotic animals that chil-

dren can ride, and there’ll also be videokaraoke, arcade games and a soft-play areawith places for climbing and sliding.

The cost is $8.99/child for walk-in play,with discounts for siblings. Safety is also atop priority. Seven employees will be on thescene at all times, and children will alwaysbe supervised by their parents. “Parents arefree, but children can’t just walk in therealone,” said Pujara. “And children and par-ents will be given the same hand stamp.”

The New Jersey sites have won awardsfor cleanliness, and the one in Chantilly willbe sanitized regularly and between parties.Hours of operation are expected to be Mon-day-Saturday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m., and Sunday,10 a.m.-8 p.m.

Birthday parties will be held on the week-ends, and party prices will vary according tothe particular birthday-party package se-lected. The party room will hold 12-18 chil-dren, depending on their age. Parties last twohours and include free tokens for the games;90 minutes is planned for play and 30 min-utes for birthday cake and presents.

Pujara says the building’s interior con-

struction will start, the end of this month,and take about 8-10 weeks to finish. Dur-ing this time, Kid Junction will be hiringfor all the positions. “The staff will behighly-trained, with many of them CPR-cer-tified,” said Pujara. “We’ll also be workingwith various vendors to design the facilityto encourage role playing, socializing andthe use of imagination.”

In addition, he said, “We’re trying to de-sign a price plan for groups, military, policeand firefighters. Family and summer mem-berships will also be on the table to make iteasier for returning families. We plan toopen in May and, if all goes according tothe project plan, we may be booking birth-day parties as early as April.”

Pujara said the idea behind Kid Junctionis to allow children a way to make theirdreams come to life. “For children it’s allabout playing,” he said. “But parents willquickly recognize and appreciate how ourwell-planned facility design continuallyencourages plenty of exercise, cooperativesocialization, and positive and creativelearning experiences.”

Turner Is Sully’s Officer of MonthP

olice Det. John Turner is the Sully DistrictStation’s Officer of the Month for Febru-ary. He was honored at the station’s Feb.

13 Citizens Advisory Committee meeting for hisaccomplishments in January.

Lt. Rich Morvillo, the station’s assistant com-mander, presented Turner with a framed certifi-cate while describing his deeds. Turner came tothis station in 2004, starting on patrol. He becamea detective with the Criminal Investigations Sec-tion in 2008.

“In 2012, he investigated 66 cases and closedmore than half of them,” said Morvillo. “Then earlyon Jan. 10, we had a rash of larcenies from ve-hicles in the Bent Tree area of Centreville. About

47 cars were broken into that morning.”Vandals smashed passenger-side windows of parked

vehicles, then rummaged through their glove com-partments and stole everything from GPS units toiPods, sunglasses and cash.

“But Det. Turner and other patrol units followed atip on a lead and discovered incriminating evidence,”said Morvillo. “He executed search warrants and threesuspects were arrested with 19 felony charges. Thisalso closed 58 vehicle tamperings.”

— Bonnie Hobbs

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Det. John Turner (left) receivesthe Officer of the Month award

from Lt. Rich Morvillo.


News

By Bonnie Hobbs

Centre View

Area residents will get a chance to see the playthat took first place in the recent VirginiaTheatre Association (VTA) competition when

Westfield High presents “The Hothouse,” this Fridayevening.

On March 1, at 7:30 p.m., the young thespians willperform their award-winner, as well as “Love, Lossand What I Wore.” Dessert will be served and admis-sion is free, but donations will be accepted.

“We are presenting our two one-actsºas a show-case for parents and the community,” said WestfieldTheater Director Susie Pike. “We won first place inthe VTA over 44 other schools with ‘The Hothouse.”As a result, we are traveling to Louisville, Ky., to com-pete against other winners in the southeastern states.So this showcase is a fundraiser to help us with thecost of the trip. It is the first time Westfield has wonthis competition and we’re very honored to attend.”

Written by Harold Pinter, “The Hothouse” is abouta corrupt 1950s mental institution with dark secrets.The murder of one patient and the rape of anothercreate conflict in the staff and leave many charac-ters wondering who’s really in power there. AlexMann is the student director; his cast features AidanQuartana, Brandon Sanchez, Madeleine Bloxam,Julian Sanchez, Mitchell Buckley and Abby Picard.

“Love, Loss and What I Wore” was Westfield’s VHSL(Virginia High School League) competition piece.“We got excellent ratings, and I was very proud ofthe work these young women did,” said Pike. “Bothone-acts are student directed, which is one of mymissions here at Westfield. I think it is important forseniors to have an opportunity to direct.”

“Love, Loss, and What I Wore” is comprised ofmonologues and ensemble pieces about women,clothes and memory covering subjects, such as moth-ers, prom dresses, mothers, buying bras, mothers,hating purses and why so many women only wearblack. It’s based on the bestselling book by IleneBeckerman.

This piece is directed by Allie Koenigsberg andMadeleine Bloxam. The cast features AllieKoenigsberg, Sarah Dickenson, Estella Massey, SelenaClyne-Galindo, Shannon Douglass, Emily Tobin,Olivia Witt and Rachel Moser.

The winning team members of “Hothouse” (from left) are Westfield Theater DirectorSusie Pike, Aidan Quartana, Abby Picard, Madeleine Bloxam, Stage Manager EstellaMassey, Student Director Alex Mann, Tech Robert Palack, Mitchell Buckley, JulianSanchez and Brandon Sanchez. (Not pictured, tech Ariana Willis).

“Love, Loss andWhat I Wore:”From left arestudent directorAllie Koenigsberg,Danielle LaBar,Sarah Dickenson,Estella Massey,Selena Clyne-Galindo, ShannonDouglass, EmilyTobin, Olivia Witt,Rachel Moser andstudent directorMadeleineBloxam.

Westfield Presents One-Act PlaysSchool offers ‘TheHothouse’ and ‘Love,Loss and What I Wore.’

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Felony Hit-Run ChargedFairfax County police charged a Centreville man with several

offenses – including felony hit-and-run – after he allegedly tail-gated and struck another vehicle and then fled. He is 25-year-oldJuan Carlos Gudiel.

The incident occurred early Sunday, Feb. 24, just after mid-night, on the Fairfax County Parkway. According to police, Gudielreportedly rear-ended a 2003 Honda in his 2000 Ford Explorer.They say he pulled alongside the car and then turned into thevehicle, side-swiping it.

Then, say police, Gudiel reportedly drove away “at a high rateof speed.” However, the victim, a 24-year-old Lorton man, wasable to copy the license plate of the suspect vehicle and called911.

Police say Gudiel continued onto I-66 west, where Virginia StatePolice became involved. They say the Centreville man exited ontoLee Highway, where he reportedly ran a red light and turned ontoStone Road where troopers were able to stop his vehicle.

Fairfax County police charged Gudiel with attempted maliciouswounding, felony hit-and-run, and driving on a suspended license.Virginia State Police charged him with reckless driving, speedingto elude, disregarding a red light, resisting arrest and driving underthe influence. He was transported to the Fairfax County AdultDetention Center.

Donate Old Cars to PoliceThe Fairfax County Police Department is looking for vehicles in

working condition that people no longer want or need and wouldbe willing to donate. They could help their public safety commu-nity and receive a tax deduction at the same time.

Every year, the department uses about 20 cars to help train andprepare officers for the rigors of police work. Donated cars couldbe used as a faux suspect’s get-away car, helping officers withtheir precision pursuit driving techniques. Later, when the car isno longer in driving condition, it will be cut up (for training onhow to cut into crashed cars), blown up (providing training forExplosive Ordinance officers) or shot (used as a prop in an activeshooter scenario).

For more information on how to donate vehicles or to ask ques-tions, contact MPO Tom Beckman at the Emergency Vehicle Op-erations Course, 703-818-1924.

Free Carseat InspectionsCertified technicians from the Sully District Police Station will

perform free, child safety carseat inspections Thursday, Feb. 28,from 5-8:30 p.m., at the station, 4900 Stonecroft Blvd. in Chantilly.No appointment is necessary. But residents should install the childsafety seats themselves so technicians may properly inspect andadjust them, as needed. Only the first 35 vehicles arriving oneach date will be inspected. Call 703-814-7000, ext. 5140, to con-firm dates and times.

County, FCPS Budget MeetingA Sully District Town Hall meeting with Supervisor Michael R.

Frey (R-Sully) and Sully District School Board representative KathySmith is set for Wednesday, March 13, at 7 p.m. The topics arethe Fairfax County and FCPS 2014 budgets. The meeting will beheld in the little theater of Rocky Run Middle School, 4400Stringfellow Road in Chantilly.

Co-hosts are the Western Fairfax County Citizens Associationand the Sully District Council of Citizens Associations. On handwill be budget staff from both the county and the school system.

Food Donations for WFCMWestern Fairfax Christian Ministries’ food pantry urgently needs

donations of spaghetti sauce, canned fruit, rice (2-lb. bags),canned pasta, peanut butter, canned tuna and meat, hot and coldcereal, fruit juice, and pancake mix and syrup. Bring all items toWFCM’S new food-pantry location at 13888 Metrotech Drive, nearPapa John’s Pizza and Kumon Learning Center, in Chantilly’s SullyPlace Shopping Center.

Roundups

Centre View Editor Steven Mauren

703-778-9415 or [email protected]


From Page 1

dents currently at Lanier and 364 studentsat Fairfax just from Willow Springs.

Additionally, some of Greenbriar East,Greenbriar West, Colin Powell and WaplesMill elementary-school graduates also feedinto Lanier and Fairfax. Consequently, thetotal number of these Fairfax County stu-dents currently attending Lanier and FairfaxHigh — just from these four schools alone— is 250 at Lanier and 512 at Fairfax.

Based on parents’ comments from bound-ary meetings held Feb. 19, 20 and 26, FCPSwill make a recommendation to the SchoolBoard on April 4. A public hearing on themost-favored scenario will be held April 17,followed by a School Board work sessionApril 29, with a decision being made May 9.

The boundary changes won’t go into ef-fect until September 2014, but studentswishing to move to their new schools a yearearlier may be able to do so. That’s the rea-son for the May 9 decision, said A.J. Rawat,FCPS coordinator of Facilities Planning Ser-vices. “It will allow principals to get theextra staffing they’ll need if some studentswant to move in September 2013,” he ex-plained.

“The changes will not impact people liv-ing in the City of Fairfax city limits,” saidRawat. “Regarding Fairfax High’s AP pro-gram and Robinson’s IB, Robinson offersseven AP classes.” He also noted thatmiddle-school students being moved “mayask to attend AP classes at the schools near-est their homes.”

Why a Change Is Needed

Parent Bernie Feord (on left)discusses the proposed boundarychanges with FCPS consultant GaryChevalier.

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Parents Bernie Feord and Jennifer Willey examineone of the boundary-change maps.

From left: Parents Bernie Feord, Jennifer Willey andCleve Davis examine one of the boundary-change maps.

News

Parents Discuss School BoundariesFrom Page 1

See Children, Page 11

schools in the boundary study, plus infor-mation about their building capacities, cur-rent enrollments and 2014-15 and 2017-18 projections.

They then discussed each scenario insmall groups at their tables and rated eachone according to how well it reduced over-crowding at Fairfax and Lanier and im-proved the enrollment balance in the re-gion. They also got to tell what factors in-fluenced their decision.

“It’s all about our children,” said parentBernie Feord at his table, Feb. 20. APenderbrook resident and parent of a sonat Fairfax High, he added, “It’s also aboutall of us as Fairfax County taxpayers.”

Parent Cleve Davis said both Options Aand C get rid of Greenbriar WestElementary’s split feeder system, sendingall its grads to nearby Rocky Run Middle,instead of some there and some at Lanier.His daughter’s a Chantilly High freshmanand his son’s a GBW sixth-grader, but theDavises’ own boundary change may affectthem more than the FCPS changes.

“We’re moving from Greenbriar to theMonument Drive area in Fair Lakes,” saidDavis. “We were hoping our son would go

to Lanier, but he’ll be in middle school forthe first time, so it should be OK. We havethree older kids who went to Rocky Run andloved the school, so we wanted to stick withwhat we know.”

“Our daughter would go to Fairfax Highaccording to the boundaries, but we’d loveher to be able to stay in Chantilly and gradu-ate with her friends,” he continued. “It’stough to move a kid in high school.”

Neither Feord nor Fairfax Villa parent Jen-nifer Willey liked Option C. Under this sce-nario, the Penderbrook and Fairfax Farms ar-eas of the Waples Mill Elementary attendancearea would shift from Lanier to FranklinMiddle and from Fairfax High to Oakton High.

“So people who live next to Lanier wouldhave to drive in rush hour to Franklin,” saidFeord. “Option C exceeds the 300 [studentsto remove from Fairfax High], but affects alot more families.”

Agreeing, Willey said, “Option C seemsmore disruptive and is just not fair. I feellike [the school system] put two oddballs,A and C, out there so we’d all choose B.”

“We all think Option B makes the mostsense,” added Feord. “It lowers the over-crowding by moving more kids from Fairfaxand Lanier and seems to affect the least

amount of kids.”Diane Birch of Fair Lakes Glen has two

daughters, one’s in eighth grade at Lanierand one’s a Fairfax High sophomore. “I justwant to keep them where they are,” shesaid. “We always knew they were going toFairfax High and, no matter what plan ispicked — [by the time it goes into effect]— it doesn’t look like they’ll change.”

But Birch also has a son in sixth grade atSt. Timothy Catholic School in Chantilly andhe could be affected by a boundary change.“If he’s going to Lanier for two years andthen to Fairfax, I’d be happy,” she said. “Butif they said he was going to Rocky Run andthen to Chantilly High, I’d keep him in St.Tim through eighth grade so he wouldn’thave to go to two middle schools [Lanierand then Rocky Run].”

Gary Chevalier is the retired, former di-rector of FCPS Facilities Planning Services,and is consulting with staff on the newboundary proposals. At last week’s meet-ing, he told parents, “I don’t think this isset in stone. If you want this phased differ-ently, tell them.”

Meanwhile, at another table, parents

Boundary ProposalsOption A: Minimum movement of stu-

dents. This plan:❖ Reassigns the Greenbriar West Elemen-

tary attendance area east of StringfellowRoad from Lanier Middle to Rocky RunMiddle and from Fairfax High to ChantillyHigh. It eliminates the split-feeder assign-ment for GBW.

❖ Reassigns the portion of Fairfax VillaElementary’s attendance area south ofRoute 29 from Lanier to Frost Middle andfrom Fairfax High to Woodson High. It cre-ates a split-feeder assignment for FairfaxVilla Elementary. The AP assignment forthese students would change from RockyRun to Frost.

❖ This option reassigns 224 high-schoolstudents in 2014-15 and 290 in 2017-18.In those same years, it reassigns 48 and 128middle-schoolers, respectively.

Option B: Balances school capacities.This plan:

❖ Reassigns all Fairfax Villa students fromLanier to Frost and from Fairfax High toWoodson. These AP students would switchfrom Rocky Run to Frost.

❖ Reassigns the Fairfax Station, FairviewWoods and Fairfax Manor portions of OakView Elementary from Frost and Woodsonto Robinson Secondary. This change wouldeliminate a middle- and high-school atten-dance island in the middle of Robinson’sboundary area. These middle-school AP stu-dents would shift from Frost to LakeBraddock Secondary.

❖ This option reassigns 367 high-schoolstudents (253 from Fairfax High) in 2014-15 and 485 students (332 from FairfaxHigh) in 2017-18. In those same years, italso reassigns 72 and 194 middle-schoolers(55 and 156 from Lanier), respectively.

Option C: Maximum relief for Fairfax/Lanier; maximum movement of students.This plan:

❖ Reassigns the Penderbrook and FairfaxFarms areas of Waples Mill Elementary fromLanier to Franklin Middle and from Fairfaxto Oakton High. This change eliminates aWaples Mill split-feed.

Reassigns GBW students east ofStringfellow Road from Lanier to Rocky Runand from Fairfax High to Chantilly. Thischange eliminates a split-feed for GBW.

❖ Reassigns Fairfax Villa students southof Route 29 from Lanier to Frost and fromFairfax High to Woodson. This change cre-ates a Fairfax Villa split feed. These APmiddle-schools would shift from Rocky Runto Frost.

❖ Reassigns the Fairfax Station, FairviewWoods and Fairfax Manor portions of OakView Elementary from Frost and Woodsonto Robinson Secondary. This change wouldeliminate a middle- and high-school atten-dance island in the middle of Robinson’sboundary area. These middle-school AP stu-dents would shift from Frost to LakeBraddock Secondary.

❖ This option reassigns 456 high-schoolstudents (326 from Fairfax High) in 2014-15 and 712 (458 from Fairfax High) in2017-18. In those same years, it also reas-signs 93 and 233 middle-schoolers (76 and195 from Lanier), respectively.


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News

By Victoria Ross

Centre View

A slow economic recovery markedby the unknown impact of fed-eral sequestration cuts weredominant factors in the re-

strained first draft of Fairfax County’s $7billion budget for fiscal year 2014.

Fairfax County Executive Edward L. LongJr. unveiled his $7 billion budget proposalTuesday, Feb. 26, calling for a two-cent in-crease in the real estate tax rate, whichwould raise taxes by $260 for the typicalhousehold. Each one-cent increase in thereal estate tax rate equals $20.65 millionin county revenue.

For Fairfax County Public Schools —which receive nearly 75 percent of its fund-ing from the county — Long recommendeda total transfer, which includes school debtservice, of $1.89 billion, an increase of$33.7 million or 2 percent over this year.

THE PROPOSED COUNTY BUDGETalso includes $67.9 million in additionalsupport to FCPS for services including HeadStart, school resource officers, crossingguards and recreational programs, amongothers.

“We have heard from residents that weshould continue with current service levelsand program delivery, which we maintainedthrough the last few years of the recessionby downsizing effectively and responsibly,”Long said during a news conference Tues-day.

“Moving forward, we must put in place alonger-term focus on investment in thecounty’s future, which requires constrainedspending and strategic funding priorities.We are also forced to recognize the signifi-cant yet unknown impact that is expectedfrom federal sequestration and the continu-ing challenges of a slowly recoveringeconomy,” Long added.

Long noted that the residential equaliza-tion — or change in assessments of exist-ing residential property — increased 3.5percent from last year. Residential real es-tate revenue accounts for approximately74.4 percent of the county’s tax base. Non-residential values remained flat, increasingonly 0.14 percent in FY 2013.

“Despite growth in residential real estaterevenue, funding decisions made last year

make it critical for us to be constrained inour spending,” Long said.

Long’s budget also included proposedcounty agency reductions of $20.52 million,including the elimination of 91 merit posi-tions, as well as no increases in employeecompensation for FY 2014. Funding formajor human services and public safetywould remain steady.

Long said his plan includes targeted “sur-gical” reductions rather than radical cutsthat would eliminate programs and closefacilities.

“We spent a lot of time going through eachand every agency,” he said Tuesday. “If you

look at the 500 positions we’ve eliminatedover the past five years, I think the heavylifting on cuts has been done.”

“We are not yet out of the woods as werecover more slowly than we would likefrom the great recession,” Board of Super-visors Chairman Sharon Bulova (D-at-large)said in a statement. “County revenue pro-jections are essentially flat and contribut-ing to our challenge is the effect that se-questration will have on our economy. Al-ready our commercial tax base is negativelyaffected by inaction on the part of Con-gress.”

THE PROPOSED BUDGET includes a$2.4 million balance for the board’s con-sideration to address “high priority” require-ments in FY 2014 or to be held in reservefor FY 2015. The county executive’s budgetalso includes a multi-year budget frame-work for FY 2015, which currently has aprojected budget shortfall of $39.7 million.The multi-year budget approach, accordingto Long, allows the county to address chal-lenges on a longer-term basis, even thoughthe Board of Supervisors is still required tomake budget and appropriation decisionson an annual basis.

“There’s some optimism out there, we justneed a little more clarity from federal gov-ernment,” Long said.

$7 Billion Budget Proposal UnveiledTypical county house-hold would see realestate tax bill increaseby $260 annually.

Budget Public HearingsPublic hearings on the proposed FY 2014 bud-

get are scheduled:❖ Tuesday, April 9, at 6 p.m.❖ Wednesday, April 10, at 3 p.m.❖ Thursday, April 11, at 3 p.m.Those wishing to speak at a public hearing can

sign up online to place their name on the speakerslist, or contact the Office of the Clerk to the Boardat 703-324-3151, TTY 703-324-3903. The publichearings will be held in the Board Auditorium,Fairfax County Government Centear and will betelevised live on Fairfax County Government Chan-nel 16. The Board of Supervisors will adopt thecounty’s FY 2014 budget on April 30. For the sched-ule of the Board of Supervisors town hall meetingson the budget, go to www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dmb/fy2014/advertised/fy2014-town-hall-meetings.


Opinion

By Timothy D. Hugo

State Delegate (R-40)

After the VirginiaTech shooting in2007, I became

committed to addressingmental health issues so thatmany of our young peoplecould receive the help theyneed in the hopes of pre-venting another tragedy.Working with my col-leagues in 2008, the Virginia General Assem-bly enacted comprehensive mental health leg-islation including several pieces of legislationthat I co-sponsored. Last year, the Governorsigned my legislation, HB 1075, which requirescommunity service boards to provide hospitalswith informational materials on substance andalcohol abuse services to minors.

During this year’s General Assembly session,I introduced HB 1609 which strives to improvethe coordination between public four-yearhigher education institutions, mental healthfacilities, and local hospitals. I introduced thislegislation at the request of Centreville resi-dents, Angel Fund President Lu Ann McNabband Board Member Greg Richter. Angel Fund(www.angelfundva.org) was established inhonor of one of the Virginia Tech victims,Westfield High School graduate ReemaSamaha.

The Fund seeks to create an atmosphere ofacceptance where schools and communitieshave a caring, supportive, and inclusive envi-ronment to help young people.

HB 1609 ensures that all four-year publiccolleges and universities have mechanisms inplace in order to expand services available tostudents seeking treatment. Specifically it al-lows universities and community services

boards to work together so that there is notifi-cation when a student is involuntarily commit-ted, or when a student is discharged from afacility and he consents to such notification.

During the bill’s hearings, Virginia’s univer-sities unanimously testified in support for HB1609. As this article goes to print, my legisla-tion, along with Senator Chap Petersen’s iden-tical legislation, is before the Governor for hissignature.

I believe that ensuring the mental health ofour children is of the utmost importance. Thisyear’s legislation is important as it willstrengthen the connection between higher edu-cation institutions and mental health facilities.It will also create a safer and more supportiveenvironment for students and may help to pre-vent future tragedies.

If you would like additional information onthis issue, please contact me at 703.815.1201or [email protected]

Creating Safer Environment, Preventing Another Tragedy

Pet Centre ViewCaroline Harley of Centreville and her dog Harriett.

By Sharon Bulova

Chairman, Board

of Supervisors

This is a great step towardaddressing the transporta-tion challenges we face in

Fairfax County and the NorthernVirginia region.

The Transportation Bill passedyesterday fulfills the call made bymayors and chairs of the UrbanCrescent (the Northern Virginiaand Hampton Roads areas) fornew, sustainable funding to ad-dress our critically under-fundedtransportation needs.

I applaud the efforts of Sen. Ri-chard Saslaw, Sen. Janet Howell,Del. David Albo, Del. Vivian Watts

and others for reaching agreementon a funding strategy that movesus in the right direction. I am es-pecially pleased with the commit-ment of $300 million for the Sil-ver Line, which will help to keeptolls in the Dulles Toll Road afford-able for Northern Virginia motor-ists.

I appreciate Gov. McDonnell’sleadership in making transporta-tion funding the focus of this Gen-eral Assembly Session. The suc-cessful result required compromiseon both sides of the political aisle.The stars were aligned this sessionto make something happen butpolitical courage and leadershipwere required on many fronts topull it off.

In the Right DirectionThe Transportation Bill fulfills thecall for new, sustainable funding

See Bulleyin Board, Page 7

Email announcements to [email protected]. Deadline isThursday at noon. Photos welcome.

THURSDAY/FEB. 28Parent Workshops. Food will be

served at 6 p.m. with the workshopstart at 7 p.m. at CentrevilleElementary, 14330 Green Trails Blvd.Multiple workshops will be heldincluding “Raising ResponsibleChildren,” “Practicing PositiveDiscipline” and more.

THURSDAY/MARCH 7NCAA Night. 7 p.m. in the Westfield

Cafeteria. College athletes can learnhow to get noticed, recruited andmore. Free.

FRIDAY/MARCH 8Scholarship Deadline. High school

seniors must submit their applicationform online to be eligible for ascholarship from the Virginia,Maryland & Delaware Association ofElectric Cooperatives Educational

Scholarship Foundation. Detailedinformation is available atwww.vmdaec.com or 804-968-7153.

TUESDAY/MARCH 12Civil War Lecture. 7 p.m. at Cabell’s

Mill in Centreville. Lt. Col. BillHewitt will discuss the GettysburgCampaign and July 1 battle.Donation of $5 will be accepted forSully Historic Site. Reservationsrequired, 703-437-1794.

WEDNESDAY/MARCH 13Kindergarten Registration. 6:30-8

p.m. at Colin Powell ElementarySchool. Visit www.fcps.edu/start/kindergarten.htm for forms andinformation.

SATURDAY/MARCH 16Carnival. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at Poplar Tree

Elementary School, 13440 MelvilleLane. Enjoy beach and boardwalkthemed games, cake walks, raffle andmore. Tickets available at the door.

Proceeds benefit the school’sprograms and activities.

Volunteer Information Session. 11a.m.-noon at John Marshall Library.Learn about becoming a volunteer tohelp a child who enters the FairfaxCounty Domestic & JuvenileRelations Court system. Forreservations visitwww.fairfaxcasa.org or 703-273-3526.

Event. Donate to The Josh AndersonFoundation, which helps preventteenage suicide. The Rock ‘n’ RollHalf Marathon/Marathon run is thelargest fundraising event. Visitwww.active.com/donate/joshafoundation2013 for more.

MONDAY/MARCH 18Scholarship Application Deadline.

High school seniors can apply for$1,500 scholarship from NorthernVirginia Electric Cooperative. Visitwww.novec.com/community/index.cfm and select “scholarships”or contact Donna Snellings [email protected] or 703-392-

1511.

SATURDAY/MARCH 23Art and Silent Auction. 7 p.m. at

Westfields Marriott, 14750Conference Center Drive. Tickets are$25 online or $30 at the door, withdiscounts for multiple tickets. Heldby Homeless Animals Rescue Team.Visit www.hart90.org for more.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY/APRIL 5-7Weekend Conference. General

sessions aimed at people in grade 7through adult; student sessions andmore at Centreville Baptist Church.Nursery for ages 0-4 available on afirst-come, first-serve basis. Visitwww.cbcva.org/aig for moreinformation.

TUESDAY/APRIL 9Civil War Discussion. 7 p.m. at Sully

Historic Site. Angie Atkinson will

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NORTHERN EDITION


News

By Bonnie Hobbs

Centre View

Forensics can be a fascinating field,and members of the Sully DistrictPolice Station’s Citizens AdvisoryCommittee recently got a glimpse

into the world of fingerprint analysis fromDet. Derek Hardy.

A 20-year police officer, he’s spent 14years in forensics and is a member of thestation’s Crime Scene Section.

“Prior to 2008, we couldn’t do one-tenthof what we can do now, because of the tech-nology,” he said. “And the public’s financialsupport of the new crime lab [at the pub-lic-safety building on West Ox Road] helpsus put away rapists and murderers.”

Discussing these forensic-technology ad-vances, Hardy said fingerprint methodologyconsists of analysis, comparison, evaluationand verification.

“We do verification because I have toverify the validity of my results,” he said.“Fingerprints are the best evidence — bet-ter than DNA — because DNA will say thesuspect can’t be eliminated. But a suspect’sfingerprint is only his. Even identical twinshave different fingerprints because theyhave different ridge patterns.”

Hardy goes through several steps in do-ing his analysis. He sees if the fingerprintwas deposited on a porous or nonporoussubstance. He also determines the compo-sition of the fingerprint residue.

“Are there oils, dirt, grease, grime orsweat?” he asked. “And are there any for-eign materials in it — blood, ink, paint, etc.?The most common is a mix of these sub-stances.”

Then Hardy decides whetherto use a chemical or dry pro-cess to develop the fingerprintimpression to make it glow inthe dark and be better visible.“We’re looking at the evidencebefore it’s processed,” he said.“And sometimes, we have touse more than one process tobring out a fingerprint.”

Crime-scene detectives alsohave to be able to take photo-graphs to uncover fingerprints,said Hardy. “A coherent traceris a green, forensic laser sys-tem,” he said. “It’s like a magicflashlight specifically for foren-sics, and we can see finger-prints, fibers, body fluids andnarcotics residue with it.”

“The more fingerprints wecan find, the more bad guys wecan find,” he continued. “So itpays to have this technology.The fingerprints will also showthe position of the sweat pores,which are also different on ev-eryone.”

Hardy discussed the Re-flected Ultraviolet Imaging Sys-tem (RUVIS), as well. On ob-jects, it helps police find finger-prints that, otherwise, theywouldn’t be able to see — even with thelaser and chemicals.

“But RUVIS can degrade DMA, so I’d tryto capture the fingerprint’s DNA first, be-fore using RUVIS,” said Hardy. Currently,Fairfax County doesn’t have this system, buthe hopes one day it will. In this county, he

said, “We have to lead the charge and keepup with this technology.”

He also noted the huge advances in fo-rensic photography, which police here doemploy. “It’s HDR photography, which pro-vides more detail on fingerprint photos,”said Hardy. “I take multiple photos of the

same thing at different expo-sure settings to see the wholespectrum. I capture all thedetails of fingerprints andsweat pores put together.”

Proud of what this countyoffers, he said, “We continueto lead this region in forensictechnology. We’re one of onlynine police departments inthe nation using HDR photog-raphy. We’re the only one inthis region using a laser, andwe’re hoping to get a RUVIS.We have new equipment andour new crime lab is about 12times larger than what weused to have.”

Sully District Station Com-mander Ed O’Carroll said thework Hardy does at thecrime-scene level and thework done by Officer MikeRoberts at the station to con-nect fingerprints to crimesand suspects is “one spoke ofthe wheel.”

“Det. Hardy is one detectiveof many who respond to ma-jor crimes — rapes, robberiesand homicides,” saidO’Carroll. “The uniformedofficers respond first and then

the detectives; we have four Sully detec-tives assigned to our Criminal InvestigationsSection. So it’s a layered approach when itcomes to investigating. Even if we catch thebank robber with a bag of money, we’ll geta fingerprint or footprint because we’ve gotto make that case in court.”

CSI Sully District Station Detective discussesfingerprint forensics.

Det. Derek Hardy explains how police obtain and ana-lyze fingerprints for evidence in criminal cases.

From Page 6

Bulletin Board

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discuss the second day of the battle at Gettysburg,including Little Round Top and Devil’s Den.Donation of $5 will be accepted for SullyHistoric Site. Reservations required, 703-437-1794.

MONDAY/APRIL 22Kindergarten Registration. 2-4 p.m. at Colin

Powell Elementary School. Visit www.fcps.edu/start/kindergarten.htm for forms andinformation.

TUESDAY/MAY 14Civil War Discussion. 7 p.m. at Sully Historic

Site. Matt Atkinson will discuss the final day ofthe battle at Gettysburg. Donation of $5 will beaccepted for Sully Historic Site. Reservationsrequired, 703-437-1794.

TUESDAYS AND/OR THURSDAYSSenior Fall Prevention Classes. 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Classes are held in a heated indoor pool and aredesigned to work on balance and core musclesin order to prevent injuries and falls. At TheWoodlands Retirement Community, 4320 ForestHill Dr. Registrations are required. Call 703-667-9800 to register as space is limited. Cost is $10per class.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDEDRespite Care Volunteers. Give a family

caregiver of a frail, older adult a break so theycan go shopping, attend a doctor’s appointmentor have coffee with a friend. Volunteers visit and

oversee the safety of the older adult for a fewhours each month. Volunteers are matched withfamilies in or near their own neighborhoods inFairfax County. Support and training isprovided. Contact Kristin Martin at 703-324-7577, TTY 711, [email protected]. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs/olderadultservices/volunteer-solutions.htm.

Advocates. The Northern Virginia Long-Term CareOmbudsman Program needs volunteer advocatesfor residents in assisted living and nursingfacilities throughout the area. Training isprovided. Call 703-324-5861, TTY 711 or [email protected]. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs/olderadultservices/ltcombudsman/vol_ombud_program.htm.

The Stuart-Mosby Civil War CavalryMuseum at 13938 Braddock Road. is nowopen, Saturdays and Mondays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.Docents and additional volunteers needed, pluspeople willing to donate or loan artifacts. CallDon Hakenson at 703-971-4984.

ONGOINGPleasant Valley Preschool, 4615 Stringfellow

Road in Chantilly is now accepting registrationsfor the 2013-14 school year. The goal is toprovide a learning environment that promotessocial development and a nurturing preschooleducation. Visitwww.pleasantvalleypreschool.com or call 703-378-6911.

NAMI Northern Virginia Connections a freeeducation and support program for individualsliving with mental illness at the ChantillyLibrary 4000 Stringfellow Road Chantilly, everyTuesday from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the

conference room. Visit www.NAMI-NorthernVirginia.org for more.

ReStore Anniversary Event. The main goal ofthe ReStore (4262 Entre Court, Chantilly) is tofund Habitat for Humanity in the mission ofbuilding simple, decent, and affordable housingfor low-income, hard-working partner families.Donations are accepted and can be made byindividuals as well as companies. In many cases,if the items were not donated, they would gostraight to landfills. To donate, call 703-360-6700 or visit www.restorenova.org. Regularstore hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Mondayto Friday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.

Pleasant Valley Preschool, a non-profitcooperative preschool located in the GreenbriarCommunity Center, currently has limitedopenings in its program for 4 and 5 year oldsthat meets on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.4615 Stringfellow Road. Visitwww.pleasantvalleypreschool.com or call 703-378-6911.

Congregation Yad Shalom in Centrevilleprovides a variety of activities in a traditionalformat with a modern flair. We welcomeinterfaith couples who wish to participate, andopenly invite inquiries about a range ofprograms offered for the entire family. Contactthe Congregation at 703-579-6079, or visitwww.yadshalom.com.

The Chantilly Academy Auto Technologyand Auto Collision Repair classes arelooking for used cars as donations to theprogram. Contact Ann Booker at 703-227-3041or Kenny Brown at 703-222-7466.

Northern Virginia Neighbors Club. A non-profit organization offering an opportunity tomeet new friends. Activities include book clubs,card games, crafts, fitness, gardening, mah jong,

needleworks, rummoli, theater and more. Meetmembers at one of the monthly luncheons,coffees or mixers. Email [email protected].

The National Alliance on Mental Illness(NAMI) Northern Virginia Connections groupsare free, bi-weekly recovery support groups foradults living with mental illness. Second andfourth Tuesdays 12-1:30 p.m. Chantilly Library,4000 Stringfellow Road. Contact Janette at 703-631-2410 or [email protected]

Senior Fall Prevention Classes are held in aheated indoor pool and are designed to work onbalance and core muscles in order to preventinjuries and falls. Classes are held Tuesdaysand/or Thursdays from 1:30-2:30 p.m.;Mondays and/or Fridays from 2-3 p.m. at TheWoodlands Retirement Community, 4320 ForestHill Dr. Registration required. Call 703-667-9800 to register, space is limited. Cost is $10 perclass.

Fair Oaks Parkinson Support Group forpeople living with Parkinson’s disease,caregivers and family, meets on the fourthSaturday, from 10 a.m.-noon at Sunrise at FairOaks, 3750 Joseph Siewick Dr. Free. 703-378-7221. www.ParkinsonFoundation.org.

Parkinson Aquatic Exercise Classes forpeople living with Parkinson’s disease andcaregivers meets 10:30-11:30 a.m. Tuesdays andThursdays, The Woodlands, 4320 Forest Hill Dr.People living with Parkinson’s $10, caregivers$5. Registration required. Sonia Gow 703-378-7221.

Colonial Dames. Are you a lineal descendant ofan ancestor who lived and served prior to 1701in one of the Original 13 Colonies? If so, theJohn Witt chapter of the Colonial Dames of theXVII Century is looking for you. [email protected].


www.lostdogandcatrescue.org

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3. no longer owned or known

HelpingAnimals FindTheir WaySince 2001

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2 miles west of I-495 on Rt. 50. 1 mile from I-66 (Vienna Metro)

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Pansiesare Here!On Sale 97¢Reg. price $1.89

SAVE THE DATE FOR:

The World’s Fanciest Rummage SaleBENEFITING

Please Donate new (or like-new) items for Sale NowHave a really big item to donate?

Contact Helen Kruger (703-748-4068) to make pick-up arrangements

Sunday, April 7th, 12-4pmThe Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner

Admission: $5 per PersonMembers of the Military FREE with Military ID

On-site moving company available for hire for large item purchases. For more information, visit our event site.

http://www.fairfaxbgcgw.org/index.php/rummage-sale

Donations are needed!!!Make your spring cleaning count this year.

Join us at this incredible event and get unbelievable items at ridiculous prices!!!You cannot afford to miss this event!!!

Small items and clothing drop-offs may be made to the front of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel,Tysons Corner with the Bell Staff. Please indicate that the items are for the Boys and

Girls Clubs Rummage Sale. Donation receipts will be available at drop-off.

News

Andie Modra, 2011graduate of theChantilly AcademyCosmology programand professionalstylist provides DanielManik with a haircutat the program’sannual Cut-A-Thon. Inthe background, 2006graduate AllisonBrown provides a cutto Caroline Manik.Brown has returnednumerous times to theprogram’s fundraisersand has her ownbusiness, Allison’sHair Design(www.abhairdesign.com).

Caroline Manik gets herhair washed by SammieSilvers. As a current studentin Chantilly Academy,Silivers supports the eventby washing and drying hair.Graduates of the programwho are professional styl-ists provide the haircuts.

Nathan Robertson, held by his mother Alice, gets a cutfrom Chantilly Academy 2012 graduate Gulay Durukan.Says Alice Robertson of the program and the annualfundraisers, “I think they do great things here. It givesme great hope for the future.” Durukan is a professionalstylist at the Zoë Salon and Spa at Fair Oaks Mall. Shewas involved in previous Cut-A-Thons as a “washer” or“dryer,” this is her first time as a “cutter.”

CHS Hosts Cut-A-ThonI

n an effort to raise money for Captial Caring, aregional palliative care provider, current andformer students of the Chantilly Academy Cos-

metology program held a Cut-A-Thon at ChantillyHigh School on Feb. 26.

Former students of the program, now professionalstylists, provided the cut, while current studentswashed and dried, all for a $20 donation. Accordingto program director Wayne White, the fundraiser isa great way to both give students a sense of what it

is like to work in a professional salon and also teachesthem the importance and value of giving back to thecommunity.

Jessica Ford, of Capital Caring, says the organiza-tion appreciates the students’ efforts and that fundsgo directly back to the community in the form ofdirect services and a summer grief camp for children.“We have provided services for 35 years through theefforts of amazing groups like this who put on greatevents like this,” said Ford.

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3-D Printing, Palliative Care Programs at Library

The Chantilly Regional Library is holding two,upcoming programs of interest to the localcommunity. This Saturday, March 2, at 2:30

p.m., NovaLabs Makerspace is doing a program on3-D Printing for ages 10 through adults.

There’ll be a live demonstration of digital fabrica-tion with personal 3-D printers. It’s co-sponsored byNOVARRG (Northern Virginia RepRap Group) andNovaLabs and will be held in the library’s meetingroom. Then on Thursday, March 7, at 11 a.m., alsoin the meeting room, the library will host a programcalled, “How Can Palliative Care Help Me and My

Family?” The speaker is Dr. Thomas Sullivan, direc-tor of Palliative Care at Inova Fair Oaks Hospital.

Family medicine is the medical specialty concernedwith the total health care of the individual and thefamily. Palliative Care frequently occurs from the timeof diagnosis of a serious illness and continues formany years. Caregivers advocate for aggressive goals,when appropriate, and help families with difficultdiscussions and decisions throughout the process ofthe illness. The Chantilly Regional Library is at 4000Stringfellow Road. For more information, call 703-502-3883.


AjaxAjax

Lucky GirlLucky Girl

Find a Friend…

Be a Friend!There are many ways to helpFriends of Homeless Animals:

Donate money or suppliesfor the shelter.

Adopt one of ourlovable cats or dogs.

Volunteer your time or services.

www.foha.org

FRIENDS OFHOMELESS ANIMALS

A Forever Home has recentlyrescued 68 puppy-mill dogs.All will require extensivemedical care and need yourhelp! Please visit our Websiteat www.aforeverhome.org tomake a donation or to adoptone of these wonderful dogs.All donations are taxdeductible.

Pet Centreview

By Anagha Srikanth

Cntre View

When Guiding Eyes for theBlind dropped off Saki atBridget Kennerley’s house,

they made sure to tell her what to ex-pect from the young golden retriever onthat first night. What they couldn’t tellher, however, was how different her lifewould be every night after.

“It was interesting at first, especiallybefore she was trained,” said Bridget. “Iwould have to hold her up and sprintdownstairs before she had an accidentat three in the morning.”

After attending foundation trainingclasses every week for the first fewmonths, Bridget and Saki now attend thenext level of classes every other week.This past December, Saki was one of theyoungest dogs in the region to becomea jacketed guide dog, meaning Bridgetcan now take Saki with her into publicbuildings, restaurants, church and evenout on the family boat.

“We want to expose her to every pos-sible situation a blind person could takeher into,” said Anne Kennerley, Bridget’smother.

The Kennerleys’ ultimate goal is tohave Saki get through the formal train-ing and pass the test this August to be-come an official guide dog for peoplewith visual disabilities. Anne said thereason they chose to work with GuidingEyes for the Blind was that the non-profitorganization gives the guide dogs up forfree to those in need.

“It’s amazing how many people are in-volved in this,” Bridget said. “We met areferee at an ice hockey game, a coupleat the ski lodge, a lady on the metro …it’s an experience you can bond over withpeople from all over the area.”

Bridget Kennerley walks with her dog Saki, whonow accompanies her to most places and is alwaysby her side when she is at home. Bridget said, “Shesleeps next to my bed, sits there when I’m brushingmy teeth and cleaning my room … saying goodbyeto her this August is going to be horrible.”

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Training a Guiding Eyes DogMixed emotions ofraising and letting go.


Schools

Here’s the 411 on FLL and FIRSTAfter six years in FIRST Lego League (FLL),

which ended Nov. 10, 2012, Rocky Run’s FLL teamX-BOTS graduated this year to FIRST Tech Chal-lenge (FTC). It received grants channeled throughthe school PTA, plus sponsorship, to help fund itsrobot kit.

“FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) is the fastest-growing STEM program around the world, aimedat high-school students and extended to middleschools this year,” said X-BOTS coach NageshChintada. Students design, build and program ro-bots which then compete against other robots.

FIRST’s mission isºto inspire young people to bescience and technology leaders by engaging themin exciting, mentor-based programs. These pro-grams, said Chintada, “build science, engineeringand technology skills, inspire innovation” and fos-ter well-rounded, confident citizens able to leadand communicate with others.

In January, the X-BOTS won second place in theInspire Award competition. The honor goes to the

team that “truly embodies the challenge of the FTCprogram,Ó said Chintada. “This team is a top con-tender for all other judging categories and is a strongcompetitor on the field. TheºInspire Award winneris an inspiration to other teams, acting with GraciousProfessionalism™ both on and off theºplaying field.This team understands how to communicate its ex-periences and knowledge to other teams,ºsponsorsand the judges. Team X-BOTS is thrilled and proudto receive such a huge honor.”

The team was also a finalist for theºConnectAward, given to the team connecting the most withits local community and theengineeringºcommunity. Team X-BOTS has beenhelping form new FLL and Junior FLL teams atGBW, the past two years, and is also educatingyoung teams in the intricacies of FLL robot designand programming through a series of workshops.

— Bonnie Hobbs

Heading to the State ChampionshipsRocky Run’s X-BOTSteam vies Saturdaywith its robot.

At regionals with their robot are (from left) Sidharth Rampally, RishabNegi, Sarah Maxseiner, Anoushka Chintada and Nandin Padheriya withcoach Nagesh Chintada (on right).

From left are X-BOTS team members Rishab Negi, Rishabh Venketesh,Nandin Padheriya, Ahan Shah, Anoushka Chintada, Satish Venkatesan,Nikhil Chintada and Sidharth Rampally at regionals.

By Bonnie Hobbs

Centre View

Take seven Rocky Run Middle stu-dents, add one each fromGreenbriar West (GBW) Elemen-tary and Thomas Jefferson High,

mix in a robot and you get the X-BOTS. Andthis Saturday, March 2, they’ll be in Rich-mond competing in the FIRST Tech Chal-lenge (FTC) State Championships.

They participated Jan. 26 in the regionalqualifier, where they captured second placein the Inspire Award. Now they’ll vie against48 teams for the state title.

The team includes Rocky Run eighth-graders Nikhil Chintada, Satish Venkatesan,Rishabh Venketesh, Ahan Shah and SarahMaxseiner; Rocky Run seventh-gradersSidharth Rampally and Nandin Padheriya;GBW fifth-grader Anoushka Chintada andT.J. freshman Rishab Negi.

“There were 22 teams in the qualifyinground,” said Satish. “The Inspire Award wasfor our total performance — how well ourrobot performed and if we used CAD draw-ing in its design, our engineering notebook

and our community outreach.”This year’s challenge was Ring it Up,

where the robot must dispense rings ontopegs on three levels of a 3D tic-tac-toe.Teams received extra points for gettingthree rings in a row. They also worked withpartners on other teams. “Two players perteam drive the robot and we all take turns,”said Sarah.

“You change alliance partners so you don’thave the same team for every match,” addedAnoushka. “And you play with both defen-sive and offensive moves [because oppo-nents try to prevent each other from scor-ing].”

There are six rounds, each 2 minutes, 30seconds. Both teams receive points and, saidSarah, “You get qualifying points that gotoward your rank.”

“We wanted to make our robot strong andsturdy, so we used Plexiglas and TETRIXpieces from a kit,” said Sidharth. “It was18x18x18 inches and had four wheels anda moveable arm.”

For their community outreach, saidAnoushka, the team made a presentationabout their efforts at Rocky Run and at ColinPowell and Bull Run elementaries. “We ex-plained what FLL [FIRST Lego League] ro-bots were and told them about robot de-signs and programming,” she said. “We useNXT Mindstorms programming built byLego, and it’s the electronic heart of every-thing we do.”

“It’s actually the brain of the ro-bot,” added her brother, Nikhil.

The X-BOTS and their coach,Nagesh Chintada, also mentoredFLL teams at GBW, and theircoach, last summer.

“It’s good mentoring the GBWkids,” said Rishabh. “We’ll leave astrong impact on Rocky Run be-cause these kids will go here.”

Satish said they started build-ing their robot in mid-December.“We separated the design intothree, main aspects — the chas-sis, arm and claw,” said Rishabh.

Using TETRIX, they first built a practicerobot, said Nikhil, “because we were goingfrom FLL, where we connected little Legopieces, to FTC where we were cutting andshaping metal, then bolting and screwingthe pieces together. Then we tweaked andexpanded our design.”

“We wanted to get the hang of FTC, andwe only had six weeks to build our robot —because we’d just finished competing in FLL— compared to other FTC teams thatstarted work in August and September,” saidAhan.

Since building robots was new to them,said Sarah, “We reached out to my brother’sFTC team, Nuts & Bolts, in Chantilly. Mydad helps coach that team, and that’s whenI joined X-Bots.”

“They gave us valuable information aboutthe FTC competition and how other robots’performances would affect our robot,” saidRishabh. “They also told us simplicity waskey because lots of robots with complexdesigns don’t always work.”

Sidharth said their main focus was thearm. “We wanted it to reach the middle rowof the pegs,” he said. “We built it out ofTETRIX u-channels [u-shaped, metalpieces].”

Anoushka and Sarah worked on the clawtogether. “We came up with six differentdesigns and narrowed them to three,” saidAnoushka.

“We prototyped each, creating a visualrepresentation, and narrowed it down toone,” said Ahan.

Sarah described it as similar to “a four-sided box with a half-circle cut out of it so

the rings could fit inside.” And, addedRishabh, “Ours held two rings, which savedus time [during the competition] and gotus two points.”

There are three parts to a robot game:the pre-programmed, autonomous period;the tele-op section where two drivers oneach team control the robot via joysticks;and the final portion where robots lift upeach other by at least an inch.“Coming up with ideas from nothing is boththe hardest and best part,” said Sarah. “Ialso liked the teamwork. One part givingus grief was the wireless connection be-tween joystick and robot.”

“But once we got the hang of it, it waspretty awesome controlling our own robotbecause we didn’t get to do that in FLL,”said Rishabh.

“I’m a programmer for the autonomousand tele-op parts, so it was really fun forme learning a new programming language,”said Nikhil.

Also a programmer, Satish said he“learned so much from beginning to end ofthe season. And when your robot runs, it’spretty amazing.”

“I liked the new things we could do inFTC, and making the robot was fun,” saidAhan.

“It’s a whole, new level of design becausewe added the engineering notebook andwe’re working with metal pieces, so theprototyping is especially important,” saidRishabh. “At the competition, we all got re-ally excited and performed our X-BOT songbehind the judges’ table. We were motivatedand just let our spirit out. And we were

See X-BOTS Battle, Page 13

A diagram of the 3D tic-tac-toe Ring it Upgame that the robots play.


OPEN HOUSESSATURDAY/SUNDAY, MARCH 2 & 3

Call Specific Agents to Confirm Dates & Times

When you visit one of these Open Houses, tell the Realtor you saw it in thisConnection Newspaper. For more real estate listings and open houses, visit

www.ConnectionNewspapers.com and click on the “This Week in Real Estate” link.

Burke9347 Peter Roy Ct ..............$439,900....Sun 1-4...............Pam Cornelio......McEnearney..703-549-929210807 Oak Wilds Ct............$439,000..Sun 12-3......................Yong Lee ..............Classic..703-791-98935936 Burke Cove Rd #102..$249,950....Sun 1-4......Kathleen Quintarelli............Weichert..703-862-8808

Centreville6487 Trillium House Ln ...... $964,900..Sun 10-4................Jean Marotta......Birch Haven ...703 402-9471

Clifton8215 Cub Den Ct ...............$699,999....Sun 1-3.............Lisa Clayborne...Long & Foster..703-502-8145

Fairfax Station7102 Laketree Ct.................$914,950....Sun 1-4......Kathleen Quintarelli............Weichert..703-862-88088610 Running Fox Ct..........$899,999....Sun 1-4............Billy Thompson..Samson Props...703 409-034011681 Yates Ford Rd..........$859,000.....Sat 1-4.........Judyanne Pfarner ..Samson Props..703-989-8767

Fort Belvoir9169 Prices Cove Ln...........$599,999....Sun 1-4..Tom & Cindy & Assoc...Long & Foster..703-822-0207

Kingstowne/Alexandria3409 Sharon Chapel Rd......$598,000....Sun 1-4 ............Kyle Graumann..Keller Williams..703-562-18006104 Mulberry Ct................$569,500....Sun 1-4.............Brian Mahoney..................EXIT..703-766-46006022 Cromwell Pl...............$499,950....Sun 1-4..Tom & Cindy & Assoc...Long & Foster..703-822-02076649 High Valley Ln............$347,000.....Sat 1-4......................Man Ngo...........Westgate..703-208-99997513 Ashby Ln #K..............$294,900....Sun 1-4...............Cristina Sison..Keller Williams..703-224-6120

Lorton9269 Blu Steel Way ............ $992,500....Sun 1-4....................Bob Lovett ............RE/MAX..703-690-00376830 Tiddle Way.................$699,000....Sun 1-4 ................Beckie Owen...Long & Foster..703-328-4129

Springfield6421 Wainfleet Ct ...............$529,000....Sun 1-4.............Joe Frangipane...Long & Foster..703-628-4430

To add your Realtor-represented Open House to these weeklylistings, please call Karen Washburn at 703-778-9422 or E-mail

the info to: [email protected] listings due by Tuesday at 3 P.M.

News

From left: Bernie Feord, Gary Chevalier, SherryWitsman, Jennifer Willey and Cleve Davis pore over aboundary-change scenario.

From Page 4

‘It’s All about Our Children’there favored Option C. ChristinaMcDonald has a fifth-grade daugh-ter at Willow Springs Elementary, aseventh-grade son at Lanier and adaughter who’s a freshman at Fairfax.

“We’re happy because all three op-tions keep my kids at Lanier andFairfax,” she said. “We just don’t wantsome last-minute option coming inand changing things. Option C givesthe most relief to the schools andeliminates split feeds at Waples Milland GBW. And from the comments atour table, people at GBW want tochange to Rocky Run and Chantilly;they don’t want to drive to Fairfax.”

Ayla Wells, who has children infirst, fifth and sixth grade at Wil-low Springs, asked Chevalier whenthe new high school would bebuilt. He said there’s some moneyfor it but, “Right now, we can’t finda [building] site.”

Wells said her primary boundaryworry was that her neighborhood,Fairfax’s Brentwood Farm commu-nity, would get split up by BraddockRoad or the Fairfax County Parkway.“If we had to move, we wanted ourkids to move through all three schoolstogether,” she said. “We think OptionC is best because it alleviates the mostovercrowding.”

Eric Kravchick of Fairfax’s AshtonWells community was happy, but con-cerned that things could change, “Because we’ve seenit happen.” He has a fifth-grader at Colin Powell El-ementary, a seventh-grader at Lanier and a junior atFairfax High.

“Colin Powell goes to Lanier and Fairfax, and we

think our children who started in that program shouldfinish in it,” he said. “Otherwise, they’d have to leavetheir friends. We thought C would be best because itmade the most change and then FCPS wouldn’t haveto do it again — at least, for awhile.”

Meals on WheelsVolunteers Needed

Fairfax County needs Meals on Wheels driversin Chantilly and group Meals on Wheels coordi-nators in both Chantilly and Fairfax. Contact Vol-unteer Solutions at 703-324-5406, TTY 711,[email protected] or visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs/olderadultservices/volunteer-solutions.htm.

Respite VolunteersNeeded to OfferCaregivers a Break

Fairfax County needs Respite Care volunteersthroughout the county to give family caregiversof a frail older adult a well-deserved break. Vol-unteers visit and oversee the safety of the olderadult for a few hours each month.

Volunteers are matched with families in or neartheir own neighborhoods. Support and trainingis provided. Contact Kristin Martin at 703-324-

7577, TTY 711, or [email protected].

Police Offer Women’sSelf Defense Program

The Fairfax County Law Enforcement Founda-tion is partnering with the Fairfax County PoliceDepartment to offer the Women’s Self DefenseTraining program. It’s based on the SAFE pro-gram formerly provided by the Police Depart-ment, but now being taught by C&J Security Corp.

The program is a two-day class that will meeton consecutive Tuesday and Thursday eveningsfrom 6:15-9:30 p.m. It’s currently offered free andall class materials are included. Program fund-ing is provided through the Fairfax County LawEnforcement Foundation.

The course is offered to females, age 13 andolder. A female guardian must accompany girls13-18. No men other than the instructors arepermitted to be present during a class. For moreinformation, call 703-246-7806, [email protected] or go towww.fairfaxfoundation.org.

Roundups

HOW TO GET YOURORGANIZATION’S SPECIALEVENTS IN CENTRE VIEWCalendar ListingsCentre View contains a Calendar of Upcoming Eventsevery week. While we cannot guarantee that everyevent we receive information about will be listed,here is the information we need for your upcomingevent to be considered for the Calendar. We welcomephotographs of similar events held previously, whichsometimes appear with Calendar items.

Name of Event:Day of the Week, Date and Time:Name of the Place Event will Be Held:Address of the Place Event Will Be Held:Name and Phone Number for More Information:Three Sentences Describing the Event:Please submit your calendar information at leasttwo weeks before your event. Clear photographs fromsimilar previous events are always welcome.All events should be open to the public. We givefirst priority to free events. E-mail listings to:

[email protected] mail to:Calendar, Connection Newspapers1606 King StreetAlexandria, VA 22314.

For more information, call 703-778-9410.

www.connectionnewspapers.com


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Notes and photos in the team’sprizewinning engineering notebook.

A page from TeamRobowiz’s engineeringnotebook.

From left: Akshay Balaji, Ardash Kulkarni and AbhaAgarwal demonstrate the robot’s cascade lift.

Holding their robot and trophy are Rocky Run’s Robowiz team members (back row,from left) Adarsh Kulkarni, Shomik Ghose, Jami Park and Adithya Varadan, and (frontrow, from left) sisters Nitya and Abha Agarwal, Akshay Balaji and Vinh Nguyen. (Notpictured are Neeraj Prasad and Trisha Deshmukh).

On to States for Team Robowiz

See Robowiz, Page 15

Rocky Run studentscompete Sunday inFIRST TechChallenge finals.

By Bonnie Hobbs

Centre View

On Jan. 12 at UVA, Rocky RunMiddle School’s Robowizteam was a finalist in threeFIRST Tech Challenge (FTC)

categories and triumphed in one of them.And this Sunday, March 3, the team will par-ticipate in the state finals at VCU.

Comprising the team are eighth-gradersAdarsh Kulkarni, Adithya Varadan, AkshayBalaji, Shomik Ghose and Jami Park; sev-enth-graders Nitya Agarwal and VinhNguyen; Rocky Run grad Abha Agarwal,now a Thomas Jefferson freshman;Longfellow Middle eighth-grader NeerajPrasad and Fairfax High freshman TrishaDeshmukh. (Nitya and Abha are sisters).

“FTC focuses on the robotic aspect of tech-nology,” said Akshay. “You’re given a newgame each year to compete in. This year’swas Ring it Up; our robot had to place ringson a three-peg-by-three-peg rack in the cen-ter of a mat.”

So, said Shomik, “It was essentially 3Dtic-tac-toe.”

“The majority of each round was remote-controlled,” said Abha. “So two team mem-bers with video-game controllers controlledthe robot’s movements.”

Because the pegs are on three, different

levels, said Adarsh, their robot was gearedto score on all of them. “Four teams play atthe same time,” he said. “And when you’retrying to put on your rings, other teams aretrying to prevent you from doing so.”

“You form an alliance with another team,so it’s two teams against two teams,” addedShomik. “The winner is the one who earnsthe most points in 2 minutes, 30 seconds.”

“You can also get bonus points for scor-ing a tic-tac-toe,” said Jami. “And if youralliance teams pick up your robot, you’ll getpoints based on how many inches off theground it is. There’s also an autonomousround where you don’t control the robot.”

“You’re running a program on the robot,”said Abha. “And there’s an autonomous ringthat lets you override someone else’s peg,but only one time.”

Besides that, said Nitya, “There areweighted rings and, if you can lift up oneof them and take it to a corner peg, you’ll

get bonus points.”Abha said the team started meeting last

June and held four FTC workshops. “We metin the library and taught other FLL [FIRSTLego League] teams what we knew,” shesaid. “About 150 kids came, so we did com-munity outreach. And there are another 150on a waiting list, so we plan to continueour outreach after our competition.”

“We also hosted a junior FLL tournamentfor K-third-graders, where they built theirown design and won awards,” said Nitya.“The community outreach was part of ourcompetition, and so were the workshops.”

In addition, said Abha, “We also organizedan FLL tournament at GMU and were thereferees, judges, scorekeepers and Webmasters.”

Akshay said their robot is made of alumi-num pieces from a kit they ordered onlinefrom TETRIX by Pitsco. “This robot is ex-pensive, so we also discussed marketing and

came up with a plan to contact companiesfor sponsorships,” said Jami. As a result,sponsors and grants helped the studentswith the cost of building materials and soft-ware.

They also did fundraising. “We sold FIRST,e-watt lightbulbs,” said Jami. “They’re en-ergy-efficient, green and long-lasting, andwe sold them at the Rocky Run school fair.And for marketing, we also set up Twitterand Facebook accounts and a Web site,www.teamrobowiz.us.” (Team 6029).

Then, said Nitya, “We designed every-thing on the computer using SolidWorks.We decided how high our robot would beand then we built it with the TETRIX pieces.Counting the pieces, wires, screws, nuts andbolts, it has about 1,000 pieces.”

Each team is also required to compile anengineering notebook detailing its progressalong the way. It’s 8x10, with more than150 pages so far, and contains painstaking,handwritten notes, diagrams and photos.Said Akshay: “At every meeting, we wrotedown our goals, problems and solutions.”

“We told what we accomplished that dayand wanted to do later, including mistakeswe made and how we corrected them,” saidAbha. “So it’s basically our journey in abook.”

The team got the challenge in Septemberand the members spent a couple monthsdesigning, testing and refiguring theirrobot’s design. Then, with guidance fromcoaches Suprotik Ghose and Seema Prasad,they built it, plus a practice model of thetic-tac-toe game.

“It took about three months to build ourrobot,” said Adithya. “But we only met twice


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Sports

Centreville Girls’ BasketballReaches Region SemifinalsWildcats win firstdistrict title since 1993

“We equaled the bestthat Centreville’s everdone. How can you beupset about that?”

— Centreville girls’ basketballcoach Tom Watson

By Jon Roetman

Centre View

Members of the Centreville girls’ bas-ketball team seemed in relativelygood spirits as they exited the lockerroom after a season-ending 58-53 loss

to Edison in the Northern Region tournament semi-finals on Feb. 22 at Robinson Sec-ondary School.

After a season of accomplish-ments, the Wildcats weren’thanging their heads.

Centreville finished the season24-3, matched the deepest regiontournament run in program his-tory and captured its first districttitle since 1993.

“We had a great season,” jun-ior all-region guard Jenna Greensaid. “Nobody in Centreville hasreally done what we’ve done, so we’ve just got tokeep our heads up.”

The last Centreville team this successful was the1992-93 group that won its first 26 games beforelosing by one point to Madison, 50-49, in the regionsemifinals. The Wildcats defeated Woodson for theNorthern District championship that year and beatOakton during the regular season, 102-31.

This year, Centreville lost its first meeting withOakton 65-48, but won the next two, including beat-ing the Cougars 44-41 on Feb. 15 to win the ConcordeDistrict title. Oakton had won the previous eight dis-

trict championships.After beating Fairfax 48-32 in the opening round of

regionals on Feb. 18 and edging West Springfield 54-52 in the quarterfinals on Feb. 19, Centreville trailedEdison 30-20 at halftime of the semifinals. The Wild-cats pulled to within one when an Ashley Brusick 3-pointer cut the Edison lead to 39-38 entering the fourthquarter, but the Wildcats were unable to take the lead.A 3-pointer by Elizabeth Richards cut the Edison leadto 56-53 late in the fourth, but Edison’s MeganHendrick sealed the win with a pair of free throwswith 4.4 seconds remaining.

“This year, we never gave up,”Green said. “We were down 10points this game, we’ve beendown 15 points against Oakton… and we just don’t give up.We’re relentless and that’s what’sgreat about this team and hope-fully next year we can be thesame way.”

Green led Centreville with 12points in the semifinals. AilynKelly and Caroline Wakefieldeach had nine points.

First-year head coach Tom Watson, who was namedConcorde District Coach of the Year, said the Wild-cats “oozed” team chemistry.

“When things get hard we have to stick togethermore,” senior Tori Collar said. “A lot of people tendto get frustrated and mad at each other — they turnon each other — but we know how to stay togetherand when things get rough, we know how to cometogether more instead of turn away from each other.”

Collar was named to the all-tournament team. “We equaled the best that Centreville’s ever done,”

Watson said. “How can you be upset about that?”

Spring BreakBasketball Camp

There will be a spring break basketball campMarch 25-28 at Accotink Academy andWaynewood Elementary School for boys and girlsages 7-15. For more information, visit markvincentbasketcamps.com or contact Mark Vincent [email protected].

Sports Briefs

CentrevilleTrack and Field

Chase Heiner set a Centreville school record inthe 1000-meter run on his way to a third-placefinish Virginia’s state championships. He also an-chored the 4x400 meter relay (Calvin Jones, YoungBin Jin, Mike Wright, Heiner) and 4x800 relay(Jones, Bobby Dunn, Chan Young Lee, Heiner).

From Page 10

cheering for both our team and our alliance’s team.”Sidharth liked perfecting the claw until it was just

right and “looked really cool, too. We started withcardboard and developed it until it was sturdy andmade of Plexiglas and metal.”

“We tweak things on the robot every week,” saidAhan. “There’s always some way to better it,” addedSatish.

Anoushka enjoyed building the robot and “takingout my frustration on the Plexiglas by drilling holesin it. I also managed the engineering notebook, so Imade sure people wrote down their reflections in it,and I wrote down our accomplishments and goals.”

Nikhil didn’t expect they’d make states becausethey’re a new team and had to create their robot soquickly. But, he said, “We’re honored; it’s really ex-citing.”

“I saw how all our hard work paid off, plus ourpotential,” said Satish. And Rishabh was happy thatpreparing for states gave the teammates more timeto interact together.

“I’m very proud of them,” said Coach Chintada.“They worked hard, understood the engineering pro-cess and worked really well as a team.”

“I think we have a good chance of going to nation-als,” added Ahan. “Our expectations are high; wewant to do the best we can.”

X-BOTS Battle for Championship


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That is my question. And though I can’tquite quote Shakespeare the way I can quoteThe Three Stooges: “Moe, Larry, the cheese.Moe, Larry, the cheese,” “’tis nobler” to ask itnonetheless. Still, if Hamlet had been diag-nosed with a terminal form of cancer, as Ihave, perhaps he wouldn’t have been con-templating suicide but rather allocating hismonthly budget – as I do every day, withnearly every purchase. That’s my dream,“perchance” or otherwise.

Given that I’m not heir to a fortune, butrather fortunate to still be here, what dollars Iearn – and in turn spend, are dollars whoseexpenditure has to make sense (at least addup, anyway). As a result, I’m always thinking“what if,” as in “what if” I’m spending moneynow on relative incidentals, money that Imight need later for more important healthand welfare-type costs? And I’m not discuss-ing comfort foods, either. I’m discussing in-home care and/or miscellaneous othercancer-related expenses that can’t exactly bepaid out of petty cash. Expenses that gener-ally don’t take care of themselves any morethan cancer takes care of itself. Moreover,though little I know about health and fitnessand subsequent complications, I do know mymedical ABCs: Anything But Cancer.

However, cancer has become the name ofmy game and living with it the greatest chal-lenge of my life. Do I ignore it? Do I give into it? Do I adjust to it? As much as I want to“live long and prosper,” and live as normallywith my diagnosis as I would live without it,that compromised life expectancy/mortalitything tends to rear its ugly, uncontrollablehead. The subconscious control it exerts overme is not so much scary as it is uncomfort-able – and somewhat uncharacteristic of whoI am and how I want to be. Unfortunately, Ican’t change the way I think now/how I’minfluenced any more than this life-long mem-ber of Red Sox Nation can become a NewYork Yankee fan. It’s almost as if your person-ality profile/tendencies are genetically trans-formed because of the mutations in yourcells brought about by the cancer being trig-gered somehow. You know what you’redoing. You think you know why you’re doingit. But you still can’t stop yourself from doingit. This preoccupation seems to manifest itselfmost when I am spending money. I alwaysask myself if I really need that item now. Andif I do need it now, how long might I actuallyneed it for. And how long I might need it fordetermines the level of financial commitmentI’m willing to make. After all, are we talkingdays, weeks, months or years?

A few decisions that have consumed meof late, involving value versus actual need:

Eight pack of soap. Yes, I need to beclean, but at what cost and for how long?

A 150-count “Mega” pack of tall kitchenbags. We use a bag a week, approximately.This purchase counts for three years. Whobenefits from that?

Pills/supplements I buy. Do I supply myselfwith one-month, two-month, three-month,or longer? Yes, the unit cost goes down butmy true cost may go up because my timemight be up.

My AARP membership. One-, three- orfive-year renewal. Again, the more years Iprepay, the less the cost. But at what cost?Who’s the beneficiary? Me or mybeneficiary?

What to do? Live like having cancer mat-ters or live like it doesn’t? Either way, “I’m avictim of soicumstance.”

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

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

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a week. Our toughest challenge was —being a rookie FTC team — we had to learnall the rules, plus some new skills, such aselectric wiring and setting up SamanthaWiFi. It’s a module that lets the controllerscommunicate with the robot.”

“Never having built a robot before, wemade a smaller one first to learn how thepieces work and what would be the bestdesign,” said Abha.

Akshay said one of the biggest challengeswas creating a robotic arm “that was notonly stable, but would reach differentheights. So we created a cascade lift thatworked via ropes and pulleys to lift thearm.”

“We also had to keep the whole robot nobigger than 18 inches by 18 inches,” saidNitya.

“I enjoyed the tournament because it wasa lot of fun,” said Vinh. “We had to make apresentation, so we talked about what wasin our engineering notebook, what we didto our robot from start to finish, and ourcommunity outreaches. And it was funseeing all the other robots and teamscompeting. We learned a lot from theother teams about robot design and strat-egies.”

Team Robowiz was the only team thatwas a finalist in three categories, and itwon the Think Award. “It’s given to theteam with the most organized and pre-cise engineering notebook reflecting thecompetition guidelines,” said Adithya.“Ours also contained funny stories andjokes to show that we interacted and hadfun doing this.”

So the students were happy to win thataward, said Vinh, because “We thought ourengineering notebook and presentationwere especially good.”

Just six teams from the 26 in the UVAcompetition were chosen to advance tostates and, said Abha, “We got the chanceto go because of our overall performance,engineering notebook and community out-reach.”

Still, Jami called it “kind of a shock be-cause we came as a rookie [FTC] team, notexpecting too much, and many other teamswere veterans with more experience thanus. So we were surprised and happy just toqualify for a few things.”

“And we were a middle-school team com-peting against high-school teams,” saidAbha.

“I thought, overall, we were strong,” saidAkshay. “When they announced our name,I was really happy.”

“Now we’ll fine-tune everything,” saidAdarsh. “The most fun for me is messingwith the metal pieces because I love build-ing and fixing things.” Pleased that theteam’s graduated from FLL to FTC, headded, “There’s so much more you can dowith these pieces than with Legos becausethese are stronger.”

Regarding states, said Abha, “I’m excitedand a little nervous about how we’ll dothere, so I want to learn from the otherteams so we’ll be able to perform even bet-ter.”

From Page 12

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C E N T R E V I L L E

ANGLICANChurch of the Epiphany…703-481-8601

Christ the Redeemer…703-502-1732ASSEMBLY OF GOD

Centreville Assembly of God…703-830-1841BAHA’I

Baha’i Faith…1-800-22-UNITEBAPTIST

Centreville Baptist Church…703-830-3333Chantilly Baptist Church…703-378-6880

Clifton Baptist Church…703-263-1161Second Baptist Church…703-830-1850

Mount Olive Baptist Church…703-830-8769Ox Hill Baptist Church…703-378-5555

BIBLEChantilly Bible Church…703-263-1188

Community Bible Church…703-222-7737CATHOLIC

St. Andrew The Apostle Catholic Church…703-817-1770

St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Church…703-266-1310

St. Paul Chung Catholic Church…703-968-3010

St. Timothy Catholic Church…703-378-7461St. Veronica Catholic Church…703-773-2000

EPISCOPALChurch of the Epiphany…703-715-6070

St. John’s Episcopal Church…703-803-7500JEWISH

Congregation Yad Shalom…703-802-8901Temple Beth Torah…703-263-2252

LUTHERANKing of Kings Lutheran Church…703-378-7272Lord of Life Lutheran Church…703-323-9500St. Andrew Lutheran Church…703-830-2768

METHODISTCentreville United Methodist…703-830-2684

Pender United Methodist Church…703-278-8023Pleasant Valley United Methodist…

703-327-4461NON-DENOMINATIONAL

Centreville Community Church…703-580-5226Christian Life Center…703-754-9600

Clear River Community Church…703-881-7443Covenant Christian Center…703-631-5340

Fair Oaks Church…703-631-1112New Life...703-222-8836

Tree of Life Bible Church...703-830-4563PENTECOSTAL

Capital Worship Center…703-530-8100Church of the Blessed Trinity…703-803-3007

ORTHODOXHoly Trinity Orthodox Church…703-818-8372St. Raphael Orthodox Church…703-303-3047

PRESBYTERIANCentreville Presbyterian Church…703-830-0098Chantilly Presbyterian Church…703-449-1354Clifton Presbyterian Church…703-830-3175Young Saeng Korean Presbyterian Church…

703-818-9200UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

Wellspring United Church of Christ…703-257-4111

Sunday Worship with us:8:45 & 11:00am

with Sunday Schoolat 10:00am

b

THE CHURCH OF THE ASCENSION

TraditionalAnglican Service

1928 Book ofCommon Prayer

13941 Braddock Road, (north off Rte. 29) Centreville, VA703-830-3176 • www.thechurchoftheascension.org

Holy Communion 10 A.M. Sundays(with Church School and Nursery)

Evening Prayer and Bible Study 7 P.M. Wednesdays

Email announcements to [email protected].

REGISTER NOWYoung Actors’ Workshop. June 24-

28 from 9 a.m.-noon at WestfieldHigh School. Students in grades 3-6can discover the artist insidethemselves through games, actingexercises and more. $125. Visitwww.westfieldtheatreboosters.comfor an enrollment form or call 703-488-6439. Register early as space islimited and camp sells out.

WEDNESDAY/FEB. 27Toddlin’ Twos. 10:30 a.m. and 11:30

a.m. at Chantilly Regional Library,4000 Stringfellow Road. Children age2 can enjoy stories and activities.Free. Registration required. 703-502-3883.

AARP Tax Assistance. 1-5 p.m. atCentreville Regional Library, 14200St. Germain Drive. Preference givento older adults. Free. 703-830-2223.

Bouncin’ Babies. 3 p.m. at ChantillyRegional Library, 4000 StringfellowRoad. Babies up to 11 months canenjoy rhymes, songs, stories andmore. Free. Registration required.703-502-3883.

Small Wonders. 4 p.m. at ChantillyRegional Library, 4000 StringfellowRoad. Ages 12-23 months can enjoyrhymes, songs and more. Free.Registration required. 703-502-3883.

A Novel Society. 7 p.m. at Centreville

Regional Library, 14200 St. GermainDrive. Adults can discuss “DoctorZhivago” by Boris Pasternak. Free.703-830-2223.

THURSDAY/FEB. 28Storytime. 1:30 p.m. at Chantilly

Regional Library, 4000 StringfellowRoad. Children age 3-5 can enjoystories and more. Free. Registrationrequired. 703-502-3883.

Tax Assistance. 6 p.m. at ChantillyRegional Library, 4000 StringfellowRoad. Get help from IRS-certifiedvolunteers. Free.

E-book Help. 7 p.m. at ChantillyRegional Library, 4000 StringfellowRoad. Adults can get any questionsabout their eBook reader answered.Free. Registration required. 703-502-3883.

English Conversation Group. 7 p.m.at Chantilly Regional Library, 4000Stringfellow Road. Adults canpractice with other students.Registration required. 703-502-3883.

FRIDAY/MARCH 1Comedy Showcase. Doors open at

7:30 p.m., show at 8 p.m. at Sully’sRestaurant and Lounge, 14513 LeeJackson Memorial Highway,Chantilly. Clay Miles headlines, withSara Armour and Danny Charnley.Matt Mero hosts. $5/cover includesDJ after. 703-818-9292.

English Conversation Group. 1 p.m.at Centreville Regional Library,

14200 St. Germain Drive. Adults canconverse with other learners. Free.703-830-2223.

SATURDAY/MARCH 2Tax Assistance. 10 a.m. at Chantilly

Regional Library, 4000 StringfellowRoad. Get help from IRS-certifiedvolunteers. Free. 703-502-3883.

Wheeee! 10:30 a.m. at CentrevilleRegional Library, 14200 St. GermainDrive. Children ages 3-5 with adultcan enjoy stories and activities. Free.Registration required. 703-830-2223.

3-D Printers. 2:30 p.m. at ChantillyRegional Library, 4000 StringfellowRoad. Children and teens age 10 andup can see a live demonstration ofdigital fabrication with personal 3Dprinters. Free. Registration required,703-502-3883.

SUNDAY/MARCH 3Fine Arts Performance. 6 p.m. at

4650 Shirley Gate Road, Fairfax. TheYouth Ministry of Jubilee ChristianCenter will perform vocal andinstrumental music, drama skits andmore. Free. Visit www.jccag.org or703-383-1170.

Party with a Purpose. 6-8 p.m. atGrevey’s Restaurant, 8130 ArlingtonBlvd., Falls Church. Lost Dog & CatRescue Foundation invites you tolearn about volunteer opportunitiesfor their 10 weekly adoption events,fostering, transport or taking care ofcats and kittens in their adoption

centers. Door prizes and munchies,free. Prospective volunteers welcome.Email [email protected] [email protected].

MONDAY/MARCH 4Bouncin’ Babies. 10:30 a.m. at

Chantilly Regional Library, 4000Stringfellow Road. Babies up to 11months can enjoy rhymes, songs,stories and more. Free. Registrationrequired. 703-502-3883.

Small Wonders. 11:30 a.m. atChantilly Regional Library, 4000Stringfellow Road. Children ages 12-23 months can enjoy rhymes, songsand more. Free. Registrationrequired. 703-502-3883.

Frying Pan Farm. 2 p.m. at ChantillyLibrary, 4000 Stringfellow Road.Meet and learn about small farmanimals, hear a story and take homea craft. For children in grades K-6.Free. Registration required, 703-502-3883.

Kids Knit. 4 p.m. at Chantilly RegionalLibrary, 4000 Stringfellow Road.Grades 3 and up meet new friends,learn to knit or get help on a project.Beginners welcome. Free.Registration required, 703-502-3883.

ESL Book Club. 7 p.m. at CentrevilleRegional Library, 14200 St. GermainDrive. Ask for title. 703-830-2223.

TUESDAY/MARCH 5English Conversation Group. 10:30

a.m. at Chantilly Regional Library,

4000 Stringfellow Road. Adults canpractice with other students.Registration required. 703-502-3883.

Small Wonders. 10:30 a.m. atChantilly Regional Library, 4000Stringfellow Road. Children ages 12-23 months can enjoy rhymes, songsand more. Free. Registrationrequired. 703-502-3883.

Time for Tots. 11 a.m. at CentrevilleRegional Library, 14200 St. GermainDrive. Ages 2-3 with adult. Free.Registration required. 703-830-2223.

Bouncin’ Babies. 11:30 a.m. atChantilly Regional Library, 4000Stringfellow Road. Babies up to 11months can enjoy rhymes, songs,stories and more. Free. Registrationrequired. 703-502-3883.

Storytime. 1:30 p.m. at ChantillyRegional Library, 4000 StringfellowRoad. Children ages 3-5 can enjoystories and activities. Free.Registration required. 703-502-3883.


Mr. Skip. 7 p.m. at Chantilly RegionalLibrary, 4000 Stringfellow Road.Music, movement and fun for allages. Free. Registration required.703-502-3883.

WEDNESDAY/MARCH 6Toddlin’ Twos. 10:30 and 11:30 a.m.

at Chantilly Regional Library, 4000Stringfellow Road. Children age 2can enjoy stories and activities. Free.Registration required. 703-502-3883.


Mystery Book Discussion Group. 7p.m. at Chantilly Regional Library,4000 Stringfellw Road. Adults canask for title at 703-502-3883. Free.

THURSDAY/MARCH 7Small Wonders. 11 a.m. at Centreville

Regional Library, 14200 St. GermainDrive. Children age 13-23 monthscan enjoy stories and activities. Free.Registration required. 703-830-2223.

Talk. 11 a.m. at Chantilly RegionalLibrary, 4000 Stringfellow Road. Getanswers about palliative care andsupport. Free. Registration required,703-502-3883.

Tax Assistance. 6 p.m. at ChantillyRegional Library, 4000 StringfellowRoad. Get help from IRS-certifiedvolunteers. Free. 703-502-3883.

Pathway to U.S. Citizenship. 7p.m.at Centreville Regional Library,14200 St. Germain Drive. Learnabout the process from U.S.Citizenship & Immigration Servicesstaff. Childcare provided for childrenage 4-12. Register [email protected].

English Conversation Group. 7 p.m.at Chantilly Regional Library, 4000Stringfellow Road. Adults canpractice with other students.Registration required. 703-502-3883.

Book Group. 7 p.m. at ChantillyRegional Library, 4000 StringfellowRoad. Teens in grades 7-8 canparticipate. Call for title. Free.Registration required. 703-502-3883.

FRIDAY/MARCH 8Comedy Showcase. Doors open at

7:30 p.m., show starts at 8 p.m. atSully’s Restaurant and Lounge,14513 Lee Jackson MemorialHighway, Chantilly. Mike Finazzoheadlines, with Ralph Cooper,Dawud Shabazz and Max Rosenblum.Jon Yeager is the host. $5/coverincludes DJ after. 703-818-9292.

English Conversation Group. 1 p.m.at Centreville Regional Library,14200 St. Germain Drive. Adults canpractice with other students.Registration required. 703-830-2223.

Ready for School Storytime. 1:30p.m. at Chantilly Regional Library,4000 Stringfellow Road. Ages 4-5 canenjoy stories and more. Free.Registration required. 703-502-3883.

Entertainment

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