Promoting Innovation TEDx event on Saturday, March 14. One ...connectionarchives.com/PDF/2015/031815/Herndon.pdf · TEDx event on Saturday, March 14. One of the speakers was Stephanie

Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ March 18-24, 2015 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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March 18-24, 2015 online at www.connectionnewspapers.com

Oak Hill ❖ HerndonOak Hill ❖ HerndonPromotingInnovation

andCreativity

News, Page 4

NextStop Theatre in Herndon hosted aTEDx event on Saturday, March 14. One ofthe speakers was Stephanie Butler whoshared her experience of turning hermultiple sclerosis diagnosis into a calling.

Local TeensCompete in

Science BowlNews, Page 3

Page 9

NextStop Produces‘The Secret Garden’Entertainment, Page 8

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NewsHerndon Connection Editor Kemal Kurspahic

703-778-9414 or [email protected]

By Marissa Beale

The Connection

Students from area local middleschools traveled to Newport Newsto compete in the regional com-petition for the U.S. Department

of Energy Office of Science’s National Sci-ence Bowl (NSB) at the Jefferson NuclearLab. The competition took place Saturday,March 7. Students from Longfellow MiddleSchool will compete in the National Finals,held in Washington, D.C. from April 30 toMay 4, for their first place win in Saturday’scompetition.

Other local schools at the competitionincluded Rachel Carson Middle School andthe Nysmith School for the Gifted inHerndon, and Joyce Kilmer Middle Schoolin Vienna. These five schools were part of atotal of 14 schools competing in NewportNews on March 7. The students were testedin a range of scientific disciplines, includ-ing biology, chemistry, earth science, phys-ics, energy, and math.

In 1991, the Department of Energy (DOE)created the National Science Bowl “to en-courage students to excel in mathematicsand science and to pursue careers in thesefields. Furthermore, “Approximately240,000 students have participated in theNational Science Bowl throughout its 24year history, and it is one of the nation’slargest science competitions.”

THE TEAM FROM RACHEL CARSONMiddle School (RCMS) came in secondplace to Longfellow Middle School at theregional competition on Saturday. This yearmarked the school’s fourth year competingin NSB, and every year they hope to im-prove.

“It was a very tough competition,” said

Rajani Kopparapu, parent coach of theteam. “They have to answer tossup ques-tions in five seconds. The team was answer-ing questions even before the question wascompleted.” They were head-to-head withLongfellow, and both teams were buzzingbefore the questions were even completedby the judges. As the students progressedin the competition, specificity in answeringthe question mattered just as much as howquickly they answered.

“The question missed was ‘What is thefunction of the occipital region of the brain,”said Kopparapu. “Students at Rachel CarsonMiddle School said ‘sight,’ but what thejudges were looking for was ‘vision.’”

For winning second place, however, the

students received a $500 check, awardedto the school, along with a trophy and indi-vidual certificates.

The competition was judged by scientistsand engineers at the Jefferson Lab, who thestudents had a chance to meet. “RCMS kidshave found it very inspiring to interact withscientists. They also get a tour of the laband goodies to take home,” said Kopparapu.Already, the students know how they wouldlike to see the money used.

“They would all like to see the moneyused for the sciences,” said Kopparapu.

At RCMS, the team to compete in theNational Science Bowl was selected from agroup of 120-150 students that showed upto take the test to qualify. From those stu-

dents, five were chosen to create the team.The students receive tremendous supportfrom teachers at the school.

STUDENTS FROM THE NYSMITHSchool for the Gifted and Talented wereawarded third place in the regional compe-tition of the NSB on Saturday.

The team members included ShaanBhandarkar, team captain AbhishekAllamsetty, Anusha Allamsetty, AjitKadazeru and Vaibhaz Sharma.

“I plan to join the high school sciencebowl as well. I think doing more compli-cated science will be really beneficial to me

Students from RachelCarson, NysmithSchool compete in theNational Science Bowl.

A Face-off in a Fast-Paced Competition

Photo courtesy of Rajani Kopparapu

Students that represented Rachel Caron MiddleSchool at the regional competition of the NationalScience Bowl. Back row from left: Kevin Wang (PeiqiWang), Nishanth Anand; front row from left:Neeyanth Kopparapu (captain), Jacob Fajer andRichard Wang.

Photo courtesy of Venkata Allamsetty

Team representing Nysmith School for the Gifted andTalented, back row from left: Anusha Allamsetty,Venkata Allamsetty (coach), Shaan Bhandarkar; frontrow from left: Vaibhav Sharma, Abhishek Allamsetty,and Ajit Kadaveru.

See Teens, Page 5

The Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce heldits annual education fundraiser March 7 at the Sala-mander Resort in Middleburg, raising thousands ofdollars to support students in Northern Virginia.

The James Bond-themed casino event attracted150 guests eager to “Pay It Forward” in support ofthe region’s future workforce.

“Our chamber is deeply committed to the educa-tion of local students and we are delighted to onceagain provide local businesses with a way to directlyimpact this vital community,” said Eileen Curtis,president and CEO of the Dulles Regional Chamberof Commerce. “It was a lovely evening, where en-tertainment and generosity paired to makeexceptional memories.”

Beneficiaries of the evening included thechamber’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineer-ing, and Math) scholarship program, which awardsa scholarship to one student at each of the six high

schools the chamber partners with annually.Other beneficiaries of the evening included the

Children’s Science Center, the Fairfax County Pub-lic Schools’ Homeless Liaison Office, and MobileHope Loudoun.

“Helping to make a difference in children’s livesgives me great satisfaction,” said Premier RealtyGroup Vice President Gina Poindexter, who onceagain served as chair of the event’s planning com-mittee and was instrumental in organizing theevening and bringing about its success. “It’s whatthis night is all about.”

Joining the evening’s title sponsor AeronauticalSystems Inc., other businesses stepped up to supportthe event, including Salamander Resort, Cox Busi-ness, Fantasy World Entertainment, RestonLimousine, HRI Associates, Systems Furniture Gal-lery, Middleburg Bank, Thompson Greenspon CPAs,and Cornerstones.

Dulles Chamber Casino Event Raises Thousands for EducationA bet on behalfof education isnever empty ...guests at theDulles RegionalChamber’sannual casinofundraiser foreducation en-joyed a selectionof blackjack,craps, rouletteand more.

Courtesy photo


By Ryan Dunn

The Connection

NextStop Theatre in the Townof Herndon hosted a TEDxevent on Saturday, March 14.In the spirit of ideas worth

spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people togetherto share a TED-like experience. TED (Tech-nology, Entertainment, Design) is a globalset of conferences run by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, under the slo-gan “Ideas Worth Spreading.”

TED was founded in 1984, and the an-nual conference series began in 1990. TED’searly emphasis was technology and design,consistent with its Silicon Valley origins, buthas since broadened its focus to includetalks on scientific, cultural and academictopics. This was the first TEDx to be hostedin Herndon.

At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and livespeakers combine to spark discussion andconnection in a group. Local, self-organizedevents are branded TEDx, where x meansindependently organized TED event. TheTED Conference provides general guidancefor the TEDx program, but individual TEDxevents are self-organized (subject to certainrules and regulations). Filming the eventwas a video crew from Herndon basedMoon Bounce Media. As of March 2015, theTEDx talk library contained films and pre-sentations from over 130 countries. “It isabout spreading ideas and creating commu-nity… hopefully these ideas will take rootafter the event,” said Joseph Plummer, or-ganizer for the TEDx Herndon.

PLUMMER is founder, president and Chief

Executive Officer of The Three Birds Foun-dation, a Herndon-based nonprofit thataims to forward alternative energy re-sources, particularly in low income schools.In addition to work with low-incomeschools, Three Birds has reached out toother schools to assist them with variousprojects and initiatives. Plummer said hewas encouraged by Mayor Merkel to inves-tigate the TEDx event. “Finding the speak-ers is a very interesting process,” saidPlummer. Sponsors for the Herndon TEDxevent included Katydid Kids and Cox Com-munications. Plummer said he sees theTEDx events as a way to continue promot-ing a culture of innovation and creativity.Many hope the success of this year’s eventmay be repeated again.

“Tedx Herndon started as the result of aconversation about ideas to improve thecommunity,” said Town of Herndon MayorLisa Merkel. “Herndon has always been a

place where people take ideas and bringthem into reality, we are innovators andrisk-takers, neighbors who work togetherto make things like the Fortnightly Libraryand ArtSpace happen. Herndon is wherehigh tech meets hometown, where the artsand technology intersect.” Also attendingthe presentation was Herndon’s Vice Mayor,Jennifer Baker.

Many of 15 persons participating in thepresentations were residents of NorthernVirginia. Within a set amount of time, eachof the speakers shared a story. The presen-tations ranged from a variety of topics, in-cluding Louise Edsall’s discussion on thevalue of honeybees, Tom “Tattoo Tom”Mitchell’s journey to promote childhoodcancer awareness, and Scott Sklar’s presen-tation on the future of personal energy use.Many in the audience agreed the speakerswere inspirational, bold and vulnerable,sometimes within the same 30 seconds. The

Tedx Herndon was a chance for the present-ers to share their passions.

Stephanie Butler shared how she turneda diagnosis for a chronic illness into a call-ing. In 2013 Butler was diagnosed withmultiple sclerosis (MS). Butler is now work-ing towards a degreeºto become a familynurse practitioner at Rutgers, she has al-ready become an MS certified nurse. But-ler is an advocate for MS research, serveson a committee for the Accelerated CureProject, and writes an MS blog, http://justkeepsmyelin.com. “I am not offering acure, but I am empowering people,” saidButler.

In addition to the presentations, artistictalent was also shared. This included mu-sic by Connor Edsall accompanied by Chris-topher Hunt, as well as choreography bymembers of Motion X Dance DC. StephanieLynn Dorrycott, artistic director of MotionX Dance DC, spoke about the dancecompany’s objectives and mission to pro-mote innovative and thought-provokingwork from a diverse range of establishedand emerging choreographers. MusicianAndrew Tufano shared some of his work,and spoke about the abilities available toartists in the today’s expanding freelancemarketplace. “What I am saying is thebreadth of one person’s potential has wid-ened,” said Tufano.

THE FOUR HOUR event’s final speakersincluded chief strategic consultant ofStokefire Tate Linden, executive director ofthe Council for the Arts of Herndon SigneFriedrichs, CEO and founder of OrganicBronzing Station Jennifer Wignall, andManager of School District Sustainabilitywith U.S. Green Building Council Anisa B.Metzger. Some of the presenters had neverspoken publicly before, and yet still cameto Tedx Herndon to share their stories.

“It is my hope that today’s event will leadto more ideas and more actions that makeHerndon and the world a better place,” saidMayor Merkel, who closed the event.

Town of Herndonhosts TEDx Herndonat NextStop Theatre.

Promoting Innovation and Creativity

In addition to presentations, artistic talent was shared at the March 14TEDx event in Herndon. This included choreography by members ofMotion X Dance DC. Stephanie Lynn Dorrycott, artistic director of Mo-tion X Dance DC shared the dance company’s objectives and mission.

Executive director of the Council for the Arts of Herndon (CAH) SigneFriedrichs spoke about the objectives of her organization and the localarts scene available within Herndon, including the ArtSpace Herndonarts gallery located on Center Street. "The most surprising thing aboutthe arts scene in your community could be you," said Friedrichs.

Photos by Ryan Dunn/The Connection

Connor Edsall accompanied by Christopher Hunt played music at theTEDx event held at NextStop Theatre on Saturday, March 14. Many in theaudience agreed the presentations at the event were inspirational, boldand vulnerable. The event was organized by Joseph Plummer.

News


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News

By Ken Moore

The Connection

Arthur Nachman told Herndon’s TownCouncil that their actions after Tuesday’scouncil hearing would be just as impor-tant to the Town’s future as their vote

Tuesday night, March 10.“After the vote is taken, you have to be united,” he

told Herndon’s seven councilmembers. “You are nowrepresenting the ordinance.”

“After the vote is taken, speaking disparaginglyagainst the ordinance does not do any good. Thatcauses derision,” Nachman said.

Herndon’s Council adopted an ordinance Tuesday,March 10 so Herndon’s next town election will beheld Nov. 8, 2016. Herndon’s local elections havetaken place in May since the Town was incorporatedin 1879. Herndon’s Town Council approved thechange March 10 by a 4-3 vote.

“I get it. Change is really hard. It’s hard in busi-ness, it’s hard in personal life, it’s hard in policy. It’sreally hard so I absolutely recognize that. But thecornerstone of democracy is participation,” said Jen-nifer Baker, vice mayor on the Council.

At Herndon precincts, between 75-80 percent ofregistered voters turned out for the November 2012

presidential election year, and approximately 38-45percent turned out during the midterm elections inNovember 2010, according to town records. In gen-eral, 20-25 percent of registered voters turn out forMay elections.

“When you know better, you do better,” Baker said.“May [elections] made a lot of sense for a long time.But we’ve done a lot of research and because of thatI feel very convinced that we now know Novemberwill be better choice going forward.”

ABOUT 35 people testified both for and againstmoving town elections to the fall. Hundreds voicedopinions during four public hearings in Novemberand December and by email and written testimonyto the Council.

Most talked Tuesday, from the heart, without notes.Some residents remained convinced that town elec-

tions should be separate from federal and state elec-tions to allow focus on town issues.

Council members Steve Mitchell, Dave Kirby andJasbinder Singh asked for a referendum. Each votedagainst moving town elections from the spring to theFall.

“If the town of Herndon wanted this, then I wouldsupport this 100 percent,” said Mitchell. “And I wouldknow this by a referendum.”

But those who supported the move spoke with asmuch enthusiasm for the Town as those who spokeagainst the change.

“If we stop and ask for a referendum on every-thing we do in Town, we will never get anythingdone,” said councilmember Sheila Olem.

Herndon’s next townelection will take placeNov. 8, 2016.

Herndon Election Changed for GoodFrom Page 3

in the future,” said AbhishekAllamsetty, the team’s captain.“My favorite part was the physi-cal science because it has al-ways intrigued me since I wasa little kid. It’s really cool to seethe mathematics and science,and also energy.”

Students are challenged invarious ways as competitors inthe competition. Some say themost challenging part is thequestions, while others say it isthe format of the game.

“I think it’s the buzzer whereit’s a game of chance,” saidVaibaz, a seventh grader on theteam. “Everyone knows the an-swer but it’s really about whois the fastest. I also liked thetype of questions.”

Used to doing well in NSB,students at Nysmith actuallyenjoyed a victory againstLongfellow Middle School dur-ing a portion of the competition.

“We beat Longfellow in thedouble elimination stage,” saidVenkata Allamsetty, the team’scoach. “When we eventually

had to play them again, we lostand that caused us to get thirdplace.”

The team prepared by com-peting against each other usingthe similar format in which theycompeted during the sciencebowl.

“We’d divide our five personteam up into groups of two andthree and practice every week-end. We started in the summerand worked until the weekendof competition,” said Abishek.As it got closer to thecompetition’s date, the teamincreased their amount of prac-tice, working for as long asthree hours to prepare.

“I think our team could havedone a little bit better. Until thelast few rounds we were doingbetter than I thought we woulddo, but at the last part, afterbeating the number one team,we were a little reckless, so letthe team buzz in a few ques-tions and that really cost us thecompetition.” For their win theyreceived a trophy and $300 togo toward the school’s sciencedepartment.

Local Teens Competein Science Bowl

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Opinion

The first meeting of the FairfaxCounty Ad Hoc Police PracticesReview Commission will takeplace next Monday, March 23, and

it comes with hope for real change.Police could take one step that would

signal that they are serious about re-gaining public trust.

Police departments in Northern Vir-ginia should let go of their relentless pursuitof secrecy. Police departments all over the coun-try routinely allow access to police reports, in-cident reports, dashboard video and manyother sources of information without harm, allthings that police here refuse to allow the pub-lic to see.

The first paragraph of Virginia Freedom ofInformation Act, passed by the General Assem-bly in 1968, states that all public records “shallbe presumed open.” But the legislation includesan exception that allows police to withhold

“complaints, memoranda, correspondence,case files or reports, witness statements andevidence.”

Police officials in Fairfax (and also in Arling-ton and Alexandria) have adopted what theycall a “blanket” approach to using their exemp-tion. That means they have decided to with-hold any document they can without any analy-sis of whether they should, whether the caseis open or closed, whether they are about a“police-involved shooting” or information re-quested by a family about a homicide victim.

It is only because of legal action bythe family of John Geer, shot dead by aFairfax County police officer in thedoorway to his own home in August

2013, and the resulting court order that weknow details of what happened that day. Andwhat we now know confirms that the infor-mation released by police was incomplete andmisleading at best.

We’ve learned that we cannot trust the lead-ership at the Fairfax County Police Departmentto tell the truth voluntarily on these matters.(See Editorial: “Not the First or Only Time,”Connection, Feb. 11, 2015.)

Repeating what we have said in this spacemany times: Police wield power unlike any

other entity — the power to detain and ques-tion, the power to arrest, the power to respondwith force when necessary, sometimes deadlyforce.

With that power, comes responsibility — theresponsibility to operate openly and with trans-parency, the responsibility to make availablethe greatest possible amount of information,especially the responsibility to provide thepublic with a full picture of what happenedwhen something goes wrong.

Most Northern Virginia residents think veryhighly of their police. We are very safe here.People understand that sometimes mistakeshappen, that sometimes force is needed, andthat sometimes police will exercise deadlyforce. What they are unlikely to accept is se-crecy that shrouds mistakes, and failure to takeresponsibility for explaining events of deadlyforce.

It’s clear that discretion about when to with-hold information cannot be left up to the po-lice department.—Mary Kimm, Editor and Publisher

[email protected]

Mary Kimm is a member of the Ad Hoc Police Prac-tices Review Commission; news coverage of police issueswill continue to be the responsibility of reporters at theConnection.

On Police Information and SecrecyTime for change inpublic access to policeinformation.

Editorial

By Kenneth R. “Ken” Plum

State Delegate (D-36)

Previous columns have fo-cused on major legislationpassed in the 2015 General

Assembly session, but this columnwill describe other legislation thatpassed. Implications for these billsmay be more limited in the num-ber of persons affected, but youcan be sure that for those personsthese bills may be the most impor-tant. For example, GovernorMcAuliffe has already signed leg-islation to decriminalize the use ofoils derived from the marijuanaplant to treat persons with severeepilepsy. I had introduced one ofthe bills to accomplish this pur-pose. A bill was also passed thatallows terminally ill patients un-der physician’s supervision to takeinvestigational drugs that havebeen cleared for the first phase ofclinical trials before getting finalFDA approval.

Legislation already signed by theGovernor allows transportationnetwork companies like Uber andLyft to operate in Virginia whenthey have met licensing require-ments including appropriate insur-ance and background checks fordrivers. The threshold for ex-panded state licensing and regu-lation of day care providers wasreduced from the current six tofive or more children unrelated to

the owner in a home.A national back-ground check withfingerprinting will berequired, and unli-censed providers mustadvise parents in writ-ing. This crack-downcomes amidst prob-lems in some homesthat resulted in thedeath of a child.

Another measurerequires health insurance provid-ers to include coverage for the di-agnosis and treatment of autismspectrum disorders in childrenaged two through ten. Current lawonly requires coverage throughage six. In response to concernsabout heroin and prescriptiondrug abuse, legislation was passedto encourage persons to report an-other person’s overdose and re-main on the scene without fear ofprosecution for minor possessionor intoxication. Under a pilot pro-gram, use of the prescription drugnaloxone to counteract the effectsof heroin or opioid overdose wasexpanded.

All common sense gun safetymeasures were defeated in a sub-committee of five in the House ofDelegates, but a bill that wouldrequire Virginia to recognize theright to possess firearms of out-of-state felons whose gun rights havebeen restored in their home state

passed without myvote. Hopefully theGovernor will vetothe bill. A bill thatwould have allowedstate government theability to keep secretinformation aboutdrugs used in execu-tions and the drugs’manufacturers wasdefeated in theHouse of Delegates.

Legislation to limitthe warrantless collection of per-sonal information by law enforce-ment when there is no reasonablesuspicion of criminal activitypassed as did legislation to restrict

Commentary

The Connection welcomes views on any public issue.The deadline for all material is noon Friday. Letters must be signed.Include home address and home and business numbers. Letters are

routinely edited for libel, grammar, good taste and factual errors. Sendto:

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Write

What Else Was Done?to seven days the retention of in-formation gathered by licenseplate readers that is unrelated toan ongoing criminal investigation.A bill passed that requires law en-forcement and regulatory agenciesto get search warrants before fly-ing drones except in emergenciesor training activities.

A bill to repeal the King’s Domin-ion law that requires school sys-tems to start school after LaborDay failed with my voting againto repeal it. School calendarsshould be set by school boards, notthe legislature. An ethics billpassed but with I believe glaringdeficiencies that I will address ina future column.

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Sports

By Jon Roetman

The Connection

The Oakton girls’ basketball team ar-rived in Richmond riding a 26-game win streak, having captured

Conference 5 and 6A North region champi-onships along the way.

But nothing could have prepared the Cou-gars for the shooting performance theywould encounter in Friday’s state semifinalmatchup with Bethel.

The Bruins knocked down a flurry of mid-range jumpers, shot better than 50 percentfrom the field and did not miss from 3-pointrange. Bethel started the game with an 11-0 run, led 17-4 in the opening quarter andheld an 11-point advantage entering thefourth.

Oakton didn’t play poorly. Five playersscored at least eight points, one player re-corded a double-double, and the teamshowed resiliency in battling back frommultiple double-digit deficits.

But at the end of the night, with a berthin the state final on the line, the Cougarswould walk out of VCU’s Siegel Center witha parting gift in the form of a life lesson.

OAKTON’S STELLAR SEASON endedwith a 73-63 loss to Bethel in the 6A statesemifinals on March 13. The Cougars, whohadn’t lost since Dec. 4, had no answer fora Bruins team that shot 23-of-40 (58 per-cent) from the field and made all six of its

to stop.”Bethel scored the game’s first 11 points,

including a trio of 3-pointers from guardKayla James, and led 17-4 late in the firstquarter.

“I think it was kind of just nerves in thebeginning,” Marquis said. “We all knew wecould play better and we finally just cametogether and started playing like we knowhow to play together and it started work-ing for us.”

Oakton pulled to within six at halftimeand trailed 32-28 when Karlie Cronin scoredearly in the third quarter, but Bethel ex-tended the lead to 11 by the end of the pe-riod.

The Cougars were down 12 with 7:09 leftwhen they made their final push. Oaktonwent on a 9-0 run and outscored Bethel 17-7 over the a 4-minute, 31-second stretch,cutting the Bruins’ lead to 63-61 with Mar-quis’ three-point play.

After Bethel missed a pair of free throws,Oakton had the chance to tie or take thelead with 2:28 remaining, but the Cougarsturned it over. The Bruins then pulled awayby making 10 consecutive free throws.

James finished with 21 points for Bethel.She shot 7-of-8 from the field and made allfive of her 3-point attempts. Kyra Williamsalso scored 21 points and made 11 of 12free-throw attempts.

“They played a great game,” Cronin said.“We just tried to keep our composurethroughout. They were shooting lights out

and it’s hard to keep up with them.”Marquis, a junior, and sophomore

Delaney Connolly each finished 16 pointsfor Oakton. Connolly finished with adouble-double, grabbing 11 rebounds.

Cronin, a senior, scored 13 points, andsenior Lindsey Abed and sophomore MaddieRoyle each added eight.

OAKTON FINISHED the season with a27-2 record and only one loss to an in-stateopponent.

“I’m certainly proud of what this team didall season,” Cronin said. “I thought we grewas it went on. It wasn’t our best game butwe still played really well and I’m sad ofhow it came to an end. I love this team.”

The Cougars will lose Cronin (SMU) andAbed (University of Hartford) to gradua-tion, but will return a trio of standouts.

“I think we have a good group returning,”Priester said. “We’ve got some big holes tofill — Karlie will be a big hole to fill, Lindseywill be a big hole to fill — but we have Alexand Delaney and Maddie. They’ll learn fromthis. Are we going to be back again? I don’tknow. But they’ll learn something from herethat has nothing to do basketball.

“Like I told you, sometimes you give yourvery best, you do everything you can, youdo all your preparation, you show up ontime, you do all the things people say you’resupposed to do and it’s just not goodenough. That’s a lesson way beyond bas-ketball.”

Oakton junior Alex Marquis dribbles around a pick set by teammateDelaney Connolly (44) during the Cougars’ state semifinal loss to Bethel.

Oakton fans cheer for the Cougars during the 6A girls’ basketball statesemifinals on March 13 at VCU’s Siegel Center.

Oakton senior Karlie Cronin shootsagainst Bethel during the 6A statesemifinals on March 13 at VCU’sSiegel Center.

Hot-Handed Bethel too Much for Oakton Cougars fall instate semifinals.

3-point attempts. Oakton pulled to withintwo when Alex Marquis’ three-point play cutthe Bethel lead to 63-61 with 2:38 left inthe fourth quarter, but the Bruins made 10straight free throws in the final 90 secondsto clinch the win.

“What I did tell them [after the game] isthat sometimes you give your very best andit’s not enough, and that’s a lesson not onlyfor basketball but for life,” Oakton headcoach Fred Priester said. “All you can everdo is the very best that you could, and theydid. We got off to a slow start and they justcontinued to hit shots. … They were hard

Pho

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Sat., March 28, 2015

for receipt by Friday, March 28, 201420191

Mail checks with name, address, phone, e-mail &delivery instructions, payable to Reston Lions Charities,for receipt by Saturday, March 21, 2015 to Reston Lions

Club, 2246 Southgate Sq., Reston, VA 20191

$4.70$4.90

$4.90$4.70

By David Siegel

The Connection

The beloved novel,“The Secret Gar-den” by FrancesHodgson Burnett,

has been transformed into amusical that will be gracing thestage at NextStop Theatre. It is“a joyful, entertaining storyabout the enduring power oflove, through all obstacles andacross all boundaries,” saidEvan Hoffmann, director of theNextStop production.

With “some of the most fan-tastic music that I have ever hadthe pleasure of working on,” theproduction is a musical journeyof an orphaned girl dealing withheartbreak to find redemption.“It is a very honest and thought-ful examination of the power-ful (and sometimes painful)bonds that hold a family to-gether,” added Hoffmann.

“The Secret Garden” is a mul-tiple Tony Award winning showwith a score of about 30 num-bers by Marsha Norman andLucy Simon. Music directorSteve Przybyski and a seven-piece orchestra will give vi-brancy to a wide-array of eclec-tic music, “from sweepingwaltzes to heartbreaking bal-lads to high-energy folk-rock,and stopping everywhere inbetween.” With a set design byAndrew Cohen, the audiencewill be transported from “aYorkshire manor, the moors,India, and a magical garden.”

Bobby Libby who portrays Dr.Neville Craven, called “The Se-cret Garden” “a gorgeously richand intricate score…a movingstory that is a meditation on lossand love” The themes are “uni-versal; it’s the epitome of a

show that can appeal to audi-ences of all ages and back-grounds.”

Katie Keyser described hercharacter of Lily as “the guid-ing light in this story” represent-ing “the peace” that others seek.Without giving away too muchfor those less familiar with “TheSecret Garden,” Lily’s characterhas a profound effect that is keyto the show’s redemption quali-ties. “She found simple plea-sures in being surrounded bynature when tending to hergarden…She yearns for herhusband and her child to findhappiness.”º

The musical has two childcharacters. NextStop will havefour young actors rotating intothe roles. As “Mary,” IsabellaBrody and Maggie Slivka. As“Colin,” Eli Schulman andEthan Van Slyke

Why will audiences of allages enjoy “The Secret Gar-den?” Cast as Archibald, JohnLoughney said, “to put it sim-ply, it ’s a gorgeous scorecoupled with a touchingstory.” Kesyer added, “comefor the story and the music! Itis a retell ing of a classicchildren’s story, dealing withheartbreaking loss and changeand how, through the eyes ofa child, discovering a new lifeis always possible.”

Where and WhenNextStop Theatre presents The Se-

cret Garden at the IndustrialStrength Theatre, 269 Sunset ParkDrive, Herndon. Performances:March 26-April 19. Thursdays at7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Satur-days at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m.,Saturday, April 11 and April 18 at 2p.m. and 8 p.m., Sunday, April 12 at2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets: $35. Call866-811-4111 or visit http://www.nextstoptheatre.org/

NextStop produces magical“The Secret Garden.”

RedemptiveMusical Journey

Katie Keyser who playsLily in the NextStopTheatre production of“The Secret Garden.”

John Loughney who playsArchibald in the NextStopTheatre production of“The Secret Garden.”

THURSDAY/MARCH 19-SATURDAY/MARCH 21Reston Friends Children’s Book

Sale. 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. RestonRegional Library, 11925 BowmanTowne Drive, Reston. We have allyour favorite children’s book authors,plus teaching materials. Comebrowse and buy. All ages. http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/rr/.

SATURDAY/MARCH 21Northern Virginia Housing Expo.

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Herndon HighSchool, 700 Bennett Street, Herndon.The Northern Virginia Housing Expo,a free public event showcasing rentaland first time ownershipopportunities in the region. Expoplanners also announced a new website that will link visitors looking torent or buy in Northern Virginia withvaluable region wide resources. Athttp://www.novahousingexpo.org,visitors will find resourcescategorized by jurisdiction as well asinformation on the upcomingNorthern Virginia Housing Expo.

Weekend Bluegrass ConcertSeries: Mountain Faith. 7:30p.m. Holy Cross Lutheran Church,1090 Sterling Road, Herndon.Mountain Faith is a relatively newgroup of young musicians who arecarrying on the legacy of traditionalbluegrass and bluegrass gospelmusic.

MONDAY/MARCH 23Terrific Twos. 11 a.m. Herndon

Fortnightly Library, 768 CenterStreet, Herndon. Up Above the WorldSo High - Engage in wondermentwith your little one as we explore theworld above with stories, songs and

rhymes. Age 2 with adult. To registervisit http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/he/.

TUESDAY/MAR. 24 - SUNDAY/APR. 5Herndon High School Art Exhibit.

ArtSpace Herndon, 750 CenterStreet, Herndon. Art teachers atHerndon High School invite seniorartist to show painting, photographs,drawings and digital art. http://www.artspaceherndon.com/mind-heart-vision/

TUESDAY/MARCH 24Baby Lapsit. 10:30 a.m. Reston

Regional Library, 11925 BowmanTowne Drive, Reston. Enjoy nurseryrhymes, songs and stories. Build anearly literacy foundation for yourchild while enjoying time together.Birth-11 months with adult. Toregister visit http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/rr/.

Director’s Choice Book Club. 7 p.m.Reston Regional Library, 11925Bowman Towne Drive, Reston. SamClay, Director of Fairfax CountyPublic Library, leads a monthly bookdiscussion. The title this month isThe Orchardist by Amanda Coplin.http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/rr/.

WEDNESDAY/MARCH 25It’s Pancake Story Time. 7 p.m.

Reston Regional Library, 11925Bowman Towne Drive, Reston.Flapjacks on the griddle; maple treesap on the run; Busia‘s coming out ofhibernation. Please join us for familystorytime fun! All ages. To registervisit http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/rr/.

I’m a Builder! Storytime withWood Blocks. 11 a.m. HerndonFortnightly Library, 768 CenterStreet, Herndon. Creativity, scientificthinking, problem solving, andlanguage skills all come into play aswe use wood blocks tobuild,explore,create, and learn(STEAM). Age 3-5 with adult. Toregister visit http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/he/.

Mind, Heart, Vision ArtistReception. 6-8 p.m. ArtSpaceHerndon, 750 Center Street,Herndon. Every spring art teachers atHerndon High School invite seniorartists to participate in a juried artshow at ArtSpace Herndon. Theexhibit includes paintings,photographs, drawings, and digitalart. The student artwork on exhibitwill also be available for purchase.The exhibit and artists reception arefree and open to the public. For moreinformation visit our website: http://www.artspaceherndon.com/mind-heart-vision/. 703-956-6590.

THURSDAY/MARCH 26World Class Irish Pianist. Reston

Community Center, 2310 Colt NecksRoad, Reston. 2:15-3:40 p.m. Hearworld class Irish pianist JohnO’Conor perform. He is famous forhis breathtaking performances withsome of the most impressiveorchestras around the world,including the London Symphony, theRoyal Philharmonic, the ViennaSymphony, and l’Orchestra Nationalde France. The concert is free to thepublic. Sign up at: http://www.restoncommunitycenter.com/attend-shows-events-exhibits/centerstage-schedule

Storytime for Threes to Fives.10:30 a.m. Reston Regional Library,11925 Bowman Towne Drive,Reston. An early literacy programwith stories and activities. Age 3-5with adult. Register online at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/rr/.

SATURDAY/MARCH 28Celtibillies. 8 p.m. ArtSpace Herndon,

750 Center Street, Herndon. TheDominion Notes Concert Seriescontinues with the Celtibillies joinedby Emily Oleson. The Celtibillies, anaward-winning quartet ofoutstanding musicians fromAbington, Virginia, play stringedinstruments in the style of theScottish and Irish immigrants whosettled in the Virginia Frontier. Ledby the fiddle, an instrumentoriginating in the Isles, the bandplays Celtic tunes with a mountainflavor.

They will be joined by a professionalflat-footed dancer, Emily Oleson,performing Celtic and Appalachiandance. Tickets are $15. To purchasetickets got to: http://www.artspaceherndon.com/dominion-notes-concert-series/. Formore information call 703-956-6590.

Sugarland Run Stream andRunnymede Park Clean-up. 8a.m. - 12 p.m. Runnymede Park, 195Herndon Parkway, Herndon. Choosebetween stream clean-up or nativeplant garden assignments, bring workgloves and suitable clothing. Meet atmain entrance.

To volunteer contact the Town Forester.703-787-7380.

Aqua Egg Hunt. 1:30 p.m. - 4 p.m.Herndon Community Center Pool,814 Ferndale Ave, Herndon. Join usfor our Aqua Egg Hunt wherechildren will collect as many floatingand sinking eggs as possible in thetime allowed.

Everyone will receive a prize. Ages 16and under. Register online http://www.herndon-va.gov/content/parks_rec/specialevents/ or call 703-787-7300.

Send announcements to [email protected]. The deadline is theFriday prior to the following week’s paper. Photos/artwork encouraged.

Calendar


By Marilyn Campbell

The Connection

Though the official start of springis still days away and the frigid-ity of winter is still recent on theminds of many, Janelle Wright,

a Potomac, Md., mother of two, has alreadymapped out the summer for her children.

Wright did research before signing up her13-year-old daughter, Corrine, in an aca-demic camp geared toward boosting herEnglish composition skills, and enrolling her12-year-old son, Teddy, in a camp for chil-dren whose needs fall just outside the norm.

Indeed, experts say social interactions, achance to have fun and an opportunity tofill the time between family trips are justsome of the benefits of summer camps.

There are camps for every child, no mat-ter their needs.

“I spoke to the camp and shared withthem up front that my son might need helpsocializing with other kids,” said Wright.“He might need directions repeated to him.I did that so I could drive away in peaceknowing that he’d be fine. It’s different for

my daughter because she doesn’t have anychallenges. I don’t have to call the campand talk to them like I do with my son.”

WHETHER A CHILD is typical or fallsslightly outside the norm, doing a bit of re-search and exercising forethought are goodideas when selecting summer programs. Infact, advanced planning and registration forsummer camp is essential in the Washing-ton, D.C., region, say educators.

“It’s important to find an activity that kidsalready like to do. It’s summer so kidsshould have fun,” said Linda Gulyn, Ph.D.,professor of psychology at Marymount Uni-versity in Arlington.

“Choose a camp where they won’t feellonely. It helps to sign them up with a buddy,especially in late elementary and middleschool so they’ll have one or two people atcamp they already know. That really doesmatter.”

If choosing a specialty camp, summermight not be the time for embarking on anew activity, however. “Summer camps maynot be a time to have kids do somethingcompletely new,” she said. “For example, ifa child has never played golf, you might notwant to invest money in a golf camp if youaren’t sure your child will enjoy it. A childneeds to feel like this is not school wherethey are struggling to learn a new activity.”

The most important thing is for parentsto do their research.

“Interview the camp director, said LoisMcCabe, head of school for The DienerSchool in Potomac. “What does the day looklike? How structured or unstructured is it?It is good to have a mix of both.”

This is particularly true for children withspecial needs. “You want to make sure thecamp understands the needs of specialneeds children,” said McCabe. “You don’t

want to throw them in this big unstructuredenvironment with other kids and hope forthe best. You want to make sure your child’speer groups understand your child.”

SOME DAY CAMPS are structured to al-low parents to choose the week their childwill attend camp based on the camper’s in-terests.

“We have a theme for every week that ispacked with field trips and special events”said Fred Lowery, owner of Kiddie Countryin Burke, which is running 11 weeks ofcamp this summer. “All of the camp activi-ties are related to the theme. There are fieldtrips to the Maryland Science Center, aWashington Mystics game, Reptiles Aliveand Hershey Park. On site, we have every-thing from mad science to jugglers to swim-ming.”

Traditional camp experiences, like oppor-tunities for socializing with peers, are stillfound in specialty camps.

“As [campers] learn to identify, measureand combine ingredients, they are alsolearning important life skills, working to-gether as a team and ultimately creating adelicious meal,” said Jennifer Bashaw, cur-riculum development coordinator at TinyChefs, Inc. “Children leave our camps witha greater confidence in their kitchen skillsand personal creativity.”

Photo courtesy of Summer at Norwood

When choosing a summer camp,parents should consider signing uptheir children with friends todecrease the chance of loneliness.

How parents can ensure positive summerexperiences for their children.

The Right Fit: Choosing a Summer Camp


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It always does, and there always are;especially if you have to work for a liv-ing and cancer is a part of that living.Granted, I’m extremely happy to beable to still make a living, cancer diag-nosis notwithstanding, but a cancerdiagnosis, particularly a “terminal” one,is hardly “notwithstanding.” In fact, it isalmost impossible to withstand. Ohsure, there are good days, and of coursebad days, but mostly – for me, anyway,there is a daze in between. And that“between” is what’s rocky about thishard place.

Since most things cost money, andmoney doesn’t grow on trees (nor is itmade from trees by the way); allocatingit, when you have cancer, is compli-cated. Do I spend it now (whether Ihave it or not), as a means of reinforc-ing a positive but premature end? Ordo I not spend it and plan for a longer-than-predicted life expectancy whiledepriving myself of the pleasure in theinterim? Or do I rationalize the expen-diture and reward myself for goodbehavior – so to speak, figuring that thehigh will be more beneficial than thelow and create exactly the kind ofenergy my body needs to combat thecancer? Or do I minimize all of it andlive my life as normally as possible? Ifonly it were that simple.

“Normally as possible” left the build-ing on February 27, 2009, the date Ireceived my stage IV, non-small celllung cancer diagnosis (my ground zero)with its “13-month to two-year progno-sis.” At that point, your brain stopsfunctioning as it has for the entirety ofyour previous life (541⁄2 years for me).Life, as you knew it, is sort of over; notdone, but most assuredly, it will be dif-ferent, and your perspective and emo-tional underpinnings will be changedforever – whether you expect them tobe or not.

It doesn’t mean, as an example, thatyou’ll never laugh again or make self-effacing jokes, but neither can you lookat, or live, life as naively as you have.Living forward becomes way morecomplicated, and viewing it all, plan-ning for it all, can only be consideredthrough the prism of cancer. Andthough certainly I can boast of somesuccess surviving six-plus years post-diagnosis, it really has been mind overmatter. Even though cancer is constantlyon my mind, I’ve tried not to let it mat-ter. (Much easier written about thanactually managed.)

Juggling emotions has been difficultenough, but managing money, allocat-ing resources and planning a financialfuture while living a precarious present,is all it’s cracked up to be. Yet, if I don’tfind a way to maintain my status quo/balance emotionally, I may very wellbecome a victim of my own circum-stance. As much as I’d like to invokeCurly Howard (while looking in the mir-ror): “I’m too young to die, too hand-some; well, too young, anyway” as anarbiter of reason, the reality is: cancer isthe big dog and I’m just sitting here onthe porch.

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

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

MoneyMatters


Promoting Innovation TEDx event on Saturday, March 14. One ...connectionarchives.com/PDF/2015/031815/Herndon.pdf · TEDx event on Saturday, March 14. One of the speakers was Stephanie

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