Friday, May 11, 2012
Rachael's entry was selected from close to two dozen nominations.
It's hard raising one child, nevermind five. But that's what the 2012 "Best Mom in Fairfax County" is doing. Her daughter, Rachael, called her "amazing." Rachael's entry was randomly chosen from almost two dozen that Patch received. Rachael and her mother won a $50 gift card and, of course, bragging rights. See all the entries here. Congratulations and Happy Mother's Day!
Give us a leader with these qualities.
Dr. Zuluaga, If past practice is any guide, you knew who was going to be the next principal at South Lakes High School before Bruce Butler announced his retirement. The job's wired to some crony of someone at the FCPS Central office (Gatehouse) and this whole exercise is a charade. Surprise us. Do it different this time. I had four children go to South Lakes High School from 1996 through 2010. That covers the tenures of Bill Harper, Railly Rodriguez and Bruce Butler. Please appoint a person as head principal at South Lakes who will give us some leadership because I didn't experience any leadership from any of our head principals at South Lakes during that entire 15 years one of my kids was there. Malcolm Gladwell writes that it takes …
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
"The actors at South Lakes High School succeeded in presenting a high-energy, exciting performance of this well-known musical."
By Joseph Biagini Westfield High School With true love, next to anything is possible, but when lover’s paths seem to flow in opposite directions, the resulting outcome has the potential for unimaginable disaster. South Lakes High School recently presented the ultimate story of star-crossed lovers found on the American stage, West Side Story. West Side Story, with book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, was first produced in 1957 with original Jerome Robbins choreography, going on to have a magnificent influence on the course of American musical theatre. Based on Shakespeare’s play Romeo & Juliet, this musical replaces Montagues with a gang of New-Yorker boys, the Jets, and the Capulets with an…
Saturday, May 5, 2012
For a chance to win a $50 gift certificate, upload a photo of your mom and a note about why she rocks.
This contest is now closed and we'll be notifying our winner shortly! Poets write about them. Strong men cry in their presence. We honor them each year with a special day punctuated by hearts and flowers, and perhaps even breakfast in bed. Don't just settle for all the customary ways to celebrate how awesome your mom is. Instead, upload a photograph of her to this article and write a caption telling us what's so great about the moms of Fairfax County. Next Friday, May 11 at noon, we'll randomly pick a winner and call her the "Best Mom of Fairfax County." Now that's a gift. But if that's not enough, we'll also award you a $50 gift certificate to spend any way you want on mom. (C'mon, dads, if your kids can't upload a photo of your …
Friday, May 4, 2012
"To say that this funding arrangement, agreed to by MWAA, Loudoun, and Fairfax county officials, is unfair, inequitable, and potentially counter-productive is a gross understatement," Reston 2020 says.
Reston 2020's Terry Maynard sent a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and other officials on Friday, again outlining the costs of Meto's Silver Line Phase 2 to Dulles Toll Road users: Dear Mr. Secretary, As members of the Board of the Reston Citizens Association and its community planning committee, Reston 2020, we have followed your efforts to make the Metrorail Silver Line succeed with great interest. Your efforts and those of FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff last year were helpful in shifting some of the official “project“ costs to local governments. And your effort this week is to end MWAA’s intransigent stance on PLAs and encourage Loudoun’s continued participation is appreciated. Yet these efforts barely touch on the …
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Congressman welcoming Reston back to the 11th District with telephone town hall.
- GOVERNMENT
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Thursday, April 26
As a result of the Congressional redistricting plan passed by Virginia's General Assembly earlier this year, Reston has been moved back into the 11th Congressional District from the 8th district. I've had the privilege of representing the 11th District in Congress since 2009, after 14 years on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, the last five as Chairman. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to represent your wonderful community once again. Reston founder Bob Simon recently celebrated his 98th birthday, and I was proud to join Restonians in honoring him at this year’s Founder’s Day. I’ve known Bob for nearly two decades, and for me, he represents all that is great about Reston. In the last few months, I have spent a lot of time in…
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
A NY Times article explores the era of the $250 baseball bat.
- OPINION
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Wednesday, April 25
Have you bought a baseball glove for your Little Leaguer lately? Did you pay more than $100 for it? How about a $250 bat? A New York Times story headlined "Big Price Tags Attached to Even the Littlest Leagues," looks at the big business of equipping youngsters for participation in youth baseball and softball leagues, quoting those costs and more. "A batting helmet protects tiny heads for $39.99," the Times reports. "A pair of Nike Jordan Black Cat cleats will make your child fast and fashionable at $51.99 until he or she outgrows them." Meanwhile, registration fees everywhere are getting pricey too. Reston Little League fees begin at $80 for T-ball and rise through $145 for AA, AAA and Majors. Those fees are pretty much in line with other …
Monday, April 23, 2012
Reston 2020 says population forecasts may be overstated as well.
Reston 2020's Terry Maynard sent this letter to the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors and Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) on Sunday. Dear Honorable Members of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, As a person active in trying to address the huge financing issues surrounding the planned construction of Phase 2 of the Silver Line on behalf of Restonians, I want to take a moment to commend you for your serious examination of the benefits and costs of extending Metrorail to Loudoun County. All the more so in light of the unanimous, uninformed, knee-jerk re-affirmation of the current financial arrangements for Phase 2 by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. I have no idea whether, in the end, you will approve or disapprove rail to Loudoun; …
Thursday, April 12, 2012
A few parting words from former Reston Association President Kathleen Driscoll McKee.
Best-selling American author Jim Rohn tell us, "Attitude determines how much of the future we are allowed to see. It decides the size of our dreams and influences our determination when we are faced with new challenges. No other person on Earth has dominion over our attitude." I accept that challenge. I am writing my own future and looking both ahead and back. Nobody likes to leave a good party, and while Reston Association may not be considered by some to be a party, it is consider by all to be a fine organization. It has been more than an honor and a privilege to serve on the RA Board of Directors for the last six years. It has been work -- exiting, frustrating, satisfying, fun and, a joy. None of this would have been possible …
Friday, April 6, 2012
With the release of the film Bully, Cinema Siren takes a look at documentaries seeking to help make the world better for children. Bully's rating was changed from "unrated" to "PG13" on Friday.
The Weinstein Co. has made the choice to open the new documentary Bully on April 13th, the same day as Joss Whedon's The Cabin in the Woods and Luc Besson's Lockdown, hoping to appeal to the more sophisticated and socially aware film goers. In advance of this release, Cinema Siren thought to create a list of documentaries aiming to help children grow up in a more joyful world—a list of movies important to their welfare and safety. These are not necessarily movies for children to watch, but rather those that have made or are trying to make a difference in their lives. It is fascinating to me that I found so much controversy in my research for this list. It seems most documentaries encounter some kind of resistance, or have issues. In the …
valerie kappler
4:49 pm on Saturday, May 12, 2012
Those of us who have had the honor of knowing Mary all these years we have to agree she is amazing and deserves this recognition! Great job Rachel and Mary!!! more ›