Community News & Notes

Congratulations to Roth West (left) who received a $100 check from Chester W. DeLong for winning a logo design contest held at George Mason. Roth's design was chosen from 21 submissions and will be the official logo of the Mary Riley Styles Public Library Foundation Trust. The trust offers a way to give long-term support to the library through an endowment fund.

In efforts to combat that time of year when nearly half of all traffic deaths are alcohol related, Falls Church area officials are preparing to launch an anti-drunk driving initiative to reduce St. Patrick’s Day alcohol-related traffic accidents throughout Falls Church.

Offered by the Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP), the St. Patty’s Day SoberRide program will be in operation on Thursday, March 17 from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. the following day as a way to keep local roads safe from impaired drivers. During the 12-hour period, area residents who are celebrating with alcohol are encouraged to call the toll-free SoberRide phone number 1-800-200-TAXI and be afforded a free (up to $50 fare) and safe way home.

Congratulations to Francisco E Cano, a candidate for an undergraduate degree from Southern Illinois University.

First Lieutenant Alexander E. Wetherbee, USMC, will be honored at the McLean High School/Potomac School Boy’s Lacrosse game on April 2, at 5 p.m. at McLean High School. Lt. Wetherbee was killed in action on September 12, 2004 while serving in Anbar Province in Iraq. The McLean Boosters Club, McLean Lacrosse alumni, and the current McLean High School Boys Lacrosse team and coaches are conducting this special ceremony in honor of Alex. All fans and are youth lacrosse players are encouraged to attend.

For local dog owners who think their pets have star quality, Milk-Bones is bringing its national Milk-Bone Make Your Dog Famous Search contest to Chantilly in an effort to find new faces to adorn its Milk-Bone Original Dog Biscuits boxes. Entries will be judged on photogenic appeal, cuteness and personality with the top 20 finalists- five dogs in each of the four categories- getting posted on www.milk-bone.com/famous from September 13, 2005 to October 4, 2005, where consumers will vote to pick winners. Four grand prize winners will be featured on the front of a Milk-Bone Original Biscuits box and will receive a professional photo shoot, $250 in cash and a free one-year supply of Milk-Bone dog snacks.

Congratulations to Odyssey of the Mind Teams from Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, who earned a first-, second- or third-place finish in each of the five problems at the regional competition. 14 teams from TJ competed against more than 110 teams at the regionals on Saturday, March 12 in Alexandria. The two first place teams will be going to the State Level of competition in April.

Earning first place in the Laugh-a-Thon problem are fifth graders Danny Seidita, Lia Cattaneo, Jack Trainor, Paul Henninger, Kate Sanders, Claire Constance and Max Kaplow. Also competing in the Laugh-a-Thon problem was the team of Curt Hansen, Caleb Royce, Connor Haft, Patrick Young and Beau Butts.

Earning first place in the Crazy Columns problem was the fifth-grade team of Campbell Kennett, Shaheer Ahmed, Andrew Finein, Peter Grant, Alex Chadwick and Jake King. The other two Crazy Columns teams from TJ were Savannah Ruiz, Hadleigh Rhodes, Claire Acosta, Stephan Cotner and Jamie Snyder; and Claire Kett, Nick Dorr, Pamela Arias, May Williamson, Sarah Rodock and Lily Slonim.

Earning second place in Stunt Mobiles were fourth graders Alex McMillen, Ethan Anderson, Will Nunley, Jesse Schaffer, Stephanie Cheney, Julia Estrada and Tim Donis. The other two Stunt Mobiles teams were Matthew Butkiewicz, Nora Butkiewicz, Rebecca Thackrey, Sara Baygents, Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Siebeland Samantha Cherukuri; and Adam Witzel, Ryan Pile, Sumner Askin, AJ Borgese and John Jacobs.

Earning second place in the Get the Message problem were third graders Rebecca Moot, Ashley Alexander, Jaya Chavern, Courtney King, Jenna Burnett, Claire Trevisan and Samantha Porzel. Earning third place in the Get the Message problem was the team of Hannah Beaman, Jan Mellon, Rachel Dix, Alli Bregar and Lauren Bowling.

Earning third place in the In Your Dreams problem was the team of Grace Barrett, Leah Roth, Kate Highnam, Eva Estrada, Sabine Darling, Hannah Shenouda and Zoe Goodwin. The other three In Your Dreams teams were Paige Pfannenstiel, Mary Lauer, Molly McGehee, Sarah Devlin, Kallen Shea, Kaelin Seitz and Annie Malm; Carrie Gudenkauf, Juliana Morrison, Maya King, Liza Klarfeld, Drisana Sutch, Nina Kravinsky and Alana Ama; and Stuart Harvey, John Glover, Emily Rosenburg, Bradley Wood, Kelly Ready, Sam Hudgens and Julia Western.

Congratulations to Amal Gochenour of Marshall High School for being one of the five students selected from Fairfax County Public Schools to play with the Honor Orchestra of America during the National Concert Band Festival in Indianapolis March 10-12.

Ruixin Yang of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) was the top finisher in the K-12 division at last weeks Virginia Scholastic Chess Championships held in Yorktown.

On Saturday, March 12, Walter Mess was honored by the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce with the Carroll O’Shreve Award for his contributions to community life in Northern Virginia. Mess was also recognized by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and Chairman Gerald Connolly March 7, for his 46 years of service to the region on the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority Board.

One on One Basketball announces Spring Break Hoops Camps the weeks of March 21-25 and March 28-April 1 at various convenient locations, including St. Luke’s Catholic School, Tysons Club of Sport and Health, and the Wakefield Recreation Center. The camps and clinics are offered to boys and girls ages 6 and up. For more information, call 202-244-2255.

George C. Marshall High School earned the state championship in the Virginia High School League Theatre Ensemble competition for one-act plays as well as its seventh-straight first-place award in the Liberty District. Students performed drama teacher Mark Krikstan’s play “Here” to capture the title. Marshall actors Nathaniel Krause and Julia Weed also earned state honors.

Congratulations to Rebekah Ashburn, a senior at Bishop O’Connell High School, and Mihai Patrulescu, a senior at Falls Church High School, who were the winners of the Falls Church Rotary Club-sponsored Four-Way Speech Contest on March 3 at the Harvest Moon Restaurant. Johnny Berona, a sophomore at Falls Church High School, placed third.

The Original House of Pancakes Restaurant will donate a portion of their daily proceeds on Thursday, March 31 to the Falls Church Education Foundation’s Endowment Fund. Manager Jeff Bullman says the restaurant “wants to expand its involvement in the community and support local charities.” The Falls Church Education Foundation will receive 15% from every food and beverage order.

Congratulations to Litza Amurrio, a 2002 graduate of Yorktown High School and student of University of Mary Washington, who was recently inducted into Psi Chi, the national psychology honor society.

More than 20 participants took part in the Second Annual Falls Church 2Ball Competition hosted by Falls Church Recreation and Parks Department on Feb. 25, 2005 at the Falls Church Community Center Gym. The first place winners were Lauren Bowling and Hailey Thomas (girls age 9-11), Sam Cashin and Jack Trainor (boys age 9-11), Robby Gavora and Collin Brown (boys age 12-14), and Meaghan Gilmartin and Connor Gilmartin (coed age 9-11).

Saturday, March 19, the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department will conduct a ribbon cutting ceremony at 11a.m. for the North Maintenance and Reserve Apparatus Facility. The apparatus facility, one of two such facilities in Fairfax County, has over 19,000 square feet of space consisting of four vehicle repair bays, which include an aerial repair bridge crane, and eight storage bays which can store up to twenty emergency vehicles.

Congratulations to Nick Dorr, a fifth grader at Thomas Jefferson Elementary school who was just notified by the National Geographic Society that he is one of the finalists eligible to compete in the 2005 Virginia Geographic Bee.

Timber Lane Elementary School is accepting submissions from former students and their families to create a history of the school in honor of its 50th anniversary. Current and former students are asked to visit the website, contribute to the history by sharing personal memories of the school, and submit information no later than Wednesday, March 30.

Rob Krupicka of the Alexandria City Council recently took over as Chairman of COG’s Committee on Noise Abatement and Aviation at National and Dulles Airports. Krupicka intends to increase the personal and collective involvement of each committee member and jurisdiction.

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