Noelle Brinley, Jackie Cotter and her son Everett at the holiday party at Terra Centre Elementary in Burke. Brinley taught Jackie in Kindergarten in 1987. This year, Everett was in her first-grade class.

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Effort to Force Diversity at TJ FailsNews, Page 6

Time for Criminal Justice Reform

Commentary, Page 4

A Teacher Who Made a Difference

News, Page 3

Valentine’sGifts

Page 6

2 ❖ Burke Connection ❖ February 1-7, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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Burke Connection ❖ February 1-7, 2018 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

NewsBurke Connection Editor Kemal Kurspahic

703-778-9414 or south@connectionnewspapers.com

By Steve Hibbard

The Connection

Last Friday was sort of bittersweetfor Noelle Brinley, 55, of Mantuain Fairfax. The Terra Centre first-grade teacher officially retired

after 33 years at the same Burke school. OnThursday, about 60 parents, teachers, andadministrators threw her a breakfast buffetparty to say goodbye.

“I cried most of the day. I feel very sad toleave the community that I’ve been part offor so many years, but excited to be able tohelp care for my grand baby,” said Brinley.

During the party, the children sang a songand did a PowerPoint of current and formerstudents wishing her well, she said. “Thechildren wrote the song with their musicteacher, Tiffany Hagen, and the childrenperformed it. They wrote an original songabout me,” she said. They even gave hergifts for her six-month-old granddaughternamed Brynn Noelle. She also has twogrown children, a daughter age 30, and ason, 27.

FORMER STUDENTS AND PARENTScontributed photos for a slideshow andmade a Facebook group so all the messagesand photos could be in one place. Some-one shared a photo of six boys who wereall in her class 15 years ago and are now incollege.

During her time at Terra Centre, Brinley’soutlasted five different administrators andworked through the school’s interior reno-vation that lasted two years. “We had openclassrooms when I started there and nowthey have doors. The configuration is com-pletely different,” she said.

Brinley has taught kindergarten, first

grade and K-1 multi-age, which is whereteachers keep their students for two yearsin a row. For 13 years, she taught about 650students in AM and PM Kindergartenclasses. All in all, she’s taught more than1,000 students through the years. What shelikes most, she says is “The love the chil-dren have, the progress they make in kin-dergarten and first grade.”

She’s taught some members of the samefamily — like the Turets and the Lawrences— who had two or three of their childrengo through her K-1 class. “I’ve met some ofthem as babies while I was teaching theirolder siblings, and was lucky enough toteach them as well,” she said. “I think oncea teacher forms a bond with the family, it’sbeneficial for that teacher to get to teachthe future children in that family.”

Brinley describes her style of teaching asloving, consistent and fair. “It’s importantthat they know they’re loved. That really isit. I don’t know that I’m stricter than some-

one else, but I’m fair and consistent. I getto know their families, what’s going on intheir lives, if their dad’s away for travel orif their cat died or things that might affectthem in school,” she said.

Brinley attended Woodson High Schoolin Fairfax, has a degree in early childhoodeducation from JMU, and a master’s degreein curriculum and instruction from GMU.She still lives in the house where she grewup.

Looking back, some milestones wereteaching the children of children that shehad many years ago. “I probably had fiveor six cases where I taught children of chil-dren. That’s a different kind of experience— that I’ve been there long enough to ex-perience that,” she said.

ONE EXAMPLE is parent Jackie Cotter andher son Everett. Brinley taught Jackie inKindergarten in 1987. This year, Everett wasin her first-grade class. “I had not been in

touch with [Jackie] all these years, and thissummer she emailed me and said her son iscoming to first grade,” Brinley said. “I re-member her; she was a little bit on the qui-eter side then. Now she’s a parent leader inour class; she steps up and makes surethings happen now.”

Added Cotter, “Fast forward 30 years, myfamily had just moved back to Burke fromMalaysia and I had my son’s transition to anew school worrying me. I had no idea Mrs.Brinley was still teaching, and when my sonwas assigned to her first-grade class, I wasinstantly relieved, knowing he was in goodhands and also couldn’t believe how spe-cial our situation was.”

“Mrs. Brinley is a wonderful teacher androle model for the little minds she taughtover the last 33 years,” she said. “She’s madea lasting impression on the community andwe are grateful for her hard work, supportand kindness. She has been at the forefrontof hundreds of kids’ start of their educationjourney.”

She added, “I love that my son is goingto the same school I went to, but the addedbonus of having the same amazing teacherI had 30 years ago makes it that much moremeaningful for both of us,” she said.

Brinley has a certified therapy dog namedFenton who comes to school a couple oftimes a month and listens to the childrenread. “That motivates the children. They getmotivated to practice reading and they’llchoose a book and practice it so they’reready to read when he comes. It instillsreading motivation and reading confi-dence,” she said.

When she retires, Brinley plans to go ona cruise to Mexico with some teacherfriends. “Then I will be taking care of mygranddaughter two days a week. And con-tinuing therapy dog work with my dog.That’s why I’m retiring, to take care of mygrandbaby,” she said.

Noelle Brinley of Terra Centre Elementary retires after 33 years.

A Teacher Who Made a DifferencePhotos contributed

Noelle Brinley’s current first-grade classroom.

From left: Former students now grown up — Nicholas Hite, AndrewBalluck, Ryan Balluck, Brendan O’Connell, Kyle Withers, and Nick With-ers — who had Noelle Brinley as a teacher 15 years ago.

Noelle Brinley taught members ofthe Beima family.

Noelle Brinley taught members ofthe Turets family.

4 ❖ Burke Connection ❖ February 1-7, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Opinion

By John Cook

Braddock District Supervisor (R)

Fairfax County is joining the biparti-san, nationwide movement of Crimi-nal Justice Reform. In 2015 thecounty introduced its Diversion First

program, which provides treatment instead ofincarceration for those with mental health chal-lenges or developmental disabilities who comeinto contact with the criminal justice systemfor low level offenses. This initiative is just onestep in a national movement to make the crimi-nal justice system better serve the Americanpeople. Criminal justice reform, broadly speak-

ing, is supported by as di-verse range of public offi-cials as U.S. Senators RandPaul and Kamala Harris. It

is well past time for Virginia to dive in as well.Since ancient times society has recognized

five purposes to the criminal justice system.One of these is “deterrence,” which is the ef-fort to persuade an offender or potential of-fender not to commit a crime. Another pur-pose is retribution, which is society exactingpunishment to make up for the pain or dam-age caused by the crime. Incapacitation meansremoving a criminal from the rest of society sohe or she cannot commit more crimes. Reha-bilitation refers to changing an offender so heor she does not commit more crimes. Restitu-tion is the payment for damage caused bycrime. All of these purposes must be presentand well represented for a fair and effective

Time for Criminal Justice Reformcriminal justice sys-tem.

In the UnitedStates, our systemhas focused on longjail sentences forcrimes. Jail servesdeterrence, retribu-tion, and incapacita-tion in cases of vio-lent crime. However,it does not serve re-

habilitation or restitution particularly well.And, in the case of mentally ill offenders, jailfails to serve deterrence.

When someone with mental illness engagesin crime, it is not due to evil intent, but his orher illness. Retribution does not seem fit forsomeone who is ill and committing crimes.Incapacitation is accomplished, but what wehave done is make our local jails expensivesubstitutes for psychiatric hospitals.

The expense of jail is no small matter. A yearin the Fairfax jail costs the taxpayers about$82,000. A year of residential psychiatric treat-ment costs about $24,000. One year of outpa-tient treatment costs about $8,200. Whensomeone with a mental illness, who is often oflimited wealth, is arrested, this person oftenspends up to four months in jail awaiting trialfor minor crimes (trespassing, disorderly con-duct, petty theft) where the final sentencewould generally be far less. Someone withregular income would post bond at $500 cashand spend no more than two or three nights in

jail. Altogether the government and taxpayersare spending millions of dollars to hold peoplein jail before they are even convicted. Is thissystem really helping anyone?

We have learned in the juvenile justice sys-tem that incarceration actually creates crimi-nals out of youth who may be only misdirectedor who make stupid mistakes. Twenty yearsago, our juvenile detention center held 1,509youth. In 2017 that number fell to 533, whichis a 60 percent decrease. In those two decadeswe learned a great deal about the benefits ofjail alternatives for children. Instead of lock-ing these children up, we are reforming, teach-ing, and mentoring youth and turning themaway from crime. And this prevents futurecrimes from occurring. The same can be saidfor non-violent crimes by adults. Simply put-ting people in jail, where they lose their jobsand family contacts, does not necessarily cre-ate better citizens when they are released. Inthe case of mental illness, jail can actually makethings worse. There is a better way.

Criminal Justice Reform is not about “goingeasy” on criminals. It’s about finding tech-niques that stop people from continuing tocommit crimes. It’s about turning lives around.Oh, and it can save a boatload of money. Vio-lent criminals, murderers, gang members andthe like still need long jail sentences. But manyother lesser offenders can be turned aroundinto productive, working, self-sufficient citi-zens. It takes some work, but the payoff is asociety with less crime, lower jail costs, andmore productive citizens.

Commentary

Rewarding HighestAchieversTo the Editor:

With all due respect, state Sen. Scott Surovellis looking at the wrong end of the horse (Edi-torial, “What’s Wrong with This Picture” – Con-nection, Jan. 24). The admissions to ThomasJefferson High School for Science and Tech-nology should be determined solely based onmerit. Gender, ethnicity, race and economicstatus should be totally ignored.

TJ should provide the most rewarding pro-grams possible to the highest achievers. Sena-tor Surovell should focus on programs to in-crease the admission scores of African Ameri-cans and Latinos. Let’s not dilute the poten-tials of TJ’s classes by mandating quotas. Theanalogy would be to require that a certain per-centage of varsity basketball players be whiteor Asian American, regardless of their abili-ties. That would be unwise.

David ElmoreGreat Falls

Incomplete PictureTo the Editor:

Mary Kimm’s editorial (“What’s Wrong withThis Picture?” - Connection, Jan. 24) about thedemographics of the Thomas Jefferson HighSchool for Science and Technology (commonlyknown as TJ) leaves out an important statis-tic, and that is that 70 percent of its students

are Asian, many of whom are first generationAmericans. Many of the remaining 30 percentare also first-generation, and have family back-grounds from Iran, Arab and African countries,Russia, and Eastern Europe, or are biracial.

Is the heavily immigrant nature of TJ what’s“wrong with this picture”? State Sen. ScottSurovell’s SB787 bill’s method to increasingenrollment of black and Hispanic students isto impose quotas on middle schools and byeconomic background. This is a resentmentand punishment approach to trying to achievethat goal, and should be rejected as such.

Cindy GersonyGreat Falls

How to ‘Fix’ DisparitiesTo the Editor:

I did not compete in the Olympics, gain ad-mission to Mensa, or play professional sports.Why? Because I didn’t qualify for any of those.I understand we cannot qualify for everything.However, Mary Kimm’s article, “What’s Wrongwith This Picture?” (Connection, Jan. 24) pre-sents the idea that non-inclusion in a program“needs to be fixed.”

Ms. Kimm indicates that the Fairfax CountySchool System (FCPS) should “fix” its admis-sion policies to its one magnet high school,Thomas Jefferson (TJ), due to “demographicdisparities” and we should commend Sen. ScottSurovell for pushing for that change.

The problem with Ms. Kimm’s and Sen.Surovell’s ideas is they miss the mark on real-

ity for many reasons, some of which are:❖ Forcing demographic balance at TJ for po-

litical correctness is as much nonsense as re-quiring Julliard to admit everyone.

❖ Identifying that some minorities and lowincome students are not represented at TJ stu-dent population does not logically reflect aprejudice. It means they did not qualify, pe-riod.

❖ Ignoring the total admission picture doesnot represent many non-minority students whoapply and also do not achieve admission.

❖ Disregarding the rigorous qualificationsfor TJ slants the presented view.

Do Ms. Kimm’s and Sen. Surovell’s ideas sup-port qualified students being turned away justso non-qualified students be admitted, all fordemographic balance? How would Ms. Kimmand Sen. Surovell feel if their jobs were re-placed by non-qualified employees?

For improvements in demographic represen-tation, Ms. Kimm and Sen. Surovell shouldexplore reasons why some minorities are notrepresented.

They probably would find, as many teach-ers know, emphasis on academic excellencebegins at home. Therefore, a better solutionto change demographic depiction in school pro-grams is to start at the elementary, through alllevels, helping all families make education apriority. That would achieve the overall atti-tude of striving for excellence, which aids allstudents in the long run.

Shannon MorganBurke

Letters to the Editor

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To the Editor:When it comes to statistics, we

do have to be careful becausethere is something called “the BellCurve,” which still has credibilityregardless of what the implicationsmay be for a society. We were notall created equal in intellectualcapacity; and, specifically, we werenot all created equal when itcomes to doing differential equa-tions, solid state physics, thermo-dynamics, circuit design, etc. Youget the idea. We cannot turn a per-son into a science and math per-son just to meet a certain percentthat may “look right” or show thewrong picture, as your article im-plies (“What’s Wrong with ThisPicture” - Connection, Jan. 25).

You state that “school leadershipcan’t continue to act like there arethings they can’t do anythingabout.” Because I am familiar withwhat courses in college a youngperson who is gifted in science andmath faces, I can only imaginewhat a young person faces who isnot gifted in science and math andis thrust into that academic envi-ronment. With these students, wesee high flunk out rates, suicide,and general switching of careers.

It has been observed by thosewho teach music that yes, any stu-dent can learn to play an instru-ment with great perseverance andpractice even though not possess-ing a real aptitude in music. Butthere are those who also will statethat you do not choose music. Itchooses you. This is what I haveobserved in math and science stu-dents who excel. And, I might add,all people in the world benefit bythe diligence and giftedness of

these chosen few. If you talk to oneof these students who have en-tered the adult world of science inour universities as professors, at agovernment lab, and in industry,one of their greatest impressionsleft is that they feel a very deepobligation to push forward theworld of science and math for thebenefit of all mankind. They arenot full of themselves. They arehumbled that somehow scienceand math chose them. Some evenfeel the burden of knowing theyneed to make that giftedness countfor others besides themselves.Many sacrifice family and friendsbecause their time is focused ontheir project at hand.

To admit a student who is nottruly qualified into TJ with theidea that they will be given reme-dial classes in math or science justdooms that wonderful person ofother talents to a life of knowing,feeling, and believing that he/sheis somehow “not as smart” as oth-ers met along the very, very diffi-cult road of the hard sciences —even for the gifted..

You speak of “geographic dis-parities.” I believe you might wantto check to see what State Sen.Scott Surovell studied when hewent to high school and on to col-lege and into the world of the hardsciences and math. You cannot leg-islate what people are good at.They can study and study andstudy; but it will be the studentwho is truly chosen in science whosucceeds in inventing machinerylike MRI, chemotherapy implants,or lasers to alleviate human suf-fering, or the team of scientistswho discovered black holes and

how our universe regenerates it-self, or finds a way to put up a re-placement for the Hubble tele-scope. As a society, we may needto decide if we want to try to forcechildren into a mold that doomsthem not to ever be capable of“keeping pace with their compan-ions” in advanced science andmath; or if we want to recognizethat all children have value for thepeople they are with the talentsthey have.

There is one point we need torevisit, and that is the early aca-demic programs at our elementaryschools in math and science. Mathand science do build on earlylearning. It is difficult when a stu-dent gets to the ninth-twelfthgrades and suddenly realizes thatthey want to be considered for TJ.It does behoove our early educa-tional system to provide a levelplaying field for children early onin order that we do not miss gift-edness in S.T.E.M. subjects. Thisis certainly not the fault of TJ ifthe feeder schools do not furnishstudents who have been given ev-ery opportunity to meet their in-dividual potential. It is the missionof TJ to provide an opportunity forqualified students to enter theirdoors where TJ is obligated to pro-duce young people who have theattitudes and abilities mentionedat the end of paragraph 2. Schoolleadership cannot do anythingabout disparities once a childreaches eighth grade testing timefor TJ.

Most sincerely in the interest ofall children,

Carol G. FordBurke

Making Giftedness Count for Others

Letters

Elizabeth Schultz to HoldOffice Hours Saturday, Feb. 3

School Board member Elizabeth Schultz will hold office hourson Saturday, Feb. 3 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the BurkeCentre Library, 5935 Freds Oak Road, Burke. This is a time for abrief one-on-one meeting and an opportunity for the area resi-dents to discuss any issues or concerns in their schools. No ap-pointment necessary.

Week in Burke

See Faith, Page 9

Faith Notes

Send notes to the Connection atsouth@connectionnewspapers.com or call703-778-9416. Deadline is Friday. Datedannouncements should be submitted atleast two weeks prior to the event.

Grace Presbyterian Church willoffer a traditional Ash Wednesday ser-vice at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb.14. All are welcome. 7434 Bath St.,Springfield.Visit www.gracepresby.org.

South Run Baptist Church ser-vices include: Sunday School, 9:45 a.m.;

Sunday Worship, 11 a.m.; Wednesdaydinner at 6 p.m. and groups at 6:50 p.m.Pastor is Eric Gilchrest. 8712 SelgerDrive, Springfield. Call 703-455-4521 orvisit www.southrun.org.

St. Anthony of Padua AmericanNational Catholic Church, 10383Democracy Lane, Fairfax, holds mass forContemporary Catholics every Sundayat 12:30 p.m. St. Anthony’s is an inde-pendent Catholic parish, inclusive andaccepting of all people. Experience trueacceptance and true Catholicism.

www.MySaintAnthonys.org.

Calvary Hill Baptist Church,9301 Little River Turnpike in Fairfax,conducts Worship team practice for thePraise Band in the Sanctuary everyThursday at 7 p.m. All are welcome.703-323-1347.

Jubilee Christian Center willhave a Patriotic Service on Sunday, May28, 8:45 and 11 a.m., featuring specialmusic and message. Jubilee is located at4650 Shirley Gate Rd., Fairfax. Therewill be no 6 p.m. service on May 28. Forinformation, call 703-383-1170, or seewww.jccag.org

The Fairfax Church of Christ,3901 Rugby Road in Fairfax, has facili-tators available to help those who areexperiencing a separation or divorce.703-631-2100 or www.fxcc.org.

The Unitarian Universalist Con-gregation of Fairfax, 2709 HunterMill Road in Oakton, offers services dur-ing the summer on Sundays at 10 a.m.The regular schedule, Sundays at 9:15and 11:15 a.m., resumes Sept. 11.www.uucf.org.

6 ❖ Burke Connection ❖ February 1-7, 2018 Burke Connection ❖ February 1-7, 2018 ❖ 7www.ConnectionNewspapers.com www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Photo courtesy of The Picket Fence

Accessories like Moon Melt Lotion Barsby Moon Valley Organics at The PicketFence in Burke might appeal to thosewho want to create to a spa at home.

Photo courtesy of Home on Cameron

A bouquet of felt flowers in assortedcolors like these that were handmade inNepal, is a gift with a charitable flairfrom Home on Cameron in Alexandria.

By Marilyn Campbell

One of the most heavily gifted holidays isValentine’s Day. In fact, much of the funis the anticipation. In preparation for

Cupid’s Day, a few local style aficionados offer upideas to sweeten the celebration.

For those deserving some pampering, create a spaexperience at home with NW Rainforest Body Cream,advises Isabel Chiotti of Sonoran Rose in Potomac.

“Soaps and candles alsomake great gifts,” she said.

“It can also be fun to thinkoutside the box,” said CourtneyThomas of The Picket Fence inBurke. “Surprise your Valentinewith a gift certificate for a spaday or a shopping spree at herfavorite store. Put together abasket of a few of her favorite things.”

Among the things that Thomas suggests areMoon Melt Lotion Bars by Moon Valley Organics.Decadent and indulgent, these scented moisturiz-ers combine herbs and beeswax to help fight dryskin, she says.

For the romantics, Susan Nelson and Todd Martzof Home on Cameron in Alexandria suggest a bou-quet of felt flowers in assorted colors, handmadein Nepal. These eye-catching, fair trade buds offerbursts of color and benefit women artisans whoare heads of households.

For the bedhead, Amanda Mertins of Patina Pol-ished Living in Old Town Alexandria recommendssilk charmeuse pillowcases by Branche. “These

wonderful pillowcases help preserve one’s hairdoand help to keep away wrinkles,” she said.

For the stylish, a fur neck warmer is a cozy sug-gestion that Mertins offers. And for the tradition-alists, “Flowers are always welcome and, of course,the color red being very popular as it conveys deepemotion,” she said. “Don’t be afraid to give variet-ies other than roses.”

For the nostalgic, Kevin Sweitzer of Thos. Moser,Handmade American Furniture, believes that anheirloom quality beacon box to hold keepsakes

would be ideal. “[It’s] meantto be passed down from gen-eration to generation,” hesaid. “A really nice and memo-rable Valentine’s gift.”

For the entertainers, Nelsonand Martz suggest all natural,hand blown glass candles,while Mertins says bar acces-

sories work as gifts for mixologists.For those with a sweet tooth, Chiotti recom-

mends hot cocoa by the Cocoa Company, brownsugar toffee by Gearharts Fine Chocolates or cara-mels by Big Picture Farm.

For almost everyone, Suzie Clayton of DaltonBrody suggests picture frames. “From wood toLucite to silver, there’s something for everyone,”she said. “It’s more about finding the right thingfor the right person.”

“Some of the most meaningful gifts are those whichare handmade including cards and a home-cookedromantic dinner,” added Mertins. “Don’t forget thebubbly and always lots and lots of chocolate.”

Gifts for Valentine’s DayLocal tastemakers offer thoughtful giving suggestions.

Photo courtesy of Sonoran Rose

A basket of spa items like NW RainforestBody Cream from Sonoran Rose in Potomacis an indulgent Valentine’s Day gift.

Susan Nelsonand ToddMartz ofHome onCameronsuggest allnatural, handblown glasscandles.

Photo courtesy

of Home on

Cameron

Valentine’s Day

“It can be fun to thinkoutside the box.”

— Courtney Thomas,The Picket Fence

News

By Michael Lee Pope

The Connection

Don’t fix what’s not bro-ken. That was the message last week from abipartisan group of

state senators, who rejected a billfrom state Sen. Scott Surovell (D-36) that would have re-quired Thomas JeffersonSchool of Science andTechnology to admit morestudents who live in pov-erty. Surovell’s bill hadonly one yes vote on theSenate committee that re-jected it, state Sen. MamieLocke (D-2), an African-American senator fromHampton Roads. The vastmajority of the senators onthe Education and HealthCommittee, which in-cludes several prominentmembers from FairfaxCounty, rejected the idea.

“Quotas are a politicallycharged topic, and I don’tthink we should be goingthere,” said state Sen.Janet Howell (D-32). “Idon’t think we down herehave any business med-dling with the decisions ofthe Fairfax County SchoolBoard on this issue.”

Concerns over the admissionspolicy have been festering for yearsat the school, which currently ad-mits about 2 percent of its studentswho live in poverty. Back in 2012,the NAACP worked with a groupknown as the Coalition of Silenceto file a civil rights complaint withthe U.S. Department of Educationabout admissions policy at theschool, which has 2 percent His-panic students and 1.5 percent Af-rican-American students. The com-plaint charged that black andLatino students are being shut outof TJ because of systematic failurein the public schools to identifygifted students who live in poverty.

The complaint didn’t amount tomuch, Surovell said, which is whyhe said he filed the bill.

“The local school system hasn’tdealt with it. And the School Boardwon’t deal with it,” said Surovell.“Given that my School Board seemscompletely incapable of dealingwith the problem I figured it was

time for the legislature to do some-thing about it.”

THE BILL would have requiredthe school to admit about 15 per-cent of students who live in pov-erty. It would also put an admis-sions cap on 15 students perschool, an effort to prevent certainschools from dominating the ad-missions roster.

Plus it would have required thatthe school admit five students fromevery middle school in its area, arequirement that would boost ad-missions from Surovell’s part of thethe county which is currentlyunderrepresented in admissions tothe school. Critics of the school’s

admissions policy is that it createsa pipeline from schools such asRachel Carson Middle School whileignoring schools in the Route 1 cor-ridor.

“People move right before sev-enth grade to get into Carson sothat they can go to TJ,” said formerteacher Patricia Hyning. “There are

parents who are buying their kidsa seat at TJ, and not all childrenhave this same opportunity butthey have the aptitude.”

Recent years have seen growingconcern that parents are gamingthe system, investing in expensivetutoring programs and using theirwealth to attend schools that havea better chance of getting into TJ.That’s led to some reform efforts,including organizational changesat Fairfax County Public Schoolsthat has senior officials focused onmaking sure all students have thesame opportunities regardless ofwhat schools they attend. Never-theless, senators believe that highachievers will be able to make their

way into the TJ regardless of wherethey live.

“Kids that come up throughFairfax County public schools oftenget steered into advanced studiesprograms at certain middle schools,”said state Sen. Chap Petersen (D-34). “And so that’s why certainmiddle schools are going to have 60,70 or 80 kids. It doesn’t mean nec-essarily that the other middleschools are failing. It’s just that thebest and brightest kids get steeredinto the best middle schools.”

SCHOOL OFFICIALSrejected the idea that law-makers in Richmondneeded to take action toaddress problems inFairfax County. They saidthat the new superinten-dent is making efforts toincrease availability of ac-celerated math and sci-ence experiences to partsof the county that cur-rently don’t have them.The idea that the GeneralAssembly might institute arigid quota about howmany students who live inpoverty should be ac-cepted — or how manystudents from specificschools should be ac-cepted — is anathema tothe merit-based admis-sions policy they say hashas worked well for years.

“The reality is that TJ isa highly competitive school, andonly about 17 percent of all appli-cants get in,” said Michael Molloy,director of government relationsfor Fairfax County Public Schools.“We welcome this discussion, butwe don’t think this is the rightvenue for it. This discussion shouldbe held among our constituents,among our stakeholders.”

Surovell says he remains frus-trated that his constituents can’tseem to get their students into theschool.

“I don’t think the kids in my partof the county are any dumber thanthe kids in the rest of the county,”said Surovell. “But apparently theyjust can’t get into TJ.”

Lawmakers reject bill that would have requiredgovernor’s school to admit poor students.

Effort to Force Diversity at TJ Fails

State Sen. Scott Surovell (D-36) wanted to force Thomas JeffersonSchool of Science and Technology to accept more students who live inpoverty. But a bipartisan groups of senators, including several fromFairfax County, rejected the idea.

Send notes to the Connection atsouth@connectionnewspapers.com or call703-778-9416. Deadline is Friday. Datedannouncements should be submitted atleast two weeks prior to the event.

Kylie T. LeBlanc, of Clifton, wasrecently named to the dean’s list for thefall 2017 semester at Kent State Univer-sity in Kent, Ohio. LeBlanc was alsonames Defensive Player of the Week for

the MAC Conference for D1 FieldHockey. LeBlanc is a freshman.

Xavia Alimah Batchelo, of Lorton,was named to the dean’s academic honorroll for the 2017 fall semester at BaylorUniversity (Waco, Texas).

Ryan Baier, of Fairfax Station,earned the distinction of faculty honorsfor spring 2017 at the Georgia Institute

of Technology.

Jayanth Devanathan, of Clifton,earned the distinction of faculty honorsfor spring 2017 at the Georgia Instituteof Technology.

Meghan Pollard, of Clifton, earnedthe distinction of faculty honors forspring 2017 at the Georgia Institute ofTechnology.

University of Alabama studentAdrian Robertson, of Fairfax Station,participated in the Cooperative Educa-tion Program during the summer of 2017through Hoar Construction.

Christopher McGowan, a native ofFairfax Station, has enrolled at the Uni-versity of Iowa for fall 2017 semester.

School Notes

8 ❖ Burke Connection ❖ February 1-7, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

On Wednesday, Feb. 7, Eva Schloss will share her experiences as the childhood friend and step sister ofAnne Frank, including accounts of the publishingof Anne’s diary.

The presentation will take place at the George Mason Univer-sity Center For The Arts at 7 p.m. and will be suitable for peopleof all ages including teenagers. Families of all faiths are invited toattend. This is an opportunity to hear a first-hand account fromsomeone whose life intersected with a historical figure.

Chabad of Reston-Herndon is a sponsor for the event. Partnersfor the evening include:

❖ The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington❖ JCC of Northern Virginia❖ George Mason University❖ Gesher Jewish Day School❖ Washington Jewish Week❖ Fairfax County Public SchoolsIn 1938, Germany invaded Austria, causing many Jewish fami-

lies to flee Austria to avoid persecution. Among the emigrantswas 8-year-old Eva Geiringer, who with her mother, brother, andfather moved first to Belgium and then to Holland, where one ofher neighbors was a German Jewish girl of the same age.

The two girls became friends and playmates (though, as Evawould say many years later, the girl was “much more grown-upand mature than me”). They passed the time by skipping, playinghopscotch and marbles, and drinking lemonade that the girl’smother prepared.

Ultimately, both girls and their families were deported to theAuschwitz concentration camp. Later they would become stepsisters.

Eva survived her concentration camp experience and made herway to England, where she married Zvi Schloss and raised threedaughters. She worked as a studio photographer and ran an an-tique shop.

Her step-sister did not survive Auschwitz, but kept a diary thatdid. Her name was Anne Frank.

Since 1985, Eva Schloss has devoted herself to holocaust edu-cation and global peace. She has recounted her wartime experi-ences in more than one thousand speaking engagements. Shehas written two books and has had a play written about her life.In 1999 she signed the Anne Frank Peace Declaration along withUnited Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and the niece ofRaoul Wallenberg, who rescued thousands of Jews in Budapest.

Tickets for students are free, $10 for adults and $360 for VIPwhich includes two tickets to a VIP reception and reserved seat-ing. Reservations can be made at www.chabadrh.org.

Presented by the Chabad centersof Northern Virginia.

An Evening withEva Schloss

SUNDAY/FEB. 11Table Top N Gauge Model Train

Show. 1-4 p.m. at the FairfaxStation Railroad Museum, 11200Fairfax Station Road, Fairfax Station.Visit www.fairfax-station.org or call703-425-9225.

Design Workshop. 2-4 p.m. atMerrifield Garden Center- Fair Oakslocation. 12101 Lee Highway. Createhand tied European rosearrangements for your sweetheart.Door prizes. Light refreshments. $5at the door for ARF members, $20 fornon-ARF members which includes a2018 membership. 703-371-9351.

Beau Soir Concert. 4-5:30 at St.Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 6509Sydenstricker Road, Burke. DC-basedtrio of flute, harp, and viola, standardand contemporary repertoirespanning a variety of musical genres.Reception to follow. Childcareprovided. Free. Call 703-455-2500 orvisit www.standrews.net.

Calendar

Submit entertainment announcementsat www.connectionnewspapers.com/Cal-endar/. The deadline is noon on Friday.Photos/artwork encouraged.

ONGOING“Joseph and the Technicolor

Dreamcoat.” Through Feb. 4, atChurch of the Good Shepherd, 9350Braddock Road, Burke, the musical“Jospeh and the Amazing TechnicolorDreamcoat,” a fun family show, withmusic by Andrew Lloyd Webber.Sensory-friendly performance onThursday, Feb. 1, 7:30 p.m. $15adult; $10 atudents. Visitgoodshepherdplayers.com.

“Uncommon Visions.” Through Feb.25, various times at 2905 DistrictAve., Suite 115 (in the MosaicDistrict), Fairfax. The TorpedoFactory Artists’ Association (TFAA)presents “Uncommon Visions,” thethird exhibition at Torpedo FactoryArtists @ Mosaic.

Visit www.torpedofactoryartists.com/event/uncommon-visions/.

Second Saturdays. 6-9 p.m. at theWorkhouse Arts Center, 9518Workhouse Road, Lorton. TheSecond Saturday Art Walk is theperfect time to meet nearly 85Resident and Associate Artists,creating art in the studios orexhibiting in our galleries. Visitwww.workhousearts.org/.

Senior Line Dancing. Mondays, 1p.m.; Fridays, 10-11:30 a.m. at LittleRIver Glen Senior Center, 4001Barker Court, Fairfax. Line Dancing isa gentle, social form of aerobicactivity. Studies have shown it aids inwarding off Alzheimer’s disease. Noprevious experience needed. Cost: $5per 8-week session. Emailbarbriba@hotmail.com or call 703-524-3739.

Carolina Shag. Wednesdays, 6:30-10p.m. at Arlington/Fairfax Elks Lodge,8421 Arlington Blvd., Fairfax. Freelessons at 7:30 p.m. No partnersneeded. Dinner menu. $8. Under 21free. nvshag.org.

Cafe Ivrit (Hebrew Cafe).Wednesdays. 8:15-9:15 a.m. JewishCommunity Center of NorthernVirginia, 8900 Little River Turnpike,Fairfax. Shalom (hello) Did youalways want to converse in Hebrew?Join Na’ama each week forconversational Hebrew. You willlearn and practice Hebrew in a funand interactive way while learningmore about Israel. Free, however weask that you try to attend regularly.RSVP Naama.Gold@jccnv.org.

Smoke Free Bingo. 7 p.m. EveryFriday. Fairfax Volunteer FireDepartment, 4081 University Drive,Fairfax. Free coffee, entertainingcallers, $1,000 jackpot (with breaksfor smoking friends).www.fairfaxvd.com. 703-273-3638.

English Conversation Groupsweekly at George Mason, BurkeCentre, and Lorton Libraries. Visit:va.evanced.info/fairfaxcounty/lib/eventcalendar.asp

Funday Monday 10:30 a.m., everyMonday at Old Town Hall, 3999University Drive, Fairfax. Especiallyfor those who haven’t yet startedschool. Programs are free and opento the public, donations are gratefullyappreciated. 703-385-7858www.fairfaxva.gov/culturalarts.

FEB. 2-4Chocolate Lovers Festival. Various

times in Historic Downtown Fairfax.Chocolate-oriented activities allweekend, including a KiwanisChocolate Chip Pancake Breakfast.The “love of chocolate” is theunifying theme. Visitwww.chocolatefestival.net for acurrent schedule of activities or call703-385-7858.

SATURDAY/FEB. 3Fairfax Symphony Orchestra. 8

p.m. at George Mason University,Center for Arts, 4400 UniversityDrive, Fairfax. Special performanceby the 22-year-old Korean stringvirtuoso, In Mo Yang, and thepremiere of the 2018 Fairfax CountyAll-Stars Youth Orchestra. Tickets are$39, $53 and $65. Call 703-993-8888or visit www.cfa.gmu.edu.

Mason Cabaret. 8 p.m. at HarrisTheatre, 4373 Mason Pond Drive,Fairfax. Musical Theaterambassadors, the Mason Cabaret,offering showstoppers, ballads andduets from the Great White Way. $30general admission in support ofMason’s Musical Theater Program.Call 703-993-8888 or visitcfa.gmu.edu.

SUNDAY/FEB. 4Railroad Story and Craft. 1-4 p.m.

at Fairfax Station Railroad Museum,11200 Fairfax Station Road, FairfaxStation. Activities and crafts with aValentine’s Day twist. Activities andcraft supplies included in admission.Visit www.fairfax-station.org or call703-425-9225.

FEB. 4-MARCH 4“Mobile Views.” Various times in W-9

in the Arches Gallery, WorkhouseArts Center, 9518 Workhouse Way,

Lorton. In her show, “Mobile Views”Kathy Strauss explores the ‘fine art’of cellphone photography. Visitwww.imagewerks.net orwww.workhousearts.org.

THURSDAY/FEB. 8Art and Lunch. 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

at Old Town Hall, 3999 UniversityDrive, Fairfax. Bring lunch and enjoythe company of other artists. Visitwww.fairfaxva.gov/culturalarts

Artist Reception. 7-9 p.m. at OldTown Hall, 3999 University Drive,Fairfax. Come and enjoyrefreshments, meet the featuredartist and be a part of your localartist community. Visitwww.fairfaxva.gov/culturalarts

FRIDAY/FEB. 9The Bonita Lestina Old Town Hall

Performance Series. 8 p.m. at OldTown Hall, 3999 University Drive,Fairfax. “The Nearness of You”featuring Darden Purcell, aWashington D.C. based jazz vocalist.Call 703-385-7858 or visitwww.fairfaxva.gov/culturalarts.

SATURDAY/FEB. 10Champagne and Chocolates

Fundraiser. 4-7 p.m. at GunstonHall, 10709 Gunston Road, Lorton.Champagne, small plate horsd’oeuvres, desserts, mansion tours by

costumed historical interpreters,raffle and live auction to benefiteducational programs for GunstonHall. Music by Robinson High SchoolString Quartet. Cocktail attire. $50RSVP by Feb. 3 at bit.ly/champagneandchocolates2018. Call703-550-9220.

Artist Reception. 6-9 p.m. in W-9 inthe Arches Gallery, Workhouse ArtsCenter, 9518 Workhouse Way,Lorton. In her show, “Mobile Views”Visit www.imagewerks.net orwww.workhousearts.org.

FEB. 10-14Singing Valentines. 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

Throughout Northern Virginia.Surprise a special someone. Singingtelegrams delivered to a NorthernVirginia or D.C. location of one’schoice by an a cappella quartet fromthe Fairfax Jubil-Aires barbershopchorus. $60 and up. Call 571-418-3840 or visitwww.fairfaxjubilaires.org for details.

Sunset Silhouette by Kathy Strauss.

Chocolate FestivalA plate of cupcakes in the 2016 Chocolate Challenge.This year, the City of Fairfax will be all about chocolateon Feb. 2-4 in Old Town Fairfax.

File photo by Bonnie Hobbs

Mobile ViewsOpening Feb. 4 and on exhibit until March 4, the Workhouse Arts Center will

showcase an exhibit by artist, Kathy Strauss, “Mobile Views” exploring the ‘fine art’of cellphone photography. She will be on hand at the opening reception on Satur-day, Feb. 10, 6-9 p.m. in W-9 in the Arches Gallery, The Workhouse Arts Center,9518 Workhouse Way, Lorton. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday: 11a.m.-7p.m.;Sunday: 12-5 p.m. Workhouse Arts Center at www.workhousearts.org.

Burke Connection ❖ February 1-7, 2018 ❖ 9www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

COMMUNITIES OF WORSHIP

bbWorship Gathering – Sunday 8:45 & 11 AM

Sunday School 10:10 AMSun. Evening – Realtime Worship & Youth 6 PM

Family Night – Wednesday 7:15 PMHome Life Groups, College/Young Adult

Ministries, and Living Free Support GroupsVisit our Website: www.jccag.org

4650 Shirley Gate Road, FairfaxBill Frasnelli, PASTOR 703-383-1170

To Advertise YourCommunity of Worship,

Call 703-778-9418

“Loving People to Life”

From Page 5

Faith

Congregation Adat Reyim, anindependent Jewish congregation, of-fers services Friday at 8 p.m., Saturdayat 9:30 a.m. and Maariv minyan at 7:30p.m. Hebrew School is Sundays from 9-11:15 for K-6th graders and Mondaysfrom 5:30-7:30 p.m. for 3rd-6th graders.Adat Reyim is located at 6500 WestburyOaks Court in Springfield. 703-569-7577 or www.adatreyim.org.

Burke Presbyterian Church,5690 Oak Leather Drive in Burke, wor-ship services are Sundays at 9 a.m.,11:15 a.m., and 6 p.m.www.BurkePresChurch.org.

One God Ministry Church, 4280/4282 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, offersEarly Morning Service at 8 a.m., SundaySchool at 10 a.m., Sunday Worship Ser-vice at 11 a.m., and Wednesday BibleStudy at 7 p.m. Women, Men, andYouth Bible Studies are on the thirdTuesday of each month at 7 p.m. A Spiri-tual Gifts Service is the first Friday ofevery month at 7 p.m. One God Minis-try has ministries for youth, men,women, couples, music and singles.703-591-6161 orwww.onegodministry.org.

Faith Communities in Actionmeets the first Wednesday of everyother month from 2-4 p.m. at the Fairfax

County Government Center, ConferenceRooms 2 and 3, 12000 GovernmentCenter Parkway, Fairfax.

The Bahá’í Community ofFairfax County Southwest offersInterfaith Devotions, Children’s Classes,Junior Youth Groups and Study Cirles,which are open to all. For more informa-tion on these or to know more about theBahá’í Faith, go to www.bahai.us or571-320-5274.

St. Leo the Great in Fairfax hosts“Night of Praise” the first Saturday ofeach month, featuring praise music andEucharist adoration at 7 p.m. Located at3704 Old Lee Highway in Fairfax.

10 ❖ Burke Connection ❖ February 1-7, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Give Together EngagesHundreds of Volunteers

The Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginiawas Give Together Headquarters on Jan. 15, Dr.Martin Luther King Day, when Volunteer Fairfax wel-comed hundreds of volunteers, tall and small, whocame enthusiastic and ready to serve.

Service projects planned for the day were designedwith young volunteers in mind. They included: mak-ing Doggie Chew Toys for Homeward Trails AnimalRescue; creating Valentines for Foster Care to Suc-cess (FC2S); assembling Sensory Bags for UCM ofAlexandria; making warm fleece scarves for the DCVA Medical Center; and compil-ing Financial Literacy ClassroomKits for Junior Achievement.

Special guests supporting theevent included Supervisor JohnC. Cook (R-Braddock District),and School Board MembersDalia Palchik (Providence Dis-trict), Ryan McElveen (At-Large)and Karen Keys-Gamarra (At-Large).

Volunteer Fairfax acknowl-edges event support from Pointsof Light and Kaiser Permanente.

Most of all, the volunteer cen-ter appreciates the moms anddads who brought their familiesout on a chilly January day tohelp local nonprofits. Additionalappreciation goes to the eventassistants and to the volunteersfrom schools, clubs, ScoutTroops, sororities and business. Specialacknowledgement goes to Waples Mill Elementaryparent Sara A Holtz who brought her young familyto Give Together for the eighth consecutive time.

Join Volunteer Fairfax every year on MLK Day for

The School Board voted to approve theFairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) FY2019-23 Capital Improvement Program

(CIP) at its business meeting on Jan. 25. The FY2019-23 CIP includes new schools, capacity en-hancements, and renovations reflecting a reflect-ing a five-year requirement of $813 million, orroughly $164 million per year, to address currentand anticipated enrollment increases. Included inthe new CIP are proposals for three new elemen-tary schools and one new high school. Funds ap-proved in the 2017 School Bond Referendum andprevious referenda will address approximately$471 million of the five-year requirement, leav-ing a balance of $341 million unfunded.

The FY 2019-23 CIP reflects $315 million ap-proved by county voters in the 2017 School BondReferendum. Among the funded projects are a newelementary school in the northwest part of thecounty and two modular addition relocations, aswell as planning for a Fairfax-Oakton area elemen-tary school and additions to West Potomac, Stuart,and Madison High Schools. Unfunded projectsinclude a new elementary school near Metro’s sil-ver line, a high school in the western part of thecounty, and five new or repurposed schools. Fundsfor renovations at 20 named elementary schoolsare included, as well as four middle schools and

Board Approves 5-Year Building Planseven high schools.

The board approved two amendments to the FY2019-23 CIP. The first amends the Capital Improve-ment Plan to increase the cash flow request by$50 million, thereby increasing the yearly sale onschool bonds to $205 million. This will allow FCPSto accelerate planning for 20 elementary schools,one middle school, two high schools, and one cen-tral office repurpose renovation project in FY 2019,with an estimated reduction of 158 temporaryclassrooms upon completion of the projects. Inaddition to these renovations, this infusion willinclude the funding for 23 capacity enhancementsand the reduction of 184 temporary classrooms,for a total reduction of 342 temporary classrooms.

This will allow completion of the 2009 Renova-tion Queue by FY 2028, which is four years ear-lier than projected. Funding for capital improve-ment projects is limited by a $155 million yearlycap on school bond sales. Additional fundingsources include $13.1 million from the FairfaxCounty Board of Supervisors for infrastructuremanagement, and $12.4 million from FCPS oper-ating funds for minor capacity enhancements androutine or major maintenance.

Details about the FY 2019-23 CIP are availableat www.fcps.edu/about-fcps/facilities-planning-future/capital-improvement-program.

Braddock District Supervisor John Cook(R) speaks at the event.

Volunteer Fairfax welcomed hundreds of volunteers whocame ready to serve.

Give Together. And, save the date for VolunteerFest,another family-friendly event taking place on Na-tional Make A Difference Day, on Oct. 27, 2018.

For more information about ways to serve the com-munity, visit www.volunteerfairfax.org.

News

Photos contributed

Burke Connection ❖ February 1-7, 2018 ❖ 11www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

As a follow up to last week’s column titled“Lost in Space,” I have a few recommenda-tions for the medical profession, oncologistsparticularly, as it relates to their comings andgoings and the effect it might have on theirpatients, many of whom have been charac-terized as “terminal,” as I was.

Respecting and appreciating the fact thaton a good day, our anxiety level is likely offthe chart, we need you to work with us, notagainst us.

And though I can certainly recall how Iwas encouraged to reach out – either byphone or electronically, whenever we hadquestions or concerns, I believe there needsto be an upgrade to that advisory. That‘encouragement’ works fine when you’rehere/on site. However, based on my mostrecent experience, I need that ‘advisory’ towork equally fine when you’re not here.

Ergo: I want to meet and develop somekind of relationship with the oncologist whowill be covering for you when you’re absent.I want that oncologist’s name, email addressand phone number (none of which I hadduring this most recent experience). I wantsome assurance/acknowledgment that thisoncologist knows who I am, how I’m treatedand is familiar with any special circumstancespertaining to my care and feeding. Moreover,I want “t.l.c.,”. because I definitely deserve it.

As for the oncologist’s goings; on theoccasions when, for whatever reason, you’reaway from your office. I want to knowbefore, not after. I don’t want to learn aboutit by reading a default email saying you’re outof the office. Though I appreciate knowingafter, it’s not good enough. I want to know allthe time. In fact, every time you’re away, Iwant to know. Whether or not I have anymedical activities (lab work, infusion, scans)planned, I want to know, just in case some-thing unexpected – or even expected,happens.

This would help me to prepare, antici-pate, assimilate and coordinate any and allfuture medical activities so that I could deter-mine in advance, if necessary, an action plan.One that would proactively solve/prevent aproblem rather than reacting to one as mostrecently happened to me. I don’t want anymore surprises. I don’t want to experienceany lack of communication at any time. Idon’t care about how or why. I simply wantto know ahead of any potentially complicat-ing circumstances, not behind. I’m alreadyfeeling some relief just writing about it.

How can this be implemented?Electronically of course. I don’t need anycalls. A don’t-reply email is fine. I know thatsystem/process works when I want to com-municate with you and/or review informationwhich has been posted online. What I wantto know next is the doctor’s schedule, nothourly, maybe not even daily (although Iwouldn’t be averse to it), but weekly for sure,electronically in my inbox first thing Mondaymorning.

Knowing the doctor’s availability will helpme manage my expectations and minimizemy stress. As a cancer patient, I never knowwhat I’ll want or when I’ll want it. But findingout the easy way (in advance) is certainlypreferable to finding out the hard way(during/after).

Medically speaking, I don’t want to missanything nor do I, living forward, want any-thing to be missed. If you can email an after-appointment summary, you can certainlyemail me a pre-appointment schedule ofwhen and where my primary care physicians(oncologist and internal medicine) will be.Because out of sight unfortunately doesn’tmean out of mind, unless I know otherwise.

And that’s my goal: to mind my own busi-ness and not have to worry about yours.

Space In WhichI Wouldn’tGet LostSubmit civic/community announcements at

ConnectionNewspapers.com/Calendar. Photos andartwork welcome. Deadline is Thursday at noon, atleast two weeks before event.

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATIONChild turning 5 years old by Sept. 30? If so,

contact your child’s school to makearrangements for kindergarten enrollment. Mostschools begin getting information together nowfor parents of incoming kindergartners, andmany host an orientation or open house. Allkindergarten programs are full-day and locatedin FCPS elementary schools. Check your school’swebpage or contact the school directly forspecific enrollment information and dates oforientationor visit www.fcps.edu/registration/kindergarten-registration.

THURSDAY/FEB. 1Comment Period Closes. The public is invited

to share their perspectives on the proposals withthe Park Authority Board either at the meeting,via correspondence or by email. Informationoutlining all proposed fee changes is nowavailable for review online, at the ParkAuthority’s main office in the Herrity Buildingand at staffed park facilities, includingRECenters, golf courses, nature centers andhistoric sites. Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/feemeeting for more.

Registration Opens: Two-way andImmersion Programs. Fairfax County PublicSchools’ (FCPS) online registration for thecounty-wide lottery. Current prekindergartenstudents may apply for the kindergartenimmersion program and current kindergartenstudents may apply for the first grade immersionprograms for the 2018-19 school year.Applications must be submitted by 4 p.m. onThursday, March 1, for the first grade immersionprogram and by 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 5, forthe kindergarten immersion program. Visitwww.fcps.edu/registration/world-language-immersion-programs-registration.

SATURDAY/FEB. 3Job Fair. FCPS is searching for educators with a

strong academic background and a passion formaking a difference. To meet increased hiringneeds FCPS is hosting an invitation only job fairduring which they will be interviewingcandidates in all instructional areas. The fairwill be held on Saturday, Feb. 3, with a snowmakeup date of Feb. 24. To learn how to beconsidered for an invitation, visit www.fcps.edu.

TUESDAY/FEB. 6Community Meeting. 7-8:30 p.m. at the

Springfield Governmental Center, 6140 RollingRoad, West Springfield. The VirginiaDepartment of Transportation and FairfaxCounty Department of Transportation will host ameeting to discuss this year’s paving andrestriping efforts in the Springfield District.Comments will be accepted through Feb. 23.Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/transportation/2018-paving-and-restriping.

THURSDAY/FEB. 8Award Nomination Deadline. 5 p.m. Nominate

a volunteer or volunteer group that has made apositive impact on the Fairfax Countycommunity at www.volunteerfairfax.org. TheFairfax County Volunteer Service Awards is acommunity-wide celebration of volunteerism.For a complete list of categories and guidelines,visit www.volunteerfairfax.org or call KristenMoore at Volunteer Fairfax at 703-246-3531.

SATURDAY/FEB. 10Stuff the Bus. 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at Shoppers -

Fair City, 9622 Main St., Fairfax. SupportBritepaths’ Stuff the Bus food drive andhelp the families they serve.

TUESDAY/FEB. 13REVIVE Trainings. 11:30 a.m. at CSB’s Merrifield

Center, 8221 Willow Oaks Corporate Drive(Room LL-419/425 Lower Level East), Fairfax.Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Boardwill dispense free Naloxone at upcoming freeREVIVE trainings. Naloxone, a drug thatreverses the effects of opioid/heroin overdose.Trainings approximately one hour long, and areoffered at numerous locations and times.Advance registration is not required. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/community-services-board/news/2018/free-naloxone-revive-trainings.

Bulletin

12 ❖ Burke Connection ❖ February 1-7, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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