Poetry MV 4/17/2013
By Asher Ager 5th Grade Hollin Meadows ES Birds, animals, weeds, and all other beings, Spring approaches, though that might not seem now, All the beasts, plants, towers, flowers, and things, Can feel the warmth seeping through cold winter’s gown, Inofficially marking the new spring, The very official holiday will still cling, The answer to global warming is clear, We must step up and take charge of the day, Grab a took may it be shovel; or spade If you want to help this is the way, With any effort changes will be made, One of the enjoyable holidays, Earth Day is fun let it stay as it may.
Editorial: Value-added Evaluation?
TJ admissions illustrate growing gap between “haves” and “have-nots.”
More than 181,000 students attend Fairfax County Public Schools. So why do the 480 students who were accepted for next year’s freshman class at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology seem so important? Fairfax County Public Schools have a single elite magnet school, Thomas Jefferson, and TJ is frequently referred to as the top high school in the country. Dramatic disparity in the makeup of admissions at TJ is an indicator of disparity in early identification of students as gifted and talented, of access to advanced classes and enrichment, and in the basic education that the Fairfax County Public school system offers to all of its students.
New Class, Old Divisions
Demographic data for T.J. class of 2017 show lack of diversity at governor's school.
Even as federal regulators look into a civil-rights complaint about the lack of diversity at Thomas Jefferson School for Science and Technology, recently released demographics show that the number of black and Latino students is dropping. According to a report released last week by Fairfax County Public Schools, 8 percent of students who apply are Hispanic while only 3 percent of those who are accepted are Hispanic.
Poetry
My daughter died today. Dear Patsy who was but seventeen, Another piece of my heart broken and dissolved in tears I clasped her precious hand and thought I would not survive this time My babies, Daniel, and too many others . . . Then I felt your hand on my shoulder, A reminder you shared my grief, and I was not alone. Your quiet, wordless strength gave me comfort, And I smiled up at you through my sorrow.
Schools
School Notes
Email announcements to gazette@connectionnewspapers.com. Deadline is Thursday at noon. Photos are welcome. Mount Vernon High School has been awarded a state grant titled the 21st Century Learning Community Grant which will enable the school to begin an after-school program benefiting many students.
Column: A False Sense of Security
Not that there’s anything wrong with that; in fact, as a four-year, stage IV, non-small-cell lung cancer survivor, it’s amazing to have any security, false or otherwise, whatsoever.
‘We Have Not Forgotten’
Residents rally in Vienna to support stricter gun control measures.
Less than six miles from the National Rifle Association (NRA) headquarters in Fairfax, more than 100 people gathered on the Vienna Town Green Saturday, April 13, to urge Congress to support stricter gun control measures.
Local Dancers To Perform at Kennedy Center
Emma Feddo, Elena Pipkin and Sydney Webster will perform in the American Ballet Theatre’s production of “Le Corsaire” at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., April 11 - 14. The local girls auditioned with approximately 50 other children and were cast as supernumeraries, or "supers," which are background roles similar to extras on a movie set.
Thousands of Pounds of Trash Removed from Little Hunting Creek
This past weekend, Del. Scott Surovell held his fourth cleanup in the past 12 months of Little Hunting Creek in the Hybla Valley section of Fairfax County. The cleanup, in coordination with Friends of Little Hunting Creek and the 25th Annual Alice Ferguson’s Foundations Annual Potomac Watershed Cleanup, was led by Surovell at three different sites: Janna Lee Avenue Bridge, Creekside Village Apartments and Mount Vernon Shopping Plaza behind the Shoppers Food Warehouse and U.S. Post Office.
Fort Hunt Little League Celebrates Opening Day
Fort Hunt Little League officially kicked off its spring 2013 season Saturday, April 6, at Red Stevens Field, behind Carl Sandburg Middle School. Almost 600 Little Leaguers participated in the parade of teams, gathering at home plate to recite the Little League pledges for players, parents and volunteers.
Editorial: Voting Again
Every year is election year in Virginia, and it’s a bit much.
The most hotly contested race for statewide office in Virginia, the Republican contest for lieutenant governor, will be decided at a statewide convention on May 18. That’s about a month from now.
Mount Vernon Real Estate: Top Sales in February 2013
In February 2013, 84 homes sold between $1,300,000-$96,000 in the Mount Vernon area.
Mount Vernon Real Estate: Top Sales in February 2013
Classified Advertising April 10, 2013
Read the lastest ads here!
Man Shot and Killed by Police on Tuesday
Shortly before 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 9, police were called to a home in the 6600 block of Thurlton Drive in the Alexandria area of Fairfax County for the report of a possible suicidal subject, according to police. Officers from the Franconia Police District arrived and encountered a 37-year-old man.
Bulletin Board MV
Email announcements to gazette@connectionnewspapers.com. Deadline is Thursday at noon. Saturday/April 13 “Striving for a Healthier Way” Prevention Conference. At Falls Church High School, the conference will feature an Ideas and Resource Fair and promotes alternatives for youth to manage stress and to deter use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. Register online at www.unifiedpreventioncoalition.org.
Mixture of Victories and Disappointments in Legislature
Commentary
The General Assembly reconvened on Wednesday, April 3, to take up the Governor’s amendments and vetoes. HB 2313, the transportation bill, which caused so much debate during the session, came back with amendments which addressed concerns of constitutionality and reduced some of the burdensome fees that my constituents were displeased with.
Three Years Later: No Police Oversight Board
Beltrante continues to lobby for citizens panel.
Three years after forming the Citizens Coalition for Police Accountability, retired D.C. homicide detective Nicholas Beltrante and his organization have not realized their goal of getting the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to establish a citizen police oversight panel. The genesis of Beltrante’s effort was triggered In 2009 when David Masters, a Vietnam veteran, alleged to have stolen flowers from a Route 1 nursery, was shot and killed by Fairfax police after a car chase.
Meet New SFDC Executive Director
Edythe Frankel Kelleher appointed last month.
Edythe Frankel Kelleher, recently appointed executive director of the Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation, may be the first true “homegrown” executive director in a long line of staff director’s appointed in the past several years by the SFDC. Previous executive directors lived outside of Fairfax County.
Letter: Letters to the Editor-Who Is Responsible?
To the Editor: Congratulations to Walmart for its decision to put wheel locks on shopping carts, because they are expensive — nearly $100. But attempts to apply external pressure, and especially attempts at legislation to force Walmart to this action, is way out of line.
The Indispensable Library
$40 million facility now taking shape at Mount Vernon Estate; opening set for September.
Drivers zooming along Mount Vernon Memorial Highway are seeing history in the making. There, nestled in the thick woods of George Washington's estate, is a construction zone that will shape how future generations will view a figure historian James Thomas Flexner dubbed "The Indispensable Man."