Land Bay F Compares in Scope to Crystal City
Increased density would help pay for new Metro station.
Third in a three-part series about Potomac Yard development.
2012 Athletes of the Year
Tim Hightower to keynote Sportsman's Club awards dinner May 15.
Washington Redskins running back Tim Hightower will be on hand as 25 of the city's best high school athletes are honored for their academic and athletic excellence at the 56th annual Alexandria Sportsman's Club Awards dinner May 15 at the Westin Carlyle Hotel.
Notes from the Producer: "Lonely Planet"
You often hear theatre patrons (and producers!) say that a production is everything theatre should be. It is entertaining, yet has an emotional core so that you leave feeling like you have experienced something that has entertained yet enriched. It has taken you out of your immediate life experience and allowed you for an hour or two to view a collection of characters with a story to tell — a story separate from your own but with a universality that leaves you with insight and a sensitivity to life’s greatest challenges. MetroStage strives to offer this experience in all its many genres to its patrons each and every time.
Mount Vernon Me and My Mom Photos
Elizabeth Rees with children Sophia (now 8), Dylan (now 5) and Maya (now 2). This picture was taken on Pentecost last year. I'm a priest, and this picture is taken after church. I was exhausted and relaxing on the couch, and all the kids came over to snuggle with me.
Poetry by Patrick Rhoads
"Control our Debt" to the tune of "O Little Town of Bethlehem"
Poetry by Peter Lattu
Botanicals
Future Educators Win Awards at Conference
Mount Vernon High School students Shai West and Khortney Hamlin won first place awards in individual events at the Virginia Future Educators Association (FEA) Conference, held recently in Virginia Beach. Mount Vernon’s FEA chapter won more awards than any other school in the competition.
Friends of Trees Award
Mount Vernon High School teacher Matthew Thompson, who teaches chemistry and IB environmental systems, received a Friends of Trees Award from the Fairfax County Tree Commission for his efforts coordinating an effort to plant 465 native trees on the MVHS campus on April 20. Thompson’s efforts brought together students, teachers, administrators, sports teams, club members, community members, local Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, and members of the Environmental Protection Agency. Further, he worked with the local non-profit group, Fairfax ReLeaf, which provided many trees towards the effort. To cover additional expenses, Thompson was able to solicit over $1,800 in donations from local businesses to help fund the project.
Frithjof Olsen Dies
Frithjof Olsen, a retired architect, died on March 25, 2012, three weeks before his 103rd birthday. He was born in 1909 in Fevik, Norway, the seventh of nine children, to Ingeborg and Ole Christian Olsen.
West Potomac Academy Students Produce Fashion Show
In the Springbank auditorium on Friday, May 4, West Potomac High School students were practicing their steps on the runway, lights and sound were checked, back in wardrobe, dressers were waiting for the models and changes, make-up was being applied in the band room as the preparations for the spring fashion show were near complete. This year’s show, Runway Ready “Catwalk to Concept,” featured student designs: Pink Paradise, Street Intentions, My Bougie Baby, Vintage Appeal and Masked Elegance. Guest designers included Nam Nguyen and the Ugglee Collection.
Letter: Ways To Restore Dyke Marsh
To the Editor: This week, the National Park Service (NPS) held a public meeting to discuss four optional courses of action concerning the erosion of Dyke Marsh. The Marsh is a tidal marsh where the brackish waters of the Potomac River ebb and flow with the tide, covering land at high tide and exposing land at low tide. While Dyke Marsh is a relatively large example of a tidal marsh, numerous other examples abound in the Potomac River and its tributaries. The main distinction is that Dyke Marsh is located within a national park, the George Washington National Historic Parkway Park. This introduces the prospect of using federal funding to restore it.
Letter: Thank You To Community
To the Editor: The Mount Vernon Evening Lions Club thanks the Mount Vernon community for its generous donations at our White Cane Day which was held at the Belle View Safeway on Saturday, April 28. All money will be used for sight projects. Please drop off any used eyeglasses or hearing aides at the recycle boxes located in local libraries. For questions, contact Andrea Corsillo at 703-960-4973.
Letter: How To Measure Excellence
For the past several years around the May timeframe, the Mount Vernon Gazette has published a nice picture of the Waynewood Elementary School principal, who — along with a teacher — is receiving an Academic Excellence Award from Dan Storck (see last week's edition of the Gazette). While I think it's great that Waynewood receives this award year after year after year, I wonder what type of message that sends to the other hard-working school administrators and teachers in the area who cannot compete with Waynewood's "success" on many levels.
Letter: Keep Larger Perspective
To the Editor: A mega issue is playing out under the guise of a mini issue in northern Mount Vernon district.
When a Child Goes Missing
Annually in Virginia over 1,000 children are reported as missing.
What started as a missing child report on April 27 has since been resolved by the Mount Vernon police. On Friday, May 4, the police determined that the 12-year-old girl is in the custody of a family member. The investigation is ongoing but no charges have been placed at this time.