Nwe 05 18 2016

The NorThwesT CurreNT

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Vol. XLIX, No. 20

Serving Chevy Chase, Colonial Village, Shepherd Park, Brightwood, Crestwood, Petworth & 16th Street Heights

Council revises mayor’s shelter plan

THREE DIAMOND RINGS

■ Homelessness: Bowser

fears delay in construction

By CUNEYT DIL

Current Correspondent

The D.C. Council yesterday overhauled Mayor Muriel Bowser’s plan to replace the D.C. General homeless shelter, giving initial approval to a new plan to relocate a number of the proposed

family shelters to city-owned land and taking cost-cutting measures.

Engineered by Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, the approved plan would build all of the seven new shelters on land owned by the District government, rather than leasing most of the facilities back from developers as Bowser proposed originally. The chairman and mayor fought over the details Tuesday, with Bowser administration officials arguing that the

changes will set back their 2018 target year to close D.C. General.

Mendelson blasted the mayor’s handling of her plan’s rollout, saying her administration spread “misinformation” and didn’t respond to “repeated and continual requests” for more project details. The chairman said that his plan would “speed up the acquisition, design and construction process” of the shelters and that he See Homeless/Page 21

Tenley office building slated for housing

By BRADY HOLT Current Staff Writer

Brian Kapur/The Current

St. John’s College High School captured its third straight Washington Catholic Athletic Conference baseball title by defeating Good Counsel 3-2 on Saturday. The Cadets swept the Falcons 2-0 in the championship series with a walk-off RBI on Friday night and a defensive stand in the final inning on Saturday. See story, page 14.

The transformation of Wisconsin Avenue NW in Tenleytown is now on track to include yet another redevelopment project, this one located just north of the new Tenley View building just constructed on the Babe’s Billiards site.

Urban Investment Partners purchased the office building at 4620 Wisconsin earlier this year from American University, and has also incorporated the two smaller commercial buildings next door — 4624 and 4626 — into its plans. The firm is proposing a new 90-foot-tall apartment house that would have 155 units and 15,000 to 20,000 square feet of groundfloor retail. The new building would incorporate the structures of the 50-foot-tall building at 4620 and the lower one at 4624, though 4626 would be razed.

Developers expect that 35 percent of the units will See Tenley/Page 5

Rendering courtesy of Urban Investment Partners

The project will replace commercial buildings at 4620-4626 Wisconsin Ave. NW and sit adjacent to the new Tenley View building, shown at left.

Revised designs shown for Superfresh parcel

New plans for WIS building still face neighbors’ criticism

By BRADY HOLT

■ Cleveland Park: School

Current Staff Writer

Developers of the Superfresh site in the Spring Valley shopping area presented revised proposals last Thursday, designed to respond to community concerns about the project’s scale.

Valor Development hopes to convert the vacant grocery and its expansive parking lot at 48th and Yuma streets NW into a mixed-use complex dubbed The Lady Bird. The firm is proposing about 230 housing units — 200 rental apartments and 30 condos — of which 20 to 25 units would be designated as affordable. The project would also include a new supermarket and other retail space, public gathering areas and a 330-space parking garage. Developers presented their latest plans at the May 12 meeting of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3E (American

hopes to add science center

By MARK LIEBERMAN Rendering courtesy of Valor Development

The latest proposal seeks a more residential look along 48th and Yuma streets, with the most mass closer to Massachusetts Avenue (shown here).

University Park, Friendship Heights, Tenleytown).

Developers said the latest changes are an effort to respect the low-density residential homes that sit across 48th and Yuma, while remaining dense enough to make the project viable. The sections of the two new buildings closest to those two streets are four See Superfresh/Page 5

Current Staff Writer

Plans for a new academic building and underground parking garage on the Washington International School campus in Cleveland Park hit another snag Monday night, when neighborhood leaders and community members raised numerous concerns and frustrations about building height, landscaping and historic preservation.

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3C (Cleveland Park, Massachusetts Avenue Heights, Woodley Park) voted unanimously to oppose the school’s latest Historic Preservation Review Board application for the project, saying the proposal “negatively affects key features of the landmark and is thus incompatible with the preservation and protection of the landmark.” Commissioners and community members said they’re willing to work with the school on mutually agreeable plans but concluded that these plans don’t meet that standard.

See Tregaron/Page 18

NEWS

SPORTS

PASSAGES

INDEX

Spring Valley cleanup

Earning their stripes

‘Labyrinth Journeys’

Calendar/22 Classifieds/30 District Digest/4 Exhibits/23 In Your Neighborhood/20 Opinion/10

Some homeowners push for testing priority for homes due to go on the market / Page 3

Burke’s softball team completes an undefeated run through the PVAC for league title / Page 13

Filmmaker explores the benefits of local labyrinths in documentary premiering this month / Page 15

Police Report/6 Real Estate/17 School Dispatches/8 Service Directory/28 Sports/13 Week Ahead/2

Tips? Contact us at newsdesk@currentnewspapers.com

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Wednesday, May 18, 2016

The Current

The week ahead Wednesday, May 18

Wilson High School’s SciMaTech Academy will host a blood drive from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the gym at Wilson High School, 3950 Chesapeake St. NW. ■The D.C. State Board of Education will hold its monthly public meeting, which will include a report from Deputy Mayor for Education Jennifer Niles on the Bowser administration’s school modernization and facilities plans, as well as an update on schools with elevated lead levels in the water. The meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Old Council Chambers, One Judiciary Square, 441 4th St. NW.

Thursday, May 19

Janney Elementary School, 4130 Albemarle St. NW, will host a blood drive from 2:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the school’s gymnasium. To schedule an appointment, visit redcrossblood.org and search by sponsor code JANNEY or ZIP code 20016.

Saturday, May 21

The D.C. Democratic Party will hold a pre-presidential preference caucus to select and rank congressional district delegates and alternates for each presidential candidate. The event — open to all D.C. registered Democrats — will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place NW. Voting will also take place from 9 to 10:30 p.m. to accommodate those unable to attend the earlier session, including voters whose religion prevents them from coming during the day.

Tuesday, May 24

The Foggy Bottom Association will hold its monthly meeting from 7 to 9 p.m. at School Without Walls, 2130 G St. NW. The guest speaker will be Brenda Donald, the D.C. deputy mayor for health and human services. â– The Citizens Association of Georgetown will hold its annual awards and elections meeting at 7 p.m. in the Heritage Room at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, 1523 35th St. NW. Ward 2 D.C. Council member Jack

Evans will give opening remarks. A special reception for new members will be held at 6 p.m.

Wednesday, May 25

The D.C. Office of the Tenant Advocate will hold a special stakeholder meeting on mold in residential rental housing, including new legal requirements and qualifications for remediation specialists. The meeting will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. at the agency’s office in Suite 300N, Reeves Center, 2000 14th St. NW. Reservations are requested at 202-719-6560 or delores.anderson@dc.gov. ■The Ward 3-Wilson Feeder Education Network will meet at 7 p.m. at the Georgetown Library, 3260 R St. NW. Jason Kamras, chief of instructional practice for D.C. Public Schools and the 2005 National Teacher of the Year, will discuss the school system’s new teacher-training model.

Reservations are requested; email w3ednet@gmail.com.

Thursday, May 26

The D.C. Historic Preservation Review Board will meet at 9 a.m. in Room 220 South, One Judiciary Square, 441 4th St. NW. â– The New Columbia Statehood Commission will hold a public engagement meeting to discuss the draft constitution. The meeting will be held from 6:30 to 9 p.m. in Room G-9 at the John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW.

Tuesday, June 7

The New Columbia Statehood Commission will hold a town hall meeting to discuss the draft constitution. The meeting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at the African American Civil War Memorial and Museum, 1925 Vermont Ave. NW.

Wednesday, June 8

The New Columbia Statehood Commission will hold a town hall meeting to discuss the draft constitution. The meeting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Raymond Recreation Center, 3725 10th St. NW.

A remarkable heritage.

Guapo’s restaurant to remain at prominent Tenley location

By MARK LIEBERMAN Current Staff Writer

Last month, Tenleytown residents and neighborhood leaders groaned with dismay upon hearing that the popular Mexican restaurant Guapo’s would be moving three blocks down from its prime Wisconsin Avenue spot by the end of the year.

But concerns about the viability of the new Guapo’s location and the gap left by the old one may have been premature. After hearing complaints from the community, the restaurant has canceled its plans to move and will remain in its existing location at 4515 Wisconsin Ave. NW, according to several members of Guapo’s management team.

The decision not to relocate to the former Firelake Grill space at 4200 Wisconsin, as previously announced, was finalized two weeks ago, according to Guapo’s general manager Ismael Rosa. The restaurant plans to find creative solutions to save a little money in order to remain viable in the costly current space, according to Rosa, who said he couldn’t identify those solutions yet.

Though Guapo’s managers previously cited the sparsely fre-

Brian Kapur/The Current

The neighborhood staple will remain at 4515 Wisconsin Ave.

quented upper floors of the building as a motivation to move to a smaller space, Rosa said the restaurant’s landlord has no plans to rent out any portion of its building to another tenant. “We love that place,� Rosa said. “There is a lot of history in that restaurant.�

David Moran, manager of the Tenleytown Guapo’s, told The Current that “some issues� proved significant obstacles to signing the new lease. As soon as the restaurant announced it would be moving, Moran said the outcry of complaints was far more overwhelming than he and his team anticipated. ‘We appreciate so much love to our restaurant,� Moran said. “We See Guapo’s/Page 18

An exceptional future.

Artist’s rendering.

Projected opening 2019-2020

With Creekside, Ingleside at Rock Creek’s upcoming addition, we continue the tradition of excellence.

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An Ingleside Community

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3050 Military Road, NW Washington, DC

t XXX JSDED PSH

The Current

GWU set to start revamp of Corcoran this summer

By MARK LIEBERMAN Current Staff Writer

George Washington University is moving forward on plans to make the most of its 2014 acquisition of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, with major renovations scheduled for this summer and beyond to the building that houses what is now the university’s Corcoran School of the Arts & Design.

The Corcoran’s Flagg Building, at 500 17th St. NW, will undergo extensive infrastructural repairs this summer, school director Sanjit Sethi said in an interview. Construction crews will pay particular attention to accessibility and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as the electricity, plumbing, and heating and air conditioning systems, Sethi said. Individual upgrades to those features have been made over the last century,

Brian Kapur/Current file photo

The renovation’s first phase is expected to cost $47.5 million.

but this renovation marks the most comprehensive upgrade plan yet, Sethi said.

Work will be completed on every floor of the building, with other projects including the removal of an antiquated freight elevator, refinement of the entrance on New York Avenue and restoration of the historic oak doors at the building’s 17th Street entrance — the latter thanks to a See Corcoran/Page 16

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Plans for new ‘cap park’ in Dupont progress

By MARK LIEBERMAN Current Staff Writer

Neighborhood leaders and residents in Dupont Circle have long been hoping for a park to cover the tunnel space between the circle and Q Street, above that underground section of Connecticut Avenue NW. As of last week, city agencies say the project has progressed to the next stage.

The formal feasibility study for the “cap park� that began in August concluded earlier this month with favorable results, D.C. Department of Transportation program manager Rick Kenney told residents at last Wednesday’s meeting of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2B (Dupont Circle).

Consultant Joyce Tsepas of the construction group AECon described the tentative design as a “deck plaza� that offers “flexible, programmable space for the community to use.�

The study found that the park could offer approximately 12,000 square feet. The tentative design would place a 40-foot gap between the south end of the plaza and Dupont Circle NW itself, a necessary measure for ventilation.

Some tangential elements of the design, including tree placement, will be worked out in subse-

quent studies, according to Kenney. If funding and permits are available on schedule, construction could begin two and a half years from now and take between 12 and 18 months, according to agency spokesperson Terry Owens.

Current estimates put the project cost at around $12.5 million, Kenney said. He hesitated to say with certainty that the necessary funding for the entire project is available but added that the project is currently funded through the design portion of the process. “Based on the way this estimate looks, it’s not looking like an unrealistic number,�

Kenney said.

Ward 2 D.C. Council member Jack Evans previously designated $10 million for the cap park budget in his budget request. Evans’ communications director Tom Lipinsky said at the meeting that Evans considers the project a priority and would be willing to kick in additional funds, if necessary. Lipinsky said yesterday that the funding is included in the budget given initial approval this week by the D.C. Council.

Next steps for the project include a yearlong “multimodal� analysis with an in-depth study of the design’s compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act.

Workers recount Glenbrook Road hazards Current Staff Report A recent report reached few strong conclusions about the health risks to residents and construction workers at 4825 Glenbrook Road NW, which was severely contaminated by chemical munitions left over from a World War I-era Army testing facility at American University.

But when the federal team behind the report presented their limited findings at last Tuesday’s Restoration Advisory Board meeting, the audience included three of those workers who built the house at the Spring Valley property — workers whom the researchers had

been unable to reach.

Interviewed after the meeting, the three said they suffered fairly serious health problems while working at the site, and that they believe the worst contamination also affects the American University president’s house next door at 4835 Glenbrook. “There’s all kinds of stuff under it, stuff that could explode under you,� one worker said.

But the men were unwilling to go into much detail, either in the interview or with Michelle Watters, a medical doctor who was part of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

research team. “I don’t want to jeopardize any potential litigation,� said one of the workers; the three attended the meeting with their attorney.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been cleaning up Spring Valley for more than two decades and tore down the house at 4825 Glenbrook to excavate the entire property down to bedrock. That project is ongoing and slated to wrap up in summer 2017, with the site restored to residential standards and returned to American University, the landowner. The Army has removed large amounts See Glenbrook/Page 5

RAB seeks set of priorities for cleanup effort Current Staff Report As the Army Corps of Engineers investigates properties in Spring Valley for possible remaining hazards, the community’s Restoration Advisory Board is asking that the Army develop a system for prioritizing the properties on its work list, with some residents pushing for priority to be given to owners hoping to sell their homes.

Although the Army’s work in the neighborhood — investigating and addressing contamination from World War I-era chemical munitions testing — is largely complete, officials last year identified about 100 properties that they wanted to look into further.

At last Tuesday’s board meeting, one resident complained that he can’t sell his house anywhere near its full value due to the cloud hanging over his property, and he asked to be “at the front of the line� to have it tested.

The board unanimously asked the Army to report back in July with a description of how it will prioritize properties. Dan Noble, who heads the cleanup effort for the Army, said before the vote that he was unsure which factors would be used. With the current testing methods, he said it could take the Army as long as three years to look at all 100 suspect properties and remove all potentially dangerous items.

Board member Kathleen Connell said that sellers of suspicious properties “are taking a bath� if they sell now. “I want to know how [properties are] to be expedited,� she said. Connell said the Army could use a lottery or give first dibs to owners who have an emergency.

Board member Larry Miller called for a “fair system� with justification for those “going to the front of the line.�

Board member Tom Smith said the Corps should “come up with criteria for priority� that might not just be technical in nature.

Another board member suggested that some residents might not be in any hurry for the information as they plan to live there for many years to come. He suggested the Army ask residents if they need to have the information soon and then why.

As part of the investigation, the Army is partnering with the Naval Research Laboratories to pilot some new technology that could make the process a great deal faster and also less expensive.

Currently, magnetometers, or electromagnetic detectors, are used to identify all spots on a property that have underground metallic objects, which are then dug up. Most of the objects turn out to be items See Testing/Page 16

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The Current

District Digest Local parks to host BioBlitz activities

BioBlitz — a two-day race to identify as many species of plants, animals and other organisms as possible — is taking place this Friday and Saturday in D.C. Sponsored by National Geographic and the National Park Service, this year’s BioBlitz will span more than 20 different parks in the region, including Rock Creek, Glover Archbold, Dumbarton Oaks and Battery Kemble. In each park, teams of scientists, students, teachers and the general public will take inventory and photos of various species using the iNaturalist app.

The first BioBlitz took place in 2007 in Rock Creek Park, and now the event has spread to 250 parks across the country. In D.C., the event is paired with the twoday Biodiversity Festival at Constitution Gardens on the National Mall, featuring hands-on science exhibits, food, art and activities.

Information about the event is available at nationalgeographic. org/projects/bioblitz. Registration is required to participate in the biological inventories, which vary

in the difficulty of the terrain but generally last about two hours.

Bike to Work Day scheduled for Friday

As part of national Bike to Work Day this Friday, the D.C. area is hosting a number of activities to encourage commuters to ditch their cars in favor of twowheeled rides.

Across the region, 83 spots will serve as pit stops where cyclists can stop for refreshments, free T-shirts and other prizes on their way to and home from work. One of those is Farragut Park downtown, where bike technicians, fitness trainers, masseuses and cycling advocates will be on hand between 7 and 9 a.m.

The Golden Triangle Business Improvement District is also marking the event by beginning to install 60 more bike racks in the area between the White House and Dupont Circle, according to a news release.

Other pit stops in Northwest include sites in Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights, Franklin Square and the Georgetown Waterfront Park.

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Association and Commuter Connections are in charge of organizing the local events for Bike to Work Day, which the D.C. area has celebrated since 2001. Last year, a record-breaking 17,500 commuters participated.

To register and obtain details, visit biketoworkmetrodc.org.

Leading District pols give nod to Clinton

A cadre of D.C. leaders — including Mayor Muriel Bowser, D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton and 10 D.C. Council members — have announced their endorsements for Hillary Clinton.

In a release from the Clinton campaign’s press office, Norton says she aligns with Clinton’s views on “issues from income inequality to debt free college,� but says the presidential candidate specifically sealed her endorsement in promising to champion the cause of D.C. statehood. “She looked me in the eye and said, ‘Eleanor, I’ve always supported statehood,’� Norton says in the release.

Mayor Bowser, in the release, expresses her faith in Clinton’s advocacy for working families, women’s rights and lowering unemployment, in addition to the D.C. statehood cause.

The release notes that every Democratic D.C. Council member who is able to endorse Clinton in the Democratic primary has done so, listing Council Chairman Phil Mendelson and members Kenyan McDuffie, Jack Evans, Vincent Orange, Mary Cheh, Yvette Alexander, Charles Allen, Brianne Nadeau, LaRuby May and Brandon Todd as supporters. The remaining Democrat on the D.C. Council, Anita Bonds, chairs the D.C. Democratic Party; the other two members are independents.

The Current

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Annual fundraiser supports D.C. students

The eighth annual fundraiser for the DC College Access Program (known as “DC-CAP�) raised more than $800,000 at this year’s April 26 event at the Kennedy Center, according to a news release.

The theme of the “DC-CAPITAL STARS� event was “The Sounds of Movie Music,� with 10 student finalists from D.C. public and charter schools performing in an “American Idol�style competition. The top three winners were all seniors from Northwest schools. Opera singer Saloni Rao, from Wilson High School, won the first prize of a $10,000 college scholarship; dancer Eriq Bridgett, from Duke Ellington School of the Arts, won the secondPhoto courtesy of Hyon Smith Photography place $6,000 scholarship; and opera singer Samira Plummer, Saloni Rao and Eriq Samira Plummer of Bridgett won the top three awards.

Duke Ellington won the third-place $4,000 scholarship. The remaining finalists each received a $2,000 scholarship.

The guest judges, who helped audience members decide on the winners, were DJ and video jockey Donnie Simpson, musician Mark Rivera, “So You Think You Can Dance� winner Fik-Shun, and actress Kellie Shanygne Williams.

Dozens of local corporations, foundations and individuals helped sponsor the event, including the Clark Charitable Foundation; and foundations run by Ted and Lynn Leonsis, according to the release. The evening was dedicated to the memory of local businessman and philanthropist A. James Clark, a supporter of DC-CAP who died in 2015.

DC-CAP is a privately funded nonprofit that has worked for the past 17 years to help D.C. high school students prepare for and graduate from college.

Emergency exercise simulates hazards

Across the District today, first responders will be testing their emergency preparedness through exercises that simulate a train derailment and hazardous chemical spill.

The exercises — planned in collaboration with CSX, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and the American Red Cross — will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, with simulations “designed to test and evaluate District emergency operations, techniques, procedures, and command and control relationships among first responders and District partners and stakeholders,� according to a news release. The goal is “to ensure that government agencies and our partners are prepared to protect the public in an event of a similar derailment or spill,� the release states.

The six exercise locations include the simulated “incident site,� at the Benning Rail Yard in Southeast, and the Georgetown hospital site, at 3800 Reservoir Road NW, which will test patient intake and decontamination techniques. Though residents and businesses should expect to see increased fire and police presence

at the exercise sites, the simulations won’t involve any street closures, according to the release.

Ingleside hires new executive director

The Ingleside at Rock Creek retirement community has a new executive director at its helm: Catherine Scott, who most recently served as president of the Philadelphia-based Senior Housing consulting firm.

In total, Scott has over 30 years of experience managing different types of senior housing and programs, according to a news release from Ingleside. Her previous work included positions with Symphony Senior Living, New Dawn Memory Care, Sunrise Senior Living and Presbyterian Homes of New Jersey.

Scott joins Ingleside as the retirement community undergoes a major addition bringing 105 new independent living residences and 12 assisted living residences to its 3050 Military Road NW site.

Corrections

As a matter of policy, The Current corrects all errors of substance.

To report an error, call the managing editor at 202-567-2011.

The Current

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GLENBROOK: Construction workers of two Spring Valley homes report personal illnesses

From Page 3

of buried material and contaminated soil from the site over the years, but officials reported last week that nothing material had been found recently.

Spring Valley neighbors have said the house’s former residents suffered medical problems, but Watters said that she “couldn’t draw any specific conclusions” as to their health risks related to the munitions, and the team could not obtain the residents’ medical histories. The chance of risk to workers at

the site was considerably stronger, she said, but researchers were unable to get any specific information from the workers other than transcripts of past interviews with Ginny Durrin, a Spring Valley filmmaker who is working on a documentary about the testing and the decades-long cleanup project.

In those transcripts, the workers express grave concerns about 4835 Glenbrook.

They alleged that contaminated soil from 4825 next door was buried there after being rejected by a landfill, and that the soil and

TENLEY

Regarding the workers’ claims, Gardner said, “We have encountered some evidence that appears to sync with some parts of the transcript excerpts … and other evidence from the actual excavation that contradicts the content of the excerpts,” though he said the Army would be happy to meet with the workers.

There has been no excavation beneath the house itself, but American University said in 2010 that it had been conducting periodic air monitoring of its president’s home and that the results were normal.

SUPERFRESH: Developers tweak mixed-use plans

From Page 1 be studio apartments, 35 percent one-bedrooms, 20 percent onebedrooms with a den, and 10 percent two-bedrooms. The project will use the site’s existing 75-space garage, which exceeds the minimum zoning requirements, though developers said they’re open to preventing their tenants from getting Residential Parking Permits.

This project adjoins the Tenley View building and is within a block of three planned new buildings: Georgetown Day School’s redevelopment of the Martens car dealership site into two new mixed-use structures that will stand about 65 feet tall, and a more modest project on the site of Osman & Joe’s Steak ’n Egg Kitchen.

Urban Investment Partners presented its preliminary plans at last Thursday’s meeting of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3E (Friendship Heights, Tenleytown), where the project team said the building’s scale is in line with policies that call for greater density around Metro stations. “We think it makes sense to have a bigger building at this location,” the firm’s Brook Katzen said.

ANC 3E member Anne Wallace agreed. “The existing buildings are small and underused and ugly, so it’s exciting to see them put to better use bringing in more people and activity,” she said. “It’s particularly important to enliven that street as it comes down from the hill [from Brandywine Street], because right now it’s pretty dead.”

However, some meeting attendees noted that, unlike other major projects nearby, this site backs directly to single-family homes.

The Martens site is buffered by Georgetown Day School, and Tenley View by the Friendship Hospital for Animals. “You’re going to be 110, 115 feet on the 42nd Street side, stepping down immediately to 20-foot buildings. That’s a huge change,” one resident said.

Katzen said his firm has been working with those immediate neighbors and hasn’t heard complaints, and ANC 3E members expressed little concern. Commissioner Tom Quinn said residents should expect to make sacrifices for their convenient location. “It’s

suspicious items were covered over with a layer of concrete.

Army Corps spokesperson Christopher Gardner said investigators did thoroughly check 4835 in 2007 and 2008. The Army dug 76 test pits, removed about 539 cubic yards of arsenic-affected soil and recovered a small amount of poison gas material from 14 of the pits. He said that based on the work, as well as several previous investigations, “there are currently no plans to conduct any further remedial actions at 4835 Glenbrook Road.”

From Page 1

Brian Kapur/The Current

The larger two buildings on the site will become part of the new structure.

a tradeoff that you have this transition, but it’s a pretty great amenity in our neighborhood that you can have a house with a yard so close to the Metro,” he said.

Much of last Thursday’s discussion focused on the amenities that would be associated with the project. Developers intend to pursue a planned unit development to obtain extra relief from existing zoning rules — allowing the planned 90-foot height — in exchange for providing certain benefits to the community.

Ideas floated by residents, commissioners and the project team included converting the vacant National Park Service structure at 41st and Chesapeake streets NW into a community center; burying power lines underground; providing public access to the rooftop; creating public art displays on the building’s exterior wall; and funding planned improvements to 40th Street and Fort Drive NW outside the Tenleytown Metro station.

The developers will return at the June 9 ANC 3E meeting to further discuss the project details, including possible amenities, prior to filing a zoning application. The firm hopes to go before the Zoning Commission in late fall or early winter of this year.

Urban Investment Partners also recently purchased two other commercial buildings in the neighborhood from American University: the former WAMU radio station headquarters at 4000 Brandywine St. NW and a three-story commercial building at 4545 42nd St. NW. Katzen said his firm intends to convert the Brandywine Street office building into fairly large apartments by expanding it horizontally rather than making it taller. On the 42nd Street property, he said many commercial tenants still have leases that run through 2019 or 2020, but that site too will ultimately be redeveloped.

stories tall, designed to resemble town houses rather than just a section of a large structure. There would be seven levels facing the Massachusetts Avenue commercial strip, including a penthouse level with greater setbacks from the edge.

“We’ve heard a lot of feedback about people wanting us to respect the neighborhood, and so we’ve done that,” said Valor’s Will Lansing.

But many immediate neighbors in American University Park remain opposed.

“This is a better design than we saw in the past, but it’s still too big,” one neighbor said. “This is not Wisconsin Avenue. I am fully in favor of renewing Wisconsin Avenue … but this is two residential streets.”

When another neighbor criticized the building’s “mock-French Champs-Élysées of D.C.” appearance, ANC 3E chair Jon Bender asked her what she might prefer.

“I would like the existing character of the neighborhood not to be transformed,” she replied, citing nearby houses and the Spring Valley Shopping Center. “I’m talking about a two-story Neocolonial style.”

Bender warned opponents that even though the Superfresh property is across the street from singlefamily homes, its zoning designation allows for a 50-foot-tall building. And if Valor proceeded simply based on that rule, rather than seeking zoning relief for greater design flexibility, Bender said it wouldn’t

need to negotiate with neighbors over design, traffic and parking issues, or community amenities.

ANC 3E members were generally supportive of the latest concept, with Bender calling the drawings “beautiful” and emphasizing the importance of a new supermarket to the community, particularly given the recent closure of the Tenleytown Safeway. Fresh & Greens, which replaced the 48th Street Superfresh in 2011, closed just two years later.

Commissioner Jonathan McHugh noted that the property is close to Massachusetts Avenue, and he said the project isn’t inconsistent with commercial development there. “I think it’s in the ballpark of what I would agree with,” he said.

“It looks a heck of a lot better than the first set of drawings we saw,” added commissioner Amy Hall, whose district includes the project site.

Some nearby residents also support the plans, and one said there’s a silent majority of young families who were unable to attend Thursday night’s ANC 3E meeting but see the project as a boost to the neighborhood’s vibrancy and walkability.

The development team intends to present further details about parking and transportation issues at ANC 3E’s June 9 meeting, and to file a zoning application for the project later this year. Zoning authorities will also sort through an argument by neighbors that the Superfresh property is subject to development restrictions agreed upon decades ago in conjunction with the development of the building next door, owned since the 1990s by American University and until recently home to its law school.

6

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

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The Current

Police Report This is a listing of incidents reported from May 9 through 15 in local police service areas, sorted by their report dates.

Road; 9:25 p.m. May 11.

psa PSA 101 101

Theft ■ 2900-2999 block, Ordway St.; 9:31 a.m. May 9.

■ 4200-4225 block, Connecticut Ave.; 12:42 a.m.

May 14.

■ 5000-5099 block, Connecticut Ave.; 9:43 p.m.

May 14.

■ downtown

Theft ■ 900-999 block, Massachusetts Ave.; 7:35 p.m. May 9.

■ 1000-1099 block, F St.; 4:08 p.m. May 10.

■ 900-999 block, H St.; 7:36 p.m. May 10.

■ 1200-1299 block, G St.; 6:44 p.m. May 11.

■ 700-723 block, 14th St.; 3:46 p.m. May 12.

■ 1300-1399 block, F St.; 9:34 p.m. May 12.

■ 1200-1299 block, G St.; 1:55 p.m. May 13.

■ 700-799 block, 11th St.; 4:08 p.m. May 13.

■ 1000-1099 block, F St.; noon May 14.

■ 500-599 block, 14th St.; 3:42 p.m. May 14.

Theft from auto ■ 1200-1299 block, K St.; 11:15 a.m. May 13.

■ 700-899 block, Pennsylvania Ave.; 7:46 p.m.

May 15.

■ 1300-1399 block, L St.; 9:18 p.m. May 15.

psa PSA 201 201

■ chevy chase

Burglary ■ 5100-5399 block, 27th St.; 4:55 p.m. May 10.

Motor vehicle theft ■ 6300-6599 block, 31st St.; 3:56 p.m. May 14.

Theft ■ 5300-5325 block, 32nd St.; 11:47 a.m. May 9.

Theft from auto ■ 5360-5399 block, Nevada Ave.; 11:48 a.m. May 11.

■ 3800-3805 block, Huntington St.; 5:07 p.m.

May 13.

■ 3700-3741 block, Kanawha St.; 5:47 p.m. May 13.

■ 3700-3741 block, Kanawha St.; 6:43 p.m. May 13.

psa 202

■ Friendship Heights PSA 202

Tenleytown / AU Park

Theft ■ 4500-4599 block, Fort Drive; 7:32 a.m. May 10.

■ 4500-4599 block, Garrison St.; 7:14 p.m. May 12.

■ 5300-5399 block, Wisconsin Ave.; 11:14 a.m.

May 13.

■ 4530-4599 block, Wisconsin Ave.; 7:41 p.m.

May 13.

■ 4500-4599 block, 40th St.; 3:42 p.m. May 14.

Theft from auto ■ 5300-5399 block, Belt

psa 203

■ forest PSA 203 hills / van ness

cleveland park

Theft from auto ■ 3000-3399 block, Porter St.; 3:58 p.m. May 14.

psa 204

■ Massachusetts avenue

heights / cleveland park woodley park / Glover PSA 204

park / cathedral heights

Burglary ■ 2500-2599 block, 36th St.; 6:22 p.m. May 11.

Theft ■ 3300-3399 block, Idaho Ave.; 9:32 a.m. May 9.

■ 2600-2699 block, Woodley Road; 11:28 a.m. May 12.

■ 3300-3399 block, Garfield St.; 3:51 p.m. May 14.

Theft from auto ■ 2600-2699 block, Woodley Road; 11:44 a.m. May 14.

■ 3400-3410 block, Garfield St.; 5:37 p.m. May 14.

■ 2400-2798 block, Calvert St.; 6:12 p.m. May 14.

■ 2800-2899 block, 34th Place; 8:11 p.m. May 14.

■ 3500-3599 block, Garfield St.; 10:52 p.m. May 14.

psa 206

PSA 206 ■ georgetown / burleith Burglary ■ 1100-1199 block, 34th St.; 8:01 p.m. May 12.

Motor vehicle theft ■ 3300-3399 block, Prospect St.; 4:24 p.m. May 9.

Theft ■ 3200-3275 block, M St.; 2:41 p.m. May 10.

■ 3200-3275 block, M St.; 5:35 p.m. May 11.

■ 1851-2008 block, Wisconsin Ave.; 5:51 p.m.

May 11.

■ 3200-3275 block, M St.; 7:04 p.m. May 11.

■ 1020-1199 block, 33rd St.; 1:27 p.m. May 12.

■ 3036-3099 block, M St.; 6:04 p.m. May 12.

■ 3200-3275 block, M St.; 8:01 p.m. May 12.

■ 3200-3275 block, M St.; 10:14 p.m. May 12.

■ 3000-3049 block, M St.; 12:22 p.m. May 13.

■ 3000-3049 block, M St.; 3:45 p.m. May 15.

■ 3000-3049 block, M St.; 4:04 p.m. May 15.

Theft from auto

■ 1200-1229 block, Potomac St.; 9:11 p.m. May 12.

■ 3030-3099 block, K St.; 3:34 a.m. May 13.

■ 3200-3256 block, N St.; 2:31 p.m. May 13.

■ 3100-3199 block, N St.; 5:47 p.m. May 13.

psa 401

■ colonial village

PSA 401 shepherd park / takoma Robbery ■ 6600-6699 block, Luzon Ave.; 12:02 p.m. May 9.

■ 800-899 block, Dahlia St.; 9:40 p.m. May 10 (with gun).

■ 800-899 block, Dahlia St.; 3:20 p.m. May 12 (with gun).

Theft ■ 6936-6999 block, Piney Branch Road; 6:47 p.m. May 9.

■ 500-599 block, Fern Place; 8:27 p.m. May 10.

Theft from auto ■ 7508-7521 block, 16th St.; 1:03 p.m. May 10.

■ 900-999 block, Aspen St.; 1:37 p.m. May 10.

■ 300-399 block, Whittier St.; 9:55 p.m. May 10.

■ 6800-6899 block, 4th St.; 2:52 a.m. May 15.

psa PSA 402 402

■ Brightwood / manor park

Assault with a dangerous weapon ■ 6300-6311 block, 9th St.; 6:29 p.m. May 14 (with knife).

Burglary ■ 1300-1399 block, Sheridan St.; 10:08 p.m. May 12.

Motor vehicle theft ■ 400-499 block, Oneida Place; 3:23 p.m. May 10.

■ 400-499 block, Missouri Ave.; 2:57 a.m. May 12.

Theft ■ 6500-6599 block, Georgia Ave.; 1:56 a.m. May 13.

■ 5900-5999 block, Georgia Ave.; 11:03 p.m. May 13.

■ 5900-5999 block, Georgia Ave.; 1:58 p.m. May 14.

Theft from auto ■ 500-699 block, Oneida Place; 9:20 p.m. May 10.

■ 1400-1499 block, Rock Creek Ford Road; 4:35 p.m.

May 11.

■ 6500-6599 block, 8th St.; 9:25 a.m. May 13.

■ 6300-6399 block, Georgia Ave.; 12:55 p.m. May 14.

psa 403

■ Brightwood / petworth

Brightwood park PSA 403

16th Street heights

Robbery ■ 1100-1199 block, Jefferson St.; 12:59 p.m. May 9 (with gun).

■ 300-399 block, Kennedy St.; 1:47 p.m. May 9 (with

gun).

■ 5200-5299 block, 2nd St.; 4:34 p.m. May 9 (with gun).

■ 1300-1399 block, Kennedy St.; 1:27 p.m. May 11.

Burglary ■ 5400-5499 block, 9th St.; 2:17 a.m. May 11.

■ 1100-1199 block, Jefferson St.; 3:16 p.m. May 11.

Motor vehicle theft ■ 5400-5439 block, 4th St.; 4:47 p.m. May 9.

■ 1400-1599 block, Madison St.; 7:31 p.m. May 10.

Theft ■ 5606-5617 block, 5th St.; 12:27 p.m. May 14.

Theft from auto ■ 1600-1699 block, Nicholson St.; 9:32 a.m. May 9.

■ 400-499 block, Kennedy St.; 3:40 p.m. May 9.

■ 200-298 block, Jefferson St.; 3:38 a.m. May 10.

■ 1200-1299 block, Ingraham St.; 8:16 a.m. May 15.

psa 404

■ 16th Street HEIGHTS PSA 404

crestwood

Robbery ■ 3700-3799 block, 14th St.; 4:11 a.m. May 14 (with knife).

Motor vehicle theft ■ 3800-3899 block, Georgia Ave.; 6:51 p.m. May 12.

Theft ■ 4600-4699 block, 14th St.; 4:35 p.m. May 9.

■ 4400-4499 block, Georgia Ave.; 2:45 p.m. May 10.

■ 4600-4699 block, 14th St.; 2:04 p.m. May 13.

■ 4000-4099 block, Georgia Ave.; 12:24 a.m. May 14.

■ 3800-3899 block, Georgia Ave.; 11:14 a.m. May 14.

Theft from auto ■ 1200-1299 block, Delafield Place; 9:30 p.m.

May 11.

psa PSA 407 407 ■ petworth

Burglary ■ 4900-4999 block, 1st St.; 4:03 p.m. May 10.

■ 400-499 block, Emerson St.; 9:33 p.m. May 10.

■ 600-699 block, Upshur St.; 9:30 a.m. May 12.

■ 100-199 block, Emerson St.; 6:44 a.m. May 14.

Theft from auto ■ 4100-4199 block, 7th St.; 10:43 a.m. May 9.

■ 1-99 block, Farragut Place; 1:32 p.m. May 9.

■ 4817-4899 block, 9th St.; 3:32 p.m. May 12.

■ 4100-4199 block, New Hampshire Ave.; 11:15 a.m.

May 15.

Wednesday, May 18, 2016 7

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Wednesday, May 18, 2016

The Current

Spotlight on Schools Annunciation Catholic School

In Mrs. Streat’s second-grade class we are learning about geometry — solid figures and polygons. We are also learning about their attributes, vertices, edges, faces, sides and angles. In language arts we are dividing words into syllables, creating poetry and writing in our journals, answering questions like: “If I were the color blue, what would I look like, sound like and feel like?� In religion we are celebrating the jubilee year of Mercy. This week we learned about the different types of mercy: tender mercy, great mercy, unfailing mercy and undeserved mercy. — Caleb Acuna, Grace Bowers, Kausar Burks, Stephane Cantuti, Fran Centanni, Jasmine Destry, Babacar Diop, Leilani Kiptoo, Melanie Ondara, Alex Ouzts and Mattteo Scano, second-graders

Blessed Sacrament School

This Mother’s Day, my family and I went to Eastern Market. I attend school at Blessed Sacrament, where my seventh-grade Spanish class has been talking about all different kinds of indigenous markets. Spending a few hours in the Eastern Market area reminded me that we live in a great, international city that we should explore more often.

Eastern Market is only 20 to 25 minutes away from our neighborhood, with all kinds of things to see, ranging from art and jew-

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School DISPATCHES

elry to fresh-picked fruits and vegetables, and flowers. For me, my favorite part was the food.

There were food trucks serving all kinds of international fare, including fresh-made doughnuts, crĂŞpes, burritos, and more. I had a great time experiencing an openair market, realizing that just 4.5 miles from our Northwest neighborhood, we have a multicultural center featuring elements from different places around the world.

I recommend this place to anyone because it is a great family outing and there are many things to do and see. You can enjoy listening to street musicians while you stroll around and browse at the different vendors with all sorts of merchandise. — Cole Anderson, seventh-grader

Holy Trinity School

Mrs. Yvonne Irving just celebrated her 20th year working at Holy Trinity School. Her favorite part is working with the children and all the love she gets from the students. She started out as a pre-K assistant teacher and helped out with after-care. Then she worked with second grade for a many years. Now she is an assistant teacher in first grade and during the summer she works with Mrs. Smith in the office. One of the best things that happened to her at Holy Trinity was meeting her husband, Mr. Irving!

She was born in Washington and grew up on Capitol Hill. Her favorite subject to teach is language arts. Her favorite book is “James and the Giant Peach.�

Our principal, Charlie Hennessy, says of Mrs. Irving, “Holy Trinity has been blessed to have the caring commitment of Ms. Yvonne Irving for the last 20 years. She has earned the respect of the students and her colleagues with her gentle loving manner

with the children. She is always ready to help each student and help the school in any way she can.�

Mrs. Irving has taught hundreds of kids at HTS. She loves HTS more than anything, and we love her too. — Lucy Oetgen and Charlotte Matiunas, third-graders

Hyde-Addison Elementary School

​​We have been doing some really fun things this year at Hyde! Mrs. DeVine, our fifthgrade reading and writing teacher, sorted the whole fifth grade into the four houses of Harry Potter: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. I got sorted into Hufflepuff. The students in each house will have their own common traits. Each house will get points by doing something good at school or for our community and at the end of the year the house with the most points will win the house cup. For example, you could get five points if you turn in an assignment on time.

But, you can also have points taken away for breaking a rule.

The prize of the house cup is still being thought of, but Mrs. DeVine has suggested a pizza party and possibly bringing in her Xbox and PlayStation 4.

We are having the annual fifthgrade overnight trip on June 2.

The overnight trip is going to be at Hemlock’s Overlook and is a camping trip where we will do all sorts of activities and learn about the environment and go zip lining. All of fifth grade is excited to go! I can’t wait!

Sadly, graduation is right around the corner. My friends and I will all miss Hyde-Addison very much. — Sofia Podini, fifth-grader

Jewish Primary Day School of the Nation’s Capital Recently, the sixth-graders

attended the Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) Commemoration at the Lincoln Theatre. We had the privilege of hearing from two inspiring Holocaust survivors, Marione Ingram and Rubin Sztajer. Rubin was in three concentration camps, including Bergen-Belsen. He cried while he described the day he was taken away from his mother and sisters in the ghetto to go to the camps. He never saw his parents again. Marione told about being the child of a nonJewish father who worked for the resistance and a Jewish mother who, at one point, tried to commit suicide (she thought it would keep her children safer for them not to have a living Jewish parent). Later, Marione and her family were deported to Terezin for the rest of the war.

After speaking about their experiences during the Holocaust, Marione and Rubin talked about their lives. Marione joined the civil rights movement in the United States because she saw that blacks were treated badly the way she was treated in Germany. It was moving to hear about all the good that they put into the world, even after they endured such horrors and hardships.

Now we hold the story secondhand. It is now our responsibility to tell the story to the next generation. To spread the hope of those who survived. To live by love and not hate. And to fill the emptiness of evil with the wholeness of hope and love. — Johanna Lane and Gabriel Brumberg, sixth-graders

Lafayette Elementary School

Due to construction at Lafayette, the annual Spring Fair was held at the Episcopal Center for Children on May 7. The location was very convenient for Lafayette families and our community. The massive rain did not keep the sun from appearing. Though the fields were muddy, the fun continued.

The venue also offered a shack for karaoke, a basketball court, a Book Nook and a large field for sports.

Though there were were no moon bounces or dunk tanks this year, the Spring Fair was a huge success. It was very well organized and provided many Lafayette families an opportunity to see the inside of the Episcopal Center for the first time. Once again, it was very healthy for our community. — Brendan McKalip, fifth grader

Maret School

The Publishing Party is held every year in May and each student in grades kindergarten through fourth grade gets to write at least one book. We began with each Kindie picking a favorite nonfiction book. Then we chose six facts we learned from our

books; wrote them down in our own words; and added pictures, a title page, a cover page and author information.

When the big moment finally came this year, the Kindies, dressed up in our nice clothes, stood at tables in the gym with our books. A crowd of family members, friends and members of the school community came through to see all of our work.

We enjoyed many different parts of the process, like adding illustrations. One student said, “I liked starting with little details, then I moved to the big details.�

Others had fun focusing on the words. “I like to write, to learn how to write, and other things,� said another student. We even liked the editing process, with one writer saying that she enjoyed making the book, “even though I had to do the first page a hundred times.�

All the Kindies were proud of their finished products, and looked forward to sharing them with the Maret community. One student said making books is important because, “It’s like teaching people facts.� — Ms. McHugh and Mr. Scott’s kindergartners

National Presbyterian School

National Presbyterian School is a very special place, with a great focus on core values and helping the community. Every year, each grade participates in a Service Learning Project that ties in with our core values of responsibility, respect, honesty, love and safety.

This year, my fifth-grade class has been working toward helping the homeless in our community.

We had a collection drive, and every fifth-grader brought in toiletry items. On May 10, the whole fifth-grade class, along with our teachers Ms. Cox, Mr. Murphy and Mr. Sumner; our head of school, Dr. Hendrix; and our chaplain, the Rev. Dunfee, took all of our collected items to the Tenley-Friendship Library.

At the library, we were introduced to some of the staff, and a very special man named Mr. Banks. Mr. Banks was at one time homeless, but thankfully he no longer is. He now works at Friendship Place, which is a wonderful organization with a mission to empower people experiencing homelessness to rebuild their lives with the involvement of the community. After Mr. Banks’ inspiring story, we sorted our collected items into Ziploc bags. Our bags are now going to be distributed to the homeless in our community.

We have all learned so much from this project. I know the National Presbyterian School fifth-graders will all continue to work toward helping the homeSee Dispatches/Page 9

The Current

DISPATCHES From Page 8 less. I know that I will always remember that the homeless are people just like you and me. — Rose Papadopoulos, fifth-grader

Our Lady of Victory School

“Like the Scripture says: / ‘Everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree / And no one shall make them afraid.’ ... I want to sit under my own vine and fig tree. / A moment alone in the shade. / At home in this nation we’ve made.�

As I walked around Mount Vernon on a field trip with my fourth- and fifth-grade classmates, I kept humming George Washington’s song about returning home to his Virginia farm from my favorite Broadway musical, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton.� On our visit we learned that Mount Vernon, where Washington died of a throat infection less than two years after leaving the presidency, wasn’t a safe moment alone in the shade for everybody. “We learned that George Washington had his slaves and Mrs. Washington had her own slaves. Once George Washington died, Mrs. Washington freed her husband’s slaves, but kept hers so that some families were separat-

ed. It was very sad,� said fourthgrader Lailah F. But Mount Vernon can also be very inspiring. Washington gave our country a huge gift by voluntarily stepping down after eight years as president. There weren’t term limits yet. He could have been president a lot longer, maybe his whole life. He could have been the American version of the king his army defeated.

Give up power voluntarily? “I wasn’t aware that was something a person could do,� sings Hamilton’s King George. Our nation is lucky George Washington was that kind of person. — Charles C., fifth-grader

St. Albans School

Earlier this month, the eighth grade at St. Albans traveled to Maryland for a four-day camping trip called Woodlands. On the first day, we split into two groups and one canoed to an island. During the journey, students and teachers alike attempted to flip each other’s canoes, sending their occupants into the Potomac River.

Later, that same group swam in the river’s rapids and then rotated through three different activities: fire building, “helping hands� (a team-building challenge) and rope swinging.

The other group had the challenging task of hiking three miles to Annapolis Rocks while carrying their personal supplies and

equipment as well as tents, climbing gear, pots, stoves and food for their entire group. They then went rock climbing and rappelling over steep cliffs. During the first night, it rained heavily, and anything left out was completely soaked.

In the morning, the group that had camped on the island woke to find the river they needed to cross flooded, and everyone arrived to breakfast with their pants and shoes drenched. The two groups then switched locations.

On the third day, both groups convened at the Calleva Farm in Poolesville, where we toured the farm, meeting friendly goats and seeing Markoff’s haunted forest, and played capture the flag. The next morning, we all went whitewater rafting down the Potomac, and then we returned to D.C. that afternoon.

Despite the weather, Woodlands, though challenging, was a fun and friendship-building experience. — Nolan Musslewhite, Form II (eighth-grader)

St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School

Each year, fifth- and sixthgraders put on a musical show for the community. This year, we performed “A Musical Odyssey: Journey Through the Decades.�

The play showcased famous and memorable songs and dances performed in order from oldest to

Wednesday, May 18, 2016 most recent. Before the songs from each decade, Grade 6 students provided an overview of details from the years to come.

Grade 5 students all participated as dancers from the ’20s, ’30s, ’60s, ’80s or ’90s. The creativity of the show wowed the audience and had them wanting more.

The music teachers choreographed the dances. Each day for several weeks, fifth- and sixthgrade students rehearsed from 1:15 to 3:15 p.m. to prepare their dances and songs. We wore costumes representative of every decade, ranging from feathered headbands and beads on Charleston dancers to sports jerseys for Motown Philly.

Our dances showcased a variety of hits, including “Singing in the Rain,� “The Charleston,� “Surfin’ USA,� “Tuxedo Junction� and many more! We sang tunes from ragtime to rock and got the audience to sing along to several songs. For the finale, we were excited to sing along to modern hits including “Roar,� “Happy� and “Call Me Maybe.�

It was so much fun and we will never forget it. — Samantha Tate, Whitney Shaw and Jake Iacobucci, fifth-graders

Sheridan School

Sheridan’s second grade celebrated our study of the Maya with a Maya Breakfast. We felt like real Maya because we made it all

9

ourselves. We actually cooked over an open fire. There were plantains, beans, tortillas, guacamole and a chocolate drink.

We tried the chocolate that wasn’t sweet because in the time when the Maya lived, they used honey to sweeten their chocolate.

At first we tasted it without any sugar, then we added some ingredients. Some people added water.

Some people added a lot of sugar, and some people added a lot of honey. A lot of honey made it taste good.

To make the tortillas we got a bit of Maseca dough that was about the size of a pingpong ball.

We flattened it with the heel of our hands until it grew to be a bit bigger circle-shape. Then our teacher put in on a comal, which is a Maya cooking plate and it cooked for a couple of minutes.

Next we made guacamole. We had to get the insides out of an avocado. We mashed it into guacamole. Then we heated up the beans.

We also cooked plantains, which are like bananas. We peeled the skin off and cut the plantains into circles. We cooked them in a frying pan and took turns flipping them with a spatula.

When we were all finished cooking, we ate our Maya Breakfast sitting on the stone wall outside. It was very good. — Sam Colvin, second-grader

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The Northwest

Current

Davis Kennedy/Publisher & Editor Chris Kain/Managing Editor

Improving ANCs

The District’s advisory neighborhood commissions play a vital role in local civic affairs. An ANC is a direct pipeline to community sentiment, and the commissioners are elected public officials who can be expected to truly represent their neighborhoods.

However, the system doesn’t always work perfectly. Sometimes, ANCs are ignored; sometimes, their well-meaning efforts are strangled by red tape; sometimes, meager budgets are swallowed up by overhead.

Accordingly, we’re pleased to see that at-large D.C. Council members David Grosso and Anita Bonds last month introduced an omnibus ANC reform bill — a weighty piece of legislation with dozens of provisions aimed at improving the ANC process. We can’t agree with every proposal, but it clearly represents a serious attempt to look at the issues.

Perhaps the most valuable reform will come in terms of clarifying the “great weight” that’s already granted to advisory neighborhood commissions. This policy requires a city agency or board to justify in writing certain decisions that conflict with ANC recommendations. But today’s system frequently results in confusion. The bill cleverly addresses this flaw by ordering that these various governmental bodies designate ANC liaisons, who can serve as points of contact for commissioners and who will receive special training on ANC-related matters.

We also see potential value in provisions that would allow for multiple ANCs to share office space and administrative staff, which could free up more funds for grants and other expenditures that benefit the community. We’ve seen several Ward 2 commissions successfully share a capable administrator, Peter Sacco, and think such a model could work more broadly. We’d want to ensure, however, that this proposal doesn’t disrupt ANCs that are already working smoothly.

In general, we’d like to avoid second-guessing an ANC that’s functioning well. To that end, we’re also cautious about proposals for citywide uniformity among ANCs’ operational procedures, and would also suggest that the reforms should allow more flexible grant spending by commissions. We’ve seen this problem strike several Northwest ANCs in recent years, forcing them to jump through hoops or suffer financial penalties as they tried to fund legitimate, worthy neighborhood causes.

We’ve heard several advisory neighborhood commissions weigh in on aspects of the legislation, and we look forward to seeing the council work to incorporate their feedback — in keeping with the bill’s spirit.

Prioritizing safety

Earlier this month, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority released its draft SafeTrack proposal, an accelerated maintenance and repair schedule put forth by general manager Paul Wiedefeld and endorsed by the Metro board.

Last Wednesday, federal oversight authorities within the U.S. Department of Transportation said that this plan needed to change. Among other factors, the feds called for a different set of tunnel repair priorities. These include two work areas — outside of Northwest but nonetheless affecting Orange, Blue and Silver Line service here — that federal authorities want addressed immediately, rather than late summer and late fall as Metro proposed. They also called for a third work area — which Metro envisioned as requiring nighttime single-tracking on the Red Line north of Friendship Heights starting next year — to begin more promptly and to expand south to Van Ness-UDC. This could feel like a meddlesome lack of faith in Mr. Wiedefeld, who has impressed us with his aggressive work to improve Metro’s safety since he joined the transit authority in November.

But at the same time, the new general manager is still overseeing the same sprawling staff of managers and employees who have contributed to Metro’s poor safety record. Even during his tenure — in fact, on the day before SafeTrack was announced — some within Metro still prioritize immediate convenience over passenger safety and long-term reliability. In the dramatic May 5 incident, Metro’s operations center refused to stop train traffic to allow investigation of a track explosion.

With that in mind, we can’t blindly trust the Metro team that came up with SafeTrack, especially when federal authorities publicly disagree.

We’re pleased that Metro appears willing to adopt the new schedule, rather than trying to turn the issue into a turf battle that would be unhelpful for all involved. However, the better solution is to establish a regional panel to oversee Metro safety — as has been recommended repeatedly — to reduce ambiguity about who gets the final say.

The Current

Two radical changes …

M

ayor Muriel Bowser’s ambitious — and expensive — plan to close the homeless shelter at D.C. General is getting a major rewrite.

And a key House committee on the Hill is showing District citizens who’s boss of the city’s budget.

First, the mayor’s housing plan.

The D.C. Council on Tuesday approved a move to scrap Bowser’s plan to build smaller, alternative housing on five privately owned sites around the city and close the decrepit D.C. General shelter in 2018.

Council Chairman Phil Mendelson instead offered a substitute bill moving three of those five projects onto parcels already owned by the city.

That move alone would save millions of dollars and deny lucrative profits to private developers.

(That was a big criticism of Bowser’s plan in the first place.)

Under Mendelson’s revised homeless plan, the remaining two sites on private land would be purchased by the city upfront, again denying huge profits to current owners. If the owners don’t want to sell at a given price, the Mendelson bill allows for eminent domain to seize the properties.

The council move irritated the mayor, who says it jeopardizes her ability to close D.C. General in 2018. WAMU reporter Martin Austermuhle reported overhearing Bowser scream an obscenity — “f---ing liar!” — at Mendelson for saying that the changes wouldn’t impact the 2018 closing and that the mayor hadn’t consulted with the council enough. The mayor’s office declined to comment on the reported slur.

From Mendelson’s committee report: “The Committee closely examined its cost-effectiveness, its potential for complications due to zoning disputes, its long-term impact on the District’s ability to meet its obligation to shelter families experiencing homelessness, the adequacy of individual proposed sites for the intended purpose, and the overall feasibility of the plan to close D.C. General as rapidly as possible.”

That’s a long way of saying the Bowser plan was too expensive and had not had enough community involvement with picking sites.

The report, in particular, said the proposed Ward 3 site on Wisconsin Avenue NW (and now moved adjacent to the 2nd District Police Headquarters on Idaho Avenue NW) would have created “windfall” profits for private owners.

Both the mayor and the council agree D.C. General is no proper home for anyone. But the mayor and council still will need to work out details on the scattered-site homeless plan. And community groups — and zoning concerns — still need to be heard.

Visit tinyurl.com/shelter-draft-bill and tinyurl. com/shelter-committee to read the revised bill and the committee report, respectively.

Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill Tuesday, the city’s

bold move to radically change how Congress reviews the city’s annual budget may be hitting the wall many have expected.

The House Government Oversight and Reform Committee on Tuesday approved on a partisan vote a bill to nullify local legislation allowing “budget autonomy.”

In short, the city decided it would change the congressional charter under which the local government has operated since 1974. Instead of awaiting formal approval of the budget each year, as it has done for more than four decades, the city decided the local budget need only be subject to a 30-day review period, like most D.C. legislation.

City voters backed the change to the charter, and it survived its own legislative review period on the Hill. But the Government Accountability Office and Republican leaders of the House said all along the move was illegal. D.C. officials disagree, citing a court case decided by a D.C. Superior Court judge.

The full Republican House likely will move the bill nullifying the city’s grab of more independence. If it comes up for a vote in the Senate, it may pass. And if it is attached to some must-pass legislation, Democratic President Barack Obama is unlikely to put up a fight based on his treatment of the city in the past.

At a press conference Tuesday, D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton vowed to fight on. “We are by no means giving up on Congress,” she said, noting only full statehood would get the city out from under congressional rule.

■ Bourbon & Bluegrass. The Notebook was out at President Lincoln’s Cottage on Sunday for the Friends of the Soldiers Home fundraising concert.

The weather cooperated, and about 300 people showed up for bluegrass, lawn games and Rocklands Barbeque.

With our friend Pepin Tuma, we walked the grounds of the Armed Forces Retirement Home, on which the cottage sits. It is remarkable space, but much of it is in disrepair. The stately Grant Building is empty and fenced off.

As much fun as we had at the Bourbon and Bluegrass event, we couldn’t help but think a new tune needs to be played to save the old buildings.

Take a walk on the grounds the next time you visit President Lincoln’s Cottage. The buildings are magnificent to see; just look past the fencing of the Grant Building. It needs a savior.

And here’s your chance — the upcoming Memorial Day holiday on May 30 is a perfect day to go. There’s a wreath-laying ceremony at the Logan Mausoleum and guided tours of the cemetery where Abe Lincoln himself would walk, struggling with the grief of the Civil War dead and wounded. The cemetery is beautiful and haunting and far less crowded than other national cemeteries on this important day.

Tom Sherwood, a Southwest resident, is a political reporter for News 4.

TOM SHERWOOD’s

Notebook

Letters to the Editor City should prioritize roadway repaving

Thank you for your April 6 editorial “Proactive on roads.”

You have pointed out the obvious problem, but you have also advocated for the real solution, regularly scheduled repaving!

Technology exists that allows specially equipped vehicles to

travel D.C. roadways to monitor and record roadway surface conditions so that repaving may be prioritized. Certainly, starting with emergency routes, snow routes and bus routes would be a logical choice.

Your editorial correctly points out that the problems our roads currently face can’t be fixed by filling potholes alone; resurfacing is often what is needed. Some road conditions are so bad that they have now become unsafe for cyclists and

motorcycles. In fact, I brought this issue to the attention of Ward 3 D.C. Council member Mary Cheh in March 2015.

Until city leaders get serious with a long-term, proactive approach for properly maintaining our city’s streets, those who use D.C. roads may be left with a revision to the Adele song ringing in their heads: “Should I give up / Or should I just keep chasing [smooth] pavements?”

Robert Hyman Glover Park

The Current

Embracing public space benefits everyone VIEWPOINT susan kimmel

I

f you value the active urban streets and great public spaces happening in District neighborhoods like Columbia Heights and walkable cities across the country, three recent items may be of interest: 1. “The Psychological Cost of Boring Buildings,� newly published in New York magazine, notes that “a growing body of research in cognitive science illuminates the physical and mental toll bland cityscapes exact on residents.� It seems that “there could be more than an economic or nostalgic price to impersonal retail and high-rise construction: Boring architecture may take an emotional toll on the people forced to live in and around it.� The science is new but unsurprising, since engaging public spaces — streetscapes in particular — have long been recognized by progressive urbanists as a key component to urban vitality and sustainability.

2. In Friendship Heights, Md., the Chevy Chase Land Co. announced a renovation of Chevy Chase Center and The Collection (of high-end shops) to be more pedestrian-friendly and inviting. In other words, they are improving the streetscape. It is so interesting how developments in Friendship Heights get built on a suburban shopping-mall model, then falter or fail and are renovated on a more urban, walkable model. Chevy Chase Land Co. is cutting back on parking, reducing the amount of pavement and width of curb cuts along Wisconsin Avenue, making plaza spaces more active, and creating more viable retail spaces. These are very much the same sort of measures Chevy Chase Pavilion and Mazza Gallerie did in their retrofits. These retrofits are expensive, and the landlords would not be doing them unless they made the places attract more people. Good streetscapes are good for the retailers, good for the community and good for tax rolls.

3. In Tenleytown, Georgetown Day School’s proposal for a planned unit development that included innovative and promising features in public space was shot down in part because Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3E and the D.C. Office of Planning did not recognize the opportunity to enhance the neighborhood. Georgetown Day and its design team were actively engaging with the community and advocacy groups to work with the Department of Transportation and the Office of Planning to reimagine and transform public spaces such as streets, sidewalks and park areas around the new multi-use

Letters to the Editor Scout troops still seeking donations

Thank you to your readers for responding to the Helping Other Scout Troops Incorporate Needed Gear (HOSTING) project mentioned by The Current in a March 30 article. This citywide effort to collect Cub Scout and Boy Scout uniforms, camping equipment, hiking boots and other gear for needy troops in D.C. is being led locally by Troop 100 in Tenleytown and Troop 52 in Chevy Chase.

The goal of the project is to

buildings and the school’s campus using a progressive “Complete Streets� approach that would calm vehicular traffic and create a much more pedestrianfriendly urban environment. This was an unusual and difficult public-private effort with some features such as the dramatic Davenport Steps on private property and other efforts — such as raised intersections to slow cars and protect people — in the public right-of-way. It had a long way to go, but progress was being made.

Sadly, it all came to a crashing halt when Georgetown Day had to cut back the project. (Georgetown Day has announced it will resubmit a new application after June 1 in order to come under the city’s new zoning regulations, though school officials say the details of the project are not changing.)

For reasons inconsistent with past actions on its part, contrary to good planning practice that emphasizes walkability and transit-oriented development, and despite the mayor’s commitment to increasing housing affordability, the Office of Planning elected not to support the school’s request for slightly denser, taller residential buildings on Wisconsin Avenue.

This decision is odd, since an almost identical zoning request had once been granted for the Tenley Hill condominium building across the street.

ANC support was tepid at best. Members downplayed the positive impact of the streetscape efforts, pretty much refusing to participate in discussions about public space and choosing instead to stake out extreme negotiating positions such as insisting on a zero increase in car trips despite the addition of a new lower school. So to assuage the Office of Planning, GDS backed down and reduced the size of the apartment buildings. This is unfortunate for all: A unique opportunity for extraordinary street-level placemaking is lost, and a neighborhood that needs more density to support retail and a city looking to increase its housing supply in response to growth will lose 50 units, including affordable housing.

For those of us who understand the potential of great streets and public spaces to enrich urban life, the retrofit in Friendship Heights is welcome — albeit too-little-too-late for a development that should have included residential uses and been more urban — and the failure of vision and leadership in Tenleytown is lamentable. Maybe there’s hope when that retrofit happens. Better yet, the Office of Planning should reconsider the merits of the original application now, while adding much-needed housing is still possible.

Susan Kimmel chairs the Ward3Vision Steering Committee.

remove any barrier to participating in scouting, especially outdoor programs and summer camp.

Donations are being cleaned, refurbished and donated to troops throughout the D.C. area.

The response from the community has been terrific; however, donations are still being accepted. If you’re doing any spring cleaning in your attic, basement or garage, please know the Scouts need the following: ■Uniforms — Cub Scout shirts, Boy Scout shirts and Scout pants, though uniform parts of any age or size are welcome. ■Hiking boots — All sizes welcome, but we especially need men’s sizes from 9 to 13. ■Camping equipment — Back-

packs, sleeping bags, tents, cooking gear, compasses, camp saws and first-aid kits. ■Usable gear — Hiking or wool socks, headlamps, water bottles, tarps and camping pants. ■Scout gear — Pinewood derby kits, merit badge pamphlets, scout patches, Scout belts, T-shirts and hats.

Many thanks to the volunteers who have donated time to mend, clean and sort uniforms, as well as to inspect and clean all the gear. To arrange for a donation, email scout.hosting@gmail.com or call 301-656-3600.

Will Stone Scoutmaster, Troop 52

John Le Mon

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

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Letters to the editor The Current publishes letters and Viewpoint submissions representing various points of view. Because of space limitations, letters should be no more than 400 words and are subject to editing. Letters and Viewpoint submissions intended for publication may be sent to letters@currentnewspapers.com. The mailing address is Letters to the Editor, The Current, Post Office Box 40400, Washington, D.C. 20016-0400.

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Letters to the Editor Teachers deserve fair pay, not just respect

National Teacher Appreciation Week is a chance for the broader community to honor those whose work touches the lives of young people every day and who dedicate themselves to helping students achieve their dreams.

But teachers are sending a resounding message to D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not enough to say â&#x20AC;&#x153;thank youâ&#x20AC;? and then move on with business as usual. Expressing appreciation for teachers rings hollow if it is not accompanied by the respect that teachers earn every day and a true commitment to work together.

Both teachers and parents agree that the best expression of appreciation D.C. Public Schools teachers could receive right now would be for the chancellorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bargaining team to return to the negotiating table and resolve the few issues holding up a new collective bargaining agreement.

When you work with students in the D.C. Public Schools, almost any day can bring a moment when you can see how much your work means to the young people whose lives we touch and whose dreams we encourage.

The chancellor commends our unionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s members as the best teaching cadre in any district in America. If she really wanted to show her appreciation and support her assertion that our teachers have meaningful economic opportunity, she would agree to a compensation offer commensurate with what other District of Columbia and D.C. Public Schools employees have received.

The chancellorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s teacher appreciation letter highlights a fundamental misunderstanding about the profession of teaching.

I see great things happening all over this city, and not only because of those blessed with an innate talent to teach, but also those who are skilled and continue to build their pedagogical skills every day. While talent may be easily and passively observed and lauded by leaders, skill must be actively built and supported.

Year after year, the District loses an inordinate number of great teachers, many of whom accepted some of our schoolsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; most challenging positions but found little support to be great.

The chancellor is right about one thing: Teachers make possible everything else that the school system does. Teacher Appreciation Week would be a good time for officials to show true recognition for teachersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; work by returning to the bargaining table.

After decades of experience as a teacher here, my frequent visits to schools across our city always renew my wonder over the mira-

cles that occur every day in our classrooms. I am so proud to be able to honor and represent teachers â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the miracle workers.

Together, we will keep pushing to achieve a contract that is good for students and fair to teachers â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and that embodies the respect and appreciation teachers deserve.

Elizabeth Davis President, Washington Teachersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Union

ANC 3D led astray by chair on rec center

Both D.C. law â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Section 1-309.11(b)(3) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bylaws (Article V, Section 7) direct that the commission incorporate the views of residents in the positions it takes. The members of ANC 3D thus have a responsibility to listen to and abide by their constituents. In the case of historic landmarking of the Palisades Field House, four ANC 3D members utterly failed to meet their duty and responsibility to their constituents.

At the commissionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s April 25 special meeting on the subject, the commissioners voted 4-3 (with two commissioners absent) in favor of historic landmarking.

To reach this vote, chair Tom Smith hijacked the meeting, failing to follow D.C. law and ANC 3Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own bylaws.

In spring 2015, 449 neighbors weighed in on a survey on the field house. The survey was developed to identify neighborhood concerns and to better inform groups like the Department of Parks and Recreation, the Department of General Services and ANC 3D. Only 13 percent of the 449 respondents favored preserving the field house in its entirety. When presented with these findings at the April 25 meeting, the chair dismissed these results, alleging that the survey was â&#x20AC;&#x153;biased.â&#x20AC;? Yet he failed to present any evidence to support his assertion.

At its April 2016 meeting, the Palisades Citizens Association overwhelmingly voted to adopt a resolution opposing historic designation of the field house. When presented with these findings at the April 25 meeting, the chair also dismissed these results, this time on the basis that only â&#x20AC;&#x153;a few interestedâ&#x20AC;? residents attended the associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s meeting. Yet he failed to present any evidence that the majority of association members, if they had been present, would have supported historic landmarking of the field house.

At the ANC 3D special meeting, four persons spoke up, including two architects, opposing historic designation on the basis that the field house has no redeeming historical or architectural importance. Only one person (not a resident of the Palisades) spoke in favor of landmarking. Again, the chair dismissed the opponents as â&#x20AC;&#x153;a few loud voices,â&#x20AC;? implying that there

was a mythical â&#x20AC;&#x153;silent majorityâ&#x20AC;? out there in favor of historic landmarking. As one of those â&#x20AC;&#x153;loud voicesâ&#x20AC;? who cares passionately about his community, I find the chairâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s comments insulting and disrespectful. Not surprising, he failed to present any evidence of such a â&#x20AC;&#x153;silent majority.â&#x20AC;? Fortyfive years ago, politicians touted the â&#x20AC;&#x153;silent majorityâ&#x20AC;? in leading the country down a disastrous path. ANC 3D has repeated the same mistake to the detriment of the Palisades community. It is time for the commission to support the community and represent the interests of its constituents, rather than some personal agenda.

Gordon Kit The Palisades

Chick-fil-A safety concerns feel flimsy

While I would oppose the drive-thru near Van Ness, my reasons are different [â&#x20AC;&#x153;Van Ness drive-thru jeopardizes Vision Zero,â&#x20AC;? Viewpoint, April 27]. We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really need another fastfood operation, do we?

But the arguments regarding safety seem to be opinions without facts backing them up. It would be very helpful to know how safety has been affected by the addition of restaurants and supermarkets in the area. Have there been traffic fatalities, injuries and car crashes above the level that existed before these businesses opened?

What is the level of pedestrian injuries or fatalities from the car wash that crosses the sidewalk or the alleyway next to it or behind the wash? Were preschoolers or seniors involved?

How many fatalities or injuries occurred in Bellevue, Wash., or Birmingham, Ala. (two cities cited in the open letter to Mayor Muriel Bowser)? Were those injuries demonstrably higher than the number of fatalities and injuries in that neighborhood before the drive-thrus went in?

A few years ago, Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3E got feedback from some American University Park residents who didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want there to be parking on Yuma Street NW on both sides of the street, for safety reasons. A petition argued that children were going to dart between the additional parked cars, that police and fire equipment would be hindered, and parked cars damaged. Nobody bothered to ask how this was going on the majority of streets that allowed parking on both sides. A question to the local police indicated no knowledge of statistics available to measure the difference in injuries or car damage, and the local fire department had no information about access difficulties.

How much more powerful these arguments would be and would have been if they only had some facts.

Craig Hoogstra Washington, D.C.

Northwest Sports The Current

Athletics in Northwest Washington

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Unblemished Bengals: Burke roars to PVAC softball championship

By BRIAN KAPUR Current Staff Writer

As Burke’s softball team warmed up for the Potomac Valley Athletic Conference championship game on Monday, senior outfielder Ana Popovich was struggling to corral fly balls.

Once the game began, she was quickly put to the test when Covenant Life — which had the bases loaded with two outs on the board in the top of the second inning — ripped a deep ball into her zone.

The senior calmly made a difficult over-the-shoulder grab to end the inning and keep Burke in the game.

“I was pretty surprised because I was doing badly in practice with pop flies,” said Popovich. “I was just so happy I made that play because it was in such a dire moment.”

The magnitude of the second-inning play wasn’t lost on Burke coach Scott Reynolds.

“That might have saved the game because that scores at least two,” he said.

“That probably saved the game. You put the girls out there and let them play their game, and she made the play.”

The Bengals went on to a 6-4 victory over the Cougars at Good Counsel for Burke’s first PVAC softball tournament title since 2003. The win also gives the Bengals an undefeated season in league play and both the regular- and post-season banners.

“It’s nothing but pure joy and excitement,” said senior pitcher Catherine Weiss.

“It means the world to me to be standing here right now.”

Before Popovich’s heroics, juniors Hunter Hawkins and Mimi Thomas scored to

give the Bengals a 2-1 lead.

The Bengals added to their lead in the bottom of the fourth when senior shortstop Valerie Kass brought two runners home on a hit for a 4-1 advantage.

After allowing a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning, Burke responded with an RBI by Popovich. Then, Hawkins was walked home by the Cougars’ pitcher to push the Bengals’ lead to 6-3.

The Cougars made one final push to come back in the top of the sixth inning, when Covenant Life scored an RBI and got two base runners in scoring position, but the Bengals would strand the runners with stout defense.

In the top of the seventh, Weiss, who forced nine strikeouts from the mound on Monday, slammed the door shut on the Cougars.

The pitching ace forced the Cougars to ground out before striking out two more runners to send the Bengals spilling onto the field to celebrate.

“Words cannot express how I’m feeling,” said Weiss. “I thought the second strike was the third one, so I was thinking to myself I couldn’t do another one. It means the world to me to end my athletic career on a strikeout.”

For Burke seniors Kass, Kate Schlang, Weiss and Popovich, who captured a middle school title at the school in eighth grade and won the PVAC lower division as freshmen, it was a chance to see their careers come full circle.

“It’s so amazing,” Kass said. “I don’t feel like I have words to describe it because it just feels so right. We were working all four years for this moment, and it finally came to fruition.”

Brian Kapur/The Current

Burke’s softball team defeated Covenant Life 6-4 to win the PVAC’s upper division tournament title for the first time since 2003. The Bengals also finished the season unbeaten in league games.

Bulldogs edge Saints to capture the IAC title

By BRIAN KAPUR Current Staff Writer

Brian Kapur/The Current

St. Albans’ Landon Chin, left, and Tommy Williams celebrate a pivotal win, which shifted the momentum at Friday’s championship matches.

On Friday afternoon, the St. Albans tennis team saw its chance to secure the Interscholastic Athletic Conference title slipping away after they dropped three of four singles matches.

But then the Bulldogs’ three doubles tandems swept St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes, turning the tide to vault St. Albans to its sixth consecutive league title.

“It feels great,” said junior Tommy Williams, one half of the team’s No. 1 doubles unit. “At the beginning of the season we didn’t think we would come this far; then we went undefeated in league play.”

Despite the rain, the Bulldogs were able to practice and play thanks to their new tennis court

facility, which opened this year as part of the school’s expansive renovations to its outdoor athletic fields. The new courts play like clay, but drain very efficiently because of a porous surface.

“I’ve gotten used to it,” Williams said. “They say it plays like normal clay, it bounces like clay, but you slide a lot.”

For the Bulldogs, it was a welcome change after having to travel across the city for practices last season.

“We were going to Hains Point and it was bad,” said Williams.

“When it rained we couldn’t practice. Now it can rain as much as it wants and we can play.”

On Friday St. Albans struggled in the early going as its No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 singles — senior Blake Bath, senior George Walker and sophomore James Long —

each lost their matches 2-0 to put the team into a quick 3-0 hole.

But the team started to right the ship when the No. 2 doubles tandem of senior Cole Campbell and sophomore Liam Krygier won their match in straight sets and in the process completed a perfect season for the duo.

“It’s a really good way to end the season and to play my last tennis match here at St. Albans,” said Campbell. “We’re undefeated for the season; it has been a good year.”

St. Albans kept the momentum going as they found a win on the singles court when junior Scotty Lefkowitz won the No. 4 matchup 2-0 to bring the team within 3-2 overall.

In the remaining doubles, there was drama as Williams and freshSee Tennis/Page 14

14 Wednesday, May 18, 2016

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The Current

Northwest Sports

Cadets earn third straight WCAC crown

By BRIAN KAPUR Current Staff Writer

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The seniors on St. Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s baseball team had seen it all. Since their freshman year, they had been on the back end of a title drought at a school that longed to return to the top of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, and they had gone on to win two championships.

On Saturday night, they cemented a St. Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dynasty by leading the Cadets to their third straight WCAC title by edging Good Counsel 3-2 at the Nationals Baseball Academy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got seniors on this team that have played in excess of 20 playoff games, and they have won three rings,â&#x20AC;? said Cadets coach Mark Gibbs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re one of the great classes to come through St. Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and do what they did.â&#x20AC;?

The Cadets set the stage for their title win on Friday night in the opener of the best-of-three series. St. Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needed offensive heroics in that contest. Senior shortstop Myles Mensah delivered with a game-winning RBI in the bottom of the seventh inning to give St. Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a 2-1 win and a 1-0 advantage in the series. Gibbs believed that big play was a catalyst for Saturdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s series-clinching victory. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The ending of last nightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s game was big,â&#x20AC;? said Gibbs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This team throughout the course of the playoffs did a fantastic job of finishing games and playing hard for all seven [innings]. We were behind in all but one game throughout the course of the playoffs.â&#x20AC;?

On Saturday, St. Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kept up its aggressive play as Mensah got to third base with a walk, a stolen base and a sacrifice bunt. Senior catcher Josh Simon ripped a sacrifice fly ball to score Mensah to give the Cadets an early edge.

The score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the third inning, when the Falcons ripped off a

Brian Kapur/The Current

St. Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s continued its reign atop the WCAC baseball scene by sweeping Good Counsel in the championship series 2-0. solo-shot home run to knot the game.

In the top of the fourth, the Cadets took a 2-1 lead off an RBI by senior infielder Jack Roberts.

The St. Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bats continued to put a lot of pressure on the Falcons defense as the Cadets got runners on first and third base.

â??This is why you play baseball â&#x20AC;&#x201D; for moments like this.â?&#x17E; â&#x20AC;&#x201D; St. Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s senior Niko Jenkins Junior outfielder Peter Costigan ripped off an RBI to push the advantage to 3-1. But the Cadets would strand their remaining base runners. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sometimes, it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work out, but we stayed with it,â&#x20AC;?

Gibbs said.

The Falcons used the defensive stand to build some momentum and capitalized with a run in the

bottom of the sixth.

But Good Counsel wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t able to break through. Led by Mensah and starting pitcher Jacob Steinberg, who had five strikeouts, the Cadets defense wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t allow another run. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We expect that from Jake â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to go out and battle for us, throw strikes and allow the defense to play. On short rest, he came up really big for us today,â&#x20AC;? said Gibbs.

Gibbs brought Costigan to the mound as the closer in the bottom of the seventh, and he earned the save by forcing three groundouts.

On the final play of the game, a ground ball trickled to senior third baseman Cam Remalia, who threw the runner out at first. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everyone was waiting to jump up, and the anxiety is just building and building, and as soon as the out is called, everyone goes nuts,â&#x20AC;? said senior Niko Jenkins. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is why you play baseball â&#x20AC;&#x201D; for moments like this.â&#x20AC;?

TENNIS: St. Albans, Sidwell each win league titles From Page 13

man Landon Chin dominated the first game 6-1, but quickly fell into a hole in the second set. The Bulldogs had a chance for a brief timeout, which helped them dig out of their slump. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We went up 5-love in the first and we thought we had it,â&#x20AC;? said Williams. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But they came back in four games and we got rattled. Our heads were down. Our coaches told us to move our feet and to fake energy and it would come.â&#x20AC;?

As the duo found its groove once more, the St. Albans fans began to gather and cheer around the match, as the team desperately needed the win to extend its IAC title run.

While they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t exactly know it was a must-win situation, the extra cheering and attention spurred the tandem on. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had people come down and cheer for

us, and that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t happen unless itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s big,â&#x20AC;? said Williams.

Chin and Williams prevailed in straight sets, which shifted the focus and fans to the No. 3 doubles court, where Jonas Burke and Hugh Meyer won a three-set thriller to propel the Bulldogs to the championship.

Sidwell wins MAC tennis championship

Sidwellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s boys tennis team defeated Potomac School 4-3 on Saturday to win the Mid-Atlantic Conference tennis championship.

In singles action, the Quakersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; No. 1 Jacob Walker, No. 2 Henry Wessel and No. 4 Anatoly Brevnov each won their matches. Meanwhile Sidwellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s No. 1 doubles tandem of Gyorgy Brevnov and Alex Pierson knocked off their competition to boost the Quakersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; team score.

Northwest Passages

The People and Places of Northwest Washington

The Current

May 18, 2016 ■ Page 15

Filmmaker explores labyrinths as ‘powerful tool’ for solace, recovery

By GEORGE ALTSHULER

Current Correspondent

O

nce a month, employees at the Washington National Cathedral unfurl three canvas designs. They place two that are more than 40 feet in diameter in the transepts of the church and another smaller one downstairs in St. Joseph’s Chapel.

At 6:30 p.m., live harp and flute music fills the Cathedral, and a diverse set of people begin walking along patterns painted on the canvases. Those walking on the two larger ones are following the same design people have followed since the 13th century.

These patterns are known as meditative labyrinths. As filmmaker Cintia Cabib documents in her 30-minute film “Labyrinth Journeys,” this centuries-old practice has made a comeback in the Washington area. In hospitals, schools, churches and workplaces, people are walking curving paths into and then back out of labyrinths. Whether they’re

patients suffering from illnesses, veterans overcoming traumatic brain injuries or simply rambunctious children, these practitioners are benefiting in their own way from what Cabib calls a “powerful tool.”

Julia Langley, who helped create a labyrinth outside the surgery waiting room at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, explained that labyrinths aren’t mazes or puzzles, but instead provide people with a set “pathway.” Outside the surgery waiting room, following this route offers medical professionals, patients and visitors waiting for their loved ones a respite from stressful situations.

“Something about the design of labyrinths provides a framework that makes you feel safe and allows you to let go of the outside world,” said Langley, who is the director of the hospital’s Arts and Humanities Program. “You’re in a safe space, even though it’s only marked with paint. I think that’s the magic of it.”

In her film, Cabib emphasizes how labSee Hospitals/Page 21

Proton centers to alter D.C. cancer treatment

By BRADY HOLT Current Staff Writer

T

hroughout the United States, there are only a dozen proton therapy centers, which offer a sophisticated, relatively new cancer treatment that concentrates radiation on cancerous cells while minimizing the effects on healthy ones nearby.

But within about three years, D.C. will see two such centers open less than three miles apart — at Sibley Memorial and MedStar Georgetown University hospitals.

Physicians say proton therapy is particularly beneficial to children, as well as to patients with tumors in sensitive areas such as the brain, spine and various tissue near the heart, including breasts and lungs.

“I think proton therapy is the future of radiation oncology,” MedStar Georgetown oncologist Brian Collins said in an interview. “The reason why it hasn’t been utilized to date is because it’s been extremely expensive. But there’s been a steep decline in the cost of the technology, and it’s my prediction that in 10 years, the majority of facilities will have proton.”

Georgetown won’t wait a decade. The hospital is on track to open the Washington area’s first proton therapy center in early 2017. In February, officials took delivery of their proton accelerator — the device that creates the proton beam that physicians will direct at cancer cells.

The hospital is now constructing its facility with 9,000 square feet of clinical space around the new equipment. Officials expect to serve 300 new patients per year, with about 30 coming to George-

Photos courtesy of Cintia Cabib

Above, visitors to the Washington National Cathedral stroll one of the canvas labyrinths there; left, filmmaker Cintia Cabib takes a break from shooting her new documentary “Labyrinth Journeys” at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.

This month in ...

■ 1971 — Dunbarton College, a four-year liberal arts college for women (located on what would later become the site of the Howard University law school), inaugurated Paul Gordon Buchanan as the first male president in its 35-year history. D.C. Del. Walter Fauntroy was the principal speaker at the inauguration ceremony.

■ 1976 — Georgetown University pollsters found that District residents were less satisfied with city services than they were in 1974. The public schools and street maintenance turned up the greatest dissatisfaction. Of 830

From Our archives persons polled, 64 percent were not satisfied with schools; 19 percent were satisfied; and 17 percent were not sure. The pollsters found 58 percent dissatisfied with street maintenance and repair, 37 percent satisfied and 5 percent unsure. The fire department drew a 72 percent satisfaction rating; garbage collection, a 60 percent rating; and the police department, a 58 percent rating.

■ 1981 — Former D.C. auditor Matthew Watson argued that too many department heads were spending time on superfluous programs rather than more pressing areas. “The acting superintendent of schools has enough unsolved problems in elementary and secondary education that his time should not be spent establishing a master’s degree program,” Watson wrote in a commentary published in The Washington Star and later The Current.

“The recreation director could be fully occupied in minimizing the loss of services at recreation centers instead of planning a marathon.”

Photos courtesy of MedStar Georgetown University Hospital

MedStar Georgetown University Hospital received the proton accelerator on Feb. 13.

town per day, according to MedStar spokesperson Marianne Worley. Collins estimates that proton therapy will quickly represent 20 percent of the hospital’s radiation oncology patients, with the rest sticking to conventional photon treatment or the hospital’s CyberKnife radiosurgery.

Sibley’s pace isn’t as aggressive as GeorgeSee Hospitals/Page 21

■ 1986 — The District reissued street grading and improvement permits to allow the proposed paving of Glover Archbold Parkway and Upton Street for the building complex at 4000 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Mayor Marion Barry suspended the permits in February in order to receive community comments, but planning director Fred Greene said the city could not find any basis to deny the permits. Ward 3 D.C. Council candidate Ruth Dixon criticized the decision, saying that administrators should have waited until a scheduled Board of Zoning Adjustment hearing took place. She also repeated her request for citizen participation in street opening decisions, similar to the process already used for alley closings.

■ 1996 — Georgetown residents won a pledge from Mayor Marion Barry to scrutinize an application to open a Papa John’s restaurant on Reservoir Road NW at 35th Street. The Georgetown Homeowners Alliance appealed the District’s decision to grant an interior building permit to Papa John’s, which opponents described as a takeout and delivery operation ineligible to occupy the site under the existing zoning. Company officials said they would alter the company’s traditional concept to provide a sit-down restaurant with delivery as a secondary use.

16 Wednesday, May 18, 2016

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The Current

Northwest Real Estate TESTING: Army Corps plans to try new technique to speed up work, improve efficiency

From Page 3

such as horseshoes, scrap metal or other non-hazardous debris.

With the new system to be tested, it should be possible to create an electromagnetic pulse over a metal object and listen for the item’s “decay curve,” officials said. The testers have a library that

identifies objects with different decay curves. The decay curves on objects found by the devices will be compared with the information in the library, and only the items that match a dangerous substance would have to be excavated.

The Army plans to test five diverse properties with the devices by the end of this summer. All

discovered objects, whether suspicious or not according to their decay curves, will be dug up and thoroughly investigated to ensure the new technology properly identifies the items that are, in fact, hazardous. After the five property tests are completed, officials will prepare an evaluation and report by the end of the year. The report

will provide an outline for removal action for the rest of the possibly dangerous sites.

Should there be some close calls, the old method would be used for those items and also be available for backup efforts, as the Army does not want to take any unnecessary risks, officials said.

But if the experimental devices

correctly identify the objects that are potentially dangerous on the five properties, the new system will be used on the rest of the 100 properties where it is thought there might be dangerous buried materials. The result would be a much faster cleanup at a far lower cost than the current system, officials said.

CORCORAN: George Washington University plans major renovations for gallery building

From Page 3

“generous gift” from the American Express Foundation, Sethi said.

This first phase of the multi-year renovation process, which kicks off this summer, will cost $47.5 million. Its exact scope hasn’t yet been determined, but Sethi expects it will also include converting some gallery spaces into classrooms in an effort to inch toward integrating the educational and exhibitive aspects of the gallery.

“We have to make sure these classroom spaces are functioning and, at the same time, respond to the historic quality of the building,” Sethi said. “It’s about aesthetics, but it also has to provide the functionality that we need to be an expanding art and design institution.”

George Washington University signed a deal with the Corcoran to operate its art school in 2014. At the same time, the

National Gallery of Art arranged to receive most of the Corcoran’s art. The D.C. Historic Preservation Review Board conferred landmark status on much of the building’s interior last year.

Students and faculty will be out of the building during construction, and public access to the atrium and gallery spaces in the Flagg Building also will be closed until the fall, Sethi said. Work will continue into the fall, but Sethi said he’s hopeful that construction at that point will mainly be focused on the exterior, in order to minimize disruption to classroom activity and public perusal.

Sethi hesitated to provide a concrete timeline for the first phase of the project, noting that he’s impatient to get it done quickly. He would prefer to see it finished by early 2018 but thinks it might be a bit later if contractors discover aspects that require careful work to avoid diminishing

the building’s historic character.

Most of the building’s current classroom spaces lie within the building’s basement and sub-basement levels. Sethi hopes to see classrooms in the rest of the building, with the new spaces more flexible and technologically equipped.

“Gallery spaces are a learning environment, too. But the ability to have room to practice, whether you’re an interior architect or a graphic designer, to have those classroom environments not just in the basement and sub-basement, is a remarkable change,” Sethi said. “I don’t think either one of those communities should live in a vacuum.”

As for the Corcoran’s integration into George Washington University, Sethi hopes the upgraded gallery building will make way for more deep-rooted connections.

“One of my goals is to make sure that crosspollination occurs in a more intentional

fashion in the years to come,” Sethi said.

Patrick Kennedy, chair of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2A (Foggy Bottom, West End), told The Current he thinks the renovation is a positive step for what he calls “a breathtakingly gorgeous building” and a vital part of the neighborhood and city’s cultural scene. The gallery’s local focus marks a departure from several of its prominent counterparts nearby, which have national aims, he said.

“GW made a commitment to maintain a gallery space when they acquired the building,” Kennedy said. “Hopefully, it will restore the Corcoran’s place as a pivotal part of the arts community in D.C.” In another change to the Corcoran, the school laid off more than half its faculty on Monday, the Washington City Paper reported. Sethi told the paper that the changes were based on “curricular focus and projected enrollment.”

Northwest Real Estate

A Look at the Market in Northwest Washington

The Current

May 18, 2016 â&#x2013; Page 17

Entrepreneur finds passion for renovating old houses

M

ichele Domboâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s onewoman business, MMD Construction Management, specializes primarily in

ONâ&#x20AC;&#x2C6;THEâ&#x20AC;&#x2C6;MARKET lee cannon

large projects, such as apartment buildings, retail spaces and school buildings. But she also has found a niche rescuing old houses in Northwest D.C. from the bulldozer. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a construction manager and developer for residential and commercial projects,â&#x20AC;? she said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;with a passion for renovating old homes.â&#x20AC;?

Dombo studied architecture at Catholic University, eventually working as a teaching assistant for a class in which a Clark Construction Group executive was finishing her degree. Impressed with her work, the executive offered Dombo a job at Clark, one of the largest development companies in the Washington area. She accepted and began moving back and forth between construction and architecture, including an eight-year stint at Coakley & Williams Construction, where she felt she received crucial mentoring.

Eventually, friends began calling Dombo halfway through renovation projects asking for advice. The requests for advice

soon turned into pleas to take over management of construction projects. Dombo realized it was possible to do that type of work full time, which would give her more opportunities to develop her talent for saving old homes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I would love to get hold of people before they renovate or restore an old home. I can save them money and time,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the end, my clients get something they like and get clarity on the process. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m trying to streamline the process to give people design, contractors and solutions to get the work they want done, educating them on how complex projects can become.â&#x20AC;?

Now with more than 10 years of experience in building design and construction management, Dombo selects and oversees design teams, contractors, subcontractors and consultants to coordinate all aspects of commercial and residential construction projects.

While homeowners and buyers often come to her, having heard about her services through word of mouth, Dombo said she is sometimes even approached by contractors who want her involvement in projects. Developers also will seek her out when they find themselves stymied in their tear-down plans by outcry from neighborhood residents.

Dombo completely renovated the circa-1933 Tudor-style home

Photos courtesy of Michele Dombo

The homes at 3212 Stephenson Place NW, left, and 3750 Northampton St. NW in Chevy Chase are among those Dombo has renovated. at 3212 Stephenson Place NW, updating the electrical and plumbing systems, exposing original brick, installing marble countertops in the kitchen and adding other high-end features to suit contemporary tastes throughout the house. The owners of this home still periodically send thank-you notes for the work Dombo did.

The 1908 American foursquare house where Domboâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mother currently lives, at 3750 Northampton St. NW in Chevy Chase, is a home Dombo renovated. To increase the size of the house without altering the footprint, Dombo added dormers, bringing the total to three. She had intended to sell it upon completion, but her mother liked it so much, she purchased it herself.

Her mother has received many compliments on the renovations, and even a handwritten note asking for the name of her designer

and builder.

Domboâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own home, at nearby 3724 Northampton, is also a showcase of her skill. The 100-year-old home suffered a fire and a poor restoration job, so Dombo spent a good chunk of time undoing slapdash work. The American foursquare is now a spacious seven-bedroom home with an updated kitchen, four full bathrooms and one half-bath.

MMD recently won a bid for the renovation of a roughly 100-year-old American foursquare at 5717 32nd St. NW, probably because of her personal letter to the owners pledging to renovate the house instead of tearing it down to build a larger one. Dombo is pleased with the raw material of the house and predicts she can maintain the

overall look while increasing the size and convenience. The floor in the open-plan living and dining room is uneven, however, which Dombo intends to remedy by moving a wall in the basement to shore up the sagging portion.

Dombo plans to build a threestory addition onto the back of the house, finish the basement, convert the dining room into a large family room, expand the kitchen and add a new master suite. In the end, the house will have far more square footage, as well as the contemporary interior design and amenities homebuyers expect.

For more information, visit mmdconstruction.com, or contact Michele Dombo at 202-731-1177 or michele@mmdconstruction. com.

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Northwest Real Estate GUAPOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S: Restaurant wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t move down Wisconsin From Page 2

decided to stay and just try to make everyone happy.â&#x20AC;?

A few children even started crying upon hearing that the restaurant would move, Moran said.

Guapoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lies nearly equidistant from three neighborhood schools: Janney Elementary, Deal Middle and Wilson High.

Meanwhile, the former home of the now-defunct Firelake Grill, in a building owned by American University, remains vacant, according to university spokesperson Kelly Alexander. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Guapoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s would have been a great tenant but in the end they decided to stay at their current location,â&#x20AC;? Alexander wrote in an email.

The groundswell of support wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a surprise to anyone who has lived in or stopped by Tenleytown during the restaurantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more than two decades in the space, according to Tenleytown advisory neighborhood commissioner Jon Bender. The restaurant has been a standout in the neighborhoodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commercial offerings, he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no way to know whether they would have succeeded wildly down there,â&#x20AC;? Bender said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But you have a golden goose â&#x20AC;&#x201D; why do you even want to think about killing it?â&#x20AC;?

Middle C Music owner Myrna Sislen said sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pleased the restaurant has decided not to move away. She had previously expected the move to impact her busi-

ness, since Guapoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s customers often stop by her store across the street before or after their meals. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My first thought was, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Wonderful; we can call the dogs off,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?

Sislen said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were really mobilizing to do what we could to keep them there.â&#x20AC;?

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s too early to tell if staying in the old space will mean that the restaurant will undergo any changes, Moran said. But any alterations would be mainly for maintenance and repairs to the aging building.

The public has spoken, Moran said, and Guapoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s is responding. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every single day I had someone who spoke to me about the moving plan,â&#x20AC;? Moran said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re just trying to make the whole community happy.â&#x20AC;?

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TREGARON: Project draws ire From Page 1

In particular, ANC 3C criticized the â&#x20AC;&#x153;wall-like structureâ&#x20AC;? and location of the proposed two-story academic building, which would sit on the north slope of the campus at 3100 Macomb St. NW and extend into the portion of the land owned by the historic Tregaron Conservancy. The commissionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s resolution also opposed plans to re-landscape the north slope, arguing that the design plan doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t compensate for the loss of historic character elsewhere in the project.

The schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expansion project, originally presented to the community in October, has already gone through several revisions as a result of negative feedback. After receiving substantial opposition to the proposed building height late last year, the school scaled it back from three stories to two. Then the school pulled those plans for further revisions after receiving criticisms in a Historic Preservation Office staff report.

The plans presented Monday night represent the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest bid for favor from the community.

ANC 3C chair Carl Roller said heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gotten more emails, both positive and negative, from constituents about this single issue than he has received in total on the various issues he has handled in his five years on the commission. Some of them, mainly from Washington International School parents, praised the project design and argued in favor of a plan that adds much-needed facilities.

But the community response at the ANC 3C meeting didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tilt in the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favor. Tregaron Conservancy executive director Lynn Parseghian blasted the proposal, saying the 27-foot-tall, 215-footlong building would â&#x20AC;&#x153;derail and undermineâ&#x20AC;? the historic character of the Tregaron land and loom over the heavily used driveway entrance on Macomb Street. The building would appear five stories tall from certain vantage points, Parseghian argued, as it would sit on a 30-foot elevation.

Parseghian also noted that some of the landscape improvements promised in the project plans merely fulfill the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s prior obligations to the Tregaron Conservancy, rather than directly relating to the expansion project. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some of the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s landscape proposals are overdue, but none of them require a new building on the landmark,â&#x20AC;? Parseghian said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t overcome our objections to the intrusiveness of the building or its imposition on the character of the landmark.â&#x20AC;?

Head of school Clayton Lewis said at the meeting that the current plan represents the least disruptive project that still meets the growth goals established in the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2012 comprehensive plan. The

schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current science facilities consist of a â&#x20AC;&#x153;substandard carriage houseâ&#x20AC;? built in 1912, Lewis said, with some students needing to complete projects at home because they have more space there. The new building would connect to the existing science building, as well as the middle school.

â??Some of the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s landmark proposals are overdue, but none of them require a new building on the landmark.â?&#x17E; â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Lynn Parseghian A project architect noted at Mondayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s meeting that half the footprint of the new development will cover previously developed areas, like parking lots, dumpsters, generators and utilities. Part of the existing gym will be removed to make sure the new building can connect as tightly to the adjacent buildings as possible.

More than 16,500 square feet of new planting areas and enhanced existing landscapes make up a â&#x20AC;&#x153;critical and integral partâ&#x20AC;? of the plans, the architect said.

Several Macomb Street residents said they moved to the neighborhood because of its aesthetic features, which they believe this new building will compromise. One resident said he wishes the school would consider burying more of the new facilities to minimize visible disruption. Another lamented that more than two dozen trees could be lost in the construction process. And several residents said they no longer trust the school after a breakdown in communication in recent months.

Lewis attributes the recent lack of transparency to the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s surprise at the degree of blowback to the two-story building proposal. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have really been in a tailspin because of that,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Parseghian and her predecessor, Bonnie LePard, countered that the conservancy has reached out to the school at various points in the past decade only to see progress on promised improvements delayed.

ANC 3C member David Valdez said he wants to see the school actively take residentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; concerns into account before heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s willing to support the project designs. And Roller said heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sympathetic to both sides but hopes the school will â&#x20AC;&#x153;go back to the drawing boardâ&#x20AC;? in response to persistent community concern. In the meantime, the Historic Preservation Review Board will review the application later this month or early next.

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In Your Neighborhood ANC 3E ANC 3E Tenleytown â&#x2013; american university park American University Park friendship heights / tenleytown The commission will meet at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 9. The location has not been announced.

For details, visit anc3e.org.

ANC 3/4G ANCChase 3/4G Chevy â&#x2013; CHEVYâ&#x20AC;&#x2C6;CHASE

The commission will meet at 7 p.m. Monday, May 23, at the Chevy Chase Community Center, Connecticut Avenue and McKinley Street NW. Agenda items include: â&#x2013; announcements. â&#x2013; consideration of a public space permit application for 5365 29th St. NW. â&#x2013; consideration of an Alcoholic Beverage Control license renewal application for the American City Diner, 5532 Connecticut Ave. NW. â&#x2013; consideration of the D.C. Department of Transportationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reconstruction plans for Oregon Avenue NW. For details, call 202-363-5803, email chevychaseanc3@verizon. net or visit anc3g.org.

ANC 4A ANC 4A Colonial Village â&#x2013; colonial village / crestwood Shepherd Park Shepherd Park / brightwood Crestwood 16th street heights At the commissionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s May 3 meeting: â&#x2013; commissioners unanimously opposed the current form of an advisory neighborhood commission reform bill co-authored by at-large D.C. Council member Anita Bonds, while praising some of the legislationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s measures, such

Chevy Chase Citizens Association

Local students are involved in a wide variety of pursuits outside of the classroom. Our schools sent competitors to national tournaments in archery and Scrabble this spring.

Last weekend, Deal Middle School and Lafayette Elementary School took part in the National Archery in the Schools Program Tournament in Louisville, Ky. Both schools placed first in the District of Columbia tournament to qualify for the national competition. This is the second consecutive year that students from Lafayette participated in the national tournament, which brings together over 12,000 participants from across the United States to compete at 10 and 15 meters.

Seventeen fourth- and fifth-graders from Lafayette and three Deal students participated this year. The National Archery in the Schools Program started in Kentucky about 15 years ago.

D.C. had the largest contingent at last monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s national School Scrabble championship, which was held at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. The tournament was held on the giant suite level overlooking the field where the New England Patriots play.

D.C. sent 11 teams out of a total of 85.

Three of our teams placed in the top 10. Deal eighth-graders Caleb Anderson and Chloe Fatsis took fourth place with a 6-1 record.

They played such seven-tile words (earning a 50-point bonus) as antigay, venisons and movieola.

Also in the top 10 were fifth-graders Julius Cohen of Murch Elementary School and Harrison Benford of Bells Mills School in Potomac, Md. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; who went 5-2 and finished in eighth place â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and Deal eighthas creating a single repository for all ANC resolutions and motions and providing ANCs an electronic calendar of all scheduled council hearings, roundtables and mark-up

graders Lucy Levenson and Eliana Rosenthal, who finished ninth with a record of 5-2.

Other local students who took part were Deal eighth-graders Michaela Bauman, Ryan Cheney, Zara Hall, Greer Marshall and Madelyn Shapiro; Deal seventh-graders Tenlea Radack and Linnea Byrne Kvalsvik; Deal sixth-graders Avey Anderson, Max Fuld, Charles Lee and Sammy Taubman; and Janney Elementary School fourth-graders Marcus Lee and Cecilia Pirozzi. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The kids were a credit to themselves, their schools, their parents and their coach,â&#x20AC;? said Deal parent and Scrabble expert Stefan Fatsis, who served as a coach. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Tammy Horn and Ted Gest

Shepherd Park Citizens Association

Sun, beautiful sun! Hardy green-thumbers gathered Saturday for spring planting in the big pots along Georgia Avenue NW from Geranium Street to Alaska Avenue, bringing color outside local businesses. Others have volunteered to water each week during the summer growing season. Thanks to all those who joined Cynthia Prather of the Shepherd Park Citizens Association in this annual beautification event. Join Alexandra Kincannon and her association volunteers whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve put together some stunning garden sites for the annual garden tour this coming Sunday, May 22. Tickets are on sale at shepherdpark. org or in front of Shepherd Elementary School on Sunday.

The Friends of the Shepherd Park Library welcomed more than 30 multi-aged riders from the annual D.C. Public Library VII Bike Tour on Saturday. Though we were only the first stop after a 9:30 a.m. departure from D.C.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Takoma Park Library, the riders appre-

sessions.

However, commissioners expressed concern about â&#x20AC;&#x153;inadequate funding,â&#x20AC;? stating that ANC 4A might be threatened with bank-

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ciated the bananas, granola bars and water bottle fill-ups plus a quick tour of the renovations at the library. They pedaled off to complete their tour of libraries in Takoma Park and Silver Spring in Maryland, and Chevy Chase and Tenleytown in D.C. The citizens associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s community meeting on Tuesday, May 10, elected the organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s slate of officers for the coming year that begins July 1. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s headed again by Mark Pattison, supported by some longtime residents and some newcomers to the neighborhood. Members present also approved a rewrite of the groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s articles of incorporation and kicked off the last event in its year of service, First Books purchases for the children served by Hope and a Home. Walter Gottlieb was present to show his â&#x20AC;&#x153;Shepherd Park: Past and Presentâ&#x20AC;? documentary. Eight to 10 of the interviewees were there to see themselves describe the community and praise its neighborliness.

Over 400 community members signed a petition asking the D.C. Council to put back in the city budget funds to complete the renovations at Shepherd Elementary. A reply from Council Chairman Phil Mendelson was posted on the neighborhood listserv. Ward 4 Council member Brandon Todd reported on his efforts to have the $12.4 million returned in order to make needed improvements to the Shepherd Elementary cafeteria, where there are food delivery and safety issues, and the school gymnasium, where the award-winning girls and boys basketball teams have limited practice space and no place for home games.

Congratulations to the Shepherd Park PTA for its five-day petition drive. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; June Confer

ruptcy; they disagreed that agendas should be published seven days in advance since theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not final until approved at the meeting; and they opposed requiring secret ballots when electing commission officers and having commissioners evaluate their colleagues. They also opposed providing stipends to commissioners, saying theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re unnecessary and could lead to unintended consequences. â&#x2013; commissioners voted unanimously to support substantial renovation work to improve living conditions at 1339 Fort Stevens Drive NW, an affordable apartment building, as requested by its tenantsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; association. â&#x2013; commissioners voted unanimously to support funding affordable housing at Walter Reedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Building 14, also known as the Abrams Home. The siteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s developers did not receive the funds last year when the commission recommended they should. â&#x2013; tenant organizer Talia Brock asked the commission for a grant to orchestrate a block party to help three buildings largely housing Ethiopian immigrants let the community know about their problems. Tesfaye Lencho, president of the tenantsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; association, said the landlord wants to gut the buildings and force out the residents, has done nothing to counter a major rodent problem and has left the doors unlocked so criminals have

access. â&#x2013; commissioners voted unanimously to request that residents throughout ANC 4A receive city subsidies for purchasing security cameras, as North Portal Estates and Colonial Village are not currently covered. Commissioner Acqunetta Anderson said there have been problems with wouldbe thieves shattering windows and breaking into cars, though many residents donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t call the police. â&#x2013; commissioners voted 4-1, with Dave Wilson opposed and Acqunetta Anderson abstaining, to support a liquor license renewal application for Serengeti Lounge, 6210 Georgia Ave. NW, subject to the owner signing a settlement agreement. If the owner doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sign it, commissioners said they would protest the renewal.

The commission will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 7, at Fort Stevens Recreation Center, 1300 Van Buren St. NW. For details, call 202-450-6225 or visit anc4a.org.

ANC 4C ANC 4c Street Heights Petworth/16th

â&#x2013; petworth/16th Street Heights

The commission will meet at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 8, in the lower-level community meeting room at the Petworth Library, 4200 Kansas Ave. NW. For details, call 202-723-6670 or visit anc4c.org.

The Current

LABYRINTHS

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Wednesday, May 18, 2016

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21

HOSPITALS: Facilities planned

From Page 15 yrinths can be meaningful for a wide range of users. In one part of the documentary, Cabib follows a soldier who walks through an outdoor labyrinth at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after surviving breast cancer. In the film, the soldier describes feeling anger and frustration, but also joy.

On the other end of the spectrum, the film also shows children playfully enjoying a labyrinth in Garrett Park, Md. “I wanted to emphasize that labyrinths aren’t only used in a contemplative manner,” Cabib said. “Kids love to run around in them.”

In another vignette, Cabib interviews a man at the National Cathedral who is navigating unemployment and homelessness.

“The labyrinth gave him the feeling that there was some hope in life,” Cabib said.

Terri Lynn Simpson, director of the Cathedral Crossroads program at National Cathedral that started in 2002, said that for attendees, walking the labyrinth is a “very important part of their spiritual practice.” Other people simply wander into the Cathedral and discover the labyrinths.

“Since walking a labyrinth isn’t a prescribed practice for any one tradition, it appeals to a wide range of people,” Simpson said.

The two large labyrinths at the National Cathedral are modeled after the labyrinth in the Chartres Cathedral in France, which dates back to the year 1200.

The origin of labyrinths is not known, but there is evidence that they existed as long as 4,000 years ago. The ancient Romans and Greeks used them, and they were also popular in medieval

n

From Page 15

Photo courtesy of Cintia Cabib

Cintia Cabib’s documentary includes filming locations on labyrinths in the D.C. area, including the roof of the American Psychological Association headquarters in NoMa. and Renaissance churches in Europe.

Despite the beauty of many ancient and medieval labyrinths, Cabib emphasized that they don’t have to be elaborate. She pointed out that the School for Tomorrow, a private school with campuses in Reston, Va., and Silver Spring, Md., created a labyrinth in a classroom by using just green tape.

The labyrinth at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital was painted in black on concrete outside the surgery waiting room in October 2014. Langley explained that the labyrinth is modeled after one from a cathedral in Reims, France. (Ironically, this labyrinth was destroyed in 1779 by clergy upset that children were running through it, according to French historian Yann Harlaut.)

In her documentary, Cabib also features a labyrinth on the green roof of the American Psychological Association downtown headquarters. Klia Bassing, who leads

a mindfulness class for 15 to 20 employees at the association, said having a labyrinth is especially helpful in a workplace.

“Having a labyrinth in an office can allow for a different type of mindset to emerge,” she said.

Bassing, who teaches various mindfulness practices, said that labyrinths are especially engaging because of the movement they require. She added that their long history gives people a sense that they are participating in something sacred.

“It’s about setting aside time,” she said. “And that can offer a different perspective on our lives.”

Cintia Cabib’s film “Labyrinth Journeys” will premiere at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 31, at the Washington National Cathedral as part of the monthly Cathedral Crossroads evening, which includes labyrinth walks beginning at 6:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

town’s, but its planned facility is substantially larger. When its proton therapy center opens during the 2019 fiscal year, it will be 80,000 square feet and serve 125 to 150 patients per day, according to spokesperson Gary Stephenson. Within about four years of its opening, Sibley expects 900 patients per year.

Since 2010, Sibley has been part of Johns Hopkins Medicine, and its proton therapy center will be the first in the Hopkins network, according to Ted DeWeese, head of radiation oncology at Johns Hopkins.

“This center is extremely important to the citizens of ... the area around Sibley, but it is also very important to what Johns Hopkins does,” DeWeese said in an interview. “We gather patients from around the country and around the world.”

Even so, he added, the most value will likely come to nearby residents, who won’t have to travel far to receive the treatment five times a week for four to six weeks. Today, the nearest proton therapy center to D.C. — the Maryland Proton Treatment Center, which treated its first patients in February — is located an hour north in Baltimore; the next closest is three hours away in southern Virginia.

DeWeese said that Johns Hopkins will also dedicate a portion of the Sibley proton therapy center to medical research, testing animals or individual cells for how they respond to a mix of proton therapy and other treatments. He hopes that researchers there will confirm doctors’ hopes that because proton therapy has fewer side effects, patients won’t

be blocked from taking other helpful drugs while they’re undergoing it.

Sibley is also partnering with Children’s National Medical Center to provide pediatric oncology, and will have one of its three proton therapy treatment rooms geared toward children, DeWeese said.

Asked how the proton therapy centers at Sibley and MedStar Georgetown will differ, the hospitals’ respective oncologists described various advantages.

DeWeese said that in addition to Sibley’s extra patient capacity, Johns Hopkins intends to install costlier, more advanced equipment than Georgetown, which will take up more space but provides a greater precision to its treatment. “It’s literally just the most advanced way that one could do it that’s available at all,” he said of the Sibley system.

Collins declined to speculate on whose equipment will be superior, but he said Georgetown has a history of providing nationally recognized oncology programs, including pediatric oncology. And, as with CyberKnife 15 years ago, Georgetown has a record of effectively incorporating the latest technology into its treatments.

“Whenever you have new technology, your level of care has to be elevated, so we spent many weekends making sure everything was optimal,” he said of his experience rolling out CyberKnife.

Both oncologists said there is room for two renowned D.C. hospitals to offer proton therapy.

“I don’t like the way that people think there’s going to be a glut of proton therapy,” Collins said. “I think there’s going to be good care for many patients by different practitioners.”

HOMELESS: D.C. Council overhauls mayor’s shelter plans, shifts site for Ward 3 facility

From Page 1

was more hopeful of reaching the 2018 completion deadline under the council’s plan.

The revised proposal would relocate shelters in wards 3, 5 and 6 to land already owned by the District. In Northwest, Bowser’s plan called for the Ward 3 shelter to be built at 2619 Wisconsin Ave. NW, across from the Russian Embassy, but the councilapproved plan would place it on property that’s currently the parking lot of the Metropolitan Police Department’s 2nd District Headquarters, at 3320 Idaho Ave. NW. The Ward 1 and Ward 4 shelter locations are unchanged from the mayor’s plan, but the council’s legislation calls on the mayor to negotiate the purchase of the land or acquire these locations through eminent domain.

The drive to construct the family homeless shelters on city-owned land came after residents and some council members complained that the city would pay pricey leases on the facilities to developers. Under the mayor’s plan, the city would have leased the facilities for up to 20 or 30 years in all the wards except ones east of the Anacostia

River, where the shelters were already proposed on government-owned lots. An independent real estate analysis released on Monday, commissioned by Mendelson, concluded that the proposed leases negotiated between the Bowser administration and developers for the wards 3 and 6 sites were “significantly above market.” The report, by Integra Realty Resources, also found that the city would be leasing the Ward 1 site at an above-market rate and recommended the city acquire the land.

The plan approved by the council showcased a rift between Mendelson and Bowser on the issue. The council chairman said his plan was drafted in collaboration with council members, but top Bowser aides voiced frustration that they were cut out of the process. Administration officials said they were first notified of Mendelson’s plan on Monday morning, and hours of private meetings ensued among officials. The Bowser administration accused the chairman of pushing through a plan without committing enough “due diligence.”

Tensions boiled over in a Wilson Building hallway on Tuesday afternoon between council sessions, when Bowser reportedly

responded to Mendelson with an expletive, according to two reporters who overheard the exchange. “You’re a f---ing liar,” the mayor yelled at Mendelson, adding that he should know the council plan would not enable D.C. General to close by 2018.

Bowser spokesperson Michael Czin told reporters that afternoon that using eminent domain to acquire shelter land would set a “problematic precedent,” and City Administrator Rashad Young said the process could delay the closing of D.C. General. The council’s relocated Ward 6 site, aides said, could take at least three years to secure.

“We had a nine- to 14-month process that we engaged council members, including the chairman, on. ... And what we’re left with today is a plan [that] we found out about 26 hours before,” said John Falcicchio, the mayor’s chief of staff. “For that, there is a bit of frustration, that we’re not both dealing with each other at level footing.”

The council on Tuesday also took a first vote on the District’s 2017 budget, and Mendelson, in the capital budget, set aside $60 million for the family homeless shelter plan, shifting those funds from the Coolidge High School modernization.

In Ward 3, some community members had leveled complaints about the original Massachusetts Avenue Heights shelter site for months. Ward 3 Council member Mary Cheh voted yesterday for the council’s plan and said she supports using the police headquarters property for the new 38-unit shelter.

At the Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3B (Glover Park, Cathedral Heights) meeting last Thursday, before the council’s plan went public, residents peppered Bowser with questions and concerns about her proposed Wisconsin Avenue site, including criticism that she hadn’t adequately consulted the ANC or the broader community.

One woman complained that the mayor’s aides had set up a process that would inevitably become adversarial. Several audience members objected to last week’s filing of a Board of Zoning Adjustment application for the Wisconsin Avenue site.

“Some of the people in the administration don’t seem to understand our role,” said commission chair Jackie Blumenthal when asking Bowser more generally about responsiveness to ANC concerns.

Staff writer Chris Kain contributed to this report.

22 Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Wednesday, May 18

Wednesday may 18 Classes and workshops ■ Apana Sadananda will lead a gentle yoga class. 6:45 p.m. Free. Guy Mason Recreation Center, 3600 Calvert St. NW. 202-727-7527.

■ Poets on the Fringe will host a weekly poetry workshop. 7 to 9 p.m.

Free. Georgetown Library, 3260 R St. NW. passapamela@aol.com.

■ The Vajrayogini Buddhist Center will host a weekly class on meditation. 7 to 8:30 p.m. $6 to $12. Vajrayogini Buddhist Center, 1787 Columbia Road NW. 202-986-2257.

■ A Jewish Study Center class on “Guns and Gun Violence — Is There a Jewish Answer?” led by Tom Diaz will focus on existing federal and state laws regulating firearms, as well as historical experiences of Jews and points of reference from Jewish thought about violence and self-defense. 7 p.m. $15 to $20; reservations suggested. Adas Israel Congregation, 2850 Quebec St. NW. jewishstudycenter.org.

■ Susan Lowell will lead a tai chi class. 7:30 p.m. Free. Tenley-Friendship Library, 4450 Wisconsin Ave. NW. 202727-1488.

Concerts ■ As part of “Ireland 100: Celebrating a Century of Irish Arts and Culture,” the musical trio Open the Door for Three will showcase its signature Irish sound, featuring Liz Knowles on fiddle, Kieran O’Hare on uilleann pipes, and Pat Broaders on bouzouki and vocals. 6 p.m. Free. Millennium Stage, Kennedy Center. 202-467-4600.

■ As part of the Kennedy Center’s “Ireland 100: Celebrating a Century of Irish Arts & Culture,” the Wild Irish Roses will perform Celtic music with a bluegrass and American style. 6:45 p.m.

Free. North Plaza, Kennedy Center. 202467-4600.

■ Singer, songwriter and pianist Chris Urquiaga will perform. 7:30 p.m.

Free. Gypsy Sally’s Vinyl Lounge, 3401 K St. NW. gypsysallys.com.

■ Capitol Hill Jazz Jam, hosted by Herb Scott, will feature a piano cutting contest. 8 to 11 p.m. No cover; $12 minimum. Mr. Henry’s Restaurant, 601 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. 202-546-8412.

■ Strange Machines and Mister F will perform. 8:30 p.m. $10 to $12.

Gypsy Sally’s, 3401 K St. NW. gypsysallys.com.

Discussions and lectures ■ Michael Riordan, professor emeri7+( :25/' )$0286

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The Current

Events Entertainment tus at the University of California at Santa Cruz, will discuss “A Bridge Too Far: The Demise of the Superconducting Super Collider.” 4 to 6:30 p.m. Free; reservations required. Room 505, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University, 1957 E St. NW. elliott.gwu.edu.

■ Jung Yun will discuss her debut novel “Shelter,” the story of a once-affluent professor whose fortunes have failed, and the conflicts that come when he wrestles with asking his parents for help, until the parents are victims of a violent home invasion and the son must take them in. 6:30 p.m. Free. Kramerbooks & Afterwords, 1517 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-387-1400.

■ The West End Library Friends will present a discussion series with Georgetown University professorial lecturer Ori Z. Soltes on “Faces of War in Western Literature,” featuring a lecture on “The Ghost Road” by Pat Barker. 6:30 p.m.

Free. West End Interim Library, 2522 Virginia Ave. NW. 202-724-8707.

■ The Arts Club of Washington will host Michael Riedel, author of “Razzle Dazzle: The Battle for Broadway,” for a conversation about Broadway and its larger-than-life characters with Peter Marks, drama critic for The Washington Post.

6:30 p.m. Free. Arts Club of Washington, 2017 I St. NW. 202-331-7282.

■ The Sibley Institute of Bone & Joint Health will present a seminar by hip and knee replacement surgeon Gautam Siram on “Hip and Knee Joint Preservation and Outpatient Joint Replacement.”

6:30 to 8 p.m. Free; reservations required. Conference Room 2, Sibley Medical Office Building, 5215 Loughboro Road NW. 202-660-6838.

■ The D.C. Public Library’s “Books & Bars” modern-day book club will discuss “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr. 7 p.m. Free; reservations requested. Gordon Biersch Brewery, 900 F St. NW. kari.mitchell@dc.gov.

Film ■ The French Cinémathèque series will feature Nicolas Pariser’s 2015 political thriller “The Great Game.” 8 p.m. $6.75 to $12. Avalon Theatre, 5612 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-966-6000.

Performances and readings ■ Press Play will present “Hump Days,” featuring comedy, music and storytelling acts. This month’s performers are Dudes on Dudes, Cake Bagel, and Jon Watkins and Porter Ryan of the Bloody Onions. 7:30 p.m. $8 to $12. DC Arts Center, 2438 18th St. NW. pressplaydcac.bpt.me.

■ As part of the Kennedy Center’s “Ireland 100: Celebrating a Century of Irish Arts & Culture,” the Abbey Theatre will present its restaging of Seán O’Casey’s classic “The Plough and the Stars.” 7:30 p.m. $35 to $60. Eisenhower Theater, Kennedy Center. 202-4674600. The performance will repeat Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

■ Mary Bowman will host an open mic poetry event. 9 to 11 p.m. $5. Cullen Room, Busboys and Poets 5th & K, 1025 5th St. NW. 202-789-2227.

Special events ■ The Georgetown Library will host an evening of “Friend Speed Dating,” a platonic version of regular speed dating designed to introduce you to potential friends in a high-energy, low-pressure way. 7 p.m. Free; reservations required.

Georgetown Library, 3260 R St. NW. 202-727-0232. bit.ly/geofrienddate.

■ Upshur Street Books will host a talk and tasting with chef, food stylist and photographer Mathew Ramsey, author of “Pornburger: Hot Buns and Juicy Beefcakes.” 7 to 9 p.m. $37.92; reservations required. Third floor, 4200 9th St. NW. upshurstreetbooks.com.

Sporting event ■ The Washington Mystics will play the Dallas Wings. 7 p.m. $19 to $300.

Verizon Center, 601 F St. NW. 800-7453000.

Thursday, May 19

Thursday may 19 Children’s programs ■ “Preschool Series: Gardens Alive!” will explore one of Hillwood’s gardens with art projects and imaginative play.

10:30 to 11:15 a.m. $10 to $12. Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens, 4155 Linnean Ave. NW. 202-686-5807.

■ Children’s authors Sophie Blackall and John Bemelmans Marciano will present their book “Witches of Benevento: Mischief Season,” a new series that takes place in 1820s Italy where Janara — humans by day but flying beings by night — make mischief (for ages 7 to 9).

10:30 a.m. Free. Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-3641919.

■ Laura Shovan will discuss her novel-in-verse, “The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary” (for ages 6 through 12). 4 p.m. Free. Georgetown Library, 3260 R St. NW. 202-727-0232.

■ An afternoon of science and art activities will mark the opening of an exhibit of “BioArt,” featuring images produced by scientific investigators but rarely seen outside the laboratory, curated for the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology’s competition (for ages 6 and older). 4 p.m. Free.

Children’s Room, Palisades Library, 4901 V St. NW. 202-282-3113. The exhibit will continue through Aug. 19 during library hours.

■ Friends of the Cleveland Park Library will present weekly chess instruction for kids of all ages. 5 p.m.

Free. Cleveland Park Library, 3310 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-282-3080.

■ Children’s author Sherman Alexie will share his book “Thunder Boy Jr.,” which tells the story of the son of a gentle giant who wonders why he can’t have a name of his own, and suggests Drums, Drums and More Drums or maybe Mud in His Ears as possibilities (for ages 5 to 9). A Q&A will follow. 6:30 p.m. Free. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G St. NW. 202-7270321.

Classes and workshops ■ Housing Counseling Services Inc. will present an orientation session for prospective homebuyers. 11 a.m. Free; reservations requested. Suite 100, 2410 17th St. NW. housingetc.org.

■ The Take Charge/Age Well Academy will hold a class on “Understanding Public Benefits: Benefits and Eligibility for the LGBTQ Community,” with Murray Scheel, senior staff attorney at Whit-

Wednesday, may 18 ■ Discussion: Sidney Blumenthal, a national political reporter and editor and a senior adviser to Hillary and Bill Clinton, will discuss his book “A Self-Made Man: The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln, 18091849,” the first in a multi-volume biography that focuses on Lincoln’s political thinking. 7 p.m.

Free. Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-364-1919. man-Walker Health, discussing retirement, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and more. 3:30 p.m. Free; registration required. Iona Senior Services, 4125 Albemarle St. NW. 202-895-9420.

■ Instructor Nina Dunham will lead a “Gentle Gyrokinesis” class to improve posture, balance and agility. 4 p.m.

Free; reservations required. Guy Mason Recreation Center, 3600 Calvert St. NW. 202-727-7527.

■ The Northwest One Library will host a weekly yoga class for adults and teens of skill levels. 7 p.m. Free. Northwest One Library, 155 L St. NW. 202939-5946.

■ A twice-monthly program by the Upper NW Knitters will explore how to knit and crochet. 7 to 9 p.m. Free. Tenley-Friendship Library, 4450 Wisconsin Ave. NW. 202-727-1488.

■ A weekly Introduction to Flamenco class will feature an intense, full-body warmup followed by a lesson in basic flamenco technique and choreography.

7 to 8:15 p.m. $20 per session. Chevy Chase Baptist Church, 5671 Western Ave. NW. azulojos@gmail.com.

Concerts ■ As part of the European Month of Culture, pianist Aphrodite Mitsopoulou will perform music by Chopin, Liszt, Konstantinidis and Skalkottas. 12:30 p.m.

Free. West Garden Court, West Building, National Gallery of Art, 6th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 202-737-4215.

■ Busboys and Poets and the DC Laborfest will present a concert by labor singers Magpie and George Mann. 5 to 8 p.m. $10; reservations suggested. Cullen Room, Busboys and Poets 5th & K, 1025 5th St. NW. busboysandpoets. com.

■ Participants in the National Symphony Orchestra Youth Fellowship Chamber Groups will perform a program including Malcolm Arnold’s “Quintet for Brass, Op. 73” and “Three Shanties for Wind Quintet.” 6 p.m. Free. Millennium Stage, Kennedy Center. 202-467-4600.

■ As part of the Kennedy Center’s “Ireland 100: Celebrating a Century of Irish Arts & Culture,” the trio Capital Celtic will perform traditional Irish jigs, pub songs and ballads. 6:30 p.m. Free.

North Plaza, Kennedy Center. 202-4674600.

■ Musician Mary Fagan will perform.

7:30 p.m. Free. Gypsy Sally’s Vinyl Lounge, 3401 K St. NW. gypsysallys. com.

■ Mozart in Vienna will present “Le Nozze di Figaro,” Mozart’s comic masterpiece about love and marriage in the castle of the Count and Countess Almaviva. 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. $42; reservations required. Embassy of Austria, 3524 International Court NW. afcdc.org.

■ A recital will feature guitar students of Dave Baise. 8 p.m. Free. Middle C Music, 4530 Wisconsin Ave. NW. 202244-7326.

■ “Thursday Night Bluegrass” will feature newgrass musicians By & By. 8 to 11 p.m. No cover; $12 minimum. Mr. Henry’s Restaurant, 601 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. 202-546-8412.

■ The Hackensaw Boys (shown) and Herb & Hanson will perform. 8:30 p.m. $15 to $20. Gypsy Sally’s, 3401 K St. NW. gypsysallys.com.

Discussions and lectures ■ Joel Goldstein, professor at Saint Louis University School of Law, will discuss his book “The White House Vice Presidency: The Path to Significance, Mondale to Biden,” in which the author presents a comprehensive account of the modern vice presidency, its evolution and the role of political leadership in institutional development. Noon. Free.

McGowan Theater, National Archives Building, Constitution Avenue between 7th and 9th streets NW. 202-357-5000.

■ George Yin, professor of law and taxation at the University of Virginia and former chief of staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation, will discuss his research in the committee’s records and how the panel has shaped U.S. tax policies.

Noon. Free. Research Center, G-25, National Archives Building, Constitution Avenue between 7th and 9th streets NW. 202-357-5000.

■ Historian James Barber will lead a conversation about Boris Chaliapin’s portrait of “Dallas” actress Barbara Bel Geddes. Noon. Free. G Street Lobby, National Portrait Gallery, 8th and F streets NW. 202-633-1000.

■ Tom Goehner, curator of education, will compare the ikat robes on view in “Old Patterns, New Order: Socialist Realism in Central Asia” made before and after the Soviet Revolution. Noon.

Free. George Washington University Museum and Textile Museum, 701 21st St. NW. 202-994-5200.

■ Scholar Bruce Jentleson will discuss “Profiles in Statesmanship: 20th Century Breakthroughs for Global Peace and Security and 21st Century Challenges.” 4 to 6 p.m. Free. Kluge Center Meeting Room, Jefferson Building, Library of Congress, 10 1st St. SE. 202707-1616.

■ The Cottage Conversation series will feature Sidney Blumenthal, author of “A Self-Made Man: The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln.” Reception at 6 p.m.; lecture at 6:30 p.m. $10 to $20. President Lincoln’s Cottage at the Soldiers’ Home, Upshur Street at Rock Creek Church Road NW. 202-688-3735.

■ Scott Sheppard, staff scientist at See Events/Page 23

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Wednesday, May 18, 2016

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Events Entertainment Continued From Page 22 the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism of the Carnegie Institution for Science, will discuss “Beyond Pluto: The Hunt for Planet X.” 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Free; reservations required. Broad Branch Campus, Carnegie Institution for Science, 5251 Broad Branch Road NW. carnegiescience.edu/events.

■ Best-selling horror novelist Joe Hill will discuss his book “The Fireman,” about an epidemic of Dragonscale, a bacteria that causes its victims to burst into flames. 6:30 p.m. Free. Busboys and Poets Takoma, 235 Carroll St. NW. 202726-0856.

■ The Goethe-Institut Washington will present a discussion on “How’s It Going, Germany? Growing Far-Right Sentiments in Europe and the U.S.,” with panelists Heidi Beirich of the Southern Poverty Law Center; Sophie Heine of Egmont Institute in Brussels; Michael Minkenberg of Europe University Viadrina in Frankfurt, Germany; and Thomas Grumke of the University of Applied Sciences for Public Administration and Management of North RhineWestphalia, Germany. 6:30 p.m. Free; reservations required. Goethe-Institut Washington, Suite 3, 1990 K St. NW. goetheinstitutwashington.eventbrite.com.

■ The Botstiber Foundation will host a discussion on “The Politics of Migration in America and Austria” with Farid Hafez, a researcher in the Department of Political Science at the University of Salzburg; James Hollifield, professor of political science and director of the Tower Center at Southern Methodist University; and Tara Zahra, a professor of East European history at the University of Chicago. 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Free; reservations required. Embassy of Austria, 3524 International Court NW. afcdc.org.

■ Joel E. Dimsdale, professor emeritus and research professor in psychiatry at the University of California at San Diego, will discuss his book “Anatomy of Malice: The Enigma of the Nazi Criminals.” 6:30 p.m. $8 to $10. International Spy Museum, 800 F St. NW. 202-3937798.

■ Mark Kurlansky, former foreign correspondent for the International Herald Tribune, Chicago Tribune, Miami Herald and Philadelphia Inquirer, will discuss his book “Paper: Paging Through History.” 6:45 to 8:45 p.m. $30 to $45.

S. Dillon Ripley Center, 1100 Jefferson Drive SW. 202-633-3030.

■ Annette Gordon-Reed (shown), winner of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award for “The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family,” and Peter Onuf, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation professor of history emeritus at the University of Virginia, will discuss their book “‘Most Blessed of the Patriarchs’: Thomas Jefferson and the Empire of the Imagination,” which provides new insights into Jefferson’s views on Christianity, slavery, race and philosophy. 7 p.m. Free. McGowan Theater, National Archives Building, Constitution Avenue between 7th and 9th streets NW. 202-357-5000.

■ Thad Carhart, author of the bestselling memoir “The Piano Shop on the Left Bank,” will discuss his sequel “Finding Fontainebleau: An American Boy in France,” which recalls his boyhood years in France in the 1950s and the development of his later appreciation for French art, architecture and style. 7 p.m. Free.

Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-364-1919.

■ Communications expert and facilitator Maura Policelli will lead a meeting of the Tenleytown Memoir & Essay Writing Club. 7 p.m. Free. Tenley-Friendship Library, 4450 Wisconsin Ave. NW. 202727-1488.

■ Joyce Ladner, Betty Garman Robinson, Judy Richardson and Jean Smith Young, contributors to the book “Hands on the Freedom Plow: Personal Accounts

by Women in SNCC,” will discuss their work with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee on the front lines of the civil rights movement. 7 to 9 p.m.

Free. Potter’s House, 1658 Columbia Road NW. 202-232-5483.

■ Siddhartha Mukherjee, assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “The Emperor of All Maladies,” will discuss his new book “The Gene: An Intimate History,” a comprehensive study that charts the questions, discoveries and mysteries that led to the formulation of modern genetics. 7 p.m. $18 to $35. Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, 600 I St. NW. sixthandi.org.

■ The Takoma Park Library’s Adult Book Club will hold its monthly meeting.

7 p.m. Free. Takoma Park Library, 416 Cedar St. NW. 202-576-7252.

■ R. Larry Todd, professor of music at Duke University, will discuss “Revisiting Mendelssohn’s Octet, or the Maturing of Precocity.” 7 p.m. Free; tickets required. Montpelier Room, Madison Building, Library of Congress, 101 Independence Ave. SE. loc.gov/concerts.

■ The Georgetown Book Club will discuss Rabih Alameddine’s 2014 novel “An Unnecessary Woman,” which follows Aaliya Sohbi, a 72-year-old translator in Beirut, as she reflects upon her life, her work and her city. 7:30 p.m. Free.

Georgetown Library, 3260 R St. NW. julia.strusienski@dc.gov.

■ Author, speaker and psychiatrist Norman E. Rosenthal (shown) will discuss his book “Super Mind: How to Boost Performance and Live a Richer and Happier Life Through Transcendental Meditation,” with moderator Candy Crowley. 8 p.m. Free; reservations required. Avalon Theatre, 5612 Connecticut Ave. NW. tinyurl.com/ supermind-dc.

Film ■ Preservation specialists Criss Kovac, Audrey Amidon and Heidi Holmstrom will share federal government films they love, from the historically significant to the delightfully misguided. 2 p.m. Free. McGowan Theater, National Archives Building, Constitution Avenue between 7th and 9th streets NW. 202357-5000.

Performances and readings ■ Slovenian poet Cvetka Lipus will read from her work. Noon to 1 p.m.

Free. European Reading Room, Jefferson Building, Library of Congress, 10 1st

Exhibition eyes dollhouses

“Small Stories: At Home in a Dollhouse,” featuring 12 dollhouses that span 300 years (dating back to the 1760s) from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London will open Saturday at the National Building Museum. On view

On exhibit

through Jan. 22, the houses survey the history of British domestic life, architecture and design. The exhibit will also showcase the artistic interpretations of a dollhouse by 24 diverse American architects, designers and artists.

Located at 401 F St. NW, the museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission costs $10 for adults and $7 The Hopkinson House, sold in England in the for students, seniors and ages 3 through 17; it is free for 1980s and ’90s but set in the 1940s, is on loan ages under 3. 202-272-2448.

■ “Senses of Time: Video and Film-Based Works of Africa,” from the Victoria and Albert Museum for the highlighting six African artists who examine how time is National Building Museum exhibit. experienced by the body, will open today at the National Museum of African Art. Continuing through Jan. 2, the ■ “Ladies First,” a group exhibit of women working today in works are by Sammy Baloji, Theo Eshetu, Moataz Nasr, various media, will open Saturday with an artists’ reception Berni Searle, Yinka Shonibare MBE and Sue Williamson. from 5 to 7 p.m. at Gallery Neptune & Brown. On view Located at 950 Independence Ave. SW, the museum is through July 16, the show features artists Carol Barsha, open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. 202-633-4600.

Raya Bodnarchuk, Cianne Fragione, Emily Francisco, Janis ■ A one-night-only show of works by artist Nima Veiseh will Goodman, Tazuko Ichikawa, Linn Meyers and Beverly Ress. be open tomorrow from 6:30 to 10 p.m. at Fathom Located at 1530 14th St. NW, the gallery is open Gallery. Veiseh — also known by his street name, the Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. 202Enigma of Newyork — is affected by a rare condition known 986-1200. as hyperthymesia that leads him to replay every moment ■ 52 O Street Artist Open Studios: Spring 2016 will of his life like a movie, which he then translates into art. take place Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Fathom Gallery is located at 1333 14th St. NW. 20252 O St. NW, highlighting the work of the artists and 588-8111. designers who work and live there. 52ostreet.com.

■ “Light, Shadow & Time,” presenting contemporary prints ■ The Phillips Collection will open an exhibit Monday of by 16 emerging and works by young artists in its D.C. partner established printschools from the culmination of this year’s Art makers, will open FriLinks to Learning: Museum-in-Residence proday at the Old Print gram. The schools include Takoma Education Gallery and continCampus, Turner Elementary School and King ue through Sept. 10.

Elementary School, and the exhibit will contin Located at 1220 ue through Aug. 14.

31st St. NW, the galLocated at 1600 21st St. NW, the museum lery is open Tuesday is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 through Saturday a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday until 8:30 p.m. and from 10 a.m. to 5:20 Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission on p.m. 202-965-1818. the weekends costs $12 for adults and $10 ■ “Flourish: Inside for seniors and students; it is free for ages 18 Linn Meyers’ “Our View From Here” and Out,” showcasand younger. Admission during weekdays is (shown in detail), is now on view at ing the proven free. 202-387-2151. human health bene■ “Our View From Here,” a site-specific wall the Hirshhorn Museum. fits of interacting drawing by Mount Pleasant artist Linn Meyers, with nature, will open Saturday at the U.S. Botanic Garwent on view in the inner circle of the Hirshhorn Museum den, which developed the indoor and outdoor exhibit in and Sculpture Garden last week and will remain there consultation with the Chicago Botanic Garden. It will confor a year. The artist will give a talk May 25 at 6:30 p.m. tinue through Oct. 2.

Located at Independence Avenue and 7th Street SW, Located at 100 Maryland Ave. SW, the Botanic Garden the museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. 202is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 202-225-8333.

633-1000.

St. SE. 202-707-4515.

■ The Happenings at the Harman Happy Hours series will feature a Shakespearean cabaret in connection with “The Taming of the Shrew,” featuring classical actress Cam Magee and cabaret singer Bev Coshem with a look at the battle of the sexes through a mix of the Bard and jazz standards. 5:30 p.m.

Free. Mezzanine Lobby, Sidney Harman Hall, 610 F St. NW. 202-547-5688.

■ Soprano Vanessa Vasquez, an artist-in-residence at Philadelphia’s prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts and winner of the 2015 VocalArts DC “Art Song Discovery” Competition, will perform works by composers such as Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Richard Strauss, Fernando Obradors, Rebecca Clarke and Ben Moore who were inspired by artworks by Paul DuBois, Arthur Dove, George Inness, Marjorie Phillips and Ernest Lawson, among others. 6:30 p.m. $8 to $20; reservations suggested.

Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St. NW. phillipscollection.org/events.

■ The Wilson Players will present “columbinus,” a play written in response to the April 1999 massacre at Columbine High School. 7 p.m. $5 to $10.

Black Box Theater, Wilson High School, 3950 Chesapeake St. NW. wilsonhs.org.

The performance will repeat Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m.

■ “The Life of a Poet” — a discussion series moderated by Ron Charles, editor of The Washington Post’s Book World — will feature Mary Jo Bang. 7 p.m. Free; reservations required. Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital, 921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. hillcenterdc.org.

■ Washington Improv Theater will present “Road Show: Pandemonium,” a longform performance by ensembles of experienced improvisers who create entire worlds spontaneously, spurred by a single audience suggestion. 7:30 p.m. $10 to $15. DC Arts Center, 2438 18th

St. NW. 202-462-7833. Performances also will be held Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Special events ■ “History & Hops,” a monthly series of house tours and beer tastings at the Heurich House Museum, will feature brews from Caboose Brewing Co. of Vienna, Va. 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. $35.

Heurich House Museum, New Hampshire Avenue and 20th Street NW. heurichhouse.org.

■ ZooFari will feature food from 100plus area restaurants, wine, entertainment, animal demonstrations and a silent auction. 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. $160 to $200. National Zoo, 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW. nationalzoo.si.edu.

Tour ■ Alexandra Torres, an education specialist at the U.S. Botanic Garden, See Events/Page 24

24 Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Continued From Page 23 and Claire Alrich, a staff member at the National Fund for the U.S. Botanic Garden, will lead a guided nature walk focusing on “Nature in Motion” and incorporating stretching and calming exercises. 12:15 to 1 p.m. Free; reservations required. U.S. Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave. SW. 202-225-8333.

Friday may 20 Friday, May 20

Art events ■ Artists Dan Treado, Steve Cushner, Chip Richardson and Christopher Addison will discuss their work, and a sound performance with local musicians will debut Treado’s invention, the Random Noise Generator. 6 p.m. Free; reservations required. Addison/Ripley Fine Art, 1670 Wisconsin Ave. NW. 202-3385180.

■ Contemporary artist Vian Shamounki Borchert will present her latest paintings, from figurative work to landscapes inspired by the nature of the D.C. area. The event will include a DJ playing a mix of international music. 7 to 11 p.m. $20 to $25. Penthouse Pool Club and Sunset Rooftop Lounge, 1612 U St. NW. internationalclubdc.com.

Children’s programs ■ Children’s authors Sophie Blackall and John Bemelmans Marciano will present their book “Witches of Benevento: Mischief Season,” a new series that takes place in 1820s Italy where Janara — humans by day but flying beings by night — make mischief (for ages 7 to 9).

9:30 a.m. Free. Busboys and Poets 14 & V, 2021 14th St. NW. 202-387-7638.

■ Children’s graphic novelist Maris Wicks, author of “Human Body Theater,” will present her new nonfiction work “Coral Reefs: Cities of the Ocean,” the latest in her Science Comics series that explores the biology, ecological importance and fascinating inhabitants of coral reefs (for ages 9 to 13). 10:30 a.m. Free. Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-364-1919.

Classes and workshops ■ Linny Giffin of the Lemon Bowl will present “Make and Take: Weaving for Beginners.” 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. $45. Sidney Harman Hall, 610 F St. NW. 202547-1122.

■ Artist Will Fleishell will present a drop-in figure drawing class. 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. $15. Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, 545 7th St. SE. 202-547-6839.

■ Capitol Hill Arts Workshop will host “Knit & Sip,” an evening of knitting and wine. 7 to 9 p.m. $30. Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, 545 7th St. SE. 202-5476839.

Concerts ■ Alan Hommerding of Chicago will present an organ recital. 12:15 p.m.

Free. National City Christian Church, 5 Thomas Circle NW. 202-797-0103.

■ Arts@Midday will present the Washington Revels’ Gallery Voices performing Renaissance madrigals, partsongs and humorous P.D.Q. Bach works.

12:15 to 1 p.m. Free. St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, 3001 Wisconsin Ave. NW. revelsdc.org.

■ Participants in the National Symphony Orchestra Youth Fellowship Chamber Groups will present a program including Dvorák’s “Serenade for Strings, Op. 22” and Beethoven’s “String

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Events Entertainment Quartet No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 18.” 6 p.m. Free. Millennium Stage, Kennedy Center. 202-467-4600.

■ A recital will feature guitar students of John Linn. 6 p.m. Free. Middle C Music, 4530 Wisconsin Ave. NW. 202244-7326.

■ As part of the Kennedy Center’s “Ireland 100: Celebrating a Century of Irish Arts & Culture,” a performance and demonstration of uilleann pipes will feature Gay McKeon, Emmett Gill and Amy Campbell, with Catherine McEvoy accompanying on Irish flute. 6:30 p.m.

Free. North Plaza, Kennedy Center. 202467-4600. The performance will repeat Saturday at 1:30 and 6:30 p.m.

■ The Yards Park Friday Night Concert Series will feature a lineup presented by the Tour de Fat. 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Free. The Yards Park, 355 Water St. SE. capitolriverfront.org.

■ The School Without Walls concert choir will present a benefit concert “Zarzuela!” to help raise funds for its participation in an upcoming Cuban choral music exchange program. The concert will include renowned opera singers Anamer Castrello and Peter Burroughs performing Cuban songs. 6:30 p.m. $10 to $50. The United Church, 1920 G St. NW. swwhs.org.

■ The Embassy Series will host a farewell concert and buffet reception for Jean-Louis Wolzfeld, ambassador of Luxembourg to the United States. 7:30 p.m. $75. Embassy of Luxembourg, 2200 Massachusetts Ave. NW. 202-6252361.

■ Singersongwriter Michaela Anne will present a CD release show. 8 p.m. Free. Gypsy Sally’s Vinyl Lounge, 3401 K St. NW. gypsysallys.com.

■ NSO Pops will feature iconic R&B group Boyz II Men in an evening of smooth harmonies and award-winning No. 1 hits. 8 p.m. $45 to $125. Concert Hall, Kennedy Center. 202-467-4600. The performance will repeat Saturday at 8 p.m.

■ “Jazz on the Hill” will feature Herb Scott. 8 to 11 p.m. No cover; $15 minimum. Mr. Henry’s Restaurant, 601 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. 202-546-8412.

■ The Everyone Orchestra and Of Tomorrow will perform. 9 p.m. $20 to $24. Gypsy Sally’s, 3401 K St. NW. gypsysallys.com.

required. Conservatory Classroom, U.S. Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave. SW. 202-225-8333.

■ In a Lunch Bite Object Talk, Society of the Cincinnati curator Emily Schulz Parsons will share the story of a portrait miniature of Gen. Henry Clinton, commander of the British army in America, painted by John Ramage in New York, circa 1778 to 1782. 12:30 p.m. Free.

Society of the Cincinnati, Anderson House, 2118 Massachusetts Ave. NW. 202-785-2040.

■ Eric Ripert (shown), award-winning chef and co-owner of top restaurant Le Bernardin, will discuss his book “32 Yolks: From My Mother’s Table to Working the Line,” which recounts his unhappy childhood and the instinct that drove him to spend time in the kitchen. Ripert, who recently opened Westend Bistro in D.C., will be joined in conversation by Sally Swift, co-creator and managing producer of American Public Radio’s “The Splendid Table.” 7 p.m. Free. Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202364-1919.

Discussions and lecture ■ Jessica Brantley, associate professor of English at Yale University, will discuss “Poetry and Prayer: Wynkyn de Worde’s Literary Hours.” Noon. Free; reservations suggested. Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol St. SE. folger.edu.

■ Cecilia Garcia Akers will discuss her new biography on her father, “The Inspiring Life of Texan Hector P. Garcia.”

Noon to 1 p.m. Free. Whittall Pavilion, Jefferson Building, Library of Congress, 10 1st St. SE. 202-707-9824.

■ Gerry Moore of the U.S. Department of Agriculture will discuss “Where Are All the Wildflowers Going?” and describe the recent changes in plant distributions for many species in the U.S. Noon to 1 p.m. Free; reservations

Performances and readings ■ The Dick Budson Jazz Sextet will perform a benefit concert for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Future Fund.

Reception at 5:45 p.m.; concert at 7:15 p.m. $85. Abramson Family Recital Hall, Katzen Arts Center, American University, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW. 202895-4860.

■ As part of the Kennedy Center’s “Ireland 100: Celebrating a Century of Irish Arts & Culture,” Theatre Lovett will present storyteller Louis Lovett’s one-man show “The Girl Who Forgot to Sing Badly,” about a brave Irish lass who crosses snow-

Festival ■ The two-day Biodiversity Festival — part of the cornerstone BioBlitz in the Washington area — will feature hands-on science exhibits, food, art, and familyfriendly activities and entertainment. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free admission. Constitution Gardens, 17th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. nationalgeographic. org/projects/bioblitz. The festival will continue Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Films ■ The Petworth Library will host its “Retro Film Matinee” series. 10:30 a.m.

Free. Petworth Library, 4200 Kansas Ave. NW. 202-243-1188.

■ The Woman’s National Democratic Club’s Film Night will feature Aviva Kempner’s documentary “Rosenwald,” about how philanthropist Julius Rosenwald partnered with African-American communities to build 5,300 schools in the South during the Jim Crow era. 6 to 8:30 p.m. $10 to $25. Woman’s National Democratic Club, 1526 New Hampshire Ave. NW. 202-232-7363.

■ The outdoor Golden Cinema series will kick off with Rob Reiner’s 1995 comedy “The American President,” starring Michael Douglas and Annette Bening. Sunset. Free. Farragut Square Park, Connecticut Avenue and K Street NW. goldentriangledc.com.

Friday, may 20 ■ Concert: The Friday Noon Concert series will feature the duo Marcolivia performing works by Bartók, Martinu and Igudesman.

Noon. Free. Arts Club of Washington, 2017 I St. NW. 202-331-7282.

capped mountains and treacherous seas to unleash her true voice. 7 p.m. $20. Family Theater, Kennedy Center.

202-467-4600. The performance will repeat Saturday and Sunday at 1:30 and 4 p.m.

■ As part of the Kennedy Center’s “Ireland 100: Celebrating a Century of Irish Arts & Culture,” Irish dancer/choreographer Colin Dunne will present his multidisciplinary solo show “Out of Time,” which integrates virtuoso dance technique, electronic sound manipulation, archival film footage and spoken word. 7 p.m. $45. Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center. 202-467-4600. The performance will repeat Saturday at 7 p.m.

■ GALA Hispanic Theatre’s Paso Nuevo Youth Ensemble will present “Running the Fight/Controlando la pelea,” an original work of monologues and scenes about the impact of guns and gun violence on the community (performed in English, with some Spanish; strong language). Guest artists include Raymond Barquero and Elijah Lenix of the Aged Out Poets and pianists Michelle Vasquez and Clarke Paty of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts. 8 p.m.

Free. GALA Theatre, 3333 14th St. NW. 202-234-7174.

Special events ■ Religious leaders and scholars Imam Johari Abdul-Malik, Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, Bruce Feiler and Imam Mohamed Magid will hold an interfaith service on “Faith Over Fear: Choosing Unity Over Extremism,” with a “Dinner of Dialogue” to follow. 6 p.m.

Free for service; $18 for dinner.

Registration required. Washington Hebrew Congregation, 3935 Macomb St. NW. whctemple.org/ congregationalconversations.

■ National Geographic and the National Park Service will host “Bugs, Bats & Brews,” a beer garden and festival celebrating biodiversity. The event will feature DJ Ecotone, who mixes animal sounds with exotic beats; a look at the wild side of animal behavior with Anand Varma and Danielle N. Lee; and a performance by French Horn Rebellion.

6 to 10 p.m. Free admission.

Constitution Gardens, 17th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. events. nationalgeographic.com.

■ Alliance Française de Washington

will host a Wine & Cheese Happy Hour.

7 p.m. $15 to $20. Alliance Française de Washington, 2142 Wyoming Ave. NW. francedc.org.

■ Brightest Young Things and the National Museum of Women in the Arts will present “Exclusively Inclusive,” an after-hours event with music, cocktails and art. 8 p.m. to midnight. $60 to $65.

National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave. NW. nmwa.org.

■ Members of “The President’s Own” U.S. Marine Band will perform at an evening parade with 75 minutes of music and precision marching also featuring “The Commandant’s Own” drum and bugle corps, a silent drill platoon, ceremonial marchers and Cpl. Chesty XIV, the official mascot of Marine Barracks Washington. 8:45 p.m. Free; reservations required. Marine Barracks, 8th and I streets SE. 202-433-4011. The parades will continue every Friday evening through Aug. 26.

Sporting event ■ The Washington Mystics will play the Los Angeles Sparks. 7 p.m. $19 to $300. Verizon Center, 601 F St. NW. 800-745-3000.

Tours ■ The American University Museum will present a docent-led tour of one of its spring exhibitions. 12:30 p.m. Free.

American University Museum, Katzen Arts Center, American University, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW. 202-885-1300.

■ U.S. Botanic Garden volunteer and rosarian Sharon Hanes will lead a tour of the U.S. Botanic Garden’s Rose Garden. 3 to 4 p.m. Free; reservations required. Meet on the National Garden Lawn Terrace, U.S. Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave. SW. 202-225-8333.

■ A curator’s tour of Dumbarton Oaks’ “75 Years/Objects: Revealing” exhibition will focus primarily on works of art that have a built-in, concealed interior that is not visible at first glance.

3 p.m. Free. Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, 1703 32nd St. NW. doaks.org.

Saturday may 21 Saturday, May 21

Children’s programs ■ A park ranger will lead a planetarium program about the season’s brightest stars, planets and constellations (for ages 5 and older). 1 p.m. Free. Rock Creek Nature Center, 5200 Glover Road NW. 202-895-6070.

■ Children will hear a story about Mary Cassatt and then create a special piece of art. 1 to 4 p.m. Free. National Portrait Gallery, 8th and F streets NW. 202-633-1000. The program will repeat Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m.

■ The Embassy of Sweden will host a weekly storytime for children and families to experience Swedish children’s literature. 2 p.m. Free. Embassy of Sweden, 2900 K St. NW. swedenabroad. com/washington.

■ A park ranger will lead a planetarium program about the solar system, the Milky Way and other deep space objects (for ages 7 and older). 4 to 4:45 p.m.

Free. Rock Creek Nature Center, 5200 Glover Road NW. 202-895-6070. The program will repeat Sunday at 4 p.m.

Classes and workshops ■ A writing workshop to “Create Space for Creative Writing in Your Busy See Events/Page 25

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Events Entertainment Continued From Page 24 Life” will focus on how to renew your creative spirit and set new goals. 9:30 a.m. $69; registration required. Cove, 1817 M St. NW. willonasloan.com.

■ Guy Mason Recreation Center will host an exercise and dance class with Gayla April. 9:30 a.m. Free; reservations required. Guy Mason Recreation Center, 3600 Calvert St. NW. 202-727-7527.

■ Art historian Nancy G. Heller will lead a seminar on “Masters of the FineArt Print: Dürer to Warhol.” 9:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. $90 to $140. S. Dillon Ripley Center, 1100 Jefferson Drive SW. 202633-3030.

■ Cookbook author Monica Bhide (shown) will lead a seminar on “The Right Ingredients for a Winning Cookbook,” which will include a panel discussion with Joan Nathan, awardwinning cookbook author and frequent New York Times contributor; Domenica Marchetti, cookbook author and contributor to The Washington Post, Fine Cooking, and Food and Wine; Nevin Martell, food, travel and lifestyle writer and author of “The Founding Farmers Cookbook” and “It’s So Good: 100 Real Food Recipes for Kids”; and Bonnie Benwick, Washington Post food section deputy editor and writer of the “Dinner in Minutes” column and cookbook reviews. 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. $90 to $140. S. Dillon Ripley Center, 1100 Jefferson Drive SW. 202633-3030.

■ The Mount Pleasant Library will present “Saturday Morning Yoga.” 10 a.m. Free. Mount Pleasant Library, 3160 16th St. NW. 202-671-3122.

■ Instructor Luz Verost will lead a casual Spanish Conversation Club session designed to grow, revive or develop Spanish language skills. 10 to 11 a.m.

Free. Georgetown Library, 3260 R St. NW. 202-727-0232.

■ Volunteer teachers from the Washington English Center will hold a weekly conversational practice circle for adults who already have some English speaking ability. 10 to 11:30 a.m. Free. TenleyFriendship Library, 4450 Wisconsin Ave. NW. 202-727-1488.

■ The Petworth Library will host a “Home Buying 101 Workshop.” 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Free; reservations required.

Petworth Library, 4200 Kansas Ave. NW. petworthlibrary@dc.gov.

■ Architectural historian and photographer Bill Leibovich will lead a workshop on “Insights Into Architectural Photography” as part of the Street Photography Series organized by the Historical Society of Washington, D.C. 10 a.m. to noon. $20 to $30; reservations required. Kiplinger Research Library, Carnegie Museum, 801 K St. NW. dchistory.org.

■ Bill Johnson, Hillwood’s horticulturist, will lead a “Herb Garden Container Workshop.” 10 a.m. to noon and 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. $55 to $65. Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens, 4155 Linnean Ave. NW. 202-6865807.

■ The Thomas Circle Singers will host a choral workshop with composer Ola Gjeilo as part of the group’s 40th-anniversary concert weekend. 10 a.m. $10 to $25.

National City Christian Church, 5 Thomas Circle NW. 202-232-3353.

■ Instructor Jeneen Piccurrio will present “Outdoor Yoga at the Kreeger Museum.” 10:30 to 11:30 p.m. $15; reservations required. Kreeger Museum, 2401 Foxhall Road NW. kreegermuseum.org.

■ Heather Markowitz, founder of WithLoveDC, will lead a “Practice With Love” yoga class. 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Free. Conservatory West Gallery, U.S. Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave. SW. 202-225-8333.

■ Yoga Activist will present a class for beginners. 11 a.m. Free. Petworth Library, 4200 Kansas Ave. NW. 202243-1188.

■ Colors of Happiness Coaching & Healing facilitator Florencia Fuensalida will present “Living in Harmony: a Revitalizing Guided Meditation to Find Daily Joy and Balance.” 11:30 a.m. Free.

Mount Pleasant Library, 3160 16th St. NW. 202-671-3122.

■ Aaron McGovern, owner of Alphonse Italian Market & Osteria, will present a cooking class on “Mangla Mangla/Italian Sauces” as part of a monthly Italian culinary series. Noon to 2 p.m. $45. Alphonse Italian Market & Osteria, 1212 U St. NW. 202-735-0525.

Concerts ■ The Beau Soir Ensemble will perform works by Georg Philipp Telemann, Andre Jolivet, Ian Krouse and others on flute, viola and harp. 1 p.m. Free. Society of the Cincinnati, Anderson House, 2118 Massachusetts Ave. NW. 202-785-2040.

■ The Adams Morgan Summer Concert Series will feature a performance by Oxymorons. 5 to 7 p.m. Free. Corner of 18th Street and Columbia Road NW. 202-997-0783.

■ As part of “Ireland 100: Celebrating a Century of Irish Arts and Culture,” Boston husband-and-wife duo Matt and Shannon Heaton will perform masterfully crafted Irish music with sweet harmony singing. 6 p.m. Free. Millennium Stage, Kennedy Center. 202-467-4600.

■ A recital will feature guitar students of Alicia Kopfstein-Penk. 6 p.m.

Free. Middle C Music, 4530 Wisconsin Ave. NW. 202-244-7326.

■ Jazz@Wesley will present a concert by the Rick Alberico Jazz Project. 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. $7 to $10; free for ages 12 and younger. Wesley United Methodist Church, 5312 Connecticut Ave. NW. wesleydc.org.

■ As part of the Kennedy Center’s “Ireland 100: Celebrating a Century of Irish Arts & Culture,” Camerata Ireland, the Codetta chamber choir and the Harmony North Choir will perform a varied repertoire, including a specially commissioned work. 7:30 p.m. $15 to $40.

Eisenhower Theater, Kennedy Center.

202-467-4600.

■ The Embassy Series will host a concert by violinist Laufey Sigurdardóttir and pianist Beth Levin featuring works

by Schubert, Grieg and Beethoven. 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. $110. Residence of the Icelandic Ambassador, 2443 Kalorama Road NW. 202-625-2361.

■ John Lawton and High Society will perform. 8 p.m. Free. Gypsy Sally’s Vinyl Lounge, 3401 K St. NW. gypsysallys. com.

Saturday, May 21 ■ Performance: Actress, standup comic and writer Dani Klein Modisett, author of “Take My Spouse, Please” and creator of the show “Afterbirth … Stories You Won’t Read in a Parenting Magazine,” will share funny and honest stories about marriage and parenting. 7 p.m. $18 (includes wine, beer and heavy hors d’oeuvres); registration required. Washington Hebrew Congregation, 3935 Macomb St. NW. whctemple.org/ comedynight.

■ “Ladies of Jazz” will feature Di Daly. 8 to 11 p.m. No cover; $15 minimum. Mr. Henry’s Restaurant, 601 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. 202-546-8412.

■ “School’s Out Reggae Jam” will feature Jahman Brahman, Nappy Riddem and the Captivators. 9 p.m. $12 to $14. Gypsy Sally’s, 3401 K St. NW. gypsysallys.com.

Demonstrations ■ The Hawaii State Society of Washington D.C. will present a lei-making demonstration in honor of the upcoming Kamehameha Day. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Free. Conservatory Terrace, U.S. Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave. SW. 202225-8333.

■ The Potomac Unit of the Herb Society of America will demonstrate the making of jewelry with rose petals, as well as the planting of ornamental and hot peppers in containers. The event will include rose-bead necklaces and herbs for sale. 1 p.m. Free. National Herb Garden, U.S. National Arboretum, 3501 New York Ave. NE. 202-966-4087.

Discussions and readings ■ Elizabeth Williams, a post-doctoral teaching fellow in Byzantine art history for Dumbarton Oaks and George Washington University, will discuss “Medieval Textiles in Early Twentieth-Century Design.” 10:30 a.m. to noon. Free.

Myers Rooms, George Washington University Museum and Textile Museum, 701 21st St. NW. 202-994-5200.

■ U.S. Botanic Garden science education volunteer Todd Brethauer will discuss “The Fascinating World of Carnivorous Plants.” 10:30 a.m. to noon. Free; reservations required. Conservatory Classroom, U.S. Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave. SW. 202-225-8333.

■ Author Gerald Marzorati, former editor of The New York Times Magazine and now editorial director of Times Live, will discuss his second book “Late to the Ball: Age. Learn. Fight. Love. Play Tennis.

Win.” — about how he decided to become a competitive tennis player at age 60 and what he learned about

aging, resilience and perseverance. 1 p.m. Free. Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-364-1919.

■ Local author Tracy Chiles McGhee will read from her debut novel “Melting the Blues,” a literary drama set in 1957 Arkansas about a farmer and bluesman, and the complexities of identity, racial tension and yearning for acceptance. 2 p.m. Free. Georgetown Library, 3260 R St. NW. 202-727-0232.

■ Magazine editor and university writing teacher Margaret Guroff (shown) will discuss her book “The Mechanical Horse: How the Bicycle Reshaped American Life,” which offers a social history of American bicycling, which contributed to the paving of roads and the freeing of women from long, bulky dresses. Guroff will be in conversation with Martin Austermuhle, a reporter for WAMU 88.5.

3:30 p.m. Free. Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-364-1919.

■ Theodore Leinwand, a professor of English at the University of Maryland and consulting editor for The Shakespeare Quarterly, will discuss his book “The Great William: Writers Reading Shakespeare,” which studies how seven writers read Shakespeare and ponders the intellectual and personal meanings the Bard held for them. 6 p.m. Free. Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-364-1919.

■ In conjunction with the exhibit “Kevin MacDonald: The Tension of a Suspended Moment,” Lee Fleming, Ben Forgey and Jack Rasmussen will lead a discussion of the significance of the late Kevin MacDonald as one of Washington’s most important, critically acclaimed artists. 6 to 7 p.m. Free.

American University Museum, Katzen Arts Center, American University, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW. 202-885-1300.

Festivals and family programs ■ A celebration of International Migratory Bird Day will feature children’s arts and crafts, family-friendly entertainment, guided bird walks for beginning and advanced birders, information booths and more. Festival from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; bird walks from 7 to 10 a.m. every half hour and at noon and 2 p.m.

Free. Rock Creek Nature Center, 5200 Glover Road NW. 202-895-6070.

■ The 11th annual Fiesta Asia Street Fair will feature performances, craft exhibits, food and market vendors, interactive displays, a martial arts demonstration, a talent show, a cooking demonstration and more. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Free admission. Pennsylvania Avenue between 3rd and 6th streets NW. fiestaasia.org.

■ New Belgium Brewing’s “Tour de Fat” festival will begin with a bicycle parade through city streets, followed by a festival with live entertainment, a dance contest, and a variety of food and beer. Ride registration at 10 a.m.; bicycle ride from 11 a.m. to noon; entertainment from noon to 5 p.m. Free admission. Yards Park, 355 Water St. SE. bit.ly/26kMxVH. ■ Maret School’s 63rd annual Fête Champétre, promising the amusements and treats of the boardwalk as well as the charm and delights of a country fair, will feature carnival games, foods and a flea market. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free admission, Maret School, 3000 Cathe-

dral Ave. NW. maret.org.

■ As part of the Kennedy Center’s “Ireland 100: Celebrating a Century of Irish Arts & Culture,” a family program celebrating Redhead Day will feature music acts, dance performances, demonstrations and family activities, culminating in a redhead kids’ parade and photo gathering. 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Free. North Plaza, Kennedy Center. 202467-4600.

Films ■ The National Gallery of Art will present the Washington premiere of Rima Yamazaki’s 2014 film “Rackstraw Downes: A Painter,” about an English artist who paints urban environments as well as industrial backyards, roadways and empty terrain with precision. The event will include a discussion with Downes and curator Harry Cooper. 2:30 p.m. Free. East Building Auditorium, National Gallery of Art, 4th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 202­-842-­ 6799.

■ “Bard in the Park,” a two-night film series presented by Folger Theatre and the Capitol Riverfront Business Improvement District in honor of 400 years of Shakespeare, will feature the 2004 film “The Merchant of Venice,” Al Pacino’s acclaimed take on Shakespeare’s problem play. 7:30 p.m. Free. Canal Park, 2nd and I streets SE. folger.edu.

Performances and readings ■ As part of the Kennedy Center’s “Ireland 100: Celebrating a Century of Irish Arts & Culture,” the Culkin School of Traditional Irish Dance will perform.

11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Free. North Plaza, Kennedy Center. 202-467-4600.

The performance will repeat Sunday at 1:30 p.m.

■ The Los Quetzales Mexican Dance Ensemble will perform in honor of International Migratory Bird Day. 2 p.m. Free.

Rock Creek Nature Center, 5200 Glover Road NW. 202-895-6070.

■ The Malpaso Dance Company from Havana will perform Cuban contemporary dance, including the works “Why You Follow” and “Bad Winter,” featuring recorded music by Zap Mama (Congo); Gordheaven & Juliano (South Africa); the Allenko Brotherhood (Nigeria/Ghana); and the popular 1930s song “Pennies From Heaven.” 8 p.m. $15 to $30.

Dance Place, 3225 8th St. NE. 202269-1600. The performance will repeat at 7 p.m. Sunday.

■ The Capital City Showcase will feature comedians Nicki Fuchs, Pat Riley and Danny Rouhier, co-host of “Grant & Danny” on 106.7 The Fan; hip-hop artists Bo Jankans and DJ Ragz; and musician Andy Shea. 9 p.m. $10. Acre 121, 1400 Irving St. NW. 202-431-4704.

Sale ■ A community yard sale will benefit the School Without Walls at Francis-Stevens Home & School Association. 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free admission. Side yard (or cafeteria in case of rain), School Without Walls at Francis-Stevens, 2425 N St. NW. goo.gl/90MMUL. Special events ■ The Acton Children’s Business Fair See Events/Page 26

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Continued From Page 25 will feature an outdoor market where children ages 6 to 14 will become entrepreneurs for a day, creating a business, selling to real customers for real money, and keeping the profits. The event will feature over 30 children’s businesses offering jewelry, original art, cupcakes, bath soaps, pet treats, hair braiding and face painting, with cash prizes for four age groups. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free.

Cleveland Park commercial strip, 3400 block of Connecticut Avenue NW. nicole@actondc.org.

■ Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage and Operation Paws for Homes will present the Come Home to Happiness Adoption Event, featuring a variety of breeds, sizes and ages. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free. Washington Harbour, 3050 K St. NW. 202-333-6100.

■ Whole Foods will host the Washington Humane Society’s mobile pet adoption center Adopt Force One with adoptable cats and dogs. Noon to 3 p.m. Free. Whole Foods, 1440 P St. NW. washhumane.org/adoptionevents.

■ The Opera Camerata of Washington’s spring gala will feature a cocktail reception, silent auction and dinner buffet followed by a performance of Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’Amore.” 6:30 p.m. $250. Center for Hellenic Studies, 3100 Whitehaven St. NW. operacamerata.org.

■ “Nerds! Trivia Night” will feature three rounds of questions, with beer and wine available and prizes awarded. 8 p.m. Free. Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-364-1919.

Sporting event ■ A “SwimJitsu” event presented by USA Swimming and the North American Sports Group will have participants demonstrate the sacred traits of speed, agility and wisdom by completing entertaining obstacles such as balancing across beams, swimming through trenches and cannonballing off the top of Mt. Swimja.

9 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. Free; registration required. Takoma Aquatic Center, 300 Van Buren St. NW. swimjitsu.com.

Tours and walks ■ Rosarian and U.S. Botanic Garden volunteer Sharon Hanes will lead a tour of the U.S. Botanic Garden Rose Garden.

10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Free. Meet on the National Garden Lawn Terrace, U.S. Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave. SW. 202-225-8333.

■ “Poetry in the Park” will feature a walk and poetry-writing adventure led by poet Jennifer Atkinson and a park ranger. 12:30 p.m. Free. Rock Creek Nature Center, 5200 Glover Road NW. 202895-6070.

■ Washington Walks’ “Get Local!” series will present a two-part walking tour, “In Search of the James Creek Canal: From Capitol South to Buzzard Point.” 10 a.m. to noon and 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. $15 to $20 per tour segment.

Meeting locations provided upon registration. washingtonwalks.com.

Sunday 22 Sunday,may May 22 Art event ■ Wonder Graphics will present an art sale and car social in connection with James Landry’s 12 color photographs of 1960s and 1970s cars in San Francisco and Miami. The event will include car-themed refreshments, music and a meet and greet with the artist.

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Events Entertainment 2:30 to 5 p.m. Free. Wonder Graphics, 1000 Vermont Ave. NW. 202-898-1700.

Children’s programs ■ As part of the Kennedy Center’s “Ireland 100: Celebrating a Century of Irish Arts & Culture,” children’s entertainer Matt Heaton will perform kidfriendly folk songs, original music and reworked classics. 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Free. North Plaza, Kennedy Center.

202-467-4600.

■ A park ranger will lead a planetarium program about “Animals of the Night Sky” (for ages 5 and older). 1 p.m. Free.

Rock Creek Nature Center, 5200 Glover Road NW. 202-895-6070.

■ Children’s author Sara Pascoe, who has a background in psychology and neuroscience, will read from her new book “Oswald, the Almost Famous Opossum,” a tale set in D.C. and Prince George’s County of an opossum who must decide whether the promise of fame is more important than sticking by his friends (for ages 7 to 9). 1 p.m. Free.

Upshur Street Books, 827 Upshur St. NW. upshurstreetbooks.com.

■ In conjunction with the opening of “Small Stories: At Home in a Dollhouse,” local contemporary artist Sushmita Mazumdar will lead a book- and storymaking workshop on “The Story of a Place” (for ages 8 and older). 1 to 4 p.m. $15 to $20. Classroom 224, National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. 202-272-2448.

Classes and workshops ■ The Vajrayogini Buddhist Center will host a class on “Advice for Life.” 10 and 11:30 a.m. Free; $5 to $12 donation suggested. Vajrayogini Buddhist Center, 1787 Columbia Road NW. 202986-2257.

■ Dumbarton House will host an “English Country Dance” workshop.

12:30 to 2:45 p.m. $5. Dumbarton House, 2715 Q St. NW. 202-337-2288.

■ Rachel Westfall, a licensed instructor in Surviving Assault Standing Strong (SASS) Defense, will lead a women’s self-defense course (for ages 12 and older). 1 to 5 p.m. $35. Hera Hub DC, Suite 100, 5028 Wisconsin Ave. NW. bit. ly/1TVu5fs.

■ Instructors from the Metro Washington Association of Blind Athletes will lead a yoga class designed for adults who are blind or visually impaired. 1:30 p.m. Free. Room A-10, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G St. NW. 202-631-2426.

Concerts ■ The Marine Chamber Orchestra will perform an all-strings program featuring works by Pärt, Schoenberg, Paganini and Schumann. 2 p.m. Free. John Philip Sousa Band Hall, Marine Barracks Annex, 7th and K streets SE. 202-4334011.

■ The JACK Quartet will perform a new rendering of Pulitzer-winning composer Roger Reynolds’ multimedia work-in-progress, “FLiGHT I: Imagining.” 4 p.m. $15 to $30; reservations suggested. Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St. NW. phillipscollection.org/music.

■ In honor of founder Joan Gregoryk’s retirement, the Children’s Chorus of Washington will present a

musical concert travelogue “Around the World in 20 Years,” featuring songs from the group’s tours to the British Isles, Italy, China, South America and South Africa, with performances by all ensembles and an alumni chorus. 4 p.m. $25 to $50. Lisner Auditorium, George Washington University, 730 21st St. NW. gwutickets.com.

■ The Thomas Circle Singers will celebrate its 40th anniversary by featuring the music of four composers — two American and two Norwegian — who are under 40. Featured works will include the world premiere of a new work by Ola Gjeilo, commissioned by the Thomas Circle Singers in 2014 to commemorate artistic director James Kreger’s 25 years with the group. 4 p.m. $20 to $25.

National City Christian Church, 5 Thomas Circle NW. 202-232-3353.

■ A recital will feature the piano, voice and harp students of Mandy Brown. 5 p.m. Free. Middle C Music, 4530 Wisconsin Ave. NW. 202-2447326.

■ The Citizens Association of Georgetown’s annual Concerts in the Parks series will feature local singer-songwriter Rebecca McCabe.

5 to 7:30 p.m. Free. Volta Park, 34th and Q streets NW. 202-337-7313.

■ As part of “Ireland 100: Celebrating a Century of Irish Arts and Culture,” the local Danny Burns Band will perform a program highlighting Burns’ narrative songwriting, unique vocals and soulful delivery. 6 p.m. Free. Millennium Stage, Kennedy Center. 202-467-4600.

■ The Emerson String Quartet will perform works

by Schubert, Barber and Tchaikovsky. 6 to 8 p.m. $56 to $68. Baird Auditorium, National Museum of Natural History, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 202-633-3030.

Discussions and lectures ■ Poet, painter, former Jesuit and appellate Justice Department criminal attorney Tom Gannon will discuss his collection of poetry, “Food for a Journey,” which doubles as a memoir of his diverse experiences; and Carol Jennings, a former Federal Trade Commission lawyer and now a full-time writer and poet, will discuss her first book “The Dead Spirits at the Piano,” which explores the connections and cadences in art and life. 1 p.m. Free. Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-3641919.

■ Scholars will discuss “Unfinished Works and the Creative Process,” about symphonies, novels and paintings that were never completed. 2 p.m. Free.

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. 202-633-1000.

■ The James Renwick Alliance Distinguished Artist Series will present a talk by sculptor Sibylle Peretti, who explores the temporal experience of humans through her work with cast glass. 2 to 3 p.m. Free. Grand Salon, Renwick Gallery, 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. 202-633-1000.

■ Kerry Wallach, a professor at Gettysburg College, and Jane Freundel Levey, consulting curator for the George Washington University Museum and

of pairing nationally recognized writers with local musicians, Bill Beverly, a Trinity College writing and literature teacher, will discuss his coming-of-age novel, “Dodgers,” set on the American highway.

He will be joined by Soccer Team, a band whose albums include “Real Lessons in Cynicism” and “‘Volunteered’ Civility and Professionalism.” 6:30 p.m.

Free. Busboys and Poets Takoma, 235 Carroll St. NW. 202-726-0856.

Sunday, may 22 ■ Concert: As part of the Kennedy Center’s “Ireland 100: Celebrating a Century of Irish Arts & Culture,” vocalist, actress and musician Camille O’Sullivan will perform. 7 p.m. $29. Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center. 202-467-4600.

Textile Museum will explore Austrianborn watercolorist and journalist Lily Spandorf’s career with a focus on her newspaper work in Washington and the role of editorial illustration in today’s media landscape. 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Free with Newseum admission; reservations suggested. Knight TV Studio, Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. newseum.org.

■ The Juanita E. Thornton/Shepherd Park Library’s History/Biography Book Club will discuss “The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration” by Isabel Wilkerson. 3 p.m.

Free. Juanita E. Thornton/Shepherd Park Library, 7420 Georgia Ave. NW. 202-541-6100.

■ Ellen Prentiss Campbell (shown), a book reviewer for the Washington Independent Review of Books and a practicing psychotherapist, will discuss her first novel “Bowl With Gold Seams,” which tells the story of the lessons a hotel worker learns when the resort becomes the detainment center for a Japanese ambassador; and former singer-songwriter Garine B. Isassi will discuss her novel “Start With the Backbeat: A Musical Novel,” which confronts issues of racism and sexism as they play out in the search for the next rap star. 5 p.m.

Free. Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-364-1919.

■ An interfaith forum on ending gun violence will feature panelists such as Daniel Webster, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research; Dr. Samuel Kessel, University of Maryland professor and former assistant U.S. surgeon general; representatives from Everytown for Gun Safety; elected officials; survivors of gun violence; and family members who have lost loved ones to gun violence. 5 to 7 p.m. Free. Washington Hebrew Congregation, 3935 Macomb St. NW. whctemple.org.

■ Busboys and Poets and the Capitol Innovation Forum will present a discussion of “Racial Trauma — The Real Cost of Implicit Bias” as part of their collaborative #SocEnt project. 6 to 9 p.m. Free.

Busboys and Poets Brookland, 625 Monroe St. NE. 202-636-7230.

■ As part of the Story/Stereo project

Films ■ The Korean Film Festival DC 2016 will feature Hong Sang-soo’s 2015 movie “Right Now, Wrong Then,” winner of the coveted Golden Leopard at the 2015 Locarno International Film Festival, at 1 p.m.; and Jin Mo-young’s 2014 documentary “My Love, Don’t Cross That River,” the highest-grossing independent movie in Korean history, at 3:30 p.m.

Free. Warner Bros. Theater, National Museum of American History, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 202-633-1000. The film series will continue through June 26 at various venues.

■ The National Gallery of Art will present “Kannapolis: A Moving Portrait,” featuring an original live score by Jenny Scheinman set to Depression-era documentary filmmaker H. Lee Waters’ footage of people in 118 towns in the smalltown South, and reworked into a new film by director Finn Taylor. 4:30 p.m.

Free. East Building Auditorium, National Gallery of Art, 4th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 202­-842-­6799.

■ “Bard in the Park,” a two-night film series presented by Folger Theatre and the Capitol Riverfront Business Improvement District in honor of 400 years of Shakespeare, will feature the 1961 musical “West Side Story,” Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins’ timeless take on “Romeo and Juliet” starring Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer as starcrossed lovers caught up in fighting between two New York street gangs.

7:30 p.m. Free. Canal Park, 2nd and I streets SE. folger.edu.

Performances and readings ■ DC IdeasFest will present “StorySlam: Stories of Home,” a fast-paced storytelling competition featuring D.C. residents expounding on the theme of “home.” 6 to 9 p.m. Free. Cullen Room, Busboys and Poets 5th & K, 1025 5th St. NW. 202-789-2227.

■ Petworth Citizen will host a comedy showcase. 8 to 10 p.m. Free. Reading Room, Petworth Citizen, 829 Upshur St. NW. petworthcitizen.com.

Special event ■ Pleasant Pops will host the Washington Humane Society’s mobile pet adoption center Adopt Force One with adoptable cats and dogs. Noon to 3 p.m. Free. Pleasant Pops, 1781 Florida Ave. NW. washhumane.org/ adoptionevents.

■ The 10th annual Seabury Leadership in Aging Celebration will feature a silent auction, a cocktail reception, dinner and recognition of Ward 5 resident Romaine Thomas, chair of the D.C. Commission on Aging and former president of the executive council of AARP DC. 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. $150. National Press Club, 529 14th St. NW. 202-414-6315.

Tours and walks ■ The Metro DC Walk to Cure ArthriSee Events/Page 27

Continued From Page 26 tis, the area’s contribution to the Arthritis Foundation’s national fundraising event, will feature more than 500 participants walking a 1- or 3-mile course to raise money to find a cure for the nation’s leading cause of disability and help those afflicted with the disease.

Local honorees will include Adeline Furlow, 14, who has juvenile arthritis, and Dr. Justin Peng, a rheumatologist at Arthritis & Rheumatism Associates. 8 a.m. Free; registration required. Nationals Park, 1500 South Capitol St. SE. walktocurearthritis.org/metrodc.

■ The Shepherd Park Citizens Association will host its annual garden tour, a self-guided walking tour spotlighting creative landscapes of homes within Shepherd Park, Colonial Village and North Portal Estates.

Proceeds will benefit the association’s beautification projects. 2 to 5 p.m. $7 to $15. Shepherd Elementary School, 7800 14th St. NW. shepherd-park.org.

Monday,may May 23 Monday 23 Classes and workshops ■ The Dupont Circle Village’s monthly “Live and Learn Seminar” will feature Jean Gross-Bethel, consumer outreach specialist with the D.C. Office of the People’s Counsel, who will discuss saving money on home utilities, handling utilityrelated complaints and tapping into utility resources. 3:30 p.m. $10; free for Dupont Circle Village members. Human Rights Campaign, 1640 Rhode Island Ave. NW. 202-234-2567.

■ Professional dancers will present Argentine tango and folk dance lessons, with a social dance to follow. 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. $15 to $20; reservations required. Woman’s National Democratic Club, 1526 New Hampshire Ave. NW. 202-438-4612.

■ Washington Improv Theater will host an introductory “Improv for All” workshop. 7 to 9 p.m. Free; reservations required. Reading Room, Petworth Citizen, 829 Upshur St. NW. petworthcitizen.com.

■ The Science of Spirituality Meditation Center will begin a four-week class on Jyoti meditation, a discipline focusing on the experience of inner light. 7 to 8:30 p.m. Free; reservations required.

Science of Spirituality Meditation Center, 2950 Arizona Ave. NW. dcinfo@sos.org.

Concert ■ As part of the Kennedy Center’s “Ireland 100: Celebrating a Century of Irish Arts & Culture,” mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught (shown) and tenor Anthony Kearns will perform. 7 p.m. $35. Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center. 202-467-4600.

Conference ■ In honor of the 50th anniversary of the publication of “Unsafe at Any Speed,” Ralph Nader and the Center for Study of Responsive Law will host a fourday “Breaking Through Power Conference,” featuring community activists, journalists and artists discussing how to secure democratic solutions to longstanding problems. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. $20 to $25 per day; $75 for a four-day pass.

DAR Constitution Hall, 1776 D St. NW. breakingthroughpower.org. The event

&

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Events Entertainment will continue Tuesday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Discussions and lectures ■ Art historian Bonnie Yochelson will discuss her book, “Jacob Riis: Revealing New York’s Other Half.” Noon. Pickford Theater, Madison Building, Library of Congress, 101 Independence Ave. SE. 202-707-5221.

■ A symposium on “Celebrating a Milestone: 75 Years of the National Gallery of Art and the Samuel H. Kress Foundation” will feature discussions of restoration and framing, leveraged gifts, historic images and provenance. 2 p.m.

Free. East Building Auditorium, National Gallery of Art, 4th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 202-737-4215.

■ Sibley Memorial Hospital will present a guided Whole Foods nutrition tour led by oncology dietician Lynda McIntyre and focusing on foods that are beneficial during and after cancer treatment.

3 to 4 p.m. Free; reservations required.

Location provided upon registration. ti.to/smh-cancer/guided-nutrition-tour.

■ “Reading Club: Politicized Bodies” will feature a chance to examine a photograph from the exhibition “She Who Tells a Story,” read a short story and explore a nonfiction article that grounds the creative works in lived realities. 6 to 8 p.m. Free; reservations required. Meet by the information desk, National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave. NW. 202-783-7370.

■ Peter Selgin will discuss his book “The Inventors,” which recounts Selgin’s love for his eighth-grade teacher and his relationship with his genius inventor father, and how those men shaped Selgin’s journey to manhood. 6:30 p.m.

Free. Kramerbooks & Afterwords, 1517 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-387-1400.

■ Patrick Baker will discuss his children’s picture book “My Father Is in Prison.” 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Free. Cullen Room, Busboys and Poets, 1025 5th St. NW. 202-789-2227.

■ The World Affairs Council will host a talk by Hamdullah Mohib, ambassador of Afghanistan to the United States, on his country’s transformation, AfghanU.S. bilateral relations and regional security challenges. Ronald Neumann, former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan and current president of the American Academy of Diplomacy, will be the discussant. Reception at 6:30 p.m.; program at 7 p.m. Free; reservations required. Horizon Ballroom, Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. worldaffairsdc.org.

■ Barry Meier, journalist for The New York Times and author of “Pain Killer” and “A World of Hurt,” will discuss his book “Missing Man: The American Spy Who Vanished in Iran,” which explores the shadowy world of espionage, terrorism and arms-dealing involved in the case of Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent who disappeared in Iran on a mission for the CIA. 7 p.m. Free. Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202364-1919.

■ “Feeder’s Advisory: A Book Club for Those Who Love Food” will discuss “Near and Far: Recipes Inspired by Home and Travel” by Heidi Swanson. 7 p.m. Free; reservations required. Watha T. Daniel/Shaw Library, 1630 7th St. NW. dclibrary.org/node/52895.

■ Jacob Weisberg, chairman of The Slate Group and author of a new Ronald Reagan biography, and his brother Joe

cooking in American cuisine as part of a celebration of the publication of a 25thanniversary edition of his book “Chesapeake Bay Cooking.” The event will conclude with a light reception of Chesapeake Bay specialties, including a raw bar supplied by Rappahannock Oyster Co. 6:45 to 8:45 p.m. $35 to $50. S. Dillon Ripley Center, 1100 Jefferson Drive SW. 202-6333030.

Tuesday, may 24 ■ Concert: As part of “Ireland 100: Celebrating a Century of Irish Arts and Culture,” the Tossers, a six-piece Celtic punk band from Chicago, will showcase their command of song structure and instrumentation. 6 p.m. Free. Millennium Stage, Kennedy Center. 202-4674600.

Weisberg, creator of FX’s hit series “The Americans,” will discuss “Reagan, FX’s ‘The Americans,’ and the 1980s,” about their evolving views of the era during which they came of age. 7 p.m. $15 to $28. Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, 600 I St. NW. 877-987-6487.

Films ■ “Marvelous Movie Mondays” will feature Ron Howard’s 2015 film “In the Heart of the Sea,” about a New England whaling ship’s sinking by a giant whale in 1820, an experience that inspired the novel “Moby Dick.” 2 and 6:30 p.m. Free.

Meeting Room, Chevy Chase Library, 5625 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-2820021.

■ The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library will host “The Sharing Extravaganza,” with attendees encouraged to bring in a home movie or photographs for a communal viewing. 7 p.m. Free.

Room A-5, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G St. NW. 202-7270321.

Performances and readings ■ As part of “Ireland 100: Celebrating a Century of Irish Arts and Culture,” the Gothard Sisters of Seattle will perform a program of dance, music and storytelling that blends Celtic folk and classical music with new arrangements. 6 p.m.

Free. Millennium Stage, Kennedy Center.

202-467-4600.

■ Laugh Index Theatre will present “Improv Wars,” a friendly competition among area improv troupes with audience members voting for the winners.

7:30 p.m. $8 to $10. DC Arts Center, 2438 18th Street NW. 202-462-7833.

Special event ■ Baltimore native John Shields, owner of Gertrude’s restaurant at the Baltimore Museum of Art, will discuss the growing importance of regional

Sporting event ■ The Washington Nationals will play the New York Mets. 7:05 p.m. $10 to $345. Nationals Park, 1500 South Capitol St. SE. 888-632-6287. The series will continue Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. and Wednesday at 1:05 p.m.

Tuesday, May 24 Tuesday may 24 Children’s program ■ Children’s author Jacqueline Jules will tell the story of her picture book “Feathers for Peacock,” inspired by the Puerto Rican folk tale “The Owl’s Plumage” (for ages 5 to 8). 10:30 a.m. Free.

Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-364-1919.

Classes and workshops ■ A certified yoga instructor will lead a walk-in class targeted to ages 55 and older. 10 a.m. Free. Georgetown Library, 3260 R St. NW. 202-727-0232.

■ The Georgetown Library will present a walk-in yoga class practicing introductory viniyasa techniques. 11:30 a.m.

Free. Georgetown Library, 3260 R St. NW. 202-727-0232.

■ The Glover Park Village and the D.C. Public Library will present “Money Smart for Older Adults: Preventing Financial Exploitation,” led by Idriys Abdullah, a consumer protection advocate with the D.C. Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking. 3:30 p.m. Free; reservations required. Georgetown Library, 3260 R St. NW. 202-436-5545.

■ A five-week “Food for Life: Foods for Cancer Prevention” plant-based cooking and nutrition course will open with an introductory lecture by Barnard Medical Center clinicians. 6 to 8 p.m.

Free; reservations required. Suite 400, Barnard Medical Center, 5100 Wisconsin Ave. NW. 202-537-7314. The course will continue through June 28.

■ Yoga Activist will present a class for beginners. 7:30 p.m. Free. Petworth Library, 4200 Kansas Ave. NW. 202243-1188.

Concerts ■ Pianist Jocelyn Swigger will perform works by Chopin. 12:10 p.m. Free.

Church of the Epiphany, 1317 G St. NW. 202-347-2635.

■ As part of the Kennedy Center’s “Ireland 100: Celebrating a Century of Irish Arts & Culture,” singer Conor Malone will perform. 6:45 p.m. Free.

North Plaza, Kennedy Center. 202-4674600.

■ The Diderot String Quartet will perform “Death and the Maiden”

by Franz Schubert and a new work by Lembit

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

27

Beecher. 7 p.m. $20 to $40.

Washington National Cathedral, Massachusetts and Wisconsin avenues NW. cathedral.org/event/ death-maiden-schubert-beecher.

■ The Embassy Series will host a concert by bass-baritone Juan Vasle and pianist George Peachey featuring operatic arias, lieder, tangos, and South American and Slovenian folk songs. 7:30 p.m. $90. Embassy of Slovenia, 2410 California St. NW. 202-625-2361.

■ Gypsy Sally’s Vinyl Lounge will host its weekly open mic show. 8 p.m. Free.

Gypsy Sally’s Vinyl Lounge, 3401 K St. NW. gypsysallys.com.

Discussions and lectures ■ Jason P. Dworkin, chief of the Astrochemistry Laboratory at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, will discuss “OSIRIS-Rex: The First U.S. Mission to Return Samples From an Asteroid to Earth,” highlighting the physical and chemical properties of material from asteroid Bennu, an asteroid that is highly likely to impact the Earth late in the 22nd century. 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Free. Dining Room A, Madison Building, Library of Congress, 101 Independence Ave. SE. 202-707-1212.

■ Historian Abby Smith Rumsey will discuss her book “When We Are No More: How Digital Memory Is Shaping Our Future.” Noon to 1:30 p.m. Free.

Mumford Room, Madison Building, Library of Congress, 101 Independence Ave. SE. 202-707-5221.

■ As part of its series on “Sustaining the Political Revolution,” the Institute for Policy Studies will hold a discussion on “How Do We Tackle Climate Change and Equity in a Transformative Way” with speakers examining ways to promote equity in a finite planet. 12:30 to 2 p.m.

Free; reservations required. Institute for Policy Studies, Suite 600, 1301 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-234-9382.

■ Performance artist and anti-consumerism activist Reverend Billy will discuss “The Earth Wants You,” his motivational handbook meant to inspire readers to challenge consumerism, racism and militarism. 6 to 8 p.m. Free. Langston Room, Busboys and Poets, 2021 14th St. NW. 202-387-7638.

■ Lauren Belfer, best-selling author of “A Fierce Radiance” and “City of Light,” will discuss her new novel “After the Fire,” which tells about the influence of a Bach choral masterpiece; and musicologist Michael Marissen will discuss his book of essays “Bach & God.” Both authors will be in conversation with J. Reilly Lewis, founding conductor of the Washington Bach Consort and music director of the Cathedral Choral Society.

6:30 p.m. Free. Kramerbooks & Afterwords, 1517 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202387-1400.

■ Charles Jones, associate professor of theology and religious studies at Catholic University, will discuss “How Did Zen Become Zen?” 6:45 to 8:45 p.m. $30 to $45. S. Dillon Ripley Center, 1100 Jefferson Drive SW. 202-6333030.

■ Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper will discuss his candid memoir “The Opposite of Woe: My Life in Beer and Politics,” which traces his route from being the owner of a national chain of brew pubs to the Colorado state house, and the development of his reputation as a master of reconciling opposing constituencies. 7 p.m. $10 to $35. Jack See Events/Page 31

28 WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2016

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Housing for Rent(hs/th) CLEVELAND PARK - 2 blocks to Cathedral Commons on Woodley Road.

House with 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, garden, 3 car parking, security system upon tenant activation. $4,600/ month.

Call 202-210-9064 for more info.

Housing For Sale

301-656-9274 Chevy Chase, MD Licensed • Bonded • Insured

In the heart of the Palisades since 1993

202.262.7764

Cash for Estates/ Downsizing Jewelry to Furniture, etc.

We Take Pride in Our Quality Work!

Family owned and operated Over 30 years. Careful, knowledgeable workmanship.

Historical Residential Specialists

Specializing in pruning, weeding and sprucing-up small gardens.

FOR SALE: Brookside Manor, a 1912 Victorian Country House with a guest house/cottage with its own kitchen and loft! Just 90 mi from DC in Berkeley Springs, WV, the nation’s first spa, and one of America’s leading small arts towns. Restored in 2007 keeping its historic charm and adding 2BRs and 4BAs all ensuite. In downtown Berkeley Springs close to the towns’ many attractions, spas and restaurants. A successful operating B&B. Continue to run it or change it into a family compound and rent the cottage to cover expenses. Call 301-325-7959 http://berkeleypropertiesforsale.com

email secat21@gmail.com.

Owner/Agent

THE CURRENT

PERSONABLE,EDUCATEDmiddleage Man-Friday in NW with good ref’s for transport, shopping, home & grdn, admin, misc help. Ross 202-237-0231.

Pets EXPERIENCED PETSITTER/ Housesitter available. Responsible 32/F, seeking long or short-term opportunities. Employed non-smoker with car, can provide multiple references. Call 703-772-8848 or email kp105dc@gmail.com for more details.

Senior Care CAREGIVER AVAIL: also companionship. Weekdays, and nights and weekends. 25 years experience. CNA cert., CPR and first Aid. Life-support training, Oxygen trained. Can drive, light hskeeping/ cooking, groceries, errands, etc. Please call (240)277-2452.

CAREGIVER WITH 26 years experience available on weekends, live-in or out. Excellent references. Driv. Lic., Call 301-996-1385.

KIND, TRUSTWORTHY caregiver/ companion available FT/PT. References avail. Call 240-462-8528.

Pets [202] 277-2566 PO Box 25058 Washington, DC 20027 jule@julespetsitting.com www.julespetsitting.com

J ULE’S Petsitting Services, Inc. Setting the Standard for Excellence in Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Since 1991

• Mid Day Dog Walks • Kitty Visits • In-Home Overnight Pet Sitting and other Pet Care Services • Insured and Bonded

THE CURRENT

Classified Ads

Senior Care

Slip Covers

CERTIFIED HOME care aid and companion for the elderly. My mother received skilled and kind care from Ms. Walker. She prefers live-in or nights.

Call 301-977-0358.

CUSTOM SLIP COVERS Spring Sale, Discount on indoor/outdoor fabrics.

Customer Own Material or our fabric We also do upholstery, draperies Call A Slip Cover Studio Today 240-401-8535 • 301-270-5115 aslipcoverstudiomd@gmail.com

EXPERIENCED CNA Home Health Aid assists with bathing, dressing, meals (feeding if required), self administration of medication, doctors appointments, errands. Excellent references. 954-822-6282.

LOOKING FOR CNA with experience to care for an elderly lady. Hours 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and 10 p.m.-6 a.m., Friday Sat. and Sunday. If interested, please call (202)362-8445.

Vacations See Cuba now at it’s best.....

Cuba art and education tour Sept 18-25, 2016. Cost $3532 based on double (air not included).

For more info call Lakshmi Halper.

301-718-8700 Laki.halper@gmail.com

☎ 202/244-7223 (FAX) 202/363-9850 E-mail: Classified@Currentnewspapers.com

Upholstery

Yard/Moving/Bazaar

Custom workroom for • Window Treatments • Bed Treatments • Pillows and other custom items.

We will work with your fabric or provide fabric.

Call Mary

202-966-1196

CALL TODAY TO PLACE YOUR AD IN THE NEXT ISSUE! 202.244.7223

32 Wednesday, May 18, 2016

The Current

Selling The Area’s Finest Properties

Picturesque Gem

High Style

Wesley Heights. Fabulous flow & light in this charming home on quiet cul de sac. Ideal for entertaining. 6 BRs, 4.5 BAs. Family & sun rms, gourmet kit & brkfst rm. Private terrace & garden. $2,695,000 Lynn Bulmer 202-257-2410

Town of Chevy Chase. Dramatic renovation of Classic colonial features gourmet kitchen, breakfast room, and family room;game room; gorgeous MBR suite, 5 bedrooms, 4 full and 2 half baths. $1,929,000 Eric Murtagh- 301-652-8971

Dramatic Spaces Greenwich Forest. Spacious light filled home w/quality craftsmanship & grand proportions on 4 fabulous levels. 6 BRs, 5.5 BAs. MBR suite w/sit rm. 2 car garage. Walk to Bethesda. $1,849,000 Eric Murtagh 301-652-8971

Classic Grace

Chevy Chase Village. Beautifully maintained & thoughtfully renov. home.1st flr library & BA,fam rm w/frpl, LR w/French drs to garden. TS kit w/SS & silestone. 2nd flr MBR suite + 3 add. BRs & 2 BAS. 3rd flr BR& BA. LL Rec rm, BA & kit.Lush landscaped grounds w/fountain. $1,849,000.

Beverly Nadel 202-236-7313 Melissa Brown 202-469-2662

Distinctive Details

Kenwood. Stately 1981 custom home. Elegant foyer. 1st flr Lib. w/frpl & wet bar, BR & BA, Bay windowed eating area in kitchen. Above:2 rm MBR suite w/2 BAS, sit rm w/frpl. + 2 addit. BRs & BA. LL w/2 level rec rm w/frpl, built ins, Pub area & sliding drs to patio.$1,990,000.

Melissa Brown 202-469-2662 Beverly Nadel 202-236-7313

Worth Waiting For

Private Oasis Chevy Chase, DC. Grand proportions w/bright open spaces inside & out. 4 BRs, 4.5 BAs. 2 story wall of windows in dining room. Expansive 10,000 sf lot w/personal park in rear. Walk to Rock Creek Park. $1,859,000 Marina Krapiva 301-792-5681

A Perfect 10!

Town of Ch Ch, MD. Expanded & renovated 4 BR, 2.5 BA gem. Chef ’s kit & family rm addition. 10,000 sf lot.

Large rear yard, patio w/blt in grill. Less than a mile from dwntwn Bethesda & Metro. $1,729,000 Eric Murtagh 301-652-8971

Bannockburn Estates. Exquisite 5 BR, 4.5 BA home on almost 1/2 acre lot. Fabulous kit, breakfast & family rooms.

Gracious LR, DR & library. Fin. LL. Heated 2 car garage. $1,695,000 Ellen Sandler 202-255-5007 Susan Berger 202-255-5006

Country In The City

Sensational Home

Fabulous Flair

Impeccable!

Forest Hills. Spacious center hall Colonial w/5 BRs, 4.5 BAs + 3 rooms & LL family room. Screened porch, huge fenced yard, det. garage. Near Van Ness Metro. Move in condition w/new kit or renovate to greatness. $1,600,000 Guy-Didier Godat 202-361-4663

Bethesda, MD. Stunning high end kitchen, fabulous great room. Open floor plan. 4 BRs, 4 BAs. Amazing location.

Walk to dwntwn Bethesda & Metro. Whitman Cluster. $1,429,000 Eric Murtagh 301-652-8971

Potomac, MD. Spacious (5,000+ sf) Colonial w/5BRs, 4BAs up. Walk out LL w/BR, BA, family rm & art rm open to 2 story atrium in addition off kitchen. 2 MBR suites, 3 frpls. $1,050,000 June Gardner 301-758-3301

Kent. Beautiful sunlit colonial with lovely garden, Renovated kitchen and bathrooms; 3 bedrooms, 2 full and 2 half baths; finished walk-out lower level. Walk to shops & restaurants. $949,000 Nancy Hammond- 202-262-5374

Welcoming Charm Southeast DC. Spacious 4 BR, 4 BA Farmhouse. Gorgeous hrdwd floors. Country kitchen w/granite. LR & MBR frpls. LL w/in-law suite & kitchen. Side & patio entries.

Many community amenities. $789,000 Eric Cooksey 202-246-0640

Uptown 202-364-1700 Downtown 202-464-8400

Bright & Crisp

Bethesda, MD. Contemporary Rambler w/flowing open concept. Renov. kit open to DR & LR which has a wall of windows overlooking gorgeous yard.3 BRS, 2 updated BAS up. LL w/huge walk out rec rm, 4th BR, updated BA & office. Walk to Wildwood shops. $699,000 Linda Chaletzky 301-938-2630

The Sky’s The Limit

Vintage Charm

Bethesda, MD. One of the largest 1 BR + den, 2 BA units at The Adagio. Unique one of a kind flr plan. Top of the line finishes. Custom kitchen. Private roof terrace. Steps to Metro. $679,000 Noel Fisher 301-919-1379

Mount Pleasant. City living at its best. Updated Junior 1 BR co-op w/high ceilings & hrdwd floors. Stunning roof top terrace w/seating, city views. Across from Park, steps to Zoo. Pet friendly. $279,000 Dorothy Stein 202-230-1081

Learn More At:

www.EversCo.com