GAR-FIELD BOYS SOCCER: Red Wolves roar into state semis. SPORTS, PAGES 10, 11
June 6, 2024 | Vol. 23, No. 23 | www.princewilliamtimes.com | $2.00 Covering Prince William County and surrounding communities, including Gainesville, Haymarket, Dumfries, Occoquan, Quantico and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.
From high school to Harvard, Yale and UVA Top grads reflect on how their school years shaped their future paths By Kate Seltzer
Contributing Writer
Students in Prince William County’s class of 2024 began their high school careers online in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This week, they walk across the stage and embark on their journeys to college and beyond. Students from Gar-Field, Colgan, Osbourn Park and Potomac High Schools reflected on the last four years and prepared themselves for what’s next. They are headed off to Harvard, Yale, UVA and Northeastern and are working toward careers in intelligence, law, global health and finance.
Gar-Field H.S. grad to attend Harvard on an ROTC scholarship
TIMES STAFF PHOTO/FLORENCE SHEN
From a young age, Gar-Field High School graduating senior Anjali Marcia Ghafoerkhan had big dreams of one day working for the CIA or the FBI. “I had childhood asthma, so it didn’t actually seem like a possibility,” Ghafoerkhan laughed. “Then I grew out of it.” Today, that dream is one step closer to a reality.
Peter Mitchell receives his diploma during the Potomac High School commencement on Friday, May 31. In the fall, Ghafoerkhan will attend Harvard University on a Navy ROTC scholarship, which stipulates that she major in computer science and serve at least four years on active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps after graduation. If she has the time, Ghafoerkhan also hopes to get a second concen-
tration in political science. “I’m still over the moon,” she said. “I still can’t believe it. It feels like I’m in a movie.” Ghafoerkhan’s love of cryptography comes from media like the movie “Imitation Game” and the nonfiction book “Code Name: Lise.” Her love of politics comes, in part, from her family. “My parents, when I was younger, were very adamant about bedtime,” she said. “The only times that they would let (my siblings and me) stay up was for the State of the Union.” While in high school, Ghafoerkhan was heavily involved in the school’s JROTC program, where she served as the cadet battalion operations officer and the cadet battalion commander. She says the experience taught her people skills, like balancing the emotional needs of cadets with existing responsibilities. She also learned the importance of being adaptable — a tough lesson for the self-described planner and perfectionist. “One of the very first things you learn is no plan survives first impact,” she said. “As much work as you put into it, it will never completely go according to plan, and so you always have to think on your feet.” See TOP GRADS, page 2
Roadside grad caps ‘show the school really cares about us’ Nokesville tradition honoring Brentsville High grads is a community effort
15-year-old killed, 3 others wounded
By Cher Muzyk
Times Staff Writer
Devan Waghray, 17, says he’s looked forward for years to seeing his name posted on along Fitzwater Drive. “Seeing my name up there is a congratulations and also a recognition of all the work we put in to get to this point,” said Waghray, who will attend William & Mary in the fall to study history. Since 2016, Brentsville District High School and the surrounding community have come together to honor members of each graduating class with individual mortarboard plaques posted along Nokesville’s main drag. Each is personalized with the name of a graduating senior. This year, they made 223 for every member of Brentsville District High’s class of 2024. The annual display shows how much the Nokesville community cares about Brentsville students and recognizes their accomplishments, said graduating senior Aidan Par-
17-year-old arrested in Dumfries fatal shooting By Jill Palermo Managing Editor
tridge, 17, of Manassas, who will study business management at the University of South Carolina this fall. The effort to make the graduation cap plaques is coordinated each year by Katherine Meints, principal of Brentsville District High School. The bulk of the work is done by the school’s technology and art teachers, who figure out how many caps
are needed, purchase the materials, cut the mortarboard shapes out of plywood and then paint and write the graduates’ names on each one, Meints said. The goal is to have them posted on Fitzwater about two weeks before graduation, she said.
A 17-year-old has been arrested and charged with murder in connection with a fatal shooting late Monday night that killed a 15-year-old boy and left three others wounded. Police announced the arrest on Wednesday, June 5. The suspect, whose name is not being released because he is a juvenile, is being held at the Prince William County Juvenile Detention Center, according to Master Police Officer Renee Carr, a spokeswoman for Prince William County police. The police investigation determined that the shooter allegedly fired his weapon toward five teens and young men, striking four of them. The 15-year-old victim was shot in the chest. His name has not been released because of his age, Carr said in an earlier news release.
See CAPS, page 5
See SHOOTING, page 2
PHOTOS of Potomac H.S. graduation, page 4
Jackleg Pizza makes it Detroit-style, page 7
TIMES STAFF PHOTO/FLORENCE SHEN
Jackson Fleischauer, a member of Brentsville District High School’s class of 2024, stands beside the mortarboard plaque bearing his name.
88 DULLES, VA