Loudoun Now for March 9, 2017 by Loudoun Now

LoudounNow LOUDOUN COUNTY’S COMMUNITY-OWNED NEWS SOURCE

[ Vol. 2, No. 18 ]

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INSIDE:

School-Business Partnership Issue

Mar. 9 – 15, 2017 ] Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

Artist Michael Clay works out of his Lovettsville studio to create the LOVEworks sculpture that will be displayed along the W&OD Trail at Harrison Street in Leesburg. It’s the latest project in an effort to bring more public arts to downtown.

Supervisors Open Budget Talks With $967K More BY RENSS GREENE After weeks of preparation and three public hearings, Loudoun supervisors have begun taking straw poll votes to shape next year’s budget. On Monday, the board reviewed spending requests by the school system, the sheriff ’s office, the commonwealth’s attorney, and the departments of family services, community corrections, and mental health, substance abuse, and developmental services. During the fourhour meeting, supervisors added almost $1 million to County Administrator Tim Hemstreet’s proposed $2.5 billion budget.

Schools Get More Buses, 2 New Fields Fast-Tracked

PUBLIC ART MOVEMENT GROWS IN LEESBURG “I think the desire has always been there,” said architect O’Neil, chairman of the town’s Committee on Public It starts with a . Tom Art. “But getting [projects] out in front of them makes a BY KARA C. RODRIGUEZ

spark

or a decade, a handful of volunteers worked to convince the Leesburg Town Council of the value of investing in public art. Council members have resisted earmarking taxpayer money for such projects. But dedicated members of the local arts community, undeterred, continued to get projects off the ground, at their own expense, with the hope of getting buy-in from town leadership eventually.

difference.” And that is exactly what members of COPA and Friends of Leesburg Public Art, a nonprofit formed in 2012 in part to host the Leesburg Arts Festival, have done. Art projects now dot the downtown, including a mural inside the Town Hall parking garage, a sculpture garden at Raflo Park, and the new LOVEworks sculpture that will be installed along the W&OD Trail near Crescent Place in May. FOLPA has also hosted pop-up art shows in addition to PUBLIC ART >> 29

! LE W A O S N N O

In straw votes, supervisors added funding to purchase new school buses and install artificial turf fields at Dominion and Heritage high schools. The $3.8 million to pay for the turf fields will come from a $23.8 million surplus in the school system’s insurance fund, that will actually be part of the current fiscal year’s budget. School administrators sought to keep the extra money in that fund, but Hemstreet noted that state code requires unspent money in the school budget to be returned to the county. Keeping that surplus in the fund would have given it 17.5 percent emergency reserve. Supervisors voted unanimously to set that reserve at 8 percent, the same as the county’s reserve, using only $10.9 million. “A good part of this extra money is that $7 million of fund balance that we sent them in the first place,” said board vice chairman Ralph M. Buona (R-Ashburn), referring to an additional appropriation the School Board requested last year to fill a deficit in its insurance fund. “We could have done all four turf fields at the time, but instead we had to send $7 million to the schools because they mismanaged their insurance program.” Supervisors voted 7-2, with County Chairwoman Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) and Supervisor Matthew F. Le-

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INSIDE

3 Mar. 9 – 15, 2017

Teen wins second spelling bee trophy

B Chord finally finds a home

Wedding venues put out the welcome mat

Academies of Loudoun Takes Shape BY DANIELLE NADLER

n idea that has been almost two decades in the making has finally become something more than a concept. Popping up amid acres of trees and brush between the Dulles Greenway and Sycolin Road is the first tangible sign of a new era for education in Loudoun County. It’s a construction zone. Loudoun builds and opens, on average, two new school buildings a year. But this one is different. The three-story, 315,000-squarefoot building will be home to the Academies of Loudoun. In part, it’s Loudoun County’s answer to Fairfax County’s prestigious Thomas Jefferson High School, which lures about 200 of our county’s top performing students

each year. But it’s meant to provide students more options than the TJ model, where students enroll in ninth grade and remain on that track through high school. The Academies of Loudoun campus will house expanded versions of two of the county’s existing programs: Academy of Science and C.S. Monroe Technology Center, as well as the new magnet program the Academy of Engineering and Technology. That academy, which offers three pathways— engineering, information technology and entrepreneurship—launched this school year and is occupying space at Tuscarora High School until the new campus opens in fall of 2018. School leaders see 2017 as a key year to prepare each of the three programs to formally launch as one cohesive concept when the Academies campus

opens next year. Academies of Loudoun Principal Tinell Priddy dedicated a lot of her energy this school year creating the curriculum for AET, thinking about how students and educators from all three of the academies will collaborate and spreading the word that each of them will soon have more seats. Priddy said she visited dozens of Loudoun schools to encourage students to attend community meetings to hear more about the academies, and consider applying. “I went everywhere in order to get families to one of these, and it worked,” she said. About 1,700 students applied to attend the Academy of Science and AET next school year. “That’s a significant rise over last year,” she added. AET will enACADEMIES >> 39

and Fauquier Counties, the Faces of Loudoun initiative is meant to inspire people to give charitably, volunteer locally, and learn more about local needs and solutions. As part of the Faces of Loudoun launch, Community Foundation Executive Director Amy Owen highlighted a staggering statistic that she hopes to see changed. Loudoun residents bring in, on average, one of the highest household incomes in the nation. Yet, their giving to charitable organizations falls short. Loudouners’ donate 1.98 percent of their discretionary income, while the

average U.S. household gives 3 percent, according to a study published by the Chronicle of Philanthropy. That study shows that Loudoun is also outpaced by its neighboring jurisdictions: Fairfax County households donate 2.4 percent of their discretionary income, Fauquier County donates 3.12 percent, and Montgomery County households donate 3.8 percent. It’s not that Loudoun residents are not generous, they just are not seeing the need, Owen said. “The more homogenous your own FACES OF LOUDOUN >> 39

INDEX Loudoun Gov..................... 6 Leesburg......................... 10 Public Safety................... 14 Education........................ 16 Biz.................................. 20 Our Towns....................... 22 LoCo Living..................... 26 Obituaries....................... 32 Classifieds...................... 33 Opinion........................... 36

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BY DANIELLE NADLER In a county where half of the population has moved in in the past 15 years and thousands commute out of the area every day, it’s easy to miss those in need. But each year, about 16 percent of Loudoun residents receive help from local charities. The nonprofit community this month is rolling out a major, twoyear awareness campaign to highlight the stories of individuals and families who have turned to charitable organizations for a helping hand. Led by the Community Foundation of Loudoun

Faces of Loudoun Campaign Puts Spotlight on Local Needs

Sun shines again on MacDowell’s beach

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Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

Construction is underway on the Academies of Loudoun, which will be home to the Academy of Science, C.S. Monroe Technology Center, and the Academy of Engineering and Technology when it opens in fall of 2018.

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eesburg lost a stalwart of its business community March 2 with the passing of Roger W. Caulkins. The 85-year-old had been hospitalized after suffering an aneurysm three weeks ago. [See Obituary, Page 32.] He and his brother, Stanley, were fixtures on the downtown business scene for decades—dependably found behind the counter at Caulkins Jewelers, which celebrated its 60th anniversary in August. Stanley Caulkins, too, is recovering from a stroke suffered six months ago that left him largely confined to a wheelchair. While his illness has dampened none of his energy or sharp wit, the 91-year-old was coming to terms with the need to close the Leesburg store even before his brother’s death. In an interview last week, Stanley Caulkins recalled getting his start in the business. After serving as a radio operator aboard a B-17 during World War II, the GI bill helped him learn the watchmaking trade. He returned to Leesburg and went to work in a gift shop in the back of the Plasters clothing store at the corner of King and Market streets. When the former Flippo’s grocery store space came up for lease, he moved his shop a few doors down King Street, where he paid $250 a month in rent. Roger Caulkins earned his degree in mathematics at the University of Richmond in 1953 and then worked as a mathematical engineer. In 1970, he returned to Leesburg to join his brother

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We are pledged to the letter and spirit of Virginia’s policy for achieving equal housing opportunity throughout the Commonwealth. We encourage and support advertising and marketing programs in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap. All real estate advertised herein is subject to Virginia’s fair housing law which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination.” This newspaper will not knowingly accept advertising for real estate that violates the fair housing law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. For more information or to file a housing complaint call the Virginia Fair Housing Office at (804) 367-9753.

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in the jewelry business. They worked side-by-side in that space until 2015, when a fire forced the business to close temporarily. They reopened last year in the Virginia Village shopping center, supported by their long-time staff members. Jessica Shugge has been at Caulkins for 28 years, Violet M. Mallory and Bryan Chadwick for 16 years, and Eileen M. Mosholder for 11 years. While the store has continued decade after decade with a loyal clientele, Stanley Caulkins said the business has changed considerably. There’s not much use for watchmakers anymore, he said. “We are just battery monkeys,” he said. Switching out dead batteries isn’t a successful business formula. Caulkins said there would be a “soft closing” to wind down the store over the next few months, likely ending with a big sale, although plans have not been finalized.

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May 15 Target Set for Comp Plan Draft

Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

A cyclist works his way across Sterling Boulevard on the W&OD Trail, where county leaders want to build an overpass.

Supervisors to Accelerate Rt. 9 Roundabout, W&OD Overpass posed delaying work on Prentice Road, Dulles West Boulevard, or Westwind Drive, or competing with another project for bond money, but no committee member supported the request. However, the county budget staff reworked some figures to allow the trail move ahead without impacting other projects. “We were able to work with the cash flow and adjust the cost that we originally had for the W&OD Trail project, which did have an error in it in land acquisition,” Director of Management and Budget Erin McClellan said. When the staff corrected that pricing error, it

BY RENSS GREENE

he Board of Supervisors’ finance committee has recommended moving up the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Rt. 9 and Rt. 287 and a W&OD Trail overpass at Sterling Boulevard. That action on March 1 was especially welcomed by Supervisor Koran T. Saines (D-Sterling). Earlier he had asked the staff to look for ways to move work on the trail project up one year to 2021, but could find no support on the committee. To free up funding for the $7.7 million project, Saines had pro-

Supervisor Koran T. Saines (D-Sterling).

OVERPASS >> 7

Affordable Housing Seen as Economic Development Tool BY RENSS GREENE Attitudes about affordable housing are changing, from a necessary burden on the county to an essential economic growth tool. The change in attitude, pointed out by Windy Hill Foundation Executive Director Kim Hart, is especially apparent in some county leaders’ preferred term: workforce housing. “For the first time, workforce housing is being seen as being connected to and important to economic development,” Hart said. “A house is where a job goes to sleep at night,” said Supervisor Suzanne M.

Volpe (R-Algonkian), a longtime proponent of affordable housing. “I think that we need to marry this truly in the Department of Economic Development, because our economic development are the guys that are on the front line. Nobody wants to move a business to the county if the county says, we’d love your business to be here, but we don’t want you to live here.” That idea has popped up both in the Board of Supervisors newly updated strategic plan—which calls for increasing “the use of partnerships to provide affordable housing as a HOUSING >> 9

After months of talking and listening, the 28-member advisory group tapped to lead revisions to the county’s comprehensive plan face a number of looming deadlines. During Monday’s meeting of the Board of Supervisors’ appointed Stakeholders Committee, members worked to refine the broad goal and vision statements. The panel will continue that work at its next meeting March 20 in hopes of sending the key plan building blocks to the board for review next month. After that, the committee will dig deep into policies that will guide community development in Loudoun over the next two decades. The first draft of a new plan is set for a May 15 unveiling. During Monday’s meeting, lead consultant C. Gregory Dale stressed that an important goal will be to develop a simple plan that is easily understood by developers and residents alike. In addition to paring down the overall mission statement to a few concise sentences, Dale said the new plan will be far more streamlined than the current plans, which has more than 1,000 policy statements among its 300 pages.

Business Can Sign Up for Sterling Job Fair Supervisor Koran T. Saines (D-Sterling) will host a Spring Job Fair on May, 6 from 10 a.m. to noon. The event will be held at Park View High School, 400 West Laurel Ave. More than 45 employers from the technology, trade/construction, health care, hospitality/food service, retail, transportation and service industries will be represented. Among those already signed up are Loudoun County Public Schools; county agencies including the Sheriff ’s Office, Parks and Recreation and Fire and Rescue; the U.S. Army; YMCA Loudoun; NOVA Parks; Wegmans Food Markets; and B.F. Saul Company. Job seekers of all ages may attend the job fair. Individuals may register at springjobfair. rsvpify.com. In addition to employment opportunities, workforce development resources will be provided by Northern Virginia Family Service and Loudoun County’s Workforce Resource Center. To volunteer, sign up a company, or with any questions, email Jacqueline.Pujol@ loudoun.gov.

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Supervisor Suzanne M. Volpe (R-Algonkian) is one of the county leaders who sees affordable housing as an economic win.

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helped clear a path to move the project up a year. Saines also asked that the staff look into other possible funding sources for the overpass as well, including state money and grant funding. That suggestion, the accelerated roundabout, and the accelerated overpass were all approved unanimously. Construction of the roundabout at Rt. 9 and Rt. 287 is now planned for 2020, at least three years ahead of schedule. The county had planned to finish funding the project sometime beyond the county capital improve-

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Cochran Family Dental ment program’s fiscal year 2022 horizon, meaning 2023 at the earliest. Supervisors praised the county staff for going above and beyond what the finance committee had contemplated. In total, the finance committee’s March 1 meeting lasted about 11 minutes. “This has been a very smooth process for us,” said committee Chairman Supervisor Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles). “The smoothest we’ve ever seen.” Having finished work on this year’s updates to the county Capital Improvement Program, Letourneau cancelled the finance committee’s March 8 work session.

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County Leaders Look to Count the Costs of New Development BY RENSS GREENE Loudoun County’s budget and administration staff members are following up on an idea pitched by Supervisor Ralph M. Buona (R-Ashburn) during the board’s September planning retreat: Get a better handle on the fiscal demands that come with Loudoun’s explosive growth. The county already keeps track of the impact new construction has on the budget in terms of big county projects like new schools, roads, and fire stations. And in the long run, the county has a big-picture sense of how much that construction will force its operating budget to grow. But where it falls short, Buona said, is measuring the impact of individual development projects on the nutsand-bolts operating budget—such as getting an idea about how many extra calls for fire-rescue or Sheriff ’s Office services a particular new development will create, or how many visits to the Department of Family Services the residents of those subdivisions will make. “What I’m trying to get at is, when an item comes to the board, we really have no information on the operating side of the budget, and as a result I feel like we’re making decisions only look-

Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

Townhomes go up in Brambleton. Loudoun supervisors want to get more of a handle on the impacts new developments have on county services.

ing at, OK, we have to build this road because of this development,” Buona said. “We aren’t looking at, well, does this add to our budget every year.” The capital infrastructure part of the budget, such as new roads and schools, is mostly paid for with debt financing and paid off over years, but operating costs come directly out of county revenues from year to year. The county is looking at a lot of ways to get out in front of that growth.

Among them, the county plans to begin producing quarterly reports on approved and upcoming projects to help county leaders keep better track of the county’s growth. Buona had asked that supervisors get a comprehensive view of ongoing development, to avoid problems such as a surge of developments opening up at the same time in a small area, suddenly overburdening that area’s infrastructure. County planners also are working to

better coordinate with school staff to share information on residential and school population growth projections. They also plan to fold their fiscal impact analysis into the county’s ongoing comprehensive plan review, to provide the county with both the capital and operating budget impacts of different land use planning options in that process. rgreene@loudounnow.com

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means to support a vibrant economy”—and among the new county positions unfunded in the proposed fiscal year 2018 budget but listed as “critical needs.” Far down that list of critical needs are two proposed new positions that county staff members say would be necessary to move affordable housing land development oversight and regulation out of the Department of Family Services’ housing division. “When we talk about affordable housing, it’s workforce housing,” Volpe said. “The next time you go out to dinner and the movies with your family, think about the guy that’s handing you your popcorn, the guy who’s handing you your ticket, the waitress at the restaurant. All these people need a place to live. It’s not just bankers, lawyers, and doctors that need a place to live.” The county board recently revised the rules of its Affordable Dwelling Unit program to so it would qualify for U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and Virginia Housing Development Authority grant funding. But the idea of including affordable housing under the purview of the Department of Economic Development is a new one. “We’ve always been engaged in the conversation about workforce hous-

Mar. 9 – 15, 2017

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ing and affordable housing, but we’ve never really been an active partner or a player in that,” said Department Executive Director Buddy Rizer. “I can definitely see some synergies. I personally don’t have as much background on that as I would like to have if we were going to be involved, but I’m a fairly fast learner, so I think we can pick that up.” County Chairwoman Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) agreed with Volpe’s push, but advised her to wait until a housing summit that Randall hopes to hold in late summer or early fall. Randall said detailed planning for that summit will begin when annual budget work wraps up. “It’s a little different for me, because I’ve been struggling with this for a long time,” Volpe said. “I’ve seen it ever since I’ve lived in Loudoun County, where you literally have 50 families standing there, and they’re basically pulling eight names out of a hat to decide who can buy one of the eight townhouses that’s going to be built. And the other 42 families walk away crying, thinking that they’ll never be able to buy a home.” County Administrator Tim Hemstreet said marrying affordable housing and economic development in county government is an “aspirational statement,” but that county staff can start to put together proposals for concrete action to implement it.

loudounnow.com

[ LEESBURG ]

Dentler Proposes Main Street Funding BUDGET SPOTLIGHT BY KARA C. RODRIGUEZ

proposal by Town Manager Kaj Dentler to explore the possibility of Leesburg joining the national Main Street program is expected to be one of the hotly debated items of the fiscal year 2018 budget deliberations. The National Main Street Center Inc., a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, works with a nationwide network of programs and communities to encourage preservation-based community revitalization. It has equipped more than 2,000 older commercial districts with the skills and organizing framework to do just that, according to its website. The cities or towns accepted into the Main Street program form a nonprofit with an executive director and board of directors that works in concert with the local government and citizen advisory groups. Dentler has recommended $110,000 be allocated in next fiscal year’s budget if the Town Council chooses to move forward with the program. That amount would cover the annual salary for an executive director, as well as set-up costs like office space and office equipment. “Since I’ve become town manager I’ve believed downtown Leesburg has been on the brink of a significant revitalization, which is why I’ve referred to downtown’s time as now,” Dentler said in support of Leesburg joining the program.

Loudoun Now/File Photo

Leesburg Town Manager Kaj Dentler wants to include $110,000 in the budget for the town to join the national Main Street program.

“I also believe that a national proven model such as the Main Street program is an excellent tool to help the downtown reach its potential in concert with what the private sector is already doing. The goal is to support the efforts that are already going on, not to get in its way.” Expected to be a focal point of a March 13 budget work session on budget enhancements, it will not be the first time the Leesburg Town Council has considered such an item. Town Public Information Officer Betsy Arnett notes that in 1990 the idea of applying to become a Main Street community was floated. Eleven years later, John Henry King, then the assistant to the town manager for economic development, also proposed the town pursue the Main Street designation but, again, no formal action was taken. In 2004, the town created the downtown coordinator position with some of the same goals of a Main Street executive director—to oversee growth and economic development opportuni-

The Beach Is Back BY KARA C. RODRIGUEZ Just in time for warmer spring weather, MacDowell Brew Kitchen’s outdoor beach area has received the all clear from the Town of Leesburg to reopen.

It marks the end to a frustrating years-long row between the town and restaurant owner Gordon MacDowell. In 2013, town staff discovered that more than 6 feet of MacDowell’s patio area was actually on land owned by the

Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

After a tumultuous several months, MacDowell Brew Kitchen got the green light to open its beach, just in time for spring.

ties in the downtown area. That position was held by former town employees Lisa Capraro and Karen Jones, respectively, but the position was never filled again after Jones was appointed the town’s business retention coordinator. Over the years that the town considered the Main Street program, many residents and business advocacy groups formed to promote preservation and economic activity downtown, including Leesburg Crossroads, the Historic District Residents Association, the Downtown Improvements Association and, currently, Historic Downtown Leesburg Association, formerly known as the Leesburg Downtown Business Association. Main Street Loudoun, overseen by the county’s Department of Economic Development and then-employee Martha Mason Semmes, who would go on to work for both the towns of Purcellville and Middleburg, was formed in the early 2000s to oversee opportunities for all of the county’s towns and villages. It

town. Legally, alcohol cannot be served on town property without an exception. MacDowell agreed to lease the land from the town and change the insurance policy so the restaurant could continue to operate as is, and the Town Council voted to allow the restaurant to serve alcohol on that sliver of town property. Plus, the beach portion of the property had to be rezoned from residential to commercial. As part of the rezoning agreement, MacDowell agreed to make improvements that would better buffer the residential neighborhoods from commercial activities, as well as protect the town’s stormwater system from sand runoff. For MacDowell Brew Kitchen to hold up its end of the deal, however, it had to finish on-site improvements—including a system to contain the sand—by June 1, 2016. When that deadline came and went, the town agreed to give MacDowell an extension to July 11. The town brought the situation to the Loudoun County Circuit Court, requesting an injunction to enforce the agreement. On June 5, Judge Douglas L. Fleming Jr. ordered MacDowell to pay $500 a day beyond the July 11 deadline and close the beach until the work had been completed “to MACDOWELLS >> 11

was not affiliated with the Virginia Main Street program but had some of its same tenets. That effort lasted for about five years, Arnett said. While the town government, advocacy groups, and property owners have all worked separately to do some of the same things that a Main Street program would do – promotion, events, marketing, and revitalization efforts – moving to a Main Street community would bring all those functions under one umbrella. At its recent meeting, members of the town’s Economic Development Commission supported Dentler’s suggestion to talk about whether it would be a good fit for Leesburg. Although there are currently no Main Street communities in Loudoun, Berryville, Winchester, Staunton, Warrenton, Manassas, and Harrisonburg are part of the program, and have seen success. Julie Markowitz, who oversees the Main Street program in Staunton, said the Main Street program has been a boon for the city’s downtown. In addition to providing collaborative advertising and marketing for the city’s businesses, the program is active on social media in promoting its downtown, hosts a slew of events, and runs a robust website advertising all there is to do in the town. Markowitz serves as a built-in advocate for the downtown, keeping an eye on any potential policy changes that could affect private sector revitalization efforts. krodriguez@loudounnow.com

Residents Share Views on Bypass Interchanges BY KARA C. RODRIGUEZ It was a packed gymnasium at Leesburg Elementary School last Thursday night when residents gathered to learn more about efforts to improve traffic flow at two of the town’s busiest intersections. The project to address traffic congestion, enhance pedestrian connections and make safety improvements at the intersections of Edwards Ferry Road and Fort Evans Road does not yet have a construction date— or construction funding for that matter. However, the design has been underway for the better part of the past year, and last week’s meeting marked the second time the public has been asked to weigh in on the work. VDOT engineers hope to INTERCHANGE >> 13

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remaining complex to be built on the Village property, Building X, would need to be entirely office space to fulfill the requirement. The developer has pointed to market conditions and the difficult climate for office development as reasons to change the requirement. Planning Commissioners initially endorsed the change in the fall, but Banzhaf reached out to the town staff again because he realized that the change did not take into account that the Village property is divided between two zoning districts—PRC and B4 (Business). The new proposal would allow the town to consider the use mix in the entire project regardless of zon-

ing district boundaries. In addition to the Village, Leegate and Oaklawn are two notable developments with PRC zoning that could request a change to allow more residential development. However, such a change could only be completed if a certain amount of nonresidential development has already been constructed. In Leegate’s case, 530,000 square feet of nonresidential uses would have to be constructed to even request such a change, according to the ratios adopted by the council. The council unanimously agreed to the changes at its Feb. 28 meeting. krodriguez@loudounnow.com

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Danielle Nadler contributed to this report.

FOR CATS TOO!

sistant Zoning Administrator Michael Watkins confirmed. Although the signed consent order from November still showed MacDowell on the hook for $100/day in fines after the missed Jan. 8 deadline, Zoning Administrator Chris Murphy said the town agreed to waive fines exceeding $15,500. With the fines paid, the zoning permit to reopen the beach area of the restaurant was issued, Watkins said. For MacDowell, it’s a happy ending to a long, frustrating and very expensive process. The restaurant and property owner estimates he spent around three-quarters of a million dollars when legal fees, the entire rezoning process and actual construction costs are figured in. But he said he is moving forward and excited to reopen the beach in time for the warmer weather. “I’m going to spend my energy and time making my business a better place for people to visit—more of a destination, a draw for downtown,” he said. MacDowell said a new menu will soon be finalized and, as the temperature increases, more staff will be added back. At the beginning of the year, he said that all staff had been let go. He said he is extremely thankful for all the customers who have stuck with him throughout the process. “They said, ‘no, don’t give up. Get this beach open,’” he said. “It’s their little oasis in a way. This is their place.”

Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

LOUDOUN NOW | NEWS |

the Town’s satisfaction.” That deadline was also not met, and resulted in the closure of the beach area for several weeks. Town Council members ultimately prevailed upon town staff to allow the beach to be open on weekends while improvements were ongoing. MacDowell’s agreement with the town to finish on- and off-site improvements has been extended twice since last summer—Jan.8 was the most recent deadline to complete the work and pay more than $15,000 in fines. That deadline was also missed. But that all changed this week, when town staff gave the Town Council the go-ahead to release the performance bonds, certifying that the improvements had been completed. MacDowell also paid $15,500 in fines owed to the town last Wednesday, As-

The Town Council has endorsed a zoning change that could pave the way for more rooftops at the Village at Leesburg development, in lieu of more office space. The change was proposed by land use attorney Michael Banzhaf, who reached out to town staff on the matter early last year. One of Banzhaf ’s clients, the Village at Leesburg development, is interested in pursuing such a change with the goal of building multifamily units on land planned for 55,400 square feet of additional office development. PRC zoning currently allows for a ratio of 2.5 to 1.0 commercial to office square footage, meaning that the

11 Mar. 9 – 15, 2017

MacDowell

Village Could Add More Housing

Leesburg to Narrow Proffer Deals to Two Locations

Mar. 9 – 15, 2017

loudounnow.com

BY KARA C. RODRIGUEZ

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Leesburg Town Council members have agreed on how to move forward in the wake of a state law that restricts the use of proffer agreements to offset the impacts of development. Last year, council members adopted an interim policy on how to deal with proffer negotiations for rezoning applications filed after July 1, 2016. That is the date some controversial new regulations, handed down from the General Assembly, took effect. The law allows developers to challenge the reasonableness of a proffer even if it was voluntarily submitted. Any proffers submitted by rezoning applicants now must be “specifically attributable” to resolve the impacts generated by a new development on services such as schools, parks and public safety. But, with indications that state legislators will rethink the new rule on proffers, a permanent town policy was needed. On Feb. 28, council members agreed to a new policy that will guide how rezoning applications should be handled moving forward. The option chosen by the council will take advantage of a provision in the law that exempts locales within certain small-area comprehensive plans from the legislation. Those small-area plans must be designated as revitalization areas and include mass transit and

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Loudoun Now/File Photo

Leesburg Town Council member Tom Dunn was the lone opposing vote on the proposal.

mixed-use development. Assistant to the Town Manager Scott Parker, in presenting to the council this week, said the staff believes that such language can exempt the Crescent District from the regulations, as well as the area being studied for the East Market Street small-area plan. Of the latter, Parker said, the East Market Street area includes the Peterson Companies’ Forestier property, just east of the Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets. “The town feels that’s the next great frontier when it comes to residential rezoning,” Parker said. The new approach will require amending the Town Plan to strengthen the exemption for the Crescent District; amending the Town Plan to exempt the primary remaining tracts attractive to rezoning in the East Market Street plan; and amend the Zoning Ordinance to prohibit proffers for residential rezonings elsewhere in town. Planning and Zoning Department Director Susan Berry-Hill said those updates could be completed by year’s end. County government used another exemption to the proffer law, which exempts small-area plans encompassing existing or planned Metro stations, to allow the continued use of proffers in eastern Loudoun. Another option for the town may have lengthened land development negotiations, and added to the workload of an already thin Planning and Zoning Department, by requiring impact studies to be prepared by developers for each rezoning application, and likely for town staff to prepare its own studies. A third option would have permitted the council to continue to accept proffers for rezonings outside of the exemption areas with minor changes to the Town Plan and Zoning Ordinance, but staff members warned that it could put the town at a higher risk of legal challenges. Councilman Tom Dunn was the lone opposition vote on the proposal. He supported the third option as the best way to move forward. Dunn said he believed the option chosen by the council majority was “too restrictive.” krodriguez@loudounnow.com

13 Mar. 9 – 15, 2017

Anyone who was not able to attend last week’s meeting still has a chance to weigh in, as public comment via mail

or email will be taken through March 16. More information can be found at virginiadot.org/projects/northernvir-

ginia/route_15_interchange.asp. krodriguez@loudounnow.com

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have the final designs endorsed by both the Loudoun Board of Supervisors and Leesburg Town Council later this year, or early 2018. Although the layout of the Edwards Ferry Road interchanges is largely set, three configurations are under study for the Fort Evans Road interchange. There is a $20 million cost differential among the three options. The Fort Evans Road alternatives are: Alternate A, an at-grade right-in/ right-out, with a pedestrian bridge across the bypass for a cost of $79.7 million; Alternate B, a grade-separated interchange, with Fort Evans Road going over the bypass, at a cost of $96.3 million; and Alternate C, a grade-separated interchange with the bypass crossing over Fort Evans Road, at a cost of $100.9 million. Slack Lane resident John Burnham called Alternate A “a non-starter.” He cited the lack of ability to turn left from Rt. 15 South onto Fort Evans Road as a problem both for area residents and those coming from Maryland to shop at the Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets. Nathan Place resident Kimberly Kidwell had similar concerns. She said she goes to the Home Depot off Fort Evans Road several times a weekend and the difficulty in accessing the road from Rt. 15 made Alternate A her least favored option. Kidwell voiced support for Alternate B, as she said she didn’t believe Alternate C offered much more to justify the extra cost. Plaza Street resident Dave Torraca is also a fan of Alternate B. He said he is still concerned about pedestrian access to Rt. 15 with all the options presented. “No matter how you do it, it’s still going to be dicey,” he said.

OP SU EN N HO 1- US 4P E M

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Leesburg Town Council member Tom Dunn was the lone opposing vote on the proposal.

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VDOT engineers are looking at three design options for the Leesburg Bypass/Fort Evans Road interchange. Alternate A, an at-grade right-in/right-out, with a pedestrian bridge across the bypass for a cost of $79.7 million; Alternate B, a grade-separated interchange, with Fort Evans Road going over the bypass, at a cost of $96.3 million; Alternate C, a grade-separated interchange with the bypass crossing over Fort Evans Road, at a cost of $100.9 million.

loudounnow.com

[ PUBLIC SAFETY ]

Forde Sentenced To 38 Years in Wife’s Murder NORMAN K. STYER

he Baltimore man convicted of fatally shooting his wife on a rural Loudoun road will spend 38 years in prison. Circuit Court Judge Jeanette Irby handed down that sentence for Kelvin Forde on Friday, almost exactly three years after the killing. Forde fatally shot his wife, Ruby Forde, on a gravel cul-de-sac off Rt. 15 north of Leesburg on March 11, 2014, her 55th birthday. During a three-day trial in May, county prosecutors said Forde planned the shooting after becoming upset after being told a day earlier that his wife planned to file for a marital separation and to travel with her family to visit relatives in Jamaica. Forde was driving her to Dulles Airport when he pulled over, parked the car and fired three shots from a pistol. Two rounds struck her in the face, killing her. During the March 2 sentencing

hearing, two of Ruby Forde’s sisters and her niece urged Irby to impose the maximum sentence—life in prison. They said the murder left them grief stricken, physically ill and wondering whether they could have done something to prevent the tragedy. Marion Marshall, Ruby’s oldest sister, said that the stress from the murder also may have contributed to the fatal stroke suffered by Ruby Forde’s oldest daughter, who died in Jamaica within a year of the shooting. The two daughters of Ruby and Kelvin Forde also testified during the sentencing hearing, saying they loved both their parents. They asked for leniency in their father’s sentence so that he not spend the rest of his life in prison. In Forde’s testimony, he objected to characterizations during the trial that he was a controlling, abusive and jealous husband. “Anybody who knows me knows that isn’t true,” he said. Under questioning from Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Sean Morgan, Forde claimed he couldn’t remem-

ber what happened inside the parked car three years ago. And when Morgan asked if he would trade places with his wife if it would bring her back, Forde said only that he wished he hadn’t come back from New York, where he was working, to be with her that day. In pressing for a life sentence, Morgan said Forde was a selfish, cold, calculated killer who showed no remorse for the crime. Public Defender Lorie O’Donnell said Forde loved his wife and his children. As a 50-year-old man with no prior criminal history, she said he shouldn’t be sentenced to life in prison. She asked Irby to impose a prison term on the lower end of the state’s sentencing guidelines, one that would allow release in about 25 years. In her remarks, Irby said she was struck by Forde’s lack of remorse and refusal to take responsibility for the killing, important factors in the consideration of leniency. “What I didn’t hear was that he was sorry,” she said.

Kelvin Forde

Irby handed down a sentence of 35 years for the first-degree murder conviction and three years for the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. The sentences are to be served consecutively, meaning Forde will be 88 years old before his release.

[ PUBLIC SAFETY BRIEFS ] Herndon Man Charged in Triple Stabbing The Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office has charged a Herndon man in connection with a March 1 stabbing at Sterling shopping center. Nelson Urbina-Zelaya, 40, was taken into Urbina-Zelaya custody the next morning and charged with three counts of malicious wounding. The assault happened shortly after 2 a.m. last Wednesday in Community Plaza where two men were found stabbed in the parking lot. They were taken to the hospital. During the investigation, a third male victim was located. He received minor injuries when he attempted to intervene in the altercation. The circumstances surrounding what led to the assault remains under investigation, the agency stated. Urbina-Zelaya is being held without bond at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center.

Investigators Seek Ashburn Robbery Suspect Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office detectives are asking for help in identifying the suspect involved in a strongarm robbery in Ashburn last Friday. Around 3 p.m. March 3, a boy was walking to the breezeway of his Lowry Park Terrace apartment when someone came from behind and pushed him to the ground. The victim’s house key fell out of his pocket and the suspect took it and ran away. The suspect is described as black

male, 17 to 18-years-of-age, approximately 6-feet tall, and clean shaven. He was wearing black sneakers, black sweatpants and a black zip-up hoodie sweatshirt. The hoodie was pulled over the suspect’s head. Anyone with any information regarding the possible identity of the suspect is asked to call Detective S. Coderre at 703-777-0475 or to submit a tip through the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office app. The Loudoun Sheriff app is available on the iTunes App Store and Google Play.

Ashburn Man Sentenced for $25M Laundering Conspiracy Amit Chaudhry, 44, of Ashburn, was sentenced March 2 to nine years in prison for his role in a large-scale identity theft and credit card fraud conspiracy. Federal prosecutors said the operation resulted in the loss of more than $25 million. Chaudhry also was ordered to pay $4.1 million restitution. He pleaded guilty on Sept. 22, 2016, to charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy to commit visa fraud. According to court documents, Chaudhry is an Indian national who became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2005. Beginning in 2011, he was part of an international wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy that involved processing stolen credit card numbers and laundering the proceeds through hundreds of bank accounts. Some accounts were set up in the name of shell companies, which did no real business. Prosecutors said the fraud and money laundering conspiracy was carried out in part by teams of individuals working together in India, the United States, Europe and elsewhere. Chaudhry helped laundering the pro-

ceeds and assisted co-conspirators who came to the United States from India to open bank accounts used to hold and receive fraud proceeds. According to court documents, Chaudhry also helped conceal and launder proceeds from a fraud scheme that targeted customers seeking cheap travel, including airline tickets and hotel reservations, according to the court filings. Chaudhry and others also were accused of committing visa fraud by submitting false and fraudulent H-1B visa applications by and through various entities that they owned and controlled, including Networkxchange, Technologyxchange, Secure Networks, and the Knowledge Center. The conspiracy involved the submission of false and fraudulent applications and supporting documentation to the U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Some of these documents were signed using the name John King, a journalist who is CNN’s chief national correspondent, according to the court filings.

Ashburn Babysitter Charged with Assault An Ashburn man hired as a family babysitter has been charged with having illegal contact with a minor child. According to the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office, Salomon Sanchez-Bernuy Sanchez-B ernuy, 66, has been charged with kissing a child under the age of 13 with lascivious intent, a Class 1 misdemeanor; and with simple assault. The incident was reported on Feb. 22

after an Ashburn family learned of at least two alleged encounters the suspect had with their daughter. Detectives investigated the case in coordination with Loudoun County Child Protective Services. Detectives are working to determine whether there are other victims and are asking any residents who hired Sanchez-Bernuy as a babysitter or tutor to contact Detective J. Suess at 703-7770475.

Crime Solvers Appeals for Community Support The Loudoun County Crime Solvers Committee is asking for the public’s continued assistance in the effort to solve crimes. The organization’s mission is to promote community participation by helping local law enforcement agencies in partnership with the community and the media to apprehend and convict criminals using cash rewards. The nonprofit depends on private donations to support that mission. Residents contribute by sending a check to Loudoun County Crime Solvers, P.O. Box 3343, Leesburg, VA 20177. Donations are tax-deductible. Loudoun County Crime Solvers allows those with knowledge of a crime who want to remain anonymous to call a dedicated local phone number. That number, 703-777-1919, allows all callers to remain anonymous with no pressure to reveal their identities. When a call is received, a fact sheet records a summary of the caller’s information. The call taker then assigns the caller a number which is used in any subsequent calls to Crime Solvers and when a reward is paid to the caller. If the information results in an arrest and indictment, a reward of up to $1,000 is paid to the caller.

Mar. 9 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 15, 2017

loudounnow.com

[ E D U C AT I O N ]

[ SCHOOL NOTES ]

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Scheibel Construction Tapped to Build ES-28

Danielle Nadler/Loudoun Now

Rishubh Kaushal, a Seneca Ridge Middle School student, takes a moment to think before correctly spelling the word staffage to win the Loudoun Regional Spelling Bee on March 2.

After Unprecedented 32 Rounds, Sterling Teen Wins Second Bee Championship BY DANIELLE NADLER

Stone Hill Middle School, after the two went head-to-head for 22 rounds. For several rounds, both Rishubh and Anoushka spelled words incorrectly (words like tamandua and pignolias), and for several others they both correctly spelled their words (like meiji and topeng). Each time, with no champiChaperoned on named, the bee rolled into another Backgammon round. Eudaemonic Only five times in more than an hour Campanology did one slip up when the other spelled correctly. Twice Anoushka made it to the championship round but misspelled the words tetrapteron (a species of evening primrose) and zymase (a mixture of enzymes obtained from yeast), only to reset the match. And each time Rishubh responded, making it to the championship round a total of three times. In his first two shots for the title, he misspelled calcicolous (a plant that thrives in soil rich in lime) and scansion (the action of scanning a line of verse to determine its rhythm). When the clock approached midnight, the bee’s pronouncer, Smart’s Mill Middle School Principal Will Waldman, said, “It’s past your bedtime, but I’m sure you can do this. Are you ready?” “I hope so,” Rishubh responded with a deep breath followed by a sigh. After he spelled his winning word, only the judges, a few school administrators and members of his family and Anoushka’s family were in the audience, so the applause was one of the quietest in the bee’s history but one of the most well deserved. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” Waldman said, taking a break at one point to text his wife to assure her that he was safe, but still manning the mic at the bee. “You both deserve a huge round of applause.” Rishubh credited his win to a lot of studying and a bit of luck. “There were a lot of words that I wasn’t sure about,” he said. Even his winning word, he almost misspelled as “stoffage.” “So that was close.” He plans to pick up his studying where he left off, to prepare for Scripps National Spelling Bee in May in Washington, DC, where he will represent Loudoun County. Rishubh isn’t the first—or the second—student to win backto-back bee victories in Loudoun. Homeschool student Luke Thornburgh won in 2012 and 2013, and Santos DeBarros, also a homeschool student, won the bees in 2008 and 2009.

QUICK: Could you spell these under pressure?

hile most middle schoolers were in bed, well after 11 p.m. Thursday, two Loudoun County 13-year-olds were battling under the Tragedien stage lights of Stone Bridge High School Bereave for the coveted regional spelling bee Insulant championship. Monstrosity Finally, after 32 rounds and eliminating 74 others, Rishubh Kaushal captured the 35th annual Loudoun Regional Spelling Bee championship and became the first back-to-back tournament winner since 2013. The Seneca Ridge Middle School eighth-grader’s winning word was staffage, a French word describing an accessory item in a landscape painting. He edged out Anoushka Upadhye, a seventh-grader from

Danielle Nadler/Loudoun Now

Anoushka Upadhye, a seventh-grader from Stone Hill Middle School, thinks over a word while a stressed Rishubh Kaushal looks on. Anoushka took second place in the bee.

dnadler@loudounnow.com

The Loudoun County School Board has hired a contractor to build the Dulles South area elementary school, known as ES-28. The board unanimously awarded the contract to Scheibel Construction, which submitted the lowest bid of $28.31 million. Scheibel Construction, based in Huntingtown, MD, has built several Loudoun County schools, including John Champe High School and Cardinal Ridge Elementary School. The board received four bids for the project—all of them fell within $1.3 million of one another. The elementary school will be co-located on the John Champe High School site and have space for 928 kindergarten through fifth-grade students. It is scheduled to open in the fall of 2018. Last week, the School Board appointed several parents and school staff members to a committee that will come up with a name for the school.

Loudoun Foundation Aims to Cover Student Lunch Debt The Loudoun Education Foundation has launched a fundraising effort to pay off debt accrued by students who eat school breakfast and lunch. A Loudoun County Public Schools tally shows that students throughout the county owe the school system a total of $13,000 in unpaid meal tickets. The foundation wants to raise enough money for those debts to be forgiven. To donate, go to loudouneducationfoundation. org/generaldonation.html. In the comments section, write “School Meal Donation.” Donations that exceed $13,000 will be used to erase the next school year’s debt.

School Board: Some Students Can Stay Put, Some Cannot Dulles South area high school students got some good news last week, while its middle school students got some not-so-good news. The Loudoun County School Board on Feb. 28 voted to allow current freshmen and sophomore students to continue to attend John Champe High School through their graduation, if they so choose. Forty-eight students requested permission to finish out their high school careers at John Champe. SCHOOL NOTES >> 18

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Virginia’s governor and superintendent of schools have announced new guidelines for how public schools should respond to President Donald J. Trump’s executive actions on immigration. For weeks, the president has directed law enforcement agencies to ramp up efforts to arrest and deport people who are in the country illegally. And in his speech to Congress Feb. 28, he repeated his long-standing pledge to deport the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants. Trump’s comments have prompted a slew of phone calls to Virginia’s Superintendent of Schools Steven R. Staples from school system superintendents, looking for direction on the matter. Specifically, they asked what their obligations are if a students’ parents are detained. With guidance from Attorney General Mark R. Herring’s office, Staples released a memo March 1 that reiterates federal law that requires public schools educate K-12 students regardless of their immigration status, and to take active steps to guard the public education rights of students. Schools are prohibited from asking students’ immigration status. He urged public schools to prepare for the potential that students’ guardians could be detained by ensuring emergency contact forms are up to

date and include alternate contacts if the parents are unavailable or detained. He encouraged schools to develop a plan alongside local immigration advisors and county social services offices. Staples stressed that schools have a legal responsibility to protect the privacy of student records, pursuant to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Charles B. Pyle, Virginia Department of Education’s director of communications, said the message to school leaders is to plan ahead. “Dr. Staples is suggesting to division superintendents to think about this now and take the appropriate steps and have the conversations they need to have with the agencies in their community so they’re not scrambling to figure out a plan when they actually have a situation,” Pyle said. Gov. Terry McAuliffe said the president’s executive actions on immigration have led to fear and uncertainty in many communities. “So, let me be clear: The commonwealth will continue to be a welcoming place for all students and families, and my administration remains committed to honoring our constitutional obligation to provide each and every pupil with a free and high-quality public education, regardless of immigration status.” Read Staples’ memo at LoudounNow.com/education.

S nd

Mar. 9 – 15, 2017

Gov. McAuliffe to Schools: Virginia Welcomes Immigrant Students

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School Board Brainstorms Urban-Style School Designs

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BY DANIELLE NADLER It’s not whether Loudoun will need to build schools near future Metro stations on less land, but how. Top planners from the county and the school system told the Loudoun County School Board last week that it’s time to start thinking about what schools that serve families living near Metro will look like. Even though Loudoun County has, on average in the past decade, built and opened two schools per year, it has never had a nut quite like this that it needed to crack. The nut: designing schools on small slivers of land to educate thousands of students projected to move into homes near the future Silver Line stations—Innovation Center Station (near the Dulles Toll Road and Rt. 28), Ashburn Station (at Rt. 772 and the Dulles Greenway) and Loudoun Gateway Station (at Rt. 606 and the Dulles Greenway). “We have absolutely no experience with these large urban developments,” said Sam Adamo, who has for 20 years served as the school system’s executive director of planning. “So we started researching it.” He told School Board members during a Feb. 28 work session that his team studied what schools look like in high-density neighborhoods in Portland, Seattle, New York City and Philadelphia. County leaders are planning for 22,419 homes—45 single family detached, 5,779 single-family attached

and 16,595 multi-family units—to pop up around the Metro stations. Typically, that many homes in family-friendly Loudoun County produces 9,412 students. “That is enough to cause anyone heart palpitations,” Adamo said. But he is predicting fewer families will move into the county’s future high-density neighborhoods, if communities near Metro stations in Arlington and other counties east are any indication. “As we look at some of these urban and metropolitan neighborhoods, what we tend to see is a lot lower student yield,” he said. With that in mind, he predicts the 22,419 homes will generate about 2,560 students. That would require 1.3 elementary schools, 0.4 middle schools and 0.4 high schools. Ricky Barker, the county’s director of Planning and Zoning, said the county will provide general guidance to encourage school leaders to start planning for urban-style schools, but the details of the buildings will be up to the School Board. “The land is very valuable and we want to make sure we make the most use of the property,” he said. “But from our perspective, it is the School Board’s prerogative to figure that out. We as a county are not going to get into designing schools.” Kevin Lewis, who oversees the school system’s Construction Department as the assistant superintendent of Support Services, said there are several questions that the board needs to an-

swer. Should the buildings be designed to hold just 400 or 500 students instead of the typical 1,000 students? Should students be expected to walk to the school instead of hop on a bus? How can the schools still adequately serve students with disabilities and have enough space for physical education? “We know land costs are going to be high,” Lewis said, “and the schools are not going to be able to take up as much footprint as they do currently.” Eric Hornberger (Ashburn), joined by a few other board members, suggested assigning to those schools only students who live close enough to walk to cut down on parking needs and the size of bus loops. He said the board would likely want to, at least at first, open a secondary school to serve both middle and high school, since enrollment projections call for half of a middle and half of a high school. “Co-locating the middle school and high school—it would be a shame if we didn’t do it here,” Hornberger said. And, most important, he stressed, is assuring the buildings provide comfortable learning environments. “We want to make sure that kids feel they have a home there,” he said, “and that they’re not just a number.” Supervisors are taking input on the Silver Line Small Area Plan—the blueprint for what development will look like around the Metro stations—and are scheduled to adopt it this fall.

[ SCHOOL NOTES ] << FROM 16 Attendance boundary changes adopted earlier this year reassigned hundreds of secondary school students in the southern end of the county ahead of the opening of new schools and to relieve enrollment at crowded schools. The board also voted to not allow current Mercer Middle School seventh grade students to stay there for another year. Mercer is the county’s most over-enrolled school, with about 1,900 students, more than 500 students over its building’s capacity. “Regretfully, I don’t think we could support keeping seventh-graders at Mercer,” Morse said. “The school is completely packed.” Enrollment has grown so quickly in that part of the county that the School Board decided to temporarily open a new middle school, known as MS-7, as an intermediate school. It will house grades eight and nine for the 2018-2019 academic year, while sixth and seventh graders attend Mercer Middle School, and 10th through 12th graders attend John Champe High School.

dnadler@loudounnow.com

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[ BIZ ]

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B Chord Brewing Finds a Home and Partner

BY RENSS GREENE

fter searching for years for a place to begin its operations, B Chord Brewing Company has been approved at its new site west of Round Hill, according to founder Marty Dougherty. Dougherty had faced neighborhood challenges at both the Round Hill site off Williams Gap Road and his previous proposed location on Foggy Bottom Road in Bluemont. “We’re going to get started right away with planning and moving and rebuilding our hops yard, and get started on building up the farm,” Dougherty said. He said he had been confident B Chord’s application to the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control would be approved, despite its objectors. “I don’t think there was ever any worry,” Dougherty said. “There was frustration, concern, but we were confident.” At the same time, B Chord is forming a partnership with one of Loudoun’s oldest breweries, Corcoran Brewing Company in Purcellville. “It’s good for us, because it gets us an in-town location, and gets us a slightly different crowd,” Dougherty said. “At the farm, we’re expecting to get a lot of visitors that come from out of the area, more of a destination draw and people that want to come out for nice weather and see the countryside.”

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Corcoran Brewing Company and B Chord Brewing are teaming up to produce new brews.

Corcoran brewer Kevin Bills will still be brewing at the Purcellville location on East Hirst Road. “All the beers will be all-new,” Bills said. “I’m already working on some new recipes and ideas.” Once the farm at the Round Hill location is running, Bills said he will start leaning on local ingredients even more. The timing of that and the Purcellville changeover will depend on pending licensing and regulatory work. B Chord’s plans on Foggy Bottom Road were stopped when residents in the area convinced the Virginia ABC

not to issue a license. After that ruling, the same opponents followed B Chord three miles away, across the Snickersville Turnpike and Rt. 7, to a 64-acre property on Williams Gap Road. The objections were raised under a law that permits the ABC to turn down a license if “the number of licenses existent in the locality is such that the granting of a license is detrimental to the interest, morals, safety or welfare of the public.” The ABC found no merit in that claim. rgreene@loudounnow.com

[ NONPROFIT NEWS ] Russell’s 40 Years of Service to ECHO Celebrated One of Loudoun’s oldest charities celebrated the dedication—and community impact—of one of Loudoun’s longest serving charity leaders last week. Karen Russell retired in December after 40 years with ECHO. The Lovettsville native joined Every Citizen Has Opportunities in 1977—a year after its founding—as a secretary, bookkeeper and transportation manager. She retired as the agency’s longtime marketing manager, responsible for finding jobs for residents with developmental disabilities. During a March 1 reception at the agency’s Leesburg headquarters, ECHO clients, board members and volunteers recalled the lasting impact Russell has made on their lives and on the community during her tenure. Russell, in turned, thanked the volunteers and partnering businesses for their years of support.

PAWS UP: Humane Society Plans Tropical Fundraiser The Humane Society of Loudoun County will celebrate spring with a “PAWS UP for the Animals” event April 1. The party starts at 5 p.m. at The Bungalow in Chantilly with live tropical rock from The Chris Sacks Band and Robbie

Help Name the Trail Those who live or work in the county and who have an interest in artisans, agri-artisans, cultural and hospitality businesses are invited to help name Loudoun’s new artisan trail. Organizers plan a fun afternoon at Stone Tower Winery on March 15 to brainstorm options over appetizers and Loudoun wines and beers. Musician Ted Garber and Artisan Center of Virginia’s Sherri Smith will lead the “Name Game.” Already, dozens of artisans have signed up to be a part of the initiative. The goal is to formally launch the promotion by this fall. That will entail distributing a printed brochure that will include a map showing the participating studios, breweries, wineries, markets and other artisan spots. The free event will run from 6:30-8 p.m. at Stone Tower, 19925 Hogback Mountain Road of Rt. 15 south of Leesburg. Reservations are required trails@artisanscenterofvirginia. org.

Leesburg Prepares for Career Expo Area businesses have until March 24 to register as participants in Leesburg’s annual career expo. In its fifth year, the event will be held Saturday, April 15 at Tuscarora High School. The expo is designed as an opportunity to local students for parttime, full-time, seasonal and intern positions. Businesses may register at leesburgva.gov/careerexpo There is no cost to participate, but submitting a request to participate is not a guarantee acceptance. Notification of acceptance will be sent by no later than March 31. For more information, contact Business Development Manager Kindra Harvey at kindra.jackson@leesburgva.gov or 703-771-6530.

Edward Jones Hosts Open House Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now

Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce President Tony Howard joined the March 1 celebration of Karen Russell’s 40 years of service to ECHO.

Meade and Brad Brewer until midnight. Humane Society of Loudoun County will offer door prizes, raffles and silent auction items. There will also be food and drink specials in the private party room. This event is supported by the Parrotheads of the Old Dominion, the Washington Area Parrothead Club and Pirates of the Potomac, as well as event sponsors that include Trinity Technology Group, Valley Energy, Whole Pet Central, Kyle Knight State Farm Beach Front Radio and Caring Hands Animal Hospital.

All proceeds directly support efforts by the all-volunteer nonprofit to help homeless and needy animals of Loudoun County. A donation of $25 is requested at the door. Learn more at humaneloudoun.org.

Martinis Matter Celebrates Loudoun Museum To mark the Loudoun Museum’s 50th anniversary, a Martinis Matter NONPROFIT NEWS >> 21

Kobby Okum, a financial advisor with Edward Jones, invites the public to attend an open house for the firm’s new Leesburg office location March 15 at 50 Catoctin Cir., Suite 201. The event is planned 3-7 p.m., with a formal ribbon cutting ceremony at 3:15 p.m. “We are happy to be part of the Leesburg community and would like to express our appreciation for the confidence and support we receive year-round,” Okum said. Headquartered in St. Louis, MO, Edward Jones provides fiJUMP TO >> 21

A Partnership That Saves Lives Adrenaline. That’s something not every academic class can supply. The emergency medical technician (EMT) and firefighter classes at Monroe Technology Center supplies adrenaline along with practical lessons that last a lifetime. “The adrenaline. I love the flashing lights and the sirens,” said Riley Ruments, a senior at Loudoun Valley High School. “That’s not what it’s all about. That’s not why we do it. But it is pretty cool. It’s kind of like an on-topof-the-world feeling where you realize you’re doing something that really means something. To have a purpose when you’re so young and realizing you’re doing something significant.” “Obviously there’s the community service benefit,” added Tyler Pla, a senior at Riverside High School. “It leads to other opportunities in life. It’s really helped me out to learn some things; some really cool things. Everything from medical procedures to ropes and knots. “I like the adrenaline too. That’s a big thing.” Randall Shank, deputy chief of training for Loudoun County Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management, wants to harness that adrenaline for the longterm benefit of the community. “We catch them when they’re young because there’s a lot of options for kids anymore. If we can get them early, we can hopefully foster that interest that they have.” In addition to their studies at Mon roe, Ruments and Pla work with local fire and rescue companies; Hamilton and Ashburn, respectively. “We’re a small company…We’re, honestly, like a family. A lot of people say that, but we cook together, we do

tours together, train together, go on calls together. It’s great,” said Ruments. “You go on calls and come back to the station and have people to talk to about that. It’s a good atmosphere to have when you get into this field, because you’re doing things that are difficult and hard. You’re doing things nobody else your age can relate to. You can go back and have an entire family of people who are there to support you, help you and help you understand things. “It taught me to be an adult really quickly…Nobody treated me like a kid. I was on a first-name basis with all the adults. I wasn’t looked down upon.” “It’s nice – just hang out with your crew, watch some TV, do some training,” said Pla. “It’s a lifestyle. Even if you’re volunteering one day a week, it’s a lifestyle

that you adapt to and get into. You can’t come into it and not care very much, because if you don’t care you’ll get weeded out like other people who don’t really care… “It’s exciting. If you love excitement – all these new situations, real-world situations – it really helps out with your life.” Shank said having young people around the station is a benefit to the veteran members as well. “Generally we find – when new folks come into the firehouse – that tends to bring the crew back to basics. They go over things to help them learn more. That will help everyone refresh themselves; build off the excitement the younger folks bring with them.” Volunteers at Loudoun’s fire and rescue stations can be as young as 16. That came as an epiphany to Pla when

his mother related that fact to him. “I thought ‘That sounds pretty cool,’ so I did it.” Ruments’ introduction to what became her passion was more casual. Ruments had a friend who was doing a cadet program in Purcellville. “She signed me up for it and I fell in love. It’s not something I think I would have signed up for. It really was an accident that I got into it, but I’m so thankful I did.” Pla and Ruments each said their part-time service, which is limited to eight hours a week, has exposed them to mature situations that have given them a deeper insight into life. “You see everything from nose bleeds to CPR’s…suicide attempts, overdoses,” said Ruments. “You have to come to terms with death pretty quickly. (Continued on page 11)

Claude Moore Charitable Foundation Wins Legacy Award The Claude Moore Charitable Foundation is the second recipient of the Loudoun School-Business Partnership Executive Council’s Legacy Award. The Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation was the inaugural winner of the award in 2016. Since 1992, the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation’s commitment to Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) has surpassed $3.54 million. Trustees of the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation have awarded approximately $2.4 million in direct grant support for LCPS. In addition to these direct allocations, the Foundation covered all the expenses to research, develop and document the model program for Monroe Technology Center’s Health and Medical

Sciences program. Students in the Health and Medical Sciences program are known as Claude Moore Scholars. The Foundation provided project management services for the construction of the classroom space for the Claude Moore Scholars at Loudoun Inova’s Cornwall Campus. The Claude Moore Charitable Foundation will make the lease payments on these classrooms through 2020. The Foundation also financed development of an online teaching tool for the Health and Medical Sciences program. Founded in 1987, the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation’s mission is to enhance educational opportunities, including higher education, for

young people in the Commonwealth of Virginia and elsewhere. Dr. Claude Moore was a pioneer radiologist and the first chairman of the George Washington University’s Radiology Department. Born in Danville on October 21, 1892, Moore was a World War I veteran who came to Loudoun County in 1941. He bought a 357-acre tract in Sterling that now serves as Claude Moore Park. After retiring from the practice of medicine in the late 1950’s, Moore devoted himself to investments and farming. He died at the age of 98 on July 11, 1991, in Charlottesville. Moorefield Station Elementary, which opened in September 2013, is named in his honor.

LOUDOUN SCHOOL-BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP 2017

PAGE 2

www.lcps.org

CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE Description for School-Business Activities: The school-business partnership between the NOVA Parks Association’s Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Railroad Trailside Regional Park and Trailside Middle Middle School School has been cultivated over and time. At Trailside’s dedication, Park W&OD the community learned of the rich ties to the park, shared campus space and the connection of our shared community. The partnership between the W&OD Park and Trailside Middle School allowed Trailside to become a reality. The construction of Trailside included shared park improvements that are appreciated by the whole community. During the school’s first year, students in eighth 2 014 17 grade civics classes helped to maintain 2 0 good neighbor connections by cleaning the trail. To further demonstrate our community partnership and highlight the history of the W&OD Park, Trailside Middle School will host artifacts this spring from the Parks Association in the school lobby. Moving the partnership into a curricular focus expanded students’ impact outside the classroom and resulted in a product that is out of this world. Sixth grade science students, along with teachers Don Rahn, Lynel Seigh and Caroline Milne, created a scale model of the solar system, featuring the sun at Trailside Middle School. Karl Mohle, the park manager for the W&OD Park, encouraged and permitted the team to designate geocaches at appropriate intervals along the W&OD to represent the distances of each planet from the sun. The geocaches have QR codes that point to student websites that educate park users about important features of the solar bodies. The model is 5 kilometers long with the expectation that, over time, it can be developed into a community experience, blending learning and fitness activities. This year, the team of science teachers look forward to expanding upon this community resource.

PUBLISHED BY

Loudoun County Public Schools Public Information Office 21000 Education Court Ashburn, VA 20148 For More Information:

(571) 252-1040 www.lcps.org

Loudoun County School-Business Partnerships Time to Engage, Participate, and Provide Opportunities… leadership of the Executive Council, each of whom has graciously given their time in supporting these vital partnerships. The Council is made up of local business leaders along with senior administrative officials who provide outreach and lend support to participating businesses. We need your help! Get engaged, participate and provide an opportunity to promote the success of our future workforce. We are specifically seeking large businesses located in Loudoun County that have an interest in serving on our Executive Council. All businesses are sought for our 2017 Job-for-a-day or JFD program and can register at: https://webinter.lcps.org/JobForADay/ BusinessRegistration.aspx As we prepare for the 18th Annual Loudoun County School-Business Partnership Awards Breakfast, which will be held on Friday morning, March 10th, at the National Conference Center, we are proud of the creative and thriving partnerships between businesses and our schools. This breakfast is about thanks! It is a thank you to many wonderful businesses, agencies, and institutions. These businesses have participated for many years by hosting students to learn about new careers, have contributed in the classroom and have supported, hosted or sponsored a student with the goal of providing an opportunity to learn, grow and experience a real job. This year, we are focused on finding new and engaging business partners willing to work with students by providing real problems to solve, engaging students in a new dimension and providing an audience beyond the teacher in the classroom. We welcome all businesses with contemporary ideas and a passion for making a difference in the lives of students. Every year at this time, we look back at our progress. This year we had a robust Job-for-a-Day program with over 300 students accepting positions to visit local businesses for one day to learn about a future career. Last year’s breakfast was the largest to date with over 700 guests celebrating success. Businesses continue to reach out to many of our schools and develop strong partnerships which can lead to longstanding collaborations for students. Without a doubt, when students thrive in challenging, real-world environments they build grit; and grit leads to long-term success in business, community, family and life. I am proud of the continued success of our many school-business partners. I am thankful for the great

For the past 27 years, the organization of businesses committed to fostering collaboration is the Loudoun County School-Business Partnership (LCSBP). Chartered by the School Board and under the leadership of the LCSBP Executive Council, our mission is to provide and promote the development and success of partnerships between the public schools and local businesses to help ensure that students are prepared to contribute successfully to the ever-changing business and community environment. These partnerships help in many different ways; from supporting events, mentor programs, reading programs, field trips, encouraging STEM/STEAM, funding science projects, participating in the classroom and introducing students to new career opportunities. With the increased emphasis on participatory learning and One-to-the-World collaborative experiences, our business partners continue to Engage, Participate, and Provide worthwhile opportunities to Make a Difference. I am proud to serve as Chairman of the Loudoun SchoolBusiness Executive Council and look forward to continuing our growth in partnerships. Learn more about us at https://www.lcps.org/LSBP

With great thanks,

Michael A. Lo Presti, PE Chairman, Loudoun County School-Business Partnership Executive Council President and Managing Principal, Presti & Company, Inc. Consulting Engineers 1984 Graduate, Broad Run High School

www.lcps.org

LOUDOUN SCHOOL-BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP 2017

PAGE 3

Dr. Kortam is acknowledged by the Loudoun County School Business Partnership in the following schools: BELMONT RIDGE MIDDLE SCHOOL

For the past two years, Ashburn Orthodontics has provided magnetic calendars for Belmont Ridge students, parents and staff members. Additionally, Ashburn Orthodontics has provided folders for rising 6th grade students during our Belmont Extreme summer transition program. Ashburn Orthodontics is committed to giving back to the community they serve. Ashburn Orthodontics sponsored t-shirts for the entire school and Dr. Kortam spoke to all of the students for career day.

EAGLE RIDGE MIDDLE SCHOOL

Through the help of the PTA, the school approached Dr. Kortam to explore the possibility of her sponsoring a professional development teacher workshop. After presenting how a workshop of this nature would help students and teachers better focus and create an environment that fostered a spirit of togetherness, Dr. Kortam openheartedly gifted the school the $2500 to bring the workshop in house. The feedback from the teachers and parents was overwhelmingly enthusiastic. In February Ashburn Orthodontics spoke with the students for National Children’s Dental Health Month and provided them all with String Bags. The students were gifted with Ear Buds for the school winning the Schools to Watch award.

HARPER PARK MIDDLE SCHOOL

Ashburn Orthodontics has a spirit of “It takes a village to raise a child”. They contribute in a number of ways such as sponsoring the eight grades awards program; financing a monetary award for the yearly student recognition called the Hurricane Award, hosting a mini-reception for the quarterly citizenship award winners called Hurricane Heros, setting up a booth at career day, offering deep discounts for staff and school families. In February Ashburn Orthodontics spoke with the students for National Children’s Dental Health Month and sponsored the student folders.

TRAILSIDE MIDDLE SCHOOL

Dr. Kortam and her team have been positively involved with Trailside Middle School and community, sponsoring a “goodies” table at the Trailside Community Picnic, donating over 1,200 school t-shirts to support the beginning of the school year and visits to our resource classes to discuss dental hygiene with the students. Ashburn Orthodontics sponsored our end of the year awards ceremony, In February Ashburn Orthodontics spoke with the students for National Children’s Dental Health Month.

STEUART WELLER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Ashburn Orthodontics sponsors the student folders for parent communication.

FARMWELL STATION MIDDLE SCHOOL

In February Ashburn Orthodontics spoke with the students for National Children’s Dental Health Month. Ashburn Orthodontics sponsored t-shirts for the entire school to support our school spirit.

CREIGHTON’S CORNER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Ashburn Orthodontics sponsored the student folders. They have actively participated in our Community Leader Day Event.

DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Ashburn Orthodontics sponsored PTO Folders. In October, Ashburn Orthodontics spoke with the students for National Orthodontic Health Month.

“It’s all about your smile” Dr. Sahira Kortam is pleased to share her passion for quality orthodontics and to be able to offer beautiful smiles to her community in Ashburn, Sterling, and Leesburg. She is a board certified orthodontist, an achievement held by only 30% of all orthodontists. She and her staff are committed to making your experience at Ashburn Orthodontics memorable and life changing. The entire team is dedicated to providing extraordinary personal service with compassion and consideration of each individual needs. We think you will find each of their staff members to be knowledgeable and very accommodating. They regularly attend continuing education meetings to stay current with techniques and technology to better treat their patients.

44345 Premier Plaza, Suite 140 • Ashburn, VA 20147 • 703.729.7210

WWW.ASHBURNBRACES.COM Paid Advertisement

LOUDOUN SCHOOL-BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP 2017

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Fishing for Employees Through Job for a Day Ford’s Fish Shack owner/ Shack owner/ chef Tony Stafford did not not grow up surrounded by the by the sea and all its bounty, but he wasted no time time inspiration drawing his inspiration from it to open a successful chain of restaurants in Loudoun County. Stafford grew up in Huntington, West Marshall Virginia, and attended Marshall heading to culinary University before heading to culinary Kentucky. After school in Louisville, Kentucky. After Pittsburgh, jobs in Charlotte and Pittsburgh, Loudoun County Stafford landed in Loudoun County the last 16 years. and has been here the last 16 years. included a stint Stafford’s career included a stint restaurant group. with a Boston-based restaurant group. introduced him to the That experience introduced him to the culture. New England seafood culture. up there a lot and “We would travel up there a lot and travel along the coast. I would see these little fish shacks on the coast. There would be lines out the door, standing there eating lobster rolls and fried clams. And so I wanted to reproduce that down here. I didn’t think that northern Virginia, with as many restaurants as it had, had casual-themed seafood restaurants. I want people to be able to come in and have a bowl of mussels and a glass of wine or a beer and be able to come back and also have a celebratory dinner with their family… We want to be your neighborhood restaurant serving outstanding seafood.”

Stafford’s Stafford’s speculation about the restaurant market taurant market in Loudoun County was accurate. He opened his first location in Ashburn in 2010 and a second location in South Riding last year. In January, he announced plans to open a third location in Lansdowne. Stafford says the hardest part of his job is keeping a steady supply of fresh fish coming into his restaurants. “The majority of my job now is sourcing fresh fish – the fresh seafood – from all over. It gets tough sometimes because of the weather. It might be OK down here, but up there they might have gale force winds so the boats can’t get out to get

“We treat athletes of all levels and abilities.”

the scallops and clams. We have to stay ahead of the curve, ahead of the weather, so to speak.” Stafford’s second greatest challenge is staffing his restaurants. Each location requires a team of 60 to 65 employees. It’s this need that led to his involvement with Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS). “That’s why I got involved with the Loudoun County School-Business Partnership Executive Council and started doing Job for a Day. We are trying to educate and teach the young, growing minds of Loudoun County youth that culinary arts and restaurant management or restaurant operations can be a viable career.”

Since starting with Job for a Day, Stafford’s support for LCPS and its students has increased. He’s worked with the Visit Loudoun Foundation for the last three years to award two $2,500 scholarships to graduating seniors. This year, Ford’s Fish Shack will award two $5,000 scholarships to graduating seniors pursuing culinary arts. As a next step, Stafford hopes to become involved with the culinary arts programs in LCPS schools. “We’d love to work out some kind of internship program…where (the students) could go to school and work here a certain number of hours to compliment what they’re learning in school.” That sense of being a neighborhood restaurant hasn’t been lost on Stafford as his restaurant chain grows and his involvement in the community deepens. “I live in the community. All of our restaurants are in the community. We love Loudoun County. We are committed to making Loudoun County a viable place for students to learn culinary arts and restaurant management.”

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National Conference Center

While you might have recently attended a professional learning activity on the campus of The National Conference Center, you might not be aware that it serves as the home of an expansive Loudoun County Public Schools’ classroom. Earlier this school year, LCPS partnered with The National Conference Center, the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) and Didlake – a community rehabilitation non-profit – to form Project SEARCH. Project SEARCH is a national program that creates business, government, school and community collaborations to provide new outlets for students with special needs to transition from school to the workplace. Each day, students enrolled in the program arrive at The National Conference Center ready to work. They rotate through internships in departments throughout the conference center. Students try their skills in the various areas, including guest dining, culinary arts, housekeeping, engineering and audio-visual technology. As a result of the rotations, students begin to develop a sense of the work they find enjoyable and rewarding. “Mostly, I like the activities,” said an intern named Brianna. “We learn what we can and can’t do in the workforce.” “We do a variety of things in the kitchen,” said an intern named Ashley. “It’s nice to do different things. You learn a lot.” An intern named Nick said, “This is a great opportunity to learn jobs you like and how you feel working in an environment that’s busy and with a lot of people.” Geoff Lawson, general manager of The National Conference Center, says the program is a perfect fit for his venue. “The National became involved because we felt we had to make a contribution to the community and help some kids who needed help and also bring them into a

facility known for education and learning to practice what we preach. What we get out of this experience is very simple: A great experience for our team. We’re known for our customer service and our warmth towards making a good experience for people… Going forward, we would be interested in having more projects like Project SEARCH to further integrate into our community.” Staff members at The National Conference Center also remark about the contributions the interns make in the workplace. Intern Nick works with Corey Myers in the Audio Visual Department. “Nick comes to us every day at 9. We really look forward to his presence. He’s become like part of the family. He’s a core part of our group…He has a great way with people, and he’s got a big heart.” Chef Chris Ferrier appreciates seeing the growth in the students. “I think they see their own progress and … they take their own initiative. They say, ‘I think I’d do a great job with this, Chef. What’s next?’ So, to me, I think it’s great that they’re learning it on their own, but also my staff enjoys making sure that they continue to help them grow.” While on the job, the interns receive supports from DARS and Didlake. Morgan Morris of DARS explained his role. “I play a support role when (the interns) need anything – equipment or assistive technology – to do the job. I help purchase those things, and I help counsel them into the jobs they’ll be entering after they finish the program.” Emily Meyers of Didlake said her employment support organization provides job coaching, communication support services and autism support to three different Project SEARCH sites. “On a daily basis, I make sure that job tasks are performed to the employer’s standards. I also help them learn the interpersonal skills they need to be a good worker… The most meaningful thing for

the interns is that they are a part of the host business. They feel like employees here. They feel a part of everything that happens with the success of the business model and the daily success of the conference center working side-by-side with other employees.” At the end of the work day, interns return to that classroom mentioned earlier. There, they debrief on how the day went and receive instruction on how to manage workplace issues. “We have 25 work-related skills they are evaluated on,” said LCPS teacher Heather Brewington. “The student growth since the start of the program has been tremendous. I look back at pictures, and it reminds me how much they have grown. They have grown maturity-

wise, their stamina, the responsibilities they take on…” LCPS Transition Specialist Mary Young said she was delighted when The National Conference Center wholeheartedly said “yes” to the program because the student benefits are so great. “I hope they get to experience real work and learn some new talents and skills and take those to be successful in life.” As you attend the School-Business Partnership Breakfast or another event at The National Conference Center, we hope you’ll reflect on how your meal, place setting and overall conference experience was impacted by these LCPS interns navigating their way to independence in the work force.

Education is Power It all starts here.

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2016-2017 LCPS Business Partnerships 8th & Home Realty - Lucketts Elementary School A&A Heating and Air Conditioning - Tuscarora High School Abernethy and Spencer Greenhouse and Garden Center - Lincoln Elementary School American Association for the Advancement of Science STEM Volunteers - LCPS Science Department Andy’s of Lovettsville - Lovettsville Elementary School Ashburn Area Running Club - LCPS Head Start Program Ashburn Children’s Dentistry - Ashburn Elementary School Ashburn Orthodontics - Belmont Ridge Middle School Ashburn Orthodontics - Eagle Ridge Middle School Ashburn Orthodontics - Steuart W. Weller Elementary School Ashburn Pediatric Dental Center - Sycolin Creek Elementary School ASM Research - Sterling Middle School Audubon Naturalist Society - Aldie Elementary School AutoNation Toyota Leesburg - Loudoun County High School AutoNation Toyota Leesburg - LCPS Head Start Program Bank of Clarke County -Loudoun County High School Barakat Orthodontics- River Bend Middle School Barakat Orthodontics- Horizon Elementary School Bartlett Tree Experts of Leesburg - Tuscarora High School Battelle - Sterling Middle School Blend Coffee Bar - Brambleton Middle School Bonefish Grill - Ashburn Elementary School Books-A-Million Inc. - LCPS Outreach Bullock & Associates, CPAs - Loudoun County High School Bush Tabernacle - Blue Ridge Middle School Camp Twin Creeks - Eagle Ridge Middle School Casey’s Automotive of Chantilly - Buffalo Trail Elementary School CENV Community Empowerment - Countryside Elementary School Cheers Sports - Cedar Lane Elementary School Cheers Sports - Rock Ridge High School Cheers Sports - Woodgrove High School Cheers Sports - Stone Bridge High School Chick-fil-A of George Washington - Stone Bridge High School Chick-fil-A - Heritage High School Chick-fil-A GW/Dulles - Broad Run High School Christian Fellowship Church - Sterling Elementary School Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America - Stone Bridge High School Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) - Blue Ridge Middle School Cornwall Physicians Office Building - LCPS Art Costa Family and Cosmetic Dentistry -Creighton’s Corner Elementary School Costa Family Dentistry & Little Smiles Pediatric Dentistry - Eagle Ridge Middle School Destiny Church - Frederick Douglass Elementary School Developmental Connections - Rosa Lee Carter Elementary School Developmental Connections - Hillside Elementary School Dogwood Farm - Blue Ridge Middle School Dominion Power - Hutchison Farm Elementary School Downs Insurance - Lucketts Elementary School Dr. David Goodfriend - Briar Woods High School Dr. Darius A. Unwalla and Associates, Optometrists - Potomac Falls High School Dr. Joanna Barnett and Associates, Inc. - Potomac Falls High School Dulles Town Center - LCPS Art Dynamic Plumbing and Heating - Rock Ridge High School EK Screen Prints - J. Michael Lunsford Middle School EPL Archives - LCPS Head Start Program Evergreen Sportsplex - Sterling Elementary School Exxon Mobile Gas Station - Round Hill Elementary School F. H. Furr Plumbing, Heating, Air Conditioning & Electrical - Stone Bridge High School Falcons Landing - LCPS Head Start Program FCi Federal - Loudoun County High School Fitwize4kids - Dominion Trail Elementary School G Force Gymnastics - Mill Run Elementary School Galilee United Methodist Church - Sanders Corner Elementary School

Galilee United Methodist Church - Meadowland Elementary School Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center – Marriott - Loudoun County High School George Washington University - Frances Hazel Reid Elementary School Giant Food - Stone Bridge High School Glory Days Press, LLC - Potowmack Elementary School Glory Days Press, LLC - Belmont Station Elementary School Good Shepherd Alliance Thrift Store - LCPS Head Start Program Great Country Farms - Blue Ridge Middle School Great Country Farms - Round Hill Elementary School Greer Institute for Leadership and Innovation - Academy of Science and Academy of Engineering & Technology GWU-Ashburn Campus - LCPS Art Harmony United Methodist Church - Hamilton Elementary School Hartley Home Building - Round Hill Elementary School Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Leesburg - Frederick Douglass Elementary School Home Depot - Brambleton Middle School Home Depot of Leesburg, Virginia (store # 4621) - Harmony Middle School Howard Hughes Medical Institute Janelia Research Campus - LCPS Science Department Howard Landscapes, Inc. - Legacy Elementary School Huntington Learning Center - Stone Bridge High School Huntington Learning Center of Ashburn - Mill Run Elementary School Image 360 – Dulles - Seneca Ridge Middle School INOVA - Sterling Elementary School INOVA Loudoun Community Affairs/MHS - LCPS Art Irene’s Prom Closet - Potomac Falls High School James Madison University - Liberty Elementary School Joe’s Pizzeria - Sterling Elementary School Joe’s Pizzeria - Horizon Elementary School Johnny Rockets - Brambleton Middle School K & H Landscape and Grounds Maintenance - River Bend Middle School K2M, Inc. - Loudoun County High School K2M, Inc. - Evergreen Mill Elementary School Kids R First - Sterling Middle School Kids R First - Rolling Ridge Elementary School Kravitz Orthodontics - Dominion Trail Elementary School Kravitz Orthodontics - Cedar Lane Elementary School Kravitz Orthodontics - Rosa Lee Carter Elementary School Kravitz Orthodontics - Brambleton Middle School Kravitz Orthodontics - John Champe High School Kravitz Orthodontics - Cardinal Ridge Elementary School Kravitz Orthodontics - Madison’s Trust Elementary School Kravitz Orthodontics - Eagle Ridge Middle School Lansdowne Resort - LCPS Art Leesburg Daybreak Rotary Club - Loudoun County High School LEF/LCPS Backpack Coalition - Forest Grove Elementary School LensCrafters - Potomac Falls High School Loudoun Computer Science Initiative - Loudoun Valley High School Loudoun County Animal Shelter - Frances Hazel Reid Elementary School Loudoun County Department of Economic Development - ALL LCPS Elementary Schools Loudoun County Fire and Rescue - C.S. Monroe Technology Center Loudoun County Fire and Rescue - LCPS Head Start Program Loudoun County Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney Loudoun County High School Loudoun Habitat for Humanity - Potomac Falls High School Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy Bringing Back the Monarch - LCPS Science Department Lovettsville-Waterford Ruritan Club - Lovettsville Elementary School Lucketts Ruritans - Lucketts Elementary School Maid Brigade - Stone Bridge High School Mascot Book, INC/Glory Days Press, LLC - Belmont Station Elementary School

McLean Bible Church (MBC)/Embrace Catoctin - Catoctin Elementary School Mentors of Douglass School - Douglass School Microsoft Corporation - Loudoun County High School Middleburg Bank - Ball’s Bluff Elementary School Mindframe Education - Arcola Elementary School Mindy Hess - Emerick Elementary School Moe’s Southwest Grill - Heritage High School Morgan Orthodontics - Belmont Ridge Middle School Morgan Orthodontics - Frances Hazel Reid Elementary School Morgan Orthodontics - Mill Run Elementary School Morgan Orthodontics - Eagle Ridge Middle School Morven Park - Frances Hazel Reid Elementary School Morven Park - Trailside Middle School Morven Park Center for Civic Impact - Smart’s Mill Middle School Mullen Orthodontics - John W. Tolbert Jr. Elementary School Mullen Orthodontics - Belmont Ridge Middle School National Conference Center (NCC) - LCPS Department of Pupil Services, Career and Transition National Conference Center (NCC) - LCPS Art Northern Virginia Community College - LCPS Pupil Services, Career and Transition Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) - Office of Instructional Programs Northern Virginia Lions Club - LCPS Head Start Program Northern Virginia Orthodontics - Moorefield Station Elementary School Northern Virginia Orthodontics - Stone Hill Middle School Northern Virginia Orthodontics - Brambleton Middle School Northern Virginia Orthodontics - Creighton’s Corner Elementary School Northern Virginia Orthodontics - Freedom High School NOVA Parks - Trailside Middle School Olive Garden - Seneca Ridge Middle School Olivera Music - Freedom High School Orangetheory Fitness - Cedar Lane Elementary School Orangetheory Fitness - Belmont Ridge Middle School Orbital ATK, Inc. - LCPS Science Department Overtime Athletics - Horizon Elementary School Patient First - Algonkian Elementary School Patient First - Buffalo Trail Elementary School Patient First - Algonkian Elementary School Piedmont Environmental Council - Seldens Landing Elementary School Piercy’s Garage/Shell Station - Waterford Elementary School Play It Again Sports - Loudoun County High School Positive Ally - Pinebrook Elementary School Preschool Learning Center - Loudoun County High School Presti & Company - Potowmack Elementary School Project Mobile Hope - Blue Ridge Middle School Purcellville Gazette - Blue Ridge Middle School Rack Room Shoes - Guilford Elementary School Raj Khalsa Gurdwara - Potomac Falls High School Readers Are Leaders - Frances Hazel Reid Elementary School Readers Are Leaders - Broad Run Varsity Football Team - Dominion Trail Elementary School Red Knights International Motorcycle Club, Chapter 12 - LCPS Head Start Program REHAU - LCPS Science Department Reston Bible Church - Guilford Elementary School Riverside Presbyterian Church - Sugarland Elementary School Rockwell Collins - Sterling Middle School Rockwell Collins - Park View High School Share a Little Thanks - Farmwell Station Middle School Share a Little Thanks Program - Mill Run Elementary School Sharon D. Virts Foundation - Lucketts Elementary School Solebrity - Cedar Lane Elementary School SOMOS - J. Lupton Simpson Middle School South Riding Family Dentistry - Little River Elementary School Spider Smart of Ashburn - Cedar Lane Elementary School Stantec Architectural Firm - Stone Bridge High School Sterling Park Baptist Church - Sterling Elementary School Stone Springs Hospital Center - Freedom High School (Continued on page 12)

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Winners of the School-Business Partnership Recognition Award The Loudoun School-Business Partnership Executive Council would like to recognize past School-Business Partnership Recognition Award Winners. 1997-1998 • • •

Loudoun Milk Transportation for their partnership with the LCPS Health and Physical Education program to work with high school driver education classes for safe driving techniques. Sarah Huntington Photography for her partnership with Lincoln Elementary School’s school wide journalism project. TELOS Corporation for their partnership with Broad Run High School and generous donations of resources to update the school’s technology.

1998-1999 • • •

The Home Depot for their partnership with Potowmack Elementary School and generous donations of employee time and materials. Morningside House of Leesburg for their partnership with Hillside Elementary students. America Online for the AOL/LCPS New Year’s Countdown Calendar for display of LCPS student artwork online.

Long-term recognition awards went to J.T. Hirst, The Loudoun Hospital Center and The Waterford Foundation.

1999-2000

• • •

Dewberry & Davis partnership with Blue Ridge Middle School to revitalize an area west of the school and make it into an outdoor classroom. Anderson Mechanical Services, Inc.; Atlas Plumbing; Banner Glass; Bowers & Associates P.C.; Dominion Electrical Supply, Inc.; Dulles Electrical Supply; EMF Electric; J.T. Hirst & Co., Inc.; Leo Construction Company; Madigan Construction Company; McCall Millwork, Inc.; McDonough, Inc.; Papa John’s Pizza; Smith, Thomas & Smith, Inc.; Spiering Custom Homes, Inc.; Thomas J. O’Neil; T.S. Beaver and Virginia Power for their partnership efforts with the construction of a new concession stand at Loudoun County High School. Davis Corporation; Devine Commercial, Inc.; John White, LLC; The Hayford Foundation; Unison Pottery and Tile Works and Weller Tile for the completion of The Millenium Wall Project for Waterford Elementary School’s 1999-2000 Artist in Residence Program.

Long-term recognition awards went to F&M Bank; Leesburg Chrysler-PlymouthDodge; United Airlines; United Airlines/ Galileo International; Wal-Mart and Xerox Document University.

2000-2001 • • •

BFI Recycle Center/Herndon High School partnership with Sterling Middle School for the Ecology Club recycling project. Luck Stone Corporation partnership with Sanders Corner Elementary School for volunteer and material contributions. United Litho, Inc. partnership with Broad Run High School’s annual report project.

Special recognition was given to The Dulles Town Center for their support of Loudoun County Public Schools activities and events.

2001-2002 • • • •

GAM Printers partnerships with Broad Run High School, Loudoun County High School, Potomac Falls High School, Stone Bridge High School and Seneca Ridge Middle School for printing needs within each school. Loudoun Times-Mirror partnership with each Loudoun County Public Schools athletic department for the annual Loudoun Times-Mirror Holiday Basketball Classic and helping to print the Stone Bridge High School newspaper. Lockheed Martin Management and Data Systems (LMM&DS) partnership with Dominion Trail Elementary School for their ongoing involvement in the school and the development of opportunities for students to learn. Meadows Farm Nursery partnership with Ashburn Elementary and Broad Run High School for landscaping projects around the school buildings.

2002-2003

• • •

Dr. John Jones in partnership with Sterling Elementary School to provide dental screening for the entire student body. Knowledge Based Systems in partnership with the Douglass School for a leadership training and character development program for the students of Douglass School. Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority in partnership with Stone Bridge High School through the creation of a scholarship, sponsorship of the Ethics Day program as well as the use of the facilities and personnel at Dulles Airport to support school activities.

• • • •

N.E.W. Customer Service Companies, Inc. in partnership with the Head Start Program in providing generous donations to families with special needs. Cascades Starbucks in partnership with Potomac Falls High School in providing work experience opportunities for special needs students. Broadlands Associates in partnership with Mill Run Elementary, Hillside Elementary and Eagle Ridge Middle School in providing school agendas and resources to enhance school facilities. Special recognition to the contributions of KT Enterprises and Luck Stone with the Eagle Ridge Middle School projects. Ronn Lonon and UPS in partnership with Sugarland Elementary for the volunteer time and support of the school’s reading program.

2004-2005 • • • • •

America OnLine in partnership with Broad Run High School’s ninth grade transition team (DELTA), Forest Grove Elementary School and the Art Program, Central Office. Hughes Group Architects in partnership with Hillsboro Elementary School. Colorcraft of Virginia, Inc. in partnership with Monroe Technology Center, Park View High School and the Head Start Program. Loudoun County Sanitation Authority in partnership with Algonkian Elementary School. Ashburn Pediatrics in partnership with Monroe Technology Center’s Nursing Program.

2005-2006 •

Beazer Homes, Brambleton Development Corporation, Centex Homes, Miller and Smith, Stanley Martin Companies, Inc., Winchester

2003-2004 •

Golden Pond School, Inc. in partnership with the Broad Run High School Family and Consumer Sciences Early Childhood Education class to provide “hands on” opportunities for high school students to interact with preschool aged children.

Homes and The Gulick Group in

• • • •

partnership with Briar Woods High School. Dulles Town Center in partnership with Potomac Falls High School. Virginia Concrete and Dave Snider in partnership with Sanders Corner Elementary School. Kids-R First in partnership with Briar Woods High School and Stone Bridge High School. Car Quest/Truck Suppliers and Mark Fishel in partnership with Monroe Technology Center.

2006-2007 • • • •

Hair Port LTD in partnership with Dominion High School. INOVA Loudoun Hospital in partnership with Monroe Technology Center and Potomac Falls High School. Middleburg Bank in partnership with Banneker Elementary School, Harper Park Middle School, Mill Run Elementary School and John W. Tolbert Jr. Elementary School. My Gym in partnership with John W. Tolbert Jr. Elementary School.

Special Recognition – Smart’s Mill Exterior Improvement Plan Project

2007-2008 • • • • •

Lucketts Fire Company 10 in partnership with Lucketts Elementary School. Pepsi in partnership with Dominion High School. Leesburg/Sterling Family Practice in partnership with Stone Bridge High School. Moore Cadillac-Hummer in partnership with Monroe Technology Center. Falcons Landing in partnership with LCPS Head Start Program.

Special Recognition – Belmont Station Elementary School Outdoor Classroom (Continued on page 9)

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Bazdar Is Lambert Award Recipient

Winners of the Recognition Award (Continued from page 8)

2008-2009 • • • • •

The National Conference Center in partnership with Belmont Ridge Middle School. Costco Wholesale (Sterling) in partnership with Potowmack Elementary School. Loudoun Soil & Water Conservation District in partnership with Forest Grove Elementary School. Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation in partnership with Loudoun County Public Schools Public Information Office. Really Great Finds in partnership with Harmony Intermediate School.

2009-2010 • • • • •

Charlie the Certified Therapy Dog and Books-A-Million in partnership with Emerick Elementary School. Lovettsville Pizza and Subs in partnership with Lovettsville Elementary School. National Park Service in partnership with Blue Ridge Middle School. Rockwell Collins in partnership with Sterling Middle School. Concept Marketing, Inc. in partnership with Monroe Technology Center.

2010-2011 • • • • •

Jim and Marci Anderson in partnership with Smart’s Mill Middle School. Commonwealth Digital Office Solutions in partnership with Rolling Ridge Elementary School. National Geographic Big Cat Initiative in partnership with Steuart Weller Elementary School. The Newton Marasco Foundation (NMF) in partnership with Loudoun Valley High School. The Loudoun Campus of Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) in partnership with Seneca Ridge Middle School.

2011-2012 • • • • •

Apple Federal Credit Union in partnership with Briar Woods and Tuscarora high schools. The Boeing Company in partnership with J. Michael Lunsford Middle School. Fuddruckers in partnership with Sanders Corner Elementary School. Leesburg Pharmacy in partnership with Monroe Technology Center (MTC). Top Kick Martial Arts in partnership with Belmont Station Elementary School.

2012-2013 • • • •

Abernethy and Spencer in partnership with Lincoln Elementary. George Mason University in partnership with Sterling Middle School. J10 Church in partnership with Farmwell Station Middle School. Loudoun County Farm Bureau in partnership with Woodgrove High School.

•

Wal-Mart Foundation, Sterling in Partnership with LCPS Head Start Program.

2013-2014 • • • • •

BAE Systems in partnership with Liberty Elementary School. Haute Dogs & Fries in partnership with Blue Ridge Middle School. Eggspectation in partnership with Harper Park Middle School. Nova Medical Group/Nova Urgent Care in partnership with Monroe Technology Center. St. James Episcopal Church in partnership with Evergreen Mill Elementary and Frances Hazel Reid Elementary.

2014-2015 • • • • •

Dr. Neal Kravitz in partnership with the John Champe and Freedom high school clusters. Capital Productions in partnership with Monroe Technology Center. Readers are Leaders in partnership with Dominion Trail Elementary. Rack Room Shoes in partnership with Guilford Elementary. Mount Olivet United Methodist Church in partnership with Lovettesville Elementary.

2015-2016 • • • • •

The George Washington University Virginia Science & Technology Campus in partnership with the Loudoun County Public Schools Science Office. Developmental Connections in partnership with Rosa Lee Carter Elementary School. Rockwell-Collins in partnership with Park View High School and Sterling Middle School. Women in Technology in partnership with Belmont Ridge Middle School. Orbital ATK in partnership with the Loudoun County Public Schools Science Office.

2016-2017 • • • • •

Evergreen Mill Elementary School and K2M. LCPS School Nutritional Services and Loudoun County Department of Economic Development. LCPS Pupil Services, Career and Transition and the National Conference Center. Trailside Middle School and W&OD Park. LCPS Head Start and Monroe Technology Center and Loudoun County Fire and Rescue.

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Former Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) Director of Career and Technical Education Shirley Bazdar is the 2017 recipient of the J. Hamilton Lambert Exemplary Leadership in Education and Community Service Award. Bazdar retired in June 2016 after a 19-year career with LCPS and 30 years in education. Among the many accomplishments during her tenure in Loudoun was helping to establish Monroe Technology Center’s Health and Medical Sciences program, otherwise known as the Claude Moore Scholars program. Overseen by Monroe Technology Center, the Claude Moore Scholars program is a partnership between LCPS, Inova Loudoun Hospital and the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation. The focus of the program is to develop and expand programs for secondary students that lead to careers in the fields of health and medical science. The four career pathways explored by the program include practical nursing, medical laboratory technology, pharmacy technology and radiology technology. In addition to her administrative role with LCPS Central Support, Bazdar served as an assistant principal at Park View High School from 1997 to 2001. Prior to that, she was an assistant principal/vocational director and marketing teacher at Manassas Park High School. Bazdar is a graduate of Old Dominion University with a bachelor’s degree in marketing education and holds a master’s degree in education administration/supervision from George Mason University. The J. Hamilton Lambert Exemplary Leadership in Education and Community Service Award is presented to an individual with the following attributes: •

Demonstrates leadership within the community.

•

Has formed a notable partnership with Loudoun County Public Schools.

•

Demonstrates and encourages creativity and innovation.

•

Fosters cooperation between the school and the community.

•

Dedicates themselves to demonstrated community service efforts and a willingness to help others.

•

Keeps abreast of developments in the field of education.

•

Demonstrates leadership and exemplifies commitment.

The award’s namesake is a graduate of Loudoun County High School. Lambert began his professional life as a draftsman for the County of Fairfax, working his way up to serve as county executive between August 1980 and December 1990. In this capacity, he oversaw the day-to-day operations of the county with an annual budget of more than $1 billion. Among the numerous awards Lambert has received are the Washingtonian of the Year, presented by the Washingtonian Magazine; the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year Award; a life membership in the Virginia Local Government Management Association; the Founders Award from the Engineering and Surveyors Institute; a joint resolution of commendation from both houses of the Virginia General Assembly for contributions to the Commonwealth of Virginia; the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Top County Manager Award; and an honorary doctorate of humane letters from George Mason University. Lambert, the executive director of the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation, has served on the George Mason University Foundation; the Dulles Corridor Rail Association; is past deputy commissioner of the Clark Griffith Baseball League; and serves on the Board of Directors of Cardinal Financial Corporation.

Winners of the J. Hamilton Lambert Award include: 2011 J. Hamilton Lambert 2012 Stephen L. Combs 2013 Cynthia “Cheryl” Marin 2014 Edgar B. Hatrick III 2015 James H. Mayes Jr. 2016 Wagner B. Grier 2017 Shirley L. Bazdar

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NOVA Make a Difference Award Winner

The “Make a Difference Award” recognizes Loudoun School-Business Partners and individuals who make a significant, lasting, positive difference in the lives of our children, our community and our future through innovative programs, leadership and partnerships benefitting Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) on a comprehensive basis. This year’s recipient of the Make a Difference Award is the Loudoun Campus of Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA). Here are some of the many ways NOVA partners with Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS): • LCPS has the largest dual enrollment program with NOVA, offering a wide variety of course work ranging from CTE to transferable courses in English, math, U.S. history, political science and other subjects. Classes taken at LCPS high schools are credit-bearing and currently tuition-free for students and their families. During the last two years, Loudoun County families saved more than $5.5 million on the cost of tuition (at NOVA rates) by taking high-school-based, dualenrollment classes. • Free professional development workshops are available for LCPS dualenrollment teachers at NOVA’s Loudoun Campus.

• NOVA’s SySTEMic Solutions program has provided robotics summer camps and year-round robotics clubs in LCPS schools for hundreds of students each year. • NOVA’s Pathway to the Baccalaureate program is present with enhanced advising and support in every Loudoun County high school. More than 650 new Pathway students enter NOVA from LCPS each year. • Overall, more than 1,100 LCPS graduates begin their college careers at NOVA each year; and many more enroll at NOVA as transfer students when their original college does not work out for them. • NOVA high school outreach personnel provide as many as 40 to 45 free financial aid workshops for Loudoun County area parents and students each year, many of them at LCPS high schools. In addition, NOVA provides college visiting days and an annual breakfast for counselors. • NOVA Honors students and student ambassadors provide tutoring and mentoring services to LCPS students via the AVID program. • For several years, NOVA provided full-tuition Honors scholarships to LCPS students on a competitive basis. Each year, out of the total of 20 awarded, seven or eight of these scholarships (more than a proportional share) were awarded to LCPS students. Unfortunately, funding for this program was discontinued last year. • The NOVA Loudoun Campus hosted 22 Job for a Day students this school year.

Past winners of this award include: 2007

Steve DeLong, Cavalier Land Development Corporation, was recognized for his service as chairman of the Loudoun School-Business Partnership Executive Council.

2008

Karen Russell, ECHO, Inc. was recognized for her commitment to, and facilitation of, the “Job-For-A-Day” Program. The program started with 30 students in 1991 and grew to over 370 students from all LCPS high schools in 2007.

2009

The Claude Moore Charitable Foundation for significant grants supporting innovative programs.

2010

The Harris Teeter, Inc. Together in Education Grant Program for its significant grants supporting innovative programs.

2011

Inova Loudoun Hospital for its commitment and significant contributions to Loudoun County Public Schools.

2012

Al Nielsen, AOL, recognized for his leadership as chairman of the Loudoun School-Business Partnership Executive Council.

2013

Second Lieutenant Jeffrey Mees, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO), for his dedication and significant contributions to LCPS.

2014

Loudoun County Public Schools Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Sharon D. Ackerman, in recognition of her 42–year career in Loudoun’s schools.

2015

Donna Fortier, founder and CEO of Mobile Hope, which serves members of the Loudoun community, including students, in need.

2016

Zach Pracher, an eighth-grader at Belmont Ridge Middle School, decided to forego the usual gifts for his Bar Mitzvah. Instead, he encouraged his guests to make donations that would enable him to purchase $40,000 in Kindles for homeless students receiving support through Mobile Hope. Zach combined the gift donations with others from Amazon and charitable foundations to meet his goal. The Kindles are accompanied by a Loudoun County Public Library card so that students can access the library’s books through free downloads.

Over 13,000 individuals in Loudoun County live in poverty. Help us provide struggling families with shelter and the tools to return to self-sufficiency.

703-724-1555

www.lcps.org

LOUDOUN SCHOOL-BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP 2017

A Partnership That Saves Lives

(Continued from page 1) It’s something you’ve got to understand… Everybody’s got a day and no matter what we do – if we do every single right thing – we can’t always control the outcome.” “Make good decisions,” is the lesson Pla has taken from his field work. “Try not to stress on the small things because it all comes to an end pretty quick.” Firefighting and EMT work is much more complicated than many would imagine, said Shank. That’s why Monroe’s classroom work, done at the Fire and Rescue Training Center in Leesburg, is so important. “Things aren’t as simple as they used to be in anything in life. Certainly there’s a lot to learn in the firefighting business; whether that be the behavior of fire, materials, the building construction. We’ve got a lot of lightweight construction in Loudoun County that provides some inherent risk that we need to be aware of.” Chemicals in furniture can cause problems during fires, Shank said, which means firefighters use breathing apparatus and other technology to keep them safe. “We do monitoring now on emergency scenes with our safety officers… We have to check all the many different gases that are produced in a fire…We find there is exposure to chemicals that we were never really aware of in the past.” Firefighters carry thermal-imaging cameras and multi-gas and carbon monoxide meters. Of course, the most important thing they carry isn’t mechanical. “When it really comes down to it, it’s still a very physical job...aided by technology,” said Shank. Both Ruments and Pla sung the praises of their instructor, Sandy Sokol,

who has been involved with fire and rescue since 1992 and teaching since 2002. “She’s unlike any other person I’ve ever worked with,” said Ruments. “She was the first teacher to treat us as an equal and let us know how real life is… It’s so far beyond EMS and fire. She’s taught us so much about life.” “You get the normal school days on the ‘A’ days, then you come over here and do things that you care about,” said Pla. “I obviously care about school, but this is more specified; something that you signed up for because you really like it.” Students can take a firefighting class one year and EMS another and come out of high school fully certified in both fields. “It gives them a lot of options and, hopefully, we keep them involved in the system here in Loudoun County where we’re training them,” said Shanks. “When they come out of here they are really fully trained; especially if they’ve done two years.” The education Monroe students receive through fire and EMS training can extend to careers far beyond those fields. Ruments said she might go on to college to learn the administrative side of rescue work. “I think I’d rather get my paramedic first, maybe through the county, maybe through NOVA.” “I’m still looking at career options,” said Pla, who isn’t leaning toward being a career firefighter. “I definitely want to do volunteering as long as I can foresee…I like this a lot, but I’m definitely looking at other career opportunities. “My plan is to go to college, then join the military, then probably business… I’ll see where that takes me.” “It gives them – at the very least – a wonderful understanding and foundation in public safety that they can only build on as they go forward in life,” said Shank.

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LOUDOUN SCHOOL-BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP 2017

www.lcps.org

2016-2017 LCPS Business Partnerships (Continued from page 7) Stop Hunger Now - Broad Run High School StoryBook Treasures - Horizon Elementary School STRATactical, LLC - Liberty Elementary School Tarara Winery - Lucketts Elementary School Telos Corporation - LCPS Head Start Program The Claude Moore Charitable Foundation - Monroe Technology Center The Greene Turtle - Loudoun County High School The Loudoun County Bar Association - Catoctin Elementary School The Marine Toys For Tots Foundation - Sanders Corner Elementary School The National Sports Medicine Institute - Tuscarora High School The Nature Generation - Kenneth W. Culbert Elementary School The Pavilion at BeanTree - Mill Run Elementary School The Zone - Eagle Ridge Middle School Toll Maintenance - Newton-Lee Elementary School Top Kick Martial Arts Center - Mill Run Elementary School TopKick Martial Arts Center - LCPS Head Start Program TopKick Martial Arts Center - Liberty Elementary School

Town of Leesburg Virginia - LCPS Art Troxell Communications - Liberty Elementary School Under the Sea - Forest Grove Elementary School Union Taekwando - Liberty Elementary School United Bank - Seneca Ridge Middle School USGIF - Moorefield Station Elementary School USTMA Taekwondo of Leesburg - Sycolin Creek Elementary School Vanish Farwoods Brewery - Lucketts Elementary School VDOT Northern Virginia - Briar Woods High School Verizon - LCPS Head Start Program Virginia Cooperative Extension Loudoun Office - Loudoun County High School Vision Montressori - River Bend Middle School Vocelli’s Pizza of Stone Ridge - Mercer Middle School Walgreen’s Southern Walk - Eagle Ridge Middle School Walmart Foundation - LCPS Head Start Program Wildwood Landscape - Banneker Elementary School Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts - LCPS Headstart Program

Description for School-Business Activities: The mission of this program is to provide additional learning opportunities and build Evergreen positive character traits in Mill Evergreen Mill’s at-promise Elementary students through a collaborative partnership between students and School and community members. K2M supports the mission of Evergreen K2M Mill by providing many volunteers on a weekly basis to work with at-promise students. This partnership focuses on students reinforcing critical math skills while establishing a mentor/ protégé relationship. Students who participate in this program demonstrate increased self-confidence as learners within the 2 01 classroom environment. This 7 5 2 01 partnership helps to support student achievement in our mathematics curriculum by providing a review of current skills and concepts. Students experience a sense of accomplishment after each weekly meeting with their mentor. K2M is committed to supporting Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS). The volunteers from K2M experience the joys of learning through smiles and enthusiasm from each of the students on a weekly basis. K2M truly enjoys “giving back” to the schools in the community it serves and having a role in helping Loudoun County students achieve the best education possible.

www.lcps.org

LOUDOUN SCHOOL-BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP 2017

INVESTING IN LOUDOUN

PAGE 13

*********** Join us the week of March 20th for the Pre-Grand Opening of our new Purcellville store! Purcellville (540)338-7136

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LOUDOUN SCHOOL-BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP 2017

PAGE 14

Description for School-Business Activities: The 2016 Loudoun County Farmer Trading Cards have been selected as a winning project by School the Virginia Association of Counties Nutrition (VACo). The VACo Achievement and Loudoun Award is a competitive program open to local governments. Held Economic Development annually, it recognizes local government programs for innovation, cooperation and model practices. This project was a unique partnership between Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) and the Loudoun County Department of Economic Development. Focused on enhancing the school system’s USDA Farm to School grant, the goal was to assist in 2 016 17 teaching kids the importance of fresh, 2 0 local foods and agriculture. Working with the local agricultural community, the Department of Economic Development selected 12 Loudoun farmers to appear on “farmer trading cards.” They interviewed each farmer to create interesting profiles for the card and took their photo in an agricultural setting. The Department of Economic Development then designed and produced a total of 87,000 cards and distributed them to all 55 LCPS elementary schools. Cards were distributed on “opening day” for the 2016 baseball season and kickoff events were held at multiple schools. Individual farmers were promoted by schools and arrived like celebrities to autograph their cards for the students. LCPS is partnering with the Department of Economic Development this year to launch a second edition of the trading cards with 12 new farmers. There will be 90,000 cards printed for distribution to all elementary schools on the opening day of the baseball season.

www.lcps.org

Herlihy Receives First Community Steward Award

Dave Herlihy is the recipient of the Loudoun School-Business Partnership Executive Council’s inaugural Community Steward Award. The community steward award recognizes individuals who make a positive impact in the lives of students by coordinating community resources to enable students to succeed.

Herlihy is retired as a regional manager for the Target Corp. He decided he wanted to share his knowledge with students. He connected with Douglass School and assists students with things that some may take for granted, such as how to get a driver’s license, how to get a government issued I.D., how to get transportation to a job and how to be a good employee. Since 2014, Herlihy has volunteered his time assisting Douglass with understanding how the world of work happens. Presently Herlihy is working with Target to place 11 Douglass students in the Sterling, West Sterling, Chantilly and Leesburg stores. In 2017, Herlihy became the coordinator of a team of mentors that works with Douglass seniors preparing to leave school. These mentors include a retired counselor, a human resources professional, a firefighter and a technology professional. The mentorship team works with the counselors at Douglass to support students who just need that little extra nurturing to understand that they can be successful and employed.

Description for School-Business Activities: Loudoun County Fire and Rescue (LCFR) provides classroom space, training, equipment, financial Loudoun support and support instructors County Fire for Monroe Technology Center and and Rescue programs. LCFR assists with the C.S. Monroe coordination of live fire exercises. It helps students Technology prepare for their state EMS and Center Fire exams and provides instruction and guidance to help students succeed. This provides a dramatic cost reduction in expenses incurred by Loudoun County Public Schools for equipment such as fire engines, textbooks, self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), airway training mannequins, ambulances and 2 007 17 consumable EMS training equipment 2 0 (bandages, dressings, oxygen therapy adjuncts, etc.) Without LCFR’s tremendous support, the Firefighter and EMT programs would not be viable in Loudoun County. With the partnership, Monroe Technology Center is providing the volunteer rescue service with highly trained, certified and motivated EMTs and firefighters that serve their communities within Loudoun County.

To see all the businesses who have partnerships with Loudoun County Public Schools, you may access the full Business Profile Book at this link https://www.lcps.org/LSBP.

LOUDOUN SCHOOL-BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP 2017

www.lcps.org

Description of School-Business Activities: This incredibly important partnership began several years ago in an effort to ensure LCPS the safety of our Head Start Head Start families. The goal of the Smoke and Program Alarm Program is to prevent Loudoun fire injuries and deaths County and and ensure that all residents Fire remain safe in their homes with Rescue properly maintained and working smoke alarms. Loudoun County Fire and Rescue (LCFR) is able to reach the neediest Loudoun County residents. The program allows fire-rescue personnel to provide battery-operated alarms to residents for free and educate them on how to maintain their smoke alarms 2 005 17 properly. It also allows LCFR to 2 0 provide other important fire safety information. This partnership heightens family awareness regarding the safety and maintenance of necessary smoke alarms as well as providing fire safety information. Education of families regarding fire safety and maintenance of smoke alarms may save lives. Families are able to gain free, working smoke alarms as well as learn how to keep their families safe in the event of fire and how to prevent fire in their homes.

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Description for School-Business Activities: The National Conference Center provides free classroom Pupil space along with a full-time, LCPS yearlong, work-internship partner- Career Services, ship for 10 students with disabil and Transition ities ages 18 to 22. The National and the National has gone above and beyond in its mentoring and provisions in Conference support of this new business Center partnership that Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) formed with them through the Project SEARCH program. (Project SEARCH also includes a partnership with the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services and Didlake, a non-profit organization.) The National works closely with the LCPS team to include these student interns 2 016 17 as part of their staff and pair and rotate 2 0 them through different internships throughout the year, even providing them uniforms. Additionally, the National has agreed to support this student internship program again for the 2017-18 school year. The National also has partnered with LCPS on many other student projects and enthusiastically embraces more opportunities to partner to help students connect with real-work experiences.

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300 Participate in Job for a Day 300 Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) juniors and seniors took part in the Loudoun School-Business Partnership’s Job for a Day program on Wednesday, November 17th. 126 Loudoun businesses offered students a chance to experience one of 207 different occupations during the course of the day. The idea behind Job for a Day is that students get a real-life taste for a profession in which they have an interest. At Loudoun Water, students joined water analysts in both the lab and the field to test the quality of Loudoun’s drinking water. They placed their signatures and initials on file as they donned lab coats and eye goggles to conduct tests on water samples collected from across the community. Students at Inova Loudoun Hospital joined staff members in both medical

and administrative roles. Government and Community Relations Liaison Stacey Miller said that she encouraged students participating in the program to eat breakfast before coming to the hospital because at least one student passes out each year. This was the 14th year Inova Loudoun has taken part in the Job for a Day program. Miller’s shadow for the day accompanied her to a Chamber of Commerce Board Meeting before paying a visit to an 18-year-old girl undergoing a treatment in the Pediatric Ward. Students visiting the NOVEC Technical Center in Gainesville worked alongside engineers who plan and design the construction of the electrical grid. They used GIS software in a computer lab and used range finders and rolling measuring tapes to calculate distances for their plans. A popular activity during the day was the interaction with a bucket truck.

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Curtis Retires As Dulles Chamber President

LOUDOUN NOW | NEWS |

Eileen Curtis will retire as President and CEO of the Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce in July, after a successor is chosen. Curtis has served in the positions since 1994, and is one of the longest serving Chamber presidents in the United States. During her 23-year tenure, Curtis has been at the helm in addressing 21st century issues, including workforce and STEM, diversity and biotech. She was credited with persuading her Chamber board to em-

brace a platform of immigration reform—the only chamber in Virginia or in the DC metro area to do so, except for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Prior to her 23-year tenure at Curtis Dulles Chamber of Commerce, Eileen served as Director of Music and Cultural Affairs for WGMS Radio, where she was awarded the Silver Medal for the Arts from the government of Austria. She helped produce the event on the Washington Mall that welcomed home the Iran hostages. She was awarded numerous national awards, including the Peabody Award for Broadcast Journalism. Curtis says her plans include traveling, volunteering and writing at least two books.

Mar. 9 – 15, 2017

<< FROM 20

<< FROM 20 fundraiser is planned March 25 at the River Creek Club. The event will feature an extensive silent auction, entertainment by Deane Kern and, of course, a signature martini—The Lord Loudoun, a mojito martini with muddled mint. The Loudoun Museum in downtown Leesburg is the community’s only general history museum. It narrates the county and its people’s stories through its exhibits: the American Revolution, agricultural advancements, slavery, the Civil War, commercial advancements, the arrival of Dulles airport and more. Admission is free. Register at loudounnow.com/martinismatter_ loudounmuseum.

Troop Support Foundation Plans Fundraiser The Douglas J. Green Memorial Foundation will hold a fundraising event Saturday, March 11 at Velocity 5. Named in memory of SPC Douglas J. Green who was killed in action on Aug. 28, 2011, in Afghanistan, the nonprofit provides comfort and support to local servicemen and women and their families. The event, from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., will feature bands and raffles, and a percentage of the sales made at the restaurant throughout the day will go directly back the foundation. Velocity 5 is at 20789 Great Falls Plaza in Potomac Falls. Learn more at djgmf.org.

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[ NONPROFIT NEWS ]

Cookout Proceeds Boost Area Charities

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On Feb. 28, the Leesburg Daybreak Rotary Club presented donations totaling $15,000 to 10 local nonprofits. The money was raised by the club sponsors and the proceeds from the club’s annual Pig Roast, held each September. Representatives of the organizations on hand for the check presentation were Amy Owen, Community Founda-

tion; Christine Favreaux, Paxton Campus; Beth Hodge, Volunteers of America Chesapeake; Brandon Crosby, OAR; Carol Smith, Crossroads Jobs; Joe Davis, Rotary Daybreak; Tanya Bittenbender, Loudoun Literacy Council; Christopher D’arcy, All Ages Read Together; Nicole Acosta, Loudoun Abused Women’s Shelter (LAWS); Kari Murphy, Loudoun Habitat for Humanity; and Judy Hines, Friends of Loudoun Mental Health.

[ OUR TOWNS ]

[ TOWN NOTES ] MIDDLEBURG

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Crim Hired as Middleburg Town Attorney

Danielle Nadler/Loudoun Now

Council members Doug McCollum and Kelli Grim were on opposing sides of Monday’s debate about whether to declare an emergency to permit a closed meeting without three days of advanced notice.

Purcellville Seeks Emergency Meeting After Council Member is Allegedly Threatened BY DANIELLE NADLER

he Purcellville Town Council called an emergency meeting Monday evening to discuss a personnel matter in closed session. But shortly after the meeting was adjourned, the council fell short on votes to actually go into closed session. It’s unclear why the emergency meeting was called, but Mayor Kwasi Fraser said from the dais that the incident that prompted it involved a person threatening to harm a council member. Council member Doug McCollum also said that situation somehow involved council member Kelli Grim. McCollum first spoke against the motion to go into closed session, arguing that the incident that was to be discussed was not an emergency. Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act requires that public bodies provide notice

three days ahead of a meeting, unless the matter constitutes an emergency. “I don’t believe this meeting has been properly called. … There is no emergency about this. Any action taken tonight will taint the investigation,” he said, and noted that Town Manager Robert Lohr Jr. also objected to the short notice of the meeting. McCollum also asked that Grim recuse herself from the discussion, reiterating that she was either a complainant in the incident or a witness to it. Grim argued that the situation required immediate action. She said that previous councils have called emergency meetings for many reasons, including the purchase of land and legal matters. “They were far less urgent or critical matters, and the same town manager and the same town attorney did not object to them,” Grim said. Kwasi said FOIA’s definition of emer-

gency is subjective, but he believed this situation should be considered one. “When a council member is threatened with bodily harm, whether it be alleged or not, I think that constitutes an emergency.” On the motion to enter closed session, the council voted 3-4, with McCollum, Chris Bledsoe, Ryan Cool, and Nedim Ogelman opposed. Ogelman asked town attorney Sally Hankins to, as she gets time, provide the council with examples of other emergency meetings that the council has held. The only one she could think of on the spot was when the council met amid a severe snow storm to coordinate resources. The closed session is now scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, at the Purcellville Town Hall. dnadler@loudounnow.com

Purcellville-Based Mars Watchers Published BY DANIELLE NADLER Members of the Purcellville-based Cydonia Institute have published a paper in Trade Science Inc. pointing out a formation on the surface of Mars that they believe could have been created by intelligent life. The paper, “A Wedge and Dome Formation Set within the Flat Plains of Libya Montes,” examines a keyhole-shaped formation that exhibits a set of geometric measurements that, its authors argue, would likely not happen by chance. “We believe our paper presents a very convincing argument that this

structure could not have been created naturally and can only be the result of intelligent design,” wrote George J.

Haas, director of the Cydonia Institute. The authors, including Cydonia Institute’s Haas, William R. Saunders and James Miller, use images from the Mars Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft to examine the existence of structures that could point to intelligent life on Mars. The group also published a science paper in India-based “Journal of Space Exploration” in 2014 that it argued resembled the face of Egyptian Queen Nefertiti. To read the full paper and learn about the Cydonia Institute, go to thecydoniainstitute.com.

The Middleburg Town Council has selected Martin R. Crim to serve as the new town attorney. A shareholder in the firm of Vanderpool, Frostick & Nishanian, P.C., Crim also serves as the town attorney for Culpeper, Haymarket and Occoquan, as well as the city attorney for Manassas. In his 25 years of practice, Crim specialized in municipal law and is a recognized expert in the fields of sign regulation and zoning proffers. Among his most recent accolades was his receipt of the Special Project Award for his work on behalf of the Local Government Attorneys of Virginia Association in drafting a model sign ordinance. He began his duties as Middleburg’s town attorney Feb. 9. He replaces Angela Plowman, who served in the post for almost five years. “Mr. Crim is familiar with and understands how things are done in Middleburg” Mayor Betsy Davis said. “We believe he, as well as the other members of his firm, will serve the Town well.”

PURCELLVILLE Deadline Set for Arts Council Grants Area arts organizations are invited to submit requests for funding to the Purcellville Arts Council by March 17. The council expects to have $10,000 available to support arts activities that take place in Purcellville between July 1 and June 30, 2018. The town will apply for $5,000 of state funding through the Virginia Commission for the Arts’ Local Government Challenge Grant Program, and match that number in local funds. Interested arts organizations should submit a request letter to the Purcellville Arts Council, outlining the amount requested, the arts activity that the funding will support and the audience that will be served, along with a description of the organization. Letters are due by 5 p.m. Friday, March 17 and should be addressed to the Purcellville Arts Council, Attn: Local Government Challenge Grant, and can be mailed to Town Hall, 221 S. Nursery Ave, Purcellville, VA 20132, emailed to hsalah@purcellvilleva.gov or dropped off at Town Hall. TOWN NOTES >> 24

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<< FROM 22 The Arts Council will review the funding requests and then make recommendations to Town Council at its March 28 meeting.

Volunteers Needed for Town Clean-up Purcellville is partnering with Keep Loudoun Beautiful for a town-wide cleanup Saturday, March 25, and volunteers are needed. Last year, nearly 200 joined the effort. Residents, families, scouts, church groups and other organizations are invited to help. The event will run from 8 a.m. to noon. For more information and to register, contact area leader Adam Broshkevitch at klb.purcell-

ville@verizon.net or Sheryl Hood in the Public Works Department at 540751-2333 or shood@purcellvilleva.gov. The rain date for the event is Saturday, April 1.

Gloeckner, Jewell Featured at Art Exhibit The fifth in a series of art exhibits in Purcellville’s Town Hall showcases the work Michaela Gloeckner and June Jewell. The exhibit, titled Up and Coming, features the Purcellville residents who are recent art school graduates in the first floor corridors of Town Hall. The show ends March 31. Gloeckner graduated with a bachelor’s degree in illustration from the Maryland Institute College of Art and

was an instructor at the Loudoun Valley Community Center, and currently is program director and head of the Art Department at Nextide Academy. Jewell has a degree in graphic design from the Fashion Institute of Design and Marketing in Los Angeles, CA. A Meet-The-Artists reception is planned Thursday, March 9 from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

LOVETTSVILLE Workday Planned at Community Garden Volunteers will return to the Lovettsville Community Garden on Sunday to prepare the beds for spring planting. A project of the Lovettsville Garden Club and the town government, the garden at Quarter Branch Park has rental plots and areas designated for donations to area food pantries. Starting at 1 p.m., volunteers will be cleaning up the beds, moving composting, cleaning out the shed and over-seeding the lawn outside the fence. Those interested in helping or in renting or sponsoring a plot should contact Molly Hafner at mollyhafner34@gmail.com.

Co-op Hits 500 Members The Lovettsville Cooperative Market has announced that it reached the 500-member threshold set out as an important goal several years ago. The announcement was made at its

Photo Contributed

Lovettsville Volunteer Fire and Rescue President Karen Deli and Lovettsville Co-op Chairwoman Sarah Searle answer questions during the grocery’s annual meeting.

Annual Member Meeting on Feb. 23. Prior to the member-only meeting, the public was invited to participate in a happy hour and chili cook-off and to take tours of the area slated to house the future grocery store at the Lovettsville Volunteer Fire Department station, after a new station is built nearby starting in 2018. While membership solicitation continues, the co-op already is having an impact, generating more than $35,000 in the local economy by sourcing produce and other goods during its seasonal outdoor market held next to Andy’s Restaurant for the past five summers. To learn more or join the Lovettsville Co-op go tolovettsville-grocery.com.

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Bluemont Vineyards is one of 34 venues that will be featured as part of the annual Weddings in Loudoun Open House. The also event highlights 60 wedding-related service providers.

LOUDOUN’S LOVE ECONOMY: Wedding Venues, Vendors Gear Up for March 19 Tours BY JAN MERCKER

hen Lori Carlyle’s daughter got married seven years ago, she wanted a venue that was rustic—but not too rustic—with room for 300 guests. The Carlyles weren’t able to find what they wanted in Loudoun, but the search turned out to be a lightbulb moment. In 2014, Carlyle and her husband, Bo, opened Shadow Creek Weddings and Events on their farm south of Purcellville. Since then, they’ve hosted weddings seemingly nonstop nine months out of the year. “We’ve been blessed beyond measure since then,” said Lori Carlyle, a Loudoun native whose family has lived in rural Loudoun for generations. And the Carlyles aren’t alone. For area wineries, farms and a host of service providers, Loudoun’s emerging role as the DC region’s wedding hotspot is changing the way they do business. Dozens of these venues and vendors will be showing their stuff March 19 as the Visit Loudoun tourism agency holds its annual Weddings in Loudoun Open House. It features 60 wedding-related service providers and showcases 34 venues—from historic settings like Hillsboro’s Old Stone School, to the grand, like Stone Tower Winery. At Shadow Creek, Bo Carlyle oversaw design and construction of an airy, light-filled timber-frame barn designed to meet his wife’s very strict specifications. “I want it to feel like a barn, but yet I want all the bells and whistles inside. I want the elegant chandeliers, I want the gorgeous bridal suite, the handsome groom’s room,” Lori Carlyle said. And yes, there’s space for 300—and they’re signing contracts for 2019. “Rustic chic is still absolutely huge and we have tons of venues that meet those criteria: the barn weddings, the winery weddings. That’s a large part of our market here,” said Visit Loudoun’s wedding specialist Dana Henry. She was hired by Visit Loudoun two years ago with the directive of keeping wedding business—and the tourism-related income it brings—in the county. Henry offers her services to couples for free, helping them connect with venues and service providers that will meet their needs. For Loudoun wineries, weddings have been big business for years. But in some cases, the popularity of winery weddings can create a tug-of-war with tasting room needs. A number of wineries have solved that problem by opening dedicated wedding facilities and hiring special-events staff. One of the county’s most established wineries, Bluemont Vineyards, operates a separate events venue, The

Weddings in Loudoun Open House 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 19 For a list of participating venues and vendors, go to visitloudoun.org. Couples are invited to start the tour with a free continental breakfast from 10 a.m. to noon at West Belmont Place in Lansdowne where they can pick up additional materials for the tour.

Jodi and Kurt Photography

Rosanna Funiciello Smith turned her antiques shop into a wedding design and rental business after being sought after by couples looking for vintage chic style.

Stables at Bluemont Vineyard. In a renovated stable on the picturesque property known for its expansive view, couples can take advantage of the winery’s oneof-a-kind scenery and celebrate on site without interrupting the tasting room’s flow. “We’re in a hot county and wineries are the trend,” said Bluemont’s events coordinator Debbie Zurschmeide Schoeb. The wedding boom has also led Bluemont to hire separate wedding coordinators who work with couples leading up to and on the day of the wedding. Couples can only serve Bluemont wines (although there’s no minimum wine purchase required), and the winery works with an exclusive caterer, Round Hill-based Savoir Fare Limited, to streamline the process. “We want our clients to be here as guests and not have to worry about all the details or be stressed out about a wedding. We pride ourselves on being a turnkey operation for weddings,” Schoeb said. “We hold their hands from start to finish because we want their day to be as memorable as possible.” For service providers, from caterers to photographers to designers, the Loudoun wedding boom has brought opportunities and plenty of room for growth. Rosanna Funiciello Smith left her corporate job in 2007 to open an antiques shop in Aldie. And during the past few years, that business, Bella Villa Antiques and Vintage Rentals, has transformed into a wedding styling/rental business, helping achieve the vintage

chic look so many couples want. “I fell in love with the antique stuff, but with its application for modern use,” Smith said. “It’s a mix of the rustic and the elegant and that was my premise from day one.” Soon after opening her shop, Smith began getting requests from brides seeking advice and special pieces—and from photographers seeking out her design flair. In 2013, she styled her first photo shoot for Weddings Unveiled magazine. And since then, weddings have been her primary focus. “You kind of morph with what the market is asking,” Smith said. “You help feed and fuel the industry based on what people are asking for and that’s what I did.” Because Loudoun venues are so popular, booking 18 months in advance is the norm for many favorites and some couples book two years or more ahead. But for those last-minute planners, there are still plenty of options, venue owners say, especially if couples are ready to be flexible and consider a Friday or Sunday date. And not everyone wants the pastoral vibe, Visit Loudoun’s Henry says: “An emerging trend is industrial chic. We’re now seeing couples looking for breweries or converted buildings that still have a structural feel.” So even if rustic isn’t your thing, Loudoun may still be just the right place. Visit Loudoun’s self-guided Weddings in Loudoun Open House takes place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 19, with service providers setting up shop at venues across the county. For a list of participating venues and vendors, go to visitloudoun.org. jmercker@loudounnow.com

[ THINGS TO DO ]

AMPHIBIAN ACTION NIGHT: A FAMILY ADVENTURE Friday, March 10, 6-8:30 p.m.; Morven Park, 17195 Southern Planter Way, Leesburg. Details: loudounwildlife.org

in Vietnam,” a memoir of his time as the last U.S. Army prisoner captured during the Vietnam War. Program is free and open to the public. Advance registration is recommended.

MEET THE ARTIST: LARR KELLY

NEERSVILLE BREAKFAST BUFFET

MEET THE ARTIST: LEANNE FINK

Saturday, March 11, 8-10:30 a.m.; Between the Hills Community Center, 11762 Harpers Ferry Road, Purcellville. Contact: 540-668-6504

Sunday, March 12, 6:30 p.m.; Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View

As part of the arts center’s Gallery Coffeehouse series, Fink, a noted local painter, discusses her process and inspiration. Admission is $8 and includes coffee.

GETTING AHEAD IN STEM FIELDS Thursday, March 16, 7 p.m.; Cascades Library, 21030 Whitfield Place, Potomac Falls. Details: library.loudoun.gov Cybersecurity expert Sushila Nair will share tips for getting ahead in a STEM-related field for teens and adults. Nair holds an honors degree in engineering and has 20 years of experience in computing infrastructure, business and computer security in diverse areas,

including telecommunications, risk analysis and credit card fraud. Event is free and open to the public.

ON STAGE VIRGINIA OPERA: AN EVENING OF ARIAS AND DUETS Friday, March 10, 7 p.m.; Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane Purcellville. Details: franklinparkartscenter.org This delightful musical event featuring arias and duets from your favorite operas and operettas and promises to inspire and entertain. Tickets are $10.

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Enjoy a delicious breakfast buffet of sausage gravy, biscuits, eggs, sausage patties, coffee cake, fresh fruit, pancakes, home fries and other goodies. Free-will offering.

LOUDOUN COUNTY BOOK CLUB CONFERENCE

Winner of Best Design & Architecture

Saturday, March 11, 1:30-4:30 p.m.; Gum Spring Library, 24600 Millstream Drive, Stone Ridge. Details: library.loudoun.gov Award-winning author Sadeqa Johnson will lead a book club-style talk about her novel, “Second House from The Corner,” while library book club leaders provide tips for moderating a book club, establishing ground rules and choosing the right titles. The conference, sponsored by the Loudoun Library Foundation, is free and open to the public.

DOUGLASS J. GREEN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION FUNDRAISER Saturday, March 11, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Velocity 5, 20789 Great Falls Plaza, Sterling. Details: djgmf.org The foundation, launched in honor of the former Sterling resident killed in action in Afghanistan, hosts an all-day event to raise funds for its mission to provide support to area service members and their families. The event features live bands and raffles, and a portion of food and beverage sales go to DJGMF.

C&O CANAL NAVIGATION AT THE START OF THE CIVIL WAR Sunday, March 12, 2 p.m.; St. James United Church of Christ, 10 E. Broad Way, Lovettsville. Contact: 540-8229194 The Lovettsville Historical Society presents a talk from historian Tim Snyder on the role of the C&O Canal during the opening phase of the Civil War—and a vignette involving Lovettsville native Charles F. Wenner, whose canal boat carrying grain was forcibly seized by the Confederates.

Sunday, March 12, 2 p.m.; Thomas Balch Library, 208 W. Market St., Leesburg. Contact: 703-737-7195 Reeder, who was captured in 1971 following a helicopter crash, discusses his book, “Through the Valley: My Captivity

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AUTHOR TALK: WILLIAM REEDER JR.

COME TOUR OUR TWO STUNNING MODEL TOWNHOMES

Join Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and Mike Hayslett of Virginia Vernal Pools for a nighttime discovery of seasonal wetlands and their inhabitants. Space is limited to 15 children ages 8 to 13. Fee is $5 per child with no charge for accompanying parent. Advance registration is required.

Sunday, March 12, 2-5 p.m.; Crooked Run Brewing Central, 22455 Davis Drive Suite 120, Sterling. Details: larrkelly.com Crooked Run Brewing’s new location now features artwork by Leesburg photographer Larr Kelly. It hosts this meet-the-artist event Sunday. Food and beer will be available for sale.

Lane Purcellville. Details: franklinparkartscenter.org

Mar. 9 – 15, 2017

LOCO CULTURE

[ MORE TO DO ] evening of inspirational and uplifting music and song. The evening’s inspirational songs include “Danny Boy,” “God Bless the U.S.A.” and “The Impossible Dream.” Tickets are $25.

loudounnow.com

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Courtesy of Sterling Playmakers

‘JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH’

PROVIDING CLEANING SERVICES for carpet, rugs, upholstery and hard surfaces on site or at our in plant facility

Loudoun Carpet Care™ understands the importance of providing consistent, reliable personal service to our clients, both returning and new. Our pledge is to offer honest advice about all of the services we offer, and to complete each job the best of our ability.

Saturday, March 11, 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Seneca Ridge Middle School, 96 Seneca Ridge Drive, Sterling. Details: sterlingplaymakers.com Catch the final performances of Sterling Playmakers’ classic children’s tale about an orphan boy who finds friendship when a magic spell causes five friendly insects to grow to human size. Tickets are $10.

MASTER SINGERS OF VIRGINIA: ‘FLIGHT’ Saturday, March 11, 4 p.m.; Our Savior’s Way Lutheran Church, 43115 Waxpool Road, Ashburn and Sunday, March 12, 2 p.m.; Arcola United Methodist Church, 24757 Evergreen Mills Road, Sterling. Details: msva.org

Courtesy of Mark Forrest

LUCKETTS BLUEGRASS: COUNTRY GENTLEMEN TRIBUTE BAND Saturday, March 11, 7 p.m.; Lucketts Community Center, 42361 Lucketts Road, Lucketts. Details: luckettsbluegrass.org Launched in 2005 as a tribute to the music and memories made by the Country Gentlemen from the 1950s through the early 2000s, the tribute band has a sound eerily similar to that of the original band during the heyday of the “Gents.” Admission is $15 at the door.

NIGHTLIFE

MSVA presents a celebration of the story of flight, from the earliest myths and legends through the space age. Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and $15 for students ages 6 to 17. Courtesy of Tally Ho Theatre

MARK FORREST: INTERNATIONAL IRISH TENOR Saturday, March 11, 7:30 p.m.; Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane Purcellville. Details: franklinparkartscenter.org Mark Forrest, one of Ireland’s favorite tenors, returns to Franklin Park for an

LIVE MUSIC: YONAS Friday, March 10, 7 p.m., doors open; Tally Ho Theatre, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. Details: tallyholeesburg.com The emerging New York-based hip-hop

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129 N. Bailey Lane, Ste C Purcellville, VA 20132

(540) 338-4300

20700, Unit 156 Loudoun County Parkway Ashburn, VA

703.724.4300 703.777.8056

Loudounvalleyﬂoors.com

Symphony Offers Interactive Children’s Program The Loudoun Youth Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Matthew Brown, will present the sixth annual Ensembles for Everyone program Saturday, March 18, at Stone Bridge High School. The program is a fun, interactive concert for children of all ages, including those with special needs. It’s an opportunity to expose children who cannot sit quietly for a full symphony concert to the wonder of classical music. The concert, from 4-4:45 p.m., includes the popular Rossini Overture to the Barber of Seville, Smetana’s Moldau (the River) and a sing-along. The audience will be encouraged to dance and participate using percussion instruments. After the concert, children will be able to participate in a drum circle hosted by A Place to Be and visit a musical “petting zoo” and try musical instruments provided by Music & Arts. Participants can also enjoy musical craft items created by Cool Spring Elementary fifth graders participating in the “One to the World” project. Admission is free but registration is required at loudounsymphony.org.

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them to decide whether they want to set aside funds to support the arts. “What these groups have done is phenomenal. … And at some point people will have to decide whether we want to continue doing it this way or whether we want the town to financially support the public arts,” she said, adding that she is also working with foundations to secure more private funding. The mayor encouraged people to stroll around downtown and attend the upcoming events to take in the displays of local creativity. “There’s a movement and we should help support it,” she said. “Public art is integral to a strong, vibrant community where people want to be.” krodriguez@loudounnow.com

the annual downtown art festival, and is always working toward its next event or creative idea. “With the formation of FOLPA several years ago, we tried to take it into our own hands,” said O’Neil, also a FOLPA board member. “Getting direct funding from the town was not going to happen, at least not until we show them it could be a difference maker in attracting people downtown. Then it could be easier to get them on board.” The projects and events that have gotten off the ground so far have been attributed to FOLPA’s fundraising efforts and grants, and donations from many community partners. Area businesses have donated paint and supplies, artists and students have contributed for little to no pay, and passion has sustained the entire operation. “I think what you’ve noticed in the last year is the fact that we’ve gotten these things done,” FOLPA President Suzanne Stipek said. “They’re small scale, pretty much non-controversial and people are saying ‘wow this is neat. We need more of this.’ I think as the town sees it helping, then the more we’ll hopefully see some in capital budgets.” Just last week, the Town Council, albeit narrowly, approved a new mural project at its Liberty Street parking lot. In December, Sagetopia LLC, a graphic design studio located on Liberty Street, approached COPA for permission to paint a mural on the side of a townowned building at the parking lot. The one-story, white cinderblock building is used as a support facility for the Department of Public Works and Capital Projects. Commissioners approved the mural design at their February meeting. But the mural will not receive any public funds. The town’s lone role will be to power-wash and touch-up the wall to prepare it to be painted. Another mural on the bridge on South King Street near the W&OD Trail is in the planning stages. A mural on the outside of the town’s parking garage along Loudoun Street also remains a possibility. That project is in limbo while the town considers implementing a master plan for the Town Hall property. But murals are not enough, Stipek stressed. “Just putting up a mural is not going to bring arts into the community. You have to really bring the community into the planning. They need to be invested in what you’re doing to make it work,” she said. The two arts bodies are collaborating on a master plan to identify public art opportunities throughout Leesburg. “The idea was to reach beyond just the downtown,” O’Neil said. Although nothing on either of these projects is finalized, two potential capital projects that could see some artistic flare is the repainting of the water tank on the Inova Loudoun Medical Campus – Leesburg and the retaining walls at the Leesburg Bypass/Edwards Ferry Road interchange. The two arts groups are also busy planning events to highlight and foster the local art scene. In addition to its fifth annual downtown arts festival in Sep-

oper Leonard “Hobie” Mitchel worked with the town to make the space available and get the spaces ready for both the LOVEworks sculpture and the Raflo Park sculpture garden, which sits across the street from the development. With the cadre of dedicated volunteers, artists and art lovers, the public arts community is hoping to see the Town Council back their efforts with financial support in the coming years. “I see a momentum,” FOLPA board member and COPA member Donna Torraca said of the public art movement in Leesburg. “I’m hoping as the council sees there’s an interest and people are excited about it they’ll be even more supportive.” Mayor Kelly Burk, a longtime supporter of public arts, said she cannot speak for all Town Council members but she thinks the time is coming for

Mar. 9 – 15, 2017

Public art

tember, they are planning an arts festival in the Village at Leesburg for June 3-4 and an inaugural Arts in the Alley Festival on July 29, to bring life to the alleyway between the Town Hall parking garage and King Street businesses. “We’re billing it more like a street fair,” Stipek said of the daylong festival. “Lots of performing artists, visual artists and craftspeople. … We’re looking for whatever we can find.” Although the town does not dedicate money to public art projects, it does try to help them along, according to the town’s senior engineer Anne Geiger, who also serves as the COPA liaison. She said the town staff has helped secure permits for art projects, prepared the spaces for the works, and helped negotiate with developers to clear the way for the projects. For example, Crescent Place devel-

[ MORE THINGS TO DO ]

loudounnow.com

<< FROM 28 artist returns to the Tally Ho for an evening of thought-provoking content and infectious melodies. Tickets are $10 in advance.

LIVE MUSIC: DAN MCGUIRE BAND

Friday, March 10, 8 p.m.; Smokehouse Live, 1602 Village Market Blvd., Leesburg. Details: smokehouse-live.com This Frederick, MD-based group plays favorites from five decades. No cover.

LIVE MUSIC: DAVID ALAN LANGE Saturday, March 11, 7-9 p.m.; Trinity House Cafe, 101 E. Market St., Leesburg. Details: trinityhousecafe.com

Gillespie Leads Walk Through Civil War Leesburg Historian Richard T. Gillespie will take residents on a walk back in time during a March 25 tour of significant Civil War sites in downtown Leesburg. Participants in the two-hour chronological tour will examine the surviving Civil War townscape and learn how the war developed and engulfed Loudoun’s county seat during 1861-65. Included in the tour will be three skirmish sites, outside stops at two churches soldiers knew well, the courthouse lawn, “the best street in town,” Harrison Hall where General Lee stayed, and the Episcopal cemetery. Gillespie recently retired as the executive director of the Mosby Heritage Area Association and was a found-

ing member of Loudoun’s Civil War Sesquicentennial Steering Committee. Before joining the MHAA in 2004, he taught U.S. history and economics for 30 years at Loudoun Valley High School. This tour will leave from Thomas Balch Library parking lot at 10 a.m. The tour requires good walking shoes. For more information, go to leesburgva.gov/ Historian Richard Gillespie thomasbalchlibrary.

Details: kingstavernandwinebar.com

Lange plays raw southern blues and rock that he calls American rust-belt blues. No cover.

The Strutters make their monthly appearance at King’s Tavern with Dixieland, early jazz, ragtime and American popular songs from the 1900s through the early 1940s. No cover.

LIVE MUSIC: MOTOWN AND MORE Saturday, March 11, 7 p.m., doors open; Tally Ho Theatre, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. Details: tallyholeesburg.com

NORTHERN VIRGINIA HOUSING EXPO

COMING UP Details: smokehouse-live.com

WATERFORD CONCERT SERIES: ST LAWRENCE STRING QUARTET

Virginia-based singer/songwriter Randy Thompson brings to life the rich musical history of the Piedmont region—with a 21st Century twist. No cover.

Sunday, March 19, 4 p.m.; Waterford Old School, 40222 Fairfax St., Waterford. Details: waterfordconcertseries.org

Courtesy of Randy Thompson

This exceptional tribute to the Motown era brings back the classic songs, smooth choreography and exciting stage shows of the greatest artists of the time. Tickets are $15 in advance.

LIVE MUSIC: RANDY THOMPSON BAND Saturday, March 11, 8:30 p.m.; Smokehouse Live, 1602 Village Market Blvd., Leesburg.

LIVE MUSIC: JEFFERSON STREET STRUTTERS Thursday, March 16, 8-11 p.m.; King’s Tavern and Wine Bar, 19 S. King St., Leesburg.

of composer Joseph Haydn’s most famous works. Single tickets are $35 for adults, $15 for students and free for children under 12. Subscriptions are now on sale for all five 2017 concerts: $120 for adults and $45 for students.

The Waterford Concert Series launches its 23rd season with a performance from this high-energy string quartet. The performers, led by violinist Geoff Nuttall, bring their Haydn Discovery series to Waterford, “unpacking” one

Saturday, March 18, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; Dominion High School, 21326 Augusta Drive, Sterling, Details: novahousingexpo.org Looking to buy or rent in Northern Virginia? The seventh annual NOVA Housing Expo features dozens of exhibits and workshops providing all the information needed to rent an apartment or purchase a first home. The event is free and open to the public.

CR Laine through March 31

Mar. 9 – 15, 2017

www.theguestroomfurniture.com

Pre-Season Sale!

Summer Classics

Gat Creek Sale Ends February 22 through March 12th

(703) 771-9484 201 Loudoun St. SE, Suite 100 Leesburg, VA 20175

STYLE. LOCATION. INNOVATION.

Mar. 9 – 15, 2017

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Sales Center Hours: Mon. 1pm-6pm, Tues.-Sun. 10am-6pm Prices, financing, availability, terms and incentives are subject to change without notice. See a Brookfield Residential Sales Manager for details.

located at Hillsboro Cemetary $850 each Contact: (703) 915-0105

loudounnow.com

[ OBITUARIES ]

[ OBITUARIES ]

Vilma L. Brownson, 73 of Sterling, VA departed this life on March 2, 2017 at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, VA. Funeral Services were held on Wednesday March 8, 2017 at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church. Interment at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church Cemetery, Herndon VA. Arrangements by Lyles Funeral Service, Serving Northern VA, Eric S. Lyles Director, Lic. VA, MD & DC

Estelle Virginia Mercer, 73 of Centreville, Virginia departed this life On Wed. Feb. 22, 2017 at her residence. Funeral Services will be held on Thursday March 9, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. with visitation at 10:00 a.m. at: The Master’s Touch Praise Ministries Baptist Church, 4706 Raleigh Road, Temple Hills, MD Interment at Fort Lincoln Cemetery, Brentwood, Maryland Arrangements by Lyles Funeral Service, Serving Northern VA, Eric S. Lyles Director, Lic. VA, MD & DC

Presents

St. Lawrence String Quartet [ OHaydn B I Op. T U20,A No. R I 5Eand S ]

Loudoun Now

Fountains of Living Water

(Non-denomination, Full Gospel)

Meeting at: Sterling Middle School 201 W. Holly Ave. Sterling,VA 20164 Roger Sunday W. Caulkins 1931-2017 10:15am Roger Williams Caulkins, 85, passed away Friday, March 3, 2017 at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, folwww.fountainsoflivingwater.org lowing a short illness. He was born in (703) Factoryville, PA,433-1481 the youngest of four sons of the Reverend and Mrs. Charles Whitney Caulkins. He wasbelieves preceded in death byof his “Whoever in me (Jesus)... streams parents, a brother, Charles Whitney living water will flow from within him.” John 7:38 Caulkins, Jr., and a daughter, Elizabeth Lynn Caulkins. Survivors include his wife of 61 years, Elizabeth W. Caulkins; son Roger Wallace Caulkins and wife Janet of Gap Mills, WV; daughter Barbara Whitehead and husband Ken of Ocala, FL; grandchildren Jennifer Webb and husband Dr. David Webb, Brian Caulkins, Benjamin Caulkins, Kenny Whitehead, and Beth Whitehead; and great-grandchildren Ar-

abella Webb and Emmalyn Webb. Other survivors are brothers Stanley Caulkins of Leesburg, VA and Reverend Thomas Caulkins and wife Ann of Murfreesboro, NC. He earned a B.S. degree in Mathematics from the University of Richmond in June 1953. He worked as a mathematical engineer for Fairchild Hiller Corporation in Hagerstown, MD for 16 years. In 1970, he moved to Leesburg, VA to join his brother Stanley in his jewelry business, Caulkins Jewelers, where he continued to work until his passing. He was an active member of the Leesburg Community Church.

A memorial service celebrating his life will be conducted at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 11 at the Leesburg Community Church. A reception will follow in the church fellowship hall. A graveside service for family and close friends will be held at 2:00 p.m. at Leesburg Union Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Leesburg Community Church, 835 Lee Ave SW, Leesburg, VA 20176. Loudoun Funeral Chapel is assisting the family with arrangements. Condolences may be shared online at www. loudounfuneralchapel.com

For Sale MOVING SALE Saturday & Sunday, March 11 & 12 -- noon to 4 pm Beige sectional, full size captain’s bed with hutch and dresser, mini freezer, workout equipment & more. Call To Worship * cash only *

In Print & In Our Online Resource Directory 43953 Bruceton Mills Cir. Ashburn, VA 20147 571.345.6088

For Sale Seven grave sites all next to each other located at Hillsboro Cemetary $850 each Contact: (703) 915-0105

Moving? Downsizing? Advertise your Sale in Loudoun Now

Beethoven’s Quartet in A minor, Op. 132

Estelle Virginia Mercer, 73 Loudoun Mutual Insurance Company

of Centreville, Virginia departed this 19,at4her PMresilife On Sunday, Wed. Feb.March 22, 2017 Waterford Old School Auditorium dence.

Fountains of Living Water

(Non-denomination, Full Gospel)

Meeting at: Sterling Middle School 201 W. Holly Ave. Sterling,VA 20164

40222 Loudoun St., Waterford, VA

Funeral Services will be held on ThursTickets9,$35 $15 a.m. student, day March 2017adult, at 11:00 with visitationchildren at 10:0012 a.m. at: free & under

Mar. 9 – 15, 2017

The Master’s Touch Praise Ministries Subscriptions now on sale for all five Baptist Church, 4706 Raleigh Road, Temple Hills, 2017 MD concerts.

Seating is at limited: advanceCemetery, purchase or Interment Fort Lincoln subscriptions recommended. Brentwood, Maryland Arrangements by Lyles Funeral Service, 571-510-0128 Serving Northern VA, Eric S. Lyles Diwww.waterfordconcertseries.org rector, Lic. VA, MD & DC

Sunday 10:15am www.fountainsoflivingwater.org (703) 433-1481 “Whoever believes in me (Jesus)... streams of living water will flow from within him.” John 7:38

Call To Worship In Print & In Our Online Resource Directory

Geriatric Wellness Nurse Seeking full time RN or LPN to assist with geriatric wellness exams. This position requires travel to multiple locations in Loudoun County and the ability to utilize EMR systems and scanning programs.

Ideal position for the nurse who no longer desires floor work, but who still thrives on patient interactions and helping people maintain wellness. Full-time hourly position with benefits.

MAIDS NEEDED

No evenings or weekends

Pay starts at $12-$12.50 per hour

Must have driver’s license Please contact: (571)291-9746

Childcare Center Director

The Neighborhood Learning Center of St. Andrew Presbyterian Church Purcellville, VA Seeking director for church-sponsored childcare center serving children from infants through 5th grade. Must be dedicated to quality care and education and proficient in all aspects of running daily center operations. Candidates should have strong management and communication skills. Responsibilities include: staff supervision, budget management, program planning, and familiarity with licensing requirements. Preferred qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education or related field, two years experience as childcare director, and teaching experience. Please submit resume to NLCBoard@ standrew-pres.org.

Ellmore’s Garden Center Greenhouse Help Wanted Valid drivers license and vehicle required

(540) 338-7760

Busy Home Healthcare Agency established in 1993 with offices in Fairfax and Loudoun Counties looking for CNA, HHA or PCA. Nursing Students also Encouraged to Apply! for immediate work for all shifts. We offer benefits to fulltime employees such as health/dental insurance, vacation, simple IRA retirement. We also offer direct deposit. Please apply online at http://www.icareabouthealth.net

44258 Mercure Circle Suite 104 Sterling, VA 20166 703-782-9030 Hiring Drivers, Movers, and Packers.

Job Fair 3/15/17 10am-2pm. On the spot interviews

Please bring valid driver’s license or ID and DOT card If you have one.

Please send resume to lgray@lmgdoctors.com or fax to 703-726-0804 attention Lisa.

Large family practice in Loudoun County seeking FT LPN’s or MA’s for our new site located in the professional building at Stone Springs Hospital in Aldie, VA. We also have openings in our Ashburn, Lansdowne, Cornwall and Purcellville offices. Pediatric and or family practice experience preferred but willing to train the right candidate. EHR experience highly recommended. We offer health, dental and vision insurance as well as direct deposit, 401k and many other benefits. Please send your resume to lgray@ lmgdoctors.com or fax to 703-7260804, attention Lisa.

Crossword

Experience with geriatric populations is preferred. Self starter with basic knowledge of Medicare coding and billing guidelines is a plus.

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Mar. 9 – 15, 2017

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FLOORS & WINDOWS

Mar. 9 – 15, 2017

EVENTS

[ OPINION ]

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Sustaining Success Downtown As with many items that come across the dais of the Leesburg Town Council, the proposal to join the Main Street program to boost the downtown isn’t a new one. By the time Town Manager Kaj Dentler proposed the initiative as part of his fiscal year 2018 budget package last week, the idea had been hashed out and rehashed over a generation. Has the time come to make Leesburg a Main Street community? Maybe. The foundation of Dentler’s proposal is important. He and other town leaders see the historic district undergoing a rebirth fueled by private sector investment, largely in new restaurants and night spots. The downtown could be on the verge of something special and, if properly nurtured, a sustainable upswing. The question council members are asking is: How can the town government help make that happen? The question many businesses owners are asking is: How can we keep the town government from getting in the way? Veterans of the downtown economic roller coaster know this is a critical point in the cycle. This is where those in power tend to take the budding successes for granted and expect more to follow. Then, in a blink, the heart of town again is dotted with empty storefronts and going out of business signs. It is a cycle that has been repeated despite the best efforts of government leaders and a parade of energetic business advocacy organizations. Dentler has seen that cycle, too, and doesn’t want it repeated on his watch. The Main Street concept has a proven track record and the results of well-run programs can be seen in some of the commonwealth’s most lively and inviting city centers. It may pay dividends here, as well. A key factor in its success will be a commitment for the town government to make the funding investment and then get out of the way. The program’s effectiveness is rooted in its independence. Under the concept, it will be up to a hired program coordinator reporting to a community-based board of directors to balance the competing interests, ideas and egos of the downtown stakeholders. That challenge is daunting enough without mixing in the whims of nitpicking politicians. Is this proposal the best way to sustain downtown’s economic success? It’s worth talking about. By now, we should know what doesn’t work.

LoudounNow

Published by Amendment One Loudoun, LLC 15 N. King St., Suite 101 • Leesburg, VA, 20176 PO Box 207 • Leesburg, VA 20178 703-770-9723 Norman K. Styer Editor nstyer@loudounnow.com

Contributors Jan Mercker

Danielle Nadler Managing Editor dnadler@loudounnow.com

Advertising Director Susan Styer sstyer@loudounnow.com

Margaret Morton Senior Writer mmorton@loudounnow.com

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Classified Manager Lindsay Morgan lmorgan@loudounnow.com

Kara C. Rodriquez, Reporter krodriguez@loudounnow.com Douglas Graham, Photographer dgraham@loudounnow.com

Production Electronic Ink Leesburg, VA 20175

[ LETTERS ] The Wars Continue Editor: “The gentlemen may cry, ‘Peace, peace,’ but there is no peace,” said Patrick Henry in one of the most famous speeches in American history. Those words are as relevant and timely today as they were back in the 18th century. We all long for peace, but it is an elusive goal in a world where many are determined to disrupt the peace. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq had seemed to be cooling down for a while, but now the sound of battle is growing louder again. At his recent speech to a joint session of Congress, President Trump paid tribute to the widow of a young Navy SEAL who had been killed in Yemen. No one who saw that woman’s anguish so vividly on display could fail to grasp that we are still at war and that our finest young people are continuing to pay the price of defending our freedom. It struck me that her husband had been killed by terrorists in Yemen which underscores the fact that this war is not confined to Afghanistan and Iraq. Our soldiers are active in Yemen and Syria, and only God knows where else. This is a far-flung conflict that knows no national boundaries. It is not a war of nation against nation, but rather a war of darkness against light. We are up against evil fanatics who are determined to destroy our way of life and take humanity into a new Dark Age. We dare not let them succeed. This is a grim business that will continue indefinitely. We hope and pray our casualty lists will be small, but the wounded coming home with missing limbs and broken spirits will need our support for some time to come. The Trump administration has repeatedly expressed support for our military, both in terms of increasing resources for the fighting troops and also for supporting our veterans, especially those who bear the scars of battle. But the Veterans Administration that bears primary responsibility for

the wounded is a sprawling bureaucracy replete with waste and inefficiency. I am optimistic the new administration will make progress, and I know it is committed to doing so, but progress will not come easily or quickly. If we do not continue the pressure, it may not come at all. In other words, we still have a lot of work to do. The Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes continues to provide vitally needed support for hundreds of wounded veterans—helping them deal with post-traumatic stress which all too often leads to substance abuse, domestic strife and in some dire cases— homelessness. The need for our work is abundantly clear and will remain so for a long time to come. — David W. Walker, Leesburg President & CEO, Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes

Unsubstantiated Fears Editor: As a toxicologist with nearly two decades of experience in human health risk assessment, I believe that there is no scientific reason to make a link between chemicals found in recycled rubber infill in turf fields and any health issues (“Report Finds Crumb Rubber Alternatives More Expensive,” 2/24/17). There is a substantial body of research already in existence—more than 90 peer-reviewed studies, reports, and evaluations from academics, state health departments, and third parties—that does not find any link between this material and adverse health effects. Just recently, the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment released a comprehensive study of 100 different fields concluding that playing on these surfaces is safe, and on Feb. 28, the European Chemicals Agency released its own report and came to a very similar conclusion. The few contrary studies that have LETTERS >> 37

[ LETTERS ]

EPA Evidence Editor: After reading Ms. Ray’s passionate plea to bring science back to the EPA [Letters, March 2], I felt enticed to do a little scientific digging of my own. I would like to address a few of her points, and provide some scientific backing. I’d like to start with the fact that the majority of scientists in the field do, in fact, believe in a form of human-induced climate change, or at least think

and search for explanations that find results that benefit the industry, for if that scientist doesn’t do so, another scientist who will find scientific reasoning to justify a desired action will be hired instead. One example is that in the 1990s the Vinyl Institute controlled and supplied all information about dioxin emissions, which are toxic chemicals that are largely produced by plastics industries. It’s scary to wonder if information was hidden or avoided because of industry benefits. Yes, scientific studies can become politicized, but it’s important to note that this happens on both sides of the spectrum. The EPA does have science to prove its mission, it just may not be your science. — Hailey Disch, Leesburg

Thank You Editor: I would like to thank Loudoun Now for the kind article written about our company, M. Page Oriental Rugs, in last week’s paper. Thank you again to all of our customers over the years for all of your support. I will miss the business and you all. Finally, a portion of my Facebook post that was left out of the article that to me is the most important, thank you so very much to the three people that believed in me the most and allowed me to live out my dream. Without you having my back Mom and Dad and without the other half of M.Page Oriental Rugs, my wife Lori, none of this would have been possible.

harmonize AT MORNINGSIDE HOUSE OF LEESBURG

Thank you again and here’s to what comes next. — Michael Page, Lovettsville

Standing Up Editor: We urge all people of all faiths to stand united in condemnation of these cowardly acts. We urge people of all faiths to fearlessly stand together, united in love and peace and nonviolence. The time for silence has long passed. The climate of hate and fear that some in America are attempting to build must be defeated by standing up and speaking out with fearless statements of compassion and the unity of all people of good will and open heart. As Sikhs we will stand with you in the face of any threat. We stand ready to support and defend the rights of Jews, as well as people of all religions to practice their faith freely, without fear or intimidation. As enjoined by the founders of Sikhism and by the Constitution of the United States we will stand for the religious freedom and protection of the people of all religions. Raj Khalsa Gurdwara, Sterling Guru Angad Institute of Sikh Studies (GAISS), Sterling Guru Gobind Singh Foundation, Rockville, MD Washington Sikh Center, Gaithersburg, MD Guru Nanak Foundation of America, Inc., Silver Spring, MD Sikh Center of Virginia, Manassas Sikh Mission of Virginia, Warrenton

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been cited in some media stories generally do not take into account actual exposure to chemicals, and simply rely on the presence of these chemicals as a reason for alarm. Many common products we interact with as part of everyday life contain low levels of chemicals that do not pose a threat, but could if they existed at significantly higher levels. Presence alone does not necessarily equal danger. Children’s safety should be placed above all else, but when making decisions about installing turf fields that could provide a durable playing surface for hundreds of children, unsubstantiated fears shouldn’t undermine science. — Michael Peterson, Leavenworth, WA The writer is a board-certified toxicologist at Gradient, an environmental and risk sciences consulting firm. He serves as scientific adviser to the Recycled Rubber Council.

that it is extremely likely. It is a common misconception that there is still large scientific debate over whether climate change is human induced, as in reality 97 percent of climate scientists agree on the main issue. This page here briefly summarizes the scientific consensus on the matter, and provides the sources of many studies for more detail: climate.nasa.gov/scientific-consensus/ Another common misconception is that the terms “global warming” and “climate change” are interchangeable. NASA defines these two terms here: climate.nasa.gov/resources/global-warming/ As you can see, climate change accounts for more than just global warming, importantly noting extreme weather events. More realistically, we are experiencing a “global weirding,” where rather than simply becoming hotter our weather experiences both extremes. Last January, we got three feet of snow, and this February we enjoyed 70-degree weather for multiple days. Weird. Ms. Ray does bring up a good point about manipulating data. Something that is disconcerting is that some corporations present their own scientific studies on subjects relevant to their industry, sometimes even controlling all information and data on that subject. By doing so, the organization looks good in demonstrating their commitment to the environment, but can influence the studies in discreet ways. Since the company hires scientists, and the scientists need income, they are more inclined to organize studies

Mar. 9 – 15, 2017

<< FROM 36

IT ’S TIME TO INDULGE AND HAVE SOME FUN! Our version of senior living features a lot of laughter and

family will wonder why you haven’t called. Your apartment is waiting. No guarantee you’ll spend much time there.

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[ PARENTING WITH PURPOSE ]

RAISING AN ADULT: Stop Doing These Things BY NEIL MCNERNEY When it comes to our teens, we all want the same thing. We want them to grow into responsible, independent adults who are self-supporting and can contribute to society. But how do we lead them into adulthood without doing too much or too little for them? In this column, I will give you some specific advice on what to do and what not to do to prepare them for being an adult.

Don’t wake them up in the morning. In my work with teens and their parents, this is the most crucial issue that causes difficulties for teens. Just about every teen should be able to wake himself up in the morning. By 14, most teens should be able to set an alarm clock and learn how to push through the comfort of the blankets and get up. If your teen cannot master this life skill, college will be extremely hard just because he cannot get up for classes. If you have a teen who relies on you in the morning, and you find yourself going in multiple times to wake him up, I would suggest an incremental approach to changing this habit. Start by telling him that you will begin going in only one time in the morning to wake him up. If he doesn’t get up and misses the bus, he will need to find another way to school and suffer the consequences of an unexcused tardy. In addition to the logical consequence of being late, I would also suggest there be a consequence at home that afternoon, such as no technology, etc. After a week or so of reminding him one time, then let him know you will not be waking him anymore and that he will have to get up on his own for now on, or suffer the consequences. Trust me that I understand how difficult this can be as a parent. It is so much easier (in the short term) to just go in their room and yell at him! But in the long term, it does not prepare him for life. Will he be late a few days? Will he have to run to the bus without breakfast a few times? Probably. But your teen is better off if you intervene less in the mornings before it becomes a bigger problem when he is out of the house.

Don’t do their laundry. Teens are old enough to do their own laundry. Since it is an essential skill that they need to have when they leave the home, it is important that they get into the habit now. For many families, though, laundry is not done separately, but in large batches. That’s fine; just start with the concept that it is their job to fold their own laundry and to put away.

Don’t check their homework every night. At what age should you be not checking their homework? It depends a lot on multiple factors, but I can make a pretty good estimate that most of us are too involved in our child’s homework. The very fact that you are taking the time to read a parenting article is evidence that you are an involved parent. But one of the things about raising an adult is to become less involved. Since I have literally written the book on this topic, I will be writing a more detailed article soon. In the meantime, I am going to ask you to think about spending a bit less time monitoring your teen’s work. Believe me, I understand the dilemma that this presents. You might be thinking: “If I back off, he will just do less work.” This might very well be an outcome of backing off. But the dilemma is that the more your teen stays dependent on you to get him to do his homework, the more difficult adult life will be. Regardless of how much anxiety it will produce, learning how to back off now will allow your teen to learn how to push through boredom and lack of motivation.

What about fixing their lunch? If your teen is already fixing his own lunch, that’s great. But I don’t see it as one of the major life skills necessary as a young adult. Getting up in the morning is much more important for future success. So is learning to do their work without supervision.

Less is better. Doing less for our teens is a new concept for most of us, especially when it is our first experience with teenagers. We have been told for years that parental involvement is key to their development. That’s true, up to a point. The teenage years are a time for us to begin to take more of a back seat, incrementally, and allow our teens to learn what it actually means to be an adult. Do you have any questions about parenting or relationships that you would like me to address in this column? If so, send me an email at: neil@neilmcnerney.com. Neil McNerney is a licensed professional counselor in private practice and author of Homework – A Parent’s Guide To Helping Out Without Freaking Out! and The Don’t Freak Out Guide for Parenting Kids with Asperger’s.

Budget talks << FROM 1 tourneau (R-Dulles) opposed. Randall argued that the schools have a younger, more volatile workforce more likely to have children and require higher insurance payouts. Although Supervisor Geary M. Higgins (R-Catoctin) had initially moved to fund all four fields in fiscal year 2017, supervisors voted unanimously to pay for two. New fields at Briar Woods and Freedom high schools, the last two schools without artificial turf, are planned for fiscal year 2019. Supervisor Suzanne M. Volpe (R-Algonkian) said if the county were to build all four fields at once, it would create a field shortage while they are under construction. “You would have the craziness of what do you do with all those sports teams. It would be a mess. But more importantly, I don’t know if the industry that installs turf fields would have the bandwidth to try and get through four fields at one time.” Supervisors also voted unanimously to send $4.3 million to next year’s budget for school buses, although Buona again criticized the schools for purchasing buses under their operating budget rather than treating them as a big-ticket capital expense. The School Board had requested $5.3 million for 36 buses and 20 light fleet vehicles.

$600K for Disabled Adults Supervisors voted to allocate $600,000 of a requested $1 million to expand contracts with supported employment and day support organizations like Every Citizen Has Opportunities. During all three budget public hearings, supervisors heard an outpouring of support for employment organizations like ECHO, which helps place disabled adults in jobs, at all three hearings—including several adults with disabilities and the businesses that employ them speaking from their own experiences. “These folks perform valuable services at K2M and have become an important part of our company,” said David MacDonald, the company’s senior vice president of operations. “They look forward to coming to work each day and working side-by-side with our employees. The sense of self-sufficiency and self-worth these individuals gain as a result of our partnership goes a long way towards them becoming viable, contributing members of the Loudoun community.” Although ECHO currently helps provide supported employment to more than 100 people with intellectual and physical disabilities, it has a waiting list of 28 people. Some of those, according to ECHO program coordinator Alice Morales, have been on the waiting list for two years. Peter Ippoliti, of Purcellville, said he has obsessive-compulsive disorder and Asperger’s syndrome. He said he has had a variety of jobs in his life. “Finding a job can be hard enough, but for someone with a disability, keeping a job can be even harder,” he said. “I am very aware that I do not always meet the expectations of my employers,” Ippoliti said. “I know I get

distracted easily, do not always work as quickly as others, and generally can be difficult to work with. Knowing this causes me a lot of stress and frustration because I give 100 percent every day.” The Department of Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Developmental Services requested $1 million to expand those contracts to clear out the waiting list and create opportunities for residents expected to age out of the schools’ programs next year. Randall fell one vote short of fully funding the request. Her motion was supported by supervisors Kristen C. Umstattd (D-Leesburg), Tony R. Buffington Jr. (R-Blue Ridge), and Koran T. Saines (D-Sterling). Some supervisors questioned the sudden million-dollar expansion to contract services, and whether it was necessary to meet the need. Randall said the contract expansion was a moral obligation. “The fact that so many families with significantly disabled adult children are forced to give up their own employment and sit home with these adults is a tragedy for a family, but it is also a huge negative for our society,” Umstattd said. “Both on the moral grounds that the chair mentioned, but also on economic grounds.” Instead, supervisors voted unanimously to allocate $600,000. Supervisors also approved $123,985 for a new manager in the department’s Job Link contract program, a position which provides management and oversight of the department’s employment and day support contract programs.

Full-time Veterans Services Coordinator Supervisors voted unanimously to expand a part-time veterans services coordinator in the Department of Family Services to a full-time position. The position coordinates among veterans and services organizations, recruits volunteers, and conducts outreach. Umstattd said the position was requested by the veteran community. “They do the fundraising, but they need someone to coordinate among veterans who are in need, whether it be someone to help with the rent, someone to help with food, someone to get them medical appointments, someone to help them get mental health services,” she said.

The Totals So Far Including $600,000 for day support and support employment contracts, $123,985 for a Job Link contract manager, $83,803 for a video systems coordinator at the sheriff ’s office, $38,060 to convert the veterans services coordinator to a full-time position, and $121,241 for an additional domestic violence staff attorney in the office of the commonwealth’s attorney, supervisors approved $967,089 in spending above the county administrator’s proposed budget at their first work session. The actions leave $11,779 as an unallocated balance at the $1.135 real estate tax rate. Supervisors have five more budget work sessions scheduled. The next one is Thursday, March 9, starting at 6 p.m. rgreene@loudounnow.com

39 Mar. 9 – 15, 2017

Designers from Stantec Architecture had collaboration in mind when they designed the 315,000-square-foot building. It will include flexible and highly specialized labs, an interior amphitheater, and a dividable theater that can hold gatherings for everything from lectures to robotic competitions. Stantec Architecture

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in your face,” Owen said. “But they do exist, and the Community Foundation’s strategy is to simply shine a spotlight on a few of the individuals who courageously agreed to tell their stories publicly.” If Loudoun residents can increase their giving just enough to catch up with neighboring counties, collectively they would generate an additional $70 million. “Think of what that could do here at home. We can end the need,” Owen said. Learn more about the campaign and donate at EndtheNeed.org. Donations will go to human services organizations based in Loudoun County. dnadler@loudounnow.com

Faces of Loudoun Over the next several months, Loudoun Now will run monthly articles highlighting men, women and children who have found a helping hand when they needed it most and the Loudoun County charities who provided it.

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community or neighborhood is, the less likely you’ll give,” she said. “If you live in a beautiful neighborhood, jump on Rt. 7 and head to work every day, you’re not seeing the people in need. You don’t even see trailer parks. They’re here, but you don’t see them.” The Faces of Loudoun campaign will put that need in full view. Throughout this year and 2018, the Community Foundation will tell the stories of men, women and families who have received a helping hand from Loudoun nonprofit organizations. Typically, charities are very careful about not disclosing the names or faces of their clients. But when the Community Foundation asked for those willing to share their stories, they saw a huge response. Stories and photos of about a dozen Loudoun residents are posted on the EndtheNeed.org website and Owen expects as many as 40 by the end of the campaign. “It’s been well documented that American citizens who don’t regularly come into immediate contact with need give less. That describes Loudoun County to a ‘T.’ Loudoun needs aren’t

dnadler@loudounnow.com

roll 150 freshmen and 150 sophomores this fall and the Academy of Science can take just 68. Last year, 587 rising freshman applied to attend AET in its first year and about 800 students applied for the Academy of Science’s 68 spots. At build out, the Academies will enroll a total of 2,500 students who attend classes there every other day. It will allow the Academy of Science and Monroe Technology Center to double their enrollments. School Board members have said they want the Academies to provide opportunities for more types of students. For example, students can enroll in AET’s four-year program as freshman or enroll in its two-year program as juniors. “We want to widen the net to invite more students to take part, without reducing the rigor,” board member Eric Hornberger (Ashburn) said. The School Board’s adopted budget for next fiscal year shows that establishing AET ahead of the opening of the full Academies of Loudoun is a priority. It includes money for eight new positions: a director of AET, a secretary and six teachers. Plus, a significant portion of the

school system’s increase in operations and maintenance costs will be spent on computers and software for AET teachers and students, who are piloting a digital one-to-one teaching model. Science Supervisor Odette D. Scovel, one of a handful of school leaders who helped bring the idea of the Academies to fruition over the past 16-plus years, said a lot of the important groundwork is being laid right now. She credited Priddy, a former assistant principal at TJ, for her hard work to develop AET and the larger vision of the Academies. “The AET’s first year has been incredible. The kids are outstanding, the teachers are outstanding,” Scovel said. But that’s just a start, she added. The real magic will happen when the students enrolled in the Academy of Engineering and Technology, the Academy of Science, and Monroe Technology Center are researching, creating and learning under the same roof. “I’m very much looking forward to seeing what happens when we’re all together in one building,” she said, adding that the concept is for the programs to find ways to collaborate and overlap their efforts. “There is so much potential. I think it’ll be incredible.”

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Academies

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