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McLEAN PARENTS PROTEST TEEN REHAB CENTER
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Community meeting held to discuss rehabilitation center on Davidson Road
LAINE PHILLIPS NEWS EDITOR
TAYLOR OLSON A&E EDITOR
McLean has always been known as one of the safest communities around the county. However, according to parents, this is going to change because of the upcoming establishment of drug rehabilitation centers on Davidson Road.
Due to parents’ rising concerns, on April 24, over 600 people attended a meeting in the McLean High School auditorium regarding the transition of four residential homes near McLean High School into teen rehab programs.
The Newport Academy is a rehabilitation facility for children ages 12 to 17 with mental illnesses and substance abuse issues. The four homes purchased for the center are located on Davidson and Kurtz Road in McLean.
The people who attended the meeting had a range of opinions, yet after every comment, the opposition seemed to grow. Concerns included traffic and overall safety.
“You’re going to have 30, 40, 50 additional cars, [with] people who don’t live here, who aren’t going to be worried about my three boys who ride their scooters…and their bikes [near the road],” said Marc Lampkin, a parent who lives in the area, gaining him a long period of applause from the audience.
Concerned parents often referred to criminal incidents involving Newport Academy patients in Connecticut. These incidents involved students carjacking and stealing vodka bottles from a local bar. However, Jamison Monroe, founder and CEO of Newport Academy, insisted that he has tightened security on the homes.
“My concern is that no matter how well prepared [the Newport Academy staff] is, something [bad] will happen, so my question is why not care for these wonderful youngsters who need help away from heavy residential areas,” a distressed citizen said at the April 24 meeting.
Parents created a petition on Change.org against the group home, urging citizens to “say NO to Newport rehab in McLean.”
“While we recognize the need for such centers, [the] petition is to stop them from operating in [a] residential neighborhood and next to Lewinsville park,” said Sanjay Singh, creater of the petition.
Despite the vocal opposition, some were in support of the rehabilitation center.
“I just want to encourage compassion... these are just kids. My daughter was one of these children. She was sexually assaulted and almost committed suicide. Newport Academy saved [her] life,” a woman at the meeting said.
Seconds later, she was interrupted by a stream of boos.
According to Monroe, the facilities were placed in a residential area as a way to improve a patient’s time spent in the treatment facility.
“There is a big movement to provide services at a community level because all the evidence shows that treatment [close to home] will lead to better outcomes,” Monroe said.
According to Fairfax County Attorney Beth Teare, since the facilities are being built in a residential area, they do not need to get a zoning permit. This is a result of the Federal Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination against anyone who is disabled, including those with mental illness.
Despite its legality, the Academy is causing problems within the McLean community, due to Newport Academy’s utilization of a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to keep the homes secret from the community. These are primarily used to keep business and trade secrets confidential.
“Everyone can tolerate [a rehab center], where it was done in [the] open. [But the Newport Academy has done it in a way that is] above the community, in a secretive way, by [opening] four within a mile of each other,” Lampkin said.
Monroe admitted that he was unaware of this issue.
“I do not know why we had the NDA nor do I know who signed the NDA,” Monroe said.
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors member John Foust also expressed his worries.
“I do not support three houses on the same site,” Foust said, “but it is the law—we do not see a way to stop it.”
The McLean community has united against the Newport Academy in an attempt to force out the rehabilitation center using a Facebook group along with the petition.
“My kids [safely] walk up and down the street, and this is going to change because [the Newport Academy] doesn’t live here and [they] are going to extract the money and we will be left with the problem,” Lampkin said.
BABY STEPS
Fairfax County makes progress in the fight against climate change
LIA VINCENZO REPORTER
Virginia is taking steps to combat global warming amid new concerns that climate change is accelerating.
In March, Virginia Representative Gerry Connolly joined 34 other members of Congress in sponsoring the bipartisan Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act.
Both Republicans and Democrats have shown support for this policy that adds fees on fossil fuels, consequently driving companies to use cleaner energy. Money derived from these fees would be returned to communities around the country.
According to Fairfax County Times, “The bill would reduce emissions by 40 percent within 12 years and 90 percent by 2050, while creating millions of jobs.”
The Fairfax County School Board is leading the way in combating climate change in Northern Virginia. FCPS has partnered with the Board of Supervisors to implement solar panels in three schools. They plan to evaluate the number of FCPS buildings eligible for solar panels.
“There may be the possibility that—over time—more than three school buildings could have solar panels,” school board member Jane Strauss said.
A private company would manage the solar panels, and the schools would compensate them with the money saved in utility costs. The school board is hoping this change will reduce the use of power plants and therefore decrease the carbon footprint of FCPS.
“In Virginia, a lot of power comes from coal-powered utilities. So the more we can depend on solar, [the more] that cuts down on emissions,” Strauss said.
FCPS students are striving to combat global warming and see this move as beneficial. Students in McLean High School’s Environmental Club are passionate advocates for increasing renewable energy.
“[Solar panels will] help create more renewable energy for the school as well as [teach] the students about renewable energy sources,” said sophomore Erin Vollertsen, a member of the Environmental Club.
The club is actively working to help the McLean community by initiating projects such as park clean-ups and tree planting.
“We did a tree planting for a neighborhood in Falls Church, where people would sign up to get trees planted in their yards to help [prevent] oxygen pollution,” Vollertsen said.
McLean High School is inspiring changes in more than one way. The AP Environmental Science class gives students the knowledge necessary for developing ways to fight global warming.
“It’s not necessarily a class based around activism—it’s a class based on having the background knowledge so that you can use that to figure out the best way to act,” said senior Emily Simons, an AP Environmental Science student.
One of the school board’s missions is to inform students about the impacts of climate change and provide them with resources to combat it.
“As a school system, we continue to work on and include climate science and environmental sustainability as an integral part of our curriculum,” Strauss said.
Another important FCPS project is the Get2Green program. It teaches students to care for the environment and helps them learn about sustainable solutions for global warming. FCPS offers the program in its curriculum with the largest number of certified Get2Green schools in the nation.
“We are teaching our children to be leaders in the environmental issue. It’s your world, your life, and if we don’t turn around global warming, you all will pay the heaviest price,” Strauss said.
No matter who they are—representatives, board members or students—everyone agrees on one thing: climate change cannot be left to resolve itself.
“Immediate action is necessary in order for us to be able to live on this planet in the future,” Simons said.
CHALLENGING THE ABSENCES
Perfect Attendance Challenge keeps students engaged
VICTORIA MOLLMANN REPORTER
The last quarter of the school year has begun, which typically comes with a higher average of discipline problems and lower rates of attendance throughout Fairfax County. McLean High School is not an exception.
For this reason, Serenity Club, Sources of Strength, Minds Matter, SGA, the Leadership class and the PTSA created the Perfect Attendance Challenge, a competition that ran from March 11 until April 12.
“Students seem to be a little stressed after the holiday break, so we wanted to come up with a fun, creative challenge for students to stay engaged and give incentives for them to come to class every day,” said systems of support adviser Nicholas Corsi, one of the creators of the challenge.
The challenge focused on ending attendance-related problems, which include all-day absences, cuts and discipline referrals. Students who didn’t have any of them were included in a weekly gift card raffle with three winners from each grade every week.
The competition was not only between students, but also between grade levels. After five weeks, the grade with the fewest attendance problems was promised an ice cream social as an incentive. This year, the freshman class won, and the social will take place in late May.
In past years, the challenge was also attempted, but it was more effective this year, since students and staff made it a bigger event by organizing it in a joint effort.
“I think it’s important that we made a reason students would want to come to school [on] days they wouldn’t,” said freshman Atticus Gore, a part of both the Student Council and clubs involved in the challenge. “There are some students who [considered] skipping school or leaving early and didn’t because they could get a gift card, so I think [the challenge] is making a difference.”
Numbers wise, the impact that the Perfect Attendance Challenge had was noticeable. Discipline referrals and attendance problems fell nearly two percent compared to last year.
The challenge emphasizes that everyone should try to reduce absenteeism. Missing one day of school can cause stress on students, because they have more work to catch up on or tests to make up.
From the point of view of students, the challenge is a chance to realize the importance of having a regular schedule and that school attendance brings an uncountable amount of benefits, helping students to create a successful future.
“Being [at] school every day—even when you don’t want to—[gives] students a sense of responsibility,” freshman Emma James said. “A challenge like this ensures that our generation, who is always on their phones and being influenced by wrong examples on the internet, focuses on what is actually important: education.”
GIRLS ARE SHAPING THE STEM LANDSCAPE
Girls Who Code students explore female potential in STEM
Traditionally, liberal arts were considered a good fit for girls, often called the “soft” subjects for “the weaker sex.” There has been little focus on girls in STEM activities, but this is changing.
One place where McLean students reflect this shift is in the Girls Who Code (GWC) club.
“[GWC] creates a fun and safe environment for girls to build a sisterhood and be able to see that girls can do it just as well as boys,” programming teacher and GWC club sponsor Karyn Kolly said.
GWC provides a platform for girls to pursue their coding interests.
“We have a project [where] we code something that can help with daily activities, and it’s supposed to grow girls’ coding interests in STEM communities,” said sophomore Maya Nair, treasurer of GWC.
The need for girls to develop computer science skills is becoming more popularly recognized in contemporary society.
“I think it’s important to introduce coding to them early, so that they are more likely to do it later [so] we have more women in the field,” said sophomore Amelia Zug, president of GWC.
In addition to hands-on projects, 10 GWC students went on a field trip to the Walmart Labs in Reston on April 4. They learned about the technologies that power Walmart and other department stores.
— MAYA NAIR
GIRLS WHO CODE CLUB TREASURER
“[Walmart Labs] showed us that it’s really important to start young. There were actually girls in elementary school there who were part of [GWC], which was cool,” Nair said.
In the lab, the girls participated in an activity that uses grocery-picking robots to display the value of efficiency and speed, which are important aspects of coding.
“[People at the lab] gave us a quick tour of the labs. [Then], we sat down and they had people talk to us,” Nair said. “They explained their experience and challenges they overcame being a female.”
The trip not only provided educational opportunities to students, but also introduced them to possible careers.
“I learned more about being a female in computer science and how there are so many opportunities. You just really need to work hard to get it,” Nair said.
GWC members learned multiple STEM lessons they will be able to use in their future studies and careers.
Graphic by Pran Kittivorapat
WAT WAKERY OPENS FOR BUSINESS
Work Awareness and Transition students begin coffee delivery service for McLean staff
STEPHANIE McHUGH REPORTER
There’s nothing better than having fresh coffee delivered to your door first thing in the morning, and a new school program called the WAT Wakery has been devised to do just that.
Work Awareness and Transition, otherwise known as WAT, is a program designed to enhance the learning experience for special education students by helping them to better adjust to a work environment.
The original idea for the program was introduced a long time ago, but it was never pursued until now, when a new WAT teacher, Jessica Berns, reintroduced the proposal to the school. Since then, Berns has been working with Anna Southworth, McLean’s employment and transition representative, in order to bring this idea to life.
“We’re just setting it up in a way so that it can be their business,” Berns said.
McLean’s WAT students are off to a good start and have reached their initial goals.
The staff’s ultimate goal for the WAT Wakery is to improve students’ communication skills, eye contact, politeness and overall organization—skills that will help them to become successful individuals in the future.
“It’s not just the simple [task] of making the coffee, but a lot of it is the social interactions they will be able to have,” Berns said.
Southworth and Berns are behind the operation and overseeing the program, but the coffee service itself is primarily managed by the students.
“The teachers are just there to guide them,” Berns said.
The program is organized so that older students will begin with the harder tasks and younger students will start out easy and eventually move up to do harder tasks. Once their individual strengths are determined, they will assume the role in the operation that best fits them.
“We’re going to focus on the strengths that we know right now, and then we’ll go from there,” Southworth said.
The program works by having teachers submit their order through a Google Form. They can choose between coffee, tea or hot chocolate as their morning beverage. Once the order is fulfilled, the students go around to deliver the orders.
Currently, a pilot program is in effect in order for the students to ease into their workload. As of now, they have already started their delivery in some hallways, and they’ll officially start delivering coffee to the entire school in the fall.
“[It] might be at first a little intense [and] [the teachers] might be overseeing most of this at first, but hopefully we can pull back a little as they get more comfortable,” Southworth said.
Most students are happy about the idea of working at the Wakery, although some are beginning to have their doubts.
“Most of them are [excited], but I think they have to make a connection first,” Southworth said. “Once everyone’s really participating, then they’ll be more excited.”
Alex Disocky is one of the students who is looking forward to opening the Wakery.
“[I like] making the coffee and delivering it,” Disocky said.
Aside from assisting their future career paths, this program also aims to help the students to better assimilate into the school.
“This will get them out there, and [it's] an opportunity to get them out of their comfort zone,” Southworth said.
MORNING FUEL — Alex Disocky makes a hot cup of coffee for morning deliveries. (Photo by Stephanie McHugh)
A MORNING WITHOUT COFFEE IS LIKE SLEEP — WAT students are excited to make their morning deliveries. (Photo courtesy of Jessica Berns)
