Success at SkillsUSA Competition
Students in the SkillsUSA District 5 Chantilly Academy, A Governor’s STEM Academy, were honored at the 49th Annual SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skill Conference held in Roanoke on April 20 and 21.
Housing Market: ‘Sell and Buy’ 4/24/2013 CV
Sustained low interest rates and rising prices have energized the marketplace.
The local real estate market is thriving, with Realtors reporting multiple offers on homes in some areas and dwindling inventory of homes for sale. At least two things are contributing to this change in the market. First, interest rates have been in the basement: Freddie Mac reported a 30-year fixed-rate of 3.57 percent for March this year, as opposed to 3.95 percent in March 2012 and 4.84 percent in 2011 (for reference, March 2005 was 5.93 percent).
Former Astronaut Carl E. Walz
Carl E. Walz had a distinguished career as a NASA astronaut and is a veteran of four space flights, logging a total of 231 days in space. He was a mission specialist on STS-51 (1993), was the Orbiter flight engineer (MS-2) on STS-65 (1994), was a mission specialist on the STS-79 (1996) mission to the Russian Mir Space Station, and served as flight engineer (FE-1) on ISS Expedition 4 (2001-2002).
Former Astronaut Frank L. Culbertson Jr.
Frank Culbertson Jr. was a NASA astronaut for 18 years. He’s flown three space missions and logged more than 144 days in space as a shuttle commander, pilot, and station crewmember. His last mission launched on the Shuttle Endeavor and lasted 129 days, from Aug. 10-Dec. 17, 2001.
Food, Fun and Festivities
Second annual Chantilly Day celebration is May 4
Get ready for fun — the second annual Chantilly Day celebration is slated for Saturday, May 4, at the Sully Place Shopping Center, off Route 50 West in Chantilly. There’ll be children’s activities, live music, food and entertainment — as well as two U.S. astronauts. The festival runs from 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. in the Kmart and Babies R Us parking lots, and the day’s events will include onstage performances by the Westfield High Jazz Combo, local rock musicians, a pet adoption, rock climbing, business expo and awards ceremony.
Turbo Tutoring Scholarship
Turbo Tutoring, the local SAT accelerated prep company, awarded its first scholarship (for $500) to Kelly Duncan.
Raising Money for Police Unity Tour
Centreville’s Kevin Whalen is bicycling 230 miles, May 10-12, in the Police Unity Tour (PUT) Virginia ride. It raises money and awareness for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial fund and the National Law Enforcement Museum in Washington, D.C., honoring and remembering officers who’ve died in the line of duty.
Songs, Dances and a Message
Westfield High presents ‘Urinetown: The Musical.’
Westfield High’s new show, “Urinetown: The Musical,” is about a future time when a severe water shortage forces citizens to pay to pee. And, no pun intended, Director Susie Pike says her actors are “rarin’ to go.”
Songs, Dances and a Message 4/24/2013
Westfield High presents ‘Urinetown: The Musical.’
Westfield High’s new show, “Urinetown: The Musical,” is about a future time when a severe water shortage forces citizens to pay to pee. And, no pun intended, Director Susie Pike says her actors are “rarin’ to go.”
Track-a-Thon Tackles Brain Cancer
Students of all ages are invited to participate.
Area residents can get some exercise, have fun and fight brain cancer, all at the same time, by participating in Chantilly High’s annual Team BT Track-a-Thon. It’s slated for this Saturday, April 20, from 6-9 p.m., at the Chantilly High track. Team BT is the nonprofit fundraising organization of Fair Lakes resident BethAnn Telford, who’s battling a brain tumor, herself, and will be at the event. All proceeds go to Accelerated Brain Cancer Cure and the National Brain Tumor Society.
Tara Sankner, ‘Warrior Princess’
Second-grader battles brain cancer.
That’s because Tara, a second-grader at Lees Corner Elementary, is in the fight of her life, battling brain cancer. “My day depends on how she’s doing,” said mom Tammy Sankner. “If she’s having a good day, I’m fine.”
Close Shave at Lees Corner
When second grader Tara Sanker was diagnosed with brain cancer, the staff and faculty at Lees Corner Elementary School got ready to help her through her journey. The first milestone was the day she came into school with a shaved head. Some younger students were confused about the changes Sanker was going through and made some comments and observations that were inadvertently hurtful. Tara’s mom Tammy Sanker, Principal Robert D’Amato and Tara’s teacher Vicki McGorty felt the best way to help Tara was to share her story with the students at Lees Corner Elementary School during the morning news program.
Understanding Autism
In observation of Autism Awareness Month, Union Mill Elementary students participated in a sensory simulation experience during their physical education classes on Thursday, April 4, and Friday, April 5. The activities included an obstacle course which simulated things that children with autism often find to be helpful, such as jumping and bouncing. Other stations included a mirror station that simulated perception confusion, a glove station that simulated fine motor challenges, and a listening station that simulated the filtering of external stimuli, all of which can be challenging for students with autism. The experience gave students a better understanding of autism. The sensory simulation activities were coordinated and led by Union Mill PTA Alternative Education Co-Chairs, Melyssa Plath and Nicole Moore, and PE teachers Jenny Murray and Elizabeth Cross. Several Union Mill parent volunteers were also on hand to assist the students at each station.
Celebrating Erin’s Life
Event promotes her legacy.
Erin Peterson was just 18 when she became a victim of the April 16, 2007 Virginia Tech massacre. But her parents, Centreville’s Grafton and Celeste Peterson, make sure the Westfield High grad’s legacy lives on. They established the Erin Peterson Fund to continue their daughter’s commitment to reaching goals through education and aiding people in need. They also began an annual Gospel Celebration in remembrance of her and to raise money for the fund.
South County Soccer Club Bonds in Bermuda
While other Elite Clubs National League soccer teams took a well-deserved break, one team went on the trip of a lifetime. FC Virginia U14s traveled to Bermuda over the Easter holiday, having the opportunity to experience island life while also playing against the full Bermuda women’s national team, and a high school team from Florida.