Rocky Run Student Wins Writing Contest
Peter Hwang is only in the seventh grade at Rocky Run Middle School, but he recently won the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) writing contest. He wrote an essay answering the question, “What would you say to the Founding Fathers?”
Lees Corner Sixth-Graders Help Stop Hunger Now
Children at Lees Corner Elementary are taking a bite out of world hunger. They raised money to purchase food and, last Wednesday, April 24, students in teacher Jeffrey Houser’s sixth-grade class packaged enough meals to feed 103,200 people.
Entertainment
Email announcements to centreview@connectionnewspapers.com. Photos welcome. Ongoing The Airbus IMAX Theater at National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center, 14390 Air & Space Museum Parkway, is showing movies including “Hubble,” “Fighter Pilot,” “Space Junk,” “Air Racers” and “The Dream is Alive” through May 23. “Oblivion” will begin with an 8 pm show Thursday, April 18. Visit http://airandspace.si.edu/udvarhazy/ or call 703-572-4118 for the movie schedule. Throughout the month of April, Our Military Kids has partnered with Glory Days restaurant at 13850 Braddock Road, Centreville. The restaurant is participating, and is donating 10 percent of diners' total receipt to the charity. Diners need only to submit receipts to Our Military Kids, 6861 Elm Street, Suite 2A, McLean, VA 22101. Visit www.ourmilitarykids.org.
Schools
School Notes
Email announcements to centreview@connectionnewspapers.com. Photos are welcome. More than 300 JMU students embarked on 30 spring break trips around the country and world. Students spent the week living simply, focused on service in their destination community but also on teamwork and reflection within their group. The following students participated in alternative spring break: Emma Stewart, Adrienne Lowry and Rachael Donnelly
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.