Words, music, images and more from Jim Barnes
A group of 11 theater students from Rock Ridge High School in Ashburn took their act to the famed Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland last month.
All the students performed at the festival — including in an original one-act play written by one of the students — and they saw at least 10 other shows, their teacher, Tony Cimino-Johnson, said.
Washington Post, September 13, 2015
Exactly 40 years after the Sully Historic Site in Chantilly reopened after a major restoration, Fairfax County officials and visitors gathered to celebrate.
As children played centuries-old games on the lawn, tossing beanbags and rolling hoops, Supervisor Michael R. Frey (R-Sully) headlined a series of speakers who acknowledged those who rescued the historic house from demolition and restored it to its original appearance.
Washington Post, September 10, 2015
Candidates seeking reelection to the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors and other local offices have gotten off to a strong start raising campaign funds for the Nov. 3 election.
The board incumbents — all of whom are Republicans — had received more contributions than their opponents as of June 30, when the last reporting period ended. Some had gained an advantage by amassing sizable campaign funds during their years in office…
The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted last week to support a proposal to build a memorial on the county courthouse grounds in Leesburg to commemorate the slaves who were sold on the building’s steps and the soldiers who fought for the Union during the Civil War.
The board voted Wednesday to contribute $50,000 toward the memorial, which the local chapter of the NAACP has proposed as a way to present a more complete history of Loudoun’s involvement in the Civil War. The only commemoration of the war at the site is a statue of a Confederate soldier.
Washington Post, September 6, 2015
A group of 32 teenage girls from Northern Virginia received an introduction to career opportunities in law enforcement last month in a week-long program conducted by the Fairfax County Police Department.
Dozens of law enforcement personnel, most of whom were women, gave demonstrations and discussed their careers with the high school students. The program offered leadership and team-building activities, classes on defensive tactics and firearms safety, and sessions on law enforcement tasks ranging from traffic stops to homicide investigations.
Washington Post, September 3, 2015
City Tavern, which closed June 29 after more than two decades in Old Town Manassas, has reopened in a location less than a mile away, outside the city’s historic downtown.
The restaurant reopened July 22 in a renovated building at 9550 Center St. that formerly housed KC’s Restaurant. A co-owner of City Tavern’s former building, adjacent to the Olde Towne Inn, said he expects another restaurant to open there after major repairs are completed.
Washington Post, August 30, 2015
Riverside High School in Leesburg will open Aug. 31 as the 15th high school in Loudoun County. The school is in the Lansdowne development, near Belmont Ridge Middle School and the National Conference Center.
Riverside, which has a capacity of 1,600, will open with 820 freshmen, sophomores and juniors.
Doug Anderson, 48, is Riverside’s principal. A graduate of Radford University, Anderson has been an educator for 21 years. Most recently, he was principal of Broad Run High School for four years. He began his career as a social studies teacher in Fairfax County, where he taught for 11 years before coming to Loudoun in 2004 as an assistant principal at Broad Run.
Washington Post, August 23, 2015
When Prince William County schools start the new year Aug. 31, Chris Yung Elementary School in Bristow will open to students for the first time, with an emphasis on STEAM: science, technology, engineering, art and math.
The school is named in honor of Chris Yung, a Marine Corps veteran and Prince William police officer who was killed in a motorcycle accident in Bristow in 2012 while responding to a call.
Washington Post, August 23, 2015
The diversity and beauty of nature are on display in an exhibition that will run through Oct. 4 at the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton.
“Nature’s Best Photography at the Workhouse” features 28 images that were taken around the world by professional and amateur photographers. The photos, ranging from panoramic landscapes to extreme close-ups, were judged to be some of the best entries in the annual Windland Smith Rice International Awards competition, held by Nature’s Best Photography magazine.
Washington Post, August 20, 2015
About 50 high school students in Loudoun County’s Camp REAL program for at-risk youths hosted an anti-bullying festival Aug. 6 at Sugarland Elementary School.
The students organized games, music and activities for younger children, including tie-dyeing T-shirts, face painting and supervising as they petted a miniature horse. Many participants, including members of the Camp REAL program for elementary school students, signed a pledge to help stop bullying.
Washington Post, August 16, 2015