Words, music, images and more from Jim Barnes
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
A group of Prince William writers, joined by Manassas City Council member Ian T. Lovejoy (R), formally launched the city’s first Little Free Library in a ribbon-cutting ceremony Aug. 8.
Members of Write by the Rails, the Prince William County chapter of the Virginia Writers Club, constructed the tiny library. It will be mounted in front of the New School, which is slated to open this fall in the old post office building on Church Street in Old Town Manassas.
Washington Post, August 16, 2015
Hundreds of walkers took part in a six-mile trek along Spriggs Road in the mid-county area last weekend to raise awareness about teen suicide.
Prince William County school officials estimated that more than 400 people participated in the walk, a round trip between Forest Park and Hylton high schools. Although most of the walkers were high school students, participants included young children, adults — some pushing strollers — and even a few dogs.
Students in Advanced Placement government classes at Forest Park organized the event as their final project, which their teacher, Shannon Geraghty, allowed them to do in place of a final exam.
Washington Post, May 31, 2015
For two hours on a recent Wednesday, a corner of the Potomac High School library was transformed into a setting for a fine dining experience. A group of 18 guests sat at tables draped with blue cloths and decorated with colorful centerpieces. They were served a four-course meal featuring cuisine from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Caribbean.
The hosts were a team of students from the school’s culinary arts program. They organized the meal as the final project for their senior-level class. The students coordinated everything, from developing the guest list, invitations and menu, to preparing and serving the food, their teachers said.
Washington Post, May 10, 2015
Concern about the plight of the honeybee has sparked a surge of interest in backyard beekeeping in Northern Virginia.
Interest is so high that two local beekeeping clubs say they are being stretched to keep up with the demand. Introductory beekeeping classes offered in Loudoun and Prince William counties fill up quickly every year, and waiting lists carry over from one year to the next, beekeepers in both counties said.
Washington Post, April 30, 2015
After receiving heavy pushback from mid-county residents, Prince William County Schools Superintendent Steven L. Walts backed down from a proposal to move the Mary G. Porter Traditional School from its location in Woodbridge to a site known as the Ferlazzo property, at Spriggs and Minnieville roads.
Instead, the school system will proceed with its original plan to build a facility that will serve local residents at the Ferlazzo site, Walts said…
Washington Post, April 26, 2015
The Prince William County Board of Supervisors is using the power of persuasion and its control of purse strings to try to defuse a controversy that has erupted in recent weeks over plans for an elementary school that is scheduled to be built in the mid-county area.
The school board is considering a staff recommendation to move the Mary G. Porter Traditional School from its current location in Woodbridge to a site at the intersection of Spriggs and Minnieville roads. That site, on land previously owned by the Ferlazzo family, had been planned for an elementary school for children who live in the mid-county area, scheduled to open in 2016.
Washington Post, April 19, 2015
The Journey Through Hallowed Ground will hold its first Living Legacy tree-planting ceremony of the year April 12, when it will add 500 trees to the Inn at Meander Plantation in Madison County, Va.
National Guard members will join wounded veterans and descendants of Civil War soldiers for the planting ceremony, which will be on the 150th anniversary of Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox.
Washington Post, March 26, 2015
Angie Wytovich’s approach to teaching is simple: She does whatever she can to help each child in her class succeed.
On Thursday, Wytovich’s dedication was rewarded when she was named as one of only 40 educators across the country to receive a $25,000 Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award this year.
Washington Post, March 15, 2015
“March Madness” has arrived at the Artists’ Undertaking gallery in Occoquan.
The exhibit, which runs through April 6, features the paintings and drawings of Roger Frey of Woodbridge and the work of fused glass artists David and Dale Barnes of Sterling.
Washington Post, March 8, 2015