Reston Now posed a challenge to residents cooped up after Sunday and Monday’s snow: Capture your thoughts in haiku.
South Lakes High School and Langston Hughes Middle School were filled with people of all ages inventing, exploring and, well, making things at the Nova Mini Maker Faire on Sunday.
The Mini Maker Faire is part of a nationwide movement to encourage innovation and creativity.
The local event was sponsored by Nova Labs, a non-profit Maker Space in Reston. Nova Labs has a regular mission to provide the community a workshop where people can learn, teach, and collaborate on creative and technical works, and to promote the usefulness of competence in the technical arts, says Nova Labs president Brian Jacoby.
Sunday’s event had hands-on booths and activities from more than 100 makers exploring engineering, physics and other science areas, as well as creative crafting.
Photos by Frank Sogandares.
Looking for a new home? Check out some of the Open Houses in Reston this weekend.
1313 Wedgewood Manor Way
4 BR, 3.5 BA TH
$639,990
Open Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.
2224 Springwood Drive
2 BR, 1 BA Condo
$245,000
Open Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.
1400 Park Garden Lane
3 BR, 3.5 BA TH
$560,000
Open Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.
1600 Poplar Grove Drive
2 BR, 1.5 BA TH
$329,00
Open Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.
11705 Old Bayberry Lane
4 BR, 2.5 BA SFH
$605,000
Open Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.
For complete real estate information, visit Reston Now’s Real Estate section.
Voting in the 2014 Reston Association Board of Directors election is now open. There are nine candidates running for five seats. A candidates forum will be held Saturday, March 15 at Reston Association headquarters at 10 a.m.
Reston Association members should have received an election guide and ballot in the mail last week.
In the spirit of fairness, each candidate was given the same questions.
Today’s Q & A is with Ellen Graves, who currently serves as the Hunters Woods/Dogwood director. She is running unopposed for the Apartment Owners seat.
Q: How long have you lived in Reston?
A: I have lived in Reston for almost 31 years.
Q: What inspired you to run for the board?
A: I want to always be a contributor, not just a consumer of this wonderful, vibrant community called Reston.
Q: What are three of the biggest concerns you have for Reston?
A: Controlled/planned growth; low income and middle class unable to continue to live, work, and play in Reston; lack of affordable housing.
Q: What do you hope to accomplish by being on the board?
A: Serve as a liaison between Reston Association and apartment owners; serve as a voice for the voice-less.
Voting in the 2014 Reston Association Board of Directors election is now open. There are nine candidates running for five seats. A candidates forum will be held Saturday, March 15 at Reston Association headquarters at 10 a.m.
Reston Association members should have received an election guide and ballot in the mail last week.
Reston Now will have Q & As with each candidate running daily this week and next. In the spirit of fairness, each candidate was given the same questions.
Today’s Q & A is with Jeff Thomas, one of five candidates running for the three-year At-large term.
Q: How long have you lived in Reston?
A: I have lived in Reston for 43 years.
Q: What inspired you to run for the board?
A: I have always been committed to volunteerism and supporting my community — and encouraging others to do so through my many years of service supporting Reston’s youth sports programs, experience on the RA Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, and working with the Fairfax County Park Authority on improvements to local parks.
I have been very fortunate to work with a range of outstanding and committed Restonians. It was really through the encouragement of my fellow volunteers that I decided to run for the RA Board. As Reston prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary, our community faces a time of dramatic change and uncertainty, I believe that my perspective as a 43-year Reston resident, combined with my work with Reston volunteer organizations, and 25 years of professional experience, that I have a thoughtful and reasonable voice to lend to the RA Board. Read More
Northern Virginia residents are urged to take part in a statewide tornado drill Tuesday at 9:45 a.m.
The Fairfax County Office of Emergency Management says the drill is an important safety exercise in an effort to remain safe should tornado strike.
While not commonly considered “tornado country,” Virginia has had 70 since 2011, including one in Reston. In total, they have caused more than $3 million in damage.
The National Weather Service will be testing its alert system as part of the drill. When the drill begins, immediately protect yourself by going to a designated shelter-in-place or to the center of an interior room on the lowest level away from corners, windows, doors, and outside walls, Fairfax County emergency managers say.
The Virginia Department of Emergency Management has these tips on organizing a drill in your home or office as well as information on how to spot the signs of a tornado.
Find more information on the Statewide Tornado Drill or additional drill resources at the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM). Find more information on tornadoes from FEMA at http://www.ready.gov/tornadoes.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe has designated March 11 as Tornado Preparedness Day in Virginia.
South Lakes High School’s DECA marketing and management students earned two first-place titles and qualified 25 students for international competition in May at last weekend’s Virginia DECA State Leadership Conference in Virginia Beach.
The 36 SLHS students tested their skills in role-play events, rebranding plans, entrepreneurship and defended marketing research and public relations campaigns.
- Individual Role Play Events: Food Marketing Top 20 — Vikky Batra; Restaurant & Food Service Management –- Finalist Gabe Davis; Social Media Top 16 — Molly Sheets.
- Team Decision Making: Travel & Tourism Marketing Team Decision — Top 20 — Cole Palley and Micky Kumbi
- Written Events: Sports & Entertainment Research Top 16 — Angela Barrale, Henning Baussus and Nik Baussus; Business Services Research Finalist — Rachel Heatherly, Paige Barlow and Ted Madden; Buying and Merchandising Research First Place Finalist — Allison LeMair, Hans Baussus and Joe Li; Entrepreneurship Written Finalist — Mallika Suri, Chance Konnor and David Logan; Entrepreneurship Written Finalist — Jasmine Shuey, Katie Wolfe and Matthew Crump; Entrepreneurship Innovation Plan Finalist — Shannon Meehan, Lindsey Cohen and Joshua Forrest; Entrepreneurship Innovation Finalist — Sneha Kuchipudi, Sweetlove Reyes and Brentan Walters.
- Chapter Events: Chapter competition requires group participation of DECA members. The event involves planning and execution of a public relation campaign and a creative marketing research project held in the business community.
- Public Relations Project: Capitol Hill campaign lobbying for campus fire safety, “Contain The Flame” — State Finalist — Kelly Carney, Virginia Bulger and Gavin Brown.
- Creative Marketing Research: Study to determine how and why residents keep their porch lights on, “Light’s ON, Crime Off”– First Place State Finalist — Tad Mich, Dania Rivas and Nicky Kandola.
- Advisor Virginia Bulger was elected to lead 14,000 Virginia DECA Members for the 2014-15 school year.
Herndon’s Mainor a future medical leader — Seara Minor, a sophomore at Herndon High, recently attended the Congress of Future Medical Leaders in Washington, D.C. This honors-only program is designed for exceptional high school students who want to become physicians or go into medical research, and is sponsored by the National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists. Mainor represented Virginia at the conference, and was nominated based on her academic achievement, leadership potential, and determination to serve humanity in the field of medicine.
Hughes Student Wins NOAA Art Contest — Elizabeth Shaw, a student at Langston Hughes Middle, has been named winner of the 2014 Marine Debris Art Contest, sponsored by NOAA. Shaw’s drawing of marine debris was selected from over 400 entries across the U.S. and will appear on NOAA’s 2015 Marine Debris Planner, an annual planner used for marine debris education and outreach.
Have some Reston-area school news? Send it to [email protected].
Voting for the 2014 Reston Association Board of Directors election is now open. There are nine candidates running for five seats. A candidates forum will be held Saturday, March 15 at Reston Association headquarters at 10 a.m.
Reston Association members will receive an election guide and ballot in the mail this week.
Reston Now will have Q & As with each candidate running daily this week and next. In the spirit of fairness, each candidate was given the same questions.
Today’s Q & A is with Rachel Muir, who is running for the one-year At-Large seat (made available when Donna Rostant resigned last year).
Q: How long have you lived in Reston?
A: Our young family moved from Leesburg, VA to Post Mill Lane in North Reston on Feb. 27, 1988. I first became involved in Reston’s community life, visiting Reston’s church communities, joining the Reston Master’s Swim Team in 1984-85 and becoming involved with the Reston Triathlon in 1986. A sudden move from Colorado to Virginia brought us to Leesburg but we soon relocated to Reston, a community we love and where we have happily lived the past 26 years. Over that time we have lived in both north Reston and south Reston and in a condo, two single family homes and a townhouse. We have enjoyed being in easy walking distance to schools and shopping areas and living adjacent to one of Reston’s treasures, the Walker Nature Center. These versatile lifestyle options make our community an attractive place to live.
Q: What inspired you to run for the board?
A: A belief in the importance of public service was handed down to me by my parents. They both served in World War II and met here in the Washington area. Their continued service as outstanding public employees and community volunteers, have always inspired my actions. Reston is a community of volunteers and our schools, arts, cultural activities, conservation of natural landscapes, and our remarkable sports programs all run on the powerful engine of volunteerism. I have been part of many of these activities over the years.
I am inspired to run for the Board now because the decisions made over the next few years will shape the future of Reston for decades. It is a time of great opportunity and also a period of risk where the social, economic and environmental values that make Reston a sustainable and livable community can be diminished or lost. My experience in environmental science and policy, urban studies and ecology are skills that are well suited to meet the challenges currently facing RA. Read More
Senior Daniel Johnsen earned all-state honors in one individual event and two relays for South Lakes High School at the Virginia High School League 6A Indoor Track and Field Championships Feb. 27-March 1 at the Boo Williams Sportsplex in Hampton.
The girls team finished 12th; the boys were 10th out of 52 schools represented.
Johnsen ran a personal best time of 1:06.33 to finish third in the 500 meters. He teamed with seniors Michael Kerr, Khayri Denny and Luis Rivas for the fourth in the 4×400 meter relay (3:28.23). Johnsen, Kerr, Rivas and junior Andrew McCool ran 8:06.12 for sixth in the 4×800 meter relay.
Both Denny and senior Danielle Hale finished third in their respective divisions of the long jump. Denny had a jump of 22-03.00 while Hale jumped 17-08.25.
Junior Delaney Wickman had a personal best time of 1:16.65 in the 500 meters for sixth. She teamed with senior Grace Gillen, junior Claire Nieusma and sophomore Golden Kumi-Darfour for a season-best time of 4:00.36 and fourth-place in the 4×400 meter relay.
The girls 4×800 team of sophomores Kumi-Darfour, Monica Lannen, and seniors Gillen and Abby Reinhold ran a school-record 9:34.74 for seventh place. The previous mark of 9:39.48 was set in February 2013.
Other performances at the state meet:
- Girls triple jump: Hale, 36-03.00 (8th); junior Comfort Reed, 35-11.50 (9th)
- Girls 55 meter hurdles: freshman Devyn Jones, 8.77 (personal best, 9th)
- Boys 55 meters: Denny, 6.77 (13th)
- Girls 500 meters: Kumi-Darfour, 1:17.79 (9th)
- Boys 4×200 meter relay: seniors Ben O’Connor, Marcus Harrell, Denny and junior Sam Arpee, 1:35.08 (10th)
— Submitted by Valerie Lister
Voting for the 2014 Reston Association Board of Directors election opens on Tuesday. There are nine candidates running for five seats. A candidates forum will be held Saturday, March 15 at Reston Association headquarters at 10 a.m.
Reston Association members will receive an election guide and ballot in the mail this week.
Reston Now will have Q & As with each candidate running daily this week and next. In the spirit of fairness, each candidate was given the same questions.
Today’s profile: Lucinda Shannon, who is running unopposed for the three-year Hunters Woods/Dogwood seat.
Q: How long have you lived in Reston?
A: My husband, dog, and I moved to Reston seven years ago because it had an independent bookstore and the most trees in Northern Virginia. Before that, I was living in Arlington. We rented a townhouse in the Dogwood Cluster, then moved East on Glade and bought a townhouse in the Wharf Cluster and about a year ago purchased a single family house off of Old Trail Drive. We really like the neighborhoods off Glade Drive and in that area in general. The woods and hiking trails are great, not to mention the water slide at the Glade pool!
I am originally from Massachusetts and I have lived in and studied many cities and towns that are examples of sustainable planning and land use, including Portland, Ore., and San Francisco.
Q: What inspired you to run for the Board?
A: I am always looking for ways to contribute to my community. I am a volunteer with the Virginia German Shepherd Rescue, the Reston Useful Service Exchange, Reston for a Lifetime, and the Fairfax Area Mobility & Transportation Committee. I attend the RA Environmental Advisory Committee meetings and help with their Sustainability Working Group; I also correspond with the RA Transportation Advisory Committee and sit in on RA Board Meetings.
I guess I am a policy wonk. I have a degree in public policy and administration and I have always been fascinated with land use, transportation, and empowering people to engage in the public process. I want to bring more diversity to the board and represent the Hunters Woods and Dogwood District Members of the Reston Association. I have worked in the non-profit/human service policy field for 10 years. I ride public transportation, walk and bike, have a community garden plot, and I do not have any investment properties in Reston, or anywhere else.
I want to represent the interests of my neighbors in the Hunters Woods and Dogwood District, including the non-English speaking Members of the RA. I think that it is important to engage all the Members of the RA and clearly define the RA’s objectives. Sometimes all that people hear from the RA is the rules and what they did wrong, but they don’t understand why we have those rules. I want to reach out to the residents of the Hunters Woods and Dogwood Districts and engage them in the Reston Association’s goals and values.
(Updated at 6:55 p.m.) Reston and the rest of the D.C. region are under a Winter Storm Warning starting at midnight tonight (Sunday).
Forecasters say 6-10 inches of snow is possible. Meanwhile, the Office of Personnel Management has just announced that federal offices will be closed on Monday.
From the National Weather Service:
… WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 PM EST MONDAY…
* PRECIPITATION TYPE… FREEZING RAIN… SLEET… AND HEAVY SNOW.
* ACCUMULATIONS… UP TO ONE TENTH INCH OF ICE… THEN 6 TO 10 INCHES OF SNOW.
* TIMING… RAIN CHANGES TO FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET FROM NORTH TO SOUTH AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT… THEN BECOMES HEAVY SNOW LATE TONIGHT AND CONTINUING THROUGH MONDAY.
* TEMPERATURES… DROPPING FROM THE LOWER 30S AROUND MIDNIGHT TO THE MID 20S LATE TONIGHT… THEN LOWER 20S MONDAY.
* WINDS… NORTH 10 TO 15 MPH. GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH LATE TONIGHT AND MONDAY.
* IMPACTS… HAZARDOUS TRAVEL DUE TO ICE AND SNOW OVERNIGHT AND MONDAY. BOTH THE MONDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON RUSH HOURS WILL BE AFFECTED. POWER OUTAGES ARE POSSIBLE WITH THE COMBINATION OF ICE AND HEAVY SNOW.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
THIS WINTER STORM WARNING IS FOR HEAVY SNOW… SLEET… AND FREEZING RAIN AND MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF ICE AND SNOW ARE FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS AND POTENTIALLY CAUSE POWER OUTAGES. ONLY TRAVEL IN AN EMERGENCY. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL… KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT… FOOD… AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.
Have somewhere you need to be in Reston Sunday morning?
Pay attention to where the Reston 1o Miler Road Race will be happening. Roads will not be closed, but lanes will be blocked so runners can get through the course, which will mostly go through South Reston.
The race, sponsored by Potomac River Running, will start at end at South Lakes High School and go through nearby streets such as Ridge Heights Road, South Lakes Drive, Colts Neck Road, Sunrise Valley Drive and Twin Branches Road.
See attached map for complete course.
The race begins at 8 a.m. on Sunday, March 2. Registration is full, but feel free to come out and cheer on your favorite runner.
South Lakes boys and girls basketball teams, as well as Herndon’s boys team, all advanced in North Regional 6A play on Monday.
Highlights:
Herndon (22-2), ranked No. 13 by The Washington Post, broke the 100-point barrier with a 106-52 win over Patriot. Patriot (4-20), of Prince William County, had won just one game all season before winning three straight to take its conference title.
South Lakes girls, (23-3), ranked No. 12 by the Post, were led by senior Abigail Rendle with 18 points in a 71-43 victory over Lake Braddock.
South Lakes boys (18-8), which has lost only one game since late January, continued its run with a 64-48 victory over West Potomac. Brandon Kamga scored 28 points for the Seahawks.
Regional action continues Tuesday. South Lakes girls host Centreville at 5:45 p.m., followed by the boys against Robinson at 7:30 p.m. Herndon hosts Hayfield at 7:30 p.m.
The Region semifinals and finals are Thursday and Friday at Robinson High School.
South Lakes boys and girls basketball teams both won the Liberty Conference 6 Tournament titles on Saturday, advancing to Northern Regional play.
The boys (17-8, 8-1) held off Hayfield for a 60-59 victory Saturday. Brandon Kamga scored the game-winning layup with 3.6 seconds remaining. Kamga was among four SLHS players in double figures. The win was the fifth in a row for South Lakes, which has gone 11-1 in the last month of the season.
The boys team will play West Potomac at home Monday at 7:30 p.m.
The girls team (22-3, 8-1), ranked in the top 20 by The Washington Post all season, had little trouble with Madison in the Liberty final. The Seahawks defeated the Warhawks 60-42.
Princess Aghayere led the Seahawks with 20 points and 22 rebounds. She was named tournament MVP. Senior Abigail Rendle and Aghayere were all also named to the first-team all conference team, and Rendle was named to the all-tournament team.
The girls will host Lake Braddock at 5:45 p.m. Monday in Northern Region play.
Herndon High’s boys team (21-2, 9-1) also repeated as champions of their conference. They defeated the Robinson Rams, 79-67 for the Concorde Conference 6 title.
Herndon will host Patriot High School (Prince William County) for the first round game of the Region 6A North Tournament on Monday at 7:30 p.m.
Victories in the boys 500 meters, long jump and 4×400 meter relay highlighted the South Lakes High School indoor track team’s performance at the 6A North Regional Championship Wednesday at the Prince George’s Sportsplex in Landover, Md.
SLHS will be represented by 20 athletes at the 6A State Indoor Championships Feb. 27-March 1 in Hampton.
Senior Daniel Johnsen won the 500 meters in 1:06.08. He also anchored the winning 4×400 relay team (3:28.16) of seniors Michael Kerr, Luis Rivas and junior Sam Arpee. Johnsen also finished fourth in the 300 meters with a 36.87.
The top six finishers in each of the regional events advance to the state track meet.
Khayri Denny jumped 22-5.25 to win the regional title in the long jump. The senior also finished fifth in the 55 meters (6.65), sixth in the 300 meters (37.22) and 15th in the triple jump (39-3.50). Denny teamed with seniors Ben O’Connor, Marcus Harrell and Anthony Mayo for a fourth place finish in the 4×200 (1:34.72).
Junior Delaney Wickman was second in the 500 meters (1:16.67) while sophomore Golden Kumi-Darfour finished fifth (1:17.56). Freshman Devyn Jones ran a 8.90 in the 55 meter hurdles for fifth place and a trip to states and junior Comfort Reed placed fourth in the triple jump with a leap of 36-2. Reed was also 12th in the long jump (16-2).
Other top six performances at the regional meet include:
Girls 4×400 relay team of juniors Ozioma Chinaka, Maya Rodriguez, Kumi-Darfour and Jones ran a 4:10.20 for sixth place.
Senior Abby Reinhold, juniors Erin Bidwell and Gabrielle Acosta and sophomore Monica Lannen placed sixth in the girls 4×800 (10:03.14).
SLHS performances at the 6A North Region Championships also included: Girls 4×200 relay (12th, 1:56.10); boys 4×800 relay (9th, 8:22.46); Arpee, 500 meters (9th, 1:08.65); Chinaka, pole vault (10th, 7-9), shot put (22nd, 27-9.75); Grace Gillen, 500 meters (8th, 1:20.33); Kerr, 500 meters (8th, 1;08.23); Lannen, 3200 meters (16th, 12:18.31); Jordan Lozama, 55 meters (13th, 7.62), shot put (23rd, 27-3); Mayo, long jump (8th, 20-4.75); Andrew McCool, 1,600 meters (11th, 4:32.21), 3,200 meters (18th, 10:10.65); Khoa Nguyen, long jump (21st, 18-6), triple jump (13th, 40-3.25); Claire Nieusma, 500 meters (12th, 1:20.59); Reinhold, 1,000 meters (16th, 3:22.92); Rivas, 1,00 meters (7th, 2:41.02); Rodriguez, 55 meter hurdles (8th, 9.21); Alex Rudison, triple jump (16th, 38-8); Nathan Stone, 55 meter hurdles (20th, 9.21); Kristin Tran, long jump (19th, 13-3); Wickman, 300 meters (8th, 42.70).
Kahryi Denny and Daniel Johnsen compete for South Lakes. Credit: Gabrielle Lozama.
