Help on Healthcare Decisions Day — Thursday, April 16 is National Healthcare Decisions Day. Reston Hospital Center is holding an event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the hospital to provide education and information about advance planning.
South Lakes Student a 3D Printing Pioneer — South Lakes High School sophomore Pouyan Ahmdi runs the MakerBot 3D design and printing studio — the only purpose built 3-D printing studio in the Northern Virginia area. [Fairfax Times]
Reston Meeting on Police Games — Fairfax County is hosting the World Police and Fire Games June 26 to July 5 and many sporting events and Athletes Village will be located in the Reston. There will be a meeting April 21, 7 p.m. at South Lakes High School to learn more about volunteering and opportunities to be involved.
Photo: Lake Audubon/Credit: Joy Every
FCPS Student Admitted To All Eight Ivies — Meet Pooja Chandrashekar, a Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology senior who was offered admission to all eight Ivy League Schools for the Class of 2019. [Washington Post]
Still Room For Runners — Reston Runners’ Women’s Training Program still has space. Registration closes on April 20 and the program begins April 27. [Reston Now]
New Look For SLHS Site — South Lakes High School has a new look for its website. [South Lakes High School]
South Lakes Runner Has State Qualifying Time — Junior Skander Ballard finished third in the 400 meters with a state-meet qualifying time of 49.35 at the =PR= Northern Virginia Invitational April 10-11 at Robinson Secondary School. Ballard led more than 20 Seahawks in qualifing for postseason meets.
All Met Honors — Herndon High sophomore Emily Melius was selected to the first-team girls swimming All-Met team by the Washington Post. Melius beat her own Virginia 6A state meet record in the 100 backstroke 55.08. [Washington Post]
Fairfax Officer Suspended — A Fairfax County Police officer was suspended after it was discovered the officer uploaded child porn to a social media site. FCPD did not identify the officer. [Washington Post]
Good Sports — Herndon Reston Youth Lacrosse presented the Lou Petersen Memorial Awards last week. The award are presented annually to girls and boys team memebers from Herndon and South Lakes High Schools who exemplify sportsmanship on the field, citizenship off the field, and leadership in all endeavors. Winners: South Lakes, Nicole Salvatore and Joseph Flynn; Herndon, Alexis Duke and Boaz (Bo) Shull.
Ride To Provide April 18 — Former NFL Player Lorenzo Alexander’s Ride to Provide charity bike ride rolls through Reston on Saturday. The event, which will feature several current and former Redskins as well as media personalities, begins and ends at Reston Town Center and goes for 10-53 miles on the W&OD Trail. The event benefits several charities. [Ride to Provide]
Photo: Reston Association mascots and Reston founder Bob Simon kick of Nature House 5K Saturday/Courtesy Friends of Reston
Meet Writer Kwame Alexander — Lake Anne Elementary is hosting 2014 Newberry Award Winner Kwame Alexander at a book signing on April 15. [Reston Now]
Bus Hits Guardrail on Dulles Access Road — Three passengers received medical evaluation after their Metrobus hit a Dulles Access Road guard rail late Wednesday. [Washington Post]
FCPD To Aid in Fighting Regional Heroin Abuse — Fairfax County Police Chief Ed Roessler will join with Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-10) and representatives from the Drug Enforcement Agency and FBI on a regional Heroin Operations Team in Northern Virginia. [Fairfax Times]
Walk For A Cause — Walk MS Reston is at 7 a.m. Saturday at Reston Town Center. Hundreds (including you?) will walk to raise awareness and money for Multiple Sclerosis? [Walk MS]
Photo: New mosaic at Hunters Woods Elementary created by sixth-graders/Courtesy HWES
Teachers Speak Out — Several Fairfax County educators were among those testifying to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors at budget hearings on Tuesday. Teachers implored the supervisors to find more funding for schools. [WTOP]
Dogwood Gets a Grant — Dogwood Elementary’s Eco Schools Club recently received a $3,000 FCPS Schoolyard Improvement Grant to support student research on interdependent plants and pollinators by designing and creating a pollinators’ garden. Students will learn how bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other wildlife are helpful to plants. Plants chosen for this garden will be Virginia native plants that do not require a lot of extra water but can survive and thrive in Virginia’s climate.
Coming Soon: Bike To Work Day — Reston Station (adjacent to the Wiehle-Reston East Metro) is a pit stop on the area’s Bike to Work Day on May 15. Sign up to bike to work and stop in at pit stops along the way for camaraderie and treats. [Bike To Work Day]
Casino Night For A Cause — The Reston Community Orchestra is hosting its Casino Night fundraiser Saturday at 7 p.m. at Reston Community Center Hunters Woods. Admission starts at $65 and includes food, a starter chip stack and entry for raffle prizes. [Reston Community Orchestra]
Big Acquisition for Maximus — Reston-based Maximus Inc. has completed its acquisition of Falls Church-based technology contractor. Maximus acquired the company for $300 million. [Washington Business Journal]
Ready For Ruling — Attorneys for citizens advocacy group Rescue Reston has submitted more than a dozen documents and pieces of evidence for the Fairfax County Board of Zoning Appeals to take into consideration in advance of its April 15 ruling on Reston National Golf Course. [Rescue Reston]
Storm Still Having Impact in Fairfax County — County 911 operators will get new standards nearly three years after the Derecho that swept through Reston. [WTOP]
Photo: Bloodroot plants in Reston garden/Courtesy of Ken Plum
Grant Hill Finds Solid Place In Broadcasting — Reston native Grant Hill, a graduate of South Lakes High School, had standout careers in college and pro basketball. But with the 2015 NCAA Tournament, he is showing some serious TV broadcasting chops too. [Washington Post]
Virginia Near Top On Car Tax — The website Wallet Hub details the states with the highest car tax. Virginia ranks No. 50, which means the commonwealth (Average bill for car owners: $950 annually) is second only to Rhode Island ($1,133). [Wallet Hub]
Big Partnership for Urgent.ly — Urgentl.ly, a roadside assistance app founded by Reston residents, has signed a partnership with Zendrive Accident Detection, a service that instantly determines that an accident has taken place at a particular location. [Zendrive]
Woody’s Golf To Close After 35 Years — Popular Herndon mini golf course and driving range Woody’s will close later this year, its owner said. Founder Woody FitzHugh says Route 7 construction will mean he is shuttering the business by fall. [Fairfax Times]
Keeping Kids Safe Online — Herndon High School (700 Bennet St., Herndon) is hosting a seminar tonight at 6:30 p.m. “Keeping Your Kids Safe: Vulnerabilities Through Technology and Social Media.” This will be an informative, interactive, community discussion on how your kids are using technology, and how technology can be used against your kids. Topics include bullying, “sexting”, social media and more.
GRACE Still Needs You — Greater Reston Arts Center is still looking for volunteers and saplings for the Patrick Dougherty sculpture installation later this month. [SignUp Genius]
Passover Plans — The Jewish holiday of Passover begins Friday at sundown. Chabad of Reston-Herndon is hosting a community Seder open to all Friday at 7:30 p.m. ($40/per person). [Chabad of Reston-Herndon]
Police: Social Media Helped Capture Prisoner — Fairfax County Police say social media helped capture Woosen Assaye, the federal prisoner who escaped from authorities at Inova Fairfax Hospital this week. After a six-hour, regionwide search, Assaye was located in the District. [Fairfax County Police]
TJ Admits Nearly 500 — Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology has offered admission to 493 students to the Class of 2019. There were 2,841 applications from Northern Virginia eighth graders. [FCPS]
New GRACE Exhibit Opens April 16 — Greater Reston Arts Center will open Patterson Clark: Edicole. An artist’s talk will take place April 18. Patterson Clark is the author and illustrator of The Washington Post’s Urban Jungle natural history column and his works are connected to nature. [GRACE]
How Leidos Chose DC United — A look at how Reston-based Leidos picked Major League Soccer’s DC United’s jerseys as a place to post its logo. [Washington Business Journal]
Aldrin Gets A Bank — Reston’s Buzz Aldrin Elementary will open a new student-run branch of Middleburg Bank on Wednesday, April 8. All students will have the opportunity to open a Cool Fox account with the bank. The goal of the new Aldrin branch is to promote financial literacy, offer leadership opportunities to students, and integrate math curriculum into the experience of banking. The branch will be staffed by sixth graders.
Keep Social Service Programs — Advocates for two of Fairfax County’s human service programs are asking the Board of Supervisors to spare them in the face of budget cuts. [Fairfax Times]
Runners ready for 2015 Runners Marathon of Reston/Credit: Brian Kent Photography
New Leader for Nonprofit — Northern Virginia Family Service (NVFS) has promoted Stephanie Berkowitz has been promoted to president and chief executive officer. Berkowitz is currently senior vice president of programs at NVFS. [NVFS]
Virginia Third Among AP Test Takers — Virginia third in the nation for the number of high school students taking Advanced Placement tests. Maryland leads the list . [WTOP]
Runners Marathon Results — Christopher Comson, 33 (2:50:55) and Kimberli O’Connell, 30 (3:28:55) were the men’s and women’s winners of the Runners Marathon of Reston on Sunday. Complete results and age group winners are now available on the race website. [Runners Marathon of Reston]
Fun On Easter Sunday — Restoration Church is hosting Easter Services and a free egg hunt for kids on Sunday at Forest Edge Elementary School, beginning at 10:15 a.m. [Reston Now]
Want Young Employees? Locate Near Metro — Even companies in suburbs are taking into account Metro access in order to attract car-free Millennials. As three major employers recently signed big leases in Reston, impact is here. [Washington Post]
Hanley Named to Election Board — Reston’s Kate Hanley has been named to the Fairfax County Election Board for a three-year term. Hanley is the former Chair of the County Board of Supervisors (1995-2003). [Fairfax County]
New Financing for Reston Hotel — JBG has received a $27 million loan from Mesa West Capital to refinance the Westin Reston Heights, Mesa West announced. The hotel, along with a 194-unit residential tower and 140,000-square foot office building anchors the first phase of JBG’s 35-acre Reston Heights mixed-used development.
Diverse Fairfax, But Not Local Officials — Fairfax County has significant Asian, Latino and African American population, but that is not reflected in leadership except for Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins [Washington Post]
Play Ball — Hundreds of young baseball players will fill the streets as Reston Little League Opening Day Parade will take place Saturday, April 11, 9:30 a.m. at Reston Town Center.
Kudos For SLHS Musicians — South Lakes High School’s Music Department received Superior ratings Band, Guitar, Orchestra and Chorus at the recent state evaluations. The Music Department will receive the prestigious Blue Ribbon Award again this year from the Virginia Music Educators Association.
Call For Young Artists — High School student artists living in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District are encouraged to enter the annual Congressional Art Competition, An Artistic Discovery. Winners will be announced in May, and winning entries will hang in the U.S. Capitol for one year. [Rep. Gerry Connolly website]
Know An Outstanding Park Authority Volunteer? — Nominate a group or individual that has given back to the Fairfax County Park Authority for the 2015 Elly Doyle Park Service Awards. [Fairfax County Park Authority]
Photo: Little runners at the Kids Mighty Mile at Reston Town Center March 28/Credit: Reston Town Center via Facebook
More Cuts For Libraries — Fairfax County Public Library employees say cutbacks are hurting the already struggling system. [Fairfax Times]
Police Programs For Teens — The Fairfax County Police will hold a Teen Police Academy this August for high school students interested in a law enforcement career. [FCPD]
SLHS’ Sneak Peek: Hairspray — The South Lakes High School Theatre Arts program is busy rehearing for the musical Hairspray, which will run the last weekend in April and the first weekend in May. [YouTube]
Reston Part Of Location Trend? — Young people are seeking homes near urban-style, town-center type suburban areas. [Al Jazeera]
Herndon High Student Earns Top Writing Honor — Herndon High School’s Colleen Flanagan won a Gold Key in the 2015 Scholastic Writing Awards Competition. [FCPS]
Photo: Terraset Elementary students make African masks in GRACE Art enrichment/Courtesy Terraset PTA
Changes At The Top In Wake Of Police Shooting — Fairfax County’s Attorney David Bobzien said changes are coming to the management structure if his office to fix communication problems that were part of the county’s handling of an investigation into the August 2013 fatal shooting of an unarmed man. [Washington Post]
Honors For South Lakes HS Magazine – South Lakes High School’s student literary magazine, Portfolio, (Suzanne Abdelrazaq, adviser), earned a Silver Crown at the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) awards for excellence in scholastic journalism in New York City last week. SLHS was one of six Fairfax County public schools to earn an award. [FCPS]
New Nearby — Longtime Reston Farmers Market vendor 100 Bowls of Soup now has a retail shop and kitchen in Herndon. [Modern Reston]
RA Hires New CFO — Reston Association has hired Robert Wood as its new Chief Financial Officer. He comes from Opower in Arlington, where he was Director of Accounting Operations. He replaces David Harris, who recently left for a new opportunity. [Reston Association]
