Three freshman from South Lakes High School won first place awards at the Fairfax County Regional Science and Engineering Fair at Robinson High School last weekend. They will move on to the Virginia State Science Fair in Lexington April 8-9.
Winners included Ghaaliyah Brown (The Effect of Garlic Juice on the Growth Rate of Oral Bacteria); Rachel Taylor (The Effect of Roadside Pollutants on Plant Growth); and Alessandra Mandala-Kol (The Effect of Type of Compost on the Health of Kidney Bean Plant).
South Lakes sent 20 students to the fair, which featured more than 400 county students. All the SLHS students’ projects were place winners.
Other winners:
Honorable Mentions: Ilana Levy and Alex Loukili.
Third Place: Soemi Photavath, Anna Prater, Rachel Kessler, Anika Kumar, Sanika Lawate, Michael Gmarnik, Phillip Bladen, Lina Modjarrad; and the team of Daniel Sprague and Caroline Kulczycky.
Second Place: Stephanie Williams, Gwyneth Pudner, Aravindan Balaguru, Michelle Whitlock; team of Jacob Mamros, Max Peters, and Ashton Reinhold; team of Samuel Wirth and Charles Zawacki.
For complete FCPS Regional Science Fair information, visit FCPS’ website.
Students from South Lakes High School and Herndon High School are among the 22 students chosen for this year’s Student Peace Awards of Fairfax County.
The students will be honored in a reception at Sherwood Community Center in Fairfax Sunday.
Local awardees include:
Aditi Takle, senior, South Lakes High School
Takle is president of the school’s chapter of Girls Learn International, a national nonprofit that seeks to provide resources and support to girls in other countries from low-income families who want to have an education, but whose families either cannot afford to send them to school or who, with the limited resources at their disposal, prioritize their sons’ educations. The chapter raises money for a school in India and holds advocacy events to raise awareness of the plight of so many girls across the globe who need access to education and opportunities for greater self-sufficiency. Aditi is also a volunteer with Cornerstones, where she tutors elementary school students from low-income families.
Smriti Subedi, Senior, Herndon High School
The disastrous earthquakes last year in Smirti’s country-of-origin Nepal inspired her to organize relief efforts to assist Nepalese people suffering loss of their homes, livelihoods, food, and water. As president of Herndon High’s Interact Club, she organized students to raise money and collect material goods to provide relief. She and her family volunteered in Nepal over the summer, helping in schools and hospitals.
High schools in Fairfax County may recognize one junior or senior who devotes time, energy and creativity to being peacemakers in local, national or international service, says Reston’s Ken Fredgren, who is on the awards committee.
The Student Peace Awards of Fairfax County started in 2006 with the hope of moving people to think more about peace as both a means and an end, andto recognize young people who work as peacemakers, says Fredgren.
Honorees receive a monetary gift as well as a gift made in their honor to a peace-focused charity of his or her choice.
The Nova Mini Maker Faire — a gathering of more than one hundred inventors, craftspeople, hackers and others who “make things” — returns to Reston on March 13.
The regionwide family-friendly event calls itself “the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth–a family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker Movement. It’s a place where people show what they are making, and share what they are learning.”
The Mini Maker Faire runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Langston Hughes Middle School and South Lakes High School.
Makers will share their knowledge through hands-on projects for adults and
children on topics ranging from blacksmithing and primitive skills to 3D printing, drones and robots to creative reuse of recycled materials to creative art-making, say Mini Maker Faire organizers.
The event is organized by Nova Labs of Reston.
Makers will be grouped in neighborhoods by their topic. Neighborhoods include: Young Makers, Drone Zone, Robotics, 3D Printing, Science Lab, Fiber Alley, Sustainability Village, and more.
Makers returning from last year include: Children’s Science Center, Craig Trader’s Chaos Machine (large marble machine), Nova Labs Learn to Solder, Blacksmithing demonstration by Everest Gromoll, and DC Area Drone User Group.
See the whole list of makers on the event’s website.
Advance tickets are available online now. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for children through March 12. New this year is a family ticket $40, which is good for a family of 5 and is available only in advance. Tickets at the door are $20 for adults and $8 for children.
Volunteer opportunities are still available and include a free admission ticket.
Photo: 2015 Mini Maker Faire/Credit: Jennifer van der Kleut
The South Lakes Boys Track indoor track and field team finished second overall in the 6A North Region Championship Thursday at the Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex in Landover, Md.
Other highlights from the meet were victories in the boys’ and girls’ hurdle events, two school records, a second-place team finish and qualifying all six relay teams for the state meet.
The boys finished second to Alexandria’s T.C. Williams High School in the 26-team field while the girls were sixth. The top six finishers in each event earned a spot in next weekend’s 6A State Championship Feb. 26-27 in Hampton.
Senior Anas Fain successfully defended his regional title in the 55 meter hurdles in winning the event in 7.63, a personal best. He also teamed with seniors Alex Rudison, Eric Kirlew and Timiebi Ogobri for second in the 4×200 meter relay (1:33.79). Ogobri was fourth in the 55 meters (6.65 prelims, 6.66 finals) and Kirlew finished fourth in the triple jump (43-11.25) followed by senior Skander Ballard (43-09.00).
The triple jump was one of three individual events Ballard had state meet qualifying finishes. He was third in the 300 meters (35.85) and fourth in the 500 meters (1:06.24). Senior Nikolai Waithe was fourth in the 500 (1:08.76). Ballard, Waithe and seniors Connor Smith and John LeBerre finished second in the 4×400 meter relay with a 3:27.54.
LeBerre was also fourth in the 100 meters (2:35.96) and anchored the 4×800 meter relay team of Smith and juniors Peter Sepulveda and Jack Watkins to fourth in that event (8:19.13).
Junior Devyn Jones is also a region champion, winning the 55 hurdles in 8.40. Junior Nikayla Hoyte and sophomore Olivia Beckner advanced to states in individual events with school-record breaking performances:
Hoyte ran a 7.28 in the preliminaries of the 55 meters and advance to the finals, where she finished sixth (7.35). The previous record of 7.31 was set by Lachelle Wallace during the 2008-2009 season.
Beckner finished third in the 1,000 meter run with a time of 2:58.47 breaking the school record of 2:59.64 set by Anne Evans during the1987-1988 season. Senior Golden Kumi-Darfour was fourth with a 2:58.65.
Jones and Hoyte teamed with freshman Cara Hutson and Lena Weimerskirch for fourth in the 4×200 meter relay (1:47.47), qualifying the team for the state meet. Jones, Beckner, Kumi-Darfour and freshman Sophie Halkett ran a 4:03.77 for second in the 4×400 meter relay.
Photo: SLHS hurdler Anas Fain is regional 55-meter hurdle champion/Credit: Ed Lull
Eight rock bands featuring Reston-area elementary, middle and high schoolers will compete for cash prizes — and bragging rights — Sunday at Ned Devine’s in Herndon.
The 2016 Battle of the Bands is a fundraiser for the South Lakes High School Band Boosters. Proceeds will help pay for scholarships, instrument purchase and repair and uniforms.
Competing are Catchin’ Toads; Citizen’s Arrest; Cymbalize; Insolence; Fourth Electric; The Generics; The Runner’s Up; The Unexpected.
The bands will be judged on sound, musicianship, stage presence and originality as they play sets of 15 minutes.
The panel of judges includes Karen Goff (Reston Now Editor); Ryan McIlveen (FCPS School Board Member); Bruce Butler (Former SLHS Principal); Michael Pereira (Drummer from Sub-Radio Standard); David Lang (Artistic Director of Reston Chorale); and Vinny Roth (Songwriter and Guitar Play, The Vinny Roth Band).
Tickets are $10 in advance online or $12 at the door.
Ned Devine’s is located at 2465 Centreville Rd, Herndon (Clocktower Shopping Center). Doors open at 4 p.m.
Paced by record-setting performances in the 500 meters, seniors Golden Kumi-Darfour and Skander Ballard led the South Lakes High School indoor track and field teams to Liberty Conference titles in both the boys and girls divisions Friday at the Prince George’s County Sports and Learning Complex in Landover, Md.
The South Lakes girls team scored 138.50 points and placed in 13 of the 15 events to win its fifth consecutive conference title. James Madison finished second with 89 points and McLean was third with 64. Langley scored 49.50 points for fourth, followed by Fairfax (44), Washington-Lee (39), Yorktown (21) and Hayfield Secondary (17).
SLHS boys team finished with 190 points, placing in 14 of 15 events, for its eighth straight conference championship. James Madison, was second with 55 points. Fairfax and Washington and Lee tied for third with 49 points followed by McLean (40), Hayfield Secondary (30), Yorktown (29) and Langley (23).
Fourteen SLHS girls and 15 boys contributed to the team scoring. Kumi-Darfour was unbeatable in all of her events, especially in the 500 meters where her 1:16.55 broke the meet record of 1:17.92 set in 2005.
Kumi-Darfour, along ith senior Monica Lannen, and sophomores Olivia Beckner and Sarah Wolfe, won the 4×800 meter relay (9:43.55). She finished the meet with a win in the 4×400 meter relay with Beckner, freshman Sophie Halkett and junior Jessica Lister.
Ballard also had multiple wins. His 1:07.16 time in winning the 500 meters broke the 2008 record of 1:07.55 set by Nick Vaughn. He also won the 300 meters (35.96), triple jump (43-09.00) and teamed with seniors Nikolai Waithe, Connor Smith and sophomore Alex Wallace in winning the 4×400 meter relay (3:33.28). Ballard was also fourth in the long jump (19-03.50) and seventh in the pole vault (10-06.00).
Additionally, SLHS dominated several events, including:
- Winning all six relays
- Girls 55 meter hurdles (freshman Kristen Williams, 9.82; senior Anas Fain, 7.72)
- Girls 55 meters (juniors Nikayla Hoyte; 7.42 and Timiebi Ogobri, 6.64)
- Boys 300 meters (Hoyte, 42.60; Ballard, 35.96)
- Boys 500 (Ballard, 1st; Waithe, 2nd, 1:08.38; Wallace, 3rd, 1:09.71; Smith, 5th, 1:10.02; senior Chris Byron, 6th, 1:10.69)
- Boys 300 (Ballard, 1st; Waithe, 2nd, 37.14; senior Eric Kirlew, 4th, 38.38; Wallace, 5th, 38.40, Ogobri 6th, 38.47)
- Girls 500 (Kumi-Darfour, 1st; Halkett, 4th, 1:20.99; Lister, 5th, 1:24.29)
- Girls 300 (Hoyte, 1st, 42.50; Jones, 2nd, 42.99; Halkett, 4th, 43.98)
Photo of SLHS indoor track teams by Brenda Wallace
The spring slate of Potomac River Running races kicks off in Reston at Sunday’s For The Love Of It 10K.
Here is what you need to know:
Race starts at 8 a.m. at South Lakes High School. The finish line is on the SLHS track.
The course runs on several nearby streets. Streets will not close, but lanes may be blocked. Affected streets include South Lakes Drive, Ridge Heights Road, Sunrise Valley Drive, Soapstone Drive and Colts Neck Road.
Online registration closes Thursday at 8 p.m. Advance registration is $40.
Registration also available Feb. 5 at packet pickup and on race day; $45.
All pre-registered runners will receive a Long Sleeve For the Love of It 10K commemorative technical shirt and all runners get post-race Valentine’s Day treats.
Reston Association and residents who live in neighborhoods across from South Lakes High School are increasing their efforts to bring awareness — and hopefully, action — about stormwater runoff eroding the land nearby.
Water from the school area runs under South Lakes Drive to a steep, downhill drainage ditch that runs between Cedar Cover Cluster and Wakerobin Lane into Lake Audubon. Fairfax County Public Schools officials say a planned 40,000-square-foot addition, as well as more than 100 additional parking spaces, will not add to the stormwater runoff.
Residents say they have dealt with soggy ground for years, and they expect the planned addition for the high school will only make the problem worse. Meanwhile, the school system applied for and received a waiver to meet updated runoff regulations, rather than new ones that went into effect last summer.
“Residents of Wakerobin and Cedar Cover Cluster have been plagued for more than two decades with the ever-growing ditch between our two developments,” Terry Maynard, a Wakerobin resident, told the RA Board in December.
Services will be held later this week for Michelle Buck, the South Lakes High School 2014 grad who was killed when she was struck by a car last week.
Buck, a sophomore at Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pa., was crossing a street in Collegeville Thursday when she was hit by the driver of a Nissan Murano. Police are still investigating the accident.
Services are at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, 432 Van Buren St. in Herndon on Wednesday.
There will be a viewing from 3 to 4 p.m. Funeral services are from 4 to 5 p.m. A reception begins at 5 p.m.
Buck, from the Fox Mill area of Herndon, had recently declared her intention to double major in philosophy and neuroscience, the college said. At South Lakes, she was an accomplished violinist, and she continued playing with a strings group at Ursinus.
South Lakes High School Class of 2014 graduate Michelle Buck was struck and killed by a driver Thursday in Collegeville, Pa., police there said.
Buck was a sophomore Dean’s List student at Ursinus College in Collegeville.
According to news reports, Buck was struck and killed at around 6:30 p.m. Police said Buck was walking east on the Main Street sidewalk and had stepped into a crosswalk when she was hit by a Nissan Rogue SUV. The Nissan was also traveling east. The driver did stop.
Police told local TV stations the driver is a local resident who is cooperating with the investigation.
“It is tragic when we lose a member of the Ursinus family,” said Ursinus President Brock Blomberg, in a message to campus following the accident. “Please join me in keeping her family and friends in your thoughts and prayers. I encourage all of us to find comfort and support in one another during this trying time.”
Buck, from the Fox Mill area of Herndon, had recently declared her intention to double major in philosophy and neuroscience, the school said.
Joel Bish, associate professor of psychology, said in a statement that Buck was a “delightful student” who was “quiet and unassuming, diligent and respectful.”
At South Lakes, Buck was active in the strings program, and continued playing in a violin ensemble in college.
Service information is pending.
Read more on Ursinus College’s website.
New Name For County Chamber — Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce is rebranding to gain a greater regional identity. [Washington Business Journal]
Reston Hospital Center Earns Industry Kudos — HCA Virginia’s Reston Hospital Center has been recognized as a 2014 Top Performers on Key Quality Measures by The Joint Commission – the leading accreditor of healthcare organizations in the United States. This is the fourth consecutive year that the hospital has earned this recognition and is among 106 HCA Hospitals in the country to earn the status.
Football Playoffs Tonight — South Lakes travels to Westfield at 7:30 p.m. for its second-round game in the Virginia 6A North Region Football Playoffs. Admission is $7. [Reston Now]
Niche Ranks Virginia High Schools — Education site Niche.com has ranked Virginia’s top 100 public high schools. South Lakes comes in at No. 37; Herndon is No. 51. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology tops the list. [Niche]
Photo: Buck at Walker Nature Edcuation Center/Credit: Walker Nature Center via Facebook
South Lakes High School’s Theatre Arts Department opens its fall production Thursday night. The students will present Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple — with a twist.
The classic comedy of sloppy sportswriter Oscar Madison and persnickety Felix Ungar as unlikely roommates will also be presented as the tale of Florence Ungar and Olive Madison in a female adaptation for some of the SLHS performances.
Here’s the performance schedule:
Thursday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. – Female
Friday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. – Male
Saturday, Nov. 21 at 2 p.m. – Female
Saturday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. – Male
Performances are in SLHS’ Little Theatre
Tickets:
There is a two-pack special that gives you one for each version:
$16 – Student/Senior
$20 – Adult
Individual tickets for a single performance are also available:
$10 – Student/Senior
$12 – Adult
Tickets are available at the box office prior to the show or on the South Lakes Theatre Arts website.
Get ready to run before you feast.
The Turkey Day 5K takes place early on Thanksgiving Day at South Lakes High School.
The race features something for all ages.
The full 5K starts at 8 a.m. There is a one-mile fun run/walk that starts at 8:50 a.m. And for the youngest participants, a 100-yard tot trot at 9 a.m.
The race starts and finishes on the track at the SLHS stadium. The course will be run on trails and paths near the school. Roads will not be affected.
Potomac River Running, organizers of the race, is partnering with One Warm Coat this holiday season. PR Races will be accepting clean, gently used coats at this year’s Turkey Day 5K. OWC will collect the coats on race day and get them to people who need them.
Online registration is $35 through Nov. 23. Online registration closes on Nov. 23 at 8 p.m. Race-day registration ($40) may be available, but organizers expect the race to sell out.
Kids’ fees are $25 for the 5K ($30 on race day); $20 for the fun run ($25 race day); and free (sign up at the race) for the tot trot.
Photo: Turkey Trot 2014/Credit: PR Races
Three fourth-quarter touchdowns earned South Lakes High School a 35-28 victory over Oakton in the Virginia 6A North Region football playoffs on Friday.
The sixth-seed Seahawks (9-2) now advance to play at No. 3 Westfield (10-1) 7 p.m. this Friday. Westfield, a 44-20 winner over Washington-Lee, has not lost since Sept. 11 against South County.
In Friday’s game, the Cougars and Seahawks went into halftime tied at 14. After a scoreless third quarter, Oakton got the ball deep in South Lakes territory twice, where wide receiver Jarrett Bacon scored on runs of 13 and 8 yards to put Oakton up 28-14.
But South Lakes came back with three straight touchdowns, two of them by Marvin Grunchie, who two caught 15-yard passes from QB Devin Miles. Spencer Alston also scored on 2-yard run.
Grunchie finished the game with seven catches for 114 yards.
It was South Lakes’ first playoff game since 2010.
Fairfax County Public Schools can proceed with the 40,000-square-foot addition at South Lakes High School, the county Board of Supervisors ruled on Tuesday.
The proposed addition will bring SLHS’ capacity to 2,500 students. That capacity appears to be needed though as current enrollment is 2,446 in a school designed for about 2,100 students.
The addition comes less than 10 years after SLHS underwent a major renovation that increased capacity by about 1,000 students.
The addition will enable the school to get rid of many of the temporary classrooms that have been added to the property in the last several years to handle overcrowding as school population, reflecting an overall trend in FCPS, has continued to grow annually.
If the trend holds, SLHS may be close to 2,900 in the next several years, FCPS officials said in the most recent FCPS Capital Improvement Plan.
The South Lakes addition will be paid for from a 2013 school bond.
A county planning staff report details what will be constructed, including Also planned: 128 new parking spaces and additional stormwater management.
The stormwater management has been a point of contention among some nearby residents. Homeowners on Wakerobin and Cedar Cove, located across the street and downhill from the school, have voiced concerns to the county about erosion as the water flows downhill towards Lake Audubon.
“There is absolutely no doubt that the classroom space that the School Board seeks is needed,” Reston 2020’s Terry Maynard testified to the board Tuesday. “What is not needed, however, is the added destruction of neighboring private properties from the increased stormwater runoff the project will create, and ultimately the added pollution of the Chesapeake Bay.”
Maynard says he is concerned that FPCS only has to meet outdated stormwater management guidelines.
“The stream from South Lakes High School’s property has turned a once-smooth ravine floor with lush plant life into a 3-6 foot deep, 6-10 foot wide gash that floods out of its banks with each major storm along its 1,000-foot length and 30-foot drop.”
Maynard urged the board to defer its decision.
