The kickoff celebration for the 2019 NoVa Maker Faire will take place next week in Reston, even though the event itself is set to take place elsewhere.
The annual event — now in its sixth year — gathers engineers, artists, scientists, crafters and more to show off their hobbies, experiments and projects.
The kickoff event will be at the Nova Labs “makerspace” at 1916 Isaac Newton Square next Wednesday (Jan. 23) from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Participants can watch presentations, get information about the Maker Faire and eat food.
The Maker Faire, which used to be held at South Lakes High School, found its new home at George Mason University in 2017.
The main event is slated to take place on June 2.
Photo via Maker Faire NoVa/Facebook
Seahawks fans can head to the Chipotle in the South Lakes Village Shopping Center next week to help raise funds for South Lakes High School girls basketball.
The Chipotle at 11160 South Lakes Drive will donate 33 percent of proceeds for customers who display the flyer or mention the Seahawks.
The fundraiser runs from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday (Jan. 21).
South Lakes High School girls varsity basketball won their eighth consecutive game at Washington-Lee High School on Jan. 8.
Go to @ChipotleTweets at the SL Shopping Center, on Monday, January 21st, between 4:00-8:00pm, and display the following flyer on your smartphone, to support your hard working #Seahawks Burritos & Basketball! 🌯🏀😃 #WinWin #CommitToGrit #OneForTheTeam #GoSeahawks 💙💚🏀 RT! pic.twitter.com/gmuAzQQWBa
— SL Girls Basketball (@SLGirlsBBall_) January 16, 2019
A new digital initiative is aiming to start in the county’s public high schools this fall for the 2019-2020 school year.
FCPSOn provides students with access to a device to use for learning, which each student can access at school and may be able to take home, based on the school and grade level. The initiative supports the FCPS Strategic Plan, which includes access to contemporary and effective technology as a component of the “Student Success” goal.
The Fairfax County School Board directed Superintendent Scott Brabrand to incorporate necessary funding for FCPSOn’s expansion to all high schools in his fiscal year 2020 proposed budget, South Lakes High School Principal Kim Retzer wrote in an email to the school’s community.
“It will help ensure they have equitable access to technology and to instructional practices that support their development of Portrait of a Graduate attributes including communication, collaboration and critical thinking,” Retzer wrote. “Employers will expect these skills, along with tech fluency and innovation, from tomorrow’s workforce. FCPSOn helps prepare students to meet those demands.”
The 2020 proposed budget sets aside $4.3 million to implement FCPSOn in high schools.
“The financial model for FCPSOn takes an approach of sustainable funding that includes shared cost between schools and central offices as well as student user fees. Funding and a new staffing formula will support an additional [18.5 positions],” according to the budget.
The budget includes a new technology fee of $50 per student per year for grades nine through 12 beginning in the 2019-2020 school year. Meanwhile, students eligible for reduced meals will pay a reduced fee of $25 per student and students eligible for free meals will no fees. Overall, the fee is expected to generate $2.2 million in revenue.
FCPSOn launched during the 2016-2017 school year to all of the schools in the Chantilly High School pyramid and five high schools that receive funds as part of the Virginia Department of Education e-Learning Backpack Grant. Phase 1 included a total of 15 schools and was funded through a combination of FCPS and the VDOE e-Learning Backpack grant funding.
This week on Then and Now, we’re going back to our roots as seeing how Reston’s iconic lakes have changed over the years. With help from Fairfax County’s Historic Imagery Viewer, which offers aerial views of the county dating back to 1937, Reston Now has put together a review of how the area around Lake Thoreau and Lake Audubon has evolved since the lake’s creation.
Like Lake Anne, there was no “South Lakes” in photography from 1960. Reston as a planned community was founded in 1964. Before that, much of what is the South Lakes were forests with a few cut-through roads. Interestingly, where Lake Audubon would be built later there was a large pond.
Lake Thoreau and Lake Audubon were built as reservoirs collecting the runoff created by the rapid urbanization nearby. Lake Thoreau was built in 1970 and Lake Audubon was built in 1971, though from the aerial photography there wasn’t much of a “lake” about Audubon until the late 1980s.
One of the earliest large scale developments in the area was the South Lakes High School, which opened in 1978 on 600 acres of land with an “open classroom” design.
The school was not broken into individual classrooms, a plan teachers and students discovered early on was ineffective and distracting. They wound up building temporary barriers until more permanent ones built in 2006 killed the open classroom idea for good.
Langston Hughes Middle School was originally an intermediate school for South Lakes High School, but in 1980 it was officially renamed the Langston Hughes Intermediate School, then Langston Hughes Middle School in the early 1990s.
By 1980, new residential developments had sprung up along the northern and southern edges of Lake Thoreau.
In 1984, the South Lakes Shopping Center opened, marking the last major shift in the area, though the design of that area could be undergoing some visible changes.
Between 1990 and 2017, most of the changes to the area involved the filling in of residential developments in the vicinity of the lake. In 2006, South Lakes High School also expanded and the aforementioned open-space classroom model was eliminated.
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If there are any places in Reston you would like to see covered as a Then and Now feature, let us know in the comments.
A GoFundMe page is raising funds for the family of the South Lakes High School student Marvin Daniel Cruz Serrano, who was struck and killed by a car nearly two weeks ago.
The campaign, which was created on Jan. 5 and activated today (Jan. 10), aims to help Serrano’s family and friends cover funeral costs and any other expenses.
People can also send donations to the Biblica Bautista Emanuel Church at 21770 Beaumeade Circle in Ashburn, Va., which will also disperse all of the funds raised to Serrano’s family.
The GoFundMe page says the following:
Friends and family of Daniel Serrano suffered a heart breaking loss on December 29 when Daniel was killed by a hit and run driver as he was attempting to cross South Lakes Drive in Reston, Virginia. Daniel had just exited the bus he was taking to return home after his work shift at a restaurant. Daniel was 16 years-old and attended South Lakes High School. He is remembered as a kind, generous and loving young man who will be greatly missed by his family and friends. Many have asked where to donate to help with funeral and other expenses. Donations can be made here or to Biblica Bautista Emanuel Church, 21770 Beaumeade Circle, Ashburn, VA 20147. The church will disperse all funds raised.
Reston Now previously reported that Principal Kim Retzer said funeral arrangements are still being planned.
The day after Serrano was killed by a driver while crossing South Lakes Drive, family and friends gathered at the spot for a vigil.
Fairfax County Police are still looking for the driver, who fled the scene, and are asking anyone with information to contact the Crash Reconstruction Unit witness phone line at 703-280-0543 or to submit a tip anonymously through Crime Solvers.
Detectives believe the sedan involved “may possibly be gray or silver, and it likely has significant front end damage.”
Photo via GoFundMe
Updated at 2:35 p.m. — Includes updated numbers for the food pantry.
The holidays may be over, but one business at Lake Anne Plaza is continuing the season of giving and holiday spirit into 2019.
The Lake Anne Brew House (11424 Washington Plaza W.) hosted an ugly sweater fundraising party yesterday (Jan. 6) to benefit the food pantry at South Lakes High School.
Several realtors, including Rob Cox, Mary Miceli, Carol Welsh and Ben and Kristi Guidry from Long & Foster Real Estate, helped host the party, according to a Lake Anne Plaza Facebook post.
The Lake Anne Brew House credited Long & Foster in Reston with the idea for the party and sponsorship of the pizza.
The event collected non-perishable food items and personal products — along with a nearly $500 donation — for the school’s food pantry, where nearly 730 students can “shop” for food and toiletries.
The food pantry is designed to help close the hunger and nutrition gap for the 30 percent of South Lakes High School students who are on the free and reduced lunch program, according to the school. The food pantry distributes more than 175 bags of groceries and toiletries to more than 95 families each week.
Roberta Gosling, one of the founders of the pantry, told Reston Now that students from Langston Hughes Middle School, Terraset Elementary School and other South Lakes High school pyramid schools are coming to the pantry.
Since opening in March 2017, the food pantry has given out more than 8,000 bags of food, she said.
Photo via Lake Anne Plaza/Facebook
The Fairfax County Public School’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), scheduled for review later this month, still leaves a planned nearby high school unfunded as local crowding increases.
The new high school is planned for somewhere along the Dulles Suburban Corridor to take students coming up through McNair, Coates and Hutchison elementary schools.
The high school’s location has not been selected yet, and school officials at prior meetings said they are relying on proffers from developers and negotiations with applicants to see if land for a new high school can be provided.
While South Lakes High School sits at 92 percent capacity, the surrounding Herndon, Madison and Oakton high schools all exceed 100 percent capacity. The CIP’s school capacity chart for the 2018-2019 school year shows Oakton High School at 131 percent capacity. The school year 2023-24 projections show South Lakes High School’s capacity increasing from 92 percent to 97 percent.
The CIP also notes that capacity enhancement additions will be needed at Madison High School to accommodate for the forecasted capacity needs, though those additions remain unfunded.
The high school planned for the western party of the county to relieve schools around Oakton and Herndon is not the only new school lacking funds. A new elementary school along the Metro’s Silver Line also remains unfunded.
As plans move along for greater levels of residential density in Reston, local residents expressed concerns at meetings last year that FCPS is waiting until new development starts to overcrowd the schools before taking action to address capacity. School officials stated that the new developments are not anticipated to bring in high numbers of new students.
A public hearing for the CIP will be held next Tuesday (Jan. 8) before a final decision, which is scheduled for Jan. 24.
Photo via FCPS
Family and friends gathered on Sunday evening at the spot where 16-year-old Marvin Daniel Cruz Serrano was killed Saturday.
They placed a white wooden cross with “Daniel” near the intersection where the South Lakes High School sophomore was struck by a vehicle while returning home from work at Reston’s Cafesano, WJLA reported.
The memorial continues to grow with several bouquets of flowers and a stuffed animal for the teen who friends called “kind and selfless.” Serrano leaves behind his mother and a 2-year-old brother.
In a message sent to the school community Monday evening, Principal Kim Retzer said funeral arrangements are still being planned.
Fairfax County Police are still looking for the driver, who fled the scene. Detectives believe the sedan involved “may possibly be gray or silver, and it likely has significant front end damage.”
“At about 5:40, officers responded to the report of a pedestrian hit-and-run crash on South Lakes Drive and Castle Rock Square in Reston,” police said in a press release. “The teen was attempting to cross South Lakes Drive… when he was hit by a vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.”
The fatal hit-and-run was the 44th road death in Fairfax County in 2018 — the most for any county in Virginia last year, according to DCist.
Police are asking anyone with information about the fatal hit-and-run to contact the Crash Reconstruction Unit witness phone line at 703-280-0543 or to submit a tip anonymously through Crime Solvers.
16-year-old Daniel Serrano’s grief-stricken mother nearly collapsed during the vigil for her son who was killed by a hit and run driver. This was an incredibly emotional story to cover. I broke down in tears.
Fairfax County Police are searching for the driver. pic.twitter.com/1098jCvFAD— Victoria Sanchez (@VictoriaSanchez) December 31, 2018
The memorial for 16-year-old Daniel Serrano continues to grow. pic.twitter.com/AMVBupkGw7
— Victoria Sanchez (@VictoriaSanchez) December 31, 2018
Family & friends tell us 16yo Daniel Serrano was a cashier at a restaurant in Reston. He worked hard to help his family. They say he was coming home from work and crossing South Lakes Dr. when police say a driver hit him/didn’t stop. Serrano didn’t survive. @fox5dc pic.twitter.com/SfEelex8xP
— Evan Lambert (@EvanLambertTV) December 31, 2018
Photo via Madison Grace Shannon/Facebook
The South Lakes High School Clothing Closet is asking for new and gently used clothing to help stock up today (Dec. 20) during its grand opening.
The store aims to have clothing available for its students “free of charge and of judgment,” according to the South Lakes High School Parent Teacher Student Association.
School leadership and the Distributive Education Clubs of America created the store to build off of the success of the food pantry at the school, according to the SLHS PTSA. Reston Now previously reported that since April 2017, the pantry has filled more than 2,500 orders and weekly order averages are also increasing.
Locals can drop off new or gently used clothing from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. today and tomorrow (Dec. 21).
The following clothing items are needed:
- jackets
- shirts
- pants
- “interview attire”
- school spirit clothing
- warm weather clothing
Drop-offs will be accepted in the main office at South Lakes High School (11400 South Lakes Drive).
File photo
Herndon resident Crys Matthews will perform her songs at the 34th annual Reston Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration.
The Reston Community Center recently added the singer-songwriter to its lineup of artists for the three-day event, which takes place from Jan. 19 to Jan. 21.
Matthews has gained national acclaim for her music, which blends Americana, folk, jazz, blues, bluegrass and funk. In 2017, she was the grand-prize winner in the NewSong Music Competition and won the People’s Music Network’s Social Justice Songs contest at the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance.
“Crys Matthews is an important voice of her generation and will be an excellent addition to our weekend lineup,” Paul Douglas Michnewicz, the arts and events director for Reston Community Center, said in a statement. “Her perspective reminds us that our similarities are far more important than our differences.”
Matthews is scheduled to perform at 2 p.m. on Jan. 20 at CenterStage. Tickets cost $15 for Reston residents.
She also plans to conduct a workshop for students at Langston Hughes Middle School and South Lakes High School as an artist-in-residence in Reston.
Photo via Fairfax County
Ahead of Veterans Day on Monday, the Fairfax Jubil-Aires will perform patriotic a cappella barbershop tunes to honor those who currently serve or have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
The event is set for Saturday at 3 p.m. Below is a limited list of other events taking place in the Reston area this weekend. If you have an event you would like to ensure is listed on the website, be sure to submit it to our Events Calendar.
- Herndon High School’s advanced theatre class kicks off performances of The Diary of Anne Frank tonight at 7 p.m. and into the weekend at the school.
- Celebrate international games week at Reston Regional Library with classic board games and some new options from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.
- Vera Kochansky presents her autobiography of her father, Boris, who lived through the Holocaust. The event is set for Saturday at 2 p.m. at Scrawl Books.
- Caitlin Teal Price, a DC-based photographer known for her photographs of people, offers a talk about her work at Greater Reston Arts Center on Saturday from 3-5 p.m.
- Donna Ulisse, a veteran songwriter and singer, performs during the Bluegrass Barn Series at Frying Pan Farm Park on Sunday at 7 p.m.
- Build a machine powered by an electric motor that rolls and goes home from 2-3 p.m. on Saturday, at Reston Regional Library.
- South Lakes High School students are raising money for the school’s band by organizing a mattress sale at the school on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Take a drive into the history of World War II with this six-part series led by Professor Harry Butowsky from 2-4 p.m. at Reston Regional Library.
Photo via Reston Town Center
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is asking for $550,000 in state grants to fund two pedestrian safety projects in Reston.
The county is seeking $385,000 to add a pedestrian refuge island and flashing beacons to an existing crosswalk across South Lakes Drive at the eastern intersection with Tanbark Drive near South Lakes High School. The second project would add a pedestrian refuge island and rapid flashing beacons to improve safety at an existing crosswalk at Bluemont Way and Discovery Street for $165,000.
In late October, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted to request funding from the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Pedestrian Safety Action Plan grant program, which funds targeted improvements in areas with the potential for pedestrian crashes.
If the state awards funding to the county, county staff will draft project administration agreements with state transportation officials. The funding proposal for Reston is part of a $2.6 million request to the state. VDOT will notify jurisdictions about projects that have been selected for funding this month. Construction on approved projects is expected to begin in April, with a completion date of December 2019.
Construction is intended to happen on an expedited schedule in order to get “maximum return” on limited funding, according to state officials. As a result, projects that require right-of-way or easement acquisition, roadway widening and the replacement or relocation of curb and gutter will not be considered by the state.
File photo
Changes to Wiehle-Reston Metro service — From 5-6 a.m. this week, Silver Line service to Wiehle-Reston East begins at Stadium-Armory. Customers between Largo and Benning Road should use Blue Line Service, then transfer to the Silver Line at Stadium. [Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority]
Safety tips for Halloween — As the day of trick-or-treating approaches, here are some safety tips to keep in mind for kids. [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department]
Planning by South Lakes JROTC — Students leaders at the JROTC program outlined their goals and plans for the year recently, including a planned Veterans Day dinner for area veterans on Nov. 16. [Fairfax County Public Schools]
A feature on Reston Farm Market — “The legendary Reston Farm Market brings the magic of celebrating time-honored fall fun to families. With an eye toward community focus, owner Bonita Weinstein strives every day, but especially when all things pumpkins rule Reston, to offer opportunities for everyone.” [The Connection]
Metropolis at CenterStage tonight — “Percussionist Tom Teasley performs his original live music accompaniment to a screening of Fritz Lang’s classic science fiction film Metropolis. In a futuristic city sharply divided between the working class and the city planners, the son of the city’s mastermind falls in love with a working class prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences.” [Reston Community Center]
Photo by Mark Bramer
Tonight’s South Lakes High School homecoming parade has been cancelled.
The high school cited safety and health concerns for the cancellations; the forecast tonight calls for heavy rain and cold temperatures, as a Nor’easter storm moves into the area.
Tonight’s South Lakes vs. Yorktown football game is still on for 7 p.m.
Sorry folks, we are disappointed too.
Game is still on at 7 on
Please spead the word@SLHShypesquad @RestonNow @RestonPatch @SLHS2020 @SLHS2019 @2021SLHS @SLHS2022 @SouthLakesSGA @SeahawkBoosters https://t.co/25LGnArHCG— South Lakes Athletics & Activities (@SeahawkSports) October 26, 2018
The Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce is seeking adult volunteers for its annual Ethics Day on Nov. 19.
Each November, typically before Thanksgiving, GRCC and other community organizations sponsor a day-long event for South Lakes High School seniors. Students are taken to the Sheraton Reston Hotel to learn about how to reach ethical decisions and how those decisions will impact their adult lives.
Students are guided through four different, real-life scenarios in order to reach ethical decisions. Adult guides will lead a group of between eight to ten students through the different scenarios.
Roughly 20 volunteer spots are still open. Those interested can register to be a table leader online.
File photo via GRCC
