Send your organization’s announcement to The Loudoun Connection, 7913 Westpark Drive, McLean, VA 22102, e-mail to loudoun@connection newspapers.com or fax to 703-917-0991. Deadline is two weeks before publication. Photos/artwork encouraged. Questions? Call Bonnie Eaton at 703-917-6449.
Eun Park of Sterling, majoring in hospitality and food service management, has been named to the dean’s list for the spring 2003 semester at Syracuse University in New York. To qualify, students must achieve at least a 3.4 grade point average.
Michael Castellana, a 1999 Broad Run High School, has graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a bachelor of fine arts degree in industrial design and a minor in photography/film. He will continue his education at the Royal College of Art in London, England in vehicle design. He is the son of Philip and Susan Castellana of Ashburn.
McDonald’s awarded their RMHC/HACER scholarship honorees for 2003. Students from Loudoun County include Michael Diaz and Fiorella Mazzini from Potomac Falls High and Rosemarie Moxley from Broad Run High. The scholarship program seeks to address ongoing concerns over Hispanic students’ low high school graduation and college participation rates.
Kirsten Reakes, a second grade teacher at Cedar Lane Elementary, has been named the Visiting International Faculty Virginia Cultural Educator of the Year. This is the third consecutive year a Loudoun County Public Schools teacher has won this award. She was presented her award during a ceremony on May 30th at the Virginia Beach Resort and Conference Center.
Virginia State University has announced their spring 2003 honors list recognizing those who have earned a 3.0 or better. Among those recognized were Jason M. Howard and Dalana J. Lee, both management majors from Sterling.
Nearly 30 students have completed the first Discover Loudoun Student Series program. The program is a partnership between Loudoun County and Leadership Loudoun designed to provide a look into local government and community leadership for students in grades seven-11.
Over a three-day period students took part in leadership and team-building exercises at the Juvenile Detention Center; heard special presentations from the Office on Youth, and Outstanding Volunteer Award recipient Thomas Goss; and participated in a government leaders’ panel with members of the Board of Supervisors, several town mayors, County Administrator Kirby Bowers and Government Liaison Memory Porter. They also conducted a mock Board of Supervisors meeting and took an all-day bus tour of Loudoun County.
Program participants were: Samira Ahmed, Alexandra Armentrout, Katie Barnes, Jefferson Beavers, Caitlin Boyle, Matthew Boyle, Mason Bressler, Andrew Cebulski, Rebecca Chalk, Tali Custer, Chris Daddio, Alex Darr, Matt Desaix, Noel Edwards, Julian Finelli, Jackie Futrell, Jeffrey Futrell, Andrew Good, Meghan Green, Stephen Harrington, Melissa Lyden, Joseph McWilliams, Ajonelle Poole, Jasmine Reaves, Peter Satagaj, Shaquelle Sheppard, Allyson Tiffany and Lauren Welsh.
Three Loudoun County high school graduates were each presented with a $500 check from Sheriff Stephen O. Simpson July 1 as part of the Virginia Sheriffs’ Institute (VSI) scholarship program.
The scholarship program, established by the VSI’s Board of Directors, assists students in their educational endeavors in law enforcement or criminal justice. The three graduates presented with the scholarship checks were Ashleigh Cadieux from Stone Bridge High School, Luke Walter of Park View High School and Kelly Dillon of Loudoun Valley High School.
The scholarship program is limited to students attending Virginia colleges and universities and is funded through a membership drive, which was conducted last August by the Virginia Sheriff’s Institute through mailings sent to homes throughout the state of Virginia.
The Loudoun Education Foundation recently awarded its spring mini-grants. Winners included Arcola Elementary receiving $500, We Survived Camp Read-A-Lot; Broad Run High School, $3,500, SOL Improvement Project Using Qwizmo Technology and Cooking Up Success; Emerick Elementary, $432, Shadows of the Past; Harmony Intermediate School, $500, Expeditions to Ancient Cultures; Hillside Elementary, $1500, Supporting Young Readers at Home, Hillside Elementary Percussion Ensemble and 10,000 Steps for a Healthier Hillside Student; Park View High School, $1,000, Play at Your Library: Games for Learning and Park View Read I & II; Potowmack Elementary, $2,300, Are You Puzzled?, Look, Listen and Read! Mira, Escucha y Lee!!, Passport to Math, Summer Reading is Cool and Take a Vacation... with a Book; Seneca Ridge Middle School, $500, Reading Together; Sugarland Elementary, $1,000, Chess to Excellence: Using the Game of Chess to Foster Thinking Skills and Your Local Ecosystems; and John W. Tolbert Jr. Elementary, $500, Facts Alive.
Students at the Mill Run FUTURA center achieved high honors in the Math Olympiad International competition. Students participated in a series of five monthly contests from November to March under the supervision of teacher Chris Zierk. Jenny Yung of Mill Run Elementary received a gold pin for finishing in the top 2 percent of students taking these tests worldwide. Those in the top 10 percent received silver pins, including Kate Gartin, Jeremy Vercillo, Alex Beller, Andrew Runge and Kathleen Bechtold of Hillside Elementary; Kelsey O’Connell and Camille Petrillo of Cedar Lane Elementary; Ariel Cohen, Alex Evans, Jill Goodman and Craig Neuhart of Dominion Trail Elementary and Zach Michaelov and Alan Shen of Mill Run Elementary. Teams representing Hillside, Dominion Trail and Cedar Lane received special award certificates for finishing in the top 20 percent worldwide.
On Saturday, May 17, the following area students received honors from Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Va.: Lydia C. Haley of Ashburn received a bachelor of arts in Latin; Paula M. Premo of Ashburn received a bachelor of arts in international affairs; Sean Gilbert and Joseph Cammaerts of Ashburn received a bachelor of arts in art history and religion; Jennifer L. Worcester of Hamilton received a bachelor of arts in history; Jacklyn A. Ketterman of Purcellville received a bachelor of arts in history; Francisco Morin-Batista of Sterling received a bachelor of arts in sociology ; Elaine B Harvey of Potomac Falls received a bachelor of arts in music; John M. Disque of Sterling received a bachelor of arts MUSC business administration; Sara M. Rainbolt of Sterling received a bachelor of science in business administration; Shannon L. Farrell of Sterling received a bachelor of science in environmental science -natural; Carolyn D. Derr of Leesburg received a bachelor of arts in international affairs; Jacob Dean Sullins of Leesburg received a bachelor of arts in Spanish; Kimberly A. Smart of Leesburg received a bachelor of science in business administration; Sarah A. Libby of Leesburg received a bachelor of science in mathematics; Tiziano Devescovi of Leesburg received a bachelor of science in computer science; and Annwyn B. Milnes of Leesburg received a bachelor of arts in historic preservation and history.
The Youth Services Division of Loudoun County Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services (PRCS) has limited openings in its Before and After School Programs for the 2003-2004 school year. The County After School Activities (CASA) Program and the Before School program provide supervised recreational and educational activities designed to help meet the needs of working families.
The popular CASA program is designed for Loudoun County students in grades K-5. Kindergartners must be at least 5 years old to participate. Non-public school students may enroll, if parents can provide transportation to the program site. CASA operates Monday-Friday from the close of the school day until 6 p.m. and follows the normal county school calendar. Enrollment for both programs is on a first-come, first-served basis and must be handled in person at the PRCS administrative office located in Leesburg.
Currently, there are openings for the Before School Program at Hutchison Farm Elementary School. The monthly fee is $135 with a $45 registration fee per child. After School Program openings currently exist at the following elementary schools: Algonkian, Ashburn, Balls Bluff, Catoctin, Dominion Trail, Hutchison Farm, Lowes Island, Mountain View, Potowmack, Reid, Rolling Ridge, Round Hill, Sanders Corner, Sugarland, Sully, and Waterford. There are also CASA openings at Arcola Community Center (serving Arcola and Aldie Elementary Schools), Lovettsville Community Center (serving Lovettsville Elementary School), and Sterling Annex Community Center (serving Guilford and Sterling Elementary Schools). The monthly fee is $275 with a $45 registration fee per child.
For information about CASA and the Before School Program, call 703-777-0343 or visit www.loudoun.gov/prcs/youthservices/casa. To express an interest in adding CASA sites at Banneker, Hillsboro or Lucketts Elementary School, call 703-777-0432.
The artwork of 50 Ashburn Elementary students will be on display at the George Washington University’s Virginia Campus, located at 20101 Academic Way in Ashburn, through the end of September.
The Virginia Department of Education sponsors six Governor’s Foreign Language Academies each summer where students’ language skills are cultivated. Statewide competition determines the participating students. Kelly Weiler, a senior at Stone Bridge High School, was among those who arrived at the Virginia Governor’s German Immersion Academy at James Madison University on June 28. After pledging to speak German exclusively, students will be immersed in the German culture.
The Loudoun Education Foundation (LEF) has provided $4,500 to support students who need special assistance through elementary and ESL summer school. This year’s elementary summer school program will take place at four sites and will provide special sessions for students identified as needing help in the areas of language arts and mathematics. The ESL program will serve approximately 130 elementary, middle and high school students. Foundation scholarship funds will allow teachers to recruit students whose English language skills are at the least proficient level and to offer them scholarships. Some of the funds will also be used to defray costs of field trips.
The Rust Sanctuary, 802 Children’s Center Road, in Leesburg is offering the following summer camps for children:
v “Nature’s Tales.” Tuesday, July 22-Friday, August 1, 1:15 p.m.- 4:15 p.m. Includes stories about nature, exploring the gardens and trails, games and art projects. Cost is $145 for members and $185 for non-members. The program is for children pre-K or K in fall of 2003, or at least four years old by May 1, 2003.
v “Predators and Prey.” Tuesday, July 21-Friday, August 1, 9 a.m.- 12 p.m. Includes hiking, games, crafts, learning about adaptations in plants and animals and looking for some predators and prey on the trail. Cost is $145 for members and $185 for non members. For children entering grades 1-2 in fall 2003.
v “Extinction: Dinosaurs and Endangered Species.” Monday, July 14-Friday, July 18, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Learn about dinosaurs and endangered animals. Cost is $160 for members and $205 for non members. For children entering grades 3-4 in fall 2003.
v “Nature’s Tools.” Monday, Aug. 4-Friday, Aug. 8, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Learn about what tools animals use to build their homes, move around and find food. Cost is $160 for members and $205 for non members. For children entering grades 5-6 in fall 2003.
Call 703-669-0000 for more information.
Registration is now open for the third year of Loudoun County Public Schools’ (LCPS) stringed instrument program. The program will not be in partnership with Shenandoah University for the 2003-2004 school year, but there are no major changes to the program. Registration forms are available at school offices, guidance departments, from music teachers and at the Fine Arts Office at the LCPS North Street Offices, 102 North Street, N.W., Leesburg. The program will be offered to students in grades 4-8 at each of the school system’s nine middle schools and Harmony Intermediate School. For more information, 703-669-1427.