Because the construction industry faces chronic labor shortages, good workers are always in demand. A class that begins soon at the Manassas Campus of Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) can help workers gain the skills necessary to break into this well-paying field. "Introduction to Construction" covers the basic knowledge and requirements needed to work in the building industry. Students will learn how to safely handle tools and equipment, and receive a working introduction to basic blueprint reading. Call the Science and Applied Technologies Division at 703-257-6605. Students may learn about open classes by visiting http://www.nvcc.edu and clicking on the special "2nd Spring Session" button at the lower right-hand corner. Call 703-257-6600.
News from Deer Park Elementary:
The fourth-grades at Deer Park will perform the musical "Choices Count!" for curriculum evening, Thursday, March 20, at 6:30 p.m. in the Deer Park cafeteria. The musical revue is based on the six pillars of character. Call 703-802-5000.
Siddarth Dutta has won an Award of Merit for his visual arts entry in the District level of the Reflections Contest. Some 6,000 students entered the Reflections program at the local school level, and from that number 126 received Outstanding Interpretation at the County Council level. Siddarth Dutta and Matteo Carraso from Deer Park were among that number.
Auditions for Deer Park's Spring production, "Rock," will be held on the following dates:
* 6th grade only: Wednesday, March 12, from 3-4:30 p.m.
* 5th grade only: Wednesday, March 26, from 3-4:30 p.m. Call Ms. Schmitt at 703-802-5028.
The Deer Park PTA once again will organize the ever-popular Spring Golf Tournament scheduled for Monday, April 7. Registration starts at 9:30 a.m. The tournament begins at 11 a.m. at Chantilly National Golf Course. The format is Captain's Choice. Cost is $85 per golfer (included lunch, greens fees, cart and door prizes). Send payment to: Deer Park Elementary School, Attn: PTA Golf Tournament, 15109 Carlbern Drive, Centreville, VA 20120. Call Matt Cervarich at 703 266-5626 or email at mcervarich@yahoo.com.
A Summer Band and Orchestra Camp will be held June 30-July 23 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Franklin Middle School. Cost is $140/student or $150 after June 6. Students will study the following instruments: all brass, woodwinds, percussion and string instruments. The camp is offered to the following band and strings students: grades 3-10, beginning band/orchestra, cadet band/orchestra, concert band/orchestra and symphonic band/orchestra. A final concert will feature all performing ensembles July 23. For an application, go to www.fcps.edu/Franklinms or call Mr. Walker at 703-904-5145.
Westfield High School's All-Night Grad Party Committee will be selling high-quality double-shredded mulch to support the ANGP, a drug- and alcohol-free celebration after graduation. Orders are now being taken through March 21, with delivery on Saturday, March 29, 2003. The price per 3 cubic foot bag is $3.98. Free home delivery within WHS boundaries is provided with the purchase of 5 bags or more. If you purchase less, you can pick up the mulch on that date in the school parking lot. To place an order, send your name, address, phone number and subdivision name and a check made out to ANGP to ANGP Mulch Sales, Westfield High School, 4700 Stonecroft Blvd., Chantilly, VA 20151. Parents and student volunteers are also needed that day to load, deliver and unload mulch, and provide food. Call Pat Bishop at 703-631-3463.
Centreville High School's Class of 2003 is also holding a bagged mulch sale as a fund-raiser for the After-Grad party. Each bag contains 3 cu.ft. of high-quality shredded hardwood mulch which will be delivered to homes on March 22. The cost is $4 per bag. Delivery orders and pickup orders must be placed by March 15 for delivery to homes on March 22. To place orders, mail a check payable to CVHS Project Graduation, Centreville High School, Project Graduation '03, 6001 Union Mill Rd., Clifton, VA 20124. Orders may be placed online at http://www.chsmulch.com. Call Bud Gibson at 703-266-0639.
Fairfax County Public Schools is actively recruiting teachers, librarians, and counselors for the 2003-04 school year. A teacher job fair will be held on Saturday, March 8, at Oakton High School. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Oakton High, 2900 Sutton Road in Vienna. The job fair is for secondary school and special education teachers. Registration is from now through March 4. Call 703-750-8533 to schedule an interview. Preregistration is required. In the event of inclement weather, it will be held on March 15.
Are you worried about paying for college? Learn the secrets of a $400,000 scholarship winner, Marianne Regins, by attending a free presentation of The Scholarship Workshop on Saturday, March 8, from 9 a.m. to noon at Mount Olive Baptist Church, Centreville. Visit www.scholarshipworkshop.com/olive.htm or call 703-830-8769. All those who register become eligible for the Ragins/Braswell National Scholarship.
Fairfax County Public Schools will co-sponsor the 11th Annual Northern Virginia Regional Student Mediation Conference on March 11 and 12 at GMU. The conference is for students, teachers, counselors, administrators, parents, and community volunteers from nearly 250 schools in conjunction with the George Mason University (GMU) Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR). The conference will focus on mediation in secondary schools on the first day, Tuesday, March 11, and on elementary schools on the second day, Wednesday, March 12. Contact Marjorie Bleiweis, FCPS Safe and Drug-Free Youth Section, at 703-876-5247.
Westfield High and Virginia Run Elementary will present the art show "Transcending Time and Reality" with an opening night reception on Thursday, March 13 from 5:30-8 p.m. at the Starbucks on Stone Road in Centreville. The show will remain on display during March in honor of Youth Art Month.
On March 15, in honor of Youth Art Month, Virginia Run artists will create a mural on the panels of the windows of Starbucks in Fair Lakes.
The elementary and middle schools that make up the Westfield Pyramid will exchange art work to be displayed at each of the different schools participating. The exchange allows artists of different ages to have their work displayed and seen by other artists in the area. The art work will return to Westfield in April for a large show that will take place in May.
Bull Run Elementary School in Centreville will hold its annual Fun Fair on Saturday, March 15, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the school. The Fun Fair is a day-long event where families participate in games, contests and activities that bring together the entire school community. Come watch the faculty and staff challenge each other to a pie-eating contest, take your chances at some exciting games and have a slice of pizza. There will be a Silent Auction with more than 60 items to bid on.
The Fun Fair is coordinated by the Bull Run PTA with help from PTA volunteers, parents, faculty and staff. Proceeds help fund field trips, special guests and additional educational equipment in order to enrich the education of our children.
Chantilly High School's Show Choir "Touch of Class" will be performing its competition show during a Spaghetti Dinner Show Choir Performance on Monday, March 17 and Tuesday, March 18. The show will include other Chantilly High show choirs, Light Touch and Magic Touch, the Rocky Run Middle School Show Choir, as well a some alumni. The dinner runs from 5:30-7:15 p.m., and the show begins at 7:30 p.m.
Mountain View School is presenting a “Parenting Your Teen” workshop on Tuesday, March 18, from 7–8:30 p.m. in the school’s media center. For more information and/or to register, call 703-227-2311.
Telephone registration for the second eight-week session at Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) has begun. Students can use the NOVAnet system (703-330-3770) through March 19 or register in person through March 14. Classes begin March 17. The Schedule of Classes is available online at http://www.nvcc.edu, where students can check for open classes before registering. Classes are available at two Prince William County locations: Manassas and Woodbridge. Tuition is $56.54 per credit for in-state students and $202.47 for out-of-state students. The Manassas Campus is located at 6901 Sudley Road (Route 234), just north of I-66. The Woodbridge Campus is located at 15200 Neabsco Mills Road, off I-95 at exit 156.
Lees Corner Elementary will sponsor a Fun Fair on Saturday, March 22 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The school is located at 13500 Hollinger Ave., Chantilly. What's new this year is a moonbounce, jump shot basketball, space ship obstacle course, spin art and more. Contact Pam Dockins at 703-471-1455.
Centre Ridge Elementary School will host a Scholastic Book Fair the week of March 24. It will offer the most popular books and educational products for all ages, including the newest titles, award-winners, classics, and interactive products from more than 150 publishers.
The Centre Ridge Book Fair will be pre-selling copies of the newest Harry Potter book, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," due to be released in June. The book will be mailed home after it is published. Each reserved copy will come with a free Harry Potter baseball cap. All proceeds from the Book Fair will benefit Centre Ridge's library.
The Scholastic Book Fair will be open each day from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. In addition, two Book Fair Family Events will take place on Tuesday, March 25 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.. The second is scheduled for Saturday, March 29 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. All are welcome!
The musical comedy of the Capitol Steps will appear onstage live at Westfield High School on Sunday, March 30, at 5 p.m. Tickets are $25 each, general admission auditorium seats. Call 703-488-6363, ext. 7150. Proceeds to benefit the Westfield High School Orchestra students.
World Heritage is seeking local host families for high school boys and girls from Spain, France, Germany, Thailand, Great Britain, Japan, Mexico or Brazil through World Heritage International Student Exchange Program. Host families provide room, board, and guidance for a teenager living thousands of miles from home. Students are well screened and are selected based on academic performance, English proficiency, teacher recommendations and personal interviews. Couples, single parents and families with or without children in the home are encouraged to apply. The students arrive shortly before school begins in fall 2003. Call Wyndy Fredrick at 1-800-888-9040 or 703-435-8948 or visit the Web site at www.world-heritage.org.
The Children's Friendship Project for Northern Ireland is seeking local families to help with the peace and reconciliation effort in Northern Ireland. Consider hosting a pair of Protestant and Roman Catholic teens (boys or girls ages 15 to 18) in your home for four weeks this summer. To be eligible, families must provide a safe-neutral setting for the teens to get to know one another, a single bedroom for them to share, and day-long adult supervision. For more information or to obtain a host family application, contact Melinda Grochowski at 703-478-6291, or visit the Web site at www.cfpni.org.
Chantilly High School's class of 1993 is trying to locate alumni for its 10-year reunion. The date and location are still being decided. Contact First-Class Reunions at 888-327-1984 or visit the Web site at www.fcreunions.com to update information.
A Chantilly High Alumni Club is being started by Debra Weeks Alexander and her husband Joe, co-presidents of the Chantilly Athletic Booster Club. They hope to reunite Chantilly grads, as well as their parents, and get them involved in school spirit to make Chantilly a real, hometown school. Call the Chantilly Booster Hotline at 703-912-4002 and leave a message. Or call the Alexanders at 703-620-3434.
Centreville Elementary is expanding its after-school, homework/activities club for grades three through six. It'll go from one to two evenings a week, from 3:45 to 5 or 5:30 p.m. The school provides a snack and transportation home, plus homework help and various leisure activities. Some 140 children are expected to participate, but community volunteers are needed to help staff it; call Principal Jim Latt at 703- 502-3500.
The Centreville High School After-Prom Committee is selling a "Four Season Wildcat Blanket" to raise money for the After-Prom Drug/Alcohol Free Event in May, 2003. It is 56 x 70-inches, black/charcoal w/blue imprint, water-resistant nylon on one side that reverses to a cozy, non-pilling poly fleece. The hooded blanket folds up into a handy carrying bag with two pouches and a snap closure. Price is $35. Questions and orders, contact Liz Birk at 202-216-8607 or at 703-830-3513.
Fairfax County Public Schools will offer 14 high school courses online through its Online Campus for summer school 2003. The Online Campus offers regular education courses that are as challenging as in-class courses, with mandatory daily attendance, midterm and final exams, and Standards of Learning (SOL) testing. The classes are offered at no charge to FCPS students, but require the approval of the high school guidance counselor.
While it is not intended to replace the face-to-face classroom, the FCPS Online Campus offers choices for students who: are homebound or home schooled, need a class or two to graduate on time, need to catch up, or need to work but want to complete the requirements for a high school diploma. Information about the FCPS Online Campus can be found on its Web site at http://www.fcps.edu/DIS/OHSICS/onlinecampus/