This year’s winners of the McLean High School Reflections Contest are as follows:
In Musical Composition, Jae-hyung Shim won first place, and Keun Lee won second place.
In Literature, Amelia Nutter won first place, Meredith Keller won second place and Misbah Gill won third place. Honorable mention went to Gregory Perrino, Caitlin Auger, Tonghyun Cho, Michelle Ashworth and Omar Chatah.
In Visual Arts, Hannah Kim won first place, Xi Lin won second place, and Xiang Yu won third.
In photography, John Thomas won first place.
First-place winners advanced to the Fairfax County Cluster 1 judging level, where each received an Award of Excellence, placing them in the top three entrants in the cluster.
All students responded to this year’s theme, “Signs of Courage.” Winners and entrants were honored on March 5 with a luncheon reception at the high school.
Marshall High School's team of 33 DECA students.
Marshall DECA had an outstanding finish at the Virginia State Leadership Conference held this past weekend in Richmond. Over 1,700 marketing students from across the state gathered to compete at the Annual State Leadership Conference. G.C. Marshall’s DECA had 33 competitors, who won the honor to represent Virginia DECA and compete at the national conference in Orlando, Fla., at the end of April.
In addition to the winners listed below, Mina Choi, a senior, received a $1,000 scholarship, and Paul Wardinski, the Marshall Academy administrator, was awarded the Virginia DECA Principal/Administrator of the Year award.
The following students finished first in their events and will be going on to compete nationally:
Travel Team: Gisella Copella and Nikki Santos;
Apparel and Accessories Role Play: James Gordon;
Entrepreneurship Franchise: Ashley Smith O’Me;
Fashion Promotion Plan: Amanda Lee.
The following students were runners-up in their events and will be going on to compete nationally:
E Commerce Team: Nicolle Harris and Thomas Grattan;
Financial Team: Chris Hunter and Danny Veoni;
Sports and Entertainment Team: Shaw Miseyko and Sean O’Grady;
Retail Marketing Role Play: Lindsay McCormick;
Food Marketing Role Play: Neta Penneylegion;
Food Marketing Role Play: Bryce Miller;
General Marketing Research Project: Megan and Kathleen McCrory and Shara Gibson.
Neighborhood College, for Vienna-area 10th- and 11th-graders, teaches how to access town and county services, run effective meetings, solve community problems and make decisions. A light dinner is served at each session. Every Tuesday until April 1 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Registration required, call Robin Patton at 703-787-4998. Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St. S.E.
Northern Virginia Friends School in Oakton will begin enrolling third-graders this fall. Open houses are on Saturday, March 22, at 3 p.m.; Wednesday, April 9, at 10:30 a.m.; and Saturday, April 26, at 3 p.m. The location is 2854 Hunter Mill Road. Reserve at 703-281-NVFS.
The Teen Character Award will again be sponsored by the McLean Citizens Association to recognize teens with exceptional ethical and compassionate character. Teens who have, without compensation or recognition, cared for people or helped their community deserve to be recognized as an example to others. Nomination applications are at the McLean Community Center and the middle and high schools in McLean. They are due April 1. 703-734-4944.
Local host families are sought for French high-school students studying in the United States this summer. The International Center for Language Studies in Washington, D.C., will have 15-20 students. Families will be expected to provide room and board, help facilitate the students’ use of public transportation and include them in weekend activities that will enhance their American experience. Incidental costs will be paid. A stipend will be given to each host family. Call 202-639-8800 to apply.
Oakcrest School in McLean will premier its annual original musical comedy on Thursday, March 20, at 8 p.m. This year's show, "Happily Ever After," runs from March 20 through Saturday, March 22. For times and ticket prices, call 703-790-5450.
Jacqueline Salamack, a freshman at Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Conn., has been chosen to receive a summer scholarship to the Toin University in Tokyo, Japan. Jacqueline is the first freshman to receive the scholarship in the history of the program. She studied Japanese in the Fairfax County Immersion Program and is the daughter of Donald and Maureen Salamack of Great Falls.
Sunset Hills Montessori Children's House PTA presents its second annual fund-raising Live and Silent Art Auction presented by Marlin Art to benefit the PTA. The art auction will take place on March 15 from 6:45-10 p.m., with the art preview and silent auction from 6:45-8. The event will be held at John B. Patton Hall off Cascades Parkway on Middlefield Drive. The $15 ticket price will include complimentary wine, beer and catering by the Tortilla Factory. Tickets are available at the door, or call Cindy McBride at 703- 620-2154.
Green Hedges School in Vienna invites the public to its “Improvisational Opera,” a performance by the seventh grade, on Friday, March 14, at 2:30 p.m. The performance is the culminating activity of the Artist In Residency program at the school led by Toni Crowder, opera performer and music teacher. Crowder has been meeting with teachers and students and integrating the study of opera into other academic subjects across the grades. Her residency is sponsored by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, with assistance from funds made available by the school’s Parent Teacher Organization.
Langley High School's Theater Arts Department will present its spring production of "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest" on March 13, 14 and 15 at 7:30 p.m. in the Langley High School auditorium. The school is located at 6520 Georgetown Pike in McLean. Tickets are $8 at the door. Call 703-287-2821 for information.
The Fairfax County School Board is seeking community input regarding the naming of the new elementary school scheduled to open in September 2003 on the Andrew Chapel site. The new school is located at 1400 Trap Road, Vienna. Members of the community who live within the new school’s boundaries as determined by the School Board vote on March 3 are invited to attend a community meeting on Monday, March 31, 7 p.m., in the Cooper Middle School cafeteria. Cooper is located at 977 Balls Hill Road, McLean. Jane Strauss, Fairfax County School Board member, will conduct the meeting. Joan Wilcox, director, Cluster 1 schools, and Sandra Furick, who has been selected to serve as principal of the new school, will also attend. Questions regarding which students will be assigned to the new elementary school should be directed to Gary Chevalier, director, Facilities Planning Services, at 703-246-3608. Questions about the March 31 meeting or procedures for naming the new school should be directed to the Cluster 1 office at 703-204-3810.
The nationally-ranked Oakton High School (OHS) Varsity Dance Team will be offering a one-day dance team camp on Saturday, April 5, 1-6 p.m., at Oakton High School. The camp is open to students in grades seven-11. Students do not have to be in the Oakton High School district to participate. Campers will work with dance team members and coaches to learn at least one full routine. Registrations are available in surrounding public high schools, in the OHS activities office, on the OHS Web site under Athletics, or from current members of the Oakton Dance Team. Campers and the OHS Varsity Dance Team will take part in a brief performance for the public, 6:15-6:45 p.m., directly following the camp. Campers will receive a T-shirt, snack and three free tickets to the closing performance; additional tickets are $1. Cost of the camp is $50, with a $5 discount for registration postmarked before March 28. Registration at the door is $55. Space limited to 75 campers.
The award-winning James Madison High School band in Vienna will sponsor a weekend car wash April 5 and 6 to raise money for band activities. The car washes will be 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, April 5, at Vienna Shell, 123 and Glyndon, and Sunday at Vienna Texaco, 252 Maple.