Erica Meadows has been an English for Speakers of Other Languages teacher at McNair Elementary School since it opened, and this year she was awarded a grant from Wal-Mart to help McNair's ESOL students and their families.
<lst>Name: Erica Meadows
Town/Neighborhood: Oakton resident.
Years in the Community: 3
Occupation/Position: Lead ESOL teacher, McNair Elementary, Herndon.
Achievements: Earning my masterÕs degree with my youngest two children in diapers gave me a great sense of accomplishment. IÕm also really proud of my service as the president of the Los Angeles Chapter of the International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN).
Family: Married to Steve for 15 years. Sons, Michael (13) and Alec (9) and daughter, Maddie (6).
What do you like or dislike about your community?: I love the sense of community in Fairfax County. I also appreciate the fact that we have the best public schools in the country. ThatÕs why we moved here.
Favorite local restaurant/place: The drive-thru Starbucks in Herndon!
Sports Interests/Activities/Hobbies: I love visiting the museums in D.C. I also enjoy watching my kids play lacrosse and basketball.
Community Ties: I am a member of the McNair and Kilmer PTAs.
Community Concerns: I look forward to seeing more after-school programs for middle-school students.
Community Ideas: I would love to see more programs which support home literacy for very young children. In fact, I just read about a program which provides home visits from teachers who work with parents on introducing books to babies. Reading to my children made such a difference for them. I wish all children could have those opportunities.
Personal Goals: I hope to earn my doctorate in education. More importantly, though, I would love to speak Spanish fluently.
What community "hidden treasure" should more people know about?: The Herndon Free Clinic is an amazing Òhidden treasure.Ó They provide such an incredible service to the community. More people should know how to support them.
<lst>Send profile nominations to The Connection, 7913 Westpark Drive, McLean, VA 22102, e-mail to
herndon@connectionnewspapers.com or fax to 703-917-0991. For more information, call Jennifer Lesinski at 703-917-6454.