Know something that should be featured in School Notes? Awards? Special events? School fairs? Fax a brief write-up to 703-917-0991 or write an e-mail to Joy Allen at mclean@connectionnewspapers.com
<lst>McLean Children's Academy is hosting an open house for morning and afternoon preschool classes, and for extended day preschool programs, on Wednesday, Feb. 25 9:30 - 11:30 a.m., at 6900 Elm St. in McLean. The open house is for registration for fall and summer. Call for information at 703-734-2353. Registration information is available on at www.childrensacademy.com.
Cub Scouts and Brownies (grades 1-3) and their parents can attend "God & Me," a five-week, all-protestant course taught by Pastor Jeff Wilson. Sessions start March 2, 7-8 p.m., at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in McLean. Fee is $20 each. Call 703-356-3346.
Registration for McLean Youth's spring volleyball program is now open to area youth in grades four through high school. Registration forms and program information are available at www.myi.org (go to volleyball). For more information, or if available to coach, contact Paula Doyle at 703-893-1398.
Now’s the time to register for summer camps at the McLean Community Center. The center offers a variety of fun and affordable options for youth this summer. The Center is located at 1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean.
*Camp McLean, which takes place at a Fairfax County Public School in McLean, is an American Camping Association accredited camp and is a Virginia Department of Social Services Licensed Child Care Center. A staff of recreation professionals, teachers and graduate and undergraduate students comprise the staff of Camp McLean. The camp has three two-week sessions beginning on June 28 and ending Aug. 6.
* Tot Camp, which takes place 9 a.m. - 1 p.m., is for 3- to 5-year-olds. Campers remain on site at all times. Each session offers a weekly theme, in-house entertainment and water play. Campers participate in arts and crafts, nature activities, outdoor play, circle time and games played in small groups. The camper/staff ratio is one adult to six campers. The cost of each two-week session ranges from $285 to $325.
* Regular, Adventure and Excursion Camp hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Regular Camp is for first- through third-graders. Each session offers four swimming days and two local field trips. Transportation is provided via Fairfax County Public School buses. Each session offers a weekly theme in which campers have the opportunity to participate in arts and crafts, music, drama, cooking, games and sports. The camper/staff ratio is one adult to eight campers. The cost of each two-week session ranges from $305 to $340.
* Adventure Camp is for fourth and fifth graders. Excursion Camp is for sixth and seventh graders. Campers spend time participating in arts and crafts, games, sports and nature projects. In addition, these two groups travel on four local field trips and enjoy four days of swimming at a local swimming pool each session. Transportation is provided via Fairfax County Public School buses. These groups join the Regular Camp for camp field trips, special events and recreational swimming. The camper/staff ratio is one adult to 10 campers. The cost of each two-week session ranges from $350 to $390.
* For more than 15 years, the Alden Theatre’s Summer Theatre Workshops have provided theater training for children. These summer programs offer young actors in fourth through ninth grades an opportunity to develop their skills in the areas of acting, voice and movement. Led by a staff of theater professionals, students participate in all facets of the theatrical experience, from audition techniques to putting on the final performance. No experience is necessary for either workshop.
* McLean Kids is a camp for rising fourth, fifth and sixth graders. The camp is Monday through Friday, June 21–July 9. Camp hours are 9:30 a.m.–3:30p.m. The cost of the two-week workshop is $480/$550 nonresidents, which includes a T-shirt and makeup supplies.
* On Stage!, a camp for rising sixth, eighth and ninth graders, is Monday through Friday, July 12–July 30, from 9:30 a.m.–3:30p.m. The cost of the two-week workshop is $525/$600 nonresidents, which includes a T-shirt and makeup supplies.
* The McLean Cooks’ Kids Cook Program offers a number of cooking camps. All food and materials are included in the cost of programs, which meet Monday through Friday, for three to four hours, mornings or afternoons. All camps are limited to 12 participants, ages 8-12, except for parent and child and teen camps. Each day, students prepare a new meal and then dine on what they have made. Topics include kitchen rules and responsibilities, knife safety, skills assessment, kitchen cleanliness, table manners and the social aspects of dining together. Chef Joel Olson, of Hemmachef, teaches all camps. Recent summer camps have included Baking and Pastry, Let’s Cook Together (parent and child), International Cuisine, Teen Cuisine and Culinary Voyage.
* The Old Firehouse Teen Center (OFTC), a satellite program of the McLean Community Center, offers its Y.E.S. (Youth Experiencing Summer) Program, for seventh through ninth graders for a second year this summer. The program runs June 21 – Aug. 6, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily. The cost of the program is $120 a month, or $35 a week. Teenagers participate in a structured program that includes outdoor sports, swimming and catching up on summer reading. Included in the cost is a supervised event, a daily snack, access to books that are on the Fairfax County Public Schools’ summer reading list and transportation to off-site events. Children must bring a lunch daily.
* OFTC also offers The Extreme Summer Experience for rising seventh, eighth and ninth graders.
Teenagers enjoy trips to fun locations, including Six Flags and the Spy Museum. Teenagers should arrive at the Teen Center between 8 and 9 a.m. The bus leaves promptly at 9 a.m. Most trips return at approximately 3 p.m.; however, some may return later. Parents must pick their children up by 6 p.m. The cost of the program is $350/$375 nonresidents for each session. Session I is Aug. 9-13, Session II is Aug. 16-20, and Session III is Aug. 23-27.
* The McLean Project for the Arts’ Creative Art Studio Program offers week-long workshops for children ages 6-8 and 8-11. Tuition is $100 per week/$110 nonresidents. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., or 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Week 3 meets only four days (Tuesday-Friday), and tuition is $80/$90 nonresidents. All supplies are provided. Children may attend one or more sessions and should bring a snack and a painting smock or an oversized shirt.
For more information on summer camps, call the center at 703-790-0123/TTY: TAP-TALK, or visit: www.mcleancenter.org
Substance-Abuse Education seminars for parents will continue to be held in the new year at three locations, Langley High School, McLean High School and Herndon High School. At Langley High School there will be sessions on March 10 and 31, April 28 and May 19.
At McLean High School the sessions will be Jan. 14, Feb. 4 and 25, March 17, April 14, May 5 and 26, and June 9.
High-school students who want to develop their interests in the fine arts can enter the 2004 James Carroll Macdonald Arts Scholarship Competition. Sponsored by the McLean Community Center, the competition is designed to encourage artistic achievement and promote study in the arts by high-school students who reside in or attend school in Dranesville Small Tax District 1A (McLean). The deadline for applying for this year’s competition is Friday, Feb. 27.
The competition is open to students in grades nine-12 who are enrolled in and attending high school on a full-time basis. A $1,000 scholarship prize is given to one winning student in each of the following categories: music, theater and visual arts. Winners are chosen from among three finalists in each category. All finalists will be required to show proof of age and residence or school affiliation before they can proceed to the final stage of competition. Finalists must be present and prepared to perform at the final competition on Wednesday, May 12, at 8 p.m., to be eligible for an award.
Application forms are available at local high-school guidance offices and from the center. For more information or for an application form, call the center at 703-790-0123, or visit www.mcleancenter.org.
Lorien Wood is a Christ-centered school with integral curriculum modeled after Rivendell School in Arlington. Lorien Wood features small, mixed-age classes, with emphasis placed on character development, community and parental involvement. Doors open in the greater Vienna area in fall 2004 with grades K-4, expanding through grade eight over the next four years. The next open house is Saturday, March 6, at 9:30 a.m., all at Church of the Good Shepherd, 2351 Hunter Mill Road, Oakton. R.S.V.P. appreciated but not required at nfo@lorienwood.org or 703-281-1807. For additional information, visit www.lorienwood.org.
The American Youth Philharmonic will perform Sunday, March 7 at 3 p.m. at George Mason University Center for the Arts. Among the performers are Alicia Ward of Marshall High School who plays cello and Rachelle Hunt of McLean High School who plays violin. Tickets are $14 for adults and $10 for students/seniors. For advance tickets and more information call 703-642-8051 or visit www.ayporchestras.org.
Over 100 of Fairfax County's kindergartners will be getting their hands dirty in order to learn how to be environmentally friendly and good gardeners at "Deehan's Dig and Grow Day" on March 26. Deehan Landscaping Inc. will teach Springhill Elementary School's kindergartners these lessons by having each student plant seeds in a cup to watch them grow over a week's period. Over 500 seeds and over 20 pounds of soil will be provided by Deehan Landscaping.
The McLean Citizens Association, through its Education and Youth Committee, is again sponsoring the Teen Character Award to recognize teenagers with exceptional ethical and compassionate character. Teenagers who have, on their own and without compensation or other formal recognition, cared for elderly relatives or younger siblings, or who have helped out in their neighborhood or the greater Washington D.C. metropolitan community, deserve to be recognized not only for themselves but as an example to others. To nominate a teenager, pick up an application form at the McLean Community Center, Langley or McLean high school, or Cooper or Longfellow middle school. Nominations must be turned in to the McLean Community Center no later than Saturday, April 17. All teenagers whose nominations indicate they meet the criteria specified with the application will be notified and must be present unless other arrangements have been made with the Committee, to receive certificates at McLean Day on Saturday, May 15. For further information, call 703-734-4944.
The Fairfax County school system has established a new, toll-free telephone hotline for emergency messages, with information in three languages. The new number allows more people to use the hotline at the same time, reducing delays and busy signals.
The new number, 1-800-839-FCPS (3277) is effective immediately, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In the event of school closings or delays or other emergency situations, information can be obtained by dialing the toll-free number from anywhere in the region. Messages are available in English, Korean and Spanish.
All 10th-12th grade high school students in Northern Virginia are eligible for the Civil Liberties Essay Contest, sponsored by the Northern Virginia Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia.
Winning prizes, $300 for first place and $200 for runner-up, are awarded in June.
Essays should address the student’s opinion or analysis of a current civil liberties issue and are judged on clarity of thought, cogency of argument and eloquence of expression. Entries must be 700 words maximum. See http://members.aol.com/acluva for excerpts from last year's winning essays.
Essays must be typed and postmarked by March 31, mailed to: Northern Virginia Chapter of the ACLU, P.O. Box 19242, Alexandria, VA 22320-0242. Include a cover sheet with name, address, phone number and the name of the high school attended.
Winners will be notified by May 15.
Call the ACLU message line at 703-360-1096.