<lst>Send your school's announcement to The Loudoun Connection, 7913 Westpark Drive, McLean, VA 22102, e-mail to loudoun@connectionnewspapers.com or fax to 703-917-0991. Deadline is two weeks before publication. Photos/artwork encouraged. Questions? Call 703-917-6449.
Belmont Ridge Middle School is having a show entitled "Belmont Ridge Salutes the USO." The performances are June 11 and 12 at 7 p.m., Cost of tickets is $5. Any veteran or active military wearing any part of their uniform, will receive a $1 discount off the ticket price. Belmont Ridge Middle School is located at 19045 Upper Belmont Place.
Joy Anderson, educator at Monroe Technical Center in Loudoun County, received the 2004 Teacher Excellence award from the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation for her dedication to the ProStart program. The award recognizes exceptional teachers who use the ProStart program in their classrooms, and is coordinated by the Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association Education Foundation.
Five Loudoun County Odyssey of the Mind teams represented the state and the county at the World OM Finals held over Memorial Day weekend at the University of Maryland College Park campus. In Division I, Catoctin Elementary did the Feature Artist long-term problem and came in 19th out of 37 teams. Also in Division I, Cool Spring Elementary did the Feature Creature problem and came in 24th out of 44 teams. In Division II, Simpson Middle School also did the Feature Creature problem and came in 32nd out of 46 teams. Harmony Intermediate School did the Envirover problem and came in 4th out of 41 teams, the best placement so far for any Loudoun County team in the World Finals. In Division III, Loudoun Valley High School did the Feature Creature problem and came in 24th out of 40 teams. For three members of this high school team, the only Loudoun County high school participating this year, this was the third time they had competed in the OM World Finals.
Sterling resident Nicole Elizabeth Stutz graduated from Quincy University on Sunday, May 16 with a master's degree in business administration.
Broad Run High School seniors Drew Landsberg, Nate Glenn, Amanda Ohlen and Britany Raymond attended the 27th Annual Robert H. Herndon Memorial Science Seminar on Thursday, May 27 at the Aerospace Corporation in Chantilly. U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers, Jr. was the keynote speaker. Landsberg won a $500 savings bond as part of a student competition.
Jeremy Vercillo of Eagle Ridge Middle School, Carter Huffman of Blue Ridge Middle School and Brian Wolfe of Eagle Ridge Middle School received perfect scores in the Continental Math League national mathematics competition.
George Cassutto, a social sciences teacher at Harmony Intermediate School, has been invited to speak at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial museum in Jerusalem at the Fourth Annual Conference on Holocaust Education this summer. His presentation will deal with "Using the Internet in Holocaust Education and Prejudice Reduction."
Farmwell Station Middle School's musical groups competed in the Music in the Parks Program on May 22 at Hershey Park, Pa. The Concert Band placed second in the middle school AA division under the direction of Jenn Grimes. The Jazz Ensemble placed first in its division under the direction of Nathan Simpson. The mixed choir, under the direction of Jennifer Kauffman placed first in its division and was awarded as the best overall choir in the competition. Eighth-grader Diane Stanley was honored as the outstanding accompanist for the entire competition.
Potomac Falls High School senior Katherine Mims has been named as a National Merit Scholarship winner. Mims has received a $2,500 scholarship from the program, which she will use at either Harvard or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Three Seneca Ridge Middle School classes placed high on the National Social Studies League Exam. The seventh grade placed second in the nation on the National Social Studies League Exam. The fourteen seventh grade students who won the second place honor are Herman Aparicio, Sarah Choi, Billy Cox, Michael Fawkes, Neal Hollowell, Virginia Minks, William Morsch, Amelia Nemitz, Ashoka Rajendra, Andrew Russell, Michael Scott, James Thomas, Matthew Weber and Yuwan Xu, with Neal Hollowell as top scorer. Seneca Ridge's sixth grade ranked first in Virginia and tied for fifth in the nation, with Robbie Daitzman as top scorer. Seneca Ridge's eighth grade ranked second in Virginia and in the top 25 percent of the nation, with Chris Hoerauf and Andrew Livingstone tied for the eighth grade's top spot.
Online and telephone registration is now open for the summer sessions at Northern Virginia Community College through the NovaConnect system. Classes begin June 28 for the second six-week session . To access NovaConnect, go to http://www.nvcc.edu and click on the NovaConnect icon. Telephone registration is also available at 703-330-3770. Call 703-257-6600 for more information.
Winnie-the-Pooh Preschool located at Mount Hope Baptist Church on Belmont Ridge Road in Ashburn, has added another 3-year-old class for the 2004-05 school year. Winnie-the-Pooh is a nondenominational cooperative preschool offering morning and afternoon classes for 3-to-5 year-olds. Winnie-the-Pooh is the only preschool in Loudoun County owned and operated by the parents. Applications are available by contacting 703-724-0496 or visiting www.wtpp.org .
Baby lambs, goats, piglets, and chickens are among the farm animals welcoming educational groups to guided tours of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority's Temple Hall Farm Regional Park Interpretive Center in Leesburg. The farm is accepting summer and fall educational tour reservations. Admission for teachers is complimentary and the minimum group reservation size is 15 paid visitors. Tours are available Tuesdays through Fridays, between 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at NVRPA's working farm. Reservations are required. The new reservations telephone number is 703-352-5900. Fees apply to chaperones and siblings older than age 2. The farm tour is $3 per person, with an additional $1 per person for a wagon ride. Free Sunday afternoon farm visits, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m., will continue through October. For more information about tours, adventures and opportunities at Temple Hall Farm Regional Park, visit www.nvrpa.org/templehallfarm.
Park View High School's graduation has changed from 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 17.