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Army Reserve Pvt. Patricia LaBorda has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C. She is the daughter of Maria LaBorda of Alexandria. LaBorda is a 2003 graduate of Mount Vernon High School, Alexandria.
As a result of winning a spot in the Fulbright Memorial Fund (FMF) Teacher Program, Mount Vernon-area resident Lonnell Battle spent three weeks in Japan this summer. Battle, a former instructional assistant at Woodley Hills Elementary School and PTA president at Washington Mill Elementary, is currently an English teacher and chair of the English Department at Paul VI Catholic High in Fairfax.
A panel of educators selected Battle and 200 others for the program, sponsored by the Japanese government. In addition, The Washington Post, the Embassy of Japan and FMF selected Battle as one of six recipients of the Japanese Education and Culture Fellowships.
In Japan, Battle visited Tokyo, Kyoto, Kobe and the city of Abashiri, where she visited elementary, middle and high schools.
Two Mount Vernon RECenter Volunteers were recently honored by the Fairfax County Park Authority's Leisure and Wellness Branch. The volunteers were Per Jartby, who serves as an ice monitor for the ice skating rink, and Greg Kotterman, who volunteers as an ice resurfacer. For more opportunity about Park service volunteer opportunities, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/volunteer.htm.