Green Hedges School students in grades 5 through 8 recently participated in the school's National Geographic Bee. In the final round, fifth-graders Caroline Anderson and Jesse Nayak, sixth-graders Jack Christensen and Jeremy Miller, seventh-graders Kaley Nelson and Mairin Wood, and eighth-graders Blair Jenet and Reece Pelley answered questions on topics in American and world geogrpahy that spanned culture, politics, and ecology. Reece Pelley won the bee and will take the written examination to qualify for the state round in Richmond in March.
Summer Art Camp 2006. The Great Falls Art Center is now taking registration for classes which will be held thru July and August for ages 6 to teen. Campers attend Monday -Friday from 10-3 p.m. For applications call 703 759-3867 or email greatfallsart@yahoo.com.
Village Green Day School, 790 Walker Road in Great Falls, has openings in their Kinder Club enrichment program. Structured to challenge young minds, this program is for morning kindergarten-age students who are looking to extend their half-day public school experience. The Kinder Club meets from noon- 3 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday with transportation offered from local elementary schools. Subjects include: mathmatics, science, geography, reading, art and Spanish. Call 703-759-4049 or visit www.villagegreendayschool.com.
The third and fourth grades of Northern Virginia Friends School in Oakton had a lesson in Chinese calligraphy. Pauline Tao and Tom Duffy, parents of third-grader Liam Tao-Duffy, presented the lesson. Considered one of the highest forms of Chinese art, the children learned to understand the Chinese language through the beauty of calligraphy.
Starshine Theater of Great Falls is now enrolling students for its Winter/Spring session of performing arts workshops. A variety of programs are offered for ages 1-17, including: "The Odyssey," a full-production musical drama based on Homer's ancient epic and open to ages 7-17, "The Adventures of Chicken Little," a new play open to young actors, ages 4.5- 9 years, Beginning and Intermediate Guitar for ages 9 and up, Voice and Singing Techniques for ages 8- 17, Creative Dance/Pre-Ballet for ages 3-5 years, and "Music 'n Motion for Mommy 'n Me," for ages 1-5 years (siblings welcome). Rehearsals and Classes are held at The School of Theatrical Dance in the Great Falls Village Centre. Contact Patricia Budwig, Creative Director, at 703-790-9050 or StarshineTheater@aol.com.
Auditions for the McLean Youth Orchestra 2005-06 season are open to serious music students ages 12-18. The orchestra includes cultural exchanges and an annual scholarship competition. To schedule, call the MYO Director Tina Anderson at 703-451-2399. Visit www.mclean-orchestra.org/myo/index.html.
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) has scheduled two teacher job fairs to recruit teachers for the 2006-07 school year and is searching for teachers and counselors with strong academic backgrounds and the passion to make a difference in the lives of their students. To meet the growing need for excellent teachers, especially in the field of special education, separate job fairs for elementary-level and secondary-level teachers are planned. The job fair for elementary school teachers will be held on Saturday, March 4, 2006. Both job fairs are scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Oakton High School, 2900 Sutton Road in Vienna.
Registration for the elementary-level job fair runs from Feb. 7 through Feb. 21. Online preregistration is required; go to www.fcps.edu/DHR to register.