Send announcements to The Loudoun Connection, 7913 Westpark Drive, McLean, VA 22102, e-mail to loudoun@connectionnewspapers.com or fax to 703-917-0991. Deadline is Friday, two weeks before the event. Photos/artwork encouraged. For more information, call Jennifer Lesinski at 703-917-6454.
The Loudoun County Commission on Women (LCCW) will honor 10 winners of the 2006 Outstanding Women of Loudoun County awards at its annual luncheon, Tuesday, May 16.
The Outstanding Women of Loudoun County are county residents who have demonstrated efforts above and beyond the call of duty in their work or lives, and include Patty Demmon, Community Service for Youth Award; Cheyenne Cashin, Community Service for Commuters Award; Laura Valle, Leadership Award; Kathy Lague, Public Safety Award; Bobbi Carducci, Career Development Award; Amy Burns, Business Development Award; Pauline S. Singletary, Culture Affairs Award; Beth Wilson, Performing and Visual Arts Award; Emily Ciullo, Partners in Education Award; and Katherine Ratcliffe, Heritage Education Award.
The Loudoun MADD Poster Essay Ceremony was held April 23, at the Cascades Library. Christina Dawson of Loudoun County High School was selected as The 2006 Loudoun MADD Youth Ambassador.
Other winners include: first-place winners receive $100 savings bond, Kareem Fawzi, Middle School Essay, Harper Park Middle School; Kareem Fawzi, Middle School Black and White Photo, Harper Park Middle School; Kareem Fawzi, Middle School Poster, Harper Park Middle School; Kareem Fawzi, Middle School PSA, Harper Park Middle School; Sarah Fawzi, High School Poster, Heritage High School; Sarah Fawzi, High School Black and White Photo, Heritage High School; Sarah Fawzi, High School Essay, Heritage High School.
Second-place winners receive $75 savings bond, Michael Verdi, Middle School Essay, Smart Hill Middle School; Nate Lockeman, Middle School Black and White Photo, Smart Hill Middle School; Mandy Lin, High School Poster, Broad Run High School; Taylor Reed, Elementary Poster, Lowes Island Elementary.
Third-place winners receive $50 savings bond, Jennifer Garrison, Middle School Black and White Photo, Smart Hill Meddle School; Allyson Reed, High School Essay, Dominion High School; Casey Bickford, High School Poster, Dominion High School.
Honorable mention, Yanira Garcia, Middle School Black and White Photo, Smart Hill Middle School; Christina Dawson, High School Poster, Loudoun County High School.
On April 29, the Loudoun County Chapter of the Izaak Walton League held its 17th Annual Outdoor Ethics Recognition and Reward Program at the Leesburg Firehouse. This annual event is held to recognize the contributions of members and various other agencies around Northern Virginia; and is co-sponsored by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Robert Vernail received an Award for Outstanding Service for his efforts prosecuting several cases involving hunting and wildlife offenses. It is the third time that Vernail has received such an award. Others receiving awards were several members of the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office and members of the public that assisted Game Wardens in holding violators accountable.
Army Pvt. Marisa K. Hess has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C.
During the nine weeks of training, the soldier studied the Army mission, history, tradition and core values, physical fitness, and received instruction and practice in basic combat skills, military weapons, chemical warfare and bayonet training, drill and ceremony, marching, rifle marksmanship, armed and unarmed combat, map reading, field tactics, military courtesy, military justice system, basic first aid, foot marches, and field training exercises.
She is the daughter of Donna Hess of W.Va., and sister of Briana Hess Bata of Sterling. The private is a 2005 high school graduate of the Mountaineer Challenge Academy, Kingwood, W.Va.
Kimberly Lyons, an 11th-grader from Potomac Falls High, is one of 18 finalists named in the Jamestown 2007 commemorative cachet historic art contest. Laura Dreyer, also an 11th-grader from Potomac Falls High, received an honorable mention.
More than 4,100 Virginia public, private and home-schooled students and teachers submitted designs for consideration depicting the story of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the Americas.
The finalistsÕ designs best illustrate themes that comprise AmericaÕs 400th Anniversary. They will be displayed at the World Philatelic Exhibition in Washington, D.C., from May 27-June 3. Six first-, second- and third-place winners Ñ one from each of six categories Ñ will be announced at a special ceremony May 28.
First-place designs in the three grade-school categories Ñ kindergarten-fifth, sixth-eighth and high school Ñ will be reproduced on envelopes and presented as gifts to the winning students. First-place designs from teachers, higher-education visual-arts and higher-education graphic-design students will be printed on cachets and be made available for purchase at Jamestown Settlement, Historic Jamestowne and select National Park Service locations throughout 2007. Proceeds from the cachet sales will benefit Jamestown educational initiatives undertaken by the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation and Historic Jamestowne.
The Loudoun Volunteer Financial Council held its annual meeting April 27, at the Loudoun Extension Office in Leesburg. Priscilla Godfrey was chosen to serve as president of Loudoun Volunteer Financial Council for the coming year. Godfrey was first elected to the board in 2004, and she also currently serves as a member of the Loudoun County School Board. Graeme MacHorton was elected to serve as president-elect; Leon Miller, treasurer and Ed Senft as secretary.
LVFC was incorporated in 1994 as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization to serve Loudoun County residents and families in need of financial planning services and debt counseling as a means of supporting them on the road to financial self-reliance.
The Best In Show of the 2006 10th Congressional District Art Show is titled "Wetlands" and was painted by Conor Backman of Loudoun County.
Backman is the son of Keith and Shaileen Backman of Purcellville. He is a junior at Loudoun Valley High School. The painting is an oil and depicts a scenic wetland surrounded by foliage with mountains in the background.
The annual show is part of a program open to high-school students across the country and sponsored locally by individual members of Congress. The Best In Show of each of the respective shows hangs in the Capitol for a year.
The 10th District show, held May 6, at Ida Lee Park Recreation Center in Leesburg, was held this year in conjunction with the Loudoun Youth Initiative's Teen Fest.
The show was judged by Howard Paine of Delaplane and Randy Michener of Washington, D.C.
Two employees of the Loudoun County Department of Family Services have been elected to leadership positions with the Virginia Association of Housing Counselors (VAHC).
Stuart Shatz, Loudoun County Housing Choice Voucher Division manager, has been selected as the new president of the board of directors of the statewide group. Shelita Adams, Loudoun County Affordable Housing Program manager, has been chosen as a member-at-large of the board.
VAHC is the professional organization for housing counselors in Virginia. The group is dedicated to assuring that low- and moderate-income families and individuals have the opportunity to live in safe, decent and affordable housing. The group assists homeowners, home buyers and renters with housing related problems.