In Fairfax County, Boys' Gymnastics Becomes a Victim of Budget Shortfall - The Washington Post

Funding for high school boys' gymnastics was eliminated in FairfaxCounty on Thursday when the school board voted 11-1 to adopt a budgetthat addresses the system's $40 million shortfall for the fiscal yearthat begins July 1.

Only 12 of the county's 24 high schools had teams with four ormore gymnasts this winter, with approximately 100 boys competing.Other than Alexandria schools Washington-Lee and Yorktown, no otherVirginia public high schools support boys' gymnastics programs.

'We took a big hit [with the budget] this year,' said BrucePatrick, Coordinator of Student Activities and Athletic Programs forFairfax County, who added that middle school and high schoolintramural sports were also cut and that some funding for athletictravel was eliminated.

Participation was down slightly from the 2001 season, when 116boys competed. By contrast, 21 Fairfax County schools had girls'gymnastics teams (with over 200 girls participating) last winter, andschools throughout the state field teams.

'At the beginning of the year, they said we were fine. Toward theend, we heard there was a potential place to drop the sport,' saidLake Braddock Coach Eric Kim, whose Bruins won the Virginia AAANorthern Region championship on May 14. 'Our $80,000 costs out of awhole [athletic] budget of $800,000 to $1 million. . . . We werehoping that because of that, dropping us wouldn't make an impact.It's not a shock, but it's definitely disappointing.'

Two days after the Northern Region championships, a group ofseniors from Northern Virginia's high school programs won theNational High School Senior Gymnastics championships in Las Vegas,with Lake Braddock senior All-Met Justin Spring setting a nationalrecord in the all-around.

'We were kind of banking on it being hard to shut us down afterwinning nationals,' Kim said.

The sport could be moved to club status, but Kim said he doubtsthat it will survive at that level because of the difficulty infinding qualified coaches and judges who will work for little or nopay.

St. Stephen's/St. Agnes Coach Kathy Jenkins was honored by theTeewarton Award foundation for her dedication to girls' lacrosse.Jenkins -- the All-Met Coach of the Year in 1995 and 1997 -- and DickEdell, the former head lacrosse coach at the University of Maryland,were the first coaches to be honored by the foundation, which wasestablished in 2000. . . .

In all, 10 Washington area boats came home with medals from lastweekend's Scholastic Rowing Association of America Championships inOak Ridge, Tenn. McLean's senior girls' quad was the only team towin, but the following teams also had top-three finishes: St. Albans'boys' varsity eight (second), McLean boys' junior double (third) andsenior four (third), Sidwell Friends' boys' junior single (second),Bethesda-Chevy Chase's girls' junior four (second), Jefferson'sgirls' freshman eight (third), T.C. Williams's girls' lightweighteight (third) and varsity eight (third).

Loudoun County's girls and Potomac Falls's boys each won VirginiaAA Region II tennis championships Saturday, and both teams did itwith victories over Handley in Winchester. The victories earned eachteam a berth in the state semifinals, scheduled for June 6-8 atRadford (girls) and Virginia Tech (boys).

Fairfax stifles Mack attack - Oakland Tribune

SACRAMENTO -- Ja'Shon Hampton had 14 points to lead Fairfax ofLos Angeles past McClymonds 53-29 in the Division I boys statechampionship game Saturday at Arco Arena.

Chase Stanback, Chris Soloman and Ron Singleton added 10 pointsfor the Pioneers (28-5), who tied the modern record for fewestpoints allowed in a state championship game. The game also saw arecord for fewest total points in a Division I championship game,breaking the 83 scored last yearby De La Salle and Clovis.

William Cherry led McClymonds (28-4) with 11 points, all butthree in the first quarter. The Warriors didn't help their cause bygoing 3-for-14 from the free-throw line.

After a relatively tight first period, McClymonds went scorelessin the second quarter, missing all eight of its shots as Fairfaxtook an 18-12 lead. The Warriors shot 25 percent from the floor inthe first half and just 22 percent (11-for-49) for the game.

Fairfax, with 3,174 students, is ranked 25th in the nation bySports Illustrated and RISE. The much smaller McClymonds isunranked.

DIVISION I GIRLS

Long Beach Poly 58, Berkeley 52

Jasmine Dixon had 23 points and 11 rebounds as Long Beach Polywon its second straight state championship.

Candice Nichols added 17 points and eight rebounds for theJackrabbits (36-1), who are ranked No. 2 in the nation by SportsIllustrated and Full Court Press.

Alexandria Mitchell had 19 points for Berkeley (27-7), which lostto Long Beach Poly in the state finals for the second straightseason. Jennifer Gross had a double-double, with 10 points and 13rebounds.

The first quarter went back and forth, but after theYellowjackets tied the score at 15, Long Beach Poly went on a 15-2run that decided the game. Dixon had nine points in that burst and12 in the second period.

At the half, it was 35-23 Poly, and though Berkeley cut it to sixin the final 30 seconds, the issue was never in doubt.

The game was the final one in Berkeley coach Gene Nakamura's 24-year career, which included two California titles, the last in 1997,and five other trips to the state championship game.

DIVISION III BOYS

Artesia 91, Bishop O'Dowd 64

James Harden scored 24 points to lead Artesia of Lakewood overBishop O'Dowd, earning its second straight state championship.

The Pioneers set a Division III record for most points in a titlegame, and the teams' combined total was also a record. Other double-figure scorers for the Pioneers (33-2) were Renardo Sidney (18),Malik Story (14), A.J. Gasporra (13) and Lorenzo McCloud (13). Thewin gave Artesia its fifth California championship.

Brandon Walker had 24 points for Bishop O'Dowd (26-7), which haslost five straight state title games since winning the first modernDivision I championship in 1981. Shawn Lewis added 18.

Artesia took over the game early, jumping out to a 40-15 lead,but the gritty Dragons refused to buckle. Backed by an emotionalcrowd, O'Dowd eventually cut the lead to six in the third period, 55-49, but Artesia's talent -- the Pioneers are ranked seventh in thenation by Sports Illustrated and RISE -- was just too much for theDragons to overcome.

DIVISION IV GIRLS

Marlborough 67

St. Patrick-St. Vincent 54

Nikki Speed scored 25 points and had five steals as Marlboroughof Los Angeles overcame a 16-point second-half deficit against St.Patrick-St. Vincent of Vallejo to win the girls' Division IV statetitle, 67-52, at Arco Arena on Saturday.

The Mustangs (27-7) outscored the Bruins 41-12 in the secondhalf, when Speed scored 20 of her points in the final 16 minutes.

The title was the first for Marlborough, which was making itsdebut in the state championship game.

Alex Cowlings led St. Patrick-St. Vincent (30-4) with 32 points,but 24 came in the Bruin-dominated first half. The team led 40-26 atthe break and scored first in the third quarter, but after that itwas all Marlborough.

DIVISION III GIRLS

Sacred Heart Cathedral 60, Bishop Amat 54 (OT)

Jazmine Jackson scored 25 points as Sacred Heart Cathedral of SanFrancisco pulled off another miracle finish to beat Bishop Amat ofLa Puente.

The Irish (32-2) trailed by three with time running out, andTierra Rogers drove to the basket for a two-point layup but wasfouled with three seconds left.

Sacred Heart had no timeouts left, and had Rogers scored withoutbeing fouled, under high school rules, the clock would have run outbefore Bishop Amat would have had to inbound the ball. But Rogersthen made the free throw to tie the game, and in overtime, theLancers made just two of nine free throws, and the Irish pulledaway.

Kristen McCarthy topped Bishop Amat (27-6), the two-timedefending Division III champions, with 17 points.

DIVISION IV BOYS

Campbell Hall 70,

Cardinal Newman 34

Jrue Holiday scored 20 points as Campbell Hall of North Hollywoodrolled over Cardinal Newman of Santa Rosa to win its second statetitle in the past three years.

Holiday also had seven rebounds and four assists for the Vikings(33-1), who are ranked 13th in the nation by Sports Illustrated andRISE. Justin Holiday and Robert Ford each had 15 points, and KeeganHornbuckle added 10.

Marjorie Carlson Knutson, Fairfax Educator, Dies at 61 - The Washington Post

Marjorie Carlson Knutson, 61, a former physical educationteacher who retired in 1990 as assistant principal of Stuart HighSchool in Fairfax, died July 20 at a hospital in Fergus Falls,Minn., after suffering an asthma attack while kayaking at BattleLake, Minn. She lived in Fairfax.

Mrs. Knutson was a native of Appleton, Minn., and a graduateof Luther College, in Iowa, which gave her its distinguished serviceaward for her work in developing music and physical educationcurriculums. She received a master's degree in education from GeorgeWashington University.

She began her 26-year career in Fairfax County as a teacher atLuther Jackson High School. She later was a curriculum specialistfor the county and assistant principal at Jefferson High School.

Mrs. Knutson sang in the choir at Lord of Life Lutheran Churchin Fairfax. Her interests included golf and other sports. She had avacation home at Deep Creek Lake in western Maryland.

Survivors include her husband of 36 years, William Knutson ofFairfax; two sons, Richard Knutson of Fairfax and Paul Knutson ofSt. Paul, Minn.; a sister, Leatrice Benson of Appleton; and threebrothers, Orion Knutson of Ottawa, Ill., David Carlson of Wilmer,Minn., and Elmer Carlson Jr. of Crystal Lakes, Minn.

BASIL J. CANDELA

Engineer

Basil J. Candela, 71, who did engineering work for MitreCorp., TAMS Consultants Inc. and Sverdrup Corp., died of prostatecancer July 23 at the Hospice of Northern Virginia.

Mr. Candela, who lived in Fairfax, was born in Harrison, N.Y.During World War II, he served in the Navy. He graduated fromColumbia University.

In 1976, he moved to the Washington area after having workedin New York for the Hudson Institute. He did engineering work in thearea until illness forced his retirement from Sverdrup.

His wife, Lorene Gibbar, whom he married in 1947, died in1992. Survivors include six children, Stephen Candela of MountLaurel, N.J., James Candela of Dale City, Felicia Candela of Bowie,John Candela of New Paltz, N.Y., Lawrence Candela of Philadelphiaand Michele Abdow of Bethesda; and five grandchildren.

RICHARD D. NOTES

Psychiatrist

Richard D. Notes, 53, a psychiatrist who was born inWashington and raised in Prince George's County, died of cancer July3 at his home in Boca Raton, Fla.

He was a graduate of Northwestern High School, the Universityof Pennsylvania and George Washington University medical school. Hedid his internship and residency at the University of Floridamedical school. He was a diplomate in psychiatry and neurology. Heserved in the Navy.

Dr. Notes was in private practice in Florida and was chairmanof the psychiatry department at Boca Raton Community Hospital.

Survivors include his wife, Joan Notes of Boca Raton; twochildren, Randolf Notes of New York and Nancy Notes of Boca Raton;his mother, Narcia Notes of Bladensburg; and a brother, Ronald Notesof Columbia.

ETHEL POPICK

Volunteer

Ethel Popick, 91, who did volunteer work for the Red Cross andthe Hebrew Home for the Aged, died July 29 at her home inWashington. She had cancer.

Mrs. Popick was born in Madison, N.J. She attended college inNew Jersey and taught elementary school there until the mid-1930s.

In 1947, she moved to Washington and worked briefly as abookkeeper and a billing clerk at Carter Industrial Laundry, awork-uniform rental operation she started with her husband.

She was a member of Adas Israel Congregation and WoodmontCountry Club.

Her husband, Nat Popick, died in 1991. Survivors include twochildren, Harriet Bubes and Dorothy Block, both of Chevy Chase; sixgrandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren.

WILLIAM BEVERLEY MASON JR.

Housing Specialist

William Beverley Mason Jr., 88, a retired housing specialistwho served as executive assistant secretary of the Federal HousingAdministration, died July 29 in his doctor's office in Leesburgafter a heart attack.

Mr. Mason, who lived in Upperville, Va., was born inWashington. He graduated from Episcopal High School in Alexandriaand attended the University of North Carolina.

During World War II, he served in the Navy. After the war, heworked for the FHA as a housing specialist. He was executiveassistant secretary of the agency during the Eisenhower and Nixonadministrations. He also worked for the Department of Housing andUrban Development and as a self-employed housing consultant untilretiring in the mid-1980s.

Mr. Mason was a golfer and member of the Chevy Chase Club, andhe won several amateur golf tournaments. He was a member of theGeorgetown Assembly and the Society of the Cincinnati. He was amember of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Middleburg.

Survivors include his wife, Helen Ann Mason of Upperville; twosons, William Beverley Mason III of Washington and Randolph DulanyMason of Fort Worth; and three grandchildren.

JEAN CARNAHAN WEST

Librarian and Volunteer

Jean Carnahan West, 83, a former law librarian whose volunteeractivities included board and committee work at ChristCongregational Church in Silver Spring, died of congestive heartfailure July 29 at her Silver Spring home.

Mrs. West, a Washington native, worked for the Bethesda lawfirm of Wolpoff and Abramson in the 1970s and early 1980s. She was agraduate of McKinley Technical High School and Katherine GibbsSecretarial School in New York.

She was a secretary, an office manager and a disaster serviceworker for the American Red Cross from 1932 to 1943.

She served on the Congregational Church Home Board ofWashington and was president of the service group at SpringvaleTerrace, a church-sponsored retirement home in Silver Spring thatshe helped found. She was a tutor with the Literacy Council ofMontgomery County.

Her husband, Stanley E. West, died in 1981. Survivors includefour children, Sandra West of Frederick, Md., Stanley E. West Jr.and Paul A. West, both of Silver Spring, and Stuart E. West ofWestmoreland, N.H.; two brothers, Robert G. Carnahan of Sun CityCenter, Fla., and William E. Carnahan of Silver Spring; and fivegrandchildren.

KENNETH HENRY BRUNJES JR.

Operations Manager

Kenneth Henry Brunjes Jr., 59, a retired AT&T operationsmanager, died of cancer July 29 at his son's home in Fairfax.

Mr. Brunjes was born in New York and graduated from theUniversity of Vermont.

He began his professional career in 1957 as a managementtrainee with Bell of Pennsylvania, where he later became a marketingmanager and then a district manager.

In 1982, he relocated to the Washington area as an AT&Toperations manager. He was involved in implementing thecourt-ordered AT&T divestiture. He retired from AT&T in 1989 and in1990 joined the General Services Administration as a communicationsmanagement specialist. He retired from GSA in 1995.

He was a golfer and a member of International Town and CountryClub in Fairfax.

On his retirement, he moved from Fairfax to Pine Knoll Shores,N.C.

Cannons Aim for Stadium in Fairfax - The Washington Post

The owner of the Prince William Cannons minor league baseballteam says he will change his team's name and move it to FairfaxCounty because Prince William officials won't give him the money hewants to help build a $150 million sports and entertainment complexon the Potomac River.

Arthur L. Silber, expressing anger and frustration at thePrince William decision, has talked to Fairfax officials and saidhe's looking for property there along the Interstate 95 corridor onwhich to build an 8,000-seat stadium.

School Sparks Fervent Battle; Fairfax Boundaries Make Parents Lobby - The Washington Post

Capt. David Morriss rushed home from the Pentagon, where he is alawyer in the Navy's Office of Legislative Affairs, to work for thecause that matters most in his household. This night, the father ofthree went before the Fairfax County School Board with an emotionalplea. 'I'm speaking from the heart,' he said. 'Please include us.'

Morriss's family, and hundreds of others in a swath of southernFairfax from Newington Forest to Mason Neck, believes that theboard's coming decision on whose children will -- and whose won't --attend the county's newest public high school will affect the veryway they live their lives. It will determine how much time theirchildren spend on a school bus, how much time they have for sportsand family and homework, where their friends live, how often theirparents can attend their games and concerts.

More than 1,000 people turned out for each of three communitymeetings last fall, and more than 200, including students, parentsand grandparents, spoke at recent public hearings. Their concern isnot about the quality of instruction their children will receive --they know it will be good either way -- but about the quality of lifethat comes with a school close to home. Talk of where the lines willbe drawn has dominated discussions at dinner tables and in schoolparking lots and has created tensions among neighborhoods.

Emotional battles over school boundary changes are a recurrenttheme in growing suburbs across the country. But Fairfax Countyparents, many of whom are drawn to the area because of the schoolsystem's reputation as one of the nation's best, don't simply ask toremain within one school's boundary or be shifted to another. Theyorganize their passions into sophisticated public relationscampaigns.

From wearing brightly colored matching T-shirts to draw attentionto their group to crunching numbers on student enrollment andcreating their own boundary recommendations, southern Fairfaxresidents are going to great lengths to sway the School Board.Parents from the Mason Neck area sent each board member a tiny globe,a symbol of the long commutes their children face. (They calculatethat each child will travel 1.3 times the circumference of the Earthon a school bus during their high school careers if they are notincluded in the new, closer school.)

Classes at the new south county school, on the site of the formerD.C. prison in Lorton, will begin in September, making it the first county secondary school to open since 2000. As many as 4,100 childrenwant to attend, school officials say, but it can accommodate only2,500.

Many families say it would mean the end of their children's longcommutes, sometimes 45 or 50 minutes each way on congested roads.Families in South Hunt Valley recently gave board members a colornewsletter billing the south county school as their 'Last Chance fora Community School' that will allow their children to study with thefriends who attend their churches and play in their neighborhoodsports leagues.

Theresa Walker of Lorton Station said that when her family movedto the area about a year ago, she assumed that her son, Devin, 12,would attend the south county schools less than three miles fromtheir home. When she learned that wasn't a done deal, she turned froma self-described 'booster club mom' to neighborhood activist.

'We got fired up,' Walker said. 'We're a very tight family, andeverything is about our son.'

Walker, an operations manager at a Wells Fargo bank in theDistrict, and her husband have gone door-to-door distributing fliersto rally support and sold red 'Lorton Station' T-shirts. She keepsdetailed notes on boundary plans and enrollment data and has takentime off work to share them with other parents.

Because she and her husband both have jobs, Walker said, familytime is especially precious. A closer school would mean more time forvolunteering and easier trips shuttling Devin to sports events ormusic practices. Walker said she also wants the 'comfort' of knowingthat her son is close to home and the camaraderie of running into hisclassmates' parents at the grocery store.

Neil K. Makstein, a Falls Church psychologist, said much of theemotion involved in the boundary hearings stems from busy families'desire to feel like part of a group, whether it's a neighborhood or areligious organization. He said many patients tell him that theyyearn for the kind of close-knit neighborhoods in which they grew up.

'I hear clients say they don't have that for their kids,' Maksteinsaid. 'We're looking for a place to get connected, and a school is aplace to do that.'

Gary Chevalier, director of the school district's Office ofFacilities Planning Services, said his staff crafted recommendedboundaries that include the neighborhoods closest to the new schoolwhile attempting to create an economically diverse student body andrelieving crowding at other high schools.

The district tries to send all students from one middle school tothe same high school so classmates can stay together. When schoolofficials split elementary or middle school attendance areas,Chevalier said, boundary lines are drawn around subdivisions, notthrough them.

Chevalier's office offered four proposals during a series ofpublic workshops in the fall and made changes after hundreds ofparents reacted. Ultimately, the staff proposed a plan that theSchool Board can amend before its vote, scheduled for Jan. 27.

Under the staff plan, Devin Walker would attend the new school.But the Morrisses' three children, and others from their South HuntValley neighborhood, would be sent to Lake Braddock Secondary School,even farther from their home than Lee High School, which teenagers intheir neighborhood now attend. If that happens, Morriss and his wife,Mary Elizabeth, said they will consider moving. They worry that a 45-or 50-minute one-way commute for their children will mean less timefor studies, family time and even sleep -- a difference the couplebelieve could make their children less competitive when it is time togo to college.

'It's been hanging over our heads all fall,' said Mary ElizabethMorriss, who works part time as a nurse, adding that she's hopefulthat the School Board will sympathize with them. 'We just have tokeep banging on the door. I have to maintain hope that they will seethe light and common sense and logic will win.'

Other high schools that could lose some students and gain othersare Hayfield and Edison.

Board member Daniel G. Storck (Mount Vernon), whose districtincludes areas affected by the boundary change, said he has been inclose contact with several neighborhood groups and has been struck bytheir high-level lobbying, which proves that they're paying attentionto details.

'It's just incredible. We have the most incredibly highlyeducated, thorough citizens,' Storck said. 'They know how to makesure their message is heard. They know you have to do more than senda note that says, 'I want my kid to go there.' '

Greg Schuckman, a Lorton Station parent and a lobbyist for theUniversity of Central Florida, has boundary maps on his office wallsand figures that he has spent more than 500 hours trying to getLorton Station students into the south county school. If the SchoolBoard sticks with the recommendation, he said, his efforts will havebeen worthwhile.

Officer Fatally Shot Outside Police Station; Slaying Is 1st in Line of Duty in Fairfax; Gunman, 18, Is Killed After Opening Fire - The Washington Post

A Fairfax County police detective was killed and two officers werewounded yesterday afternoon after a gunman opened fire with high-powered weapons in the parking lot of a police station during a shiftchange, law enforcement officials said.

The gunman, who was awaiting trial on carjacking charges inMontgomery County, was killed during the ensuing shootout withpolice, the officials said.

Police and county officials identified the slain officer asDetective Vicky O. Armel, 40, a nine-year veteran who was assigned tothe Sully District station in Chantilly in western Fairfax where theshooting occurred. Her husband is also a Fairfax detective. Thecouple has two elementary school-aged children, neighbors said.

It was the first fatal shooting of a Fairfax officer in the lineof duty in the department's history.

One of the wounded officers was in critical condition last night,police said. The other was being treated for minor injuries and willbe fine, said Mary Ann Jennings, a police spokeswoman. A civiliansuffered a minor laceration during the gunfight.

Scores of police officers and relatives of the slain and injuredwent to Inova Fairfax Hospital, where Armel and the criticallywounded officer were taken.

'My 1,320 officers, civilian officers and volunteers aregrieving,' a shaken Police Chief David M. Rohrer said. 'We aresupporting the family of the officer who is severely injured and thefamily of the officer who was killed in the line of duty.'

Sources said the gunman was 18-year-old Michael W. Kennedy ofCentreville, who was arrested April 18 by Fairfax police serving awarrant for Montgomery. He had been released from the Montgomery jailabout two weeks ago after posting a $33,000 bond, court records show.

Police Capt. Amy Lubas said the three officers were in the parkinglot of the station when the shooting occurred about 3:30 p.m. Atleast one of the wounded officers returned fire, she said. Rohrersaid he did not know whether the gunman was killed by police or tookhis own life.

Jennings said the incident began when a man with several weaponsapproached a stranger in a pickup in a nearby subdivision. Thestranger managed to flee with his keys. The man then hijacked a vanat gunpoint. That driver also escaped uninjured. The man drove thevan to the Sully station parking lot, got out and apparently crouchedbetween two vehicles. He had one rifle, two handguns and noidentification.

'All information points to the act of a lone, troubled individual -- not a conspiracy, not an act of terrorism,' said Gerald E.Connolly (D), chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.'It would appear that the gunman specifically targeted the police.'

The shooting shut down the busy area near Route 28 in Fairfax'shigh-tech corridor. Businesses and schools were shuttered for hoursas police tried to verify that Kennedy had acted alone. Helicoptershovered overhead, schools were locked down and traffic came to ahalt.

'This is crazy,' said Laurie O'Bryan, who lives near the station.'It's just insane. Nothing like this has ever happened in Fairfax.You'd think this is a safe neighborhood because it's so close to thepolice station.'

Donald Lawson, a network engineer at a Chantilly business, wasdriving past the Sully station on his way home from work about 3:40p.m. when he heard gunshots and something hit his front passengerdoor, he said. His engine shut off. As he tried to restart it, heheard another round of shots, and his passenger side window was hit.

'I hid behind my car. . . . Cops were flying around everywhere,'he said. 'I kind of felt safe behind my truck.' After a few minutes,an officer came over to him, helped him into a police car and drovehim to a corner. He was treated for a cut on his face and called hiswife. 'The Fairfax County police were very professional; they werevery calm,' he said. Police kept his sport-utility vehicle, a FordExplorer, for tests.

Armel's neighbors in Rappahannock County, Va., described her asfun and bubbly and devoted to her family and church.

Tammy Kerr, who lives across the street, said she often baby-sitsArmel's children. 'Vicky would call us and say, 'I'm on a stakeout.Can you come watch the kids?' ' Kerr said. 'Vicky wasn't afraid ofanything.'

Kerr said Armel and her husband -- when they were explainingtheir jobs to the kids -- would say, 'We're going to get the badguys.'

She described Armel as an all-around mom: 'I really admired her.She was a woman who worked hard and loved her kids. I adored her. Iwould have given her mother-of-the-year awards every day.'

Armel often would celebrate with 'French Fridays' -- taking herchildren to McDonald's and treating them to french fries. NeighborStephanie Loos said Armel painted murals in each of her children'srooms -- a safari theme for her son and mermaids for her daughter.

Kerr said Armel's husband also is involved with the children.'He'll be able to step up to the plate, if anyone can,' she said.

The Rev. Mark DeCourcey, associate pastor at Mountain ViewCommunity Church in Culpeper, Va., said Armel was 'a tirelesslaborer' at the church, where she was in a pastoral care group. Hesaid she did a great deal of the thankless behind-the-scenes andadministrative work in the church, which meets at Culpeper CountyHigh School.

The pastoral care group performed Bible study and outreach, whichmeant relationship building and inviting people to attend services.

Kennedy, the shooter, was charged with carjacking April 18 inRockville. Montgomery police said a 33-year-old Germantown man wasdriving out of a parking lot in the 9900 block of Blackwell Road whenhe stopped his vehicle to let Kennedy walk in front. Kennedyapproached the car on the driver's side and, implying he had a gun,told the man to get out.

The victim was allowed to get his belongings from his Toyota4Runner before Kennedy sped away, police said. About 10:30 thatnight, Fairfax police called their counterparts in Montgomery to tellthem that Kennedy had gone to a police station in Fairfax to turnhimself in. It was unclear whether that was the Sully Districtstation.

Kennedy was taken into custody in Fairfax and later transported toMontgomery, where he was charged with carjacking, armed carjackingand theft of more than $500. He was released April 22 after postingthe bond.

His neighbors in Centreville said Kennedy always wore black,military-style clothes and army boots, even in the summer. They saidhe never explained why.

'It's not really a big surprise,' said Katie Palmer, who graduatedlast year from Westfield High School with Kennedy. 'He brought aknife to school once.' Other neighbors said Kennedy was intopaintball.

Palmer and others described Kennedy as standoffish, 'in his ownworld.'

She said that he was 'really, really smart' and that he would helpher with math, science and biology homework. Classmates said hedidn't appear to have many friends.

Palmer said Kennedy often was hassled by security at the schoolbecause of the way he dressed.

Neighbor Sergio Gutierrez, 17, said that Kennedy often was seenwalking around in a heavy army coat and that 'he didn't say nothingto nobody.'

They didn't know what Kennedy had done in the year sincegraduation. Holly Messinger, assistant principal at Westfield High,confirmed that Kennedy had graduated from the school but declined tocomment about him as a student.

Two law enforcement sources, speaking on condition of anonymitybecause the investigation is ongoing, said detectives learned thatKennedy had warned friends that he might attack the police but thatnone of them had alerted authorities. Details of the threat were notknown.

When the $7.5 million Sully District police station opened threeyears ago, it was Fairfax's first new station in 27 years.

The offices of Michael R. Frey, the supervisor who represents theSully District, are also in the 32,300-square-foot station, which hascommunity meeting space. Frey has said Fairfax's Area Agency on Agingoccupies space in the building for computer classes and seniorfitness and nutrition programs. The county recreation department alsouses the building.

The Sully magisterial district includes Centreville, Clifton,Chantilly and Oakton, all suburban enclaves not known for violentcrime.

Yesterday morning, long before the shooting, about 100 people,including many police officers, attended a memorial service at policeheadquarters for Fairfax officers killed in traffic accidents. Someof them were from Sully.

Few People Are Sleeping Through Fairfax's School Schedule Debate - The Washington Post

A 9 o'clock bedtime would be helpful for Lindsey Bush, 16, asophomore at Fairfax High who rises in the dark at 5 a.m. to get toher religion class by 7:20 a.m. But with three hours of AdvancedPlacement history homework, she goes to bed a lot later.

The result: She's tired all the time.

Fairfax County students are known for striving, for loading up onhomework-heavy advanced classes and for pushing themselves in sportsand other activities. Easing the wear and tear on almost 50,000Fairfax teenagers by helping them refuel with an extra hour of sleepis the goal of a five-year effort to push back high school starttimes.

But many teenagers, even if they admit to drifting off in class,are reluctant to change their schedules, even for an extra hour ofsleep. There is only so much time in the day for cherished after-school activities -- a roster that could include swim team,English Honors Society, Science Olympiad, Science Fair, HistoryHonors Society, Model United Nations, junior varsity Math League orall of the above.

The current schedule 'is easier to live with,' said Lindsey, whobalances church activities with homework, her school newspaper andfamily time.

Almost 2,000 parents and some students turned out at sevencommunity meetings across the county last week to register theirconcerns about or support for the initiative, which would alter theschedules for all 169,000 Fairfax students, not just high-schoolers. Results from a school system survey on the proposal willbe released next week, but some teens are speaking out against theplan that is supposed to help them.

Arvin Ahmadi, the student representative on the School Board,reported that, defying all stereotypes of sleep-craving adolescents,a strong majority of the School Advisory Council opposed rearrangingstart times.

The board will take up the issue at a work session next Monday.Several board members said they are likely to delay the decision foranother year or abandon the effort entirely, given the range andcomplexity of concerns that have emerged since the transportationdepartment said in January that it could make the necessary changesin the bus schedule at no additional cost. Opponents have organizedon every side, citing problems with scheduling sports activities,day-care plans, work schedules or traffic.

Quillan Heim, 15, a ninth-grader at Fairfax High, is among theteens who support the change. He said his energy level is lowersince he switched this year from a middle school schedule thatallowed him to sleep an hour longer. He needs that energy topractice the cello and row on the crew team. 'He's way grumpier at 6a.m. than he is at 7 a.m.,' added his mother, Pam Jones, who alsosupports the plan.

Under the proposal, the first bell for most high schools wouldmove to 8:30 from 7:20 a.m. Elementary schools would start between7:50 and 9:25, instead of between 8 and 9:15, and most middleschools would start at 9:40, rather than between 7:20 and 8:05.

Proponents say that the plan needs work but that activities canbe rescheduled and students will be more alert and efficient. Theysay the health benefits outweigh the difficulties, particularlygiven signs of strain that many teens are showing. Thirty-onepercent of teens in a 2008 Fairfax County survey said they hadexperienced depression, a slightly higher rate than the nationalaverage.

'Our expectations are so high, and getting into college is socompetitive and hard,' said Phyllis Payne, co-founder of the parent-led initiative to give teens more sleep. 'If you are well-rested,the chances of you dealing with the stress or the pressure is muchbetter. One night, if you do not sleep well, you are cranky or moreeasily lose your temper or get frustrated. For them, the sleepdeprivation is chronic every single day.'

Helene Emsellem, director of the Center for Sleep and WakeDisorders in Chevy Chase, said research shows that teenagers need atleast 81/2 hours of sleep to be alert and that sleep-deprived teensare less likely to use good judgment, drive safely or succeed inschool.

'The restorative nature of sleep crosses the boundaries of mood,cognition, learning and weight control,' she said.

An Idyllic Marriage Spirals Into Death; Postpartum Despair Blamed in Fairfax - The Washington Post

Eric and Seema Rothstein had such a smooth marriage it made othercouples jealous. They didn't fight. They both enjoyed their jobs,teaching in Fairfax County schools. They were extremely close withtheir families and had plenty of friends, in part through Eric'spreeminence in the local rowing community, family and friends said.

When Seema delivered a daughter Sept. 10, another chapter in theirstorybook life seemed underway. Eric Rothstein, who had never carrieda wallet before, started using one in September so he could carryphotos of his baby.

But the arrival of little Kayla Emilie in their Springfield homesparked an unexpected turn for the Rothsteins. Almost immediately,her family says, Seema began feeling anxious. She couldn't sleep. Shefelt insecure, insufficient. Her parents and in-laws tried toreassure her. Three weeks after the baby's birth, she began seeingpsychiatrists for what the family believes is postpartum depression.

Then, two days after Thanksgiving, the explosion. Fairfax policesay Seema, 5 feet 3 inches tall, picked up a large kitchen knife andplunged it directly into the heart of her husband, a vigorous, 6-foot-3-inch athlete. She next stabbed herself in the stomach, thenwent to the deck at the back of the house and lay down to die. Kaylawas upstairs, undisturbed.

Someone -- the family believes it was Eric -- called 911 but saidnothing. Officers arrived at the home on Shepherd Ridge Court to findthe horrible scene. Police say Seema told an officer she hadinflicted the wound on her husband, who was already dead, andherself. Her own wounds were not fatal. Fairfax prosecutors thencharged her with murder.

In the weeks before the stabbing, Eric's father, HaskellRothstein, had been among those who tried to counsel his daughter-in-law and steer her through the darkness. When neighbors told him therewas trouble with his son, he and his younger son, Mark, began drivingfrom Michigan to Virginia. A cell phone call from Fairfax policelater that night told him the tragic news.

Still, Haskell Rothstein and his son drove straight to Eric's in-laws' home in Fairfax Station, where they have stayed and sufferedtogether. And the Rothsteins are joining with Seema's family insaying that she does not deserve to be prosecuted for murder butinstead needs treatment.

'We have nothing but sympathy for Seema,' Haskell Rothstein saidat his son's memorial service Thursday night, at which more than 500mourners overflowed into the parking lot of a Springfield funeralhome. He said that his daughter-in-law suffered from postpartumdepression, a mood disorder that afflicts 10 percent to 15 percent ofnew mothers, and that 'the blame for [Eric's] loss lies less withSeema than with the medical professionals and institutions thatfailed to serve her.'

Haskell Rothstein even presented a letter to Fairfax prosecutors,asking that no charges be filed against the alleged killer of hisson. 'I feel that Seema was rendered unable to account for heractions,' he wrote.

'My heart goes out to them,' said Deputy Commonwealth's AttorneyRaymond F. Morrogh. 'But I think we have a duty to the victim, andthe public in general, to look at the evidence dispassionately. We'restill in the process of collecting evidence and other information,and the warrant is just the first step in the process.'

After Seema, 32, was released from Inova Fairfax Hospital onWednesday night and taken to the county jail, officials becameconcerned that she might be suicidal. On Thursday, she was taken toCentral State Hospital in Petersburg, Va., a hospital for thementally ill.

Eric Rothstein, 36, dead and cremated. Seema Rothstein in a mentalinstitution. Their family and friends still don't believe it.

The couple met in 1997, when Seema was teaching fourth grade andEric sixth grade at Anthony T. Lane Elementary School in Kingstowne.They married in July 1998 and bought their first house together twomonths later.

Eric was virtually defined by his love of rowing. He turned thecrew program at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science andTechnology, with no financing from the school district, into a localpowerhouse. Along the way, he instilled discipline and respect in hisrowers and co-coaches, for both the sport and each other. With him atevery step, and nearly every regatta, were Seema and their yellowLabrador retriever, Kudra.

'It's a tremendous loss to us,' said Barbara Nelson, an Englishteacher and crew coach at Jefferson. 'We know Seema. We love Seema.We know what a great relationship they had.'

As many memorable coaches do, Eric became involved in hisathletes' lives away from the sport. He frequently had rowers over towatch a football game or play John Madden football on hisPlayStation, former crew member Ray Hohenstein said. 'I thought theywere a really loving couple,' Hohenstein said. 'Seema was so eager tomake sure everyone felt at home whenever we went over to theirhouse.'

Postpartum depression, and its more severe variation, postpartumpsychosis, can strike any new mother any time up to a year afterbirth, experts said. The depression symptoms typically include sleepdisturbances, panic attacks, frequent crying, intense irritabilityand feelings of being overwhelmed, according to Sonia Murdock,president of the Postpartum Support International network.

With the rarer postpartum psychosis, women may hallucinate, havedelusional thoughts and lose contact with reality. Episodes ofviolence, such as Seema Rothstein's or the killing of five childrenin Texas by Andrea Yates, are rarer still, Murdock said.

Medication and psychotherapy can be used to control postpartumdepression, Murdock said. Sometimes, hospitalization is needed. 'Andin this day of managed care,' Murdock said, 'women who should behospitalized aren't hospitalized or are not kept in long enough. It'sso important to find professionals where this is their area ofexpertise.'

Haskell Rothstein said at his son's memorial service that Seemasaw five psychiatrists in seven weeks and was taking a variety ofmedications. But she complained that the drugs didn't make her feelbetter, that she wasn't improving, he said. Police believe Seema washospitalized for a short time at Dominion Hospital, a mental healthfacility near Falls Church, but discharged before Thanksgiving.

Haskell Rothstein also said he could not fathom what rage couldhave driven small, shy Seema to stab big, athletic Eric.

Last month, friends of Seema tried to put her in touch withSharmine Narwani, a District woman who said she endured severepostpartum depression.

Women who have suffered from postpartum depression say many peopledon't appreciate the syndrome's crushing grip. 'I had terrible panicattacks,' Narwani said. 'Many, many times I thought how great it'd bewithout my child around. How much better it'd be if I wasn't here.'

Narwani said that after the birth of her child, she not only hadpanic attacks but also was afraid to be alone with her baby. Still,hospital officials sent her home. She said that once she found apsychiatrist with experience, who prescribed proper medication, sheimproved dramatically within a week.

Fairfax Briefs - The Washington Post

Metro's first public hearing on its proposed 15-cent fareincrease will be held March 17 in Fairfax County, transit officialssaid.

The 7 p.m. hearing is the first of nine throughout the region on aplan to raise the minimum cost of a rail or bus trip from $1.20 to$1.35. It will be at the South County Center in Conference Room 221,8350 Richmond Hwy. (Route 1), Alexandria. Parking fees could alsorise as much as $2.30 a day beginning July 1.

Riders who wish to speak are asked to furnish their name, address,telephone number and organization affiliation, if any, to: HaroldBartlett, secretary, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority,600 Fifth Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001. The fax number is 202-962-1133.

If unable to attend, riders can mail statements, which must bereceived by the close of business March 30, to Bartlett at the samestreet address, or send them by e-mail to public-hearing-testimony@wmata.com.

The Fairfax County Department of Community and Recreation Serviceswill hold a series of public meetings to get feedback on a proposalto charge youth sports leagues $3 an hour for using athletic fieldsand gymnasiums.

The plan, part of the county's proposed 2005 budget, is intendedto raise about $1.7 million a year to offset the cost of maintainingballfields and gyms. Sports league officials say the fee would bepassed on to parents.

All meetings listed below are from 7 to 9 p.m.

March 15, South County Center, 8350 Richmond Hwy. (Route 1), Room221, Alexandria.

March 16, Baileys Community Center, 5920 Summers Lane, FallsChurch.

March 22, Reston Teen Center gymnasium, 12196 Sunset Hills Rd.

March 24, county Government Center, Conference Rooms 2 and 3,12000 Government Center Pkwy.

For more information, call 703-324-5641 or go towww.co.fairfax.va.us/rec.

Fairfax City Manager Bob Sisson is scheduled to present theproposed city budget at 7 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 10455 ArmstrongSt. The 2005 budget year starts July 1. The average residential homeassessment increased by 13 percent this year, signaling higherproperty taxes.

A public hearing on the budget proposal is set for 7 p.m. March 30at Daniels Run Elementary School, 3705 Old Lee Hwy.

Copies of the budget will be available after Tuesday. To obtain acopy or for more information, call 703-385-7870.

The county Park Authority will hold a workshop at 7 p.m. March 16at Edison High School to hear ideas from the public about futuredevelopment of Lee District Park.

Officials are considering several options, including lighting oneor more of Lee's athletic fields to extend their availability. Themeeting is the first step in the planning process and will befollowed by a public hearing to consider a draft plan that is stillbeing developed.

The 138-acre park is at 6601 Telegraph Rd. in the Alexandria area.Edison High is at 5801 Franconia Rd.; the meeting is in the lecturehall. For more information, call 703-324-8662.

The Groveton Elementary School community will hold a forum aboutthe effects of the federal No Child Left Behind Act at 3 p.m. Sundayat the school.

After being given an overview of the law, which was designed toimprove student achievement, parents will break into small groups forspeakers of English or Spanish and staff members will offer ways tohelp students in reading and math.

Free materials will be provided. Groveton is at 6900 Harrison Lanein the Alexandria section. For more information, call 703-718-8000.

A guide to more than 600 human services organizations in the areais now available on the Internet, Fairfax officials said.

The county's Human Services Resource Guide is atwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/rim. The guide is maintained by social workerswho research, classify, catalogue and update the data.

The guide contains such information as the services anorganization provides, how to access the services, eligibilitycriteria, hours and locations, languages spoken by staff members,income guidelines and how to contact the organization. Users cansearch by service type or organization name.

Staff members are available to train community groups andassociations on how to use the resource guide. To schedule trainingor for more information, call 703-533-5718.

Vienna residents concerned about traffic and pedestrianconditions in the Church Street corridor are invited to a meeting at8 p.m. March 30 at Town Hall.

The town's Transportation Safety Commission is sponsoring thesession to hear about the area from residents. Particular problemsinclude congestion around Church Street and Lawyers Road andpedestrian safety in the commercial section of Church and around thepost office.

Residents who cannot attend are asked to send their comments inwriting, via e-mail to pio@ci.vienna.va.us or by mail to theTransportation Safety Com- mission, c/o Vienna Town Hall, 127 CenterSt. S., Vienna, Va. 22180-5799.

The county School Board has scheduled three meetings next week forpublic feedback on the search for a new superintendent to replaceDaniel A. Domenech.

The 8 p.m. meetings are Monday at Lee High School, 6540 FranconiaRd., Springfield; Tuesday at Jackson Middle School, 3020 Gallows Rd.,Falls Church; and Wednesday at Chantilly High School, 4201Stringfellow Rd.

Representatives from Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, a firmhired by the School Board to handle the superintendent search, willrecord comments at the meetings. School Board members will notattend.

The private search firm will present a report on its findings fromthe community at a March 15 School Board work session.

The draft profile for the new superintendent can be seen atwww.fcps.edu/news/suptsearch/profile.htm.

About 400 middle school-age girls are planning to attend theannual Future Professional Middle School Girls Conference on Saturdayat Jackson Middle School in Falls Church, organizers said.

The students -- from schools in Fairfax, Alexandria, Arlington andFalls Church will participate in workshops on self-defense, teambuilding, interviewing skills and preparing for college. They willhear more than 30 professional women discuss their careers.

Virginia's secretary of education, Belle S. Wheelan, will give theclosing speech, and Isis Castro, former chairman and current memberof the Fairfax County School Board, will be the keynote speaker and aworkshop participant.

Each middle school will send 10 girls chosen by their principalsand guidance counselors.

The conference is sponsored by the Northern Virginia Online Branchof the American Association of University Women, the middle schoolprincipals' associations of Fairfax County public schools, AlexandriaCity public schools, the Northern Virginia chapter of Phi Delta Kappaand the Beta Zeta and Alexandria chapters of Alpha Delta Kappa.

Jackson is at 3020 Gallows Rd., Falls Church.

The county Park Authority is scheduled to begin improvements atJefferson District Park in Falls Church in March, officials said.

Workers will replace lighting in four tennis courts and other parkareas. The project, funded by a 1998 bond sale approved by voters, isscheduled to be completed in June.

The park is at 7900 Lee Hwy., Falls Church. For more information,call 703-324-8575.

The Starbucks Foundation has awarded the county library foundationa $10,000 grant to help continue its 'Motheread/ Fatheread' literacyoutreach program.

Launched in 2001, the program helps ensure that children from low-income families and those with limited English skills develop thereading skills necessary for entrance into kindergarten.

Since the program's inception, almost 5,000 children and more than3,400 parents and guardians have been helped.

In addition, the participants have been given more than 5,400books.

The grant will allow the foundation to hire two Spanish-speakinginterns who will help expand the program's summer service sites,officials said.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Maraniss, author of 'TheyMarched Into Sunlight: War and Peace, Vietnam and America, October1967,' will kick off the Fairfax County public library system'sPerspectives series at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Alden Theatre.

In his book, Maraniss, a Washington Post reporter, explores twoevents that happened in October 1967 -- the ambush of the Black Lionsbattalion of the Army's First Infantry Division in Vietnam and anantiwar protest that turned violent at the University of Wisconsin.

The event is free, but tickets will be available on a first-come,first-served basis beginning at 6:30 p.m. The theater is in theMcLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave. For more information,call 703-790-0123.

The series continues April 28 with syndicated columnist LindaChavez and concludes on May 17 with Pulitzer Prize-winner DavidBroder.

The Dulles Expo & Conference Center in Chantilly is hosting whatthe center calls the region's first equine exposition March 19through 21.

The event will include a variety of demonstrations and clinicsincluding loading and trailering a horse, horse nutrition, dealingwith aging horses, achieving successful fitness levels, farm andfield management, competing, tack, breeding and technology. A 'horseownership 101' course will also be offered for people thinking aboutbuying a horse.

Hours are noon to 9 p.m. March 19, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 20 and10 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 21.

The Expo Center is at 4368 Chantilly Center, off Route 28. Formore information, call 410-321-9559 or visit www.BlueRibbonShows.com.

The Children's Friendship Project for Northern Ireland will beholding its annual auction and St. Patrick's Day party at 6:30 p.m.March 13 at the Washington Dulles Airport Marriott.

The organization raises money to bring teenagers from NorthernIreland to the United States each summer for four weeks of team-building seminars and Capitol Hill events.

The teenagers come from Catholic and Protestant families and arepaired in a neutral environment in U.S. homes in an effort to promoteunderstanding and reduce conflict between the two groups.

The evening will include dinner, live entertainment, Irish dancingand a silent auction.

The cost is $45 a person. The hotel is at 45020 Aviation Dr. Formore information, call 703-568-0433 or visit www.cfpni.org.

The Old Firehouse Teen Center in McLean is sponsoring a tea dancefor seniors and teenagers from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at the center.

The free dance is designed to foster intergenerationalcommunication, as high school students and senior citizens worktogether to learn classic dance steps.

The center is a satellite program of the McLean Community Center.Light refreshments will be served. Students can earn communityservice hours through this activity.

The center is at 1440 Chain Bridge Rd.

For more information, call 703-448-8336 or visitwww.mcleancenter.org.

'The Difference' Lands at Fairfax - Sentinel

'The Difference' is wearing a striped polo shirt and a pair of blue jean short. Silting light next to him is his lather, equally casual sporting a blue and white L.A. baseball cap.

Both are absorbing the hottest days that Southern California can remember and both are fresh from Mamma's Soul Food restaurant polishing off a plate of ox-tails and black-eyed peas.

Far removed from their Jackson, Mississippi roots; the star basketball player and the father/coach/mentor had just left Fairfax High School in West Los Angeles where Renardo Sidney, Jr. enrolled for his junior year.

For most Southern Californians, it was just a disgustingly hot day, but for coach Harvey Kitani and the defending City and Division I State champion Lions basketball team, it was very cool.

By transferring from Artesia to Fairfax, the 6-foot-10-inch Renardo Jr., coined 'The Difference' by his father, Renardo Sr., is expected to change the landscape of high school hoops in the Los Angeles City Section.

At the very least, for the next two years, Fairfax will be the hottest ticket in town and 'The Difference' is the much-celebrated Renardo Jr.

Last season, in his first season of high school ball, he led the Artesia boys to the GIF Southern Section Division II and Division III State championships.

His rare gifts as a hoop phenom were envisioned as early as the time he was a seventh grader when his father Renardo Sr. and Jr.'s grandfather was watching him play and he dunked a basketball.

The following year, he was invited to the prestigious ABCD camp for the elite high school players in the nation and he earned co-MVP. 'The Difference' wasn't even in high school then.

Still quite humble and speaking with his twisted Southern drawl, Junior sat his white Sidekick down and discussed his future with the Sentinel.

Well, sort of. What he would not openly discuss are his college choices for fear of offending someone, but as for his prep career, it will conclude in the Lions Den.

Renardo Sr. explained that the primary reason for the move was to continue to support his older son, who is attending nearby Santa Monica College, and also because he felt the academics are better than what Artesia offered.

'My other son is going to Santa Monica Junior College and my wife works at Hollywood Hills so it would be much more convient for us to live in the Fairfax area,' said Renardo Sr.

The father explained that his primary reason for coming to Southern California was marketing for his son and more exposure.

'We're in a bigger ocean and in Mississippi we were in a pond,' he explained.

Hurricane Katrina did not have the effect on their home in Jackson that Renardo Jr. will have on the high school basketball landscape.

Compared to Kevin Garnett because of the versatility to his game, he can shoot it from the perimeter with candid accuracy, rebound like a beast and block shots like a volleyball player. Oh yeah, he can also handle the basketball like Magic Johnson.

It's clear to see why 'The Difference' has drawn so much attention wherever he's gone and why Fairfax, which already was the favorite to win the City crown this year, will now be a shoo-in.

Fairfax has produced such NBA players like Chris Mills and Sean Higgins and most recently Josh Shipp and Chace Stanback at UCLA and Jarren Shipp at Arizona State, but never in their wildest dreams have they ever had anyone like 'The Difference,'

Because of 'The Difference,' Westchester will be playing for second place in the Western League and for a shot to lose to Fairfax again in the City playoffs.

Says Renaido Jr., 'My dad told that I couldd be the first player to win a state championship in the City and CIF, but I hadn't really thought about it much.

'The Difference' will not have to because when he's hoisting that City and State trophy along with his teammates Chris Singleton et al, it will then be a reality.

[Sidebar]

Sentinel Exclusive

WELCOME TO THE CITY: Renardo Sidney, the No. I ranked player in the class of 2009, altered the hoops landscape in Southern California when he announced his transfer to City and Division I state champion Fairfax.

[Author Affiliation]

BY KENNETH MILLER

Parents Put the Pressure On Fairfax School Board; Well-Run, Savvy Groups Protest Planned Cuts - The Washington Post

They have fax machines and they are furious. They have a hotline and they know who to call. They have a computer bulletin boardand they know how to push the right buttons.

They are the parent lobby in Fairfax County, and they havemobilized with speed and precision since School SuperintendentRobert R. Spillane presented his budget plan three weeks ago with$42 million in recommended cuts in jobs and programs next year.

Facing the prospect of changes in some of their favoriteprograms - from special education to gifted and talented classes,from boys' gymnastics to swim and diving teams - thousands ofparents have organized a determined campaign to save what they sayis crucial to the quality of their children's education.

'We feel cheated,' said Robert Lepley, a parent coordinator ofthe swim team at Herndon High School and a leader in the parentprotest. 'I have a weird feeling about government. When they saythey are going to do something, they will do it, unless there isenough screaming and hollering.'

There has been plenty of both this month.

The campaign to save high school swimming and diving teamsalready has claimed some success.

After parents of many of the county's 1,300 swim team memberslaunched a blizzard of mailings and phone calls to School Boardmembers, who then peppered school staff members with 30 minutes ofquestions at a meeting last week, the superintendent backed down.

'I've changed my mind,' Spillane said. 'I'm putting it in thebudget. So let's go on. Let's stop this. We can do this all night. . . . I didn't want to cut a penny of that $42 million. Let'sremember that. Let's not put everyone on the defensive here aboutwhy this {cut} and why not some other. It's back in the budget asfar as I'm concerned. Now we'll find the $300,000 someplace else.'

That didn't stop the rally staged by parents of swimmers onSaturday at the regional meet at Oak-Marr Recreation Center inOakton, where about 800 swimmers paraded while chanting slogans suchas 'Save our sport.'

Although the decision to reinstate swimming and diving teams isin the hands of the School Board, some officials say what happenedThursday night is an example of the power of Fairfax parents. Manyof the parents in Fairfax, known for the quality of its schools, areprofessionals, government workers, college-educated, savvy,politically connected and fiercely protective of their children.

'They are really well organized,' said School Board memberKristen J. Amundson (Mount Vernon), who led a parent campaign to getconstruction of an elementary school on the county's bond referendumlast year, before she was appointed to the board. 'This is a verypolitical town. I think parents in Fairfax are a very sophisticatedgroup of people . . . . There are lots and lots of people who workfor the government . . . . They know how things work.'

Like any sophisticated campaign, the swim-dive effort startedwith a strategy session - a Saturday afternoon meeting of fourfathers in the living room of Fred Hintenach, who has two childrenwho swim.

The men barely knew each other, but by late afternoon they hadcompiled a list of parents to call and mobilize as well as a memolisting alternatives to cutting the program, such as instituting afee for all sports participants or an across-the-board trim of allteams.

'It got serious very quickly in order to figure how we could beeffective in a quick window,' said Hintenach, a manager with theU.S. Postal Service.

Within a week, the men had assembled 500 parents for a meetingin W.T. Woodson High School's cafeteria, where they started aletter-writing campaign, a hot line, bumper stickers and placards,and planned Saturday's rally.

As the Fairfax School Board prepares for three nights ofscheduled public hearings next week, other parents are pounding thepavement to rally support.

Parents of children identified as gifted and talented, a lobbyknown for its strength, have mounted a letter-writing campaign.Susan Provyn, president of the 900-member Fairfax County Associationfor the Gifted, said the lobby group started about 20 years ago whenthe program for such children was in danger of cancellation. Sincethen, the group of parents has been like an army waiting in thewings to fight whenever there is the slightest rumor about gettingrid of programs for gifted children.

'We're always on the defensive,' Provyn said. 'The programs arenot popular with most people. Just think of 133,000 students andonly 20,000 are participating in GT. There is a myth {that} thesekids, because they are smart, can make it' without special programs.

A month before Spillane released his plan to eliminate positionsof itinerate teachers who teach gifted and talented students infourth through the sixth grades, the group heard rumors and sent out'alerts' to its 600 members. Provyn, a former headhunter forfinancial executives, said she knew that the messages had to besimple to be effective.

The one-page letter in bullet format with talking points 'wasdesigned for busy people,' Provyn said. 'GT BUDGET ALERT ELEMENTARYSCHOOL-BASED PROGRAM IS THREATENED . . . . WILL THE CENTERS BENEXT???'

The 14 elementary and eight intermediate centers, which acceptonly students who score at 140 or above on I.Q. tests, were not onthe list of planned cuts, but Provyn said she knew that to pique theinterest of parents she had to let them know that if one thingfalls, all could fall.

'We wanted to get people's attention,' Provyn said. 'We reallyfelt like when you start whittling away at one piece of the program,you're in trouble.'

As Provyn worked, parents of children in special education alsolit up phone lines of School Board members to let them know theywould fight if the 'most vulnerable' children in the system wereaffected.

School Board members received letters from parents of musicstudents urging that the board not cut stringed instrumentinstruction for fourth-graders.

A panel of the County Council of PTAs recently emerged from aseries of meetings with a recommendation to raise taxes to saveprograms. The council has now set up a computer bulletin board bywhich PTA members can stay informed of the latest news by usingtheir home or office computers. They also can leave electronicmessages for other PTA members.

'It's a very fast way of getting information to people,' saidMarlene Blum, president of the PTA council. 'If you have thetechnology at home, you don't have to get somebody to send it in themail. If you need the name of a legislator or supervisor, you canget it from the system. You can just type in request and maybe evenget talking points.'

The swim and dive parents started a parent hot line withrecorded up-to-the-minute briefings.

'I'd like to inform parents . . . about a crisis that is aboutto take away high school swimming and diving from the area . . . .It is vital our families act to preserve swimming and diving. Timeis short. We have two weeks to flood them with letters,' a recordedvoice said on the hot line this week. 'Letters should be from theheart, expressing your displeasure.'

Like all good lobbyists, the parents also are savvy in workingthe media. A recent news release about Saturday's rally at theregional swim meet was sent by fax to reporters and editors, and itmade sure the reader knew interviews would be offered withorganizers and team members.

Police, Fire Games to Be Close to Home; Fairfax County Will Host World Competition in 2015 - The Washington Post

However easygoing his grin, Jim Pope is not a man to mess with.The 20-year veteran of the Fairfax County Sheriff's Departmentweighs 325 pounds, works out at a gym in three-hour increments andrecently broke four world weightlifting records at an athleticcompetition second only to the Summer Olympics in size.

'I can still compete with the kids,' said Pope, a Loudoun Countyresident and master deputy sheriff who started lifting weights inhigh school.

Pope, 50, made his mark at the World Police and Fire Games, a 10-day event for first responders that, organizers announced recently,Fairfax County will host in 2015.

Held biennially since 1985, the games feature about 65 sports.They include traditional favorites, such as track and field andbasketball, and career-specific ones, such as police dog explosivesand narcotics detection.

The 2009 games, hosted by Vancouver, British Columbia, early thismonth, attracted more than 10,500 competitors, nearly twice thenumber of athletes and officials expected for the 2010 WinterOlympics, also in Vancouver.

Despite the competition's size, Pope had never heard of it untila committee toured Fairfax in 2006, during the county's first bid tobe a host city. The county lost to Belfast for the 2013 games.

Having competed as an amateur weightlifter since 1988, Pope wasintrigued enough to fly to Australia for the 2007 games. There, hewon a silver medal in the bench press and a gold in the push/pullevent, which combines the bench press with a dead lift.

Videos posted online from this year's event show Pope's record-breaking efforts in a hotel ballroom before a crowd of cheeringonlookers. He bench-pressed 418 pounds Aug. 5, demolishing the oldrecord of 352 pounds and winning a gold medal. Three days later, hewon a second gold and broke other records when he lifted a combined1,127.5 pounds in the push-pull.

'I don't go to beat somebody else; I go to compete againstmyself,' said Pope, who was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes fouryears ago and continues exercising, at least in part, to 'keep onefoot out of the grave.'

Competitors pay for their airfare and lodging, and the costs havelimited the number of local participants in the Police and FireWorld Games, said 2nd Lt. Bruce Blechl of Fairfax County police.

'There are only a handful who attend' from the county's police,fire and sheriff's departments, said Blechl, a runner who has beencompeting in the games' cross-country events since 1997. 'For thesize we have and the reputation we have, I thought we wereunderrepresented at these games.'

That might change when the games are here in 2015, said Blechl,executive director of Team Fairfax, a nonprofit group established in2005 to bring the games to the county.

The World Police and Fire Games Federation chose Fairfax overToronto and Winnipeg, Canada, to host the 2015 event. Openingceremonies will be at Nationals Stadium in the District, but most ofthe events will be in Northern Virginia, including at George MasonUniversity, Manassas National Battlefield Park and Quantico MarineCorps Base. The athletic village will be in Reston and closingceremonies at Wolf Trap. All events will be free to spectators.

'It's about showcasing Fairfax,' Sheriff Stan G. Barry (D) said,'so people actually come to Fairfax and spend time in Fairfax.'

More than 10,000 athletes are expected to descend on the regionbetween June 26 and July 5, 2015, infusing an estimated $35 millioninto the local economy.

Pope said he is looking forward to the proximity.

'It'll be less expensive,' he said.

And a home-team advantage?

Title-Starved Fairfax Raises Banner Season - The Washington Post

Fairfax is one of the oldest high schools in Virginia'sNorthern Region, but in the past six decades, the Rebels' boyssports teams haven't brought home many regional championship bannersto hang from the gymnasium rafters.

However, the school's football team Friday won its 10thstraight game, 15-14 over West Potomac in the AAA Northern RegionDivision 5 final. It was Fairfax's first regional football title andjust the second in any boys sport since the school opened in 1935.The victory moved the sixth-ranked Rebels (11-1) into a statesemifinal meeting with Patrick Henry-Ashland at Richmond Stadium onSaturday afternoon at 1:30.

'I guess the difference is getting over the hump finally,' saidFairfax Coach Tom Verbanic. 'We almost felt like we had thereputation that we could win our district, but we couldn't win ourregion.'

Fairfax's football team never has been known for saving itsbest for last. The Rebels advanced to the regional final only oneother time (1987). Since then, they twice completed undefeatedregular seasons (in 1988 and '91) only to lose in the first round ofthe playoffs.

One big reason this year has been different is quarterback GregMaddox, voted Northern Region offensive player of the year by theregion's coaches.

'Obviously, they would not be nearly as good without him,' saidLee Coach Joe Muskett. 'He is a winner. The kid knows how to getthe job done.'

Maddox, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound senior, can get the job done inseveral ways. He has completed 55-of-119 passes for 965 yards and 11touchdowns and has rushed for more than 500 yards and 16 touchdowns.After throwing only two interceptions in the first 11 games, hethrew three against West Potomac. But with the region title on theline, he led the Rebels on a 63-yard drive in the final 3 minutes 10seconds that resulted in a touchdown and decisive two-pointconversion.

When Fairfax defeated Lee, 23-6, in October, Lee concentratedon stopping the passing game, Muskett said. The Lancers limitedMaddox to 17 yards through the air, but he carried the ball for 90yards and two touchdowns on six carries. 'He's a kid who can just doit all,' Muskett said.

Maddox also draws praise for leadership and humility.

'Fairfax has played some teams that had more individualtalent, but Maddox was the difference,' Marshall Coach Dean Sislersaid. 'He elevates the players around him. ... He just has theother intangible qualities that go along with quality athletes.'

Maddox and his teammates are aware of the school's humbletradition in football.

'No one has ever {won a region title} before,' Maddox said.'The way I looked at it, if we lost, oh well ...'

But now that the Rebels are so close to a state championship,Maddox said he believes they could add a few more firsts beforetheir season ends - especially if running backs Charlie Turner andJohn Moore play well.

'I think I'm just one of the many people we have on offense,'Maddox said. 'When Charlie is running and John is running, it'salmost impossible to stop us.'

Maddox and the Rebels faced new circumstances in the regionfinal, falling behind for the first time since their only loss -17-0 to No. 1 Annandale early in the season.

Fairfax Police Chief and Safety Consultant - The Washington Post

Carroll D. Buracker, 66, a former chief of the Fairfax CountyPolice Department and chief executive of a public safety consultingfirm whose recommendations often led to major changes in policedepartments across the country, died April 22 at the WinchesterMedical Center in Winchester, Va., of complications from a stroke.He had lived in Harrisonburg, Va., since 1990 but maintainedpersonal and business ties to Fairfax.

Mr. Buracker joined the Fairfax police on New Year's Day of1966, and rose through the ranks to become chief in 1981, a positionhe held until his retirement in 1985. During his tenure, he workedto modernize law enforcement in Fairfax, adding a police helicopterprogram, installing computers in police cruisers and state-of-the-art dispatching gear, and acquiring armored vehicles for thedepartment's SWAT team. He also implemented an automated fingerprintidentification system and developed the department's own trainingfacility.

After his retirement, he formed Carroll Buracker & Associates,based in Harrisonburg. The company conducted more than 260efficiency and management studies of police, sheriff's and firedepartments; emergency medical services; 911 centers; and securityservices in more than 120 cities and counties.

He served as project manager for the comprehensive assessment ofChicago's new police-fire-EMS communications system and for anemergency dispatch study in Los Angeles. He also assessed theintegrated police and security plans for Seattle, Cleveland andelsewhere.

He became a national leader in setting standards of quality andbest practices for community policing in cities and urban countiesand was the project manager and executive producer for 'Beyond theBadge,' a community policing training video.

As a consultant, he didn't mince words. In 2005, he toldSpringfield, Mass., that its police force was 'dysfunctional,' thathe had never seen such upper-level friction between the police chiefand other senior officers, and that the city's data on crimestatistics were a shambles. Brian Buracker, his son and successor atthe company, noted that his father was invariably straightforwardbut always showed his clients how their problems could be solved.

Mr. Buracker also founded the Center for Public Safety, anonprofit company that was chosen by the Department of Housing andUrban Development to develop a comprehensive security assessment andblueprint to reintegrate a public housing development in Vidor,Tex., after black residents were forced out by the local Ku KluxKlan. The Center for Public Safety also conducted a nationwide studyof policing in federal subsidized housing.

Carroll David Buracker was born in Luray, Va., and was raised byfoster parents. He worked on farms while attending school yetmanaged to excel as an athlete at Luray High School, where helettered in four sports. A runner his whole life, he completed 12major marathons.

He served as an Army military policeman in Germany after highschool and worked briefly as a Harrisonburg police officer beforemoving to Fairfax. He received his undergraduate degree and hismaster's degree in law enforcement and justice administration in theearly 1970s, both from American University. He also graduated fromthe FBI National Academy.

He served as chairman of the Metropolitan Washington Council ofGovernment's Police Chiefs' Committee and co-chaired the developmentof the Area Emergency Disaster Plan.

As police chief, he received the Fairfax County government's twohighest honors -- the Onthank Award and the Unusual Ability Award.He also received the Gold Salute Award from the United Black Fund ofGreater Washington for his efforts to promote women and AfricanAmericans in law enforcement.

Survivors include his wife of 38 years, Patricia Blair Burackerof Harrisonburg; his son Brian, of Fairfax County, and another son,David Buracker of Alexandria.

Fairfax Board Backs Half-Billion-Dollar Rebuilding of Schools - The Washington Post

Nearly half a billion dollars would be spent rebuilding andexpanding Fairfax County's aging and crowded school system over thenext five years under a plan a majority of the Board of Supervisorsendorsed yesterday.

If voters approve the bonds to finance the program, the schoolsystem will get $487 million in construction money, including about$175 million that traditionally would have been spent on parks,roads, sidewalks and other county building projects.

Fairfax Broaches Fee Increases; Officials Seek to Avert New Budget Shortfall - The Washington Post

Fairfax residents could face new or higher fees for parkadmissions, ambulance trips and services for the elderly, disabledand mentally ill under proposals being discussed by county officialstrying to avoid another huge budget shortfall.

One of the most likely new fees, county board members saidyesterday, is a plan to impose an annual charge of about $20 perhousehold to pay for improvements in the county's storm-waterdrainage systems, including ponds and pipes that collect runoff.

'That is one we will likely be looking at very seriously,'said county Supervisor Michael R. Frey (R-Sully).

The talk of imposing an array of new or higher fees comes justmonths after Fairfax supervisors helped close a $140 millionshortfall in this year's budget by endorsing the county's largestreal estate tax increase in two decades. Already, officials arepredicting a $30 million budget gap for fiscal 1998, a figure likelyto rise if county schools want an increase of more than 4 percent infunding.

Edward L. Long Jr., director of the county's Office ofManagement and Budget, sent a memo to 44 department heads and othercounty administrators last month asking them to identify areas inwhich fees could be imposed.

'What service/program is the county providing for which itdoes not currently charge a fee, but would be an appropriate area toinstitute a fee?' Long asked.

Long and his staff are beginning to prepare Fairfax's nextbudget, which will be presented to the county board early next year.

Few specific plans for fee increases have been drafted, Longsaid, but a long list of options has surfaced, including new fees toenter certain county parks, to use meeting rooms at county librariesor to get decals to park in certain neighborhoods near Metrostations or schools. Fees also might be increased for services tothe disabled, elderly or mentally ill, and fines charged for overduelibrary books could be pushed up, Long said.

Even though the budget crunch likely will not be as severe nextyear, pressure on board members to impose new or higher fees will begreater. That is because last spring, when the board adopted thefiscal 1997 budget, most supervisors indicated that they would notback another real estate tax increase during the remaining threeyears in their term.

'When there is more pressure not to increase property taxes,then other fee generators get more attention,' Long said.

Supervisors said yesterday that they are open to consideringfee increases, particularly for services that are used by a selectgroup of residents, such as special parking districts orrecreational services.

'We will take a look at what is brought forward,' saidSupervisor Sharon S. Bulova (D-Braddock), chairman of the board'sbudget committee. 'That does not mean we will do it, but we willlook at it.'

Other supervisors warned that the board must proceedcautiously, because county residents, still smarting from the realestate tax increase, may revolt.

'If we charge a fee for everything the government provides,people are going to say, `Why do we pay taxes?' ' said SupervisorStuart Mendelsohn (R-Dranesville).

In Fairfax, fees, fines and other user-based charges nowgenerate about $59 million a year, the largest chunks coming fromfees charged for care of school-age children and to developers whoapply for county permits. That represents about 3.5 percent of thecounty's $1.69 billion budget.

Fairfax supervisors last spring approved an increase of up tonearly 18 percent in child-care fees and a 15 percent increase infees for reviewing road and sewer development plans. Fees to playgolf, ice-skate or reserve a picnic shelter also went up.

But the board rejected several other fee recommendations byCounty Executive William J. Leidinger and his staff, such as plansto charge for ambulance rides, for organized sports leagues to usecounty fields, or for county residents to use Lake Fairfax and BurkeLake parks.

Long said yesterday that some of those same proposals maysurface again. But county board Chairman Katherine K. Hanley (D)said she doubted they would win support, as board members alreadyhad decided against them.

Dorothy Tella, president of the Fairfax County TaxpayersAlliance, said her group supports the concept of fees for servicesthat are used by a limited number of county residents.

Fairfax Confronts Limit On School Capital Funds - The Washington Post

Fairfax County's School Board endorsed a plan last night thatcalls for spending $603 million for new schools and otherconstruction projects over the next five years. But officialsacknowledged that the system has only enough money now to pay abouta quarter of that amount.

The plan highlights continuing budget troubles in affluentFairfax that have slowed spending on new schools, renovations andother construction projects in the area's largest school system.

It May Pay to Advertise in Fairfax Schools; Officials Consider More Sponsorship - The Washington Post

The 2,300 students at Westfield High School in Fairfax Countyadvertise the AF in Abercrombie & Fitch on their T-shirts and theswoosh of Nike on their sneakers. They walk by Coke machines to reachtheir classrooms, where a few computers have a small Apple on themonitor.

Corporate America's presence on the Chantilly campus may not endthere.

The region's largest school district -- and the country's 14thlargest -- may deliberately expand the level of corporate sponsorshipacross Fairfax, including advertising or sponsorship on school Websites and in cafeterias, gymnasiums and auditoriums and on athleticfields.

No other school district in the Washington area has such a deeprelationship with the corporate sector.

'Given the revenue shortage we are facing -- we have so many areasof need -- we have to look at all potential sources of revenue,'Superintendent Daniel A. Domenech said.

There could one day be a Dell technology lab or a Reebok biologywing in some of Fairfax's 20 high schools. A report released lastweek by a committee of Fairfax school officials, parents andcommunity leaders recommended hiring a consultant to determine howmuch money schools would get in exchange for naming rights.

But Fairfax's 12 school board members are divided on the issue,and they predict that county residents will be, too. For some, theschoolhouse remains the only place free of corporate intrusion, andthey believe that Fairfax should not be dipping its toes into whatthey characterize as the cesspool of commercialism.

'I don't want children to be bombarded with advertising,' said JanAuerbach, a parent from McLean who was on the fundraising committee.'I just don't want to see it in a public facility.'

But at a time of declining state revenue and increasing schoolbudgets, the school district would be wrong to ignore corporatesupport, said backers of the idea. Like it or not, commercialism isembedded in school culture, with marketers having found their captiveaudience years ago, they said.

'We are naive if we think kids do not understand the power ofmarketing and have the power to reject it,' said Dale Rumberger, theprincipal of Westfield High who also served on the fundraisingcommittee. 'Kids are much, much smarter than we give them creditfor.'

These issues are being hashed out in school districts across thenation, where tight fiscal times make such sales pitches harder toignore. In 1998, a school district in Jefferson County, Colo., soldthe naming rights of its athletic stadium to the local telephonecompany for $2 million over 10 years. But in Seattle, communityprotest forced the school board to abandon a $1 million-a-year planto sell advertising to eliminate a $35 million budget shortfall.

Prince George's County Superintendent Iris T. Metts has encouragedthe district's athletic directors to consider selling advertising andnaming rights to the county's gymnasiums, stadiums and athleticfields as a way to offset a 37 percent cut in athletic budgets. Noaction has been taken.

The Montgomery County School Board is considering a policy thatwould allow corporations -- as well as PTAs and other privateindividuals or groups -- to help pay for capital building expenses.

The current discussions in Fairfax are colliding with anincreasingly grim revenue forecast for next year. School officialsbelieve they will lose at least $36 million in state aid because ofthe sputtering state economy. In addition, school planners project aninflux of 3,000 students next year, which will cost another $28million. This year's Fairfax school budget is $1.4 billion.

At Fairfax's Westfield High School, each of the four outdoorscoreboards carries the flowery script of the Coca-Cola logo. Cellphone companies rent space to attach their towers to the tallathletic-field light posts of eight high schools for an initial$25,000 and a $2,000 monthly fee, said Tom Brady, an assistantsuperintendent.

Outside the technology labs at Thomas Jefferson High School forScience & Technology are small plaques bearing the names of thecompanies that paid for the equipment in each lab.

And vending machines are in every school, though in elementaryschools they usually are limited to teachers' lounges. Profits fromthe machines are split between the school and the district, whichuses the money to cut the price of a reduced lunch.

Marketing on school grounds allows companies to build brandloyalty with customers at a young age. And it enhances a company'sreputation to fund and receive credit for things associated with aquality education -- such as new library books or computers -- inaddition to things associated with sports, like scoreboards.

Curtis Etherly, vice president of public affairs for the Mid-Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Co., based in Columbia, said the companyis careful to let schools and communities take the lead.

'We ask our school customers to determine how that relationshipshould be shaped,' he said. 'We've never looked at putting Coke inthe classroom.'

Fairfax school officials don't know how many corporaterelationships the district has; there is no official tally. And theyacknowledge that district guidelines on advertising in schools arevague and outdated.

That's why the fundraising committee was formed. The schooldistrict found it was receiving an increasing number of proposalsfrom corporations and didn't know how to respond. 'The big questionis, what's it really worth?' said Fairfax Deputy Superintendent AlanE. Leis. 'Is there really enough money to justify it before we startdown this path?'

At a School Board meeting last week to discuss the issue, boardmembers spent about 30 minutes weighing the possibilities before amajority present said a consultant should be hired. But severalmembers expressed doubts.

'My initial reaction to a lot of this is, whoa, let's hold off,'said Cathy Belter (Springfield).

Board Chairman Jane K. Strauss (Dranesville) was equally hesitant.

'I have real reservations about selling advertising anywhere otherthan in the school newspaper,' she said.

But others insisted that it was important to look into it. 'Ithink we ought to at least have a study,' said Chris Braunlich (Lee).

'What was anathema to all of us for years, we're now saying, hey,let's get with the program,' said Dennis Nelson, the principal ofFloris Elementary School in Herndon. 'This is the 21st century. We'repossibly sitting on a gold mine, and we may not know it.'

Nelson, who also served on the fundraising committee, works in a48-year-old building, the oldest in the county that has not beenrenovated yet. He is battling mice and an erratic heating system. Hehas four trailers on his campus this year and will have seven in thenext two years.

'Schools should be holy, schools should be sacred,' Nelson said.'But the bottom line is, where is the money going to come from?'

Westfield High School is under the Dulles International Airportflight path, Rumberger said, and he wants to investigate what itwould cost to advertise on his roof -- which can't be seen by any ofhis students but is in full view of thousands of airline passengersdaily. Rumberger wouldn't estimate how much revenue he couldgenerate, but another school official said that such advertisingcould bring in about $3.5 million over 10 years.

Fairfax Girl, 16, Killed in Crash of SUV; New Driver Was Speeding on Dark Road Behind Friend, Police Say - The Washington Post

A 16-year-old Fairfax girl was killed Friday night when her sport-utility vehicle flipped on its side and skidded into the back of astopped car driven by a friend, Fairfax County police said yesterday.

Lauren Sausville, a junior at Fairfax High School, was the 17thteenager killed in a traffic accident in the Washington area sincemid-September.

Police said the driver of the car she was following, a 17-year-old Fairfax High student, had been drinking, and he was charged withdriving while intoxicated.

Police were still investigating where Sausville and her friend hadbeen Friday night before they reached Colchester Road and FairfaxStation Road in a sparsely populated area of southern Fairfax.Sausville was driving a 1999 Ford Explorer, and her friend wasdriving a 1994 Mazda MX6. There were no passengers in either car.

Police said the 17-year-old was heading south on Colchester Roadjust after 11 p.m. and stopped the Mazda at the stop sign for FairfaxStation Road. He then watched the accident unfold in his rearviewmirror. Police spokeswoman Mary Ann Jennings said the youth reportedwatching the Explorer run off the road into an embankment, flip ontothe driver's side and skid down the road toward him.

As the Explorer got closer, the youth tried to pull away, Jenningssaid, but the Explorer was sliding too fast and slammed into theright rear of the Mazda. The impact crushed the roof of the Explorerand drove Sausville back into the rear passenger compartment.

Sausville was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said it tookabout 90 minutes to extricate her body from the wreckage.

Police estimate that Sausville was driving 55 to 60 mph onColchester Road, which has a speed limit of 35 mph, Lt. Dan Townsendof the police traffic unit said. He said she had been driving forfour months.

'This crash had all the variables,' Townsend said. 'There were nolights on that road, you've got an unstable vehicle, an inexperienceddriver and an overcorrection with the steering wheel.'

A fatal crash involving teenagers on Interstate 95 in October alsoinvolved an SUV and an overcorrection. In that accident, a 16-year-old driving a Cadillac Escalade started to change lanes, realizedthat another car was already there and swerved back to her originallane, causing the Escalade to topple, police said. A passenger on theside where the Escalade landed, 17-year-old Laura Lynam ofAlexandria, was killed.

The youth driving the Mazda was not seriously hurt, though therear of the car was crumpled and the rear window shattered. While hewas talking to police, Jennings said, officers suspected he wasintoxicated. His blood-alcohol content was later measured at .08,Jennings said, which is the state's defined level for intoxication,and he was arrested. His name was not released because he is ajuvenile.

Jennings said Sausville's blood-alcohol level was not available,pending the completion of toxicology tests.

In an attempt to deter drunken driving during the holiday season,Fairfax police on Wednesday launched their Safe December program witha roving squad of officers focused on arresting impaired motorists.In the first three nights of the program, the officers made 28 DWIarrests in the county.

Fairfax Calendar; Community Events - The Washington Post

QUILT SHOW, traditional patterned quilts and throws and modernadaptations, Japanese sashiko and wearable quilted art on display.10 a.m.-2 p.m. daily through March 23, Unitarian UniversalistChurch, 1625 Wiehle Ave., Reston. Free. 703 742-7992 orwww.uureston.org.

'LOVE LETTERS AND LINIMENT,' readings based on the diaries, loveletters and photos related to the 66-year marriage of civil rightspioneers Mary Ellen and Edwin B. Henderson. Noon-1 p.m., Cherry HillFarmhouse, 312 Park Ave., Falls Church. Free; reservations required.703-248-5171.

FINANCIAL PLANNING DIVORCE WORKSHOP, learn practical informationabout the financial components of the property settlement agreementfrom divorce planners Aubrey Ann Smith and Debbie Marson. Sponsoredby The Women's Center. 7-10 p.m., Investment & Resource PlanningAssociates, 10600 Arrowhead Dr., Suite 310, Fairfax. $55; members,$45; registration required. 703-281-2657 or www.thewomenscenter.org.

JOHN WAITE CONCERT, 8 p.m., the Barns at Wolf Trap, 1635 TrapRd., Vienna. $35. 703-938-2404 or www.wolftrap.org.

PAINTING DEMONSTRATION, artist Armand Cabrera demonstrates hisoil painting technique, starting with a blank canvas and paintingfrom a small sketch, finishing in one setting, at a meeting of theMcLean Art Society. 10:30 a.m., McLean Community Center, 1234Ingleside Ave. Free. 703-790-0123.

ANTIQUES SHOW AND SALE, dealers display and sell furniture andcollectibles, sponsored by the Vienna Parks and RecreationDepartment. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday; noon-5p.m. Sunday, Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St. SE. $4.50. 703-255-6360.

FAMILY SKATE NIGHT, bring your roller skates or inline skatesand safety equipment. Parents are required to stay with children andare welcome to participate. 6:30-8 p.m., Vienna Community Center,120 Cherry St. SE, Vienna. $1. 703-255-6360.

WOMEN'S BENEFIT AUCTION, a 'women's only' evening of wine,champagne, hors d'oeuvres, chocolate and an auction of skills andservices, such as dinner and a private wine tasting at the CapitalGrille; customized personal-training sessions; a day of golf with aprofessional, including lunch and cocktails; a private (eightpeople) cooking lesson with a professional chef, followed by dinner;and much more, all to benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities. 7-10p.m., Historic Wilson Farr House, 10172 Main St., Fairfax City. $75.703-698-7080 or lisarmhc@vacoxmail.com.

THEATER PERFORMANCE, the F/X Players of the Fairfax High SchoolDrama Department perform Noel Coward's 'Blithe Spirit.' 7:30 p.m.Friday, Saturday, Feb. 29 and March 1; 2 p.m. Sunday and March 2,Fairfax High School, 3500 Old Lee Hwy., Fairfax City. $10; seniorsand students, $5. 703-219-2351 or www.fxplayers.org.

CELTIC AND RENAISSANCE CONCERT, performance by Linn Barnes andAllison Hampton. 8 p.m., Old Town Hall, 3999 University Dr.,Fairfax. Free. 703-352-2787.

VIRGINIA OPERA, a performance of Tchaikovsky's 'Eugene Onegin.'8 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Sunday; 45 minutes prior to the start ofeach performance, Virginia Opera representatives will lead adiscussion, George Mason University, Center for the Arts ConcertHall, 4400 University Dr., Fairfax. Friday, $44, $72, $86; Sunday,$48, $78, $94. Tickets, 888-945-2468; information, 703-993-8888 orwww.tickets.com.

WASHINGTON SAXOPHONE QUARTET CONCERT, 8 p.m., the Barns at WolfTrap, 1635 Trap Rd., Vienna. $30. 703-938-2404 or www.wolftrap.org.

ANNUAL ECOSAVVY GARDENING SYMPOSIUM, Green Spring MasterGardeners bring together experts to share practical information onenvironmental issues, focusing on the Chesapeake Bay Watershed andthe impact of the community upon the environment, sponsored by theVirginia Cooperative Extension and supported by Fairfax County ParkAuthority and Green Spring Gardens. 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Green SpringGardens Park, 4603 Green Spring Rd., Alexandria area. $45; boxedlunch (meat or vegetarian), $11; registration required. 703-642-5173.

CHILD SUPPORT, CUSTODY AND VISITATION, attorney David Levydiscusses how Virginia courts determine the best interests of thechild and what to expect during custody proceedings. 10 a.m.-1p.m., Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, 1545 Chain Bridge Rd.,McLean. $55; members, $45; registration required. 703-281-2657 orwww.thewomenscenter.org.

INTERIOR DESIGN CAREER WORKSHOP, professional decorators anddesigners discuss career opportunities in interior design and thetraining and education required to break into the field. 10 a.m.-1p.m., The Women's Center, 127 Park St. NE, Vienna. $55; members,$45; registration required. 703-281-2657 or www.thewomenscenter.org.

CHILDREN'S 19TH-CENTURY TEA, for ages 8 and older, bring a doll,dress in period clothing, play parlor games and have tea. Noon-1p.m., Cherry Hill Farmhouse, 312 Park Ave., Falls Church. $10;reservations required. 703-248-5171.

PTA FUNDRAISER EVENT, for adults, an auction of movie tickets,pedicures, sports memorabilia, rounds of golf, jewelry and muchmore, sponsored by the William Halley PTA to support technology,cultural arts, field trips and many other school programs. Horsd'oeuvres served. A cash bar will be available. 7-10 p.m., LaurelHill Golf Club, 8701 Laurel Crest Dr., Lorton. $20. 703-455-4487 orssmcanes@aol.com.

COLLEGE FINANCIAL PLANNING WORKSHOP, for parents of students in10th-12th grades, attorney and certified financial planner DavidBrandolph discusses the financial aid process, borrowing forcollege, creative alternatives for students, government help andmore. 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Congregation Beth Emeth, 12523 Lawyers Rd.,Reston. Free; registration required. 703-860-4515, Ext. 127.

STORYTELLING, celebrate Black History Month with author andstoryteller Alice McGill. 1 p.m., Centreville Regional Library,14200 St. Germain Dr., Centreville. Free; registration required. 703-830-2223.

TEA TASTING COURSE, sip and savor teas and experience thesubtle nuances of flavor, followed by a traditional English tea. 1-3 p.m., Green Spring Gardens Park, 4603 Green Spring Rd., Alexandriaarea. $25; reservations required. 703-941-7987.

TERRESTRIAL ORCHIDS LECTURE, Dr. William Mathis, author of 'TheGardener's Guide to Growing Hardy Perennial Orchids,' discusses thecultivation of hardy terrestrial orchids. 1:30-3 p.m., Green SpringGardens Park, 4603 Green Spring Rd., Alexandria area. $10;registration required. 703-642-5173.

CONCERT AND GAME DAY, for the whole family, the String-N-Thingstrio performs 'Musical Camera Safari' with a farm-animal soundsguessing game. An assortment of board games available for all ages.Concert, 2-3 p.m.; board games, 2-4 p.m., Frying Pan Farm Park, 2709West Ox Rd., Herndon. Free. 703-437-9101.

DUKE ELLINGTON'S SACRED MUSIC, performed by GMU Jazz and VocalJazz Ensembles and the Berlin Musikhochschule Jazz Choir. 3 p.m.,Vienna Baptist Church, 541 Marshall Rd. SW, Vienna. Free. 703-993-8888 or www.gmu.edu/departments/music.

MASTER SINGERS OF VIRGINIA, with organist Paul Skevington, aperformance of Bruckner's 'Mass in E Minor,' Walton's 'The Twelve,'and Poulenc's a cappella Lenten Motets. 4 p.m.; pre-performancelecture, 3:15 p.m., St. Luke Catholic Church, 7001 Georgetown Pike,McLean. $20; senior and students, $15. 703-655-7809 or www.msva.org.

SPRINGFIELD BINGO, for age 12 and older, no smoking permitted,ages 12-17 must be accompanied by an adult. 7 p.m. Sundays andTuesdays, the Greater Springfield Volunteer Fire Department, 7011Backlick Rd. $1-$35. 703-569-9828.

SIERRA CLUB PROGRAM, a multimedia slide show 'Wild Utah:America's Redrock Wilderness.' 7-9:30 p.m., Reston Community Centerat Lake Anne, 1609 Washington Plaza, Reston. Free. 703-506-4310.

WOMEN'S CLUB PARTY, a prospective-member night and Mardi Grasparty presented by the New Dominion Women's Club. 7:30 p.m., McLeanCommunity Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean. Free. 703-748-0677.

FAIRFAX CITY COUNCIL MEETING, 7 p.m., Fairfax City Hall, 10455Armstrong St. 703-385-7935.

FINANCIAL PLANNING WORKSHOP, Lisa A.K. Kirchenbauer, aregistered life planner and certified financial planner, discusseshow to find your passions and build financial plans around them. 7-9 p.m., The Women's Center, 127 Park St. NE, Vienna. $45; members,$35; registration required. 703-281-2657 or www.thewomenscenter.org.

VIDEO DISCUSSION SERIES, a screening of the Art:21 documentary'Paradox,' featuring the work of artists Jennifer Allora, MarkBradford, Guillermo Calzadilla, Robert Ryman and Catherine Sullivan.7:30-9 p.m., GRACE, Greater Reston Art Center, 12001 Market St.,Reston. $7; members, $5; reservations required. 703-471-9242.

WINTER CONCERT, performance by the GMU Wind Symphony andSymphonic Band. 8 p.m., George Mason University, Center for the ArtsConcert Hall, 4400 University Dr., Fairfax. $15; seniors andstudents, $10. 703-993-8888 or www.gmu.edu/cfa.

BAND CONCERT, performances by the Woodson Concert Band and theWoodson Symphonic Band. 7 p.m., W.T. Woodson High School,auditorium, 9525 Main St., Fairfax. Free. 703-503-4600.

CHINESE CONVERSATION GROUP, for adults to practice speakingChinese. 7:45-8:45 p.m., Oakton Library, 10304 Lynnhaven Pl.,Oakton. Free. 571-225-7697.

FAIRFAX COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD MEETING, , Luther Jackson MiddleSchool, 3020 Gallows Rd., Falls Church. 571-423-1050.

AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL WRITING, 'Foundations of Writing: MemoirWriting Workshop,' with instructor Cheryl Aubin. 8:45-10:30 a.m.Thursdays through May 29. Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St.SE, Vienna. $98.75; Vienna residents, $79. 703-255-6360.

EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS WORKSHOP, attorney Roy J. Bucholtz discussesemployment rights in Virginia, including information on sex, age ordisability discrimination, termination notices and severancepackages. 7-9 p.m., The Women's Center, 127 Park St. NE, Vienna.$45; members, $35; registration required. 703-281-2657 orwww.thewomenscenter.org.

GENERAL ADMISSION DANCE, music by Roomful of Blues. 8 p.m., theBarns at Wolf Trap, 1635 Trap Rd., Vienna. $22. 703-938-2404 orwww.wolftrap.org.

-- Compiled by JEAN MACK

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