April 18 - 24, 2024
Fa lls Chur c h, V i r g i ni a • ww w. fc np. c om • Fr ee
Fou n d e d 1991 • Vol. XXXIV No. 10
The City of Falls Church’s Independent, Locally-Owned Newspaper of Record, Serving N. Virginia
F.C. Leader Files Formal Complaint Vs. Liberty
IT’S TIME FOR BASEBALL!
Lippman’s Scathing Letter To VHSL Elicits Reply by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
The executive director of the Virginia High School League this week confirmed in writing that both the legal counsel and executive committee of the VHSL are being appraised of a complaint submitted by Former Falls Church Vice Mayor Hal Lippman concerning a highly discriminatory “mission statement” of the Liberty Christian Academy whose girls basketball team recently won the VHSL Class 3 girls basketball championship. The Liberty team edged the team from Falls Church’s Meridian High School in the final moments of the championship game in Richmond last month. The VHSL oversees and coordinates all high school sports at all levels throughout the commonwealth. Lippman, who is current head
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Health and Fitness
Pages 11-14
BASEBALL HAS BEEN VERY VERY good to us! Little League baseball season is now underway with opening ceremonies for different leagues all over the region and the nation. Here, Team News-Press is a lively and eager bunch. (Photo: Fred Keel)
F.C. Council Affirms Child Abuse Prevention Month
by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and the City of Falls Church is working to raise awareness about the safety and wellbeing of children. A blue pinwheel garden was planted at the entrance of Cherry Hill Park on April 11, which is still there, followed by a proclamation at the City Council meeting. The pinwheel, according to a City statement, “is the symbol of child abuse prevention and reflects childhood hope, health, and happiness.” Pinwheel gardens are planted by
organizations, schools, and businesses in communities throughout the nation during National Child Abuse Prevention Month. In April and throughout the year, the City of Falls Church statement says, “We encourage all individuals and organizations to play a role in making the community a better place for children and families. By ensuring that parents have the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to care for their children, we can help promote the social and emotional well-being of children and youth and prevent child maltreatment within families and communities.”
Protective factors are the strengths and resources families draw on during difficult times to shield them from life’s stresses, it states. “Research shows that when parents possess protective factors, the risk for neglect and abuse diminish and optimal outcomes for children, youth, and families are promoted.” Major protective factors include knowledge of parenting, knowledge of child development, parental resilience, social connections, and concrete supports. In support of these efforts, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s
Bureau, Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, together with Child Welfare Information Gateway, and the FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention developed the 2021/2022 Prevention Resource Guide. The guide provides more information about protective factors and highlights examples of innovative prevention approaches being implemented by communities across the country. The proclamation read and affirmed at the April 11 meeting
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