8-27-2015

Page 1

August 27 - September 2, 2015

FA LLS CHUR C H, V I R G I NI A • WW W. FC NP. C OM • FR EE

FOU N D ED 1991 • VOL. XXV NO. 27

F���� C����� • T����� C����� • M��������� • M�L��� • N���� A�������� • B�����’� C���������

I����� T��� W���

BEST of

FALLS CHURCH 2015

S

!

T

HE

WINNER

B��� �� F���� C�����: T�� W������!

Developers Keenly Interested in F.C.’s 34.6-Acre School & Commercial Site Well-Attended Info Meeting Precedes Oct. RFP Deadline BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS

With a total of 32 categories, it was the biggest turnout at the polls yet for our annual Best of Falls Church contest. Find out all the winners inside this week’s special Best of F.C. edition of the News-Press! SEE PAGES 17-23

M������ D���: T���� S�����

Some blondes have all the fun As Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush get more testy, Donald Trump gets more chesty. And more blond. SEE PAGE 13

P���� P��� ���� T���� L�� R���

Over the past decade Terry Lee Ryan has gotten to know Northern Virginia, first out of necessity, survival, and then out of choice, prosperity. Ryan, his wife and their two daughters arrived in the City of Fairfax only days after Hurricane Katrina touched down in New Orleans. SEE PAGE 29

INDEX Editorial.................6 Letters.............6, 34 News & Notes 10-11 Comment .......12-15 Business News ...24 Food & Dining.....25

Calendar ........30-31 Classified Ads ....32 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword ..........33 Critter Corner......34

NEW CITY OF FALLS CHURCH teachers Gina Thacker (left) and Nicholas Bajis in “class” at the new teacher orientation at George Mason High School on Monday. (P����: P������� L�����)

New F.C. Teachers Get Oriented, A Bus Tour of the City & Lunch BY PATRICIA LESLIE

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS

With the start of the new school year looming, new Falls Church City Public School teachers went to class at George Mason High School on Monday, where they attended an orientation, then climbed aboard a new air-conditioned school bus for a citywide tour to learn a little something about The Little City and its schools. It’s an annual tradition to have the orientation day two weeks before the start of the school year, which comes the day after Labor Day on Sept. 8. “You are the role model for

our students,” Lisa High, the city schools’ assistant superintendent of curriculum innovation and personnel, told the assembly of approximately 30 new teachers Monday. She stressed the importance of reporting suspected child abuse and identifying strangers at school. New teacher Michael Vu, will be teaching eighth grade English at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School. “I’ve always loved reading,” he said energetically, using “excited” three times to describe how he cannot wait to get in the classroom and teach. “I am really excited about technology,” he said, beaming. Vu was lured to Falls Church

from Prince William County by a Falls Church friend and teacher. Now Vu will have an easier commute from his home in Alexandria, where he was born and raised. “I love interacting with new students,” he said. His goal for his students? “To get them to the highest levels they can achieve.” Another new teacher, Gina Thacker, will be teaching second grade at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School. A longtime City resident, Thacker was a former paraprofessional at Mt. Daniel Elementary School for

Continued on Page 5

An informational meeting for anyone considering responding to the “request for proposal” from the City of Falls Church to develop the 34.6 acres recently ceded to the City as part of the deal to sell the City’s water system to Fairfax County was held at the George Mason High School cafeteria Tuesday morning, and it was a proverbial “standing room only” crowd. “It’s always good when you have a meeting and have to go find more chairs,” F.C. Schools Superintendent Dr. Toni Jones exclaimed to the News-Press after the event, whose attendees filled the better part of four sign-in sheets. Fifty-eight persons, representing development and construction entities from throughout the region, provided their contact information upon arrival, and the City has already posted PDFs of the lists on its website. The format of the meeting was straightforward, a welcoming by Mayor David Tarter and presentations by Dr. Jones on the school component – either the renovation or construction of a new high school with a 1,500 student capacity and expansion of the middle school – and City Manager Wyatt Shields on the 10.38 acres that can be commercially developed. “There was obviously a very high level of curiosity and interest from the development community,” Ed Novak, who has been involved for 15 years in development in Falls Church, said about the meeting. It was well-attended

Continued on Page 4


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.