Education leesburgtoday.com/education
•
Danielle
Nadler
Loudoun’s School Board voted after this newspaper’s deadline on whether to approve the proposed Hillsboro Charter Academy. Read an update at leesburgtoday.com/education.
Comstock Gets Girls Back To School For Leadership Program “You could be at home sleeping in, but you’re here because you want to stretch yourself,” Comstock said. “You’re leaning in.” Inspired by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s TED Talk and book, “Lean In,” Comstock started a young women leadership program when she served in the House of Delegates, and now she’s bringing the same concept to Capitol Hill. The more than 250 girls registered for this summer’s session will hear from women in leadership roles at periodic events—two to four each month from June to August—held throughout the 10th Congressional District and on Capitol Hill. “I want to share the message my mom shared with me growing up: ‘That you can do anything,’” Comstock said. At the program’s kick-off event Monday, the
C l as si f ie d
L if e s t yle s
Sports
Bu s in e s s
E D UCAT EducaI O t ioNn
L o udo un Ne ws
AT
Cookology creator and owner Maria Kopsidas, left, and Rep. Barbara Comstock speak to a crowd of girls during the 10th Congressional District Young Women Leadership Program kick-off event Monday. Ashburn Today/Danielle Nadler
Danielle Nadler
H
dnadler@leesburgtoday.com undreds of middle and high school girls lined up to enter Rock Ridge High School Monday morning, less than a week after summer break began for most of them. “This is way out of my comfort zone,” Tiffany
Martin, a high school student from Haymarket, admitted with wide eyes. “But, I’m here.” That right there is what prompted Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-VA-10) to start the 10th Congressional District Young Women Leadership Program, which formally launched its summer session with Monday’s event. She wanted to inspire girls to be courageous enough to step out of their comfort zones to meet their full potential.
girls, many accompanied by their parents and grandparents, heard from Maria Kopsidas, creator and owner of Cookology, a recreational cooking school located in Dulles Town Center. Kopsidas told those in the mostly full auditorium that she’s never been one to turn down a challenge. “When someone said I couldn’t do something, it pushed me more,” she said. She experienced success in the world of mar-
keting and sales, and then, in 2009, talked herself into taking the biggest risk of life and started her own business. When the recession was at its worst, Kopsidas worked 80 hours a week, delayed paying bills and begged for cheaper rent to keep the business afloat. Some counseled her to consider filing for bankruptcy and closing. After all, she was starting a cooking school in the midst of a sluggish economy. “What do you do when the world offers you an excuse? Do you give up or push through,” she asked. “That’s when you’ve got to push.” Kopsidas worked smarter after that. She reached out to local media to request coverage, and promoted Cookology on her own through social media. By 2011, the business had turned around and made $1 million in revenue. “I’m here today to say never let anyone take away your dreams. Just keep persisting, and you will achieve your goals,” she said, and noted that she’s still holding fast to her dream to open a cooking school in every mall in America. “I want to teach people—adults, moms, dads and kids—how to cook and how to take care of themselves and their families by eating a good meal and eating it together.” Comstock said the idea to motivate young women to succeed is catching on among other members of Congress. She said other U.S. House members, both Republicans and Democrats, are considering starting leadership programs for young women in their districts. Learn more about the 10th Congressional District Young Women Leadership Program at comstock.house.gov/services. n
Middleburg Charter School Taps New Principal
ww w. as hbur n to d ay. co m • Thur sda y, J une 2 5 , 2 0 15
Opi ni on
Danielle Nadler
28
M
dnadler@leesburgtoday.com
iddleburg Community Charter School will begin its second academic year under new leadership. The school’s board of directors announced Friday that it had hired David Larson as its new principal. Larson has served as the school’s interim principal since April. He stepped in following the resignation of the school’s first principal, Barbara Smith, after the Canadian citizen was denied re-entry into the United States because
of a lapsed visa. Larson comes to Middleburg with 26 years of public education experience. He taught health and physical education and served as the boys and girls varsity soccer coach at Osbourn High School of Manassas City Public Schools. In 2005, he worked as an administrative intern at Osbourn and, in 2009, was promoted to assistant principal. Four years later, he was assigned to serve as assistant principal at Metz Middle School, also in Manassas City. Most recently, Larson taught health and physical education at South Lakes High School in Reston. “I don’t consider this a job, I consider this an opportunity,” Larson said in a statement
announcing his hiring. “I’m extremely excited about being here.” He holds a bachelor’s degree from Longwood University, a master’s degree in sports management from the United States Sports Academy and an endorsement in administration and supervision from the University of Virginia. He also served in the U.S. Army. Middleburg Community Charter School, with grades from kindergarten through fifth, is the seventh charter school in Virginia and the first in Northern Virginia. The school operates on an extended-year calendar, and will open for the 2015-2016 academic year Aug. 3. n
David Larson
Congratulations Grads on building a solid foundation for your future! Design your dream life! Remodeling from Concept to Completion