Stafford Magazine | December 2020-January 2021

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MAGAZINE

INSIDENOVA

A Holiday Snapshot S t a f f o r d m o m' s White House photos win recognition

SANTAS 'PRESERVE THE MAGIC'

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THE WONDER WEIRS

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HONORING HELEN WANG

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CONTENTS 6

AMAZING KIDS

Honoring Helen Former Colonial Forge students earn national award

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COVER STORY

Picturing History Stafford woman’s photos recognized in White House journal

PUBLISHED BY:

Rappahannock Media LLC / InsideNoVa 1360 Old Bridge Road Woodbridge VA 22192 (703) 318-1386 PRESIDENT

Dennis Brack dbrack@rappnews.com BUSINESS OFFICE

Carina Richard-Wheat accounting@piedmontpub.com ON THE WEB

www.staffordmagazine.com Stafford Magazine is published every other month and distributed to over 9,000 selected addresses. While reasonable care is taken with all material submitted to Stafford Magazine, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to any such material. Opinions expressed in articles are strictly those of the authors. While ensuring that all published information is accurate, the publisher cannot be held responsible for any mistakes or omissions. Reproduction in whole or part of any of the text, illustrations or photographs is strictly forbidden. ©2020 Rappahannock Media LLC.

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NEIGHBORS

The Wonder Weirs Stafford family on billboards, in commercials

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‘Preserve The Magic’ Visiting with Santa looks different in 2020

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NONPROFITS

Here To Serve New executive director leads nonprofit’s efforts

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Brooke Point teacher wins award, broadband expansion, and more

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BUSINESS

A Big Deal Rezoning approved for 2 million-squarefoot project

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VOICES

The man who saved Christmas

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EVENTS

A list of area holiday activities that are still planned

SPORTS

The Right Choice North Stafford graduate Javon Swinton shines at Indiana

ON THE COVER: Melissa Sanders, then 9, checks out a Christmas tree at the White House in 2018.

The photo taken by her mom, Megan, was featured in the “White House History Quarterly” earlier this year.

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AMAZING KIDS

Honoring Helen Former Colonial Forge students earn national award

BY TR ACY B ELL

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hey did it for Helen. They wanted to make a difference.

Now a determined group of 2020 Colonial Forge High School graduates who lost their friend in a car accident have been recognized with a National Purpose Award for their work to improve Stafford’s rural roads.

Their classmate, Helen Wang, was killed in a crash May 16, 2019, on her 17th birthday.

After more than a year’s work to create change, her young activist friends won “Best Student Campaign” through PR Week, a national trade magazine for the public relations field. The recognition followed many meetings with legislators and the birth of the student-led group, Changing Stafford’s Roads, which culminated in Helen’s Law. The students, who submitted a video detailing their work to PR Week, were part of a short list of finalists in varying categories. Most are in college now and watched the virtual awards ceremony Oct.

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Helen Wang 14 on a group FaceTime chat.

“We were in shock,” said one of the group’s leaders, Rebecca Chung. “It was amazing to be recognized and see our video played nationwide. It is inspiring to know that people from a small county can do anything; you can reach people on a national level.”

Despite the honor, the true meaning of their work revolves around Helen, and

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the students emphasize “you don’t have to accept things the way they are,” with the conclusion of their video noting: “Even if you are young, you can still make a difference. You can create change.”

After Helen celebrated her birthday with friends that day in May 2019, she was trying to turn left onto Kellogg Mill Road from Abel Lake Boat Ramp in Stafford. It was just before 5 p.m.

It is believed that her line of sight was blocked by overgrown branches, high grass and roadside vegetation. When she pulled out to turn, a commercial truck hit her vehicle.

“I want people to remember Helen’s joy, the fact that her laughter was contagious and her smile remained in the back of your mind even after she was gone,” Chung said.

Well-loved, the popular teen left behind parents James and Felicia and two sisters, Lily and Ashley.

Helen was born in Beijing, China, receiving a Chinese name from her grandfather that translates to “a person with

A group of Helen Wang’s classmates at Colonial Forge High School advocated for Helen’s Law locally and at the Virginia General Assembly (above). They often wore yellow, Helen’s favorite color. A garden was planted in memory of Helen at Colonial Forge (upper right).

strong, beautiful feathers in heaven.”

She was an accomplished swimmer with the Stafford Stingrays swim team, which began a memorial scholarship in her name. Chung said she believes Helen’s spirit has continually been with the group as they worked for change — through every meeting and hearing.

The latest result of their work came July 1, when Helen’s Law took effect after being signed earlier in the year by Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam.

The law allows for – but doesn’t require – localities to be in control of mowing, chopping and trimming overgrown vegetation instead of relying on the Virginia Department of Transportation. Localities can now use a private contractor to remove trees, brush or overgrowth that pose a danger to drivers’ safety or impede their line of sight.

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Jason Towery, director of public works for Stafford County, said Helen’s Law also allows a local government to require property owners with overgrown vegetation along a road to have it cleared. If the owner does not remove the foliage, the locality can remove it after sufficient notice, he said.

While Stafford has not enacted such an ordinance, the county “continuously reviews all opportunities to identify and remove dangerous vegetation, including working with the Virginia Department of Transportation regularly,” Towery said.

Stafford also has partnered with VDOT on several secondary/rural road safety projects, including safety widening on sections of Andrew Chapel, Ramoth Church and Decatur roads and tree removal in sections of Stefaniga Road, Towery noted.

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Chung noted that the list of improvements still does not include many of the back roads that students have to drive.

“The roads just have to be constantly maintained; that was the main problem we tried to address through Helen’s Law,” Chung said. “I think for the roads to be safe it’s definitely going to take more than fixing the roads; it’s being able to understand the dangerous roads in our county and go road by road to make improvements.”

The students created Changing Stafford’s Roads a month after Helen’s accident to address the county’s secondary road conditions. Their journey to create Helen’s Law began with their persistent presence at county board of supervisors meetings and took them all the way to the General Assembly in Richmond.

Along the way they worked with Del. Joshua Cole (D-Fredericksburg) and Sen. Richard Stuart (R-Stafford) on the bills.

They wrote their own road safety bill and regularly met with legislators and mentors.

After Helen’s accident, the boat ramp was closed. It reopened after safety and visibility conditions were improved at the site, but her friends pushed for more, realizing the danger on many of Stafford’s rural, narrow, tree-lined, often shoulderless roads. Even when not combined with driver speed,

potholes or visibility issues, the county’s secondary roads cause concern, and students didn’t believe drivers were safe on many of the rural stretches.

Changing Stafford’s Roads continues its activism on a project-by-project basis since its members are in college now, Chung said, but the group wants to make sure Helen’s Law is implemented in Stafford by working with the board of supervisors. The board’s vice chairman, Thomas Coen, teaches social studies at Colonial Forge. He said county staff is addressing the implementation of Helen’s Law, and there is talk among board members about having the students involved.

Most of the students in the group knew Helen, Chung said, but a few didn’t and stepped up to help.

Helen always loved sunflowers and her favorite color was yellow, Chung said, which soon became a reminder — a symbol of the joy Helen brought to her friends.

To remember Helen, the group donned beautiful sunflowers – or wore yellow – as they went about their work to create change. They wanted to always remember, Chung said, “this is for her.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION Stafford residents can report roadway issues by visiting my.vdot.virginia.gov, or by calling 1-800-367-7623.

To learn more about Changing Stafford’s Roads, visit changingstaffordsroads.org.

To view the students’ video submission to PR Week, visit Facebook.com and search Stafford County Schools.

THE GROUP The students who worked on Helen’s Law include Rebecca Chung (Longwood University); Alanda Guan, Alex Pawlica, Ben Motta, Isabela Motta and Charlotte Vazquez (all at the University of Virginia); David Sousa (Virginia Tech); Josie Guckian, (Germanna Community College); Kaitlyn Fulmore, (Virginia Commonwealth University); Ani Sibel (Massachusetts Institute of Technology); Kelcey WebbWatkins (Christopher Newport University); Corinne Rogers (Miami University); Ellie Motta (College of William and Mary); Kylee Fields (Liberty University); and Aiden Terlizzi (Rice University).

Tracy Bell is a free-lance writer who lives in Stafford County.

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COVER STORY

Picturing History Stafford woman’s photos recognized in White House journal

BY TR ACY B ELL

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MEGAN SANDERS

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undreds of entries poured in for a White House-inspired amateur photo contest, and Stafford resident Megan Sanders’ two submissions were judged to be among the 10 most compelling.

A stay-at home mom to six children, Sanders has had plenty of experience capturing memories of her family.

So, when she heard about a “Photographing the White House” Megan Sanders contest, she selected a couple of photos from her family’s visits to the executive mansion.

The White House Historical Association put on the contest, releasing its 58th issue of the “White House History Quarterly” in late August, featuring the winning photos.

One of Sanders’ photos (on this page) was of her daughter, Melissa, dressed up at the White House four days before Christmas in 2018, admiring Christmas trees and decorations. The photo was taken when Melissa was 9; she is now 11.

The other photo, taken outside the White House, was of Sanders’ son, John Ross, now age 7 – though the photo was taken when he was 4. He was playing with a toy helicopter in the photo, but the background of the photo revealed the presidential chopper.

Melissa and John Ross attend St. William of York Catholic School in Stafford.

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MORE INFORMATION In 1961, the White House Historical Association was established to support First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s vision of White House legacy, history and preservation. The “White House History Quarterly” is in its 21st year of regular publication and sells for $9.95 an edition. For more information, visit whitehousehistory.org.

Megan Sanders took this photo of her son, John Ross, then 4, playing with a helicopter outside the White House.

Stafford Magazine recently spoke with Sanders about the winning shots.

Stafford Magazine: Tell us about your winning photos.

Megan Sanders: The photo of Melissa was during a White House Christmas Tour on Dec. 21, 2018. The photo of John Ross was him playing with his toy Marine One while waiting for President [Donald] Trump to depart on Marine One in October 2017.

SM: How did you hear about the contest?

MS: I learned of the contest from the White House Historical Society's Instagram post asking for submissions of amateur photos taken from the White House. I have six children and dozens of pictures of them from various White

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House events, but I could only submit two due to guidelines. I was surprised to learn that they were both chosen.

SM: Do you take photos as a hobby in your spare time?

MS: I don't consider myself a photographer of any sort. I am a stay-at-home mom and the pictures were taken to remember special events. …

These were fun events and it is neat to think that these simple pictures made it into the “White House Historical Association Quarterly.”

SM: What is one of your favorite memories visiting the White House?

MS: My favorite White House memory was walking along the west colonnade and thinking of all of the great world leaders, presidents and first ladies who

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had walked there before me. It was awe-inspiring.

One of Sanders’ children, Clara, 9, added: “My favorite part of going to the White House was getting to see the gardens because they were really pretty. I loved decorating cookies at the Easter Egg Roll.”

Marcia Anderson, editor of the White House Quarterly, said the staff has access to millions of photographs from the Library of Congress, National Archives, presidential sites, museums, historical societies and private and commercial collections.

But, she added: “Our favorite photographs are the discoveries, the never-beforepublished images, which like puzzle pieces, help complete the bigger picture of White House history.”

Winning amateur photos have included family vacations, honeymoons, holidays and even a marriage proposal, Anderson said, with one winner, Meredith Johnson, noting: "I love that my own history is now tied to White House history as well."

Along with the open photo call, the quarterly’s summer edition focused on the evolution of photography at the White House and what inspires professional photographers covering the White House and its presidents. It provides insight into access and constraints they face.

Included in the issue are the earliest photos inside the White House, from a historian; a college student’s Washington tourist photos from 1959, when he used a Rolleiflex camera – and when the public could simply walk up at posted hours to visit the White House; President Gerald Ford’s daughter Susan Ford Bales, who used photography as an outlet; and a look at 19th century glassplate negatives of White House images found on an Ohio farm.

The issue also includes a profile of Richard Nixon’s White House photographer, who obediently followed Nixon’s “six clicks and out” rule but was still able to capture compelling photos, including Nixon’s embrace with his daughter at the end of his presidency.

Tracy Bell is a free-lance writer who lives in Stafford County.

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NEIGHBORS

The Wonder Mila (left) and Adrianna Weir show off their family photo used in a promotion at Nationals Park.

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eet the Weirs, Stafford County’s most famous family.

Mom and family CEO is Wanda Weir, a former Washington Football Team and Wizards cheerleader who owns a dance company. Dad and police officer Josh Weir has turned his job as audition chauffeur into several notable credits.

And then there are adorable daughters Adrianna, 7, and Mila, 6, whose credits include appearing in ads for Target, Giant and Gymboree and even an episode of “Blue’s Clues.”

So how does a family several thousand miles from Hollywood find itself in a national campaign for Amtrak or on billboards for the Washington Nationals? The answer is more straightforward than you may think.

Wanda Weir grew up as a competitive dancer and acted and modeled, so when she had kids

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she introduced them to dance. When they showed interest in acting and modeling, she got some headshots taken, sent them to a talent agency in Washington, and after an audition saw things take off.

“There were never any grandiose plans,” Wanda said. “I enjoyed doing those things growing up, and from my time as a cheerleader, I was used to being in the public eye. With the girls, we thought we would just see what happens and have fun with it.”

The first big success came when Adrianna auditioned for a commercial for Kiddie Academy.

She kept getting callbacks and before she knew it, she had the lead role. Then the day came to shoot the commercial and she was asked to go up and down a flight of steps over … and over … and over.

Not to mention there was a director, and a film crew, and just a lot of strangers.

“She loved it,” Wanda said.

Navigating from Project to Project The photoshoots, commercials and auditions are the fun part – “it’s like getting to play with friends,” Adrianna has said – but reaching those points pose the biggest challenges. The Weirs have added an agent in New York who helps them book more national gigs, but there are still plenty of inperson auditions that come on short notice.

In late October, for instance, the family learned at 7 p.m. of an opportunity the following afternoon.

The problem was it was in upstate New York. A call for auditions in New York City requires at least five hours driving each way for what amounts to a few

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minutes before talent scouts.

“We’ve gotten to know the Jersey Turnpike very well,” said Josh, a Metro Transit police officer in Washington.

While the travel can be difficult, Wanda says the girls take it in stride. As for working in a notoriously difficult business, she said, “We know how competitive it is out there. The second this stops being fun we are going to stop.”

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The Weirs and their daughters have appeared in numerous advertisements for Gymboree, Amtrak and other national brands.

To make things work, Wanda started homeschooling the girls this year. Because she runs a business, she can be more flexible with her work hours and has clients that understand her needs.

And while the girls take center stage, both Wanda and Josh have appeared on camera as well. The whole family appeared in Amtrak’s “Get Carried Away” national commercial as well as a campaign for the Nationals — where the family’s image was blown up inside Nationals Park and used as part of a season promotion commercial.

“You just go and take the photos and have no idea how they will be used, or if they will even be used at all,” Wanda said. “And then one day I get a call saying we are on a huge billboard. It was amazing.”

For police officer Josh, his side career gets him some ribbing from his colleagues.

“They’d say, ‘I didn’t know you were famous’ and take selfies with my picture when they went to games,” he said.

What Does the Future Hold?

The Weirs continue to take their burgeoning acting career in stride. Wanda keeps a vision

board for her life that doesn’t fail to aim big. The girls also have high hopes.

The dream would be for them to be on Disney Plus or Netflix, said Adrianna.

“Or YouTube!” added Mila, not quite understanding that can be done with an iPhone and a free 30 minutes.

While the odds may be long, these dreams can’t happen without giving it a shot. The family would be willing to move to New York or Los Angeles if the right opportunity came up, but there are no plans to leave Stafford without a job in hand.

Until that day, they will continue to sing, dance and audition.

“I have 13 years until I can retire,” Josh said.

“Until that day comes, I am going to go to work and provide my girls with as much opportunity as I can. We want this first of all to be fun but also to see where this all leads.”

So, when you see the girls with their own show one day, remember where you saw them first.

David Stegon is a free-lancer writer who lives in Stafford County.

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COMMUNITY

‘Preserve the Magic’ Visiting with Santa looks different in 2020

BY TR ACY B E L L

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hildren far and wide can rest assured that 2020’s Grinch – in the form of COVID-19 – won’t stop Santa Claus from making his yearly appearance.

Worldwide, the pandemic has stolen away almost a year of normalcy, and as coronavirus cases surge caution is key.

Santa Claus, accustomed to freely visiting malls, businesses, events, photography studios and homes, is finding that 2020 is a very different year.

So instead of taking 2020 off, Santa will emerge from the North Pole, despite a notably different approach to the Christmas season.

Many Santas work on a freelance basis and use social media or websites like SantaForHire, GigSalad or The Bash to obtain jobs. Most belong to a variety of Santa networking organizations.

One Fredericksburg-based Santa, who prefers to be known only as Santa Bruce, typically works gigs from Richmond to Washington. He said many Santas are going virtual this year by using companies like the startup, JingleRing, which supplies software and schedules clients, while the Santas work from home.

“There is a lot less work available since most businesses are closed or do not want the responsibility,” Santa Bruce said, referring to COVID-19. “Some Santas

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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some visits with Santa Claus will be virtual this year.

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decided to skip this year.”

The businesses that are using Santas this year have come up with different ways to keep them isolated from the public, he said. Santa Bruce said he will not visit clients in their homes this Christmas season, but instead works with professional photographers in studios.

“I have been COVID-tested for the client’s peace of mind that I will not be bringing anything into the studio,” he noted. He will also take precautions like temperature checks and sanitization between shoots.

In Stafford County, Santa Claus also rides through the county’s neighborhoods on a fire truck each year, waving to residents as they emerge from their homes or peer out windows. He typically stops to chat before heading to another neighborhood.

Stafford Volunteer Fire Department Capt.

Gustavo Leite said that this year Santa will pass through neighborhoods on the fire truck as always, but the truck won’t stop.

Married couple Dale and Trish Parris, who’ve portrayed Santa and Mrs. Claus for more than 25 years, were holiday staples

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in Stafford County before they moved to South Carolina. The couple, former members of the U.S. Marines Corps, got their start reluctantly when their daughter was in elementary school and the class needed a visit from Santa Claus.

Before COVID, they’d still pop up at some Virginia holiday events, but Dale Parris said the client canceled this year. He said some Santas are still active this year – doing visits with social distancing or wearing masks or clear shields. Parris has been playing Santa at the beach since August with a photographer’s scheduled clients, along with some indoor and outdoor shoots.

The Parrises are part of howtosavechristmas.com, where 100 selected Santas and Mrs. Clauses in and out of the United States, connect with children via Zoom.

Fredericksburg-based Kitt Creative, a popular portrait studio that quickly sells out each season, offers Norman Rockwellstyle Santa’s workshop pictures. The studio is taking precautions, including a checkin questionnaire, staff wearing masks, sanitization and a “low-contact experience,”

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according to its website.

At Spotsylvania Towne Centre in Fredericksburg, Santa Claus is visiting with children by using a Santa shield made of acrylic.

Children sit in on a bench in front of both the shield and Santa, instead of on his lap.

Joe Bell, director of corporate communications for Cafaro, which owns the mall, said this year’s precautions are “designed to give everyone a little space for health reasons” — as well as sanity.

Santa’s booth, which debuted Nov. 14 and runs through Dec. 24, is sanitized after each visit.

“We went into the holiday season knowing there would be some challenges,” Bell said, “but we want to preserve the magic of Santa and the Christmas experience this year.”

The shield isn’t visible in photos, due to photo filters and angled lighting, he added. Visitors are asked to reserve a time slot online to see Santa at ediimaging. com/xmas.

This approach will favor social distancing and eliminate lines, according to EDI, the Ohio-based company contracted to take

photos at the mall. Parents can also choose from photo packages like any other year.

At other malls across the country, Santas are sitting in holiday globes to separate themselves — another slightly different take on the acrylic shield.

Potomac Mills mall in Woodbridge will also welcome Santa using an appointmentbased system to discourage crowds and lines — and as space allows, walk-up visits between appointments.

“For everyone’s safety, visiting Santa will be a socially distanced experience,” according to Simon Property Group, the Indiana-based owner of Potomac Mills.

Santa and his helpers will be at the mall through Christmas Eve, wearing masks throughout each visit, according to Simon.

Guests will not sit on Santa’s lap but can speak to him while maintaining physical distance.

The mall’s contracted photographer, New Jersey-based Cherry Hill Programs, lists additional precautions, including contactless payment, directional signage, hand sanitizer, face coverings for guests ages 2 and older and a regularly disinfected Santa suit. The measures will offer “a magical holiday experience in a responsible

At Spotsylvania Towne Centre, an acrylic shield will separate children from Santa Claus. way,” according to Cherry Hill.

Potomac Mills’ Santa reservations can be made by visiting santasfastpass.com.

But for those still unsure, Cherry Hill is offering Create Holiday Magic – a virtual option that connects children with Santa Claus. On Nov. 6, Santa began chatting with

children online via Zoom.

Visits are available in 15-minute increments daily through Dec. 24 by visiting createholidaymagic.com. It includes a choice of paid photo packages, along with some free virtual options.

Matt Windt, chief marketing officer at Cherry Hill, said COVID won’t stand in the way of keeping family traditions alive.

But that sentiment doesn’t stop 2020 from being a difficult year for the jolly old elf.

Tom Bailey, an Arlington-based Santa Claus and Virginia representative for the International Brotherhood of Real Bearded Santas, said this season he’s seeing only about three-quarters of his regular clients.

“Those who are booking understand there is no sitting on Santa's lap,” Bailey said.

Instead, most home visits include children positioned in front of Santa to listen to stories, talk with him and take photos — and through the magic of photography, the picture will make it appear that the children and Santa are close together, Bailey said.

But, he added, “All I want for Christmas is the end of this pandemic.”

Tracy Bell is a free-lance writer who lives in Stafford County.

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NON-PROFITS

Here to SERVE New executive director leads nonprofit’s efforts

store, I thought that I need to get his name to see if he needs some help.”

A few weeks back, Brian Gillespie About 45 minutes later, the man walked and a small group of SERVE volunteers out with a cart overflowing with groceries. stood outside Shopper’s Food Warehouse He picked up a small plastic bag from the collecting donations for the organization’s cart that Gillespie reached out to take.

Stuff the Truck promotion when a “No, this bag is mine – the cart is for disheveled man walked up. you,” the man said. It was just a few years “I was reluctant to give him a slip of ago that the man found himself in a tough paper, not wanting him to feel pressured to situation and needed help. Now that he was donate,” Gillespie said. “As he went into the in a better situation, he wanted to give back.

BY DAV I D ST E G O N

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“That one sticks with me,” said Gillespie, a U.S. Army veteran and former defense industry executive who was hired as SERVE’s executive director in September.

In just a few months on the job, Gillespie has dozens of similar stories to tell — about the man who volunteers to drive meals each month to those homebound because of COVID-19, or the gratitude people show not only because they are receiving help but because they know someone cares.

Most people know SERVE – or Stafford Emergency Relief through Volunteer Efforts – for its food pantry, but its reach goes far beyond that. SERVE offers a wide range of services, including working with utility companies to reduce a person’s bill, partnering with a local healthcare provider for discounted or free prescriptions, or giving those in need a gift card to put gas in their car. There’s even a SERVE program that provides pet food.

All of this is possible because of community donations, volunteers and partnerships with dozens of businesses, other nonprofits and houses of worship.

The mission, Gillespie said, goes beyond helping those in immediate need.

SERVE wants to help them become more

self-sufficient. When a person walks into the office, the staff helps connect them with services from the Stafford County government, along with their offerings.

“We try to give people hope,” Gillespie said.

to incorporate more social media communication, improve the organization’s website and increase connections with local houses of worship.

These efforts, he hopes, will reach people on the edges of society – those without reliable transportation or living in the harder to reach parts of the county.

“We want them to know that there is someone out there to help,” he said.

Volunteering and community service have always been a part of Gillespie’s life.

He volunteered with the Boy Scouts for more than 25 years and has been an active member of his church. He has looked for charitable and community causes to help, something that his mother instilled in him from a young age.

“There is a beautiful saying that goes, ‘The best portion of a good man’s life are his little, unremembered acts of love and kindness,’” Gillespie said. “I think about that and would love those words on my grave because there is a real truth to it.”

Helping During a Trying Time Gillespie took over at SERVE during a difficult time both for the organization and the community.

Mike Elliott, the previous executive director, passed away in early August.

And the pandemic has dramatically hurt many Stafford families — some who caught the virus, others who cared for them and still more who lost work due to the economic turndown.

Gillespie said the COVID-19 impact has been twofold: More people in the community do need help, but there are also more people willing to help. His message to the community is clear: SERVE is open and ready to help those in need.

As the new head of the organization, Gillespie wants to increase awareness throughout the community about the services it offers. To do this, he’s planning

David Stegon is a free-lance writer who lives in Stafford County.

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COMMUNITY

Brooke Point High School teacher earns state award

C

J Cahill, a science teacher at Brooke Point High School, has received the Virginia Association of Science Teachers Recognition in Science Education award.

VAST RISE Awards spotlight excellent work by science educators across the state, recognizing service to science education in the individual's school, school system, and the district in which they work. Cahill is the recipient for excellent service in environmental science teaching and learning. A virtual award ceremony was held in November.

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“As a pre-med biology major, I never thought I would teach this class [environmental science],” said Cahill. “I spent a lot of time learning best practices and making the class my own. It is a lot of fun to teach. Since it is an elective, we can do things outside the classroom that many core classes cannot, and then relate those activities to current events.

The students enjoy this and leave the class more excited and more aware of things going on in the world and the environment.”

Mike Pratte, Stafford County Public Schools K-12 science facilitator said, “Mr. Cahill exemplifies the qualities of a dedicated, compassionate, and reflective teacher leader whose connection with his students promotes and provides an environment nurturing both access and equity for his diverse student populations. Mr. Cahill inspires his students to excel and become science literate citizens and better stewards in our world.”

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Stafford secures broadband funding for part of Hartwood and Rock Hill districts

U

pon hearing that Virginia was releasing $30 million in CARES Act money for fast-tracking broadband, Stafford County turned an application around within 10 days to secure $525,000 in funding to potentially connect up to 4,800 residences in Hartwood and Rock Hill.

Stafford has made broadband a priority with CARES Act funding, applying for and receiving an additional $97,000 to expand the King George Internet project in the Widewater/Marlborough Point area up Courthouse Road and $180,000 for an AER Wireless project in Hartwood.

“The traditional providers do not expand into areas without density, leaving many folks without broadband, which is crucial during COVID for working from home and online education,” said Hartwood District Supervisor Gary Snellings.

“This funding is a game-changer. I am

hopeful that these efforts will attract more alternative providers, and residents will have more choices.”

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced the additional funds in early October. King George Internet approached Stafford with a proposal to use similar technology they are using in the Widewater-Marlborough project to connect users in Hartwood via two existing towers. The grant provides free consumer premises equipment to 250 homes in which students qualify for free or reduced lunches.

“This action shows how diligently we are working to meet the unmet needs for broadband service for our constituents,” said Supervisor Crystal Vanuch, Rock Hill District.

The technology being used in the Hartwood and Rock Hill project is fixed wireless. Fixed wireless internet is broadcast through airwaves from towers to receivers installed on the user’s property, typically within 10 miles of the tower. The main challenge for fixed wireless is that the customer has to have line-of-sight with the tower or roof that is broadcasting connectivity nearest to them.

Ian Ollis hired to lead local planning group

I

an Ollis has been hired as the new administrator of the Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (FAMPO) and will also serve as director of transportation for the George Washington Regional Commission (GWRC).

Ollis will lead FAMPO’s urban transportation planning efforts and will work to improve rural transportation planning for GWRC. Ollis is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has a master’s in city planning with a transportation specialization as well as transportation planning experience from his time at Transit Matters in Boston. He is also a former South African political

leader who is experienced in facilitating cooperation.

FAMPO Chair and Stafford County Supervisor, Cindy Shelton said the selection of Ollis was unanimous.

“His political and transportation planning experience as well as his availability at this time is an amazing gift to the residents of our region,” she added.

“Transportation remains the number one issue in our region as Stafford takes its first steps to use citizen approved bonds to fund local improvements and other localities follow suit.”

The Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (FAMPO) is a regional body responsible for urban transportation planning.

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The urban area includes the city of Fredericksburg, Stafford County, and Spotsylvania County.

The George Washington Regional Commission (GWRC) is a regional body responsible for coordinating regional planning efforts among the city of Fredericksburg, Stafford County, Caroline County, Spotsylvania County, and King George County.

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SPORTS

The Right Choice HIGH SCHOOL

North Stafford (2020 graduate)

COLLEGE

Indiana

POSITION

Wide receiver CREDIT: INDIANA UNIVERSITY

North Stafford graduate Javon Swinton has impressed his coaches as a freshman wide receiver at Indiana University.

A true freshman, North Stafford graduate Javon Swinton shines at Indiana

BY DAV ID FAWC E TT Just before Javon Swinton signed to play football at Indiana University, Hoosiers assistant coaches Grant Heard and Brandon Shelby discussed Swinton’s future.

Uncertain what position best fit their needs, Indiana initially recruited Swinton as an athlete. Swinton’s North Stafford High School career justified that thinking. With the athleticism and speed to excel as a wide receiver and a cornerback, Swinton thrived on both sides of the ball.

But as versatile as Swinton was in high

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school, he needed to concentrate on one position in college. To solve the dilemma, Heard, IU’s co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach, and Shelby, IU’s cornerbacks coach, asked Swinton his preference. Swinton told them wide receiver – and that ended the conversation.

He was no longer positionless.

The rest was up to Swinton, and he’s validated his choice. As a true freshman, Swinton is in Indiana’s wide receiver rotation and stepped up right from the start.

In the Hoosiers’ first game Oct. 24, Swinton caught three passes for 40 yards in a 36-35 overtime victory against visiting Penn State.

“I saw it as a quicker way to get on the field,” Swinton said about choosing to play wide receiver.

There’s no doubt Swinton is a playmaker.

As a junior and senior, he helped lead

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DID YOU KNOW?

Swinton is North Stafford’s all-time scoring leader in boys basketball. He was a three-time all-state selection and three-time Commonwealth District Player of the Year in basketball as well.

North Stafford to back-to-back Class 5 state semifinal appearances. He caught 48 passes for 858 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2019 and 26 passes for 642 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2018.

Even on the basketball court, Swinton stood out. The three-time Commonwealth District Player of the Year finished as North Stafford’s all-time leading scorer.

“He’s always been great once the ball is in his hands,” said North Stafford head football coach Neil Sullivan. “His junior year we opened it up when we hit a point where Javon needed to touch the ball more.”

Swinton’s abilities caught Indiana’s attention. The Hoosiers showed interest in

way Swinton has handled himself on and off the field.

“The thing about Javon that has really impressed me, and I shared this with our staff, is that when you think about a young man coming in as a true freshman, he does everything as he is supposed to do,” Allen said.

“There are never issues academically, whenever he is told to do something, he never shows up on a list where he is late for something or this did not get done or you did not follow through on this or that,” the coach added. “He always takes care of his business and does not say a whole lot. He studies, he has been prepared and he has made plays.

That is a great formula for a true freshman.”

At first, Swinton was disappointed when on Aug. 11 the Big Ten became the first major college football conference to postpone its season due to the pandemic.

But his spirits picked up when he realized he might get another year of eligibility if the season was canceled. On Sept. 16, the conference reversed course and said teams would play an eight-game schedule only against league opponents.

In either case, Swinton adopted the same mindset.

CREDIT: BILL KAMENJAR

Swinton early on, and he kept them high on his list as he weighed offers from other schools, including Virginia, Syracuse and South Carolina.

In the end, Swinton said Indiana felt most like home and committed to the Hoosiers in July 2019.

The 6-foot-2, 170-pound Swinton made an immediate impression when preseason camp began in August.

“Javon is a guy that really has been a pleasant surprise to me,” Indiana head coach Tom Allen said Aug. 10. “We can just tell he has a tremendous amount of talent.

He has not played a ton of pure receiver, so learning how to play the position will be a big part of his growth.”

During Indiana’s first intersquad preseason game, in October, Swinton continued to open eyes when he recorded a one-handed catch along the sideline. The play drew gasps from his teammates, but Swinton downplayed the reception.

“It caught a lot of people by surprise,” Swinton said. “I’m good enough to make that play consistently.”

After the intersquad scrimmage, Allen expressed how pleased he was with the

Javon Swinton caught 13 touchdown passes as a high school senior in 2019.

“I would be ready,” he said.

As he’s settled into one position, Swinton has grown more comfortable.

Sullivan only sees a bright future ahead for his former star.

“He played it all for us so he never got a chance to specialize,” Sullivan said. “The sky’s the limit for his potential. He has a natural charisma. I’m real excited to see him continue to develop.”

David Fawcett is sports editor for InsideNoVa and a resident of Stafford County. He can be reached at dfawcett@insidenova.com.

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RENDERING COURTESY PETERSON COS.

A Big Deal

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BUSINESS

Rezoning approved for 2 millionsquare-foot campus

12'

A

new 2 million-squaredevelopment mission to attract to our portfolio,” he added. “We foot industrial park businesses, create jobs, and appreciate Stafford County’s is coming to the increase theAND tax revenue base. PARK leadership and staff for working STAFFORD ENTERPRISE LOGISTICS Centreport area.

Taylor Chess, president of with us to bring this important The Stafford County Board development for Peterson Cos., economic development project of Supervisors has approved said the property is one of the to fruition.” the rezoning for the Stafford largest shovel-ready industrial In 2019, Stafford eliminated Enterprise and Logistics Park, sites along the Interstate 95 tax rates for large distribution, next to the Stafford Regional corridor between Richmond manufacturing, and data centers, Airport. and Washington. in an effort to attract more of Peterson Cos. is proposing “Peterson Companies these businesses. The Stafford to build an integrated industrial has been actively developing County Enterprise and Logistics campus on 177 acres in data centers, industrial, and Park will be an epicenter for new Stafford’s long-planned logistics warehouse sites throughout workforce in a modern highand industrial Centreport Northern Virginia, and we technology campus. area. This project aligns are proud to add the Stafford Gary Snellings, who with Stafford’s economic Enterprise and Logistics Park represents the Hartwood

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District on the board of supervisors, said, “We are excited and welcome the investment by Peterson Cos. in Stafford County. They have worked with us to address our concerns and we look forward to a long-term partnership for new business in Stafford.”

John Holden, Director of Stafford County Department of Economic Development & Tourism said the project shows that Stafford is serious about new investment and job creation.

“This project is just one example of how Stafford encourages private investment along with our strategic advantage in the Northern Virginia market,” Holden added. “Stafford County is no longer a neighbor of Northern Virginia, but establishing our presence as part of the Northern Virginia corridor.”

The new Centreport facility is among the top 15 sites in the state in potential size.

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VOICES

The man who saved Christmas

BY DAV I D S . K E RR In modern times, we often have an unrealistic view of what a Colonial Christmas would have been like in Stafford or Fredericksburg in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. We imagine Christmas trees, candles in the windows and happy gatherings. However, this view is far more fanciful than it is reality.

Christmas was recognized, of course, but for a time, particularly after the American Revolution, it had fallen out of favor. Life was changing, we were industrializing, more people were moving to the cities, and old social ties were fraying.

Christmas seemed, at least for a time, that it would be a casualty of this realignment. Indeed, in both America and Great Britain, Christmas was a workday like any other.

That is, until 1843, when a popular British writer, already well known on both sides of the Atlantic, Charles Dickens, wrote “a ghost story of Christmas.” It was later published under the title, “A Christmas Carol.” He wrote it in six weeks, and his

publisher ran 400 copies. His publisher hadn’t expected it to do all that well. However, a month later, this same publisher ran 40,000 copies and since then it’s never been out of print.

The book is surprisingly short and is often described as a novelette. You can read it in one casual sitting. However, rarely has a story so tapped into a longing that most people didn’t even know was there.

The tale of Ebenezer Scrooge is great storytelling. It moves quickly, is full of Dickens’ matterof-fact descriptions of people and situations, and it has some wonderfully memorable dialog.

“Marley was dead – ‘Dead as a door nail.’”

It has ghosts and spirits, which appealed to people not too far removed from a peasant world, but at the same time, stressed in compelling terms the value of family and the power of redemption. And that, in a nutshell, takes in the meaning of Christmas.

There was poor Bob Cratchit, Scrooge’s beleaguered accounting clerk, trying to keep his family together against trying odds. And then there was Tiny Tim, Cratchit’s ailing little boy.

As for Scrooge, he was a man without a soul. Or so it seemed.

That was perhaps the strongest message of “A Christmas Carol.”

Scrooge did have a soul, and as cold and callused as he had become, he was still capable of warmth, and like the promise of Christmas itself, offered the message that we could all

find redemption through the Christmas spirit.

The story has been told over and over again – in the still wonderfully readable original version, as well as in stage plays, musicals and a host of various other adaptations. However, the message, as it was told in 1843, hasn’t changed much. Dickens, whether he knew it or not, was reigniting our collective search for the meaning of Christmas – namely, that Christmas is about the promise of redemption for mankind. God had not forgotten us, and at the heart of the holiday celebration is the warmth of our

“The story has been told over and over again...

However, the message, as it was told in 1843, hasn’t changed much..” spirit and the strength of our ties to our families and our fellow human beings.

If a man like Scrooge could find redemption, we all could.

So, with that, as Bob Cratchit’s little son, Tiny Tim, says at the close of the novel, “God Bless us, Everyone.” Merry Christmas, everyone.

David Kerr is a Stafford resident and an adjunct professor of political science at VCU. He worked on Capitol Hill and for various federal agencies for many years.

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EVENTS

HOLIDAY EVENTS While many events have had to be canceled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some are still going on. However, increased restrictions may result in changes, so we suggest calling the venue or visiting the event website before making plans.

Food Drive for the Holidays Wednesday, Dec. 16, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Potomac Point Vineyard and Winery, Stafford potomacpointwinery.com

Stafford Christmas Parade Saturday, Dec. 19, 3 p.m.

Stafford County Agricultural Fairgrounds 9000 Celebrate Virginia Parkway, Stafford Staffordchristmasparade.com

Breakfast with Santa Saturday, Dec. 19, 8:30-11:15 a.m.

Eileen’s Bakery & Café, Fredericksburg eileensbakeryandcafe.com

A Riverside Family Christmas Riverside Center for the Performing Arts Daily through Dec. 27, times vary riversidedt.org

Good Riddance 2020 NewYear’s Eve Dinner Thursday, Dec. 31, 3 p.m.

Potomac Point Vineyard and Winery, Stafford potomacpointwinery.com

Holiday Carriage Rides Old Town Carriages, Fredericksburg Now through Jan. 3, 2021, 6-9 p.m. oldtowncarriages.com

Gardenfest of Lights Now through Jan. 10, 2021 Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Richmond lewisginter.org Gardenfest of Lights

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For more events and updated listings, visit www.InsideNoVa.com/calendar •

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