A Partnership That Saves Lives Adrenaline. That’s something not every academic class can supply. The emergency medical technician (EMT) and firefighter classes at Monroe Technology Center supplies adrenaline along with practical lessons that last a lifetime. “The adrenaline. I love the flashing lights and the sirens,” said Riley Ruments, a senior at Loudoun Valley High School. “That’s not what it’s all about. That’s not why we do it. But it is pretty cool. It’s kind of like an on-topof-the-world feeling where you realize you’re doing something that really means something. To have a purpose when you’re so young and realizing you’re doing something significant.” “Obviously there’s the community service benefit,” added Tyler Pla, a senior at Riverside High School. “It leads to other opportunities in life. It’s really helped me out to learn some things; some really cool things. Everything from medical procedures to ropes and knots. “I like the adrenaline too. That’s a big thing.” Randall Shank, deputy chief of training for Loudoun County Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management, wants to harness that adrenaline for the longterm benefit of the community. “We catch them when they’re young because there’s a lot of options for kids anymore. If we can get them early, we can hopefully foster that interest that they have.” In addition to their studies at Mon roe, Ruments and Pla work with local fire and rescue companies; Hamilton and Ashburn, respectively. “We’re a small company…We’re, honestly, like a family. A lot of people say that, but we cook together, we do
tours together, train together, go on calls together. It’s great,” said Ruments. “You go on calls and come back to the station and have people to talk to about that. It’s a good atmosphere to have when you get into this field, because you’re doing things that are difficult and hard. You’re doing things nobody else your age can relate to. You can go back and have an entire family of people who are there to support you, help you and help you understand things. “It taught me to be an adult really quickly…Nobody treated me like a kid. I was on a first-name basis with all the adults. I wasn’t looked down upon.” “It’s nice – just hang out with your crew, watch some TV, do some training,” said Pla. “It’s a lifestyle. Even if you’re volunteering one day a week, it’s a lifestyle
that you adapt to and get into. You can’t come into it and not care very much, because if you don’t care you’ll get weeded out like other people who don’t really care… “It’s exciting. If you love excitement – all these new situations, real-world situations – it really helps out with your life.” Shank said having young people around the station is a benefit to the veteran members as well. “Generally we find – when new folks come into the firehouse – that tends to bring the crew back to basics. They go over things to help them learn more. That will help everyone refresh themselves; build off the excitement the younger folks bring with them.” Volunteers at Loudoun’s fire and rescue stations can be as young as 16. That came as an epiphany to Pla when
his mother related that fact to him. “I thought ‘That sounds pretty cool,’ so I did it.” Ruments’ introduction to what became her passion was more casual. Ruments had a friend who was doing a cadet program in Purcellville. “She signed me up for it and I fell in love. It’s not something I think I would have signed up for. It really was an accident that I got into it, but I’m so thankful I did.” Pla and Ruments each said their part-time service, which is limited to eight hours a week, has exposed them to mature situations that have given them a deeper insight into life. “You see everything from nose bleeds to CPR’s…suicide attempts, overdoses,” said Ruments. “You have to come to terms with death pretty quickly. (Continued on page 11)
Claude Moore Charitable Foundation Wins Legacy Award The Claude Moore Charitable Foundation is the second recipient of the Loudoun School-Business Partnership Executive Council’s Legacy Award. The Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation was the inaugural winner of the award in 2016. Since 1992, the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation’s commitment to Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) has surpassed $3.54 million. Trustees of the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation have awarded approximately $2.4 million in direct grant support for LCPS. In addition to these direct allocations, the Foundation covered all the expenses to research, develop and document the model program for Monroe Technology Center’s Health and Medical
Sciences program. Students in the Health and Medical Sciences program are known as Claude Moore Scholars. The Foundation provided project management services for the construction of the classroom space for the Claude Moore Scholars at Loudoun Inova’s Cornwall Campus. The Claude Moore Charitable Foundation will make the lease payments on these classrooms through 2020. The Foundation also financed development of an online teaching tool for the Health and Medical Sciences program. Founded in 1987, the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation’s mission is to enhance educational opportunities, including higher education, for
young people in the Commonwealth of Virginia and elsewhere. Dr. Claude Moore was a pioneer radiologist and the first chairman of the George Washington University’s Radiology Department. Born in Danville on October 21, 1892, Moore was a World War I veteran who came to Loudoun County in 1941. He bought a 357-acre tract in Sterling that now serves as Claude Moore Park. After retiring from the practice of medicine in the late 1950’s, Moore devoted himself to investments and farming. He died at the age of 98 on July 11, 1991, in Charlottesville. Moorefield Station Elementary, which opened in September 2013, is named in his honor.