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Silver Line Brings New Opportunities

Metrorail line aims to connect Washington, D.C. with Dulles Airport by 2018.

When the first trains of Metro’s Silver Line start carrying passengers, around February 2014, it will mark a new era for Northern Virginia, particularly the northern part of Fairfax County. By 2018, riders from Ashburn, Sterling, Herndon, Reston and McLean will have access to Dulles Airport and Washington, D.C. via the Silver Line.

Week in Great Falls

Sept. 11 ceremony at the Freedom Memorial.

On Wednesday, Sept. 11, at 7 p.m., the Great Falls Freedom Memorial Committee will hold its annual 9/11 Ceremony at the site of the Freedom Memorial (behind the Great Falls Library at 9830 Georgetown Pike). This ceremony especially remembers the six citizens of the Great Falls community who died when Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.

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Back to School in Great Falls

Cooper encourages critical thinking; Langley revamps Saxon Time; Highlander Kickoff on Aug. 27.

“This year, Fairfax County Public Schools are upping the rigor; this doesn’t necessarily mean more work, but it will be more challenging. We’ll be asking students to think critically, look for creative solutions, and work in collaboration with one another. We’re working within the curriculum to find extensions that will bring about these skills. Of course, Cooper will also be welcoming new seventh-graders, and I advise them to come in with an open mind and take advantage of the opportunities to make new friends, because five elementary schools come together here. We will also have new Spanish, French, mathematics and band teachers. We’re looking forward to a great year.”

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A New School Year in Great Falls

Cooper encourages critical thinking; Langley revamps Saxon Time; Highlander Kickoff on Aug. 27.

“This year, Fairfax County Public Schools are upping the rigor; this doesn’t necessarily mean more work, but it will be more challenging. We’ll be asking students to think critically, look for creative solutions, and work in collaboration with one another. We’re working within the curriculum to find extensions that will bring about these skills. Of course, Cooper will also be welcoming new seventh-graders, and I advise them to come in with an open mind and take advantage of the opportunities to make new friends, because five elementary schools come together here. We will also have new Spanish, French, mathematics and band teachers. We’re looking forward to a great year.”

Letter: More Than a Prank

I was totally surprised that no one responded to my letter and full page of photos that you published in Great Falls Connection, May 22-28, 2013, regarding the wooden birds that are being mounted on traffic signs and trees around the Great Falls area. They are still going up! Yesterday I spotted one hanging from a tree on Old Dominion, where it crosses the Beltway. 

Letter: Beware of Copperheads

Last week I read about a woman from Maryland who was bitten by a copperhead when she stopped to take a photo along the GW Parkway. More than 10 years ago, a woman in Leesburg was bitten by a copperhead one evening when she was turning off her sprinkler. Their splotchy brown/copper color scheme makes it difficult to see them, but they live among us. Be careful.

Great Falls Studios Online Gallery Presents ‘Simply Summer’

The Great Falls Studios (GFS) artists have put to paper, molded in clay and caught on camera warm sunny days, summer vacations, beaches and boats, butterflies, flowers and abundant greenery.

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Shedding Sunshine on the Secret World of Regulation in Virginia

Advisory panel rejects effort to open records of the State Corporation Commission.

Ever wonder what happens during deliberations that regulate payday lending? How about the effort to oversee your health insurance?

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Great Falls Elementary Students Summer in Japan

Great Falls Elementary, Cooper Middle Students visit Japan.

Nineteen students from Great Falls Elementary School and Cooper Middle School spent their summer in a unique way. The students spent two weeks in Japan as a culmination of their Japanese Immersion study

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Women Leaders Gather at Great Falls Library

Del. Barbara Comstock (R-34) hosts Young Women’s Leadership Program.

Del. Barbara Comstock (R-34) welcomed author and political commentator Donna Brazile to her Young Women’s Leadership Program Tuesday, Aug. 13 at the Great Falls Library. Twenty-three young women, mostly middle and high schoolers, listened to Brazile tell her story and give advice on chasing their dreams.

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Is Your Home Ready for Back to School?

Local designers offer tips for creating functional and stylish homework spaces.

Summer will soon come to an end, and children everywhere will be heading back to school and coming home with homework. To keep students engaged and excited, some local designers offer suggestions for creating a space so fun and inviting that your children will want to hang out there — even if that means doing homework.

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Outdoor Elegance Meets Cutting Edge Technology

A design/build team explores fine architecture in weather-resistant materials.

If anything in the summer of 2013 points to still evolving homeowner expectations, it may be the frequency with which locals are integrating screen porches, patios, fire pits, and outdoor kitchens into original landscaping schemes that artfully marry the house to its setting.

Geocaching Diversifies

Urbanites embracing new game.

Geocaching usually has been portrayed as someone with hiking boots and a walking staff gazing afar from a hilltop in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Not so anymore. Substantial numbers of those joining the sport are placing and hunting for caches in urban settings, and that includes Northern Virginia.

Editorial: Library Mission

Further cuts to library budget must be analyzed for impacts on needy families.

The current proposal to “streamline” services at Fairfax County Public Libraries comes on top of disproportionate, and some would say Draconian, cuts since 2009.

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Dancers on Display At Great Falls Library

Artist Jill Banks hosts workshop at Great Falls Library.

The conference room at the Great Falls Library was transformed into a studio of sorts Saturday, Aug. 10. Artist Jill Banks hosted a painting demonstration featuring two local dancers, and welcomed visitors and other artists throughout the day.