Celebrating Spring with Dance
Classical Ballet Theatre (CBT) celebrates this spring by sharing its love of dance with the community. In late March, it hosted children and their families at its Herndon studios for shorter, narrated Children’s Series performances of The Sleeping Beauty, and, in early April, it took the full classic ballet to the big stage at the Ernst Theater. There, dancers performed before hundreds of enthusiastic audience members. In addition to friends and family, these included military personnel and Fairfax County teachers who received complimentary tickets in honor of CBT’s Silver Anniversary.
Oak Hill Students Participate in National STEM Festival
Oak Hill students participated in the USA Science & Engineering festival as an official exhibitor. The team comprising fifth and sixth graders call themselves EcoSy"STEM" Preservers. The team worked on renewable sources of energy with kitchen waste. Generating biogas from organic waste in your own kitchen has been researched and presented at the festival. The team members included: Fufth graders -- Pranava Nidumolu, Sohal Sudheer and Jordan Lee and sixth graders Aditya Kumar, Medha Gupta and Malavika Pillai. Approximately 325,000 people attended the largest celebration of STEM in the nation.
Herndon High Junior Selected for West Point Summer Leaders Seminar
Daniel Vedova, a junior at Herndon High School and co-captain of Herndon High School’s FIRST Robotics team (Epsilon Delta 116), has been selected to be among 1,000 attendees at West Point’s Summer Leaders Experience (SLE) in June. More than 5,000 juniors nationwide applied to SLE, which offers outstanding high school juniors the opportunity to experience life at West Point. SLE attendees live in the cadet barracks (dormitories), eat in the Cadet Mess, and participate in academic, leadership, athletic, and military workshops.
An Abundance at the Farmers Market
Twelve vendors offer variety at outdoor event.
Baskets of fruit and bundles of fresh local vegetables will be available near the town caboose until mid-November. The Thursday farmers market has returned from hibernation for its 25th year on May 1, giving town locals the opportunity to socialize and shop for local produce from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. “The first day is usually slow,” said Herndon Market Master John Dudzinsky. “You usually see the regulars. People forget about it, then the word starts to spread.” He said it will last until Nov. 13. During the summer months, shows and outdoor activities are provided for children.
ArtSpace Herndon Opens Far and Wide
Paintings by Trisha Adams on display until May 25.
In the new ArtSpace Herndon exhibit Far and Wide: Travel as Muse, artist Trisha Adams displays a visual journey. Unique architecture and distinctive trees offer interesting new shapes, and plants, earth, and buildings present color palettes. “We are very excited to display Trisha Adams works at ArtSpace,” said Lawrence Verbiest, executive director of the ArtSpace Herndon. This is Adams’ first solo show at ArtSpace Herndon. A California native, Adams moved to Virginia to work for a local newspaper. In 2001, she began painting and by 2004 was a fulltime painter. She enjoys traveling and landscapes are a favorite subject.
Lisa Merkel Remains Mayor, Three New Council Members Chosen at Herndon Election
Lisa Merkel remains mayor after the Tuesday Town of Herndon Elections. She beat Connie Hutchinson 1,308-1,066, according to tallies made at the Herndon Community Center.
Governor McAuliffe Speaks to Business Leaders
Event at Volkswagen Group of America draws 100 executives.
Fairfax County Economic Development Authority hosted an evening networking session at the headquarters of the Volkswagen Group of America in Herndon on April 30. The program was titled Fairfax County: Where International Companies Do Business in the U.S. A special guest of the event was Governor Terry McAuliffe (D) who spoke about plans of attracting federal projects to Northern Virginia, and hopes regarding Virginia’s education program. “This is something we do every two to three years,” said Gerald L. Gordon, president and CEO of the Fairfax Economic Development Authority (FCEDA). “We now have more than 400 foreign-owned companies from 45 countries in Fairfax County,” said Gordon. “We are fortunate to have five overseas offices,” said Gordon.
Herndon High Students Attract National Attention
A team of skilled students at Herndon High School have developed a company that is taking them around the East Coast and gaining national attention. The students in Mrs. Kathy Thomas’ class wrote a business plan for a company called V-LO Chip, which is a virtual location chip, asked for a virtual $500,000 startup loan, and then defended their plan before three panels of judges on Dec. 18, 2013. The students placed first in the Commonwealth of Virginia and represented the state at the Virtual Enterprise National Competition, April 1-4, 2014 in New York City. At this competition the officers and employees of V-LO Chip competed in a variety of events bringing home national honors for Herndon High School and Virginia. These competitions include: Global Business Challenge: The students are put on teams with teenagers from 10 countries around the world and assigned a business case study. The students are given 2.5 hours to work on solving the case study, which includes creating a PowerPoint and then presenting their solutions before judges. Andrea Ipinza’s team took 2nd place in the Global Business Challenge. Business Plan Presentation: The V-LO Chip officers defended their business plan before two sets of judges. The panel consisted of 10 judges who are successful entrepreneurs, businessmen and women from New York City. Trade Show: Outstanding Achievement Booth Design-V-LO Chip named TOP 10 Booth! Out of 150 booths, V-LO Chip was selected as one of the 10 best booths honored for the appearance of the booth as well as the ability for their employees to sell their product when customers visited the booth.
Lisa Merkel Remains Herndon Mayor, Three New Council Members Elected
Lisa Merkel remains mayor after the Tuesday Town of Herndon Elections. She beat Connie Hutchinson 1,308-1,066, according to tallies made at the Herndon Community Center. “I think this is a sign that the town is open and excited about the possibility of the metro station,” said Merkel. Hutchinson, who had served as the Herndon Vice Mayor, was proud of the support she gained during her election. “I felt very honored to have the really strong support I had from the Herndon residents,” she said after the election results were posted at HCC. “I feel honored to represent the town as I had. I think there’ll be a lot of good debate on the council. The town council, which is voted biannually at large, will be Jennifer Baker with 1281 votes, Grace Han Wolf with 1,256 votes, Sheila Olem with 1,211 votes, Jasbinder Singh with 1,197 votes, Steven Lee Mitchell with 1,126 votes and Dave Kirby with 1,107 votes. “To those running who took the high road and stuck to the positive issues, I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart,” said Merkel. “That’s what Herndon is all about.”
Herndon’s Alston Named East-West MVP at Cap Classic
Herndon’s Auslander, Oakton’s Bacon compete at event.
Herndon senior Brandon Alston earned MVP honors at the Capital Classic's East-West game.
Herndon Passes Nearly $49 Million Budget
Tax rate will remain the same.
The Herndon Town Council approved its $48,827,100 2015 budget. The budget, which maintains the current tax rate of $0.2650 per $100 of assessed value, was passed 6-1 at the April 22 meeting. Council member Charlie Waddell was the only one who voted against the budget. He wanted to see a lower tax rate. “I’m not ready to pass the budget, as is,” he said. “I might be in a couple of weeks.”
Herndon High Drama Produces ‘Blithe Spirit’
Herndon spring play begins May 1.
“It is hilarious how witty and comical this play can be, I am looking forward to performing with my classmates,” said Jessie Jorgensen, a Herndon High sophomore. Jorgensen is performing as the character Ruth in the May spring production of “Blithe Spirit” a play by Noël Coward. Herndon High junior Bonnie Sasseen has the role of Elvira Condomine. “I had read the play before and the character is very fun,” said Sasseen. “She is a very physical character, she is both exciting and amusing to play.” Taking the role of Charles Condomine is Herndon senior Hunter Robinson. “The whole show is a very witty fast paced comedy,” said Robinson.
Herndon-Reston FISH, Inc. Holds Fish Fling
Event honors volunteers who contribute to FISH’s efforts.
Herndon-Reston FISH, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping families meet emergencies and short-term needs, held its 9th Annual Fish Fling Gala at the Crowne Plaza Dulles Airport Hotel on Saturday, April 26, from 6 to 11 p.m. The gala was FISH’s largest fundraising event to acquire the financial support for its Family Assistance Program. In 2013 FISH worked with over 1,300 area families.
13 Vie for Herndon Council Seats
Town election for mayor, council on May 6.
Herndon’s seats for mayor and council will be left up to voters on Tuesday, May 6. The town elections, between two mayoral candidates and 11 council candidates, will be held at Herndon Community Center at 814 Ferndale Ave. Lisa Merkel, current mayor, will face contender Connie Hutchinson, current vice mayor. “I think she has a different vision for the town,” said Hutchinson. “I think she wants Herndon to be different from the way it is now. I’d like it to stay true to its unique identity.” Merkel agrees they have different visions for the town. “I ran for council and for mayor because I really think Herndon can have it all,” she said.
Comstock Wins 10th District GOP Canvass
Sole female Republican candidate sweeps party polls, will face John Foust in November election.
Del. Barbara Comstock (R-34) is the 10th Congressional District Republican pick for Congressman Frank Wolf’s open seat. The current delegate reined in more than 7,000 votes at the party canvass on Saturday. “It is an honor and a privilege to win my party's nomination for Virginia's 10th Congressional District and follow in the footsteps of my mentor, Congressman Frank Wolf,” she said in a press release.