Potomac’s Arden Courts Celebrates 20 Years
A facility for memory care.
Arden Courts in Potomac, the first community built by Manor Care dedicated to those with Dementia and Alzheimer’s, celebrated its 20th anniversary on Nov. 5. More than 200 healthcare professionals, government officials, resident families and local businesses in the community came out in support.
Column: The New Normal
Loosey goosey, I suppose. As much as one might prefer some predictability in their life (certainly a cancer patient would – I know I would), I may be entering a cycle of permanent unpredictability.
Letter: Do Fairfax County Police Act with Impunity?
Fifteen months, after the shooting of John Geer, no officer has been identified, no charges have been filed, no grand jury has been convened and no reason has been given to the family or the public.
I would like to begin by saying that I have always and still do support the police as a whole. I appreciate the job that they do and the risks they take on a daily basis in an effort to keep the public safe. The ongoing policy in Fairfax County of police self-investigation, when officers are involved in possible crimes, has to change.
Irresistible? How Karen Garza Creates Change in Fairfax County Schools
Karen Garza is a good listener. And once she’s listened, she is, admittedly, not very patient. “If there's a real issue, I don't think it has to be debated for 10 or 15 years,” Garza said in an interview. “Either we're going to do something about it or not.”
FCPS Chief Karen Garza and Her Previous Life in Texas
“When I hired Karen in 2005,” former Superintendent of Houston Independent School District (HISD) Dr. Abelardo Saavedra said, “the position of chief academic officer had been open several months. I went looking for her. I’d never met her but I’d heard about her. There is a big difference between a mid-sized district and a larger one; the dynamics are completely different. I was taking a risk because she came from a mid-sized one of about 40,000 in Corpus Christi, and ours was much bigger. She adjusted very quickly.”
Fairfax County Public Schools Needing Community’s Help
Superintendent Karen Garza begins and ends her Listening Tour meetings with a plea to those in the room — parents, teachers, employees, unions — to help her achieve what needs to be done for their school system. “I am going to need your help,” she says to audiences who voice concerns about class size, resources for special education, and teacher salaries.
Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Karen Garza Bio
Current Position: Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent
Timeline of Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Karen Garza’s career in education.
1986-1991: Elementary School Teacher, Yoakum, Texas (1,539 students, 38% white and 50% Latino and spends about $8,000 per pupil).
Editorial: Merry Christmas
A message of peace and joy.
Merry Christmas. It’s a magical time of year, and perhaps Connection Newspapers has over indulged in displaying the many rituals of Christmas on our pages in the past few weeks. In events around the area, a sense of community has infused holiday parades, Christmas tree lightings, menorah lightings, choral performances, singing of carols and other traditional events with warmth and joy.
When Dad (or Mom) Is High School Sports Coach
Local coaches and athletes share their feelings about the relationship between parent/coach and child/athlete.
Wootton Girls’ Basketball Edges Rival Churchill
Patriots’ Addison, Bulldogs’ Karim-Duvall with big games.
Sheri Addison’s late bucket lifted the Wootton girls’ basketball team to a 54-52 victory over rival Churchill on Dec. 12.
Retiring ‘Hero’
Author and master of Potomac Master Plan, Callum Murray, retiring from Montgomery County Park and Planning.
Whatever one likes about Potomac, Callum Murray probably had something to do with keeping it that way. That was the message at last week’s West Montgomery County Citizens Association meeting, marking Murray’s plan to retire.
Solving Foot Pain
New store focuses on keeping people moving.
A new store in Rockville can help manage the pain. Good Feet, a franchise store, is committed to helping to alleviate foot pain and make people feel better about moving, exercising and walking. Good Feet provides custom fitting of feet with various levels of foot supports. The store carries 350 different sizes and 25 different styles to fit every type of foot.
Accepting Differences
Congregation B’Nai Tzedek hosts holiday party for Jewish Foundation for Group Homes’ adults with disabilities.
Sixth grade religious students at Congregation B’Nai Tzedek (CBT) were taught by members of their Special Needs committee about differences that the disabled adults who live at the Jewish Foundation for Group Homes (JFGH) might have — and the importance of accepting the disparity among people’s abilities.
Column: A Level That’s Anything But
This is not a home improvement reference, but this is most definitely a do-it-yourself column.
Potomac Home Sales: November, 2014
In November 2014, 31 Potomac homes sold between $1,680,000-$575,000.
Potomac Home Sales: November, 2014
An Essay To Remember
Local educators offer advice on acing independent school admission essays and interviews.
While many are knee-deep in wrapping paper and eggnog, some students are holed up with computer keyboards and books of quotations. In addition to driving to the mall for holiday shopping, some parents are throwing rapid-fire questions at their children to make sure they are fast on their feet.
Commentary: Helping People without Homes
The weather has turned colder and the holidays are in full swing, which means it’s the time of year when people ask “what can we do for the homeless now that it’s so cold?” Or “how can we help the homeless have a good Christmas?”
Editorial: Holidays Are for Giving
In the scramble to finish Christmas shopping, remember tens of thousands of local children are short of food as well as presents.
The holidays are for giving. Christmas and Hanukkah are about children and family, about sharing, about joy, about being thankful and about faith and appreciation. Here in Northern Virginia, many of us see few signs of families in need as we go about our daily lives and holiday shopping. Our neighborhoods are largely segregated economically; we mostly see the people who are most like ourselves economically.
Potomac: Sports Briefs for December 10
The Whitman girls’ basketball team opened the 2014-15 season with a 56-51 victory over Good Counsel in Dec. 5 in Olney.