GMHS Robotics Team Brings Home Awards

By JANICE NETTE
April 3, 2012

Sixty-one teams competed in the DC Regional FIRST robotics competition this past weekend with George Mason’s robot, Vae Victus, coming within once match of making the finals.  The team performed well in the nine qualification matches held all day Friday and Saturday morning at the DC Convention Center, earning a spot as one of eight alliances to advance to the elimination rounds.

This year’s challenge,  ”Rebound Rumble” is  played by two competing alliances on a 27′ x 54′ field.  Each team consists of three robots competing to score as many basketballs into their hoops as they can during the two minute and 15 second match.  The match ends with robots attempting to balance on bridges located in the center of the field for bonus points.

In the quarter finals, the alliance easily defeated the number four seeded team.  They then went on to defeat the number one seeded alliance 64-55 in an exciting first match of the semi-finals.  During the second match, all three robots on the alliance had technical problems, forcing a third and final match.   With some of the technical issues still at hand, the alliance was unable to overcome their opponent.  Two weeks earlier at the Virginia Regional Competition in Richmond they also made it to the semi-finals only to be defeated by the alliance that went on to win the tournament.

John Ballou, the faculty advisor for the program, was very pleased with how well the team fared at both events.  “I think our team did a fantastic job.  They played well and all of their hard work paid off.  It was a thrill a minute!”

At the end of the competition, awards are given to individuals and teams who have merited special recognition.  The volunteer of the year award was given to Falls Church resident and GM mentor, Don Brobst, who was recognized for “participating in or leading many FIRST initiatives and activities.  He gives willingly to help teams become the best they can be, and he is committed to FIRST‘s mission.  His dedication to teams’ technical and logistical know-how, and ‘no excuses’ attitude have made him an invaluable mentor, advisor, planning committee member, and event volunteer.”  When the Vae Victis team realized that it was their own member, Mr. Brobst, the cheers were enormous!

A few minutes later, the parent cheering section was again on their feet when the Johnson & Johnson sponsored Gracious Professionalism Award was awarded to George Mason.  The award “celebrates outstanding sportsmanship and continuous gracious professionalism in the heat of competition, both on and off the playing field.  At FIRST, sportsmanship means playing fairly, playing with humility, helping others, and not allowing results to compromise or drive your efforts.  It is a high standard, and one that we are proud to report is one of the distinguishing features of FIRST’s robotic competitions.”

The announcer went on to say, ” This team showed gracious professionalism that reached beyond this event.  In the weeks leading up to the competition, they worked alongside other teams helping them to get ready for this event. While at the DC Regional, they repeatedly shared their spare parts with those in need and helped teams debug their software.  This very friendly and helpful team had a great attitude and demonstrated . . . .Propitius Phasellus . . .That is Latin for Gracious Professionalism.”

FIRST (For Inspiration and  Recognition of Science and Technology) is an international program founded by Segway inventor,  Dean Kamen, designed “to turn young people on to career opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math” (STEM) and to promote “teamwork, competition, and just plain fun for young people ages 6-18″.  For more information visit www.usfirst.org.

SUNDAY, 4/22: FC Home and Garden Tour

For the first time, online ticket purchases are available for Falls Church Home & Garden Tour, benefiting the Falls Church Elementary PTA. The April 22 tour will feature distinctive homes and gardens in our City. Tickets for the 2012 Tour are $25, but for a limited time, tickets purchased online are offered for $20.

Please visit http://fallschurchpta.org/hgtour.html, click on the “Tickets and Tour Information” button, and follow the prompts to pay securely via PayPal. Ticket pickup will take place the morning of the tour at Mount Daniel Elementary School, 2328 North Oak Street, Falls Church, Va. Because ticket sales on the day of the tour will be limited, it is strongly recommended to purchase your ticket in advance.

For more information, please visit http://fallschurchpta.org/hgtour.html, “like” the Tour on Facebook, or email fcc.hg.tour@gmail.com.

Troop 349 Receives Highest Honor

By FALLS CHURCH TIMES STAFF
March 18, 2012

Troop 349 of Falls Church was awarded the Boy Scouts of America’s (BSA) highest honor for organizational preparedness – the Journey to Excellence (JTE) Gold Award. “Troop 349 is proud to be part of a group of units in the area to receive this honor and it reflects the dedication and hard work of all of our scouts, leaders, and parents,” stated Tony Ulses, former Scout Master of the troop.

Instituted by the BSA last year, the JTE gold award is given to units that have followed a strict regiment of training, advancement, fiscal responsibility, and participation criteria.  Troop 349 was founded with a desire to bring a hi-quality scouting experience that focuses on teaching leadership and community involvement to the youth of Falls Church.  With 37 scouts, the troop has worked hard to provide that environment and will continue to maintain it going forward.

Guest Speaker: Troop 349 has a history of focusing on scout advancement and providing its boys multiple opportunities to do so. In January of this year the troop welcomed Special Agent Michael Mack, from the Bureau of Diplomatic Security to talk with the scouts on the first class trail. He discussed with the boys our constitutional rights and obligations as a U.S. citizen. Special Agent Mack has worked for both the county and the federal governments for over 30 years. He has served in various roles as a policeman and has been stationed overseas in Ethiopia, Bosnia, Afghanistan and Africa. The boys enjoyed his stories and everyone who attended learned a great deal about how our government works.

Teaching Leadership: Leaders from Troop 349 spent a recent Sunday morning learning about team work and leadership from one of Falls Church George Mason High School’s premier coaches: Julie Bravin, an extraordinary mentor for Falls Church City. Ms. Bravin has developed leadership techniques that consistently produce superior results in motivation, fulfillment, and top-level performance. Coach Bravin’s record of team successes is extraordinary.

Boy Scout Troop 349, Falls Church City, was formed with the specific purpose of using scouting to teach leadership to youth. Ms. Bravin was gracious to present her winning philosophies to the adult leaders of the boy scouts. She delivered important lessons for our parents, youth, and our City. As adult leaders in the community, we thank and applaud both Coach Bravin and our school district for such superlative talent and dedication.

ABOUT TROOP 349: The Troop is open to boys between the ages of 12 and 17, who have graduated from the fourth grade, and/or have received his arrow of light award. Boys desiring to join the troop are welcome at any time to attend a meeting and present themselves to the Scout Master for admission. Troop 349 meets every Tuesday evening at 7 PM between September and June at the American Legion Hall on Oak St. The troop web site contains more information about joining and what boy scouts is all about. Go to www.troop349.us to learn more about the troop and it’s culture.

Through FRIDAY, 3/23: MEHMS Book Fair

Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School will hold a Book Fair in the school library,  7130 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, from Monday, March 19th to Friday, March 23rd 2012 with evening open hours on Monday and Tuesday.

The Fair will be open for book sales from 7.30 am to 4pm, 5pm to 8pm on Monday, Tuesday, from 7.30 to 2.30 pm on Wednesday and 7.30 am to 4pm on Thursday. It will close on Friday at 12.30pm. All are welcome to drop by.

Purchases can also be made online at http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/meh.  Proceeds from sales made at the Book Fair and on line help us to furnish our school with books and to maintain the quality of our library. For more information please visit ttp://www.fccps.org/meh/ or contact Adele Eskin at (EskinA@fccps.org )

WEDNESDAY, 3/14: Bruegger’s Fundraiser for MEH

On Wednesday, March 14th, all guests who visit the new Bruegger’s Bakery-Café located in Falls Church at at 7393 Lee Highway, will receive a free bagel with cream cheese.  They will also have the opportunity to purchase a Bottomless Mug trial card(s) for $5.00 each – good for unlimited coffee, tea or fountain drinks through the end of March – to the first 200 interested guests. All proceeds from the card, will benefit the Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School teacher grants program.  We hope you will stop by to support the MEHMS PTA.

SATURDAY, 3/24: Bid Now for “Byrd Feeder” Fundraiser

The silent auction website for the third annual Byrd Feeder is live and ready to take your bids! Look at all of the great items that have been donated at www.byrdfeedersilentauction.weebly.com

With a wide variety of items there’s something for everyone.  Make sure you see the handmade quilt in Mason colors that was created just for the Byrd Feeder!

Place your bids now, then finalize the bidding and claim your item at the 2012 Byrd Feeder  event this Saturday, March 24th, from 4-7pm, at Clare and Don’s Beach Shack on North Washington Street in Falls Church.  Bring the family for dinner and part of the proceeds from all meals will also benefit this great cause.

The Byrd Feeder, hosted by George Mason High School principal Tyrone Byrd, raises money to provide an alcohol and drug-free celebration and allows our community to keep our graduates safe on the night of their high school graduation, a night of high risk for teenagers, while offering them a wonderful way to celebrate all night with their classmates.

Lady Mustangs Beat Gate City, State Champs!

By STEVEN BRIESE
Photos by Judy Lubnow
March 10, 2012

The George Mason High School Lady Mustangs beat the Lady Devils of Gate City 50-47 to earn the VHSL Group A Division Two Championship.  The game was close throughout, with seven ties and eight lead changes.

Junior Stephanie Cheney opened the scoring with two in the paint from an offensive rebound, followed quickly by a fast break score by Senior Lauren Kane for a 4 – 1 lead.  Gate City came right back, tied the score at seven, and Mason took the lead back for a 10 – 7 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

Mason’s defense continued to frustrate Gate City, as Stephanie Cheney blocked back-to-back shots, and Senior Leah Roth stole the ball and took it to the hoop for a 14-7 lead.  Sophomore Ashley Alexander drilled Mason’s only three point goal of the night to extend the lead to 10 points.  Gate City used a very physical defense to try to get back in the game, committing several fouls, but Mason could only convert 4 free throws in the first half and the Lady Mustangs went to the locker room with a lead of only two points, 25-23.

The third and fourth quarter were a see saw battle of ties and one point lead changes.  Mason fans grew quite concerned when Stephanie Cheney fouled out with 4:55 left in the 4th quarter, but her teammates rose to the occasion to fill her shoes.  Lauren Kane, Senior Krista Kelly, and Freshman Katie Goodwin all nailed free throws to seal the win in the closing seconds.

Lauren Kane led Mason’s scoring with 16 points, Ashley Alexander had 11, Stephanie Cheney totaled 10, Katie Goodwin came off the bench to add six points, Leah Roth tallied four, Krista Kelly with 2, and Jaya Chavern scored one.

The celebration was well deserved for the Lady Mustangs, who have been been to the final four 8 times, with this their third championship in four years.  Seniors May Williamson, Krista Kelly, Leah Roth, Lauren Kane and and Sonia Kapoor have completed fabulous basketball careers at George Mason!

Mason Boys Win Semifinal, Move to Championship Saturday

By FALLS CHURCH TIMES STAFF
Photo Credit: ANDREW NICKLE
March 9, 2012

The George Mason High School boys basketball team thumped Fort Chiswell 62-50 today in the semifinals of the Virginia State Basketball Tournament to move to tomorrow’s Championship game. 

Combined with the Lady Mustangs’ victory in their own semifinal match last night, the boys’ win sets up back-to-back GMHS appearances in the Championship round.  The girls will take on Gate City at 3pm Saturday, and the boys will play Lancaster at 5pm, with both games occurring at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Siegel Center in Richmond. 

The Mustang boys were underdogs entering today’s contest, lacking the services of senior forward Nate Ogle, who broke his hand in GM’s quarterfinal outing against Essex.  But the Mustangs led from the start and built a double digit lead in the fourth period that Fort Chiswell was unable to overcome.   Junior forward Will Nunley was a huge bright spot on the day, stepping into Ogle’s shoes and delivering a 13 point performance. 

Tickets for tomorrow’s Championship games at the Siegel Center ($10 plus fees) are available online here.

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