Baxter, Lovette to Leave Falls Church City Schools

By ANNETTE HENNESSEY
Falls Church Times Staff

May 26, 2010

Last night, the Falls Church City School Board accepted the resignation of Thomas Jefferson Elementary School principal, Vincent Baxter, effective June 30, 2010.  Mr. Baxter became principal of TJ two years ago when the former principal, Trudy Taylor, retired.  He had previously served as assistant principal at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School.

In April, Gail Lovette, the assistant principal who was hired to replace Mr. Baxter at MEHMS, also submitted her resignation to the School Board. She is leaving MEHMS on June 30 to attend the University of Virginia to obtain her doctorate in Reading Education.

In a press release from FCC Public Schools, Mr. Baxter announced his decision to leave as “personal” and said:
“I’ve had four wonderful years here in Falls Church City . . . [my leaving] stems from a desire to work a little closer to home so that I can be more involved with my own children’s lives as well as the lives of the students I serve in school.”

Dr. Lois Berlin announced that Bob Palermo, assistant principal at TJ, would be promoted to principal and that the school’s Primary Years Program (PYP) coordinator, Mary Kay Howard, would assume the responsibilities of assistant principal at TJ.

“At this critical time, it is important that there’s a continuum,” Dr. Berlin said.  “Mr. Palermo and Ms. Howard have been a part of the school culture for many years, they are well-respected by the faculty, staff, students and parents, and they are well-versed in PYP and its attributes.  All of this will help ensure a smooth transition at TJ.”

FOOD: The Most Basic, and Satisfying, Is at Your Doorstep

By KATHLEEN NIXON
Falls Church Times Staff

May 26, 2010

In expanding the Falls Church Times Food section, our aim is not only to report on where to eat, but also to feature the various food sources available. And how could we ignore the most basic source of all – our own gardens.

Now is the time to think about what  to grow outside your doorstep. Consider it part family exercise and education, and part knowing the source of the food you consume.

Think growing your own food is difficult and time consuming? I certainly did. But after being inspired by Barbara Kingsolver’s book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, we began ripping up our 10 years of ornamental landscaping work in order to convert most of our yard into food production. This looks like it will be another 10-year project of love.

Armed with great resources like How to Grow More Vegetables, by John Jeavons, and Eliot Coleman’s Four Season Harvest, we started putting in raised beds last fall, replacing a lawn. We grew carrots, beets, lettuce, and spinach, and enjoyed them throughout the fall and winter. The carrots kept producing through the harsh winter under glass frames until early spring.

Growing vegetables has always struck fear in my heart. As a child, my family tried to teach me to grow a vegetable garden – in the shade. The trauma of my shade garden’s early death still haunts me, and I always chose to grow flowers, trees, hedges, evergreens – anything but a vegetable.

So only with great patience and love was my husband able to persuade me to begin with one vegetable: garlic. Last fall my farmers market friends gave me a handful of garlic to put in the ground. It takes garlic a full year to grow: plant in the fall and harvest the following fall.

I can’t tell you my thrill of seeing my garlic shoots coming up a month later, and their reappearance after the snowfall. It was my own personal victory garden. I was so enthused that I expanded to some potatoes which had sent up shoots in my cold storage. I put them in the ground in early March, and now they’re 16 inches high.

If you didn’t start your seeds indoors a few weeks ago, there are many seedlings available at local nurseries like Sam’s or the farmers market. The market vendors supplement their early spring offerings with a wide variety of vegetable and fruit seedlings. Many types of tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and squash are available, along with some fruit bushes such as blackberry, raspberry, fig and kiwi.

And don’t think that you have to plant your vegetables or fruits in a raised bed or a separate area of your garden. Vegetables and fruits can grow alongside your perennials and bushes – just like one of the family!

The Way It Was: Woodlands House c. 1970

By Falls Church Times Staff

May 26, 2010

Barry Buschow passed us the above photo of the Woodlands house at 610 Fulton Avenue taken around 1970. He also shared some information he obtained from Kathleen Riley Sides Crocker. She writes:

“My grandfather had the house built (I believe) and my mother was there from the time of her birth until approximately the Depression.

“I never lived there, and was only in it once — and only the first floor. The subsequent owner, Mrs. Schaefer, had a luncheon for family members when Aunt Betty (Styles) asked to see the house. I was not allowed to go upstairs.

“The enclosed porch to the left of the front door was added later. I don’t know who lived there when it was originally sold — may have been the Schaefers. I believe the school was the Schaefer School for special needs children. Then it went to a relative of the Schaafers and fell into disrepair.

“The kitchen was an add-on at the back of the house. The stable and garage were off to the right behind the house.

“Mom used to play a balloon game in the dining Read more

Outdoor Outdoor Painting Exhibit at City Hall

By GINA CACECI
Falls Church Times Staff

May 26, 2010

The headline is correct!  Falls Church Arts is sponsoring an exhibit of paintings of outdoor “Scenes in the City” and the art show will be held outdoors on City Hall grounds from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 29.   Judging of the artwork entered into the Plein Air Festival will take place during the day; the awards ceremony will be held at 3 p.m.

There will be a $250 cash prize awarded to “Best in Show” as determined by a panel of professional artists; ribbons will be given for second and third place.  There will also be a “People’s Choice” award, so come to the exhibit before 3 p.m. on Saturday and cast your vote.

For more information about Falls Church Arts and the Plein Air Festival, go to www.FallsChurchArts.org

Crime Report for May 18-24

By Falls Church Police Department

May 26, 2010

Larceny from Building, Staples, 1104 W. Broad St., May 17, between 8:00 a.m., and 4:30 p.m., unknown person(s) stole a wallet from an individual at the establishment.  The wallet contained multiple credit cards, and a VA Driver’s License.  Several unauthorized purchases were made on the victim’s credit cards.

Larceny from Building, 210 E. Fairfax St., May 19, between 1:00 p.m., and 5:30 p.m., unknown person(s) stole a Dell computer that had been delivered to the victim’s residence.

Drunkenness, 1200 blk. W. Broad St., May19, 6:46 p.m., police arrested a 57 year old man of NO FIXED ADDRESS, for DIP.

Driving Under the Influence, 100 blk. E. Broad St., May 22, 5:25 a.m., police arrested a 31 year old Gaithersburg, MD man for DUI.

Drunkenness, 100 blk. E. Broad St., May 22, 5:25 a.m., police arrested a 52 year old man of an unknown address for DIP.

Drunkenness, 900 blk. Ellison St., May 23, 11:14 p.m., police arrested a 27 year old man of NO FIXED ADDRESS for DIP.

Dominion Power Installing ‘Smart Meters’ to Save Electricity

By Falls Church Times Staff

May 26, 2010

During Monday’s Council session City Manager Wyatt Shields advised that many Falls Church residents soon will receive “smart meters” which will provide two way communication between Dominion Virginia Power customers and the utility.  Approximately 1,800 local customers will have their electric meters replaced in the next three to six months.  Many residents already have received notification by letter.

The new meters can be read daily and checked remotely to ensure they are working properly.  Dominion Power will no longer have to access customers’ property to read them or rely on phone calls to learn of an outage.

The meters also will enable Dominion Power to closely monitor voltage levels system wide and so more accurately meet the demand.  Currently the utility tends to provide higher levels of voltage than actually required.  The new meters may enable Dominion Power to save as much as 10% of their generation capacity.

Dominion Power has approximately 5,000 customers in Falls Church City.  The utility will provide the Council with a status report on the conversion at its June 21 work session.