Gov. Northam Makes Testing Work Group — “The group will “make sure all of Virginia’s public and private testing efforts are coordinated and pulling in the same direction,” Northam said during a Monday press conference.” [Inside NoVa]
Local Student Looks to Celebrate the Class of 2020 — “After Loudoun County seniors Arianna Wright and Aiden Bullis came up with the idea to sell class of 2020 signs and distributed 1,000, Abby Diamond wanted the same concept in Fairfax County. The Madison High School senior has started to sell signs reading ‘Class of 2020 senior #allinthistogether’ in support of the 2020 graduates. So far, she’s sold about 100 and has reached various high schools.” [Patch]
ICYMI: Foust’s Budget Meeting is Tonight — “Foust is set to talk to Fairfax County Chief Financial Officer Joe Mondoro about the budget, and answer people’s questions, according to his recent newsletter to constituents. The town hall is set to start at 7 p.m. [on Tuesday.]” [Tysons Reporter]
Distance Learning Challenges Plague FCPS — “School officials say that updates made by Blackboard over the weekend have not corrected delays with the system…Â The Fairfax County School Board is expected to receive an update on the rollout of distance learning on Thursday (April 23).” [Reston Now]
APRIL 20: COVID-19 Update for Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Personnel. #FCFRD continues to fully staff all stations and apparatus. More: https://t.co/1FyydVv0Po #FFXCOVID #FairfaxCounty pic.twitter.com/2KUCjRmAgD
— Fairfax Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) April 20, 2020
Passers-by may notice some new street art around Vienna.
Four local teens from Madison High School teamed up to paint three storm drains around the town last weekend. The works feature nature scenes and can be found outside the Freeman Store (131 Church Street NE).
Midge Biles, the chair for the Vienna Public Art Commission, said that the group often tries to partner with schools to sponsor art installations. For this project, the commission asked their student representative from Madison High School to recruit volunteers.
“The drains turned out beautifully and are all very different,” Biles said. “We are hoping to bring the message of environment and how it is all connected — what goes in the drain ends up in our oceans and has far-reaching effects on our water quality, sea life and beyond.”
The art should last for about six months, according to a tweet from the town.
The project required 10 gallons of paint which were donated by Vienna Paint (123 Lawers Road), Biles said.
In the future, she said that the group hopes to commission more paintings around town.
Several public high schools in the Tysons-area, including Langley and McLean high schools, made the cut for U.S. News and World Report’s annual roundup of best high schools on the state and national levels.
“Schools are ranked on their performance on state-required tests, graduation and how well they prepare students for college,” according to U.S. News and World Report.
Fairfax County Public Schools dominated U.S. News and World Report’s “Best High Schools in Virginia,” and five out of the eight Fairfax County schools included two in McLean, two in Vienna and one in Falls Church:
- Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology: Alexandria
- Langley High School: McLean
- McLean High School: McLean
- Oakton High School: Vienna
- Open High School: Richmond
- Marshall High: Falls Church
- Madison High: Vienna
- West Springfield High School: Springfield
- W.T. Woodson High School: Fairfax
- Deep Run High School: Glen Allen
The Tysons-area high schools bumped up a few spots for this year’s list. Last year, Langley ranked #3, McLean was #5, Oakton was #6 and Marshall was #8.
Their rankings on the national level hit the top 200 and 300 categories:
- Langley: #123
- McLean: #127
- Oakton: #173
- Marshall: #251
- Madison: #261
Image via Google Maps
McLean Citizens Reject Ramp Closure Resolution — “After debating nearly two hours over a pair of conflicting resolutions regarding the Virginia Department of Transportation’s proposal to temporarily close an on-ramp to northbound Interstate 495 during weekday afternoon peak hours, McLean Citizens Association (MCA) board members on Nov. 7 rejected both resolutions.” [InsideNova]
Fire at Madison High School — A fire broke out in a classroom at Vienna’s Madison High School Friday night, but was brought under control by a sprinkler system. [Twitter]
Vienna Legislative Priorities — “The Vienna town government’s draft 2019 legislative agenda looks decidedly similar to ones of yore and continues to ask the General Assembly to maintain adequate state funding and not further reduce local authority.” [InsideNova]
New Retail Concept Coming to Mall — “Macerich this weekend is launching a concept known as ‘BrandBox’ at Tysons Corner Center just outside Washington, D.C., one of the most valuable shopping malls in the U.S. There, it will house six brands, including apparel retailer Naadam and makeup company Winky Lux, for six to 12 months. Each brand will have its own mini store inside an 11,000-square-foot space, with new retailers funneling in and out each year.” [CNBC, Glossy]
Opioid Epidemic Discussion in Vienna — “It might be a scary topic, but still an important conversation to have: TOV’s Club Phoenix is hosting a parent discussion at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 14, on Understanding the Opioid Epidemic.” [Twitter]
Launch Day for Tysons Reporter — Today is the official launch date for the website you’re reading, Tysons Reporter. Find out more about us here. Have a news tip? Email [email protected]. As we do on our sister sites, we’ll be starting most mornings with our “Morning Notes” — links to interesting articles and social media posts around Tysons, McLean and Vienna.
New Dining Options Coming to Tysons — “More dining options are coming to Tysons Corner with the arrival of a new Tex Mex restaurant called Rango’s and a trio of Hawaiian-inspired Pokeworks locations starting next month.” [Eater]
Theater Chain Mulling Tysons Galleria Lease — “Experiential movie theater chain iPic Theaters could soon open its second D.C.-area location at the Tysons Galleria mall.” [Bisnow]
Driver Drives Down W&OD Trail — “A motorist was traveling northbound on Park Street, S.E., on Sept. 18 at 11:54 a.m. and was intending to turn into the parking lot at the Vienna Community Center when the driver mistakenly turned onto the Washington & Old Dominion Regional Trail instead, Vienna police said.” [InsideNova]
Road Closures Near Vienna Community Center — “The Town of Vienna has announced road closures near the community center for repair work during the day this week.” [Patch]
McLean 5K Scheduled Next Month — “The McLean 5K is set for Saturday, Oct. 6, at 8 a.m. This is the tenth time the event has been held in McLean.” [McLean Connection]
Madison HS Teams Awarded Plaques in Vienna — “The Madison High School Women’s Swim and Dive team, Men’s Swim and Dive team, Girls Soccer team, and Softball team were recognized for both their successes in competition and the classroom. Each 2018 team was awarded a plaque by Mayor DiRocco for their accomplishments.” [Twitter]
