(Updated at 4:45 p.m.) The Weekly Planner is a roundup of interesting events coming up over the next week in the Tysons area.

We’ve searched the web for events of note in Tysons, Vienna, Merrifield, McLean, and Falls Church. Know of any we’ve missed? Tell us!

Monday (March 29)

• COVID-19 Sports Informational Meeting (Online) — 6 p.m. — The Fairfax County Health Department will discuss COVID-19 & athletic programs. The county has provided a handout with policies related to COVID-19 and its effect on athletics. There will be time to voice any questions or concerns during the meeting. Questions may be sent in advance to [email protected].

Wednesday (March 31)

• Celebree School Groundbreaking — 11 a.m. at Valo Park (7950 Jones Branch Dr.) — Celebree School, a private early childhood education franchise, will break ground on its new location in Tysons. Families and other community members are invited to attend as construction begins on the school, according to a press release.

Thursday (April 1)

• New McLean Project for the Arts Exhibit — The McLean Project for the Arts opens two new exhibits at the McLean Community Center (1234 Ingleside Ave.). New works by Alonzo Davis, Yuriko Yamaguchi and Mineke Schipper will be on display. A virtual opening reception and artist talk will take place on Apr. 8 at 7 p.m. Visit the MPA website to reserve tickets, view the virtual collection, and to learn more information.

Friday (Apr. 2)

• Vienna Theatre Company Production: Dear Elizabeth (Online) — 7:30 p.m. — Dear Elizabeth is the story of the famed correspondence between two of the 20th century’s top poets, Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell. Live, virtual performances will also be available to view on April 3 at 2 p.m. and 7: p.m.  Tickets are on sale now for $15. Questions call Lily Widman at 703-255-5738 or email [email protected].

Saturday (Apr. 3)

• Outdoor Yoga — 9:30-10:30 a.m. at The Boro (8350 Broad Street) — Join The Boro for an early morning of yoga in celebration of the beginning of spring. All registered participants will receive a $10 gift card from Flower Child and a cherry blossom treat. Tickets are $20 per person, $10 from each ticket will be donated to Autism Speaks.
• Bunny Hop — 10 a.m. on the east side of Falls Church City — The City of Falls Church canceled its annual Easter egg hunt, but families can celebrate instead by greeting Mr. and Mrs. Bunny as they drive through neighborhood streets, escorted by city staff, police, and the sheriff’s department.
• Mini Golf and Egg Hunt — 11 a.m. at Burke Lake Park (7315 Ox Road) — Celebrate Easter at Burke Lake Park with socially-distanced mini golf and an egg hunt. Groups of up to five people can register for $10 per person to play through the specially decorated course, which will culminate with the egg hunt at the 18th hole. For more information, call 703-323-6600.
• Drive-In Movie at Mosaic — 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. at the Market Garage (8295 Glass Alley) — Pull up for a springtime movie at the Mosaic District. For $28 per car, enjoy a movie on the roof of the Market Garage. Saturday’s two movies are “Mary Poppins” at 4 p.m. and “Ferris Beuller’s Day Off” at 7:30 p.m. See the Mosaic website for tickets and more information.

Sunday (Apr. 4)

• Drive-In Movie at Mosaic (8295 Glass Alley) — 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. — The Mosaic District’s spring-themed drive-in movie series continues today with “Hop” at 1 p.m. and “42” at 4 p.m. Screenings will again cost $28 per car and take place on the roof of the Market Garage. Sunday’s shows will include a special appearance from the Easter Bunny. See the Mosaic website for tickets and more information.

Photo via The Boro/Facebook

Updated at 7:30 p.m. — The superintendents of Fairfax County and Arlington public schools say the Virginia High School League should mandate diversity and inclusion training for all high school athletes, coaches, and officials after allegations of racism at a football game between Marshall and Wakefield high schools led to escalating tensions.

Stating that their divisions “embrace diversity and strongly condemn hate speech and racial intolerance of any kind,” FCPS Superintendent Scott Brabrand and APS Superintendent Francisco Durán called the incident “an opportunity to take a step back and discuss how actions have consequences and that our words can deeply hurt others.”

“This situation has deeply affected both school divisions, our families, students, and our respective communities,” they said. “In recent days, it has provoked strong emotions in both communities, and has become divisive by pitting schools against one another. This is not about one team versus another; it is about our students and how we can come together to support them and take necessary actions to ensure this situation does not repeat itself. Our students deserve better.”

Brabrand and Durán added that FCPS and APS will both “provide training and education for our athletes, coaches, and staff so that, together, we are all working to support students.”

The full statement can be found on the Fairfax County Public Schools website.

Earlier: Members of Marshall High School’s football community, including the coach, players, and parents, are refuting previously reported accounts of racist taunts against the Wakefield High School football team.

On Wednesday (March 17), Wakefield students came forward detailing their experiences in which they allege being called the n-word and “boy” during a game against Marshall High School on March 5. One student said he was spat on.

Wakefield players and parents have started a campaign calling for accountability from school athletics officials, including a petition demanding “an immediate apology” from Marshall and its football program that has garnered almost 5,000 signatures.

Arlington Public Schools confirmed that an incident occurred, and Fairfax County Public Schools said it had investigated and is addressing the reports, but in the last 24 hours, Marshall community members have issued statements and written letters disputing the Wakefield players’ accounts.

“Our players, coaches, and parents refute these allegations whole-heartedly,” Coach Jason Strickland said in a letter to the school community. “I believe our players, coaches, and parents because I did not witness nor have I been shown actual proof of these accusations occurring.”

Following up on the letter, an FCPS spokesperson said Strickland’s response addresses a “highly charged situation.”

“Families, students, and community members are upset and emotions are high. Regretfully, harsh words and accusations on social media have also contributed,” she said in a statement. “It would not be unusual for a coach to want to communicate directly with his or her players and their families about an intense matter that been publicly escalated by multiple parties.”

Parents of students at Marshall also penned a statement that refuted every claim made by the Wakefield community and criticized media reports for being one-sided.

“We at Marshall High School are defending the players of the Marshall Statesmen football team for remaining strong and resilient regarding the allegations of racism and other slanderous remarks by Wakefield High School players,” the statement said. “There is no culture of racism and bigotry at Marshall High School on the football team.”

They also said Wakefield students called Marshall students the n-word and other derogatory names. Further, they added, Marshall students had to wear masks, so they could not spit on students. Coach Strickland confirmed that Marshall was enforcing mask-wearing during the game. Read More

Marshall High School players called members of the Wakefield High School football team in Arlington County racial slurs during a recent game, an Arlington Public Schools spokesman confirms.

Wakefield student-athletes Lukai Hatcher and Izaiah Lang took to social media last night (Wednesday) to post about the events they say transpired during an away game against Marshall High School on March 5.

“Me and my teammates were called racial slurs, taunted, and even spit on by Marshall players,” they said in a widely-shared joint statement posted on Facebook, Instagram, and elsewhere. “We also experienced unfair treatment by each of the refs and were harassed from the sidelines by coaches and Marshall parents.”

Arlington Public Schools spokesman Frank Bellavia confirmed a portion of the allegations.

“An incident did occur between Marshall and Wakefield high schools where Marshall players used racial slurs at the Wakefield football team,” Bellavia told ARLnow, an affiliate site of Tysons Reporter.

Wakefield Principal Dr. Christian Willmore says the racial slurs included the n-word and the word “boy.” He also confirmed that there was spitting.

A Fairfax County Public Schools spokesperson told Tysons Reporter in a statement that the school system has “expectations of behavior” for students and staff and that “allegations such as these are taken seriously.”

“We does not accept acts of intolerance,” the statement said. “When administration learned of the March 5 matter, we conducted a thorough investigation. The investigation was extensive and involved VHSL, officials, staff, players and families from both teams.”

FCPS personnel, including school leadership, regional office administrators, and the divison’s chief equity officer, are working with all the families involved and the coaches from both teams to develop a plan for restorative justice, the statement said.

“At FCPS, our primary responsibility is the safety and well-being of our students and staff. Every student must understand the value of appreciating each other’s differences, extending common courtesy, and treating each other with respect,” FCPS said. “We must all be committed to do better.”

Game footage shows a fight breaking out between the teams. APS confirmed that three Wakefield students were given three-game suspensions as a result of the fights, but the sanctions have since been knocked down to one-game suspensions, per Virginia High School League guidelines.

Marshall ended up winning the game, 19-18.

Hatcher and Lang alleged in their statement that what happened on March 5 has happened before.

“Marshall High School’s athletic teams have been known to demonstrate a culture of racism and unsportsmanlike behavior,” including foul play on the basketball court, they said. “We are shining the light on the continuing culture of tolerance for unjust and discriminatory practices in sports for minority athletes and seeking accountability in support of change.”

“We as a team complained to the refs all game about the way that we were being treated yet the flags were consistently thrown on us and even our coaches,” Hatcher and Lang added. “We should not be punished for defending ourselves and each other especially because during the entire game the refs, [whose] job it is to ensure each game is fair and who were supposed to protect and defend us, did not.”

The claims made against the referees, coaches and parents have not been confirmed.

Hatcher and Lang are pressing for change in the wake of the March 5 game.

“This isn’t new and enough is enough!” they wrote.

Fairfax County Public Library Introduces Text Service — “Beginning today [Mar. 1], you can text your #Fairfax library questions to 571-556-5025 and receive answers in real time 10 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Monday thru Friday. If it’s not during those real-time hours, send a text & a ticket will be automatically generated. We’ll respond when available.” [Fairfax County Public Library/Twitter]

New Police Reform Laws Take Effect — Several police reform laws passed during the Virginia General Assembly’s special session last year took effect yesterday, including a ban on no-knock search warrants, new statewide training standards related to racial bias and deescalation, and a “Marcus Alert” system that limits the role of law enforcement in responding to behavioral health issues. [@GovernorVA/Twitter]

Fairfax County Seeks Input on Active Transportation Plan — “The ActiveFairfax Transportation Plan will establish a vision and a roadmap for implementation of safe, convenient, and enjoyable streets, sidewalks, bike facilities, and trails in Fairfax County. “Community input is critical to the success of this planning effort,” said Chris Wells, the Active Transportation Program Manager at FCDOT.” [Fairfax County Department of Transportation]

McLean High School Kicks Off Football Season With a Win — “The McLean Highlanders opened their high-school football season with a 28-14 victory over the visiting Mount Vernon Majors on Feb. 27. McLean fell behind 7-0 on a long touchdown pass, then rallied.” [Sun Gazette/Inside NoVA]

Car Crash Shuts Down Eastbound Leesburg Pike — A car crash around 6:48 a.m. on Leesburg Pike near Colvin Run Road forced the eastbound lanes to close. First responder crews extricated a person who was trapped in a car and transported them to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The crash has now been cleared, and the road is back open. [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department/Twitter]

Madison Girls’ Basketball Team Wins State Championship — The Warhawks beat Osbourn Park 54-48 on Saturday (Feb. 20) to earn James Madison High School’s first girls basketball state title since 1993. The team was within a game of the championship last year, but the final contest was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [The Washington Post]

Leesburg Pike Bus Stop to Be Skipped Due to Construction — “Effective February 24, 2021: Until further notice stop #2674 (Leesburg Pike and Lyons St) will be skipped due to ongoing construction on Leesburg Pike. We encourage you to use alternatives a thank you for your patience.” [Fairfax Connector/Twitter]

Two former competitive swimmers, who are now partners in business and marriage, are opening a year-round, warm-water swimming school in Tysons.

Called SafeSplash, the school is located inside the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner (7920 Jones Branch Drive) and will be open four days a week, co-owner Jennifer Lilintahl says.

SafeSplash is a national swim school franchise with more than 100 locations. It is also the official swim school provider of USA Swimming, the governing body for competitive swimming that chooses the U.S. Olympic swimming team.

This is Jennifer and Michael Lilintahl’s fourth SafeSplash in the D.C. area, their second inside a hotel, and their first in Virginia. The couple chose the McLean area because there are relatively few conveniently located options for swim schools, Jennifer says.

The Lilintahls have also tapped into an underutilized resource for swimming schools: hotel swimming pools. Now, their idea is paving the way for other franchisees.

After the Washington Sports Club that housed one of their two Bethesda schools closed for good last summer, the couple moved it to a Hilton Hotel in D.C.’s Friendship Heights area. They now serve as a resource for SafeSplash franchisees interested in working with hotels.

Building a dedicated swimming facility is expensive, and available bodies of water are hard to come by, Jennifer says. Meanwhile, many hotels boast rarely used pools.

“It has worked out well during COVID-19. Hospitality is having such challenges, so this is an extra stream of revenue for them and a body of water for us,” she said. “It’s a win-win.”

The Lilintahls opened their first location in 2017 on Rockville Pike in North Bethesda and soon after, expanded to a Washington Sports Club in downtown Bethesda. They opened a franchise in D.C.’s Columbia Heights area in 2019.

“It’s been a long journey,” Jennifer, who swam competitively through high school, said.

She credits her husband with proposing the idea to run their own swimming schools. Michael Lilintahl went to college on a full-ride athletic scholarship for swimming and represented his home country, Venezuela, in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. She says he wanted to help others unlock opportunities in life through the sport.

“It was always a passion of his to combine his love for swimming with a business,” she said. “Swimming took him so far in life.”

The Tysons SafeSplash will first open its doors on Saturday, Feb. 20, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Ahead of opening day and for a limited time afterward, the Lilintahls are offering discounts: 20% off for eight consecutive weeks of lessons or 50% off one class.

To keep clients safe during the pandemic, the couple is only offering private and semi-private lessons, which are capped at three children (typically siblings or kids in the same “pod”). Every instructor wears a silicone, water-proof mask, and many are doubling up with surgical masks, she said.

The school will be open Mondays and Wednesdays from 4 to 6 p.m. and on weekends from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Photos courtesy of Jennifer Lilintahl

Deadline for Water Utility Relief Applications Extended — Fairfax County, Fairfax City, and Falls Church City residents who are experiencing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic can now apply for assistance through Fairfax Water’s utility relief program through Dec. 1, 2021. [Fairfax County Emergency Information]

Fairfax County Kicks Off 10th Year of “Stuff the Bus” Food Drives — “On January 30 and February 6, Stuff the Bus held food drives at 21 locations throughout Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax to collect nonperishable food donations for area food pantries. The drives were a resounding success, resulting in 33 tons of food, surpassing the 27.6 tons donated during the previous Stuff the Bus food drives in September 2020.” [Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services]

Madison High School Girls’ Swim Team Wins Fifth Straight Regional Title — “The girls high-school swimming and diving team again showed strong depth throughout its lineup to win the recent 2020-21 6D North Region event with a 420.5 point total, an improvement from last season’s 399 winning mark. Madison won four events, finished second in five others and had as many as 12 swimmers place in events.” [Sun Gazette/Inside NoVA]

McLean Youth Soccer Raises Money for Cancer Center — “McLean Youth Soccer leaders and players presented the Georgetown University Lombardi Cancer Center with a check for $2200.00 as a result of a fundraising effort held by the club and supported by its players during the month of October.” [Patch]

Staff photo by Jay Westcott

Winter Weather Advisory Extended to 1 P.M. — The National Weather Service has extended its winter weather advisory for the D.C. area, including Fairfax County, to 1 p.m. today due to “lingering snow bands.” There could be up to two inches of snow accumulation, and slippery roads could make the morning commute hazardous. [NWS]

Metro to Change Lost-and-Found Policy, Citing Budget Constraints — “Beginning March 1, Metro’s lost and found department will work to reunite customers with lost wallets and electronics (such as phones, tablets, and laptops) only. All other items lost in the system will be disposed of, donated to charity, destroyed, or auctioned.” [WMATA]

Mosaic District Partners with Virginia Plunge Again — The Polar Plunge Festival is the signature annual fundraiser for Special Olympics Virginia. In past years, the Mosaic District has hosted the Plunge, but due to the pandemic, the usual in-person event has been replaced by a week of festivities, culminating in a virtual ceremony on Saturday (Feb. 6). Registration is now open. [Mosaic District/Twitter, Polar Plunge]

Tysons-Based Media Company Buys Sports Podcast Network — “Tegna wants a bigger piece of the podcast action: The TV station group announced the acquisition of Locked On Podcast Network, which produces some 160 daily shows for teams across the U.S.’s four major pro sports leagues and more than 30 colleges.” [Variety]

Justice High School Graduate Drafted by Washington Spirit — “When the Washington Spirit returns to the field this spring, local fans may spot a familiar face at forward–Falls Church native Anna Heilferty. After graduating from Boston University this winter, Heilferty was selected 19th overall by the Spirit in the 2021 National Women’s Soccer League Draft.” [Washingtonian]

The county is seeking to gauge the public’s support for pickleball, a new and rapidly expanding paddleball sport that combines elements of badminton, table tennis, and tennis.

The Fairfax County Park Authority has launched an online survey to gauge support for new pickleball activities. The survey is open through Jan. 24. County officials say they’ve received multiple requests to expand the number of pickleball facilities in its parks, recreation centers, and community centers.

The game was invented in 1965 by two dads in Washington who wanted to entertain their kids and use an old badminton court.

A feasibility study is underway on how to address the desire for the sport, identify sites for possible improvements or new facilities, and develop criteria and design guidance used for selecting and constructing pickleball amenities.

Local pickleball players advocating for Fairfax County to develop more facilities devoted to the sport officially formed the Vienna Pickleball Club in June.

Now boasting 179 members, the group successfully convinced the Town of Vienna to turn the Glyndon Park tennis courts into hybrid tennis/pickleball courts when they underwent renovations earlier this year.

However, Fairfax County currently does not have any facilities specifically for pickleball. The closest dedicated facility is Pickleballerz, which opened in October in the Loudoun County portion of Chantilly.

The county’s feasibility study will be completed by the spring of 2021. Currently, the county has 15 parks with either a tennis or basketball court lined for pickleball. Within those parks, there are 28 courts available to play the game.

Staff photo by Jay Westcott

For the first time since Mar. 12, high school athletes in Fairfax County have games to play.

Boys’ and girls’ basketball teams around the county will tip off tonight (Monday) to usher in an unusual winter sports season that will unfold in front of largely empty stands, marking students’ return to athletic competition after the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out this year’s spring and fall seasons.

Under Virginia’s current COVID-19 rules, spectators are limited to 25 people per field for indoor sports and two guests per player for outdoor sports. The total number of spectators for any venue is capped at 30% of its occupancy capacity.

Though Gov. Ralph Northam signed an executive order on Oct. 30 permitting school sports to proceed, the Virginia Department of Health says participating in recreational sports that require close contact with others “during times of substantial COVID-19 activity in a community…is not advisable.”

With COVID-19 transmission rates now higher than the spring surge that led schools to shut down, winter sports have been postponed or canceled in Washington, D.C., and nearly all of Maryland. The City of Alexandria announced in November that its schools would opt out of the season.

Most of Virginia, though, appears to be forging ahead with the Virginia High School League’s “Championships + 1” schedule, which pushed fall sports to Feb. 2 and spring sports to Apr. 12.

However, Fairfax County Public Schools has put some restrictions in place.

While the VHSL is “strongly” encouraging masks without mandating them, FCPS is requiring nearly all athletes to wear masks even while competing, providing limited exceptions only for swim and dive, wrestling, and cheerleading. Athletes will also not have access to locker rooms this year.

“The expectation will be that kids come to practice/games ready to compete and will leave the facility immediately after the event,” FCPS said in a news bulletin sent to families yesterday.

While fans can’t attend games in-person for now, at least some competitions will be streamed live through the host teams’ websites or social media accounts.

The basketball season will officially begin with freshman games at 4:30 p.m., followed by girls’ junior varsity games at 5:30 p.m. and boys’ junior varsity at 5:45. Girls’ varsity games tip off at 7:00 p.m., and boys’ varsity teams will start at 7:30 p.m.

Here is what to expect tonight for schools in the Tysons area:

• James Madison is facing Annandale, with boys’ teams playing at home and girls’ teams visiting Annandale
• McLean faces Chantilly, with boys’ teams at home and girls’ teams away
• Marshall plays Justice, with girls’ teams at home and boys’ teams on the road

Langley High School’s games for tonight have been canceled, since the Saxons were supposed to play T.C. Williams High School, which is no longer participating in the season. However, the girls’ basketball teams are scheduled to visit Chantilly on Wednesday (Dec. 23).

Photo via Marshall High School Athletics/Twitter