
Tysons Corner Ice Rink Opens
Offers ice skating lessons, Cartoon Skate for kids, birthday parties, and fundraising opportunities.
The new 6,000 square foot Tysons Corner Ice Rink has officially opened for business. The opening took place on Black Friday, Nov. 28, and the season extends through March 11. The rink sponsored by CBRE Realty is situated on The Plaza next to Lord & Taylor on the second floor of the mall, and opposite the Shake Shack Restaurant. A new Hyatt Hotel is scheduled to open beside it in March.

GMU Students Rally to Lower Student Debt
Members of GMU Student Power Travel to Richmond to voice concern over rising debt.
Twelve students from George Mason University traveled to Richmond with the Virginia Student Power Network, rallying and calling for debt-free education, and for increased educational opportunities for undocumented students. Rodrigo Velasquez, a junior at Mason from Springfield and GMU Student Power’s organizer, was one of the 12 from Mason who also went to Richmond.
1st Stage Receives Helen Hayes Nominations
Tysons' 1st Stage was nominated for nine Helen Hayes Awards for outstanding achievement in professional theatre in the Washington metropolitan area. The awards are named after Helen Hayes, the legendary first lady of the American Theatre. Nominated artists and companies exemplify the excellence found on Washington area stages.

Puppy Erickson Comes to Vienna
Vienna resident raising puppy for Canine Companions for Independence.
Canine Companions for Independence – a national nonprofit organization that provides assistance dogs for children and adults with disabilities, has announced that Vienna resident Barbara Weigand recently began raising an assistance dog in-training for Canine Companions for Independence.

Local Prep Football Coaches React to End of Super Bowl XLIX
Majority say they would have called a run play from 1-yard line.
Lake Braddock football coach Jim Poythress sticks up for Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.

Herndon Girls Win Conference Championship
Herndon swim and dive had senior night against Centreville on Jan. 23, with the Hornets’ boys’ and girls’ teams winning. All Herndon seniors will advance to the Conference meet Jan. 30-31.
A 700-year-old Legacy Comes to Vienna
Local entrepreneur bottling family’s Greek olive oil, putting it out to market.
A Vienna man has lassoed his dream, bringing to Vienna – and the U.S. – the legacy of 11 ancestral generations of Greek men and women --- olive oil extracted from Spartan olive trees 700 years old. Pericles “Perry” Konstas left a career as a CEO in 2014 to produce and export olive oil made from his family’s olive groves outside Sparta, Greece.

Two Vienna Students Named Semifinalists in Science Competition
Referred to as the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition, the Intel Science Talent Search (Intel STS), a program of Society for Science and the Public, has granted prize money to some of today’s leading thinkers and scientists, and two Fairfax County Public School (FCPS) students from Vienna are among just 300 high school seniors selected to move on to the semifinalist stage of the competition.

Tysons Chamber, LearningRx Kick Off Job Shadow Program
Maureen Loftus, executive director of LearningRx of Vienna and Reston is leading the kick-off of the Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce (TRCC) job shadow program for 11th and 12th grade students of Oakton, Madison and Marshall high schools in Fairfax County, where students will shadow professionals in various industries in January and February.
Vienna Residents Embrace the Wintry Months
Not just Vienna, but, the area surrounding it, as well, shifts gears in the winter months. There may be fewer events in Vienna to participate in, but Vienna residents find activities to keep their spirits up, their minds busy, and their bodies healthy. Here, some Vienna neighbors share their seasonal lifestyle.
Hyatt Regency Tysons Corner Center to Hire More Than 100 Employees
Hyatt Regency Tysons Corner Center, located in Tysons Corner, anticipates it will be hiring more than 100 employees. The new hotel, which is expected to open in winter/spring of 2015, is accepting online applications for positions in sales, room service, food and beverage, management, culinary, engineering, and more. The online application process is now available.

Schools to Expand by $856 Million
Capital Improvement Plan approved, rising enrollment causes concerns about classroom space.
Five more school buildings and renovations for several existing ones may be approved by 2020. The Fairfax County School Board approved the $856 million Capital Improvement Program (CIP) at the Jan. 22 meeting to set priority on the projects the school system wants done in the next five years.
Public Information Meetings on Transforming I-66
Work is underway to transform Northern Virginia's I-66. Under the proposed plan, I-66 would be improved to provide:

Appalachian Trail: As ‘Wild’ as It Gets for Area Hikers
Film boosts interest in hiking.
After hiking a few miles into the Appalachian Trail's southernmost point in Georgia, Yorktown High School alumnae James Randle came to a realization of what an enormous task he was taking on, attempting a thru-hike on the 2,180 mile Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine.

Oakton High Drama Explores Propaganda
Oakton students to perform in “Signature in the Schools 20th Anniversary Festival.”
"We are so proud to be part of the ‘Signature in the Schools 20th Anniversary Festival,’” said Vanessa L. Gelinas, Oakton High School Theater Arts teacher. "It is a tremendous opportunity for the students to perform and learn."