It was the Easter experience of a lifetime.
The 250 Arlington elementary school students who were invited to attend Monday’s White House Easter Egg Roll were treated to a reading by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, a performance by teen pop sensation Justin Bieber, and appearances by a host of other showbiz stars and athletes. And that’s not to mention the thrill of hobnobbing with President Obama and the First Family.
An unspecified threat at Washington-Lee High School has prompted officials to cancel all after-school activities at the high school, including adult education classes. The W-L aquatic center has also been closed.
Administrators learned of the threat this afternoon, school officials said in an email. Police investigated and determined that there was no imminent danger to students and staff.
New County Manager Will Be Missed in Savannah — “A sad day for the city of Savannah.” A “loss for the city.” In an uncommonly heartfelt display of sadness and regret over the departure of an unelected public official, media outlets and politicians in Savannah, Ga. are weighing in on the loss of Savannah city manager Michael Brown. A native Virginian, Brown will become Arlington’s new county manager in May.
Sushi Rock Set to Open — A rock-themed sushi bar is set to open in Courthouse today. “The place feels like the remnants of a 1980s Japanese tour by AC/DC, if only they kidnapped a chef and raided half the Tokyo fish market before they left,” writes UrbanDaddy. Sushi Rock is located in the space at 1900 Clarendon Blvd formerly occupied by Yaku.
The flyer states that the planetarium is visited by more than 20,000 people per year. It prompts supporters to sign an online petition.
Meanwhile, the Save the Arlington VA Planetarium Facebook page has reached 2,640 members.
Dr. Murphy made the comments at Thursday night’s school board meeting. He did not elaborate on what sort of partnerships might be possible.
“I think that a lot of the noise we’ve been making online has helped to do this,” said an elated Raphael Perrino, who has been helping to lead the charge with comments on the popular “Save the Arlington VA Planetarium” Facebook page and with an online petition that has garnered more than 220 signatures.
Since Arlington Public Schools announced its plan to permanently close the planetarium one month ago, the family of the late Columbia astronaut David Brown, for whom the planetarium is now named, has spoken out against the closure.
And now a “Save the Arlington VA Planetarium” Facebook page has amassed nearly 2,500 fans.
A total of 250 students from from five Arlington elementary schools — Ashlawn, Arlington Science Focus, Claremont, Nottingham and Tuckhoe — will receive highly sought-after tickets to the annual event.
Last year 550 tickets were given to Arlington elementary school students from eleven schools. The White House stipulated that tickets to the 2010 egg roll must be offered to students from schools not selected last year.
The details are still a bit sketchy, but Arlington police are investigating an indecent exposure incident that occurred this morning next to Williamsburg Middle School in north Arlington.
Sometime before 7:30 a.m., a man apparently jumped out of the bushes at 36rd Street and North Harrison Street as two female students walked by. We’re told he made “inappropriate gestures” and then ran off.
After missing a week of classes due to Snowmageddon and Snoverkill, Arlington public school students will have to make up for it by giving up a couple of previously-scheduled off-days and early release days.
“Of course I was hoping school would extend into August so I could save on summer camp fees,” Robert Cannon said on his bArlington blog.
Dr. Murphy says the school system, facing a $12.8 million budget deficit, cannot afford the nearly half million dollars worth of mechanical upgrades needed to keep the 40-year-old planetarium open.
The planetarium is named after David Brown, a Yorktown High School graduate who perished in the 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. Dr. Murphy says the science wing at Yorktown High will be named in Mr. Brown’s honor after the planetarium closes.
At tonight’s school board meeting, Arlington County Schools superintendent Dr. Pat Murphy will reveal significant cuts in the school system’s proposed fiscal year 2011 budget. Here are some of the notable items in Dr. Murphy’s proposed budget:
Appropriately, considering this winter’s historic snowfall, the design features a snow-covered bridge over the W&OD trail.
The winner was chosen from a pool of 19 designs submitted by local high school students. It will soon be featured on the 155,000 vehicles garaged in Arlington.
